Press Pass: Doug Pederson

practice today. So you said that on Carson's interception he threw off the back to foot. Is that a repeating mechanical issue and wasn't one of the things that you guys, you know, knew he had to work on when you got him, and it isn't something that he has has worked on continuously. He's definitely worked on it and he's

um um. You know you saw earlier in the game when he when he's steps into throws, how how accurate and how how um you know, smooth the ball comes out of his hand on that particular play too, he also had there was some pressure. It wasn't like it wasn't a clean rush by the fact that he um got a got a bull rush pressure right in his face. So naturally you're gonna end up throwing a little bit, a little bit high and off your off your back

foot because you can't step into your throw. So it was a little bit of mechanic, but it was also a little bit of the rush at the time that that made that ball go high. Take over a quarterback too, I guess polish and perfect mechanics when it's a guy as big and as strong as Carson who has been able to get over in college, you know sort of you know, forcing things physically, And how long do you think it'll take him? Is do you think he'll be in front of the purser. I think I'd definitely be

in front in front of the curve. Um. You know, and it's still a work in progress. Uh you know, Um, you look, if you look kind of fast forward to this this this upcoming off season, you know, we get a chance to really work with him and spend time, you know, more so on his mechanics and and and obviously the details of that. But you know he's working

on it every day. Um, it's definitely improved. Again, he saw it, you know, early in the early in the game and really throughout the game, and um, you know, we're still working on his eyes, progressions of plays, understanding the offense, and working through that. So there's uh, there's definitely it's it's small strides, but at the same time, it's going in the right direction. You talk of jal Mills just starting and playing the entire game, No, not yet.

Why Why is that it seems like he's performing better than to go when he's out there, and that's it's that's a good question. The other thing, too, is just depth, having having having bodies, having guys that can play out there, and uh, um, that's that's kind of the the bottom line is having having guys, you know, having bodies. There's many rookies playing at once, especially at offense up but really on both sides of the ball. What what challenges

does that present? And a lot of these guys haven't been through tough you know, who's in six out of eighty that kind of faith, Uh, what challenges? You know, one the challenge this time of year is most of the you know, as you as you're seeing the college football seasons winding down, so they kind of hit that

that that wall just a little bit. Now with us we got we got five games left, and they're they're either getting ready for a bowl game or not going you know, getting ready for you know, Christmas break and and so that's obviously a challenge with the young players now is just keeping them, keeping them plugged in mentally and physically going down the stretch. And then and then just the the grind of how important every single rep in practice is to get it right in practice and

that corresponds to the game. And and you just can't show up and go through the motions during the week and expect it on Sunday. Not at not at this level. You might get away with that in college because you're a better athlete or you're a better team than your opponent, but here everybody's good and and so the challenge is for them to practice well because and it helps them you know when when when crunch time comes into games. College guy's getting a little tired maybe at the end

of the season. Do you have to worry about Parson in particular with his his arm maybe fatiguing at the last stretch of games. Here he's a little different. And the reason I say he's different is because where he's been from a college standpoint, he's always been in the playoff system, you know, in college, so he's still playing

this time of year, so he's he understands that. And Um, you know, I feel like one of the things that I have to do is I got to be careful of the number of reps that I give the entire team this time of year. So I scale back just a little bit in practice so that we're not we're not on the practice field as long trying to keep

their legs fresh. Everybody at this time the season is tired, they're fatigued, and so the best I can do to keep them fresh and and obviously with quarterbacks is that that's minimizing the number of throws that that we do in practice. I think we at lay of guards every consideration and putting him at left guard, Isaac, Isaac looked good. Isaac,

you know, played well. Um wasn't perfect, you know, by no means, but at the same time, for his first, first first start, you know, to and really day of the game to start, Um played played well, filled and well. Um Wizz is playing good. Wiz Whiz is another one. So you know, if we feel like we've got two right now, and really you throw Brandon in the management,

those are three guys now. And then Whizz has the ability to play center, as you know, and um it really was it was really a solid performance by the offensive line the other night, and and something that Isaac could just now, the more he gets in there, the more and just like Big V, the better he'll get. And and so that's the that's the hope going forward. What are you hoping to see? You know, sometimes back put Pearl can't be awarded the what's he like when

in situations where he has to improvise just in general? Well, I think I think I think you saw a little bit of that the other night. Um uh. He has the ability to to change his arm, his arm slot, his throwing mechanic. If he's got to drop down, he can escape the pocket, he extend plays with his legs. You know, we're seeing a little bit more of that, and and that's something that it's just a natural thing

with him. You know, it goes all the way back to OTAs and really in a training camp when he was healthy that some of the throw off balance type throws that he can make. And we've seen it throughout the year, you know, periodically some of some of those throws and decisions and and things that you h you know,

it's hard to it's hard to coach those things. You know, you talk about him, you try to put them through a drill or something like that to you know, emphasize it because you're always going to be in a position to have to make an off balance or a unique throw. Be clear, I love Guard. The plan is to stake of wins for now or yeah, I don't know, whiz whiz. Yeah.

So as far as scaling back practices, is that something that's planned during the summer that you know you're gonna I mean, I know Andy would always kind of do that, or is that something you just kind of gauge by watching how they're doing a little both, But but I kind of go into the season knowing at the times of the year where you want to start beginning to scale back just a little bit. It was unfortunate that

our buy was after the third game. Normally you go your buy through like week six, seven, eight, get through that stretch and then you can start scaling down after your buy. So I started a couple of weeks ago backing down just a little bit, and then and then now going forward, you know, especially now, well this is a short week, so I'll scale back a little bit more this week. But now I'll keep the schedule as far as practice reps go pretty much the same. Now

the rest of the season. I wanted Nelson to take out of sitting. You wanted them to take out that. You see how the offense runs and you kind of insert himself mentally into these situations. Where's the connection between that and his issue, which I thought was him overthinking when he was on the field. Well, you know, the connection is just again seeing seeing the game. It's just

seeing it differently. Uh, you know, the connection of not having the pressure of performing, not putting pressure on yourself to perform, me not asking him to go perform that

particular week. Um, you see it in practice where you know, we talk all the time play you know, on a service team, you know, they we hold up a card that says, hey, run this offense or run this defense, and receivers run it and they usually they make sometimes they make great plays and you're kind of going, you're scratching head, going, wow, that was that was pretty nice little play. It was a great route, great play, get

great catch. So the connection there is play like you're playing that route for us as if it were a service team rep, as if it was a carded rep. If if it's where you just you're not thinking, you're just going and just reacting to what the defense or

the offense presents. And that's it's easier said than done, obviously, but that's how that's al Nelson right now needs to attack this and and that's by just playing like you're playing the service team and running that particular But but obviously you're doing it with our off if that makes sense, You're doing it with our offense. And there's a level of of sort of comfort there knowing that you can

just do it that way. Thank you. But have you had the chance to do any self evaluation during the season, um, and what what areas do you feel like you've progressed as a head coach so far? And what areas do

you feel like you need to get better? Well? I do, I you know, of course, I you know, I set myself after every game and from a play calling standpoint, and you know, managing the game that way, I think I think as the as the year's gone on different the different situations, whether it be you know, fourth down, third and shorts, whatever, those little situational things. Kind of knowing maybe when to throw a screen pass over a

drop back or a run. Um and and studying, studying my trend over the season has has has made me a better UM play caller. And understanding those situations also a little bit better as the season's gone on. And and uh, you know, kind of knowing when to when to make those decisions, and and and uh you know, you know, maybe knowing when to run, when to throw again all of that and and I think as when I look back, you know, after a full season, I

look back, you know, on this season and assess everything. UM, be very critical and hard on myself going forward. But um, because I try to just like the quarterback, I try to put myself in in those game situations, even during the week when we're scripting plays and making sure that that's the right play that I want in that situation, even in practice, because just like the players, I got to put myself in that same in that same mindset even during the week. The challenges have you have you

reviewed that? I will review that every Weekness, I wondering pophy, your philosophy on that twice you've taken them for really short yards plays aglar for four yard let's passing one for a two yard play on first down? UM in retrospect or is that or is that the phosophy years that you feel like even a few yards is worth it? Um? Yeah, And you know, and of course I do a lot

of UM. You know, we we do have a process with the coaches upstairs and the information that we're seeing, the camera angles and different things like that, and you know, to make to make those uh, to make those choices. That second one in the game, I probably would have kept it, you know, it's a two yard game, keeping

it second and eight. You know, the thing was too where they were on the field, you know, UM, I was just trying to you know, at that point, just trying to hey, let's go, let's go second and ten over second, they try to keep them back just a little bit two more yards, And I was trying to play all that in my head at the same time. And but that would be a challenge that that I

would UM. And that's part of going back to the process of self evaluation, you know, making those decisions I'd probably probably hang onto that and keep it for obviously a situation that didn't show up in the game. Okay, yeah,