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Monday Media Transcript: Head Coach Ben McAdoo

Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/15/2016 3:41 pm
Head Coach Ben McAdoo

August 15, 2016

Q: Do you like seeing the scuffle that Snacks and Justin Pugh got into. Do you like that kind of intensity?

A: I like the intensity. I don't like to see guys taking swings at each other. I’m not sure if they did or not, but that reflects a lack of discipline.

Q: Did you seek out Pugh or did he seek you out after that practice?

A: We were talking about something totally different.

Q: Did you address it all with any of the players?

A: No. They broke it up, they handled it well.

Q: This was the first time that you made them run sprints. Was this because you didn’t like what you were seeing or was that planned?

A: No, it was planned. We did some tempo-conditioning after the two-minute drill, just to simulate late in the game, and fighting through it and having the right attitude. They responded.

Q: You had a lot of players go down during this practice. Do you have anything on Larry Donnell and John Jerry?

A: Larry needed to get hydrated. John Jerry had an illness.

Q: Sterling Shepard didn’t seem to do much in team drills, why was that?

A: No, he was limited. His groin.

Q: How about Matt Smalley?

A: Smalley has a shoulder.

Q: Shepard’s groin, was there a setback?

A: No, there was no setback. We just limited him.

Q: Odell seemed to stretching out. Was anything bothering him a little bit?

A: No. Nothing to report.

Q: What can you say about Roger Lewis’ practice today?

A: He made a nice play in two minutes. He had a couple of nice plays today, he's flashing. We expect him to be more consistent and that’s what he needs to work towards.

Q: Is Bobby Hart your all-purpose lineman?

A: We believe that Bobby has some versatility.

Q: It seems that a couple of guys have tried to make one-handed catches the past couple days and haven’t come down with the ball. Is that something you've seen?

A: I don’t like it. There is only one Odell, and we like to see him catch it with two hands.

Q: Any update on Victor Cruz? Any change in his status?

A: No. Just the status quo.

Q: Of the 14 training camp practices, he's been able to participate in 11. Have you been able to make an evaluation of him in those 11 practices.

A: No, we're building him up to get to a position where we can make an evaluation. He had the hiccup, hoping to get him some work on Wednesday.

Q: You have talked about a tight end group where everybody brings something different to the table. What is Ryan Malleck's skillset?

A: Ryan is a versatile guy. He's a smart guy. He works at it. He has a great work ethic, he's tough. He's gotten a lot of reps these last two days. He's earning some respect out there.

Q: How do you think Emmett Cleary responded to getting in there today when John Jerry went down?

A: I'm going to go back and take a look at the film. I think it's not too big for Emmett, he's going to fight though and battle through everything. He's going to do the best he can with the reps he's been given. But I'm going to look at the tape before I make any statements.

Q: You officially broke camp today. Does it feel different?

A: We have a vet select group that can break camp. But the young guys are going to stick with it for a little while longer.

Q: Do you think it’s possible for Cruz to play in the preseason game this week?

A: It's early in the week; we'll see.

Q: How do you handicap the middle linebacker position? What has Kelvin Sheppard shown you in his brief time here?

A: Kelvin is an instinctive guy that gets football. He's been around, played a lot; veteran guy. We feel that he's right there in the mix, has a chance to earn the job.

Q: Middle linebacker is a dicey position, calling the plays and everything. When do you want to settle on one of those guys?

A: We're going to use all the information that we can get. So we'll let that play itself out.

Re: Cruz’s recent injury history

A: Victor and I had a nice conversation yesterday afternoon. We talked about some different things that may be able to help moving forward, and I'll let him share that. I'm not going to share that; I'll keep our conversation private.

Q: You have talked about the importance of communication on the defensive side of the ball. How do you evaluate the defense after seeing them a couple series the other night plus what you’ve seen in training camp?

A: I think it was good to get them out there playing together. It's not just verbal and nonverbal communication. It's how they fit off of each other and how they play off of each other, and you can only get that from full speed reps. So taking a look at them this week, give them some more work this week, will help.

Q: Jonathan Casillas had the near interception and then got one that counted the other night. Obviously you like to see those types of plays from a linebacker. Does that tell you something about the playmaking possibilities of this defense as a whole?

A: I think we have some guys that have good instincts. They can pull the trigger quickly, and he's one of them.

Q: What do you see as Dwayne Harris's role?

A: Dwayne Harris is a featured special teams player for us. He's someone who showed that he can play wide receiver, and a large number of snaps if you need him to be, and be successful doing it. He improved at the position last year.

Q: Would you prefer him to be more special teams?

A: We're going to use him any way we can use him. It just depends on what the number look like. It's way too early for that.

Q: Geremy Davis went down with an injury during the game, how do you think he's recovered since then?

A: I haven't seen him. He hasn't practiced, so he's not healthy.

Q: What have you learned about Olivier Vernon that you didn’t know now that you have had the chance to coach him?

A: I told him the other day that I think he's a closet pro. He's a guy, he's very professional about the way he goes about his business. He takes care of himself to the highest degree. He doesn't necessarily do it out in the open. I think he has some leadership capabilities and qualities. I think guys are going to gravitate to him.

Q: Why do you think that meeting with Victor Cruz was necessary?

A: When did I say it was necessary?

Q: Why did you have it?

A: We wanted to have a conversation. It was a just a conversation between two men.

Q: Without divulging the details, how does he seem?

A: I'm going to leave it private. If Victor want to address it, he can address it. I support Victor 100 percent.

Q: You said camp is going to continue for the rookies, how much longer for them?

A: For the vet select group, they are finished with camp, they'll be able to check out tonight or tomorrow. But we have guys with four or less years who are going to stay in the hotel and continue to operate under camp rules.

Q: How much longer?

A: After the Buffalo game.
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