After huge playoff win, Sirianni fires back at Gannon’s critics originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nick Sirianni might have his alarm set for Monday morning already.
He can’t wait.
That’s when he’ll get to call in to the WIP Morning Show and fire back at longtime host Angelo Cataldi and anyone who has been quick to criticize defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon this season.
“Man, what did they score? 7. Yeah, big time,” Sirianni said after the Eagles’ 38-7 clobbering of the Giants in the divisional round. “Jonathan Gannon puts these guys in great positions. Obviously, we have great players. Sometimes I have to hear some things about Jonathan Gannon, and I don’t know if it’s you guys. Might be more other people. I won’t say names – Angelo — right?
“But this guy is an unbelievable coordinator. The fact that he doesn’t get respect from our radio station blows my mind. It blows my mind.”
The Eagles’ defense on Saturday night was great.
After pitching a first-half shutout, the Giants finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown in the third quarter but drained 6:01 off the clock in the process. With a comfortable lead by that point, Gannon was probably pretty happy to trade the time for seven points in the blowout.
While Gannon has received a ton of criticism during his two years here as defensive coordinator — from more than just Cataldi — it’s hard to argue with the results or how they were attained on Saturday night.
The Eagles held the Giants to just 227 total yards. They made quarterback Daniel Jones’ night a living hell. And they never even allowed the Giants to think they had a chance of winning that game.
During the regular season, the Eagles finished with the No. 2 defense in the league, giving up 301.5 yards per game.
Sirianni said he doesn’t really listen to the criticism of Gannon until it’s brought up to him by the Eagles’ PR staff when they prep him for interviews.
“So, every time I hear an answer about Jonathan Gannon, I laugh to myself,” Sirianni said. “As a matter of fact, coaches from other teams ask me, does Jonathan Gannon get crap here? I’m like, somehow, yeah. Like this guy is incredible.
“He’s going to be a head football coach in the National Football League because of what he does. This guy is a stud. He’s a stud. I can’t wait to talk to Angelo on Monday.”
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