Press Pass: Doug Pederson

The other ones that got injured that are that are okay. Fletcher Cox had the left ankle, Uh, he's fine. Uh, Dorio Green Beckham left knee. Pateeller he had just some tennanitis there in the game late in the game. Actually he'll be fine. Uh. Lane Johnson right elbow hyper extension of that of this group. And then Ben Logan left calf spasm. He'll be fine. The one he had from practice the other day. Lanes is probably the more significant,

but he'll be fine. He'll he'll be a little bit limited Wednesday, but but it'll be good too, good for the game. And then Ertz, Margos, Matthews and Isaac, are all are all fine? It, Doug so sounded like you said for the interception, Wentz at the end that it was his third progression, but he indicated that it was an alert that he saw coming out of the huddle. So I was wondering if you could just kind of

walk us through that. And what's what? Yeah, I mean, it's it's a it's a shallow basic post combination and it's it's really uh, it's an alerted post. Um. Really the primary is the shallow to the basic on the play to the back, I mean, and again that's that's kind of the design of the play. Um. They ran a thief coverage, which means they they they robbed the free safety played cover one and um, um he ended up having to he moved a bit in the pocket. I saw the guy cut, um, and it really took

Urt's away. And at that point, um, when he by the time he hitched back up into the pocket, his eyes went to Nelson on the post and uh decided to throw it at that time, when in fact, uh, you know, Jordan on the shallow could have been the throw at that time, but uh, you know, hey, give give our guys an opportunity to make plays down the field and and and hope for either catch or an intercept PI of a wide receiver in that situation. Well, there,

there's really there's multiple things. One um, you know, from a quarterbacks pant standpoint late down the middle obviously is is not a not a good thing. Um. That goes all the way back to my days in Green Bay with Brett Farve, I mean talking about that kind of stuff, and those are things you learn. The second thing is when the ball goes up, it's it's our ball or nobody's ball. I mean, that's the mentality, that's the mindset,

that's what we code, that's what we teach um. And then being just being able to track the football and uh, um, you know Nelson had an opportunity to make a make a play there from where the ball you know, was thrown slightly outside. I mean, you know it is a deep throw, um, but typically it's either our ball or

nobody's ball on that play. Also was to that kind of remind you, like it seemed like Carson was doing that quite a bit, like doing the OTAs and maybe early in training camp where you know, just kind of throwing the ball deep and stuff like that. Was that something you noticed too? Well? Um, I think early in OTA's just getting an idea of the offense. Sometimes you can you can make those those types of throws early trying to understand the complexity of the offense. Um. But

he you know, listen, it's a teachable moment for him. Um, next time in that situation, he'll definitely uh understand what's going on. I think, and and uh and and not make those not make those uh those decisions. He's the one thing about Carson is is he it's a it's a short term mentality. It happens. Once he forgets that, he moves on and and uh that's what we got to do in this situation. Um and and and get

ready for this week. He loves you have gone to Matthews for me if it's the next time, the next time or had he had he uh uh seen the rotation of the safeties and whatnot? Yeah, I would, I would suggest that he teach off the film and find Jordan. He's where he's he's maybe a little too aggressive. Is that you have to kind of rain him in? Not at all, not at all, um, you know, uh no, no, And I won't I won't rain him in that situation. Were you only need to feel well Kayleb being a dome,

I mean he was kicking well. Uh, I mean do you do you need to before he goes out for the series kind of go over the situational awareness of and we did. We listen, I was down there calling timehouse when the defense was on the ball, and I was on the radio with Frank. We're getting ready for our two minute drive, and we knew that we were

going to have time. Chances are we were going to be out of timeouts obviously, and so we were covering all the situations and and again they listen, this is his fourth start where we're beating him up over his fourth NFL start, and and uh, he did some great things. Now in this football game, not one play is gonna magnify him or or our performance in this football game.

Stumbled should even get pulling the ball on the outside um, you know, uh again it goes back to that you know, throwing it laid down the middle of the field rule for the quarterback. You'd usually like to carry it on your outside arm. Um. There was a you know, Jordan Matthews had a block kind of got blown up there, lane was pulling around the edge and it just uh, Detroit, I mean they made they made a tremendous play, UM, and just kind of caught us kind of bang bang

in that situation. UM. But ideally, I think as a runner, yeah, you would, you would want to carry it in your house. Side are a lot of people have asked me on Twitter and in emails, what's the rule when the ball? You know, we all saw how the ball was recovered. The guy snapped it back between his legs to to a guy in bounds, but it was touching Jason Kelsey who was lying partly out of bounds. First, is it not dead? Then it is dead ball out of bounds.

That's the rule. And I that was one of the things I wanted to make sure this morning, UM that I was correct and accurate in that in that ruling. UM. And uh, you know, it's just one of those things. But we can't we can't cost the ball up. Did you check that with the league? Then John Ferrari, who is a very versed on on the rules, and and

he and I, he and I talked about it. We actually discussed it during the game because these situations come up throughout the league, and we see video of this kind of stuff all the time, and and uh, you know it's something that it's obviously it's it's a turnover, so it's a it's a booth booth situation, booth review. And um, it's out of our hands that you got after the booth reveal play. He didn't touch it. It

wasn't not touch but it wasn't touched by usage. That well, well we'll send we'll send you know, a few clips in you know, out of this game. But again that that's not the that's not why we lost this football game. Kind of least fourteen to two. We almost overcame it and won it. And and that's a tribute to the

football team. And um, the way the guy's battled, you know, to have as many plays on defense to start this game three you know, three drives, it was like thirty two plays and if you count penalties and everything, I mean, it's it's it's a bunch of football. And uh, you know that was there. That was their game. Our game was we we battled, We hung in there, and uh,

defense played outstanding in the second half. We made plays on offense and um had a chance to win, you know with two minutes ago in a game, was that did the play get in a little late? And either of those we want delay a game correct? Did the play get in later? Or was Carson maybe I don't want to say overadjusting, what was the overadjusting? And team well the one in the red zone. Yeah, the one down in the red zone. Um, you know, all week long,

this is this is a team. They liked the zero blitz you down there, and so we had some kills and some audibles this week that we wanted to put in to maximize the blitz and protect the throw or protect the run. And uh, and he was trying to get us into that protection and get guys, get guys lined up that we had practiced. It was just you know, time, noise, all of that factored into those those delay games and number of representative officiating. I'm not going to get into officiating. Um,

we have to we have to correct them. We have to play smarter obviously. Um, you know, the face mask on Fletcher is is always going to be an unsportsmanlike It's gonna be a personal foul, you know, those types of things, and and um, you know we just uh we gotta we gotta play smart, you know, and and um you knows. As I mentioned, I think that how we came back in this game, you know, I think it just shows the character of this football team and

where we are from from even a year ago. You know, I think this game a year ago got out of hand and it got shut down and it got blown out. This group didn't do that yesterday. This group was resilient. This group battled sideline, was calm, they were you know, whatever adversity came our way, we were able to overcome it. And you know, it's like that two minute drive before they end of the half. I mean we were in first and twenty five, second, twenty third and we were

you know, overcame that and got the three. So um, it's it's a sign of a sign of a good football team. Well, um, I think it comes from the coaches. Number one. There's no panic on the sideline there. I mean, you know, the communication the thing is with the better the better communication you have um with your players on the sideline, it just kind of just eases. If we're not prepared as a staff, players are gonna know it,

players are gonna see it. And then there's chaos and our staff and my staff is prepared on game day and and we're able to make make the necessary adjustments and and uh, I think it starts with the staff and then it works itself down to the players. What do you want from Nelson at this point? Yeah, you know, he again he made uh gosh, he made a nice nice couple couple of contested catches. He's he's putting himself

in a position, um to make plays. You know, uh it you know, with with with play calling and and different as the game kind of unfolds. Um, you know, I don't I don't necessarily feature one guy over another. I just I just think you just play that you play the game as it is, and you you ask your quarterback to progression read and all that. But you know, Nelson, Nelson has has put himself in a position to help us. And again yesterday he had he had a couple of

nice catches. DGB stood up, you know, uh stood out yesterday, a couple of nice quick throws and runs. And you can see the strength that he has. So as a group, yeah, as a group, it was, um, it was a good performance by them. Sixteen to thirty sixty one. Nass while

farming and GRAHAMI fifty three fifty two. What's going on there? Well, you know, again, it it comes down to um, the way we rotate, and and sometimes it's personnel on offense and and uh you know whether a team is going to hurry up or not or huddling quite a bit, and and and uh, you know, Vinnie's a big Vinnie's a big part of that that that group and and um, um it's just a matter of the rotating basis and keeping keeping guys as fresh as we can uh throughout

the game. But there's nothing nothing other than that to read into year or forty seven the continent in the off season to play well. I mean you're you're asking a question that we rotate so much at the defensive line position that that you know, h Fletcher obviously gets his gets his uh gets his snaps. I mean, Brandon Graham gets his snaps. Connor, you know, these guys are getting their reps and and um. When you're in there, you're called upon to make plays and and you have

to make the most of those opportunities. Rotation. Do you anticipate it'll be Ryan and Darren moving forward? I mean Is there going to be a role for Wendell, Wendell and uh and Kenyon moving forward or is it? Are you just gonna stick with those two guys as long as there help. Yeah, you know, Ryan, Ryan and Darren are the you know, as I've said before, the two

primary guys. You know, Wendelle had a role against the Steelers obviously when Ryan was out, and and Uh we're able to h pick up sort of the slack there. And and Kenyon's the same way. Um, you know, we get opportunities to put him in a game, we will. But as as going forward, it's it's Ryan and Darren and uh uh you know, we'll spell those other two guys when when we need to. What made this to be exactly do that? Well, if you saw the third series of the game, it was a fourteen play drive,

twelve total plays. There were three third downs. Ones was a false start and the other two were dime personnel or one was nickel, one was dime. We had an opportunity on third and eleven to make the play. Michael was in position, just just didn't make just didn't make the play. I mean, you know, Riddick's a great back and he made a miss. The other one was in the red zone and it was Dimond and Tullok was

on the field. The defense had previously been on the field twenty two plays, you know, basically offense kind of you know, we were we were a thing eight plays and out that that first drive, and UM just needs to give guys a break and just give him a blow, you know what I mean? It was. It was a long, long first half of our defense staying on the field. Laid Johnson seems to think he'll hear something Wednesday or Thursday on a suspension. Will you go ahead and give

someone else alent? Or how a body rapport that right tackle or how's that going to work again? You know, and until until we get the final word. Lane Lanes my right tackle, and I'm just gonna keep I'm gonna keep going that route. Um. If Lane is limited due to his injury on Wednesday, then then as I mentioned before, we'll probably probably have Big V you know, step up and get some reps this week, particularly maybe on Wednesday.

There's not much more, you know what this is. And that's a great question because I saw how ticked off this team was at the end of this football game, despite everything that went on in in this game, negative, positive, the whole thing. This This is a this is a different football team than a year ago. This is a

resilient football team. This is a team that when I walked on the plane last night when we were halfway home, and everybody's on their iPads watching the game, they're watching, they're they're watching, they're correcting the mistakes, they're they're they're wanting to get back out on the football field, and and uh that that's great from a coach's perspective, that's that's great to see. It's great to see your players

take ownership that way. Um, the leaders of your team really, you know, really step up and and and I mean, yeah, as bad as it hurts, at the same time, they

understand that, hey we let one slide. And uh, you know, my message to them was that that every week is going to be a challenge and and you know, every week has its own circumstances and and uh, but it was great to see the veteran, veteran guys and really all the guys back there, from from Carson to Malcolm to Fletcher to you know, um Connor, Brent Sellig and everybody's back there making let me looking at the game and um, so this this thing, it won't spiral, It

won't spiral. They're they're they're taking ownership of it. This is your first laws with when you look back at how things on bolded, is there anything you'd have done differently, mistakes that you or your staff maybe you know, we just like players and maybe more so we look at it. We look at it from that perspective. And I got to look at it as a play caller and did I put our guys in a in a proper spot?

You know? And um, you know, obviously hindsight's twenty twenty and you can sit now with the fresh set of eyes and go maybe maybe that call there or this call there. But coming away, you know, coming away from this game, even even under the um all the all the circumstances surrounding this football game, I felt like, uh and we felt as a staff this morning that that uh, you know, um, we gave ourselves an opportunity and we

gave ourselves a chance. Um. You know, I felt like going into this game that that uh, you know, our tight ends against their linebackers for instance, was it was was a matchup in our favor. Could I have called more, you know, middle of the field with our tight it ends. Yeah, but we were getting a couple of calls against us at that time too, So you know, you always look at that kind of stuff and come away thinking maybe this,

maybe that. But at the end of the day, I feel comfortable, um about how I called the game and how our staff handled, you know, some of the adversity and and what we overcame. There were two, um, and they were towards the end of the game when he hit Jordan Matthews on a dagger route. It was a big, big play for us. And then he had Jordan again on a third and six right before the end of the game. That were two big third down throws that not many, you know, not many rookie quarterbacks are going

to make right now, and he's been able to make those. Okay, thank you guys,