Press Pass: Doug Pederson

to go for the game. And then Big V his knee. Um, he practiced this week and did a nice job, but he'll be listed as questionable. What does it mean if Val does play to have your offensive line, Well, it's it's definitely a blessing that, you know, this late in the season, to have all five guys back to their

original spots. And you know, it's something that we definitely, uh, you know, when we lost Lane back, you know, after the fourth game, and you know you kind of marked this date on the calendar hoping, hoping to be in a little better situation at the time. But you know, for that, for it is what it is, and we're here now. But we're fortunate to have all five guys back. He's looked good. He's got a lot of energy obviously, you know, we always we always kid the guys with

you know that that missed time with fresh legs. I mean he's he's energetic, and he's eager, and he's ready to go. Had a good week of practice, uh mentally into it and uh, you know, he's he's excited. Do you think he could last an entire game or do you have to have play a righty just in case? Or how is that? Now? We feel and I feel like he'll be He'll be fine. You know, his stamina will be there and and I'm sure there will be a little fatigue. He's he hasn't played, you know, ten weeks,

and and uh might be a little fatigue early. But I think I think he'll be fine. He only really had one full practice. I mean it could be hard. It's hard on everybody, but for him. You know, sometimes it's better just to get back out on the field instead of having that long week of practice. But I think there is something too a longer week, a normal week where you can kind of condition yourself, um, you know,

get ready for a Sunday game. But you know, again, we're just glad to get him back, Will Sproles go back to his normal role in the backfield, or do you use more Byron Marshall sprowls will well, we will

return to his normal normal backfield duties as well. Yeah, unusually you have two rookie offensive lineman who weren't super high picks, who both played a lot or played a little bit at least and started the game at least the game moving forward into next year in the future, just talk about what Big V and Isaac give you as a versatility just having a couple of young guys

in there. Well, these are two guys that obviously have got a lot of experience this first year, and uh, you know they can grow with Carson and Carson grow with these guys now, and uh a lot of familiarity with with both of these guys. We know exactly who they are and what we have in both of those guys are. They're too, uh you know, hard workers, and uh,

you know that's what you gotta have. You gotta have that young pipeline that's coming in because you know, as as each year goes, you know, whether it be an injury or retirement, or somebody moves on in free agency, you need that pipeline of guys, and these two guys will you know, eventually I think at some point to take over as starters for us, and UH are very

capable of doing that. And and the fact that they're working with Carson and had had played with Carson already this season, UM, just gives them that that much more of an advantage going forward. Nine percent of snaps this season. UM just got voted into his seventh Pro Bowl. It was an eagle. UM. I mean, is he he continue to play, I mean beyond this year based on how he's done this year. Yeah, And you know, UM, congratulations to both Fletcher and and Jason for for making the

Pro Bowl off our team. But getting back to Jason, I think he's very capable of another couple of seasons. I mean, he's he's really done a great job, you know, for with a health standpoint and his wit and managing all of that. And you know, I think I think Stout's done a good job with him monitoring him in practice and not not taking the full you know, compliment

of reps throughout the week. And and UH he's one of those guys, I mean, I can go back to some of the conversations we had way back in the spring, and how do you manage a Jason Peters And I feel like we've we've done that extremely well this season, and he feels he feels fresh, he feels healthy, you know, again a Pro Bowl season. So I'm excited for him and I really do look forward to working with him in the future. Future with him at all. Have you

guys talked future with him at all? Doug Express not at this point. Now, we still got the two games, and we'll address that in the off season. I think I had the same one. Well that's that's he said that he wanted to return here. Oh Jason, Yeah, for sure. I mean, he definitely and I want I mean, I'm not you know, I love him. I want him on the team. You know, I don't want him to go anywhere. I want him to be an Eagle for the for

the rest of his career. So, you know, we get through these next two games, we'll have to address all that in the off season. Thinking of these next two games you have, both are in the division. If you don't win either of them, you'll be winless in the division for like the third time Enfranchise history. Did you think going into the season that the division would be as formidable as it's turned out to be, and does this kind of change the narrative for the Eagles and

trying to build a team here going forward. I think the division speaks for itself. I think it's one of the one of the toughest divisions in the National Football League and uh, um, you know, it's it's been one of those divisions where, um, you know, any team at the beginning of the year obviously has high hopes and expectations to win that division. We were one of obviously

one of those teams. Um, nobody wants to not win a game in their division, and so we're trying on Thursday night and our best to to try to try to eliminate that. And you know, it's, uh, it's it's it's just a um to me's I mean, you know, um, you look at you look at all the teams and where I mean, the three teams ahead of us obviously are still sort of you know, outside of Dallas. I mean, they're still trying to and you know, fighting for those

spots and staying alive. And I think it speaks volumes too for our for our division that you can have two sometimes three teams that are that are looking to the postseason. I mean it just shows you the strength of our division and how well these teams are playing and and uh, you know we hope to, uh in the near future obviously be one of those, uh be the team you know in the NFC East that's uh, that's consisting, you know, consecutively and consistently, you know, playing

for the postseason. The Giants defense, statistically they're not all that impressive accepted points allowed during the stretch. What are they doing that has made them disaffective? I think the biggest thing is, you know, um, they're they're playing well as a team. I mean, their secondary is a good group, a solid group. You know, they don't have a ton of injury obviously on on the on the defensive side

of the ball. Um, guys are relatively healthy. Obviously, you know Pierre Paul is a is a big loss for him. But you know, these guys are these guys are are jelling at the right time, and um, you know that's what you see. And it's a it's a defense that the plays extremely hard and extremely extremely fast. Um, they've been opportunistic and creating some turnovers. And and um, you know they Spags has got those guys. You know, it's not a not a complicated scheme, and he's got just

got them playing fast and downhill and aggressive. Right now, you guys need to win and to get that feeling back in that locker room. How much do you want to prevent the Giants from clinching on your own turf? Well, I mean the bottom line is we want to win the game. And and um, you know, I know what the Giants have at stake, And um, you know they obviously want to they want to do the same thing. They want They want to win a game too, and

for for their own reasons. But you know, for us, it's just a matter of just going out and executing and playing playing our style and playing physical and doing the things that we've we've done these last couple of weeks, learn from our mistakes and finish these football games these next two weeks. And um, I think we got a great opportunity. The guys are excited and looking forward to Thursday night when two games and side my seven parts

of guys, you guys are all at six. I mean, does that kind of show like the fine line between you know, team that's probably guys. I mean, just again, it is it's such a fine line in this league, and you're you're a player two away from your season being totally different. And you know, of the thousands of plays that you execute throughout the year, it's going to come down to just a handful of those plays, you know, And that's the difference. And and UM has nothing. You know,

I can tell the guys all the time. There's no magical defense or magical offensive play that's going to get things done. It boils down to your players and how well they fight and scratch and do whatever it takes to win to win football games. And UM, you know, so it's a it's a it's a great opportunity again for our guys. And and again it just shows the um, you know, how how close we have become, UM to

winning and really flipping our season. But you've seen so many different situations probably that didn't expect this year where you learn about being a head coach. Well, the thing, the biggest thing I think is just the uh you know the challenge of getting your team ready to play through adversity. UM, that's that's been probably the biggest thing for me, you know, the football side of it, Um, this is what we do as coaches. I mean, you know, playing the game and then and then coaching for for

several years. And you know, so the coaching part of it is is is just football and and you know everybody, Um, you study and all that, but it's the it's those things of of making sure that all fifty three are on the same page and and and the twenty one coaches that you have, and and I'm making sure that the messaging is consistent. And you're not you know, you're not wavering there and and you're you know, standing in this position, you're sort of you're you're the rock of

the football team and you usually keeping everybody together. And and that's been you know, that's also been sort of a blessing for me because in this first year, having this type of adversity, UM, it's challenged me, you know as a coach to to make sure that I'm doing things right and stay in the course and stay and staying true to what what I've said to this team way back in OTAs and that and that's what you're seeing out of this group. There's no quit you know,

in this group. They've they've last couple of games it's been right down to the last play, So um, we're gonna be a lot better down the stretch obviously from from these and and uh, you know it just makes us all better, all right,