Sirianni's unproductive outbursts not what the struggling Eagles need

It seems as if every conversation happening right now in Philadelphia involves Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.

The topic: The Eagles (3-2) returned from their bye week Sunday by stumbling to the finish line with a less-than-stellar 20-16 victory over the dreadful Cleveland Browns (1-5).

After an extra week of preparation, Sirianni was adamant the Eagles would display a new sense of urgency and that his coaching staff's annual self-review exercise would drive the team to greater heights for the remainder of the season.

Yet, the issues plaguing this alleged NFC contender in 2024 are the same ones from the last campaign, when the Eagles started 10-1 and disastrously finished 1-6.

Philadelphia's "constipated offense," as described by All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, still looked too predictable and lacked firepower early in Sunday's contest. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has insisted the Eagles are still attempting to discover their identity on offense. But there's a large enough sample size at this point. Philadelphia's opening scripts have produced too many slow starts, as it's the only team in the league that hasn't scored in the first quarter this campaign.

Given the optics of Sunday's listless victory, one might think Sirianni, who often reminds his players not to let outside noise affect them, would be eager to flush the result and concentrate on the next opponent.

However, as the game clock ticked down, Sirianni, sporting a new buzzcut, raised a finger to his right ear in an "I can't hear you fashion" and barked toward fans seated behind the home bench at Lincoln Financial Field. FOX cameras caught that exchange, as well as Sirianni's in-game jawing with Browns players and officials earlier in the contest.

It was the type of tone-deaf moment that would irk any fan base, particularly one as passionate and unreserved as in Philadelphia.

Sirianni deflected and even offered a sly wink when asked multiple times during his postgame press conference about his interaction with the fans. "Just excited to get the win," he repeated.

The fourth-year coach, who heard a plethora of boos from the home crowd and a "Fire Nick!" chant at halftime, eventually acknowledged hearing the crowd's reactions.

"We thrive off the crowd when they cheer for us. That's all I'll say," Sirianni said. "We hear them when they boo. We don't necessarily like it. I don't think that's productive for anybody. But when they cheer for us and when we've got them rolling, we love it."

Sirianni's in-game antics were already well-established.

Following his inaugural 2021 campaign, multiple NFL officials painted Sirianni as a regular "complainer," as described by one league source. The next season, he swore at fans in Indianapolis after the Eagles claimed a one-point victory, with Sirianni, in his mind, avenging his mentor, Frank Reich, whom the Colts fired as their head coach.

At the peak of last season - before the team's epic collapse - Sirianni exited the field following Philadelphia's road victory over Kansas City while yapping, "I don't hear shit anymore, Chiefs fans!"

Sirianni stepped into a more CEO-type role this year following criticism of how the offense operated at the end of 2023. As a result, he's been noticeably tamer on the sideline. Sunday's outbursts were certainly the most animated we've seen him this season.

But how Sirianni carries himself reflects the franchise, and those optics carry weight with team owner Jeffrey Lurie.

Lurie wants Sirianni to be himself, but not to the team's detriment, which occurred last weekend.

"One of the aspects that makes Nick really good is he's authentic," Lurie said during league meetings in March. "He doesn't hold back. That also can be a negative at times. On the sideline, you don't want to infuriate the referees. I worry about (that). … I want the referees to give us a fair shake, so I don't want him to overreact.

"But I love his passion. So, I think he recognizes that it can be a little bit counterproductive if he overdoes his own passion, but you don't want to stop where that passion is coming from, so you've got to find a sweet spot."

Thus far, there have been two extremes with no sweet spot. Sirianni apologized Monday for his behavior.

"I was trying to bring energy yesterday. Energy, enthusiasm," Sirianni told reporters. "I'm sorry and disappointed at how my energy was directed at the end of the game. My energy should be all in on coaching, motivating, and celebrating with our guys. I have to have better wisdom and discernment of when to use that energy, and that wasn't the time."

With pressure building around him, Sirianni needs to be better equipped to handle the criticism that comes with his role.

He again made himself the center of attention rather than focusing on the few positives from Sunday's win, such as Hurts not committing any turnovers or Philadelphia's defense not allowing an offensive touchdown. The spotlights and cameras will undoubtedly follow and capture Sirianni's every move next weekend when the Eagles visit the Giants for their first NFC East clash this season.

Doubs' chaotic two weeks

In his return from a one-game suspension after he skipped two days of practice and failed to communicate with the team about his absence, Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs recorded two touchdown receptions during Green Bay's 34-13 win over Arizona on Sunday.

Although his celebrations were noticeably conservative, his first two touchdown catches of the season served as exclamation points to a chaotic week for Doubs.

"I was able to get back to my regular self," the third-year receiver told reporters. "Despite what was going on, I just had to do the best of my ability, just limiting those distractions, and ultimately it paid off."

Doubs has declined multiple times to discuss why he missed those practices ahead of the Packers' Week 5 matchup, but Sports Illustrated reported that he was upset with his role in the passing game.

Through five contests, Doubs has 15 catches for 218 yards. His 24 targets rank fourth on the team behind receivers Jayden Reed (34) and Dontayvion Wicks (32) and tight end Tucker Craft (26). Doubs finished with a team-high 96 targets last season.

Sunday's outing represented how Green Bay aspires to go after opponents with a balanced passing attack. Quarterback Jordan Love completed 22 passes to nine players for 258 yards with four touchdowns. In addition to Doubs, receivers Christian Watson and Reed found the end zone.

When asked if he was happy following the Packers' victory, Doubs replied: "Yeah, I'm good, man. I'm just ready to be a ballplayer, try to move past whatever has happened and just get back to our winning culture like Green Bay has always been."

Doubs' suspension marks the second consecutive season the Packers have disciplined a key playmaker during the campaign. Green Bay handed Jaire Alexander a one-game ban after the cornerback appointed himself a captain against his hometown Carolina Panthers in Week 16 and nearly botched the coin toss. In his three games post-suspension, Alexander recorded 13 tackles, two pass defenses, and one fumble recovery.

"I'm not sure how many teams have had two important players get suspended for detrimental conduct, then have them come right back to work like nothing happened," a league source told theScore. "It's a testament to (general manager Brian Gutekunst) and his staff … the emotions that occur between the two parties can be intense and sometimes untenable, but Green Bay has mastered the relationship aspect."

The Packers need Doubs to contribute if they want to compete in a jam-packed NFC North. This is the first year all four teams have won four games through Week 6 since division realignment.

"We're a family," Love told reporters. "We're in this thing all together. Just staying together … keeping that brotherhood is definitely very important to us."

Josh Tolentino is theScore's lead NFL writer.