Fly Eagles Fly: “You Can’t Be Great Without the Greatness of Others”
Last week, my beloved Philadelphia Eagles soundly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, 40-22, to capture the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship. The Eagles’ journey and triumph galvanized the City of Philadelphia and the entire metropolitan area as Eagles’ fandom is almost akin to a religion in this region, as evidenced by the more than 1 million people that attended the parade on a sunny, but typically cool February day.
An pre-Super Bowl display supporting the Eagles’ Super Bowl journey at Philadelphia International Airport
As amazing as winning the Super Bowl is, you may be asking why am I talking about it in my blog that covers topics like organizational design, leadership, and company culture. I believe we would all do well to learn from what makes the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles a special team and gain insights that we can apply within our organizations.
Leadership Lessons
Let’s start with the team’s leadership. Jeffrey Lurie, the CEO and owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, is heavily involved in the selection of the head coach of the team. The jobs interviews are known for being quite long and thorough. Lurie and team have done a great deal of research to determine “what is correlated with winning.” Part of what Lurie was looking for in his on-field general was evidence of emotional intelligence, perhaps because the one disastrous head coaching hire Lurie ever made ran into trouble because of his lack of emotional intelligence. An interesting note is that when he hired his last two coaches, Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni, neither were sought after candidates for any other head coaching job, yet both have led the Eagles’ to Super Bowl victories, the only two in franchise history, in the last eight years.
Lesson: Bringing people into your organization is one of the most important and impactful things you can do, even more so when you are hiring leaders. Invest time into finding the right people and understanding what skills are most critical to success in your organization.
Speaking of Coach Sirianni, here is what he had to say at a press conference the week of the Super Bowl:
Culture is not words on your wall or on a t-shirt you wear. It’s not what it is. It’s your habits….If I want my guys to have these habits, then I better have these habits.
Lesson: Culture is something you build through your every day actions. Your actions become habits that define the culture of your organization.
Lesson: As a leader, it is not so much what you say but what you do that determines how the people in your organization will act. You are the ultimate role model. Model the behavior you want to see pervade in your organization.
Sirianni has other exemplary leadership qualities. Although being criticized at times for being hot-headed or taunting his own fans, Sirianni showed that he could learn from his mistakes and that he was open to suggestions from his players. Sirianni gave up his play calling responsibilities during the 2022 season (when the Eagles reached Super Bowl LVII and lost to the Chiefs on a late FG), then was willing to bring in a new offensive coordinator who had his own offensive philosophy heading into the 2024 season. This has led critics to ask what Coach Sirianni’s role is given he is not materially involved in the defense side of things and no longer directly leads the offensive side. When asked what his role is at a press conference earlier this season, he replied, “Head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles”.
There are two main exhibits of how he has excelled in this role. The Eagles limped into their week 5 bye week with a mediocre 2-2 record, coming after an epic collapse at the end of the 2023 season that saw them go from 11-1 to losing six of their final seven games of the season, including getting blown out in their Wild Card playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sirianni and his quarterback, Jalen Hurts, took time to air out any concerns in their relationship and reached an understanding about how they could best work together. Next, a few of the Eagles’ offensive linemen walked into Sirianni’s office and asked him to consider making the running game a bigger part of their offense to better take advantage of their stout offensive line and the unique talents of Saquon Barkley, their offseason acquisition in free agency. To his credit, Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore adjusted their offense to lean on the running game, even in a league where the prevailing wisdom is that you need to throw the ball often to win championships. The end result? Saquon Barkley became only the 9th player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 or more yards. He also set the record for the most rushing yards across both the regular season and postseason, reaching 2,504 rushing yards, breaking the record of the Broncos’ Terrell Davis from 1998, which is the only other time that a 2,000 yard rusher has won the Super Bowl in the same season.
Lesson: Leaders who establish real connections with the people in their organization and express a willingness to consider the opinions of others will create an environment where everyone in the organization is willing to share insights. The end result is that instead of the organization being only as smart as you are, the organization benefits from the collective wisdom and insight of everyone in the organization. This also encourages people to proactively resolve any differences before they become a wedge that inhibits the ability of people to work together toward your organizational goals.
Sirianni has also helped his team understand that in order for them to be successful, they have to do the things that make their teammates successful. His consistent message to his team is, “You can’t be great without the greatness of others.” It is quite clear that the entire team bought into this philosophy. Wide receivers blocking far down field on running plays. Veteran players sharing their secrets with their younger teammates who may be competing with them for future starting assignments and spots on the roster. We will see even more examples down below when we talk about working together as a single team.
Metrics and Alignment
Let’s move on to the Eagles’ quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Hurts is the model of continuous improvement, focusing on the right things, resilience, and hard work. Unusual for someone at his position and with his talent, Hurts does not lead with his ego. As Hurts mentioned during a post-game press conference after the NFC Championship game:
I don’t play the game for stats. I don’t play the game for numbers or any statistical approval from anyone else…The number one goal is always to come out here and win.
This attitude does not end with the quarterback. Star running back Saquon Barkley has made similar statements that demonstrate his commitment to winning. After the Eagles’ 22-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Barkley shared:
"Whether we throw for 400 yards, rush for 400 yards, or win 3-0, …, to be honest. I just want to win. Think that's the mindset for the team. I know that's the mindset for the team."
It is quite rare to see a team where so many players exhibit this attitude and commitment to winning.
Want further proof that this goes beyond statements and into action? When Barkley entered the last week of the regular season needing just 101 yards to break the all-time single season record for most rushing yards in a season, a record that has stood for almost 40 years, Coach Sirianni and Barkley discussed whether he should play in a game that was meaningless for the Eagles’ playoff positioning so that he would have a great chance to break that record. Although Coach Sirianni made the final decision to keep Barkley and most other starters out of the meaningless game, Barkley expressed a willingness to do whatever gave the Eagles the best chance at winning the Super Bowl which was the ultimate goal of Barkley and his teammates. He intimated that he didn’t sign with the Eagles to break records, but rather to win Super Bowls.
Lesson: If you want the people in your organization to be in full alignment, ensure the incentives of everyone in your organization are the same or at least complementary. If the Eagles could do that in a sport where tens of millions of dollars in contracts are often tied to individual performance, leaders should be able to achieve similar alignment of incentives in their organization. Note that the Eagles were all focused on winning the Super Bowl. There were not distracted by other metrics like leading the league in rushing or how many passes were thrown their way, or other goals that are sometimes used to measure excellence. Having a singular goal brings a great deal of clarity to everyone in the organization as to what is important. This also underscores the importance of selecting the right people to join your organization.
Change Management
Like Sirianni, Hurts has had people question his ability and effectiveness to lead a Super Bowl team. You’ll often hear Hurts talk about the importance of focus and resilience. In the above press conference, he talks about how the pain of losing is what has driven his singular focus on doing whatever it takes to win. In fact, Jalen Hurts’ phone screensaver was a picture of him walking off the field after losing Super Bowl LVII in heartbreaking fashion amid red and yellow confetti (the Chiefs’ colors, not the Eagles’ colors). He used that picture to keep him focused on improving and working to the point that he and his teammates would eventually get back to the Super Bowl and emerge victorious. When Hurts appeared on the Tonight Show a few days after winning the Super Bowl, host Jimmy Fallon asked Hurts what his new screen saver would be. Hurts replied that he was in no hurry to change the screen saver as it continues to serve a purpose.
Lesson: We often see in organizational change that people don’t become open to change until the pain of the status quo is deep enough. Pain or loss can be a driver for transformative change in our organizations. What is the pain in your organization that is strong enough to drive change, development, and transformation?
Hurts also talks about learning from failure. After losing Super Bowl LVII to these same Chiefs as he spoke at the postgame press conference:
You either win or you learn. That's how I feel. Win, lose, I always reflect on the things I could have done better, anything you could have done better to try and take that next step. That'll be the same process I always have going on.
Hurts and Sirianni are not the only principals of the team who have overcome dramatic and very public disappointments. Howie Roseman, the Eagles general manager and executive vice president, was demoted from his general manager position while his responsibilities were given to then head coach Chip Kelly in early 2015. Instead of sulking and feeling sorry for himself, Roseman spent his time talking with various sports leaders and successful franchises in a number of sports to learn what separated the successful franchises from everyone else. One of the things he learned was that he needed to work on improving his people skills and building relationships. He evidently learned quite a bit during his “sabbatical” year because since he was restored to the general manager position in late 2015 after Chip Kelly was fired, the Eagles have made the playoffs seven times, played in three Super Bowls, and won two Super Bowl championships for a franchise that in the first 50 years of the Super Bowl era had played in exactly two Super Bowls and won zero Super Bowl championships.
Lesson: When we don’t reach our goals, we need to learn about why we didn’t reach our goals and determine what lessons we can apply in our efforts to succeed in the future. Also, no matter how good we are at our job, we should always devote some time to seeing what innovative thinkers are doing.
Adaptive Strategy
Some people say that “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The reality is that you benefit most when you have an awesome culture AND a superior strategy. That brings us back to Howie Roseman. Continuing a philosophy, started under his predecessor, Joe Banner, of where to make investments and spend assets (think salary cap and draft picks), Roseman had a blueprint for how to build a successful team. Certain positions were deemed to be premium positions that warranted top draft picks and high salaries (quarterback, offensive tackle, defensive end, defensive tackle), while others were identified as areas where limited investment should be made (running back and linebacker). Roseman is also a wizard at creating player contracts that maximize the amount of constructive money available to the team under the hard salary cap, and he uses that to the team’s advantage when constructing the team’s roster.
Lesson: Be very intentional about where you invest your time and assets. Think about what investments are most correlated with whatever is the ultimate success for your organization. Look at other organizations in different markets, understand trends and correlations, then invest most heavily in those positions that are the most consequential for your organization’s success.
The Eagles also have other strategic advantages, like having the best offensive line coach in the NFL, Jeff Stoutland, who without fail, regularly transforms raw offensive lineman into highly functional starters and all-stars. One only need look at the story of Jordan Mailata who was a young Australian rugby player who had not played a down of American football (at any level) before being drafted by the Eagles in the final round of the 2018 NFL draft. Under the tutelage of Stoutland, Mailata has become one of the best left tackles in the NFL and one of the anchors of the Eagles’ offensive line, widely regarded as the best offensive line in the NFL.
Lesson: Investing in the development of the people in our organization is an opportunity for us to reap outsized rewards by allowing our people to achieve their full potential. Untapping the latent ability and full growth of our people is actually one of the best ROI investments an organization can make. Although NFL teams have some protection on their investment walking out the door because of player contracts, they also sometimes have people they invested in leave the team when their current contract is up. This happens far less in an environment where you have a great culture with strong bonds across your team. When you enjoy your teammates, when you are successful, and when your organization invests in your growth, why would you want to leave? Furthermore, even when people do leave, they become the best brand ambassador for your investment in people that will help you attract many more people than you lose.
Even though the Eagles had a well-oiled operational philosophy that had supported a great deal of success in the previous six seasons, Roseman knew when to be rigid to those principles and when to make an exception. Roseman’s de-emphasis of investing in the running back position had reached almost every corner of the NFL by the 2024 offseason, especially when it came to veteran running backs who have accumulated many seasons of wear and tear. Saquon Barkley, once the second pick in the entire NFL draft by the New York Giants, had become a free agent after six seasons in New York. When the Giants were lukewarm about signing him to another long-term contract, Barkley hit the market as a free agent. Much to the surprise of almost everyone, Roseman made his move to sign Barkley to play for the Eagles. Roseman made a substantial investment in Barkley with a three year, $37.75 million contract ($26 million of it guaranteed). Roseman thought the market had over-adjusted and took advantage of the rare opportunity to sign a generational, transformative player, showing flexibility and openness to seek out opportunity no matter where it occurred. Roseman said after the signing, “ "We think Saquon's a special player and we think he's a special person." It is clear that Roseman got this one 1,000% correct!
Lesson: Even when we have a fundamental organizational philosophy, we need to remain open to special opportunities when they present themselves. When you have the chance to acquire the services of a phenomenal talent (and super person) for your organization, don’t be beholden to normal operating parameters, especially when there is a market inefficiency that opens up the possibility to act. Moreover, constantly look for areas where you can create a sustainable, competitive differentiator to give you the best opportunity for sustained, long-term success.
Truly Working as a Single Team, AKA “Supporting the Greatness of Others”
Let’s go back to what Coach Sirianni means when he talks about supporting the greatness of others. Eagles’ players are invested in the success of their teammates. Darius “Big Play” Slay is a multi-time Pro Bowl cornerback approaching the latter part of his career. Even though the Eagles used their top two draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft to select two cornerbacks (Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean) to be the future cornerbacks on the team, Slay mentored both Mitchell and DeJean all season long. In fact, he has at times joked that they are his “children.” When Mitchell made his first career interception in the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers, Slay declared:
I was so happy, I cried almost, but I couldn’t shed a tear on the field because I don’t want people taking pictures.
The Eagles also feature five players who played together on the Georgia Bulldogs’ ferocious defense in the 2021 and 2022 college football seasons. They form an inner tight-knit group within an exceptionally tight-knit Eagles’ roster. They have grown from college players to professional players together, supporting each other and genuinely as happy when one of their erstwhile Bulldog teammates makes a spectacular play as they are when they themselves make a play.
It’s not just the defense either. During the latter part of the Eagles’ convincing 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game, third-string rookie running back Will Shipley broke loose for a 57 yard run then followed with his first NFL touchdown. Who ran across the field from the sideline to be the first person to congratulate Shipley? None other than NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.
When Barkley and Hurts were asked to appear on the Tonight Show days after their Super Bowl LIX victory, Barkley reportedly said he would only do the show if his starting offensive line was also included on the show. Both Barkley and Hurts truly appreciate that their success comes in large part to the protection from their great offensive line and wanted to make sure those guys also got the recognition they deserve.
Finally, let’s wrap this up by looking at the play the Eagles are most identified with: The Brotherly Shove (AKA The Tush Push). The Brotherly Shove is a super-sized version of the quarterback sneak where seven Eagles are lined up tight to the line of scrimmage and three others are lined up right behind Hurts in the backfield. The Eagles use this play, almost without fail when they have a 3rd or 4th down and a yard or less to go for a first down or a touchdown. When the Eagles snap the ball, everyone on the line of scrimmage drives forward as low as they can to get leverage, while Hurts takes the ball and churns his legs forward, trying to gain that important yard. Meanwhile, the three players behind Hurts proceed to push him from behind (hence the “Tush Push” moniker) to give him an extra boost to improve his chances of gaining the yard. The play is not very glamorous, is very utilitarian, and requires the help of many teammates. Oh, and it gives the team a big competitive advantage. They run the play more than any other team and have an incredibly high success rate (80% or more). The defense knows what the Eagles are going to do on the play, and they still can’t stop them. Nothing could be more demoralizing for the opponent. The Eagles don’t care what the defense does to try to stop it because the play is designed to benefit from the skills of Hurts and the offensive line and the Eagles have perfected the execution of the play. In fact, this is how the Eagles scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl LIX. Teamwork, intentional design, world-class execution, and doing whatever it takes to win the game, no matter how unglamorous it looks to some, all very representative of the Eagles’ organization as a whole.
The 2024 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles provide a great aspirational set of practices that we should learn from and apply in appropriate ways within our organizations.