Eagles' team unity quietly exposes cracks in their rivals' locker rooms

USA Today

24-07-2025

The Eagles' camaraderie and locker room harmony continues to shine a spotlight on their rivals' dysfunction.
It's amazing how much can change in just 12 months. This summer, the atmosphere in Philadelphia Eagles circles feels markedly different from the uncertainty we experienced last July. Things have settled down, and it's hard to believe that we were previously perplexed, trying to understand what a 'CEO head coach' actually does and what responsibilities that role entails.
Nick Sirianni enters the 2025 NFL season as a Super Bowl champion who has Howie Roseman's complete confidence. Just 12 months ago, half of this fan base wanted to run him out of town.
Now, let's all be honest. Coach Sirianni wasn't above reproach. His team was fresh off one of the greatest collapses we had ever seen. Two of his leaders, Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce, retired.
Sirianni entered last season on the hot seat. He was accused of having minimal control over his locker room. What did we learn? We're glad you asked.
We learned he's a damn good head coach and a leader of men. We knew his team would run through a wall for him. Sure, there were times when we all had our doubts, but Coach handled his business. Good for him. It's good to be wrong sometimes, and when you lay your head on the pillow tonight, give thanks that you aren't a fan of another NFC East team.
Dysfunction continues among each of the Eagles' NFC East rivals
It hasn't always been fun. Eagles fans and members of the Philadelphia media have certainly taken their lumps, but life could be worse. Think about some of those other NFL franchises. The Cleveland Browns hosted a helmet reveal, and one of their social media team members fell off a raft.
Meanwhile, in the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys can't get their best player on defense signed. It's just another in a long line of mishandled contract situations.
The Washington Commanders are in a similar boat. Terry McLaurin has decided not to report to training camp. He's been one of the best and most loyal soldiers that organization has had in a long time. How does this franchise elect not to take care of him?
That brings us to the New York Giants. Whoa... The New York Giants... What can be said about them other than bad things? Their head coach is Brian Daboll. Joe Schoen is their general manager. That about sums it up, but if you need some comic relief, they're so sick of your criticism that they don't want fans taking pictures at training camp.
Okay... Okay... Maybe that isn't the reason for the sign (wink). Perhaps this is strictly about keeping their cards close to the vest (wink). All we can guarantee for sure is this.
The Eagles are one of the NFL's model franchises with one of the best owners (Jeffrey Lurie). They are home to the game's best general manager (Howie Roseman). They're the defending Super Bowl champions, even though they don't want to call themselves that.
Here's the point, and where we'll end this. Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles can feel good about where their team stands today. Fans of those other NFC East teams have to feel like they're no closer to winning a Super Bowl than they were last season, although, in fairness, the Commanders are a much better organization now than they were two years ago.