Post-Game Transcript: Head Coach Pat Shurmur

NYG Postgame (vs. Bears) Transcripts: Head Coach Pat Shurmur -- August 16, 2019

Opening Statement: Injuries— I think (Antonio) Hamilton went out with a groin, a couple of other guys we’ll just have to wait and see tomorrow. I think for the most part a lot of it was pretty injury free. I think the good part was the ones got to go a quarter, and don’t worry about who you’re competing against, this is more about us. They got a chance to play, went down and scored, which was good. Then on defense we didn’t let them score a touchdown, we forced them to kick a field goal. That part was good. We fought, we scored points. There were some really good things in the game. The one thing I think is we were a little loose with the ball. I think we had a fumbled snap which is a no-no. Then certainly, you can’t drop the ball in the pocket like Daniel Jones did. He had a little bit of adversity to fight back from, I think that was a question somebody had last week. I think for the most part he threw the ball well and got us in the endzone. I thought Eli (Manning) did a good job, I thought (Alex) Tanney did a good job. On that interception, I drew that one in the dirt. It was late in the game when I didn’t want to waste some of our redzone plays down there, so I just drew up a naked. I was trying to get Reggie White a touchdown, another one of our local heroes, and they played it pretty well. The good news about that play was how hard (Alonzo)… Zo Russell did a good job of getting the guy down and keeping him from scoring. I thought on defense we did some good things. A lot of the young players made improvements. The kicking game was solid. There are plenty of good things when you look at it for what it is. The joy of winning a game is what you fight for, so they get to experience that. It’s easier to build on wins than losses, and I feel like this is step two in this preseason process. I thought our guys handled that pretty well. Plenty to clean up, I was not pleased—we were a little sloppy with the ball at times. We dropped an interception that would’ve been a touchdown. Some of that stuff we can fix. I didn’t see one error out there that is not correctable, so we’ll get back to work. We are still in training camp mode but on the short horizon here is our game against the Bengals. I’ll take your questions.

Q: How impressed are you with the overall hustle of your team tonight?
A: I thought they played hard and fought hard. We’ve got a little different team than some. I think I mentioned this in the production meeting yesterday, we have a lot of young guys. We have to see if they can take it from the meeting room to the practice field and then play hard out here with emotion. I think, in these two outings, I saw a lot of young guys that impressed me who have a really good chance to make this team and make a difference.

Q: Have you seen anything in your time with Daniel that gave you an inkling of any ball security issues?
A: A guy got beat, and it was swatted out of his hands. That’s it. You have to secure it. I don’t think he ever took a snap under center in college. That’s just part of the growing, but he didn’t panic. He dropped the ball a couple times, but he didn’t call his parents. He just went back to work and did a good job at getting us in the endzone.

Q: What did you say to him after?
A: Don’t do that. It’s very simple—don’t drop the snap and two hands on the ball in the pocket. It’s never acceptable to drop the ball. He’s smart enough to know that immediately and make corrections. It’s that simple, I don’t have to write him a note—I just tell him.

Q: With this being the first time Jones faced adversity, how impressed were you that he was able to bounce back, shrug it off and finish strong?
A: Again, I am going to say this—people outside our building seem surprised, but we’re not. That’s why we picked him. I think he’s making good progress and as he goes along here, he’s checking off all of the boxes. I think when it’s his time to play, he will be ready. I am pleased with the progress he’s making. What’s left unsaid a little bit is the work that (Offensive Coordinator) Mike Shula and (Offensive Assistant Ryan) Roeder are doing with him and all of the quarterbacks. I thought for the most part they functioned pretty well.

Q: John (Mara) said that in a perfect world Eli would play the whole year, because that means you’re having a good season and Eli is having one. Is that the case that Eli is your guy, or does Daniel have a chance?
A: John owns the team, right? We’re on the same page. There is really not much more to say. I think I’ve been saying it all along. I just get a sense once in a while that when I answer those questions nobody believes me. Well you heard it from the owner.

Q: How would you assess your running game last week versus this week and the progress you’ve made?
A: Better. I think we had some more favorable box counts, we had some more fair fight runs that we took advantage of. I thought for the most part it was better and we leaned on the run. The one area where we had an 8-yard run and then it was 2nd and 2. There was one series there that kind of frosted me. I wanted to run it again to get the first, then there’s a hold, now we’re set back. Those are the areas that we can improve on. Second and 2— that’s the O-line down. We have to punch it in there and get a first down. Anything fancy that I want to do on a second down, I’ll do on a first down.

Q: What are you learning about (Paul) Perkins and (Rod) Smith right now?
A: I want to go back and look at the tape, but I think all of the runners who played today, I think, did many good things. I did see the ball on the ground and there were a lot of protection challenges I would say. There’s not much there in the passing game, but I thought for the most part they had an impact on the game.

Q: Eli Manning taking the team down the field there on the opening drive. How good was that?
A: It was very good, and along the way he changed the route. He really played quarterback well in that drive. He got us in the endzone. I think that’s what you evaluate quarterbacks on—move the team and get us in the endzone.

Q: Do you tell that to the team before they come out that he’s not going to play any of their starters?
A: No, I don’t tell them any of that. I don’t really care who they play. (Bears Head Coach) Matt (Nagy), that’s his team, and I would never tell another man how to coach his team. He knows what he wants to do, and he knows what his team needs. He has a much more veteran team that whatever he’s doing with them, works for him. We have enough young guys out there where they need to play. I think when you play like we did and you don’t have injuries, that’s a good thing.

Q: How would you asses your pass rush today?
A: We got a little pressure, which was good. I thought it was better. I want to go back and watch it. We were a little more disruptive today, which was good. I’ll have a better assessment tomorrow at 12 p.m. (on the conference call). Save that for tomorrow and I’ll give you a better answer. I felt like we were more disruptive this week than we were last.

Q: Your first team defense seemed to get better with each series they were out there…
A: I think so. At some point, it was twos playing against twos. I think we are making progress there. Stopping a team on offense is a team effort, so it has to be coordinated. Everybody has to defeat their block, address their gap, and then chase the ball. When it’s time to throw you have to get pressure and cover your guys. The more they play together, it’s really the whole defense just like when we talk about the O-line, but the more that group plays together and the more seasoned they are as a unit, the better we’ll become at keeping teams out of the endzone. That’s certainly the challenge.

Q: Bennie Fowler and TJ Jones scored touchdowns again. Does what you’re seeing in the receiver group in the preseason sort of validate your beliefs that you have enough there?
A: I do. I have said it all along that it’s going to take a village. To their credit, the veterans may win the day here, these guys who know how to play. They know how to practice, and they know how to play. They are smart. I am fine with drawing them up in the dirt when we see something, and they are smart enough where they can adjust, and some of those things are adjustments. That crew of receivers are all very smart, they are very veteran in a lot of ways and I like them and trust them. Really, the crux of it all, I think they are a bunch of tough guys. They play a fancy position, but I think they are a bunch of tough guys. I think that wins the day, too.