Mike McDaniel – January 5, 2024
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Friday, January 5, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We haven’t seen WR Jaylen Waddle or RB Raheem Mostert practice this week. Are they both out Sunday?) – “They’re going to get a little work in today and then we’ll make a determination that’s very tricky. But I wouldn’t close the door because they haven’t. We’ll see what today presents, but it’s one of those open-ended things that you guys are used to. So are we.”
(What was your reaction to finding out about the fire at WR Tyreek Hill’s home and how did that all go down in real time during a practice?) – “Yeah, it was wild. You’re on the field and then word traveled through, I think first through (our communications staff), then to Drew Brooks, who’s our head of our security, and communicated with him. At that point, you don’t know what that means. You just know that his house is in flames. So immediately, fearing the worst, he leaves practice. Then it’s hard to not think about, okay, what is he going through. What I don’t think people totally think through that hit me fast – in my 20s I was living in Houston and had my apartment robbed. When I went back in, there was a feeling of violation. Your home is burning and then you go back and see it and there’s a loss there. Yes, thankfully there’s insurance and things like that. But it’s not as easy as that. It’s a life adjustment immediately. That’s your safe place, your home, that he is now dealing with insurance and living in a different spot for the immediate future and all of that. It’s a major stressor for sure. Fortunately, ‘Reek has support of his family and his teammates. It’s not something that you wish upon anyone. It was definitely scary. Happy for the health but also very aware that it’s a burden that I recognize that I can’t empathize with it, but I can forecast how I’d feel. If I didn’t have my home that I’m used to as being my home to go home tonight, it’s a little disheveling. But he’s a powerful human being and spirit and he’ll lead his family through it. But he’s something that he’s definitely dealing with and we’re here to support him.”
(What’s been the communication since? Is WR Tyreek Hill back today?) – “Yeah. Yeah, he’s just had a bunch of teammates support him. I think one of the multitude of things that football does for you is it enables you to live with your responsibilities and your teammates and can kind of give you a brief, however fleeting, but a brief, I don’t know, removal of everyday life and problems. So I think it’s kind of therapeutic a little bit to be back here and I know he’s happy to be back. But he’s also very concerned about his family and their comfort level, which is why he has a team of people to assist him.”
(You had a couple of linebackers show up on the injury report this week, as far as limited with LB David Long Jr. and LB Duke Riley. Do you expect to have them on Sunday?) – “I do. Yeah.”
(Where is OL Robert Hunt in his comeback?) – “This has been a good, really good week. Very encouraging. Optimistic for the game barring any unforeseen setbacks today. But optimistic for it.”
(What about LB Jerome Baker and the progress he’s made? Is he closer? Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said yesterday that Thursday’s practice would be key.) – “It went well for him. So now we need another day of no setbacks. I’m optimistic about him. The day was very important, but today how he came in and responded from yesterday’s activity and how he’s able to move around today will kind of dictate Sunday. So that’s still pending.”
(I want to ask you about each individual Pro Bowler, which you guys had six guys named to the Pro Bowl this year. A couple of first timers as well. I just wanted to get your take on the pride you take in having six players qualify for the all-star game?) – “That’s a big deal. As long as I’ve been in the NFL, when you start getting into a handful-plus of guys that are recognized for the all-star game, you’re getting the attention of the rest of the league and the fan base. I think it was really, really awesome for everyone to see. All of the acknowledgments were important. But to have three guys have their first Pro Bowl and then two of them be in the undrafted category, that have earned everything in their career. Then to have Tua (Tagovailoa) go ahead and be acknowledged as such when a year ago, people were questioning whether or not he could even be healthy for it. All those things. And then, what Jalen Ramsey has done for this team, what Terron Armstead has done for this team and what Tyreek (Hill) has done for this team are huge. I think that’s fair. I think there could have been a couple other guys for sure, but that’s kind of the way it goes. Very proud to have those guys acknowledged in that way because that’s the end vision. That’s part of the vision that you have when you’re trying to win football games and take a football team to another level. In that process, there’s guys that you’re hoping will be recognized as the best in class and I think really all six of them are super deserving of it and I was happy for all of them.”
(We were talking to Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry yesterday and when I informed him that the team had started 11 different offensive line combinations, he was surprised. But despite that, you guys have gotten really good play. WR Tyreek Hill even said he’s one of the coolest coaches on the team and sometimes will go over to watch him. What makes Butch Barry so distinct and unique as an offensive line coach and an offensive line coach for this team?) – “Well, I think his commitment to the ultimate ground zero for what a coach is. I think he is a prototype for wanting to get players better, and really caring about that and uplifting their vision for themselves, bringing absolute conviction and attention to detail every single day, and investing in those individual human beings, earning trust with the investment, and then being relentless. For guys to be that productive over that course of time with all those things, the only way that you can do that is you have to have a highly intensive, very focused individual every day, because you’ve got to gain reps somewhere to be good. And as a teacher, how he’s able to drill things and categorize them and be clear, earn all the players trust, it comes back to the starting point of what we’re supposed to be doing in our profession that I think he nails. There’s not a day that he takes lightly, and as a result, there’s not a day that any of his group does. They believe and trust in his feedback and he never relents with the expectation that everything he’s doing, he’s trying to maximize the individual players and they know that. So I think you can’t say enough about the job he’s done, because on top of all that, he’s done it with a group and continues to do it with a group that – individuals, there’s a plethora of guys that had some scars that maybe have had a lot of people tell them that they’re not good enough. And maybe there’s a lot of people that have been asking us to move on from them. As much as you try not to hear the noise, over time, that can kind of accumulate and I think those are of the days past now for them. The only way they’ve gotten to that point is because they’ve really – coach, player, that whole relationship, has been true, relentless and very consistent the entire season.”
(I want to follow up on RB Raheem Mostert. Is his injury something that could be lingering into the playoffs? How do you as a coach balance making those decisions about injuries this week, knowing that next week, you also have a game?) – “Well it’s just individual players, and it’s exactly what you just hit on. You have to make an educated guess, with all the information, on whether or not – how much at risk is his play this week going to linger and be a consistent theme for the rest of the season. Everybody knows, you don’t even have ask him, that Raheem is going to want to play, so you have to watch how he works, communicate with him honestly, get honest feedback and work collectively to kind of come to the best result, but it is very tricky. It’s not really – you’re not in the game of holding players out, you’re in the game of protecting players from further residual injury. So you’re trying to figure out what that is, because this is the only game that matters to this team. It’s very important to each and every person in the organization to accomplish a goal that was talked about April 17, 2023, the first day of Phase 1, and that’s winning the division. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to have one game that if you win, you win the division, which is the way, really, it should be. You should beat all the teams in your division if you want to win it. Raheem has been and is a reason we’re in this position. He’s been a huge part of everything we’ve done. He’s going to want to play and we just need to make sure that we do right by the team and him by not making him vulnerable as best we can with educated guesses.”
(Kind of feeding off of that, it’s not just – players are telling us that it’s just another game, but it’s not just another game. Is there any way to handle that kind of pressure knowing what’s on the line?) – “Yeah, it kind of speaks to what we’ve been doing since we got together as a group. The only way to handle that is – when they say, ‘It’s just another game,’ it’s because it is a normal football game. But if you take enough intentionality and create pressure and expectations for yourself from the beginning of training camp and approach each and every practice and each and every game with full ambition, focus and treating every game as though you treat a playoff game, then all games are the same. And you’re better versed at big game experiences because you’ve treated so many games as big games. So I think this team, based upon what they’ve done, what they’ve experienced and how much attention they’ve received, it’s been an attention-filled year for the entire team with the offense getting a ton of acclaim early on the season to having expectations that are brought forth when you win a game by 50, then to have heartbreaking losses throughout the season, but continually respond, I think all those things accumulated give you the best chance to put your best foot forward in Week 18. So I think it’s focusing on the fact that you’ve built yourself up to be able to play in this game, and then once the game starts, then it’s basic football playing with your teammates, adhering to fundamentals and technique and then playing inspired. That’s what it takes to accomplish the goal, and that’s what they’ve been focusing on this week. I’ve been reiterating it to them every time they open their eyes and look at me.”
(The scenario is actually a win or tie to clinch the AFC East. So does that, I know you play to win the game, but late game scenarios, if it’s close, do you change how you manage the game knowing that a tie accomplishes the same thing, getting the No. 2 seed?) – “Yeah, I mean that might come across the radar way down the line in decision making, but it’s not really on my radar (right now). There’s so few situations where you can even negotiate that. I think you have to play to win the game to even be in position to tie it, but I’ll cross that bridge much later. Right now, we’re just trying to win the game, and I think by trying to win the game, if the score is tied when it’s close to zeros on the clock, we can approach it with that knowledge. Maybe we’ll do something, maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll just just throw a Hail Mary just because we want to. You never know.”
(Two-part question totally unrelated. Has LB Bradley Chubb had surgery, and if so, how did it go? And secondly, I don’t think we’ve touched on CB Xavien Howard. Any change in his status?) – “So Bradley (Chubb) did have surgery and it went very well. Happy that his (recovery) process has started. It’s a long road, but if there’s anybody built for it, it’s that guy. He’s been on the forefront of his teammates’ minds all week and they really care for that human being. Then ‘X,’ (Xavien Howard) there’s no change. He won’t be in this game. He’s just trying to get back in hopes of our next scheduled match, that he’ll be able to be a part of it.”
Jaylen Waddle – January 5, 2024
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Friday, January 5, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(We know that high-ankle sprains are typically multi-week injuries but we also know you’ve played through a lot of injuries before and you’re a tough guy. Any realistic chance you can play on Sunday?) – “Yeah, there’s always a chance. I got out there and got to move around. (I have) moved around the last couple of days, so there’s always a chance of going out there and competing.”
(Good chance? Small chance?) – “There’s a chance.”
(How did you feel after practice?) – “I felt good. Yeah, I felt good. It’s always good to go back out there and catch back up with the guys, especially on the field. That’s when we have our deepest conversations ironically.”
(Can you cut on the leg, on the ankle?) – “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
(Is there much pain at the moment?) – “No, I’m good. I’m good.”
(Who did you lose a bet to?) – “Tom (Garfinkel). He got me sadly. But it was a good game.”
(Just you or QB Tua Tagovailoa and DT Raekwon Davis as well?) – “I don’t know if he got Tua or ‘Rae’ (Raekwon Davis). I don’t know.”
(Is it painful wearing that Michigan t-shirt and hat?) – “It is. Roll Tide. (laughter)”
(One last thing on the ankle. What’s the internal struggle for you, with the coaches and training staff, about you clinched a playoff spot so do you do another week just to make sure you’re even healthier or do you try to play Sunday knowing that it is a division rival and a higher seed?) – “One day at a time. Just go about it daily. Daily evaluations, honestly. That’s pretty much it.”
(Speaking of rivalries, you’ve faced Buffalo a couple times. The team hasn’t had as much success as you’d hope. Does that harbor extra feeling or added juice, knowing it is a team that you guys haven’t really gotten over the hump yet?) – “Yeah, it’s a division opponent. They’ve owned the division since at least I’ve been in the league. We haven’t really found success against them. It’s going to be a big game, a primetime game. All of that goes into consideration when you are game planning. We’re going out there to compete. They’re a good team. We’re a good team. Primetime for all the marbles.”
(What does it mean to you guys and the receivers room for QB Tua Tagovailoa to be named the starting quarterback for the AFC in the Pro Bowl?) – “It means a lot. Well deserved. He’s playing great. It’s just crazy, at least since I’ve been in the league, how far he’s come. I always knew what he was capable of but it is good to see your brother go out and shine and let the whole world know he’s one of the top tier quarterbacks in this league.”
(How did the work today feel and moving around?) – “It felt good. I haven’t been out there all week. I got to run a little bit yesterday. I was excited to go out there and run some routes and be with the guys. It was great.”
Jalen Ramsey – January 5, 2024
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Friday, January 5, 2024
CB Jalen Ramsey
(I know a lot of guys have said this just another game, but is it really another game with so much at stake? A win, you get the No. 2 seed. A loss, you get the No. 6 seed and are on the road.) – “Yeah, it is just another game. I mean it is an important game. I think every game is important though, personally. That’s my personal belief. But yeah, it’s just another game.”
(While not giving away the gameplan at all, as one of the best players in the league, have you and Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio talked about a way to maximize – not saying how – but to maximize your use so that you’re involved in more plays than might often be the case where teams try to avoid you?) – “That’s a question for Vic.”
(Is it your hope that you are involved a lot, however it is?) – “Yeah, that’s always been my (hope) but I’m going to do whatever the team needs me to do, regardless of that role, at this point in the season.”
(Was there anything you do specific with film study when you know that you’re facing off against a certain wide receiver like in the middle of the week?) – “No, I keep my routine the same every week. That’s just my way of respecting the game and respecting my opponents. I keep everything the same. I take a lot of pride in it every week whether I’m playing Tyreek Hill – the best receiver in the world – or an undrafted guy. That’s just the way I go about my process.”
(Do you like to watch the wide receivers and look at their releases?) – “Yeah, that’s part of the process. It’s part of the process.”
(What do you remember about the first game against Buffalo and are you guys carrying that into this game as motivation?) – “I would hope not and I didn’t play against Buffalo the first time this year, so that doesn’t matter to me personally.”
De’Von Achane – January 4, 2024
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Thursday, January 4, 2024
RB De’Von Achane
(Are the ribs at all an issue? Could they keep you sidelined on Sunday?) – “Nah. No”
(How does the boot, we saw on Hard Knocks that you sometimes wear a boot, how does that help you?) – “Well, I hurt my toe, so after the game it might be a little sore so I wear it early during the week then I take it off to practice at the end of the week.”
(You had good success against Buffalo the first time you played them. You had good success last week. Considering both of those, how do you feel going into this week’s game?) – “I feel great. I feel, like I said, the team, we took a loss last week. But like you said, we know what we can do as a team. When we’re firing on all cylinders, I don’t think anybody can stop us. I feel great about my performance. If I keep going, there’s no telling what could happen.”
(What went right for you that first time in Buffalo? You were running between the tackles very effective, two touchdowns. It seems like everything you did in that game went well. What was going right in that game?) – “Obviously I have to give the most credit to the offensive line. They made amazing blocks. It was also early in the season. People weren’t expecting two running backs on the field. There were different packages that everybody didn’t see. When it’s your first time seeing something, you kind of don’t know what to do or what it is. That’s why it was pretty effective doing it early in the season.”
(It’s no secret that this team has banged up on offense in particular. How much has that combination been where we maybe haven’t seen what this offense can be? And how much confidence do you have in this team that you’ll get to the point where we’ve seen this offense produce?) – “Like you said, people are banged up. But I feel like the guys that are next man up are as good. So I feel like this team knows we can be great. If somebody is down, we know somebody can replace them. Obviously you want to have everybody on the field, but if everybody is not on the field during the week, we’re still trusting that guy and we still expect them to make plays on Sunday.”
(Do you take an injection before the game to help with the pain?) – “No, I don’t do that.”
(No needles?) – “Nah.” (laughter)
(How does the constant changing of the offensive line challenge the running backs to be in constant communication with these guys to make sure everything is good?) – “It’s not that difficult. We’re at practice with everybody. In Week 18, we pretty much have a good feel for who is going to be there on Sunday. I wouldn’t say it’s too bad. I feel like everybody knows each other, everybody communicates with each other, so it’s pretty easy”
(I know Kyle Field has had some pretty big atmospheres. But Sunday night, primetime, division championship on the line. How excited are you for a big primetime atmosphere like that?) – “I’m pretty excited. The crowd really doesn’t get to me as much though. But playing in front of a lot of people and primetime game so everybody is going to be watching. I mean that’s kind of cool. That’s fun.”
(How has your first NFL season gone compared to what you thought it would be like?) – “It’s pretty good except the injuries. Other than that, I feel like I’ve had a pretty good season. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
(Do you feel like you’ve had a little bit of bad luck? Is it the bigger, faster, stronger guys hitting you than in the past? What do you think is the reason you’re getting nicked up a little bit?) – “I wouldn’t say bad luck. Just freak accidents. This game, you get injured any type of way. I wouldn’t say bad luck. Just freak accident.”
(Did RB Raheem Mostert have any encouragement or thoughts prior to the last game or during the last game?) – “He’s always going to say his few words pre-game. He always going to keep the energy as if he was on the field. Just him making sure that we all keep the same energy even though we were down early. Just making sure we still have our heads in the game and telling us what he sees from the sideline. He wasn’t just sitting back watching the game, he’s also in the game. He had the headset on and everything. He was a coach that day.”
(The Dolphins really haven’t had a back like you since I’ve been covering the team for more than a decade. Who do you kind of model your game after? Who is someone you looked up to as a younger player?) – “I like watching Christian McCaffrey a lot.”
(What about his game do you like?) – “Not just him running the ball, but him going off on routes and basically being an athlete basically. Not just a running back, but someone who can do routes and catch the football.”
(Are you too young to remember Warrick Dunn? When were you born?) – “2001. I heard the name before though.”
(Shiftiness, makes guy miss. Tougher than people think. How do you view that part? People say oh he can’t run inside.) – “Every offense I’ve been in for high school, college, it wasn’t just outside runs. Most of my big runs come from running in between the tackles.”
(You almost always make the right decision as far as cuts. Do you make a point to study all you carries after every game that following week to look back at decisions you made? Is that part of your routine?) – “I mean after the game we do come in and watch the game as a team. I pretty much go through it that day. But after that, it’s on to the next week.”
(What about Barry Sanders?) – “Yeah, I’ve seen some of his highlights.”
(What about him do you kind of want to aspire to be?) – “Just how quick he’s moving and making people miss. He’s different. Everything is fast paced. It ain’t no stopping. He does everything so quick and so fast. I can’t imagine playing against him back then. Going against him, how do you gameplan to stop him? Some people are just naturally talented, and he was one of the people.”
(Pretty good to aspire to I’d say?) – “Yeah.”
(It seems like from talking to you for a few months, it almost makes you happier when people point out how tough you are in runs between the tackles than your speed. Does that make you happier when someone acknowledge you can run between the tackles even though you aren’t the biggest game as opposed to he’s the fastest guy?) – “I’ve been fast for a very long time. People always question, can he take hits? Or can he run between the tackles? So the fact that I’m showing that and then when people realize that, I wouldn’t say I get happy but it’s something I know I can do. I’m just glad that other people see it as well.”
(How frustrating has this season been for you from an injury standpoint? You spent most of your career at Texas A&M relatively healthy. Then you got the knee, ribs, toe.) – “I mean, it’s frustrating at first. But like you said, it’s all a process. When it first happened, of course you’re mad that you’re not on the field and not playing. After that, it’s just getting to rehab and try to come back stronger. It’s frustrating at that time, but you just start thinking I’m a rookie, this is my first year. I’m planning on playing a lot of years. So I don’t think about it a lot like that.”
(In a way, have you hit the rookie wall as they call it? Have you felt that at all?) – “When I got injured, I missed four weeks. So I wouldn’t say I hit the injury wall since I had time off.”
(Right. I was going to ask that it kind of helped you in a weird way?) – “Yeah. I wouldn’t say I hit the rookie wall. Right now I haven’t played as many games as everybody else so I wouldn’t say I hit the rookie wall.”
Robert Hunt – January 4, 2023
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Thursday, January 4, 2024
OL Robert Hunt
(Long, frustrating process for you. Are you at the point now where you think you can help the team on the field?) – “Man, I think the guys that have been playing up front have done a fantastic job. With a lot of guys, the injuries that are going on, I think they’ve been doing really good, man. I’m excited to get on the (field), play the game the way I like to play the game, and if that helps winning games, that’s what I want to do. I don’t know, I’m just excited to be back on the field.”
(So are you playing Sunday? Is that your intention?) – “I’m taking it one day at a time. Of course I want to play Sunday, but we’re taking it one day at a time, see how it goes and if I feel good. At this moment, it is what it is. Whatever is needed of me, I’m here to do.”
(How much more so is it with what’s on the line, knowing you’re at home for the division and the opportunity to win the AFC East?) – “I mean, it’s a big deal, man. We all know it’s a big deal. It definitely fires me up, gets me excited to play this game. The idea is to try to run around and hit people.”
(What’s it been like for you, considering you’ve played every game in your career before this injury, to sit and watch and rehab twice now?) – “Man, it’s been very, very frustrating. It sucks, man. It sucks. It’s a tough thing, especially if you’re not used to it, you know what I mean? To sit back and watch. But like I said, give credit to the guys up front that’s been plugging in and doing what they’ve got to do and doing it at a high level. Man, I can only commend those guys, and now I’m excited to go out there and play with them.”
(How bad was the reaggravation of the hamstring a month ago? Did doctors describe it to you as a serious thing or mild?) – “It was close to the first one. I wouldn’t sit out if it wasn’t nothing serious. If I think I could play and go, I would’ve definitely went. But it was something that was pretty, I don’t want to say severe, but it was pretty intense.”
(So when it first happened, did you feel that it was going to keep you out for at least a significant time?) – “No, but it happened and I felt it like pop. When I did it, I knew what it was. I kind of just like overextended and aggravated. I felt it pop and then I was thinking in my head, ‘Damn, it can’t pop again. It just popped recently,’ and it popped. For a second, I was like, ‘You know what? It may just be scar tissue, it’s good,’ then I went to the sideline and definitely realized quick it wasn’t scar tissue.”
(What was it, torn as opposed to pulled?) – “No, it was just another strain. Another strain that a lot of guys deal with. I guess my big body just deals with it a little differently. That’s that. Thank God it’s feeling better today, and hopefully it keeps feeling that way.”
(So what you got through the period when you couldn’t play?) – “I’m a very optimistic person, man. It’s just who I am. I’m very optimistic of just life and I live my life day by day, second by second, moment by moment. It is what it is, it ain’t what it ain’t. Like I said, that’s what it is. There’s nothing I could do. I don’t know. For some reason, I’ve got a mindset or just a mind that I’m just not going to beat myself up on it. I can’t even control it. It is what it is, it was what it was, but now I feel better.”
(In regards to Sunday night’s game, obviously we know it’s the season finale, we know it’s for the AFC East. How would you describe – what’s the point that the Miami Dolphins football team can make on Sunday night?) – “I don’t know if we’re trying to make a point. We’re just out here trying to compete. We’re trying to play at a high level. We’re trying to execute. We’re trying to get a sour taste out of our mouth from last week, and the way of doing that is coming out playing our brand of football and playing at a high level and executing. We’ve got a lot of good players in this locker room, a lot of great players in this locker room, Hall of Famers in this locker room. We know what we can do, man. We just have to go out and we’ve got to do that. This will be a good test for us. We’re excited for it.”
(Why is it that the Bills are a team that’s always in the way for you guys?) – “I don’t know, man. Ever since college, there’s always been a team like that for me. App State was that for me in the Sun Belt. I could never beat them. I played them four times a year, two times a year, they beat me every time. I never beat them, but sometimes, like my college, after I left, they got them again in the conference championship, my school did, and they beat them. So you know what I mean, times change. Hopefully that is what it is this weekend, we’ll see. We just have to play the game, man. It is what it is.”
(So you let T Kendall Lamm talk trash to you?) – “Yeah, man, I almost cussed. Kendall Lamm is – I never played Kendall, he’s a little older than me, but Darrynton Evans is definitely undefeated against me and I’m defeated against him, 0-4, which sucks. But like I said, after I left, we definitely beat them, so times change.”
(Would it make it all the more special to clinch that division against the Bills?) – “It definitely would. Especially if – I’m just speaking for me now – I’ve been here four years and I’ve only beat them once. So to beat these guys, it would be a good day. I’ll have a great night if we win.”
Frank Smith – January 4, 2024
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Thursday, January 4, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(Did you see anything encouraging yesterday from RB Raheem Mostert in terms of cutting or the things he needs to do play? Or is it too early for you to even know?) – “Through the walkthrough we had yesterday, he was working on his stuff. But I mean, ultimately, yesterday for us, we’re getting ready for the game. With all the guys, everyone who’s working through things, it’s more about for us, the mental side of the preparation for the game and what we’re trying to do. So today is really our day where we’ll get on the grass and be able to do things. But when it comes time at the end of the year, it’s a process for every guy that’s working through things. You can feel very optimistic with the guy all the way through Friday and then all of a sudden, how Friday goes dictates a lot of our stuff. So for us, it’s a three-day process to get to the game and today is the most important day as we focus on our work on the grass.”
(With WR Jaylen Waddle, is he a guy where, so long as he can’t make it worse, 80 percent of Jaylen is better than maybe 100 percent of somebody else? Is that what you think about him as a player?) – “I mean, it’s hard to put exact percentages on performance and stuff like that. When guys feel they’re good enough to play, have gone through the process with our training room, and understand the game plan and can execute it, we feel fully confident in those guys being able to execute. You have a process to get the players ready for the game where they feel confident, they feel healthy enough to go. And when guys feel good enough to go and they can make an impact and do their job, then we have full confidence in the situation we’re going to put them in and our attack.”
(How much does it change the offensive gameplan if RB Raheem Mostert and WR Jaylen Waddle are both out?) – “I wouldn’t really say – it’s not like we drastically go, well we can’t do this or do that it. It just makes us have to know with certain variables where we maybe move guys in different spots or have maybe a different concept that someone does maybe a little bit better if they’re going to be potentially up in their place. But I mean, it’s not like all of a sudden you remove part of your offense. It’s more of you just go, ‘Okay, how do we maybe move a guy here?’ Or you move maybe Tyreek (Hill) to another side, or maybe we use a different personnel group. So I think it’s just more of how you shift things and you try and always put guys in the best position. As we’re going through the week, we make sure we have different concepts, different things that attack different parts of the defense for what our guys do their best.”
(What does the Bills defense do uniquely, if anything?) – “They play very well together. They’re a very well-connected defense, well-coached. They understand what they’re defending, how they’re going to defend it. They understand their opponent. So overall, they just do a very good job just knowing their system and the intent. Similarly to what we try and do, you teach the why and the how. Then you have a plan for offense. You have a plan for attack, they have a plan for the defense. You see a very-well coached team with guys that play hard and it’ll be a very good challenge for us on Sunday night.”
(Given the circumstances yesterday, are you expecting WR Tyreek Hill to be able to get back out there with you today?) – “I mean, how about all that, right? The first thing that goes through my mind was, I hope everyone’s okay and everything goes well … (inaudible) But yeah, we’ll work through all that. It seems like everything was fine. He’s the best. I mean, just as far as how he goes through the game, his competitive nature, how he pushes things. I’m sure with him, it’s going to be completely – everything’s going to work itself out and today, we’ll figure everything out working up to the game. But I’m just glad like, with one of those situations, it’s one of those where you’re like, the first thing is you find out and make sure everyone’s okay.”
(There’s been steady snaps for TE Julian Hill. Has the quality of blocking that he’s given you been at such a level that he’s very much in your mind in terms of a role, whether it’s what it’s been or expanded?) – “Yeah, just his physicality, his commitment to his process to go to the game and getting better each week. I mean, he’s really done a good job from getting here in the spring to now and each week he’s growing. He asks excellent questions. That’s been something I’ve noticed about him. When you have a young player who’s asking very advanced questions, you know that his process to get to that question, you’re like ‘wow, you’ve really thought about all the things,’ and that’s kind of how he’s played. He loves playing the game, he loves playing physical. Always with the tight end group, big physical guys with a complete skillset is always huge. So we’ve been very pleased with him so far.”
(Has TE Durham Smythe improved his receiving skills?) – “It’s not like he’s improved them. I think it’s just more opportunities. The biggest thing is, when you have the guys that you’d say initially are ‘blocking skillsets,’ sometimes they’re overlooked in the passing game and they can find those holes in between zones, and they can catch it and get yards. Guys who are physical after contact can get even more yards off that. So I think it’s more opportunities and you can’t say enough about the guy. What a great part of our program, I mean, just an unbelievable tough-minded person who is just one of the guys that you love coming and coaching because the way he approaches everything is so professional.”
(As an offshoot of that, is TE Durham Smythe’s increased receiving numbers the last few weeks a byproduct of you guys consciously wanting to get him more involved? Or is it a case of taking what the defense is giving you?) – “A lot of it’s just what the defense is giving you. The guys are in position as you deploy them in the concepts and sometimes if you’re the primary, you get covered and other times the ball can get checked down to other options. So I just think it’s more of as the coverage and we go through the attack, sometimes when guys defend the deep part of the field, they’re going to give you the underneath part of the zones. Especially last week, they were trying to defend the deep part of the field, and the underneath stuff sometimes becomes open. Guys like Durham thrive in that area, Alec (Ingold) as well, and then all the tight ends. If you catch a checkdown in between zones, or you catch a vertical in between zones and you can stay on the move, that’s where you can get some good production.”
(You’ve had three games now where you’ve needed to win a shootout: LA (Chargers), start of the season, Buffalo and then last week. One of those times, the offense was there the entire duration. The second time it was there and then there was a dropoff. What’s it going to take if you have to win a shootout against Buffalo to make sure that 60 minutes is in line with where the offense needs to be?) – “Well, it’s a good question because I don’t think you can go in with a mindset of this is going to be what’s necessary. It’s more of you approach each moment like each moment is the most important. If you look at the entirety of the situation, the natural human self will take you to too many conclusions and too many possibilities. Then that leads to thinking you need to do more when reality you just stay in the moment. You realize you need to maximize this moment. You’re so in tune to what is necessary now. Then stack them. So the minute you start thinking – like go back to college, I have a C in a class and all of a sudden I need an A on this exam to save myself because I don’t want to hear my dad giving me hell, then all of a sudden you start pressing, you start thinking about things and all of a sudden you come out with a B-minus and you’re like, damn. Because all of a sudden you made a result for yourself as opposed to, ‘no, what do you really want to do?’ If I want to get that result, I focus on making sure each moment is at my best and making sure that I stay now, because the result you seek will come through the process of deliberately staying in the now. And I think that’s the most important thing we try to strive around here is just our intent each day, each moment. And I think that allows you to bank those reps for the future. If every moment you’re playing is of that intent, the highest level of competition, do you take that to each day, each moment of what you’re doing? Because this one play might not seem like a whole lot, but then what if we call it in a game and it got 30 yards? Did you all play together or something? That is how you approach those moments. I think that’s something that I know Mike really strives for with all of us on offense. Stay in the moment.”
(Was there a common thread between the Buffalo and Baltimore games that you guys didn’t meet that moment? It got too big maybe for some of your guys?) – “I don’t think it got too big. It’s easy to sit back and say what’s the correlation between the two times and try to find the similarities, but there’s different variables at play. That was a different point in the season coming off a huge win versus Denver and then now, this week, at Baltimore was a different set of circumstances. As we go through the different games and different moments, it’s learning from them, because now as we’re getting into this game and hopefully the future, it’s just going to be now staying with that and making sure all thing things we’ve learned throughout the season we can maximize one at a time. But yeah, that’s the hard part. You don’t know what is going to be expected on Sunday. You can’t forecast it. All you can forecast is my individual job and making sure I maximize it as we go forward in the game.”
(How has OL Robert Hunt looked in his uptick in participation?) – “feel really good about everyone in their progression towards trying to make it back to the game. The big thing will be is the summation of the whole week. We feel very optimistic with everyone in their buildup. And today and tomorrow will be the most important days to see if we can get him available for Sunday. But he’s been working his tail off to try and get back and we’re hopeful.”
(A little change of pace question, but I’m doing something on what people have overcome in their careers to reach their level of success. Is there anything you look at when you look at your path to here that you’ve had to overcome or master to get to where you are?) – “I mean, it’s one of those where you could say – I just feel so fortunate so many times. I never really looked at anything as I had to overcome something. My whole life has been trying to – I walked on in college and had to prove my worth there. It worked out really well. Then my senior year I was a team captain on one of the greatest teams at our university. That relationship I had with my head coach allowed me to get a graduate assistant job. When our o-line coach left to go to Arizona, I got very fortunate. I got the job at my alma mater. And then I got to work the second year on defense, which was invaluable, because so many bases of what you learn. I went to a small 1-AA school, Butler, for four years. A lot of people would say I left division one, but it was the greatest thing ever because I didn’t have the hard recruiting schedule that the division one guys had, so it allowed me to go claw and scratch my way into NFL buildings and just go watch tape and learn and ask questions. Then me being a nuisance, I developed a relationship with the guys in New Orleans. When they had an opening, they asked me if I would take a $10,000 pay cut to come stuff binders and break down tape and all that. I was like, I’ll do it for free. Are you kidding me? (laughter) And then I was fortunate enough to work for a staff that two months prior to that won the Super Bowl. You go through it, and I went to Chicago. We were not successful in the win-loss category, but I met great guys who I learned so much of how to teach people, reach people, what works, what doesn’t. Go to Oakland, kind of put it together. And then three years of Pro Bowlers. Then I left to go to L.A. and (it was) unbelievable. Rashawn (Slater) and Corey (Linsley) and Matt (Feiler) and Bryan (Bulaga) and Storm (Norton) and all the guys, I couldn’t say enough. The year before they were really starting over. Four or five o-line spots were open. How are we going to rebuild this thing and do all that stuff? I was like I don’t know, we’ll figure it out. Then we get here, and it’s just, I don’t know. What do you look at to overcome? I don’t know, that’s just kind of from the beginning. My high school coach, I asked too many questions. Him and I didn’t see eye to eye on some things and that could have been adversity. I just look at it all as I’m the luckiest guy ever. Any situation arises, just stay in the moment. How can I maximize now? It’s not see the challenge of it. It’s see the opportunity within it. I think that’s just been kind of my way the whole way. That hill looks pretty tall. Yeah, but this is easy. Let’s go up this part first, then we’ll get up to that when we get to it. So I mean, I guess I had challenges but I never looked at it (that way). I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for every one of them.”
(How has working for Head Coach Mike McDaniel been for you career?) – “Working with Mike has been a dream come true for me. When you watch someone prior, their body of work, and you just see from afar what he’s done – we have the same agent, Richmond Flowers. He connected us in the summertime. Then to be able to work with him has been awesome because it’s so many principles that you believe in philosophically and love for football that we do every day. We just have such a natural alignment on the way we see so many things. That’s why our communication is so easy and it’s been awesome. To be able to implement it on a grandiose scale within the program, I couldn’t ask for anything better. So the basis of our program is adversity is an opportunity. And this is an unbelievable opportunity. I couldn’t thank Mike every day for allowing me to be a part of it.”
Vic Fangio – January 4, 2024
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Thursday, January 4, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(Do you envision having one guys picking up the brunt of the load with LB Bradley Chubb out? Or do you envision a fairly even split of playing time between DE Emmanuel Ogbah and LB Melvin Ingram?) – “Yeah, it’s going to be by committee, for sure.”
(What’s the strengths of each of that committee? What does DE Emmanuel Ogbah do well that maybe LB Melvin Ingram doesn’t and vice versa?) – “(Ogbah) is a good pass rusher for the most part. Mel’s a little more well rounded in the OLB position, the ability to drop and stuff like that.”
(When you have a guy like DE Emmanuel Ogbah, who’s more of a traditional defensive end and is not extremely versed in that dropping back into coverage, do you have to call things differently? Or scheme things differently for him?) – “At times, yes.”
(Could you talk about last week? I know we’re moving on to this Sunday, but you guys seemed to play more man-to-man. There were some communication problems. Maybe I’m wrong there, but just from watching.) – “Yeah, it wasn’t that much more man-to-man than usual. Yeah, we had some execution problems. But I think one of the biggest problems was I just didn’t call a good enough game, really.”
(Has anything happened at corner in your mind that’s made you rethink essentially what has been obviously CB Jalen Ramsey, but then CB Eli Apple and CB Kader Kohou in whatever order. Have any of the other corners done enough to make you rethink that? Or do you go with the guys you’ve gone with in CB Xavien Howard’s likely absence?) – “Yeah. When ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) went out early last week, we went with Eli and Kader stayed at nickel. I think that’s the way we’ll move going forward.”
(When you say you didn’t call a good enough game, do you mean calling stuff that maybe you saw from Baltimore that you didn’t expect? What do you mean by when you say you didn’t call a good game?) – “No, just that the calls didn’t work out.”
(Do you look it as because the calls didn’t work, you didn’t do a good job? Or do you kind of view it more process-oriented? Like if you’re process is rooted in what you think is sound, you can live with the call. How do you kind of rationalize your calls after the fact?) – “I’m not sure I follow you totally, but just the way it turned out, some of the calls put us in tough situations that we didn’t handle well enough. Usually that doesn’t happen. But you have to give Baltimore credit. They’re a well-balanced, good offense and they can do that to you.”
(How different is Buffalo now than the last time you played them? New offensive coordinator obviously.) – “They’re different to some degree. They’re really running the ball well right now and when you are running the ball that well, the play-action game is opened up. So that’s really helping them. They are really talented on offense. They have two really good tight ends. Everybody knows about (Stefon) Diggs. Their slot’s a good player. (Gabe) Davis is a good player. (James) Cook is the best back they’ve had in Buffalo maybe since Thurman Thomas. Their line is doing a good job and obviously everybody knows about Josh Allen and his ability. They’re highly ranked in most offensive categories and when you watch the tape, you can see why.”
(When you guys used CB Jalen Ramsey to shadow Jets WR Garrett Wilson, how did the rest of the secondary handle their different responsibilities? Would they be comfortable doing it again?) – “Yeah, they handled it well that day. I think if we want to do it again, I think they’ll handle it well again.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on how LB Bradley Chubb got hurt later in a game that was kind of out of reach. Do you regret having him out there at that point?) – “Obviously you do knowing what happened now. But I think Mike (McDaniel) addressed that earlier after the game or earlier in the week, and I just stand on what Mike said.”
(What does CB Cam Smith need to do either the rest of the year or headed into his second season to take a positive step in his career and be a more likely contributor?) – “Just improve in all areas – assignment, technique, execution, know how. Just a little bit in all areas.”
(LB Jerome Baker is returning to practice. If he can return to game action, what difference would that make?) – “It would help. We’d be able to have a better three-man rotation there with him, David (Long Jr.) and Duke (Riley). It would help for sure. Bake’s a good player, we’ve missed him. I think today’s practice will be telling whether he can make it back or not.”
(All five Buffalo offensive linemen have played over 1,000 snaps this season. What does that continuity do for an offense? And how challenging does it make it for you guys to attack an offense that has that kind of o-line continuity?) – “Yeah, it’s unusual for that to happen as witnessed here locally with our offensive line. And they are good players too. When you put continuity with good players, good things happen. They pull a lot of their linemen. They do a good job scheming their run game. I think that’s attributed to continuity also.”
(What did you learn from the couple of games – you’ve been so good for most of the season – but the couple of games where it’s kind of gotten away from you, has there been a common thread?) – “The two games I think you’re alluding to I think are last week and the first Buffalo game. Yeah, we didn’t play well early and things snowballed. It wasn’t one area that was letting us down. It was basically all phases, both run and pass. I think when that happens, you get not back on your heels playing wise, but it makes you feel that way a little bit.”
(Is there a similarity, different styles of quarterback, but between Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and Bills QB Josh Allen, they both run, they both pass. Are they similar threats?) – “Yeah, they are very similar. Different body types, different running styles. But the same problems for sure. Allen is just a beast of a guy, a physical specimen like John Elway was in the mid-80s to the mid-90s. This guy is the new John Elway on steroids. And I don’t mean he’s taking steroids. (laughter) He’s just bigger, faster, cannon for an arm, tough. He’s a dude.”
(Have you gotten any lobbying from CB Jalen Ramsey about shadowing? Any good nature lobbying from him in general or this week about shadowing Bills WR Stefon Diggs or whoever?) – “Occasionally. Occasionally.”
(What gives you confidence in CB Eli Apple?) – “I think Eli recently has played better than he did earlier in the season. He’s a veteran. There’s know how. He knows his limitations. He knows who he’s covering. He knows the strength and weaknesses of whatever we’re playing and does a good job adjusting.”
(You’ve mentioned before you’re not a huge fan of the corners traveling.) – “I never said I wasn’t a huge fan of it.”
(Maybe there’s not a lot of situations you’d do it in a normal game plan. Is that fair?) – “I’ve done it a couple years in my career a lot every week. But when you have two corners that you think are pretty good, than you’re less likely to do it.”
(So I guess that was my question. Is it the talent of the corners or something schematically that gives you an advantage of showing your hand in that perspective?) – “No, I don’t think it matters schematically that much.”
(I wanted to ask about shadowing quarterbacks like Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson and Buffalo QB Josh Allen. When you have a guy who specifically is assigned to shadow, I don’t know if it’s every down or specific downs, what does it take away from the defense?) – “Well, a lot of teams will do that. To me, the biggest question is, is that shadow guy the fourth rusher or the fifth rusher? And then that affects what you’re doing coverage wise.”
(Does it matter if the shadow guy is closer to the line of scrimmage? Is he pretty much out of the play? If Buffalo QB Josh Allen passes the ball, that guy is pretty useless right? If he’s further back, he can at least play some defense. Is that a correct assumption?) – “It is. But if he takes off, you’re farther away from him.”
Danny Crossman – January 4, 2024
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Thursday, January 4, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(There were a lot of kickoff returns the last time you guys played Buffalo. Was that by design, or wind related? Why was that?) – “There are a lot of different aspects that go into it. There are times you want it in play, there are times you don’t want it in play. There are times that it is in play whether you want it or not. There are a lot of different aspects that go into it.”
(What happened with the kickoff return to start the second half?) – “That’s a great example of if you’re a little bit off on a fit, or if you’re a little bit late on a fit, against good people, bad things are going to happen. We had a bad fit and a late trigger, and a terrible play you can’t afford.”
(Buffalo also allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown to start last game. Is there something you can find that may exploit that?) – “Every play is independent. If there was a pattern at this time of year, it would’ve been exploited numerous times. It was a one off. They had a fit and a missed tackle. At this time of year, all of those things are amplified.”
(Do you think at this time of year, special teams are more important than the usual 1/3 of the game?) – “No, I don’t. It’s similar. It’s just at this time of year when you’re playing in late December and playing in January and playing in February in critical games that have major implications, whether it be in the playoffs, seeding in playoffs, advancing in the playoffs, whether it’s offense, defense or kicking game, every single play of every single phase is amplified because there may not be many more.”
(WR Braxton Berrios is the fourth alternate for the Pro Bowl with the season he’s had. Do you think he’s close to breaking one?) – “I do. We’ve been close on a couple. Like we talked about with the kickoff coverage, we’re a little bit late getting to a responsibility or a second leverage player or whatever it may be. But I’m really happy with where Braxton is and he’s done a nice job. We just got to get him a little more help.”
(FB Alec Ingold is a Pro Bowl selection for the fullback position but I know he plays a lot on your units as well. I just wanted get your perspective on his work on special teams and how happy you are for him.) – “No. 1, a great individual as a person. A great leader. Plays through a lot of stuff. Does everything and anything you could ask for. Yes, super happy for him. Like all of these guys, I’m very happy to have him on our club.”
(LB Cam Goode had a hold on a punt that went out of bounds. What happened there?) – “It’s all technique. He got something earlier in the play and tried to do something to help himself, and put him in a negative position, and got called for it. Those things are amplified, the ball would’ve been on the 30 if they catch the front end of it and a positive. They catch the back end of it and now we’re starting the drive on the 10-yard line. It’s a 20-yard swing, so those things can’t happen.”
(Was WR Braxton Berrios upset with himself on that kickoff on the sideline? He called fair catch, but did he think it was going out of bounds?) – “He thought in hindsight it might have been going out of bounds, or maybe establish himself out of bounds before he caught it. But it was a long way to go. Fortunately he made the right decision early with the fair catch. The rest of it was going to play out. I think he thought if he may have taken another half a count, maybe the ball would’ve went out on it’s own. Those decisions happen in a split second. He ran over 28 yards to get there. In hindsight, you say ‘I could’ve done this.’ But I’m happy with the way he executed the play. The results are what they are.”
(What is the risk/reward with that? What do you instruct him to do on those?) – “If we can, if we know the ball is going to go out of bounds, we’re going to establish ourselves and touch the ball, and then we’ll get the ball on the 40-yard line. But in that situation where you’re running and you’re not sure and the ball is drifting away, you’re not sure where you are because you’re still tracking the football, so you’re going to live with what you get. He made the right decision early with the fair catch, so at worst we were going to be on the 25.”
(Regarding K Jason Sanders, we saw him against the Jets last year, and we saw him against Dallas this year. We know he’s not afraid of those moments. Does he really relish those moments and look forward to them? Or is he pretty business like about it and it doesn’t matter either way?) – “You’d have to ask him that question. The way I look at Jason, he’s ready no matter what. He doesn’t blink and whenever we send him out, we’ll look for the positive results.”
