Nick Sirianni

Q. What did you think of the LB Micah Parsons trade? (Tim McManus)

Nick Sirianni: We have so much going on here. We’re getting ready to play the Cowboys, so he’s in your thoughts for game planning, but they still have guys that we have to prepare for. They have [DT] Kenny Clark, who’s a really good player, and they have good depth at that defensive end group. You don’t get too wrapped up in that except for some of the things you’re doing with the game plan. But, also understanding that they have a lot of good players over there and getting ready for those guys and shifting your attention to that.

Q. It’s been a while, but you knew Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus pretty well. Does that factor into– obviously they’re going to have a new defensive scheme and things like that. (John McMullen)

Nick Sirianni: He’s evolved, and we’ve evolved, so it’s been a while since we’ve been in the same building every single day. I know that he is always going to have those guys playing hard. He is always going to have those guys coming after the football. Those are things that I see on tape in the preseason and things that I know that he’ll really focus on. But there are differences with the schemes on both sides of the ball. Some of those conversations that we would have a lot of in the offseasons, asking him questions about a team that we might be playing, you don’t look too much into that, especially after the time away that we’ve had from each other. But I do think he’s a really good football coach. A really good football coach. I always thought that of Coach Flus.

Q. In the meeting you typically have with the players telling them their roles. Did you do anything different this year? (Jeff McLane)

Nick Sirianni: We did a very similar deal. Roles change, talks change, you try to keep things fresh, but I think that’s an important meeting for multiple reasons. One, I think it’s very important that everyone’s job description is very clear, and it’s very clear of what we expect from our players. It is tough to hold somebody accountable if it’s not clear. I want their teammates to hear what that is, too, so they can encourage them and hold them accountable as well within their role.

A lot of similarities, obviously different players, different roles, so there were enough differences. I can’t tell the same joke in there every time, so just thinking about messaging. Every message that I give is going to be about, ‘Tough, detailed, together.’ You have to find new ways to say that and new ways to visualize that, so everything stays fresh and clear.

Q. How has your relationship with QB Jalen Hurts grown over the last year? (Dave Zangaro)

Nick Sirianni: I think we’ve always had a really good relationship. It’s just like any relationship where the more time you spend with each other, the better. The more you put into that relationship, the better that relationship is going to be. I value that relationship that we have together. It’s been growing as we’ve been here, and we’ve worked on it since we’ve been here. We’ve been through ups. We’ve been through downs as a team, and those are the things that continue to help you grow. The pain that you go through together brings people closer together. The competing that you do on the same team helps people grow closer together. The time that you spend with each other helps you grow closer together.

I think selflessness helps people grow closer together, and I really have talked about that at length with Jalen. Jalen was highly efficient as a quarterback last year and won a lot of games, but I think that there’s a lot of talk where, ‘Oh, he didn’t throw for this many touchdowns or this many yards.’ Well, he was super efficient and he won a lot of games.

I always admire how selfless he is in those moments and those situations because all he cares about is winning. When you see the selflessness of another person, that brings you closer together as well. All those things are why any relationship continues to grow, but all those things are why Jalen and I’s relationship continues to grow.

Q. With relationships, how have you tapped into the player-led leadership? The guys that have the confidence of knowing what it’s like to win a title as you guys are entering this pursuit this season? (Brooks Kubena)

Nick Sirianni: We’re not talking about a title or anything. We’re talking about the Dallas Cowboys. How do we put ourselves in the best position to win this football game through our habits of OTAs, through our habits of training camp, through our habits this week, and how do you continue to get better as the year goes on? Well, that’s your habit. That’s all we’re thinking about. All we’re thinking about is this game, the players that they have in Dallas, and then our habits and our DNA of what we need to do to put ourselves in the best position to win.

As far as to mention our leaders, we have great leaders on this football team, and I know their focus is right in front of us. All that other stuff is not important. What we did in the past is not important. What we hope to do is not important. It’s just about what we are trying to do each day to get ourselves better to hopefully be playing our best football by the end of the year.

Q. You’re 4-0 in season openers. Is there something to that? Is that coincidental or is there something to the way you go into a season? (Zach Berman)

Nick Sirianni: I think we’ve done some things really well as far as taking care of the football and taking the away the football in those games. I showed a tape today of some missed opportunities that we had over the past three or four years. I showed some of our missed tackles, some of our missed opportunities, some block destruction that could be better from our previous first games of the year, and that was for the defense.

Tomorrow, I’ll do some of that stuff with the offense, but as we look at the stuff and talk about how important live fundamentals are, the tackling is a little bit different because it’s live, right? The ball security is a little different because it’s live. The catching is a little bit different because it’s live. The block destruction and the blocking are similar because it’s usually live up front for the offensive line except if somebody’s not getting taken to the ground.

So, I think we’ve done a good job there. Obviously, we can improve. That’s why we showed some of those plays today. Really what I want their mindset to be is, ‘Okay, I saw some of the good plays we’ve made over the past three years, but I also see that we left some plays out there.’ For that to be heightened in practice of the rep and the tackle and the catch and all those different things, knowing that it’s about to be live here in a couple days.

Q. What have you seen from CB Adoree’ Jackson throughout camp? And as someone that’s coached receivers throughout your career, what does he do that specifically makes life hard on receivers? (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

Nick Sirianni: I think he’s always in the hip pocket of guys and close to the catch point. I also think he has a good knack for the football. He was a punt returner and has a good knack for how to take the ball away, how to catch the ball, those different things like that. I think he’s competitive and that’s what you want. I think we saw in the preseason with him playing that he’ll tackle and he’ll stick his face in there. He’s got toughness.

So, what you want as a receiver is to look at how close he is to me when I’m making the catch. I think that he has the ability to shadow receivers, and we’ll need those efforts this week against a really good receiving and tight end core.

Q. The captains, what went into that process this year? (Bo Wulf)

Nick Sirianni: Yeah, I won’t get into all that, but the simplest answer is the players vote for them.

Q. Along those lines, LB Zack Baun and S Reed Blankenship, first-time captains on defense, how have they distinguished themselves in that area? (Dave Zangaro)

Nick Sirianni: Their teammates think highly of them with the way they lead and with the way they work. I think when you’re thinking about a captain, the one thing you’re thinking is, ‘Is this guy mentally tough?’ Does this guy play really hard? I asked him to think about those things when they were voting. Does he play with great detail? Is he selfless with all those things? It’s always going to come back to, ’Tough, detailed, together,’ for us. At the end of the day, are they doing those things consistently?

I think those guys are definitely doing that, and their teammates obviously think they’re doing that. It’s always cool to be able to tell a new captain what their teammates think of him and give them. As hard as it is when you have to cut a guy, or [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] and I have to cut a guy, it is a great thrill to be able to tell them that they’re a captain, especially those first-time guys.

Just, those guys have done a good job of being consistent in the people that they are. When you’re in a leadership position, you’re not trying to be anybody else but yourself. I think those guys have done that and I think that’s why they’re voted captain by their peers.

Q. I don’t think you’ve had three unsettled positions on defense like you have this year. Heading into the opener, how do you handle naming a starter? Then, from there moving forward, do you want to have someone in place? Would you rather have them be there for the entire season or are you going to have competition? (Jeff McLane)

Nick Sirianni: It’s always competition for everything. I think it’s unsettled to the outside world. We’ve got it pretty much settled in here. Just like injury information, and I’m not sharing that information quite yet.

From your guys’ point of view maybe and maybe there, but we feel pretty good about where we are right now and the depth that we have at those positions.

Q. We saw G Landon Dickerson out there on the field last week in practice. How good was it to get him back there in any capacity, and how optimistic are you about his ability? (Olivia Reiner)

Nick Sirianni: We’ll see how it goes. I know he’s working really hard to get back. You’re always excited when you get really good football players back on the field, and Landon’s shown that he’s a really good football player for the past four years here. I know he is working really hard, and we’ll see where we are by the end of the week.

Q. Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen recently shared the story about how you gave him some advice at owner’s meetings about people ribbing him about his open presser, just be yourself. You’ve talked about how often you pursue coaches and other people for advice over the offseason, the summer. How many times did people come to you and what has that kind of been like this year? (Brooks Kubena)

Nick Sirianni: I’ll keep any conversation I have with anybody private, and won’t say, ‘Hey, this guy reached out to me or that guy reached out to me.’ But people have, and it’s always an honor when they do because they’re noticing something from the outside that you hope other coaches notice about the way you go about your business. It’s always an honor.

I think about the coaches that I reach out to for information and to talk through things with. I’m reaching out to coaches I have a high regard for. Some that I know, some that I know and have heard them give me information before, and some that I don’t know, but I’m witnessing something from their program as an outsider that strikes up a thought in my mind to want to be able to reach out. I would think it would be the same thing.

So, it’s always an honor when somebody wants to pick your brain about those things, and I’m always usually willing to share information. It’s usually not another NFL coach, but you are always willing to share information because you want to be able to pay it forward like people have to me.

Q. A lot has changed since S Marcus Epps has been here. Is it realistic to expect him to contribute early or to be a part of the plan early? (Zach Berman)

Nick Sirianni: We’ll see. He is a really sharp guy. I’ve always thought that of Marcus. He’ll do everything he can do, and we’ve got great coaches with [Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach] Christian Parker and [Safeties Coach] Joe Kasper to help him get caught up. We’ll see where he is by the time we get here to this game and moving forward.

When we were talking about bringing Marcus back, Reed Blankenship went and talked to us about how much Marcus helped Reed develop as a player and helped him learn the scheme. He’s really sharp, and he’s got great leadership qualities. It’s awesome that that’s the memory that Reed has of Marcus, that he introduced him into this thing while Reed was a rookie. Marcus was in his fourth or fifth year, and he helped him grow. Now with Marcus being here, we’re getting him caught up to speed as quickly as we can, and then he can help [S] Sydney [Brown] and [S] Andrew [Mukuba] as well as Reed, helping those guys grow. I’ve always really valued my relationship with Marcus and who he is as a person, and who he is as a player, and I’m really excited to have him back.