Head Coach Ben McAdoo
July 31, 2016
Q: What do you have on Odell Beckham’s injury?
A: He got cleated and he has a cut or two. They’re in there taking a look at it now, so he’s probably going to be sore for a couple of days.
Q: You’re not worried about it being anything structural or anything like that?
A: At this point, that’s all I have.
Q: Is there a reason why Victor Cruz didn’t participate much in the 11-on-11?
A: We dialed back his load today. He did work, he finished practice and he got the number of reps we were looking for him to get today.
Q: That was the plan?
A: Yes, that’s part of the structure.
Q: Coach, you have kind of a landmark coming up in the off day tomorrow, what are your thoughts so far?
A: It’s gone, at least so far, according to plan. Look forward to getting the pads back on when we get back on Tuesday and getting their feet underneath them. Fitting the pads in, I know those big guys are looking forward to that. Some of the drills we have planned for them will be exciting.
Q: What are you looking for when the pads come on?
A: Fundamentals, physicality.
Q: It’s got to be a little sickening when Odell is on the ground like that and a little slow to get up?
A: Yes, I mean when something happens to any of your players your heart is in your throat, but we were fortunate there.
Q: You had to move inside today, what changes for you when you have to keep two of three practices here inside? Do you have to change your plan at all?
A: Yes, I like to use all the grass outside. You like to spread the guys around and have them moving around, keep their head on a swivel a little bit. In here, things get a little tight but once you get the music on, the energy gets going, a little bit of a bee hive effect, and you have guys swarming. Players’ safety is a big concern, so we have to be smart with the way we’re doing things, so more of a traffic cop in here, especially early on in practice, making sure we are smart with our space.
Q: Script stays the same though?
A: Yes.
Q: What are you going to do in Tuesday’s practice as far as contact? Is it going to be full tackle or thud like you did in the past here?
A: We’re going to have thud tempo, thud wrap and release.
Q: Do you believe in tackling to the ground?
A: Yes, every Sunday.
Q: Not during practices, though?
A: There’s a potential for it.
Q: Under what circumstances?
A: We don’t have any scheduled for Tuesday.
Q: Until Tuesday, what have you looked for so far? Is it more mental reps?
A: Every rep is a mental rep. We’re looking to get their feet underneath them, get the fundamental part of things going and build up their endurance to play the game.
Q: Was it anything in the last few days that you saw with Victor and why you kind of backed off today?
A: No, that was just part of the program.
Q: What’s the program with him moving forward?
A: Same thing. He’ll have different loads each and every day depending on the day and the workload the day before and the work load the next day.
Q: Does contact change anything for that?
A: That’s a part of it. That’s factored in.
Q: With a day off tomorrow, he had a couple of days of work and now he has a couple of lighter days maybe and then gear it up on Tuesday, is that the thinking?
A: We’re not going to give everything away but there are acclimation days and there are high effort days, high workload days, and then there are days off. You can acclimate; you can work and then bring it back down. We’ll have launch days; we have some different things built in.
Q: Do you anticipate any of the PUP guys being back Tuesday?
A: Possibility, yes.
Q: What has Greg Milhouse done to impress you guys? He’s running with the first team over guys that were here last year?
A: He’s doing a nice job. He’s flashing, he works at it mentally in the classroom and technically he’s trying to do things the right way and he’s doing what we’re asking him to do. It’s important.
Q: When it comes to Cruz’s workload, are you also doing that with other players or it is strictly a Cruz thing?
A: We can tailor to each individual player. Mostly guys coming off an injury, but guys who are veterans or other guys, as well.
Q: What did you think of Myles White today?
A: I think Myles is having a nice camp. Myles is poised to make a run.
Q: What can you say about the performance Paul Perkins had today?
A: Paul’s getting his feet wet. It’s nice to have him here. He missed a lot of time in the offseason, but he’s a guy that has a lot of learning to do and we have to give him the reps to do it.
Q: With Odell, is there any chance he needs a stitch or a staple or something?
A: Not that I’m aware of.
Q: Do you think Odell will be ready by the first preseason game?
A: Ready for what? To play the game? I would hope so.
Q: What do you plan to do on the off day for you and what do the players do?
A: The players are off. They have treatment if they’re on the injury report. Coaches, we have to prepare, we have some targets that we have to hit for the next week, for the preseason games and reflect back on this last few days.
