Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni (Post-Game Transcript)

Talk about the adversity you overcame in September, early in the season and the kind of arc the team is going through going back to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.

NICK SIRIANNI: This game is about overcoming adversity. There are going to be good plays in the game and there are going to be bad plays in the game. There will be good moments in a season and bad moments in a season.

 

It’s about overcoming and embracing the adversity because really what we’ve talked about as a team is like adversity– we’ve all had to have adversity to be in this moment where we are right now, so adversity is what makes you who you are.

 

It’s been the story of the 2023 to the 2024 Eagles. As bad of a feeling we had about how last year ended, I think it makes you who you are. These guys are hungry, and we’ve got one more to go.

 

What was the message to the team in the locker room?

NICK SIRIANNI: I don’t know. Everybody was kind of flowing in. Basically, what the schedule was. It’s kind of what our message has been all year; ‘Tough, detailed, together.’ Tough, detailed, together.

 

Mentally and physically tough. Detailed with our fundamentals, detailed with being on the same page, detailed with all that, and then together, right?

 

Again, it’s not the best group of individuals that win, you’ve got to become a team. We’ve got one more to go.

 

What did you think the QB Jalen Hurts’ performance?

NICK SIRIANNI: Awesome. I think you heard what I said at the end of the game. It’s amazing how much doubt there is sometimes. I can’t quite comprehend it because it doesn’t look like what people think it should look like.

 

But the guy has been clutch. He’s won a ton of football games. ‘But you ran for this many yards.’ We don’t care how we win. We don’t care. If we rush for 300 and pass for one and we win, great. If we rush for one and pass for 300, great. Who cares?

 

We’ve just continued to win. He’s just continued to win. I think the criticism is– yeah, whatever. He just wins. I said what I said after the game and that’s kind of how I feel.

 

First offensive play RB Saquon Barkley takes it to the house. What does that mean?

NICK SIRIANNI: Good tone setter, right? We knew they were going to sell out to stop the run. We kind of knew that. Then he breaks two or three tackles to start. We get a great block from [WR] A.J. [Brown] on the toss crack to get around the edge; then great block by [TE] Dallas [Goedert] to kind of set it off.

 

If Saquon gets into the second level, third level, now it’s, ‘Hey, can you tackle this guy?’ He’s hard to tackle. They don’t give me a vote for MVP, but I know who my vote would — that’s probably why they don’t give me a vote, because I would vote for Saquon.

 

Special performance, special player, special job by the entire group to make that play go to start things off. That was a good tone setter. We’ve had some good tone setters to start this playoff, all the playoffs. [LB] Oren [Burks] forcing the fumble against Green Bay. Going right down and getting a touchdown on the first drive of the LA game. To start it like that was a good start for us.

 

Regarding LG Landon Dickerson stepping in at center for C Cam Jurgens.

NICK SIRIANNI: I think you saw the plan. He had to step in and play. He did a phenomenal job. Yeah, these guys are playing through pain. I just can’t say enough about how much I respect these guys of what they have to do with their bodies. I don’t think anyone knows the half of it, what they have to do to play the long season.

 

This is a marathon, and these guys and our trainers and doctors and our strength staff do such a good job helping them be in the shape they need to be in to play this long season.

And then the guys themselves do a great job as well. We’ve made a big emphasis on conditioning this year, all these things. So, all these guys are fighting through pain. I know coaches are fighting through sleep deprivation. We don’t care. We just want to keep going.

 

What does it say about DT Jalen Carter that he doesn’t care how it looks or what his stats are?

NICK SIRIANNI: Or what anybody else says. Yeah, that he’s a winner. He’s selfless. I showed a couple clips last night of the team, and one picture I showed that showed love was [OLB] Nolan Smith coming out with [LB] Nakobe Dean’s jersey last game.

 

That shows love.

 

Then I showed a clip of Nolan and Jalen that was — that kind of showed them performing a stunt and Jalen saying, ‘Hey, thank you for trusting me,’ and Nolan saying, ‘You don’t need to thank me.’

 

That showed trust.

 

Showed a clip of Jalen talking about how we don’t care how we win, regardless of what anyone says about him or me or whatever it is. That shows selflessness. That’s team stuff.

Again, it’s not the best groups of individuals that win. You have to come together as a football team. Those clips through the playoffs that I got to show last night– again, I kind of get emotional on things. I’m not going to get emotional right now, but it just showed the team. It’s about the team.

 

This is the greatest team sport there is. I think that gets overlooked sometimes with, ‘Oh, look at how this play performed and the scheme here.’ Part of it is about that, but it’s about team. The winner of the Bills and the Chiefs game, I guarantee they will talk about how they came together as a team. That’s why I love this sport. I always say these things of hope that people will say, ‘Hey, this is the greatest team sport to inspire people to play this sport.’

 

They don’t show that stuff a lot. Sometimes it’s more about the negative things that happen and this and that. We’re a team. We’re a freaking team. I’m proud of this team.

 

You pride yourself on your physicality when it’s been pretty consistent with the turnovers, forcing fumbles with LB Zack Baun, RB Will Shipley, and then LB Oren Burks. What does that mean?

NICK SIRIANNI: We spend a lot of time on that. We do a lot of drills that go into that. We talk a lot about that. We show any time there is a missed opportunity to take a ball away. That’s something I kind of learned as I watched [former Chicago Bears Head Coach] Matt Eberflus and how he kind of preached defense of how you take the ball away. I really learned a lot from him in Indy.

 

To be plus, what, 21 on the season? That’s impressive. We talk about that at nausea. Probably where they’re sick and tired of hearing it. To me, I always say good leadership is saying the same things over and over. Repetition – [Head of Football Development and Strategy] Connor Barwin’s says leadership is — I don’t know how he says it. The burden of leadership is repetition.

 

But, it’s about those guys going out there and doing it. Like there is a skill to be able to take the ball away. When [Washington Commanders RB Austin] Ekeler gets up off the ground to be able to take a punch at the ball there like [LB] Nolan [Smith] did. [RB] Will Shipley, I’m not sure he’s tackled anybody before this year.

 

Will Shipley, [RB Kenneth] Kenny Gainwell on special teams, I think the contributions we’ve gotten from them, they were prime running backs in college that haven’t had to tackle people. Like I don’t think people understand how special that is.

 

Like, I get it. It’s not going to be a pretty story or anything like that. It is to us. It is to us.

 

What’s it like to see so many rookies have important plays or roles on this team during this playoff stretch?

NICK SIRIANNI: We don’t care who is contributing. The guys that we know can contribute. But with that being said, we’ve gotten great contributions from our rookie class. That’s a tribute to [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] and his staff of all the work they put to get the right type of guys in, first and foremost.

 

Talent only gets you the first part. You’ve got to have something else to get to where we are right now. We’ve gotten great contributions from [DB Cooper DeJean] Coop, [CB Quinyon Mitchell] Q. Got a FaceTime from my college roommate [University of Toledo Head Coach] Jason Candle who was Q’s coach. I asked him if he was going to the Super Bowl.

 

He said, ‘Yeah, if you buy me a ticket.’ He makes enough money he can buy his own ticket, but I’ll definitely reserve one for him.

 

[LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr.] Trot and [LB] Jalyx [Hunt] and [RB] Will [Shipley] and I’m missing guys. I get that, because they aren’t playing — I’m not even thinking about rookies, who’s a rookie, who is not, because they’re playing like vets. It was cool.

 

What was the record before 55 points today? Wasn’t it 51? Yeah. Come on. It was 51 because of the Buffalo Bills versus the Raiders, right?

 

So, I remember watching that game as a kid in Buffalo, New York, in the Jamestown area, watching that and then being able to be around Frank Reich and then watching Four Falls of Buffalo and how they did it.

 

Frank has a lot of different records besides the greatest comebacks, but I remember them scoring those 51 points. To be able to get 55, I know you didn’t ask this, but I’m talking about it.

 

Frank, we got your record there just from a great performance from our team.

 

Looked like you were taking in the scene in the locker room there. Was that important to you? What did you observe?

NICK SIRIANNI: I just thought about the next game to be quite honest with you. This is a great feeling. We’ve had this feeling before. It just makes you hungrier. More hungry or hungrier?

Okay. I’m going to go with more hungry.

 

It just makes you more hungry to go there and play this game again.

 

We’re going to have to, regardless of the opponent, play a really good game to be able to reach our goals.

 

Speaking of former Mount Union Offensive Coordinator Jason Candle, Mount Union obviously has a rich history, the coaching family tree. What would it mean to you if you could be the first Mount Union alum to be a Super Bowl Champion as a head coach? Also, if you had talked to Hall of Fame former Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres right now, what would he say to you?

NICK SIRIANNI: Well, [Hall of Fame former Mount Union Head] Coach [Larry] Kehres, you’re invited to go to the next game. It’s on me. You’re invited to go to the next game. Love to have you.

 

The things I learned there, about detail and about not being satisfied with wins, but how do you improve off wins, what I learned about winning, what Coach Kehres and Mount Union’s football program has meant to my family.

 

Yeah, he’s special. He’s special. Yeah, I learned a lot there about how to just coach this game. I had great memories with great teammates with those things.

 

Did [NFL Coach and Mount Union alumnus] Dom Capers win one?

 

Defensive coordinator? Yeah, I don’t know. Coach Capers has a building there that they kind of roped me into giving some money to as well.

 

I don’t know. If we win, maybe they’ll try to entice me to put some money into the football program as well.

 

The last time this franchise won a Super Bowl, your predecessor said, ‘This is the new normal.’ What have you done since you’ve been here do you think to contribute to keeping this franchise at this level, and what was already in place? (Mike Sielski)

NICK SIRIANNI: Great organization that we have, starting with [Chairman/CEO] Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie, [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman]. I don’t think I’ve shied away from how much those guys mean to me. You can’t be great without the greatness of others, and it starts with Mr. Lurie. Howie does a great job of getting guys in here and helping there. Just to have that solid GM that’s been through everything is huge. Great partnership I have with him.

 

And then it’s about the people really, to be honest with you. It’s always about the people, and we’ve got some great people in this.

 

I wore this jersey because I said [WR] A.J. [Brown] is the best receiver that this city has ever seen. I don’t go back on that, but [Eagles Hall of Fame WR Mike] Quick was really good.

 

When you lose your center, is that different than losing another offensive line position just because of the responsibility on that? (Bob Brookover)

NICK SIRIANNI: No. I mean, everyone’s role is not the same, but everybody’s role is so, so important.

 

[G] Landon [Dickerson] has a lot of experience playing that position. We ended up getting a lot of confidence throughout the week of how Landon went about it.

 

Then [C] Cam [Jurgens] had to come in and contribute as well. I think, again, it just goes down to– it takes everybody. I know you guys will have interviews with the guys that made huge plays in this game with a ball in their hands sometimes, but it takes everybody. It takes everybody.

 

How about [G/T] Tyler Steen coming in and playing the game that he played against a really good opponent? I can’t tell you how much respect I have for [Commanders Head] Coach [Dan] Quinn. That team, Washington, reminds me of us as far as how their physicality is and as far as how their effort goes.

 

I can’t tell you much respect I have for Coach Quinn and the job he’s done. And [Commanders QB] Jayden Daniels. He’s a big-time player. We’re going to be battling for a long time in this division. Hats off to them.

 

But it takes everybody. It’s hard to say, ‘Hey, this one is more important than this one,’ because again, it goes back to the team. It takes everybody, and everybody’s job may not be the same, but everybody’s job and role is so important.

 

Back to you and QB Jalen Hurts, you guys are going to make franchise history, first coach, first quarterback, to reach two Super Bowls. Is that something you can reflect on if not before the game, maybe tonight about how you two guys have meshed over these four seasons?

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we’ve been through a lot together, right? A lot of wins, some down times. That’s what kind of forges relationships.

 

I don’t want anybody else leading this team at quarterback other than him. He’s a winner. Again, he deals with so much criticism which just blows my mind because of the questions I have to answer. I don’t look too much into that. The questions I have to answer it’s just like, man, this guy wins. He’s won his entire life.

 

That’s more important. Winning at quarterback is more important than any stat that you go through. I’m sure it’ll be the same thing. ‘Oh, he’s got great players around him.’ Well, you tell me a quarterback that’s won like this that has s— around him.

 

It doesn’t happen, right? Talk about [Hall of Fame QB] Joe Montana. Who is he throwing to? Oh, [Hall of Fame WR] Jerry Rice. So, these guys have been so good at this position have had great players around them.

 

Whether it’s [former NFL QB Tom] Brady with the defense early on in his career or [former NFL WR Julian] Edelman or [former NFL TE Rob Gronkowski] Gronk. I mean, you don’t win in this game unless you have great players around you. You don’t win consistently unless you have great players around you.

 

Sometimes I feel like it’s a negative on him. It kind of blows your mind. He wins. He’s a winner. I don’t want anyone else leading us other than Jalen Hurts. I’m proud of the way he went out there and battled today and played today.

 

He doesn’t care about anything other than winning, and I know that and that’s selfless.