Nick Sirianni

Q. So the practice window opened for DE Bryce Huff. What’s your anticipation for how quick he can get back out there? (Tim McManus)

NICK SIRIANNI: We’ll see. We’ll see how the week goes. We’ll see how long it takes. As you know, the practice window opened up. We’ll see how it goes.

Q. How much does it help though if he’s able to come back? Obviously you guys been using only three guys at the edge rusher position. (Martin Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we feel good about the guys that have been playing and the amount of snaps they’ve been playing. [DE Charles Harris] Chuck has done a good job as well, and we have a lot of confidence in him.

So we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

[DE] Bryce [Huff] is a good player. We look forward to getting him back. Just don’t know when that will be quite yet.

Q. Before the injury, he probably wasn’t super thrilled with the way his season was going. What did you see from him? How did he handle that? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: I actually think Bryce has been a good teammate for us. He’s had moments of playing well. I thought he was really doing a good job and making some plays.

I’m thinking back to the Dallas game, the big sack he had. I think it was the Dallas game, right? He had a big sack. He’s been able to get pressure. When we are able to get him back, we’re excited to have him back in there and rolling.

Q. I know you guys are always intentional about treating each game the same, preparing the same way. But obviously one of your goals coming into this season was to win the division, and you can this week. Has that been brought up? Has that been talked about as you guys prep? (Jason Dumas)

NICK SIRIANNI: No. I know, we’re pretty boring. We’re getting ready to go play this game. We know that if we do win this game, that will happen, but really all we can focus on is our preparation. We haven’t really talked about that.

We’ll talk about that when we’re able to put the hat on or the T-shirt on there. That’s when we’ll talk about that.

Q. What has Quarterbacks Coach Doug Nussmeier brought to the table working with QB Jalen Hurts this year? (Reuben Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think he’s an outstanding coach who played the position at a very high level in the NFL and in big time college football. [Quarterbacks Coach] Doug [Nussmeier] has been a great coach for a long time, too, in college and in professional football. Coached a lot of good players. Has been a coordinator.

I just think he’s done a really nice job of coaching [QB] Jalen [Hurts] and coaching the other guys. I think he’s fit in really well with our staff. Obviously, he and [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore] have a prior relationship.

Really pumped that he’s on our staff because I think he’s a heck of a football coach, heck of a person, and he’s doing a great job.

Q. Is there anything specifically where he’s made a difference with QB Jalen Hurts? (Reuben Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think when our players perform, all that credit goes to the players, but the coaches are behind the scenes helping those guys out and trying to help them play to the best of their ability.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of what that is, but Doug is just a really good coach. Consistently focused on the details of his drop, of the fundamentals of how to play and throw and the drop, the footwork that goes along with it, all those things.

I think Doug is just a bulldog and is always, ‘All right, here.’ Any time there is an issue or a footwork mistake, he’s going to be on it. I know that’s something they’ve talked a lot about.

Q. In relation to the staff, may be a little early to talk about this, but the Jets interviewing for their GM position made me think about it. You guys are playing well enough that some teams may inquire about some people on your staff, your coordinators. Given the history of that, how have you approached that? To know that there’s dialogue open, clarity, succession plans in order? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: We have been through that before. You’re constantly trying to develop the guys that aren’t the coordinators to be able to step into those roles if that were something that would be called upon. Your eye is always out for other guys that could be in play for that as well. We get to that.

I know I always say, ‘Hey, focus on the time being, where you are,’ all these things, but there are things you do have to focus on and think about if some of those things happen.

That’s something that I wouldn’t say is on my mind heavy right now, but going into the year as the year progresses, you have plans on what you think you might do if those things happen.

Q. Your defense has the lowest blitz rate in the NFL, yet it’s number one. From an offensive minded head coach’s point of view, how does it affect you when a defense doesn’t blitz a lot? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: And is able to be as productive?

Yeah, that’s a huge advantage as far as our defense. There are many different ways to be successful as a defense. If you look at all the defenses that have been top 5, they’re all going to have their different styles.

One thing as an offense that you think about when a team blitzes is there is one less guy to tackle your skill players, if you are passing, once you get the ball in their hands.

I think back to our Green Bay game. They brought a pressure. The guy missed a tackle. Then there were fewer people there to chase down [WR] A.J. [Brown].

Same thing in the run game. There are different blitzes that, after you get through that first level, again, there’s one less guy to tackle when you do that.

I think we’ve been really good at stopping explosive plays as a defense. That’s part of it. And we’ve done a good job there of tackling and playing different coverages in the secondary.

So, many different reasons. A lot of different ways to be successful. Our defense has been playing really good so far.

Q. When you have a sustained stretch of success, do you have to change your messaging at all when it comes to corrections? Do you have to tweak things? (John McMullen)

NICK SIRIANNI: No. I think when you are making corrections, the tape is very black and white. Either I didn’t do my job or I did do my job. That’s as a player, that’s as a coach.

Something that we focus so much on as coaches is to paint the picture very clearly so that the job requirement is very clear. Showing them different looks, different pictures, things like that. ‘Hey, here is the job requirement on this.’

When you meet the standard – whether that’s in situational football, whether that’s on a play design, whether that’s on a play design versus a certain look, offensively or defensively – you’re pointed out and told, ‘Hey, this is really good.’

When you don’t meet the standard, you correct it. I think that’s something that you do no matter what. I know that sometimes you can even be harder on guys after wins and through stretches because everyone is trying to get better. So nothing really changes.

It’s kind of our core value as far as accountability. Our job as coaches is to be very clear and to do the things that we need to do. Then their job as players is to live up to that standard.

So we talk about that, and our corrections to the coaches and players are the same off of that.

Q. You didn’t face Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore the first time with Washington. You did with New Orleans. Has that changed up after what you saw, expanding their coverages and changing up coverages? (John Clark)

NICK SIRIANNI: It’s been one game with him in there. He’s a really good football player. We’ve played against him in the past with our games against the Saints. Really outstanding football player.

Probably a bit too little film because again, it’s just been one game, and you could see different things.

But he’s a really good player which would allow him to do different things like that because of how good he’s played as a pro. So we’ll have to be ready for him. This is a good defense we’re going against.

Q. You spoke Monday about player development. How do you do that during the season when so much of the week is game plan specific, and what’s Head of Football Development and Strategy Connor Barwin’s player development program behind the scenes for you guys? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: Little things we do extra – again, not getting too much into that – but we talk about having meetings with just the scout team players to prep them for practice, specifically on their jobs for that, so we get good looks as a defense or an offense.

A product of that is you’re spending extra time with them, coaching those guys up. We always try to find time at the end of the week because when you go and you watch the offensive tape or defensive tape after practice, you’re watching your plays. You’re not going back sometimes in the film room and showing the scout team.

So we’re finding extra time to be able to do that with those guys as coaches. And then extra periods that we have. We always have extra walk-through periods with just developmental guys. We always have extra periods at the end of the week. Seven-on-seven, one-on-ones, different things like that with just the developmental guys and individual periods specialized with them.

Again, just trying to continue to develop the guys that aren’t necessarily playing. I think [Head of Football Development and Strategy] Connor [Barwin] does a good job spending that extra time with these guys as well, grading the tape in different ways. Maybe a little differently than the coaches look at it.

You’re trying to develop guys as much as you can. Going back: recruit, retain, develop. That’s something that has been stuck in my mind for a long time just with what I was taught. Recruit, retain, develop.

[Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] and his guys have done a great job of getting guys in here, and then our job as coaches is to develop them.

That’s not just as coaches. But through all the different departments we have in this building. Bob and his staff developing them to talk to you guys. Everybody has a little piece of that as far as how we develop.

It’s truly a cool thing about an organizational process.Q

Q. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said earlier in the season he sat in the booth because he likes to spread out, have notes – (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: And it’s cold this time of year. (laughing)

Q. All of you coach being prepared in your own ways. But that and other ways, how have you seen him and his thoroughness? It seems like in some ways he takes it to another level. (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: I just always see him pushing ways to get better. He’s always watching tape. If he’s not in the staff room watching tape with the guys or his staff, the defensive staff, he’s in his room grinding out on tape and looking for anything that can give us an advantage. Anything that can give him an advantage to call the game, anything that could give our guys an advantage to play the game.

I really admire that because he’s putting the guys in positions to succeed and also trying to give them every little nugget. I really respect the way he grinds and goes about his business.

Q. In the five weeks since you last played the Commanders and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, what have you seen from him specifically as far as where they are this year and how well he’s progressed? (Martin Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: He’s super dynamic. He’s a good passer. He’s outstanding with the ball in his hands and creating. Got a lot of respect for him and know we’ll have to play him a couple times a year for a long time.

I just continue to see him get better as he sees different looks and different things like that. I think they’re doing a great job with him as coaches over there as well and adapting the offense around him.

Q. What did you think the QB Jalen Hurts’s outfit the other night? (Bo Wulf)

NICK SIRIANNI: He’s always got really cool outfits on. I wish I could pull those off. (smiling)