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Press Pass | Doug Pederson: "It’s another good challenge for us.” · Press Pass

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Rolled up on his uh you know, surgically repaired foot,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: and um, just caution and precaution and just wanted to
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: make sure he was and we'll be moving forward. So
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: we just was more precautionary in that game than anything else. No, No,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: he's nothing, nothing like that. He was. He was good,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: got his treatment today and you know, and it's more
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: too sometimes peace of mind with players, especially coming off
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: of a repair, you know, like that, um, you know,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: just rests their minds a little bit that everything's gonna
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: be okay moving forward. In that game yesterday, that you
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: thought about putting him back in, I mean yeah, I
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: mean we have that discussion right away. You know. Um,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: they took him in the dressing room, checked him out.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: I think they even tweaked some shoes and different things,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: you know, to see and then once he came back out,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: you know, it's just a matter of just having conversations
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: with him. You think about putting him back in, but
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: at that time we knew probably not the best you
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: know for him as a player and his health, so
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: just made the decision to keep him, keep him out
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: of the game. Well, I'm sorry everybody's calling a sprained
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: ankle is that it's about what it is, sprained foot,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, so just be clear, it's a different
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: type of injury than the lives Frank. Yeah, No, it's
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: totally different. It's more of a sprain foot than it
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: is on that list. Frank. Yeah. Do you think you
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: will be ready this week? I mean, we gotta get him.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: We gotta get him some you know, some touches this
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: weekend practice. We had to get him caught up. You know,
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: we spend these next couple of days, you know, meeting
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: with him and getting him going. So, um, I think
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: it's possible that uh, you know, obviously working in a practice,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: but you know, it could be a player that we
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: might need, you know, for the game. How was that
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: surface that Detroit as as artificial services go? It was
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: it a hard one to run on sometimes, you know,
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: I haven't been there, It's been a while since I've
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: been there. Um. I remember the last time we were
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: there was it was pretty good. It was a really
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: good surface to run on. Um, So, you know, I
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: would anticipate nothing really being out of the ordinary, you
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: know with that going with three safeties yesterday? Was that
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: more of a matchup thing or is that something you're
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: going to kind of keeping doing going. I mean it's
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: you know, you kind of do that with teams, you
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: know that that get into their two personnel and bigger,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: bigger personnel groups, thirteen personnel things like that. Um, you
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: know it's something that we see three safety looks, you
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: know sometimes against our offense, you know, when we get
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: in certain personnel groups. But you know it's kind of
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: a week to week package, you know, for for the defense.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: After taking some time to kind of review yesterday's game,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: how good was Trevor Lawrence's performance? He played well? You know,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: he played tough, UM, played smart to care of the
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: football other than the one you know, strip sacked there
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: at the end towards the end late in the fourth quarter.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: But I thought, man, I thought he played played really well,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: made some made some really big throws, took a step
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: in the right direction, you know, as I mentioned after
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: the game, And UM great for his confidence. You know,
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: obviously a win like that and the way we won, UM,
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: I think can just build more confidence within the team.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: How big is that final drive for his confidence moving forward?
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: I mean, you guys have been in that situation, but
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: to really put it all together that way, yeah, I
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: think it's been eight times I think this season that
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: we've been in that situation, you know. Um, and it's
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: just good. It's good for the whole team to be
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: able to finish the game, right, I mean, we talked
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: about that during the week, you talked about it all
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: the time. But just learning how to finish, learning how
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: to win a game, Um, it just goes a long
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: way for everybody's confidence. Luke forward Or's fumble recovery kind
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: of get lost in the euphoria, but all that, but
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: you know, I mean, yeah, I mean that's a that's
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: a huge play. You lose the ball, their games games
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: probably over, but great, great awareness by him to be
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: on there, you know, and be on point and get
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: on that football and then you know, be able to
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: keep us on the field at that time was big.
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: You mentioned me yesterday. But what can you say about
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: the offensive line just how they performed? They played good. Um,
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: you know, we'd like to get more out of the
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: run game, but you're playing a really good run defense,
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: you know, And and um, sometimes you have to do
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: what works. And throwing the football, you know, yesterday was
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: was the deal. But um, I thought I thought watching
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: it today those guys, you know, not perfect, but at
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: the same time they battled you know, and and and
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: really kept the pocket clean, you know for Trevor um
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: and and did some did some nice thing. This is
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: a it's a talented group, you know, as we've talked about,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: you know, Baltimore is and they they can present some
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: some problems. You know, their linebackers are active. And I
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: thought our outline did a did a nice job kind
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: of handle that. What do you think about chatting Devon
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: how they kind of played their independent rules? Um, Chad
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: did well, you know, first time, I didn't think the
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: game was too big, you know for him, he really
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: settled in and uh you can see the communication getting
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: end up, you know, all of that, you know, and
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: then when Devon came in, you know, with a three backer. Look,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: you know, Devon was good. Devon was fine. So you know, um,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: I think right now it's something that we can continue
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: to you know, build upon with with both those players. Well,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: he had a big day. Do you think the change
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: next to him really allowed him to kind of go
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: out there and play a little bit free here. I
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: think it's possible, you know, Um, I also think that
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: you know, you know, Mike did a nice job of
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: just simplifying some things, you know, defensively, so the guys
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: can can play free or two. You know, there's not
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: as many moving parts you know out there on defense,
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: and and uh, you know, the guys really just settled
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: into their roles, you know. But you know, I think
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: having having Chad there, you know, uh, did maybe kind
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: of calm some things down, you know, for for Fourier
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: to to free him up on on some plays, and
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: he played, he played aggressive, he played downhill, I made
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: some that's great on that fourth fourth down stop, you know,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: they're in the game. So all of that with a
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: little bit of the simplification, you know, helps helps the
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: whole group. I think as many guys as you did
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: on defense esterday, just between the three safeties, three linebackers,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: and Buster and Campbell at cornerback, what does that say
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: about how those guys were they prepared and how they
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: were all ready again, Yeah, I mean that's just just it,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: you know. We you know, you carry fifty three for
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: the week, and then you gotta come come up with
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: five guys that have to be down each week. And
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: then it just depends on the team you're playing in
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: the matchups right, and and then giving guys opportunities to play,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: you know, and it was really good to see, you know,
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: between between uh, you know, Buster and and and Campbell.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: Wasn't a lot of action their way, but but for
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: the most part, they played within themselves and and did
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: what they're asked to do, which is good, you know.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: And and then you know, having the three linebackers, which
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: is something new you know for us this year, but
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: against again, against this type of type of offense, You've
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: got to have that kind of stuff and it just
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: helps with the growth of you know, the players and uh,
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: kind of the growth of the defense. Yesterday it was
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: a big win. How important is it to follow up
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: on that moving forward? You know, I think it's I
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: think it's big. It's you know, this is a it's
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: a week to week business, um short term memory. You know.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: You come in Monday and and you watch it, and
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: you make the corrections and you put it to rest
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: and you're on to the next you know, and and
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: it's it's, uh, you know, you just gotta you gotta
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: a race, you know, kind of what you did last week, remember,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: I think. But at the same time, you got to
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: move forward. And you've got to approach this, you know,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: independently of last week. It's another another set of challenges,
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: you know, for the team, and you gotta go on
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: the road. You gotta do it again. You're gonna be
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: in a dome loud. This team is, you know, they've
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: won here lately and and uh you know they're they're
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: playing playing much better as well, so you know, it's
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: another another good challenge for us. A lot of emotional
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: upstions down you taking a lead and then come back
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: into big play and then the touch gender more that
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: while it's being reviewed to two point conversion and Tucker
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: having that chance at the end. Is it a mark
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: of a rapidly mature team that they didn't get two
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: up or two down they kind of kind of stayed,
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: don't even keel and did what was necessary. I think
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: it's a step in the right direction, you know, And
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: I do think that you know, even you know, your
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: team kind of feeds off the coaches to right, and
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: if there's panic on the sideline from us, the players
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: are gonna feel that and understand that if there's anxiety,
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: if there's that excitement as to what are we gonna do?
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: Decision making. But that's one of the things that I've
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: been you know, impressed with our staff is just in
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: moments of what seemed like chaos right on the field,
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: there's a lot of calm and I think the players
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: feel that, and we kind of coached through that, and
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: so the guys understand it and that and that again
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: it is a step in the right direction of understanding,
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: you know, the situation. Um Offensively, we had to you know,
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: we had to make decisions whether it was gonna be
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: second and goal from the ten or it was gonna
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: be a two point conversion. So we have two different
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: scenarios working. But unfortunately we had time, you know, as
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: you mentioned, uh as they reviewed that play and and
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: the guys, guys handled it well. And you can hear
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: the coaching staff you started with you there's not a
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: whole lot of body language on the sidelines and reaction
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: to something that first going on out there. And I mean,
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: I know some coaches are more emotional than others and everything,
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: but you make a conservative effort to talk to your coaches.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: And you know, from the day you took over to
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: now two project that calum less. So the players staying
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: calm is that yeah, no, I listen. I I learned
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: that a long time ago. Uh, as a young coach
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: in this business. That then I learned it really as
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: a player too. Is you never you never try not
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: to wear your emotions on your sleeve. You know, you
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: don't let your opponent kind of see a sweat or
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: or upset and you know, cooler heads prevail, and um,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: you know, it's just it's it's something that I try
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: to teach the staff. Obviously, we we teach it to
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: the players, and you know, and and really the only
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: way you get through things like that is great communication.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: And the communication just doesn't start on game day. It
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: starts throughout the week and being prepared for these scenarios
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: and and um, you know, understanding those situations and how
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: much time is left, time out, score, what do we
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: need phil real touchdown, all that kind of stuff, two
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: point to win. You know, all those things are rehearsed
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: during the week and and and so for us as
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: a staff, there's there's no calm. It's more about just
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: the communication and and um, you know, understanding what we're
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: trying to get done. Ever flamed the head headset or
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: your no, I don't think so. They probably find me
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: those things are expensive. Good. It mean for yes, it's
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: a franchise game. Great, it's it's I tell you we
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: you know, It's one of the things we talked to
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: our team a little bit about this past week too,
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: is you know, the culture that Coach Hardball has established there,
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: you know, for so many years, and how they've built
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: that team and and there's a true identity you know
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: with that team, and and uh, they know exactly who
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: they are. And um, you know we're we're trying to
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: get all that established here, right and and and learn
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: and you know this is that's a well well coached
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: team and discipline group. You know, that's the type of
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: game that you know, chances are they pull that game out,
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: you know, and win that game. So, um, just to
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: credit to our guys, you know, hanging in there, sixty
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: minute football game, battling to the end. Um. But I
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: I I'll say this that it's you know, looking at
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: Baltimore and again, what Coach Harball has established there is
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: is kind of a model I think to to what
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: you know, from a culture standpoint, what we're trying to
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: get done here. You don't like talking to us after
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: games or whatever, which I get, but like you seem
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: really drained after yesterday's game? Was did that one take
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: a little more out of you than the other ones didn't?
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: Now it just goes back to his point. It's like,
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: I'm not gonna show my emotions, you know in a
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: press conference, right the confidence level in this locker room.
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: You can talk about how much a win like that
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: can build the confidence, but it seems like the even
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: throughout the struggles this season, the confidence level in this
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: group has been taking a step up each week, even
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: after some of the losses. And your experience as a coach.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Is that strange? Is that just what you've seen from
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: the team, and is that encouraging? It's it's a strange
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: year for us, um you know it. You look at
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: seven losses, you know in in what six of those
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: are one score games? And then you know this is
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: a one score game, two point to win, you know,
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: but you look at a lot of different things and
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: you're thinking, wow, this this should be different, right, I
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: mean you have a receiver that goes for a hundred
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: and forty five yards but no touchdowns, you know what
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: I mean. It's like it's kind of strange, right, Typically
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: a guy has at least a touchdown or two um
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: two point conversion. But you know it's it's it's that's
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: that oddity right of all of all of that and
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: and um, but you know what we just guys, just
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: I'm just amazed by the by the guys. You know
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: how they regardless of what happens the outcome, they're either
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: they're either happy or they're they're mad. Um. But they
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: learned to put it behind them and get focused, you know,
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: on the next next challenge. And that's what I've seen,
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: and that's what's encouraging as we move forward, and then
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: you have a win like we did yesterday, can only
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: enhance the process that let you know you have the
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: right core in place? It does? It does you got
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: the right leadership, You got the right guys, get the
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: right coaches. Um, you know, you've got a lot of
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: support within the organization and and um that that can
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: can you know again set you on a path you
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: know that you hope leads to more of those Cincinnati,
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: did you guys a little bit of a favorite by
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: beat Tennessee. So now instead of four back, you know,
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: it's you win, they beat the Titans and you get
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: to play them twice? Is that what you mean when
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: you say your opportunities are out there in front of
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: you still exactly exactly, Um, everybody in our division is
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: chasing Tennessee. You know, it's a good football team. Coach
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Rabel hasn't played well. Cincinnati had a good game plan
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: yesterday beat him. But you know it's a that's a
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: it's a good football team. But we know what's ahead
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: of us. We've got some really good teams, you know,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: on our schedule ahead of us that are all playoff
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: caliber teams that you know, in order for us to
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: be there at the end, we've you know, we've just
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: got to continue to prepare, you know, the way we've
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: done that and you know it's this is the next one,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: you know, Detroit this week, and um, we'll worry about
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: Tennessee you know, next week and move on from there.
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: But it's it's all part of that part of that
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: plan before the season. Ethan while said that, you know,
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: when the team's before they get good, maybe before the
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: wins happen, there's a different five in the hallways, a
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: different five around the team where guys start to get
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: the understanding that you're a pretty good football team. I
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: mean throughout this season, have you are you starting to
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: kind of get that feel maybe okay, we've we've got that,
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: it just hadn't clicked yet. I think the guys have
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: believed all along that they're a good football team. You know,
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: it's just one little thing here there that's uh, you know,
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: kept us from winning some of these some of these games. Um,
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: but I believe they believe in themselves. They believe they're
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: a good football team. I don't you know, I remind
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: them of that, right, but I don't have to remind
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: them all the time. They believe that. Um, yesterday is
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: a great example. The excitement on the sideline, the enthusiasm
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: on the sideline, you know they're at the end is uh,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: you know, it's just what you want, you know, and
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: and uh that's something again that can that can propel you,
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: you know, the rest of the year or any kind
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: of setback. Would you expect Travis to be able to
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: play something or no? I think so, Yeah, I think so,
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: barring anything crazy this week, but yeah, I think he'll
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: he'll be fine and be ready to go. Good. Yeah,
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: thank you appreciate al right, guess that you didn't disagree