Q. Coach, 10-2 for third straight year. Been really successful. When you have a team coming in that doesn't have a great record, do you feel the need to put an extra emphasis on locking in, or is that something you don't really into in because you have a veteran-lead team? What's your philosophy on that?
NICK SIRIANNI: I think our philosophy, no matter who we're playing, what the record is, you know, I think somebody asked me last week - and I don't remember who it was - is there a little bit more that we're playing the Ravens. I think that would be malpractice by us as coaches and as players if we were up for some games and not up for some games.
Like we know that this is a talented team that's continuing to play good football. You can look at their last four games. They've played really good football. If you take anybody lightly in this league it will humble you fast.
This is a good team that has our attention, and our job each and every week is to be focused on the job at hand and lock in every single week. You don't have to go there when that's just your mission. That's our standard and culture, and that's what we do each and every week, is put our head down and work and control the things we can control.
Q. Why do you they're playing a little bit better over the past month? What have you seen?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I think, again, there is new guys in there that -- with Coach Canales being new and then everybody just kind of finding the way of what they're doing. We didn't start off very well in 2021 and got it going as the season went on.
Probably a little bit of that. Probably I think the quarterback is doing a nice job. He's a good player. Drafted where he was drafted for a reason. I think they have talented players and talented coaches. I've always been a fan of their defensive coordinator. I think he's really good.
So I think it's just, again, talented players, talented coaches, and they're meshing together as a culture with their culture right now and it's showing.
Q. Nick, with you having a very physical football team, I'm trying to figure out where that was born this year. Did you change training camp in any way to make it more physical or practices this year or anything like that?
NICK SIRIANNI: Physicality, we can talk about it as much as we want as coaches, and we talk about it a lot and highlight it a lot; we practice it a lot. It comes down to those guys going out there and being physical, and to be physical you have to have physical guys.
So that starts in the draft process, in the picking up guys in free agency. And Howie and I talk a lot about that, being tough as a team, mental toughness, physical toughness, relentless effort. Starts by getting the right guys in here, so I can't say enough about our guys.
Do we emphasize it as coaches? Absolutely. Landon Dickerson is physical. Lane Johnson is physical. Jordan Mailata is physical. Mekhi Becton is physical. Cam Jurgens is physical. I could go through the whole D-line. They're physical players. Jalen Carter was physical at Georgia and he is still physical.
We emphasize it, but we got physical dudes on this team.
Q. How much has Milton Williams grown as a player, and how much he taken advantage of Jalen getting so much attention?
NICK SIRIANNI: Milton is a guy when we got him here in 2021 where were really excited about him. He's just continued to get better. He's been contributing on this football team for the past four years, and he continues to get better. He is taking advantage of those one-on-one opportunities he's getting.
There was a play in that game I actually -- he beats the right guards or their left guard, pardon me, so fast. He dumped it off to Derrick Henry and got a good gain, but he beat the guy really fast.
It was such a good rush. Those plays have been showing up. You love his energy, his physicality of when he makes a play and how the guys respond to him.
So he's done a nice job. Look for him to continue to grow as a player and take advantage of opportunities that he's getting.
Q. You mentioned watching every plus 50 punt in college and in the pros each week. What is the most obscure thing you watch every week or most minute detail?
NICK SIRIANNI: When it comes to that?
Q. When it comes it anything.
NICK SIRIANNI: I mean, that is a big one that probably is unique. We watch every interception, every fumble. We watch every fourth down decision throughout the league. Watch every four-minute, every two-minute. Those add up. Those start going.
I can't say anything that's more unique than that to be quite honest with you, Zach. It's just, hey, let's learn from everything that we can. Again, I've said to our guys, good teams learn from their mistakes; great teams learn from the mistakes of others and the good things that others do.
That's all you're trying to put yourself into and watch all those different things like that. I'll have to think about that a little more; see if there is anymore crazy things we watch.
Q. What's the biggest thing Jalen has done to cut down his interceptions since the bye week?
NICK SIRIANNI: I think the thing is he's cut down his interceptions and he is still being explosive as a player. That's a very tricky thing. Hey, we want to win the double positive. What do we talk about double positive? Again, win the explosive play battle offensively and defensively and win the turnover battle.
You have to take risks at times to create explosive plays. Not risks, but you got to make some great throws with some great reads and all those different things.
So he's just playing really good football right now. He continues to play really good football. I mean, there is a reason that we're winning and a big reason is Jalen Hurts.
So, again, I think what he's doing so well is that he's reading the defense, taking what they're giving him, and when it's not there he throws it away or he creates an explosive play with his legs.
That's something so unique to Jalen. Again, just doing all the little things, all the minute, boring details that a quarterback needs to do to have his team be successful.
Again, when your team is successful your quarterback has got to be doing good things. He really is. Like there is things that aren't obvious to the eye of everybody of the things he's doing helping us win. Whether that's checks, throwing it away when he needs to, scrambling when he needs to scramble.
We all see the highlight plays, but he's just playing really clean football and doing a great job leading this football team.
Q. ...heading into the season about the pre-snap operation with Kelce gone, and Jalen has talked about even when you're wrong you're right, meaning he knows where the weaknesses are. How responsible do you think that is for your better numbers against the blitz?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, again, we've all gotten better, right? Us as coaches, Kellen has done some great things to help out in there. Teams being unwilling to blitz you at times because they don't want -- there was a play early in our game against Green Bay where Jalen and AJ does a great job being on the same page, and they have one guy left to tackle AJ and AJ breaks for 20 yards or whatever it was.
Everything plays into that. Jalen and Cam and Landon being able to set the table of where we start and Jalen having all the cards at the end to do what he needs to do so he knows where his problem is.
So he's done awesome. Credit to everyone involved, particularly Jalen, who has the ball in his hands every single play.
Q. Do you expect to add Dallas Goedert this weekend? What does CJ Uzomah bring?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we'll see on Dallas as the week continues on. As far as CJ goes, veteran who's just -- what a great teammate he is. As you look back and you kind of talk to teams that he's been on, as we got him here on this team, everyone says the same thing: What a great teammate.
I think you could ask his teammates, particularly in the tight end room and the offense what type of guy he is and they'll say the same thing: Great teammate. Glue guy. Done some nice things on special teams and has taken advantage of opportunities he's had.
Had a really good play in four-minute the other day that he came through and led through on a block on a really good player and was able to get movement there.
But, yeah, he just brings veteran reliability, and, again, bringing guys together on the football team. And then, you know, he's had some big production where we know if we can throw him the ball he can do something with it and make plays.
And then what he does as a blocker.
Q. You've said Lane Johnson is not only the best right tackle in the league, but the best tackle. What about your other guy? How do you think he is playing this year?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, he's really, really good. I love Jordan Mailata. Hopefully you guys know how much I love this football team. I feel like everybody you ask me about I'm like, oh, man, not only is he a great player but a great teammate. Man, there is a reason Jordan Mailata is a captain of this football team. That's what his teammates think of him to vote him a captain. Man, he's somebody that is just always willing to help other people.
I think that's what so cool about Jordan. He's constantly trying to help other people get better. Who knows, maybe there is coaching in his future.
But he's playing really good football. Yeah, he is powerful in the run game. Him and Landon are able to work double teams together. When they don't, he's able to move guys in the run game, whether it's inside zone or outside zone, blocking down, blocking out.
And then very reliable in the pass game. Such a big body to have to get around. He's a huge dude. One thing is the type of shape he's in. I don't think it's talked about enough. He's a big man. He's a huge man, right, that could weigh a ton, but he's worked so hard at his body. Works so hard at being in good shape so he can be there for his teammates.
I can't say enough about the teammate, and it's really very obvious how much he wants to help his teammates. Everybody involved from the scout team players to the defensive guys to his backup with Fred, how much he helped during that when Fred played good during his stretch. That credit needs to go to Fred, but Jordan helped with that as well.
Just can't say enough good things about him. He's playing really good football right now.
Q. ...the fullback/lead blocker of course position in this offense?
NICK SIRIANNI: I think what it's done is give another layer for the defense to have to pay attention to. I'm not going to get into the scheme of it of why it's been helpful for us, but one of the benefits is the layer that it gives the defense to have to defend and have to spend time on and have to study.
You know, it's been pretty productive for us this year. I think that I haven't been on a team that we've utilized the fullback in quite sometime. Sometimes you go into it and you're like, hey, do we need a fullback? You say, eh. Then you get into and start doing it, and you're like, man, okay this has been a good benefit for us and you build on that.
So the confidence that you get because things are being successful, you know, look to put a little bit more in. That's how we are with players. That's how we are with plays. That's how we are with personnel groupings. Oh, this is good. Let's add a little bit more. Oh, let's add a little bit more, add a little bit more.
So, yeah, we're excited about that. We'll continue to use it as we need to.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports