Press Pass: Doug Pederson

so we'll evaluate him later in the week obviously. And then Connor Barwin UM just has a bone bruise and uh, he'll we're gonna hold him out of He'll be fine for the game, but we're gonna hold him out of our work Wednesday and Thursday, UM this week, and then uh, Terrence Brooks will be good to go. Zach is fine, UM, and Darren Sprowls just update you on him real quick. UM. His is a seventh much like Brent Sellick. His is a seventh rib fracture, but it's not as UM, it's

more in a safe area. I guess it sounds bad, but it's more in a safer area than than what Brent Selex is and so he should be We'll hold him from practice Wednesday Thursday and just see where he's at later in the week. But he should be fine for the game. It's non displaying at all. It's it's kind of funny where it's at, but it's actually in a safe area. So he'll be okay for the game. Yeah, he should be fine for the game. Um. And then

Malcolm Jenkins just has a little little kneeber situs. He'll be, he'll be fine. He came in this morning a little bit sore behind the knee, so he'll be he'll be okay. And then uh, everybody else, Um, it's good. Well, moving forward, it looks like we'll go back to our preseason uh thought, you know, move Allan over there and give him, give him the week you know of reps over at right tackle and then and then you get whiz and Isaac get the guard spot and then keep keep Tobin available.

It'll be whiz um, but Isaac will get get some reps to Yeah. The reason by us from doing so, you know, um, you know right now with some of the injuries that we have at other spots, and uh, you know, we're constantly and I'm constantly evaluating the roster

and just kind of uh seeing seeing where we are there. Um, you know, we gave him some work last week in practice, and just feel like this is a good opportunity now and not only for him but for us to uh uh see see where he's at, see what he can do, and give him, give him an opportunity. So we'll give him some work this week and then and then we'll make a decision whether he'll be up or not later

in the week. Butter game, Nelson and I go are admitted, uh that pressure is getting to him and that he's using confidence and he's in his head. Do you have to take him now and stepping back from from playing much because of that. We we will. I will definitely have a conversation with Nelson and and and I'll address that as as we get later into the week. But you know, that's those are definitely concerns that I have, you know now that now that obviously he's come out

and said that publicly. Um, you know, my my concern is for him as as an individual, you know, as a person. I want to make sure that he's he's uh, you know, in a good spot. You know, Hey, listen, put football aside. We all know about that, but I want to make sure that him as a person is uh, he's doing good. So we'll have that conversation during the before, either as a teammate of a guy or as a coach of a guy who's been in his head this bad and if so, how did they get out of it.

I can't recall off off the top of my head a situation or a scenario, you know, and sometimes sometimes you know, and this is not this is just me speaking. It's not a decision by any means. But sometimes you have to take a step back in order to go forward. Um and and uh sometimes that that can help clear

clear your head. You know. I remember as a quarterback back in nineteen ninety nine when when Andy you know, pulled me out and put Donovan in, It was a step back to to possibly go forward and to see it, you know, see it differently. So um, you know those are and and and then that way too, you can begin to clear clear your head and then see it, see it where you don't have the pressure you know, of of performing on you all the time. Are you thinking about sitting him or pulling back on him to

give him that opportunity to step out. I'm gonna wait till after I talk with Nelson. I'm gonna wait and see where we're at during the week and and and you know, um and make that decision, you know, down down later later, and we've got a longer week, and I just want to see where he's at. So who

takes first th on on our Wednesday? Well, we still still have the four, you know, and then we just will interject pt you know, Paul Turner and and and we'll just we'll just keep much like we did yet last week is a is we we we kind of got everybody equal opportunity in there, you know, and and uh so, so Nelson will be a part of that and then we'll again all evaluate it later in a week.

Why has it taken so returner to get an opportunity? Well, I just think you know, when you're when you're when you're shuffling, and I say shuffling when you're when you're having to get guys active for games. Um, it's all about numbers, you know, to get guys deactivated and activated for games, And a lot of times it comes down to injury. And and just by sheer number. Um, it just hasn't been in the works to uh um, to

get him, to get him up. I think Nelson beyond beyond just being in his head, as he said, were there are things beyond out into your mind that he's actually he's struggled with, you mean, away from football or just fuel girl back to you know why he's struggling. Is it all? Is it all a mental thing? Or is there or are there things that he's not doing

that he needs to be doing well? I I again, I you know, um, it's all speculation obviously, but but um, I think sometimes as athletes, you put so much pressure on yourself to perform and and then when it when it maybe doesn't quite work out in your favor, you know, um. And then and then outside influences you know, I e. The media, fans, um put more pressure on you to perform. And and you're you're you're a top pick and you need to perform. All that pressure on a player, UM,

you know, is is not good and uh um. And so you know, in in in Nelson's case, sometimes so times it's uh um. You know you'd like I mentioned, sometimes maybe you have to take a step back, and maybe you have to see it um differently, view it differently. And these are all conversations that he and I will have this week. And and uh and again I'm it's it's the it's the well being of the player and the person for me than it is that as him as him as an athlete and as a receiver pressing.

Have you seen him have you the stuff he talked about after the game? Have you seen that over the last time I've seen him. I've seen him trying to just do things a little out of character for him, you know. And and and that's obviously a sign that that maybe things are um not going not going well for him, and you just as an athlete again, as athletes, we just can't. You gotta let the game sort of come to you. And and I feel like he's maybe pressing just a little bit and trying to do things

and he's doing everything right. Listen, it's he's working hard, he's getting work after practice and doing all doing everything right. And uh, um, we're just gonna, you know, we're just gonna continue to work. When you call the time out, why didn't you like that situation to call it time out? You know? At the time. Um, I guess, I guess in my mind at that at that point it was third and six and and I guess the easiest thing

might have been yet to call the time out. But you know, a lot of times, as I mentioned after the game, you know, receivers looked to the sideline to get the to get the okay by the official, and the official was obviously waving his hand to move him up.

And um, you know pre snap, you know, as quarterbacks were wired in our first white vision is to make sure everybody's legal and and um, you know, I just didn't at that time, just didn't feel like, um where we were at the time, and didn't want to just save the time out, so I just didn't call it. Or did you see greg who we saw it? We were we were we we saw it initially right away.

And and uh, you know, did you think Carson a little bit a little bit on a quarterback but of course he was focused in on on you know, the defense at the time too. But uh, um, there were two other receivers there also, um and and and again it comes back to me, I got to make sure that these guys are are prepared in all all those situations and just know, you know, um, sometimes receivers are displaced a lot, and they're in those bunches and clusters and just got to keep talking to him to make

sure they're on the ball. There was a time of the league where young receivers we're expected to struggle, especially rookies. He's not a rookie, but he's the second year guys now and then some guys there were some period whereas some rookies had a lot of success. Has that changed the expectations for young receivers in this league? Do you

think to uh to succeed quicker? You know, it's obviously a league where where you know, we ask guys to perform right away, you know, and and whether they're they're drafted or undrafted. Um, you know you're you're the pressure to play, I guess is right now. You know. Um, back when I played, it was more let's develop these players, you know, and you get time where where now it's it's okay, you know, what have you done from me lately? Mentality and and uh, we expect, we expect a lot

from these young players. And and it's probably a disjustice on our part, you know, maybe maybe we need to take a step back as coaches and and say, hey, look, let's keep developing these guys, let's keep working, and let's let's let's try to figure out ways to to use them number one and help them be successful on the football field. Much like our young quarterback. You know, how can we help him? How can I help him be successful? So, yeah, it's a there is a fine line. You know, we

asked him to do a lot early. Um, but we also know that in the long run, if there is success there, then then that benefits not only them but the team down the road. Young quarterback, what have you seen full of the last than a half or so? Uh, it seems like, at least statistically, his production has been kind of steadily going down. How much of that is him? How much of that is the people around him? And and how do you get them to kind of back

on back on track? Well, the way to get him back on track is is is I've got to I've got to do a better job, you know with the run game. I gotta I gotta we got to handle the run a little bit better and and and manage it like you know, like we did in the Atlanta game. And um, that's obviously for a young quarterback. Um, you know, and I've said all long, you can't put you know, forty five past attempts on a young quarterback in this league against that defense in that stadium. It's, uh, you're

doing him a disservice. But you know, we've we've got to do a better job, you know, as coaches. Um I said after the game, you know, this this one is UM, we're all disappointed. But I look at myself hard at this one and make sure that again I'm doing I'm doing everything I can to make sure this team is number one ready to go, UM putting our players in the right positions and UM. And so you know, that's that's all part of the evaluation process that that

I go through. Frustration on his part. It seems like there's times he's forcing things, especially deep that may not be there. Is that somebody's going to there's a little bit of that, um, you know, and and and those are all things that we work with. Those are those are game management situations. And again you know, with myself who played in this league and Frank Wright played in this league a long time, we keep constantly talking about those situations with him and you know, um, I keep

saying that they're learning experiences, and they are. And um anytime you go against h find defense like like Seattle, Um, it's okay. Sometimes it checked the ball down and we just got to continue to talk and and uh, you know, work through those work through those situations with him. We haven't seen Paul Turner since training camp in the preseason.

How has he done the last few months? He Uh, he's done well, you know, he's um, gosh, he's made plays on service team, you know, going against our defense. And a lot of times when you're going against starters practice, you know, you get a good uh, get a good look at your young players that way. And he's done. He's done a nice job. And um, even last week, Uh in practice we were able to kind of interject him in some of our offensive practice work and and

and and see where he's at. And he's obviously a sharp kid and and uh, you know, looking forward to give him some more time this week as a as as as players have struggled, you think very supportive publicly as opposed to putting pressure on. Is that a philosophy of yours? And is in the same way behind the scenes, look there's enough pressure to win and to perform in this game. And you know it's my job to encourage. It's my job to teach and instruct and and and

get our guys to game day. Um, you know this this games it's hard enough to win a game. I mean, Carson is We've talked about that, you know, it's this is the most losses he's had in his career, and and it's and we keep talking every week how hard it is win games in this in this in this league. And it's it's all based on your your how well you you know you you um prepared during the week. So I don't you know, I can, I can individually

talk to guys and pull guys aside. But at the same time, you know, part of my job is to encourage them too, and to support them and to get them better. It's you know, we get you know, we get paid to teach. And and because because there's a lot of negative out there, and uh um, I want to make sure that they've got they've got positive from

from me and from the staff. Wendell has kind of progressed enough to a point where if Ryan can't go on Monday, that he can kind of be you know, yeah, I think so, I think so you know what again, we'll uh uh you know, evaluate Ryan later in the week. But but Wendell has done a nice job and and uh um, I think I think if you know, if, if if need be, I think Wendell would be would be okay, you know, taking the brunt of the load bidding fault. Has there's been any thought of bringing somebody

in from the outside of that position out of this time? Yeah, h