Pat Shurmur Addresses Media at NFL Annual Meeting

Pat Shurmur – © USA TODAY Sports

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PAT SHURMUR ADDRESSES MEDIA AT NFL ANNUAL MEETING…
New York Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur addressed the media at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday. Some topics of note (video):

• On trading wide receiver Odell Beckham: “It is business. We didn’t want to get rid of Odell. We traded Odell and we got value. There are many things that I admire about Odell. I wish him the best… We are building. Obviously, Odell is an outstanding player, but it is a business and (General Manager) Dave (Gettleman) addressed that. I really believe that we got good value in return. I am one of those that believes a trade can be good for both parties. We came to an agreement with Cleveland and we sent them an outstanding player. We got good value in return… He is an outstanding player. It was business. The notion that we were tired of Odell is not accurate… We certainly talked a lot about (the trade). I am on board. I really believe that we have a plan. We have a way that we want to make our team better and we feel like this trade is something that will help us do that.”
• On acquiring safety Jabrill Peppers: “Our impression is that he is a first-round pick. He is an outstanding player as well. He can play safety. We were looking to help ourselves on defense. He is going to step in and play good football for us.”
• On losing safety Landon Collins: “Landon played really good football for a very long time. That is what happens in business. He went and signed a very lucrative contract. We wish him well. I said it earlier. Anyone that has ever played for me or that I have ever worked with that are no longer with us, I wish them all the best. I hope they go to their teams and win them games. The same can be said for Landon.”
• On acquiring wide receiver Golden Tate: “I am excited about him. His skillset is like Sterling (Shepard’s). When we run the ball, they are gritty blockers and you can play them on the edge and in the slot. Then, when you throw the ball, they have both done good work in the slot and have had production outside. You can play both guys wherever.”
• On acquiring guard Kevin Zeitler: “He is all about football. He has that old school feel. He came in and visited me. He was wanting to know about iPads and making sure he got a lift in that day. ‘Oh by the way, can you direct me to a realtor so my wife can get going?’ He is very task-driven. He came in with four or five things he wanted from me. He is a really fine pass blocker and an outstanding run blocker. He will be a solid piece for us at that right guard spot.”
• On the offensive line as a whole: “I think we are making progress, and I am really pleased with how they progressed at the end of last year. To this point, we added a really good player. We are going to continue to do that. I think we also shined a bright light on the fact that it starts up front and we are going to do what we can to address the offensive and defensive lines up front as we move forward.”
• On acquiring safety Antoine Bethea: “He is a very accomplished player. I watched the tape and I see why. You only have to meet with him for a few minutes to feel that leadership that he processes. I think he will help make our back end much stronger.”
• On the 2019 NFL Draft: “I think there are numerous good players in this draft. We are putting our final evaluations on this class. We have done a heck of a lot of work on all the quarterbacks that we could potentially draft. As much work as we did last year. We will just have to see in the final analysis how it stacks up. There are some really good players in this draft…Our plan is to add more good football players. That is the plan. The diet that doesn’t sell is to eat less and exercise more. No one will buy that book. We are just trying to add more good players. We shined a bright light on some positions of need a year ago and we are going to address some of those needs.”
• On the draft and the quarterback position: “We have options. We have some good picks and we have things we need to do to make our roster better. I think we all understand Eli (Manning) is closer to 40 than 20. At some point, there will be a new quarterback playing for the Giants. We will just have to see what happens.”
• On if there is an urgency to address the quarterback position: “There is an urgency to get better at all positions. There are quarterbacks at other teams playing at the age that Eli is. The important thing for us is to make our team better. Have Eli play as good as he can. The draft and free agency drive where we make those changes. That is how we look at it… We are getting ready to play this season and make our roster as good as we can make it. Along with that, we all know that at some point there will be another quarterback playing. We will do the best we can to make the quarterback position the best it can be… If we are winning games, we are not disrupting anything.”
• On how quarterback Eli Manning can help a new quarterback: “I certainly believe that Eli does everything the right way behind the scenes. I believe that a young QB could value that just by seeing it. That is part of Eli’s charm. How well he works and how well he prepares. How professional he is with doing his job. Any professional from any profession would value from seeing that. If we add a new player, it is not Eli’s job to train him. It is Eli’s job to be the best Eli he can be. It is the player’s job to recognize that it is a great example and take advantage of it. The important thing is Eli be the best Eli he can be. Play outstanding, winning football and don’t worry about that. Quarterbacks learn from each other and if we bring in the right guy, he is going to study Eli and learn a great deal just being around him. We have coaches to coach the players. Eli’s responsibility is to play winning football. I have been around him and I see the way he works. If a young player wants to study and learn, he will learn a lot. A guy that has done all the things that Eli has done, if we draft a quarterback and he becomes the future, being around Eli will only help him.”
• On improving the defense: “Pass rush is something that we all want. We all want guys that can affect the quarterback. Being an offensive coach, I know how difficult it is for the quarterback to function when he is being rushed. We need to get someone who can affect the quarterback. There are a lot of them (in this draft).”
• On the high number of touches running back Saquon Barkley receives: “We don’t track that. It is a good thing when he touches the ball. I do think the ball needs to be spread around. In games where you look at the final stat sheet and see six or seven guys touched the ball, I think that is the way you want to play offense.”
• On whether the offense can improve without wide receiver Odell Beckham: “I think when you play offense, you try and get the most out of the players you have. You have to use their skillsets. I do believe that it takes a village to spread the ball around. The quarterback gets the ball out. We have a lot of fine players on offense. We will spread the ball. Unfortunately, Odell was hurt at the back end of the season and we were able to score our most points of the year. We will find a way.”
• On tight end Evan Engram: “When he got healthier, he was able to produce in a way we think he can. He had production when he was in there, but then he got hurt a few times. By the end, he was feeling good, running well and playing well. That is a function of Evan doing his thing… He can block. I think he can block better than you do. I think his whole game improved when he became healthy. He is a willing blocker.”
• On cornerback whether cornerback Sam Beal can start: “We feel like he has those skills. He is doing a really good job coming back from that shoulder surgery. He had an excellent fall in getting himself ready to go.”

JOHN MARA AND STEVE TISCH ADDRESS MEDIA AT NFL ANNUAL MEETING…
New York Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch addressed the media at the NFL Annual Meetings in Phoenix:

• John Mara (Video)
• Steve Tisch (Video)