Nick Sirianni mentioned that he’s likely to use the same approach as before.
As the Eagles prepare to face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, Sirianni plans to let his players speak at their final team meeting before the game, which will take place at their hotel in New Orleans. He did this before Super Bowl LVII two years ago, and it created some emotional moments that the players will always remember.
“What you got to see was just how the guys care about each other,” Sirianni said this week. “The whole conversation was just when guys would get up there just talking about how much they mean to each other, how they’re going to play for each other, all those different things. Again, it’s not the best groups of individuals that win, it’s the best teams.
“It was a good moment for our team and we’ll see how that plays out. But remember a lot of things from that. A lot of different guys talking and it meant a lot. We’ll probably try to recreate that.”
Sirianni got the idea of giving players a chance to speak in front of the team from his time at Mount Union. This was a tradition for the Purple Raiders under Larry Kehres, and now it’s becoming a tradition for the Eagles.
On Thursday, several veteran players already knew they wanted to address the team.
“I prayed about it and I think it’ll come to me when it gets there,” said 15-year veteran Brandon Graham, who is expected to play in the Super Bowl, which could be his last game in the NFL.
“But whatever it is, it’s going to be from the heart. I feel that. I’m looking forward to delivering that speech with a bunch of the guys that’s going to be on the podium with me.”
Back in 2023, Jason Kelce stole the show with his raw emotion.
Kelce retired after last season, but there are still many veterans who will speak, including Graham, Lane Johnson, Darius Slay, Jordan Mailata, and others.
Philadelphia Eagles fans in the 2nd half“Expecting the same,” Mailata said. “I just remember seeing our leaders at the time show emotion, state their reasons why, remind us of our reasons why, remind us of who we are as a unit. It’s a total team sport and you need everyone. I think that was probably one of the most memorable nights of my career.”
Johnson, 34, is one of the few players remaining from Super Bowl LII in the 2017 season. He is the only offensive player who will have played in all three of the Eagles’ recent Super Bowls.
In his 12th NFL season, Johnson has already said he will return to play in 2025. His words carry weight with his teammates, but he won’t plan them out.
“I’ll let it rip,” Johnson said. “I usually don’t plan. I don’t like to plan. I just go.”
Slay, 34, has been open about the possibility that this could be his last year with the Eagles. While he wants to play another season in the NFL, he recognizes the potential of the Eagles’ young cornerbacks and understands how the league works.
Slay said the meeting two years ago was “powerful” because of how much he values the relationships in the locker room.
The veteran corner plans on speaking but, like Johnson, doesn’t intend to prepare a speech.
“Nah, I’ll let it flow, man. I speak from the heart,” Slay said. “Whatever God blesses me with to come out, the wisdom I can give out to others about this game or whatever I need to say. The Lord will put me in great position to deliver a great message to these guys.”
It is expected to be an emotional night before the Eagles play for a Super Bowl title on Sunday.
However, Johnson expects this Saturday night to be a little different.
“Probably won’t get emotional like everybody did last time,” Johnson said. “It’ll be more, ‘We got business to handle.’”
