HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
(On having any regrets not running the ball more in yesterday’s game) “I feel like I’m back in Philly. Run-
pass ratio again. You look back on it and go, ‘Yeah, sure, we could’ve run it a few more times here, run it a few more times there.’ I’m honestly looking at this film again, it just comes down to coaches need to
coach better, players need to execute better. That’s really what this film comes down to. I’m talking more
offensively, I thought defensively they did some great things. They kept us in this football game, honestly.
We don’t convert the fourth-and-five, they score. Then, the opening drive of the third, there was only
two real drives that they did. Other than that, we kept a really good offense down. It could be a play here
or there that you look at, but I thought offensively we got to do a better job.”
(On two instances where players got beat on important plays yesterday) “That’s what happens, there
was quick pressure, we know Chris Jones [Chiefs DT Chris Jones] is a great player. It just disrupted the
timing of the route. I liked the decision, I liked where we were, we had a little momentum driving the
football, then on the goal line, I think we’re just doing too much as a unit. We don’t need to necessarily
take things into our own hands sometimes and just run the show, run the offense and from a coaching
standpoint too, I’m saying we need to put our players in a little better situation. Don’t give them that
type, maybe we don’t give Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] that type of option. We just say hey, you’re at
the one-yard line, let’s run it four times in a row. Those are all things that it’s Week 2, we’re going to
learn from it as a group and get better.”
(On if it was QB Trevor Lawrence’s decision to keep the ball on the 1-yard line) “Not necessarily a read
option, I think looking at the film I know why he [QB Trevor Lawrence] pulled it, because we saw the
defensive end and the corner there crash. Again, he’s trying to make a play. The game yesterday, quite
honestly, felt like from an offensive perspective that we were forcing some things. We were trying to
make a play as opposed to just going out and executing the offense. That’s where there’s plenty of
opportunity in the redzone to score and we just didn’t capitalize on it.”
(On why it felt like the offense was trying to make a play) “Just because I think it was that struggle all day,
just maybe not getting in rhythm or in-sync, even in the passing game, just being off. Timing of routes,
depth of routes, the protection being a little off, helping out when the backs can help out on D-ends,
being able to do all of that. It just felt like that was the struggle and then ultimately trying to make a play,
you press just a little bit, coaches try to do the same thing. We try to make a play or try to make a call
that’s going to get us a chunk play and really we all need to stick with the gameplan.”
(On health status of OL Luke Fortner and OL Brandon Scherff) “They came out good.”
(On if OL Anton Harrison is having any shoulder issues still) “Anton, no, I don’t think the shoulder is an
issue with him. He got stepped on his calf yesterday, a little contusion in his calf. Other than that, the
shoulder is good.”
(On OLB Josh Allen’s injury) “Yeah, it’s his shoulder. Just a shoulder sprain, should be day-to-day and
should be fine.”
(On WR Zay Jones’ injury) “Zay, knee. Getting some testing done with him, we’ll have a better report
later today but he’s day-to-day right now. Pretty sore today, we’ll monitor that as the week goes.”
(On if he feels going for it on fourth down should work a certain amount of the time) “Well, I look at it
and this is probably, I’d admit, is a bad decision at the time, but again, you’re trying to make a play.
You’re putting the team in a situation to make a play. Looking back on it, you probably punt the football
right there especially up at midfield. I felt like at the time, too, how our defense was playing that they
hadn’t scored yet as an offense and it was going to be their first touchdown drive to go up 7-3 at the
time. Defense was playing well, special teams was playing well and looking for us as an offense to just
continue that drive. Sometimes it is cyclical, but I have to take it as play-to-play, fourth down-to-fourth
down, and it’s like your third-and-five menu that’s on your call sheet right there. You pull one of your top
plays from there. But again, it goes back to the point with protection and some of the things where we
broke down that we failed to execute.”
(On if K Brandon McManus’ talent changes whether or not to go for fourth down plays) “It definitely
lengthens the kick line for us. Yesterday I think normal kick line was around the 38 with the wind and
everything, but you’re drop-dead inside the 45, you’re almost right there to kick a field goal. That does
play a little into it and his big leg to kick those field goals.”
(On how much can be learned by the team’s response in yesterday’s game) “I think you learn a lot. It’s
the one thing about our league is we only have seven days before we play again and you feel like this on
Monday and you watch the tape and you make the corrections and you move forward, now you’re
focused on the next opponent here coming up this afternoon. You wish you could get out there and
redeem yourself in a couple of days, but you have seven days to really think about it and process it and
make all the adjustments you need to.”
(On if defenses are focused on limiting WR Calvin Ridley) “We saw yesterday, and this is Spag’s [Chiefs
Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] defense, he will on third down and redzone scenarios, it was
double Calvin and double Christian [WR Christian Kirk]. We had opportunities, Zay [WR Zay Jones] was
coming through a couple of times and we just missed on a couple of throws. Throws that those guys
make all the time. We knew that going in, that was his style and that’s why the plan was designed a
certain way to free up those other guys.”
(On if how the team performed yesterday is a long term concern) “It’s not a long term concern at all, it
kind of reminded me of the Houston game last year here, where we didn’t play very well and lost that
football game. Listen, it’s Week 2, it’s one game and half of the league lost yesterday. We were one of
the teams to lose. We’re still right where we want to be, you’re still 1-0 in the division with a division
game this week. A lot of football ahead of us still.”
(On if the defense’s performance surprised him) “I think that’s just a credit to the scheme, what Mike
[Defensive Coordinator Mike Caldwell] is doing, utilizing the personnel this year, you’re seeing Travon
[OLB Travon Walker] and Josh [OLB Josh Allen] up their game a little bit on the edge. The secondary is
more in-sync this year, just the communication has been better. They’re playing faster, they’re stymying
the run and shutting that down. Other than a couple QB scrambles and some broken plays. They’re
playing physical, that’s something that is the pride for the defense right now. Two weeks in a row, they’ve kept the offense in the game. They did it in Indy until the offense caught wind at the end of the
game and then all day yesterday, they did the same.”
(On anyone who is playing at a surprising defensive level) “Josh [OLB Josh Allen] is playing extremely well
right now. Travon [OLB Travon Walker] has been good, you see what Jenk [S Rayshawn Jenkins] did
yesterday with his ability to tackle in space and make some plays. Cisco [S Andre Cisco] showed up
yesterday, he could’ve had a second interception, but he had a big play there. Seeing it as just a
combination of all that and those guys playing well together.”
(On if he’s spoken to Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor on how to handle pressure of play calling) “Yeah,
we talk to not only the coaches, but to the players too, you just can’t let your emotions get the best of
you. He understands that because that’s something we try not to let your opponent see you sweat. You
just try to be the same every play. Yeah, we were frustrated as a team yesterday, not just him. I was
frustrated, we were all frustrated because we didn’t play well. When you put on the film and you watch
it this morning with a little calmer eyes, there are plays there. We got to make sure our players
understand and we coach them better so they can recognize certain things. That’s the thing, we have
veteran guys and guys that have played a lot of games on offense, but you just can’t assume. As a coach,
you can’t assume that they know everything. You can’t assume that they’re going to make it. That’s why
as coaches, we wear the C on our hat, right. It’s our job, we’re the ones spending all the time watching
the tape, so we have to prepare our players to be able to recognize certain things and be able to go out
and execute the gameplan during the week.”
(On OLB K’Lavon Chaisson’s sack being a confidence boost for him) “Yeah, it was a great play. I think
plays like that can definitely be a confidence booster. I think it shows that he’s definitely capable of
making those types of plays. From a defensive perspective, getting him more opportunities and rotating
those guys a little more so they’re fresher as the game goes on. Plays like that, we expect guys like
K’Lavon to make those types of plays just like Josh [OLB Josh Allen] and Travon [OLB Travon Walker].”
(On if he has any concern about the offensive line) “I’m not concerned. I’ve seen these guys work
together. One thing about the offensive line, one it’s a cohesive and close group. Five offensive linemen
need to play in unison with one another, there’s got to be great communication. It starts with Luke [OL
Luke Fortner] and of course Brandon [OL Brandon Scherff] to Anton [OL Anton Harrison] and Bartch [OL
Ben Bartch] out to Walker [OL Walker Little] and all that. One of the things yesterday that I was proud of
and we focused a lot on was identification and communication, that was one of our talking points with
the team because of what Kansas City’s defense presents. They’re a pressure team. It felt like coming out
of the game that the identification and communication was great, but the execution failed. This is where
we have to go back and evaluate it from a coaching perspective and say, ‘Hey. Are we doing too much?
Do we have too many protections? Do we need to scale back just a little bit? Do we need to rep more of
one thing in practice?’ There’s a lot of different things that we look at, but not concerned about the
offensive line. It does take a little bit of time, I think if you look around the NFL right now, there’s a lot of
offensive lines that due to injury or they’re trying to figure each other out, that’s where we are right
now.”
(On how different the Texans are this year) “I haven’t spent a lot of time yet honestly watching them. I’ll
get onto them this afternoon, I’ll have a better answer for you on Wednesday.”
(On if OL Cam Robinson returns today with limitations) “Yes, he can start today and he is here but he is
off-limits to you guys.”
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN FOLORUNSO FATUKASI
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
(On what the performance yesterday does for the defense’s confidence) “I’m still thinking about the
game, there’s a lot of things that we need to work on. A lot of good areas, a lot of bad areas that we
need to sharpen and fix together. At the end of the day, we just have to continue to execute what we
need to do and it was tough but we got another pretty good opponent coming in here, so we got to keep our mind focused on that.”
(On what he thought the defense did poorly yesterday) “When you play a game, you have plays that are
really good, you got plays that are not so good that you, by your standard, would consider bad. It’s tough
to sit and point out every single play that we believe was bad because there’s some things that we really
felt like we could do a lot better on. The ultimate mindset is to take those things we believe are bad,
sharpen them, make them a little stronger, and we execute.”
(On if an area to improve on is the pass play or the running game) “It’s just really more about the
defenses gelling even more together, talking more, getting our eyes and hands right, being more
technically sound. If we get those things together, it turns out a little smoother.”
(On being encouraging for DT DaVon Hamilton who is out for injury) “He’s a brother of ours, do you have
siblings? Brothers, friends, close friends that you have? People that are looking for uplifting and pretty
encouraging themselves. I think it’s self-explanatory, you have a brother that you care about. He comes
in with a smile every day, we wrap our arms around each other, and we just continue to work.”
(On if he’s seeing improvements this season compared to last) “[Defensive Coordinator] Mike Caldwell is
doing everything he absolutely needs to as a DC and I’m happy to be playing for him.”
(On if the improvements this season are ones that were expected to have) “He’s [Defensive Coordinator
Mike Caldwell] continuing to do what he needs to do, he’s giving us every opportunity for us to continue
to be in the right positions. He cares about us, more importantly. Obviously, this is his second time in this
position, and he’s only bound to get better. We feel that and we feel that this entire team is getting
better.”
(On improvements seen from OLB Travon Walker) “He’s becoming even more a student of the game. He
was a sponge last year, he’s become even more of a sponge. He’s starting to really find his niche and he’s
doing a lot of good things. I know his mindset is not to get complacent and he wants to continue to
grow.”
(On improvements seen from LB Devin Lloyd) “I put them [LB Devin Lloyd and OLD Travon Walker] in the
same category.”
(On how thinking takeaways has come to fruition this year) “Mindset, keeping mindset standard coming
into the game. It’s part of our belief, and we come into the game and try to just execute that belief. For
everybody to be where they to be when they need to be there, we should be experiencing some good
things.”
(On if he believes Head Coach Doug Pederson is confident in the defense when he goes for it on fourth
downs) “The defense takes it as just another opportunity to get ready to roll. The head coach knows
exactly what he’s doing, obviously he’s the head coach and his resume speaks for itself. Whatever he
rolls with, we’re ready to roll with.”
(On if he prefers to try to pin an offense deep after a punt or have the offense go for it on fourth down)
“I’m not necessarily sure how to answer that question, I guess whatever coach decides to do is whatever
we’re all rolling with. We’re all together and we’re a tight-knit group.”
(On if Head Coach Doug Pederson believes in this defense) “I believe coach believes in every single part
of this team.”
(On how his body feels playing on grass in Jacksonville compared to turf in New York) “That’s New York, I
had a great opportunity there, but I’m here and my mindset is focused on here. I don’t really think too
much about it.”
(On if he supports eliminating turf fields) “I think whatever the league needs to do to make things safer
for guys is what needs to happen.”
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN WALKER LITTLE
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2023
(On where he sees the offensive line going moving forward) “Yeah, it’s Week 2, we’re all still figuring
things out. We came in, we had a good gameplan, we just got to execute better as an offensive line. We
had a lot of great plays out there as well as the whole offense did, but we also had a lot of things that we
got to clean up. We watched the tape and we’re talking about it. The biggest thing is that we know we
are a good group, keeping that confidence, and just moving onto the next game. Moving onto Houston,
learning from this as much as you can but don’t dwell on it and don’t it in confidence.”
(On expecting a disparity yesterday in the run game and the passing game) “I don’t know if we ever
know exactly how the game is going to play out, you never know what the scenarios are going to be. Are
they going to force you to run the ball or pass the ball? I’m sure every game we’d love to be as balanced
as we can, but different games call for different things and yesterday called for us to pass. We got to do
our job which is pass protect, obviously we had to do that a lot more than run the ball yesterday.”
(On if he takes it as a compliment when Head Coach Doug Pederson chooses to go for it on fourth down)
“I don’t know about the analytical part of it, I know that’s above my head in terms of that department
we have here. As offensive linemen, we love it. We love the game and opportunity to go out there and
earn the first down, keep the drive alive and give ourselves a chance to score. Doug is an aggressive
coach and we love playing for him, that’s one of the reasons why we love playing for him, is because he
has a lot of trust in us as a unit and will give us those opportunities to prove him right. We just got to
execute better, but hopefully he’ll keep giving us those opportunities in the future.”
(On executing better on third downs leading to not having to face a fourth down situation) “Yeah, an
issue for us yesterday was third downs and we got to be better there. Fourth downs, you’re always going
to get in position when you have a chance to go for it or not throughout the season. We’re going to do
our best so if we get those fourth-and-shorts, we can try to execute. Obviously, you’d love to convert
every third down.”
(On message to give to rookie OL Anton Harrison after two games in the league) “I think he’s doing a
great job. He’s learning a lot, he’s building that confidence. It’s hard, this is a hard league and it takes a
lot of reps. A lot of game reps against really good guys like we went against last week and this week and
we’ll continue to go against. He’s doing a great job, he’s learning a lot, he’s going to be a great player. We all know it, he knows it, he just needs to keep his confidence. He’s a really good player, he works really
hard, and he’s going to be a real force for this team.”
(On if your head is still spinning as a rookie after the first few games in the league) “Yeah, it’s always
hard, especially as a rookie. Those first few games, you’re just trying to feel things out. Sometimes the
moment starts to feel a little bigger than you might’ve anticipated it to. You’re going against guys that
you’ve only seen on TV for years, so it’s an awesome opportunity but there’s also a lot of pressure that comes with it. That’s something that any young guy has to work through and he’s working through that
right now.”
(On OL Anton Harrison taking lessons from the game instead of being down about it) “Yeah, he’s a
mature kid. He’s going to take those lessons and he’s going to learn. He’s going to be better for it, we all
know he’s going to be a great player for us.”
