Sirianni, Daboll go way back as former Chiefs assistants
PHILADELPHIA >> The Kansas City Chiefs’ difficult and in many ways sad 2012 season still resonates with Nick Sirianni and Brian Daboll.
The Chiefs struggled to go 2-14 and worse, endured a shocking, almost unspeakable tragedy that rocked the NFL.
Through it all Sirianni and Daboll, now at the top of their profession as head coaches of the Eagles and New York Giants, formed an unconditional bond of respect, trust and love. Little did they know way back in the day that their relationship would be tested this Sunday when their teams got together in a key NFC East game at MetLife Stadium.
First, back to the Chiefs, where the now 47-year-old Daboll became the psudeo older brother of Sirianni, 41. Daboll gave Sirianni the wide receivers coaching job and orders to run with it.
Let’s just say that Sirianni wasn’t about to let Daboll down, and considerable nurturing and constructive criticism helped him blossom into the winningest coach in the NFL this season, the Eagles sporting an 11-1 record.
“It wasn’t by any means a year that either of us probably want to remember,” Sirianni said. “I think what Coach Daboll did was … he took me under his wing and said, ‘I’m going to really help this guy.’ I really felt that way about myself and (assistant coach) Jim Bob Cooter, we were there together. He really took us under his wing and wanted to teach us as much as he possibly could. I think he always would say that he saw something in us, and he really wanted to contribute to our success as coaches. And he did that. He’s just such a smart coach.”
The day before the Chiefs played Carolina in Week 13 of the 2012 season, Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher took his life in front of then head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli. Horrific as that was, hours before, according to reports, Belcher shot and killed the wife of his infant daughter. It was a gutwrenching time for families of the victim, the player, Chiefs players, coaches, and management.
The entire league mourned the tragedy along with a chunk of the nation. There were no real answers, just questions, and a lot of healing ahead.
That striking tragedy and the Chiefs’ historically sad season aren’t the kind of topics that come up in conversation, but make no mistake, impact the souls who work through it.
On a conference call Thursday Daboll described Sirianni as “just a great person” and “a good friend for a long time.
“We’re both from Western New York,” Daboll said. “We didn’t know each other before Kansas City. Obviously, we went through some tough times in Kansas City with our record and dealing with some adversity. When we had the opportunity to sit down with Nick and interview him as a receivers coach, he was just so impressive with how he handled himself, the material that he knew. I saw his energy, attitude, and ability to
deal with players, and I saw that throughout the year. I’d say he had an impact on me, too. He was a fantastic coach. He was young, just getting started. You could tell right from the beginning, I thought his arrow was pointing up, and fast, and certainly it has. He’s done a fantastic job with the Eagles, to no one’s surprise.”
The Giants (7-4-1) are in third place in the NFC East and firmly in the hunt for a playoff berth under Daboll, in his first year as head coach.
Quarterback Daniel Jones has elevated his game and running back Saquon Barkley has run for 1,000 yards. The line with tackles Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, and rookie edge Kayvon Thibodeaux is the strength of a Giants’ defense allowing just 21.0 points per game.
Sirianni in his second season has the Eagles near the top of the statistical charts on both sides of the ball, the offense averaging 28.2 points, second in the NFL while the defense allows just 18.8 points,
eighth overall. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is riding a high dating to last season having won 14 of his last 16 starts, including the playoffs while establishing himself as one of the finest quarterbacks on the circuit, right there with Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
Daboll applauded the consistency and mental toughness Hurts put on display from the first tiem they were together together at Alabama.
“The things that he’s done this year,” Daboll said, “he should be at the top of the list of the MVP discussion.”
To be fair, Daboll also coached Allen at Buffalo, and has been credited for helping polish the quarterback into a diamond. Daboll also has a modest tie to Philly; i.e. Eagles brass wanted to interview him in the process that led to Sirianni becoming the head coach. Daboll declined.
The rest is history … a lot of it in the making.
“He took me to a couple levels higher because of the things he
taught me about offense, about defensive football,” Sirianni said of Daboll. “I just have so much respect for him and really appreciate everything he has done for my career because he made me a way better coach just being around him for a year. We have always stayed in touch since that year. I always felt like, man, I wish I had more years around him because of how much knowledge I learned in just that one year from him.”
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Eagles Linebacker Shaun Bradley (hamstring) sat out practice for a second straight day, while Quez Watkins (shoulder) and Kyzir White (ankle) were limited.
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The forecast for Sunday in East Rutherford is cloudy with light rain developing later in the day and a high of 43 degrees.
Winds of 5 to 10 mph. are anticipated along with a 70 percent chance of rain.
With temperatures dropping to 33 late in the day there’s a chance of snow.