Eagles HC Nick Sirianni Is A Bad Liar
After starting 2-2 and not looking like their usual dominant form, the Philadelphia Eagles have ripped off four wins in a row but head coach Nick Sirianni can’t seem to get off the hot seat with fans and media.
During this morning’s press conference, Sirianni seems to accidentally let slip that QB Jalen Hurts did not practice Wednesday because of rest due to an ankle injury and that’s why he was listed on the injury report.
Shocking news to reporters in the room since… Hurts wasn’t on the injury report.
When the reporter follows up to confirm the HC meant Jalen Hurts, Sirianni’s response was something out of an SNL sketch.
“What’s that?”
Which in layman terms translates to, “Oh Shit.”
The full transcript of the exchange between the reporter and Sirianni was as follows:
Now, we could give the benefit of the doubt to Sirianni. Maybe he misheard the question and thought the reporter was referencing DT Jalen Carter.
That couldn’t be the case because Carter wasn’t on this week’s injury report. He was on it last week, but with a shoulder injury.
Maybe he didn’t even hear the players name and assumed it was OT Mekhi Becton or WR Ainias Smith, who both are listed on the injury report this week with ankle injuries.
I was born on a day… but not yesterday.
Sirianni said what he meant and meant what he said.
Hiding players from the injury report could and should have a stiff penalty from the NFL, as the knowledge of a key player not being 100% could influence betting lines and more importantly is good sportsmanship. Especially since every team ideally follows the same injury designation system similarly.
However, the Eagles are not the only team to get caught omitting a key player experiencing injury from the weekly report this season.
The 49ers and HC Kyle Shanahan were suspected of similar behavior earlier this season.
During week 1, RB Jordan Mason had a monster game in Christian McCaffrey’s place on Monday Night Football. In his post-game interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters, he was asked when he knew he was going to be getting the start. He responded, "maybe Friday, Friday night…something like that."
Interesting that Mason found out he was starting in the injured McCaffrey’s place on Friday night before their Sunday game when McCaffrey never appeared on the 49ers injury report in any fashion all week.
Mason seemingly pulled back the veil on the goings on inside the 49ers front office. And he almost certainly got a talking to in the locker room after his comments to Salters because when he came out for the post-game press conference he was visibly hurt - like a child who just got reprimanded for doing something they weren’t supposed to.
The NFL’s injury designation system was already confusing enough without the purposeful deception now being enacted by some of the leagues most prominent franchises.
Probable. Questionable. Doubtful.
I feel like I’m asking my girlfriend where she wants to go for dinner.
The consensus from fans and analysts is there should be hefty fines levied on teams like the Eagles and 49ers when they act in bad faith and don’t properly designate player injuries. But fining NFL teams and players does not seem to stop them from doing activities they shouldn’t. And to be honest, I think the league is fine heavy already.
Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a real solution to this problem.
Teams have always been shady when it came to the injury report; trying to gain an advantage over their opponents any way they can. And some would argue the whole injury designation system exists strictly for gambling purposes, even before sports betting’s legalization in (now) 38 states.
But with an increase in participation in fantasy football, daily fantasy platforms, and the now popular same-game parlay’s promising lottery-like payouts that have betters piecing together numerous player props, the NFL and its mysterious injury report will continue to be under the finest of microscopes.
That is, until Roger Goodell and co find a way to improve it.