Nick Sirianni
Q. 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line after the 91-yard pass and then the subsequent PI in the endzone, why not just sneak it as many times as necessary until you get in? (Jimmy Kempski)
NICK SIRIANNI: I think that that sneak is a little bit more from a little closer to be honest with you. But, as it was in the end of the game when we snuck it when we were on the half-inch line or whatever it was. I don’t think I called good plays in that area. There are going to be times where you’re going to look at it and be like, ‘I want those calls back.’ When they work, it was a good play. They didn’t.
So, it was my fault. I didn’t call good enough plays right there. I didn’t put the players in good enough positions, but we’re all in this together, coaches and players.
Q. The fourth-down call in particular, why in that moment? (Dave Zangaro)
NICK SIRIANNI: Give them credit, first of all. I think they did a great job, their defensive coordinator just did a really good job. So, I give them credit for some of the false things they were showing us. We thought it was a certain coverage; it wasn’t. They did a good job of disguising it. 54 [49ers LB Fred Warner] gets the show running out there and can get everybody lined up the way he needs to, so I give them credit first. Then I felt confident in the play. The play looked good in practice this last week. Felt confident in the coverage we were getting, and they didn’t play it. That happens sometimes.
On second thought do I want that play back? Of course. Any time you call a play that doesn’t work, especially in tight games and especially down there in a seven-point play you’re going to want that back. So, I’ve got to call a better play.
Q. What information supported taking time outs before five minutes left in the game? (Jeff McLane)
NICK SIRIANNI: We were down two scores and we wanted to make sure that we had enough time to score fast and get another possession. I thought we did a good job, [QB] Jalen [Hurts] did a great job on that drive getting us into the end zone fast. So, it’s just saving enough time to put yourself in a position to have two possessions. I would do that again every day the way we did it. I know obviously we want to get a stop on defense to get the ball back but give them credit. I thought that was a good call by [49ers Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] on the pass to get it to third and one and then they converted.
Q. Can you give us the status of DE Brandon Graham and G Brandon Brooks? (Tim McManus)
NICK SIRIANNI: Obviously with Brandon Graham, we’re fearful of what it might be. But we don’t know for sure yet, so I don’t want to say. But obviously we’re concerned. He’s such a good leader on this football team, so if we are without him, it will be a big blow. He’s a great football player and a great leader, obviously one of our captains, so we are fearful, but I don’t want to just say what it is yet because I don’t know for sure.
Brandon Brooks, I’m still getting more information on him. I don’t have all the information on him yet. Obviously, he didn’t return. So, again I don’t know everything there. Obviously, I was trying to call the game and also manage the game, so I don’t have all the information on him yet.
Q. You went through your first NFL win, the jubilation of the speech in the locker room, and now it’s your first NFL loss, what did you say to team inside? (Jamie Apody)
NICK SIRIANNI: You know what, very similar to after the win, is that round three is coming up and round three — the bell is going to ring for round three, regardless of if we won or we lost. We have to put ourselves in position to win round three by correcting this tape hard, by rehabbing hard and by meeting hard and walking through hard and by practicing hard to put ourselves in position to try to win next week in a division game.
So obviously there’s disappointment. We didn’t win the game. That’s the only goal and don’t care how you ever win it. You just want to win the game, so it was, ‘Hey, learn from this, get up, pick yourself up and get back to work for next week.’
Q. Can we get an explanation on the S K’Von Wallace helmet to helmet hit on the forced fumble? What did you see on that? (EJ Smith)
NICK SIRIANNI: I don’t know, again I’m looking at it live just like they are and so it’s not like I saw a replay. I didn’t see much of it. They said that he led with his helmet, and I’ve just got to trust that they did their job right. The tape doesn’t lie. We’ll figure it out from the tape. But I’ve just got to trust that they did their job well and it was what it was.
Q. What was your assessment of QB Jalen Hurts’ performance, and did you feel there were times he held the ball too long? (Jeff McLane)
NICK SIRIANNI: Without watching the tape, obviously I’ve got to go back and watch the tape, but without watching it, he made some big plays with his feet. It’s always this fine line of, hey, throwing it on rhythm but also extending plays if something’s not there. I thought he did a really good job. There were a couple times they did a good job covering it or they got a guy through the line, and he escaped. I don’t know, did we have one sack, is that what it was? One sack? Just on third down, against a good rush like that, I mean, credit to our offensive line and Jalen in getting out of some of that stuff. But I’ll look at the tape. Initially, I’d say no, but again, you never can tell on some of that stuff until you watch the tape.
Q. The touchdown to WR Jalen Reagor that was called back because he was out of bounds, what is the teaching point for him there to make sure that he stays inbounds? (Bo Wulf)
NICK SIRIANNI: Just saving room on the sideline with how you release. That’s the main thing right there is how you release to save some room on the sideline so even if you get bumped, you don’t get pushed out. So, he was probably a little closer than what we’d like. I thought he made a great play. Obviously, his foot was just out, and the referees did a good job of officiating that. I told the one referee, ‘You have probably never heard a coach tell you good job when a 50-yard touchdown comes off,’ but they officiated well and did their job.
Q. You gave up 17 points on defense to a team that scored a lot of points last week. Is that a positive? I know they commanded the ball for much of the last two-thirds of the game but still, 17 points — (Marcus Hayes)
NICK SIRIANNI: I thought the defense really played well, I really did. Just we wanted to get an early lead, and to make the team play from behind. We didn’t capitalize. I think it’s a different game, you go up 10-0, and maybe it takes them out of some of their stuff that they really like to do.
Again, Kyle called a great game I thought, but you want to try to get an early lead and we didn’t do that for them, particularly as an offensive staff.
I thought [Eagles Defensive Coordinator] Jonathan [Gannon] and his staff did a great job of putting us in position against a team that can really run the football. Then I thought the players really executed the plan well. I thought we played — without looking at the tape, I thought we played a good game on defense.
Q. Have you talked to Eagles Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay about the breakdown on special teams on the blocked field goal? (Ed Kracz)
NICK SIRIANNI: I don’t think there was penetration. It just looked like he got his hand on it and I don’t know if it was a low kick. Offense is offense. I feel like if you get the ball a little closer for him on offense, then maybe he doesn’t have to line drive it like that. I’ll have to look at the tape. Mike and I didn’t talk about that yet, but I felt like he had to drive it from where we were on the field.
Q. On fourth down, do you regret not kicking the field goal in that situation? (Chris Murray)
NICK SIRIANNI: On the fourth and three? Not really. Not really. What I regret is I just wanted — I think I should have called a better play and put our guys in better position to score. So, I take full responsibility on that. Again, if it works, then great, we’re up 10-0. It didn’t. In hindsight, I just wanted a different play call. I didn’t call the right play in the right time.