The 5am Club: Nick Sirianni, Mike McCarthy, Brian Daboll

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We had a few tricky moments there toward the end of the Commanders’ search for a new head coach, but in general, since the announcement that Dan Quinn the guy In Washington, it’s been mostly rosy reporting on Ashburn relations. With the old owner out of the running for good, a new GM, a revamped front office and a coaching staff led by Dan Quinn (not to mention a completely revamped roster), positive vibes are being felt at Commander’s headquarters.

The really interesting thing is that Dan Quinn may be the only head coach in the NFC East who can go into 2024 with the confidence that he will still be the head coach of his team next year, no matter what happens this season.

Although they have had much more success than the Washington Commanders recently, the coaches in Philadelphia and Dallas appear to have failed to live up to the expectations of the owners and fans of those two teams. Brian Daboll struggled through a turbulent 2023 season despite winning 2022 Coach of the Year honors. He heads into 2024 amid reports of infighting within his own coaching staff and questions about his leadership and temperament.

Check out these reports from other NFC East fan sites:

NBC Sports Philadelphia

In Roob’s observations: What do the Eagles have to do in 2024 to save Nick Sirianni’s job?

What does Nick Sirianni have to do to keep his job beyond 2024? I think it’s pretty clear that if the Eagles don’t win a playoff game this year, he’s gone. And he should be. Because if the Eagles lose in the wild-card round or don’t make the playoffs, then we’re dealing with a team that reached a Super Bowl in 2022, finished 2023 with a 1-6 record and a crushing playoff loss, and then failed to make the postseason again in 2024. That’s a development Sirianni couldn’t survive. If the Eagles don’t win a playoff game this year, that means they lost in the wild-card round for the third time in four years (or clinched the top seed and lost a home game to a wild-card team in the conference semifinals, which would be even worse). Just making the playoffs isn’t enough anymore. Whatever Sirianni earned in 2022 is running out. He needs to prove that this team has overcome the collapse of 2023 and that he still has what it takes to lead a team to the postseason.

Blogging about the boys

Why the Cowboys’ coaching could be the reason the team failed in the playoffs

Why the Cowboys are likely headed for another 1-and-done playoff season.

(The Cowboys) 27-4 record is only against not-Playoff teams. Here’s what happens when we look at the same top 10 teams as before, but only their record against teams that made the playoffs in the season they played against them.

Things aren’t looking so good for the Cowboys. They regularly beat weak teams, but have a much harder time beating playoff teams.

(T)he pattern we see in the regular season against top-10 teams repeats itself in the playoffs, where the Cowboys are 1-3 over the last three years. And all four playoff games have been against top-10 teams (two losses to the 49ers, one win against Tampa Bay and one loss to Green Bay).

That puts the Cowboys’ record against the top 10 teams in our analysis at 6-12 (.333) over the last three years of postseason and regular season play. One could argue that the roster just isn’t good enough against top teams, but then why would the roster be the best in the league against weaker teams? That doesn’t make much sense.

But what if we look at the problem differently and assume:

No. 1 – The regular season record is largely the result of management: Good teams usually beat bad teams.

No. 2 – Coaching is key in the postseason: When two good teams meet, having the right scheme, the right strategy and the right preparation is crucial.

In the NFL, the talent on your roster will lead you to success, but you need good coaching to win.

Do you think Mike McCarthy is the coach who will close the deal?

Big blue view

Can the Giants put the drama of 2023 behind them?

2024 could depend on how the Giants continue from 2023

The course of 2024 could depend more than anything on how Daboll handles relationships and chemistry behind the scenes.

(T)he story (of the 2023 season) that was presented to us was about how Wink Martindale was building a private fiefdom on defense and trying to undermine Daboll as head coach. Yet even coaches on offense or special teams were unhappy with the situation behind the scenes.

(A) coach … said Daboll’s outbursts during the game distracted the rest of the coaching staff from doing their jobs. (M)ultiple sources (said) the staff on both sides of the ball was tired of Daboll’s outbursts and finger-pointing, and one source said it didn’t feel like they were all on the same team.

(B)ut another coach (who, he notes, is not on the defensive side of the ball) (is quoted as saying, “We all tried to get out of there.”)

The Giants have made a number of changes since then, including to the coaching staff. There are 11 new coaches this year, including new defensive and special teams coordinators.

January 2024 feels like half a lifetime ago, but it was only six months. Daboll and the Giants are saying a lot of the right things.

But it is also (relatively) easy to sail on calm seas.

The Giants will You will face adversity this year and must not allow old hurts, grievances and resentment to rear their ugly heads.

The success of the season could depend on how Daboll keeps his composure and how well he manages to create cohesion among the coaching staff and in the locker room.