Perhaps Pat Shumur's last press conference with Giants

Head Coach Pat Shurmur -- December 27, 2019


Q: How much development have you seen in Kaden Smith since he got here to now, and in what ways has he developed?
A: Well, I think he’s developed his total game. In terms of run blocking, he did a nice job last week, and he’s done a nice job. He’s making plays in the passing game. He has a real good feel for playing the position and he has good football instincts, and I think that’s why he’s had a chance to make an impact as a rookie.

Q: Do you have to make some roster changes with two tight ends out?
A: Yeah, we may. We may, so we’ll just have to see. It’ll probably be somebody that’s out here practicing. It’s just a matter of doing the paperwork.

Q: We asked a bunch of people, I don’t know if we’ve asked you now that we’re getting close to the end of, what we think is the end of Eli’s (Manning) time here. What was it like working with him? What did you get out of your two years with him?
A: Again, I think this is probably a better question for the end of the year. But what I’ve enjoyed about Eli is that he’s a true professional. Everything you think you know about him publicly, privately he’s here early, he’s here late. Regardless of the role, whether he was a starter or in this case a backup, he does it to the best of his ability. He’s very smart, he helps with game planning, he has great ideas and I just enjoyed him as a person. All of the things you think you know about him, we’ve been able to be around the last two years.

Q: How’s Jabrill (Peppers) doing? We saw him out here today. Physically, what’s he up to?
A: He’s on IR, so he’s doing IR things.

Q: Is he able to run?
A: He’s moving around. It’s that little bone in his back, so that just takes some time to heal. But he’s able to do some things. He’s involved in the rehab program trying to get himself right.

Q: Is it something that takes him long into the offseason or is it something that should be fine in a month or two or somewhere in that range?
A: I don’t know. I can’t tell you that but he’s moving around. He’s feeling a lot better now than when the injury occurred. It’s just like any broken bone. It just takes a little time to heal. But yeah, to answer your question, he’s doing well. I’ve enjoyed him being around behind the scenes. He has a great spirit for this game and he’s looking forward to getting back healthy.

Q: Daniel (Jones) has a chance, an outside chance but a chance at the rookie touchdown pass record, which was actually Baker Mayfield set last year. Why do you think rookie quarterbacks are having so much more success now than they were maybe when you first came into the league?
A: I don’t know if they are in total. I think you probably have to look at each individual rookie, the situation he’s presented with and how many games he plays. In the case of Daniel, he’s very smart. We drafted him for a reason. He’s very smart, he’s very talented and he improves every time he’s out there. That’s, in his situation, why he’s had some really good games.

Q: What are you expecting from the atmosphere Sunday? It’s obviously a big game for them. For Eagles fans, it’s kind of a quick ride down.
A: I don’t know what to expect. I expect our fans are going to be there, ready to go and we want to put a winning performance on the field.

Q: How much is this team looking forward to spoiling the Eagles’ party to get into the playoffs?
A: I think our mindset is to go out and win our last game. We know that this is our last game and we’re trying to do what we can to go out and win it. What happens beyond that, after that, we’ll just see what happens.