Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt (10.19.23)
Are you guys planning on having Deshaun Watson practice today?
“Yeah, I think he’s scheduled to get out there and make some throws. So, part of the process of him just trying to get back, ready to play. Good to get him out there with the guys.”
Does that mean that he’s trending towards playing?
“I’d hate to say that, Mary Kay (Cabot). I know he’s getting better, obviously, because he’s going to be out there today. I’ll say that.”
But nothing has gone ‘According to Hoyle’ in this whole process, right?
“Ramping them up, getting them ready, getting them back. So, we’ll see how it goes today, but excited to get him back out on the field. I know he’s excited.”
Have you seen him practice yet?
“I have not. The sessions that I think – he’s been inside most of the time, so I have not been able to, but I’ve heard it’s getting better each time, so it’s good.”
How would you assess how P.J. (Walker) did last week and how comfortable are you with him if he has to go again?
“Yeah, I mean, you’re only going to get better every time you get more experience, right? I thought he battled hard in that game, did a lot of really good things. As always, you’re going to have a few plays you want back, but the times that we put the ball in harm’s way, I thought he made two great plays getting the interceptor down, especially the first time, be able to throw that pick to 54 (Fred Warner) and then tackle him and then have our defense be able to hold. That’s a huge play by him in that game. It was a double minus and then a double plus. But that’s things you’ll learn from each week. Very comfortable if P.J. starts again this week, I think he’s going to be a week better in our system.”
How shocked were you when he threw that ball in the end zone?
“Yeah, a little shocked, but that’s part of the process. I got to communicate to him better in that situation. But that’s stuff that we’ll improve from each week.”
Just slide in bounds?
“You like to keep that clock running in that situation, for sure.”
Seems like he understood pretty quickly, throw the ball to Amari Cooper. Good things happen. How much does it help a guy like him to have 2 (Amari Cooper) out there?
“Oh, it’s huge. And that was a challenge for those receivers going in that week. That was a physical group of corners. They were grabby, they were physical to the line of scrimmage. And we challenged our receivers to make plays on 50/50 balls. In the second one there where he went up over top of the guy, that was a great job by Amari, but anytime you have a guy of his stature, Amari out there, you feel very comfortable giving him opportunities. Later in the game, we gave him an opportunity in double coverage, and that’s where we just as a quarterback, we need to draw that line of making a better decision on that one play.”
Alex, I know Indy has caused a decent number of takeaways and obviously ball security. It sounds like it’s a big emphasis for you guys after the bye week. Just how much more is it this week?
“It always is. It really is. This is a ball-searching team. They’re really good at it. There’s a ton of attack on the ball. It’s on the film. So we’ve definitely showed our guys those plays and made them aware. Coach (Kevin) Stefanski challenged our defensive scout team to get a ball out this week, so they’re trying hard to get it out and we’re trying hard to protect it.”
How much of the defense making plays on Sunday, gives you peace of mind as an offense on the other side of the ball?
“As offensive players, you don’t want to say, ‘hey, let the defense win for you’, but man, it is a comforting feeling knowing they’re playing at such a high level on the other side. You don’t have to be perfect on offense because you know they’re going to be able to help you out at times. Now, will we want to be perfect? Absolutely. So, we’re striving for that. But it is a good feeling to know that defense is playing at a high level.”
Deshaun, this shoulder injury has been kind of a waiting-to-see kind of game. Have you seen him be able to respond to the uncertainty of next week, tomorrow kind of thing?
“I think he’s really taking it a day at a time, not looking too far ahead and just trying to get better through his rehab process each day. He’s been great in the room, very positive last week with P.J. as a starter, so he’s doing all the right things. But I know it’s tough for him. He wants to be out there worse than anybody.”
Is it as simple as you just need to see him throw like he has and for him to, once he gets that clears that hurdle, everything else is good for you guys?
“Yeah, I think that’s probably common sense. As soon as he feels well enough to be able to make all the throws on the field, that’s probably when he’ll be ready to go. Not sure when that’ll be, but that’s part of the process. Yeah, I’d hate to ask anybody to go out there limited, especially when you’re a quarterback and that’s your living is throwing the ball. So, he’s got to feel good about it. We have to also have to feel good about it. But I think we’re seeing him get better every day.”
Like the mental aspect, he’s been engaged where if that clicks, then you feel comfortable with him being ready?
“Oh, yeah. No, he was doing that last week. He’s prepared like he’s going to start the game each day of the week, so he’s fully immersed in the game plan and ready to go if he feels up to it on Sunday, for sure.”
Could he wear something on the shoulder that wouldn’t really restrict throwing that much, but protect him at the same time?
“Yeah, definitely. There are definitely things you could do. Tape a pad inside of your – you know, there’s definitely different things. I’m not sure what or where they are on that, but yeah, you can definitely protect it.”
I’d imagine you’d want to give P.J. as many reps as possible if it looks like he’s starting. How do you not interrupt his game?
“Yeah, that’s a hard balance. You’re trying to make sure that he’s ready and at the same time, if Deshaun’s ready, then you want to make sure. So, you’re juggling back and forth. But as a backup quarterback, that’s life, you know, you’re used to not taking a ton of reps and being able to come up and get hot right away and go. So, it’s good practice for him. If he gets all the reps, great, and if he gets half the reps, great. We’re going to roll with the punches on that one.”
How nice is it to have Joel (Bitonio) back? Just how weird was it not having him out there for the first time?
“It was weird. Yeah, to see him dressed in a raincoat on the sidelines, strange. Just talking to him after the game, it killed him. It was really weird feeling for him, I’m sure. But anytime you can plug a veteran guy that’s a Pro Bowler in there, good for us. We’re really happy to have him back. But I tell you this, I’ll say this about Mike Dunn, he played his butt off. Most guys would have come out after halftime. He pulled his calf right before the half and he played on one leg the whole second half. And that’s a tribute to his toughness, and I know he was greatly appreciated by that offense.”
Have you had a lot of injuries like this? Where it is day-to-day for as long as this has gone on?
“Yeah, yes. Yes, I have.”
In your experience, how have you guys managed?
“You just got to go day-to-day. I mean, you can’t be up and down. It’s all going to be based on how quickly it heals and gets back to 100%.”
What has impressed you about just the way that Jerome (Ford) and Kareem (Hunt) have gotten the run game going, especially in the San Francisco game?
“Yeah, that was big. Those guys ran hard, I thought Kareem ran extremely hard. He made some tough four or five-yard runs. There was a crease there and he put his head down and did some really dirty work in between the tackles. He’s a great screen runner. We know that. And then Jerome, man, he’s nifty in there. He’s tough to bring down. He’s got great feet. He had some huge runs, especially in that fourth quarter. So, happy with where those guys are right now.”
What about the way that they’ve been able to manage that together and the way just their connection?
“Yeah. No, that’s a great room. Stump (Mitchell) always keeps that room nice and tight and they do a great job. Pierre (Strong Jr.) is another guy that can come in and help us. He’s done some good things on special teams and maybe he gets some more touches, too.”
What is unique about Indianapolis defensively? What do they present to you?
“It’s definitely a distinctive defense with Gus Bradley. He’s been playing it for a long time. I’ve played a lot against that style of defense over the course of the years. It’s unique in the fact that it’s a lot of zone, a lot of weak rotation with the safety, some unique looks where they keep the safety a little bit higher in their single high. They cheat their safety to the field. It’s a 60/40 look. It’s a distinctive defense and they play it really well. It’s not a lot of complexity to it, but they understand where they are in each coverage, call each run fit, and they play it really well.”
What does not having (Grover) Stewart there kind of in the middle of that defensive line, how does that impact, what kind of impact are you expecting that to have?
“Well, you’re taking a really good run stopper out of there, out of their front. Earlier in the week, you ID the issues that they present from a personnel standpoint, and he was one of the guys that was definitely highlighted as a premier player on that defense. So that’ll be a little bit of a blow to that defense for sure.”
Is this kind of reminiscent of last year where you got one quarterback and you’re going to do these plays, maybe the other quarterback comes in and gets these plays?
“Similar. Not quite the same, but it is similar. There are definitely things that Deshaun can do that P.J. can’t. And we wouldn’t ask P.J. to be put in those situations. So, I don’t know if it’s wholesale this or that. Like it was a little bit last year, but there is a little bit of that for sure.”
Overall, the offensive line, how did you like them against a really good front?
“I mean, hats off. They earned the game ball last week across the board. Thought they played extremely well. I thought Jed (Jedrick Wills Jr.) may have had one of his best games as a Brown, as a pass protector and then Dawand (Jones), you know he lit up and came on. I mean, his strength, is pass pro and if he had struggled, I think (Nick) Bosa would have stayed on that side the whole game. So he was bouncing back and forth. So I was really proud of both tackles, especially in their past protection and then that internal guy, again, Mike Dunn. Poe (Ethan Pocic) played one of his best games. Wyatt (Teller) played really strong. So, they definitely carried us offensively, that front.”
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