Nick Sirianni

Q. You guys have had a lot of travel here in the first 12 weeks of the season. Prior to the season, did you adjust how you wanted to do different things during the year because of all the trips, or if you’ve had to make adjustments during the year? (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we adjust things as the trip calls for. We have a contingency plan for everything, and we did that accordingly this year.

You do the same thing as you get later through the year. You do the same thing if you get banged up in a game. All things are accounted for, yes.

Q. Have you seen more enthusiastic and eager blocking from receivers and tight ends when you have a running back who can take it to the house? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think that’s been the culture that we’ve had. It’s the standard of how we block on the perimeter. That’s something that [as a] former wide receiver coach, former wide receiver, that’s not a negotiable of how we block out there and what we do.

So we talk about that a lot. I think it’s awesome that they are having so much fun with it now. Some of those long runs get sprung the way they do because they got the blocking downfield.

[WR Britain] Covey and [WR] A.J. [Brown], on the first play of the second half, had huge blocks. We did a great job on the back side, but those guys had great blocks to finish the thing off. And our guys know that selflessness, being a good teammate, connecting, part of that is selflessness. And that’s what it takes.

Those guys have been that, and we show it and point it out every time they’re downfield blocking. I’d like to sit here and say, ‘Yeah the long runs make it so.’ But I think it’s the other way around because these guys have always been like this. That’s another reason why the long runs are happening, that the 10-yard runs turn into 50-yard runs.

Now, [RB] Saquon [Barkley] has a lot to do with that as well, but all that helps.

Q. With the run game, you guys have had a lot of success by committing to it and eventually breaking through in the second half. With the physical defense of the Ravens, is there enough faith in the run game if it’s even more slow-going to start, that you could commit to it still? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: We know this is a good defense. We’re a good offense. It’s good on good. Same thing vice versa with their offense and our defense.

We’ll see how the game plays out. You never know how the game is going to play out. You never know what the situations are going to be.

But yeah, we’ll see how it goes as it goes.

Q. If we had told you before the season you would be 32nd in pass attempts and first in rushing, would you think that was possible? And the Steelers and Ravens have been teams that have played that way for a long time. Is there any benefit of looking at those teams when you look like you start to become that? (Bob Brookover)

NICK SIRIANNI: Again, we’ll do anything we need to do to win the football game. This last month of the season has been very unique. I’m not sure how many times we’ve even passed it in the fourth quarter in November.

I’m not even sure how many times we’ve passed it in the fourth quarter because we haven’t needed to. We’ve been in four-minute offense. That doesn’t mean – in four-minute offense, you play your offense, but when you’re up two, three scores, you tend to play it more conservative in those particular cases.

I don’t look too much into that. We have the ability to throw it when we need to throw it, and we have the ability to run it when we need to run it. And that’s a good thing to have.

He asked me a second ago about this game. Every game dictates something different. We’ll see how each game goes.

Q. A common line of questioning to you over the summer was about being a CEO coach. In seeing the success Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh has had in his career, and then you see the Steelers, the Lions, teams like that atop the standings, you guys, do you think it’s coincidence that the CEO coaches are having that type of success? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think all the guys you just mentioned, [Steelers Head] Coach [Mike] Tomlin, [Ravens Head] Coach [John] Harbaugh, [Lions Head] Coach [Dan] Campbell – I think those are the three you mentioned – those are all really good coaches and really good organizations, and they’ve done a phenomenal job. Guys that I have looked to and tried to learn from afar from, right?

I think that has a lot to do with it.

Again, just trying to do everything that I can do to help us win football games, whatever that may be. So I don’t know. I can’t answer that question. I just know what works for the Philadelphia Eagles and what we’re trying to do.

But can’t say enough [about] how much respect I have, particularly – [for] all three of those guys, but with us playing Coach Harbaugh this week, Coach Harbaugh. Man, I really admire his family background. I really admire his consistency, how good he’s been throughout his career, the consistent winning.

It’s just really impressive.

Q. How much have you guys had to coach up RB Saquon Barkley in terms of patience, vision? Obviously, players are always still developing. Was there something you needed to do there to help him in that regard? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: No. With patience and vision? No.

Q. …not bouncing things outside… (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: No. Not really. If there is something on tape that we need to correct, we correct. But those two things to me were not something that we looked at as an issue of him coming in, and they haven’t been since he’s been here.

I just think we’ll coach him up on the details that we have, and on the footwork that we have, and the ball security, and the different things like that. But to me, he has really good vision and patience and everything.

Again, he can just beat you [in] so many multiple ways.