Nick Sirianni is making sure the Eagles focus on the little things going into the 2022 Postseason. During today’s press conferences, Sirianni was asked how the team was preparing for their upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Eagles’ head coach responded with a story about how they’re following in the footsteps of a Philadelphia legend.

Earlier this week, Sirianni met with Jason Kelce, who shared that they need to focus on the small details, like players knowing their roles and responsibilities. Unknown to Kelce, one of Sirianni’s assistants had already pulled up a video of Kobe Bryant when he met with the team back in 2017. 

Bryant, just like Kelce, spoke with the team about focusing on the little things first. There is no video available to the public of Bryant’s 2017 speech, but there are some comments Bryant made in an interview shortly after his speech.

“Focus on the detail and the small little things, how to execute, execute, execute,” Bryant said in the interview. “Go over those things so much, and download them so much in your mind, that when you step out on the field to perform you can forget about them, because they’re just naturally there. That was the big message.”

Bryant’s work ethic and determination are well known around the sports world, so anything he says should be taken as gospel. Seeing Sirianni and Kelce following this mindset without even telling one another is a phenomenal sign for what’s to come. 

Sirianni has been well known for finding a source of inspiration ahead of every week, like Peyton Manning’s SNL skit or his infamous “flower power” speech. This team has rallied around these motivational tools, using them to better themselves every week.

Bryant’s speech isn’t just an overall lesson but something this team desperately needs to do. Over the last few weeks, the Eagles have had horrible starts to their games, mainly due to simple mistakes. 

Things like dropped passes and bone-headed penalties have stalled early drives and left easy points on the board. Luckily, they have been playing bad enough teams that they can bounce back, but that won’t happen against a team like Tampa Bay. 

If they can clean these issues up, they could make it a lot further than most expect them to.

Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Eagles