Eagles’ Nick Sirianni takes needless dig at reporter in lauding Jalen Hurts’ recovery

All season long, the Philadelphia Eagles were on a beeline to a division title and the conference’s No. 1 seed. Well, here we are entering Week 18, and the Eagles, due to injuries and playing a sloppy brand of football, have yet to wrap up either, giving the Dallas Cowboys a sliver of hope in both races with one game left.

The Eagles hardly faced any adversity before Week 15. While they avoided an upset bid by Chicago, quarterback Jalen Hurts was injured in the game and hasn’t played since. The team hasn’t looked the same, though head coach Nick Sirianni’s been adamant the MVP candidate will return for the Week 18 finale.

Other than Hurts, though, right tackle Lane Johnson, and defensive backs Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Avonte Maddox suffered major injuries within the last month and are up against the clock to return for the playoffs.

Hurts’ status is obviously the most important. The Eagles’ efficiency on offense — especially in the running game —  is unrecognizable without Hurts.

Luckily for Philadelphia, though, Hurts heals like a superhero … or that’s how Sirianni phrased it while simultaneously slighting a local reporter.

Eagles’ Nick Sirianni making a fool of himself is great content for Cowboys fans.

Last week, Sirianni was badgered with questions about Hurts’ body and recovery timeline. The head coach had continuously lauded Hurts’ ability to recover quicker than most athletes. This prompted one member of the local media to (sarcastically, we presume) ask if Hurts had a “superhero body.”

“What is this body heal stuff?” the reporter asked. “Is he like a superhero or something? How does his body heal differently from everybody else’s?”

Rather than walk back his own praise of Hurts, Sirianni went on the offensive and blatantly insulted the reporter who posed the question.

"“If you and him went up and you guys shot baskets together, he’d whoop ya,” Sirianni said. “If you guys went out and you guys raced against each other, he’d whoop ya. If you guys went out and tried to throw the football and see who throw it more accurate or further, he’d whoop ya, and so his body heals faster than yours.”“And he’s younger than you. He eats probably better than you, and I’m just singling you out cause you asked your question.”"

We’d never bash a head coach for supporting a player, let alone the QB, but this — malicious or not — is pretty ridiculous on Sirianni’s part. The fact he essentially spelled out the fact that Hurts’ genetics are superior to a beat reporter’s was entirely needless given that was already obvious to everyone in the room.

Breaking news, everyone: An NFL quarterback who squats 600 pounds, has muscles on top of muscles, and starred collegiately at both Alabama and Oklahoma is better at shooting basketballs and throwing spirals than a local reporter who didn’t think twice about becoming a professional athlete.

Did Sirianni mean any harm by his comments? Probably not, but these comments just align with his track record of going above and beyond to defend his guys. That’s not a bad thing by any means, but it does speak to the fact why some folks outside of Philadelphia find his shtick to be a little irritating.

Brian Daboll’s stance on resting starters for Week 18 is great news for Cowboys

Giants head coach Brian Daboll's stance on resting his starters in Week 18 against the Eagles is great news for the Cowboys.