August 22, 2017 Ben McAdoo Conference Call

Ben McAdoo – © USA TODAY Sports

[contentblock id=1 img=html.png]

MONDAY BEN MCADOO CONFERENCE CALL…
New York Giants Head Coach Ben McAdoo addressed the media by conference call on Tuesday to discuss the team’s 10-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns:

Opening Statement: I’ll start with the game last night. Defensively – what we did well – we played physical and had some outstanding shots of effort on tape. Look no further than OV’s (Olivier Vernon) example chasing an eligible receiver across the field and breaking the ball up. Great effort there. I thought we were physical in destroying some blocks. B.J. (Goodson) was a good example on a sack. Forced two turnovers. Could have been three. We handled the ebbs and flow of the game. We had three sudden change series on defense and one punt return that left us with a short field. What we need to work on – extracting the ball. We need to be disciplined with our rush lanes especially against an athletic quarterback and eliminate penalties that award first downs on third down.

Offensively – what we did well – 75% win the down on all down and distant passes. Pass protection is making progress and some examples of finish on tape. We have some good examples of finish. What we need to work on – we left a lot of offense on the field. Too many unforced errors. Not one guy. (Inaudible). For us to have a chance, we need all 11 knowing what to do and how to do it. And, it takes everybody to run the ball, not just the offensive line. The receivers have to be better versus slam corners. The tight ends, in line and from the backfield, need to do a better job. They weren’t even close yesterday. The running backs have to take the right footwork at the right pace and of course have to be on point and read their cues. We left some runs on the field yesterday from a running back perspective. And our perimeter, they need to do a better job of taking care of each other on the bubble screens.

Special teams wise – kickoff coverage was a plus. Kickoff return was a push. We need to work on punt coverage, be disciplined and do our job in our lanes. We gave up a big field return and we came back and overcompensated. We were hit up the gut there, came back because of a penalty, though. Punt return – we have to get it started and our vice needs work. It’s not where it needs to be.

Where do we go from here? We have to stick the move this week. We have to get our eyes on Cleveland tape, learn from it and then jump onto the Jets. We have a short week and we have to go out and make some gains. With that, we’ll open it up.

Q: Where do you stand on everything with WR Odell Beckham Jr. and WR Brandon Marshall?

A: Odell has an ankle and we’ll see how he responds to treatment. Brandon has a shoulder and, again, we just have to see how these two guys respond to treatment. We just had them in here for a treatment session and we’ll take it day by day.

Q: Are both WR Odell Beckham Jr. and WR Brandon Marshall getting treatment?

A: Odell had his MRI and he has an ankle.

Q: What’s the concern that WR Odell Beckham Jr. or WR Brandon Marshall’s injuries could be long term?

A: Again, we’ll take it day by day and see how they respond to treatment.

Q: Were the x-rays on WR Brandon Marshall’s shoulder negative?

A: Yes.

Q: Does WR Odell Beckham Jr. have a high ankle or a low ankle?

A: It’s an ankle. We’ll see how he responds to treatment.

Q: What made you decide to play CB Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie at safety for a couple series?

A: When you get into the season, you have to look at a couple different things on the 53 and how many guys you hold at each spot – at the safety spot and at the corner spot. And, the more players you have with versatility, the better. DRC is definitely a guy that’s a smart football player. He’s played a lot of football for us and in this league. Just giving him some experience at safety makes you more flexible and if something happens during the course of the game, you can put him out there and he can help you out in that regard.

Q: How do you think CB Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie did at safety?

A: He did a nice job. He’s been getting a little work at it in practice; I’m surprised you guys haven’t noticed.

Q: How did the interior of the offensive line do last night?

A: I think we had some opportunities to have some runs come out. Again, whether we run the ball well or not, it’s not only the offensive line. Everybody’s included. It takes all 11 to be successful there. But, I thought there were a couple TE games we could have passed off better in pass protection. That will continue to be an emphasis for us. But, I thought there were some opportunities for us to have some runs come out on the interior of the offensive line.

Q: What do you attribute the negative runs to?

A: Again, there’s enough to be spread around. First play, the corner made a tackle. We have to block the corner. We had some tight ends trip up in the backfield. We had a back that was too wide on his course on one. There were plenty to go around. You can’t have that. You need all 11 to have a chance to have a chance and we didn’t have that yesterday early in the game.

Q: How did offensive linemen Brett Jones and D.J. Fluker do in last night’s game?

A: I think they both had solid outings. They both got better, they both improved. Brett is a tremendous communicator out there, he’s a physical player and he had a nice night. Fluker’s a guy that, he’s learning. He’s playing a couple different spots. He’s learning the offense still, he’s working hard through it, he’s a physical football player and when he gets his hands on somebody, he’s a physical man.

Q: Has Fluker earned an opportunity to work with the first team? John Jerry seems to have struggled.

A: We’re going to look at those options and talk through them as the week goes on and see how it shakes out. But we have not lost confidence in [guard] John Jerry or anybody on the offensive line, for that matter.

Q: Are there any updates to any of the other players who got injured last night?

A: Yeah, [wide receiver Tavarres] King, he’s still sore. It was the same ankle [that he had previously injured]. [Cornerback] Michael Hunter is in the concussion protocol. And that’s really all I have right now.

Q: Do you alter your plan for the preseason, as far as playing time, moving forward after losing a couple of key players to injury last night?

A: You have to play, you have to play the game to get better at the game and on offense we definitely need to work, we need it in all three phases, but especially on offense.

Q: Do you expect any of the players that did not play last night due to injury to be back at practice tomorrow?

A: Yeah, we’re taking a look at that right now. Nothing is set in stone at this point, but we look to get a couple guys back, even if it is in limited fashion.

Q: How do you think quarterback Eli Manning did last night in his first preseason action?

A: I thought he had a fairly good showing. A couple throws I think he’d like to have back, but that’s a part of it, especially in preseason, you’re going to miss some throws. I thought he had some clean reads out there. I’d like to see him complete the shallow cross to [wide receiver] Sterling Shepard in the red zone. But, it’s the first outing for him, first outing for a lot of guys out there playing together in a game this season. So, we look to build upon it.

Q: Where do things stand in the backup quarterback competition? Was Geno Smith getting so many snaps last night a sign that he’s ahead?

A: That’s just the way it went last night. We wanted to keep it fairly even, but the way the game broke down, the way the game worked itself out there at the end of the first half and at the beginning of the second half, that’s just the way it went and we’re going to continue to evaluate it. We don’t have a timetable on it and we’ll let those guys keep going, competing.

Q: What is your evaluation of Geno Smith’s play last night?

A: I thought he made some nice throws, made some nice decisions. He completed the ball, we just have to eliminate the critical errors in the ball game.

Q: Where does everything stand with offensive lineman Michael Bowie right now?

A: The other side of the building is still working through the details of it, still trying to get as much information as they can at this point and they’re going to keep me posted as we go.

Q: Do you expect Bowie to practice tomorrow?

A: I don’t expect anything at this point. We’ll see what the information that we gather [is]. I need more information from the other side of the building, they’re working hard right now on trying to get information, get all the details, so we have all the information before any decisions are made.

Q: Is Bowie with the team in the meantime?

A: Today’s a day off.

Q: Would you be open to sitting wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for this week’s preseason game, because you know what he can do? Or would you rather see your entire offense on the field together?

A: Yeah, I know what Odell brings to the table, he’s a tremendous player, one of the best in the league. Tremendous competitor. But if you have a chance to get everyone out there playing together, playing with each other, you do it. If you don’t, you don’t. That’s a medical decision.

Q: How is Beckham feeling today, have you had a chance to talk to him?

A: He’s going through treatment. He got a scan, he’s got an ankle [injury].

ARTICLES…

• Giants starters get extended action in 2nd preseason game | Snap count analysis by Dan Duggan for NJ.com
• Sources: Odell Beckham Jr. eyes possible $100M insurance policy if contract talks with Giants stall by Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports