PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There were only three preseason games this year, and coach Nick Sirianni barely played his Eagles starters, having put a lot of stock in joint practices with the Jets and Patriots.
Personally, Sirianni says he's ready to start the season on Sept. 12 against the Atlanta Falcons.
"Let's go. I'm ready," Sirianni said with a smile after his team allowed a Hail Mary and two-point conversion to finish in a 31-all tie with the Jets on Friday night at MetLife Stadium.
To see Sirianni's press conference from this past Friday, advance to the 28:19 mark of this video:
However, even if Sirianni says he's ready personally, he recognizes the importance of taking it one day at a time over the next two weeks.
"If we're truly a process-driven team, where we want to get better every single day because we know if you make those deposits every single day of getting better, and every single day you pay the deposit, pay the deposit, pay the deposit, you're gonna be ready to play."
So, what are the next two weeks expected to entail?
First of all, the Eagles need to trim their roster to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. That doesn't mean it's set in stone. Players who make the initial 53 can always be replaced by someone who another team let go. The new head coach, who has experience as an assistant elsewhere in the NFL, made it clear he doesn't enjoy this part of the job.
As the roster trims down, Sirianni said this next week of practice, which doesn't directly lead up to Week 1 against the Falcons, will feature "competitive situations" and more reps for the starters with fewer players in uniform.
"It'll be more reps for the 1's just to make sure that they're getting ready, you know, continuing to get ready -- we've really ramped up their reps as it is -- but continuing to get ready to play 70 plays or plus that Week 1 ahead of Atlanta," Sirianni explained.
Some have questioned the wisdom of the Eagles holding their starters from the preseason games. And not everyone is sold on Siriannis's theory that the joint practice sessions are as good as preseason matches for training.
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Before last Friday's preseason finale against the Jets, radio analyst and former Eagles wide receiver Mike Quick said on NBC 10's pregame show, "The problem with that is when the lights are on, when it's real, everything is turned up a little bit -- the intensity, the pressure -- everything surrounding the game is much more heightened and that's the only reason why I'm not completely satisfied and sold on that theory."
Sirianni believes his team practiced hard during training camp, and that's how he wants things to go in the coming days. Time will tell if that is be enough to prepare for the Falcons, or if Sirianni's method will backfire?
"We still have two weeks of preparation, so am I really excited? Yeah. I want to go start game planning Atlanta right now, and I'm really excited about it. I got goosebumps thinking about going up there and playing at Atlanta and with this team, with these guys, but I gotta be at the head coach. I gotta practice what I preach. And that is: Hey, we got two weeks left before we step on that field. Deposits are due every single day."
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