The fee has time. "

"What - what did I do wrong?" Mailata thought. Did he make a mistake during practice? Did he say something to the media that he shouldn't have said?

After grabbing himself a plate of food from the cafeteria ("If I'm being reprimanded, it's being reprimanded for not eating," Mailata jokes), he goes upstairs to Sirianni's office. But Sirianni wasn't there. Mailata poked her head into the conference room and found Siriani talking to a group of aides. Mailata sheepishly said he would be back later and tried to duck out, but Sirianni insisted on leaving the meeting to talk to the veteran offensive lineman.

"Sit down," Sirianni said. "You're not in trouble or anything. I just wanted to see how you were doing. How's Dad?"

"Because he knew Dad," Mailata said.

Mailata's father, Tupa'i, traveled to Arizona in February 2023 to watch his son play Super Bowl 57 against the Kansas City Chiefs before suffering a heart attack on the plane back to Australia. There was a time, Mailata said, when the family wasn't sure Tupai would survive.

Siriani was Mailata's confidant during that period, sitting down with him and creating a safe space for Mailata to "talk and vent my feelings."

"He was very supportive and said if I needed to miss time, I could miss time. That meant the world to me," Mailata said. "I love that guy. Honestly, I would do anything for Nick."

Sirianni can be a confusing public figure. He's lashed out at referees, mocked opposing players (including most recently Eagles icon Zach Ertz) and cursed on camera. He'll roar to the fans in the stands — even at home, as was the case in Week 6's narrow win over the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. He saw a historic collapse at the end of 2023, a season that was partly due to his inability to get on the same page with franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Yet his team pulled off a historic victory. The Hawks have reached 14 regular-season wins twice in their 91-year history, and both times came during Sirianni's four years at the helm, one of which came this season, which helped ease some of the concerns about the franchise. Speculation about his job security.

With a 48-20 record, he had the third-best winning percentage (.706) among head coaches in the Super Bowl era, behind only John Maddon and George Allen. The only coaches to make the playoffs in each of their first four seasons are John Harbaugh, Bill Cowher, John Robinson, Chuck Knox and Paul Brown, with Cowher being the only one of that group to make the playoffs during that period. Coaches who made it to the Super Bowl.

The talented roster certainly helps the team's record. But the crafting of the culture has largely fallen on Sirianni's shoulders, and throughout his time leading the Eagles, save for the downfall of '23, connectivity has been a strength. Ensuring strong player-to-coach, player-to-player relationships became a priority this season as Sirianni handed offensive control to coordinator Kellen Moore and assumed more of a chief executive role. . From handwritten letters that appear in players' lockers to in-depth conversations about the most delicate of issues, nearly everyone on the roster has a moment that showcases Sirianni's personal touch, which helps develop player buy-in.

"It's unbelievable to have a coach like him that cares about everybody on the team. Yeah, he's a special coach," veteran long snapper Rick Lovato said. "Every team I've been on that's been to the Super Bowl or deep in the playoffs, we've been the tightest team. That's how I feel about this team this year."

one of the The handwritten letter Mailata received from Sirianni sits in a locker at the NovaCare complex.

It comes after Mailata was voted captain for the first time this season by his peers, a matter of pride for the former Australian rugby player who knew next to nothing about football when he was drafted in the seventh round in 2018 After that, he knew nothing about football. Developed into one of the best left tackles in the NFL.

"It just details how I earned this honor and how no one can take this honor away from me, the way I lead, the way I train, the way I'm in the locker room," Mailata said . "So cool."

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers made his first start for the Eagles in early December against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rodgers has been suspended for the entire 2023 season for violating the league's gambling policy. He gets his first start since December 2022, when Darius Slay Jr. was sidelined due to injury.

Rodgers said he keeps the letter in his travel bag and reads it before every game.

“The notes are not just generated, but something you find motivating,” he said. "It's very personal, like you know he wrote it from the heart."

The letter from linebacker Nakobe Dean was delivered by an assistant coach before a Cincinnati Bengals game in late October. Sirianni said he was extremely proud of Dean's return from multiple injuries and emerged as an impact starter and encouraged him to keep climbing.

"I don't know any NFL coach who would do that," Dean said of the letters. "When it comes to providing your players with the utmost confidence and respect, I think Nick Sirianni is second to none."

Unfortunately, Dean suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during Sunday's wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers and will miss the remainder of the postseason.

Some players entrusted Sirianni with their most sensitive issues.

One day early last season, Sirianni and Lovato were talking about family and kids, and Lovato revealed that he and wife Jordan were struggling with fertility issues. Sirianni said someone close to him has been through this, so Sirianni checks in every week to make sure everything is okay with the Lovato family.

"When we went through IVF and found out we were pregnant, he was one of the first people I told and he was so excited for us," Rick Lovato said. "It's nice to have a coach who cares so much about your family and not just you and football."

The Lovatos announced the birth of their son, Freddie, in October.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams isn't sure how Sirianni found out that his mother, Willanette, had breast cancer. But it led to their connection, as Sirianni shared the difficulty of watching his father, Fran, battle cancer multiple times throughout his life, including when Nick was a child.

"We talked on the phone, I came into his office. We talked about everything," Williams said.

"He told me how difficult it was for him to be with his dad. Always around him, he was such an energetic guy and seeing what he had to go through. Seeing my mum have to go through chemotherapy and seeing what he had to go through. It's all the same thing, losing your hair and feeling tired all the time and just getting (encouragement from Sirianni) and knowing how to deal with certain things."

relationship The one that attracted the most attention was the one between Sirianni and Hurts.

During the offseason, sources detailed a season-long tension between coaches and quarterbacks that stemmed largely from a disconnect in the offensive vision.

Starting late last season, Hurts often gave short and awkward answers to questions about his head coach, passing up opportunities to send a positive message about Sirianni and instead deepening questions about what was going on behind the scenes.

His tone changed dramatically after the team's Week 5 bye. During that time, the two had countless conversations, hammering out the direction of the offense and the team, helping the Eagles hit a climax that turned a 2-2 start into a 14-3 finish.

“I’m happy and blessed that we’re able to come together in harmony and have the same goals and try to get things done,” Hurts said in October. “I have full confidence in him and everything he brings to the table and everything he can accomplish.”

A source familiar with Hurts' thinking, who suggested a breakdown in the relationship between Hurts and Sirianni this time last year, told ESPN that their relationship is in a better place.

"Once you get to know a person, you learn how to deal with that person," the source said.

part of syria A leadership style that confronts problems as they arise rather than sweeping them under the rug.

Players discovered this soon after Sirianni took over in 2021. His introductory press conference was a bit of a disaster. Sirianni addressed the audience virtually at NovaCare Auditorium due to coronavirus restrictions, appearing nervous and struggling as he tried to hit all the points. That led to already skeptical fans becoming even more anxious as he replaced Doug Pederson, the only coach to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title.

"As soon as we got into the team meeting (after the press conference), he said, 'Guys, that was a really bad introduction. I'd like to do it again, but I can't, but just to make you aware of it,'" right tackle Lane Johnson said. "I appreciate his honesty, you always know where you stand."

Sirianni took a similarly positive approach after defensive end Brandon Graham suggested Hurts and A.J. Brown were no longer friends, adding fuel to an already tumultuous week in early December. Oil. Sirianni spoke at a team meeting that week and helped clear up the misunderstanding so the team could turn its attention to their upcoming opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He acknowledges that the CEO role gives him more time and ability to deal with such issues.

"Obviously, when you wear multiple hats, you have less time. You still have to go through all the processes that the offense, defense and special teams go through. But you can take that extra step," he said. "I Being able to go to the defensive line room for meetings instead of always being with the quarterback or the offense. So that applies here as well, yes. "

Through time and connections, players in the locker room have gotten to know Sirianni well, so when he taunts fans from the sidelines or goes after players or coaches, their perspective may differ from the public's.

"Sometimes, he'll go through (the locker room) to get his hair cut, and he'll say, 'Want to play a quick game of ping pong?'" Mailata said. "One quick game turned into three because he lost the first game. He's very competitive. So once you understand his true nature, for us, it was easy to defend him. , because that's who he is. It's hard for fans to understand this.

"Could he be more professional? 100 percent. But we've always backed him up and said, 'Just be yourself.'" We know you like to speak your mind, keep doing that, and we'll continue to be there for you because you've always been there for We serve. "

This last point is crucial: Sirianni is often blamed for player mistakes, even if it makes him look foolish. His players know this. That's one of the reasons why they played for him and supported him when others suppressed him.

“I discussed this with Nick and his response shocked me,” Mailata said. “He said, ‘This is my job.’ I was like, ‘No, you have a family too, you have to think about them. "But he said, 'No, this is my burden, this is my job: to take the pressure off you guys so you can go out and play freely.'"