Vance Joseph – September 15, 2016
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Thursday, September 15, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(On the challenges of facing the Patriots) – “I think the real challenge is if you watch four games, you see four different teams, so you’re not sure what you’re going to get. It’s a little bit different with the younger quarterback. It’s more stable as far as the game plans. But in the past, (if) you watch four games, it’s four different game plans, it’s four different targets. It’s a huge difference in game plans. That’s the biggest fear going into a game like this.”
(On what he saw from Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1) – “I saw a guy who played with great poise. He wasn’t rattled by the pressure. (He was) a guy that was an accurate passer, who had some mobility to escape the rush. I saw a guy playing way beyond his years. I was impressed by him.”
(On what he has to do to rattle Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo and whether he will bring more pressure or rely on the front four this week) – “Not really. Last week, he picked the pressures up and the ball is out of his hand so quick. I’m not going to go into the game saying we got to bring more pressure and those things. We’re just going to play our game and see where it lies at the end.”
(On how S Isa Abdul-Quddus’ ability to go from sideline to sideline benefits the team) – “It has been a plus to us. When we signed Isa, we saw a guy on tape with great range, who was a great tackler. Where he has improved with us is in pass coverage, in the middle thirds and halves and quarters. He has improved a lot from the spring to now. We signed him, because he was a missile in the run game, a great tackler.”
(On S Isa Abdul-Quddus’ recognition in the run game) – “(He is a) very, very smart guy. (He has a) high football IQ. He can see it quick.”
(On how LB Donald Butler can help the team this week) – “Probably not this week, but going forward … He’s a veteran linebacker that can play linebacker. We didn’t want to sign a backup linebacker for (special) teams. He’s going to play linebacker for us eventually. He has been in here two or three days. As we go along and we get him caught up on the playbook, he’s going to play and help us (and) play actual defensive snaps. We’re excited about him.”
(On where LB Donald Butler fits best in the scheme) – “He’s going to play the Will ‘backer position, so we can have more depth there. He has been a guy that has played Mike. He has played inside linebacker in 3-4, so for us, he can play Mike or Will for us.”
(On how he is using the skill sets of S Michael Thomas and CB Bobby McCain) – “Michael played in our big sub package – more first, second down, run-pass package – in the nickel spot, because that spot it’s more run game on first, second down. He’s a better fit, obviously, in the run game, being a safety. Bobby played in our nickel package where it was all third downs, and it was pass or 2-minute. It’s a different package, and it’s a different skill set.”
(On CB Bobby McCain’s confidence) – “I think his confidence is fine. When the ball is inside of the 5-yard line, and he has got time on the clock and he has one or two timeouts, I’m stopping the run game. I’m hoping they throw the ball. Bobby is fine. That’s a tough play to make, but he’s fine.”
(On what gives him confidence at the defensive tackle position) – “Losing Earl (Mitchell), that hurts us. That’s a starting-type player for us. But Jordan (Phillips) is playing really well. (Julius) Warmsley, he’s going to get better as we go along. Chris Jones is back. He had a really good camp, so I’m confident in Chris’ ability. And having (Terrence) Fede back this week is going to help.”
(On how DE Jason Jones’ role would be affected without DE Mario Williams) – “On base downs, his role won’t change much, Jason’s. On third sub downs, we may have to adjust to not having Mario. We’ll see.”
(On the little difference between strong and free safety) – “Most teams are playing shell defense – which is cover 2, cover 4 – so you want both guys to have great range. You want both guys to be open-field tacklers. When you play single high, you don’t want to have to say, ‘You’re always down.’ That’s a dead giveaway. If you’re Seattle, Kam (Chancellor) is always down. That’s what they do. That’s the way the thing is built. Earl (Thomas) is always the middle safety. For our scheme, we want two guys who have the same skill sets, so we can hide who’s down or hide who’s back.”
(On whether the team wants to play DE Cam Wake when the game is on the line) – “Absolutely. Last week, it was a little different, losing Mario (Williams). He (Wake) played more snaps than he should’ve played, probably, and towards the end, he was a little gassed. It kind of went against our game plan last week losing Mario. But absolutely, if it’s a critical play in the game, Cam is going to be out there. It’s not like Cam is going to be a backup player. Cam is a specialty player. If the game is on the line, Cam is going to be on the field.”
(On whether he wants DE Cam Wake to play fewer than 29 snaps) – “No, not fewer than that. He played more base snaps than we wanted (him) to. It was run game stuff, at the end of the game. He played more snaps in the third quarter on base downs, and towards the end he was a little gassed. He played most of his snaps in that small segment and towards the end, he wasn’t able to give us what we wanted, because Mario (Williams) got hurt about the middle of the third quarter, so he took over for Mario. Towards the end, he was gassed.”
(On the overall defensive effort in Week 1) – “(The) effort was great. Not finishing the game is disappointing for us, but the effort was great. We had a good plan. Guys tackled well. Not finishing is disappointing.”
(On if fatigue was part of not finishing well) – “I wouldn’t say that. We’re in shape. We played about 80, 81 snaps that were grade-able. But if you make one play, in both 2-minutes – before the half and at the end of the game – you win the ball game. For us, (we are) happy with the effort, but disappointed in how we finished both halves.”
(On what he could have done differently on the final series versus Seattle) – “Probably brought more pressure. I was thinking, ‘Bring more pressure,’ but you’re up (and) a field goal won’t beat you, so you’re thinking, ‘Hold on. Make them drive the length of the field and not bring a pressure where someone becomes vulnerable and you lose the game in one play.’ That was my mindset. But (I would) probably bring more pressure from my perspective as a play caller.”
