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Wednesday Transcript: Head Coach Pat Shurmur

Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/1/2018 6:12 pm
Head Coach Pat Shurmur
August 1, 2018
 
 
Opening Statement: Our guys are coming off of an off day, so I encouraged them to get back up to speed here and let’s have a good practice.
 
Q: It looked like Curtis Riley walked off with some ice on his leg on Monday, is he good to go today?
A: We will have to see, it’s a little hamstring thing. We will have to see how far he has come and if we can get him out here, so possibly.
 
Q: Same thing with Avery Moss?
A:  No, different but I’ll let you guys see if he is out here or not. You know, we don’t have much time together and, I don’t mean to be, you’ll see if they’re out there or not but they’re kind of minor things.
 
Q: What’s the plan as far as coming back from a day off, are you going to put them back in pads or dial it back a little bit? Are you at the point now where you kind of have to take it day by day?
A: No, we are going to be in pads. The idea is we have four days now before our next off day so I would like to be in pads at least three of those days.
 
Q: What did you learn from that first day of increased physicality the other day?
A: Well, they were physical prior to that, so I didn’t actually ask them to be any more physical. I asked them to come out here with more energy, so that was what I asked them to do. In fact, I gave them four words – energy, expertise, enthusiasm and execution. So that’s what I asked of them and that’s what they did.
 
Q: You have two very young defensive linemen who are lining up with the ‘ones’ right now and you have Snacks in the middle of that, what do you need from him?
A: He needs to be a good football player, he has to be stout, he needs to be what Snacks is. He’s a force in the run game - he’s very good against the run. He needs to makes sure he does that, especially on first and second down.
 
Q: Do you view ‘Snacks’ as one of the leaders in the locker room?
A: I think we talk frequently about leadership, that’s where everybody goes. I also think we need to talk about followership. In other words, there are some guys that are outstanding players, and have been outstanding players their whole lives and they want to come to work and do their jobs. We need to embrace those guys, too. Now, I am not speaking in regards to Snacks, but the leadership piece, you play football and guys rise to the top and you try and inspire guys to lead the team, but sometimes we don’t talk enough about the other part of that.
 
Q: Is that hard, though? Especially with young guys, they are coming here and trying to find their way around and impress the coaches, so is it hard to kind of hone in on a leader?
A: Not really. I think when you watch them function, you see them work within a group, see their personalities. Sometimes your best leaders truly are your rookies because they come in with something to add and some of the older players that have supposedly been the leaders are smart enough to listen, “hey, I might learn something new from this new guy.” Leaders come in all shapes and sizes.
 
Q: Who have been your leaders so far?
A: I think the ones that we all think about, certainly the quarterback. We’ve had guys that have stepped up. Alec Ogletree has done a nice job, Nate Solder, Landon Collins, I can go through the list. There are a lot of guys who have displayed leadership, in my opinion. And I’ve said this before, it’s probably somewhere, you don’t have to be extraordinary to be a leader, you just have to do the right thing for the right reason at the right time all the time and then you can lead. I think sometimes we really get this thing distorted; you have to be loud and boisterous and call a team meeting. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about having the courage to do the right thing at the right time for the right reason and then you’ll lead. People will follow you if you do that on a consistent basis.
 
Q: How will you handle selecting captains?
A: We will worry about that later, but I have an idea of how I want to do it. Typically, at the places I have been, you vote and then decide who those guys are.
 
Q: How much of a challenge is it for Ogletree, new team, new defense, he kind of has to be one of the leaders of that defense as the middle linebacker. How much of a challenge is that to not only be with a new team but with a new scheme, too?
A: I think Alec has done a good job of learning our new system, it is very similar to what he did at the Rams. He just has to be the best Alec he can be everyday and then all those things we just discussed will rise to the top.
 
Q: It seems like Kenneth Durden has flashed a little bit. He is kind of in a weird situation. He was here, was cut and then brought back. What have you seen from him?
A: He did, to your point, he has flashed. He has gotten his hands on a couple of balls. He was out there competing, we like what we’ve seen so far. Unfortunately, sometimes when you are shaping up the roster, a guy may be let go and it’s less about him and more about what you are trying to do. So we have liked him all the way and now he is back with us.
 
Q: You guys have a couple of wide receivers that were Broncos wide receivers – Kalif Raymond, Hunter Sharp, Cody Latimer. Has it helped that they were coached by Tyke Tolbert in Denver and now here? Have you seen that manifest itself?
A: Well, certainly there is familiarity, I think that helps initially. Some of what we do is some of what they did, there is some of that initial familiarity, which is good, and then beyond that they just have to grow   and have to do it the Giants way.
 
Q: You have signed several players who played for your coaches elsewhere. Do you consult with your coaches on the players as part of the process?
A: When a player is available, the typical process is Dave (Gettleman) and his staff will say, ‘Hey, listen, this guy is available, we feel like it’s an upgrade.’ Then we put our heads together, ‘What do we know about this player?’ Everyone is running around with a grade on it and then we just try to put together all the information we have on the player to make and educated decision.
 
Q: During the draft process, before you guys picked Saquon, he said whatever team he went to, he wanted to lead as a rookie. How, if at all, have you seen that?
A: Because he is doing those things that we have talked about. Since he has been here, he has done the right thing at the right time for the right reasons. Everybody says he’s a star, but he’s been out here working everyday to get better and so to me, that shows me that he understands what he was talking about more than, ‘Let’s have a players only meeting.’
 
Q: One of the things you didn’t do last week was have 11 on 11 field goals, is that coming this week?
A: We actually did, early in practice, on the line. At the very beginning of practice, if you leak out just a little bit earlier, you’ll see it. We actually try to do that most days, so yes we did it. I’m sorry you missed it.
 
Q: One of the old guys, Zak DeOssie, what is he bringing to the table?
A: He’s got a lot of experience. He is very, very, very accomplished as a long snapper, he’s got a great way about him and has a great feel for things, he’s seen a lot and so he’s doing a lot of the things that we were just discussing in terms of leadership.
Kalif Raymond  
BigBlue4You09 : 8/1/2018 9:35 pm : link
According to Duggan he’s been an early playmaker and getting reps with the #1s
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