Head Coach Ben McAdoo
Opening Statement:
What we did well on the defensive side of the ball, 17 points given-up and held them to a quarterback rating of 73.4. They were 4-for-12 on 3rd-down, gave up 15 1st-downs and got the ball back to the offense at the end of the ball game with a chance to win. What we need to work on, eliminate the explosive plays, too many rushing yards, tackle better and have more discipline with our rush lanes. Offensively, controled the ball and the clock against a team that takes pride in doing so. We were 10-for-22 on 3rd-downs and scored a two-minute touchdown at the end of the first-half. What we need to work on, obviously the turnovers and green zone performance were big factors in the ball game. The perimeter, needs to catch the ball better and block better. We need some more accurate throws, some better decision making. We had a chance to win the game at the end, and had opportunities to do so and didn't get it done, which was disappointing to the entire team. Special teams, what we did well, the snaps, the holds and the field goal kicks were on point on a windy night. Our coverage teams were strong. What we need to work on, our return game and our punt return decisions, we put the ball on the ground again. We need to tighten up our protection. With that, we'll open it up.
Q: I know you touched upon on this last night a little bit, but I was wondering after looking at the tape, did the Eagles do something differently in the second-half that necessitated you going more to the pass and less to the run?
A: It looked to me they had a couple different plans, a first-half plan and a second-half plan almost on how they were going to defend, really, Odell is what it looked like they were doing. We felt we had some completions out there and we felt strong with the run and with the pass. We had a couple of runs come out, we still need to improve our consistency there.
Q: Are you okay with the way it turned out with 63 passes?
A: When you look at it, we had 22 3rd-downs and the few two-minute drives I think, about 40 of those snaps and we had 88 plays, so we got a lot of plays. 40 of the snaps were either a 3rd-down or a form of two-minute drives.
Q: Eli has been throwing the ball a lot the last the two games, I think he's thrown about 91 times and that's just in games, not including practices. I know you've got the long weekend coming up but is there anything extra that he can do to make sure that he doesn't wear-out before the end of the run.
A: Well we take precautions there on our Wednesday practice. We're smart with what we ask him to do. We minimize the throws there, we minimize the throws, he doesn't throw on Friday and we cut-down what we do on Saturday, as well as Thursday's. Last week he didn't throw a ball after the game until we got to the game on Thursday. But yes, we factored that in.
Q: Were you content with the way he threw the ball yesterday? There were definitely some flutterers there. Do you attribute that the wind, arm, or how do you look at that?
A: I think each play tells its own story. I'd have to know which play you're talking about.
Q: Is it normal on a short week like that for the quarterback to not throw?
A: Yeah, I mean going in, especially when it's your 15th game of the season, you're not doing a lot of full speed work or full speed activity. You have to be smart with all of your players on how much full speed stuff you ask them to do.
Q: The first two interceptions, what did you see that led to those?
A: The first play, give Malcolm Jenkins credit, I think he made a heck of a play there. Eli was getting some pressure from the edge as he stepped up, looked like he may have been blind and if you're blind you can't pull the trigger there. We'd like to see him eat the ball there but Jenkins made a hell of a play, you have to give him some credit. The second interception there, he under threw it a little bit, needed to get a little bit more air under it. We'll have to sit down and talk about the decision but he under threw it.
Q: Are you content with the way he's played this season?
A: I think everything is correctable. Any problems that we had yesterday, looking at the tape, it's all correctable. 63 times is a lot to throw the ball but situational football, that's how it went.
Q: On the running game, I think the numbers were amongst the best you've had all season. What was the biggest thing that opened things up for the running game?
A: I thought that upfront we did some good things. We had a good plan of attack, the guys were physical. We need to finish better. I think that we lost some opportunities on the perimeter, if we block better on the perimeter and finish better on the perimeter then some of those runs really could have come out big. And then the consistency of things, we just have to overall be more consistent and I think the numbers will take an even bigger jump. But we're making strides, we're getting better. We're not where we want to be yet, but we just need to keep working at it.
Q: How much do you watch to see if the results work in your favor this weekend?
A: I want to stay focused. Spend a little time with the family and make sure we stay focused on Washington. We've got a big ball game coming up and we need to put a good plan together and put these guys in position to be successful.
Q: Would your plans change depending on if you were in the playoffs?
A: Hypothetical.
Q: Does seeding matter to you if you were five or six?
A: No, I mean we got to go down to Washington and take care of business, that's number one. When we turn on the tape, we've got to look better than we looked last night. Washington's a good team, they're a physical team, they have a ton of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and we need to go down there and play good football.
Q: I know you still have a few days before you hit the practice field again but I'm wondering if any of the injuries from yesterday are concerning to you?
A: Injuries, we have some guys that are still getting looked at. (B.J.) Goodson's in the concussion protocol. It's a quick turn around here, we'll get a better look at these guys tomorrow.
Q: You rarely get a few days off, what was your message to the team before they left?
A: No, they didn't leave yet. We're going to meet tomorrow early on then send them on their way for a few days, give them a chance to get healthy. I think it's important that that they get away from it a little bit, refresh their minds and think about the type of football they want to play moving forward.
Q: Is Damon Harrison banged up?
A: Snacks is sore, yes.
Q: What about Eli Apple?
A: From my knowledge, at this point in time without seeing him until tomorrow, he checked out okay.
Q: What about Ereck Flowers, it looked like he limped off the field?
A: Yeah he battled through it. We had a lot of guys on a short week battling through some things. Ereck's a tough guy, plays through a lot.
Q: What was your reaction to the NFL's penalty for the walkie-talkie violation?
A: Obviously I don't want to rehash what happened. I made the decision in the heat of the moment and I violated the rule. I own that decision. I take responsibility for it. There are no excuses, I deserve to be held accountable for my actions. I accept the penalty and move forward.
Q: Was Thursday's play in any way unacceptable?
A: It wasn't our best football. I think we can play better football and we need to play better football and better team football. We had a chance to win the game at the end and I expect us to go down and win the game at the end.
Q: Victor, Odell and Sterling had 70% of the targets. Is that what you're ideally looking for from those three guys?
A: Yeah, we have confidence in our receivers group, our tight ends group and the backs that we play in the pass game and that's just how things worked out last night.
