Chad O’Shea – November 26, 2019
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Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(I’m going to start off with G Shaq Calhoun. He was back in the starting lineup after a few games out of it. How did you think he did and what does he need to work on moving forward?) – “There were some real positive things that he did in the game. I think that prior to the game, there were some things that were very encouraging that he did in practice, that he was really making some improvements in some of the areas that we’ve asked him to improve in. I think now it’s just a matter of overall consistency, just as it is with our entire group, and I would say our entire offense is just working to be more consistent in all areas whether it be fundamentals, assignment, all of the above. Just an overall consistency is what we’re striving for, for Shaq (Calhoun) and also overall offensively.”
(Do you see something that’s maybe G Shaq Calhoun’s niche as a guard – maybe more run blocking than pass blocking?) – “I think he’s done a decent job in both areas. He’s definitely a player that has improved since he’s been here and there’s certainly aspects of both the run and the pass that he needs to continue to improve in, but there’s also some real positive things that he’s done in both. I wouldn’t say one’s slightly more than the other. I think that he’s kind of developed in both areas, and I think it’s important to do that because we’re going to run and throw the ball.”
(Is this is a situation where G Shaq Calhoun outperformed C/G Evan Boehm in practice or just you want to take a look at a young player that’s developing?) – “I think we’re – again, as I’ve said all along with that position – we’re trying to find the best five for that game, and I think a lot of things factor into that. It might be the matchup that we’re facing that week. It might be the scheme in which we’re using. I know Evan performed well for us inside at center and did some good things at guard and then Shaq had another opportunity to go play for us; and Shaq did some things at practice prior to being in the lineup that were really encouraging. He earned his way into the lineup by his preparation and his practice, and there were some positive things that he did in the game.”
(With T Julién Davenport – obviously taking another look at him after the performance and the injury against the Bills – what did you see this week that was encouraging?) – “I was really encouraged with just overall – I thought that he was one week, he came off of being basically on IR all those weeks and he really physically this week, he was a lot better than he was the prior week as far as just his overall movement skills and where he was physically and his overall health was really much improved from what it was a week before. That was one thing, and then I think his assignments were much better this week. He was more comfortable out there and was able to function assignment-wise better, but I thought that his movement skills (were) one thing that jumped out at me that he was a lot better off which you would expect, especially with the length of what he had to sit out and to be back with us that first week.”
(What did you attribute the slow start to when you watched the film?) – “I think a lot of different factors. I don’t think it was one thing in particular. It was kind of a collection of different things from overall execution, from a fundamental standpoint. Assignment-wise we were pretty good throughout the game. That was something that was a positive for us, is that we were going to the right guys and the assignments were good; so now it’s just a matter of the technique, the execution, the overall finish. Obviously we’ll have great challenges this week with this defensive front and defensive team we’re playing in the Eagles, so it’ll be a great challenge to start fast and something we’re really going to have to emphasize this week. It’s so important to the rest of the game to be able to start fast and kind of play ahead of the down-and-distance and to be able to run the ball effectively, you’ve got to be able to start fast.”
(Do you have – we’ve seen you try to run the ball in a variety of ways – Wildcat, go heavy, 11-personnel – nothing has seemed really to work. Are there just magic plays that we haven’t gotten to yet, or is it…?) – “I think that each week we’re going to try to find the scheme that works best versus the team we’re playing. Like I said, this week in Philadelphia we have great challenges with what they’re doing up front and certainly we look at – we closely look at – what the strengths of the defenses are and then try to do the things that we think we can do the best. There’s a lot of things that go into that, but certainly we’re going to continue to work on the run game. We’re going to work really hard at it and the guys are going to embrace what we’re doing and go out and just try to be better. We know it’s an area we need to make improvements in and just like there are some areas that we need to improve in as an offense.”
(You guys have gone through – I think you’re at your eighth different offensive line combination on Sunday and a couple of receivers have gotten hurt now – how much of your playbook is open and how much have you had to whittle it down based on personnel?) – “That’s the thing that I really appreciate and like about the way the year is set up, is the challenges that you have that are different on a weekly basis. I look at it as a challenge that we’re going to look forward to, and it’s our job as coaches to find the right combination of guys to go out there; but certainly, volume of what we do and that is based off specifically that week. It changes so much on a weekly basis. We might be full-strength and full-health and have a limited volume relative to the week before where we had less guys out there. It really, truly depends on what you’re facing defensively, what you think is going to work for you offensively; so I think the volume of what you do is based on other things other than the health of your team.”
(The Eagles defensive is pretty well-known for its front four. What is it about that group that’s…?) – “They’re very disruptive. They create a lot of negative plays. They play very, very hard. They play with tremendous effort, and they’re definitely one of the more talented groups that we’ll face. I’ve always had a lot of respect for this group over the years and turning on the film, it doesn’t take long to realize the great challenge we’re up (against) this week.”
(You’ve got two healthy receivers on the team right now in WR DeVante Parker and WR Allen Hurns. How do you compensate the possible absence of WR Jakeem Grant and WR Albert Wilson?) – “I think that we’re going to have to do it through a variety of different ways, one being other positions obviously. Whether it be the running back position – being creative with the way we’re going to use those guys – or the use of the tight end, Mike (Gesicki) is somebody that’s been productive for us here in recent weeks. I think it’s going to have to be, again, by committee. We’re going to have to really do a good job of getting some offense and some production from other positions other than the receiver position because right now, there’s a potential of maybe being down one less guy or the other. We’ll see how that goes. We’re still early in the week, so the statuses of those guys are still uncertain. We’re early in our game plan process right now, and there’s a lot of things that could change either way as you go throughout the week. As the game was when we were down two receivers, we had to do a good job of adjusting and utilizing some of the other positions during the game, and that’s what we would do if we were in that situation again.
(With WR Isaiah Ford, where is he in his development? I know he was working as a slot receiver earlier this season before he went back on the practice squad. Where is he in that process?) – “Isaiah’s greatest strength is his ability to function mentally and his position flexibility that he has for us offensively. He’s a guy that is – despite being on the practice squad – is in every meeting and does such a good job in preparation, and we can plug him in anywhere and feel very confident that he’s going to know what to do. I think he has some flexibility to play inside as well as outside, so I think that that’s been one of his great strengths, is not only his ability to function mentally, but his ability to kind of have some flexibility as a receiver to play inside, outside, outside, inside. That’s been a real positive to have a guy in the building that is still in the developmental stages, but you feel confident – and I know I feel confident and our offensive coaches feel confident – in plugging him in and that we’re going to have a good level of execution.”
(You mentioned TE Mike Gesicki’s production in recent weeks. Have you noticed along with that a boost in confidence in his play and his demeanor?) – “I do. I think it is human nature when you have success that you have more confidence to do your job, regardless of what your job is, and that’s definitely been the case in Mike. I know that his confidence has grown and it should because he’s done some things positive on the field, and I know that one of the things that you gain confidence in is when your other teammates and coaches have confidence in you. Certainly, that’s the case with Mike right now, is that the quarterback has confidence in him, the coaching staff has confidence in him, his teammates do, and he’s earned that over time here (because) of his work ethic in practice and really investing a lot of time with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) to being on the same page, and I think it’s really been reflective in his play here recently.”
(Do you buy into the notion that now that TE Mike Gesicki’s gotten that first touchdown out of the way that there’s going to be like a snowball effect and…?) – “I hope there’s a snowball effect. I really do. I didn’t realize that that was his first touchdown because I wasn’t aware that he didn’t have one last year, so that was news to me when it happened. I didn’t know what the excitement was about, (laughter) but I realized it pretty shortly after that. I was happy for him. He’s earned the right to score a touchdown and he’s done a good job for us, and hopefully it is a snowball effect.”
(With TE Mike Gesicki, you’ve mentioned that his presence has helped ease the slot impact on this team. How well has he developed as that inside kind of receiver?) – “It’s helped greatly. You can see by alignment of what we’ve been doing with him, we’re now comfortable with bouncing him around. I think that’s very important to the tight end position, is if you have flexibility at that position – both to be able mentally to get lined up and physically to do some things inside as well as outside – it really increases your role within this offense and it allows us to do from a play-calling standpoint, it allows us to do a lot more things when you can kind of move him around as a chess piece and use him in multiple different alignments and roles. His route tree has expanded because of his alignment, and I think that’s very important for the production of that position and again, he’s put himself in position to where he’s now in different alignments and able to use those route trees that increase because of that.”
(We’ve gotten to know you as a pretty even-keeled guy, but I’m sure there have been moments throughout the season that you’ve had frustration, anger, all that. Have you and how have you dealt with it?) – “I think that the most important thing for me as the leader of the offense is to not be too high on the highs and too low on the lows. I think it’s important for me to stay right in the middle. That’s what my belief is as a leader, and I think that the team responds best to that or offensively we respond best to that. Certainly, there’s times that I would like us to be more consistent and to be better in certain areas, but I think that’s true of any year and any team. I can’t say that that’s been any different on any other team I’ve been on and any other year that you strive for consistency. I think it’s important just to be right down the middle and I think that’s important as the leader.”
