Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on a fan throwing flowers at him after Chargers loss: No malice

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni had a bouquet of flowers thrown toward him as he walked off Lincoln Financial Field after the team suffered a 27-24 loss to the Chargers.

The flowers — an apparent reference to Sirianni having shown Eagles players a picture of a flower at a team meeting to show its growing roots as a metaphor — didn’t hit the coach. Sirianni did give a long look in the direction where they came from as a security officer guided him back into the stadium tunnel.

Asked about the flower-throwing the next day, Sirianni spoke of self-control.

“I think that’s just something my dad’s always taught from when I was a kid ‘cause we’re Italian, we got hot tempers, and I think you guys know that about me,” Sirianni said Monday to Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team on WIP. “When it calls time for self-control, you’ve got to have self-control. Because I know in situations like that, the rest of the team’s looking at me and looking at, ‘Well if Coach runs up there like Ron Artest and starts fighting everybody, then I can do it too.’ And I obviously don’t want that to happen.”

Mused Sirianni: “And you know what, it wasn’t very good aim by the fan. He didn’t hit me. So I think if it hit me it would have been a little different. ... I’ve got to portray self-control. I didn’t say anything. I just kind of looked up there. But, hey, I get the passion of the fans and in situations like that after a tough loss, I’ve got to show self-control, and I feel like I did that.”

The Eagles are 3-6 in Sirianni’s first year as a head coach. He has faced criticism — and fans tossing items on the field after losses.

Two weeks earlier, as Sirianni walked toward the tunnel at Allegiant Stadium after the Eagles lost to the Raiders, a fan tossed what appeared to be an Eagles jersey in the path of Sirianni before yelling and gesturing toward the coach. Sirianni walked around the jersey.