Press Pass: Pat Shurmur

and I think you'll see that happen. We haven't seen much from Marco Passed have you seen Have you seen enough of him the team drills and seven months seven to have an observation of it. Yeah, No, certainly we have a strong, good, good feeling about what he's able to do. And he was out there last couple of days. You know, he's been able to execute our basic runs and really kind of display a running style that fits

what we want to do. Feeling. Boy, if you well, I think he's a you know, he's a guy that's got very good vision. And I think by having good vision, you know when it's time to hit the whole or time to do something else. And I think that can be said also Ryan Matthews, and then certainly Darren Sprowles and you know, and actually uh Kevin and Raheem have done a good job with that as well, So that crew, I think, and as you run the plays more and more and more, and you know, you get used to

blocking against a certain front. You know where the creases are going to be or where you expect them to be, and then you hit them, and I think they've done a good job with that. No, No, he's in there working and you know we're gonna have this, uh that question later in the year. How come you don't have them all in the field all the time? You know?

So they each got their workload, um, and some of the work comes into drill work where we're getting as much kind of explosive running as you might see in team. So we certainly are were happy where he's at. Last season, Lashawan came out at certain times, maybe because if Fa Tiger he was getting tired. Do you have a plan specifically with the Marco and Ryan to we're you know

they're fresh with the first quarter all the way throughout. Yeah, the plan is is we're excited if both or either of them in there at any time and you know it's well they're running back. You know, I've said it before, It takes a village so it takes a group of running backs when you want to run the ball like

we do. And we're just very fortunate that every guy we put in there can run the ball the way we want it run, can pass protect, and then certainly have good enough hands to catch it when we throw it to him. So, um, we don't feel all that stressed out about it right now because we feel good about all the guys being in there. You have to watch it everything he did last year close to five touches. Yeah, No,

we're aware of what last year was all about. But you know, we kind of train and we monitor our training and we kind of know what we expack from all of our players, and um, we feel good about where he's at. You have on the team. Is there anything? Is there any way you can get a feel for

how well they blocking? Told they playing that first game? Well, I think certainly the preseason games are important for tight ends because you get to block you know, live looks and there's times when you you know, can go low on a guy or whatever. But we feel good about what we're seeing in training. You know, we've we've got some very stout guys that know how to set the edge well. So we're getting a really good feel for what our guys can do here in our training sessions. Ideally, yeah,

ideally sooner than later. You know, anytime you can say these are the eleven guys you're playing with, the sooner the better. But we need to make that decision at the right time, and I think the preseason games will be a pretty good gauge or monitor as to who that guy's going to be often do yesterday in his first team reps that spot, yeah, you know what, he had quite a few team reps yesterday, first team reps,

and but he said had him sprinkled in. I think he's a guy that's making he's making greater improvements, steady improvements because he's had so far to come. You know, he'd you know, he didn't have the benefit of being here in the spring, but I thought he had pretty good day yesterday. Separation. As far as those right guard kididates, so far there is really home. Yeah. Again, it goes back to a little bit about what I said about

the running backs. You know, we've got some guys in there that are candidates to be the starting right guard that we feel good about. It's just a matter of us picking one, And I think as we go through the preseason games here, you know that'll probably play itself out. What happens to find yourself in the stud situation where it's really tough to choose between two all three or there's not a whole lot of separation. Um, how do you're gonna go about? Did you start splitting hairs? Sense?

I mean, as a coach, what do we have ways that we make our decisions? And basically it's based on what player gives us the best chance to win football games. And so that's where it all comes down to. Is that is always obvious when it's it's not always obvious when you have, you know, a competitive roster and guys competing,

and that's good. I think that's really good. You want to have a you want to have a roster where guys are competing at every position, and you know that's certainly where our focus is now, all of us, and you know we'll get it sorted out. Exact identity questions, He specifically hurts, You've got a great deal of emphasis off season and technique and blocking. Yeah, and you know you can't see everything out here. What are you seeing as a payoff? Specifically, for him out here. Are you

seeing that? We're seeing it? Certainly. I think he's a more efficient blocker. You know. Obviously his um his redeeming quality as a tight end is as a pass receiver. We all know that. But what's important is what what was maybe not considered a redeeming quality. You improve that and we've seen those improvements that he's focused on in

the offseason. Um. Again, he's better with his feet, He's doing a better job of hitting his target, and then depending on where the play is being run, he has a little better idea of how the defender is going to try to beat him, and then how to finish the block, and those are all things that happen on every play. Getting your day, Yeah he was in there. Yeah, there's there's nothing going on with him to be out there. Last year, Jordan Matt has played a lot of in practice.

You know, I started off with the second team a lot. Think Mark Niger you have running right now with the first team a lot also, Sure is he just a rookie the head of the face or you just felt comfortable then now I think you know, our core is a little different now, our receiving cores, you know, and the way we have it set up, we got we got a really good rotation going in our opinion. You know, you got Coop and Miles going over there. You've got you know, on the inside, we got a lot of guys.

In fact, we played most of our guys and anytime we create a slot, a wright or left receiver could be in there anyways. And then on the right side, we got a good rotation. And but you're trying to create again, it takes a village. We need fresh bodies out there, and we want to get to where weekend, all the guys that are active, we want to be able to count on them to go out there and play so that we don't look out there and call a pass and say, oh darn it, that guy's in there.

We don't want that. And we feel like we're better this year from that standpoint opportunities. He's done good and again he's made steady improvements. Um. I thought he came here in the spring. We met, We've talked about this before. You know, you come off the h oh I don't know, the draft parade, you know, and then you're thrown into training and you're probably not quite as ready as somebody

that's been here before. And uh, he's one of those guys who say, Wow, what a big difference now as compared to then, you know, kind of like what we thought, get here, undrafted local guy. You know, he played well in Division three. You know what he's done. I mean early in spring, he didn't know Diadley. He was out there running around. Um, but you can see now he makes very few errors. So he's making improvements schematically. And

you know he's kind of a thick body, tough guy. Um, so he shows up in those kind of uncontrolled situations when we're scrimmaging and such, and he catches the ball. You know, I think if you had one attribute as a receiver, being able to catch the ball is where you would start. And so, um, yeah, he's done some good things. He's tough, going to be tough for him to make the team, and the receivers, I don't know.

I think, you know, we encourage our guys to get better every day and if you don't make this team, prepare yourself where you're gonna be good enough to make somebody else's and and then whatever happens happened. So much like the other positions we've talked about there's so much, so much water that's got run under the bridge. It's hard to say, Well, I know, I've seen it in the past. I think I think he throws that ball well. And I think, um, you know, it's one of those things.

It's a reaction throw. In other words, we're trying to run by somebody and then all of a sudden you see it and boom you throw it and they react to it, you know, I think, but I think he throws it well. You see false quarterbacks too. What have you see for Pratt from year one to year two? I mean last year and year because he came in, didn't make the team, but yeah, sorry, oh Corren, Yeah yeah, I mean just from last year to this year. But

he would be trying to man to stake. I think he's uh, he's obviously more certain about what he's doing, and the more you know what you're doing with more confidence, and so he's playing with more confidence. And he's made more plays down the field this year than he did a year ago. And you know, he was I guess you could have considered him a developmental player a year ago, and now he's showing up in a way where you see obviously, I George mattheus maas it's the end the

last season. I mean, what have you kind of seen from his hand so far to kind of make you thinking it would be even better than it was? Uh? You know, I think behind the scenes is where you see it more instead of just running routes, you know, you know, they're they're more aware of how to release a guy and how to get open. You know, do I have the leverage I want? And if I do, I got to do something to keep it if I have to. If I don't have the leverage I want,

I got to do something to get it. And so instead of just running a flag route, now we're talking about more of the details of how to really get open on a flag route. And I don't know if I'm I don't know if that's a good example, but that's what you get from a guy in his second year. And I think we're seeing that from Jordan being like a guy who can you know, replace a longer numbers at Matlin had last year. I mean, I know you

probably started around, so I don't know. I think he's got to worry about getting the improving on the production he got, you know, and I think production when we throw it at you and make a play, you know, and I think, um, you know, even as we're going along, you know, we kind of build on what we do, and you know, we expect him to just improve on what he did a year ago because of that production from the Jordan last year and the rest of that

rookie receiver class that we're so good, you feel like that has thrown expectations come out of whack for a guy like Nelson Agalore coming in with the high expectations or is the bar set that high internal free gets outside of the building or maybe under this tent. You know that, but hey come out here every day and become a better version of your former self. And so each time they go out there and train, just get better and better and better. And then we really don't

focus on the expectations. We certainly can't worry about the good or bad things that we just got to try to get better. And I think that's the approach arranged for the outible number of snaps you'd like to see Bradford get Sunday. Yet we you know, we're we haven't finally discuss that. I'm sure you could expect me to give you that answer. Um, but that is that is

very accurate, That's very accurate. We want to see we've got a couple solid days of training here and then we'll regroup at that time and you know, I'm sure you'll get a shot at coach. He'll give he'll let you know. We'll see, we'll see. Yeah, maybe a whole preseason. Last year, I think, boy ahead, you knew when you had any is it can be see with Marvel this year where it's hard to say, it's hard to say, you know, when we put it all together and you know,

it kind of cuts. We have an idea of what we want to do with each player, you know, as as the games go on, or what we want to do with the ones and the twos and the threes and who we want to feature. We have a you know, it's in pencil, you know, a broad stroke idea of how we want the preseason to look. But as you get toward each game, then then you're writing in pen's about Alan Barber. Barbar Alan is uh. I think his

redeeming quality is he's very sturdy, He's very physical. Uh. If he gets his hands on you, you know, I think he's certainly got the advantage and uh, as he's getting used to playing next to JP. You know, you're starting to see the camaraderie there where they're they're they're working well together and so um, again we feel good about his progress. But he's a big, sturdy guy. And you know, when you're when you're throwing a football, you like firmness in the pocket. You know, you know, we

expect edge pressure and the quarterback and step up. But when the quarterback can't step up, I don't care how tall you are, that that puts pressure on you. And he's a firm guy. What is that redeeming him from? Like what is what is that overcoming that he maybe needs to work on or might be a shortcoming from You're backing into a question. I think it's just a matter of him getting used to playing playing there and and playing amongst uh, you know, between Kelsey and JP.

But he's he's doing a good job. And again he's just coming back. He I mean, he missed all last year, so you know, it's just a matter of him being out there and playing. It's kind of the sense that you really value athleticism up front, absolute athletic ailly just go. Yeah, I think it goes without saying that our guys are are athletic. So when I say he's big and sturdy,

that's you know, uh an add on to that. And so no, he moves his feet well, he's able to block the line of scrimmage, and then when we combo off to the second level, he's able to deal with guys that are a little bit more athletic than maybe he would be a bigger role the passing game this year, we like to get him the ball steadily and consistently, and you know, he certainly is uh. You know, he's a he's a unique outstanding player. I mean, he's as

good as any receiver you have. And then you can hand him the football and you can extend them and throw them the ball, or you can throw it to him out of the backfield. So you know, we just needed to make sure we get them the ball and we have a plan to do that. Last year, how much talk about a captain obvious answer. I mean, I'm sure I didn't help you with that. How much when you when you went back and watch even freaked a week how much attention that he draw on the field.

Did Darren attract on the field and defense. Last year, Oh a great deal. You know a lot of times when when teams were playing matchup coverages, so we would get situations where they try to double Darren and double Urtsey, you know, and so we have you know, we see that, We see that quite a bit. It's where they can double you know, kind of their inside receivers. That's why it's important we move them around, you know, spread the ball up. Running back kind of free you up to

use him more. See like last year because of Chris being hurt, he was almost like a backup catcher. You couldn't afford to get him hurt with McCoy being you're only running back. That's a good that's a good way to say it. I don't know if that went into our thinking, but um, you know, I think we got to just find that smooth mix between you know, DeMarco, Ryan and Darren, and nothing says we can't put all three of them in there at the same time. Should be kind of cool, you know, I do for you,

would you rather have him you haven't available? Or for you, Um, I don't have a horse in that race. I mean, I really, we just need we just think it's smart to play him on offense. You know, what do you say to see different games that the doom cost practice that that type of that type of deal. You know, I can see Tim Zone reading something, pulling it and then you know, the whistle sort of gets blown. Here he he he might run a guy over you never know.

I mean, so that kind of uncontrolled type stuff. You know, we could run a could run a naked and he gets out on the perimeter and you know, guy hanging off him and making a throw. You know, all that type of stuff that you say, Wow, that was really a terrific athletic play. That kind of stuff. Is it also possible that some of the attributes he brings and the possibilities he brings you might not go on film very in the preseason. I don't know. I think there's

pretty good evidence of what Tim. He's been doing this for a long time. I got home, I don't know, a couple of nights ago. I was late, and I'm catching up on the college football stuff. So the SEC channel he's anyway, So they and they had a bowl game, Florida playing Michigan in two thousands. Lloyd Carr's last game and they're standing there and empty and Tim got the I mean, he got the crap knocked out of him.

But he was making plays and throwing it to Percy Harving and it was all this crazy stuff where it looks like it shouldn't work, and all of a sudden he scored a touchdown. You know, So what Tim can do is on tape. I don't know if we're hying anything statically than physically. Yeah, and again we're not so worried about that because we can do with Tim technically. You know what we can do with the other quarterbacks. So from a scheme standpoint, not that big a deal. All right, guys, h