PHOENIX — The Philadelphia Eagles have been a lot of things on their way to Super Bowl LVII. They've been bold on fourth down, overpowering on the ground, and thunderously aggressive on defense.
But don't call them lucky.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is not a superstitious man anymore because it took too much out of him when he was.
"That used to be something that I really thought about a lot to be quite honest with you," Sirianni said when asked about any gameday traditions or manifestations of luck. "I think that was something I thought about when I played and maybe the first couple years I was a coach. I began to think, 'this is exhausting.'"
For now, Sirianni is over it.
"My superstition is not to be superstitious," Sirianni said. "Routine is different from superstition. When I say something in the staff room, and someone knocks on wood or something like that, I'm like, 'stop that.' That has nothing to do with if we are going to win or lose a game or if we are going to be successful.
"For me, that's just not what I do. I believe in routine, though, and that the hard work prepared us to be in a position to succeed."
Winning the Super Bowl is a daunting task, and the week leading up to the big game is especially chaotic. But according to Sirianni, the plan to prepare stays the same, thanks to routine.
"Our guys are locked in," Sirianni said. "We understand that there's a lot of distractions with a lot of things that aren't in our typical week. So we have to do our best to make sure that our routine stays the same in the midst of the madness. Our guys understand that. That's been our message all week. Our guys, we've got a lot of guys on this team that have been to the top of the mountain. Won the Super Bowl. Have been in national championship games. Have won national championship games."
Sirianni compared keeping his team's eyes on the prize to the systematic nature of a basketball player shooting a free throw in front of a rowdy road crowd.
"Your focus is not going to change," Sirianni said. "You take three dribbles, you spin the ball, you breathe, and then you shoot. That's your routine. And then you can block out all the outside noise that's happening."
The outside noise is definitely loud in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. But if the Eagles can stick to their routine, they'll be in a good position to play their best on Sunday.
