Some of his players told Nick Sirianni to just be himself.

Unfortunately, he listened.

Sirianni was caught on the Eagles-Browns FOX TV broadcast engaging in an animated shouting match with fans at the Linc in the final seconds of Sunday's Eagles victory.

In the video, Sirianni can be seen sarcastically putting his hand to his ear to say, “I can't hear you.”

Early in the game, fans booed and chanted for Sirianni to be fired as the Eagles went scoreless in the first quarter for the seventh consecutive game, something they hadn't accomplished in 30 years.

They won 20-16 over the 1-5 Browns and improved to 3-2, but just 4-7 in their last 11 games since last year's collapse.

Sirianni declined to elaborate on what prompted his postgame antics, but it's not the first time he appeared to unravel in the final moments of a game. Usually it happens on the street.

“I had fun,” Sirianni said after the game, surrounded by his three children at a bizarre press conference. “I had fun and got some kind of feedback from the guys (during the bye week) of, 'We need you back, Nick.' We need your energy. We need your focus.' I got this from a few players.

“If I operate and have fun, I think it affects the rest of the football team. If I want the guys to party and be themselves after big performances, then I should probably do that myself, right?

“There are times for it and times for it not to be. I have to have wisdom and judgment about when to do that and when not to do that.”

He may have been having fun, but this kind of behavior is unusual for NFL head coaches and isn't a good look for a man who always preaches equanimity to his players.

Can you imagine John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, DeMeco Ryans, Andy Reid or Todd Bowles making faces at fans and screaming into the stands after a game?

NFL coaches are expected to adhere to certain professional standards, and it's hard to imagine Jeff Lurie enjoying this behavior from his head coach.

Sirianni was also seen yapping with Browns corners Greg Newsom and Denzel Ward while they were near the Eagles' sideline, but it appeared to be good-natured.

Sirianni said in the offseason that he wanted to be more reserved on the sidelines during games, particularly when interacting with the officials. And for the most part he was.

Not Sunday.

After his 200th birthday^Th In an Eagles game, Brandon Graham said he was one of the players who told Sirianni to be himself, and he was near Sirianni as the final seconds passed and he yelled into the stands.

“I just told him to be him,” BG said. “I need him as Nick 2022 so we can get there. Because we just want people to be themselves. At the end of the day, the coach has had to take a lot of trouble and I understand that a lot is bothering him. We turned our backs on him because Philly can be tough, I know all about it.

“I have always said that (his critics) will eat the words they say. And I know Nick probably says that too, every chance he gets. … I don’t know what he said, but I know it had something to do with it.”

Jalen Hurts said he talked to Sirianni during the bye week about staying true to himself and not trying to be someone he's not.

There is a fine line between showing emotions and being yourself and exaggerating and behaving unprofessionally.

“It's just an affirmation: 'We trust who you are,'” Hurts said. “We trust where you are as a coach and we know we can build with you. So it's about doing it together. And I think for him, I think for any leader, it's about a vision and trust in that vision.

“He's done a really good job of being able to have conversations and honestly try to plan things out, and some things take time. But it is a collective effort by everyone and everyone has to dominate their box. Everyone has to respect their role, accept it and do their best.

“I’m excited for him and his development and continuing to see where he goes and I think it will continue to help our football team.”

Sirianni must be doing something right because the Eagles have made the playoffs in all three seasons as head coach, reached a Super Bowl two years ago and their record is 37-19 since 2021^Th-Best in the NFL. His career winning percentage of .661 is 15^Th-highest in NFL history. And they are currently in a stretch where they face seven teams with an overall record of 14-27.

But everyone gets booed at some point, and lashing out at fans isn't necessarily the best way to deal with that.

There's no easier way to lose fans than to lash out at them after narrowly beating one of the NFL's worst teams.

“We thrive in the crowd when they cheer us on, that’s all I can say,” Sirianni said. “When our audience cheers us on, we thrive on them. You know, we hear them when they boo. We don't necessarily like it. I don’t think that’s productive for anyone.”

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