The boss is waiting | Sports Daily Newsletter

Weather permitting, Nick Sirianni will meet today with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie at the NovaCare Complex for his end-of-season exit interview, an NFL source told The Inquirer.

Is this the end? Or is it the beginning of the team’s offseason makeover with Sirianni still in the fold as head coach?

The Eagles lost six of their last seven games, and there has been rampant speculation about his job security. If Sirianni returns, his coaching staff is likely to look significantly different.

Jeff McLane recalls the scene three years ago when Lurie huddled with Doug Pederson about replacing assistant coaches after a 4-11-1 finish. We all know how that ended.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The 76ers started the season intent on “tagging” their opponents, “crashing” the boards, and winning the “rebounding game.” That changed over the last 15 games. After starting the year in the top seven in all the major categories, they dropped to last in rebounding and 29th in rebounding percentage in that span. What’s the answer for their slump? Tightening up all of those previous focuses and “just hitting somebody.”

Next: The Sixers visit the Orlando Magic tonight at 7 (NBCSP).

After missing 22 games recovering from a broken foot, forward Noah Cates returned to the lineup in the Flyers’ 4-2 win in St. Louis on Monday. Cates struggled offensively before the injury, with just one goal and four points in 21 games, so this is an opportunity for a fresh start.

Despite all the snow on the ground, the Flyers have been heating up. Owen Tippett scored twice on Thursday to lead the Flyers over Dallas, 5-1, for their fifth straight win.

Next: The Flyers host the Colorado Avalanche at 1 p.m. Saturday (NBCSP).

The Eagles have put Nick Sirianni in a difficult position. If they were going to fire him, they could have done so already. If they were going to keep him, they could have publicly expressed more support. It’s too late for all that, David Murphy writes. But they still have a chance — if they want to keep Sirianni — to bring him back, empower him, and have him select the right coordinators.

The coordinators issue, after all, had a deep effect on the team, especially on defense after the disastrous switch from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia as the play-caller. Rookie safety Sydney Brown spoke about the need for players to be put in a position to succeed.

Voting results for the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced Tuesday, and there are only two things that we know for sure: At least one first-time candidate will get elected and there will be more Phillies-related intrigue. Among the ex-Phillies up for consideration by the writers are Billy Wagner, Bobby Abreu, Jimmy Rollins, and first-timer Chase Utley.

So who’s in? We offer a rundown on how The Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and Marcus Hayes voted and give you a chance to cast your own ballot.

Looking ahead to spring training, the Phillies included pitcher Mick Abel among 15 non-roster invitees.

Plenty of Jefferson players are putting up impressive stats. The Rams wouldn’t be 16-1 otherwise.

But one player stands out from the pack of impressive numbers: Sam Yencha, who’s averaging a double-double. The secret to her success? It’s pretty simple.

In Big 5 action, Villanova is coming off a big upset victory and another stellar performance from Lucy Olsen, while St. Joe’s had more than just an Atlantic 10 win to celebrate this week.

The celebratory mood extends to field hockey, where Schwenksville’s Ashley Sessa helped lead Team USA to a berth in this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

We asked you: What do you think was the biggest cause of the Eagles defense’s decline? Among your responses:

Offseason losses. Injuries. ... During the losing streak, some players gave up! Hell, here is another one: the coaching staff planned poorly. — Fred B.

The decline had many causes including no talent at linebacker and safety, formerly good cornerbacks that have lost a step or two, young defensive linemen Davis and Carter that were so out of shape that they couldn’t effectively last a whole season, former greats Cox and Graham still pretty good but not what they once were, and Reddick not being used to do what he does best. Finally, there was a defensive coordinator who was in over his head followed by mass confusion after Patricia took over. Very sad! — Tom E.

If Darius Slay says the absence of Dennard Wilson had a very negative effect on the defensive, I would believe him. He was there, I sure wasn’t. But the biggest factor was the departure of Jonathon Gannon and the failure to replace him with a person of the same abilities. His return to Lincoln Financial where his Cardinals torched our defense for 35 points while piling up 449 yards on offense compared to our 275 and time of possession of 39 minutes to 20 I think showed us what a contributor he had been the year before. Also I think Howie’s failure to draft Micah Parsons while putting all his money into offense hurt the Eagles in the long run. — Everett S.

Nick: Somehow, it’s gotten worse. The layers have been peeled back, the emperor’s clothes stripped. All fingers are now pointing at Nick Sirianni. Could the Eagles’ playoff loss at Tampa become a referendum on his job? Listen here.

Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Scott Lauber, Maria McIlwain, Mia Messina, Rich Flanagan, Jeff Neiburg, Finn Courtney, and Brooke Ackerman.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.