No one likes us, yes, we care: For Tyrese Maxey, Nick Sirianni, and probably Saquon Barkley, the Philly disrespect is real

OK, I see it now.

The disrespect is real.

I’ve never subscribed to the parochial paranoia that posits Philadelphia athletes and coaches are unfairly treated, but that changed Thursday night when the NBA All-Star reserves were announced. The snub of Tyrese Maxey by Eastern Conference coaches, who picked the reserves, simply stunned me.

There were other eyebrow raisers, among them NBA assists leader Trae Young from the Hawks and Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, the top-scoring guard in the East. Sorry. Maxey’s a better player, and he’s having a better season than those fellow snubees.

More to the point, Maxey is a far, far better player than Miami’s Tyler Herro, whom I like, and who made the list of reserves. I’d rather have Maxey than Cleveland’s Darius Garland, whom I love, and who also will be an All-Star backup. In case you wondered, I love NBA basketball, and I watch a lot of non-Sixers games, so, yes, I’ve seen all of the candidates play a lot this season, with the exception, oddly, of Victor Wembanyama. Among Herro, Garland, Ball, and Young, to me, in this moment, Maxey’s the best player.

So why did fans and players rank him seventh in their voting for starters? Why did the coaches disrespect him in their votes for backups?

Philly, baby. Philly.

It’s not just Maxey.

Nick Sirianni, whose Eagles won 12 of their last 13 games, isn’t a finalist for head coach of the year. Definitely a Philly thing.

Saquon Barkley, who was the NFL’s best player and who had the best year for a running back since Adrian Peterson’s MVP season in 2012, and who had one of the 10 best seasons by a back in history, almost certainly won’t win the NFL MVP award. Sure, that’s more a quarterback-bias phenomenon, but you wonder: If Barkley had played in New York or Los Angeles, and if he’d turned teams in those cities from a wild-card failure, as the Eagles were in 2023, into the No. 2 seed in the NFC, as they were in 2024, would voters make an exception this time?

This matters today because Maxey was snubbed this past week. Also, on Thursday, ubiquitous gangsta rapper, cannabis advocate, and Martha Stewart confidant Snoop Dogg will host the NFL Honors in New Orleans, where the Associated Press awards will be presented. There, Sirianni will be snubbed. Barkley probably will win the running backs’ consolation prize, offensive player of the year (which makes no sense because if he’s a better offensive player than the offensive player who wins MVP, then he should be MVP, unless the other offensive player also plays defense or special teams. Anyway … ).

Why is this happening?

Maybe Philly is being punished for its miscreant fans, like the idiotic Eagles supporters who demean women and snatch hats.

Maybe, for the Sixers, there’s lingering resentment from the days in the depths of The Process, the comical missteps by the franchise since Josh Harris took over in 2011, and the disappointing franchise part-time player, Joel Embiid.

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Maybe, for Sirianni, it’s his history of belligerence toward fans, whether they be in Kansas City, like in 2023, or in Philadelphia, like in Week 6 this season.

Maybe, for Barkley, it will be LeBron and Jordan syndrome; that is when an obvious MVP doesn’t win because the cognoscenti determine it’s someone else’s turn. This is why Josh Allen is a cofavorite with the only other viable candidate, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson.

Whatever it is, it feels real and palpable. I’m a transplant, and I’ve resisted Philly’s self-pity, but in three weeks, I’ll have been here for 30 years, and, I gotta admit, I’m being persuaded.

I get it. Maxey plays for a bad team, a team that is nine games under .500, but he’s far and away the best player on that bad team. It seemed fitting that the All-Star reserves were announced the day after he scored at least 28 points for the 12th straight game and averaged 33.3 points in the last four games, all wins against teams in the playoffs or the play-in; all without Embiid, the MVP two years ago; and, for the last 2½ games, without veteran star and future Hall of Famer Paul George.

Through 47 Sixers games, Maxey is averaging 27.5 points, which ranks fourth overall and second among guards; 6.1 assists, despite having virtually no one to pass to; and an astounding 1.9 steals, which ranks third in the league and is almost twice his average from last season, a testament to his marked improvement as a defender.

He’s averaging 1.6 more points through 47 games than last season, but 0.1 fewer assists — but then, Maxey consistently had Embiid on the court with him early last season, and Embiid was the league’s leading scorer last season before he injured his knee.

Last season, Maxey won the NBA’s most improved player award and was an All-Star reserve, thanks, clearly, to Embiid’s consistent presence. So when Maxey improves further this season, and does so without Embiid’s presence, he’s not an All-Star? It makes no sense — unless, of course, you embrace the Philly Factor.

It’s similarly disappointing that Sirianni is in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years but isn’t even nominated for coach of the year this time. He was nominated in 2022, when he finished fifth. Brian Daboll of the Giants won, Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers finished second, Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars was third, and Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills was fourth.

Daboll, Pederson, and McDermott have since combined for zero Super Bowl appearances, and Pederson got fired last month.

Some of this year’s candidates are similarly flawed. Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who won a lot with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, is my favorite, and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell won with Sam Darnold, God bless him, but Andy Reid’s Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season, Dan Campbell’s Lions made it to the NFC championship game last season, and Sean Payton’s Broncos improved by just two games. Sirianni certainly deserved a nomination more than any of that trio.

Sirianni’s got more than just playoff success. His .706 winning percentage is No. 1 among coaches who have coached at least 50 games since free agency and the salary cap arrived about 30 years ago. He oversaw complete scheme replacements on both sides of the ball with new coordinators. He adjusted his offensive philosophy so his former MVP-level quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who not only became the most efficient QB in the league over the last three-quarters of the season but also improved his passer rating to a career-high 103.7.

Sirianni managed the ego of that quarterback and the egos of elite receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who have been underused. Sirianni has the best defense in the NFL, orchestrated the best running back performance in 12 years, and managed to make his excellent offensive line even better after losing Hall of Fame center Jason Kelce, replacing him with Cam Jurgens, who played guard as a rookie but made the Pro Bowl as a center, and converting failed tackle Mekhi Becton into a standout right guard.

And Sirianni gets virtually no credit for any of it. Why?

Well, Nick’s Nick, and Philly’s Philly.

I’m a huge quarterbacks-are-king realist, even if I disagree with the evolution of NFL rules that ensured that Tom Brady would be able to play quarterback through six presidential election cycles. Quarterbacks touch the ball on every play, and now you can’t sneeze on a quarterback or a receiver without drawing a penalty.

The pass reigns as the superior strategy. Which is exactly why Barkley should be the MVP.

In an era engineered to diminish running backs, Barkley has shifted the conversation. Between Christian McCaffrey’s MVP-worthy season for the 49ers in 2023, and Derrick Henry’s third season with at least 1,500 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns, Barkley’s 2024, punctuated with four touchdown runs of at least 65 yards, could shift the paradigm.

If you think the Eagles take the No. 2 seed, win 14 games, and turn their season around after a 2-2 start without Barkley, then you’re crazy. As if to prove the point, Allen’s weak quarterback sneak that failed and his weaker subsequent drive that lost the game for the Bills only underscores the value of Barkley, whose brilliance in the NFC championship game just secured a spot for the Eagles in New Orleans.

Sadly, though, Barkley is not only a running back in an era where analytics and rule changes have made the MVP club quarterbacks-only, but he’s also from Philly. It’s simply too high a mountain to climb.

After the Eagles won Super Bowl LII, during the victory parade, Kelce notoriously adapted an old English soccer hooligan ditty, “No one likes us, We don’t care,” set it to “Oh, My Darling Clementine,” and made it appropriately profane.

It has never been accurate. At least, the second part has never been accurate.

Philly cares, desperately.

As we should.