When DeVonta Smith finished out Week 7 with -2 receiving yards, it caused more than a few fans to turn their heads in disbelief.
Now granted, the Eagles didn’t throw the ball much against the New York Giants due to the absolute mastery of Saquon Barkley, with Jalen Hurts throwing the ball a season-low 14 times. But a negative yardage performance by Smith? One of the better receivers in the NFL? Yeah, that has never happened in his career, literally.
Fortunately, Smith didn’t hold it against the team, his quarterback, or his head coach, and Nick Sirianni, for one, was very impressed by that fact, as it showed a level of selflessness that in his Pro Bowl wide receiver worthy of celebration.
“I think first and foremost, we go into every game plan like, ‘How are we going to get these guys the ball?’ So you don’t really know it’s not going to be your week until the game is going on and the flow of the game happens. And even then, you might need a big play as the game continues on. Sometimes you don’t know the week is going to play out like that until the game is over. You have some ideas of how they might double guys at certain spots and this and that. I think that’s the first thing. You don’t know as the week leads up, so everyone is preparing the way they are,” Sirianni told reporters.
“Then I think it takes great selflessness. Being a team is fighting for each other, celebrating together, being selfless, and understanding that sometimes it’s not going to be your turn that week. And all that matters is that we win. Talking about [WR] DeVonta [Smith], he changed the game in other ways last week against the Giants. It just wasn’t when he was catching the football. Then he’s able to come out and change the game with the ball in his hands this week. I just think it says a lot about our guys and their selflessness of being able to roll with the punches and play the next play, and know there are going to be some times like that.”
So naturally, after watching Smith get his first-ever negative yardage day as a pro in Week 7, Sirianni made it a point to get his star receiver involved in Week 8, and get involved he absolutely got.
Nick Sirianni believes DeVonta Smith’s hard work paid off in Week 8
Turning his attention from Week 7 to Week 8, Sirianni celebrated how Smith was able to play against the Bengals, as his 85 yards played a major difference in the Eagle’s win.
“I think it was nice to get DeVonta the game that he had yesterday. I think it showed up in many ways, right? You saw him make an unbelievable touchdown catch in traffic on a jump ball. Jalen put a great ball on him, we had great protection, and [WR DeVonta Smith] Smitty went up and got it. Then, I loved the third down conversion by DeVonta on the little sideline pass that Jalen put out there for him. And then DeVonta – I showed this in the team meeting today – lowering his shoulder and getting the extra yards needed,” Sirianni noted.
“You don’t see that a lot with a guy who’s on the sideline. You see a lot of guys will step out of bounds. But DeVonta is so tough. The reason I say that is because he’s so physically tough, but he is mentally tough, too. There are ebbs and flows of the season. You’re going to have wins; you’re going to have losses. How do you respond? You’re going to have games where you have no catches, and you’re going to have games where you have however many he had yesterday, 6 for 86. That takes mental toughness to understand that. And he’s not only physically tough, but mentally tough. All those guys have to be in the same boat with him, and they are.”
While some NFL teams are fighting on the sidelines, and wide receivers are holding out for bigger roles, the Eagles have remained startlingly resolved in their pursuit of victory, with no one getting too vocal about their snaps, volume of touches, or overall usage. Considering the team’s Super Bowl aspirations, that matters as much as the Xs and Os.
