Eagles 28, Rams 22
NICK SIRIANNI: Excited, but like I said to the team, that just makes you more hungry to continue on. That's a great football team. We found a way in the midst of adversity. We embraced it. We played championship defense.
It takes everybody and every single person in that room, and we're excited to move on. All that did was make us hungry to keep going.
Q. (Regarding Jalen's health.)
NICK SIRIANNI: I haven't talked to anybody there. He came back in, yeah.
Q. How much did the conditions affect the way you coach?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, it affects it, especially as the field continues to gather snow. I think it neutralizes things. It has an affect on the game. We were able to protect the ball and able to force some turnovers in the midst of it.
We had some great individual efforts. Yeah, of course that play is a part of it, but everything plays a part of it. That's why we take advantage of when we can go outside and be out there in the elements. Every little thing matters.
The conditions got sloppy today and we all had to play in it. We found a way.
Q. Given the conditions, how much of a luxury is it to have Saquon Barkley...
NICK SIRIANNI: Given the conditions or not the conditions, it don't matter. It's a luxury to have him, that's for darn sure. Love him. I can't say enough good things about him and the leadership he brings to this football team and the -- just everything he brings to this football team.
He's special.
Q. At the end the first half you kind of left 20 seconds before the final play. What was the thought process there?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, we took the sack before that. We were out of field goal range in that case. We played it how we thought we -- you got to make those decisions in split seconds.
You don't think you're going to be -- you got to play the decision. If you get first down, you got to play the decision. If you don't get any yards, incomplete pass, you got to play to the decision there.
So it's a matter of going through all those things. You can't make -- I've read about this a lot in Bill Walsh's book. You cannot make those decisions in the heat of the moment. You got to think about all those before the play, and that's what we wanted to do in that situation.
You know, bummer that we didn't come out with any points there, but we played it how we wanted to play it in that situation.
Q. What happened on this sack and a few others and obviously the one...
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, on that one it just felt like we just weren't on the same page. I can't see exactly everything that happened on each individual play. I will have to look at the tape on some of it.
But we got to fight to be on the same page in every category. They had a free rusher on that one and so that's a tough situation to be in. We talked about it on the sideline. We just all have to be on the same page.
Can't have negative plays in that area. It's never just one thing; it's always...
Q. Safety?
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, again, on that particular play, again, I'll have to watch the tape. Looked like we got some leakage in the middle and they covered it pretty good. I didn't think there was anywhere to go with the football but we got to find a way to get out of that.
But they covered it good. Sometimes in these situations you have to -- we're going to do everything we can to -- we live to see another day, but do everything we can do to fix the issues that happened today.
But sometimes the issues, just like I said to the team this week is good plays from the opponent. The further you get along in this the more it's going to be, hey, the opponent made a really good play and how do you embrace the adversity.
I think our guys did a good job. We give up the safety and then the defense finds a way to -- Jalen knocks the ball out, Isaiah almost takes it for a touchdown.
Found a way to recover after that. Jake did a good job kicking that ball off; now they got it to the 35, but under those conditions that was good by our kickoff team.
Q. You mentioned the two turnovers. To not fully capitalize on those opportunities, how much are you stressing...
NICK SIRIANNI: We did enough to win the game.
Q. On the safety and the sack on your last drive, why the deep drops there when he is struggling moving there with the injury?
NICK SIRIANNI: We did what we thought we needed to in that particular case. Again, always look at play calls. It's everything. It's going to be play calls. Going to be the defense made a play. Going to be -- there is a lot of things that attribute to that.
Again, we found a way. Defense found a way to get a stop. That's good team football. There's going to be times the offense has to pick up the defense and times the defense has to pick up the offense and times special teams gets a fumble to start game.
Whatever we got to do to move on and then fix the mistakes from there.
Q. Saquon Barkley's touchdown, was he pushing for that particular play?
NICK SIRIANNI: No, I think -- I don't -- no, I think that the coaches did a good job coming up with that play and the players did a good job executing the play. We get a lot of good input from the players as the game goes on. They're out there making the plays and they are out there seeing everything.
You can see a lot, but you can't see everything. You can't see what the issues are always. So again, a great team effort by everybody.
Q. You mentioned the forced fumble and Jalen Carter; also the big sack late that put Matthew back in a difficult situation. Then he had the pressure there. His growth as a player in his second year.
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, he's a special player. Jalen Carter is a special player and he's done so many of the right things to continue to make himself a special player.
Can't say enough about Vic and the job he does. Clint Hurtt, he's a special coach. He has helped Jalen, and all the credit goes to Jalen who has continued to get better. He's consistently done the right things in and out of the building from his conditioning to his weight to his style of play.
Jalen Carter, man, he's special. Like it's not -- I mean, I go back to Mount Union, and any time there was a game like this with snow on the ground or a game where the field conditions were crappy, I remember Larry Kehres saying to me, the pass rush ain't going to be getting there this time. You can have a big day today, Nick.
For him to rush the passer the way that he did and our group rush the way that we did in moments where the footing wasn't great, that to me, was a championship effort by the defense.
We earned a right to play for a championship, the NFC championship this week against a really good football team.
Jalen Carter, I can't say enough did things about his development as a player. That just doesn't happen because of talent. He's talented as -- you guys see it. He's so talented.
But this league there is a lot of guys that are talented. It takes more than talent to reach your potential, and he's continuing to rise. That speaks a lot to Jalen Carter.
Q. Go into your bye, was there ever a level of concern for you? And coming out of there, what adjustments -- said they guys noticed a little more attention to detail and things was being asked of them.
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, I don't know. I think we been the same ever since we got here to be quite honest with you. I think if you ask the players I think they'll say we been the same as coaches ever since we got there.
Attention the detail has always been the. Accountability has always been there. The toughness has always been there. The togetherness has always been there.
And so just double down on that, those types of things. 2-2 seems like a long time ago. We are here where we are now. I think we're battle tested. We embrace the adversity.
We are battle tested from some of things we went through last year. Had to drag ourselves through the mud to get to this position. We had to drag ourselves through the mud through the early starts and a lot of the doubts, and now we're we are right now.
That's the way football goes. That's the way life goes. Hopefully these guys are learning. We talk a lot about it, and hopefully they're learning through the ups and downs you can pick yourself up and go again.
That's the great thing about coaching, is you take opportunities to do that, to help the guys not only become better football players but to become better men. That's why I think -- that's why I got into this, seeing the impact my dad had on his players when I was a little kid and the impact that the great coaches like Chris Krantz had on me and my dad had on me and Larry Kehres had on me and Frank Reich had on me and Todd Haley had on me and Brian Daboll.
You know, yeah.
Q. What did you see last night from the Washington game?
NICK SIRIANNI: How are we going to win this game here today. Doesn't make for a good story, but we didn't give a crap about anything but this game.
Q. (Regarding Oren Burks.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, missed Nakobe like crazy. I love Nakobe Dean. I made that very clear how I feel about him. Missed him.
Oren, I had no doubt he was going to step in and play a good game. He is around great players on defense. Bobby King helped him be successful in those moments, too, with the fundamentals that they work on. Vic put him in position to succeed, and Oren went out and played a good game. Made some big tackles. There was a screen that could've got out of there that he was right there to make a play.
How many tackles he have?
Q. Six.
NICK SIRIANNI: Six tackles. Every them he stepped on the field he's played really good football. I mean, how about Howie and his staff of the job he's done to get some of these guys in here that are the backups that have had to play significant time this year.
It's hard for me to go -- Isaiah had to play the whole game today; did some really good things. Fred, the list goes on and on. So all the credit goes to Oren because he's the one out there battling. Proud of him. Proud of the effort he had.
To say I was surprised by it, not even a little bit. He's warrior and gives everything he has got to this. He's a special teammate. The guys really respond to him. We got some special people in this building.
Again, it's not the best groups of individuals that win, it's the best teams that win. Howie did a great job getting these -- I can't say enough about Howie and the job he's done. I find myself after every game just thanking him and Mr. Lurie for the resources they give us.
Let's try to go do some special stuff next week.
Q. What did you feel after that game in Washington? What have you seen from them as a team as the year has gone on?
NICK SIRIANNI: Last time when we lost to them?
Q. Yeah.
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, hard-fought battle. They got us in that one. You know, got a lot of respect for Coach Quinn, the job he's done. I knew going against him so many times with the Cowboys I know how special of a coach he is. He's got those guys playing really good.
We're going to be battling for a lot of years to come and get to battle here this week in the NFC championship game. Credit to them. They're a really good football team. Really well coached. Got a lot of respect for that team that will be coming in here, and we'll do everything we can to get ready for this game.
Q. (Regarding Isaiah Rodgers.)
NICK SIRIANNI: He's a playmaker. He's a playmaker. I know he gave up a couple today, but he was also in good position and made some big plays. He just has a knack to make big plays, from the blocked kick in Tampa Bay, from the deflection on Ja'Marr Chase in the Cincinnati, to the scoop fumble today that he almost took to the house, to the kickoff returns.
He finds a way to make plays. Again, just the depth and the people, it always comes down to the people. Just appreciate the people, and Isaiah is special.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports