Nick Sirianni on Preparing For the Minnesota Vikings

Nick Sirianni on Preparing For the Minnesota Vikings

I guess obviously uh the past couple weeks haven’t you’ve gone your guys’ way and obviously losing brings frustration. How do you make sure you have your players channel that frustration in a positive way? Yeah, I always want to stay to the process. There’s there’s times the ball bounces, you know, a certain way and you know, you don’t win the game or you don’t coach well enough or you don’t play well enough. And so it’s just about it’s about identifying issues. It’s about identifying strengths and getting better and and sticking to your process. I know that’s boring. Um but that’s truly the mo that the things that we try to live in. I understand that you don’t want to assign blame publicly to anyone, but the accountability portion of your program, is that still the same behind the scenes? Mhm. Yeah. It’s not been often in your career you’ve lost backto-back games. the the times it has happened. I’m wondering if there’s any lessons you learned from it that you feel like you can use now to try to get out of this. Um, yeah. I mean, again, you go back to I, you know, you’re always you’re always working on identifying your your uh issues and and identifying your strengths and like working to get better from it. That’s, you know, that’s that’s what we do. You know, that’s um that’s the things you think about. Every every team’s a little different. Um, every message could be a little bit different based off of where you are or what where the team is. Um, and so, you know, you you I think where confidence comes from is your process and the things that you go through um on a weekly basis, the things that you can control on a weekly basis to put yourself in the best position to succeed. Confidence also comes from uh past experiences and knowing that you’ve been there, you’ve done these things before. Um, you know, again, the other thing that we say that I say a lot is that, you know, adversities are going to happen. They happen for every team in the NFL. They happen for every team. It happen for every person. Um, and you can really look back on old, you know, you think back on your old experiences, you look back at adversities that we’ve had. Um, I’m thankful for those. Um, you know, obviously this is a new year and and new things, but I’m thankful for 23. I’m thankful for how 24 started off because it put us in a position to do what we we ultimately wanted to accomplish our goal last year. So, you know, that is a mindset that is really critical to have um that adversities that you go through um make you stronger if you allow it to. And so, um yeah, he was going to take ownership after the game. How’s he gone about doing that the past several days? I think all our guys have done a great job of taking ownership. our coaches, our players. Um, every one of our our guys is in that boat because they all have a a strong desire to win and get better, to identify issues, um, to identify strengths and get better. Like I like I keep saying, um, like again, when you when you come in, it’s it’s about your process. I know this isn’t I know I’ve said this three times now, but it’s like you come in to to work and you and you get back to work. It’s so when you the ownership happens uh on Mondays when you when you watch the tape together um you know that we get in here to to answer further of your your question accountability that that’s never changed of you know coming in here and telling the truth off the off the tape um and then going and fixing those issues as the week goes on. So, I felt that not only from Jaylen, I felt that from all of our guys. And that’s a that’s a mindset that’s huge that it’s going to be really important. Um, you know, it’s so important to stay, you know, when the noise or when the, you know, adversity hits to stay true to your standard of of tough detail together when everything seems wavy around you. you got to focus on that and um and stay true to that and and have something that grounds you uh that you because if you if you don’t, you’re going to be reaching every every which way for for answers. Um and then and so that’s really what I think our team’s done and um Jaylen, I know you asked in particular, him all our guys. Jaylen, talked about the level of autonomy that he has after after the game. What ways have you seen that grown this year? What do you mean by that? Well, autonomy, I mean, that’s the word that he used. It can go a couple different ways, but level of responsibility that he has on the field, way that he’s controlling the offense. What ways have you seen that grow? Yeah, he’s always he’s their quarterback, so he’s he’s got ability to do things that he needs to do, whether that’s with a protection, whether that’s with a run game check, whether that’s with a a pass game check or a route uh checked off to to something that he sees. I think he has a really good feel of seeing that in a game. um and um you know making plays off of that and then I think he does a really good job of you know letting the plays come to him and and you know with what’s in there and um making those things work too. So um yeah you always you know you always go through a season I wouldn’t say hey this one’s 25% this one’s 15%. It changes game to game. Um but he sees something on the field he’s he has the ability to get to what he needs to get to. Um and and you and you and you’re good with that because you know he’s he’s right a lot of the times of what he’s seeing. He’s the one out there playing. So um you know different game in game in game out different uh in season every every once in a while too. So, but I think they they naturally kind of, you know, play out uh throughout a season that um you know, there’s two, three, four, five plays a game that the quarterback has to get you into the the right play. And that’s just and that’s playing quarterback. Hey, Nick, getting back to your your answer to Elliot’s question about dealing with adversity and growing from it and getting strength. Is that something that you’re talking about the players, is that something you experience, too? Do you think it it has that effect? It’s all of us. Oh, heck yeah. It’s all of us. again if you Yeah, I think we’ve we’ve we’ve shared our stories together as you know this is part of you know connecting and and togetherness like I know a lot of the guys stories of their adversities through their life whether it’s their football journey or whether that’s their life journey and they know and they know a lot of mine um you know that’s part of the togetherness like when you when you truly know somebody um and know what they’ve been through um but as far and that’s all the coaches it’s everybody and it’s are you asking if that I have that is that where you’re have that effect on you. Oh heck yeah. Oh heck yeah. I like I said I can’t tell you like I’m not looking at the 24 season and saying oh I didn’t like I’m I’m in that too you know but it’s like every situation um and sometimes in life you can’t look back and be like man I went through the a lot of times you can look back and say I went through this for this and and it’s clear and sometimes it’s not clear. Um, but you know, adversity makes you makes you dig down even even deeper. And now we this is a hungry football team and a hungry coaching staff. And I know I’m hungry. Um, and we’re looking for that even in wins as well. Um, that’s why I say the process has to remain the same. But there are sometimes that adversities make you reach down deeper and and that’s and to me it’s like you can have two mindsets there. You can have a mindset of defeat or you can have a mindset of get up and fix and identify issues and identify strengths and get better from it. I I think that doesn’t mean that you’re perfect and that and you don’t have those those moments of man, what are we going to do here? But if you’re always constantly getting up over and over again in your life, um that’s just your way. That’s your mindset and that’s what and that’s what we try to preach and that’s what we talk about and that’s what I see our team and our coaches and all of us doing. We haven’t We haven’t asked about Parks Frasier and Scott Leer a lot lately. They were the two outside hires to add to the contribution on your side. I mean, how has that been working with them behind the scenes as you guys have worked through your offense? Yeah. Um, good coaches. Really good coaches. Um, you knew that going in with all the work that you did with the interview process. And since it’s not the interview process, then it’s the vetting. Um, talking to everybody that’s ever worked with them, players, coaches. Obviously, when you’ve worked with somebody before, you know, like we have with Parks, you know, the the day in day out uh um flow of how that goes. Uh both been really valuable to our to our team and our process. Um like I said, I think they’re both fantastic coaches. Um that’s why we hired them. And then I and I’m I feel like every day I see them work um whether that’s in the classroom um with the players, whether that’s in a you know a staff meeting or a offensive meeting or whether that’s on the field um you know you get you more and more confirmation each day because I think those guys are doing a fantastic job. What makes uh Brian Flores so difficult to deal with? He Yeah, he um he he’s he’s been a good coordinator in this in the NFL for a long time. learned under a lot of really good coaches and then has made it, you know, his system and a lot of respect for for him and creates a a lot of issues. Um, creates a lot of a lot of chaos. Um, I think he’s got smart I look around their um team. I think he’s got smart football players and and that’s a credit to the to him as a coach of getting them ready within their scheme and and the things that they do. I think they’re fundamentally sound, which is always a sign of a a good football coach. Um, got a lot of respect for Kevin Okonnell, too. and the things that he that he’s done. Um, and the way I see their teams play. Um, I always am going to look at the tape and say, you know, I’ll know that this team’s well coached based off of their fundamentals and things like that. And I see that on this football team. Um, but, you know, both have good schemes. Um, like I said, create a lot of issues. Um, and got a lot of respect for coach Flores. In the spring and summer, you downplayed some of the questions about the second quarterback spot. Uh, six games in. Why do you think that hasn’t stabilized yet? Um, you know, I think there’s been elements in in in periods of good football. Um, and um, I I believe in those guys. Um, I believe in our scheme. I believe in those guys to, you know, to go out there and compete and and be in coverage. Like I think when a when a corner gives up a play, it can appear that it’s just on him, right? Cuz they’re on an island out there. And that’s we know what we signed up for when we said we’re playing corner or receiver or whatever position it was. Um but there’s been elements of good football. We just as a team though, Zach, we need to be more consistent as a team, as coaches, as players. Um because there’s been ups and downs in our game at every position, not not just there. But um I’m confident in the play. I’m confident in of those guys, the work that they put in each and every practice, their skill set. Um, and I’m still pleased with that room of of who we have in that room. And and sometimes their contributions come on defense. Sometimes our contributions come on special teams. That’s the beautiful thing about this game is as it takes everybody in different roles and uh yeah, I’m looking forward to getting out there in the practice field today and and get and let and and seeing them get better and the work that they put in and uh get ready for a new week and, you know, having some adver they you know, they we’ve had adversities. Uh it’s not just at that at that position. So, um, always look forward to the response. You said times, uh, players before plays, but when do when do plays matter? And do you feel like you guys have have had better plays than than the teams that you’ve faced? Well, players before plays, but it doesn’t mean you’re you’re separating out plays. You still got to think about the the defense that they’re running and and how you you get guys open and how you help them get open themselves. Um, but it always will come down to to players first. Um but that you know when I say that that doesn’t mean um that the plays don’t matter either. You know what I mean? It’s it’s it all matters. Um in this game every in the parody of this game it all matters. Um like I said with you know I think I’ve been very clear like hey when you know we need to do a better job of helping the guys be in positions to succeed and then we have to execute. It’s never just a a one thing one you know this is it. this is, you know, you’re identifying issues. Obviously, I wouldn’t share those issues in here. Um, but to go back again to Dave, your point, it’s not like you identify issues and then you stay quiet about it, right? That’s the accountability piece of of going in there. And then again, like it’s always going to come down to did we help them make plays? Uh, did we get our percentage as coaches and and did we execute? Kevin said that there was a good offensive meeting on Monday with communication between uh players and coaches. I wanted to get your perspective on that and also on you know I guess the line between getting player input but also ensuring there’s not too many cooks in the kitchen if that makes sense. Yeah this is this is football so this is you know all input like again in the building for instance if I’m if I’m making a decision on practice like I got to have the feel of what I think we need. Um, but I’m always going to, you know, inquire with with other people about that, with our strength staff, with Howie, with our with our um, you know, with our position coaches, with our trainers. So, it’s the same thing, you know, it’s the same thing when you’re identifying issues. Um, you know, that’s our job as coaches to to figure out what the issues are, but then you talk through everything. Um, and you talk through everything. uh everybody has a little bit different vantage point um based off of what what they what they’ve experienced or what their view of of everything is and so you take all the input but at the end of the day you know we all have jobs to do whether it’s you know it’s so at the end of the day the offensive staff myself have to you know take all the information and and and listen you always want people to know you’re they’re being listened to um I think that’s a really important part of leadership but at the end of the Hey, at the end of the day, I mean, there’s decisions that have to be made and at the end of the day, then the coaches have to make those decisions and and take all that input. So, I think it’s to answer your question, it’s both. Um, but at the end of the day, the player the the coaches have to come up and say, “All right, this is what what’s h this is what we’re hearing. This is what we’re seeing. Um, and this is the plan of action.” All right. Thanks.

Watch Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni speak to the media about the team’s progression, what the team’s mentality is, and how they are preparing for the Minnesota Vikings.

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