The Eagles’ head coach talked about preparing for the Falcons, what it means to be accountable, and more.
The Eagles were back to work on Thursday preparing for the Falcons, and head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters about the starting linebackers, how being accountable means not blaming the field conditions for mistakes last Friday, and gave his thoughts on Atlanta’s QB Kirk Cousins and RB Bijan Robinson.
Here’s what the head coach had to say:
On the starting LB job
Sirianni said that he’ll keep his conversation with Devin White — and all players — private, but the veteran linebacker is a good teammate and will still be needed this season.
“But he’s [Devin White] been a great teammate and done everything that has been required of him, and I really have a lot of respect for him. We’re going to need him. We’re going to need him this year. It’s a long football season.
Obviously, Zack [Baun] and Nakobe [Dean] are our linebackers, but Devin is going to have to contribute this year if we want to go where we want to go, and that goes for all the guys that are one snap away from going in.”
On accountability
The head coach was asked how much the field conditions factor into their evaluations from Week 1, but Sirianni explained that they don’t use that as an excuse. If someone missed a tackle because they slipped, or missed a catch, it isn’t about blaming the field conditions, but rather figuring out how they should have better adjusted for the field conditions. They may have to rely more heavily on fundamentals and footwork. He also noted that they got a lot of great film to learn from and be better prepared next time.
On preparing for the Falcons
As they continue preparing for the Falcons, Sirianni said that QB Kirk Cousins has had a lot of success in the league, and they have to be prepared for him to play, and for the alternative.
“I just really think [Kirk Cousins’] accuracy, his decision making. He’s able to get the ball where it needs to go consistently. Again, just got a lot of respect for him, and I think his track record speaks for itself.”
He also explained that there’s still a lot of unknowns — of both teams — heading into the second game of the season. Neither team exposed everything they can do in Week 1, and their game plans could be completely different.
“We showed some tape of [Bijan Robinson] today of just how elusive he is. I think if you look, his first touchdown was like play 11 against Carolina last year, play 11 of the game of game number 1. They throw him a little swing pass and he makes the first guy miss, then he makes another guy miss, and he runs through a tackle. He’s a really good football player who can create on his own. Things can break down, and he still can make a play.”
Sirianni went on to say that when he was showing the Robinson film, it reminded him on when he would should Saquon Barkley ahead of a Giants game, and just how elusive they both are. He also acknowledged that they’re going to have to tackle better than they did last week if they want success against Robinson and the Atlanta offense.
On his role after a game
Sirianni talked about how things have changed for him right after a game, and how he no longer has to be entrenched in the offensive game planning immediately. He said he still re-watches the film from the offense, defense, and special teams, but now his thoughts turn more to figuring out what the message for the week is going to be and what part of the culture they’re going to focus on.
“I know the first thing I did is what should the message be this week, what should the culture be about this week. The culture is the same. We have core values that we believe in. But what truly needs to be dove into this week, and what are some things, some stories that I can tell, videos I can show, what are points that I can make within the tape of who we’re playing. And I think that’s where my week started this last week, as opposed to in the film room watching 12 personnel against the opposing team.”
Other notables
- He talked a lot about the schedule and how they approach plans for different weeks — short week, mini-bye, international travel, etc… — but that’s something that continues to evolve as the strive to make the process better. Going into Week 2, he said it’s helpful that they’ve played so many Monday night games the past few years, allowing them to have a good blueprint for those.
- Sirianni also noted that it was important for the players to get some time off and away from the facility when they got back from Brazil — with the Friday night game, they didn’t benefit from a little break the weekend in between training camp and the regular season.
- It was pointed out that they only have two home games through October, and while the head coach said they love playing in front of their fans, he’s not looking that far ahead. They’re focused on each game, one week at a time.
