When he first took the job, Nick Sirianni was mocked as one of the worst head coach hirings in Philadelphia Eagles history.
There was good reason for that.
Sirianni's introductory press conference was filled with stutters, unease, and an overwhelming feeling of dread from the entire fanbase.
Those concerns have since been shown to be invalid. Since that press conference, Sirianni - with all his quirks and habits that his critics still find to be rather overwhelming - has become by most any measure one of the best coaches in the league.
He carries a win percentage (he's 48-20 and at .706, a top-three number in the Super Bowl era) that rivals some of the greatest bosses across NFL history. Sirianni is one of just three coaches ever who have reached the Super Bowl twice in his first four years at the helm.
A big reason for that is his ability to both connect with his players and to be able to "evolve,'' says one of his star players.
That's the key word for All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, as he pointed out recently.
Johnson was a guest star on FS1's “The Facility,” this week and defended his current head coach.
“I think he’s evolved as he’s become a head coach," Johnson said. "There’s things, you know, he had some vocal stuff on the sidelines, but he’s addressed stuff with the team when he’s wrong, and I think that makes him human, makes him vulnerable, and I think it makes guys communicate more effectively with him."
Johnson has played under three head coaches over his 12-year career. He has won a Super Bowl with two of them.
Sirianni's ability to evolve as a leader is a big reason he has stayed longer than his predecessors. As long as he continues to do that, defending Super Bowl champ Philadelphia figures to stay in contention during what may deserve to be called "The Sirianni Era.''