Eagles coach Doug Pederson, who’s in his first season as a head coach, spoke to the Atlanta media on Wednesday.
Here’s what the former NFL quarterback had to say:
On Matt Ryan’s strong start to the season:
"Well, I'll tell you, he's definitely playing at an extremely high level. He's got tremendous skill around him. Julio Jones is by far one of the top receivers, if not the top receiver in the National Football League, in my opinion. He's playing really well, too. Obviously you learn from experiences and rely on those a little bit, and I think what Matt has done is, one, he's taking care of the football, and two, he's just letting the game come to him. He's not pressing any issues; he's an accurate passer. He's big and strong and tall in the pocket. And he's just utilizing the strength of his offense. His offensive line is playing good, so he's definitely playing Pro Bowl-caliber (football) right now. As a former quarterback, it is fun to watch guys like that who play at a high level."
On what it takes to contain Julio Jones:
“Oh man, I’ll tell you, that kid is pretty special. Good athlete. You see teams try to be physical with him, and it’s hard. You see teams that try to roll coverage to him, and it’s hard because he’s so big and strong. He knows how to get open. He and Matt are definitely on the same page when it comes to these routes and the throws that they’re completing. Somebody like that, gosh, you just do the best you can to contain. It’s probably going to take two defenders at times. There are going to be times when he’s singled up, and we’re going to have to put pressure on Matt with probably a rush and all of that. You can’t go to sleep on a guy like Julio Jones, because he can not only beat you with the underneath stuff, but he has the ability to track the ball, high-point the ball when it’s in the air, and he does a nice job down the field as well.”
On Atlanta’s defense:
“Well I think the young players are playing better. One thing that you see with coach (Dan) Quinn and the guys is, they don’t do a lot on defense. … And that’s a credit to the coaches in letting their players just line up and play fast. And they’re getting better within the scheme and getting faster. This is an aggressive group. Obviously, it starts with the D-line, the guys up front. They are a very, very active group. … They can put pressure on the quarterbacks just with their front four, sometimes five. And these young linebackers can run. That’s the one thing you can see on tape is how well they run and attack downhill. ‘Keep it simple.’ Sometimes we say that as coaches, but sometimes that’s the smart thing to do, especially when you have young players, to allow those guys to play and play fast.”
On Vic Beasley Jr.’s development:
“I’ll tell you what, this kid — he knows how to rush the passer. He’s quick, he’s aggressive off the ball, a quick-twitch guy. I like everything about him. A good player, a kid that’s explosive. And, as a unit offensively, the offensive line, you kind of have to know where he lines up.”
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