Matt Patricia

MATT PATRICIA: Well, obviously quickly on the game, I thought we came out, started the game okay. Obviously had the three real bad series in a row. I think we had some plays steamroll there a little bit on us.

And give the Giants credit for some of the things that they were doing. I think I mentioned last week [New York Giants QB] Tyrod [Taylor] is a really good player and I think he made some good reads and adjustments in the game and got us in a couple different looks that were new that we were working on last week that they did a good job of handling really well. And certainly, from that standpoint it was good for us to see in those situations to kind of clean some stuff up there, which was good.

I know we talked a lot last week about the run game, which I thought that was better from that standpoint, even some of the runs that they threw at us that were a little bi different, that we were able to adjust on the sideline, which were good from that standpoint.

But obviously overall not what we want, not good enough. That’s on me. I have to make sure that all that stuff is in a good place where we’re executing at the highest level and certainly this week, pushing forward, getting ready to go against Tampa, a great opportunity for us to go out and play well and give ourselves a chance to win.

Some things to really learn from in the last game, which was good. Some things over the last several weeks we learned from and tried to grow. And with every year in the NFL, every season, I think you evolve as the season goes on and you continually try to play to wherever you’re at as a team standpoint or defensive standpoint, and put the guys in hopefully the best position you can to be able to go out and execute and give yourselves a chance to win.

Have to do a great job of that this week, have to be really clean on it and make sure we go out and give these guys an opportunity to go out and play fast and aggressive against a good offense and quarterback and a team we played a long time ago. It’s been a few weeks. We’ve got to go back and dive into what they’re doing now.

Q. Sounds like you’re changing things around, like more than maybe you expected. Is that fair to say? (Martin Frank)

MATT PATRICIA: I don’t think we’re changing. You always try to add as the season goes, certainly. No matter what year I’ve been in as a coach, I think whether it’s the scheme or the players have changed with injury or whatever it is, you change, you adapt as the season goes.

I think certainly as you get towards the end of the year and you’re playing really good teams, teams that have either a second chance to play you or have a longer look at what you’ve done through the course of the year, you want to make sure you’re adapting and adjusting as the season goes.

And things that have been on tape that you need to move either in a different direction, or sometimes player changes can affect that, too. Certainly, had that in the past before from that aspect of it. And guys that are out on the field that give you the best chance to win that week certainly, sometimes that adjust from that standpoint, for sure.

Q. You mentioned last week with the run game, seems they had done a good job disguising some of the motions and blocks. Do you feel like having your nickel package was better suited for that against the Giants because it seemed like they did a few of those things too? (Brooks Kubena)

MATT PATRICIA: You know what? It’s good. I think that there’s been a lot of, we call them eye control or eye candy, some of the different looks we get from formations and motioning and things like that. And sometimes, depending on the personnels that they’re giving us, some of the different packages that we run we can simplify some of that depending on which package. Sometimes that’s in-game you’re trying to figure out, okay, this is the package we have out of this group this week. Some of the formationing that they’re giving us, game plan-wise, we don’t like out of that group or we like out of this group now better than what we thought we were going to. That definitely happens in the game.

Certainly, playing a team like the Giants really almost back-to-back with that and some of the different looks they gave, there were some adjustments in the game, without getting too specific, there was, hey, maybe this is a better group to handle some of the movements we’re getting now. Sure, that absolutely happens.

Q. The first Tampa Bay game you played was some of the best football you guys played on defense this season. As you watched the film, what did you guys do that night that you haven’t done these past few weeks? (Zach Berman)

MATT PATRICIA: I think earlier in the year obviously all the teams are a little bit different than they are late in the year, for sure. That was a good game for us from that aspect of it. I think we just want to make sure this week we’re going back to playing fast and aggressive, and I’ve got to do a good job making sure the defense is in a good position to do that from that aspect of it, to make sure we’re ready to go.

It’s interesting, any year you watch a season of football, and you’re 18 weeks later than where you were when you look at tape earlier in the year, it tends to look different, whether it’s offense, defense, special teams. There is a factor there that goes on during the season and we’ve got to make sure we give our best effort to that this week, too, so we look as close to that as possible.

Q. When you say you want them to play fast and aggressive, are they able to right now? Seems like there’s a lot of communication problems, a lot of confusion, for lack of a better word. (Dave Zangaro)

MATT PATRICIA: I think we can play fast and aggressive, yes. Let me answer that first from that standpoint.

But, no, I think what we’ve tried to do in some of the recent games and really through the course of the year, you’re trying to, as I said, grow and add to packages and sometimes communication comes with that. That’s pretty standard from that aspect of it.

And I think at this point, too, it’s a good opportunity for us to say, okay, what do we think are the things they do, and what are the things that will put us in some of those tough communication systems? And do we want to utilize those or not?

And as you go, sometimes you improve those communication situations as you go. Certainly, it’s always the more you can do it, then the better you get at it from that aspect of it. I don’t think there’s a lot of really actually different communication than what we’ve done from that aspect of it.

One of the things, again, we talked about last week was the run game and doing a good job of re-emphasizing our run game communication. I think that was important for us to do in this past game, which is what we tried to do, put an emphasis on that.

Certainly, when you get to the sideline and you’re trying to make adjustments and it’s going fast, that communication’s got to be clear and concise and quick in case you’ve got to go back on the field, you’re trying to adjust that.

A lot of times when that stuff gets to a higher level, in a series itself, then the players have a great way to communicate amongst themselves in between plays, like hey, we’ve got to do a better job of this or that. That was just a big — like we talked about last week — emphasis and re-emphasis for us.

Q. How do you balance having simulated pressures versus putting players maybe in positions that are awkward for them? (Jeff McLane)

MATT PATRICIA: Let me see. That’s good. Simulated pressure. Sometimes I think it’s good you try to change up the blitz patterns when we can, with those looks, and you’re trying to really –it’s however you think you can best affect the offensive protection systems.

Sometimes you may know an offense protection system, a coach, a background, maybe, in what that is, and you try to take advantage of maybe some of the protection rules that they have.

And there’s always a little bit of — you try to do the best you can to balance it and hit it at the right time. We had a couple of good ones the other night and then a couple that didn’t hit at the right time from that aspect. That’s me. I’ve got to make sure I do a good job to make sure they’re optimized at the best time we can do those.

But you’re trying to stress the opponent on the sideline during the game, especially if it it’s something they haven’t seen before where now they’re trying to work on it, figure out what to do in those situations.

We had a corner pressure last week that was stressing some of the protection stuff that they did. So that was good to be able to get that one in there, too, from that aspect of it.

And when you do things like that, you do have to shift a little bit of where it becomes harder maybe for somebody else on the field, but that’s the good thing about when you have great players. We have great players with good versatility. And that’s the part that puts the most pressure on an offense on the sideline during the game to adjust if you have a proper mix of it.

Q. LB Haason Reddick said during the week last week that it’s been very difficult for a lot of the players to change in midstream from Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai to you, different play caller. Some changes going on. He says especially for the younger guys and for the guys who came in during the season, it’s been a lot of change. What was your reaction to that? (Reuben Frank)

MATT PATRICIA: Like I said, I think change, we’ve tried to just have additions where we’ve felt we needed to add. But like I said from a coaching standpoint, it’s been a good collaborative effort with that as it’s been all year.

I think the communication between the coaches and the coaches and the coaches and players and the players and the players, really it’s great. We’ve got great people. When you sit in the classroom and you’re going over stuff on the field, you’re just having good football conversations.

I think from that aspect of it, everyone’s been really good with all of that, and I think that’s the best part — that’s what makes it fun. You’re kind of just that collaborative work. Like I said, whether it’s coach and coach or coach and player or player and player you watch that and you see the growth and development.

Football is great because part of it is mentorship and part of it is helping whether it’s younger players or younger coaches. Honestly, some of my best years growing as a coach was from great players. And that’s happening for me now, too, which is amazing, whether it’s [LB Haason Reddick] Haas or [DT Fletcher Cox] Fletch [DE Brandon Graham] B.G. or [CB James Bradberry] J.B. or [CB Darius Slay] Slay. I’m listening to see what those guys see. They’re on the field.

That’s the stuff that happens for them. Their eyes. I’m always like, what did you see there and how did you see this? And that’s the knowledge I always search for. I love that because I get to go back and teach that to somebody else.

There are still things like [Former Chargers and New England Patriots LB] Junior Seau taught me or [Former New England Patriots LB] Tedy Bruschi taught me or Mike Vrabel taught me that I’m like, hey, this one time this is what he saw; does that make sense to you? And they are like, yeah that makes a lot of sense. And I’m like, great, maybe you can use that and maybe that can help you. That’s the part I love. All of that to me is just really good collaborative work.

Q. You have used three-safety packages a lot, now with S Sydney Brown out for the rest of the season, how much does his loss impact that? Do you feel like you have to change your scheme a little more and not use as many three-safety packages? (Chris Franklin)

MATT PATRICIA: Obviously you feel really horrible for [S] Sydney [Brown]. Obviously, you guys spent a little time with him. But what an unbelievable person, what a great, just, player, young guy, works hard. Everything that we try to ask him to do. I think you see that on the field, too, that energy, that excitement, the explosiveness. All the things.

And you love to be around guys like that. So certainly, that’s first and foremost. You feel bad about that. But I think for us as a team, as a defense, you just move forward. You always have plans in place because you know those things can come up, whether they’re long term or short term, and you try to adjust and take a look at whether you can keep those packages, move on from them or somebody else go in those roles from that aspect or change them slightly maybe give them a different look from that aspect of it.

But I think those are things in the game of football you always try to have plans for going forward if anything does happen where you have to adjust personnel-wise.

Q. Going back to your origin, coming to the Eagles, did you have connections in the building? Who were they and how did it sort of come about? (Tim McManus)

MATT PATRICIA: Definitely had connections in the building. I’ve been in the league a little while. So sometimes the circles in the league — certainly with [Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey] Mr. Lurie and [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] and [Head Coach] Nick [Sirianni] and other people in the building – [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach] Jeff Stoutland and I worked a long time at Syracuse. Had a cross-over there a little bit.

A lot of good friendships from that aspect of it in the building, which was great. Certainly for me, it was just a tremendous opportunity to come and learn and be around Nick [Sirianni] as a head coach, who does an unbelievable job. I think the way he has just built the program and the team and the unbelievable culture that he has here in place. I love it. It’s awesome to watch.

I think it’s good for me. Like I said, I feel like I’m the old guy sometimes, but to see a younger head coach in those roles and how he has just done a phenomenal job standing up in front of the group and leading and pushing the team and all the rest of it is really cool. It’s great for me. It’s great for me to see, too.

I’ve been in the league a long time, but I always loved and appreciate the opportunity to learn something maybe that’s a little bit different than what I’m used to. I think that’s how you grow. I’m so impressed by what he’s done in a short time. I think when you sit in here and you feel it and you’re around it, for me, I love it. It’s been a blessing for me to be able to see that and experience it from that aspect of it, sure.

Q. What challenges does Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield present? (Merrill Reese)

MATT PATRICIA: So offensively, certainly starts with the quarterback. The one thing that sticks out right away, and I’ve got to start with this, is how strong he [Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield] is. I think he’s No. 2 when you look at it in forced missed tackles. You just can’t get him down.

I think that’s where he extends plays and can get his eyes back downfield, and obviously between [Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR] Mike [Evans] and [Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris] Godwin and other guys he’s got out there, he’s got speed. They have speed on the field, and they will have an issue downfield if you don’t have those guys handled.

Some guys you can just put the ball up to and they’ll make plays, he’s got good players from that aspect of it. I think he’s really good at reading coverages. I think he does a good job getting the ball out fast in those situations and extending the plays when he needs to. And he’s savvy enough and illusive enough.

And his lower body strength is really good and sometimes you just see guys try to tackle him high and he shrugs them off and extends it. And even [Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Rachaad] White, the back, does a good job in the space and getting the ball to him. He’s like the number one guy in missed forced tackles, hard to tackle. Playing to the skill they have. [Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB] Baker [Mayfield] does a good job of that. He can read coverages.

When you have guys like [Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR] Mike Evans, there are going to be certain things you see a lot of, week in, week out, and defenses that are trying to take him away. Is the coverage rolled to him? Is there one guy? Single high? Is it man? How are they displacing their extra help? Most defensive structures have four guys in rush, seven in coverage. There are combinations that you play with that to try to take a guy like [Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR] Mike Evans out and now you have a problem over on the other side with [Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris] Godwin.

I think he [Baker Mayfield] sees that stuff really well and I think he’s seen the combination of coverages against these guys through the course of a year, to go back to what we were saying earlier, where earlier in the year he’s working through some of that stuff and he’s trying to figure out the skill guys that he has and how people are playing him as opposed to now where it’s a good bank of games where maybe earlier in the year he wasn’t sure but now he’s got a pretty good log of coverages against these guys, and then he gets a quicker decision make where he can go with the ball faster from that aspect of it.

I think that’s the progression you’ve seen from him through the course of a year.

Q. You guys have the rotation of young CBs with CB Kelee Ringo and CB Eli Ricks, if Slay comes back, do you still see them having a role with the defense? (E.J. Smith)

MATT PATRICIA: I think it’s been good for those guys to go out and play. I think it’s exciting for us to see what they’ve been able to do in certain situations, and some of them with some flexibility. We’ve had a chance to move them kind of inside and outside and put them in some different match-ups which has been good too. Having that experience will certainly help us now and then in the future as they grow and go, and certainly hopefully with [CB Darius Slay] Slay and all that, we know how great he is and everything that he brings.

Certainly, we can get into that situation and then we’re obviously excited to get him [CB Darius Slay] out there in play. And then we’ll just try to get everybody else in a situation depending on whether it’s down and distance or personnel package or something like that, area of the field, where we think those guys that we have now seen, those young guys we have now seen, if we think they can help us in that situation and try to get them on the field when we can. Sure.

Q. How much have you leaned on S Kevin Byard from a communication standpoint, he came during the season but played so much? (Bob Brookover)

MATT PATRICIA: [S] Kevin’s [Byard] great. And you felt that right away when he got here in the room and just his communication, the way he sees the game. And certainly, in the deep part of the field kind of where he’s been. We moved him around a little bit. Him having that flexibility has been great.

But definitely even a couple weeks ago, [S] Reed [Blankenship] had the green dot but [S] Kevin [Byard] communicating. As safeties, play split safety coverage, a lot of my side/your side communication but then you have to confer with each other and communicate down to the linebackers. Middle of the field safety there’s some sort of rotation or some sort of down safety that then communicates to the deep field guy who then communicates out to the corners and that rotated-down guy is communicating to the linebacker so everybody’s on the same page. That’s just standard communication through the core of the defense.

And Kevin’s [Byard] ability to actually do both is great. Sometimes you get guys that are just deep field communicators and some guys that are more in the box communicators. He’s had the experience on both levels, which is great. Now you feel the function of mixing those coverages in that aspect knowing he’s going to be able to especially down in the box handle the stuff with the linebackers, because that gets involved now in run game issues and run fits and some of that stuff that we talked about before. So heavily lean on that from that standpoint, but also just his experience and his eyes, and hey what are you seeing on the field, what are you feeling here? Do you see these guys in this position?

It’s obviously all about the opponent, which is good, but sometimes it’s about making sure you see guys on our side, too, and what are you feeling on the field and the communication there, and I trust him and lean on him a lot for that feedback. It’s really good.