🦅 Sticking with Nick | Sports Daily Newsletter

Nick Sirianni has had unprecedented success in his four seasons as Eagles coach. It has not all been smooth sailing, of course, but Jeffrey Lurie and the team’s brass can see no one else but Sirianni at the helm.

The Eagles rewarded the winning coach of Super Bowl LIX with a multiyear contract extension on Monday. Terms of Sirianni’s deal were not disclosed, but we can speculate away: Andy Reid makes $20 million a year with the Chiefs and new Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson will be paid $13 million a year.

Sirianni, 43, is the first head coach in the Super Bowl era to make the playoffs in each of his first four seasons while reaching multiple Super Bowls. His regular-season record is 48-20. He was set to enter the final year of his previous contract, a reported five-year, $35 million deal, so it was time for Sirianni to get paid.

Eight months ago, he was on the hot seat with the Eagles at 2-2 — then he was caught taunting the home fans at the Linc in the next game. Lurie and Howie Roseman met with Sirianni to address his demeanor and the distraction it had become. The coach apologized and showed maturity and control from that point forward.

It wasn’t the first time Sirianni made a major shift in how he went about his business, Marcus Hayes writes. Lurie loves nothing more than humility and evolution, and that’s why he decided to stick with Nick.

More Eagles news from Jeff McLane: Joe Douglas, the former New York Jets general manager, is returning to the Birds in a senior scouting role.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, [email protected].

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❓ Where does Nick Sirianni rate among the greatest Eagles coaches of all time? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Mick Abel tied a Phillies record in his stellar major league debut against the Pirates on Sunday. It got us thinking about some other memorable first starts in Phillies history. Here’s our list of the 10 best.

Last week, one day before he learned he was getting called up to make a spot start, Abel joined Phillies Extra, the baseball show from The Inquirer, to discuss overcoming adversity last year in triple A to dominate this season. He also touched on several other topics, including his sports card collection.

Abel’s first stay in the majors didn’t last long — he was sent back down to Lehigh Valley, as expected.

The Phillies found the long ball late, including Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 300th career homer in their 9-3 comeback victory over the Rockies.

Next: The Phillies continue their series in Denver at 8:40 tonight (NBCSP). Jesús Luzardo (4-0, 2.00 ERA) will start against Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela (1-7, 6.39).

Philly native Nasir Adderley entered the NFL as a second-round pick in 2019, worked his way into the Chargers’ starting lineup at safety, and regularly delivered plays. He made it. But Adderley was already beginning to question his place in the game. The dream he chased as a kid no longer seemed to fit. Adderley retired at 25 years old, leaving the NFL on his own in March 2023 after four seasons. And he has no regrets.

A week removed from the NBA draft lottery and combine, it’s time to consider how the 76ers might approach the No. 3 pick. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell exhausts every option, laying out scenarios in which the Sixers keep the pick, trade down, and take a big swing. Of course, Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe are thought to be the likeliest players to land in Philly, but what if the Sixers get creative? Let’s lay out every possibility.

Who holds the Sixers record for most career points in the playoffs with 3,088? First with the correct answer here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Julius Erving

B) Allen Iverson

C) Charles Barkley

D) Hal Greer

We asked you: Are you still confident in the Phillies making a World Series run without José Alvarado? Among your responses:

Not really. Let starters go 7+. Too many crapshootscrap shootsn! — William

Alvarado’s weakness of mind in his lust for excellence not only did himself, but also the entire Phillies organization in. His persona was noticeable to viewers via his body actions and expressions with each pitch thrown on the tube which all too often showed that of a man wired, and not with a voltage. The Phils may now have a huge gap in the bullpen with his demise, but it’s for the best. For him, his teammates, for fans, for Philly, and for all of baseball. — John B.

Yes. Walker can take over closer duties. Or Romano, who seems to have gotten his act together. The rest of the bullpen, while erratic at times, seems to be coming together. The starting pitching is solid. Abel was fantastic yesterday. Nola will bounce back. The offense has to pick it up, which it will. I am, as they say, cautiously optimistic. — Jack H.

Yes, the Phillies can “make a run” at the World Series, with or without Alvarado. He has been mostly good for the last 3 years, but he can slump also. Their chances are a little better with him, but they are not a favorite to be in the series either way. That would be either the Mets or the Dodgers. I’d rather have Helsley of the Cardinals than any other reliever now in the National League, but I wouldn’t give up the future to get him. Most relievers are streaky, year to year. — John W.

0% confidence in the Phillies making a World Series run without Alvarado. This bullpen was already 7th worst in the league even with Alvarado being the best player in it. ... Anyone who thinks Dombrowski can catch the other teams with these deficits is nuts. Will it be a fun year at the Bank? Yeah, the team will still make the playoffs at the end of the day. Will it be a World Series winning year? No. — Anthony P.

The path to the World Series just got harder. Alvarado was, on many occasions, the only one we could count on in the ninth. He throws harder than most. Friday night he had to come in the ninth inning because Robert couldn’t get the job done. I am very sad to hear what happened. The Phils had best find a hard throwing reliever in July or that path to the World Series may just disappear. — Kathy T.

We need to know more about the timing of the tests, both positive and negative and why Alvarado didn’t contact the Phillies rep concerning prohibited drugs. Dombrowski has not answered any questions. — Bill M.

... I think that Dombrowski will come up with a deal to bring a reliever that can help and the team will continue to be a strong contender. Actually at this point I’m more worried about Nola than the lack of a closer. In all my years as a fan I have dreamed of the Phillies just once having a Mariano Rivera, but probably will never become a reality. — Everett S.

Absolutely! The truth of the matter is Alvarado has always been a bit of a wild card so his being called into a game never brought with it a total sense of confidence that he’s going to shut down the opposition. ... Safe to say he’s this team’s version of “Wild Thing” Mitch Williams? Of course the ability to consistently throw 100 mph can’t be dismissed but they’ve won before during his struggling times. The bigger problem is that the majority of the bullpen is shaky. They need help with the entire bullpen unit. — Bob A.

As long as the NY Mets are alive in the playoffs, the Phillies are cooked. They are in the Phillies’ heads! No one player except Wheeler might put them over the top. Just wondering out loud who wrote script for the drug. Was it a team medical person or his own medical person? Either way they had the responsibility to check for clearance from MLB. ... Would love to know what the back story is. — Ronald R.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Ed Barkowitz, Matt Breen, Jonathan Tannenwald, Kerith Gabriel, and Ariel Simpson.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thank you for reading. Bella will be at the newsletter controls on Wednesday. — Jim