Nick Sirianni

Q. Early in the season, when things weren’t going as well and you were facing a lot of personal criticism, how were you able to trust in yourself and your process? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: You don’t pay too much attention to anything except for your process. And [you] just try to stick to that.

That’s what we talk about all the time. I say that to the players all the time. And if it’s in a scenario like that, if I’m not practicing what I preach, then those are just words, not actions. Our culture, our habits are about our actions, not our words. You just try to live by that.

Q. In the last couple of years, you’ve had to prepare for former Rams DT Aaron Donald, Chiefs DT Chris Jones, Giants DT Dexter Lawrence all the time, of course. Just curious how you think DT Jalen Carter compares to guys of that level? And then also, what did you think of the way he played yesterday? (Jimmy Kempski)

NICK SIRIANNI: He did a lot of good things yesterday. A lot of things that we need to clean up. That’s all of us as a team. [There are] lot of good things we did and a lot of things we need to clean up. [DT] Jalen [Carter] is a part of that, but [he] definitely did a lot of good things.

I don’t get into the comparison thing with him. Jalen Carter is Jalen Carter. And we’re happy he’s on this football team and [that] he’s playing the way he’s playing with the effort, and the toughness, and the skill that he’s playing with.

[It’s] different when you go and you’re actually game-planning against a guy, and any play that that guy makes, you’ll have to think about. We obviously don’t do that with Jalen because we don’t have to game plan against him.

I stay away from the comparison. Jalen Carter has had a really good year, had a really good game yesterday, and we’re looking for him to continue to grow as a player.

Q. You’ve had versions of Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme here. I know you had him in as a kind of consultant for a year. But now that you have him in the building and you see and hear how he calls plays, what difference has he brought to the defense this year? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: He has a really good feel of how to call the game. I really feel that. He’s always on top of it, has a good feel for what’s coming. [He] has a good feel for how he needs to adjust, how he needs to adapt. He’s obviously done a great job of leading the defense in so many aspects.

So happy that he is here. We have one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL as our defensive coordinator. I can’t say enough good things about him, and what he’s brought to this team, and what he’s brought to this defense.

[We’re] ecstatic that he’s our defensive coordinator, and [we] look to continue to grow as a team. I know [Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio] will continue to do the things he needs to do to continue to excel at his position.

I think that’s what is so cool about Vic, that he’s been a defensive coordinator for a long time, and he just is always looking to grow, always looking for new trends and different things like that. There’s a reason why he’s been a good defensive coordinator for decades in this league. It’s because he’s always growing and always getting better.

Again, that’s what we want our players to do, and he’s constantly doing that. What a great example for our players.

Q. To follow up on Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, you’d probably want to be physical in whatever system you run. But how does it particularly show up in the way that Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio runs this defense and the players that you have to game plan towards the physicality you wanted on Sunday? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: Like you said, [in] any style of defense you’re playing, physicality shows up with how you play the game within your fundamentals. So when we talk about being physical, we talk a lot about how you tackle, and the hits that you get on as you tackle, and being fundamentally sound with that.

If you’re not taking the right angles or if you’re leaving your feet too early, it’s hard to be physical. So it’s about taking the right angle. It’s about running through contact. So you talk a lot about that in your tackling.

You also talk a lot about that with how you get off blocks and how you beat blocks, where you really can show your physicality. You talk about your physicality with how you take the football away and how aggressive you are at the football.

Then finally, one thing that is huge for your physicality is your effort, your relentless effort to the football to get those extra hits. [S C.J. Gardner-Johnson] Chauncey had some extra hits on ball carriers yesterday because he was flying to the football. [OLB] Josh Sweat, [OLB] Nolan Smith continuously fly to the football. And as the guy’s going down, they get legal hits on the player that’s on their way down because that’s when you can jar balls out, when the guy’s going to the ground.

Again, that’s where you talk about it a lot on defense. Your style of physicality could be through any scheme, but you talk about it through your fundamentals and guys being physical as the nature of who they are as people.

Nolan Smith is physical. He was physical in college. He didn’t just turn physical. He was physical in high school, and I imagine he was physical when he played Pee Wee football. It’s huge to have guys like that on your team that seek out hits, and want to hit, and know the way the game changes when you deliver hits.

Q. When it comes to CB Isaiah Rodgers, how would you assess the way he played yesterday? How has he played up to the role? Exceeded it? How is he compared to the role that was given to him previously during the season? (Chris Franklin)

NICK SIRIANNI: I thought [CB] Isaiah [Rodgers] played a solid game yesterday, did a lot of good things yesterday. [He] made two tackles that were big on our sideline. One on [Ravens QB] Lamar [Jackson] on a third down that put them into 4^th-and-1, and another one on [Ravens RB Justice] Hill on the sideline where Chauncey kind of came up and forced the play, and [Isaiah] came up and made a good low tackle on Hill. And then did some good things in covering.

I think that Isaiah was off football for a while, and he’s come back, and he’s given us a lot of good plays. He comes in for a brief moment in Cincinnati and creates a pass breakup that creates an interception for Chauncey. [He] comes in against Tampa on an extra point attempt, and he blocks the kick that [CB] Kelee [Ringo] returns.

He comes in for a couple plays when [CB Darius] Slay was out in Los Angeles game, and he creates a fumble that changes the tide of that game.

Yesterday, back to field goal block, you can see him come off the edge on one of the misses that [Ravens K Justin] Tucker had. He comes off the edge, and he’s right in the picture. That’s unsettling. When a kicker sees that and has that vision of a guy, that’s unsettling, and we put a lot of stock into that.

So Isaiah’s has had games where he’s been really steady, but then he’s made these splash plays that have really helped us this season. I think he’s done some really nice things. We’re really happy that we have the depth that we have at corner with Isaiah being the first guy off the bench. And he’s given us great minutes, and he’s earned the playing time that he’s had.

Isaiah’s done a great job, and we’re sure happy to have him.

Q. Just talking about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio a little bit there. On the other side, Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore, I think a lot of people looked at him and where he was before, and maybe it looks a little bit different. What can you say about him in building the offense around the talent he has now and how he’s been able to morph his scheme and system? (John McMullen)

NICK SIRIANNI: I would say that’s what good coaches do. They work to the talents of their players. I was always taught players, formation, plays. So you’re always thinking about that. You’re always thinking about your players.

That’s where [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore]’s done a great job. He’s done what we need to do to win football games. But that doesn’t mean that when we need to throw it 50 times, we won’t do that. I know Kellen will adjust to how the game is going.

I think he and the offensive staff have worked so well together. He’s got [Quarterbacks Coach] Doug [Nussmeier] here with him, who’s been with him a long time. But I love the relationship that Kellen and [Passing Game Coordinator/Associate Head Coach] Kevin Patullo have, Kellen and [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland] Stout and [Wide Receivers Coach Aaron Morehead] A-Mo. Kellen’s done a great job of using the guys that we have, using the players we have, building relationships with our players, who are his players.

He’s done a great job. [He’s] very in control in the game of how he calls it, has a feel for how it’s going, what he should do in certain moments. I’ve been very impressed watching Kellen call and lead the offense.

Q. Playing off your post-game speech, where you said ‘We’re working tomorrow’ to the players and you got a positive response from them in that moment, what went into you implementing what seems like an increased workload during the week for the players? And why is that important to the fabric of your team? (Tim McManus)

NICK SIRIANNI: Just so you continue to get better. You always look at each season, and every year you’re adjusting to the team that you have. Same thing we just talked about with the offense, every year is different. So one schedule doesn’t fit all, right? What you used in ’21 or ’22 isn’t necessarily what you should use in ’24.

If you look at ’22 and how healthy we were, I think that’s something that you could very much look upon and be like, ‘This is the way to do it.’ Well, there are different factors with the 2022 team than there are with the 2024 team. The experience, things like that. So there are things that you need to continue to get better at.

That’s just about getting better each day. And sometimes it is to put the pads on and work on Wednesday. Sometimes it is to give them a walk-through on Wednesday. Sometimes it’s somewhere in the middle of both things.

What I love about this football team [is] this team is determined, it’s hungry. It’s so locked in and focused. And I think back to last week, when you have different things and different schedules that could be a distraction, I just felt like our team was so locked in and focused on Thursday.

Thanksgiving is such a good holiday, and I keep calling it a distraction. It is. For me, it is. Until the end of the day. (laughing)

So our guys were just so locked in. And then they came back on Friday. Again, when there was a possibility of not being locked in, bam, they were locked in again. I know there are times that you want a victory Monday, and the guys want a victory Monday. But this team is so determined. They’re hungry. They’re locked in. They’re laser focused. They wanted to work. We wanted to work.

Today’s a big day – and there’s time and place for victory Monday. Maybe next week, or in a couple weeks, we will give a victory Monday. Everything has a little bit of a reason why, and you can go off schedule.

But a big part of the process is reviewing the tape, seeing the things that you did well, seeing the things that you didn’t do well, getting the guys in here to refresh their bodies and get the flush of a lift, and everything like that. A lot of those things go into it.

Again, love the fact that this team just wants to put their heads down and work.

Q. Yesterday in your press conference, you said that you’re boring. Is that something you kind of had to learn to become? How good is it to be boring? What are the advantages of that? (Martin Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think what I meant is, it takes what it takes. I love when [QB] Jalen [Hurts] says that. Winning takes what it takes. Success takes what it takes. The grind takes what it takes.

It’s not this aha moment, it’s just putting your head down and working. That might not always make for the most glamorous story, but it’s the hard work that gets results.

That’s all we’re trying to do, be hungry, be humble, and put our head down and work.

Q. I wanted to ask about S Tristin McCollum, a guy that hasn’t played a whole lot since he got here last year. What have you seen behind the scenes from him that gave you the confidence to have him in? Obviously he was the next guy up, but what have you seen from him behind the scenes over the last couple of years? (Reuben Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: We got him, and he’s just a really good athlete. Fast, physical. Then everyone here thought he had a great training camp, and it gave us a lot of confidence. He’s been a special teams contributor because of that athletic ability and his toughness.

Then yesterday, he’s put into a situation where he has to go in and compete, and he makes a huge fourth down PBU, where he’s close to the receiver and can get a pass breakup. He makes a couple big tackles, one on [Ravens RB] Derrick Henry, who’s a phenomenal football player, where he kind of got through the first and second level of our defense, and then here comes [S] Tristin [McCollum]. [He] runs his feet through contact and gets a knock-back tackle, to the side tackle.

Again, great athletic traits, tough, dependable. So as bummed as you are to see [S] Reed [Blankenship] go out, and you’re bummed about that, [it’s] always cool when the guys take advantage of their opportunities and go in there and make plays. That’s what Tristin was able to do yesterday.

Q. It seemed every day this spring or summer, players were talking about conditioning. Same thing with you, the position coaches. 12 games into the season, how have you seen that materialize? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: We talk a lot about playing with relentless effort. It’s impossible to play with relentless effort unless you’re in great physical shape. So you see our guys fly around to the football. You see a [TE] Grant Calcaterra running to the football who can scoop up a loose ball on a fumble. You see crazy pursuit to the ball on a screen play they had yesterday, where there’s eight guys in white jerseys around the ball yesterday, and we were able to get the stop.

You see [WR] Parris Campbell and [WR] Jahan Dotson run off on a run where [RB] Saquon [Barkley] gets the touchdown yesterday. You can’t do that unless you’re in great shape. That’s been an emphasis.

Our strength and conditioning coaches have done a great job of simulating things – because you’ve also got to be aware of their legs – but they’ve done a great job of simulating things that really get their heart rate going and put them in game-like scenarios without taxing their legs before and after practice Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The guys do a great job of pushing themselves in that and also getting the extra work on their own. Not just stuff they do in practice or in the weight room, but the stuff they do extra to get better.

We say this a lot – if you want to play with great detail, where your fundamentals are on, and you know what to do, and you’re in the right spot, being tired creates mistakes, and not being in good shape creates mistakes. If you want to play with great effort, you have to be in great shape.

I feel like we’ll continue to work to be in good shape because that’s a constant quest to make sure your bodies are ready to go and that you can run all day. Again, can’t say enough about the guys and how they’ve pushed themselves, our strength and conditioning staff for how they’ve pushed them, and our coaches for how they’ve pushed them to get that extra work.

But all the credit goes to those guys, that their bodies are weighing what they’re supposed to weigh, and they’re where they need to be, and they’re getting the extra conditioning so they can go that little extra bit to make plays early and late in the game.

Q. I was just wondering what the latest is on TE Dallas Goedert and his injury? And if he has to miss any portion of time, what you’ve seen recently from TE Grant Calcaterra as he’s continued to evolve into a bigger role and even into a bit of a fullback role in the absence of LB Ben VanSumeren? (Olivia Reiner)

NICK SIRIANNI: We’re still in the evaluation phase there. We’ll have more information for you guys as the week continues. But obviously, you saw [TE] Dallas [Goedert] not come back in for a little bit yesterday.

As Dallas has had to miss some time a little bit this year unfortunately, Grant’s done a nice job of really making plays. I think, if you go back last year, if Dallas missed a little bit of time last year, you didn’t see some production from the tight ends. We kind of spread that around a little bit, gave [WR] A.J. [Brown] a couple more touches, gave [WR] DeVonta [Smith] a couple more touches, put four wide into the game a little bit more.

I think what Grant’s done is give everybody the confidence in him that you can stay 11 personnel. You can still keep those plays in for Grant because he can contribute. Not that we didn’t believe that last year. He’s giving you the belief that he’s going to make a play if you throw him the football and if you have some things designed for him in this game.

That’s where Grant gives you confidence, his growth as a football player. A lot of credit to [Tight Ends Coach] Jason Michael, his tight end coach, and Grant himself and how hard he’s worked, and that room.

I love that room. That room really cares about helping each other get better. That’s a great room of teammates right there with Dallas, with Grant, and with [TE] C.J. [Uzomah], and with [WR] E.J. [Jenkins]. They push each other hard, and they’re their biggest fans in that room as they make plays. It’s cool to see.

A lot of confidence, if Dallas is to miss any time – again, early in the evaluation process, not ready to go there yet about anything there. But if, Grant’s ready to step up again like he had earlier in the season.