Head Coach Pat Shurmur -- August 11, 2019
Q: What do you think about the Mets?
A: The Mets? It’s awesome. 14 out of 15, right? Heck of a run. I’m happy for Mickey (Callaway) and the team. I like to see all of the New York teams playing well. Anyways, I’ll try to answer your questions.
Q: Do you have a relationship with any of the other New York coaches?
A: A little bit, on the phone. With some of them.
Q: Do you know what happened to (DeAndre) Baker?
A: Yeah, just in his individual warmup type stuff, something with his knee. We’re just checking it out (with) an MRI. I have no information on that right now. (It happened) just kind of in the warmup drills. He just felt something so he’s getting that checked out.
Q: Corey Ballentine is getting some run with the first team defense on the outside. He had the pick the other night. What have you seen from him so far?
A: I’ve said it all along he’s a very competitive, tough guy, and because that’s his nature, when we’re playing the uncontrolled game of football, he shows up. That’s why he’s out there. He’s done a good job to this point. We’re hopeful that he’ll stay on the same track and keep getting better.
Q: What did you think of what TJ Jones did on Thursday?
A: He did a very nice job. He’s a young player but experienced. When he was out there playing, it was obvious that he knew what to do. He obviously has the ability to make plays.
Q: Before you signed him, what stood out about him when he was here?
A: We worked him out, and we certainly had a good grade on him in our pro system. So, when we worked him out, and at that point we were needy at wideout because we had some injuries, we brought him in.
Q: What did you think about how Eli (Manning) played today?
A: I thought he did a great job. I think he’s practiced well throughout (training camp). Now, after I’ve watched him (during) this three-week stretch, I think he’s throwing the ball better than he did last summer. He’s got a real good grasp of what we want to do offensively. He had another good day out there.
Q: Is it a change for you guys not having joint practices? Do you lose anything without having that competitive environment?
A: I don’t know. I think we’re pretty competitive out here. It just didn’t work out that way this year. It just so happens that we had three teams in the preseason that we’re going to play during the regular season. We’re a young enough team. I just felt like us being able to practice against each other, that outweighed (the advantages of) working with another team.
Q: Why just two quarterbacks today in the team drills?
A: I just didn’t work the third group. We were short some numbers, so I just didn’t work the threes. That’s less about the quarterbacks and more about the guys that weren’t practicing in the other positions. Very observant.
Q: Because you’re playing on Friday this week, do you view it as a game week? Is it an extra day to play, or is it still training camp?
A: I sort of feel like this is still training camp. We started to do carded periods last week, which you saw, which feels more like a game week, but it’s sort of a quasi-game week because we still are in training camp.
Q: It seems like throughout camp, Eli and Cody Latimer have been on the same page and seem to be developing some chemistry. What have you seen from them, and what have you seen from Cody so far?
A: Cody is probably one of our most veteran receivers. I think he shows that out there. He knows how to practice. He knows how to compete. He has a unique ability to make a play down the field. I think he does a good job… there are times when he can get behind the (corner) and he’s open. But then there are other times when he’s in a contested situation where he can make a play on the ball. That’s hugely valuable when you’re a wideout.
Q: How tough is it for (Nick) Gates, to bump out to tackle after so much work at guard, and how much can that help him if he shows you something there?
A: Obviously, he had the two holding calls. Those of us that watched, there were a lot of holds called all weekend. I don’t know if it was obvious, so maybe that was a theme. And he had the false start. But I think for the most part, he did a really nice job out there. Yeah, him being able to do that certainly creates more value for him.
Q: How close is Ryan (Connelly) to stepping in for Alec (Ogletree) in situations where Alec is on the sidelines?
A: He played well the other night. If you have a starter that’s going to not be in there for a couple of days, then he’ll just step right in. I think he’s ready to do it.
