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Wednesday Media Transcript: Head Coach Pat Shurmur

Eric from BBI : Admin : 11/6/2019 3:23 pm
Head Coach Pat Shurmur -- November 6, 2019

Opening Statement: I guess Pat (Hanlon) talked to you about the injuries. I guess the ones of note, Evan Engram has a midfoot sprain. He’s in a boot. We’ll just take him day to day, week to week, see where he goes. (Jon) Halapio has a hamstring, and then Sterling Shepard did not participate today. He’s getting further evaluated for that concussion being that he’s in the protocol. Then (Mike) Remmers was limited with his back. We’re within two days of the game, so it’s just a little game soreness there. But otherwise, Jets week. It’s important that we get back to doing things the right way every play, and not just play well during stretches of the game. Can’t have bad things that affect the game like they did the other night. It’s going to be a tough game. I feel like every opponent we play is a tough opponent. I feel like if we play the right way, we have the ability to beat anybody we play. But when we don’t play well or coach well, then we certainly have the ability to get beat. So, it’s up to us to play better. I’ll take your questions.


Q: You said ‘day to day’ and ‘week to week’ for Engram. Is there a chance he plays (Sunday)?
A: Well, we’re so new from the game. This would be like a Tuesday on a normal week, so it’s really too early for us to assess.


Q: Any concern that it’s a Lisfranc (injury)?
A: I don’t know that. Again, as you all know, I’m not a doctor. It was told to me as a midfoot sprain.


Q: You also said that Sterling Shepard was getting further evaluation. Is that outside the normal?
A: No, not really. We sent him to Pittsburgh. There’s, I guess, gurus there on this type of injury, and so we’re going to get him further evaluated there.


Q: What kind of a challenge is it for you to keep your team up and motivated through this difficult stretch?
A: It’s always a challenge to get going. I think we played hard last week and we stayed in it. We just had some plays that hurt us that affected the outcome of the game. I thought the preparation today was really good. We have a bunch of guys that are fighters in there, so that doesn’t concern me.


Q: Were there technical things, red zone wise, that you think you can fix in time for this game?
A: I wanted to give the runner an opportunity in the red zone, so we ran the ball probably a little more than you normally do. I think it’s important to. We had a couple plays there where they defended it. Maybe check it down, take it from there. Each time you look at a play, there’s a reason why it isn’t successful. Then certainly the ones in the red zone are magnified.


Q: What do you see when you look at Sam Darnold as a quarterback right now?
A: I see an outstanding young quarterback. He can play and he can help his team win games. That’s what I see.


Q: What did you think about him coming out (of college)?
A: We had a high opinion of him. Thought he was an outstanding player. A well-accomplished player that we were pretty certain he was going to have an outstanding career.


Q: How much can Leonard Williams help you off the field right now, getting ready for a team that he played with for so long?
A: Yeah, we’ve talked about these things before, players or coaches from other teams. It’s going to be based on what we see on film. He obviously knows the players on that team intimately. But we just have to match up and play and not be too concerned about that.


Q: He had a good number of snaps in his first game. Do you think another week further along can get him more?
A: Potentially. Yeah, I mean he was fit and ready to go, fit into the scheme well and played quite a bit the other night. I anticipate at least that amount.


Q: There’s a belief, people say he’s a good player and that he hasn’t reached being the great player that a lot of people predicted coming out. What do you think he needs to do in order to get his game to the next level?
A: None of that’s my concern. I think we just have to build on what he did last week. He had some really good reps in there. He had some things, obviously, that he has to clean up, like everybody else. We talked about it last week when he came in. He has the ability to play all throughout the front. I think he’s a very active player that can get pressure on the quarterback, and I think he’s good against the run. Just kind of continue to build on that within our scheme.


Q: You’ve talked about this before but it keeps happening. Daniel (Jones) with his slides at the end. He’s obviously taking hits he probably doesn’t need to take because he’s not sliding. Is that a concern of yours?
A: I think he needs to learn from that. He did slide the other night a couple times. He’s getting better at it where he didn’t take hits. Then there was the one where he fumbled where that’s just a matter of a competitive guy who was well aware where the sticks were, and was trying to get the first down. So that’s what you balance. When you hold the ball, nothing you do is acceptable when you don’t end the down with the ball. That’s important for all players to know that touch the ball. He’s aware of that and he’ll learn from that. There was one he went out of bounds, he got waylaid by some guy with a boom mic. I don’t know what you do about that. Those guys have to be a little fitter and get the heck out of the way.


Q: Have you learned anything about Daniel in terms of his competitiveness? It’s a difficult stretch for him, but have you seen anything that stands out to you in his determination to fix it?
A: Yeah, he’s determined to fix it. There’s no question about it. He works hard to. I think what you see by watching him play is he’s a young player that is fighting and scratching. We ran a reverse, he got out there and got a block. I’d rather he didn’t do that, but you know what it is. It flashes and he’s a competitor and he’s getting involved. In terms of his toughness and competitiveness, I think we’re seeing what we knew about him when we drafted him. Each week, he’s trying to do everything he can to help us win.


Q: In the run game, can Saquon (Barkley) be better to help the offensive linemen, or are you guys not winning the battles upfront?
A: I think it’s coordinated. Again, I think you need to go back and look at each play, much like you do when you’re either getting or not getting pressure on the quarterback, or not stopping the run on defense, or stopping the run. It’s a team thing. There are times when we can get a little bit more, and I think both areas, the o-line and the running back, share some of that.


Q: I think it was asked in the conference call. You said about the throw at the end of the half when Daniel made the throw for an interception, I think you said it wasn’t training Daniel Jones, like it wasn’t a time to train Daniel Jones.
A: Because that was the way the question was phrased.


Q: Right. In terms of that, thinking from that perspective, that is a line that you’ve walked from the moment you put him at quarterback. Does that line move? Does the goalpost move now where his development has moved? Have you changed your approach with him at quarterback, or has it been steady all throughout?
A: I think it’s steady. I think you try to put together a game plan that attacks the team you’re playing. You have to trust the quarterback to do the right things, regardless of whether he’s young or old. Certainly, with a younger quarterback, there are certain things that a guy that isn’t much more experienced, there’s a thing or two that you wouldn’t do. But he’s been able to handle most of it. I think he’s fallen victim to turning the ball over when he scrambles or getting hit in the pocket. Those are more of the bad things that are happening. There are some, obviously, technical things that we work on. This isn’t about training the quarterback. Again, I’ll go back to that. This is about doing what we can to win the game, and we feel like him being in there gives us the best chance. So, regardless of your age as a player, you have to go in there and… You can’t fake football. You have to do it and play it the right way.


Q: Is it harder to fix things like that during the course of the season, as opposed to in training camp or in the offseason when you can really hone on things? You guys have to get the game plan. All of these players, they have to get ready. Then you have to try to fix things. Is that hard?
A: No, that’s just the flurry of things that happen during the season when you go week to week. They are good players and we expect them to play well. If for some reason they did some things not well the week before, they have to improve on it. If they were doing things well the week before, then they have to continue to build on that. That goes for every position.


Q: You were a former center. If Pio (Jon Halapio) is out, how much more extra work do (Spencer) Pulley and Daniel have to do?
A: Well, they’ll need to work together. Certainly, the center and the quarterback need to be on the same page. But they do get work during the week together. There’s a little bit of a mix in there, so it’s not like they haven’t gotten any reps. If Spencer has to go, we trust him. He played really well for us last year and we’re glad that he’s here. If he has to get in there, we’re very certain he’s going to play well.


Q: Is there any concern, you know he hasn’t played a lot in the last two months?
A: He should be fresh.


Q: Do you see a common trend in the red zone problems the other day, or when you went back and looked at it, what did you come away with?
A: It came down to individual plays. We scored on one. The first series, we had two runs and then a pass that they pressured us on. We got the ball there, it just… He got pressured. We had what we were looking for. We just have to get that picked up a little better. Then we got down there later. We ran the ball a couple times. I felt like I wanted to give Saquon his opportunities down there. I felt like that was something that would have helped us. We did. On a couple of other occasions, we just didn’t get the pass executed when we called it.


Q: A lot of times you’re talking about Saquon with the play-calling down at the goal line. Barry Sanders was often taken out of games on the goal line, and it was like ‘What are you, crazy?’
A: Yeah, I was a Lions fan. I was like ‘What are we, crazy?’ when I’m growing up, yeah. I do remember that some, but…


Q: But there’s obviously reasons that go into that.
A: I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s fair to compare the Lions of yesteryear to the Giants of today.


Q: Right, but the point of a running back who can theoretically bring it any time for 60 yards. Now, you’re compressed inside the five. There have to be reasons why it’s not working.
A: Well, when we were on the goal line, we had penetration that had nothing to do with Saquon. When we ran the ball to the left, that we eventually came back and threw the ball in on. That had nothing to do with Saquon. I think had we gotten the backside blocked a little better, it’s all the ‘if, dog, rabbit’ stuff. Then he might have had a better opportunity on the front side. But no, he’s a three-down back up and down the field. Then we run the screen where he runs it all the way down the field. I wanted to run it again, but he needed a quick little break. So, then we choose to do a couple different things. It all plays into it.


Q: What’s your assessment of (Antoine) Bethea so far this season? He had the two takeaways the other night, but the last two weeks, the flea flicker got him and he got crossed by (Amari) Cooper on the big touchdown last week. It seems like plays that maybe a veteran would make.
A: I don’t know that. He’s been back there competing. He’s like everybody on the team, coaches and players alike. Each guy has had a play or two that he’d like to have back. But he made an impact in the game with the two turnovers, and he made some tackles that were huge. I like the way he was competing. I liked the impact he had on the game. We just need to clean up a couple of the bad plays. That’s all.
I've had enough of this guy  
Chris684 : 11/6/2019 3:44 pm : link
I'm ready for a new HC
Q: BBI is in full revolt, the polling suggest that 67% want you  
GiantsUA : 11/6/2019 3:49 pm : link
replaced at the end of the season.

A: The team is competing and the Giants were in the game well into the 4th quarter, and by the way, who else is going to coach this "team".
RE: I've had enough of this guy  
Brown Recluse : 11/6/2019 3:49 pm : link
In comment 14667342 Chris684 said:
Quote:
I'm ready for a new HC


Same.
RE: I've had enough of this guy  
cjac : 11/6/2019 3:55 pm : link
In comment 14667342 Chris684 said:
Quote:
I'm ready for a new HC


Maybe we should get a petition going, because i'm done too
17-41  
nygfaninorlando : 11/6/2019 3:55 pm : link
Time for a new coach.
I didn't think shurmur would be fired this season. He should be.  
Torrag : 11/6/2019 4:01 pm : link
General: important that we get back to doing things the right way every play.

When has that happened with him as head coach?

Seriously?: It’s always a challenge to get going.

It is? A challenge to get your team going? Why?

Media clueless: Because that was the way the question was phrased.

On Pulley: He played really well for us last year and we’re glad that he’s here.

Yet you're starting arguably the worst OC in the NFL ahead of him. Why???

On Bethea: coaches and players alike. Each guy has had a play or two that he’d like to have back.

Every week? Somehow Bethea was a net negative in a game he started with two TO's literally handed to him by Dak and Peppers. He still sucked.
...  
malslayer : 11/6/2019 4:04 pm : link
Quote:

Q: Do you see a common trend in the red zone problems the other day, or when you went back and looked at it, what did you come away with?


after eliminating the noise in his answer left with this ..
Quote:

A: He got pressured. We had what we were looking for. ... we just didn’t get the pass executed when we called it.


translation. I am an awesome play caller who is aggressive. It's just that my players are not executing what I want. So we have to keep trying the same things and maybe eventually it will work. If not, flush it and get ready for our bye week and then onto Chicago. I am getting paid for the next 3 years so what do I care about wins and losses. If the org cared about wins / losses they wouldn't have hired me. I am the adult in the locker room, that is all that matters.
it's a freaking press conference  
Bill L : 11/6/2019 4:12 pm : link
stupid questions met by stupid responses.

There's nothing today that makes him any more fireable than he was yesterday. And, no coach should ever be fired because you don't like his press conference. He should be fired if he's not winning or, if the team is not talented enough to win, not growing. He's certainly not winning.
Whatever  
GiantEgo : 11/6/2019 4:32 pm : link
I don't think anyone should care about press conferences, like every other coach he is just trying to say as little as possible, run out the clock and get out of there.

RE: 17-41  
Sean : 11/6/2019 4:54 pm : link
In comment 14667356 nygfaninorlando said:
Quote:
Time for a new coach.


To be fair, it’s really 16-41. One of those wins was as an interim coach for Philly beating us on the 2015 finale.

He’s 16-41 as a NFL Head Coach.
Seems like Shurmer  
David B. : 11/6/2019 5:00 pm : link
is "competing."

I guess "battling" and "competing" are all that matters anymore.



professional adult  
malslayer : 11/6/2019 5:21 pm : link
Can we agree to focus on his record as Giants' HC?  
Tom in NY : 11/7/2019 3:23 am : link
Which is terrible at 7-18.
I don't care about his record in Cleveland, as that franchise has re-defined dumpster fire before, during, and after his tenure there.
It tells me nothing about him to quote that record given the context of the franchise.
His current record with this team could get him fired, no reason to be concerned with what happened elsewhere.
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