At this point, you’re all probably wedged in between two theories, or you are constantly swapping one out for another. The first goes something like this… ‘It is what it is’… That’s the thought most have resigned themselves to when it comes to Nick Sirianni’s public perception as the Philadelphia Eagles head coach.

It doesn’t matter what he does. It doesn’t matter what he accomplishes. He’s never going to get the respect he should have earned for the job he is doing. So, yeah… ‘It is what it is’… That’s again the first theory. The second might be even more commonly discussed than that one…

‘What does this guy have to do?’ … Raise those hands if you’ve watched people discuss Nick’s flaws like there’s no possible room for improvement. Is Nick emotional? Sure, he is, but he’s made the playoffs every year, led his team to two Super Bowl appearances, and won one of those games vs. the best head coach and quarterback of our era.

We all saw him do it. We weren’t watching a clone, so again, here’s the question. What does this guy have to do to finally be appreciated for the quality of job he is doing?

Nick Sirianni is again disrespected on a ranking of NFL head coaches

It felt like the tide was turning. Nick Sirianni is one of the game’s winningest coaches since his introduction as the Eagles‘ leader in 2021. He earned a fourth-place finish when stacked vs. his peers in a ranking constructed by Pro Football Network. Days later, we’re back to seeing the disrespect again.

Dalton Wasserman is a wiz at this stuff, but the challenge flag must be thrown based on his recent ranking. He ranks Coach Sirianni eighth on a list of returning NFL head coaches. Again, this guy led the team that befuddled the game’s best coach and quarterback. Everyone saw that happen, right?

Ranked ahead of him are Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, Jim Harbaugh, and Kyle Shanahan. Sirianni beat Reid, John Harbaugh, and Mike Tomlin last season. And, he beat Sean McVay twice. In any event, here’s what Wasserman said about Coach Sirianni.

“Sirianni is often the target of criticism when the Eagles lose, but credit needs to be given when it’s due. He’s an outstanding 48-20 in the regular season as Philadelphia’s head coach and has made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons. The Eagles emphatically proved they were the best team in football last season. They were the NFL’s highest-graded team and lost just one game after Week 4.”

Things get a little bit better when one scrolls ahead and moves on.

“Philadelphia’s commitment to the run game in 2024 was its biggest adjustment from a confounding 2023. The offense ranked just 13th in run-play percentage in 2023 but led the NFL with a 51.2% clip last season. The Eagles were the only team to run the ball more than throw it. Of course, it helps to have Saquon Barkley, who racked up more than 2,500 rushing yards last year, including the postseason. Sirianni and the Eagles committed to an old-school style of football, and it paid off with a championship.”

Okay… So, why isn’t this guy ranked higher? Shanahan is 0-2 in Super Bowl appearances, and his team didn’t qualify for the postseason the last time we saw them. We’ll give you Reid. He’s number one, but the rest of this list is certainly debatable.

Let’s say we knew nothing about these guys other than their resumes over the past four NFL campaigns. Tomlin can’t win a postseason game. Payton hasn’t been to the Super Bowl in over 15 years. He’s 18-16 since taking the helm in Denver.

Can arguments be made that these guys are better than Nick? Sure, that’s possible. Lists like these are subjective. Can arguments be made that Coach Sirianni is better? That is also true. The problem is Nick never gets the benefit of the doubt, and the rest of the league constantly receives said benefit based on former reputations they’re still living off of.

We’ll end this with a Jim Harbaugh theory. Fiery guy… Old school and tough… He wins everywhere he goes and recently won a College Football Playoff National Championship Game at his alma mater.

We’ve only seen him get to one Super Bowl, and he lost it. That was more than a dozen seasons ago. Can we stop placing him ahead of Nick until he constructs a similar winning percentage or claims a Super Bowl? That doesn’t seem like an unfair request.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Nick Sirianni ranked behind two NFL coaches known for postseason flops