Nick Sirianni

Q. Wonder if we can get a couple injury updates, saw WR Quez Watkins left the game and DT Jordan Davis played limited snaps. Can you update us on that? (Tim McManus)

NICK SIRIANNI: Still looking through these guys. They are progressing nicely. Nothing that we think is real serious but we’ll see and we’ll have more for you on Wednesday.

Q. The Giants seem to be the epitome of live by the blitz, die by the blitz. What’s been your assessment so far when you see the Giants bring pressure and how do you think the Eagles offense, including QB Jalen Hurts have responded by seeing all these blitzes? (Chris Franklin)

NICK SIRIANNI: Obviously still early in my studies of them. You go through a Monday morning, you really do a lot of evaluation on yourself and what you did and obviously we are just real early on it. I know this style of defense, it can create a lot of issues and you have to be on it as far as your rules and do everything with your rules and make sure you have plays that can block these things.

So like I said, really early in our preparation right here but they make you think. They are well-coached and they have good players, so we’re going to have be to on it. The scheme that they have is really challenging. There will be a lot of time that we will spend here in the office like every week to make sure that we have a plan for these guys and put our players in position to make plays.

Q. You mentioned this early in the week, it’s mainly about what you guys did. So I’m curious, now that you’ve watched the film, the tweaks on special teams that you guys did, how do you think that worked out and why do you think it worked out so well? (John McMullen)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think the guys came and they were ready to go. Like our coaches put them in a good spot to do some different things with what we did and a little bit of that, too, was what Tennessee was doing.

Not going to give you the answers probably on scheme because we’ve got to play again this week against a really good opponent but with what our adjustments were and how our players played, like I think it was a big — guys just stepped up and made plays and [Special Teams Coordinator] Coach [Michael] Clay and all the special teams coaches did a good job of getting them to be in position to make plays.

But there were a number of guys that made plays. It wasn’t just one guy. It was a full team. Just like it was full team defense yesterday on display, it was full team special teams defense, and return game going on out there. A bunch of guys made that thing go and that’s what football is, it’s a great team sport and it takes all 11 to make it go.

Q. What type of impact has CB James Bradberry had for this defense through the first 12 games? (Josh Tolentino)

NICK SIRIANNI: He’s been on fire. I really think that he just sees the field well. He makes the play when the play comes to him, and I just think that he’s just been a great veteran help to the defense, been a really good complement on the other side to [CB Darius] Slay. He’s steady, he’s a pro. He doesn’t say much but he goes out and does his job every day and he leads by example.

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know [CB] James [Bradberry], and you see why he’s been the type of pro that he’s been when you see his work habits every single day of how he goes about preparing for an opponent and how he goes about preparing for a wide receiver. He’s a really good corner and not only because he has great, great talent but also because he has great, great preparation, great football IQ and great toughness and I’m sure glad he’s an Eagle.

Q. Since TE Dallas Goedert got hurt, you’ve found some new weapons on offense. WR Quez Watkins got more involved, we have seen TE Grant Calcaterra and TE Jack Stoll catch the ball. You threw more to the backs yesterday. Do you feel like you’ve discovered something in the offense that when Dallas comes back you’ll have more options that you feel comfortable with? (Reuben Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: It will still always be an issue of how many – you only have one ball to spread around, right. Obviously when [TE] Dallas [Goedert] comes back you’re going to want to get him involved just like you want to get him involved before he got hurt. But it is nice that the guys are stepping up in his absence and making plays, which is only going to make it more difficult to defend.

When you gain that confidence in guys, you say to yourself, well, maybe I can have one more play for him or one more play for that. It definitely forces you as a coach to think about how you are going to get all these guys the ball. The offense ran through those three guys. I think when Dallas gets back, when that happens, we’ll be obviously excited to get him but there’s still going to be — the offense will still go through those three guys, but then you are going to just have some things in your mind, well, he made a play here, he made a play there and we have to give [WR] Quez [Watkins] the ball because Quez is really dangerous with the ball. It will definitely make us harder to defend and people will have to plan for everybody on that side of the ball to stop.

Q. I know you’re still wrapping up yesterday’s game, but I have seen you talk about Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll and the influence he’s had on your career. How would you explain that and in particular that year in Kansas City together? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: It wasn’t by any means a year that either of us probably want to remember. It was my first year as a position coach. Brian was our coordinator. We didn’t have a great year as far as statistically, record-wise, all those things. I think we were pretty good at rushing the ball if I remember right. But the things I learned particularly about defensive football — obviously Brian was an offensive coordinator, but he taught me so many things about the defensive side of the ball that I know was significant to him and his development.

I think what Coach Daboll did was really, I always felt like he took me under his wing and said, I’m going to really help this guy. I really felt that way about myself and Jim Bob Cooter, we were there together, he really took us under his wing and wanted to teach us as much as he possibly could because I think he always would say, he saw something in us and he really wanted to contribute to our success as coaches. And he did that. He’s just such a smart coach.

We really bonded a lot over wide receiver play, a lot, a lot, in the pass game and also quarterback play, but particularly the conversations that we had about wide receivers.

I remember we went out to work a guy out from Appalachian State, myself and Coach Daboll went out there and we just had so many good conversations about the position and about offense.

Then him and I being from the same area of the country in western New York, just always had a connection with him. So again, like I said, the things that he was able to do to help my career, I feel like he took me, like any good coach does, you’re here, and you want them to be able to take you to the next level and then some. That’s what we try to do with players, how can we get these guys to raise their game to another level.

Well, Brian Daboll did that for me as a coach. I felt like I was here and he took me to a couple levels higher because of the things he taught me about offense, about defensive football. I just have so much respect for him and really appreciate everything he has done for my career because he made me a way better coach just being around him for a year.

We have always stayed in touch since that year. I always felt like, man, I wish I had more years around him because of how much knowledge I learned in just that one year from him. I can’t say enough good things about him. I see why the team, again, I am just early in my studies, but I can see why his team is playing so well because they are sound because they have a really good head football coach over there in New York.

Q. In which areas do you think WR DeVonta Smith has grown the most in year two? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: DeVonta is so naturally skilled at the position and so fundamentally sound and so savvy with just how to run routes. He’s just gaining more knowledge on that. I wouldn’t say when he came in here that he had a weakness because he just did so many things so well.

He’s just getting better at doing things that he does so well, and he just keeps getting better at it. I do feel like he’s just got this tremendous feel in zone coverages to where to sit in the holes and where to see the holes.

Where I think he’s taken a step is he has this outside — he’s a phenomenal outside receiver who has this feel to be able to go inside and just have a feel for inside because it’s a lot different inside. Outside you have to do a couple things. You have to beat the guy and you have to beat the leverages, you have to identify different coverages but inside you’ve got to feel everything. There are more guys in there to feel around and so he has a good feel for that because he has such good football IQ.

So DeVonta, I just see him continue to grow there. I really feel like, the guy I had like this was [Chargers WR] Keenan Allen where he was able to go inside, outside and really change the game both from the slot and from the outside. I just feel like DeVonta has made that — that’s no secret because he’s in there a bunch but that’s where he’s made a big jump. He probably always had the ability to do it. We just started putting him in there a little bit more, but yeah, he’s had a nice year so far and we look to continue to build upon that.

Q. Was LB Kyzir White one of the guys you talked about with injuries? (Martin Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: I didn’t really talk about anybody. Just the guys that, you know, we had some — like any game, you’re going to have some bumps and bruises. I just generalized it, right. Nothing like we felt was going to be serious or anything that we were concerned about, and so like I said, it’s early for these guys. They are in the training room, and we are still getting feedback from the trainers and the doctors.

Again, like I said, nothing that we are real concerned about and hopefully we’ll have everybody for this week. But it’s too soon to tell that completely. We’ll have more information for you on Wednesday.

Q. Obviously LB Nakobe Dean played quite a bit in LB Kyzir White’s place. I was just curious to your thoughts on how he played, he had like five tackles and maybe 20 snaps and everything. (Martin Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: We thought he played well. And I think that started in his special teams reps. He had that hit at the beginning of the second half that really established the physicality that we wanted to play with and that we were coming out again in the second half to play physical and [LB] Nakobe [Dean] really started things off.

And when he was in there, he did a nice job and that’s what we would anticipate of our first guy in. If one of those guys were to get hurt and miss some time like Kyzir had to in the second half, we have a lot of faith in Nakobe to come in and make a play. We’re really happy with our depth there.

We’re really happy with the development of Nakobe. We’re really happy with the way [LB] T.J. [Edwards] and Kyzir are playing. They’re playing at a high, high level and so Nakobe has to keep trying to make his way through special teams and when he gets the opportunity to play, and we also see that in practice. So we’re really happy with Nakobe and how he’s performed when he’s gotten opportunities and what he does in practice as well.

Q. We’ve asked you in the past about QB Jalen Hurts not throwing to his left quite as much or not throwing over the middle quite as much as compared to most other quarterbacks. That hasn’t been the case this season it seems like. Is that something that you guys tangibly worked on with him or is that just the result of more weapons in the offense and the way that things have shaken out? (Bo Wulf)

NICK SIRIANNI: I think some things, when you say to the left, that’s something that I think just happens based off of which way the progression starts. That, I don’t put much stock into. As far as over the middle, that can happen off of coverages, it happens off of different things, different routes that you’re doing. So don’t look too much into that, except for the fact that you want to be multiple to defend in every area. If you have a tendency to throw it right all the time, we concentrate on that.

And if you have a tendency to throw outside all the time, you try to concentrate on that to make yourself more multiple. But the way the teams play, your run game, that dictates where the ball goes. It’s just such a — you come in with a plan but it’s so dictated — where the ball goes in a game is so dictated on — it really is on what the defense is playing. And that’s what good quarterback play is, where the defense is playing this, they take the ball where it needs to go based off the coverage or based off of what happened in the rush.

To me, it’s been more of what Jalen’s done well is that he’s just continuing to progress as a quarterback of knowing where to go with the football versus every different look. And that’s not surprising.

Like when you guys asked me a question about Jalen before, he’s got all these touchdowns this year, all these yards rushing and passing, and no matter what, the first answer I’m going to give you on Jalen every time is that he’s doing these things because he’s so locked in. I’m telling you, like he’s the one in here till all hours of the night.

He’s the one in here popping his head in the Tuesday night offensive coaches meeting and seeing if [Quarterbacks coach] Brian Johnson is still in there so he can continue to go over the game plan when it’s nine o’clock at night and that will take those guys into; he’s the one in there — he grinds. He wants to be great. I think it’s a product of him just continuing to get better and he’s just going to keep getting better because of who he is and the time he puts into it, and how much it means to him and what great football character he has.

Q. RB Miles Sanders is closing in on a thousand yards for the season. From last year to this year what progress have you seen him make? From an outside perspective, it seemed like he came into training camp in a lot better shape. Is that how you saw it, too? (EJ Smith)

NICK SIRIANNI: [Jokingly] I think it was because all you guys were saying he was the No. 2 back, he got pissed off at you guys, so it was you guys. No, I’m kidding.

He’s been really good this year as far as taking care of the football. He’s been really good this year of picking up pressures. He’s been really good this year of seeing the pressures and identifying it and everything.

So those are things that — some of those things are not even about the yards. They’re about him and just the development of his game. He just keeps getting better and getting better and better. We all know how explosive he is and how good of a football player he is, but he’s just really taking advantage of all his opportunities. For example, yesterday, there wasn’t a lot of opportunities, but he took advantage of the ones he got. The week before there was a lot of opportunities for him and he took advantage of the ones he got.

[RB] Miles [Sanders] has stayed healthy this year. I know he got dinged up a little bit last year. If he didn’t get dinged up last year, which is part of the game, we would be talking about how this is the second year in a row that he’s had a thousand yards.

He’s done a nice job playing and doing all the little things right to help that room. And we look for him to continue to do all these things and I’ll be the first one to high five him when he hits that thousand yard mark and say, let’s go to the next one.

We’ll really be excited for him once he hits that thousand-yard plateau because that’s something that means something in this league. It’s just always a nice thing to have when the guys get that because that’s a good recognition, not only of the player that they get a thousand yards but also the entire team because it takes everybody to contribute to that.