Head Coach Pat Shurmur
August 22, 2018
Opening Statement: We’re 48 hours out, I tried to mock up within reason what a typical Friday would look like. You go fast, blink fast, we have very little tolerance for mistakes, we exaggerate communication getting in and out of the huddle. We hit as many situations as possible, You kind of cap off the preparation before you have the day before a walk through, that’s what you saw today.
Q: Will you do a traditional walk through tomorrow?
A: Tomorrow’s a mock game, I’ll have a traditional schedule. They’ll come in on Monday, we’ll watch the tape, settle all debts. That way if they are a little angry with me they can go home on their off day, simmer down and come back on (Wednesday). Basically I think it’s important to clean up the game film and otherwise then come back Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and train. Saturday have a traditional mock game, which is more mental.
Q: What have you seen from Saquon?
A: Well, he practiced today, so he’s getting back out there. He’s coming back from his tweak.
Q: How important is that?
A: It’s very important for guys to practice, no question.
Q: I meant getting him into another pre-season game?
A: We’ll see.
Q: You started to say we’re going to be…. about Saquon, what was that next word?
A: We’re going to be smart.
Q: Are you okay going into Week 1 without having had Beckham and Barkley on the field together?
A: We’ll see if that actually happens.
Q: How important is it to get Odell in a pre-season game?
A: We try to be smart with it. He’s gotten so much work behind the scenes, we’ll just have to see how it plays out.
Q: One of biggest differences between now and when you were in Cleveland is there are no cut down days prior to the cut to 53. How does that change the mentality of a coach in those last couple of weeks?
A: It really doesn’t. Where the challenge really is, is for the personnel people. Now the market is flooded with players as opposed to in segments where you can decide if the guys that were cut fit your roster or would upgrade your group. Now there is just a lot of players all out there at one time. That’s where the challenge is, that’s a much better question for the personnel end of things.
Q: How big of a challenge is it to transition from corner to safety and how has William Gay handled that?
A: Well, certainly as a safety you have to communicate more, but he has been a nickel player before. Typically, you have to communicate on the inside of the defense. I think he’s done a good job with it. Certainly, when you play the back end you have to be able to play the middle of the field and play down in man and zone from there. You have to be able to tackle, which he’s been able to do. We feel like he can make the transition, we’ll just see how it plays out.
Q: What has B.W. Webb done that stands out to you in terms of getting the upper hand in the nickel corner spot?
A: I wouldn’t say he’s got the upper hand. What I would say is he’s done a good job to this point, and he’s done a good job covering the slot, and covering outside. That’s why he’s got our attention.
Q: The starters have gone from two series to maybe three or four series in the first two games? Will they play more than that this week?
A: Typically, the starters play more in this third preseason game.
Q: How much value do you put into this game in general, in terms of the evaluation process?
A: It’s part of it. It’s one of the four games we look at. It’s just like any other game. I think you’ve got to put equal stock in all the games. It’s not like old Catholic school, you know. You can’t throw out your worst test (laughter). They all count, everything counts. What you hope to see is players play better as they go. If they played quite a bit at this point, and they’ve kind of had a good performance, you like to them play better.
Q: What have you seen out of (RB) Jhurrell Pressley, and will he be expected to play come Friday?
A: Good question. Jhurrell Pressley, he’s a guy that I’m familiar with from Minnesota. He competed hard for us there. He’s a tough guy, he’s fast. We’re going to get him in the game, and he’s going to play for us. He’s a terrific young man as well. Plus, it was easy to get him here. He was down there in Delaware. So, it was a quick drive up. We like what we’ve seen in the past. He’s going to get his opportunity.
Q: What do you like about (C) Jon Halapio and how he’s handled that offensive line?
A: Jon is very smart. He blinks fast. He makes good decisions in terms of getting us going in the right direction. He generally plays center for us at this point.
Q: Do you have an admiration for guys who’ve overcome adversity from being on various practice squads, things like that?
A: I’m fine with guys that got some scars, and some adversity, and they push through it. One thing about guys that push through adversity, they develop a mindset to handle adversity when it comes down the road. Sometimes, guys that haven’t had to face much, and then all of a sudden they’re faced with a third-and-five in the stadium, you don’t know what their mechanisms are.
Q: How has (DB) Grant Haley been performing?
A: He’s a competitive guy. He’s tough, and he plays very hard. I think he’s made improvements. I think that’s what you like to see from a young man.
Q: What’s your thought about the Washington Redskins obtaining (RB) Adrian Peterson, a guy you once coached? How do you feel about going against him twice this year?
A: He’s an outstanding player, that goes without saying. He’s a hard runner. Our guys are going to have to make sure they get their pads low to tackle him when he’s in there. Blinks fast, makes good decisions, doesn’t doubt things. So, when they see it, they know what they’re looking for. When they see it, they pull the trigger.
