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Press Pass | Coach Pederson on Mindset of Week 18 vs. Colts · Press Pass

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I watched the first half.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: Yes, can't step that late anymore. Alright, Uh, Ventrel Miller, Uh,
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Ventral Miller. Ankle probably not gonna make the game. We'll
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: see today, but I doubt I doubt he makes it.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Of course, Walker Little won't make the game. So those
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: are the only two. Everybody else is good.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: He is, he is.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: He cleared earlier in the week, practice the last couple
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: of days, been looking good, feeling good, so expect him
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: to play. Do you worry about focus season?
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: I mean a little, you know, a little, But.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: I'll tell you this, the guys have really done a
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: I mean, practices the last two weeks have been a
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: little bit lighter, I think just because of you know,
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: we're at the end of the season and uh, but
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: they're still engaged, they're still focused. You know, still a
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: lot to play for. So there might be a little
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: bit of that, but but it's probably expected.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: You know, Luster started a lot this year.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: Can you just talk about the growth maybe what you've
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: seen from him on the field, maybe off the field,
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: just a someone who you know, a young player who's
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: really embraced the opportunity, right, you never know in this
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: in this league, you never know when you get your shot,
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: and when you do, you know, you hope you're ready.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: And he was one of the players that that was ready.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: And he's just continues to work hard in practice, works
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: on his craft.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Uh, it's it.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Means something, you know. If he makes a mistake, it
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: means something. You see him, he's he's dejected, he's he
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: knows he made a mistake, but he fixes it, corrects it.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Again. Been a been a solid been a solid corner.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: You know, for us, and excited for you know, for
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: him and how far it it'll take him.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: He's been available this year.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: What's your assessment been, Darnel? And the value he brings
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: to the secondary.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Brings leadership, brings a veteran presence, you know.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: When the season began, the the the expectation was he
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: was gonna play our nickel spot, you know, and then
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: and then we moved him back to safety where he's
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: he's obviously comfortable back there, and and and brought some
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: stability there.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: But just again, another.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: Guy who loves ball much like Buster, you know, and
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: and leads a lot. He's he's one probably he leads
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: by example, but he also leads verbally, you know, in
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: the locker room too, So he's good to have on
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: the team. Been a been a bright spot, been been
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: someone that I think has really kind of kept kept
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: things going in the right direction.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: You saw that Ryan was junior name first and all today.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: Did you think that's you probably deserve better than that
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: or do you think that for being a rookie it
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: was he at least got some respect.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: Well, I I I would have hoped he would have
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: got a little bit more, you know, honestly, the the
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: as a rookie receiver putting up the numbers, I think
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: he's second in the AFC and and maybe in the
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: top four six I think in the league, you know,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: and in uh most of those guys are from what
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: school it LSU.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: But it's a good company to be with. It's a
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: really good company.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: And as a rookie, I thought I thought maybe he
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: would he would definitely make it. But look, uh, I'm
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: excited for him. He he's gonna have plenty more opportunities
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: to make uh, to make that uh that that Pro
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Bowl and and just a bright spot for us offensively
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: this year. Obviously the situation dictates it.
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: But I know a point for you, Weekend week Out
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: has been the wrong game.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: Trying to not only establish it but be balanced.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: So when you look back at last week, looking ahead
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: to this week, knowing the challenge that lies ahead with
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: that defense front, but.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: Knowing last week you got drivers fifteen carries, Tank eleven.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: Is that do you think before the game kicks off?
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: I mean, you standing here right now, is that possible
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: to do that?
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: Or I think I think it's gonna have to be,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: you know, quite honestly, I think I think that's twenty six.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: You know, twenty six carries.
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: If the success we've had, you know, we've been up
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: close to thirty runs run attempts, right, and so however
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: or whoever gets them, you know, that's the that's kind
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: of a magic number, I think for for us and
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: and really for any team. But it's a it's a
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: tough defense to run against. They do a great job
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: plugging gaps. Linebackers are downhill, fast flow.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: You know.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: But but you know you're gonna have to try and
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: you're gonna have to get that thing started.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: You have to state healing Robinson and he snaps on offense.
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you know, he's he's done a nice job,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: you know, on special teams. I think it's would you know,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: I think giving him a couple snaps in this last
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: game would be be good to see when you look.
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: Back at this season, was this one of the hardest
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: years of her at coaching career?
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, and and like like I've told the
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: team too, it's you know, with twelve losses like this,
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: I don't think anybody has gone through. I mean, you
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: go all the way back to like high school, you know,
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: middle school, you know, have have a season where he
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: had twelve losses and and.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: It's hard to I think it's hard. The hardest thing
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: probably is just keeping.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: The guys in it each week right mentally be easy
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: for them to kind of check out. So from that standpoint,
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: it's it's hard. Obviously that the pandemic year and twenty
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: was another difficult one with the challenges of you know,
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: COVID and and the the safeguards in place that we
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: had to do, the social distancing and all that that
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: was made it difficult.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: But this one, this one was tough.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: It was tough just to maintain the focus and the
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: drive and each week be competitive and and still give
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: ourselves opportunities to win games.
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: I mean, and then on.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: Top of that, I think you know, nine of the
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: twelve one score losses. You know, it's just something that, uh,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: that's something we've got to we've gotta we've gotta work
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: on and and we gotta focus and and and push
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: through that barrier. And I think once you do, you
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: learn how to win, and and then you'll be better.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: You'll be better for it.
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: You've coached in the NFL long enough to know that
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: job security and job insecurity happens every year. Uh, how
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: do you keep the people who love you and our
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: family friends from not, you know, letting it affect them,
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: because you probably deal with it better than they do.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, is I don't. I don't listen to it. I don't.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: I don't subject myself to reading. I don't get the
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: notifications on my phone things like that, and and or
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: you know, your friends telling my.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: Wife, oh you see what they said today? You know,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: I'm like, well, why do you say that? You know
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: type thing.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: But it's hard. It's hard to you know, keep your
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: family in a bubble. You know, they're outside of these
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: outside of these walls, and and and they see it
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: and hear it every day.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: And and you.
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: Know, I'll tell you this, if, if if it wasn't
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: for probably our faith and being grounded there right then
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: then I think you can You could cower under just
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: about anything, any any stress, any anything that kind of
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: weighs you down.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: But you know, as a family, we choose, we choose
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: not to let it bother us. You know, they get
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: mad at it.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: You know, just like I do sometimes when they when
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: they tell me about it. But uh, look, we've been
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: on this league almost thirty years, player and coach, and
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: you've seen a lot of things, and and uh, you know,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: if if if this is the last one, then I
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: can look back and go, hey, it's a great run.
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: You know, you had a chance to do a lot
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: of great things. You had a chance to win a
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: Super Bowl. You've coached from great players. You know, you
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: played in this league for a long time. So whatever
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: happens happens. But uh, you know, we keep moving forward.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: Is that something you had.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: To manage with players too.
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: I think they've said that, you know, amongst themselves they
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: are not talking about that, but from your position, just.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: To you know, I don't I don't talk to the
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: team about it. I don't. I don't want them to
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: have to.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: I know they're going to get asked, and it's it's
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: their right, you know, to to answer the question obviously,
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: but I don't get into it with them.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Our our our goal and our task is to is
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: to win games.
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  Speaker 2: And and I've had to keep the you know, the
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: focus on that.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: It's it easier as a player or as a coach
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: to not listen to.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: All that stuff.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: And and well it's probably easier as a coach to
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: to not listen to it, cause you know, we're a
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: little more isolated I a and I choose not to.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: You know, I've kind of always been that way, even
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: as a player. I never really read much of what
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: people were saying, you know, cause sometimes sometimes they don't know,
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: sometimes they do know, and I just choose not to
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: not to buy into it.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: What do you think? Can I ask one mon? Oh?
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: Heading into the last week and season kind of uncertainty
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: of what's gonna come by day?
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: Just what do you think the emotions are gonna be?
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: As you contending out was for me personally?
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I you know, obviously I mixed emotions number one,
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: cause I think I think you look back on the
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: season and how disappointed we are as a as a
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: as a team, you know, and and and the the
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: the things that have kept us from probably winning obviously
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: more games. And then there's the excitement of playing another
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: you know, playing another game. You got a great, great
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: opportunity to stand on the field that you know you've
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: been blessed to play on and coach on, and and
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: you got one more opportunity and one more opportunity with
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: these guys, because you know, come Monday, Tuesday, you know,
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: the team goes there their own way, and you know
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: that it'll be the last time that this team's together
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: ever again.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: Right, So it's it's a little bit of a mixed emotion.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: But you know, at the same time, I think, once
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: the ball is teed up and kicked off, you're you're
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: in it.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: You're coaching it to win it, and uh, you know,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: and then and then you see what happens after that.