NICK SIRIANNI: .
Q. I want to ask you how much you're not playing your starters on Friday night?
NICK SIRIANNI: Still sorting through all that. We don't have to make that decision until Friday. We'll probably make it a little bit sooner than that, but still sorting through that.
Last year we played 'em I want to say two series each. We felt like that was a good formula. I'm not committing to that yet.
But we're still thinking through it at this time.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Well, I mean, today, I mean, how they feel today are on the where we are as a team today is going to change in the next three days, right?
So we're constantly in the business of getting better, and we will see how things change in the next three days. There are so many things that can change in those days; I'm trying to take it one day at a time.
Q. Now that you've had a few practices in pads, what's stood out about (indiscernible)?
NICK SIRIANNI: Size, strength, right? Just a big man who is still figuring out the NFL. That's an ongoing process.
So what you see more than anything is just the sheer size of the man and then just his strength. The guys that we've been -- pardon me, the guys that we have gone against that have that enormous size in the middle there, they pose problems.
So that's what's stood out to the most to me so far.
Q. Lane told us how strong he feels at this point of his career. What are your observations from last year in that category in regards to him, and I guess just a general question, how important is he to that offensive line?
NICK SIRIANNI: Lane to me is one of the best tackles in the world. He's the best right tackle in the world. To be able to say that about guys on your roster, that's a cool thing to have, right?
Lane, you are the best right tackle in the world. That's how my eyes see it, that's how people in our building see it, that's how our offensive coaches see it; the defensive staff sees to the same way.
Everyone recognizes what type of player he is. To be able to have that with your tackle is just a huge advantage for an offense, that you know that Lane Johnson has it taken care of over on the right side. You don't have to help him out, give him extra help. He's one the best tackles in the NFL. The best right tackle in my eyes in the NFL. So that's a huge thing.
I just see him confident in himself and playing at a very high level with his confidence and his skill, and he should be confident in himself because he's a heck of a football player.
Q. I know you got some reps with the first team; I know you had some injuries. (Indiscernible.) What have you seen out of him?
NICK SIRIANNI: We had a -- when we were in rookie mini camp, you guys were at all the rookie mini camp?
Q. Just one.
NICK SIRIANNI: Just one? Okay. But he made a move early on in rookie mini camp with some major quickness, and you saw his quickness.
That's what you see with him. He's really quick. He catches the ball well. And he's got great feel. He's got great feel of what to do out there and he's smart. He knows all the positions.
And so he's had a good camp, but I think what really sticks out with him, and I don't think it's going to be a secret to the rest of the NFL, is how quick he is. Everyone will see how quick he is and everyone is going to remember the plays he made at Utah with his quickness.
Q. Dallas was talking yesterday or the day before about how much time he's spent with Jalen kind off the field during the off-season just getting to know each other better. Do you see that translating to on-the-field chemistry, and what do you see from the two of them?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I always think when you -- like that's one of the first things we talk about with our core values of connecting. When you know a guy you're going to go a little extra harder for him. Even though there will be times where you're like, I'm going as hard as I physically can. I can't go any harder, right? But when you know a guy there is a little something more that you have. When you connect with a guy there is a little something more that you have.
And so that's a really important piece.
Then add to it that they have to be on the same page, right, with where they are on the breaks and how they're running things and where Jalen is placing the ball and where he wants him to put the ball on this look or that look.
So they need to have that chemistry even more. So we look for that for our entire team to have just because we know how important of a piece that is. Obviously at that position catching and throwing the ball got to be in, and I've seen it. Dallas, I think with -- based off all our numbers, Dallas is one of our leading target guys.
I'll let you guys do all the math on that. Where are you? There you go.
And so, you know, he's one of our main guys, right? I don't think that's any secret. The chemistry between the two looks great, and you can tell they've worked not just in the OTAs or not just in training camp, but they've worked other places on this chemistry together.
Q. (Regarding targets.) To the naked eye, to folks like us, AJ and Dallas get the ball a lot in practice, which makes sense because they're good players. Do you ever have to take a step back and say, okay, we need to work with so and so...
NICK SIRIANNI: Sure, yeah. I think you're constantly trying to make the plays for your playmakers. Devonta has been out for a little bit, but he's definitely -- he would be in the high target mix as well.
We know that's how we like to play offense, too. That's just something that -- that's who the offense runs through. That's no secret. We run the offense through -- now we have three guys to really run the offense through, and we're excited about that.
Of course you want to manufacture touches for all your guys so they build confidence and you can see them run plays. Does the coverage allow you to do that always? No. So we know how vital Quez Watkins is to this offense and the speed he brings to this offense.
That's been the emphasis last couple days in practices, make sure we are getting Quez going and getting the ball in his hands. I think you saw that the other day in practice. So that's just the way the offense is run.
But the coverage can take the ball where it needs to go. I think Jalen is doing an awesome job at that, of going where he needs to go with the ball based off the defense.
Q. Right side of the offensive line, what have you noticed about the way Isaac has adapted to right guard? (No microphone.)
NICK SIRIANNI: You know, Isaac broke down the team the other day, and we just all recognize it as coaches -- I know the players recognize it as well -- that Isaac has worked extremely hard to get himself back in position to play football again.
He's always had that mentality. For the year I've been here or the year and a half you can always tell with Isaac of how hard he works. He work extremely hard. Isaac has high, high, high football IQ and he can see things happen before they happen.
He's got that center mentality. He's able to play center, too. So he has that mentality of knowing what to do and seeing everything. He's been with Jason his whole career. He's just so high football IQ. He works so hard, and then you add on top his immense talent. Like that's something great to have, him and Lane working together over there on the right side.
So Isaac has played all over the line, the interior parts of the line in his career here. Him and Lane have been together, right, this is -- how many years have they been together?
Q. Seven years.
NICK SIRIANNI: Seven years of working together in the same room. So they're on the same page, and that's really important on the offensive line.
So really been pleased over there on the right side.
Q. You were asked last season about Jalen not throwing the ball over the middle a ton, and we've seen that a lot this camp. (Regarding AJ Brown.) Is that like just the ideal match for him to add that to his game, or is there a reason in the offense that we don't see?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you try to do what your players do best, right? There are some things that AJ does well. Of course there are things AJ does well on the outside, and all sorts -- he's a great player.
I think somebody asked me this about motion. You don't ever want to be on the bottom part of the NFL on anything, s we're very conscious on what our numbers say. Never want to be at the bottom of the NFL on anything.
It's been good. I don't want give any secrets away. I want the teams to have to watch our tape and figure out what we're doing. We're just focused on getting our guys the ball. Whether it's the outside or the inside, just getting our playmakers the ball.
Q. In your experience, most of the plays that you want, are they coming more frequently with aerial yards than vertical passing game?
NICK SIRIANNI: Both. Both and. I think there was a year that we had -- you know, we had two guys that led the NFL in plus 40 yard catches. Sometimes they were way over -- it was tie real Williams, San Diego offensive coordinator, Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin. I think they were one, two. You guys can check me on that.
As I remember there very vividly, some of them were post, but a lot of them were on some of the crossing routes and intermediate game. So some were on the third level, some were in the intermediate level, and a lot of were on our shallow cross level.
We know that's important to create explosive plays. If you're one dimensional on how you create explosive plays, the defense is going to be able believe to stop that.
We hope to be the same -- I know we were pretty good in explosive plays last year. You know, different ways. Didn't always look the same, right? To answer your question, you want to be good at all three levels. I think that we have been.
There is a particular one that I want to get a little bit better. I'm not going to share that at this time, but there is a certain part of the game I want to get even more explosive, and we're working to do that.
Q. With the way you guys build the roster...
NICK SIRIANNI: Hey, Mike.
Q. Hey, how are you?
NICK SIRIANNI: Good. How about you?
Q. (Indiscernible.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Not every day anymore, huh?
Q. Not every day.
NICK SIRIANNI: We miss you, man. I miss you, man.
Q. Oh. Well after this question maybe not so much. We've seen a lot of guys from the USFL get signed. Obviously you guys signed Lance with the no stone unturned mentality. How much did you pay attention to that league during the spring, and why do you think there are so many guys getting signed?
NICK SIRIANNI: Because I think -- I don't know how I'm supposed to answer a question about another league. I'm a football junkie so I'm watching football, right?
Lance has done a good job when he got in here. I had a couple of friends that was -- Todd Haley was a head coach for the Tampa Bay team, so I wanted to follow him. It's spring and college basketball is over. I had to watch something, right?
No, it's cool to see that.
We have an intern that just got here the other day, Dontrelle Inman, who was a big-time playmaker for us with the Chargers and one of my favorites guys I coached. He's looking to transition into coaching now that his career is over.
He was one of the smarter guys I've been around, so I wanted to bring him and give him a chance, very similar to what we did with Eddie Royal last year.
The reason I bring up Dontrelle is because he was a guy that, like I said, made plenty of plays for us. One year think I had 816 yards for us. I don't know why I remember that. 816 yards fir us in 2016, and he ran so many good routes that we still show today.
Like I said, reason I bring it up is we got him from Canada, right? There was a connection there, and he ended up signing with the Chargers. His first pre-season game and he's in a battle. It's his third year as a pro and he's in a battle for a roster spot. He catches a long go-ball for a touchdown against the Cowboys and we're like, Whoa, we got something here, right?
Yeah, we'll take a look at good players from anywhere, right? So excited to have Lance, and I'm excited for the guys from the USFL that have landed on teams. That's good for the NFL.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports