Press Pass: Doug Pederson

good to go. Do you have a roster rub yet? Uh? Not yet? Well, what's the hold up there? You have someone here? Further, Well, we got we got some guys, you know, we're we're evaluating, uh, on our practice squad. I mean you know, I mean you know Paul Turner, you know Aaron Gron. We got some guys that were just kind of you know, we don't have to make a move right now. You know, there's there's no hurry. I don't know that, but we're looking at those guys though.

Right now. Jason Kelsey has been in the sort of the mix on a couple of failed plays, sort of out in space, so it's easy to see him not getting the job done in that moment. How has he played, especially the last couple of games, and how much do you think is sort of lingering foot issue if it all has affected that flint Well, first of all, I don't think the foot has been an issue. Um, he's he's still playing at at at a high speed. Um, he's obviously the kind of the glue of that that

offensive line. He makes all the calls he and carsenter on the same page. Um, you know, the last couple of weeks, he's really he's really played. He's played well. I mean, you know, he's probably not the UMU as far as the size. I mean, I'm probably not the biggest guy in the world. But he gets by with his smarts and as an athleticism and and he's a very tough individual. And so these last couple of weeks he's he's really settled into to playing that center spot.

As far as that intelligence going making the right calls and having a rookie quarterback, is that ample five When you have a rookie quarterback knowing that Jason Kelsey has that kind of intangible skill set, I think as a rookie quarterback, you you rely on him, you know, as a veteran center to make some of the calls in the protection. But the one thing with Carson, he and uh Jason do a do a great job during the week of watching film together so that they're making the

same calls together and they're seeing the same thing. So they they've been on the same page that way, which is which is unique to have a rookie quarterback and a veteran center to be as as tight as they are in making these calls during the game. Doug, you talked Monday about the danger in trying to have Carson think that he has to do too much, having him do too much. So this week, you've got the most prolific offense in the NFL coming up against you. They're

going to score point. That doesn't seem to be an ideal situation to kind of move things off of Carson's shoulders. He's going to have to do an awful lot fore to win this week, right, Yeah, He's gonna have to continue to make, you know, make the plays that are there to be made. But at the same time, I think, uh, I think your run game becomes a little more important in games like this. I think, uh, you know, um, yeah,

you're right. Atlanta's offense is uh, you know, one of the top offenses in the National Football League obviously, and they're playing extremely well. So anytime you can sort of play keep away in time of possession and things like that, UM can help you. UM. You know, Um, does it work out that way all the time? No, it doesn't, but those are those are things that uh, um as we put our game plans together and the personnel and everything we look at, you know, we take into that consideration.

They're with the midpoint of the season. I'm wondering, what do you think some of the most important things that Carson has learned about life in the NFL through sort of eight games. I think I think one is you know, learning learning the speed of the game. UM. I think he also learns that each game is different, it's unique,

has its own set of circumstances. UM. I also think he realizes how hard it is to win and National Football League, and when you do win, how rewarding it is um due to the fact that the preparation that goes into the week. UM. I think Two, he's learning learning situational football a little bit, you know, UM, where maybe in college you don't have to consider as much of that where here it's it's everything, and um it can it can uh uh really really affect you offensively.

So he's learning about situations and and um, you know, just just how to how to manage everything. He's done. One thing he has done well is is the things that we've asked him to do from managing our offense during the game, he's handled extremely well. And so from that standpoint, um, you know, very comfortable going forward with the things he's learned and the things we've been able to give him, you know, going going forward the next eight weeks, Y bringback four times Candida one of those

passes to hear what you can get a handle? What were you able to assess when looking at them and talking to both of them, bus doesn't disconnect there that they weren't even promoting the closed Yeah, you know, those are those are situational things where we need to you know, as coaches and myself, we need to make sure that they're working those things in practice, those types of routes in practice, whether it be a back shoulder throw or a fade over the top throw, putting our guys in

those uh in those unique situations, uh to be able to handle that during the game. Some of it is uh, just just those two again just working together. I mean that's the bottom line, Um, understanding the leverage or the defender, whether I need to make that back shoulder throw or I can throw it over the top, or if it's covered, I look for my second and third you know option on the on the route. So again, continue to U as coaches, we continue to teach it. I teach it.

I teach it in a way that's understandable, and uh we try to we try to correct it during a weekend. Not Ryan. You know, two gentleman's coats at them. Yeah, well obviously they're both playing extra uh extremely well right now. And Matt's uh, he's done an outstanding job this whole season. Um, just the way he's allowing the game itself just to kind of come to him and let things unfold. You know.

They they may not start out necessarily fast, but to gain that momentum as the game goes on and then making play after play and it just shows up on film. But you know, it's one of those deals where, um, you know, kind of like the Pittsburgh game, whether you whether you try to double the guy or you put you know, we know sometimes he's probably gonna be singled up. Um, you know, Matt's extremely smart and he's playing he's playing

well that way, understanding matchups. And the other thing too, is he's not always having to look for for Julio. He's got other weapons on that offense that he's utilizing and and that's what's making that team explosive right now. When you guys have struggled the way you have over the last month as a coach with a rookie quarterback, how import and how challenging is it for you guys to keep things positive that you know what, we are

a good football team. A lot of players, yourself, even Carson has spoken to the last couple of days about we are still a good football team. How much, how andfulant is that message going forward here this Well, that's important to the entire football team, not only just to the quarterback position. But again, you know, I evaluate myself more than anything, and I want to make sure that I'm I'm presenting that message of positiveness, of of you know,

bringing the energy, bringing the juice every day. And at the same time, I also want to make sure that that that I'm doing my part in teaching the offense. When when we get a chance to teach and to where the guys can understand and if they have questions, we have answers for him. And and so that obviously starts with me, and you know, I'm very critical to that. But at the same time, I want to make sure that the message is positive. We still are. I truly

believe we're still a good football team. And uh, you know, eight games to go. We'll see what happens when you're preparing for Atlanta. Obviously, Carson Wentz is focused on the defense. Is there any thing he can take away from from seeing Matt Ryan play from? I mean, is there in

terms of development? I was like, yeah, I think I think guys like Matt Ryan and you know, Ben Roethlisberger and Flacco and these guys that have their season veterans, even Brady and you know Breeze and all these guys that have had are having good careers and great careers.

I think I think is as quarterbacks, we tend to look at those guys and we study and we don't want to become that person, obviously, but at the same time, we want to see how how they handled game situations, how they manage the game, how they utilize their personnel on offense, and and just just see see how that person operates. And and I believe it's a little bit harder obviously in season to do that. It's a little

easier out of season. But um, yeah, I think as quarterbacks we tend to try to look at those guys that are having success and see see how they're doing it. You faced him two or three times, I think, Um, what have you seen on tape now this year, Matt Ryan. I'm talking about what have you seen in terms of his development? You know, technically as a passer. Yeah. The one thing I mean just he's very mechanically sounded, balls out on time and rhythm throws and you know, um,

that's that's the key. And and of course these guys are are are creating space for him, you know, in the in the back end, and they're getting open. He's utilized in his backs and tight ends true, um, which are very effective for him, play action pass obviously, the run game. I mean, there's a lot of things that

factor into a quarterback success. But he's allowing that stuff to kind of happen and take place, and then you see his games, um go on like like the one you know, Tampa Bay game, It just everything just sort of sort of clicking and then just you know, kind of for them offensively, it just snowballs and they gain they gained momentum the direction. Um yeah, no, I mean I don't necessarily would like to drop the any quarterback

back that many times. You know. Um again it goes back to being a run the football and and uh and and kind of hanging your hat there first and then the play action stuff and um. So no, to answer the question, I wouldn't like to see it. But I've also said too that sometimes we're gonna have to do that. We also put ourselves in a little bit of a bind, you know, these last couple of games.

So the passing game kind of catches you up a little bit, but you know, still still want to stay within the game plan manage it that way, and and uh, you know, use that run game to your advantage for a moment. When you talk about improving the offense and in um in a sense of improving over the path to division laws and what are your biggest takeaways to fix and change offensively to hopefully come out when we

win against atlant Ups. You know, the one thing that I look at, Um, I want to make sure that that that things are are are uh, we're not doing too much. We're not as coaches, we're not asking our players to do too much. Uh during the game. I also want to make sure that that I'm I'm putting our guys in the right situations, making good decisions, um, calling the right plays at the right time, you know,

And and and evaluating myself that way. Again, it starts with me, and I want to make sure that I'm I'm holding myself accountable as well as the players and and um, you know, it's just a matter of of of just doing that and then and then if we got to scale back on a game plan and keep things simple for our players, we're going to do that too and make sure that they can play fast. Getting back to DGB for a moment, is he using his size and strength effectively? Is that something he has to learn?

Maybe I just see yeah, yeah, right, he's a young player. He's a young player. He's also learning. You know, again, remember we got him late in the late in the deal here, so so he's he's been kind of behind the teaching curve Uh, you know, he hasn't had a full offseason yet under our under our system, so you know, so we gotta again it falls back, you know, we we got to make sure that we're doing the right things, putting him in the right right situations. Um. You know,

understanding his strength. He's a great slant runner, he's a he's an in cut guy. UM, big and powerful, and just want to keep developing his talent because I think he can be a dynamic receiver. How do you teach that? How do you teach a big guy to learn how to use his size better? I think I think it goes back to the quarterback question. When when you're watching guys like Matt and Ben and these guys, I think

his receivers. You look at guys like Julio Jones, and you look at the Antonio Browns of the world, and you look at guys that are that are you know, go back and look at the t os and and study them and see exactly how how they run routes. I think I think, but again, we're in season, it's a little bit harder to do that. So we just have to continue to as coaches, just teach it every day and and Uh, you know the you know, I

tell the guys all the time. I mean, you can't substitute the hard work in preparation, and that's part of the preparation and getting yourself ready to go. Personal didn't have much luck with the zone reads he ran Sunday, What do you seeing? I mean? Was it just JPP a lot of times making great reads? Wait, he's obviously a great defensive end. And some some of it is uh, you know again, it goes back to the quarterback, you know, trying to trying to do a little bit too much

and just allowing the run game to happen. Some of it's that um and and you know again we uh as coaches, Uh, we have to make sure that we're teaching that right and make sure that he's seeing the right things, and so falls falls on us to make sure our guys are prepared that way. Thanks guys,