There has been a lot written about the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry this week. Dallas has owned Philadelphia in recent games, to the tune of 96 points over the last two matchups. All that is in the rear-view mirror. Head coach Nick Sirianni has his team focused on the here and now.
He gave an impassioned speech to the Eagles prior to kickoff in Week 6. In it, he apologized for something he did to stoke the flames of the heated NFC East rivalry: Sirianni wore a “Beat Dallas” shirt. His wardrobe decision went viral for all the wrong reasons.
Not this year. No bulletin-board material. No unnecessary drama. No one else except the guys in the Eagles locker room.
Here is the transcript of Sirianni’s comments:
This is the biggest game of your year because it’s the next one. No team motivates us more than what we mean to each other. No opponent, none, is greater motivation because it’s easy to get wrapped into the game, the rivalry, it’s f****** easy to do that! This was stupid on my part last year. [Sirianni holds up the “Beat Dallas” shirt. It’s f****** easy to do that!
It’s about us. It’s about playing for each other. Us playing for each other means more than anything else. It’s a huge game to the crowd and the media. Let the fans get excited about the opponents, that’s great for us. We’re home. We get motivated to play for each other more than our opponent.
Eagles Activate Andre Dillard, Elevate Andre Chachere
The Eagles made a few minor roster moves ahead of the Eagles-Cowboys game. First, the team activated Andre Dillard from injured reserve to the 53-man roster. He’ll serve as the primary backup left tackle behind Jordan Mailata in Week 6.
Philadelphia placed defensive end Janarius Robinson on injured reserve while elevating safety Andre Chachere from the practice squad. They also put tackle Jarrid Williams on injured reserve. Meanwhile, the Eagles have been trading walk-throughs for traditional practices in recent days. It’s something Sirianni did last year as a way to keep his guys fresh and sharp. He called it a “feel thing.”
“We do what we feel is best for our guys,” Sirianni said. “We’ve got some guys banged up, it would be good to get them another day’s rest while working their minds really hard today with meetings and walkthrough.”
Accounting for Micah Parsons on Every Single Play
Micah Parsons is one of the most feared defensive players in football, a dual-threat linebacker and pass rusher. The Penn State product is tied for the NFL lead with six sacks. He has half a sack and four total tackles in one game versus Philadelphia. Sirianni knows Parsons is a monster who must be accounted for “every single play.”
“Whatever you do, again, you’re trying to put your players in the best position to succeed, and while you’re doing that, you’re trying not to allow their best players to wreck the game,” Sirianni said. “So, he’ll be accounted for every single play. That’s doesn’t mean he’s not going to make some plays here and there. He’s a really outstanding, outstanding player. I think we all know that. The league knows that. He’s proved it for the last year and a half.”
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