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Press Pass | Doug Pederson: "... it all starts with communication." · Press Pass

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: As far as I do. Are you able that Uh,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: he's he's it's a quad and day to day. Um,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: I won't do a lot today. Just kind of rest
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: him today and then see where he's at tomorrow and Friday.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: All those guys will be back at practice today. Yes,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: when you look at this Texans roster, what stands out
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: team kind of like us. They're they're young, um, but
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: yet they have some veteran leaders in key spots, you know.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: And um, this team, this team flies around. They play
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: with a lot of energy and aggressiveness, particularly on defense. Um.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: And there you know, it's a tough group. They've you know,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: they've got themselves behind in games. They've worked themselves back
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: to compete in the fourth quarter. And so it's a
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: it's a sixty minute football game. Quarterback is Davis Mills.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: You know this guy, This guy, Uh, you know, I
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: liked him when he came out. Um. I think he's
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: doing exactly what they've asked him to do, you know,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: and that's just run the run the offense, you know,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: not too much and and I stay within, stay within
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: the system. You know, good arm to make to make
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: the throws. Now you know what I didn't Um, I
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: know in my mind that's the deal, but I listen,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: I don't want to. I don't want to keep pouring
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: all that on our guys. This is a new team,
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: new season, new opportunity for our guys. Um. It may
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: be something that we talked about in small circles, but
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: it's not a key message for me this week. Speaking
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: of opportunity, not just one but back to back divisional games.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: You get off to a good start doing that. I mean,
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: it seems like everything hinges on that. The years that
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: the Jacks going to the playoffs and therefore and two
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: in the division, the years they don't go, it's it's
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: the reverse or even worse. Yeah, always come down to that.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: It's it's it's a really it's a really good competitive
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: divisi you know. And and uh uh, I think the
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: faster teams can can start in the division, you know,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: whether it was me back in the NFC East or
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: now in the NFC South. I mean, obviously, an opportunity
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: to get to the postseason is is to be able
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: to handle your division games right. And um, it's another
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: opportunity for our team to to take another step forward
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: to grow as a team, but also understand that you know,
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: this is a good football team coming in here. Um,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: it's gonna take a really good week of preparation and
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: practice too to get that done. After the game Sunday
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: wanted the things that you said, you know, we're gonna
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: be okay, We're gonna be fine. I mean, the fact
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: that you had five turnovers in a game and still
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: had a chance to get that game in overtime speaks
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: volumes we're gonna be okay, We're gonna be fine. Um.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: It's it's honestly, uh that those types of games like that,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: and I've been in a few of them where it's
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: been sort of lopsided that way from the turnover deal. Um,
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: you know, we we seem to correct it, you know,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: moving forward. Our guys understand it's not something you have
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: to sit there and you know, browbeat him over the
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: you know, over the head. They understand, they know, I mean,
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: the private possessions of football, we've got to take care
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: of it. Quarterbacks, your kind of master where consistency all
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: in areas that the toughest day with them. I mean,
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: that's our that's our league, I think, and not just
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: for the quarterback, but um, I think for every players
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: the consistency to to you know, how you handle your
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: job and your responsibilities each week starting with Monday, you
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: know how that how that how that shapes out and
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: then to go to Tuesday and then today. And I
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: think with the quarterback it's it's obviously it's a big,
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: big part of you know, what the quarterback does. But
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: that consistency, you know, turns into growth, and that consistency
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: turns into getting you know, one percent or being one
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: percent better as we talked about every single day. Um.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: But but that's a message I think that everybody on
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: the team can understand and learn from. I mean, coaches
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: are the same way, you know, and trying to be
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: consistent in my messaging with the team, and you never
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: get too high, you never get too low. You just
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: stay consistent with that. But at the same time they
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: understand that, you know, we've got to put in the
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: hard work and the preparation to try to win a
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: game or to not know what you're going to get.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: People were about you know what I mean Now, I
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: mean that's why you practice, honestly, and that's why you prepare, um,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: you know, and and you don't expect what you know
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: you don't expect what happened to happen. But at the
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: same time, as you go through the week, I mean,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: you you have great optimistic your optimism that you know
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: things are going to go your way, you know, and
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: that's just why you practice and prepare each week. When
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: you watch the struggles on and run defense, do you
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: write that off as a one off, circumstantial and as
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: the Eagles or were They're actually things you saw there
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: that No, there were things there that we need to fix.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: I mean a little bit of the Washington deal kind
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: of raised his head a little bit. Um all fixable,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: all correctable. I'll teachable um. And that's going to be
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: the focus this week, to make sure we stayed disciplined
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: with and this is a good running team, so you know,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: we got to make sure we stayed disciplined in those
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: uh in those run lines. Damian appears only running back
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: to get any carrings for them last week, and obviously
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: the rookie, you know he can perform well. A lot
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: of folks around here believe he has a lot of
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: tread on his tire and maybe he should have played
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: a little bit more at Florida. What do you see
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: for him. Yeah. I mean he was somebody we liked
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: in the draft and and um, it's what you it's
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: what you see. He's you know, he's he's he's a load.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: You know, he's only five nines about to eight team,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: but he's thick and he's solid. And um had a
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: nice seventy five yard run last week, and you know
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: he's capable of doing that. So it's got to be
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: all hands on deck obviously to to get him on
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: the ground. And um, you know that's our division though, right,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, this is a run division, and and we've
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: got some great running backs that we gotta we gotta
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: take care of. If fully, let's say, can't go, how
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: do you manage depth along the defensive line, especially knowing
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: that Ruddy defense is gonna be corredible. Yeah, I mean
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: there's some things that we can you know, we can
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: we can get to without really you know, identifying them
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: right now. Um, but you know there's there's ways of maneuvering,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: you know, and manipulating our roster. Um. Um in in
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: you know, in the week of preparation, I should say
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: and and um, you know, as we get closer to
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: game time, we'll have we'll have everything ironed out. What's
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: sort of stressed in? Brandon Cook's put on a secondary
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: quite a bit. I mean, veteran guy. He's quick, he's uh,
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: he's slippery, he knows, he knows defense, knows how to
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: get open um. And I played against him a few
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: times now and and he's just he's just that. And
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: he's the you know, he's kind of the focal point,
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: you know, offensively in the passing game for them, and
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: and we gotta understand where he is and how they know,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: how they move them around. How pleased have you been
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: with your safety play so far the season? Ra Sean
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: and Cisco? I think after the first game, you know,
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: the Washington game, they really settled in. You know, you're
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: seeing great communication between these two. They're getting hands on
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: the football obviously, both of them. Uh, it was great
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: to see, uh, you know, Cisco get the interception last
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: week for the touchdown. Um, you know ray Sean did
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: that against uh against Indie the week two weeks before.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: So they're they're starting to really play complimentary football back there.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: And and it all starts with communications and you've seen
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: at turnovers force. Is it safe to say at this
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: point did that far any offense. I think so and
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: and and you know, it's something we've talked about. You know,
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: we we've said this in here before that that you know,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: we we started talking that way back in the spring.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: And you know, it's a it's a mindset. It's you know,
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: it's a focal point each week. We got to create turnovers. Um,
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: we gotta protect the ball, but we also want to
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: take the ball away if we can. And um, you
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: know we preach it even during the week of practice.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: You know, they defense is working on it, you know,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: just like every team works on it. Um. And and
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: usually when they come, they come in in bunches and
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: and so far this season they've been coming, you know,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: a couple a couple here in their game. What's the
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: key to how having a defense build that sort of
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: identity and and be on the right side of those turnovers.
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: It's just it's just a mind it's a mindset of
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: the entire you know, starts with the staff. It starts
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: with the coordinator with Mike and and then and then
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: it's the communication that they have, you know, in their
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: meetings and then a practice and it's just that mindset
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: that that's that's gonna be a part of what we do,
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: you know, And um, obviously you can't. You know, you
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: can't substitute not tackling a guy for trying to punch
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: a ball out because sometimes you miss the tackle right
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: in ball care you gets another five or six yards.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: But at the same time, UM, those are all things
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: that that we do talk about and and and really
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: work on in practice that and then eventually pay off
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: in the game. What are the challenges we're facing the
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: lovely Smith defense. I'll tell you it's a it's been
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: a while, you know since you've seen a structure like this.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: You know it it brings you back. I mean, he's
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: he's a traditional guy and and he's been doing it
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: now a couple of years there. And uh, these guys
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: play extremely number one thing is they play fast. You
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: see him fly around. Um they try to create one
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: line of one line of defense with their backers and
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: their D line active group up front. Um still wants
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: to play the traditional you know, shell covered two defense,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: but um, you know, he mixes a lot of that
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: single high defense in there as well to help help
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: stop the run. So we've got to be able to
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: handle a lot of the movement. You know, um, but
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: it's still kind of a traditional, you know, four three
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: based defense that that he's accustomed to the safety. I
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: know he's only a couple of games into his career,
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: but is he already somebody you kind of need to
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: know where he's at everything now. Yeah, he's very active. Um,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: he's gonna find you know, You're gonna find him around
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: the line of scrimmage somewhere. Uh. You know, he's a
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: good blitzer, good tackler, he's active in the passing game.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: So he's somebody that you gotta definitely keep an eye on.
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: Could you ever get knocked out of the game concussion?
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: Did I remember? No? Have you ever heard you of
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: your own stories that guys beating like hiding it or
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: beating the concussion cast? What? Not? Anymore? Not anymore, because
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: there's a lot of self policing that goes on in
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: today's game, whether it's by our team or you know,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: the spotter in the box, or even our own our
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: own docks. There's a lot, a lot of more, a
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: lot more of that. I think back when I played,
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: sometimes you just kind of shook it off and you
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: just stayed in there. I just think the protocols now, Um,
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: it's all about player safety and and they're in place
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: for that to make sure that we don't we don't
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: have those uh you know incidences that uh that that
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: pop up. There's there's too many eyes you know, on
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: these players nowadays to make sure that we do it right.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: Are the people kids, don't say the kids. The kids
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: today different from the case when you and I are
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: that age in terms of being more in health concussions,
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: maybe uh more aware, Oh I think, well, I know,
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: I know what you're Yeah, I know what you're I
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: know what you're getting that. I mean, there's just more
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: education for these guys nowadays. And we've actually, I mean
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: we actually that's why you saw the the Guardian caps
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: you know in training camp. And and it's a step
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: in the right direction to help minimize you know it. Listen,
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: it's a violent sport and and and can cut. We
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: can't eliminate them. It's gonna happen. It's gonna be a
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: part of our game, but we're trying to minimize it.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: And um, the more education which is out there, the
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: more data, the more research, the more technology and the helmets,
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: you know, it just helps the player and it keeps
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: the player safe and and I think it just affects
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: all the way down to the youth leagues too. Right. Um,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: sometimes you know, parents get a little nervous when they
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: played they played football. But I think that technology is
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: even even going into the youth sports and um, you know,
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: it's helping make our game better. Even you know, the
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: Texans are winless. They seem to be a team that
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: they never seem to go away. Whether they're trailing by
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: seventeen twenty points, they come back. So now the Bay
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: Boss blown leads as well for for a team that's winless,
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: they don't seem like a team that's easily beatable exactly.
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: And that's a that's a team. I mean they you
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: take on the personality of your head coach and they
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: play hard for him, and he's a he's a great leader, um,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: you know, and he sticks to what he believes in.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: And that's that's what you see with this team. And
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: they continue to fly around and play and you know,
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: play hard and play fast. And you know, I think
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: when you do that, you're gonna be better off for it.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: You know, it's like us here, you know, may not
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: win every game obviously, right, but if they play hard
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: and they play fast, and they play together. Um, typically
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: good things are going to happen. And that's you know,
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: even though they might not be at the end of
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: the game, they're gonna they're gonna end up winning more
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: games than you know than losing for your team. Um,
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: coming home this morning the Wednesday after a loss, how
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: was this morning maybe different than after that Washington game?
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: Or did you see similarities in terms of how the
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: approach may have been different. Yeah, there's some similarities you
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: know between the two, Um that you can you learn
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: from obviously from you know, obviously Monday correcting the correcting
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: the mistakes to today. But you know, it's it's when
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: Wednesday comes. I mean, we're we're focused on the next opponent.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: Our guys are guys are fired up and get ready
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: to get back out on the practice field and and
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: really dive into the game plan and understand their roles
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: within it, and um, just you know, focus on on
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: not trying to make the mistakes we've been making more
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: of a chip on the shoulder coming off of the
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Laws in particular and knowing it was you know, the
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: only undefeated team left in the league. Or Yeah, I
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: mean there's some of that, you know, and and and
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: I think the players would probably have a better answer
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: probably for you than I am. But um, you know,
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: for me, it's just a matter of, Hey, this is
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: this is Week five, and and it's the Houston Texans
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: coming in here. It's a good football team, and I've
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: got to prepare these guys, you know, for this week.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Been for what you've been able to do defensively this year,
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: he's been. He's been unbelievable. Gets the guys lined up,
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: he's smart, he runs well, he's athletic, he's physical and
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: tough and and you know, just the type of person
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: that we were looking for, you know, to to fill
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: that need for that room. And he's a great leader, UM,
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: a lot of respect by his teammates, coaches, UM. And
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: then we add some of the young guys in there
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: as well, you know, to to kind of feed off
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: of that uh mentorship a little bit. But he's been,
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: he's been everything that we've you know, we've asked him
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: to do. When you have it has that like never
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: satisfied mentality, the defense is never quite up to his standard. Yeah,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: you know, want it just kind of sets the tone
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: for the rest of the defense, you know, and and
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: and that's what you want from that type of leaders,
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: all right, yank y