Wednesday Media Transcript: Head Coach Ben McAdoo

Head Coach Ben McAdoo

August 23, 2017

Q: Do you have an update on Odell’s condition?

A: He’s got an ankle. He is in there getting treatment.

Q: Is there any concern he won’t be ready for the opener?

A: We are just taking it day by day.

Q: What did you learn from the MRI?

A: I didn’t learn anything from the MRI. He’s got an ankle. He is in there getting treatment. We are taking it day by day. The medical staff reads the MRI’s.

Q: Is he in a boot?

A: He’s in there. He’s got an ankle. He is getting some treatment.

Q: If he had an injury, why was he even on the sideline the second half of the game?

A: He’s got an ankle. He’s getting treatment. He is doing what he can to get ready to go.

Q: Is there any regrets from the way that was handled from your end?

A: No regrets.

Q: How do you think Roger Lewis Jr. responded to the increased workload today?

A: I think Roger had a great day of practice. Showed up ready to go. Worked hard. Got a lot of reps on the special teams and on offense. Made some nice catches down the field on some post balls and some go balls and on some flies. Had a very productive day. Took advantage of his opportunity.

Q: You have said several times that you will take things day by day with Odell. Sometimes coaches say it is a weekly thing, so is day by day meaningful when you say that?

A: Yeah, a week is a long way away, right? I like to take things day by day and see how they go, see how he responds to treatment.

Q: How did Brett Jones do in his first team reps today?

A: Brett does some good things for us. He is a tremendous communicator, whether he is at center or guard. He knows the scheme, knows the system, helps communicate to the players around him. He is a physical player. He plays with good pad level and we trust Brett.

Q: Why did you want to give him first team reps today?

A: We are spreading the opportunities around.

Q: It is coincidental that you are spreading them around today, right?

A: No, we played a game about a day and a half ago. So, Brett does a nice job for us. We are going to give him an opportunity.

Q: Why not give him an opportunity at the other guard spot or the other tackle spots?

A: Brett can play both guards and center for us.

Q: Was Olivier Vernon’s coverage play eye opening to you the other day?

A: You know he is a very talented man. He plays the game hard. I think it speaks more to the effort and finish in the second preseason game and the desire to compete and it was a great example for everybody on the team.

Q: Can you talk about how Jason [Pierre-Paul] and Olivier Vernon play off of each other?

A: I think there is constant competition and it doesn’t matter if it’s both defensive end spots or both defensive tackle spots, we have a lot of competition going on in the defensive line room and I think that is healthy for our team.

Q: Where was Valentino [Blake] today?

A: We had a couple guys we had to leave inside today. We will leave it at that.

Q: Is it injury related?

A: We had a couple guys we had to leave inside today and we’ll leave it at that.

Q: What went into the decision to waive Darius Powe?

A: Yeah, we are short on receivers. We think highly of Darius. He’s been a good, productive player for us in the offseason and for camp. It is simply a numbers issue at this point.

Q: Was his injury something that you think would keep him out longer? Did that contribute to it?

A: It was not going to be day to day.

Q: How did you think Shane Smith played on special teams Monday night?

A: He had a lot of opportunities. Some plays were better than others. But he is a guy that is learning to play in space. And being a fullback, that is not something that comes as naturally to those guys as it does to other positions. But he is growing and he is learning.

Q: Scoring was a problem last year, how concerning is it that you still have not found the end zone this year?

A: We are not happy about it. We are working at it. That’s how we have to address it. We have to come out, we have to put our work in, and we have to improve on the practice field and get it to carry over to game day. Just because you want something to happen doesn’t mean it is going to happen. You have to work at it

Q: How did Donte Deayon look in Monday’s game?

A: Donte Deayon, he made a nice interception that was negated there by a penalty. It was a heck of a play on the boundary. We talked, I am not happy about the fair catch on the 5-yard line, but that is something he can learn from. Judge the ball a little bit better. Make sure he is in better punt catching fundamentals and know where he is on the field. But Donte is a guy we trust inside and has some good skills for that position.

Q: Has B.J. Goodson earned the right to be named your starting middle linebacker for week 1?

A: Yeah, we have a lot of confidence in B.J. He gets better each and every day. He is taking it from the practice field to the game field. And he is working on ripping the ball out, he was doing a good job of that today. He is a guy that gets better with reps and we are excited for B.J.