The Eagles spiraled out at the end of this past season, and now one report has emerged that explains part of the reason why.
According to NFL reporter Derrick Gunn, Nick Sirianni got into a number of arguments with members of his staff and players on the sidelines — after Eagles head of security “Big Dom” DiSandro was suspended from the sidelines after getting into a physical altercation with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw on Dec. 3.
DiSandro, the team’s chief security officer and senior advisor to the general manager, was memorably ejected along with Greenlaw during San Francisco’s 42-19 win.
Whether it was coincidental or not, the Eagles struggled at the end of the regular season, going 1-5 without DiSandro on the sideline, including losses to the struggling Cardinals and Giants.
DiSandro was allowed to return to the field for the Eagles’ wild-card round matchup against the Buccaneers, but things did not turn around as Philadelphia was blown out 32-9 on the road.
In January, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that DiSandro is a “fix-it” for the team, and players missed his presence during games.
“Well, to be honest, you don’t really notice the significance that he played on our team till he was gone,” left tackle Jordan Mailata told the outlet. “And it’s like, [expletive]. We haven’t been executing since he was gone. We’re getting our [expletive] beat since he was gone. So maybe he was a little bit of that good juju.
“So I think the positive vibes, man. Believe it or not, he’s actually a very positive person. Especially on game days. He’ll get you locked in. So it’s gonna be great having him back, for sure. Just the energy. The energy that we needed.”
Even after starting the season at 10-1, the Eagles were, according to the Inquirer, “miserable.”
Switching defensive play-calling duties from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia did little to help a struggling unit, and in a major overhaul this offseason, the team hired former Dolphins coach Vic Fangio to take over the defensive coordinator job.
The also added Kellen Moore as the new offensive coordinator.
But whether those coaches have as much impact as “Big Dom” remains to be seen.
Gunn’s report comes after FS1’s Craig Carton claimed the Eagles have a “real significant problem that cannot be fixed,” which ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter downplayed.