HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2023
(On talent of 49ers Brock Purdy) “He’s playing well, he’s a good player. I think too, they’re not asking him to do a lot. They’re running the football, they’re playing great defense, he’s completing the balls he’s needing to complete, he’s just playing efficient. When he has to make plays, he’s been making plays. The
surrounding cast is doing their part, so that all helps your quarterback and that’s why he’s had success.”
(On if WR Zay Jones will play this weekend) “We’ll give him one more day today and see, probably a long shot but we’ll see. He’s doing better.”
(On if CB Tyson Campbell will play this weekend) “Tyson is doing well, he had a good week of practice, him and Cisco [S Andre Cisco] are really good, Walker [OL Walker Little] is really good, so they should be fine.”
(On the bye week helping injured players heal) “Yes, we do.”
(On if players are getting more comfortable approaching big time games) “You know, we hope so. It depends on what you do the year before. You don’t have any control over the divisions that you play, but yeah, we just happened because you finished first in the AFC South, you’re going to get the first place winner in other divisions and things like that. You just got to continue one week at a time and hopefully from our standpoint that things year-in and year-out are going to be sustainable, we continue to have great teams come to Jacksonville.”
(On if the 49ers structure has been similar despite different defensive coordinators) “It’s similar, there are some differences. Coach Wilks [49ers Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks] has put his spin on it a little bit than what DeMeco [former 49ers Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans] had and with Saleh [former 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh] had a couple of years back. It’s all pretty much the same structure of defense but there are some little differences and nuances that each coordinator has.”
(On noticing the fan engagement when the team is performing good or bad) “Not so much inside the building, I think the media can drive that. I know the players don’t think about that, coaches don’t think about it. We’re trying to just win the next game and do our best on the field. You obviously hear it and you hear that noise because eventually it comes into your building, but you try not to let that affect you. That’s what we’re trying to turn around here.”
(On if CB Gregory Junior is coming off injured reserve soon) “We hope so. He’s doing really well, practicing really well. I think he’s got another few days in the window and just want to make sure he’s one hundred percent.”
(On if the hope is to incorporate DT DaVon Hamilton on more snaps throughout the future) “Yeah. That’s the plan with him, keep increasing his reps.”
(On how close DT DaVon Hamilton is to being a full-go participant) “Close, he’s really close. I think this week will be big obviously, getting more opportunities this week to get more snaps, so he’s getting real close.”
(On what being 6-2 despite injuries says about the team) “It just means that the guys that are stepping up are stepping up. Then, they’re playing well and that’s what makes good teams. The absence of a starter, the backup guy has to come in and fill in just like Buster [CB Montaric Brown] has done. He’s done a great job and it’s going to take a full 53-man roster, as you pick your 48 for that game, or maybe
even elevating a practice squad player. We’ve done [CB] Tevaughn Campbell, we’ve done [WR] Jacob Harris, we’ve done guys like that. You’re going to need everybody, but it’s a credit to those guys because they work hard in practice, they don’t get a ton of reps usually in practice during the week, but when their number is called, they go out and play and perform and do a nice job.”
(On having an idea of what the starting offensive line is despite injuries) “They’ve had how many practice snaps together? Hundreds. So that’s what we go off of, now they have to go do it and perform together in a loud environment against a good opponent. That’s the bottom line is game reps, but they’ve got plenty of work in practice during the last couple of weeks.”
(On what it means to the organization to have Tom Coughlin become the next inductee of the Pride of the Jaguars) “It’s a great weekend for the organization. One, to have as a former player, to have former players Legends come back, a lot of them still live in this area. To come back and be a part of a weekend like this and now with Coach Coughlin and the news that he received, it’s great for the organization to be in that spotlight. It’s a credit to the former players who played for Coach Coughlin, and you listen to what Tony Boselli and some of the guys who have played for him and have said, it’s hard to play for him but they have so much respect and love for him looking back now. I really do believe that his philosophies
and the way he has coached has really shaped you as a man and as a person. I think that’s what they respect and love about him. So excited for Coach Coughlin, he’s been great to me, and he’s reached out to me several times in the last two years that I’ve been here and I’m just excited for him, his family and the organization.”
