Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni (Post-Game Transcript)
Q. You were pretty aggressive today going for the two-point conversions. You went for a couple of fourth downs. How do you balance wanting to be aggressive with maybe looking for results? (Eliot Shorr-Parks)
NICK SIRIANNI: We’ve done pretty good with those in the past. You always think about everything. You think about who you have. You think about your past experiences with it. You always look at the analytics of it.
We’ve been pretty good with those. Today they did a good job. And I’ll look at everything. In the moment I’m always doing what I think is best for the football team.
Today it didn’t work. That’s the way it goes. That’s the hat I have to wear. When we get a fourth down and we convert a fourth down, nothing is really said. When we don’t, I understand there will be questions.
Again, I have to be able to have the balls to do that really at the end of the day and say, ‘Am I doing everything I can do to help us win the game?’ In those moments I thought I was, but I’ll go back and relook at them. I’m always going to be hypercritical of myself. When it doesn’t work, I’m definitely going to think even more about it.
So, I’m just happy with the way the guys played. I thought we played with great fundamentals today. I will be interested to see what our tackling numbers are coming out of today. I thought [LB] Zack Baun tackled his butt off. [S] Reed [Blankenship] had some good tackles; [DB] Coop [Cooper DeJean].
We caught the ball well. There were some unbelievable catches both offensively and defensively with a lot of things that we talk about. We took the ball away well. I’ll get some clarification on [RB] Saquon [Barkley]’s fumble, but I thought we took care of the ball and [QB] Jalen [Hurts] did a great job taking care of the football.
I thought our fundamentals we work so hard on were really on point today, which helped us get the win today. It’s tough to win.
Q. What did you think of RB Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle? (Jeff McLane)
NICK SIRIANNI: It was the best play I’ve ever seen. And I had no choice but to give him — I’ve been giving out game balls this year for special plays. Obviously, [LB] Nakobe [Dean] gets one. Ends the game with I guess would you call it a walk-off interception? It guess you would call it that. Even though you’ve got to take three knees. They should allow you to go to the next play.
But Saquon’s play, what I think is so cool, is there are going to be kids all over the country and all over Philadelphia — I really think about that — trying to make that play and talking about that play and simulating that play as they play backyard football or Pee Wee Football.
They aren’t going to be able to make it because I think he’s the only one in the world that can do that.
I’m speechless. It was unbelievable, and the way the crowd — when I looked up, like I thought I saw what I saw. As a coach you’re looking at the line sometimes, looking at the secondary, looking at the defense. And so, I thought I saw it, but when I looked up at the big screen and the crowd reacted to it, it was unbelievable.
I can’t say enough about how athletic he is.
Q. Is RB Saquon Barkley better than you thought he was now that you have him? (Jeff McLane)
NICK SIRIANNI: We knew he was special. Just when you’re preparing to play against special players in this league, they tend to take so much of your time up of you thinking about them and you preparing to stop them.
So, we knew he was special. I think when you’re around him on a daily basis it’s safe to say, yes, that he’s even more special than I could have even imagined.
It’s with everything though. I can’t say enough about Saquon the leader, the worker, the teammate. It was just unbelievable that play.
I think it’s fair to say that he’s even more special than I ever thought.
Q. Saw WR A.J. Brown leave the field in the third quarter before the offense had gone onto the field. Can you help explain that sequence? (Tim McManus)
NICK SIRIANNI: I’m going to get more information. I haven’t met with the medical staff yet. I’ll get more information here on him. I hope he’s okay.
He’s obviously one of our best players and we missed him out there. I thought [WR] DeVonta [Smith] did an unbelievable job in his absence. We have two go-to guys. DeVonta got more balls his way and he made some unreal plays.
I heard the catch that he made in the back of the end zone, and then [WR] Jahan [Dotson]’s catch, my goodness. There were some plays today that will live on in the sports world of Philadelphia for a long time.
They were great individual plays by these guys. You can talk about the fundamentals of how you catch things and how you get to your back when you’re going to the ground and this and that, but man, for him to get his hand on it. That’s two weeks in a row that Jalen has put a perfect ball on him in tight coverage and that Smitty [Devonta Smith] made a spectacular play.
And so, man, some special plays made. Shoot, we haven’t talked about the defense yet. Who has a defense question?
Q. Is DE Bryce Huff healthy? (Reporter)
NICK SIRIANNI: Bryce came off the field after warm-ups. Again, I won’t talk too much about injury, but his hand was bothering him, and he was getting treatment in the locker room after warmups.
So, we were trying to protect him there.
Q. When it comes to the linebacker play, LB Zack Baun and LB Nakobe Dean, what are your thoughts and were you expecting this type of play out of these two? (Chris Franklin)
NICK SIRIANNI: I think the moment we drafted Nakobe the excitement was there. I remember coming down with you guys in there and I was yelling about how excited we were.
And it’s been a long road. He’s had to battle — one, he was behind two really good players when he was a rookie, and he played on special teams. And then last year, he had an injury that sidelined him.
I think we’ve all just had a ton of confidence in Nakobe and he continues to get better. I can’t remember if I told you guys this or not, but there isn’t a night that he’s not in there just grinding. I think one thing that makes him special is his mind and leadership.
He’s constantly working on that. I’m walking downstairs late one evening and he’s still in there watching tape. He has a special work ethic, which allows him to make special plays like he did today.
And then Zack Baun, he’s just a really good athlete. I know he was a great special teams player for the Saints and did some of the things that we’re doing with him now, but he’s such a good athlete that he gets guys down in the open field. He makes great tackles. Now he’s taking the ball away.
And with special plays. That catch was a really good catch. The linebackers are the guys getting everybody on the same page and are in a lot of plays, and I think our guys are doing well. And our backups, we’ve got a lot of confidence in them as well.
It’s so much fun when the work that you do in the dark shows up in the light. I really see that from those two guys, of all the work they put in.
Q. You mentioned you had the two stops on the two-point conversions, two sneaks. Then you had a fourth and I think it was like inches from my perspective. You didn’t run a sneak on that. Were they doing something that sort the made you lose confidence in it? (Jimmy Kempski)
NICK SIRIANNI: They did a good job. Any time you get stuffed on it you think twice and try to go a different route. You know, they got us. They did a good job of it. We’re going to have to do a better job as coaches helping them succeed.
We’ve worked really hard at that play. That play has been our bread and butter and it didn’t work tonight. What do we do as coaches? We’ll look at the tape and see where we made a mistake as far as execution, but we will look at ourselves as coaches first and see where we can help them out in those scenarios.
Again, you always, hindsight, you look through it and say, ‘shoot,’ we didn’t get it here. Now the third time we did it, obviously we didn’t run that play. We tried to get around the outside and it didn’t work.
We’ll be hypercritical on ourselves, but good job to Jacksonville for getting that play stopped. To be quite honest with you, not a lot of people have been able to stop that, and they did a good job. We’re probably going to have to be ready to see that again.
Q. To have two rookie defensive backs play at this level. As an offensive guy, how rare is that? (Reporter)
NICK SIRIANNI: I just go back to how calm and cool these guys are. And going back to Q [CB Quinyon Mitchell], when we watched him at the Senior Bowl, he didn’t back down to anything. That’s all I’ve seen, just calm, confident in himself, really good football player.
Same thing with Coop [Cooper DeJean]. Coop has just this competitive energy, and I think they’re both energy givers and they’re making a lot of plays. That’s huge, right? I look back on the couple of the draft picks. [RB] Will Shipley makes an unbelievable play on special teams today.
The draft picks are doing a great job. Then we talk about [LB] Zack Baun and what he’s done as far as a free agent. Feel like we have added to our team. [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] has done a great job of adding to our football team and helping us get better.
So just, again, pumped for those guys, 33 and 27. You know, they’re playmakers, and hopefully we get to see them here in Philadelphia for a long time.
Q. Last four weeks, how much has the success of the running game helped out the defense as well? (Chris Murray)
NICK SIRIANNI: I think that’s a good question. I think when you’re able to — like we were able to extend the drive. We gave the ball back to them, but in Cincinnati we had the ball for a long time where the defense didn’t have to go back on the field. I think it all plays together.
I think we been explosive in the run game. Any time you rush for over 200 yards, it takes everybody. I think offensive line and Saquon is going to get the majority of the credit, as they should, but then there is this outside zone we run to the side of Smitty [DeVonta Smith], and Smitty’s so tough and physical. I know it’s crazy to say, he’s 175 pounds, he’s physical. He got a great block on the perimeter to help.
So, it takes everybody. When you’re running the football like that and playing defenses like that, that just shows you team. Again, it’s the best teams that win, not the best groups of individuals. I’m really proud of those guys for that.
Q. On the third-and-17 touchdown run, what made that the right call? (Zach Berman)
NICK SIRIANNI: Good call by [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore], right? A lot of preparation goes into that. I think sometimes you can put the tape on and sometimes you look at it as a game flow and you watch the game in the flow. Sometimes you watch cutups. That’s coaching.
When you get to the third and 15 [section of the tape study], you watch it intently and see what the right calls are there. You’re not really expecting that you’re getting many of those, but we gave it to a special player. Offensive line did special things. I’m sure we got good perimeter blocking there. I didn’t see it.
I’ll look at the tape, but I’m sure tomorrow when you ask me, I’ll say this guy and this guy did a good job on the perimeter and Saquon is explosive.
So, I just thought Kellen made a great call in that area. [Passing Game Coordinator/Associate Head Coach] Kevin Patullo has a lot to do with that call as well; he’s run that play in the past.
So, man, can’t say enough about our coaches and the job Kellen is doing, the job [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Jeff Stoutland] Stout is doing, the job [Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio] is doing, Kevin Patullo, [Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs] Christian Parker. Man, I can’t go through and say everybody [on the coaching staff] – [Inside Linebackers] Bobby King, [Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line] Clint Hurtt, [Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers Jeremiah Washburn] Wash, [Tight Ends] Jason Michael, [Running Backs/Assistant Head Coach] Jemal Singleton. They’re just doing a good job of coaching these guys, and Howie has made it easier for us to coach these guys because they’re good players.
Sometimes that’s the secret of coaching, is have good players.