Head Coach Brian Daboll
December 20, 2023
Q: How’s (tight end) Darren (Waller) doing after playing for the first time?
A: He’s doing okay, yep.
Q: Is there anybody we’re not going to see out practicing today?
A: Yeah, there’s a few guys. I don’t have the report, I know that’s not until tomorrow. (Defensive lineman) Dexter (Lawrence II) won’t practice –
Q: Who was that? Dex?
A: Dex.
Q: Is that a rest thing or is that an injury thing?
A: No, he’s still working through his hamstring. I don’t have the list with me, a couple other guys. Get it tomorrow.
Q: How’s (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) doing?
A: He’s doing okay, yep.
Q: How do things change with (Eagles Senior Defensive Assistant) Matt (Patricia) now calling the defense, I guess, for them assuming he’s going to stay in that role? And that’s a guy you know pretty well.
A: I have a lot of respect for Matt, for (Eagles Defensive Coordinator) Sean (Desai), for (Eagles Head Coach) Nick (Sirianni), all those guys. He has his own touch to things. How he called it against Seattle, I wouldn’t say it’s drastically different but there’s certain elements that are maybe a little bit different, so he’s a heck of a coach.
Q: Could you see the difference?
A: Yeah, I’d say there’s obviously a lot of similarities, they’ve been in that system. There’s a couple things that he’s done but I think Sean – I know Sean well, he’s a heck of a coach, Matt, those guys do a good job.
Q: What are you expecting from a Monday afternoon Christmas game atmosphere-wise in Philadelphia?
A: I’m sure it’ll be how it always is there.
Q: What have you seen from (Eagles quarterback) Jalen Hurts?
A: He’s a winner. Since high school, he’s won over 75 percent of his games. He’s a heck of a player, heck of a quarterback, heck of a person. He’s a good player.
Q: What do you see from their offense? They haven’t actually been scoring as many points as – I think they’d like and kind of what we were expecting from what we saw from them last year.
A: I’d say they are still real good. Really good skill players, good quarterback, good offensive line, good running back, got a lot of talent on their team.
Q: Why do you think (Eagles running back D’Andre) Swift is a good fit for them at running back?
A: He’s a good running back. He’s a good fit probably with any team. Good with the ball in his hands, can catch, can run. They’ve got a lot of talent on their football team.
Q: There’s a lot of stuff coming out of there. They’ve lost three in a row, they’re struggling. You’re probably not buying into a lot of that stuff, I guess, huh?
A: Yeah, they’re 10-4. They’re pretty good.
Q: At the owners meetings, when we mentioned to you that you had a good first season and you said ‘well, did you watch? we got kind of’, paraphrasing, ‘we got blown out by Philadelphia in the playoffs.’ You guys talked about trying to catch up to the Eagles and the Cowboys in the offseason. How do you look at that now as you face this team for the first time?
A: They’re a good football team, got a lot to prepare for, so let’s get ready to play the Eagles here.
Q: Do you feel you’ve closed the gap?
A: All I’m concentrating on is having a good day today, trying to go out there and put a good plan together and have a good practice.
Q: You have a couple of veteran receivers who aren’t playing and some young guys who are. What was the thinking going on there with those guys?
A: One more time.
Q: (Wide receiver) Sterling (Shepard) and (wide receiver) Parris (Campbell) aren’t playing. I think they were in the plans a little more earlier in the season.
A: (Wide receiver Jalin) Hyatt and (wide receiver) Wan’Dale (Robinson) are playing more.
Q: How are the veterans, those guys, taking it?
A: They’re pros.
Q: They’re taking it okay?
A: I mean, they’re competitive, I’m sure they’d like to play, but we’re playing Wan’Dale and Hyatt.
Q: We asked you in the past about (guard) Justin Pugh. Has anything he’s done surprised you considering how he came here and the suddenness of it?
A: I didn't know him before we got here. So, he's been a pro in that room. I think he contributes in a positive way to all the younger players. He’s done everything we've asked him to do. Glad we got him.
Q: He was pretty hard on his performance the other day and you’ve made changes with guys. Is it your plan to stick with him?
A: Yeah, he’ll play. Yep.
Q: Where’s (tackle) Evan Neal with trying to come back here?
A: He’s doing everything he can do.
Q: Do you expect (running back Gary) Brightwell back this week?
A: We’ll open the window for Brightwell, open the window for (tackle Matt) Peart. Both those guys.
Q: Is (offensive lineman Josh) Ezeudu not going to play this year?
A: No.
Q: I don’t often ask you about long snapping operations, but I’m going to do so today if I may.
A: Sure. You may.
Q: How much do you almost take for granted that those guys are going to do their particular job, do it well, and in many cases, affect the game with it?
A: Yeah, it’s a pretty important position. Consistency, they work just like the specialists, the kickers, the holders. (Long snapper) Casey (Kreiter) is a tireless worker, good leader for us. Kind of talks about the protections too with all the guys that are playing on the punt team. It’s a point play, so them being accurate, snapping it on time with good velocity, good accuracy is critical to any of those plays.
Q: How’s (kicker) Randy Bullock doing?
A: He’s not great. Yeah, he’s not great, so that’s something we’ll work through here and see where he is. But I’m not expecting him to be ready.
Q: Is (kicker) Cade (York) the option then in that situation?
A: Yep.
Q: Can you just explain the process you guys have gone through with Cade? Bringing him in, making him inactive, just the whole thing.
A: Thought he was a good young player to work with. He’s done a good job out here, and glad we have him right now. He’s worked hard, and glad we got him.
Q: Since he’s gotten here, what improvements have you seen? Have you seen him grow a little bit?
A: He’s got a strong leg. He kicks the ball well, pretty accurate. We've continued to work with him since he's been here. So, again, it's good, particularly when that happens, to have someone here for you that you're able to hopefully kick for you.
Q: Why do you think Philly’s D-Line has not been as dominant this year as it was in previous years?
A: I'd say they're tough to block. They have a lot of good players. They've added some pieces. (Eagles defensive lineman) Jalen (Carter) is one heck of a player, dominant at times. They're certainly one of the better D-Lines in the league.
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