Nick Sirianni

Q. It looks like DB Cooper DeJean is in uniform. Can you tell us an update, just where he stands? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, he’s going to get some individual work today, see how he feels. He’s progressing nicely and will get some individual work. Don’t know about the team stuff yet, but let’s see how he is through individual.

Q. What about S C.J. Gardner-Johnson? What exactly has gone on there? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, he’s working through it. We’re not expecting anything real long-term, but he’s just working through an injury, and we’ll see. Obviously, you know I don’t put any expectations on when he’ll get back, but he’s working hard, the training staff is working hard, and we’ll see when we can get him back.

Q. WR Parris Campbell is out here, too. How much time did he miss and how much did he miss in that time? What does he need to do to catch up? (Dave Zangaro)

NICK SIRIANNI: Again, same thing – working through some things. And, yeah, I’ve got faith that he’s caught up to speed as far as mental reps.

Q. How do you go about getting Cooper DeJean back involved and making sure he gets enough reps so you guys can evaluate sort of where he’s at? (Jeff Neiburg)

NICK SIRIANNI: Like I said, I’ve told you guys before, he’s getting a lot of reps in walk-through on the side, so every rep that happens, he’s getting a rep in mentally. But other than that, he’s got to get caught up as far as getting his body back ready to go, and he’s got to get caught up when he gets team reps and the developmental reps, and all the reps that he gets, he’s got to take advantage of it.

Q. What do you need to see from the offense out here today? (Bob Brookover)

NICK SIRIANNI: Every time you step on the field, whether it’s practice, whether it’s a preseason game, whether it’s a regular game, you’re trying to reinforce your habits. Your habits of your fundamentals, your details, right? Your details of know what to do and everybody being on the same page. Your details of tackling, blocking, block destruction, catching the football, ball security, taking the ball away.

And then being smart in situational football. And then you’re trying to show your effort, your relentless effort on every play, your toughness. And so, any time we step on the field we’re trying to reestablish our core values, our habits, because we know our habits is what leads to our results.

Q. What are your are expectations of joint practices today with the Patriots now that you’re here? (Reporter)

NICK SIRIANNI: Every time we step on the field we’re trying to get better. We are trying to get better, we get to go against another team, a team that we’ve had joint practices with before.

Got a lot of respect for [Patriots Head] Coach [Jerod] Mayo and his staff, so looking forward to going against another team to get good work in on different phases of football.

Q. Do you have a rule about fights? (Bo Wulf)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, no fights. You’re coming out here to work and you’re coming out here to get good reps. You’re not allowed to fight. There are no fights in games, right? You never see big brawls in games. For some reason, you see them at practices.

So, our job is to come out here and handle ourselves just like a game. Just like if we want our tackling to be sure in a game, our approach out here has to be good. Same thing with our composure. If you want your composure to be good in game, your approach has to be the same out here.

Q. Will you have repercussions? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah.

Q. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio talked about how with CB Quinyon Mitchell, he didn’t want to overload him while he is learning two very different positions. In finding the best configuration in the secondary, how do you balance putting people in places to learn positions and the limited amount of snaps in preseason to figure that best combination out? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we’re getting a lot of the practice reps, right? Those are game-like for us. So, he’s getting a lot of work there. Again, trying to have people be multiple. He is a rookie and he’s done a good job of it, but obviously when you play nickel, playing corner, it is two different positions.

So, what we think today might not be necessarily what we think in a week from now. It’s all about how he progresses and where he is.

Q. T Mekhi Becton keeps getting work with the ones. Is there consideration to seeing G/T Tyler Steen at tackle so you have that flexibility on game days? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: Always want your offensive lineman to have flexibility, especially guys that could be backups, right? And Mekhi has that flexibility. Has played tackle, has been getting a lot of the work at guard. That goes the same thing for Steen. Again, you want versatility in those guys because it’s different than other positions. You only have three backups going into a game usually. You have five guys starting, you have eight guys that are up for a game, so multiple guys have to be able to play multiple positions. No matter what, you need that extra work and that ability to be versatile.

Q. As you start to get to know the new offense you guys are using, how do you find the balance with using QB Jalen Hurts’ mobility in the passing game and also the running game? (Henry McKenna)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, Jalen is a great player. He’s continued to develop in all phases of his game, and our job is to put him in position to succeed in things he does well.

And so always are cautious. Talking about the run game, we’re always cautious with him on that as far as how we run runs, how we protect the runs, the type of runs we do so we put him in a safe position.

We also expect him to take care of himself out there and not take those hits that we know can be detrimental.

Q. New England Patriots Head Coach Jerod Mayo said yesterday when you all met you were all on the same page about what you wanted to script out today. What did you want to accomplish? Also he said you gave him some advice on joint practices. (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you know, we just went over our plan, just like you would with your coaching staff before a practice. We went over it together of what we have done and what the expectations are as far as how you take care of each other; get in good work but also take care of each other.

And, yeah, top notch meeting. They ran the meeting. They’re home; they ran the meeting; it was a great meeting. We were able to all get on the same page of what we wanted to do and how we wanted to go about this practice. It’s going to be good work for both teams.

Q. Do you get good feel for how the running game is working in these kind of things when you’re not tackling? (Bob Brookover)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, of course. You know, plays that aren’t going to the ground, right? When you’re in a controlled environment and you’re not tackling to the ground, the offensive line is still full go up front. Like it’s just the exception of cutting on the edge or stuff like that.

They’re full go. You get a good feel for that. Now, you might not get as good of a feel for oh, the running back would’ve slipped that. If you’re in an offense/defense meeting, I know [Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio] is probably saying, no we would’ve tackled them there, and [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore] is saying, no, we might have slipped that there.

So that’s what you don’t get. Working tackling is more — if you’re not going to take people to the ground it’s about the approach and getting yourself in position. You can still do that all the way up to the tackle and then you can do some things that you drill in tackling.

So to be a good run defense you have to be able to tackle well, and to be a good run offense you have to be able to break tackles, and starts up front for both of those things.

In the run game I definitely feel like in every point of the game, because you’re live up front essentially, you can get a good feel what it’s looking like when you’re out there.

Q. With increased reps offensively did you learn anything new about WR Britain Covey that you didn’t already know? And working with him for now a third season now where has he shown the most improvement? (Andrew DiCecco)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we been around Britain a long time. You can really see his ability when he has the ball in his hands. That’s what he does, right? The sure hands of how he catches punts, and then and his ability to maneuver around defenders in open space.

And that translates, when you look at a college guy for instance, I look a lot at the yards after catch. That translates to how they’re going to be on the line of scrimmage, at the top of the route, translates to how their acceleration is.

So we know Britain has a lot of good attributes and he’s had a really nice camp. Not surprising to any of us. I don’t think there is anything more we’re learning about him because he’s been so consistently himself for the past two-plus years and he’s helped us win a lot of football games.

Q. Are you happy with your edge rushers? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think we’re doing a good job. I’m excited about the depth that we have there, the guys that we have there. I’ve told you about the guys that — I mean, I made a note about [OLB] Patrick Johnson’s toughness and [OLB] Jalyx Hunt’s toughness and [OLB] Nolan Smith’s toughness. [DE Brandon Graham] BG, we know his toughness and ability. Same with [OLB Josh Sweat] Sweaty and [DE] Bryce [Huff]. They’re going to get — like those back end guys I’m really pleased with just their toughness and effort. And I don’t even want to say back end guys, those guys competing for reps, because they’re right in the thick of competing for reps. The other guys are getting more pub, I get that, but really pleased with those guys and that entire group I know will continue to develop there.

Q. You typically had three or four of these sessions in the summer. Is one sufficient enough to learn what you want from joint practices? (Zach Berman)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we’re going to get the good work in today. Again, there are circumstances why you can’t get multiple ones in this year. You know, I’ve told you guys I don’t like doing them the week one. I just don’t — I personally just — and I know people do it at that time and everybody is different, but I personally don’t think you have enough in yet to do it.

So at least for us. So now we’re here in week two. We’re coming off a short week, so would’ve been hard to get two in this week. Next week we’re going to be playing on a [Saturday] instead of a Sunday so that’s a little bit of a turnaround as far as our first game.

So reasons why, but, yeah, that’s why — so we might not get the ones against the other teams, so that’s why it’s more important that we get some of those operational practices ourselves, inner squad.

Yes you like to get more, Zach, but getting those inner squad ones that you ramp up in a different way and go about it a different way will be helpful as well.