Latest / Press Pass / Press Pass | Pederson: "We're teaching fundamentals more; we're working on their skillset."

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Press Pass | Pederson: "We're teaching fundamentals more; we're working on their skillset." · Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I just want to give you a quick update on Debond,
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: which I know you're gonna ask.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: He's doing extremely well.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Obviously, it's a non football you know, related injury, and
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: he's he's doing extremely well, and our doc said that
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: he could be back in our building as early as.
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Next week, so we're happy for that.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: He had the kind of camp where if he is
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: enabled to practice until maybe even late in the colts league,
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: that you have enough trust in him that that he's
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: clear he can have his regular role.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: I mean as a veteran player, you know, you know
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: what he can do. It's been unfortunate that, you know,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: with the issues that he's been dealing with, you know,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: not getting the reps. But I wouldn't have any have
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: any problem, you know with that. It'd be more about,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: you know, where he was physically at the time.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: What's your latest on Cooper?
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: You know, Cooper's going to be out this week obviously,
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: and you know it's gonna be gonna be some time missed.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: I don't know how much time, but it just depends
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: on the healing process, but it's gonna be some time missed.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: You know, where it needs any surgery or not. No, surgery.
• 1:09
  Speaker 4: Okay, is the cooper on ir.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: I mean that's a that's a real possibility, you know,
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: heading into the heading into the regular season.
• 1:18
  Speaker 4: Possibly, Yes, any update I guess on Josh Wells there
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: in terms of how long he might be out, is that.
• 1:25
  Speaker 5: Necessarily a long term?
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Again, timetables. I don't like to get into timetables with players.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Everybody heals differently. But again, he's another one that's gonna
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: miss some time.
• 1:35
  Speaker 4: Coach yesterday Press said he wanted to see a clean
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: operation from the offense. What would you like to see?
• 1:41
  Speaker 4: Are you more focused on the starters or on the
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: rest of the team.
• 1:44
  Speaker 6: Trying to make a spot?
• 1:46
  Speaker 7: No?
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: I agree with that, Uh, the clean operation. You know,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: you want the starters to go in there, and you know,
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: you remember what happened in the Dallas game, you know,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: first series and we we we turned the ball over.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: You don't you don't want that. You want him to
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: go in.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: There and and execute the offense. You know, we we
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: still don't game plan these games. We just want to
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: execute our plays and and and get get the starters
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: working together, you know, for a number of snaps and
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: and just try to try to you know, eliminate mistakes,
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: try to eliminate airrors, things like that, and try to
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: play you know, a clean football game at least for
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: the first half when.
• 2:23
  Speaker 8: You're evaluating into roster guys. I know, special teams is
• 2:27
  Speaker 8: a very big part of that. But what are some
• 2:29
  Speaker 8: of the other factors that you are the staff take
• 2:31
  Speaker 8: into account when it comes to looking at those like
• 2:35
  Speaker 8: final roster responses.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: I mean, there's there's a few things you look at,
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: you know, how do they how well they you know
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: attack the day far as practice goes, you know, attent
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: of in meetings, can they play through a little injury
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: you know, in practice and games? Do they take themselves
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: out because of a little you know, hiccup in in
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: in their in their or something like that. There's you know,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: it's it's more than just the games, right, we can
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: evaluate that, that's the easy part.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: It's just the sometimes it's the the.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Off the field stuff that we look at, you know,
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: and and and can a player be trusted, you know,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: because the end of the day, you're down to you know,
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: fifty three forty eight on game day, and and and
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: you go you go play, and you've got to be
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: able to you know, account and count on those those
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: forty eight guys that they're gonna they're gonna be there
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: on Sunday.
• 3:25
  Speaker 9: Is your mind made up for a lot of the
• 3:27
  Speaker 9: roster at this point? Are you still kind of evaluating
• 3:30
  Speaker 9: every step of the way, Trevor, I'm pretty good.
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: Everybody else.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Now, I mean, you know, you kind of have your
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: starters penciled in, so you kind of know, you know
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: those guys. It's just again, it's just I guess just
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: evaluating some of the younger guys and the role guys,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: like we're talking about special teams, becomes an important factor there.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: You know, this is a big game because you know,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: if you know, if Miami comes out and wants to
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: play their starters, which I'm anticipating them doing, I want
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: to see some of our younger players go against you know,
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: starting caliber players in this league. And that's another way
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: of evaluating, you know, the roster that you have.
• 4:09
  Speaker 9: It's such a large rookie class this year. How do
• 4:11
  Speaker 9: you kind of balance looking at some of them for
• 4:14
  Speaker 9: I guess what they could be in that year two
• 4:16
  Speaker 9: jump or year three jump in the league, as opposed
• 4:18
  Speaker 9: to some of these veterans where you know exactly what
• 4:21
  Speaker 9: you'll get from them week in and week out.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: Well, and that's the thing that you, you know, you
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: can appreciate with where we are, you know, having having
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: a roster, especially the amount of people that came back,
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: you know, from last year on both sides of the ball.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: You know, if it's a.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Just use this for an example, you know, if it's
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Tyson Campbell for instance, I know, we know who Tyson is,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: but I want to see you know Buster, I want
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: to see him out there right I know who Trey is.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: I want to see more of Greg Junior. You know
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: what I'm saying.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: So there's there's those things that that you know, a
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Chad Mooma for instance, you know, I know who Chad is.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: We've seen him play right now. I want to see Ventrel.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: I want to see those other guys play. So those
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: are all those things that you know, you kind of
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: have the luxury, you know, as a staff to make
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: those decisions, especially in this last in this last game,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: since you brought them.
• 5:13
  Speaker 5: Up, right, Junior're obviously pushing Tray for that spot.
• 5:16
  Speaker 7: How much do you anticipate in getting those reps potentially
• 5:19
  Speaker 7: against the Dolphins first scene versus knowing what.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: Trade can care. Yeah.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: I mean it's uh, it's kind of a fine line
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: with those two trays. Both those guys are good players,
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: They've had really good camps, and we want to see
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: them both in there on, you know, not necessarily a
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: rotating basis, but maybe a couple of series and then
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: get the next guy in a couple of series, the
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: next guy in so we can make, you know, make
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: an evaluation there. But both guys are having a really
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: good camp and and we're excited for for where they are.
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: You know, the training camp is basically pretty much over.
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: Just where did you see progress with Trevor and the offense?
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: I know there's a lot of new pieces readily obviously
• 5:55
  Speaker 4: the offense lines changing a little bit, So where did
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: you see process from them?
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: I just think that these guys, especially in the skill
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: skill room and with Evan missing, you know, the entire
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: offseason program, I just think they they really picked up
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: where they left off a year ago and and you know,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: going into year two, just the growth and development of
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: of those guys. The you know, I've said this before.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: The teaching aspect is we're not teaching plays, right, We're
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: teaching fundamentals more and we're working on their skill sets
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: and helping them become better football players and taking that
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: next step you know as a team. Those are the
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: things that I think this training camp really has sort
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: of emerged, you know, on both sides of the ball.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: You know, when you got you know, we had all
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: or we have.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: All eleven guys you know, on defense that are coming
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: back basically, and the communication, the execution, you know, those
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: are all things that have been more on point, I
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: should say.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: You know this year, you.
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: You you sort of talked about the process in terms
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: of you you want the offense to start faster. Did
• 7:10
  Speaker 4: you feel like you've got a sense of them getting
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: better in that area over the course of the last
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: couple of weeks.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: Well, you know, obviously you won't really know that until
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: you know week one, but you know, there is a
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: sense of urgency to do that and to start games
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: faster both sides of the ball. I mean, defensively, you've
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: seen what we've done the last couple of weeks, and
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: they've done a nice job, you know, getting off the
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: field early in the game, and you know, those are
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: just things that have to carry over, you know, into
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: the into the regular season, and you know, I think
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: I think we've done a nice job and the way
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: we've started practices, you know, in training camp, I think
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: that's important to how you start, you know, how you
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: start games.
• 7:50
  Speaker 6: Going back to Hodges, are we talking short term? I
• 7:53
  Speaker 6: are or prior to Cut's ir where he'd be out
• 7:56
  Speaker 6: of the season.
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: Not gonna really get into all that, but it's I mean,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: he's gonna miss some time.
• 8:03
  Speaker 6: Who's your swing tackle with with Josh down and Cam
• 8:07
  Speaker 6: suspended for.
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: I mean the main options, it's it's yeah, I mean
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: it's it's a little bit I don't want to say
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: it's up in the air, but it's you know, Hans
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: is probably that guy. You know, we got to see
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: where BArch and Shatley kind of pan out.
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: You know, Josh where he's at.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Obviously with his help, but right now, if it's if
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: this were week one, it would be Blake Antonio Johnson.
• 8:32
  Speaker 9: Do you think he'll be ready to start the year?
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: Close? Close? You know?
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: Again, those hamstrings are are funny, you know, everybody heals
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: a little bit differently.
• 8:43
  Speaker 9: And have you seen enough from him throughout camp to
• 8:45
  Speaker 9: really make an evaluation on it where he can help
• 8:48
  Speaker 9: you when he is ready to get back.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: I think so, you know, I feel comfortable with what
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: he's done defensively and on special teams and and you know, uh,
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: I think he's I think he's done enough.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: You know, you'd love to see him again out there.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: But just unfortunate coach, as you entered.
• 9:04
  Speaker 7: This final preseason game, is there a story or a
• 9:08
  Speaker 7: time that you remember a player making the roster in
• 9:11
  Speaker 7: your eyes, you know, solidifying his name in order to
• 9:13
  Speaker 7: make the team.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: We had not not here, trying to think even in
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: Philly when I was there. I know in Kansas City,
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: we had a young receiver that made it on special teams,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: you know, and he actually ended up Albert Wilson was
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: his name, and ended up making our roster and he
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: was a special team a little slot receiver, special teams guy,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: and made our team and you know, eventually went on
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: to have a you know, a really good NFL.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Career, you know, and.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: Just goes to show you that know, anything's possible with
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: these guys if they just continue to work hard and
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: you know, focus on their job and get better and
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: not not worry about the length of the line that
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: they're in, you know, and how many guys are in
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: front of them, because you know, he was one of
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: those players that really made the most of his opportunity.
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: Tyson Campbell had play.
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Tyson's been been really good, really good and had a
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: really good camp you know, another one that's a young
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: player that kind of picked up where he left off
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: a year ago and and just continues to improve. I
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: think to the addition of you know, Calvin, you know,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: challenging both he and Darius. You see it out there
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: in practice, they really they really enjoy the competition. You know,
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: Calvin goes one hundred miles an hour. You guys have
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: seen that, you know, and it really pushes those two
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: corners to be great and and it's just improved their
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: their game.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: And and so Tyson's.
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: In a good spot, you know, heading into the you know,
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: regular season.
• 10:59
  Speaker 5: What what was this time of preseason like when you
• 11:03
  Speaker 5: were a player? Was it more stressful? And can you
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: see that among the players that are trying to make
• 11:09
  Speaker 5: this runs.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: Early in my career, it was very stressful, you know,
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: cause you knew you only had a few days left
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: and you always got to you know. Back then, of course,
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: we had four preseason games, you know, so make this
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: the fourth game. Let's call it, and you just didn't
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: know how much time you were going to get in
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: that game to really showcase yourself. And for me, it
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: was just a matter of, you know, again making the
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: most of the opportunity, you know, not forcing the issue
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: or anything like that, but just going out and executing
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: the offense right, you know, find the open receiver, make
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: the right checks, whatever it might be. I think the
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: older I got in the league, you know, the coaches again,
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: they kind of understand what you can do and they
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: can trust you as a player. And so I didn't
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: play as much in those last couple of preseason games
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: because we let the younger guys you know play, and
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: and that's.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Kind of where we are right now.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: Right we understand the the Tyson Campbell's and you know guys,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: guys of that nature who.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: We know they're on the team, right.
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: So now we want to see these younger guys play
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: and and and make the most of their opportunity and
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: just see what they can do.
• 12:15
  Speaker 5: So many guys coming back, is that line very fine
• 12:19
  Speaker 5: for those last few roster spots between one, two, or
• 12:23
  Speaker 5: or three different.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: Guys, it gets it gets real fine, It gets real fine,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: and and it really kind of boils down to special teams.
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: You know, that's the third element to our team. And
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: and you know, again my message has always been, you
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: may not be the starter on offense, defense, but you're
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: a starter on special teams, and you need to embrace
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: that role, especially if you're a new rookie, whether you're drafted, undrafted,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: you know, a second year player, whatever it might be,
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: that's kind of your niche to make to make our roster.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: And and so it gets it gets a little finer.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: You know, the the the more depth you have on
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: your team, it does get harder for those guys to
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: to break in.
• 13:07
  Speaker 9: Having some of the injuries on offensive and defensive line
• 13:10
  Speaker 9: kind of make things cloudier as you trim your roster
• 13:13
  Speaker 9: because you got guys in some of those gray areas.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you'd love to if these injuries were
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: gonna happen, you'd you'd love for them to be at
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: the beginning of camp.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: And now they're getting healthy.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: But you know, we've got some time obviously this week,
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: next week, and then you know, we do have to
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: make decisions fairly early, you know, next week.
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: But it's just the nature of the of the business.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: And you know, we'll sit down as a staff with
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: Trent and his staff and go through and talk about everybody,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: and you know, come away with the final final fifty three.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: But as you know too, once you get into the
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: regular season, it's still it's still changing, right your Your
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: roster's still change, practice, squads changing and all that might
• 13:53
  Speaker 1: take a few weeks.
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: Before you really settled in on your guys.
• 13:56
  Speaker 9: As a former player, do you hate this part of
• 13:57
  Speaker 9: the job.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I I never really appreciated this part of it.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: You know, you you you disrupt the lives of guys
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: that have been busting their tail for about six weeks
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: you know here, plus the off season, and and you know,
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: it's it's a it's a tough time. You know, it's
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: a tough time to and I and I just I said,
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: I I tell.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: The guys all the time.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: You know, you're you're competing for our roster, but there's
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: thirty one other rosters that are watching you too.
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: So again, it's may not be the end of the line.
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: Maybe the end of line here.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: But not the end of the line you know on
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: another team.
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: So you know, put your best foot forward.
• 14:33
  Speaker 10: One latch thing you you're talking about the waiver wire.
• 14:37
  Speaker 10: Will you help do you do you anticipate that you
• 14:39
  Speaker 10: and Trent will invest more time than you anticipate it
• 14:42
  Speaker 10: on the waiver wire because of somebody fluid situations, particularly
• 14:46
  Speaker 10: on the office.
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, that's a that's a real possibility. And
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: again it all depends on how our guys respond to
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: treatments and healing and what we perceive as their timetables.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: Right, that'll factor into this.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: So you know, you'll take a look at it and
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: you know, see if someone's available to to help you out,
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: whether it's short term or long term.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, thanks