Post Game Press Conference – HC Nick Sirianni
EAGLES HEAD COACH NICK SIRIANNI
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
August 15, 2024
Q: So, Mehki Becton the starting right guard?
NS: Yeah, we still have some time to think through some things. We’re going to have some really good physical practices next week, almost some operational things, different things like that. We’ll see. No reason to say anything one way or the other right now because we’re still working through it. We’ll see.
Q: Is [Tyler] Steen’s ankle the same one that he had injured?
NS: I actually haven’t got with the medical guys yet, so I don’t know. I don’t know how he’s feeling yet. We’ll get that information to you guys.
Q: Is Tanner [McKee] outplaying Kenny [Pickett]?
NS: I thought they both did some good things today. I think, you know, Kenny was what, 11 of 13? The ball only hit the ground twice, but he had some pressure on him. Tanner played well; I think he was, what, 15 of 19 today, but made some good throws. I thought Will [Grier] did some good things. I’m happy they’re all on the roster right now. I really am. That’s a good room. They’re all helping Jalen [Hurts], they’re all helping each other, and I love that. So, it really is a good room. Like I said, the things that kind of stalled some of the drives in the first half today were some of the pressures we got. We didn’t run it great in that area either for some different reasons that we’ll obviously look at and why. So, no, I thought they both played a solid game tonight. Just some of the pressure that was on Kenny happened in that first half.
Q: Is it accurate to say that Kenny – that Tanner is doing more to make it more competitive than Kenny is doing less?
NS: Again, like I said, I think they’re both doing a nice job. Yeah, I think Tanner made some really nice throws down the field today with some good anticipation. I’ll have to look at the tape of what happened, but they both had good practices to this date. I thought they both played solid today. Now, I’ll have to watch the tape to see exactly what happened. It’s really hard to kind of say exactly – I don’t remember any plays that I felt like Kenny made and I’m like, ‘Oh man, that was detrimental’ right? Obviously, you go back, or with Tanner either. I didn’t have any of those notes down like that. I thought they both played well within the scheme, and they both did some nice things.
Q: Is that a competition or is Pickett the No. 2?
NS: You saw where they went in today. Kenny is No. 2 and Tanner is our No. 3, and I am really happy they’re both on the roster.
Q: Tanner had a good preseason last year too, and in my opinion I thought he had a good camp. We don’t get to see practice during regular season. How did he play –
NS: During camp?
Q: During regular season in practice?
NS: Yeah, he did some good things. Now, I think with Marcus [Mariota] last year, Marcus was taking more of the reps, but Tanner got some as well, and you have developmental periods. Our job as coaches is provide as much opportunity as we can for guys to develop that aren’t getting reps in-game. We’ll continue to try to do that, continue to grow these guys in what they do. I thought Tanner did a nice job last year with the reps that he got in practice developing himself. As you can see, he’s having another nice training camp and preseason games.
Q: What factors into the decision not to play any of the offensive starters tonight?
NS: You know, we had 89 plays against New England. It was a long practice; it was a physical practice. We had some good 1-on-1 reps also. I felt like – when you play two days beforehand, like when you practice on Friday – take us to a season. You practice on Friday, then you play on Sunday, right? That Friday practice is short, fast. We like to say make sure we’re paying attention there on Fridays, make sure we are completely locked in on Fridays. Focus Friday; some people call it Fast Friday. That’s by design to make sure that your guys are ready to go on Sunday. When you have that long of a practice, which is more like a Wednesday, even a longer Wednesday practice and a really physical practice like it was – I thought it was a really physical practice. Because I think New England is a really physical team, that’s not enough rest, in my opinion, to put those guys back out there. They got enough work in that area. We’ll do some things next week to simulate that again, even though we’re not practicing against anybody and see how that goes with whether we play them or not next week. That’s what went more into the decision to not play them. As far as the defensive guys that played, Bryce [Huff], the linebackers: Devin [White] and Zack [Baun], we just felt like they needed additional reps, and we weren’t planning on playing them long. I think they were all around 10, 12, 14 plays somewhere in there. You guys would know that better than I would. That was our plan, to get them that amount of reps, just because they’re new to the team, new to the system. Zack Baun, new to that position a little bit as well. So, we really wanted to get them reps, and that’s why those particular guys played.
Q: In the case of McKee, he came out and went back in. What was the reason for that?
NS: We wanted to get Will some reps. Will’s earned some reps. He’s done a nice job. I think he’s great for the room; I think he’s a great pro. You can tell he’s done this a long time. We wanted to give him an opportunity to go out there and play. Sometimes it’s hard if you put a quarterback in, it’s a two-minute drive and your first snaps are two-minute drives; those are tough situations sometimes. Or, it’s a four-minute drive; you don’t know what the situation is. So, our plan all along was to play Tanner the first two series in the second half, let Will go, and then put Tanner back in so we didn’t put Will in a weird spot, right? Then, Tanner could be in the flow of coming out of halftime and going. So, that’s what went into that. Again, I thought Will did a really nice job leading a drive down the field when we had been stalling out a little bit in certain areas. He did a nice job competing passes and moving the ball, and I’m really pleased with how he played.
Q: What was your evaluation of Jalen in the joint practice?
NS: Yeah, I thought he was really on top of it. Really on top of his checks, really on top of some of the unique things that New England was doing, and I really liked his performance. A lot to be confident about with how he practiced on – what’s today? On Tuesday, yeah.
Q: You mentioned Huff; did he show you anything from a run defense perspective tonight?
NS: Yeah, I think he’s just going to continue to get better within our scheme. He’s a good football player, right? It’s just learning a new scheme, learning some different things that we’re asking him to do, different techniques. Guys like that – and he works his butt off and he wants to be great – so, guys like that are just going to keep getting better with the reps that he gets, and that’s why we wanted to get him reps tonight.
Q: The joint practices, how do you feel you came out of those as a team?
NS: Yeah, we can talk later about what I think the right amount is, this and that. I have different feelings about it probably after every time you go through it. You’re like, ‘Maybe this is the perfect amount,’ this and that. I thought it was really good. Again, Coach [Jerod] Mayo and his staff, unbelievable hosts. We got good work in, good clean work in where you don’t have to blow the whistle all the time with different fights or anything like that. It was physical. It was a physical practice. So, man, I was really pleased, and I would love to do this again. I said that to Coach Mayo after the game. I said, ‘Let’s do this again next year.’ I don’t believe we play the AFC East next year. I said to him, ‘Let’s do this again next year’ because that was really good work. So, I’m a big believer in the joint practices because you can really get good work against different teams, different schemes, different players, and so you’re not going against the same person all the time. It’s good; 89 plays is a good chunk of work.
Q: A year ago you said you were regretted not playing the starters in the preseason. It seems like that’s what’s going to happen here. What’s different this year, especially with putting in a new scheme offensively?
NS: You know, I don’t remember – again, you’re saying I said regret it? Do you have it like that? Whether I said – really what I probably should have said, if I didn’t say this, is I would always reconsider, right? And always going to reconsider things. We’ll see what happens next week as far as our plan to play anybody. But again, if you think about when you play – like last week, I’m not even going to get into all that, but I always reconsider. Everything is always on the table. Each year is a different year. For me to answer anything for next year, or probably last year answering for this year wasn’t smart on my behalf. Every year is a new set of challenges. Every year is new circumstances. Every year, everything is always on the table of what you want to do and what you think you need to do. The main goal is to get your guys ready to go Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. I would say we’ve start these last two years pretty hot off the – starting 8-0, I believe, in 2022 and 5-0 last year before we lost. The main goal is to make sure we’re winning that first game, we’re ready for that first game and continue to build off that first game. You want to look as pretty as you possibly can, as clean as you possibly can that first game because clean football is what helps you win that first game, but the main goal at the end of the day is to score more points than the other team.
Q: Is there a player or two that you feel has really improved from last year to this year?
NS: Yeah, you know, I will single somebody out. I think Fred Johnson is continuing to develop as a really solid football player. He works his butt off. He’s a big man, right? You see that, and it’s hard to get around him. He just continues to put the work in that he needs to put in to develop at his position. I’m really pleased with how Fred has worked, his toughness and just his ability to improve each day. You can see that, so I’m happy. You asked me for a guy, that’s the guy I’ll single out right there. I’m proud of Fred for all the work he’s put in to get himself to where he is right now.
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