Sunday Media Transcript: Head Coach Pat Shurmur

Head Coach Pat Shurmur-- August 25, 2019

Opening Statement: Today is Wednesday in our world. By going Thursday to Thursday, we have a full week, so we were doing Wednesday things like we would normally do in a normal game week. Tomorrow then would be Thursday and so on as we get ready to play the Patriots. With that, I’ll try to answer your questions.

Q: Is that more of the focus this week? Getting into the routine rather than camp?
A: A little bit. It’s still camp. It’s sort of camp scheduling but what we’re practicing out there, today we did a lot of first and second down and base down type stuff. Tomorrow we’ll focus more on third down and some red zone. Then on the final day, we’ll do more red zone and then review all the others.

Q: You guys claimed punter Johnny Townsend last week. Do you have an open competition at punter or is that still Riley’s (Dixon) job?
A: We’re just going to see what he can do. We’re just kicking tires there. At this time of the year, this is a good time to do it. You get to see some live punts in preseason games.

Q: Any update on (Jonathan) Anderson?
A: He was out there today. He was moving around. I think he’s okay. He’s a little sore from the game. There were a handful of guys out there that are a little bit sore from the game, but they were out there.

Q: Is Sam Beal getting close?
A: He was out there today for the first time. He’s closer. We’ll just have to see where he’s at as we move forward.

Q: Would you like to see him play Thursday? Is that a possibility?
A: I’d like to see them all play. We’ll just have to see where he’s at. It would be good for him to play if he’s healthy enough. But we don’t want to put him out there too soon.

Q: Is it frustrating? Do you feel like you want to see him out there? He hasn’t played in the last two years.

A: I’m not frustrated by it. Obviously, being able to compete through training camp… He’s a second-year player, but last year was like year zero. This is year one. The work that he would have gotten had he been healthy would have been very beneficial.

Q: What would you like to see from him going forward?

A: I’d like to see him get healthy and get on the field. That’s what I’d like to see.

Q: How did (DeAndre) Baker look today, and how encouraging was it to see him (on the practice field)?
A: It was good. He was out there again. I think for the most part he looked pretty good. He needs to get his sea legs back. We’ll see how he responds here in the afternoon after being out there, and we’ll see how much more we can give him tomorrow.

Q: Next week, do you expect to be as active on waivers as you were last year once the cuts are done?
A: I wouldn’t speculate on that. I would imagine no. We obviously flipped this roster quite a bit last year. We certainly like a lot of the players that we have on our roster this year. I’ve mentioned it all along, I think we’re going to have to make some tough decisions at some positions. Guys that have really competed and really earned a chance to be here.

Q: When you look back at the Bengals game, did Will Hernandez just have a bad game?

A: I don’t know. I think when I look at the Bengals game, we made enough plays to win the game in total. But there were many coachable moments for all of the players that competed in that game.

Q: How would you evaluate Darius Slayton from the Bengals game?

A: He did a good job. It was a good first step. Again, he’s another young player that would have benefited with all of the work he would have gotten up until that point. But it was a good first step.

Q: When you see Oshane (Ximines) have a game like he did against the Bengals, does that sort of bump him closer to getting more involved in the rotation opposite somebody like Lorenzo (Carter)? Or are there still some things he needs to build on?
A: He’s in the rotation. We’re looking for guys to be disruptive and get pressure on the quarterback, which he displayed an ability to do.

Q: I’ll give you an opportunity to tell us what you’re going to do at quarterback on Thursday, but then also ask has Eli gotten enough work? He’s your starter, he’s only played three series, has he gotten enough live work for your liking?
A: Yeah, I think he has. He won’t play on Thursday, so I’ll give you that right there. I think he has. He’s done a lot of really good stuff out here. He’s much more comfortable with what we want to do on offense this year than last year. I feel like as he gets the work he needs in practice, the game work he’s gotten will help him be ready for the Cowboys. Is that what you need? So, he won’t play in the game.

Q: So Daniel (Jones) will start?
A: Daniel will start, yeah.

Q: Have you decided if you’re committed to keeping two or three quarterbacks? Last year, you told us you wanted a veteran backup. Does that change with how well Daniel has played?
A: We’ll have to see how we do that. The rest of the roster is dependent on that as well. I’ve said it all along, I’d keep four (quarterbacks). I’d keep five if the roster would allow for it, because I think quarterback development in our league is primary. You can only develop by playing and practicing. I’m fond of having lots of quarterbacks around. That’s just my feeling. But we’ll just have to see how it plays out when we get to the final 53 (man roster).

Q: I’m sure at some point you sat down with Kyle Lauletta, whether it was going all the way back to the spring until now, and put together what you want to see from him. What has he shown you in training camp and in the preseason games?
A: I think he’s had a really good camp. Much better than a year ago. I think he’s improving. I like the way he has competed. There’s been a lot of conversation about the guy we picked this year (Daniel Jones). There are many ways guys could go with that, but he’s come out every day, competed and gotten better. It’s a credit to him.

Q: I know it’s not your team, but any thoughts on Andrew Luck’s announcement last night?
A: I was a little surprised like anybody. I’ve always enjoyed watching him play. He’s a tough, competitive guy. For whatever reason, he feels like he just can’t go anymore. That’s a tough decision to make. I don’t know him well enough to comment beyond that, but I wish him well.

Q: Is it a little surprising to you, or as a head coach, is that something that you have to be aware of? It seems like that’s happening a little more often than it used to. (Rob) Gronkowski retired, it looked like he still had some football left in him. Now Andrew. Guys that are sort of choosing, I saw the line last night on social media, ‘health over wealth.’ Does that surprise you?

A: I don’t know that. This is a very physical game. Unfortunately, a lot of players have had a lot of major injuries, which kind of adds up on a person. Nobody knows their body better than the guy that’s walking around in it. For whatever reason, he feels like he can’t go anymore. I’ve always thought he played the game like a warrior. He’s played at a high level and took a lot of hits. They’ve added up on him, and he’s no longer playing.

Q: Does that make it all the more incredible to you that your quarterback has not missed a game due to injury in 16 years?
A: I think that’s unique to Eli. I’ve been around a lot of quarterbacks that have had a few injuries, and some that had a lot, like Sam Bradford. Yeah, that’s part of Eli’s charm is that he can stay out there game after game. Being available and being able to play is huge.