Here's why Nick Sirianni was emotional after win over Colts
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ever since Nick Sirianni has been in Philadelphia, he's been never been shy to show his emotions. After the Eagles forced the Indianapolis Colts to turn the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter to seal a win, the Eagles head coach celebrated.
He hopped on top of a bench on the sideline and hyped up some Eagles fans in the front row. Then, he kept going down the field and chirped at some Colts fans.
But, as Sirianni entered the locker room following Philadelphia's 17-16 win over Indy, he was seen crying.
Why was he so emotional following the victory that improved the Eagles to 9-1?
"I'm emotional because I love Frank Reich," Sirianni said. "He's one of the best damn football coaches I've ever been around. I was hoping that him and I would be able to coach against each other in this game, but he's one of my biggest mentors. I got my dad, I got Larry Kehres and I got Frank Reich. Frank is such a good football coach. You don't want to know what I think on if he should be here or not. As you guys can probably imagine what I really think. I love him, so I got a little bit emotional about that."
"It was good to see some of the guys that I really care about -- Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Parris Campbell. I got to talk to them after the game, and Kenny Moore, so that means a lot when they say some things, obviously I'll keep those to myself, but I spent a lot of time here. One my children was born here. It was sweet to come here, especially with what happened to this organization over the past couple weeks and get the win. A win. Leaving Indianapolis with a win."
Reich, one of Sirianni's biggest mentors, was fired on Nov. 7 following Indy's ugly start to the season. He was replaced by interim head coach Jeff Sarturday. Sirianni and Reich's time coaching together dates back to 2013 with the San Diego Chargers.
And when Reich left Philadelphia to become the Colts' head coach in 2018 following the Super Bowl win, he brought Sirianni along to be his offensive coordinator. Sirianni was there for three seasons under Reich before taking the Eagles' job in 2021.
In a way, the win over the Colts was a revenge game for Sirianni. He wanted to leave Indy with a victory after one of his biggest mentors was ousted weeks before the two would go head-to-head against each other.
Mission accomplished.
Following the game, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gave Sirianni the game ball during his postgame speech.
"Coach doesn't get enough credit for what he does and what he's been for us," Hurts said. "He does a great job. I'm happy he got to get this win."
