Nick Sirianni
Q. The injured guys, who’s questionable? Are there any guys that are out? (Mike Kaye)
NICK SIRIANNI: Everybody was full today and the questionable guys are [DE Josh] Sweat and [T Andre] Dillard.
Q. Is DE Josh Sweat still in the concussion protocol? (Mike Kaye)
NICK SIRIANNI: Yes. That doesn’t end till tomorrow. That’s why he’s questionable right now.
Q. What happened with T Andre Dillard? (Dave Zangaro)
NICK SIRIANNI: Just something at practice today, so he’s questionable right now. He was full at practice, but questionable from what happened at practice today.
Q. Are you allowed to say anything about Dillard? (Geoff Mosher)
NICK SIRIANNI: I’ll just leave it at that. He’s questionable. He was full at practice. But questionable because of something at practice.
Q. It’s not game related, but from a scheduling perspective, you have the guys here on Mondays, but their day off is Tuesdays. It’s kind of been the other way around for the past few years. Why did you choose that schedule? (Zach Berman)
NICK SIRIANNI: Well, for the longest time, I was always on teams that Mondays they were in, Tuesdays they were off. And then when I went to Indy, [Colts Head Coach] Frank [Reich] had obviously been here with [former Eagles Head Coach] Doug [Pederson], Frank had gotten used to that and he liked that. And they won a Super Bowl doing it that way. And so, that’s what we did. And it was funny, and I always felt like — again, you think about things when you’re an assistant and you want to be a head coach, ‘Well, I kind of like their day off Tuesday.’
It always felt, like, you go to work on Monday, you review the game with the coaches, you move on from the game. And you want the players to do the same thing — good, bad, indifferent, you move on from the game, start prepping the next game, and then you have to go back and rehash it and talk through everything like that.
And so, that was my why for switching it. It was my big why. I called Frank and I kind of just talked to him. I wanted to take all the information, and he was like, ‘Yeah, we’re going back to the other way, too.’
So, I think they’re off Monday, too. Not that I know that 100 percent, but as we’re talking, I think he is. Monday on, Tuesday off. Sorry.
And so, it was more about that, that I wanted to be able to put the game to rest, good or bad, on Monday, and everybody move on from that game — learn what you need to from that game but move on and get prepared for the next game.
Q. In terms of soft-tissue injuries, you guys have been relatively healthy, especially compared to what had happened in previous years here and we talked a lot about it when you guys are holding them back, do you feel like this is a direct result of that? And do you feel like, having known what they have gone through previously, do you feel like this is just kind of the culmination of the process they have been through? (Jeff McLane)
NICK SIRIANNI: You look at everything you do schedule-wise, right, starting in the offseason and then moving to training camp, and then just how we practice and yeah, I do. I do believe it’s a result of how we’re doing things and how we’re practicing. I think the system that we are in right now as far as how everything’s organized has been good throughout. The other teams in the NFL that have done it this way, have done well.
Again, it’s like when you’re building an offense or you’re looking at players or whatever, you just want to take what you think is best for the players and do it.
And so, yeah right now I believe that’s what’s helping us. And guys are doing a great job of taking care of their bodies. We have great people in the building helping these guys take care of their bodies.
And that’s an organizational thing. Just all the help that we have as an organization. Mr. Lurie [Eagles Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Lurie] gives all the resources that we need. And so, yeah, I just think that’s definitely a product of it.
Q. The altitude, LB Davion Taylor was talking about how he played at Colorado. You with the Chargers, you had to go there every year. I know they kind of play it up, they have that sign outside the locker room. (John McMullen)
NICK SIRIANNI: Right outside the locker room, yeah.
Q. They say altitude sickness is real. Can you do anything? Do you talk to the guys? What do you say when it comes to that? (John McMullen)
NICK SIRIANNI: Just with Jeff’s question right there and just like everything we do, we’re always trying to look for an edge. We’re always trying to look for an advantage.
The parity in this league is so, so tight that you always got to look for an advantage, right? That’s why we sleep in our offices sometimes. That’s why we watch five years’ worth of tape of a certain situation, et cetera, et cetera.
And so, no doubt that this is the same thing. We’ve talked to our guys about things. We have a very detailed plan of things we’ve done at the very beginning of the week, starting Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, all the way to where we are Friday, about what time we get there tomorrow and everything.
And so, every resource that we have had available for us and all the research has been done and we use that information. That’s not my expertise. I got to look at the people that have an expertise in it. And so, we’ve done that and hopefully it pays dividends for us this Sunday.
Q. Without being able to simulate that atmosphere, what have you done from the training staff or anything from that altitude change? (Geoff Mosher)
NICK SIRIANNI: There’s been a lot. One thing — again, I don’t want to get into a lot of the specifics. But one thing — I think there are a couple of our other divisional opponents — just in case a couple of our divisional opponents have to go there, I’m not going to go into that.
I can give you one thing. We’re getting there a little bit later tomorrow. Just getting in a little bit later, that’s one thing for different reasons.
But, again, it’s funny, just the detail that was put in the presentation, to me, as the head coach, it was, like, I’m looking at the detail of all the different things that we’re doing to get ready for this game. And, it’s like, man, this looks like the same type of detail that a game plan looks like and the same thought process that went through it all.
And it just goes to show you about football. There’s just so many different parts of this organization that work together from players to coaches, to media staff, to the strength and conditioning staff, to everybody, that make it go. And so, that’s what I was fired up about is how much detail goes into it. But that’s just one thing I’ll share with you.
Q. Can you just provide a couple more details on those Friday meetings with QB Jalen Hurts, like, when they started, where they’re held, how long they go and kind of the why for it? (Tim McManus)
NICK SIRIANNI: Pretty typical of the play caller and the quarterback to meet on Friday after everybody leaves and go through the openers and go through your third down in two to three first call is, second call, third call, what’s your third down in four to six calls, seven to 10, 11 plus, high red zone, tight red zone, low red zone, four-minute, backed up, and just go through – all the information has been gathered and given to the players and talked through.
Now it’s, like, ‘Hey, here’s how we see this playing out. Here’s when we might call this play, this play.’ And you’re just going through the game.
You’re playing the game with the quarterback; you’re simulating it in your mind of how things are going to play out.
And so, that’s a pretty typical meeting. And that’s the meeting that involves myself, [Eagles Offensive Coordinator] Shane [Steichen], [Eagles Passing Game Coordinator] Kevin Patullo, [Eagles Quarterbacks Coach] Brian Johnson, and, obviously, Jalen.
Then right after that, Jalen and I just go sit in my office and we just talk. That started probably a month ago. I’d say a month ago.
Again, I just think it’s so important to connect with our guys. I know that’s not the first time you’ve heard me say that. I just want to make sure I connect with everybody.
The quarterback, you always want to connect a little bit more with that person. He’s your coach on the field.
It’s just been fun to sit there and talk to him about anything. Obviously, I’ll keep those conversations private.
But Jalen and I have a lot more in common than we probably even thought. We’re both coaches’ kids. We both love football. We have a lot of the same types of music, pop culture, stuff like that.
We have a lot more in common. But you don’t learn that unless you get to know somebody. It’s been fun just sitting in there. I look forward to that. Hopefully he does, too. But I look forward to having that conversation with him every Friday.