Q. What would you like to see from QB Sam Bradford in these practices against the Ravens? Chip Kelly kind of mentioned this as something of an intermediate step, maybe more toward a game. How does it get Bradford closer to game action?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, I think at this part of training camp, this is really good that we're doing this because we really enjoyed doing it the last two years with the Patriots. We're about getting to that point where we want to see other opponents, and so for us to do this here prior to the game, in a controlled setting, I think is very important. We're going to see another defense, another group of the defensive players, different philosophy defensively, and it'll be good for him to kind of get almost a pregame type setting.
Q. We won't get to talk to Chip until tomorrow, but it seems relevant for today. From a coaching standpoint, given that there have been bad fights in these joint practices, have you guys re emphasized each day leading up, the importance of trying to keep your cool?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, we're [the coaches] only going to go on what we the last two years with the Patriots. We kind of made our statements up front and said that we just don't want it to happen, and we're going to expect both teams to be professional and guard against it.
Q. It seems like--
PAT SHURMUR: We can't really worry about other teams.
Q. Other coaches have all said that they've tried to tell their guys, too, and it just happens. Is there a--
PAT SHURMUR: Well, we like to think that we're not going to have them [fights]. But we've certainly talked about it. That's part of what you do when you plan to practice together or train together, is you set the schedule and then you set the ground rules, and then we're going to do this in this period, and then certainly the overriding part of that is we're all going to be professional and try to get better.
Q. WR Josh Huff wasn't targeted at all against the Colts. Was there a reason for that, or was it just because there was only a handful of plays?
PAT SHURMUR: No, it's just, he was only in there for a handful, and there was no reason for it. Sometimes that happens.
Q. Will RB DeMarco Murray be a full go with team drills today?
PAT SHURMUR: Yeah, he'll be out here training today. As much-- and we've got a little rotation going. We're going to try to use our whole roster. So the ones, twos and threes will all get reps throughout the training session.
Q. Chip had said last week that he's holding Murray back because of his workload in 2014. How do you get a guy into the offense when you're learning it, yet at the same time don't allow him to work full time?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, I think here's the way I like to look at it: we had almost 2,000 reps in the spring that he was involved in, and many of those-- we've got a long line of running backs that need to get work, and we're just kind of balancing it out. You know, when they're in there, they're trying to get explosive efforts and play hard, and that can be said for all guys.
Q. Having the depth at the skill positions that you have this year at running back and receiver, and even at tight end, what does that give you guys from a game planning and play calling standpoint that maybe you haven't had the last two years?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, we'd like to be able to whatever the 45 man roster or 46 man roster works out to be, we want that to be-- We want every offensive player, especially skill player, we want to be able to rotate them in and go. Certainly you can see some of the benefits of playing with tempo last week, and we were just rolling guys. But when you have a lot of guys that you count on, and you feel good about, then you don't worry about what plays you call, you just call them, and 'Oh, gee, that's a good one for him.' You worry less about being so strategic about where things are going and then just get the ball spread out.
Q. You say the backs are you had them in and out, but RB Ryan Mathews isn't out, he's always in. Why is he--
PAT SHURMUR: No, not really. Not really.
Q. No he's not?
PAT SHURMUR: Not always. We have a rotation at the running back position, much like we do at tight end and receiver. And again, I think you've got to be careful. You've got to be careful to say with the ones, with the twos, with the we have drills out there where we run plays one after the other, and it's just the next guys are in, so you can see Sam Bradford with guys that you might consider to be backups and vice versa. I think you've got to be careful when you're watching our training sessions. There's some--
Q. Mathews hasn't missed a practice yet.
PAT SHURMUR: Well, if that's the question
Q. Well, my question is why does he need those reps and Murray does not need the reps?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, I think he's out there and he's practicing. I wouldn't say he's doing anything more than if DeMarco was out there, he'd be in the rotation smoothly with him.
Q. At the same time though, do you guys kind of look at this week and next week as kind of a chance to increase Murray's reps, kind of get him ready for the season?
PAT SHURMUR: Yeah, he's a veteran player, and he'll get himself ready to go, and it'll be within the structure that we have for him. We're not as concerned about it as I feel this line of questioning. Am I sensing something here? [Laughing]
Q. On Saturday night, what do you need to see from Bradford that will give you confidence that he's back?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, we feel like he's back. We just want to see him go out and execute efficiently and move the team and get us in the end zone. That's what we want him to do.
Q. But there's something that—obviously you did not play him last weekend. This weekend is his first exposure, the first time he doesn't have the red jersey on.
PAT SHURMUR: Right.
Q. What in your mind would show that he's game ready?
PAT SHURMUR: We want him to go out, execute efficiently, move our team and get us in the end zone. That's what we're looking for. I don't mean to be trite, but that's really what we want from our quarterbacks.
Q. What have you seen out of G John Moffitt in the context of being away from the sport for so long? Do you see a guy who looks re-committed? Do you see a guy who is adjusting to get back? Do you see a guy who fits right in?
PAT SHURMUR: I just see a guy that's probably made the most improvements of anybody, but he had the furthest to come because he didn't have the benefit of the spring. But he's done a good job. He battled in there on Sunday, and he had way more good plays than bad. Anybody that played a lot the other night made mistakes, but I felt like he in our eyes, we feel like he made progress.
Q. QB Tim Tebow played with the fourth team a lot and QB Matt Barkley was the third. Are there any plans to get a fair evaluation of them, maybe switch that around in a game situation?
PAT SHURMUR: It's in pencil. We have some ideas about how we're going to change the quarterback rotation this coming week, but we haven't solidified it yet. You know, we really expect the quarterbacks to go out and perform regardless of who they're playing with. You know, it goes back to using all the guys on the roster. You know, we feel like we can whether you're playing behind the second, third or fourth line, we expect the quarterbacks to perform.
*Q. TE Eric Tomlinson caught some balls *
PAT SHURMUR: Sure did.
Q. Did Tomlinson show you anything?
PAT SHURMUR: Yeah, he was targeted quite a bit, and again, it comes in bunches. Huff didn't get any, but he [Tomlinson] got a bunch, and who would have thought. But he did a good job. There were some catches he made where his run after catch was terrific. He caught a couple balls in a crowd, and so he did some really, really good things in our mind. Like you said, he got targeted, and he made the best of them, those opportunities. He just needs to build on that now.
Q. In college, he wasn't really a pass catching guy.
PAT SHURMUR: Well, again, he wasn't targeted, but I'm assuming if they'd have thrown it to him, whatever their offensive scheme is, he would have caught it.
Q. Are you guys comfortable with Huff in that he only played 14 snaps in the first game, like a lot of the starters. Are you comfortable with a guy that didn't really play a lot last year, missed four games, missed almost all of the preseason-- with having him in that kind of rare air?
PAT SHURMUR: No. I think we're comfortable with him, and we're comfortable with the progress he's making through the training. There's a lot that goes on out here on the practice field. There's still a lot of preseason football to be played, and he's going to get a lot of that. I think when you look at the first preseason game, you know, we all want to try to quantify the 'how muches' and the 'how goods.' There's a lot left to do here. There's a lot of water that's got to run under the bridge before we put that final roster together and these guys are going to get a lot of opportunities. That's the beauty of what we're doing here. We're going to be able to compete in a team environment against another opponent, and so some of the guys that are only going to play partially in the game are going to get a lot of good reps against a really good opponent.
Q. Has T/G Andrew Gardner distanced himself at right guard?
PAT SHURMUR: I wouldn't say that. I think he's performed well when he's been in there, but again, that decision hasn't been made yet.
Q. So how do you see that competition going?
PAT SHURMUR: I think Andrew [Gardner] is doing a good job, and I think the other guys that you're going to ask me about are also making progress.
Q. Is it still kind of an even competition? You don't think there's any separation at all?
PAT SHURMUR: I just said he's doing a good job. We haven't decided yet what's happening there. We're still rotating guys through. And keep in mind, when you see and again, I'm sure you're all keeping track of who's in there and all, if you're not one of the five, then you have to have position flexibility. So you're seeing guys training at different positions because if you line up on game day and you're six or seven, you may have to back up the center and the guard, or the guard and the tackle, and all the different combinations that we go through. So that's part of the training when you find a starter is-- until you become that guy-- until you become [T] Jason Peters, you've got to move around and do the other things, as well.
Q. Is G/T Matt Tobin going to get right guard snaps this weekend?
PAT SHURMUR: It's in pencil. We'll see. We'll see.
Q. Wouldn't that seem to hinder Moffitt's chances of making the team, because he's working exclusively at right guard as opposed to training at tackle or center?
PAT SHURMUR: I don't know that. He has history of playing other positions. Right now, for him -- and really what we have to do -- for him to catch up on all the stuff that we've done in the spring and in the two years prior, it helps him to do it by learning one spot. Now, certainly he's learning all the other positions as well. Just kind of get him up to speed.
Q. Can you clarify something you said about the quarterback rotation? Was that in regard to how much all four would play now that Bradford is in the mix or was that in regard to the order in which they would play?
PAT SHURMUR: No, I think everything with regards to the quarterback is in pencil right now, in [terms of] order and how much, I guess. Like I said, we haven't solidified or really totally decided how we're going to play that yet.
Q. It seems like a lot of your offensive drills I don't know if it's emphasis or just the way it's presented itself, but the short passing and not going deep a lot, is that by design or just the way the quarterbacks are seeing the open guys?
PAT SHURMUR: No. I mean, we have plenty of short, intermediate concepts and we have deep-to-short concepts. I feel like we're throwing the ball deep at times in practice.
Q. In 2013, you spent most of the season with four backs on the roster. Last year, you had four tight ends. What dictates whether you go four in the backfield or four at tight end?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, those are decisions we have to make. And you gave two examples of years when the rosters are different. So we'll just have to see. And again, we're going to try to pick the best 53 guys, and then within that, we'll have a certain number of skill players, and then we'll play offense based on what they can do best, and that's sort of what we do.
Q. When you evaluated QB G.J. Kinne, how is it a fair evaluation because he's moving to a position he hasn't really played at the NFL level that obviously involves technique and different things that he's not accustomed to doing at quarterback? So, when you are evaluating, is it more potential or do you look for more improvement, as opposed to someone who's been playing wide receiver for a while?
PAT SHURMUR: No, I don't think you said it's not fair. I think what we're doing is fair. I think he's out there competing, and what he's showing us is that he can play -- be a guy that could potentially play a lot of different positions, and the more you can do, the more valuable you become. I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, but that
*Q. For a guy who hasn't done some of the things you're asking him to do in the NFL *
PAT SHURMUR: He's a football player, and he's out there playing football.
Q. When you judge him though against a player who has played the position--
PAT SHURMUR: We're asking [RB] Darren Sproles to play wide receiver and running back. Is that fair?
Q. Well, he's done it in the NFL quite a lot in his career.
PAT SHURMUR: Well, but we're asking him to do two things, right?
*Q. But he's comfortable *
PAT SHURMUR: We're asking guards to play tackle, centers to play guard, so there's kind of that multiplicity that you try to build in a player, and really the more you can do, the more valuable you are to the team. That's sort of the way we look at it.
Q. When you were here as an assistant, when Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was here, did you guys ever talk about being head coach, and what do you admire about him as a head coach?
PAT SHURMUR: Yeah, we were certainly we were all back in the Vet together on [former Eagles coach Andy Reid] Andy's original staff. We had a lot of stuff going on. We didn't have much time to talk about much at that time. We were just trying to get this thing figured out the best we could. But certainly John has done an outstanding job. Is this his eighth season? Super Bowls, you know, I competed against him four times when I was in Cleveland, and he's just a solid he's a solid football coach that really provides a very clear direction for their organization, and I think that's what it starts with. He's done a great job. I'm happy for him. We're friends. We talk frequently in the offseason or at NFL functions, and I'm looking forward to being around him and competing against his team.
Q. Is there a trademark of his teams to say, 'Hey, this is a John Harbaugh team?'
PAT SHURMUR: Well, they've got a really fine quarterback, and they do a good job of scoring points, and then they've always been very stout on defense. I think that can be said. And then with his special teams background, you know, they're always very solid on special teams. It's a good, rounded, hard nosed football team, and that's what gives them a chance.
Q. In TE Zach Ertz's case, it seems like he was coming on this camp. Missing the next few weeks, how does that affect him?
PAT SHURMUR: Well, he'll have to get back to full speed when he comes back. He's got a memory bank of reps, and he's been around for two years now, so he'll get back to full speed quicker than most.
