The Eagles head coach spoke to reporters in Brazil, and talked about the travel, opportunity, and taking pride in helping grow the game of American football.
The Eagles have landed in Brazil, and head coach Nick Sirianni — whose voice has grown more hoarse over the last week — spoke to reporters ahead of their first practice abroad.
Sirianni acknowledged that Devin White tweaked his ankle the other day in practice, but said the guys behind him are ready. He wouldn’t confirm that Nakobe Dean will be the starter, but noted the young linebacker had a good, consistent camp and his leadership, playmaking ability, and tackling has shined.
The head coach spent most his press conference — that he likened to the ones leading up to the Super Bowl — talking about the opportunity to play in Brazil, his first-ever international game, and admitting they were going to miss Eagles fans in Philly.
An international reporter asked about the players who made comments regarding safety concerns in Brazil, and whether there was any misinformation or discussion about security protocols. Sirianni said that everything has been world class since they touched down on Thursday night, noting the hotel staff, airport staff, and people at the stadium have been awesome.
“We know how passionate this country is on their sports, and we’re so excited to be here and playing in front of — we like to think that Philadelphia is the best sports town in America, and we know that Brazil is a great sports country, and we’re just getting to know more and more.”
The head coach went on to say that the goal is to always keep their game prep the same, whether they are in Philly or traveling, and there were some unknowns in that regard — although he also acknowledged there are unknowns in any city you play that isn’t at home.
Sirianni was also asked about preparing the team to play in the warm, dry weather, especially at night, in Sao Paolo. He explained that they’ve had some good hot days in training camp, so they think they’re ready to handle the weather in Brazil. He was excited to be able to use this game to help them prepare for their game in Florida in a few weeks.
The head coach talked about it being a home game but not having home field advantage, and made sure to pitch to the Brazilian crowd to be loud when the Packers have the ball, and to be a little quieter when the Eagles have it. But, Sirianni said that they have to be prepared for it to be loud the whole time, and whether it feels like a home game or away game, they have to be ready for both possibilities.
“We’re bummed that we don’t get to play our opener in front of our fans in Philadelphia, but we’re so excited.”
He was asked what it means to start the season on international soil, and in a place the NFL is playing for the very first time.
“This game is awesome. So, the fact that we can spread this game to the rest of the world, I take a lot of pride in that.”
Sirianni talked about growing up and how American football players start off playing under the lights on Friday nights, and this game allows them to step back into that moment one more time. He said football is an emotional game, and thinking about getting the opportunity to play on Friday night again gives him goosebumps.
