Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo
December 4, 2014
Re: composition of offensive line
A: Offensive line we are working through that right now. Working through some different combinations, seeing who is healthy, and getting guys experience moving around and competing at some different spots.
Q: With Justin Pugh, is he still strictly at tackle? Or is that something where you would think about moving him around also?
A: He played right tackle today.
Q: How did Weston Richburg play after coming back from his demotion?
A: Weston Richburg has some good moments in the game. He was like the rest of us, we need to be more consistent in the second half.
Q: What could you have done to get it going on offense or making it easier for the offense to function with the offensive line struggling?
A: My name is on all of it. Turnovers, that is my responsibility, it goes back to fundamentals, and we need to do a better job of taking care of the ball. That starts with me. It goes back to practice, it is not really just about the game, it is about practicing the way you train and I need to do a better job.
Q: Do you guys need to do a better job of getting the ball in Odell Beckham’s hands in the second half of games? I think he has had only five targets in the second half of the last two games.
A: I think any time you can get the ball in his hands would be wise.
Q: Do you consciously break that up?
A: Yes.
Q: When he doesn’t get the ball, I assume the other team is taking him out of the game. Are teams doing that more?
A: I think teams are conscious of where he is and the impact that he can have on the game. In difficult times, you think of players, not plays, and he is one of the guys we need to think of in critical times in the game.
Q: When it starts to get that way, do you have to find different ways to get him the ball?
A: Yeah, we train him in a variety of spots. He has done a nice job there really. You saw at the end of the game there in that drive we scored with three minutes left, we moved him in some different spots and got back to some simple, basic things and got his hands on the ball a couple of times there.
Q: Are those in-game adjustments that you are making or special packages you prepared for?
A: Probably a little bit of both, a little bit of both.
Q: From a play calling perspective, when you are down, and you have to move John Jerry to right tackle, bring in Dallas Reynolds who hasn’t played. Does it limit what you think you can do, or the confidence you have in that spot?
A: I will say what I said earlier, you have confidence in the guys, they are all pros, they work at it. Dallas Reynolds works his tail off and prepares for each game like he is starting. Hats off to John Jerry moving out to right tackle against their rushers and doing a heck of a job of competing. You like to do some things to get their feet wet when you first make that move, but you have to have confidence in him and we did. We had some manageable third downs in the game that we didn’t come up with early on that hurt us, but we need to take better care of the football. When it is on the ground, we need to get it.
Q: Andre Williams talked a couple weeks ago when Rashad Jennings came back that stepping away may give him a little more perspective, maybe patience to understand what his job would be. Have you seen a difference in him with Rashad being back on the field?
A: I think it is healthy for a young guy to be thrust into a role, and to have a chance to see a veteran come back in and do the same job. I think he has a chance to really apply some of the lessons that he has learned, see how another guy goes about his job, and learn from it. I think that is helping him.
Q: When you look at those two guys. You have one guy averaging 3.9 yards a carry, one guy averaging 2.9 yards a carry. They are running behind the same offensive line, how do you view that?
A: Every play tells its own story. You would have to look at each play, and each game, differently, and how we match up. I know we had some tough matchups with Andre Williams in there. Not to say we didn’t with Rashad, but you will learn more about that when you do the offseason studies and the scheme studies and things like that. Some guys run some things a little better than others, strengths, and weaknesses are different depending on how you matchup against the opponent.
Q: There were a couple of games where you guys made a strong effort to get Rueben Randle the ball early in the game. The past couple of games, he has got a little quieter. Has his role in the offense changed?
A: No, Rueben Randle is a starting receiver for us, we have a lot of confidence in him. He made some nice catches and ran well with the ball after the catch last week.
Q: How disappointing is it that you had to take disciplinary action against him 12 games into the season?
A: I have a lot of confidence in Rueben Randle. Moving forward, we expect him to be a big part of the things we are doing. He is getting better and we expect him to continue to improve and the better decisions you make between the white lines and outside the white lines, the better you will be.
Q: If Rashad Jennings can’t go, how much can Orleans Darkwa give?
A: He is working his way into it, he has been here a little while, he is smart, conscientious, we trust him. He has a little different flavor back there for us, next man up.
Q: What is it about him that is different?
A: He is a shiftier type guy and we like his…..stay tuned. We will leave it at that.
Q: He can catch the ball right?
A: Yes, he has a good set of hands.
Q: Eli Manning has faced a lot pressure during this losing streak. Are there things he can do to handle that better or are there times where he doesn’t have the chance to?
A: Pressure? You mean from the rush? There are times you want to get the ball out quickly, there are other times you may have to hold onto it and it will take longer than you’d like under adverse conditions. First and foremost, we need to take care of the football. After that we can hang in there and take a hit to complete the ball, that is part of the game.
Q: Have you been seeing enough of that?
A: Yes.
