for display only
Big Blue Interactive The Corner Forum  
Back to the Corner

Archived Thread

Sunday Media Transcript: Head Coach Pat Shurmur

Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/26/2018 5:46 pm
Head Coach Pat Shurmur
August 26, 2018
 
Opening Remarks: Good practice, I think we got a lot done. It was very competitive. I’ll try to take your questions.
 
Q: It looked like Olivier Vernon got carted off at one point, what happened there?
A: Yeah, he kind of just went inside the block and got his feet tangled up. I think it’s his ankle. He’s being evaluated. I don’t have much right now. 
 
Q: In terms of the cart, people overreact. Is it anything serious, do you think?
A: I don’t know yet, I’ll find out when I go in there. He’s being evaluated. I’ll figure out more when I get inside. I’m sure word will spread.
 
Q:  Just seeing a guy of that magnitude go down must be concerning, right?
A: Yeah, you don’t want anybody getting hurt. You want guys to be able to practice and stay healthy. We’ll just see. At this point, I don’t have any information.  
 
Q: You guys made a trade today. Is that because (Jon Halapio) had secured the job and (John Greco) had convinced you he could be the backup?
A: No, I think the trade was good for both (Minnesota and us). We got a pick in return for Brett Jones. He’s one of my favorite guys and he’s going to a really good place. With their situation in the offensive line, he’s going to have a chance to compete to maybe be their starter. I’m pretty familiar with their situation and he’s going to a very good place, so I’m happy for him, because he’s a real likeable guy. He works hard, he’s tough, and I feel like if he can’t be here – I tell the players all the time, we want you all to be here; if you can’t be here, we want you to be somewhere good, and that’s a good place. 
 
Q: Obviously, general managers work out that kind of thing, but did you talk to Mike Zimmer? Were you involved in where he went? 
A: Yes, but you’re right. General Managers deal with it. There’s obviously conversation as we go.  We talked about it.
 
Q:  What was it about Jon Halapio that you liked over Brett that you decided to go in that direction with him as your starter? 
A:  At this point, the story is we traded Jonesy. We like what Halapio has been doing. We just like the way he’s played.
 
Q: How unique is that to pull a guy off the practice field and trade him like that?
A: It’s happened before. At that point, because we made a deal, we wanted to get him out so that he doesn’t get banged up. I don’t know if it’s common, but it has happened before.  
 
Q: You said how much you like Brett. People thought he had a shot to be the starting center and that he could be valuable in even a backup role. What made you guys want to move him?  
A: We feel like we’re going to make decisions based on what’s best for our team. Again, I like all the players that we have out here and I want them all to have success, and I want them all to be on the team. We just felt like this was part of doing business.  
 
Q: I know this isn’t exactly your lane, but how much was his salary apart of that? He obviously got paid more than most backups.   
A: I’m not worried about that.
 
Q: How much does having a guy like Greco make this more palatable?    
A: Yeah, you want to have centers in the building. We do have other guys that can play center in a backup role.
 
Q: Was it encouraging to see (Evan Engram) out there and running around a little? 
A: Yeah, very encouraging. As we know, he’s in the (concussion) protocol, so I don’t have much to add. He’s working his way through. 
 
Q: What do you like about Jerell Adams? He’s getting some first team reps now with Evan down and in the game when Ellison went down. What do you like about (him)?
A: He’s got good size. I think he’s a good blocker as well as a pass receiver, so he’s a guy that can do both. I do think he’s made some good improvements through the spring and now training camp. 
 
Q: Is there a concern at all with the way the running game is going right now, or do you know fully well that it’s going to improve once (Saquon Barkley) is able to play on a regular basis?
A: Certainly when you run the ball well, it’s a team thing. When you don’t run the ball, at least early in the game, that’s really the narrative right now. Early in the game, we haven’t run the ball as well as we want to. Regardless of who’s in there playing, we’ve found a way to move the ball as the game goes along. It’s a team thing and we’re working on it to improve those early game runs and I think that’s the important piece.
 
Q: You expressed confidence that (Jonathan Stewart) is going to be able to (produce). How do you do that? How do you know when a player has come to the end of their productivity?
A: You never totally know, but I know he’s a pro and I know the history behind how offseason training has gone for him. We have intimate knowledge about him as a player as he goes through the years. Again, we trust Jonathan and we trust that he’ll be productive.
 
Q: Where do things stand with (Connor Barwin) as far as his progress?
A: He’s day to day. He’s making good progress.
 
Q: He hasn’t been on the field a lot for you, do you need to see more?
A: He’s day to day.
 
Q: What’s your plan for Thursday? Do you see the starters playing at all?
A: We’ll kind of announce that as we go. We’ll figure it out as we go. There will probably be some players that don’t play this week.
 
Q: Josh Mauro is an interesting guy. I think you gave him some first team reps and then obviously he can’t play the first four games, so how have you handled his practice workload knowing that he can’t play the first four games?
A: We’re training him as much as we can until he’s going to leave us for a month, so to speak. It doesn’t need to sound weird, he’s just not going to be here for a month, so we’re going to try to get as much training as we can until he’s not with us.
Not exactly words of encouragement  
Andy in Boston : 8/26/2018 5:50 pm : link
For Greco.
RE: Not exactly words of encouragement  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 8/26/2018 5:56 pm : link
In comment 14049397 Andy in Boston said:
Quote:
For Greco.


What are you reading that I'm not seeing?
RE: RE: Not exactly words of encouragement  
Milton : 8/26/2018 5:59 pm : link
In comment 14049406 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
In comment 14049397 Andy in Boston said:


Quote:


For Greco.



What are you reading that I'm not seeing?
He could've been more effusive, but there is nothing to read into it.
RE: RE: Not exactly words of encouragement  
Andy in Boston : 8/26/2018 9:47 pm : link
In comment 14049406 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
In comment 14049397 Andy in Boston said:


Quote:


For Greco.


He didn’t insinuate anything about Greco ....he’s a 10 year vet
And we assume he’s the backup as he’s been with the
2’s ... but he didn’t really go there.

Q: How much does having a guy like Greco make this more palatable?
A: Yeah, you want to have centers in the building. We do have other guys th




What are you reading that I'm not seeing?
Asked him specifically about Greco  
Andy in Boston : 8/26/2018 9:53 pm : link
And his answer was basically ...about all the backup guys.
We assume Greco is the #2 but I guess we won’t reslky know until
Saturday
Back to the Corner