What did Eagles coach Nick Sirianni say about franchise winning the NFC East?

After the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys, 41-7, on Sunday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni met with the media. Here’s everything he said after the franchise clinched the NFC East division.

Was there a big focus on getting RB Saquon Barkley 2,000 yards today?

NICK SIRIANNI: It happened, and I’m excited for him.

Can you talk about QB Kenny Pickett and the job he did, and the job QB Tanner McKee did also?

NICK SIRIANNI: Those guys did a really good job coming in and playing. They played really clean football. Happy with the way they prepared themselves this week and went out and performed. They deserve all that credit. You can’t go out there and play that position without the greatness of other people, and they had some greatness from other guys out there. Starting with their coaches – [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore], [Passing Game Coordinator/Associate Head Coach] Kevin [Patullo], and [Quarterbacks Coach] Doug [Nussmeier] really did a good job of getting them ready. Then just the plays that they got from Smitty [WR DeVonta Smith] and Saquon and [TE] Grant Calcaterra and [WR] A.J. [Brown] and the offensive line. That’s what a team is. A team steps up in adversity, and steps up and has each other’s backs.

You’ve got the NFC East Champion hat on. I know you guys have bigger goals, but considering all the adversity this team has gone through, what’s it mean to win it?

NICK SIRIANNI: It’s exciting. We always want to do special things. I think winning the division is always a special thing, and then our goals are much bigger from here. I think we’ve got special guys. It was fun celebrating in there when you’re able to do this. We’ll enjoy this, and then we’ll get right back to work because our goals are bigger than just winning this division. This is a hell of a division with great teams and great coaches and great players. So, to be on top of that — you guys walk in the building, and there’s that area where it’s just the champions, the NFC East champions. I walk by it every day on my way in and my way out to see [former Eagles Head] Coach [Andy] Reid’s pictures in there and [former Eagles Head] Coach Doug [Pederson]’s pictures and [former Eagles QB] Carson [Wentz] and [QB] Jalen [Hurts] and [former Eagles QB] Donovan [McNabb] and all the great players, [former Eagles QB] Michael Vick, and all the great players there that have contributed to NFC East championships. It’s cool to add another one there. We just want to get back to work. Like I said, we’ll enjoy this, and then it’s back to work.

With your goals being bigger, you have been keeping track of players and their records. RB Saquon Barkley next week, he said going for it would be up to you. What do you think about it?

NICK SIRIANNI: We’ll see. A lot of things need to play out. We’ll see where we are in a couple of days.

How many factors are there in thinking about it?

NICK SIRIANNI: There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ll watch some games tonight, see how things are going. We’ll do what we need to do, what’s right for the football team. Always got to do what’s right for the football team to reach our goals of what we need to do. Like I said, I’ve got a lot to think about. I’m going to enjoy this, and I’ll think about it tonight at some point.

What was the significance for you for RB Saquon Barkley getting the 2,000 yards?

NICK SIRIANNI: It’s special. What did you say, nine people have done that? Nine total. I don’t know all the names, but I imagine they’re pretty special names. Saquon is pretty special. This offensive line is pretty special. This offense is pretty special. I know the guys were excited when that happened. Yeah, it’s just a cool thing to be a part of. Any time you can be a part of something special, that’s what’s cool about being part of a team.

What does S C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s interception, pick-six mean for the team?

NICK SIRIANNI: That was really big. Got momentum going early. We didn’t start off great on offense. I think we had two three-and-outs after that. But any time you can create turnovers on defense, that’s special. We talk a lot about it, and these guys pour everything into it. You can really see them coming after the football. What’s so impressive about Chauncey [C.J.] is when he gets his hands on the football, he finishes, and that’s a special talent that he has. Thinking about when he had the interception last week, where it was low on the ground, he had to double catch it to catch it, but he still finds a way to do it, and then he finds a way to do that. He did something like that in practice. I give a lot of credit to the coaches of them putting players in that position. We had that play that we looked at and did in practice, and Chauncey was right there the same way. It didn’t end up in an interception, but he ended up in a really good spot. We really talked about that. So, credit to the coaches for putting him in that position, but the most credit goes to the players for making the plays in those scenarios. But that’s what’s so cool about this game, right? It’s a team game. I just thought it was big. Chauncey responded in a big way, making big time plays today.

You once described S C.J. Gardner-Johnson as the player most like you a couple years ago. I don’t know if that’s changed. But obviously in terms of emotion, last week obviously got him in a little trouble. How did he respond, and how important is it for him to —

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, you saw the game today. I thought he responded awesome. We talk a lot about dog mentality, and what dog mentality is, is learning from your past mistakes, but putting them in the past and being able to focus completely on where you’re at right now. That won’t only serve him well in football, but it will also serve him well in life to be able to do that through the ups and downs of life. I was just really proud of him and how he responded today, how he played today. I actually saw him breaking up a couple things out there today of some interactions between players. He’s a special dude. My two years with Chauncey, I just think he’s special. I think he’s a special guy that loves this game of football, loves his teammates, loves the people in the building. I saw him giving presents to the entire cafeteria staff this week. This guy is a special guy. You can ask him what he got them. I don’t want to give that. They can talk about that if they want to. But going in there and doing that and taking care of — it truly comes down to everybody in this sport, everybody in the building — players, coaches, front office, people in the cafeteria, the equipment staff, the video department, the training staff, the strength and conditioning staff, [Senior Advisor to the General Manager/Chief Security Officer/Gameday Coaching Operations] Dom [DiSandro]. It takes everybody. A lot of credit to [Chairman/CEO] Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie and [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] and everybody they have in place and all the resources they have in place, and you’re able to do some things like this when you have that.

You’ve had to make some rest and non-rest decisions before. Does beating a record that’s been in place for 40 years play any part in your thinking?

NICK SIRIANNI: Again, I’ll handle that as we go. I’m not thinking about that quite yet. I will get there, probably later tonight when everybody’s still celebrating, I’ll be thinking about that and what we need to do. Our goals are bigger. I was saying earlier, I think before you got in here, it’s a true big-time accomplishment to win the NFC East of all the great teams that have won the NFC East in the past, so that was special. But our goals are bigger than just to win that. We want to win our first playoff game and win our second playoff game and win our third, all the way to the end. So, we’ll take that one game at a time. I’ll do what I think is necessary and best for the team to put ourselves in that position, but I also am very sensitive to records and all the things there. So, we’ll see how it goes. I don’t know yet. We’ll always do what’s best for these guys, and that could mean playing them, that could mean resting them. It could be either one. I’ve got to think about that. Looking forward to going out on the field and playing catch with my kids after this, though, and then I’ll think about it later.

You might have already answered this, but in your years in the league, what kind of conditions have to be in place for a team to withstand the loss of a starting quarterback for however long a team might be without him?

NICK SIRIANNI: Jalen’s a phenomenal football player. Any time you’re without him, you’re obviously not as good of a team without your starting quarterback who’s won so many games. Any time he’s not on the field, his presence is felt because that guy’s special. Jalen Hurts is a special football player. But to be able to win in a scenario where you’re a man down, whether it’s Jalen or whether it’s [LB] Nakobe [Dean], it takes everybody. We talked about that last night. ‘Kenny, you’re going to play a good game today because you’re a good player, but you’re going to play a good game because A.J. is going to do things only A.J. can do, and Saquon is going to do things only Saquon can do, and Smitty is going to do things only Smitty can do, and the O-line is going to do things only the O-line can do.’ I said it to Kellen, too. ‘Kellen, you’ve got to be great. In order for Kenny to be great, you’ve got to be great.’ Then I said the same thing to [LB] Oren [Burks]. ‘Oren, you’ve got an opportunity to play today and you’re going to play good because you’re a good player. But you’re also going to play good because [DT] Jalen Carter is going to be great up front and play on their side of the line of scrimmage. And [DT] Jordan Davis is going to play on their side, and [DT] Milton [Williams] and [OLB Josh Sweat] Sweaty and [OLB] Nolan [Smith] are going to be violent on setting the edges.’ That’s what’s cool about that. When you go in without one of your best players, you’re able to overcome it in the sense that it takes everybody. I think you guys have asked me this before, ‘How is the offense going to look now that this guy’s out or that guy’s out?’ It’s never just one guy that has to [be the replacement]. It takes a true team effort. That’s why this is the greatest team sport there is. I love football so much because of that. I don’t want to get emotional, but it just takes everybody from the entire organization, and that’s what makes this game special. That’s why these guys are friends for a lifetime. These guys that get close, they’re friends for a lifetime because of the things they go through together. No disrespect to any other sport. I love basketball, but football is special. It’s special that I still have lifelong friends from football, of the guys I went through things with, and that’s what’s cool about this game. My buddies from high school that I played football with were up for the Pittsburgh game. My buddy Eric, my buddy Tommy, my buddy Jared, Andy, those guys were up for that game. So, it will be cool to come back [in 20 years] and say, ‘Hey, you want to go see the Eagles play?’ And Chauncey is with [CB Darius] Slay or whoever it is. That’s what’s cool about this game. That’s why I love this game so much.

You mentioned a couple times it takes the whole organization. You mentioned support staff and all that kind of stuff. So, what does it mean to you to go through this and be in this position, hat and T-shirt game. What does it mean to you?

NICK SIRIANNI: I’m proud of this team. I’m proud of these coaches and these players. Yeah, excitement. I had a good moment with my family. We talk about how you can’t be great without the greatness of others, and we talk about that with the team, but I can’t be great without the great wife I have and the awesome kids I have, great parents and brothers I have that have all — and great mentors that I’ve had, from [former Mount Union coach] Larry Kehres to [former NFL coach] Frank Reich and all the different guys that have put their arms around me and helped develop me into the coach that I am. It means a lot. Like I said, we’ll enjoy this. Our goals are much bigger.