HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2023
(On how much time is devoted to defensive side of the ball) “Well, that’s a good question. I don’t log my
hours on that side of the ball, but I do spend time looking at the personnel. I do spend time visiting with
Mike [Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell] and with the defensive staff during the week. Not so much
just understanding the game plan, but sometimes understanding how we want to attack an opponent or
what their thoughts are on attacking an opponent. Mainly, it’s been more about the personnel side, just
making sure the right guys are in the right spots and a great example of that would be last year with
Darious Williams [CB Darious Williams]. He started out playing nickel and then we felt like his best
position which he always has played an outside corner, and moving him back to corner. Just making
those types of observations and suggestions are all things that I try to do.”
(On if being a backup quarterback in his career allowed for better observations as a coach) “I do believe
that being a backup and being in the quarterback position, I feel like one of my strengths is the
awareness, the surroundings of what’s around me, watching people and watching players. The
interaction of things I think is part of what a head coach goes through. I think that preparation of being a
backup quarterback, I think about those days in Green Bay and you’re assisting the starter yet you’re
preparing as a starter. You’re having to know everything. You’re just watching and observing. I think that
really has prepared me and as the years go on, I get better at it. Those years of playing quarterback in
this league have definitely prepared for this opportunity.”
(On injury updates throughout the team) “DaVon [DT DaVon Hamilton] is in the building now, he’s here
as we mentioned last week that he would be back in the building. I haven’t seen him yet, but I had a
message from Ferg [Vice President of Player Health and Performance Jeff Ferguson] that he was in the
building so I’m looking to seeing him. I believe his wife is with him. It would be great to see him. Ventrell
[LB Ventrell Miller] unfortunately has an Achilles injury, so that’s a season-ending injury there with the
Achilles. He’ll be missed. Foley [DL Folorunso Fatukasi] is progressing nicely, I would anticipate him on
the field this week with the group, so looking forward to getting him out there. Josh [OL Josh Wells] is
still nursing the injury and week-to-week with that. Cooper [OL Cooper Hodges] is not close yet, so he’s
still going to miss some time.”
(On moving the roster around with injuries) “Yeah, those are all the conversations we’ll have. We started
them this morning and we’re in the process of trimming the roster now and throughout the day. Those
will be conversations that we get to eventually.”
(On if OLB K’Lavon Chaisson is injured) “He is not dinged up, he’s got the knee. Like Chad [LB Chad
Muma], so I didn’t want to put both of those guys out there the other night and risk anything further
with setbacks going into the season.”
(On if OL Tyler Shatley needs three weeks off blood thinners to play with contact) “Yeah, you’re asking a
question I don’t really have the answer to on that one. I know he’s off of them and I know he’s been
cleared to get back out there and be a full participant.”
(On if OL Tyler Shatley is cleared for Week 1) “Yes.”
(On reasoning for TE Derek Parish getting defensive snaps in last game) “No, he’s a former D-lineman in
college and we were a little thin at the D-line spot with the guys we had up in the game and with some
of the injuries there. So, we just had him prepared to go into the game and give us some snaps. I think
he did a pretty good job under the circumstances, and it was good to see him out there doing that.”
(On if TE Derek Parish on defense last game was part of his evaluation for a roster spot) “Yeah, we’ll see
how these next couple of days go if he’s a practice squad player. He’s talented and he’s kind of that Swiss
army knife, you can put him anywhere. Whether it be on special teams, offense, defense, he’s definitely
a guy that has some intriguing and redeeming qualities that you can use.”
(On if the depth of the roster feels real as cuts have to be made) “We are. We are finding that is real. We
also know that there’s going to be some good football players that are going to have to be released. It’s a
tough 24 hours or so here and around the league. It’s just a credit to Trent [General Manager Trent
Baalke] and his staff and the quality of athletes and players on this roster with the depth that we’ve
brought to this team. It’s bittersweet, you’d love to keep them all but you can’t and you got to make the
best decisions moving forward.”
(On reasoning for hosting a team barbeque yesterday) “Yeah, it went well. You’re winding camp down,
it’s the last preseason game, it’s the last week, you know you’re going into this week and you’re down to
your roster sizes and all that. It’s just a way for the players to have their families and just relax as an
appreciation for all the hard work and time spent out on the field for everybody. It’s just a good way to
relax and wind down at the end of this training camp.”
(On how this week is looked at as an in-between of preseason and regular season) “A little bit of both,
it’s two-fold. You’re cutting your roster down and you’re getting to the 53. Then, the 17 with Ayo and the
practice squad players. You don’t want to go backwards; you don’t want to not push from a practice
standpoint and all that. Yes, it is a way to recharge and you don’t have the intensity of practicing and
getting ready for a game this week, but at the same time, I want to maintain the sense of urgency as we
head into the first week of the regular season.”
(On how having one roster cut can change the mechanics of how cuts are done) “It’s a longer day and
you’re doing a lot more guys. It’s challenging for the personnel and staff to do this many guys. I like the
fact that we can keep everybody until the end because sometimes you let a guy go too soon when you
haven’t really given him a chance to play in the last preseason game or take another look at him in
practice or something like that. It’s a challenge that way, but I think it’s good that we can keep them and
it just makes it a little bit more challenging for the personnel side.”
(On who is in the room to tell players they’ve been cut) “For us, we meet as a staff. We meet offensively
and defensively with Trent [General Manager Trent Baalke] and his team. We go back through the roster
one more time and put a plan together. Then, we just turn it over to the personnel department and let
them begin the process of calling players and getting them in here. Then, coaches get to spend time with
the player and do what we can to help them moving forward. If he’s a practice squad candidate, obviously we try to let him know we’d love to have him back on practice squad if possible. It’s a difficult day for everybody.”
(On if he would have to deliver the news to TE Josh Pederson if he was cut) “I had to spank him at one
point. Same thing. I would want to tell him, Trent [General Manager Trent Baalke] would want to visit
with him as well. I definitely would want to talk to him, he’s been through this process before with a
couple of other teams last year and I’m very familiar with it as a former player. Just walk him through the
process and let him know that everything is going to be okay.”
(On how he thinks preseason went overall for the team) “Obviously, the wins and losses are a big part of
it but that’s not everything. Some of that can be a little misleading. I think when we look at the first unit
offensively and start there, I think there were five possessions this preseason, two of them in turnovers,
a couple of touchdowns, things like that. It wasn’t as clean as you’d like, those are some things we got to
clean up as we go this week and prepare. Defensively, you see just how they picked up where they left
off a year ago being dominate in the run game, being able to stop the run, yet still we have some work to
do with the pass game and make sure the guys are on the same page with coverage. Everybody is a year
in the system, so it’s much better to be able to teach and correct because everybody understands where
we are. Then, I think the third element of that is looking at special teams. The depth that we were able
to provide on special team’s units, a lot of guys got opportunities to play on special teams and it was a
great way to evaluate. Overall, the preseason was a success, we didn’t have many guys injured that we
won’t get back, Ventrell [LB Ventrell Miller] being the only one in this situation. It’s over now, and we’re
onto the regular season.”
(On if the rookie class has impressed him throughout camp) “Yeah, it was a great group. They were eager
to get on the field, they were eager to learn, going all the way back to the rookie mini camp when we
had them in here for the first time. I’ve been very impressed with the group as a whole and they’re up in
the coaches’ offices wanting to learn and get better each day. That’s a good sign that we’re bringing in
the right guys as a staff and the right guys onto the team. I’m excited for a lot of these guys because
they’re going to play and they’re going to have to play. Around the league, I think you’re going to see
more teams with rookie starters out there. Look at Kansas City last year with the amount of rookies they
had in the backend of their defense. It’s just kind of where you are, but I’m very pleased with our rookie
class this year.”
(On if there’s been improvements in the running game) “I have. We know it starts with the O-line and
the tight ends in the run game, but it’s really the backs too, how impressive TJ [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] has
been and the improvement we’ve seen with TJ. Then, the addition of Tank [RB Tank Bigsby], a bigger
back and kind of a downhill guy. There was just great competition throughout with D’Ernest [RB D’Ernest
Johnson] and JaMycal [RB JaMycal Hasty] and Snoop [RB Snoop Conner] and Qadree [RB Qadree
Ollison]. Those are guys there that can play and have played in this league before. We pride ourselves on
running the football, we’re going to have to. I think it just helps the pass game when you can do that and
it helps your quarterback. You don’t have to put everything on him, but the improvement has been
gradual, but it’s definitely been in the right direction.”
(On if LB Ventrell Miller’s foot injury in college correlates with his current injury) “No, that’s something I
don’t medically know. I don’t have the answers to all of that, I just coach football and report the news.”
(On feeling like the backend of the pass rush is more valuable than finding new players) “I think when
you really look around the league, it might be a shortage of pass rushers that are out there. If they are, they’re on somebody’s team and they’re locked up for a few years. With that being said, we are pleased
with where we are. I think Yasir’s [OLB Yasir Abdullah] development as a young player did some nice
things in the preseason but still has some work to do and some growth as he continues to get better.
Josh [OLB Josh Allen] and Travon [OLB Travon Walker] are now going into the regular season understand
where they need to be and how they need to affect the pass rush. Where Foley [DL Folorunso Fatukasi]
was at the beginning of camp, he was dominate and he was aggressive. His foot kind of set him back a
little bit, but we’re expecting him back this week and get him back to that full potential that he had early
in camp. I guess the one for us, DaVon [DT DaVon Hamilton] was the shocker with everything we’re just
happy that he’s healthy and heading into the right direction but that’s a big one from a pass rush
standpoint. Big bodies and pass rushers are hard to come by. You just got to continue to develop your
guys.”
(On what’s been seen out of OLB K’Lavon Chaisson) “He’s another one, I liked where he was at last year
and how he came into training camp. He’s another one that’s going to get a lot of snaps this year, he’s
going to be as a number three outside rusher. He’s going to play; he’s going to have to play at a high
level. He understands that, so I’ve been pleased with where he’s at.”
(On how Hurricane Idalia could impact this week for the team) “We’ll keep an eye on it. Late tomorrow
and into Wednesday and then all-day Wednesday we will monitor that and see where it’s going. We
went through this last year with a couple of storms that came through. This one might come a little bit
closer than those two did, so we’ll just keep an eye on it and make decisions as we go. We got this place
and an indoor facility if we need to use it, so we’re looking forward to that.”
