Darren Rizzi – August 15, 2016
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Monday, August 15, 2016
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(On what WR Jakeem Grant showed in his first preseason game) – “It was a good start. I think for a guy catching a punt (in) his first game ever – probably since high school – it was nice to see him (returning punts). When the bad weather happened, I was actually hoping it would rain a little bit more (to) see him in some bad weather situations, too, but it was nice to see him. There were some things he still has to work on. The first punt that kind of landed on the ground and bounced a little bit, I’d like to see him maybe get that ball – field (the ball) – and see what we can do with the ball in his hands. Right now, it comes down to him making the right decisions, being at the right depth, fielding the ball cleanly. Once he has it in his hands and takes care of the ball, he obviously is a dangerous weapon, for sure.”
(On what level of comfort he has to have for WR Jakeem Grant to be the returner Week 1) – “I still want him to get a lot more reps here. It’s one of those deals where – in my opinion – you can never really get enough. As much as we simulate here in practice, there’s nothing like that live action with people in the stands and you got to make the play. Obviously, when the opposing punter is out there… It’s a little thing, but our first punter – our first opponent punter – was a lefty. That’s actually a different dynamic catching a lefty punt. We’re going to see another one this week. They (Dallas) have a lefty and a righty, so that work is great. I’m really happy that we’re getting that preseason work. I think our defense did a good job of giving us opportunities. You never know going into the game how many punt return opportunities you’re going to get, so kudos to the defense for letting him get out there and getting those opportunities. My comfort level is going to be really dependent on how these next three weeks go, and then we’ll go from there.”
(On what LB Mike Hull does well on special teams) – “Mike has got a really high football IQ. It’s funny, my daughter just started up at Penn State, and I was there last summer speaking to their coaches, (and) they couldn’t say enough superlatives about this guy. They really loved him as a leader; he was their captain. Really, they spoke a lot about his football IQ. Last year when we had him in camp, I started to notice that. Some of the plays he made is really (about) having a feel for the game. He’s a guy that’s a hustler. He’s going to give you every bit of his soul on every play. You see him hustling down the field. He showed some athleticism. He showed some real instincts. On a couple of the tackles, he really had a great feel for coverage and being in the proper spot. It maybe sound like a really elementary, fundamental thing, but it really takes a feel for it. Over the course of this last year, he has become a guy that’s starting to understand that aspect of the game – the coverage aspect. I can’t remember a guy that had four tackles and a forced fumble in one game in a recent past year. Kudos to him. Great effort. (It) doesn’t surprise me, because of his work ethic and his football IQ. Hopefully, he can continue to do that.”
(On whether LB Mike Hull is someone he would lobby to make the 53-man roster) – “If he keeps doing that every week, he’s going to be a hard guy to get rid of, seriously. I can’t really speak on that yet, but I can tell you that if he keeps having that kind of production, those guys are hard to kick out of the building – the guys that we’re looking to play core special teams. He does a lot of things. He was actually a long snapper in college – which most people don’t know – so he can be a backup. There’s a lot of things he can do. He’s one of those, ‘More you can do,’ guys. There’s really no phase that he can’t play, so again, he’s an asset that way.”
Vance Joseph – August 15, 2016
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Monday, August 15, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(On how the secondary is shaping up) – “It’s a work in progress. It’s obviously a young group but I was really impressed with Bobby (McCain) and (Tony) Lippett on Friday night. They competed. It was not perfect but they did compete and they got better. Bobby (McCain) makes a great play in the slot on the vertical seam ball. That was a great play. That helps. When they’re making plays, they gain confidence when they do it right, and they watch it on film being done right, it helps the process.”
(On CB Brandon Harris) — “Brandon Harris is a seasoned veteran who’s played a bunch of ball. He’s played more ball than most of our guys in the back end, besides ‘20’ (Reshad Jones). So I’m not surprised he’s very solid in the slot.”
(On if he’s going to unleash the dogs on Friday) – “You mean the front four? Probably. We’re not sure yet but I would think they’re going to play probably a series or two. It’s time.”
(On his philosophy on blitzing) – “We don’t want to be just a blitz-happy team. We want to blitz with a purpose and it’s with a purpose. Our philosophy is to – when the snap count basically – first-and-10, we want to knock you back for a loss and put you behind a count so we can rush the passer. That’s our philosophy. But we can’t just do it recklessly. It’s got to be calculated. It is for the most part right now.”
(On if he blitzed the first day of training camp) – “First day? Absolutely. There’s different forms of blitzes. You can fire zone. You can bring five, you can bring six, you can bring seven. You can be a pressure team and not be a risk-taker. That’s our goal. We want to be an attack defense but not be reckless.”
(On if he is going to have a tough roster decision at defensive end) – “I hope so. I hope it’s tough at defensive tackle also. Right now, we’ve got three or four guys that we think that we’ve got penciled in. That fifth spot is going to be up for grabs. Guys are working so hard. It’s going to be a tough decision. Even inside, for the fourth inside player, it’s going to be a tough decision. That’s the way camp should be. Even at corner with bringing in Brandon Harris and bringing in (Chimdi) Chekwa and those guys – those guys have been really solid players. So it’s going to go down to the wire. That’s the way camp should be, in my opinion.”
(On what he’s seen from LB Kiko Alonso aside from a missed tackle on Friday night) – “He’s done fine. Obviously the missed tackle, I didn’t like. We had a bunch of missed tackles in that game Friday. That’s expected; it’s preseason. That should get rectified pretty soon but he’s done fine. He’s a really bright, young inside ‘backer that’s played well for us.”
(On what impresses him the most about this defense so far) – “Well, the effort. Everyone’s playing really hard and that’s what I’ve been impressed with. It’s not the calls. Calls give you a chance, but the effort wins. And everyone’s playing with great effort.”
(On what he’s seen from DE Chris McCain and what McCain has to do to work his way up the depth chart) – “I’ve seen a natural NFL pass rusher. That’s a long, athletic, fast defensive end who can definitely rush the passer. He’s got to play the run better, as far as setting the edge; but, as far as what we want from our rushers, he’s got that part.”
(On what DE Chris McCain needs to do to set the edge) – “He needs to separate from the block and make the play. Friday, he had a couple of plays where he knocked the guy back and the running back still circled us. That guy can’t circle him. He’s the outside edge of the defense, so he’s got to knock it back and make the play. And he’s capable of doing that. I’ve seen him do it four or five times in camp so I’m not down on him, but he’s got to play run defense better. His pass rush has been excellent.”
(On if he advocated in the decision to bring in CB Chris Culliver) – “Yes, I’m for anyone that can help us. Obviously he is a six-foot corner that has played well in the past. He has got some injuries we have to work through; but healthy, he is a guy who can help us.”
(On if the signing of four cornerbacks at the beginning of camp is an evaluation issue or injury issue) – “It was an injury issue with ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) being out. You always want more legs at corner and receiver because they run so much. But we are trying to find guys who can help us and, so far, everyone we’ve signed (have) been solid players. I’m excited about the group; it’s a bunch of guys that are competing. They are all big guys that can run, outside of Bobby (McCain) and Brandon Harris. It’s what we are looking for as far as corners.”
(On what he has seen out of CB Lafayette Pitts) – “He can run, I mean you guys saw it Friday. He was tested vertically twice and he stayed on top of both routes, causing one interception. Even at practice as a gunner for (Assistant Head) Coach (and Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi, he can really run. That’s a trait that we like in corners – guys that can really run. And he’s a bigger guy.”
(On what’s he looking for out of the nickel positon from S Michael Thomas and CB Bobby McCain) – “I’m looking for consistency, I’m looking for a guy who’s going to communicate every down, who’s going to tackle well. At that spot, that’s a mixture of a DB, a linebacker and a safety at times. So I’m looking for a guy that’s going to communicate, not make errors and going to tackle.”
(On his evaluation of CB Tony Lippett during the game and how he has progressed this offseason) – “I thought (Tony) Lippett played well in the game. He had one play where it was a plus-plus split and he gave up a slant route inside, which he can’t do. It was a plus-five split. I get it, he didn’t see the split. That’s stuff we can fix and coach. I’m excited about Lippett. He’s obviously improved since the first day. You watch him today, he had three or four PBUs (pass breakups), so he’s getting better every day.”
(On if he’s pleased with the defensive players’ on-field awareness and using the sideline to their advantage) – “Absolutely. Our coverage package is really based on leverage, it’s not based on you. It’s beating your man every down. If they can play within the package and play their leverage, they will be fine.”
(On what he sees from the linebackers outside of the starting three) – “I’ll tell you what, Mike Hull’s played well. He’s had a hell of a camp. He played well Friday night and I think he will play well (this) Friday night. We’ve got two or three young ‘backers who are capable backups.”
(On if he would keep more defensive backs on the final 53-man roster if the decision was up to him) – “I’m not sure. That’s not my call totally. But you want to keep all the players that can help you win. I’m not sure about numbers, because it could be off one or two at each spot. We are going to keep guys who can help us win.”
(On if he has seen DE Dion Jordan make any progress) – “He’s been totally engaged in meetings and with his rehab. He needs time to get healthy. Once he gets healthy, we’ll get him out there.”
(On his thoughts on DE Dion Jordan playing linebacker or does he think he is a defensive end) – “He’s most likely going to be a defensive end. Our defensive ends are built much like 3-4 defensive ends, outside linebackers I should say. He’s more in that mold for us.”
Clyde Christensen – August 15, 2016
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Monday, August 15, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(On how the offensive line has played and if it has met his and the team’s standards) – “Probably not yet. These next two weeks we should… The emphasis is (that) everything should speed up. Installs slow down, play should speed up, (and) we should play better. We’ve got to protect our quarterback better, we’ve got to run it better, we’ve got to throw and catch it better. We’ve got to do everything better. But as I’ve said every time, we’ve thrown a lot of them. These next two weeks, if we don’t see some big improvements, then we better get a little bit nervous. But we should see some big improvement in these next two weeks.”
(On if he has a sense in his mind who his starting guards will be for Week 1) – “I don’t. I’m kind of making sure that I don’t. I think – at the end of this game (Friday night at Dallas) – we have to start thinking about it a little bit, because now that third game is when we’re trying to play the starters a good chunk. The fourth week is kind of a wash, and who knows how (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase will play them. I do think coming out of this game (at Dallas), we’ve got to start funneling the thing down and getting a lineup and giving them a chance to play together.”
(On his diagnoses of the offense so far and why it has sputtered) – “I think (it is about) knowledge, and all of a sudden there’s too much thinking. We’ve given them a lot to think about it, and it slows folks down. We look like a team that’s thinking and making sure we’re trying to do the right thing. Once you know, and you don’t have to think about how to get lined up and what the play is, now you can go do it fast. We’re challenging them that these two weeks, that ought to start showing up. Stuff ought to look sharper. We’ve got to beat man coverage better, and we’ve got to do everything better and faster.”
(On the running back position and how RB Isaiah Pead fits in) – “(Isaiah) Pead has been extremely impressive all through the offseason and all through training camp. He’s stayed healthy, and he’s doing a good job on special teams. I don’t think we’re all set at one, two or … I don’t think anything is set. I think, again, – I mentioned to you – we have to turn some question marks into exclamation points, and we’ll funnel into that coming out of this (week’s game). We’re going to play our guys a little bit more. Coach Gase has just said, ‘We’re going to play them,’ and when he’s seen enough, we’re going to pull them out of there. I’m excited about that. We’ll get a chance to look at guys. They’ll play a little bit more, get into a bit of a groove, and we’ll see. But I think Pead has been extremely impressive. ‘DT’ (Daniel Thomas) was extremely impressive in the fourth quarter of that thing, just banging up in there – both of those guys. ‘DT’ has stayed healthy through the camp and special teams will have a lot to do with that position. Good battles there. There’s going to be some hard decisions there.”
(On if QB Ryan Tannehill is getting the ball out as quickly as he would like) – “No. I don’t think anything is as quick as we want. Nothing – the protection, the run game, the pass game, the routes. Nothing is as quick as we want. But again, that’s what has to all speed up. It has to speed up if we’re going to get where we want to go. Especially (with) the up-tempo and some of those things, it all has to become second nature. Again, I hope in these next two weeks, we’ll start seeing some results of everything.”
(On if it is hard to get a complete assessment of quarterbacks when they’re being pressured) – “I think so, sure. (Ryan Tannehill) played seven snaps and got hit a little bit. When we do protect it up, we had some miscues and then the quarterbacks made their miscues. So sure, it’s hard to evaluate a lot of things until things start hitting right. That’s why you keep trucking, and that’s what the preseason is for. (You) work through those things and get some combinations (and) find some guys who can do it.”
(On if you get faster by repetition or if there are certain things to work on) – “Both. I think it’s both. I think it is just knowing what you’re doing and then I think it should be the technique stuff. Beating man coverages takes some time. It’s hard to do. Blocking one on one, winning one on one, pass protecting one on one, all of those things that I think probably the defense is ahead of us right now, and we’ve got to catch up and be good at it.”
(On if the emphasis in preseason games is on technique and fundamentals or playmaking) – “Both. I think they go hand-in-hand. The good technique and speed of the thing ought to create some plays. They work hand-in-hand. If you have bad technique, you’re not going to make a ton of plays. You’ll slide into a couple like we hit up the sideline (at N.Y. Giants) and some of those things that are a little bit more luck than they are technique. But they’re tied together. I’ve never separated the two.”
(On if he compares this training camp to others as far as where the offense is at this point of camp) – “I put it into (the category of) the early camps when we were installing (in Indianapolis) when (Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Chuck) Pagano came in and all of a sudden that first year you’re putting in (former Colts Offensive Coordinator Bruce) Arians’ offense. It’s similar to the times when you just started. It was a dream world when all of a sudden you had all of those veteran guys and you’re in your 10th year together. The first day of training camp, you’re picking up blitzes and throwing hots and running double moves and all of that stuff. But those guys had been together for 10 years, and that wouldn’t be fair to compare the two right now. We had been through it. We were through it those early years in Indy. We were through it again with Pagano and we were through it again when Coach Arians went on to Arizona, and we had to put in a new offense. It’s not easy. This league is fine tuned. All of a sudden, you do something new and it takes a while to fine-tune this thing up. It’s just kind of gross movements initially and then by opening day they’ve got to be more fine movements and fine tuning.
(On how he feels about the talent on the offense compared with what he’s had in the past) – “I think it’s hard to judge until we see them go fast. I think it’s hard. (It would be) premature to do it until we give them a chance (to say), ‘Now, I know what I’m doing,’ (and) let’s see what they can do.’ That’s what I’m talking about – winning the one on ones. Today the third down wasn’t very good, but that’s where it shows up. I do think we’ll come out of this game and get a great evaluation. Now we’ve got to start making some decisions, guys have to make some plays and guys have to show what they can do. That’s what these next two weeks are for, and then the fourth preseason game will be (about) getting ready for opening day. Now it switches to opening day. These are two huge weeks for the offense – personnel-wise, schematically – in every way.”
(On if he is confident that he will wind up with a good offensive line) – “I am confident, yes, I am. I am extremely confident. I think we’re going to end up with not only a good offensive line, but a deep one. I think we’re going to end up pretty good. I think we’re going to have more guys than you usually have at this point. We talked about it the first time I spoke with you this fall that you’re always nervous about left tackles, and we’ve got them stacked on top of each other. That’s a luxury. I do, I believe we’ll end up being a really good offensive line and deep, which is really good news.”
(On if WR Jakeem Grant has shown enough to consider creating a package for him) – “I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s on his way. Again, without staying the course of not making decisions yet, I do think that every time he goes in there, something good happens. I think that Brandon (Doughty), as a third quarterback, has kind of been that way. Those two guys aren’t very pretty. They both have an ability to run the wrong route and convert a third down or make a wrong read and we get a completion. That’s a good ability to have, but again, we have to fine tune it and corral it. But yes, I think (Grant) has shown that he’s a playmaking guy. Every practice we’ve put him in since we’ve been here, he’s made something happen and that’s this league. In this league, you’ve got to get some big plays out of people. When you have that ability, that’s a great trait to have, that every time you go in there, something big happens.”
(On the lack of production from tight ends thus far and if the media is missing something there) – “No, I don’t think so. We had a couple of shots in the game. We dropped a ball that should have been a 20-yard-plus play. They’re like everyone; they’re learning. Probably of every position, the tight end position is the most learning, because they have to know the protection, they have to know the run game, and they have to know the pass game. I think they will be the last ones where the speed that I’m talking about shows up and just becomes natural, because we stick them in so many positions – they’re out wide, they’re in the slot, they’re attached, they’re part of the run unit, they’re in the backfield as a protector. Their (learning) will be the slowest. I don’t think you missed it, but we need some big plays out of that room. We know that. That’s where your matchups are on third down, and they’ve got to win, and we’ve got to have some good stuff for them. Hopefully they’ll get there. We’re not there yet.”
(On if TE Jordan Cameron was supposed to chip the defensive end on a first-quarter pressure in the Giants game) – “If it’s the play that I’m thinking of that you’re talking about, we should have taken the outside edge and run the (defensive end) inside into the tackle. We gave ‘BA’ (Branden Albert) … we catapulted (the defensive end) past him, which is hard. I think some of those little details weren’t sharp enough, especially with the ones. That’s why you go three-and-out. If you’re not on your (game), you go three-and-out in this league. They don’t have much mercy on you here. You have to earn what you get – that’s preseason or any time.”
(On how the offense looked today in the rain) – “We didn’t look good enough. The same thing – I was disappointed. We’re going to play in some rain games, and that was great work for us. We need wet balls, and we fumbled a couple of snaps, and that’s unacceptable. But again, as a coach, I’m glad it came up where we can address it. We had too many fumbled snaps and operational issues in the ball game, and that can’t happen. We needed that wet day. We needed some rain, and we needed some of that. I’d like to tell you that we’re way ahead of the game, (but) we’re not. We’ve got to clean that up.”
Jakeem Grant – August 14, 2016
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Sunday, August 14, 2016
Wide Receiver Jakeem Grant
(On if anybody reached out to him after the game) – “Yes. A lot of my family members, coaches, and former coaches, as well that I played for in college and high school.”
(On whether Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury reached out to him after the game) – “Yes, he did. He actually did. He told me, ‘Good game,’ but he also critiqued me, too. He said there’s a lot of things that I need to do better on – to improve on – and that’s why I like him, because he critiqued me on games where I think I did good, and he felt like I could do a lot better.”
(On what it was like to have Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury at a Dolphins practice) – “It was like seeing him all over again playing at (Texas) Tech, having him out there, and he’s giving me advice on routes and other things. It felt good to see him again.”
(On whether he pats himself on the back after a performance like Friday’s) – “I never pat myself on the back. I feel like I’ve been there before. I feel like I need to improve more, and that’s just one step up the mountain. I still have a lot of the mountain to climb. I still have to go out there each and every week and my performance has got to be better than the last.”
(On what he believes was the best part of his play from Friday night) – “Going out there and playing fast and being able to not think so much. I felt like everything was … Being out there in punt (returns), that was my first time doing it. I didn’t understand, ‘Oh my God, I put my team in bad field position.’ I let that play go, and I was like, ‘You know what Jakeem? You just got to play. You just got to be you. Go out there and have fun and continue to do what you’ve always been doing.’ I felt like once I let that go, I just felt, ‘Play fast and don’t think about it and let the game come to you.’”
(On returning to his coaches and teammates on the sideline after making a play) – “It is a good feeling from your teammates, patting you on the back (and) saying, ‘Good job. Good play,’ and all this, but you can’t let that go to your head. You got to go back out there and make an even better play.”
(On how he feels health-wise) – “I’m feeling great. (I am) just sore from the game, but I get in the cold tub and get all that bad energy out of my body and get rolling.”
(On what punt returning feels like since he has never done it before) – “When I walked out there, it was nerve-racking thinking, ‘What if I call a fair catch?’ and ‘What if I don’t?’ (It was) one of those types of deals – the first time experience – but once I got out there, I was like, ‘You know what? Do what you’ve been doing in practice and continue to be yourself. Don’t do nothing out of body experience. Go out there and have fun.’”
(On what Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi told him during the game) – “He was telling me, ‘Calm down and be comfortable and do exactly what you’ve been doing in practices. You caught a million punts, so don’t worry about dropping it. Make good decisions – smart decisions – and make that other punt… put it behind you.’”
(On whether the coaches have emphasized securing the football) – “Definitely. Most definitely. (Wide Receivers) Coach (Shawn) Jefferson gets onto me every day about, (making) sure I look the ball all the way into the tuck, because I’m a fast guy, so I get ahead of myself trying to make the play before I ever catch the ball. Right now, that’s the biggest emphasis on seeing the ball all the way into the tuck and not trying to make a play before it happens.”
(On if he spends extra time with the jugs machines to practice securing the football) – “Yes, I definitely spend extra time with the jugs. I try to do everything I can to make sure that I secure the catch and make sure that I’m not running before I get it.”
(On whether there was any doubt he would run the kickoffs out) – “No doubt! (laughter) I always want to bring them out. I always get … Every time I kneel, I always hear my mom’s voice saying, ‘Why’d you kneel the ball? You could bring that out!’ The only time you don’t want to bring it out is when you feel like you didn’t catch it clean or it’s wide in the end zone and the timing is off. But every single time, I’m looking forward to bringing it out.”
(On whether he thought he was close to scoring on one of the punt returns) – “Yes, I thought I had it! I felt like – (when) I went back and looked at the tape – I should have just broke back to the left and then took the kicker’s side. I’m not saying any bad things on kickers, but they don’t have a lot of experience in tackling. I should have just broke back to the kicker’s side and made him miss, and it would have been an easy touchdown.”
Byron Maxwell – August 14, 2016
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Sunday, August 14, 2016
Cornerback Byron Maxwell
(On the depth at cornerback) – “I was just looking at the group, (and) we have (Chris Culliver), we have Xavien (Howard), and we have ‘Chim’ (Chimdi Chekwa). (We are) all 6-foot corners. We got some company.”
(On his groin tightening up before the preseason game) – “It’s good. It’s fine. It was one of those days. It got tight on me.”
(On whether his groin tightened up on him during pregame warmups) – “Yes, in the pregame warmup.”
(On whether his groin injury is serious or he did not play as a precaution) – “It’s one of those things (that is) precautionary, like you said. I’ll be back out there tomorrow.”
(On how CB Bobby McCain played against the Giants) – “I thought he did pretty well, pretty good. He covered the receivers how he should. He did his job.”
(On CB Bobby McCain competing to play in the nickel spot and what he can do this season) – “I don’t know. Hopefully he (will) keep working hard and let the coaches decide, but that was a big step right there making plays (on Friday night). That goes a long way in this league.”
(On CB Bobby McCain’s strengths) “He’s very athletic. He’s strong. He’s fast. He plays bigger than what he looks. He’s 5-10, but he (has) big hands – all that stuff – a big frame. It’s good though.”
Brandon Doughty – August 14, 2016
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Sunday, August 14, 2016
Quarterback Brandon Doughty
(On whether he has reviewed the game film) – “Yes. I made some good plays, made some bad plays. It’s part of the sport. It was an unbelievable feeling, but I got to make some improvements. I got to get the ball out a little quicker, make some better decisions out there.”
(On how long it took him to get comfortable in the game) – “I got to settle down pretty early. I really wasn’t too nervous. I think I got my nerves out running through the tunnel as a Miami Dolphin – unbelievable. After that, I kind of settled down. I felt pretty good. I felt pretty comfortable. I had a lot of guys around me – the offensive line was very calm – so it helped me out a little bit, for sure.”
(On being in control during the game) – “I felt in control. I’m going to have fun, trying to calm everybody down, trying to be relaxed, because there’s a lot of things to stress about out there, for sure. (I will) try to relax, try to play my game, for sure.”
(On coming out to practice after reviewing game film) – “It was good. I got to review it by myself yesterday. (I was) going through some stuff and trying to correct some things. (I) said after (that) I have to work on my deep ball a little bit, try to expand the game a little bit.”
(On whether he is overly critical of himself when watching film) – “I am. I’m super critical. I am my own worst enemy, worst critic. I played pretty well – completed some balls – but (it was) not good enough (by) my standards. I missed a couple of throws that I shouldn’t have. These are the ones I’m going to think about, not the ones that I did complete.”
(On throwing two incompletions) – “Yes, I missed two guys – two guys I should’ve had. (It was) very frustrating.”
Adam Gase – August 14, 2016
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Sunday, August 14, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On what he thought about the offense after he reviewed the film of the first preseason game) – “It would be nice to get into a little bit of a rhythm and get more than seven plays. I think our guys knew they weren’t going to be in there long and pressed to try to get something to happen. It just didn’t go the way I think any of us thought it was going to go. I felt like our guys felt really good about being able to at least getting that first first down and get going – that’s usually what it takes. It didn’t go the way we wanted and now we go back to work this week and have another shot next week.”
(On if there will be any lineup changes – specifically at left guard) – “I know everybody is really itching to fire everybody and bench everybody. (We ran) seven plays. I understand everybody’s concern about every little thing. When certain people have history with guys that have been here in the past, but I said this right when we started this thing – everybody has a fresh start with this crew. Our job is to evaluate what we see. I’m not putting … Anything that happened in the past is irrelevant. It doesn’t matter to me. It does not matter. Every guy is going to get a true evaluation and we’ll make our final decision the first game of the season. That’s what we are going to do. This is going to be the process that we go through.”
(On how G/T Laremy Tunsil played Friday night) – “He’s got a lot to learn. We need him to keep getting better. His thing is it’s new for him. That (shift from tackle to guard) inside, that’s a different animal. He’s learning and the thing I love about him is that he works hard. All those guys came out to practice today and they turned the page from that game and whatever reps they got, they made them count.”
(On if he has talked with G Dallas Thomas about getting a fair shake at the left guard spot) – “I feel like it hasn’t been necessary for me to sit down and try to explain anything because he hasn’t put anything towards me like he’s concerned. He’s been going out there every day and he’s been working hard. I feel like he’s focused on himself and not worried about anybody else. I think that’s what I’ve appreciated about him is that he’s not worried about what anyone else says. He cares about what his position coach says, he cares about what his coordinator says and he cares about what the head coach says, and that’s all that matters to him. He’s going out there and he’s trying to do everything he can to put himself in the best position and then he’s working to get better. That’s all we’re asking our players to do.”
(On how he goes about correcting mistakes that happen in games) – “The way that we’re doing this, we come in every morning and we’re right out of the gate and we start practicing. We have a lot of meeting time today so we’ll be able to get through as much as we can (while) trying to get this practice going plus installing a little more tonight. It’s going to take a couple days to get through the whole film but it’s a good process because you’re removed from the game so the emotional part of it is taken out of it. Now it’s about getting yourself better and making those corrections throughout the week. That’s the one thing that I do love about doing it a couple of days after is you’re not still worked up about what actually happened in the game. Now it’s a learning experience.”
(On if there are guys that the media doesn’t publicize that he thought stood out in the first preseason game) – “It’s a small sample size. I don’t want to say one guy has done better than the other. I love the way that our young guys played. All of those guys that played in that second half really showed me a lot as far as not having a lot of reps and then being able to get through a lot of plays in that game. It just shows that (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach) Dave (Puloka) and his crew did a great job in the strength and conditioning program of getting our entire team ready to go and then a lot of those guys did a great job this summer of making sure they came in in shape. They’ve been doing the extra things in the weight room whether it be on the field or after practice so for them to go in there and all of a sudden you get 50 plays and you’ve been getting eight reps a day, that’s a big swing. So I was happy for those guys to be able to go out there and compete but the conditioning level that they showed was pretty good.”
(On what he thought about the run defense in the first preseason game after watching the film) – “Early, we were in position, I thought (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) made a couple of really good calls where we had one more (in the box) than they did and we’re in position to make the play but we missed some tackles. That’s what the preseason is for. You’re going to see that throughout the league. It’s not just going to be us. That’s part of the preseason – you’re going to have missed tackles and you’ve got to correct them. As you get going and your ones start getting more reps, they need to try to clean that up as fast as possible because when you hit that first game, if you want to be one of the better teams earlier in the season, (tackling) could give you an advantage. As you get going throughout the season, that’s usually when you see a lot of the tackling gets cleaned up throughout the NFL.”
(On what he saw out of QB Brandon Doughty on Friday night) – “I saw a guy that was very comfortable. I felt good calling plays for him. I didn’t have any concerns. I wasn’t sitting there (saying), ‘I can’t call this, I can’t call this.’ I felt good, for myself. Watching him react to everything I called, it was like there was nothing that was bothering him. He’d get hit, he’d bounce back up (and) he’d look right at me. I love that part of him and then his progressions were really good. He was always in the right spot, which is good to see (because) it’s different in practice. (Laughter)”
(On if QB Brandon Doughty’s performance was typical of a rookie based on his previous coaching experience) – “Probably not. I’ve been (around) a few times where it looks like, ‘Uh oh, what’s going to happen?’ He was good. The under-center stuff, he’s been in the (shot) gun a lot in his career and we probably have to just keep working on that. If there’s one thing that I would say he needs to really work on is just to make sure that he feels comfortable working under center.”
(On what he learned about WR Jakeem Grant in the preseason opener) – “Well, after I saw him cut one up (field) and just put his head down and try to run about three guys over, there’s no mistaking that this guy is as advertised. (Texas Tech Head Coach) Kliff (Klingsbury) had told me that you’re not going to find a guy tougher. He just said to bypass his size because he’s strong and he’s tough and he’s not afraid of anything, and that was true. It’s fun to watch him return kicks and return punts because the whole time you’re sitting there thinking if he makes one cut and gets in the open field, he could be gone. That’s an excitement … It’s fun to be a part of that on the sideline, just watching. I felt that there were a lot of guys that every time there was a punt or a kickoff return, everybody was creeping up (to the sideline) to see if he can do something here.”
(On if it is worth it for WR Jakeem Grant to keep taking kickoffs out of the end zone since touchbacks are now placed at the 25-yard line) – “In the preseason? Absolutely. You want to see what he can do, for one. But then you also want to see the guys up front, how we block things or certain schemes you want to work on. So in the preseason, that’s your time to say we’re bringing this thing out unless it’s X number (of yards) in the end zone.”
(On if the kickoff return philosophy will change in the regular season) – “I’m sure it will. We’ll talk about that when we get there. I don’t think … (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi is going to understand our situation as far as we can really get an advantage if we take a touchback here. But who knows? Maybe it won’t. Maybe we’ll say let’s give this kid a chance to house call one. He’s a weapon and he can change field position.”
(On S A.J. Hendy and if he just has a nose for the ball) – “It seems like it. In OTAs it was the same thing. I just remember his name being constantly brought up. Anytime you get your hands on balls, it’s going to get (the) coaches’ attention. Guys are going to turn around and be like, ‘Who’s that? Who’s that? Who’s that?’ His name just keeps coming up and that’s one way to keep trying to find a way to get on this roster.”
(On if WR DeVante Parker participated in any team drills today) – “No. We did individual (with him), which I always love when we do individual with (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn Jefferson and then take him out of team. It doesn’t make any sense to me because that’s harder than team. (Laughter) But we wanted to make sure we put him through a running program to really get him feeling good about ‘I’m in a good spot right now.’”
(On why CB Byron Maxwell was held out) – “We just wanted to make sure that he was all good. That kind of crept up on all of us as far as him not playing. We thought he was going to play and then he just could not get going. He just felt tight. That was my decision. I’m not taking a risk on that.”
(On if anything is different for him logistically on the sidelines) – “I feel like I’m lucky having a guy like (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi and you’ve got (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph), you’ve got (Linebackers Coach Matt) Burke (and) you’ve got (Offensive Coordinator) Clyde (Christensen). We’ve got a lot of guys down there that make life easy. Rizzi is all over the place. He was in rare form. Maybe that’s normal. I’ve seen him on film a lot of times but he almost ran me over about three times.”
(On if he trusts Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi with the red challenge flag) – “Absolutely. We’re doing that just to protect me from myself because I’m sure I’d be a little … if a player walks by me and (says), ‘Yeah, it wasn’t a catch,’ and I’d probably throw (the challenge flag) so (Rizzi’s) a precautionary measure.”
(On how important it is to get the first team more playing time this week at Dallas) – “That’s the plan. We’re going to get … I told those guys, ‘Listen, let’s not put a play count on this thing, let’s just go. Don’t worry about how long you’re in there. Let’s just play.’ I feel like that’s partially my fault of putting pressure on those guys of, ‘Hey, we’re playing X amount of plays. You’re playing 8-10 plays and then you guys are out.’ So I feel like they were trying to get something going and we just need to go out there and play and not worry about how many plays we’re playing. Let’s just go play until we feel good about it.”
(On what he and the team did during the weather delay before the Giants game) – “A lot of guys were trying to stay loose. There was a point where you’re trying to debate what the right thing to do here (is). Do we put our ones in or do we take those guys out? You’re trying to figure out the right thing to do because I know if I had pulled out the ones on offense, they were not going to be happy with me because I could tell they were ready to go and they were itching to go. I know we didn’t have as many guys on defense that were playing. The energy level was good, it was just guys trying to stay loose because you come right in off the field and you feel like you’re ready to go and then all of a sudden you have to sit for almost an hour.”
