Q. Nick what's impressed you most about Mile Sanders' season so far?
NICK SIRIANNI: I just think he's running hard. I think he's seeing the field well. He's protecting the football. I think he's blocking well. I just think his pass protection is even greatly improved from last year.
So just playing good all-around football. I don't think there is any in particular thing. I really believe that all parts of his game have continued to improve.
Q. Where are you with Avonte? Where are you guys with Avonte in this game?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, it's not looking like he's going to go. Obviously we'll give you the report later today, but it's not looking like he's going to go for this game.
Q. Josiah, do you think he's going to be able...
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we're thinking that he'll be his replacement.
Q. Nick, after the Thursday win you flipped one of the game balls to Jeffrey Lurie. Talk about your time around the league and how things are different here than maybe other places you've been.
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think this is the best organization I've ever been at, and to me it's not particularly close. It's just he does everything and anything to give us the resources that we need to be able to do our jobs.
When you're in a profession where the parity is so tight amongst the 32 teams, I mean, that's what makes the NFL great, is there is great parity. Every little detail matters.
So he's not -- he gives us every resource we need to be able to do our jobs, whether that's a great facility that we have, whether that's the equipment that we have, whatever it is in the training room, if we want to redo something with the hot tubs or the cold tubs, I mean, it's just endless.
That's special. That's unique and that's unique to this place. I think it was on full display on Thursday night. I would give him a game ball after every win, right, because obviously those things are important after every win, after every week.
I really thought it was on full display Thursday night when we were able to have all the resources we needed to get the guys' bodies ready. A guy's body, it's going to be hard to get a guy's body ready fully for a Thursday game when they just played a Sunday game.
We all know that and we know that the Texans were in the same situation that we were in. But I just feel like everything that our -- and credit to the people that he's hired here, too. They did a great job. But he'll just do everything and anything he can do help us win, and I'm just grateful to have an owner like that. It's special. It's really special.
So I thought that was fitting to flip him a game ball, and he snagged it out of the air really well. I thought that was impressive as well. (Smiling.) Yeah.
Q. I'm curious the back story of putting the players' name on the screen when they make a mistake, because I heard from vets saying that's the first they've seen that. Where did you learn it and why is that important to you and what's the effect of it?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you know, I just always thought like how many different ways can we correct the guys when they have a mistake. Obviously we are going to visually correct it and verbally correct it, and then I want them to see it, too. Visually they see the play, but visually their number on there.
And we're not only putting up bad things. Sometimes underneath there it's like great block here or whatever the name of the block or whatever we're saying is, and I just thought it was another way to get the corrections.
Now, you can't -- like when you're watching tape, we pick plays, right? So as we watch tape with the offense, I'll pick plays to show them. We can't always watch -- that's what position coaches do, they watch the tape, too.
So I want them to see if it I'm not in there correcting that particular play as well. It just goes to our accountability thing. That's all it is. Coaches' names go up there, too. My name is up there plenty, right? Shane, Gannon's name is up there. It's just another form of accountability. Guys say, Hey, that is my fault and that's what it is, right?
No one has ever done that I've been around, to be quite honest with you. Obviously you make your corrections. I just thought it was another form of getting the corrections done, and then I hear what some guys say about it.
I think somebody sent me something that Zach Ertz said, and he said, I don't know, I didn't want my name to be up there, though, so I did everything I could not to have it up there. Quinten Nelson said something similar to that.
And just when you hear these things it's just a great reminder of, yeah, stick to what you believe is true and what you believe it right and to do, and that's a form of accountability.
Q. You guys have one run a lot of quarterback sneaks this year with some success, even as teams are starting to really sell out to try and stop that play. What's gone into that and how much confidence does that give you on those fourth and shorts when you really need a yard that you've been able to run that play so well?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you build confidence through any play that you have, one, through preparation and practice, and then, two, for how you succeed in the game with it. I've said to you guys before, it's not a blind faith thing. We got confidence because you're succeeding in it.
I think that goes down to who is playing those positions with Jalen and with Jason. They're not real big secrets. Jason and Isaac and Landon and Lane and Jordan and Jalen and whoever else is contributing to it, like not a big secret. Those guys are just muscling their way through and getting it done because that's who they are as players.
So you lean on your players in situations like that and they're going out and getting it done.
Q. ...that you haven't been able to do it like that?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, for sure. Like I said, you get confidence when that happens. You get confidence and you feel good about calling the play. So conviction is a big time thing when your calling and planning plays, and they give us conviction to do that.
Q. A little over a year ago you delivered -- your messaging was about the roots, and obviously got some...
NICK SIRIANNI: Is this because I said Roob was the best writer? Are you trying to get a dig in on me?
Q. No, I am actually wondering if you referenced that because now we've seen a year later much different at this stage.
NICK SIRIANNI: I don't think you ever go back and say like, I told you so. It's not something you ever -- that's not -- I don't think that's -- you know, you just keep going through. It's still what you're doing. It's still that you're trying to grow and you're trying to -- ever single day. So that's still the message, but I don't think you ever go back and say that.
But again, same thing: You get conviction and you get confidence that your daily process, right, the way you go about your business daily, you're seeing results from it.
Now, we're results aware but process driven, and we will talk about that all the time. We know of we continue to stick to the process, good things will happen.
So I think it's just an example of good things are happening when you're doing things the right way, when you got the right people in the building.
Q. Given your closeness to Brian Daboll, would mind sharing something that maybe he told you about Jalen when you came in?
NICK SIRIANNI: I remember him saying just how focused and how big of a student of the game he was, how much he enjoyed coaching him. I remember talking to him about that.
I met him, Jalen, at the combine with Brian actually. We were walking and the players are doing interviews and they're walking around there.
I happened to be walking with Brian up in those suites in Indianapolis. We walked by Jalen, and where I really talked to him about Jalen a lot was right there. After we met, Brian introduced me to Jalen and we talked for a minute and then he went off, and I remember Brian, what he said about Jalen after that.
Just all these things I just said, how much of a student of the game he was, all the things that I'm seeing now, right? So Brian was right on with that.
Now, like Brian is not texting my anymore this is what we did with Jalen. We're obviously enemies now. I do remember that moment at the combine where we met and then the good things that Brian Daboll said about Jalen afterwards.
Q. Did he have like a story about how devoted he is to the game or focused?
NICK SIRIANNI: I don't know. I honestly don't remember that, but do I remember how convicted he was about what he felt about Jalen.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports