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Nick Sirianni

Nick Sirianni To Call Eagles’ Plays

January 29th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have a new head coach in Nick Sirianni and a new offensive coordinator in Shane Steichen. However, Sirianni will be the one calling plays. 

[RELATED: Duce Staley Joins Lions]

“I do plan on calling the plays,” Sirianni told the team website. ““I know we’re going to work really hard throughout the week to make sure we’re ready,” Sirianni said. “And then we’re built with the right people in place to handle the challenges that I foresee as the most challenging things.”

The challenge, Sirianni says, will be to manage all aspects of the game while also calling the plays. Interesting, Sirianni has never called plays at the NFL level, despite serving as the Colts’ offensive coordinator in his last job. The Eagles trust his judgement, however. The 39-year-old guided the Colts through their transition from Andrew Luck to Philip Rivers. Under Sirianni’s watch, Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns against eleven interceptions, leading Indy to the playoffs.

Recently, Sirianni also tapped a new quarterbacks coach, though the status of the actual QB position remains murky.

Eagles To Hire Nick Sirianni As Head Coach

January 21st, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have found their new head coach. On Thursday, the Birds agreed to hire Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 

Sirianni is a logical candidate for the Eagles, who are looking to get Carson Wentz get back on track. Sirianni spent three seasons as a Chiefs assistant, five seasons with the Chargers, and the past three with the Colts. After working with Philip Rivers in 2020, the 39-year-old will try to work his magic with Wentz and understudy Jalen Hurts.

Under Sirianni’s watch, Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns against eleven interceptions. The Colts went on to make the playoffs, though they fell to the Bills in the Wild Card round.

Sirianni isn’t just a quarterback specialist — he’s coached multiple positions with a proven track record of cultivating young talent. Wide receivers Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Zach Pascal all excelled under his watch. Sirianni also figures to hit it off with Wentz, since his ex-boss Frank Reich got the best out of the QB when he was in Philly.

Sirianni beat out a number of well-established candidates and rumored named for the job, as shown in PFR’s 2021 Head Coaching Search Tracker:

  • Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator
  • Todd Bowles, Buccaneers defensive coordinator
  • Joe Brady, Panthers offensive coordinator
  • Mike Kafka, Chiefs quarterbacks coach
  • Jerod Mayo, Patriots inside linebackers coach
  • Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator
  • Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma head coach
  • Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator
  • Arthur Smith, Titans offensive coordinator
  • Brandon Staley, Rams defensive coordinator
  • Duce Staley, Eagles running backs coach

McDaniels, who famously spurned the Colts a few years ago, was believed to be the other finalist.

Eagles To Interview Nick Sirianni

January 19th, 2021 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles will interview Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni for their head coaching vacancy on Tuesday, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Sirianni is a logical candidate for the Birds, who are looking for a coach that can get Carson Wentz get back on track. 

Sirianni, 39, spent five years with the Chargers before joining Frank Reich‘s Colts staff. The young OC guided the Colts through their transition period after Andrew Luck‘s retirement and kept things afloat in 2020 with Philip Rivers under center. Under Sirianni’s watch, Rivers completed 68% of his throws for 4,169 yards with 24 touchdowns against eleven interceptions. The Colts went on to make the playoffs, though they fell to the Bills in the Wild Card round.

The Eagles have cast a wide net in this cycle, as shown in PFR’s 2021 Head Coaching Search Tracker:

Latest On Browns’ Coaching Search

December 31st, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A flurry of head coaching moves have been made last night and this morning, but one team already had a significant head start on the process. The Browns were the first team to move on from their coach, firing Hue Jackson after eight games, and have had a while to formulate a plan. The team went 5-3 after moving on from Jackson, and might have the most attractive opening of any team with Baker Mayfield looking like a star in the making.

The Browns’ first step in the process will be to interview Gregg Williams tomorrow, GM John Dorsey revealed at a press conference this morning, per Pat McManamon of ESPN (Twitter link). Williams is the interim coach right now and although he isn’t expected to land the full time job, Cleveland’s strong play down the stretch certainly earned him consideration. Dorsey also said that offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who has drawn rave reviews for his work with Mayfield, will get an interview although he wasn’t sure when that would occur.

Meanwhile, the Browns have also requested to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Flores is in his first year calling plays, but is highly regarded around the league and was a candidate for the Cardinals’ job last year. The Browns are also expected to interview former Titans head coach and current Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News (Twitter link). We heard earlier this morning that the Broncos have interest in Munchak as well, who’s earned a ton of praise for his work with the Steelers and is instrumental in Pittsburgh and far more influential than your average offensive line coach.

We first heard late last night that the Browns had reached out to Mike McCarthy, and while he wouldn’t confirm anything, Dorsey certainly didn’t throw cold water on the rumors. Dorsey said he has “a lot of respect for Mike McCarthy and what he’s done”, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Dorsey also praised Kitchens, saying the first time coordinator has “done [a] wonderful job developing [a] relationship with” Mayfield, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (Twitter link).

As soon as Adam Gase was fired by the Dolphins, he was immediately linked to Cleveland. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Gase going to the Browns is a “very real possibility”, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network followed up with a tweet saying Peyton Manning, a very close friend of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, is a “big fan” of Gase. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk tweeted that Haslam “aggressively pursued” Gase five years ago, “but Gase decided to wait to become a head coach.”

The Browns have also put in a request to interview Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Campbell has been a popular darkhorse candidate for some jobs, and impressed during his brief stint as the Dolphins’ interim head coach in 2015. In addition to Campbell, Rapoport tweets they requested an interview with Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

Two last candidates for the Browns are Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the Browns have submitted an interview request for him, and Colts offensive Nick Sirianni is also on their interview list Pelissero tweets separately. Adam Schefter followed up on Pelissero’s report by tweeting that while the Browns do want to interview Eberflus, they won’t be able to this week with the Colts playing a playoff game this weekend, and the same presumably goes for Sirianni.

Cleveland will be one of the most buzzed about teams in the coming days and weeks, and we should know a lot more about their intentions soon, and they’re clearly casting a very wide net. At this point, it still seems most likely that they’ll pursue an offensive coach to pair with Mayfield despite their reported interest in Flores and Eberflus.

Colts Hire Nick Sirianni As OC

February 16th, 2018 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s official. The Colts have hired Chargers wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni as their new offensive coordinator, according to a team press release. Nick Sirianni (Vertical)

Before Josh McDaniels backed out of the Colts’ head coaching job, it appeared that the team would hire either former Seahawks play caller Darrell Bevell or Raiders quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz as OC. New head coach Frank Reich inherited several assistants from McDaniels’ would-be staff, but he had some say in this choice and the team landed on Sirianni as his right-hand man on offense.

Reich and Sirianni spent multiple seasons together in San Diego. Reich was the Bolts’ quarterbacks coach in 2013 before graduating to offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. Sirianni was an offensive quality control coach in ’13 before advancing to QB coach when Reich was promoted.

Reich did not have the opportunity to call plays when he worked under Doug Pederson in Philadelphia, so it stands to reason that he will call the plays in Indianapolis. Still, this is a big step up for the 36-year-old Sirianni.

Colts Expected To Hire Nick Sirianni As OC?

February 12th, 2018 at 8:26pm CST by Micah Powell

After reports that the Colts were expected hire Chargers quarterbacks coach Shane Steichen for their vacant offensive coordinator role, ESPN’s Field Yates reports (Twitter link) that the team will in fact hire the Chargers wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni for the post. Nick Sirianni (Vertical)

The Colts requested permission to interview Sirianni on Sunday and moved fast to make him the team’s new offensive coordinator. Yates noted in a followup tweet that Sirianni is highly thought of with an extremely sharp mind and has the makings of a future NFL head coach.

The confusion is only par for the course for this Colts offseason. The team expected to hire Josh McDaniels as its new head coach following Super Bowl LII, but the Patriots offensive coordinator backed out at the last minute after several assistants had already signed contracts. The Colts then swooped in for Frank Reich, the Eagles offensive coordinator, and signed him to a deal on Sunday.

Sirianni received his first job in the NFL as an offensive quality control coach with the Chiefs in 2009. He served in that position until being named the team’s receivers coach in 2012. In 2010, he worked with the team’s quarterbacks and helped Matt Cassel earn his lone Pro Bowl selection. He became the Chargers quarterbacks coach in 2014 and transitioned to receivers coach in 2016.

Colts Request OC Interview With Chargers’ Nick Sirianni

February 11th, 2018 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts have participated in one of the strangest coaching searches in recent memory, but they concluded the process of identifying a head coach upon hiring Frank Reich earlier on Sunday. Now, they’re moving on to addressing key assistant positions.

Reich is targeting Chargers wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni for his offensive coordinator post, with Albert Breer of SI.com reporting (on Twitter) the Colts have submitted a request to meet with Sirianni.

The Chargers will grant this request, Breer reports (on Twitter).

Reich has a history working with Sirianni. The Bolts’ OC from 2014-15, Reich oversaw Sirianni’s work as San Diego’s quarterbacks coach. Over the past two seasons, Sirianni has worked with the Chargers’ wideouts.

The Colts have gone through some names in this complex search. Initially, the would-be Josh McDaniels-led staff was thought to feature former Raiders assistant Jake Peetz as OC. The franchise also has Darrell Bevell on its radar, repeatedly bringing up the ex-Seahawks OC’s name during interviews. Bevell is a coaching free agent, and although he’s linked to the Giants’ job as well, he would not require any permission to interview.

However, Reich’s history with the 36-year-old Sirianni probably shouldn’t be underestimated. Sirianni worked with the Chiefs during Scott Pioli‘s four years in Kansas City, serving as assistant QBs coach in 2010, before relocating to San Diego prior to the 2013 season.

This is, however, the first time Sirianni’s name has come up in a coordinator search. He was on the quality control level as recently as the 2013 season, when Reich was the Chargers’ QBs coach during a 9-7 campaign that doubled as the franchise’s most recent playoff appearance.

Chargers Hire Ken Whisenhunt As OC

January 15th, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 5:16pm: The Chargers have officially confirmed Whisenhunt’s return, and announced four other changes to Mike McCoy‘s coaching staff. They are as follows:

  • Craig Aukerman (special teams coordinator)
  • Nick Sirianni (WR coach)
  • Giff Smith (DL coach)
  • Shane Steichen (QB coach)

WEDNESDAY, 2:27pm: The Chargers may not know yet where they’ll be playing in 2016, but they now know who will be running the team’s offense. According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is returning to the Chargers to assume the same role, replacing Frank Reich.Ken Whisenhunt

[RELATED: Chargers fire offensive coordinator Frank Reich]

Whisenhunt previously served as San Diego’s offensive coordinator during the 2013 season, Mike McCoy’s first as the team’s head coach. The Chargers finished that year with a modest 9-7 record, but won a playoff game, and featured an extremely productive offense. After ranking 24th in the NFL in offensive DVOA in 2012, the Chargers placed second under Whisenhunt in 2013, per Football Outsiders.

In 2014, Reich’s first year as offensive coordinator, San Diego fell from second in offensive DVOA to 11th. The team slipped to 15th in 2015, and also went from scoring nearly 25 points per game in 2013 to just 20 this season, despite the fact that Philip Rivers led the NFL in passing completions (437) and attempts (661). Reich was let go by the Chargers a day after the regular season ended.

Whisenhunt, meanwhile, spent most of the last two years in Tennessee as head coach of the Titans. However, after finishing 2-14 in his first year with the club, he led the team to a 1-6 mark this season before receiving his walking papers.

With the Chargers in need of a new offensive coordinator and Whisenhunt looking for a new job, a reunion made too much sense for the two sides to pass up the opportunity.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Finalize Coaching Staff For 2014

February 3rd, 2014 at 7:20pm CST by David Kipke

The Chargers made several coaching moves today and have finalized their coaching staff for the upcoming season, according to the team’s website. These moves include the promotion of offensive quality control assistant Nick Sirianni to the role of quarterbacks coach; the hiring of Bobby King as assistant linebacking coach; and the hiring of Shane Steichen as quality control-offense.

Sirianni’s promotion comes in the wake of Head Coach Mike McCoy‘s decision to promote previous quarterbacks coach Frank Reich to offensive coordinator for the 2014 season. Prior to joining the Chargers last season, Sirianni served as a quality control coach with the Chiefs, where he was instrumental in helping Matt Cassel receive All-Pro honors in 2010.

King will be fulfilling the same assistant linebackers coach role in San Diego as he did last year for the Texans. King has enjoyed coaching success over the past few years. In 2009, as defensive line coach, he helped West Texas A&M reach its first bowl game since 1967. In the following years, he served on the Cowboys and Texans’ defensive staffs, helping the Houston defensive become one of the most effective in the NFL from 2010-2011.

Steichen worked for the Chargers as a defensive assistant from 2011-2012 and worked with the Browns last season as an offensive quality control coach.