Q. How have you seen the players come together now that you guys are back? OTAs will start soon, but you're back in the off-season program. How have you seen the guys sort of respond?
DOUG PEDERSON: You know, the biggest thing is the number of guys that are here. I think that's a credit to them with the voluntary program. And I get it, there's workout bonuses and all that kind of stuff in contracts, but I think other than, you know, that they want to be here. Obviously the defensive guys, new staff and everything and learning, and then offensively just keep the new guys going and even with the guys we've been with now for going on three years, just keep them coming as well. So it's been good. Been a lot of energy out there. Phase 2 there's, we're not competing against each other, offense, defense, more so than just competing with your self and to make your self better.
Q. How does the Jarvis Landry thing come together and what do you want to see out of him?
DOUG PEDERSON: I just think it comes together because you want to be able to put eyes on as many players as you can. He's obviously played several years in this league and been a talented guy and just see where he's at. He was out of ball I believe in 2023, and 2022 was kind of his last time -- he's been hurt a little bit -- see where he's at health-wise, and just see where he's at. Nothing more than just coming in and a tryout type basis.
Q. The evaluation for Jarvis and the veterans, is it different than the evaluation for the rookies?
DOUG PEDERSON: Not necessarily. We understand with Jarvis he's played a ton of football, right, so we know that. Maybe there's a different expectation with a guy like Jarvis, but I think more than anything just kind of seeing where he is physically, mentally.
The rookies, they don't know anything right now, so it's different. We're trying to get them -- we won't get 'em caught up this weekend to where the vets are, but at the same time this is a great opportunity for them to learn and really show us how much they can retain in just a short period of time.
Q. Building off of that, the release last week, how would you evaluate where the wide receiver room is and where you want it to be?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think it's hard to say right now because Gabe is still working through an injury, so he's not really participating. He's out there and learning, so it's hard to tell. Christian is there. We don't have Brian yet, obviously. So, it's really hard to put the pieces together. Phase 2 is about development and growth with the players more so than it is with the units. I think we'll have a better understanding going into OTAs, and coming out of OTAs even, we'll see how much Gabe can give us. Again, I don't want to put him through something that's going to set him back either. It's just hard right now because we don't have everybody kind of working at the same time.
Q. Is it an injury from last year for Gabe?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah.
Q. Do you ask Brian Thomas to follow along what Jarvis is doing in terms of a vet?
DOUG PEDERSON: I think, yeah, it is a really good learning experience for a guy like Brian to come in here and see Jarvis, see how he handles these two days. Listen, this is geared more for rookies, these two days. Jarvis is a vet and he kind of knows what it's like. I think it will be good to see how Jarvis handles himself as a professional, and it will really I think at least make an impression on Brian this weekend.
Q. What do you hope to see out of Maason Smith over the next few days?
DOUG PEDERSON: I just think just it's going to be a lot of individual, a lot of drill work. Fundamentals, teaching, just the retention, just see what he can retain, just see his athleticism, see him move around. Again, there's no pass rush, no offense, defensive stuff. It's just a matter of, I think, taking what he's being taught in the classroom, obviously take it to the field, and then no more than just watching him run around.
Q. How is Ventrell Miller doing and was there any thought of having him participate in this?
DOUG PEDERSON: Actually, him, Christian Braswell, Cooper Hodges, because they're on IR, they get a pension credit, so they can't be a part of the rookie mini camp, which is kind of interesting. But Ventrell's doing extremely well. Obviously he's healthy and he's moving around really well. He's competing and doing some really good things out there.
Q. How surprised were you that a big guy like Steven didn't get drafted?
DOUG PEDERSON: Steven Jones?
Q. Yeah. Were you guys pretty eager to jump into the whatever bidding war there might have been for his services?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, you know, he was one of the guys we had talked about towards the end of the draft potentially drafting, obviously we went a different direction, but we were happy to get him, to get a guy of his caliber here and get him working with our guys. We're excited too to get him on the grass and watch him run around.
Q. Were you surprised at somebody who was that productive in college and is that big such a big human being didn't even get drafted?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, sometimes it's just the way it goes. You can never really predict where a guy's going to end up. We're just happy to have him and get him with the guys that we have starting Monday when the rookies can stay and be a part of this. So we're excited about that, too.
Q. Do you see just specifically him at tackle?
DOUG PEDERSON: No, no, I think he'll start there. Then we can move him around, move him inside, different things. So the versatility that he can show. It will show us something this weekend too.
Q. Does that apply to Javon too?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, yeah.
Q. I think Doug Brian DeMarco asked you a couple times about the play calling process and your evaluation. Going forward, where are you on that at this point? Is that something you're not going to deal with a lot?
DOUG PEDERSON: I don't play a game until September, so we got some time.
Q. How does Lacy and Abdullah fit in this new scheme, in your opinion?
DOUG PEDERSON: Lacy, obviously, is a D tackle. He's a type of guy that can give you some minutes. That new three technique -- I shouldn't say new, but the Roy Robertson position, and working inside right there. A guy like Yasir is more of your second long or third down pass rush guy. In the new scheme it's a Sam linebacker in that position, so if you're in a 3-4 he's an outside backer. If you're in a 4-3 he could be off the ball. But chances are he's going to be more in some pass rush situations.
Q. So you almost have him and Devin in the same category, would you say, in terms of this new scheme?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, yeah.
Q. Cooper and Christian also doing well?
DOUG PEDERSON: Cooper -- and Christian. Oh, yeah, they're doing really well. All three of those guys have really done a great job. One with their rehab this off-season so far.
Q. Have they been able to be on the grass at all so far?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, all three of 'em have been able to work.
Q. With special teams being so dramatically different this year. When do you guys get into that? Will you get into it this weekend with the rookies?
DOUG PEDERSON: We've started from phase 1 with our special teams, introducing the new scheme, the layout. We've worked it. Even though we can't compete against each other in phase 2, we're still working through the alignments and assignments and all that. We'll introduce it to the rookies this weekend. Then when we get to phase 3 when we can kind of go against each other a little bit more it will give us a bigger or a brighter picture, I think, as to how it's going to unfold for us.
Q. What are your hopes for Jones and Prince this weekend and the young corners on the roster, how do you see that shaping up?
DOUG PEDERSON: Again, I want to be able to just watch 'em move around. It's one of the things I explained to 'em last night is some of the techniques and things might be a little different than what they learned in college, and to embrace that because we're trying to make 'em better as football players and how they can help us. But all three of those guys talented guys, obviously guys we wanted here. They give us depth at the position. Just kind of see -- it's just hard. It's hard because we're not doing one-on-ones, we're not doing the seven-on-sevens and all this. This is a time just to see how much they can really understand the defense just on air. We'll know more obviously when we get to training camp, when pads come on, and their physicality and all that stuff. But I'm excited to get 'em out there this afternoon or this morning and -- really this afternoon -- and watch 'em move, just watch their athleticism, see -- and I think that's for us as coaches, too, it kind of gives us a better picture as to how we can use 'em defensively.
Q. What kind of opportunity are these next two days for undrafted free agents just to make an impression?
DOUG PEDERSON: Well, the undrafted guys, we got a lot of 'em and we got a lot on our football team. I was one of those guys. So, they're just going to come in and compete like anybody else. Don't worry about the number of guys in line as much as just getting better at your craft, and then when you get an opportunity you make the most of your opportunity. So we got a good group of undrafted guys that we signed after the draft and looking forward to getting 'em out there.
Q. Cephus seems like a guy that people kind of point out the undrafted free agent process, they're surprised he didn't get drafted. What's your early thought on him?
DOUG PEDERSON: Another one that's very talented and it will be good for him to be able to watch a guy like Jarvis as well and see how Jarvis handles himself this weekend and just watch the detail of the routes. Again, how much -- we're going to put these guys mentally probably in more of a -- test 'em mentally more than anything this weekend than we are physically. So for us, too, it's about getting lined up, get out of the huddle, get lined up, where are we going, and then executing the play. So all of this stuff plays a big part into their development, their growth, and how best they can help us.
Q. Is this weekend basically for the rookies, drafted and undrafted, making sure they're sort of ready for next week?
DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah. These two days we kind of prepare 'em for next week, because once they get in here, obviously they will be, now they're with an NFL club. Right now they're just rookies. So, come Monday, when everybody starts walking in here and they start seeing all the guys, it makes an impact on them. A lot of these guys, obviously they were starters in college, and now they're going to have to take backup roles and they're going to compete for starting positions or at least compete for that backup spot, and it changes just a little bit for them. This weekend though, from the meetings to the on the field stuff is really going to prepare 'em for the next five weeks I guess that we are here.
Q. For what you've been able to see from talking with Ryan and his scheme and everything, for the guys that are returning on defense, where do you, which positions would you say would be the biggest challenge to adjusting to what Ryan wants to do?
DOUG PEDERSON: All of 'em. I mean, it's just a different scheme. It's a different scheme. You're switching gears a little bit from that 3-4 mode to kind of four-down mode and even though you spend so much time in four-down defense a lot anyway and I think some of the of the techniques are going to be a little different. Obviously, there's learning with the verbiage and terminology. Linebacker, you know, the fits and just the way, what I've seen so far, the way the coaches have coached them and some of the drill work that they're doing on the field. Secondary, you know, if you go back and watch what Ryan's done in his past, it's a lot of shell defense to start. Even though we'll play some single high stuff, the corners are going to be in more press alignment, but not necessarily press technique or press coverage, but press alignment. Still play man, mix it up -- so it's all different. So every position is going to have to learn and grow with the system.
Q. Two of the things that you and Trent emphasizes so much in the, in this off-season is getting faster and getting more physical. When you look at all the acquisitions that you made free agency, draft, even undrafted free agents, in which of those two areas do you think you, I don't know, fulfilled more of those goals?
DOUG PEDERSON: You know, the physicality part of it, I kind of chuckle when people say be more physical. I mean, we play football. It's a physical sport, right. I mean, it's how we teach our players. Maybe you can help 'em be more physical, just like you can help a quarterback be more accurate with his throws. So it's a matter of just doing it. I think, number one, we've gotten bigger, just physically bigger, with some of the draft picks and undrafted guys, and even some of our players coming back, we've gotten bigger there. I think speed. We've got a tick faster. Obviously we know Brian's speed as a wide receiver and some of the DBs now. We've gotten faster. Then when we put the pads on in July and August we'll see where we are physically.
Q. Did Bill Shuey, does he stay with Travon and Josh because he made, seemed like he made progress with those guys or is he a linebackers coach?
DOUG PEDERSON: He's a little bit of both. A little bit of both. The way it's structured is Jeremy has the inside guys, the nose and the tackles and Bill still works the edge. But when you're in your base defense there's some transition there to those Sam backers, which are also your kind of outside edge rushers so there's a little carry over there.
Q. Now is it the reason for keeping him, when you cleaned out most of the defense, was he had just done such a great --
DOUG PEDERSON: He did a great job with those guys and just that structure and what Ryan was looking for and how to maximize the coaching on the field.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports