HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
(On an injury update for LB Devin Lloyd) “Yeah, it was his knee. He had just a contusion the
week before. It was kind of sore during the week, hopefully he would make it. Just went to
warm up prior to the game and just felt like he couldn’t give 100 percent, so we put him
down.”
(On if S Darnell Savage or TE Evan Engram are expected to return this week) “I’m hoping
Savage. He went last week. Pushed it pretty hard. Didn’t feel like he could really open up
last week – not a setback, nothing like that. We’ve just got to get him to burst. Evan, I think
is going to be day-to-day right now. Felt good today, we’ll see where he’s at here in a couple
of days.”
(On injury updates for DE Josh Hines-Allen, RB Travis Etienne Jr. and OL Anton Harrison)
“Josh is in the protocol. Etienne shoulder, he’ll be fine. Anton was ankle, he’ll be fine. Yeah,
everybody else should be good.”
(On how well he thought the offensive tackles played) “I thought—OK, I’ll say this, as an
offensive line, I thought it was their best game. I thought the tackles played much better
than the week before. They were physical. One of the things that with that wide-nine
scheme, they moved their ends a little bit more. So, as the game progressed, I thought they
and us made the necessary adjustments. They started spiking and pinching D-ends. They
were up-field rushers on passing situations, things like that. So, we adjusted both ways. I
thought both tackles played good.”
(On the team’s reemerging struggle to close out games) “Yeah, that’s a great question
because the things I talk about to them, we talk about finish a lot. Especially in sports,
right? You have to finish, and you’ve got to finish the play, you’ve got to finish the series, the
quarter, the half, the game, ultimately. Really yesterday, that was our breakdown, was the
end of the game. Offensively, we didn’t stay on the field, convert on third down to stay on
the field. Then defensively, we couldn’t get off the field. As great as the defense played in
the second half – I think it was five drives, five punts – it was that one drive where we
couldn’t get off the field and make enough plays there. So those are things again that have
kept us from winning these games.”
(On the offense’s inability to convert on third-down and extend drives) “That’s not good
enough, we know that. That’s not good enough and that’s something we’re going to take a
look at. I felt like early in the game though, we were better in third-down, manageable
situations. We missed the big one early. We had Christian [WR Christian Kirk] behind the
defense and we just overthrew it. Those are huge plays. We came back later, we made the
connection with Christian on third down. BT [WR Brian Thomas Jr.] had a huge third down
reception, I think it was third-and-10. But things that we’ve got to be better there. Protection
really for 99 percent of the game was really good. I thought Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]
was clean most of the game up until there at the end when they were doing some exotic
pressures. But I thought protection was good and even on those third downs.”
(On what the referees have indicated about calling unsportsmanlike conduct penalties)
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve shown our players the different gestures and things that they can’t do
after big plays, after sacks, things like that. So our guys, they know. Listen, yes, we’re
aware. Eyes have to be open, right? I mean, we’ve just got to see everything, both sides,
things of that nature. But we can’t do that, bottom line, we can’t do that. Fortunately, I think
that was the drive too—did we end up punting the ball on that drive, I think? Yeah, so, big
completion, setback, we didn’t overcome it. So those are, again, things that we just can’t
do.”
(On if he’s seen week-to-week improvement from Thomas Jr.) “Yes, each week, we
challenge him as a staff, we challenge him more and more on his plate. I think we’re seeing,
you’re seeing, obviously, the type of receiver that he is and why we drafted him. He’s, gosh,
he’s such a competitor. I love that about him – the way he competes out there and he plays
hard, he plays fast, he’ll go in there and block a safety if he has to. Nice job on the around
yesterday. So, he’s very capable and we’re going to continue to keep throwing the ball this
way.”
(On Thomas Jr.’s field vision and awareness) “Yeah, I mean, if you look at his college film, he
had some arounds and reverses and things like that. You just don’t know – sometimes he’s
just the fastest guy on the field, right, so he just outruns the defense. Well, here, you can’t.
What I’ve seen a couple times we’ve done this now is, is how patient he is. I know Brenton
[TE Brenton Strange] was out there and I think we had Ton or one of the linemen out in front
of you. He just does a nice job, does a nice job in space and he’s patient.”
(On what the team can do defensively to get the ball back to the offense) “I think when you
go back to the Buffalo game, a lot of that too was, was the ball out fast, a lot of quick
passes. So, you’re not affecting the quarterback. Then they affected our defense by
movement, right? I mean, that was the way that they attacked us in Buffalo, and they go
down and score. Obviously, our start yesterday, yeah, we punt but we get the turnover, we
score, we’re up seven. But we’ve got to find a way. I mean, I know you’re trying to settle in as
coaches and players, you’re trying to see how the offense is going to attack you, what
they’re trying to do, kind of see their game plan a little bit. But again, if you get them in third
down, we’ve got to either affect the quarterback somehow, which I think as the game wore
on, we did a better job of that. We just didn’t get him on the ground. But something I know
Ryan [Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen] is looking at it and trying to figure out why. But
we’ve got to be better there, too.”
(On if he has concerns with how the locker room is handling adversity) “I think the locker
room is, having been with them today, I mean, they’re disappointed like I am. They’re
frustrated like I am. It’s our job as coaches, we have to point out the good and the bad,
right? That’s why we watch tape and that’s why we make the correction so that we can help
the players be better players on Sundays. Things just aren’t carrying over from practice to
the games. And that’s been our Achilles heel this first, obviously, month of the season. So
yes, they’re disappointed and frustrated, but no, from the standpoint of, are they turning
and going in the other direction. Talked to several of them today. I mean, they see it just like
we see it. I mean, one of the things that I’ll always do with the players is, one, that I’m
always going to have their back and always going to be upfront with them. So, I have to
support them and at the same time, I’ve got to show them. It’s easy for us as coaches to
criticize the negative. Even as reporters, it’s easy to criticize the negative, right? It’s hard to
find a positive when things are bad. I mean, just kind of human nature. I personally try to
find the good in everything because if I don’t, then I’m always the ‘Debbie Downer.’ I’m
always the negative one and I don’t want to be the negative one. I will still hold them
accountable. I will still hold my coaches accountable. I’ll hold myself accountable. But at
the same time, I’d better come Wednesday, make them feel like they could run through that
wall. Right? That’s my job. That’s part of my job. So, I don’t necessarily back away. I don’t
necessarily have to raise my voice and yell and scream. But I think you can get your
message across where they understand where you’re coming from and what we need to do
moving forward.”
(On positive takeaways from yesterday’s game) “I think you look at offensively, I think the
run game has been positive. I think it was 158 yards or so yesterday. Routed off a couple,
Tank [RB Tank Bigsby] had a couple of nice runs yesterday. I do like the fact, even though we
may not be connecting on everything, I do like the fact that we are getting guys open down
the field, our explosive passes. We obviously, yeah, we missed our fair share yesterday and
it hurt us. But getting BT open down the field and Christian yesterday and we had Gabe [WR
Gabe Davis] a couple of times these last couple of weeks. I mean, it’s that stuff is very
positive. Now, do we have to improve, pitch and catch better? Yes, we do. Defensively, I
think with the amount of young players that are playing, you’re not seeing a ton of first
progression, wide-open, quarterback, put my foot in the ground, throw it to the open guy.
It’s usually, the quarterback has to move or get to a second-and-third guy. So, we’re
covering guys up now. Did we make a coverage assignment, a blown assignment in Miami?
Yeah, we did. You know, all things we can—have we fixed it since? Yes. So, there’s a lot of
positive that comes out of that kind of stuff. We can continue to show our players these
things. The effort is there. Tackling – how close are we to getting the quarterback on the
ground? Yeah, it might be a negative, but it’s a positive to the fact that we’ve affected these
guys. Now, we’ve got to take the extra step and get them on the ground. So, there’s quite a
few things I think that we can continue to show our players that are good.”
(On what he believes the reason for Lawrence’s slump is) “Great example for me with him
and really with any quarterback: so, we missed Christian early in the third quarter. I think it
was the second play, right? We missed him on a deep, I mean, maybe scores. I don’t know.
The easy thing would have been second-and-10, run the football. I’m not going to do that. I
mean, yes, I will, but in this case, no, I want Trevor—you’ve got to put the ball in his hands,
right? He’s our guy and you’ve got to put the ball in his hands and we’re going to continue to
trust him. I’m going to continue to do that. So, the next play we throw it again, but he was
high to Gabe. So, these are all lessons that he as a player has to understand, and the
adversity that’s going to come with, ‘Oh shoot, I just missed that one, but Coach might dial
up another one on this play. Let me make that.’ You have to kind of flush the first one to
make the next one. He’s seeing the field well. We’re just not hitting and, as coaches, as
players, those are plays we just have to make. And listen, he would stand up here and tell
you the same thing. So, I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say that he knows he’s
got to make those throws. Those are NFL, big-time throws. So, we’ve just got to keep
working. He does it in practice during the week. He works with those guys when special
teams are going, or defense is going. Yeah, I think the more we keep working at it, the better
the chance is of hitting them in the future.”
(On how Lawrence is still able to deliver big plays and what that says about his ability to
respond to adversity) “Yeah, I think that’s a great example of just how you put the ball in his
hands three plays in a row and how he can flush the first two and come back and deliver a
strike on third-and-10 with guys around his legs. I mean, if you probably take just those
three plays, that’s sometimes playing quarterback in the NFL. Yeah, you want to hit the first
two or at least hit the first one, but you stand in there on third down knowing you’re possibly
going to take a shot and deliver that pass.”
(On what it will take to translate the positives in practice onto the field in a game) “I think a
great example to that point – glad you brought this up – did you watch the President’s Cup? I
believe it was Friday afternoon and Scheffler [Scottie Scheffler] and Henley [Russell
Henley], I think it was, right? They were coming down 18 and the galleries had started to
kind of amass themselves on Friday and they were following this group. I think they were
one of the last groups to play on Friday, and they either could tie the hole or maybe win the
hole, whatever, for half-point or a tie. Scheffler had a distance that he easily has been, for
two years, making those shots. The commentators actually talked about adrenaline and
talked about the emotion of the game and that shot and making that shot. He took one less
club knowing that adrenaline is going to push this ball further. Does that make sense? So, in
Trevor’s case, sometimes adrenaline takes over and the excitement of the game, and I see
it and I just took one club too long. So, to that point, I guess, sometimes the emotion of the
game, feeling the game, the adrenaline of the game, those are things – and I’m not a sports,
sports psychologist, sometimes I feel like I have to be, but I’m not – I think we’ve got to
somehow get all of that just to, if you want to translate it, just calm down, take a deep
breath, inhale, exhale, relax, try to control the brain a little bit, if that makes sense. To be
able to see it, deliver it, make the throw, just like Scheffler did, and he hit it 25 feet on 18. I
think it applies to everybody. I think it applies to everybody applies to coaches, applies to
players in those types of moments like that. Every moment is big. You never know when
that opportunity to make that important play is going to come in a football game. That’s why
every play is important. Being able to control—that’s what we talk about, right? Control
your emotions. That’s part of that.”
