Doug Pederson

Q. T Lane Johnson and WR DeSean Jackson, do you have updates on their status? (Zach Berman)

DOUG PEDERSON: Yeah, DeSean has the lower body [injury]. He’s going to miss significant time with us. Lane, again, is going to be a little more day-to-day. We’ll see where he’s at next week on him. Both of them were injured in the football game and we just got to see where Lane is at next week and DeSean is going to miss some time.

Q. Now that you’ve looked at the tape from last night, what kind of confidence does it give you that you are where you’re at? Obviously, there was some stuff that you didn’t like in the game, but a win is a win in the division. Where do you sit now that you have seen your team at 2-4-1? (Jamie Apody)

DOUG PEDERSON: Well, yeah, sitting on top of the NFC East is obviously a good thing. The fact that we were two scores down, came back and won this football game, that’s a huge positive. With the amount of injuries that have piled up on offense, it just shows the resiliency of the entire football team. We won the turnover battle yesterday. We talk about that quite a bit, with the three defensive takeaways. It was really good to see.

There were some really good individual efforts yesterday. I think [TE] Richard Rodgers stepping in for [TE] Zach [Ertz] and the tight ends, he had a really good football game. Even the running backs, with [RB] Boston [Scott], [RB] Corey [Clement], and [RB] Jason Huntley stepping in, really doing a nice job in the run game protections. [QB] Carson [Wentz] played tough again, played physical. We asked him to run the ball a couple times, he did that.

There were a lot of really good takeaways from this football game. The fact that we came back and won this game is probably the biggest.

Q. Certainly a wonderful comeback in the fourth quarter, but you alluded last night to some decisions and throws QB Carson Wentz would like to have back. What would you say to people that look at that second quarter interception and think how in the world can a franchise quarterback in his fifth season make that decision, make that throw in that situation, which sort of turned the game around it looked like? (Les Bowen)

DOUG PEDERSON: Well, he knows, we know, I think everybody knows we can’t do that. It’s unacceptable for us. Carson feels the same way. In situations like that, you throw it away. You throw it in the first row of the stands. It’s just a mistake we’d like to have back.

Can’t do that. Take away the kneel down at the end of the game, three of seven in the red zone, the fact that we were in the red zone seven times is awesome, right? It goes back to the question about the positives. You’re in the red zone seven times. You need to come away with points. That’s a correlation to not only scoring, but helping you win football games. So that’s a positive.

We have to be better down there. We know that turnovers, penalties, sacks, things of that nature, take us away from points. Things we got to get better at.

Q. Do you have any good news on the injury front? Do you have any of these reinforcements coming soon, TE Dallas Goedert, WR Alshon Jeffery, RB Miles Sanders? Anybody pop up that could be available soon? (Tim McManus)

DOUG PEDERSON: Obviously these guys are all rehabbing and working, working today, working through the weekend. We’ll see where guys like Dallas, Miles, and Alshon, we’ll see where they’re at beginning and middle of next week. I can probably say guys like [LB] T.J. Edwards is close to returning, [S] Rudy Ford is close to returning, [T] Jason Peters is kind of in that boat.

We’ve got a few days here to really get these guys healthy even more. But I’m hoping that we get a few of these guys back next week going into the Cowboys game.

Q. I know you addressed K Jake Elliott’s miss last night after the game, but I am curious if a kicker’s performance ever starts to get to the point where you factor it into your play calling in the red zone or beyond that, within the 30 yard line? Is how he’s performing in a given point in the season, does that factor into whether you might go for it on fourth down? (Mike Sielski)

DOUG PEDERSON: No, I’ve got so much confidence in Jake. He’s made so many big kicks for us. I have a lot of confidence in him and really the operation from snap, hold to kick.

It doesn’t affect my decision one way or the other to put him out there or not put him out there. We just got to keep working through it. He’s a professional. He knows that he needs to make those. We need to be better there. He needs to make those kicks.

But it doesn’t challenge my confidence one way or the other. I’m going to continue to put him out there. He’s going to continue to make those kicks for us.

Q. As a play-caller, when you have so many new guys in and out of the offensive lineup, is it challenging to figure out what your strengths are and which plays you should be running with the current group you have on the field? (Dave Zangaro)

DOUG PEDERSON: It can be a challenge at times. The thing is, with this many new players, new starters or guys in the lineup, you don’t get much time on task. You don’t get many reps during the week with these guys. So some continuity and timing in the passing game, particularly, can lack just a little bit.

That’s why we practice, right? That’s why we do the things we do during the week to prepare and sometimes keep game plans a little bit simpler or smaller so these guys don’t have to think quite as much, and they can just focus on a handful of plays.

But we do our best to put guys in position and utilize their strengths so they don’t have to learn two different positions, for instance. They can just learn one spot for that week.

Guys are doing a great job. They’re making plays. We saw it again yesterday late in the game with some of these guys that are making plays for us and helping us win that game yesterday.

Q. QB Carson Wentz’s numbers in the fourth quarter versus the first three quarters are pretty significant, especially the last two weeks. And it is not just the numbers, if you watch him play, it just seems like he’s playing more freely in the fourth quarter when you have been trailing. Have you dug deeper into that as to why you feel like he’s been more productive playing almost from behind versus ahead or earlier in the game? (Jeff McLane)

DOUG PEDERSON: It’s something that we’ll take a look at that here in the next couple of days. We got a little time over the weekend to look into everything.

Quite honestly, it’s good to see your quarterback being able to put the team on his back and lead a comeback like he did in this game. Obviously, the Baltimore game is another one where we made the comeback and put ourselves in a position to tie that football game. That part is good to see.

We want to try to at least minimize being down two scores late in the fourth quarter and have to come back every week. Those are hard to overcome. That’s one of the things you love about Carson, he’s constantly fighting with his guys and battling with his guys out there. He wants the ball in his hands at the end of the game.

The other thing is when we’re down two scores like that, you go right into your two-minute offense. You saw the play to [WR John] Hightower, you saw the play to [TE] Richard Rodgers. The Richard play was a scramble, big play in the game. That’s who Carson is, a constant competitor and wants to win.

Q. On those four drives you weren’t able to convert in the red zone, after watching the tape, where do you feel like those breakdowns were coming from? Does that come from the young personnel that you were working with in those situations that maybe they hadn’t been in before? (Kristen Rodgers)

DOUG PEDERSON: The breakdowns were really execution, offensively. Whether it was offensive line mistakes, receiver mistakes, quarterback mistakes. Everybody had a hand in the breakdowns. It’s really something that I think as coaches with the amount of new faces, it’s really a teachable moment for us, to be able to show guys.

There’s a sense of urgency obviously from the standpoint of playing faster in the red zone. We know the ball comes out of the quarterback’s hand a little bit faster. The field gets condensed a little bit more, all of that. Can’t have penalties down there. Can’t take sacks down there. Obviously can’t miss kicks down there.

Those are all things that we can control, and we can fix. It’s all teachable and correctable.

Q. You mentioned T Jason Peters might be close to getting back. Would he automatically go to left tackle or would you consider moving him back to guard since you are a little more unsettled at guard and T Jordan Mailata has done a nice job at left tackle for the most part? You have T Prince Tega Wanogho on the practice squad. How is he coming along? Obviously, you have T Brett Toth up, but he hasn’t done a lot of pass blocking in his career. What are your options there? (Reuben Frank)

DOUG PEDERSON: I mean, that’s just it, we have options, right? Prince is still growing with the offense, doing a nice job, getting better every week. Brett obviously has been with us now a week or two. He’s getting better. He’ll get better this next week with a full week of practice.

I think when J.P. comes back, I think that’s a conversation we’ll have internally to see what’s best for the football team, whether it’s he and [G Nate] Herbig and [G] Sua Opeta now, guard rotation, or is it J.P. back at left tackle. Those are options we have, which we haven’t had many options lately. It gives us I think the best availability for these players for our offensive line moving forward.

Q. How did Sua Opeta play? As you approach the trade deadline, is there anywhere you would like to get some help for this roster? (Bo Wulf)

DOUG PEDERSON: Sua played okay. There were a couple times he got bull rushed. I think the first-time starters, especially at the offensive line, it takes a little bit to settle in and understand pass-rush lanes, pass-rush games, stunts, things of that nature, by the defense. He did some nice things, again not perfect, but something to build on and continue his growth there.

As far as the trade deadline, obviously we know that’s coming up. That’s something that [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] and I will discuss and look at the rosters but haven’t made any decisions there yet.

Q. Having seen the tape now on the WR DeSean Jackson injury, do you feel as if either of the hits that the Giants players made were dirty? (Chris Franklin)

DOUG PEDERSON: Well, listen, it’s not my place publicly to comment on that. It’s a play we’ll turn in to the league. Obviously, they flagged it, the officials got it right in the game. It’s unfortunate because of the injury. That’s something that’s in the league’s hands. If there’s any ramifications, it will come down from them. Not my place to comment on that.

Q. What did you see from TE Richard Rodgers after watching the tape and the game he played? Any update on DT Hassan Ridgeway? He also had to leave the game. (John McMullen)

DOUG PEDERSON: Hassan Ridgeway actually has a biceps injury that he’s going to miss the rest of the season for us. It’s unfortunate with him. It’s a significant injury. It’s something that I’m obviously disappointed in that because he was a big part of the tackle rotation. He’s going to miss obviously and we’re going to miss him.

Richard Rodgers, gosh, I’ll tell you what, he played tough, physical. He played fast. He made some really good catches. Not only some short, intermediate catches, but the deep throw in the fourth quarter to help us win that football game. I’m really glad Richard is on the team. He’s a good complementary piece when both [TE] Zach [Ertz] and [TE] Dallas [Goedert] are out there. He filled in really well. Expect more of that hopefully moving forward with him in that position.

Q. Carson was compared to Brett Favre coming out of school, that gunslinger mentality. Obviously, you are familiar with Brett. He seems to be playing more like Brett now than his first four seasons. Would you agree with that? He is trusting himself to make throws maybe sometimes he shouldn’t make. At the same time, he’s making big plays, extending plays, creating plays. Are you seeing more of Brett in Carson? How do you feel about it because it may increase the risk at times, but the reward could be greater? (Rob Maaddi)

DOUG PEDERSON: Well, that was always the thing with Brett, the reward was definitely greater. But you knew there was going to be some risk involved. Carson obviously has the ability to do that. He’s got the arm strength, the mobility to extend plays with his legs.

I would think the one thing that we’re seeing with Carson now, the same thing I saw with Brett, is that physical toughness, being able to stand in the pocket, take some hits, bounce up, and do it again. To me, that’s kind of some of the similarities there.

Carson is solid. He’s getting better every week. Again, had a great comeback yesterday for us. That’s some of the same things that obviously I saw in Brett when I played with him.