The NFL playoffs can be an awkward time for some of the top coaches in the league.
With the teams out of the postseason race already hard at work prepping for next year, their targets for open coaching positions are often the best coordinators on other teams, and those best coordinators have a knack for helping their teams reach the playoffs.
The result is that many assistant coaches, in the midst of battling for a Super Bowl title, are also interviewing with other teams across the league for their next potential gig. While the optics of such interviews can raise eyebrows, and provide plenty of fodder for local talk radio, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni explained on Friday that they aren’t that big of a deal.
Sirianni addressed the situation when asked about the preparedness of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who is prepping the Eagles for their game against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, and will also have completed interviews with the Cowboys, Jaguars, and Saints before that game kicks off.
“He’ll be in all the meetings and doing all his work,” Sirianni said, laughing off the suggestion that there was any possibility Moore wouldn’t. “There’s no doubt. He has been all week. He’s done everything the way he’s needed to do it to get ourselves ready for this.”
Sirianni went on to explain that the process of interviewing during a game week wasn’t as hard as it was sometimes made out to be by those outside of the sport.
“I think there’s sometimes a misconception of coaches that at the end of the week you don’t get any time to relax. There is some time on Fridays and Saturdays afternoons where you do that. Those are the times that in these scenarios, guys have earned the right to interview for jobs,” Sirianni said. “We’re not the only ones in this position. There’s a lot of teams that are still going this weekend that are having guys do this as well.”
Indeed, Moore is far from the only coordinator left in the playoffs fielding interview requests. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, likely the most sought-after assistant in the league, interviewed with four teams during the Lions’ playoff bye last week.
Ultimately, Sirianni expressed full confidence in Moore’s ability to handle business.
“Kellen’s ready. He has our team ready,” Sirianni said. “He’s handled it big time all week. I never thought that he wouldn’t. He’s handled it like a pro.”
