On Monday evening in South Philadelphia, Saquon Barkley and Brandon Graham threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Phillies' home opener, showcasing the Lombardi Trophy in front of nearly 45,000 fans.
Head Coach Nick Sirianni, in Palm Beach, Florida for the NFL Annual Meeting, understands that there are going to be some special occasions in the months to come to commemorate and celebrate the franchise's second Super Bowl Championship, but it's time to get back to business.
"The celebration is over. The celebration of the Super Bowl is over. Our preparation is here," Sirianni told reporters Tuesday morning at the NFC Coaches Breakfast. "There's nothing like getting back in there and starting to work again."
Sirianni joked with reporters that when he watches the NCAA Final Four this weekend, he knows that the winning teams will cite closeness, togetherness, and chemistry as a primary reason for coming out on top. It's no different than what the Eagles had in the magical 2024 run that culminated with the 40-22 triumph over the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans.
"How do you recapture that? That will be the goal," Sirianni said. "You have to recapture that each and every year, just like you have to recapture the things on the field and keep schemes fresh and add to it. It's the same thing with your culture. It takes daily work and daily preparation."
As a player at Mount Union, Sirianni was a part of a program that won three consecutive National Championships. The desire to maintain that standard inspired those Purple Raider teams and Sirianni expects that mentality to remain consistent in Philadelphia.
"With our team, if you're not busting your butt and giving everything you've got, you'll be exposed," Sirianni said. "That's why we value these guys so much. Try not to work hard in front of Saquon Barkley or Jalen Hurts and they'll be on you."
While the vast majority of the core returns from last season, the Eagles saw legend Brandon Graham announce his retirement and a handful of key contributors land elsewhere in free agency. Sirianni is looking ahead to the competition for added playing time bringing out the best in his players.
"When you're in a program that has been successful, what you notice about the guys that have been waiting for their opportunity to play or new faces that are coming in, getting an opportunity to play on the Philadelphia Eagles, there's just hunger and so I'm excited about the new faces that are going to be able to contribute and get their opportunity to do some things with the loss of some of these guys. It's really a great challenge and a great opportunity for a lot of these guys to go out there. I know I'll see hunger and desire and just this, 'Hey, now it's my turn to go out there and perform.'"
Sirianni won't just see it within the players. He's already witnessed it from the coaches who are new to Philadelphia or in new roles, such as recently promoted Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo, who replaces Kellen Moore as the playcaller.
"Now, it's Kevin's show and when I talk about hunger, I see it every single day in Kevin Patullo," Sirianni said. "He's so hungry and ready for this job. I've been so impressed by how he's handled it so far."
