Q. How do you know when players are fully bought in and that they're still giving all the maximum effort you want?
NICK SIRIANNI: I know our guys, and we're with them every single day. We've been through a lot of ups and downs here, and you know because of the guys -- because of the relationships, because of what you witness every single day. That's how you know.
It's something that you know from being in meetings with them, being in walk-through with them, being on the practice field with them, being outside of meetings with them, at lunch, all those different things.
Q. How do you balance the competitive nature of players who may disagree with how a play goes or an offense goes and how you guys are trying to get a game plan even hoe it may work out or not work out?
NICK SIRIANNI: Sure, everything you do you're trying to explain the why of why things are why, hey, we're looking to attack a certain situation here or a certain situation there or get the guy a ball here or run a certain defense here, so you are just trying to explain the why on everything and where you are, and then detail it out as much as you possibly can.
As far as, hey, we're doing this against this look; here is what we got to do against this look; here is what we got to do against this look, and against this look here's what we've got to do.
Then you talk through the plays together and you talk through things together and everyone is going to have good suggestions and at the end of the day you got to put in what you think everyone can execute well and what gives you the best chance to attack the defense or the offense.
Q. As far as the tackling issues, do you find a connection between the way you guys are practicing and in particular the Wednesday walk-throughs and the physicality?
NICK SIRIANNI: Right now we are third in missed tackle percentage. We are 10.3, where Dallas is No. 1. We were 2 going into last week.
So I don't see that as a -- I see that as something we didn't do well enough in the last game. I don't see it as a -- we've had a couple games like that, but I don't see it as a problem because we're doing well at it in total.
We work at it even when the pads are not on or we're walking through on a Wednesday. We still work on those fundamentals that go along with it.
You guys know, this has been a two-year -- this is our third year, and you guys know that we have walk-throughs on Wednesdays in December, and that's not something new to this year. It's been what we've done to make sure that guys stay fresh, guys stay healthy.
I think we're going to have an opportunity to have everybody up this week, and so that's a sign of how good the doctors and the trainers and the strength staff are, and so there is a balance, though, of wanting to get that work done and then also making sure guys are healthy to go.
Again, it was a problem in this last game. We didn't do a good enough job in that. The way we taught tackling and also the way we executed tackling.
But I don't see it as a problem for the season, and again, going back to the health of our team, we're in a good spot as far as the health of our team right now.
Q. Going back to explaining why you do certain things, do more people ask why when you go through a stretch like this? Do more players start asking?
NICK SIRIANNI: No, because that's something you do each and every time. Again, we don't change our process or what we do based off of our results. That's win on lose. So we've been doing that since the beginning, hey, this is in versus this coverage because of this. I'm speaking as an offensive coach right now. No, we've been consistent as far as that goes.
I think when you under -- let's talk about why we do that in the first place, why do we explain the why. Because when players understand the why, there's a higher level of knowledge of what we're doing, and so that's always been something that we've always thought about, of explaining that.
Again, not every time is it going to be, oh, that's exactly how we think we should do it, too, or whatever, but you're at least explaining that to get the higher level of knowledge of than what it was probably 20 years ago. I'll say to my dad, why are we doing this, and I was running track for him or something, and it was, because I said. Then you don't understand the why.
It's a different way of coaching, a different philosophy, and I think that's more prevalent here now in 2024.
Q. With this stretch of a lot of tough losses and going into the final regular season game, trying to get right for the playoffs, what is your message to the team?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, just boom, again today, boom, again today, boom, again today, and being locked into where we are. There's no magic to this. Like hey, we do this or this. Like if we knew exactly what it was these last couple weeks, we would have done that.
It's about going to work every single day and being locked into the details of the meaning and being locked into the walk-through and being full speed to the snap and walk through and being highly -- having a high-intensity practice and to being committed to our core values.
The daily grind -- how does somebody get good at anything throughout the course of a year or throughout the course of their life, it's from daily repetitive processes, boom, over again, over again, over again, that you're looking to gain a little bit each day, so you're ready to go on Sunday and you're ready to play good at the end of the year.
Q. What kind of advice did you receive from Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie during the defensive coordinator switch?
NICK SIRIANNI: Just hey, do what you feel like you need to do.
Q. Did you run it by them before you made the decision?
NICK SIRIANNI: I talk to those guys about everything, but Mr. Lurie from day one, Howie from day one, have always said to me -- you're tied into this, do what you think is best to do to help us win football games. We've got your back and your support.
We're always going to back you for everything, whether that's anything that you do, we're going to always back you, and I really do appreciate that from both of those guys, and I felt that from day one.
I felt that in that decision, and I still feel that today.
Q. Going back to your having a fear of flying and looking at the stewardess that has the steady hand, how do you feel like your leadership has reflected that this year?
NICK SIRIANNI: Like I said to you, I didn't feel like I did a good enough job on that in the game against the Giants two weeks ago, and I need to be better at that.
We're all a work in progress, right? You're never going to be exactly what you want to be. You're always in this progression of where you're going.
I've tried to be the same guy every day.
As far as what we do and put our head down and work today with the detail of the meetings. I guess you could ask the players that.
Q. Is it just that Giants game or is it a game day in general you're trying to improve there?
NICK SIRIANNI: No, I think it's that Giants game is where I felt that.
Q. Do you have a vision of what your defense will look like and how much better can it be when everybody is up?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, obviously with Slay being out right now, with Zech being out right now, those are really good players, and when you can get all hands on deck, we've got some great backups, too, but when you can get all hands on deck, obviously you get deeper at each position, and when you get good playmakers back on to the field.
Excited for when they are. I think the thing that we always want to be on defense is physical. We always want to be able do limit the explosive plays, and we want to be able to take the football away, and so in each game plan looks a little bit different, whether it's you're stocking everything in to stop the run, stopping a certain quarterback, stopping a certain receiver.
Every game looks a little bit different so it's hard to say this is exactly what you want the defense to look like, but it always -- defense always goes on the physicality, explosive plays, and then also taking the football away.
Q. You said you don't change your process based on the results --
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, so the process of how you go to work every day, how you meet every day, you can tweak things, but it's still the process of -- hear me out now, it's still the process of being highly detailed in meetings. I don't give a crap what's going on, you have to have detail in meetings starting with the coaches and then going to the players so that they understand exactly what we're expecting for each different look.
That doesn't matter if you're 0 and whatever or undefeated. Detail, detail, detail. Then it goes to the full speed to the snap in walk-through. I don't give a s--- what we are out there and what our record is or anything, what losing streak or winning streak it goes, we're going to go out there and we're going to work our minds on the detail of what's going on full speed to the snap out there in walk-through. And then high intensity in practice.
The only way to get better is going out to practice and working every single day. There's so many different things you can adapt. You can adapt schedules like Wednesday practice, you adapt hey, we're leaving on a West Coast trip here, you adapt schemes, process of how you go about these things and being committed to your core values is the last one and getting better -- trying to get better at those each day. Those things will never change.
Those four things right there -- those four things and that process, those are things that you double down on. That's the only way I know how to get better. That's the only way this team knows how to get better is to double down on those. When I say process, I mean those four things because of course there's a part of a meeting that I'm going to change here to adapt to something or do -- like to not change is stupid.
But I'm talking about the core beliefs and the core values of how you get better, that doesn't change.
Q. How much of what happened defensively had to do with changing the coordinator and him implementing new ideas?
NICK SIRIANNI: You know, what I saw and what happened in that game is as far as that particular game with the running of the football, again, there was times that they schemed us up, that they had a good scheme on versus our defense.
There was times that the run fit wasn't correct, right, and so when the run fit is not correct, that's the detail that I'm talking about. So the coaches have to do a great job of describing exactly what that is, and the players have to do a great job of executing it.
And then like Zach asked, we had some uncharacteristic missed tackles.
To me, those were the issues of that game, and it wasn't -- to me, it's not about the change of scheme or lack thereof or whatever it is, it's about those issues right there.
Again, and give credit to especially No. 6 over there. Like he made some really good runs that forced us to have some uncharacteristic missed tackles.
Q. The No. 3 receiver, was Julio's playing time an invitation of a shift there?
NICK SIRIANNI: Again, you guys have talked about Julio, and I'm not going to say exactly what his play count is, but we have him on a pitch count of some sort to make sure he's playing at the level that he's capable of playing because he's -- man, he's a great teammate.
He's a great player. He's a great person. I'm really excited that he's on this football team. We saw him make two unbelievable plays in that game.
Just because Quez hasn't played a lot in these last two games doesn't mean that he's not a factor, as well, with his speed. It's just the way these last two games have went. Then OZ, I've told you this before, I've told you that OZ has a role on this team and I'll always have room for a guy like OZ with how hard he plays and how tough he is and how scrappy he is. He's really special in that aspect.
It's still by committee. It's still those guys, all three of those guys working, and I wouldn't say this guy is the No. 3. They're all going to be the No. 3, and we'll see with Devonta this week. If Devonta can't go then you have to find different ways, whether that's 12 personnel, those guys playing a little bit more, we'll see.
But I am pleased with those guys, and they've each made plays in their own way this season.
Q. Talking about Eli and Kelee playing a lot the last three, four weeks, what have you found out about them as far as their readiness in case you need them in the Playoffs?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we are going to need them in the playoffs. Eli has done a good job since day one that he's got here. This is why he made the team, of covering, right. He can cover. He can cover guys. And that obviously is the main skill. When you talk about a wide receiver, he can really catch it. If you can't catch it, it's going to be tough. If you can't cover at corner, it's going to be tough. He's had this knack since day one of being able to cover.
So that's really evident, and we see it, and he's done a nice job, and he's continuing to get better.
I go back to him having to go against Devonta and AJ and Dallas and Julio all the time, that's really helped him.
As far as Kelee, you just see his size and his speed and his physicality. I think he had a play the other day in the game where they ran a little bubble and he put his hands on the receiver and kind of drove him back to allow everybody else to make a play, and that's something that we've seen from Kelee, his physicality, his toughness, his willingness to strike out there, and so they both bring unique aspects, and we've got a lot of confidence in them, and we're excited that they're here on this team, and I really look forward to continuing to watch them grow and for them to continue to help us win football games moving forward.
Q. When you talk about having difficult conversations over this stretch of the losses, do you see the veterans and the captains really engaged, maybe even this week, with difficult conversations, accountability and things like that?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, everybody wants to win. Everybody like -- that you know from this group, everybody wants to win, and they're willing to do anything to win. If that's have tough conversations, then it's have tough conversations. If it's to go out there -- what I know about these guys, I ask them to go out there and practice their butts off, they'll do -- they're going to do anything they can do to win.
So whatever they feel like that is, they'll do, and that included.
Q. What did you think of AJ having the escape room thing with players on Friday?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, obviously really -- that's so cool that he's reaching out to his teammates and wanting to connect with his teammates and do things off the field. That's special. AJ is special. Like I said, I've always told you guys, AJ is a special person, AJ is a special teammate, and obviously we all see those are things that you don't see with AJ. You guys don't get to see that we do get to see, of how special of a teammate he is, how special of a person he is. We all get to see, all of us in this city and in the world get to see how special of a football player he is, but when I go back to him, he's special in all three of those categories, teammate, leader, person, and as a player.
Didn't surprise me that he did that because of all those things, and again, that's one of his ways that he wants to help this team do whatever he can do to help this team win by bringing guys close together.
DraftScripts by ASAP Sports
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports