Q. Jason Kelce, can you shed any more light on the situation?
NICK SIRIANNI: You know, we were in a situation where he had some discomfort in there and we have time to handle that so he can play this season. You know he's going to have to go through things throughout the season, other things, so something that the doctors and Jason and myself felt comfortable to get it cleaned out and, you know, be ready for the long haul ahead.
Jason Kelce is the toughest guy I've ever been around by far. I'm glad we're able to be able to do that so he can play with less pain.
Q. Will Cameron Jurgens start there while he's out?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you'll look at practice today and he'll be in with the ones today and while Jason is out.
Q. What have you seen from Cam? (Indiscernible.)
NICK SIRIANNI: No, because as you look at it, when you come out here and he is having pain when we're out here, and that's when we decided to do it.
Q. So is week one...
NICK SIRIANNI: I don't ever put a timetable on anybody, as you guys know. We're hopeful for him. Like I said, how many, 122 games in a row he played? Yeah, if he's close, the track record says that he's going to be -- he'll be ready to go.
But I'll never put a timetable on anything.
Q. What have you seen from Cam since he's been here, and what are these first team reps going to mean for him?
NICK SIRIANNI: I've seen him be like a sponge around Jason. There are times out there where, you know, hey, listen, there is only one Jason Kelce, but there are times out there he's doing something and you're, Wow, that kind of looked like Jason, right?
Cam has done a nice job picking everything up and he's, again, in Jason's ear trying to get as much information as he can. There are some very unique opportunities for guys here to play under -- I asked somebody this, how many teams in this league have four guys like Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham and Fletch? How many teams are like that? What on opportunity for these young players to be able to learn from those guys and pick their brain.
Cam has been doing that.
Q. What is the latest on...(indiscernible.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Day-to-day with him. We're hopeful here soon with him. Won't be out there today as far as practice, but he's getting more and more comfortable on it.
You know, we sure as heck miss him. We need him out there. We know how good of a football player he is and how important he is to this organization. We're waiting, but doing what's best for him, for his health.
Q. How would you characterize the value of Jalen Hurts and Jonathan Gannon...
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think that's important. That defensive coordinator-quarterback back and forth is important. That's what I've told you guys this before. One of the reasons that Jonathan is here is all the back and forth I've had with him over the three years in Indy about different styles of defense, and what he's seen or a question I have about a defense to get our team ready.
It's the same thing with Jalen. They talk back and forth. I think that's what good teams do. You see good teams that young guys are helping older -- older guys are helping younger guys. You see that all over the field, and good teams have that communication with coaches and players.
That's what guys that are hungry for football knowledge do. They find the guys that can help them, and both these guys seek each other out to gather information about what can help their game be better.
Q. When did Jonathan Gannon first pop up on your radar, and when did you start to think this is a guy down the road I can see as a potential defensive coordinator?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, right when I got to Indy. Again, I've always been big on connecting with the players, big on connecting with the coaches.
And so Coach Gannon and I hit it off when we were in Indy together. Again, didn't take long. My passion with a wide receiver and then him being a DB coach, I've always had that connection with the DB coach. And just talking through things, techniques things, fundamentals things, and that leads into scheme things.
So very early on in my time in Indy with him.
Q. Did you know him before?
NICK SIRIANNI: I did not. I did not.
Q. As far as Friday night, what are you thinking with starters?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, so, again, don't have to make a final decision until they go out there, but we're thinking one to two series with the starters.
Q. The fact that both left tackles have been out, how does that factor into your decision?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, still staying one or two series with them. Yeah.
Q. How much is the first pre-season game sort of a run-through for you guys, the coaching staff and that communication?
NICK SIRIANNI: Well, I'm huge on communication, and so I know you guys can see me sometimes out there fussing at guys and coaches and players. When I'm fussing at a coach out there in practice, it's because of communication. That's always the thing.
From day one of practice you're working on the communication that you have back and forth. You know what? The stadium practice helped with us that, too. So naturally you're trying to knock some rust off because there are things that pop up that you haven't done on the headsets in a year.
So it's really important for us to go through that process those first three games and get down our mechanics as coaches. Like I said, we did that in the stadium practice; we tried to do that every day at practice; but there are going to be naturally things that pop up.
This is a big trial run for us, and we take every day -- I don't ask the players to try to get better every day without myself and the coaches trying to get better every day.
That will be a big process how we can accomplish that.
Q. (Regarding pre-season games and young players.)
NICK SIRIANNI: I think it's important for everybody, right? So you want to get everybody ready to go. Again, we have opportunities to get our starters ready different ways in the sense of the joint practices and the different things we do there.
But, yeah, I mean, your question was on the younger guys and that's a big thing. I think I mentioned this last year, that we've had guys made the team because of what they've done in the pre-season. I don't see Dontrelle right now, but he's out there, and he's one the main examples of, that coming from Canada, not knowing if he's making the team, having some good practices, but then having a big game in a pre-season game and really showing what he can do.
There is a lot of guys that come to mind with that. Zach Pascal. You know, I'm just thinking couple guys. Austin Ekeler. These are guys that -- so it's important. Big time important.
I look at every practice like I can't wait to go upstairs and evaluate the practice after this and make the connections and praise the good things. It's just another opportunity to do that in a different stage.
Really looking forward to it.
Q. Nick, you brought up being fussy with players. Is there a guy who is like your guy, your person that says, All right...
NICK SIRIANNI: I think sometimes -- it's hard for coaches when I'm yelling at another coach to come up and say -- our coaches have pretty good sense of timing when to come up and talk to me. I don't know if when I'm in the middle of fussing at a guy that's the time.
Yeah, I think Shane is very level headed. You're asking that question as if I'm a little roller coaster. I don't know how I'm taking that question, Mike.
Shane does a great job. He's really good. You always need balance, right? So Shane, Kevin, Brian Johnson. I think Brian is probably one of the best examples, right, because talking to Jalen, how I correct something with Jalen, and then he's able to go talk to him afterwards and, you know, play off me.
Maybe I'm the calm one, which I know is shocking to you. Maybe I'm the calm one, and then Brian is the one who does it. But those three guys, because I'm with the offense more obviously. But those three guys off the top of my head are the main ones.
Q. What has been your assessment of Gardner Minshew's performance?
NICK SIRIANNI: You know, I think he's running the offense smoothly. He's had some interceptions that have happened that aren't necessarily his fault, right, with tip balls, this and that.
You always want him to keep getting better every day. I know he'll go out there and play well in the pre-season games. You also know like, okay, if he has a down day, you know what he's been in the past. You know that he helped us win a game last year and he's played at a high level. You know that the games he's played in the NFL, he's 42 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and all that stuff.
But I do believe there has been some picks that he's had that aren't necessarily his fault, but he's in the process of trying to get better just like we all are.
Q. Follow up on Zach's question. I'm sure you've weighed the risk of putting Jalen out there behind a third string left tackle and a backup center. What's sort of overriding that? What's the thought process?
NICK SIRIANNI: Well, you know, in training camp when we're out here, we think about how we're going to run our plays and go through it. In a game you can protect guys, help guys on the edge.
I'm not saying the guys in there will need help, but there is more you do as far as game planning to help players out in a game or spotlight players. We been doing that for a long time.
We're always constantly thinking about that when we play good defensive ends. The defensive ends make a lot of money in this league for a reason. They can ruin games. That's constantly on our minds, and won't be any different here.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports