Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai got his first taste of Eagles football on the sideline against the Ravens. Despite the result, he took a lot of positives out of the game, including the performance of young players and the depth on the line. Desai met with the media on Monday to provide an update on his defense ahead of Day 1 of joint practices with the Browns.
On the execution of the playcalling: "I thought it was smooth. It is the preseason, so you have so many guys to get ready because we are rotating a lot. The guys heard the calls, they got the calls in, and they were able to echo them."
On integrating Myles Jack and Zack Cunningham into the defense: "They are still in the acclimation process. They are still getting their feet wet here. And they are doing well. You can tell these guys are professionals. They have been around the league and different defensive systems. Now it is the process of learning our stuff, our culture, and our standards. They have really embraced it, so it is nice to see."
On allocating playing time during preseason: "There are a lot of things that go into playing time. We just want to get guys evaluated. We want to try to get guys in different combinations to see what the best fits are."
On facing the Browns' offense during practice: "I think one thing that we will get a good grasp of as a staff and as a team on defense is how strongly can we rely on our techniques and fundamentals. This is great because it is an unscouted opponent; it is a different team than we have been facing for the last three weeks. You get to test out your rule and see who is mastering it. That is what I am most excited about."
On the backup nose tackle position: "We are so focused on training techniques. What that means is we have a lot of guys, and they are all learning those jobs. We have great depth at D-line. Now, it is just a matter of finding all the different combinations. All of our guys can play that position. That is the way we teach it. We all learn the techniques and fundamentals."
On the performance of Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith against the Ravens: "Both of them played well. In Jalen's first snap, he had a good move and counter. We have to remember that this is the first NFL game they are playing in. There are a lot of emotions involved. We want them to embrace those moments but also learn how to manage those. Nolan is in the same bucket; he did a good job. They know what they have to keep improving."
On the value of the joint practices: "I think joint practices are tremendous because it is right about that time in camp where you get tired of going against your own guys. You get to see yourself against different stuff and different players, different receivers, different offensive linemen, different tight ends, guys that run the routes a little bit differently. And it becomes more football-like and game-like, and that is cool. And I think the fact that we do it is awesome."
