Q. What was your messaging this week and how did you go about delivering it?
NICK SIRIANNI: We talked a lot about just our identity as a football team and what we're continuing to build. One thing we talk about is physicality, and that what was kind of like our identity last year, we really felt like, is we're mean, tough, nasty, physical.
That's kind of what the message was, same message this week. There is a lot, a lot of football clips to show guys being mean and nasty, tough and physical, so there was a lot of clips at my disposal and I used one of those.
Q. What did you pull out?
NICK SIRIANNI: I'll keep that one in house.
Q. Where did things stand with Mailata, Elliott, and Avonte?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you know, we'll give you guys an injury report later. We're still talking through some things. Again, I won't say. I'll set the precedent and talk about it after.
Q. ...specifically on Elliott that he will not play.
NICK SIRIANNI: That's a report, but that's not from us, so we'll continue to monitor and let you know later today.
Q. When you sign a kicker, when you have to sign an emergency kicker type guy, do you go beyond that and kind of to figure out is this guy mentally tough enough in his first NFL game to make a 43 yard -- how do you evaluate all that?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you go through the same or very similar process to when you go through the draft as far as toughness, mental toughness, all those different things.
He was kicking and we put him through a couple different things that tested and showed that for us. You know, I know there was a big game this weekend between Oklahoma and Texas, and I know he made a big time kick in that game. That was one of the bigger games obviously in college football.
So, yeah, we were comfortable with that. If he's got to play, we're confident in him.
Q. Last year you had Devonta come in and start right away. You had Landon. By the third game you had Milton, bunch of guys contributing on offense, defense. This year it's kind of the opposite with the rookies. What's the message this them in terms of waiting their turn and being ready?
NICK SIRIANNI: Exactly that, that you're only one snap away from having a more predominant role. Know what your role is and contribute like crazy on special teams, Nakobe made a big play on special teams last week on a kickoff.
You know, Cam is doing a great job just being in Jason's hip and getting good reps at practice that we're gaining more and more confidence on him, and just give us that confidence in practice and by going out and working.
I think Kyron has done a really nice job of giving us some great special teams reps. So the message is know your role. Contribute in your role. But also look to extend your role, right?
How do you do that? By coming to work every day, grinding, and showing us you can play every single day.
Q. In the event of a turnover on offense --
NICK SIRIANNI: Jeez, Zach. Are you jinxing us? No, I know where you're going.
Q. I ask because you saw Jordan get hurt. I'm sure you talked about this quite a bit with Andrew Luck. What's the culture?
NICK SIRIANNI: Let our defense play defense. Let our defense play defense and stop them from getting in the end zone, by all means.
So I think I need to do a better job of coaching the tackling of the offensive guys. And for Jordan right there, simple coaching point is get to your back when you dive for a leg. I didn't do -- I said to him, that's my fault. I didn't coach you this way.
He said to me, I've been playing rugby my whole life. I knew that was what I was supposed to do. They know they're not supposed to fumble or go out of bounds in four minute.
I still am the one that needs to remind them. That's my job as the head coach. That's my job as a coach. So I need to do a better job at that, so I beat myself up about that, pulling myself through the mud about that.
But got to get them down. Arryn Siposs got them down in the Minnesota game and that was a big difference in the game. So we got to let them get them down, let our defense play defense, and to me I treat that like four point play.
If you get a turnover in our side of the field, you getting them potentially just made it a four point play. We saved four points and we know in this league in those matter.
So there is a Super Bowl -- I was with Todd Haley at Kansas City, and they showed -- and Todd was emphatic about showing the Super Bowl clip that Todd was the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals when James Harrison returned 100 yards for a touchdown.
And you can see in that clip there was of couple guys that didn't -- you know, the guys were going, right, but maybe they weren't going right away, right? So the point that was made to me my first year in the NFL is like you got to go right way and get the guy down.
Because look what happens here. Like Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Brest and tackle them at the one yard line and pull them into the end zone, which just so happens the way my son scored a touchdown last week. He caught it, ran for a touchdown, and got tackled at the one and fell in the end zone.
But you got to go right now -- put a little plug in for my son -- but you got to go right now and get them down and let the defense play defense. In that situation in the Super Bowl, that would have been the end of the half.
So that is our coaching point. We talk a lot about it. But I didn't do a good enough job coaching Jordan on if he did dive at the leg to get to your back. Like I said I'm beating up about it.
Q. You're usually on the positive side of the stress off schedule offense can put on the opposing defense. This week you kind of get it from both ends of the spectrum. How much does it help your defense to work against Jalen when it comes to --
NICK SIRIANNI: I think big time, yeah. The fact that they've had to handle Jalen all training camp and all OTAs is -- makes it a big difference. At least it's not their first time doing it.
When I was a college coach and coaching defense, at Mt. Union, we played somebody and they were running the -- I think we were playing like -- I can't remember who it was.
But they were running triple option. We never seen this before. So you sat there all -- we sat there I remember the week so vividly, like we sat there all week, like, all right what if this happens? Like okay, then what if this happens?
You know, we're putting ourselves through those scenarios of all the different things that you can see in the triple option. I think it was Augustana, that you had to do against Augustana. We tried to put ourselves in that scenario as much as we can because we didn't see it.
Well, my point is our defense had to do that, has had to do that in practice a lot. They don't get to hit Jalen, right, and we're going to have to go out there and tackle them live, but he's a really good player.
Kyler is a really good player. He can make plays with his arm. Make plays with his feet. Dynamic playmaker, and we're going to have to be on it to make sure that we're doing the things to contain him.
In my opinion and to answer your question, it definitely helps the fact that this isn't their first rodeo with it. What's different about it is you got it tackle them. Yeah, to answer your question.
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