We have all heard players and coaches state rivalries lose their steam when they become one-sided. Those rules don’t apply in the NFC East. It doesn’t matter how long the winning or losing streak goes on. It doesn’t matter who has had the upper hand. Philadelphia Eagles games vs. the Dallas Cowboys matter more. They always have. They always will.
Some of you are a little younger. You’re more accustomed to the back-and-forth nature of Philadelphia’s feud with the so-called ‘America’s Team’ and, thus, have seen your disdain for Dallas grow. Make no mistake. The old heads carry equal levels of vitriol for the New York Giants. We always have, and yes… We always will.
Typically, it’s the inferior organization that carries the venom in what is viewed as a one-sided grudge. That isn’t the case here. Despite winning 37 of the past 51 matchups dating back to the 2001 NFL regular season, there’s still a sick feeling that forms in every Eagles fan’s belly when Big Blue is mentioned.
Saquon Barkley’s addition and phenomenal first season are more satisfying because Philadelphia stuck it to them, and years after the fact, we still haven’t forgiven Brian Daboll for taking Nick Sirianni’s trophy.
How does Brian Daboll’s Head Coach of the Year win look now?
It’s hard to believe there were times when Adam Gase and Brian Daboll owned hotter names in Philadelphia than Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni. Thankfully, the Philadelphia Eagles made the right choices in their 2016 and 2021 coaching hires.
We all know how things turned out for Gase and Pederson. We also won’t forget the Brian Daboll angle. He was one of the hot names during the 2021 NFL head coach hiring cycle. He was also a candidate the Eagles were rumored to be interested in.
As the story goes (though this was never proven), Daboll ruled the Eagles out for fear of being unable to coexist with Howie Roseman. He remained with the Buffalo Bills as their offensive coordinator and decided to fill the Giants HC vacancy that came one year later.
He was named the Associated Press’s Head Coach of the Year after his first season at New York’s helm. There’s only one issue. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was more deserving.
How does one finish third in his division and win ‘Coach of the Year’? That seems a fair question. Daboll went 9-7-1 during his first season as Giants head coach. Sirianni ended the campaign with a mark of 14-3.
Philadelphia swept their rivals from New York that season and secured their postseason berth as the NFC’s top-seeded playoff team. Postseason accomplishments don’t dictate regular-season award winners, but just in case you’re interested, the Birds beat the Giants for a third time during the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
38-7 was the final score, but we were still supposed to believe, somehow, that Daboll was better than Sirianni. Since then, Daboll has crafted a 9-25 record, one that has been dwarfed by Sirianni’s 25-9 mark (and his Super Bowl win). Yes, those numbers are inverted to the eye (and accurate).
So, we ask you… You’ve had a few years. Who’s the better coach? Who has the better resume? Which one of these guys would you want leading your football team?
Do you prefer the guy who has won 36% of his games with a 1-1 record during the postseason, or are you banking on the guy who has won just under 71% of his games? Oh, and by the way, Coach Sirianni has crafted a 6-3 postseason mark while leading his team to the Super Bowl twice and winning one of those.
It would appear Sirianni is better at his job, right? He’s 6-1 vs. the Giants in head-to-head matchups. From the outside looking in, it seems he’s the better head coach. As far as we’re concerned, he’s owed one. Daboll needs to pack up his Coach of the Year trophy and mail it to the NovaCare Complex.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Nick Sirianni’s Coach of the Year snub still stings years later