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Tuesday Media Transcript: Head Coach Pat Shurmur

Eric from BBI : Admin : 6/12/2018 2:28 pm
Head Coach Pat Shurmur
June 12, 2018
 
Opening Statement: All right, so first day of mandatory mini camp. I told the players this and really it’s the case, it’s really OTA 11 in my mind because anytime they come on the field with their helmets on, it’s about the ball, it’s about the ground and it’s about getting yourself better. They handled today just like they have the other OTAs, so good work, was very competitive. You saw at the end there – everyday we do a situation and today was the two-point play and the defense did a good job with those two-point plays today. So I’ll take your questions.
 
Q: You guys have a long break after this. What do you want to get done in the next few days?
A: We want to continue to grow and, again, this is a continuation of the offseason program, the OTA segment and then we add the mini camp to it. The only thing different in my mind is that it’s mandatory. But we’ve had, like I said, over 90 percent attendance throughout, so it doesn’t feel any different than any practice to me.
 
Q: How are Odell and Landon Collins doing?
A: They did well and they both were out here today.
 
Q: Last week, you said that Odell was pretty close to being fully cleared. Is he cleared?
A: He was out there today. He was cleared to train and he did a good job.
 
Q: If he was cleared, how come he didn’t do team drills?
A: Well, everyone is at different phases of their training and he was like a couple other guys that didn’t do some teams drills, but he’s cleared.
 
Q: Does his contract situation have anything to do with that?
A: I’m not worried about it and neither is he. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I look at a player that loves football, he’s out there right now doing his thing and he wants to be here and as the coach and the player, that’s what we talk about.
 
Q: Is he doing everything you cleared him to do and that you’re asking him to do?
A: Yeah, he did a good job today. He was cleared to be out there and he practiced and he did a good job.
 
Q: When you say cleared.
A: Cleared to practice. Lets not worry about it. He is cleared to practice and that’s what he was doing.
 
Q: But there are different levels.
A: He is out there practicing. If you all want to count the reps, then go ahead, but he was out there practicing.
 
Q: What is he cleared to do?
A: He is cleared to practice. I don’t necessarily think it helps anybody to play the word game here.
 
Q: Do you anticipate him doing team drills at all this week?
A: We will see.
 
Q: Was the attendance perfect?
A: Yes, today it was. It was excellent.
 
Q: Are you seeing both sides of the ball playing and practicing faster?
A: Yeah, to your point, I think what is important is it’s about the ball, so you don’t want the ball on the ground. It is about making sure that you go through the fundamentals of your position, and I can tell that each time we go out there, both sides of the ball are playing faster.
 
Q: How did Eli look?
A: Eli looked good today. Which one? (Laughs)
 
Q: Eli Manning.
A: I’ve finally got my Eli’s straight. Yeah, Eli looked very good today, he looked sharp and again, this is just a continuation of what we’ve seen to this point.
 
Q: What is it about Eli that maybe surprised you when you got here?
A: I don’t know. I was expecting to see a guy that was a two-time Super Bowl winner and so I guess – I’m always surprised at how smart he is and at how things, I don’t want to say come easy to him because he studies, but he has a great feel for the game and that great feel for the game is backed up by a heck of a lot of work, and so when you have that combination, a guy that can really see the game and then a guy that really works at it, then I think the sky is the limit.
 
Q: Do you think you build something during this type of mini camp in terms of chemistry and in terms of attitude and all of that kind of stuff?
A: Absolutely. This is the ultimate team game, so when we’re all here as a team competing and getting better, it is what you’re looking for. When I have team meetings, I talk about team things. When we’re out here as a team, we work on team things. That’s why situational football is so important, that’s why we ended with a two-point play today. You saw we practiced in the red zone, we practiced third down, so we try to build that team-situational awareness of how the game is played and we practice it. So events like this are really important.
 
Q: We haven’t talked to you since the news came out about Dave Gettleman. What changes for you and what are your expectations on how that is going to work?
A: Dave is going through his treatment and I talk to Dave daily and he’s just going through his treatment and I’m out here coaching the team.
 
Q: Does this mini camp give you an idea how much the team has learned?
A: We’ve come a long way. There are hours and hours of work in the weight room, in the meeting room and on the practice field, and when you watch a practice, I think it’s important that they are playing fast with no anxiety, and when a mistake occurs, which happens in practice – now Jacksonville didn’t see that mistake, so as long as we don’t repeat it, that’s what practice is for. So that’s what you go through. They’ve got to come out here and do it and those mistakes that were made and I noticed a handful and then there are some other things that you didn’t quite notice and you will see on tape, you get them corrected and you move on. So that’s why you have to practice a team game.
 
Q: How much does it help you in putting in your system having someone like Eli Manning who is so experienced?
A: Well, any system when you have a quarterback with that background and that skillset, it makes it much easier.
 
Q: I know you said you’re not worried about Odell’s contract situation.
A: You guys seem to be (laughs).
 
Q: Do you think Odell has done a good enough job balancing that and his commitment to the team this spring? Are you satisfied with that or do you want to see more?
A: What I’m concerned about is my relationship with him and him learning as much as he can through this offseason, so that when we get going he is ready to go. Then my job as the coach, and our job as coaches, is to get him trained up and put him on the field. That’s what we worry about. This isn’t the first time in the NFL we’ve talked about a player and a contract. We just keep moving, keep developing our relationship within what is going on, and then we move forward and that’s where it’s at.
 
Q: Has it been good so far?
A: Yeah, it’s been great.
 
Q: You talked about Ereck Flowers from when you previously studied him. You talked about toughness. Do you see the same player that you studied when you see him on the field now?
A: Yeah, I see him improving and I see a guy that enjoys training and he has fit in well with the new players on the offensive line and he obviously has a relationship with the guys from a year ago. I know he’s a tough guy and he’s out there doing what we ask him to do and he’s improving, so beyond that, I can’t say.
Ha..  
Dillon in Va : 6/12/2018 2:43 pm : link
I was annoyed just reading their questions. I thought Shurmur handled that well with the "let's not play the word game" comment.
I guess Eli Apple  
Jimmy Googs : 6/12/2018 3:18 pm : link
didn't look good...
RE: Ha..  
Jim in Tampa : 6/12/2018 3:40 pm : link
In comment 13989530 Dillon in Va said:
Quote:
I was annoyed just reading their questions. I thought Shurmur handled that well with the "let's not play the word game" comment.


To be fair to the beat reporters, if Shurmur had said at the beginning something like... "OBJ has been cleared to play, but the med staff, the coaches and OBJ all agree we're going to take it a little slow, so he's not going to be participating 100%."

If he had said that instead of sounding like he was dancing around the questions, then there would have only been one (two at most) OBJ questions.
McAdoo would have handled it  
Jimmy Googs : 6/12/2018 3:45 pm : link
better...
Dont agree..  
Dillon in Va : 6/12/2018 3:49 pm : link
I don't think he was dancing around anything. They obliviously wanted to push and get some "drama" to write about.
RE: Dont agree..  
Jim in Tampa : 6/12/2018 4:15 pm : link
In comment 13989618 Dillon in Va said:
Quote:
I don't think he was dancing around anything. They obliviously wanted to push and get some "drama" to write about.


I didn't say that he was dancing around the question(s). I said that it "sounded like" he was dancing.

I just think if Shurmur had answered the question more directly, he wouldn’t have kept getting the same question over and over again.

He could have said something like Kim Jones said:
“My understanding (since April) of OBJ & #NYG: Everyone is on same page in terms of his not getting team reps this week. No need to rush. Caution was always going to be approach this spring. OBJ’s doctors & NYG medical staff have been in concert since the injury.”

If Shurmur had said something like that the beats wouldn’t have kept asking. Instead he said..
“He was out there today. He was cleared to train and he did a good job.”

Then he said…
“Well, everyone is at different phases of their training and he was like a couple other guys that didn’t do some teams drills, but he’s cleared.”

And then…
“I’m not worried about it (his contract) and neither is he. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I look at a player that loves football, he’s out there right now doing his thing and he wants to be here and as the coach and the player, that’s what we talk about. “

And then…
“Yeah, he did a good job today. He was cleared to be out there and he practiced and he did a good job.”

Like it or not there has been some speculation that OBJ wouldn't practice/play until he got a new contract, because he didn't want to risk injury.

So I don't blame the reporters when they kept getting those types of answers from Shurmur.
Still dont agree...  
Dillon in Va : 6/12/2018 4:28 pm : link
He answered it to me. He said he was out, he's cleared and looked good. They wanted to make it about the contract and kept pushing for it. That's how that reads to me.
RE: Still dont agree...  
Jim in Tampa : 6/12/2018 5:01 pm : link
In comment 13989664 Dillon in Va said:
Quote:
He answered it to me. He said he was out, he's cleared and looked good. They wanted to make it about the contract and kept pushing for it. That's how that reads to me.


It's the job of every beat reporter (in this situation) to determine if OBJ being held out of team drills has to do with his medical situation or his contract. They wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't pursue it until they got a complete answer.

And as I pointed out, a response like the one Kim Jones made about OBJ and why he was held out would have addressed it far better than any of Shurmur's responses.

If you don't agree with those two statements then we should probably just agree to disagree.
That was absolutely digging for a story.  
Ten Ton Hammer : 6/12/2018 5:25 pm : link
There was less interrogation for Mara signing off on Eli's benching.
RE: That was absolutely digging for a story.  
Jim in Tampa : 6/12/2018 7:06 pm : link
In comment 13989706 Ten Ton Hammer said:
Quote:
There was less interrogation for Mara signing off on Eli's benching.


It was digging for an answer. That's what good reporters do. But I wouldn't expect "BBI" to see it that way.

Like it or not, the reason why OBJ was held out of team activities is a big deal.
RE: RE: That was absolutely digging for a story.  
Ten Ton Hammer : 6/12/2018 7:53 pm : link
In comment 13989763 Jim in Tampa said:
Quote:
In comment 13989706 Ten Ton Hammer said:


Quote:


There was less interrogation for Mara signing off on Eli's benching.



It was digging for an answer. That's what good reporters do. But I wouldn't expect "BBI" to see it that way.

Like it or not, the reason why OBJ was held out of team activities is a big deal.


I would find it easier to accept that as the truth if they actually performed these "good reporter" practices with any regularity. When is the last time you can recall that the media went after a topic and wasn't satisfied with a rote answer? It's why these press conferences are generally worthless. A question is asked, the coach or player gives a droning canned cliche-ridden non-answer, and everyone moves on to the next topic. Why would Beckham be the tipping point where reporters suddenly whip out the Journalist! hats. It's a weird spot to suddenly not lob softball questions.
RE: RE: RE: That was absolutely digging for a story.  
Jim in Tampa : 6/12/2018 8:41 pm : link
In comment 13989792 Ten Ton Hammer said:
Quote:
In comment 13989763 Jim in Tampa said:


Quote:


In comment 13989706 Ten Ton Hammer said:


Quote:


There was less interrogation for Mara signing off on Eli's benching.



It was digging for an answer. That's what good reporters do. But I wouldn't expect "BBI" to see it that way.

Like it or not, the reason why OBJ was held out of team activities is a big deal.



I would find it easier to accept that as the truth if they actually performed these "good reporter" practices with any regularity. When is the last time you can recall that the media went after a topic and wasn't satisfied with a rote answer? It's why these press conferences are generally worthless. A question is asked, the coach or player gives a droning canned cliche-ridden non-answer, and everyone moves on to the next topic. Why would Beckham be the tipping point where reporters suddenly whip out the Journalist! hats. It's a weird spot to suddenly not lob softball questions.


So reporters are supposed to "lob softball questions" and if they insist on an answer involving OBJ's status, then they're just trying to start shit so they can get a good story, clicks, etc.

Yeah OK.

The reason OBJ was held out of team activities is a BIG story, whether Giant fans want to admit it or not. Was it for medical reasons? Has OBJ decided not to participate until he has a new contract?

Those are the answers reporters were trying to get to today and it's their job not to let the coach give a vague answer.

Most of BBI is just hypersensitive about reporter's questions and comments, always thinking the worst of them.

Remember what this place was like last year in the exhibition season after OBJ was hurt against Cleveland and Jordan Raanan reported that OBJ might miss the season opener?

Everybody treated Raanan like he was the scum of the earth who was trying to stir up shit.

Turns out he was just a reporter doing his job.
RE: McAdoo would have handled it  
jeffusedtobeonwebtv : 6/13/2018 6:12 am : link
In comment 13989616 Jimmy Googs said:
Quote:
better...


McAdoo would have said "I'll have to look at the film."
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