“Winning the press conference” is one of the weirdest judgments in sports. A new coach will stand up in front of the reporters and project confidence, and that doesn’t matter for future wins and losses. Some new coaches who are good at answering questions couldn’t lead the 1989 San Francisco 49ers to a winning record.
Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni didn’t win his introductory press conference, whatever that means. Fans backed down and laughed at Sirianni who sought an answer on “systems”.
And it didn’t matter for wins and losses.
In Sirianni’s second season, he is, at least to some degree, the best coach in the NFL. Or at least have the best season. Sirianni is the easy favorite to win the NFL Coach of the Year award at BetMGM. The Eagles are 10-1 and Sirianni is doing a great job.
His systems were working, apparently.
Nick Sirianni favorite for Coach of the Year award
Here are the current odds for Coach of the Year at BetMGM, with Sirianni holding a huge lead:
Siriani -130
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins +450
Robert Saleh, New York Jets +500
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings +550
These are the four contenders, according to the odds. All other trainers have +1600 or more.
There is plenty of time for this to change. Brian Daboll (+1600) looked like a pretty good bet a few weeks ago, but the buzz about the New York Giants’ fun start died down with a few losses. If the Giants make another run, he’ll get that buzz back. Someone like Mike McCarthy (+1800) should get some attention if the Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles for the NFC East.
A lot can change in the final weeks of the season, but what won’t change is that the Eagles must be happy with their signing of Sirianni. In Sirianni’s freshman year, he completely changed his offense after a slow start, leaning into heavy offense and the Eagles made the playoffs. This season, the Eagles weren’t even favored to win the NFC East, but they have the best record in the NFL.
Sirianni is already showing his ability to figure out what his players do best and put them in position to succeed.
The Eagles are having a great season
Winning Coach of the Year doesn’t mean you’re a superstar. Matt Nagy and Jason Garrett are among those who have won the award more recently than Bill Belichick or Andy Reid.
Still, it seems Sirianni is a perfect fit. He has a fiery personality that the officials may not like but his players seem to respect. He’s done a great job getting the most out of Eagles talent, including quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Eagles, at +600, are tied for third-best Super Bowl odds. At this point, it should surprise no one to see the Eagles playing in February.
Sirianni’s -140 odds of winning NFL Coach of the Year indicate that’s his prize to lose. If the Eagles secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed — they have a 79.5% chance of doing so, according to Football Outsiders — then Sirianni will get plenty of votes. The race is not over, but Sirianni has a big lead.
And regardless of whether Sirianni wins the award, her future looks bright.
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