Press Pass: Doug Pederson

who's who's out? So obviously Aaron Grimes, Jordan Matthews, Alex McCalister, Hunter Sharp, Joe Walker Carson is out he will travel, and then Mike Martin is out as well. And then the uh, the newest one on the list is Isaac will be out for this game. He has a strained uh a peck muscle that is day to day, and so we feel best best for his interest to to keep him out of this football game. Let you do it? How do you do it? Who asked the question? Oh you did? Okay? How did it? Just? In practice two

days ago? Um felt it a little strain, uh blocking and so we we we evaluated him and just decided to keep him out of this game. So left guard now is wiz Newski. Yep, Whizz will go. Barbara will be at the right tackle spot again. Yeah. In terms of the rotation out deep into the game, will Sam Redding. Yeah. I want to see the starters come out of the

dressing room, you know. I I talked to them about three fold quarters um and and want them to feel that that that intensity coming out of the dressing room. Second half. So so at least at least a series maybe two in the third quarter, depending how the game is going. We're happening to uh strain Calf, Yeah, strang Calf. He again, he's day to day and uh keeping him out of this game. That happened two days ago as well, the same day that Isaac got interested. Ray Johnson did

Non did today. He was out here today. He actually went in just just with his low back, you know, still evaluating that, but but he he is up for this game. So how much people greed back in the play. You know, we've we've put a couple of plays in for him this week, expanded his role obviously from from a week ago. Uh, a full week of practice. He's

comfortable with what we're doing with him. So I can't tell you how many number of snaps he'll get, but he'll definitely play and he'll play with the first group. Does you know he's looking he's looking good. Yeah, he's looking good. You know again, it's uh, the terminology is a little bit different. You know, we're not moving him around. Uh, So he's lining up in one spot, one position, which is good for him right now. Um, but he but he's playing fast and that's that's what we ask him

to do. And he's being decisive with his routes um and and then you know, obviously in the block, he's such a big, big body that they're just covering guys up in the run game. Be a big benefit for us as well. Jason Peters doun since coming back from the quad and you guys kind of selectively choosing, he's done. He's done really well, really well. He's one of the guys that you know, you you just gotta kind of almost kind of gotta back him down from time to time.

So he wants to take every rep and he wants to be out there with the guys. And uh, since coming back from that that early injury, he's had no no issues, no problems and and uh he's healthy and then ready to go for only for this game, but for the regular season. It's a short week necessary where Carson wentz what is he need to practice play that

point this season? You know, It's it's interesting because next week we only got really two days of practice, and and uh, we'll see, we'll see, We'll evaluate him through the weekend, you know, take him on this trip and work him out a little bit, you know, when we get get to Indy and and then again next next Monday and Tuesday, so you know, we gotta at least get a day's you know, a day's work with him in order for for him to go, you know, in

the game next Thursday. Johshon Norman's comments about Sam Bradford that he's not he's not the top twenty quarterback and he can't wait to play him twice a year, Listen, I don't get into that. You know, I'm not gonna get into it. I'm not gonna not going to comment on it. Um. I think Sam Bradford is a is a great quarterback. He's doing everything we've asked him to do, and and uh, I'll just leave it at that. I'm sure, he'll probably see it somewhere. I'm not going to point

it out to him, though. Is that a shot at like the organization too, because you guys have said that, you know, Sam is a good really good quarterbaan Yet I don't know. I listen, I don't, I don't know. I see what I see. What's happening, you know around them, you know, with with what he's been saying here lately. And again, I'm he's a great player. Listen, he's a great player. And Washington got a great player and we're just happy to you know, play him twice a year

and listen, just see what happens. So Gear's top three running backs right now, or or a guy that's averaged nine carries a game the last two years, another guy that you're probably gonna use more as a receiver being a runner, and another guy we just got a twenty eight or thirty four career carries. Are you okay with your running back group right now? I am? I am um.

I just go back to our days in Kansas City when you know, we had Jamal Charles there and we kind of limited him throughout camp and his touches through the regular season. He was a very explosive guy for us. And at the same time, we took a couple of young players and you know, they got they got the majority of the work after week six. So um, I like we're at with the running running back position. Um, and and you know, we'll see as as it goes.

I mean, it's it's hard to it's hard to say that one guy is going to get more touches than the other because I think they're all dynamic in their own unique way. Saturday, he will get he will get a good look. This is his first opportunity to play, and so we want to make sure that he's he's ready to go. So we want to uh, we're gonna be smart with it at the same time, but definitely want to see him some gets him work in that

first half. We want to see starting offense on Saturday, we're going to be comfortable regular you know, you definitely want to see you want to see points, you know, number one, you want to see execution. We got to eliminate the penalties you know from last week. That's that kind of hurt us there at the end of the half, even though we got the three. Uh, it's sort of stimy that drive before you know, before that that one,

so execution. Um, this has been the first time we've we've practiced the starters all three days, um with with sort of an inn season type mentality. So, uh, the mistakes should be at a minimum. The guys will be ready to go, and and you just want to see that, uh, that cohesiveness with the offensive line, Um, Sam lead the way and and then and then you know obviously score touchdown receiver. Well it it's it's it's hard, you know.

I mean, any time a good player is not not in your offense or defensive structure, it's it's difficult because you're working on some timing things and different routes and combinations you know, during the course of the week. But these guys have played together now the last uh you know, last year and and and really have sort of have

a good understanding with one another. So um, you know, when we get to that regular seas in game, they will get a lot of a lot of work during that first week, you know, and try to catch themselves up. So I like they keep four tight ends. Is that's the case? If it is, and I was crystal, yeah, you know, and the fourth one for us has kind of been in that fullback position. Um, and he's looking

looked looked well. You know, he's looked well that Um, you know, he's really he's really come on these last couple of weeks. He's he's it's a new position really back there for him. And he's a tall guy. He's he's a lanky guy with length, so you know, for him, it's a matter of keeping his pad level down, bending at the knees and the waist and and uh and

maintaining that leverage. And he's done. He's done a good job here in the last week we are we're going to see more of that, and a lot of it is a lot of it is game plan specific um, based on what the defense presents throughout the course of the week. You know, some some teams are will scheme our regular personnel differently, but uh uh, it'll fluctuate a week to week. Thesive looks like the one in the opener. They but we will only really have one to start together.

I mean concern a little bit. Well, I again, I lean I lean back on the fact that we've got some veteran guys there. You know, Kelsey does a great job keeping those guys together. Really, all those guys, you know, um, they've they've played a lot of snaps. Maybe not a lot of snaps together, but they've played a lot of snaps in the National Football League. You know, Brandon Brooks in Houston, and of course JP Kelsey and and and

Barbarie there at right tackle. And you know Isaac could be the obviously the one that that um there is the new the newbie in the group. But I think they've jailed really well. I mean they've come together, and um, I go back to our again. I leaned back to our you know days in Kansas City where we lost you know, we lost Jeff Allen for the season and and had to plug in guys and love Donald Stevenson around. So you know, it can be done. It can be done.

You keep your scheme simple for him, allow him to play fast and and uh get as many reps during the week as you can. Which the week one starter CM Luke was news. He can't win it with the way he plays. I mean, I'm not saying you can't win it, but I'm saying right now, I mean I'm not going to let an injury, you know, Uh, keep Isaac out of the out of the starting rotation. Frank was to say, touch our yesterday to about feet of

stuff in the real great players. How far is he away or for a number one in terms of assimilating every day? Yeah, I mean he's not. You know, he's not. He's not where you want him to be. Obviously with the with the terminology of the offense. That's why we're gonna We're gonna keep it very simple and keep it to one position for him, you know as a receiver. Um, you know, put a little package together, two, three, four

plays and just just let him go play. And then and then as he understands that we can, we can expand we can expand the role because he's coming in basically right here at the end of camp, trying to learn a system. So I've been there as even as a player, you know, in ninety and really in two thousand when I left here and went to Cleveland, it was a totally new system that you're trying to learn. So, um, you keep it small, you keep it simple, and allow him to use his skill set. This is three games

that Michael Martin won't play. Is there enough of an evaluation? Yeah, there there is, there is And again he's a veteran guy that that understands, you know, how to play, how

to get himself ready to play. He's also in the position where you know, you're probably not going to lean on him for uh, you know, more than fifteen twenty twenty five snaps a game, and and and that's what you want out of him, and and just getting him getting him to the gate on Sundays is obviously where you want to be and what you want to do. But yeah, we've we've seen enough and and he's done enough in his his past to to you know, uh,

for us as coaches to feel comfortable with that. Questions the team running two better receivers on the one year Pruven Deals and Chris Gibbons and rut and Randol, have they've proven anything to you so far? Well, both of them have really really have come on. I mean, you know, I think I think you know, with Chris's skill set, Um, you know, got the speed guy. He's done a nice job catching the ball this week, because all of them

have done. Um Rubens the kind of the veteran, the savvy guy, the smooth more of the silky runner Um and and really two veteran guys that lead that young receiver group. And the other one too is Nelson. Nelson's really stood out, you know these last last couple of practices, So both of those having that veteran leadership is good for that room. And as far as the preseason, what do you take because there have been times a day in this organization, but it put great in preseason struggle

in the regular season. Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean it's uh, that's a good question because it happens around the league. You know, teams start oh and four and end up winning twelve games, or you go four and oh and win four games. So, um, you know, it's it feels good to win games. But at the same time too that you also understand the dynamic of preseason. You're playing a lot of guys. Um, we'll get a better field obviously this week and and and see where our guys are at. And you know, you get to

the regular season, things things turn up a notch. Um, the intensity level goes up. Um. You know as coaches too, you know you're you're game planning a lot more specifically for your opponent and and really putting your guys in positions to be successful. So kind of works hand in hand, but um, you know, wins and losses in the preseason don't really matter until you get to week one. Okay, yeah, yeah,