Q. At this point how much of the roster is set in your mind? How much of your conversations with Howie and the coaches are about the roster?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we talk about that daily, and to say what's set, what's not set, there's been so much work that's done. Like you can imagine all the work that's done today, there's not going to -- today's practice counts in it, as well, but every day is an evaluation, and now we're at the last day of training camp. Everything will be in consideration. I don't want to say a percentage of this or that, but they've been going through a competition through the entire training camp and off-season.
Q. (Indiscernible) averaged about 20 minutes longer this year than last summer, 20 percent more reps this summer than last summer. How did that serve you?
NICK SIRIANNI: Is that documented, the 20 percent and all the --
Q. Just under.
NICK SIRIANNI: Say that again?
Q. 17 percent, something like that. How did those extra reps, longer practices, as far as conditioning, learning, how did that serve you guys?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think we've had a good training camp. Guys have worked hard. Guys have competed well. It's been a really exciting training camp. I feel like we've gotten better throughout not only -- when you grind together like we have throughout this training camp, I think guys get closer naturally. They get better.
Yeah, I just felt like it's been -- we've got a good practice coming up today like we'll treat like one of our joint practices, very similar to what we had the other day. So it will be a long practice.
But yeah, I think it's been good, and guys have gotten better, and it's been exciting.
Q. With a couple veterans you have that have missed a lot of time like Parris Campbell and Oren Burks, in the evaluation process, how much do you look at what they've done in their past versus the limited window you've seen from them in camp?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, sure, everything is in play, obviously. That would be crazy of us not to take everything into account. Yeah, everything is in play.
Q. You've said in the past that you showed the team clips of players that did something extraordinary, something that helped them make the team. Are you doing that again this year?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we'll probably do something similar to that again. But as far as the guys here, we had a good amount of undrafted free agents make it the last couple years. Names that come to my mind, Covey and Josh Jobe and VanSumeren. Those are a couple guys that come to my mind.
Q. In terms of the offense, what's popped up in training camp that didn't come up in OTAs in terms of something that may have surprised you about the organization, the players, ideas? What popped up in training camp that wasn't really in consideration in OTAs?
NICK SIRIANNI: Well, the one main thing is there there's pads on, and that's how football is played is with the pads on. Yeah.
Q. In March Jeffrey Lurie said you were going to find a sweet spot. In finding your passion, staying authentic to yourself in terms of that but also reining it in in terms of situations on the sideline, maybe perhaps in your dealings with others. How have you gone about doing that?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, all of us, the moment we stop growing and trying to grow in our profession and grow as people, as players, as coaches is the moment you might as well not be doing it anymore. So we're constantly trying to evolve everything that we do to -- you go through adversity and you think about what can I do better in adversity. You go through good times and you think about what can I do better. Everything is always in a constant evaluation of yourself. That's accountability.
To point out a specific thing, I mean, I've worked a lot on a lot of different things just to make sure that I'm being the best head coach that I possibly can be. I wouldn't say --
Q. Sideline thing, something you have consciously thought about? I know it's only preseason games so the passion isn't there like it would be --
NICK SIRIANNI: I'm excited about preseason. I want to win those games, too.
Q. Is that something you feel like circumstances --
NICK SIRIANNI: You know, one thing that I read when I was reading a leadership book this off-season was if you want everyone around you to have accountability and you want yourself to have accountability, then you fussing at the refs is not -- it's almost like, hey, this happened, so I'm going to blame that. When I heard that, it kind of -- when I read that, I was like, yeah, that hit me some sort of way.
When I think about me with a referee potentially on the sideline, I'm like -- and I complain about a call, is that really sending the right message to the rest of the team as far as our accountability goes.
Again, when something goes wrong, the answer should be how do we fix this and what are the solutions, as opposed to looking for a scapegoat, I guess, to say is how I read it in the book. That hit me a certain way because with our core values being what they are, our connect, our accountability, our toughness, our detail, with our core values being that and accountability being such a big one, I looked at that as -- that doesn't mean -- I'm not going to be perfect. I already know that. But that's definitely on my mind. You brought up the sideline stuff. I'm going to still be super energetic when we score and when we have good plays because that's one of the things that you love about football is the camaraderie of I'm telling our guys, hey, when you make a play, I can't wait to see what you guys do to celebrate with each other within the rules of the game. Be yourself, have fun, do it within the rules of the game.
So that's going to still be there, but I think the one thing that I really thought a lot about, that hit me some certain way when I read that book, of the accountability piece.
We're always in a work in progress. I'll be a work in progress until I'm done coaching, until I die I feel like, just because that's just what I've always been taught, and you're always striving to get better at everything that you do.
Q. Since the practice squad rules changed a couple years ago, how much differently do you guys look at that? Do you almost look at it as that is part of our roster?
NICK SIRIANNI: Oh, of course, yeah. Of course. It's different in the sense of it doesn't have to be particularly -- I think it used to be, what, the first two years if you were on a roster you couldn't be on it? It gives you opportunities to have veterans on your practice squad. It gives you opportunities to have guys that you develop on your practice squad.
But it's a long grueling season, as we know. 17 games in this league is a grind, and it is -- it's once a week, and it is an absolute grind.
Unfortunately there are going to be bumps and bruises, and we'll need everybody on this team to be ready to go.
The other thing that you really take into account is, like, practice is where you get better. Practice is where you get ready to play the game. So the practice squad guys are so critical for the reps that -- now, they're playing a different defense or a different offense to get the guys ready, and then them going hard and pushing the other guys is going to get those guys ready to play.
It serves like hey, that practice squad, we have to have guys in there that we want to develop and be ready to go to be players in the future, whether that's in an upcoming year or this year, and also guys that are selfless that are trying to do everything they can do not only to get themselves better but also their teammates better.
Q. Not that anything ends today, but training camp, two or three things you've seen from Jalen maybe that have stood out to you this summer?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, again, I just feel like he's had an outstanding, outstanding camp. I'm really excited about where he is, just in complete control of the offense, delivering accurate balls, protecting the football. Man, he's had a really, really outstanding camp. Taking what the defense gives him, whether that's pushing the ball down the field, like you saw yesterday with the deep shot to AJ, or checking the ball down to Saquon like he did yesterday, as well.
Just what an unbelievable camp he's had. I'm really excited for his year.
Q. On days when the pass rush is causing problems for your offense, as the head coach, how do you know whether to interpret that as encouragement about the pass rush or concern about the O-line?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, good question. Yeah, we know we have abilities to be able to rush the passer. You look at it -- you can look at it two different ways. You can look at it like, well, defense winning with the pass rush today, awesome job, defense, we've got great depth or great pass rush.
But then really as a coach, you're always, right, wrong or indifferent, you're going to look at the negative stuff first. I think it's been -- to go back to the first part of the question, I think it's been a good back and forth. You asked about a certain day.
As a coach, though, you're always going to be like, how do we fix the things that we screwed up. It's just what we do. It's why you think of the game you should have won more than you think about the games you did win sometimes, right, wrong or indifferent because it's our job to get things fixed and to duplicate the things we've done well.
It goes back and forth. You're excited about the rush, but you're also like, hey, how do we get better at this particular thing, but I think it's been a good back and forth all camp.
Q. How do you think the defensive players are taking to Vic's coaching style?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think our guys really like Vic and how direct and honest he is. There's not a lot of fluff there. He's going to tell our guys when it's right. He's going to tell our guys when it's wrong. And he's going to help our guys get better.
At the end of the day, I've always said this, the relationship between the coach and the player has a chance to develop because the player sees that the coach can get them better.
Let me kind of go a little deeper on that. Connection is so big, but we're not just buddies out here. The connection can take off -- if we're not helping that player get better, then we're just their friends. So the connection of the player and the coach can take off when the player realizes that the coach can get them better.
I think that's the start of any relationship with a coach and a player. It really is. And that's particularly the one there with Vic is they know that the coach is going to put him in the right spots and he's going to get better, and that's how the relationship can grow.
Q. What has impressed you the most about the rookie class?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, they're tough. They're ready to go.
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