Nick Sirianni brings in Dawn Staley to advise Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni knows he needs to turn his team around after their disastrous skid to end last season. So why not invite Dawn Staley, the ultimate winner and certified Philly Girl, to get involved with the team?

The Athletic published a story on Thursday, about the impact Staley has had on the Eagles. Staley, of course, is the coach of the NCAA women’s basketball champion South Carolina Gamecocks. She met for two hours with members of the Eagles leadership council. There she spoke with the likes of Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and new addition Saquon Barkley.

So what could a women’s basketball coach teach a team like the Eagles, who are expected to be contenders for the Super Bowl? Sirriani knew that Staley and the Gamecocks successfully dealt with being a hunted team. They play in the toughest women’s basketball conference and have still won three NCAA titles. So the mindset that goes into winning a women’s national title more than once surely can translate to a team seeking another Super Bowl berth.

Plus, Staley has Philly cred. After all, she grew up in the city and played for Dobbins Tech High in North Philadelphia. She earned national player of the year honors as a talented and tough-minded guard. And Staley’s first coaching job was at Temple.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are trying to figure out why the same team that started last fall at 10-1 ended it by losing five of their final six regular season games. Their final two losses were to the Cardinals and Giants, two teams far away from the playoff chase. What happened to the Eagles, with all that dynamic talent, still is one of the biggest NFL mysteries of 2023.

Staley knows psyche of a passionate Eagles fan

Staley told The Athletic that the Eagles and Gamecocks shared the same “win or bust” views. She also understands how rabid Eagles fans think. After all, they are some of the most animated of the NFL.

“I mean, it’s a really lonely place at times,” Staley said. “Because our expectations as fans, you need to win them all. You need to win all the games. You need to run through the playoffs and when you get to the Super Bowl, you need to blow those teams out. That’s our expectation, right? So, that’s hard.”

She added: “It’s hard to live up to that. And if you have somewhere to put that and get perspective on that, because we know that’s impossible, but you gotta talk about it. You can’t just go through the season and think you’re invincible, and then you’re rocked because you never discussed it. It’s so new. He’s trying to get all the information that he can to give our team a really good shot.”

Staley also shared more with Sirriani about how to deal with what unfolds in the Eagles locker room.

“Things can linger on a team,” Staley said. “Like, a small thing can linger and become big if you allow it to, if you’re not communicating what’s actually happening. And then you finally, you know, halfway through the season, you finally address it and it’s over in a matter of five minutes? You just wasted a whole half of a season. When there’s miscommunication, when there’s no communication, like, that frustrates me more than anything. Like, more than anything.”