Doug Pederson: 'If they're not talking about you, then something's wrong'

Doug Pederson spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time leading up to Week 2 against the Bears. Here's what he had to say:

Injury updates

"Zach Ertz and Leodis McKelvin will be held out of practice. They're still week to week. Everybody else will go."

(On Ertz's progression) -- "Good, good. He's progressed well, he's feeling better. We just can't risk putting him out there right now. It's still being monitored. It's just a week to week thing, and we'll see what happens Monday. ... I don't profess to be a doctor in this field, but I do know with this rib, it's just displaced about 7 millimeters. It just has to work itself back together, tighten up in there. That's the word I've gotten on it."

(Are Ertz and McKelvin out for Monday?) -- "We haven't ruled on any of them yet. We'll see when we get to Monday."

On the cornerback situation, with McKelvin injured

"Right now, no, we're just going in with the three (CBs) right now. We haven't made that decision. We'll still monitor that day to day. Sill haven't made (a CB) move yet.

"You have Malcolm who's very versatile (at CB). Rodney McLeod has played a little bit. So we've got some pieces that have played in those positions in the past.

"It'll be monitored this week, but very comfortable if Jalen (Mills) were to start out there, and if Ron (Brooks) were to start out there we could move Jalen inside, vice versa. So there's combinations there that we can play with throughout the week, to see which one's the best fit. Very comfortable if Jalen has to go out there and play corner."

On Trey Burton, and the tight end position without Ertz

"It's not different at all (without Ertz.) ... We just evaluated it and looked at a couple of plays, and that's when you saw Matt Tobin in there a little bit, some of those three TE sets. We just go. It's part of the game. You've go to make adjustments, whether it's during the week or on game day, and it worked out for us.

(On Burton) -- "I'm excited to get him back out on the practice field and get him into this game. Obviously we had a plan for him last week, and that didn't come to fruition. To get a guy like Trey, with his athletic ability and his ability to run and catch the ball and move him around a little bit, I'm excited to see what he can do.

Lane Johnson update?

"Haven't heard anything, and until I do, he's part of our game plan."

On how Wentz has handled the whirlwind after his debut

"He's handled it fine. I'll tell you that he and i have had conversations the last couple of days, and I just wanted him to be aware of, you know, just limit the noise. And that's the thing about him, and his maturity level, is just how well he balances work with some of the outside influences, whether it be media, or autographs, or jersey sales. He's handled it really well, and he was in here early again with Chase, and Aaron."

"This is where I can step in and help him, and protect him, and keep him out of that. If I can stay in the building, we're going to be okay. I know there's always outside influences. The more success he has on the football field, all that off the field stuff will take care of itself. The last few days, he's handled it well."

On why they felt Wentz was ready to go now, instead of waiting

"Looking back on all that, I did say all along that we were going to let him sit, and understand Philadelphia, understand the media, understand the fans, and maybe be ready in a year or so, but it just happened to be last weekend. And just -- being around him as much as we have, as much as I have, and to see the time he's spent studying, preparing himself? He's been playing football a long time, and he's been playing it and been very successful at it. He's won a lot of games and he's won championships. You can't take that away form anybody, at any level of competition. Hopefully you saw it last Sunday, his ability to lead the football team and make plays. He hates to lose. It's just like a player that's aggressive, I'm not going to take that aggression away from a guy. Those are things I see on a daily basis, our staff sees on a daily basis, and our players see on a daily basis. And so that was really, for me, the deciding factor to say, hey, you're our guy now, and let's go."

"If they're not talking about you, then something's wrong. That's always been my philosophy. It's exciting to be mentioned that way, but at the same time, we're on to Chicago. It's another game week, another set of circumstances, it's Monday Night Football, it's a national spotlight, there's more media attention. Everything about this week is different that last week. We have to re-focus, I have to re-focus. The beauty of it is you get back in here this past Monday and you dive right back into football."

On the bright lights of MNF in Chicago for Wentz

"I played in Green Bay for eight years, had a chance to play there a lot, and it's a great city to play in, great to visit. It's Monday Night Football game. It's very exciting. Emotions are running extremely high. I'll be trying to keep him as calm as I can, along with myself, and try to approach it the same way we approached this last one. But at the same time, enjoy the moment. You don't get many of these, especially on Monday night."

On the Bears' defense, specifically their pass rush

"Their pass rushers on the outside - Young, Acho, guys like that - it's a different animal than we had last week. I think they can really bend and attack the quarterback. In the back end, Fuller ... and you've got some experienced guys who have played with Coach Fox in Denver, that I'm familiar with, and again it's a very similar scheme to what we faced with Cleveland. These guys, the one thing that stands out to me on film, is their ability to rush. We kept Carson relatively clean last week, we did miss a couple protections and he got him a few times. But this group can get after you, and so that's the challenging side of each week. Each week is a different animal, and this is what Chicago can do to you."

(What does a John Fox/Vic Fangio defense look like?) -- "It's usually a multiple front. It's an under front, they'll play a little over, he's also a 34, a true 3-4 base defense. You get into their sub defenses, they'll show you different odd looks along with his even looks. What we call 'spinners,' he'll take a D-end or a tackle, really athletic guys, and move them around and create some confusion. So we've got to be on point with how we identify it. The thing is, too, with some of these defenses that do this, it's a lot of stuff around the box, but zone coverage on the back end. If you know that and you can protect it, then there's some opportunities to complete the ball downfield, and we'll get a chance to work on it today."

On Wentz being able to handle the blitz so well

"It goes back to him being here at 5:30 in the morning on Wednesday and Thursday last week, and just starting to dive into the film, preparing himself that way. I think, too, I look at Chase Daniel and what he did with Alex Smith, and how he was sort of that backbone for Alex, which he is for Carson. They're studying together, and I think that's important. I've been in Chase's role before as a backup, and I know what it means to be able to dive into the tape and have answers for the guy that's playing. They prepared themselves last week for it, and credit, too, for the O-line and backs for picking up the blitzes, and it's something we work every day. So exposing your guys to it also helps."

On bringing Aaron Murray in

"Right now, we're content with him on the practice roster. I was with him the last few years in Kansas City. He's a guy who knows our system. He's solid, a good kid, a good athlete, he can make all the throws. He's much like Chase in the sense that he can help where he can, be another coach out there on the football field, and happy to have him with us."