for display only
Big Blue Interactive The Corner Forum  
Back to the Corner

Archived Thread

Monday Media Transcript: Head Coach Ben McAdoo

Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/14/2017 3:36 pm
Head Coach Ben McAdoo

August 14, 2017

Q: Where do you believe S/LB Eric Pinkins’ most natural position on the field is?

A: Special teams. He has a temperament for special teams. He flies around and makes plays; he’s very active there. On the defensive side of the ball, close to the ball, he’s good. He’s working on his skills deep, but he’s good close to the football. He makes messes.

Q: Are his footwork and hips fluid enough to play safety?

A: Yes.

Q: Can a guy make a team strictly based off of special teams?

A: Yes.

Q: Was Eli (unspecified) a little less rusty today?

A: Eli Apple had a great day (laughing from crowd). You saw him on the kickoff coverage drill; he was making a lot of plays. He had some good stair-steps and good physical play. He had a nice day.

Q: Did LB Mark Herzlich have a setback?

A: Mark Herzlich was out today in pads. He’s a non-contact practice player.

Q: What happened to DT Corbin Bryant?

A: Elbow.

Q: WR Odell Beckham Jr. had more drops last year than his first two years. Is that a concern for you or anything that needs to be talked about?

A: I think, so far in camp, Odell has caught the ball very well.

Q: What is your reaction when he makes some of those one-handed catches that he can do?

A: I like two hands on the ball better than one. I like completions better than incompletions.

Q: Do you preach two hands to him?

A: See my last answer.

Q: How does WR Brandon Marshall’s size help guys like QB Eli Manning, Odell, and WR Sterling Shepard?

A: First and foremost, Brandon is a big, strong man, and he’s a good route runner for a big man. He’s not just a big guy running down the field and catching throws facemask and higher. He’s a big man who can push in and out of breaks. He’s making a lot of progress on his hook routes and his comeback-type routes for us, so he’s a good route runner that way. He has a large catch radius because of his weight and because of his wingspan.

Q: Although you preach two hands (catching the ball), is there a time when a cornerback and a receiver are jousting and the receiver uses one hand to push him off (and the other to catch the ball)?

A: I think you have a chance to get a penalty called if you rip your hand free that’s being held by a corner.

Q: Do you have to tell CB Eli Apple to be less handsy?

A: Eli Apple is a physical corner. I want him to be more handsy. I want him to be physical with his paws and play physical football.

Q: There seemed to be some mixing and matching with the defensive units today. Is there anything specific you’re trying to accomplish with that?

A: We’re in camp. We’re trying to match up players on the first and second team both ways as well as mix and match the second and third team both ways just to give them a look versus better competition.

Q: Was LB Devon Kennard limited today?

A: Yes.

Q: What was his injury?

A: He was limited.

Q: What do you think of your depth at defensive end?

A: I think it’s good. I think we’re going to have some hard decisions there. We have a lot of guys who have been productive in ballgames and we have some young players who have some good upside to them.

Q: After missing all spring, how has DE Owa Odighizuwa responded?

A: He’s fighting and battling to catch up. He has a ways to go; he’s not where he wants to be just yet, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get there.

Q: What does DE Devin Taylor bring to that defensive mix?

A: He’s a veteran, a big man. Obviously he has good ball skills, but he has some starts to his belt, some years to his belt. He’s been productive in the pass rush game.

Q: What did you think of his preseason debut?

A: I like turnovers. I like getting the ball back. I think he was productive there.

Q: How has DE Avery Moss been in with that veteran group?

A: He’s a young player. We’re asking a lot of him on the defensive side of the ball and special teams. He has a lot to learn, but he’s very willing and he’s a hard worker.

Q: How much progress do you need to see from your offensive line from this point after what you’ve seen today?

A: Today was a good day for them. They were low; they ired off the ball. The offensive and defensive line got after each other. We didn’t have anything post-snap, which was nice to see. They can learn how to play physical football while being committed to discipline and poise. We worked well together and they got better out there today.

Q: It seemed like you had a lot of false starts in practice.

A: In the second half of practice, our focus went down. It was a long and heated practice. Our focus has to go up; it wasn’t good enough there in the second half.

Q: How do you think your fullbacks have progressed this training camp?

A: They’re doing a nice job. Assignment-wise they’re making progress. (Jacob) Huesman did a nice job picking up a linebacker coming off the edge on an action-pass play today, did a nice job there. They’re getting better on special teams each and every day. It’s a great competition.

Q: You named RB Paul Perkins the starting running back in May. Has that loosened up a bit? Are you considering RB Orleans Darkwa for the starting job?

A: I’m considering them all for the job. Whoever plays the best is going to get the ball.

Q: Is he still the starter then?

A: He’s out there first. By no means have I lost confidence in Paul Perkins. I have a lot of trust and confidence in him. He’s a young player who is working hard to get better and has a lot of value for us.

Q: Do you like how hard RB Wayne Gallman has been running the past couple of days?

A: He had a hard, physical run in the game (against the Steelers last Friday), there wasn’t much there. He put his pads down and he ran physical behind his pads. We know he has some talent in the open field to put his foot in the ground and change direction to make people miss. We’re looking forward to seeing him run between the tackles and seeing what he can do for us there.
Back to the Corner