Q. (Regarding Cooper.) Can you tell us an update where he stands?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, he's going to get so the individual work today, see how he feels. He's progressing nicely, and will get some individual work. Don't know about the team stuff yet. Let's see how it is through individual.
Q. What about CJ? What has gone on there?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, he's working through it. You know, we're not expecting anything real long-term, but working through an injury. I don't put any expectations on when he'll get back, but he and the training staff are working hard and see when we get him back.
Q. Parris Campbell out here, too, how much time did he miss and how much did he miss in that time? What does he need to do to catch up?
NICK SIRIANNI: Again, same thing, working through some things. And, yeah, I got faith that he's caught up to speed as far as mental reps.
Q. How do you go about getting Cooper back involved and making sure he gets enough reps to you can evaluate where he is?
NICK SIRIANNI: Like I said, like I told you guys before, he's getting a lot of reps in walk-through on the side, so every rep that happens, he's getting a rep in mentally.
Other than that, he's got to get caught up as far as getting his bead back ready to go and caught up when he gets team reps and the developmental reps; got to take advantage of them.
Q. What have you seen from the offense out here today?
NICK SIRIANNI: Every time you step on the field -- I've told you guys this -- any time you step on the field, whether it's practice, preseason game, regular game, you're trying to reinforce your habits. Your habits of your fundamentals, details, right? Details of know what to do and everybody being on the same page. Details of tackling, blocking, block destruction, catching the football, ball security, taking the ball away.
And then being smart in situational football. And then you're trying to show your effort, relentless effort on every play, your toughness.
And so any time we step on the field we're trying to reestablish our core values, our habits, because we know our habits is what leads to results.
Q. Welcome to Foxboro. What are your are expectations of joint practices today now that you're here?
NICK SIRIANNI: Every time we step on the field we're trying to get better. We are trying to get better, we get to go against another team, a team that we've had joint practices with before.
Got a lot of respect for Coach Mayo and his staff, so looking forward to going against another team to get about good work in on different phases of football.
Q. (Regarding a rule about fights.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, no fights. You're coming out here to work and you're coming out here to get good reps. Not allowed to fight. There is no fights in games, right? Never see big brawls in games. For some reason you see them at practices.
So our job is to come out here and handle ourselves just like a game, just like if we want our tackling to be sure in a game, our approach out here has to be good. Same thing with composure. If you want your composure to be good in game, your approach has to be the same out here.
Q. Will there be repercussions?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah.
Q. Vic talked about how with Quinyon Mitchell he didn't want to overload him while he is learning two very different positions. In finding like the best configuration on secondary, how do you balance putting people in places to learn positions and the limited amount of snaps in preseason to figure that best combination out?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you say -- the limited amount of snaps, we're getting a lot of the practice reps, right? Those are game like for us. So he's getting a lot of work there.
Again, trying to get -- have people be multiple. He is a rookie and he's done a good job of it, but obviously when you play nickel, playing corner, it is two different positions.
So what we think today might not be necessarily what we think in a week from now. It's all about how he progresses and where he is.
Q. Ty keeps getting work with the ones. Is there consideration to seeing Steen at tackle so you have that flexibility on game days?
NICK SIRIANNI: Always want your offensive lineman to have flexibility, especially guys that could be backups, right?
And Mekhi has that flexibility. Has played tackle, has been getting a lot of the work at guard. That goes the same thing for Steen. Again, you want versatility in those guys. It's different than other positions.
You only have three backups going into a game usually. You have five guys starting and eight guys that are up for a game, so multiple guys have to be able to play multiple positions.
So anybody that's in a role where they -- no matter what, you need that extra work and that ability to be versatile.
Q. As you start to get to know the new offense you guys are using, how do you find the balance with using Jalen Hurts' mobility in the passing game and also the running game?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, Jalen is a great player. He's continued to develop in all phases of his game, and our job is to put him in position to succeed in things he does well.
And so always are cautious. Talking about the run game, we're always cautious with him on that as far as how we run runs, how we protect the runs, the type of runs we do so we put him in a safe position.
And we also expect him to take care of himself out there and not take those hits that we know can be detrimental.
Q. Mayo said yesterday you're all on the same page about what you wanted to script out today. What did you want to accomplish? Also he said you gave him some advice on joint practices.
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you know, we just went over our plan, just like you would with your coaching staff before a practice. We went over it together of what we have done and what we -- the expectations are as far as how you take care of each other; get in good work but also take care of each other.
And, yeah, top notch meeting. They ran the meeting. They're home; they ran the meeting; it was a great meeting. We were able to all get on the same page of what we wanted to do and how we wanted to go about this practice. It's going to be good work for both teams.
Q. Do you get good feel for how the running game is working in these kind of things when you're not tackling?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, of course. You know, plays that aren't going to the ground, right? When you're in a controlled environment and you're not tackling to the ground, offensive line is still full go up front. Like it's just the exception of cutting on the edge or stuff like that.
They're full go. You get a good feel for that. Now, you might not get as good of a feel for oh, the running back would've slipped that. If you're in an offense/defense meeting, I know Vic is probably saying, no we would've tackled them there, and Kellen is saying, no, we might have slipped that there.
So that's what you don't get. Working tackling is more -- if you're not going to take people to the ground it's about the approach and getting yourself in position. You can still do that all the way up to the tackle and then you can do some things that you drill in tackling.
So to be a good run defense you have to be able to tackle well, and to be a good run offense you have to be able to break tackles, and starts up front for both of those things.
In the run game I definitely feel like in every point of the game, because you're live up front essentially, you can get a good feel what it's looking like when you're out there.
Q. With increased reps offensively did you learn anything new about Britain Covey that you didn't already know? And working with him for now a third season now where has he shown the most improvement?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we been around Britain a long time. You can really see his ability when he has the ball in his hands. That's what he does, right? The sure hands of how he catches punts, and then and his ability to maneuver around defenders in open space.
When you look at a college guy for instance, I look a lot at the yards after catch. That translates to how they're going to be on the line of scrimmage, at the top of the route, translates to how their acceleration is.
So we know Britain has a lot of good attributes and he's had a really nice camp. Not surprising to any of us. I don't think there is anything more we're learning because he's been so consistently himself for the past two-plus years and he's helped us win a lot of football games.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think we're doing a good job. I'm excited about the depth that we have there, the guys that we have there. I've told you about the guys that -- I mean, I made a note about Patrick Johnson's toughness and Jalyx Hunt's toughness and Nolan Smith's toughness. BG, we know his toughness and ability. Same with Sweaty and Bryce. They're going to get -- like those back end guys I'm really pleased with just their toughness and effort. And I don't even want to say back end guys, those guys competing for reps, because they're right in the thick of competing for reps. The other guys are getting more pub. I get that, but really pleased with those guys and that entire group I know will continue to develop there.
Q. Typically had three or four of these sessions in the summer. Is one enough to learn what you want from joint practices?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we're going to get the good work in today. Again, there are circumstances why you can't get multiple ones in this year. You know, I've told you guys I don't like doing them the week one. I just don't -- I personally just -- and I know people do it at that time and everybody is different, but I personally don't think you have enough in yet to do it.
So at least for us. And so now we're here in week two. We're coming off a short week, so would've been hard to get two in this week. Next week we're going to be playing on a Friday instead of a Sunday so that's a little bit of a turnaround as far as our first game.
So reasons why, but, yeah, that's why -- so we might not get the ones against the other teams, so that's why it's more important that we get some operational practices ourselves, inner squad.
Yes, ultimate like it get more, Zach, but getting those inner squad ones that you ramp up in a different way and go about it a different way will be helpful as well.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports