There\u2019s more linking Nick Sirianni<\/a> and Rick Tocchet<\/a>, though, than the lousy stretches that their teams are going through, and their core shared characteristic might account for at least some of their issues. As coaches, the two men have the same style and strength \u2014 which, in these circumstances, might actually be a weakness.<\/p>\n Mike Sielski alerts<\/p>\n Weekly<\/p>\n Catch Mike Sielski\u2019s sharp takes and in-depth sports analysis, sent straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say that Sirianni and Tocchet are players\u2019 coaches. All the clich\u00e9s about modern team-building apply to them at their best: They get guys to buy in. They create a healthy culture or change a bad one to a good one. They are authentic. Sirianni\u2019s players have routinely cited his authenticity as one of the reasons they like and respect him, and Flyers general manager Danny Bri\u00e8re<\/a> said in May <\/a>that free agents would want to sign here because of Tocchet\u2019s presence and personality. Even Sunday night, after another one-sided loss \u2014 this time, 4-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> \u2014 Flyers forward Trevor Zegras<\/a> reaffirmed the team\u2019s support for Tocchet.<\/p>\n \u201cFully, fully behind Toc,\u201d Zegras told reporters. \u201cHe\u2019s an amazing person. He\u2019s an amazing coach. He does so many little things for us behind the scenes. We\u2019re a little disappointed with how these games are going. We\u2019ve got the guys in the room to turn this thing around. It\u2019s a great learning experience for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n But it\u2019s also fair to say that aligning a coach\u2019s style and personality with the makeup and developmental stage of a particular team is essential for that team to have success. Consider one example:<\/p>\n In 2001, Larry Bowa\u2019s hard-driving nature was ideal for a Phillies team loaded with young players still learning what it took to win in the majors. That club overachieved, going 86-76 and finishing in second place, just two games behind the Atlanta Braves, in the National League East. <\/p>\n Come 2004, however, the Phillies were veteran-laden, and those experienced players didn\u2019t want or need a manager who had them walking on eggshells every day. What\u2019s more, once Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell were patrolling the clubhouse as fully formed leaders, Charlie Manuel\u2019s lighter hand was perfect for guiding the Phillies to five straight division titles and a World Series<\/a> victory.<\/p>\n Both Sirianni and Tocchet are closer to the Manuel model than the Bowa model. And while I\u2019m not suggesting that the two of them should start unleashing paint-peeling tirades at their players \u2014 it\u2019s possible they already are; I\u2019m not in the locker room to know \u2014 I am suggesting they might need to be sterner and more punitive than they\u2019re usually inclined to be.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Nick Sirianni\u2019s anemic Eagles offense is a bigger problem than his game management<\/a><\/p>\n Neither one of them have been coaching a team that can be trusted to do the smart or right thing in a game\u2019s most important moments. The Eagles are too shorthanded, and the Flyers are still too young \u2014 and probably a little too high on their own supply after their foray into the playoffs last season. Their coaches might have to be harder on them for their own good, to help them reach the highest standard.<\/p>\n To return to the 2007-11 Phillies for another instructive example, in Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, Manuel didn\u2019t advise Utley, Hey, Chase, if the batter happens to hit a tough grounder up the middle that you have to backhand, try faking the throw to first on the off chance that the runner on second turns for home. He didn\u2019t have to advise Utley to do anything. Utley had already prepared himself for every possible scenario and outcome in that situation.<\/p>\n Now, go back to Sunday in London. At the risk of coming down too hard on a rookie in just his fifth NFL game, the most obvious and egregious error during the Eagles\u2019 misbegotten handling of the game\u2019s final minute was committed by wide receiver Makai Lemon<\/a>. When he caught that second-down pass from Jalen Hurts<\/a> with 21 seconds left in regulation, Lemon did the one thing he absolutely could not do: He dashed toward the sideline, making it easier for the Jaguars to tackle him out of bounds and stop the clock, which they did. A savvier receiver doesn\u2019t make that mistake, but the Eagles didn\u2019t have such a receiver available, and it falls on the head coach to make absolutely certain that a kid like Lemon knows what to do in that spot.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re saying, \u2018Hey, we\u2019ve got these new guys in, and we\u2019ve got to be even more detailed,\u2019 then I didn\u2019t do my job as good as I possibly could do it prior to that,\u201d Sirianni said Monday. \u201cThe parity in this league is so tight. We don\u2019t go play a cupcake game to get ready for another game. That doesn\u2019t happen in the NFL. I think every day and every situation in everything that we do is fourth-and-1. I really do believe that. We\u2019ve got to do that on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: The winless Flyers are in complete disarray, and the clock is quickly ticking for them to turn it around<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Inquirer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791906503_794_I_circle_black.png\")
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