On Day 3 of Training Camp, Nothing Is Set In Stone
Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter (courtesy PhiladelphiaEagles.com)
On the third day of training camp, the only thing for certain is that the pressure is on to get it right.
Head Coach Nick Sirianni knows that. On Friday, he was caught by multiple beat reporters insisting that they strive towards perfection.
“It’s got to be perfect now,” Sirianni was caught on video saying, “because if it ain’t [expletive] perfect now, it ain’t gonna be perfect when [expletive] going in the game. Get it perfect!”
Sirianni was asked in the press conference about his colorful chastisement of players which made the rounds on social media on Friday. Sirianni said that he didn’t think he was more animated — he deferred to his players on that — but did acknowledge that sometimes course corrections are made through a variety of ways.
“Sometimes a correction is made with a smack on the butt, and sometimes a correction is made with getting after them,” Sirianni said. “The art of coaching is figuring out when to do one and when to do the other one.”
Sirianni acknowledged that the intensity needs to be there at all levels of the team.
“There’s pressure on all of us no matter what,” Sirianni said when he was asked if starting some of this year’s draft class with the third team was to their benefit given there’s less pressure there.
Sunday’s practice was Salute to Service day, and members of the military were present for much of camp. During the morning press conference, Sirianni actually stopped for a few moments while the national anthem was sung.
Of the positions in question, Cam Jurgens started again at right guard. Jurgens has spent all three days of camp open to the media so far with the first team. Despite it being apparent that this is Jurgens’ spot to lose, Sirianni said that this wasn’t locked in.
“I think to say that he is there and he is there exclusively would be unfair to the other guys that are competing with him because, again, you’re going to find out more and more as the pads come on,” Sirianni clarified. “Nothing is in stone, and we’ll just keep working to make sure that we put the right five guys out there when we go.”
Sirianni noted that it’s difficult to judge any lineman’s performance during the early days of camp as it’s a non-contact period and nobody is wearing pads, though he declined to say when the pads would come on.
There were several notable things that occurred, according to various beat reporters for the team. Jalen Hurts goes three practices with no interceptions, all while making aggressive throws; he threaded one to Quez Watkins, who was covered by Zech McPhearson and Reed Blankenship, as an example, according to Bleeding Green Nation. Hurts was also on the run a lot, suggesting that the Eagles will continue to rely on his legs.
Watkins himself had a standout day today, arguably the most present wide receiver on the field. Watkins was reportedly targeted on two deep balls by Hurts, including the above one in double coverage, and caught a handful of shallow passes, too.
A lot of practice to date focused on red zone situations. Sirianni indicated in his press conference that it’s hard, but there’s good reasoning for doing it.
“The design of it is that, one, obviously red zone is super important,” Sirianni explained, “and, two, it’s not always about how much you’re on the field but also the distance you’re running while you’re on your field, so it is part of the progression of how we’re getting these guys going back into football shape.”
Another highlight was third down situations, which was featured in the practice’s closing “jamboree” session. The offense and defense were pitted against each other and they scored points based on how they did in third down situations. The offense won handily, 23-14, forcing the defense to run sprints at the end of practice.
Haason Reddick was upgraded to limited participation, meaning that no Eagles are fully out of practice. Sirianni mentioned that Reddick would be doing individual work. Also limited were Avonte Maddox and Derek Barnett.
One of Sirianni’s core values is connecting, and he commended how the veterans and rookies are connecting.
“[The veterans are] going to show them every day of how they go about their business, but when they really have that ability to and want to help the young guys, that’s a big deal,” Sirianni observed. “They understand that what’s good for [LB] Nolan Smith, to say one young guy, is going to be good for the team, which is going to be good for [DE] Brandon [Graham].”
DT Jordan Davis commented on how that connection happens even as a second-year player, as he helps mostly with the transition of this year’s draft class.
“You’ve got to grow up real quick coming from college to the NFL,” Davis recalled. “Luckily for me and Kobe [LB Nakobe Dean], it’s recent. You can listen to Fletch [DT Fletcher Cox], you can listen to BG [Brandon Graham], but times have changed since they’ve been the rookies. Fortunately, it’s fresh for us and I get to give them the experience.”
Davis also suggested that he shares more than just football knowledge, offering insights on stores, restaurants, and even dog-watchers.
“At the end of the day, football is football, but we care about them on a deeper level,” Davis elaborated. “They’re my bros.”
“It’s a special group of guys, and that’s what we want. We want guys to connect,” Sirianni said, alluding to one of his five core values. “When you’re truly in it to have the relationships and you’re truly in it to get better as a team, understanding that the best teams win, not the best groups of individuals, that makes for a special team, and that’s why we have special leaders on this team.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled Nakobe Dean’s first name.
