Nick Sirianni

Q. There’s all this talk about an identity and things like that. You have a running back like RB Saquon Barkley, top three in rushing, an offensive line that’s smashing the run game. Is the identity maybe evolving into a running team? (Ed Kracz)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think, again, we do what we need to do to win each game. There’s going to be a game where we’re going to have to pass it a bunch. There’s going to be a game we’re going to have to run it again like that. It’s just all going to be week-to-week.

Again, you want to stay in things that you do well, but everything is going to be week-to-week based off of what’s going right that week. We’ll see as the year progresses.

Q. You told us about the moment with RB Saquon Barkley, but since we’ve all seen that, can that have an effect on the entire team? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think people really respect [RB] Saquon [Barkley] because of the person he is, the leader he is, the player that he is. And I think that it just shows selflessness, just caring about the team. And that’s what he’s been since he’s been here, and that’s what he’s been since he’s probably been ten years old and playing football.

I think that guys respect that, and we try to point those things out any time they happen with the selflessness. Because that’s part of being a team.

Q. What impresses you most about Bengals QB Joe Burrow? (John McMullen)

NICK SIRIANNI: He’s obviously a really good player who’s done it at a high level for a very long time. Thinking back on that team that he had in college – he still has one of the guys that he was throwing to in college – and just how fun that was to watch.

He just plays at a high level each and every year, and this is a really good offense. A lot of respect for this offense with the weapons they have, and then obviously [Bengals QB] Joe Burrow.

Q. We’ve seen since the start of the season, the defense and the personnel usage and, in some cases, guys being subbed out for others evolve. But especially so since the bye. How has Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio managed that, and how have you overseen it and allowed him to run with that? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, obviously these guys have a vision of what guys do well, and they are with that every single day. And obviously I’m there with them watching that. [I’ve] got so much faith in our defensive staff to – ‘Hey, we think this guy should be here or this guy should be there.’ Again, we watch it all together, but they are the experts at defense.

So I’ve just got a lot of respect for our defensive staff and the positions that they have put the guys in. We know this, though: we are only as good as our next game. So we have got a really big challenge on our hands this week against a really good opponent, and looking forward to the challenge. And we’ll see how that goes.

Q. How does it happen? We’ve gotten to know Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio fairly well. He’s pretty blunt and pretty much going to handle things the way he’s going to handle them. That may rub some players, if they are losing snaps, etc. How does he handle that, and are you the kind of good cop to his bad cop? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think every situation calls for something probably a little bit different. I think, like I said, he’s about the result of the play, and how he gets the guys better, and how he puts them in positions to succeed.

I think he’s consistent with everything. I don’t think there’s a lot of surprises once you make a mistake. I think guys respect the consistency. And that’s what you try to do as a coach. Not everybody might always like what’s being said, but I think everyone has to respect the consistency. And I think that’s what I admire about [Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio].

Q. In the blitz game, you said the team is getting its mojo back. What did you mean by that, and what does that look like? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think I said that about the pass rush.

When you have two games in a row where the pass rush has been what it’s been, I just felt that. I wrote that. I write notes on my call sheet as we go through the game. Things that need to be corrected, this and that that you see live, and I just wrote that in the middle of the game after maybe the fifth sack.

It just felt like that, right? That with the guys that were going up front, at any point, they could get a sack because of the way they were rushing. That’s how I felt about it, and I know that the defensive line felt that way, too. The defense felt that way. I think the offense that way. I think the entire team felt that way.

We’ve had a lot of sacks here in my four years, and it’s a great feeling. That’s a stat we pay a lot of attention to because it’s in that double-positive, the explosive play battle and the turnover battle. It’s the next one that we look at there, so we know how important that is.

Q. How do you balance the feeling that you think they have found something in the pass rush versus it’s happened to come against two teams that have a weakened offense. Or does it matter because they feel the sacks – (Jeff Neiburg)

NICK SIRIANNI: This is professional football. I think every week is going to be a huge, huge challenge. You get it, not because of who you’re going against, but really because of how you prepare and how you go about your business each week.

I think we’re a product of our habits more than who we’re playing or anything like that. You’re going to have the habits that you practice out there with, so that’s what we really try to focus on.

Q. How unique is it to be able to change identity during a game? Say you go into a game thinking you’re going to run the ball, but they show you something different and you pass the ball. And you have guys like WR A.J. Brown and WR DeVonta Smith. I guess that’s probably something you didn’t have when you first got here. So how unique is that? (Martin Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think what was unique as I saw it this week in the Giants game was when you watch that tape, you see there are multiple times where [WR] DeVonta [Smith] is throwing his body around to get a block. We only passed the ball four times in the second half, so it’s going to be a day that any receiver is not going to get the production [they] normally get, when those things happen.

But to see the effort of [WR] A.J. [Brown] and DeVonta and [WR] Jahan [Dotson] – I’m going to single those three guys out. And [WR] Parris [Campbell] did a good job blocking as well when he was in. And [WR] Johnny [Wilson] did a good job, he had a nice block on one and had some other good efforts. But the effort, that was huge.

The play that I felt like kind of got us going was that one around the edge by Saquon. Well, A.J. comes in and digs the safety out, and then [C] Cam [Jurgens] is able to wrap around and ends up getting hands on their corner.

And it was a little early to say the game was going to play out that way at that point, but as the game progressed, you just see – we all heard the selflessness of Saquon when I had that conversation with him. So that was heard. But you see it on tape with – I’m going to single those two guys out particularly, DeVonta and A.J. – of how they blocked in a game like that.

I remember there was a game a couple years ago where DeVonta said the same thing. I remember he said it to [CB Darius] Slay on the sideline. Slay is like, ‘Let me get in.’ We were winning by a lot, and he’s like, ‘Let me get in and get a couple catches.’

He’s like, ‘We ain’t catching it today. We’ve been running it. And if you want to come in on offense, you better go ahead and strap it up because we’re blocking today.’

I love that selflessness that we get to see. And when you’re building a team and you’re building as a group, you’re building together to try to do this, those things go a long way, the selflessness. I know I’m answering the question to really emphasize that, as opposed to how it goes different because every game can go a little bit different than how you think.

But at the end of the day, it’s about winning the football game and what we have to do to be successful. And when you’re a guy who gets the ball a lot, like those guys, and then it’s a day that you don’t get the ball, how are you affecting the game in a positive way when you’re not touching the football? And those guys, I just can’t say enough. I wanted to spend a little time on that because I can’t say enough about how selfless I felt like they were, and that doesn’t surprise me. That’s how these guys are.

Q. Is that contagious, when your veteran leaders do that? (Reuben Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: Oh yeah, definitely. I think everyone feeds off that. Sometimes you see a play on the sideline where Saquon lowers his shoulder, or A.J. finishes on the sideline, or [DB Cooper DeJean] Coop finishes on the sideline, the contagiousness that that has for the toughness of your football team and the energy it brings.

Well, it’s the same thing here. If guys are watching and seeing that, and we point it out and show that, that’s a big deal. Because when DeVonta Smith can do it and play with selflessness, then they’ve got to do that, too. Because that’s what the expectation is, and that’s what the standard is.

Q. How would you describe OLB Josh Sweat’s season to this point? (Bob Brookover)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think [OLB] Josh Sweat is one of the most physical guys on this football team. Defensive ends are always judged on how many sacks did you get, right? And I get that, and that’s part of it.

But the way he plays the run, and the way he puts his hands on tight ends, and the way he puts his hands on tackles, and the violence that he plays with is critical to our success on how he plays on the edge of our defense.

So I feel like every week when I’m watching the tape, I’m writing up there as I look at the tape: 19, plus, physical, 19, plus, violent, 19, plus, way to use your hands. It’s just over and over and over again. And it was good to see him the last couple weeks get the sacks because he’s always in pursuit.

I think there was a really good play that he made in that Giants game where they thumped the edge with the tight end, and he got skinny and then got himself back on the tackle and was an unbelievable rush when the attention was going to him. When you can beat a rush when two guys are blocking you, that’s impressive, and he was able to do that. And he’s been able to do that throughout his career.

Yeah, he sets a tone for our defense with the way he plays with his physicality, and we’ll expect him to keep doing that because that’s the type of guy he is.

Q. What about the framework of the passing game helps QB Jalen Hurts be right more frequently when he goes after a 1-on-1? Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore talked about how there is a passing progression, but he can green light after a 1-on-1 if he sees it? You guys have done that before, but what went into that conversation in the offseason as you’re building that? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: You have good 1-on-1 players, and you trust 1-on-1 players. It takes the built-in trust. Again, this isn’t blind faith. This is work over and over and over again that he trusts A.J., DeVonta to work those 1-on-1s when he does have them. And being able to know when he doesn’t have them to work the other part of the concept.

And listen, defenses are constantly trying to manipulate you, to deceive you of what you’re really getting.

So I think he’s done a good job of seeing what the defense is giving to him, taking his opportunities for 1-on-1s when he has them, and playing the position at a high level when they don’t present themselves.

Q. Is there a byproduct of chasing those shots when he does see those 1-on-1 matchups? Does it sometimes lead to the passing offense seeming arrhythmic at times? (EJ Smith)

NICK SIRIANNI: Again, when you don’t complete a vertical ball, there’s still a fear that’s put into the defense where they can’t sit on routes at the sticks, or they can’t sit on routes that appear –listen, defense is trying to deceive us, and we are trying to deceive them. Everyone is lying out there on the field, right?

So when you go vertical and you don’t get it, yes, that puts you in a 2^nd-and-10. If it’s 1^st-and-10, obviously.

But there’s so much else it does to that defensive back and to that matchup. I don’t think you can look at it as just a product of, hey, it was an incomplete pass. We started the Cleveland game that way, with a couple vertical shots that were incomplete passes. You can’t look at it like that. There are other things that go into it after that happens.

Q. As a wide receiver guy, how would you compare or evaluate the two combinations in this game? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, both big time. A ton of respect for [Bengals WR] Tee Higgins and [Bengals WR] Ja’Marr Chase. I think the kid from Princeton [Bengals WR Andrei Iosivas] is doing well, too. And I obviously wouldn’t want anyone else but our guys with DeVonta and A.J.

Again, it will be fun for fans to watch the combination of all those playmakers on the field. I know you want me to rank them. I’m not going to rank them. But a ton of respect for both. Love the guys that we have and a lot of respect over there for how they have done it, and how they have done it for many years.

Q. Following up on the passing, what goes into the balance of either zeroing in on those 1-on-1s when there may be something in the progression that emerges? What’s the balance, and how do you coach that? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: Sometimes routes stay on versus press. Sometimes they convert versus press. Sometimes they stay on versus cloud, and sometimes they convert. So sometimes it’s the defense that balances that out.

Again, you’re just trying to attack multiple ways. You’re trying to attack on the outside. You’re trying to attack on the inside. You’re trying to attack vertically. You’re trying to attack short. So, again, we are constantly lying to the defense about what we are doing.