Philadelphia Eagles 29, Houston Texans 17
Q. Short week. To get a win like that...
NICK SIRIANNI: These Thursday night games are always tough. However you got to get it done, you got to go get it done. Our guys played hard, physical.
A couple things we talked about was making sure our bodies were as good as they could possibly be to go out and handle our business. Being able to play fast, right? Those were the two really main goals.
What I'd like to say is our strength and conditioning staff, our doctors, our training staff led by (indiscernible), Tom and Ted, did an unbelievable job of getting these guys' bodies ready to go. Guys did an unbelievable job focusing on their bodies to make sure they were in top-notch so we could play a full football game.
That starts at the top with Mr. Lurie and the organization that we have. This is a top-notch organization. This is the best organization I've ever been in. Mr. Lurie is so supportive. So many people in place to help us do our job. That was on full display tonight.
I handed out two game balls. I don't ever hand out game balls. Mr. Lurie got one and Javon Hargrave got one.
Q. (Question about Jalen coming home.)
NICK SIRIANNI: The one thing I said to him before the game, Don't let this be a distraction. You're the last person I worry about with this, but don't let this be a distraction to you. He had the same look on his face as if it didn't matter. That's who he is, how he goes about his business.
It was nice I finally got to meet his family. Nice people. It was really nice to be able to meet them and put a face to the conversations that Jalen and I have. He speaks so highly of his family.
I know that felt good for him. I know that's something he can enjoy now. But he didn't approach that game any differently than he approached the Pittsburgh game, than he approached the Cowboy game. That's why he's a true professional.
Q. Best start in franchise history. Significant to you?
NICK SIRIANNI: It's just the next one. At this particular point, being 8-0, sweet, right? It beats the alternative of being 7-1 or 6-2. We know our goal wasn't to go 8-0. Our goal is to take one game at a time. That's our goal.
Is it good? Is it good to be able to have this long weekend and sit at 8-0? Of course. We know we're going to get back to work on Monday and go attack this next game against Washington like we attacked this last game against Houston.
Q. How tough is it physically and mentally to get a team ready for a Thursday night game, the situation you were in, all the things around this?
NICK SIRIANNI: It's not a challenge when you have the leaders on the football team that we have and the guys on the football team that we have. We have a special group of guys that love this game, that love each other, that are willing to sacrifice for each other to get a win. That was on full display.
So I would say in some circumstances it is tough, right, to go on a short week. It's not like we were on a short week and they weren't. They were on a short week, too. Sometimes it is tough.
But not with this team and not with our leaders that we have. It was pretty sweet just they had the mindset all week and focus all week that Monday, our walk-through on Monday on Tuesday, on Wednesday, our meetings all week, we're so dialed in, so focused, that it showed today.
Q. Could you speak to what you're seeing as far as the evolution of your passing game.
NICK SIRIANNI: You want to be as multiple as you can to defend. That's the deep game. That's the intermediate game, the short game, the screen game, the run game, different things off the run.
We always want to do what we do best. I think there's no doubt that, like, in the deep game, A.J. is a special threat. He has a special ability to go up and get the football and attack the football.
So it's good. It's Jalen just seeing the field well. It's the receivers making plays. It's the offensive line protecting. It takes everybody. Shane calling the right play at the right time.
And the backs, I thought particularly I got to look at tape, particularly last week how good they were in protection on the six-man, five-man pressures. It takes everybody. That's what's special.
That's why this is a great team game and it just speaks to the development of Jalen and the passing game.
Q. When you talk about the tempo offensively, especially early, is that about the short week, you have an advantage or is that opponent-driven?
NICK SIRIANNI: A little bit of everything. You try to work some tempo. We know we have a good offense so we want to get some plays run, right? We know that Jalen operates well in tempo.
When we like our package that we have in tempo, and we like the ability of Jason Kelce to be able to communicate to everybody in tempo, again, I mean, it's just unbelievable. I'm assuming that our stadium at CitiBank is full of Philly fans, but I didn't think this would be full of Eagles fans here.
Again, the crowd completely took over the game, again, just like Arizona, just like Washington. I'm starting to think we're not playing any away games. I mean, goodness gracious. Even the people that held the flag out of the game that were wearing those Houston Texans shirts, they were wearing red. I just thought they were just Philly shirts. They could have been Philly fans. I don't know.
So much credit goes to our fans, the best fans in the world. To come out here and support this team on the road in Houston on a Thursday night when the Phillies are playing. I know they're watching that game, too.
Any update what's going on out there?
Q. Going into the ninth.
NICK SIRIANNI: Again, you're not able to go tempo always if the crowd's rowdy. The crowd was rowdy for us. I mean, that's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. I can't say enough.
I can't say enough about this city and its fans and the way that we traveled. Man, I tried to say a thank you to as many of them as I possibly could. I would love to have a drink or high-five every one of them. Obviously there's too many of them in the stands for me to do that.
I said thank you to as many of them. But thank you Philly fans, thank you everyone in attendance, thank you for the support. Unbelievable.
Q. Dallas had eight catches on nine targets, which is common for him to have that level of efficiency. What makes him such an efficient player?
NICK SIRIANNI: We showed a clip yesterday from Friday night lights. They were explaining Dallas Carter, right?
He said, They're big, they're fast, they're mean, they're strong, and they're fast, right? The guy from what is the name of that school, he was explaining what Dallas Carter is.
That's a good explanation of who Dallas Goedert is. He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's mean, he's fast. That's why he's so productive. You're just seeing his game elevate.
I hope what everyone is seeing on these nationally televised games is what we see every day in practice and what we've seen consistently through these past two years that Dallas Goedert deserves attention for being one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
You have Jason's brother who is unbelievable, Travis is unbelievable. I love Dallas Goedert. He deserves to be in the conversation of one of the best tight ends in this league.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK SIRIANNI: Shoot, man, to have a guy who is ball hawk back there in addition to other guys that are ball hawks with our corners, man, that's huge. You shift a game at any time. That shifted that game. That catch shifted the game and our momentum.
It wasn't an easy catch. He's looking at me like, You need to put me on offense. We got some good wideouts so I don't know if we're there quite yet. But I know he's going to catch it. That's what you fear as an offensive coach. Speaking as an offensive coach, that's what you fear, when you make a mistake, a guy can make you pay. We got a bunch of those guys out there. And Chauncey is definitely one of them.
Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports