It seems we did not have to wait until Nick Sirianni’s first press conference as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, which was to take place on Friday (January 29), to hear how he weighs in on the team’s quarterback situation.
Sirianni was asked about the topic during a 17-minute interview with Dave Spadaro on PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Here is a complete transcript of the exchange:
SPADARO: So, Nick, we all want to know – and you will be asked a lot about this – how do you feel about Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, and how much was the quarterback position discussed during the interview process?
SIRIANNI: I feel great. You look at a lot of grids and they have no quarter that they feel really good about. We have two. It’s amazing to have two quarterbacks who played and who played well.
I mean, I could not have watched more tape on Carson Wentz in 2018 when Frank [Reich] and I got together again and we were installing our offense with the Indianapolis Colts. We watched a lot of Chargers band and we watched a lot of 2017 Philadelphia Eagles band. And man, what an impressive player. He has so much talent and, according to what I have heard from everyone, an amazing person. And, you know, good talent, good man, it takes your game to very high levels. So, so excited.
And then Jalen got his snaps last year and he can play last year. And he played good football in meaningful games.
So, not many people have the luxury of having two quarterbacks. And so very excited to be able to work with them, because of course we all know how important the position is for a football team.
SPADARO: Was that a big topic of conversation during the interview? Did you present your view of Carson and Jalen to Jeffrey Lurie?
SIRIANNI: Yes. We talked about it. We really talked about how we attack defense. Just the overall thought of what the offense is, how we will use players, and different variations like that. Did we talk about quarterbacks? Absolutely. But we talked about each position and how we would value the position and how we would use the position.
Oh, Nick. I’m sure you know how the old saying goes: “If you have two quarters, you have no quarter.”
I’m sure people are going to have their own interpretations of his answer. And for some it will be based on what they do want to pluck from it.
My takeaway is that Sirianni did not come out and definitely committed himself to one of the two players as the undisputed starting quarterback of the Eagles. He was more exuberant about Wentz and talked about him longer than about Hurts.
Does that mean the Eagles will have a quarterback competition? Sirianni will likely be asked the question directly Friday. So far, it seems like a training camp fight is not out of the question.
And it really shouldn’t be given how poorly Wentz played last year. I mean, the Los Angeles rams will reportedly have a training camp fight this summer between Jared Goff, who was not nearly as bad as Wentz, and John Wolford, who is not nearly as promising as a prospect like Hurts.
However, will Wentz be a match for a competition? That he is reportedly “feeling a little down in his relationship with the whole organization” makes you wonder. And he does not seem to be answering the question himself any time soon, as he has mostly become silent (apart from an ad he tweeted on Thursday).
We’ll see if Siranni shines more light on the Eagles ’quarterback situation on Friday.
A few other things that stood out from Sirianni’s interview:
- The new head coach has confirmed that he will call up plays for the Eagles offense. Not really a surprise, but also remarkable if it’s a responsibility he’s never had before.
- Sirianni said he intends to be ‘very involved’ in the quarterback’s position. ‘You want to talk about a guy [Frank Reich] who knows the quarterback position? This is the man there. I feel like I’m playing my masters degree, my doctorate in quarterback, not only from Frank Reich, a good mentor to me, but also from a quarterback like Philip Rivers who played in the NFL for 17 years. Yes, I could help him become a better player, but in many ways he could make me a better coach. ”
- Sirianni really emphasizes competition and accountability as two core principles. If it’s more than just coachspeak, I can ‘t see how the Eagles simply hand over the starting work to Wentz.
- When asked about the scheme, he said the following: “It’s all about who the player is and what he does well. […] What do they do best? This is what you want to do. ”
- Sirianni has confirmed the hiring of the Eagles’ new defense coordinator. ‘You’I have a lot of energy coordinator in Jonathan Gannon. And his excitement, his energy, his juice level and his passion for the game are contagious. ”
- When asked about involvement in staff decisions, he spoke of ‘all hands on deck’ and appreciation for ‘everyone’s input’. So, more of the ‘collaboration’ line that the Eagles like to use when we all know that it’s really Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman who’s finally pulling the strings.