Mike Tomlin is one of the most widely respected coaches in the NFL. Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is no exception to that.
During a Friday press conference, Sirianni spoke glowingly about Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially after watching the first two episodes of Hard Knocks (while he also tries to gain an edge).
“I got a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin and his staff and how consistent he has been throughout his entire career, ” Sirianni told reporters via the Eagles’ X/Twitter account. “It’s very impressive and that doesn’t happen without good culture, good players, good coaches.”
It’s no secret that Tomlin’s Steelers have been the model of consistency throughout the years. His ability to seemingly make something out of nothing and keep players who elsewhere have been headaches in check is something lesser coaches wouldn’t have been able to accomplish.
Tomlin’s “sustained success” is something that Sirianni particularly touched on. Sirianni shared his admiration while growing up of continually successful organizations like the New York Yankees despite the hate they received from his friends. Now a head coach, Sirianni understands that winning over the long haul is hard.
“Anytime I’ve ever had a conversation with Coach Tomlin, admire the heck out of him,” Sirianni said. “You can see his passion for the game and how he coaches. You get to watch it on television and then you get to see the sustained success and how his teams play football. You can tell his teams play football tough, they take care of the ball. They take the ball away, the fundamentals, the details. And so I always admire that.”
Sirianni has found consistent success through his first four years leading the Eagles. Though a far cry from Tomlin’s 18-straight non-losing seasons, Sirianni has posted a winning record in his first four season and with three straight double-digit win campaign. Like Tomlin, Sirianni made the Super Bowl his second season, though he lost where Tomlin won.
His team’s 2023 collapse is a stain on his resume, something he’s trying to avoid starting this weekend against Pittsburgh.
While this lovefest was certainly appreciated and nice to listen to, I doubt there will but much love lost between either coach on Sunday. Both teams are vying for the top spot in their respective conferences as the regular season winds to a close.
