Nick Sirianni

Q. Every week, you get those referee tapes. This week, they said they were going to call it tight with the Tush Push or the sneak play. How do you handle that when something like that comes? (John McMullen)

Nick Sirianni: You just address it, and you work on it like you do with every play of playing to the rules of the game. I mean that’s something that we talk about all the time, formationally, snap count-wise, offensively, is what I’m saying. Defense-wise, being onside, all those different things. So, the same way you do all those things.

I know there’s a lot of chatter and hype about the play, but we’re coaching it the same way we always coach it, and we know we have to be right, not only on that play, but with all our plays.

Q. How do you feel like your relationship with officials on the sidelines has evolved over the five years as a head coach? (Jeff McLane)

Nick Sirianni: I really respect how hard their job is and the job that they have to do. Nobody’s high-fiving a referee after a play or whatever it is and saying, ‘Great,’ — well, I guess maybe sometimes if you’re on the benefit of it [Jokingly.], but they have a really hard job. Obviously, I am emotional on the sideline, and I think throughout the years, I’ve come to understand more and more how hard their job is and they’re not getting any love or anything like that.

That doesn’t mean in the heat of the moment, there’s not an argue about a call, but I think my personal growth there has been much better [since] day one and you try to grow in everything that you do. But I can’t tell you how much I respect the job that they have to do and how they have to do it. They have to make these split-second decisions and half the people in the world are going to hate their call and half the people in the world are going to love their call, and that’s a tough job.

I can’t say enough of how much I respect the job that they have to do, and when you’re in those heat of the battle things, you just respect that because it is, it’s a really tough job.

Q. Do you think the interactions, good or bad, can affect how they officiate a game? (Jeff McLane)

Nick Sirianni: No because I think they’re very professional. I think all those guys are very professional and they know, ‘Hey, he’s arguing this call.’ I guess I don’t think in the sense of old-school coaching is like, ‘If I yell at him about this one, I’ll get this one,’ because that used to be the theory; If you get on somebody about this one, maybe you’ll get the next call.

I think they do such a good job of individualizing each play, each situation regardless of what’s happened. Again, I can’t tell you enough of how good I think they do under the circumstances they have to do it with. Hats off to them because it’s a really hard job and respect the job that they do and the league office does with them and everybody.

I’m guilty of it, too. We don’t give enough love to our referees that enforce the rules of this game because if I’m calling the calls every week and it’s up to the coaches– like you play a pickup basketball game and you’re like, ‘All right, we’ve got the fouls this game.’ That doesn’t usually work out so very necessary.

Q. Tom Brady called your game last week. Presumably, he’ll call more of your games this season. You play Vegas this year. What’s your approach in those production meetings with him? (Zach Berman)

Nick Sirianni: Production meetings are similar to what I’m [doing] in here, too. It’s an interview, right? It’s an interview. So very similar. All my interactions with Tom Brady have been really positive, really good and respect the heck out of him and his view on football and what he’s done, and so I have nothing but respect for him. But I would say those production meetings, regardless of the crew, are very similar to an interaction that we have here in our building.

Q. What stands out to you about RB Saquon Barkley in games where he’s not hitting the ‘home run,’ so to speak, but he has to kind of grind out the arcs? (Dave Zangaro)

Nick Sirianni: Just tough, gritty guy that at any point can hit a home run. I think that’s why he can make yards out of some times where the defense got our number on it. I respect that in any player that when it’s a gritty, grimy game and you’ve got to make the plays that you make. Sometimes it’s not even like, ‘Oh hey, that was a four-yard run.’ Sometimes it’s like, ‘Hey, it was a two-yard run, but it was a really good run.’

You just admire his mental toughness, you admire his [physical] toughness, you admire the offensive line’s toughness and the offense’s grit to push through those moments when you’re grinding it out, but just happy he’s on our team.

Q. You’ve talked a lot since you’ve been here about one of your favorite parts of coaching is helping a player grow off the field. You’ve been with DT Jordan Davis since he got here, the highs, the lows. He’s playing at a high level right now. He’s in good shape. I was wondering your perspective on his journey and maybe the pride you feel watching him play at a high level now. (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

Nick Sirianni: He’s obviously playing at a very high level right now and he’s worked really– I love when guys worked their butts off to achieve their goals and help the team win, and he’s obviously done that. Probably had to go through a lot of questions about him early on and just his mental toughness to be able to push through that and just continue to grow and develop as a player has been awesome. The shape that he’s in, he’s obviously worked really hard to be in that shape and he is showing that out on the field and that consistency.

Obviously, Jordan Davis is well-liked in the locker room, well-liked with the coaches. I mean, he’s a guy that when he comes into this building, brings a smile on to everybody’s face. You’ve seen him, you’ve talked to him, right? You can’t be around Jordan Davis and not leave that conversation feeling good about yourself and good about your team and everything like that. That’s a special quality that he has.

Obviously happy for him that he’s worked so hard to be playing at this level, but the person is top notch, the teammate is top notch, and he’s tough, he’s talented and then has all that other stuff. We talk about that in the draft quite a bit is like when a guy loves football and he’s tough and can go through the ups and downs of a season, those guys usually, God willing, reach their ceiling.

Q. It’s probably not as high a thing to talk about, but the new kickoff rule and the Los Angeles Rams, their average opposing starting of the drives is the best in the NFL. Is that kind of on your mind and how does that affect how it changes the game and your approach on offense? (Brooks Kubena)

Nick Sirianni: Yeah, obviously we look at all those things. We look at every phase, and they do a good job with their kickoff coverage. Their kicker does a really good job, so we’ve worked on that all week.

Q. The way the schedule has unfolded, you opened with a division rival, you have Super Bowl rematch, now you have a divisional rematch. Are there any challenges, coaches or players, to kind of tap into that emotional well continually and so nobody comes out flat? I mean, is there anything you can do to prevent that? (Ed Kracz)

Nick Sirianni: No, I mean I think we have a group of guys in this locker room that work their butt off to be ready for each and every Sunday and that love football. You might not start fast at times offensively or defensively, but with this group, the word ‘flat’ I think is a flashy word to use when you might not start fast. There are different reasons for not starting fast, and our intention every week is to start fast, obviously, on both sides of the football.

But there’s reasons for it and we’re going to come out ready. We know that the Rams are going to come out and be ready to play. We’ve got to come out ready to play. That’s part of the process of practice, to have confidence in the plan. That’s part of the process of practice when you might take a period off here and there to make sure they’re fresh in those scenarios, and so I can’t tell you how much respect I have for this Rams team that we’ve played often these last three years.

I think they’ve got phenomenal players all over the board. I think [Rams Head] Coach [Sean] McVay is one of the best coaches in the NFL. I know he’ll have his team ready and that’s our goal obviously as well.