Pagano Responds to Colts First Win
From the press conference after the Indianapolis Colts first win of the pre-season, 19-18 over the Buffalo Bills.
A: Injury-wise, Sio Moore went out with a hamstring and he’ll be evaluated tomorrow. Don’t know what
the severity of it is. Kevin Graf went out with an ankle, same thing, he’ll be evaluated. Denzelle Good went
out with a contusion and a knee, the knee is not bad, we’ll see what they say tomorrow. (Ricky) Lumpkin
went out with a dislocated finger, he didn’t return, and then D. (Darius) White was taken inside as far as
concussion protocol, turns out that he passed the test, so he did not have a concussion.
Obviously it was good to play, good to get a win, that does great things for morale, obviously. You know,
there were some really good things out there. I had the opportunity to evaluate the football team for the first
time and see where we’re at, especially the young guys. I like the way that we finished, I didn’t like the
way that we started. We didn’t start fast, so we’re gonna look at that tape, so we can run the ball better, we
need to stop the run better, but it was just, it was real simple stuff. When we got on the sideline we looked
at the tablets and stuff, it was just guys, you know, they executed well, we didn’t execute. We got guys not
doing their job so we’re gonna make the corrections, everything is correctable. We had some young guys
make some great plays, (Jordan) Todman made a great play, you know, on the screen play, Chester Rogers
made a great play, he broke a tackle. I’m really proud of the two quarterbacks. Scotty (Scott Tolzien), you
know, after a slow start was able to generate a couple scoring drives there at the end of the first half, did a
nice job there. Stephen (Morris) came in and did a nice job, you know, they looked real calm and obviously
it wasn’t too big for either of those guys.
They did a nice job of managing our offense, doing some things there. Defensively, we had a bunch of third
down stops, we did a nice job there on third down. Of course, to finish the game, they drove down the field,
and made some plays. To get a stop on the two point was obviously big for us. Special teams-wise, you’re
not gonna win many games when you get a punt blocked so we need to address that and get that figured
out. They did a nice job, they executed and we didn’t. We didn’t do a good job blocking and they got the
block so that can’t happen and then a penalty, illegal block above the waist, it was a close call there, but
they called it so. Second half, we can be better there, but a lot of good things, it’ll be great to get back and
watch this tape and get back on it.
Q: Real quick, on injuries, did you mention T.Y. (Hilton)?
A: Yeah, he’s fine. He’s fine I just wanted to give him a couple plays.
Q: Now, Andrew (Luck), when was that decision made? Can you talk about that decision to sit him
tonight?
A: Yeah, he and Frank (Gore) are the same thing, I just wanted to sit them.
Q: Cause Jim (Irsay) had a statement that indicated that maybe…
A: Just coach’s decision.
Q: You were going to play him last week, right? In Canton you had planned…
A: It was a coach’s decision not to play him. That’s it. It’s one of the benefits that you get when you’re the
head coach, decide who plays and who doesn’t play. I’m grateful for that opportunity. I decided to sit him.
Q: What’d you think of the offensive line and Ryan Kelly, what he was able to do in his debut?
A: Yeah, again, until you go back and really take a really close look at the tape, it’s hard to tell. I think we
talked about three things we wanted to really see tonight – grades on effort, competing and toughness. I
think this football team gave great effort, I think they competed their tails off and they absolutely showed
toughness. I think that offensive line, you know, fought their tails off and we knew coming in here, this is a
really good defense, Rex (Ryan) and his brother Rob (Ryan), they’re known for that. They’re gonna load
the box, they’re gonna make it very difficult to run the football. Pass pro, I think for the most part, we gave
up a sack; there was a couple hurries here and there. We got some athletic guys in Scott and Stephen and
they’re able to run around. Those guys, you know, for the first time, are playing together and the young
guys, I thought they did some good things. Again, we’ll look at the tape and have an honest evaluation
tomorrow.
Q: You had two rookies, it seemed like, kind of held their own tonight. Obviously Ryan, and T.J.
(Green) and it looked like Joe Haeg?
A: No, it was, again all those guys who were out there, seemed like they made some mistakes but it wasn’t
too big for anybody. Those guys all played well, Antonio (Morrison) and (Hassan) Ridgeway and those
young defensive linemen. And T.J. we saw and those offensive linemen, it was impressive and college free
agents. We had guys who came in and can make plays. We had a guy, Lee Hightower comes in, and he’s a
physical player, we found that out tonight. He’s not afraid to, wasn’t perfect in coverage, run support things
like that, but you know he wasn’t afraid to mix it up, so to speak. He’s a tough kid, he’s long and he’s
athletic, so he’s got a chance. Again this is a good group and they care a lot about each other and in the
game that was evident tonight.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS CENTER RYAN KELLY
Q: Were you disappointed you weren’t able to get those first snaps with Andrew (Luck)?
A: It’s whatever. Scott (Tolzien) does a great job too. He played a heck of a game today. We would always
practice different quarterbacks and exchanges after practice. That was nothing we hadn’t seen before.
Q: Coming back from the shoulder injury, I think you played four series tonight. Do you like where
you are physically?
A: Yeah. I think I need to get back into a little better conditioning. They wanted to still limit it a little bit,
but still get those game experiences. I like where I’m headed and can probably continue this week.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PUNTER PAT MCAFEE
Q: In the offseason, the NFL came up with a new rule and you had a tweet about wanting to knock
them all through the uprights. Today, you lined them up on the 3-yard line, the 4-yard line … Is that
part of the plan for this season?
A: Well actually, I didn’t kick one tonight. Mike (Palardy) kicked them all tonight. But who knows,
though. Every team seems to be kicking them higher and, who knows what’s going to happen by the end of
preseason. I think it’s kind of a feel-out period right now and we’re kind of seeing if teams can catch an
advantage and pin them inside of the 25. It’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out. But you also have to
remember that, in a lot of preseason games, guys are kicking the balls a little bit shorter to see if guys are
covering kicks and making tackles so you have a lot going on.
Q: Watching the game, how do you think the short kicks worked today?
A: It seems to be going well. Any time you stop a team inside of the 25-yard line, I’d consider it an
advantage. Tonight, we had a couple big plays and a couple rookies made some big plays inside of the 20. I
think Buffalo did the same against us a couple of times and I don’t think you saw a return go past the 25
without a penalty so I think it was good. We’re definitely going to see guys try and take advantage of it but
who knows how it’ll play out when we get to the regular season.
Q: Are you going to work on that in training camp?
A: Well, I had the flu the first week and I tweaked my knee last week so I haven’t even hit a kickoff yet, to
be honest with you. But we’ll get into that here in a week or so and they’ll continue to do the studying
across the league to see what the best option is.
Q: Are you still holding to wanting to kick 1,000 touchbacks?
A: Well, I don’t know actually. (Kicking short) has been working for teams. Tonight, we got them inside of
the 20 and you’re seeing a lot of special teams coaches who just don’t want to forfeit inside of the 25-yard
line. You have to appreciate and respect their competitive drive and I think I might have been wrong with
that. But who knows what’s going to happen by the regular season. We’ve got a lot of games left and
everybody watches everybody else so until the season comes around, we have no idea.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PUNTER MICHAEL PALARDY
Q: Well, apparently you took all four kickoffs tonight. Is that the emphasis? To kick them short and
in front of the goal line?
A: Yeah, absolutely. To piggy-back off of what Pat (McAfee) said, we’re just feeling it out to see what
advantage it has, if any. That was what was asked of me, to kind of put a little bit more placement on it. A
little higher, a little shorter and see if we can get them inside of the 25-yard line because an extra five yards
is another five percent of the field that we would give the offense. So yeah, we’re basically trying to get it
inside the 25, maybe the 20, with a good hang time, fair distance, and not too deep because if it goes too
deep, they’ll just take a knee.
Q: If you want to kick it higher, are you kicking it farther up (on the ball), or how are you getting
more height on it?
A: Yeah, I’m not aiming more downfield. Usually, on a kickoff, you’ll see guys try and explode downfield
and they’ll kind of drive it a little bit more. On these, you want to focus on your follow-through so the
trajectory of the ball goes up a little bit higher rather than driving it a little bit so it’s something that we just
have to feel out, test, and see if it works.
Q: For a guy like Pat (McAfee), who was one of the league leaders in touchback percentages last
year, is there any convincing with him?
A: No, because I think, from a professional standpoint, Pat is going to do whatever is asked of him. He’s
one of the best, if not the best, at kickoffs. Like I said, from a professional standpoint, Pat is one of those
guys that will do whatever is asked of him without any ego involved and will try to better the team and win
field position on kickoffs.
Q: Do you think the short kickoffs worked today?
A: It’s hard for me to see when I’m running down the field. I can’t really see everything until I watch the
film. I think we did a really good job and a lot of young guys made some really good plays. There was a
long one that got called back, I think for a penalty or something like that, but I don’t know exactly what
happened on it. I think we did a really good job today but there’s always room for improvement, including
myself, and we’ll go back to practice on Monday and do the exact same thing.
Q: I know a lot of times, people get into the analytics thing. How do you feel this has been going,
trying to push the statistical advantage?
A: Well, I don’t think we’ve seen enough games to really make a fair judgment on that. There are a number
of teams that I watch that will just kick it out of the back of the end zone. I don’t know if they’re going to
do that in the regular season and just not show their hand in the preseason, whatever it is. So I think, for
right now, you’re going to get a mixture of things. I don’t really think it’s fair to put judgment on it and say,
“Yeah, it’s going to work” or “Yeah, it’s not going to work.” But, from a pure statistical standpoint and a
field position standpoint, it makes sense to do that.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WIDE RECEIVER CHESTER ROGERS
Q: You also caught that deep ball and you had that pass interference. Can you describe that play?
A: I knew I could use my speed as an advantage. I tried to do that. I knew the first one they threw to me
was kind of short. That’s when I realized maybe I can use my speed and I don’t have to do so much near
the line. It was a learning experience and I’m just excited to get through that first game.
Q: You got in there pretty early. Were you expecting to get in that early? Was there a plan there?
A: Yeah, I was expecting to get in that early. I knew that they only had a few plays. I think a couple of
series. So I knew I was going to get in early. So I was ready and staying warm and ready to go.
Q: On special teams, I thought I saw you in there as gunner?
A: Yeah. I was on bum rusher too. So I got a few reps in there. I didn’t do that a lot in college.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS QUARTERBACK SCOTT TOLZIEN
Q: The offense tonight started kind of slow, then what changed?
A: Yeah, it definitely started slow and that’s in some aspects typical in the first preseason game, but you’re
always chasing perfection. That’s what we’re all out here to do. That was a bit frustrating but it is
something to build on, in essence a starting point for the season. I thought we kind of got into a flow of it
after the half.
Q: Were there some plays that you made, that maybe didn’t get made or were things just..?
A: Yeah, there’s one thing that sticks out to me about this game. It’s just how close contested catches can
be. For myself, just how location of every throw really can make a difference whether it’s just a foot short
or a foot high, all of that stuff, in this league that makes a difference. So there’s no better teaching than
these games and realizing how sharp you have to be.
Q: Scott, how big was tonight for you to work with the starters?
A: You know, I really do think it’s big. I’m going into my sixth year and I haven’t had a ton of playing
experience so anytime you can get these game experiences, especially starting an NFL game that’s huge.
You make a mistake in practice or you miss a throw in practice, it’s different than having that happen in a
game. That’s really where you become seasoned in this league, is having the game experience. I was lucky
to have that experience tonight.
Q: When did you find out that you were going to be the starter?
A: Everywhere I’ve been honestly, it’s not something that is always talked about. This is my fourth team
and you just always have to be ready to go, you treat it like a start. I kind of enjoy that process just because
that’s how you should approach it so that when your number is called you’re ready.
Q: The pass protection, were there some things to build on there or were there some things that you
can clean up or what did you see?
A: Yeah, everything on offense starting with myself to clean up. It’s nice to get a win, but we’re still early
to this process. It’s still training camp so we’ve still got to watch the tape and make sure everyone is
accountable and get better, that’s starting with myself.
Q: Can you walk us through the screen play, touchdown to Jordan Todman?
A: Yeah, it was a time and a play call. They dialed up pressure and we had to put a call there and the guys
executed it well.
Q: Can you talk about Tevaun Smith and how far he’s come in training camp? Did he take another
step forward tonight?
A: Yeah, for sure. I think not only “Tay” but also some of the other young receivers. I’ve enjoyed seeing
them grow and seeing where they started in OTA’s to where they are now. They’ve come a long ways but
with that said, it’s still early in this deal so we’ve all got a ways to go. The details are so important in this
league that this time of year is huge to get on those details before the regular season starts.
Q: Do you like getting that level of pass pressure so early in that first game right off like that?
A: Yeah, that’s a good thing because that’s the nature of the league. You have to be able to make throws in
the tight contested pockets and you don’t get those in practice when you have the red jersey on at practice-
being out there in a game situation and having those bullets fly at you.
A: Injury-wise, Sio Moore went out with a hamstring and he’ll be evaluated tomorrow. Don’t know what
the severity of it is. Kevin Graf went out with an ankle, same thing, he’ll be evaluated. Denzelle Good went
out with a contusion and a knee, the knee is not bad, we’ll see what they say tomorrow. (Ricky) Lumpkin
went out with a dislocated finger, he didn’t return, and then D. (Darius) White was taken inside as far as
concussion protocol, turns out that he passed the test, so he did not have a concussion.
Obviously it was good to play, good to get a win, that does great things for morale, obviously. You know,
there were some really good things out there. I had the opportunity to evaluate the football team for the first
time and see where we’re at, especially the young guys. I like the way that we finished, I didn’t like the
way that we started. We didn’t start fast, so we’re gonna look at that tape, so we can run the ball better, we
need to stop the run better, but it was just, it was real simple stuff. When we got on the sideline we looked
at the tablets and stuff, it was just guys, you know, they executed well, we didn’t execute. We got guys not
doing their job so we’re gonna make the corrections, everything is correctable. We had some young guys
make some great plays, (Jordan) Todman made a great play, you know, on the screen play, Chester Rogers
made a great play, he broke a tackle. I’m really proud of the two quarterbacks. Scotty (Scott Tolzien), you
know, after a slow start was able to generate a couple scoring drives there at the end of the first half, did a
nice job there. Stephen (Morris) came in and did a nice job, you know, they looked real calm and obviously
it wasn’t too big for either of those guys.
They did a nice job of managing our offense, doing some things there. Defensively, we had a bunch of third
down stops, we did a nice job there on third down. Of course, to finish the game, they drove down the field,
and made some plays. To get a stop on the two point was obviously big for us. Special teams-wise, you’re
not gonna win many games when you get a punt blocked so we need to address that and get that figured
out. They did a nice job, they executed and we didn’t. We didn’t do a good job blocking and they got the
block so that can’t happen and then a penalty, illegal block above the waist, it was a close call there, but
they called it so. Second half, we can be better there, but a lot of good things, it’ll be great to get back and
watch this tape and get back on it.
Q: Real quick, on injuries, did you mention T.Y. (Hilton)?
A: Yeah, he’s fine. He’s fine I just wanted to give him a couple plays.
Q: Now, Andrew (Luck), when was that decision made? Can you talk about that decision to sit him
tonight?
A: Yeah, he and Frank (Gore) are the same thing, I just wanted to sit them.
Q: Cause Jim (Irsay) had a statement that indicated that maybe…
A: Just coach’s decision.
Q: You were going to play him last week, right? In Canton you had planned…
A: It was a coach’s decision not to play him. That’s it. It’s one of the benefits that you get when you’re the
head coach, decide who plays and who doesn’t play. I’m grateful for that opportunity. I decided to sit him.
Q: What’d you think of the offensive line and Ryan Kelly, what he was able to do in his debut?
A: Yeah, again, until you go back and really take a really close look at the tape, it’s hard to tell. I think we
talked about three things we wanted to really see tonight – grades on effort, competing and toughness. I
think this football team gave great effort, I think they competed their tails off and they absolutely showed
toughness. I think that offensive line, you know, fought their tails off and we knew coming in here, this is a
really good defense, Rex (Ryan) and his brother Rob (Ryan), they’re known for that. They’re gonna load
the box, they’re gonna make it very difficult to run the football. Pass pro, I think for the most part, we gave
up a sack; there was a couple hurries here and there. We got some athletic guys in Scott and Stephen and
they’re able to run around. Those guys, you know, for the first time, are playing together and the young
guys, I thought they did some good things. Again, we’ll look at the tape and have an honest evaluation
tomorrow.
Q: You had two rookies, it seemed like, kind of held their own tonight. Obviously Ryan, and T.J.
(Green) and it looked like Joe Haeg?
A: No, it was, again all those guys who were out there, seemed like they made some mistakes but it wasn’t
too big for anybody. Those guys all played well, Antonio (Morrison) and (Hassan) Ridgeway and those
young defensive linemen. And T.J. we saw and those offensive linemen, it was impressive and college free
agents. We had guys who came in and can make plays. We had a guy, Lee Hightower comes in, and he’s a
physical player, we found that out tonight. He’s not afraid to, wasn’t perfect in coverage, run support things
like that, but you know he wasn’t afraid to mix it up, so to speak. He’s a tough kid, he’s long and he’s
athletic, so he’s got a chance. Again this is a good group and they care a lot about each other and in the
game that was evident tonight.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS CENTER RYAN KELLY
Q: Were you disappointed you weren’t able to get those first snaps with Andrew (Luck)?
A: It’s whatever. Scott (Tolzien) does a great job too. He played a heck of a game today. We would always
practice different quarterbacks and exchanges after practice. That was nothing we hadn’t seen before.
Q: Coming back from the shoulder injury, I think you played four series tonight. Do you like where
you are physically?
A: Yeah. I think I need to get back into a little better conditioning. They wanted to still limit it a little bit,
but still get those game experiences. I like where I’m headed and can probably continue this week.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PUNTER PAT MCAFEE
Q: In the offseason, the NFL came up with a new rule and you had a tweet about wanting to knock
them all through the uprights. Today, you lined them up on the 3-yard line, the 4-yard line … Is that
part of the plan for this season?
A: Well actually, I didn’t kick one tonight. Mike (Palardy) kicked them all tonight. But who knows,
though. Every team seems to be kicking them higher and, who knows what’s going to happen by the end of
preseason. I think it’s kind of a feel-out period right now and we’re kind of seeing if teams can catch an
advantage and pin them inside of the 25. It’ll be interesting to see how it all pans out. But you also have to
remember that, in a lot of preseason games, guys are kicking the balls a little bit shorter to see if guys are
covering kicks and making tackles so you have a lot going on.
Q: Watching the game, how do you think the short kicks worked today?
A: It seems to be going well. Any time you stop a team inside of the 25-yard line, I’d consider it an
advantage. Tonight, we had a couple big plays and a couple rookies made some big plays inside of the 20. I
think Buffalo did the same against us a couple of times and I don’t think you saw a return go past the 25
without a penalty so I think it was good. We’re definitely going to see guys try and take advantage of it but
who knows how it’ll play out when we get to the regular season.
Q: Are you going to work on that in training camp?
A: Well, I had the flu the first week and I tweaked my knee last week so I haven’t even hit a kickoff yet, to
be honest with you. But we’ll get into that here in a week or so and they’ll continue to do the studying
across the league to see what the best option is.
Q: Are you still holding to wanting to kick 1,000 touchbacks?
A: Well, I don’t know actually. (Kicking short) has been working for teams. Tonight, we got them inside of
the 20 and you’re seeing a lot of special teams coaches who just don’t want to forfeit inside of the 25-yard
line. You have to appreciate and respect their competitive drive and I think I might have been wrong with
that. But who knows what’s going to happen by the regular season. We’ve got a lot of games left and
everybody watches everybody else so until the season comes around, we have no idea.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS PUNTER MICHAEL PALARDY
Q: Well, apparently you took all four kickoffs tonight. Is that the emphasis? To kick them short and
in front of the goal line?
A: Yeah, absolutely. To piggy-back off of what Pat (McAfee) said, we’re just feeling it out to see what
advantage it has, if any. That was what was asked of me, to kind of put a little bit more placement on it. A
little higher, a little shorter and see if we can get them inside of the 25-yard line because an extra five yards
is another five percent of the field that we would give the offense. So yeah, we’re basically trying to get it
inside the 25, maybe the 20, with a good hang time, fair distance, and not too deep because if it goes too
deep, they’ll just take a knee.
Q: If you want to kick it higher, are you kicking it farther up (on the ball), or how are you getting
more height on it?
A: Yeah, I’m not aiming more downfield. Usually, on a kickoff, you’ll see guys try and explode downfield
and they’ll kind of drive it a little bit more. On these, you want to focus on your follow-through so the
trajectory of the ball goes up a little bit higher rather than driving it a little bit so it’s something that we just
have to feel out, test, and see if it works.
Q: For a guy like Pat (McAfee), who was one of the league leaders in touchback percentages last
year, is there any convincing with him?
A: No, because I think, from a professional standpoint, Pat is going to do whatever is asked of him. He’s
one of the best, if not the best, at kickoffs. Like I said, from a professional standpoint, Pat is one of those
guys that will do whatever is asked of him without any ego involved and will try to better the team and win
field position on kickoffs.
Q: Do you think the short kickoffs worked today?
A: It’s hard for me to see when I’m running down the field. I can’t really see everything until I watch the
film. I think we did a really good job and a lot of young guys made some really good plays. There was a
long one that got called back, I think for a penalty or something like that, but I don’t know exactly what
happened on it. I think we did a really good job today but there’s always room for improvement, including
myself, and we’ll go back to practice on Monday and do the exact same thing.
Q: I know a lot of times, people get into the analytics thing. How do you feel this has been going,
trying to push the statistical advantage?
A: Well, I don’t think we’ve seen enough games to really make a fair judgment on that. There are a number
of teams that I watch that will just kick it out of the back of the end zone. I don’t know if they’re going to
do that in the regular season and just not show their hand in the preseason, whatever it is. So I think, for
right now, you’re going to get a mixture of things. I don’t really think it’s fair to put judgment on it and say,
“Yeah, it’s going to work” or “Yeah, it’s not going to work.” But, from a pure statistical standpoint and a
field position standpoint, it makes sense to do that.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WIDE RECEIVER CHESTER ROGERS
Q: You also caught that deep ball and you had that pass interference. Can you describe that play?
A: I knew I could use my speed as an advantage. I tried to do that. I knew the first one they threw to me
was kind of short. That’s when I realized maybe I can use my speed and I don’t have to do so much near
the line. It was a learning experience and I’m just excited to get through that first game.
Q: You got in there pretty early. Were you expecting to get in that early? Was there a plan there?
A: Yeah, I was expecting to get in that early. I knew that they only had a few plays. I think a couple of
series. So I knew I was going to get in early. So I was ready and staying warm and ready to go.
Q: On special teams, I thought I saw you in there as gunner?
A: Yeah. I was on bum rusher too. So I got a few reps in there. I didn’t do that a lot in college.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS QUARTERBACK SCOTT TOLZIEN
Q: The offense tonight started kind of slow, then what changed?
A: Yeah, it definitely started slow and that’s in some aspects typical in the first preseason game, but you’re
always chasing perfection. That’s what we’re all out here to do. That was a bit frustrating but it is
something to build on, in essence a starting point for the season. I thought we kind of got into a flow of it
after the half.
Q: Were there some plays that you made, that maybe didn’t get made or were things just..?
A: Yeah, there’s one thing that sticks out to me about this game. It’s just how close contested catches can
be. For myself, just how location of every throw really can make a difference whether it’s just a foot short
or a foot high, all of that stuff, in this league that makes a difference. So there’s no better teaching than
these games and realizing how sharp you have to be.
Q: Scott, how big was tonight for you to work with the starters?
A: You know, I really do think it’s big. I’m going into my sixth year and I haven’t had a ton of playing
experience so anytime you can get these game experiences, especially starting an NFL game that’s huge.
You make a mistake in practice or you miss a throw in practice, it’s different than having that happen in a
game. That’s really where you become seasoned in this league, is having the game experience. I was lucky
to have that experience tonight.
Q: When did you find out that you were going to be the starter?
A: Everywhere I’ve been honestly, it’s not something that is always talked about. This is my fourth team
and you just always have to be ready to go, you treat it like a start. I kind of enjoy that process just because
that’s how you should approach it so that when your number is called you’re ready.
Q: The pass protection, were there some things to build on there or were there some things that you
can clean up or what did you see?
A: Yeah, everything on offense starting with myself to clean up. It’s nice to get a win, but we’re still early
to this process. It’s still training camp so we’ve still got to watch the tape and make sure everyone is
accountable and get better, that’s starting with myself.
Q: Can you walk us through the screen play, touchdown to Jordan Todman?
A: Yeah, it was a time and a play call. They dialed up pressure and we had to put a call there and the guys
executed it well.
Q: Can you talk about Tevaun Smith and how far he’s come in training camp? Did he take another
step forward tonight?
A: Yeah, for sure. I think not only “Tay” but also some of the other young receivers. I’ve enjoyed seeing
them grow and seeing where they started in OTA’s to where they are now. They’ve come a long ways but
with that said, it’s still early in this deal so we’ve all got a ways to go. The details are so important in this
league that this time of year is huge to get on those details before the regular season starts.
Q: Do you like getting that level of pass pressure so early in that first game right off like that?
A: Yeah, that’s a good thing because that’s the nature of the league. You have to be able to make throws in
the tight contested pockets and you don’t get those in practice when you have the red jersey on at practice-
being out there in a game situation and having those bullets fly at you.
