Wulf: No one deserved a night like this more than Nick Sirianni and the man who joined him in the end

NEW ORLEANS — When the lights turned on a little after 3 a.m., only two remained. One, who carried the season’s heaviest weight, and the other, who had the most reason to soak it all in.

After a menacing Eagles defense bullied the defending champions into a single first down in the first half, after Cooper DeJean’s pick-six and Zack Baun’s diving interception and Josh Sweat’s 2.5 sacks and a performance that cemented the group as one of the best defenses ever … After Jalen Hurts earned Super Bowl MVP and his Michael Jordan moment posing with the Lombardi trophy thanks to a Super Bowl quarterback rushing record and a handful of downfield dimes … After the deafening, smoke-filled locker room filled to capacity with players, coaches, front office personnel and support staff celebrating the climax they hoped would be the reward for months of sacrifice … After the team-sanctioned party at the Hilton Riverside, which the team called home for its final week as a team, it was time for everyone to leave.

At least, that’s what the lights turning on is supposed to signify. But as Philadelphia now knows, Nick Sirianni isn’t going anywhere.

No one had more reason to puff out their chest in the aftermath of Sunday’s 40-22 Super Bowl LIX dismantling than Sirianni. Thirteen months ago, he was left to twist in the wind as the organization weighed whether to retain the head coach who led it to the Super Bowl a season prior. Four months ago, his job status was again the most popular topic in town because of the way he reacted to … a win. Since then, his team won 16 of 17 games and won the Championship Game and Super Bowl by more combined points (50) than all but two teams in NFL history.

So yeah, he deserved to peacock a little. Sequestered to the side of the stage with Eagles personnel, cigar glued to his lips, he posed for pictures and hugged acquaintances and strangers alike. He joined the show on stage, popping his wrists on time to T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank” and proudly singing along to Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative.” He was a man finally unburdened.

Only when he embraced pass game coordinator Kevin Patullo did Sirianni seemingly pause to appreciate the magnitude of his accomplishment. As Sirianni’s right-hand man since the moment the head coach landed in Philadelphia, Patullo has a better understanding than anyone of what the last year has been like for Sirianni, from the ego dents on a deeply prideful man to the unjust burden shouldered by his family when Dad is a talk radio lightning rod. Sirianni buried his head in Patullo’s shoulder and let go. It was the kind of hug you see in movies. Until Patullo, ever the Sirianni whisperer, broke the fever with two words that somehow encompass an entire journey.

“Holy shit!”

Tight ends coach Jason Michael, the other coach still on staff who joined Sirianni from Indianapolis, joined Sirianni and Patullo in posing for pictures and celebrating the way they deserved. At its height, attendees of the party included celebrities like Shane Gillis and Pete Davidson, ex-Eagles like Alshon Jeffery and family members like Bengals running back Chase Brown. Also there, in a delightful bit of irony for Sirianni, was Bill Belichick.

It must be tough, one can imagine Sirianni thinking between puffs, for Bill to know he’s not the best coach in the room.

Earlier, around 2:15 a.m., Jalen Hurts, clad in his appropriately New Orleans purple suit, left the party with his fiancée. A few minutes after that, Brandon Graham and his wife Carlyne did the same. Then, about a half-hour later, Graham returned. Whether he purposefully meant his time at the party to perfectly mirror the arc of his season we’ll never know. But just like his triumphant return from a torn triceps to play in Super Bowl LIX, Graham made sure he was there in the end. Especially since this might be The End.

At 36, as the owner of the franchise record for seasons and games played, he has the longest story in Eagles history. Early on, he went from smiling rookie to bust and was nearly released. He worked his way back into a role and began to excel. He became a captain, leading the way with a work ethic and motormouth that never stopped. He will always be the player who made the most important play in franchise history, no matter how many more Super Bowls are in the Eagles’ future. And if this was the final chapter, what a farfetched one it was.

Eleven weeks after suffering a torn triceps that ended what everyone assumed was his final season, Graham returned. Sporting a bulky brace on his left arm, he played 13 snaps, recording one tackle and drawing a holding penalty. He acknowledged after the game he was playing through significant pain. Pain that was worth it. What better way to close the book on the longest-tenured player in franchise history than with a Super Bowl win in his final game?

“Getting a two piece for Philly?” Graham said after the game. “I’ll take my two. I’m thankful.”

Call it 3:04 in the morning when the ballroom lights were harshly turned on. There was Graham, unbuttoned denim button-down exposing his chest to every phone aimed in his direction for a picture. One after another, he posed with that typically wide BG smile, graciously cackling at every comment from a fan or joke attempt he may or may not have even heard.

At some point, he met eyes with Sirianni and then everyone wanted pictures with the two of them. Why not? Every member of the Eagles’ Super Bowl team has a story to tell, from the bottom of the roster to the top, from the coaching staff to the front office to the support staff and the families who endured their time away all in pursuit of a night like this. For Sirianni and Graham, there is overlap. Two people who may not have gotten this far without the very public doubt cast upon them that fueled them forward. Two survivors.

Of course they were the last ones standing.