Jay Ajayi – December 24, 2016 (Postgame)
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Saturday, December 24, 2016
Postgame – at Buffalo
Miami Dolphins RB Jay Ajayi (as transcribed by the Buffalo Bills)
Q: Jay, what is it like to go over 200 yards for a third time this season?
A: I feel like it was a lot tougher today, but it was good. From the start of the whistle, I felt like the o-line, we were on it again, creating lanes and it was just about running hard through the whole game and finishing strong.
Q: Tell us about what you saw on the 57-yard overtime run?
A: Patience. You got to be patient; BA (Branden Albert) did a great job sealing the edge.
Q: Dion (Sims), are you reading him?
Q: Yeah, so it’s one of those plays where BA, if he flashes across he does a seal block, then it’s just about finding the right lane, finding the right cutback lane and then just hitting the gap.
Q: Are you bouncing it outside for sure on there?
A: No, it depends where it hits.
Q: You’ve gone over 200 twice now against the Bills, why do you own these guys?
A: I don’t know. I just feel like we came up today, I feel like a lot of times, too, we could have been running the ball a lot better, so today, this whole week of practice we put a premium on coming off the ball fast and running harder, just finishing blocks, and that was the sum of it today and we were able to get over 200.
Q: It seemed to us that there was something a little extra personal between these two teams; did it have that feeling in the week leading up?
A: Yeah, I mean it’s a division rival game, a December game, a lot is on the line so tensions were high today. We knew that they were going to give us their best shot, their gonna get our best shot and it was gonna be a physical game. That’s what it was today.
Q: What was your mindset on the touchdown?
A: One of their defenders was able to get in the backfield, but when you get that close to the end zone, you got to score. For me personally, I hadn’t scored in a couple weeks so I was just really determined to get in the end zone.
Q: You killed them on cutbacks in the first game, it seemed like today you were determined to press the edge, hit it hard. Was that a part of the game plan?
A: Every play that we run, the way those runs are, you can either go outside or hit the cutback, it all depends on what the defense gives you. You got to take what you get, hit your lanes, stay on your landmark, so today, they wanted to make sure we weren’t cutting it back, so you just stay with your reads, stay with your landmark.
Adam Gase – December 22, 2016
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Thursday, December 22, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Did Chad Ochocinco tell you he’s still available?) – “I heard him say it. I did hear him say it. I think he told Matt (Moore) that.” (laughter)
(What’s the connection? Why was he here today?) – “Him being down here and I’m not sure exactly who he knew. I’ve never been able to talk to him before; but I’ve met him over the years in the NFL, just being on other teams, just saying hi to him after a game. But today was the first day I ever really got to talk to him. So I’m not really sure who exactly … I think him and (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn (Jefferson) might know each other.”
(With CB Byron Maxwell, how comfortable could you be with him playing after not practicing all week?) – “Normally I feel pretty good about a guy that’s going out there – especially a veteran player – performing after not practicing all week. We still need to figure out where he’s really at. I’m not going to put him out there unless I feel like he feels really good. I don’t want to have a setback. We’re still going through a process. Right now it’s just not … he hasn’t gotten as well as we thought he would this late in the week.”
(With now CB Xavien Howard, CB Tony Lippett and CB Bobby McCain, these are young first- and second-year guys at corner back. How much growth have you seen from them and are you worried about communication issues considering they’re all relatively young?) — “No issues with the communication. I think the longer they’ve practiced together and played in games, and I know ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is just coming back; but he has been out there. He has been in meetings to where that comes back pretty quick. I feel confident about those guys doing a good job within a game, making sure that we’re all on the same page. If we do have any kind of errors, those are things we’re going to have to learn from and we have to learn quickly. We have to minimize those as much as possible.”
(With CB Xavien Howard having success against a guy like Brandon Marshall, how much do think that’s a confidence booster?) – “Anytime that you play a player at the level that Brandon’s (Marshall) at and you’re able to challenge him and do a good job of staying with him … and I know there was a couple of times where Brandon (Marshall) won and the ball might have not necessarily have gone to him or the throw wasn’t exactly where it was supposed to be, it’s just that back and forth battle that you can recover from when you do get beat, lining up the next snap and putting that last play behind you. I know the numbers weren’t really there for Brandon (Marshall), what he’s used to. I know he had some really good routes, really good releases, and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) will learn from that through time; but anytime that you do play a player of that caliber, you have to maintain a confidence you had in going into the game and then you have to learn from those experiences. And I feel like he does. It probably gave him a little bit of confidence boost that he is feeling as good as he looked.”
(WR Jarvis Landry’s yards per catch has improved by about two yards this season. I know you didn’t have him last year, but do you think that’s a system approach or anything you may have seen in his game that has contributed to that?) – “That’s a tough one for me to answer because I don’t know exactly or I can’t recall exactly all the routes that he was running last year. I know we’ve done a few things different, but every system’s pretty close to being the same. I think he’s created some explosive plays on his own. We’ve tried to free him up in that intermediate route down the field every once in a while but for the most part, a lot of his things have come off of just his determination to not be tackled. That’s something that’s … He just has that ability to just fight through that initial contact and create yards after catch, after contact.”
(Beyond QB Ryan Tannehill, CB Byron Maxwell and LB Jelani Jenkins do you feel good about everyone else being available Saturday?) – “I think so, unless something comes up that … this afternoon or tomorrow. We’re probably as healthy as you can ask for, for this late in the season. I know a lot of guys are on IR, but the guys that are practicing … I’m sure there are guys that feel sore, but that’s really what this game is – just fighting through those type of nagging injuries, or not necessarily injuries, but those bumps and bruises.”
(I know you try to take every game as its own individual challenge. But the fact is that by the time this weekend ends, this team could conceivably have clinched a playoff berth. Where do you see the mindset of this team? Has it changed anything for you this week?) – “I haven’t seen it. I’ve seen guys focused on the challenge that we have on Saturday, and they know what they’re in for. They understand where we’re going. It’s a place that is tough to win and we know we’re playing a team that is looking to beat us and looking to play a very good game. They’re well coached. They’re playing extremely hard. They’re playing extremely well right now and we know this is going to be one of those games where it’s going to come down to probably whoever has the ball last. I wouldn’t expect anything less for this being a division game late in the year.”
(With Bills Head Coach Rex Ryan and his exotic blitzes, how much do you have to worry about QB Matt Moore falling for a trap or misidentifying something? Every quarterback faces the same thing, but Matt generally likes to see it and throw it.) – “Yes, it’s a tough task we have. Any time that you play Rex’s defense, you know it can come from anywhere, anytime, any part of the field, any down or distance. You have to have your mind right through the entire … You cannot relax. The first second you relax, no matter if it’s first, second or third down, that’s when you find yourself in trouble, and he’ll get you. He does a great job keeping his scheme to where he can disguise things. He gives you a lot of different looks and right when you think that you’re not going to get something, something comes. That’s what makes him so hard to go against. I’ve never experienced a game where I’ve walked out of a game saying, ‘That wasn’t that hard.’ Every game I’ve ever played against him, there are at least two or three things where I almost can say, ‘Well that was something completely different than I’ve seen.’ Those guys are very creative. They do a lot of things that cause problems for quarterbacks, especially. Everyone has to be on the same page – o-line, receivers, backs, tight ends. If you slip up a little bit against these guys, it’s a turnover. We have to do a great job as far as our communication goes and that’s what makes it difficult when you’re going on the road against a defense that does show you a lot of different looks.”
(CB Byron Maxwell is the only corner I believe that you’ve had shadow opponents this year. Why are there a limited number of corners that do that?) – “I think the number of guys that want or willing to do it is probably a lot less than guys speak of it. I’m sure a lot of guys say they can do it, but for the most part it’s not the easiest thing to do. A lot of guys … The league has kind of gotten to this whole right, left corner deal because what happens is when you do travel with a guy, all of a sudden now you’re in the slot. You might have the nickel responsibilities. If you’re just playing man and you only travel with him on man and in zone you don’t, you kind of give away what you’re doing. So there’s a lot of moving pieces that go on, especially when you have these receivers that are really talented that can go inside and outside. Then all of a sudden they’re a No. 3 in a 3×1. It causes a lot of problems. You have to have a guy that understands the entire defense if you want to travel a guy because he has to play multiple spots.”
(LB Neville Hewitt, he played nickel last year for LB Jelani Jenkins when he went down. Has there been any thought as to why not him in that nickel package?) – “I think that a lot of the teams that we’ve seen have been more base-oriented. We feel like he’s getting a good amount of snaps in base defense. We like playing ‘Spence’ (Spencer Paysinger) as well. We want to give him time on the field. We kind of look at it as what fits what we want him to do, and he does do a great job in base defense. He can do both as far as defending the pass, but he’s a really good run stopper as well. We like him in our blitz packages when we are out of base, and you can see the results of some of those. He’s had some TFLs (tackles for loss) and he’s had some sacks. We feel like the package we have him in fits what we want to do with him. Down the road, I’m sure it’s going to expand, but we were just trying to compartmentalize everything as far as, ‘Hey, this is your role. This is what you’re doing. Spence, here’s your role. Jelani, here is your role when you’re healthy.’ So we’re not trying to put it all on his plate as a young player.”
Adam Gase – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Anything new on CB Byron Maxwell and his status?) – “Nothing really. No great update. We’re still trying to get him healthier than what he was after the game. It’s been a slow process. We’ll see how he gets through the next couple of days and then we’ll make a decision off that.”
(Are you going to try to practice him tomorrow?) – “We’ll see how he feels. Every day it’s been a little different. One day he feels better than the next. Yesterday he didn’t feel as good as he did today. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
(Can you talk about G/T Jermon Bushrod? First of all, his willingness to embrace the position switch and then he’s turned out to kind of be an anchor on the line with everything that’s been going on around and all the necessitated changes, what his contribution is?) – When you sign a player that’s been through a lot of the things that he’s been through, whether it be part of an organization that was winning a lot, winning a Super Bowl and then getting an opportunity to go somewhere else and become one of the higher paid players in the league at left tackle, and going through the ups and downs he did there and fighting through injury and then having an opportunity just to come try to help us get this thing rolling in the right direction. He probably could have made some different decisions and maybe he could have gone somewhere else for more money; but the fact that he had some faith in us to try to help him get healthy (and) get an opportunity to play this year, that was a great thing for us because he did have faith in us doing the right thing. He stuck with what he was trying to do, which was get to as close to 100 percent as possible and then to learn a new position was … not many guys would do that. He probably could have had some opportunities to go somewhere else and still play tackle and we felt like we were in great shape with the players that we had and felt like we need some help at guard. He stepped in and did everything he could to learn that position as fast as possible. His leadership ability is really something that’s unique, and the way that he goes about his business as a veteran player is something you want younger guys to see.”
(Has G/T Jermon Bushrod turned out to be an anchor there with the swirl of changes?) – “I think so. He’s fought his way through probably some ups and downs throughout the season where it hasn’t been as easy as, as probably what it looks like right now. When you do change positions, especially going from one side of the line to the other, let alone going outside to inside, it’s just a different view from the positon you’re playing. He kept fighting through it and he tried to learn as fast as possible, and he’s done a great job with that. I know he’s still trying to get better.”
(This is obviously new territory for QB Ryan Tannehill. How has he handled the last 10 or 11 days? Have you learned anything new about him through this adversity that you didn’t know before?) – “It hasn’t been easy for him. I know Saturday was tough with him being out there and knowing that he wasn’t going to play. It’s not an easy thing for any competitor; but he’s done everything he possibly could – or possibly can – to help Matt (Moore) and help anybody else on offense. He has a different vantage point right now. He’s more taken on a role of a coach, almost to help guys. If there is any kind of question, he can answer it. So it’s really … we’ve kind of gained an extra member to helping our guys out from what he sees and he’s spent a lot of time still watching film and trying to help out in any role he can.”
(Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen said earlier that QB Ryan Tannehill has been in the meeting rooms and stuff during the week, when he could just be at home or spending more time with family. What does that say about him that he’s still so …?) – “That he’s committed to what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win one game this week and he’s done everything he can – especially the last two weeks – to help us on anything that he sees. He’s communicated with me quite a bit game-plan-wise with anything he sees on tape to where he thinks Matt (Moore) would like. He does have the most knowledge as far as he spent so much time with Matt (Moore), when they go through game plans, they both know what each other likes. Him being able to tell me when I order some of the things in situations, he can give me a heads up of he’ll like this, this and this. So he’s been very helpful for me.”
(When we talked to QB Ryan Tannehill on Saturday he said he would know very soon what his short-term prognosis was. Have you gotten any more information?) – “I haven’t. I have not.”
(So there’s still a possibility this year?) – “I don’t know. I take the same approach as almost everything else. When somebody tells me something different, then I’ll react then. But I’m not going to start guessing on how long or when some kind of answer is going to come about.”
(Is it correct though that you still have at least some hope, because you haven’t made the roster move that would suggest [he won’t be able to play again this season]?) – “Right. They haven’t told me that we should shut him down yet. That’s all I know.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph, he labeled Bills RB LeSean McCoy as one of the best, or the best, ‘make-you-miss’ back in the league. What kind of goes into that, just breaking him down as being able to kind of make guys miss like that in open space?) – “I think he was born with it. He’s legitimately one of … He has such a great feel. I don’t know if you can teach that. The game is really slow for him. Everybody else is moving real fast and you can tell he just sees things that most guys don’t. That’s why he’s able to almost be slow and then kick it in gear and find that space that he needs. If he does get somebody in space, and it’s one on one, the chances of you bringing him down are slim. The percentages are so low. That’s why he is who he is. That’s why he’s been special since he’s gotten in the league. That’s why he’s caused so many defensive coordinators heartache over the years. Nothing’s changed. It’s the same thing that we’ve all seen over his entire career.”
(Some of that patience, that pick-slide motion behind the line of scrimmage, he’s able to kind of make guys miss back there, right? Because of his patience?) – “You don’t see … Even if there’s a free runner, it’s hard to get him in negative plays. You have to not only get one guy to try to get him off track, but you better have a gang of guys coming, because he makes guys miss in the tightest of spots – the tightest of areas. That’s what makes him special. That’s what makes him different and one of the elite guys in the league.”
(I had the same question for all of your coordinators today, but I’ll ask it slightly different to you. They gave me players that have really sacrificed a lot to get you guys here to 9-5. DE Cam Wake’s name came up. They mentioned G/T Jermon Bushrod, QB Matt Moore, QB Ryan Tannehill, DE Cameron Wake obviously. Who are a couple of coaches that have really sacrificed a lot to get you to where you are?) – “I think the whole staff. I mean it’s hard for me to pick one guy out. I know everybody has been grinding, trying to do everything they can to put our players in position. They try to spend the most amount of time possible getting guys ready –game planning. Everybody’s been putting in everything they possibly can to put our players and give them the right information. You have to watch a lot of film, especially this late in the season. There’s so much information out there. It’s easy access with the way that the systems are set up to where you can grab almost anything from any game. It takes time. And that’s what makes it a little more difficult nowadays is there is so much information and it’s not just a four-game breakdown. It’s how many games you’ve played, and then there’s access to the year before and access to film in years past that you may have played a certain coordinator. So it’s a lot of information and you’ve got to find the right things to present to your players and then you have to make sure that you do it in a way to where it hits your players to where they can use it to their advantage.”
(Senior Defensive Assistant/Pass Rush Specialist Jim Washburn obviously, is getting up there in age a little bit. The fact that he came back to help you guys this year, was that a sacrifice for him?) – “I think so. It would have been easier for him to say ‘I’m done;’ but we reached out to him and wanted to see if he’d be interest in coming to try to help us out, get this thing started and rolling in the right direction and help us become an attacking defense. We wanted his presence around here and his ability to help young players get better and help veteran players take the next step. I feel like he’s done that. Him and ‘T’ (Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams) have worked unbelievably together and that whole defensive staff has meshed well together to put together improvement throughout the year. I know it hasn’t always gone smooth. We’ve had some ups and downs, but I feel like our guys are doing a great job of playing team football.”
(Regarding QB Matt Moore, we like to call him a gunslinger, because he likes to throw downfield. Where is he on the risk-taking scale? It doesn’t seem to me he throws into double coverage or does a lot of that stuff. In your opinion, where does he rank on that?) – “I think Matt goes exactly where we ask him to throw it with the play that’s called. He had some opportunities this last game. They kept pressuring us, and we got a couple looks where they brought one more than what we had in protection, and we were in max protection, so there’s no middle-of-the-field safety, and at that time we had plays called that were down-the-field throws. He hung in there, he made the throws and then guys made plays. They went and got them. That’s why we had so many explosive plays in that game in the limited amount of attempts we had.”
(Does QB Matt Moore have many throws where you’re just like, ‘What in the world was he looking at?’) – “Maybe. (laughter) No, he sees the field well. He does see some things every once in a while where it is off of what we talked about. Sometimes when you do play for a longer period of time – even though you may not be playing, you’re practicing, you’re going through training camp, you’re going through the preseason – but you start to see … Sometimes you just see a guy open. The longer you play, that’s what this game becomes. Sometimes that’s what happens. You saw a guy open, what brought you there? ‘He was open.’ I’ve been around it before. I’ve seen it happen with quite a few quarterbacks that I’ve worked with in the past, and it’s hard to argue with that. You try to reiterate what the progression is. Sometimes they’ll give you the, ‘I completed it, right?’” (laughter)
(It looks like you’ll be in consideration for Coach of the Year this year. Would a personal honor like that mean anything to you in your first season on the job?) – “Right now, I’m just focused on what we’re doing. We’re trying to win this week. That’s really the most important thing. It’s the same thing with guys with the Pro Bowl. I don’t think our guys have … Really, that hasn’t been a focus for anybody. Yesterday, getting that news, I think, almost felt like a lot of the coaches were happier for our players than really they (the players) were. You see those two guys (Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake) be able to make a Pro Bowl team and be on a winning team right now and a chance to win another game this week and they were more focused on what we had going on this Saturday than worried about the Pro Bowl voting.”
(One of those guys being DE Cameron Wake, I’m sure more important to him would be the possibility to play in the playoffs. You weren’t here for this, but you know the losing that he has grinded through. What do you think that would mean to him to finally get his chance after eight years or whatever it has been?) – “Anytime that you go through … All I can speak of is what my experience was when I was in Detroit for five years and went to San Francisco for one – 2009 was the first time I did not have a losing record. I was 8-8 in 2009. And then the next year we went 4-12. It took … 2011 was my first experience of we didn’t have a losing record – we were 8-8 – but we made the playoffs. I remember that feeling of knowing we were playing that extra week. It’s an exciting feeling, because it’s something you’ve never experienced before, and you always hear the stories about how everything amps up another level. Everybody’s getting paid the same. All the big contract guys are irrelevant. Everybody’s making the same amount of money. There is an excitement there. It’s a different feeling when you get to that next round.”
(DE Cameron Wake, specifically, you’ve gotten to know him very well and know what he’s about in terms of his priorities. Do you have any insight into how badly he’s craving something like this?) – “Since the first day I met him, all he has talked about is wanting to win. Individual statistics and things like that, he has never really said anything to me about that. He has constantly talked to me about, ‘Whatever I need to do to make this team win, that’s what I want to do.’”
(What has been the challenge of getting QB T.J. Yates ready when clearly QB Matt Moore is just starting now and he needs a ton of reps as well?) – “We have to use our walkthroughs wisely. (Yates is) a very smart player. He has played, which helps. Really, right now, it’s changing the terminology in his brain. You guys have heard me say this before, nobody is doing anything that’s so different than another team. It’s really getting that language switched in your head. The progressions and the reads are really the same as everybody else in the NFL. That’s really the thing he’s trying to get caught up to speed (with) more than anything is making sure, if I call a play, he knows exactly where he’s supposed to be looking, where he’s supposed to throw the ball.”
(LS John Denney has been in this league a long time. Have you gotten any insight working with him why he has been so successful, why he has been able to stick?) – “He’s one of those guys that have consistently done the right thing. He’s a pro. When you talk about guys that are pros, he’s the first guy that I can think of that I met. I met him very early. Everything that I had heard about him – and now that I’ve seen – is exactly what people said about him. He works. He educates younger players as well, and that’s what you want a veteran player to do. You can see with the two guys he has to work with every day, they have the same mentality as he does. It’s hard for me not to believe that he’s a big reason for the way those guys are. Personality-wise, I’m sure those guys were like that, but they’ve had a great role model to see how to work day-in and day-out, do the right things, making sure that every little detail is covered before they get to Sunday.”
(I think LS John Denney has 40 tackles, maybe three recovered fumbles. Is he athletic? Is there such a thing as an athletic deep snapper – you see him running down field – or does that even matter?) – “A lot of times at that position, it’s really about awareness. It’s about understanding what’s going on around you, knowing where you fit and how you can do your job. Every punt has a little wrinkle of what his responsibility is. When you have a guy like that who understands where he fits in the whole scheme of things, he knows how to put himself in position. If he has to make a tackle, he has been able to do it over time.”
(You mentioned some of the pressures that you all got last week. As a result of pressures, sometimes the quarterback has to let the ball fly a little earlier than he’d like. What does that say about QB Matt Moore’s anticipation, as well?) – “I think it has a lot to say about the receivers being in the right spot exactly at the right time, and the trust factor. Sometimes when you don’t get to practice with guys as much, that could always slow you up a little bit. I think he has seen enough of what our wide receivers do to trust that they’re going to be in the right spots. We did get a little more than probably what we anticipated, but he made the most of it, and it really helped us. I know our third-down percentage wasn’t as good as what we wanted, but he made every one of those count, and they were big plays in the game. Any time you’re getting touchdowns on third down and you’re getting explosive plays, it’s what you’re looking for.”
(We had a chance to talk to C Mike Pouncey today, and he told us that he feels like he can play now, but obviously, understands why he’s not. How tough was that to sit down with a player of that magnitude who feels like he can contribute? And did the fact that he maybe came back too soon the first time around make sense to him that, ‘Maybe I should be smart here?’) – “That wasn’t a fun or easy conversation at all. As a coach, you want to have a guy – especially that’s at an elite level at his position – to play. But the thought process we had was we were not going to risk long-term injury for one game or possibly two games. We weren’t even sure if that was the right thing to do. When you’re getting the answer of, ‘He could be alright, but this could still happen.’ That’s just not a great answer for me. I wasn’t going to put him in that kind of position to where I had to tell him, ‘You might not be able to ever play again.’ That wasn’t going to happen. I want to be around Mike as long as he can possibly go. I do not want to have that conversation with him, especially at this point. I know he wasn’t happy with that, which that’s the competitor in him. I wish he could be out there – not only for him, but for us – but the information that we had, we felt like we made the right decision.”
(Is it correct that C Mike Pouncey came back too soon in October?) – “I was never told that. If he came back too soon, then that was our fault, but I wasn’t told that.”
Cameron Wake – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Defensive End Cameron Wake
(What do you think about your being named to the Pro Bowl? I know you had a quote last night but talk about what it means to you.) – “It’s obviously a tremendous honor being selected by your peers, the people you play against, people you play for. And obviously, (there is an) asterisk besides it, because of all the things that have gone on in the past year for me personally and coming back from a career-ending injury, and being able to come back and play at a high level is something I take a lot of pride in. It’s something that my family is obviously proud of, the people who supported me through all of the ups and downs. It’s kind of testament to all of that, plus all of the guys in this locker room – guys who go out every Sunday and allow us up front to make plays. Obviously the group of DBs over there play hard – the linebackers, as well. And even the offense, to put us in position to pin our ears back and get after the quarterback. So I feel like it’s a group effort from a lot of different avenues. I’m definitely honored to be a recipient.”
(As far as this game on Sunday, you guys have not won in Buffalo for the last four years, since 2011. No. 1: Are you aware of that? And No. 2: Will that have anything to do with the game on Saturday?) – “No and no. That has no bearing on my approach to the game and I’m sure I speak for everybody here, that’s not something that we think about. It’s another football game and another opportunity for us to go out there and win. I’m sure there have been a lot of firsts that have been thrown out there every weekend. We just go out there and we do our job and we should be successful on Saturday night.”
(Do you mentally prepare yourself for the worst weather possible this weekend?) – “No.”
(Do you ever think about it?) – “If I’m thinking about the weather, then I’m not doing my job. If I’m thinking about ‘Dre’ (Andre Branch) being silly, I’m not doing my job. The weather is a silly comment that a lot of people make a lot of big fuss about. It’s hot down here. It’s cold up there. It rains. Sometimes it doesn’t. Do your job. That’s what we’re here to do and I think it’s made a bigger deal than it is.”
(Earlier today, C Mike Pouncey was telling us how difficult it would be for him to have the team make the playoffs and not be able to participate. If in fact you are able to participate in a playoff game this year, what do you think that would be like for you?) – “We’ll see when it happens. But right now again, I’m thinking of one task. That’s Saturday. The Buffalo Bills. Whatever happens after that, we’ll talk about that, if and when it happens.”
(Is RB LeSean McCoy a big deal at running back? Is he a tough guy to stop?) – “Every NFL running back is a big deal. If you weren’t a big deal, you probably wouldn’t be playing in the NFL. Last week we had a big deal at running back, two weeks ago, three weeks ago, five weeks from now. It’s life in the NFL. If you are a NFL player, you’re going to play a big deal running back, a big deal tackle, a big deal o-line, a big deal quarterback and so on. So you can replace LeSean McCoy with whoever we’re playing next week, and the week after that, and the week before that and the week before that. It’s again, a very easy quote. Go out, play hard, beat insert-name-here and we move on to next week.”
Jay Ajayi – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Running Back Jay Ajayi
(Both Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen and Head Coach Adam Gase have said all the last couple of weeks that the lower rushing totals are in no way a reflection of you. You’re running just as well and as hard as you did during the great streak. Does that make it less frustrating that maybe the yards haven’t been there as much?) – “You just have to go out there, no matter what the excuses are, and just get it done. We have to start producing more and just better on the ground.”
(After the game you had against the Bills in October, would you anticipate extra special attention from them?) – “I expect them respecting our rushing offense, putting a lot of guys in the box. It’ll be a tough day, but I think we still want to be able to get some stuff done on the ground, and we’re excited for the challenge.”
(What went so well for the running game that day?) – “I think we were just clicking. We were running hard. (We were) healthy. (We) just had a good day against them and we plan to have another good day this (Saturday).”
(Can you notice the opposing defenses really gearing up to stop the run? Is that obvious when you play a game?) – “You definitely can tell that they’re putting a premium on trying to stop our run game, which is opening up a lot of things for our passing game. We’ve seen a lot more plays down the field by our receivers, and it’s been good to see those guys make a lot of plays. We just want to keep having a good balance.”
(Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen said that he believed you’d been picked as a first alternate for the Pro Bowl. Have you been informed of that?) – “Yes, I have.”
(Does that do anything for you? I know you probably weren’t happy about it yesterday but…) – “It is what it is. You want to be in the Pro Bowl. First alternate, I guess, if someone doesn’t go, then you’ll get to go. So I’ll be grateful for that; but you just want to keep putting in work so that you end up being in, no matter what, automatically.”
(Did you have a lot of anticipation yesterday thinking that you would make it?) – “I was kind of seeing what would happen. I know they said that it was coming out. My agent called me and told me what it was, so it is what it is.”
(When you look across the field at defensive fronts, either live during a game or on tape, do you see a clear difference now in terms of crowding the line compared to maybe the first couple of games during the winning streak?) – “I feel like, again, teams are doing a good job of stacking the box. They want to make sure that they want to keep our run game at bay. That doesn’t matter to me. We still have to find ways to produce, still have to find ways to create yards, score touchdowns, and we haven’t been doing that so we have to get back to it.”
Jarvis Landry – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry
(Obviously there has been a lot of talk the past 12 hours about the Pro Bowl rosters and how it turned out. How disappointing is it for you?) – “We have a chance to make it to the playoffs this year and focus on one game at a time. That’s all really that matters.”
(Do you feel you’ve had as good a season as you’ve ever had in the NFL?) – “Nope. So far, I guess so; but the best is yet to come.”
(In what ways do you think you’re better now than you were when you first got into the league?) – “Just skill-set wise, being able to accept coaching from (Wide Receivers) Coach (Shawn) Jefferson and take heed to all the things that he’s been teaching me, the way that (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) continues to use me in this offense, the development of my leadership with these guys in here in the locker room and having the opportunity to do something special here. That’s more than a lot of people could say.”
(For a guy who – forgive me if the phrasing is wrong – has been known as maybe more like a possession-type receiver, how satisfying was it the last two weeks coming up with a 71-yard catch and then a 66-yard catch?) – “It was good to finally get in some space and have an opportunity to show my speed and make a play for this team. Hopefully we get a couple of more.”
(What’s one thing you’d like to add to your game moving forward?) – “Moving forward, to continue to build off making contact catches and yards after catch.”
(Knowing the way locker rooms work, I’m going to guess you probably got some good natured ribbing after the 71-yarder because you didn’t reach the end zone. That being the case, were you able to do a little payback after reaching it against the Jets?) – “A little bit. I think I kind of laid to rest all those slow jokes and things like that. So hopefully that’s dead now and people will respect that I have a little speed.”
(Who in here was giving you the hardest time?) – “Him right there. Kenny Stills. But we make it work.”
(How accurate was his impression? They showed it on the TV…) – “It wasn’t. I had to look back at it myself to make sure I didn’t put my head back. I didn’t put my head back. It was good form.”
(I saw you out there working in the summer with Pete [Bommarito], improving your speed the last couple of years. Do you know how much you’ve shaved off your 40 time since you got here from LSU?) – “I wish I knew, but all that matters is you don’t get caught. It doesn’t matter how fast you are.”
(You’re a big 40-man aren’t you?) – “No, I hate all that testing measurement stuff. I hate it.”
(Do you think you’re faster than when you got here?) – “Definitely. I’ve definitely improved my speed.”
(The mentality of this team going into Buffalo, obviously you guys kind of control your gate a little bit with the playoffs and it’s just a tough place on Christmas to play.) – “Yes, it is; but we’re excited. We’re excited for the challenge and this team, we’ve overcome a lot of adversity. We’ve been 1-4 and put together (six) straight. I think the attitude and the mentality has definitely shifted in a way that’s going to allow us to do some special things. Obviously we’re going to be tested in Buffalo, but it’s something we’re looking forward to.”
(How do measure the level of respect or lack thereof that this team has around the NFL? Is it where it ought to be for a 9-5 team, do you think?) – “No. But I’ll say it again, being around this group of guys in this locker room and just in this building period, there are a lot of blue-collar workers who, at the end of the day, are going to let the results and the record and the score and all that take care of itself.”
(You guys obviously spend a lot of time around QB Matt Moore. But with him not having started a game in five seasons, does a performance like he had Saturday, does that help boost confidence that he can get you guys to where you need to be for this playoff run?) – “There’s no doubt in our mind that he can. Obviously, he’s our starting quarterback now. Even stepping in the Arizona Cardinals game, we had no doubt that he can come in and do the things that he showed the world that he can do last Saturday. So for us, we just want to continue to put our best foot forward and make plays for him.”
(Did you hear that he’s the AFC Offensive Player of the Week?) – “No I didn’t. Well, congratulations to Matt. That’s how you do it.”
Clyde Christensen – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(With RB Jay Ajayi’s declining rushing numbers, have there been any cases where he’s just not hitting holes as well as he did during his great streak?) – “That has not been the case. It absolutely has not been the case. The funny thing is, a lot of times he’s doing a lot of things better than even the 200-yard games. Sometimes the 200-yard games, those things come gushing out. The hard ones are when there’s not much there. I said last week, those 2-yard runs could be minus-2-yard runs. I think he’s running the ball better at this time of year than at any time during the season. I think that’s where the stats can be misleading. Defensive fronts – we’re getting heavy, heavy fronts and heavy boxes. The young man is banging it up in there and (has) done a great job. He has stayed fresh. I thought he’d be beat up. It’s his first time, really, having that many carries in the NFL. Sometimes it’s hard to have your body prepared for that if you haven’t done it before. I think what he has done is unbelievably impressive. You can’t refer to him as a rookie, because he’s not a rookie, but as far as his first time, really, with this many carries and 1,000 yards, I think (it has been) really a great year. (He) has not declined. He’s actually playing better right now than at any point. He’s protecting better and doing a lot of things he didn’t do early (and) doing them really well. I think he’s really playing good football. A lot of things happen, but the biggest one … I think I told you that it seems like a good idea to have your name plastered all over that ESPN for 200-yard games except that it goes up in everyone’s locker rooms and defensive meeting rooms, too. (Laughter) You get a little more resistance, so that’s the downside of it. But (he has had a) really, really great year. He has got to do it this week. I really believe that the way he has protected the ball and the way he ran, he was a big key in jumpstarting this thing when we were sitting there at 1-4, and I think he’ll be a big reason if we have success in these last two games, especially in Buffalo. Speaking of this game, he’s going to have to bang up in there on hard turf, and they’re going to have a little hate on, and he’ll have to be big this week again. It’ll be hard sledding again.”
(Were you surprised that RB Jay Ajayi, WR Jarvis Landry and T Branden Albert were left off the Pro Bowl, and are any of those guys alternates do you know?) – “I think Jarvis and Jay are first alternates. I thought they had Pro Bowl years. I was surprised. I was disappointed for them. I do think that, again, I’m probably more disappointed than they are, just because this thing has been a team year. It has really been a good feeling, team feel to this whole thing. You haven’t felt anybody … Which is very unusual in this league, where it has been anything personal, and those two guys have kept plugging along. I think they’ve had Pro Bowl years. I think one of the things that (stands) out to me is we have to keep going and getting the respect for this franchise, this team, and get that back to where a lot of that, unfortunately, is how much you’re in the bag games on TV, what you do in December, playoff games – all those things. We have to get these guys … We have to keep going the way we’re going and get this thing back where it has a level of respect where those guys should be … They should be in the Pro Bowl in my opinion. Absolutely.”
(T Branden Albert, is he an alternate at all?) – “I don’t know that he is. I don’t know that.”
(WR Jarvis Landry’s hit on S Aaron Williams, after that you talked about technique issues. Did Jarvis address those? Has that been corrected?) – “Yes. He hasn’t had a penalty of that kind since. We said that we love the aggressiveness, we just have to lower our target on the thing. I think any coach would appreciate that. But, yes, he has. We certainly teach being within the rules, and we certainly don’t want to hurt anybody, but you certainly want aggressive guys. To find wide receivers who will go downfield and throw their body around is rare.”
(Are you happy with the balance WR Jarvis Landry strikes?) – “Yes, I am, especially between the whistles. I think we did get a post-play penalty since then, but we’re working to keep those down. We didn’t have any this week. We had two the week before. Those are important. Stuff is going to get critical, especially this game. They’re leading the league in rushing. Everything would point to a short game, and you can’t stop a drive with a 15-yard penalty. You can’t stop a drive with a holding call. You can’t give them an extra possession with the football. The way they’re playing right now is pretty darn obvious. I think (they are) 31st in passing and first in rushing. They’re playing short games (and have) a defensive head coach. I think that’ll be really, really a big factor in this football game. We’ve stressed that we can’t have any dumb penalties. We can’t be first-and-15. We can’t have third-and-3 and have it go to third-and-8. Those are big ones if it becomes an 8-10 possession game, which it could. It could up there.”
(In your coaching career, have you ever had a backup quarterback like QB Matt Moore? Does he remind you of anybody?) – “He does. He has always reminded me of Matt Hasselbeck. From the day I walked in this building, I’ve always said, ‘This guy is Matt Hasselbeck.’ He could start for a bunch of teams. He can play starting, good football. He’s accomplished. He has won some big games. He has got a magnetic personality, and he’s kind of a live wire. He’s a Pied Piper. The players like him. Scout teams like him. Hasselbeck had those same traits, which was really nice. I think they’re great, quality backups. They’re starters in many senses of the word, and then all of a sudden, you hit a hiccup. I think last week, the question was, ‘Are you worried?’ and I said, ‘I’m not worried a lick about Matt Moore.’ I was more worried about the backup – the backup at the No. 2 position going into the game – not having enough reps under his belt. But I have zero worries about him. I saw Hasselbeck do the same thing last year. (Matt Moore) really reminds me of (Matt Hasselbeck) – a veteran presence, but one of those personalities that people like. He loves football. He loves his job. There’s something extremely attractive about a guy who loves his job, and Matt Hasselbeck loved being a football (player). This guy loves football. This guy loves practice, meetings, games, scout team, routes versus air. He likes that stuff. I think if you were asking to compare him to someone, that would be my comparison. (They are) very, very similar that way. (They are) live wires and (they) have the ability to just keep going even when you may not play for, in this case, 12 games in a row. Not that many people can keep concentrating.”
(Five years for QB Matt Moore.) – “Yes, five years; and the guys who backed up those guys in Indy for a long, long time. You can go long chunks when you play behind a durable guy. That’s a unique characteristic to have to be able to do that and still keep yourself sharp, which I think we talked about last week at this same time, that he had kept himself sharp. I watched him out there Friday. He’s working, doing his due diligence. I watched him in meetings. I watched him there late at night at nine o’ clock in the evening. Not that many backups are (saying), ‘I’m not going to play anyway. Why am I going to miss dinner with the family and miss tucking the kids in.’ Even when he wasn’t playing, he was always around this building in the evening, doing extra work, making sure he was up on it. He probably did more than you do as a starter, because you have to. You’re not getting those reps; you have to manufacture them somewhere. I think that’s a great characteristic to have. It paid off for him, which was neat to see, last weekend. Sometimes hard work doesn’t necessarily pay off, but we all like to believe that in the end, it does. For him, it was quickly. I don’t think anybody inside there was surprised at what happened. (It was) great to see him get that (AFC Offensive) Player of the Week. That’s great stuff coming off the bench, on the road. That’s great stuff.”
(Regarding QB Matt Moore, the term gunslinger is associated with him, but it seems like in a way it does him a disservice, because he’s not a guy who takes chances throwing into tight windows and double coverage. At least that’s what I find. He likes to throw downfield, but it seems like he takes care of the ball. Can you talk about his decision-making? Does he throw any of those passes where you go, ‘Oh my goodness, where is he looking?’) – “He completed that one over there to Dion (Sims), and really, the read took him completely (somewhere else). We have teased him a little bit about street balling out there a little bit. (laughter) I questioned when Coach Gase started the read meeting this week. I said, ‘Do we really want to waste a meeting on reads? We throw them out the window.’ (laughter) But I did say that, ‘Why are we wasting time going through reads. This guy is going to throw it to the open guy.’ So, we teased a little bit about that. I think gunslinger is a complementary phrase – and to me – that he doesn’t have fear. A lot of guys who haven’t played in four years, five years – whatever it has been – would come in there tentative and start taking check downs and would come into the second half of the last home game and take check downs and be conservative and not want something bad to happen. When I use the term gunslinger, it’s a guy who comes in and goes. It’s not that he takes stupid chances. It’s not a derogatory (term). He walks down the main street of the Western (film), and he doesn’t have any fear. He walks down the main street, and the guy shows up and they have at it. (laughter) That’s the mentality, I think, of with gunslinger, not that you’re careless. It’s not a negative term, to me. It’s a positive term. There are a bunch of quarterbacks in this league that come into those situations that he has come into scared – not necessarily scared – but scared to make a mistake and checking the ball down and being over-conservative, not wanting to get hit. They don’t throw that ball up to Kenny Stills at the last home game and take the shot with the guy bearing down on him. That Cover Zero post that he threw – which was huge in the Jets game up there – they don’t do that. They want to start slow. If I gave any indication the term gunslinger was careless or derogatory, I wouldn’t mean that. That definition of gunslinger would be ‘unemployed,’ for me. (laughter) Those kinds of gunslingers are dead; they got shot. (laughter) Those guys are all extinct and three feet under now.” (laughter)
(With the sets where you had T Sam Young in as a sixth offensive lineman, have you gotten enough from that statistically where it offsets, obviously, the predictability element of teams thinking you’re going to run?) – “Yes, because we do … We throw the play-action. It’s not really as much … It’s really for personnel. At this time of year, those active spots are hard, and you have to manipulate them around, and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase has to make some decisions, and he has got (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi in his ear, he has got the defensive guys, he has got us. Everyone wants their guys up, but you have to … It really was almost more because we couldn’t get the third tight end suited that it came up more than for the game plan. It’s pretty easy nowadays to balance it out, because you got the play-action on first and second down and you got the runs. Especially short term, I don’t think there’s a huge tip-off there. I’m sure defenses have a little something that they do, but there’s also a tradeoff that you do have a big ol’ body pass protecting. You have a big ol’ body in there at the point of attack on some stuff. Sam has done a good job. Sam has really done a nice job with it. I don’t know if I could back it up with statistics or not. I don’t think there have been enough snaps, really, of it, yet. At the end of the year, we’ll take a good, hard look at it. But a lot of it depends on if you have a guy you’re comfortable with and if he gives you a little better point of attack than maybe your third tight end. The biggest thing for us has been the roster spots, because of the injuries, because of some guys being down. Who are you going to activate and who are you not? That was really more the decision for us.”
(There are 1,000 sacrifices every week by players, coaches. What’s one to get you to this point that really stands out in your mind – one player, one coach – that sacrificed a lot to really get you to where you are?) – “Yes, good question. I think Matt (Moore), I’ll put Matt in that category as a guy who sacrificed a lot by doing the extra work that I talked to you about. He sacrificed time at home, being here in the offseason when he resides in California. He would certainly be one. (Laremy) Tunsil would be one. Tunsil and ‘Bush’ (Jermon Bushrod) would be guys that haven’t played that position. They could’ve been resistant, and they could’ve built in some excuses, and said ‘you know what, it’s not my position, it’s not this,’ but they just chug along, and they played hard. They started at those two guards for most of the season. Those two guys have been extremely unselfish and playing positions that they don’t usually play. Tunsil, and then all of a sudden we’re sliding him out to left tackle in the middle of the year. I think those two guys have been extremely unselfish. I love how Damien Williams plays the game. He’s a guy who makes a ton of big plays. This whole unit, we haven’t had any of the whining, ‘I’m not getting this, I’m not getting that.’ I’ve really been impressed with this football team, I think that’s been our strength as we’ve gone on this little mini run, if you will. The guys … You haven’t had that; you haven’t had that. That’s rare in this league. It’s rare in a big-market city. It’s rare on a team that hasn’t had a huge amount of success and some of those things. I think that’s really been a strength. That’s probably what I’ve been the most proud of being a part of is that these guys just keep coming, and keep going. Our theme this week was just keep your head down. They haven’t talked about this or that, that’s out in the future or somewhere. They’re just taking one game at a time, and nameless, faceless opponent, and just kept playing. Those would be a couple of individuals that I think have been really good. I’ve been impressed with Jay Ajayi. All of a sudden you have those 200-yard games and they could be a curse because you get frustrated, and then you’re mad and this, and that. Then all of a sudden you lose ‘Pounce,’ (Mike Pouncey) in the middle of the thing. He just keeps banging up in there. That’s rare that you don’t see a guy get too off-track trying to make too much happen, or get frustrated and lash out at somebody. All of those things would be … I think Ryan (Tannehill) this week. Ryan was exemplary. There he is in a cast; he’s on the sideline risking getting run over, over there. He didn’t have to do that. He could’ve sat in the box, in the comfort up there. He goes out there in the cold because he’s out there with his buddies. In every single meeting, I don’t think he missed a meeting. He’s contributing, he’s got his notebook out. A lot of these guys you see after they get hurt, they disappear. They’re not in the building. ‘Why would I come over here? Why am I here all night helping QB Matt get ready when I could be at home with my new baby, and my wife? I’m not going to play this week anyway.’ Ryan would be another great example of that. I’ve always been impressed with (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase’s humility – the sacrifices he makes. He works a ton of hours. It’s tough both calling the game and being the head football coach, and it’s his first year doing it. He’s made a tremendous amount of sacrifices family-wise. I think there are a lot of guys who have gone above and beyond. The whole unit – that I can speak for – has done that. You guys have covered a lot of NFL football. It’s not easy to keep things at peace. It’s a full-time job, right? You guys try to make sure that doesn’t happen too often. You don’t like those long periods of peace. (laughter) You guys are afraid you’ll get fired if it’s too peaceful in there or something. No, I was just kidding. (laughter) But the truth of the matter is that it is hard to keep it peaceful. The teams that do, you’ve got a chance to go past the ones that implode. That’s what we’ve sold to our team. If we just stay together … I’ve told you guys all along. Those first five games, our sideline wasn’t healthy. It wasn’t right. It didn’t feel like a winning sideline. Since then, we kind of just sold all along that, ‘Hey, if we just stay together.’ This league is kind of funny that way. Everyone has injuries, everyone … But if you just stay together, you’ve got a chance to just, at the end emerge and have done something pretty darn special. It’s hard. It’s not easy; it’s not easy. We say that to the players. ‘I understand it’s not easy being DeVante (Parker).’ You want to have a 1,500-yard (season), and maybe you’re behind the numbers you want. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to just keep working and keep improving. It’s hard. Their bodies feel bad. All those things go into it. So it’s a long answer to a short question, but I really do think that there have been a lot of individual sacrifices. There has been a great, great chemistry that way. I think we’ve all seen it, that the sideline feels different if we get behind, if things aren’t going well. We started off slow a couple of games, where the defense had to keep us in this thing. It’s not like everything has just gone smoothly. Guys just keep plugging, the sideline feels 100 … Like a winning sideline. ‘If we just hang tough, someone is going to make a play and we’ll get back into this thing and we’ll find a way to win it down the stretch.’ The blocked punt this week. That’s been really cool. It’s fun to be a part of. That’s the kick I get out of coaching. That’s great stuff. That’s why this is the best of the team sports, of them all. That’s why I love what I do. It is a team sport. It really does, as I tell you every week, change all the time. It’s a challenge to keep this thing rolling and keep everyone together. That doesn’t happen just by accident.”
(You mentioned QB T.J Yates, where are you guys at right now? How much does he know after being here only a week and a half?) – “Yes, he’s worked hard. He’s a sharp, sharp kid. He’s played football. He’s played a bunch of football. You don’t know, because we haven’t been able to give him a quiz. You don’t know until you throw him in there. But I was really thankful that we’ve got now a full week with him again. Every week is a good deposit in this thing. I think he’s … We obviously think he can function; but probably if he had to play three quarters of last week, we would’ve all been holding on … and nervous. Each week that goes by now, there will be more of a comfort level. The hard thing for us is with him is you can’t take Matt’s (Moore) reps, because Matt needs those reps to get him ready. It’s not like if it was Ryan (Tannehill) and he’s got five years and you’re in the system for five years and he doesn’t need all the reps. Matt needs all the reps, so it’s hard to slip (Yates) a rep or two, here or there. He’s just getting it mentally. I think he’s further ahead than he was last week. Hopefully we won’t need him for … Hopefully we won’t need him at all. He’ll keep preparing and each week we’ll have a little bigger menu. We had a small menu for him if he had to go in there. (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase had kind of a separate call sheet, or a highlighted call sheet, that had what he felt comfortable doing. You find a lot of concepts that they know, that they’ve done a bunch of times, even though it wasn’t here. If it’s flat-curl, he knows how to throw a flat-curl, he’s comfortable with it. You may call it Charlie where it used to be Clyde. It’s a different name, but it’s the same concept, so they know those kinds of things. You just kind of find those comfort levels, and I think we can function, but it wouldn’t be ideal. Especially at the line of scrimmage, and getting those calls – communicating with the center – those are the things you can’t simulate. Who’s the center going to be? We can’t get a bunch or reps with (Kraig) Urbik right now. It’s just impossible because Matt needs the reps with Urbik. We switched centers last week, so there are a lot of dynamics there. So we just keep getting him as far as we can and then we’ll all find out at the same time how far he’s come when … if and when he has to go into one of these football games. I actually thought at the end of last week about mentioning it to Coach Gase. ‘Hey, do you want to stick him in, and try to get him a few snaps and just see.’ It didn’t feel right between road (and) weather. We all know how quick these games can turn, and frankly Matt needed some reps. (He) needed every rep we could bank. We’ll see, we’ll see. He’s done a good job. He’s a sharp kid; he’s a veteran kid. They pick it up a lot faster than you think. That’s one thing that surprised me. I think a lot of the teams do a lot of the same concepts but everyone calls them by a different name. They pick it up faster. I’m always shocked how fast you can pick up a guard and he can just go in and start playing. They may call a combination block a tag, and the next one calls it a B, and the next one calls it a babe. Everyone calls them different, but they are still a combination. A guard knows how to combination with a tackle and with a center, and pass block his guy. They get further along quicker than what your perception would be, and what I’ve expected. I’m shocked how fast they pick it up, and they’re pros. They’ve done it for a living. They’re pros, and it’s amazing how fast they do pick it up.”
Darren Rizzi – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(You obviously made the case for S Michael Thomas for Pro Bowl. Was he named as an alternate at all?) — “I don’t know that yet, actually. I haven’t seen the alternates. It’s unfortunate. Certainly, the guy that made it is a great player, but I certainly think Mike was deserving. Statistically, it would certainly tell you that, but I think more than the statistics, just what he does. I’ve said that multiple times. I’m disappointed for him more than anything, not me. (I am) disappointed for him, because I thought he was certainly worthy. I’ll see when the alternates come out if he’s even close, but I’m sure he’s somewhere in the mix, because he certainly has, I think, garnered the attention from the players and the coaches throughout the league. We’ll see what happens. It is what it is. I think Matt Slater is a guy that, again, is deserving; but I think it’s a little bit one of those situations where it’s like the baseball All-Star Game every year. Some of those guys that are name guys, recognition guys, are just going to get the votes. Again, not that Matt Slater is not deserving – don’t get me wrong – but sometimes, again, he’s the guy that has been the perennial guy, so I think sometimes when guys are looking at it, he’s going to get the vote.”
(How has S Walt Aikens grown in terms of the impact that he’s able make throughout his career?) – “Walt has really, in the last three years, made a marked improvement, I think, from his rookie season from a guy that was really just a raw talent to a guy that now really understands the ins and outs of special teams play. I think sometimes you come in and you think it is talent alone that’s going to get you where you need to get to. I think there are a lot of times those guys get humbled a little bit. I think Walt has been … He has kind of ridden the wave of the roller coaster a little bit. He has had some highs and lows, but I think right now – this last month of football that he has played – he has played his best football that he has played. He had a little bit of a lull there in the middle of the season where he wanted to play better than he was playing, but I think he gets kind of stuck with his plan – his weekly plan – in preparing himself. But you see what an impact he can make when he’s on top of his game and really in all phases. You mentioned last week about the punting down inside the 5, blocking a punt, kick coverage, kickoff return blocking, field goal block stuff. The thing about Walt is there are many different things he can do. He’s really a weapon out there. I think what you’re starting to see – and I’ve mentioned this before – is teams are starting to take note of where he lines up for us. So, we continue to keep him moving around, keep teams off balance. There’s only so much you can do. But I’m really, really proud of Walt. Again, here’s a guy that has come a long way. He’s a student of the game. I walk into the special teams meeting every day (and) where is Walt sitting? Right next to Mike Thomas. He knows where to sit. The good thing is watching those guys in the meetings. Those guys are always talking about things. They’re always communicating with each other, and they’re learning from each other. Listen, Mike will probably be the first guy to tell you he has learned from Walt as well. It’s a comforting feeling when I walk in and see those guys on the edge of their seats sitting next to each other ready to go. Hopefully, he continues to play at a high level, and like I said, I’m really happy for him, really proud of him.”
(S Walt Aikens got the block and the score. A special teams coach that I was around – Bill Stewart – he taught guys to fall on the ball, don’t try to scoop it up and score. What’s your train of thought on that when a guy is out in the open that way?) – “It’s a great question, because we actually teach our guys in different areas of the field. I think there are times when you want to scoop and score and times where you don’t. General rule of thumb: if we block a kick that’s behind the line of scrimmage, we’re rolling, we’re going, scoop and score. It’s fourth down anyway in most situations. There could be some end-of-the-game stuff where it’s not, but fourth down, behind the line of scrimmage, we want to go. If we block when it goes over the line, most of the time it’s going to be we’re in either a ‘poison’ or a ‘peter’ call, get away. Now, I will say this, there’s an added dimension of this extra point. It has added a new dimension to it because the play is going to be over. If we block it and it goes over the line on a PAT, now you’re seeing teams that are going to go scoop and score where on a field goal block, you’re going to let it go. It’s two totally different plays, because you run it back for 2 (points). That has been a new dimension that we’ve had to coach up these last couple of years. If we block a field goal (and) it goes over 10 yards over the line, we don’t want to return it. If you block a PAT (and it) goes 10 yards over the line, you’re going to find most coaches want to return. The risk-reward there is you get 2 points. There are some fine lines there. And then I’ve had many, many instances in my coaching career where you block one, and it’s hovering around. Is it over the line? Is it not over the line? In the heat of the battle it’s not really easy to tell, so what we tell our guys if there’s any indecision at all, we’re going to scoop and score. How many times have we all seen the ball on the ground, the guy goes in there to get it, and he misses it? I think Walt did a great job. We say, ‘Be quick, don’t hurry.’ It’s a John Wooden-ism, if you will. Be quick, don’t hurry. Surround the ball. Knuckles on the ground. He executed it exactly the way we work on. We do those things in OTAs and training camp where we actually have scoop drills and things like that. It’s a rarity to see a guy block it, scoop it and then score. It was a great play, great individual effort.”
(You’ve been here through four or five head coaches now and some lean times. Now that you’re here at 9-5, controlling your own destiny, do you look back at some of the sacrifices you and others have made to this point?) – “Every season is a new … As a football coach, every season is a new chapter. You turn the page. I’ve been fortunate to be here now eight seasons. I think the one thing about this particular season – and Coach Gase mentioned to the team yesterday – it was kind of a different vibe around the building I think. We really have a fantastic chemistry right now with the coaching staff and the players. I think there’s a really positive energy going around. I think even when we were 1-4, the thing that I was most impressed with – in my 24 years of coaching between college and the NFL – is that guys came in here every day with a great attitude. You wouldn’t have known in this building that we were 1-4. I think that goes back to (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase, and I think he has really developed a great attitude around here with the work ethic, the one-week-at-a-time philosophy. Our guys have really bought into that. At 1-4 where maybe the rest of the country thought the wheels were coming off the wagon here, he circled the wagons – if you will – and said, ‘We’re not going to go off of our mentality, because we’re 1-4. We’re going to stick with the same exact things we’ve doing every week,’ and it has paid off. I think the guys have really bought in. He’s an excellent communicator with the players. They feel like they can talk to him about absolutely anything. Again, I don’t want to really compare it to years in the past, but I think the sacrifices our guys have made this year is there was a complete buy in from the day that Adam walked in the door. I think there was a belief when he got the job with the coaching staff. I think there was a belief with the players. He’s a very energetic, positive person, and I think that has trickled its way through the locker room. It has been nice to see. It really has been.”
(Can you think of a player that has subjugated his role or took less money to get to this point, at least in special teams?) – “I’m kind of thinking through the whole roster, but even a guy like Cam (Wake) who just made the Pro Bowl, right? At the beginning of the season, Cam Wake took on a different role and has really done whatever we’ve asked him to do. If a guy like Cam Wake is doing it and the other guys see it … Here’s a guy that’s 34 years old, was injured last year, has been in Pro Bowls and all of a sudden, he’s back playing at a high level. If the rest of the building … If the rookies are coming in and they’re seeing a guy like that not afraid to maybe take a lesser role or do a different job, that really, to me, helps the entire football team. I think he’s a great example. It’s just the one that pops into my head right now; but really anything we’ve asked anybody to do here, there hasn’t been any kickback or anything like that. No one is really trying to buck the system. I think there has been a complete buy in and credit to (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) on that.”
(When S Walt Aikens talking about the block itself, he said one of the things that was in his head was you always teaching them, ‘Don’t expect that you’re going to get blocked. Don’t expect that everyone on the other team is going to actually do their job.’ Why do you stress that? Does it become kind of just a going-through-the-motions situation?) – “First of all, I’m proud of Walt for saying that. He’s right. In my years of experience, what I’ve seen is when you dial up a punt block or a rush, a lot of times you may game plan a particular person that you think might come free, and they protect it completely different. Listen, in the NFL, you have two seconds to get 10 yards. If you’re going to block a punt, the average snap to kick time is two seconds. No. 1: You can’t have any wasted steps. You have to have a great get off, off the ball. So, it’s very hard to block a punt. That’s why you don’t see a lot of them. My point on that is we don’t know how they’re going to protect it, so if you’re part of the rush, in your mind, you have to have the mentality that, ‘I’m the guy that’s going to come free every single time.’ If they don’t, what I’ve seen is a lot of times a guy comes off the ball a little bit slow and then he’s surprised that he’s not blocked and then he tries to accelerate, and it’s too late. That’s why a lot of times you see those just misses where the whole crowd goes, ‘Ohhh,’ and the guy just misses the block. How many times have we seen that? Hundreds of times. Usually in those situations, the guy comes off the ball, and he’s a little bit surprised that he didn’t get blocked but then he tries to accelerate, and you don’t have enough time. You have two seconds. From that snap to that … Your alignment to that block point, you have to be really exact in your technique, and I think that’s what Walt was saying. That’s something we try to drum home with the players: if you’re part of the rush you don’t have much time to get there. That’s really where he’s coming from with that.”
(What went into the LB Trevor Reilly for LB Zach Vigil swap?) – “Obviously, I’m not the personnel guy. I can talk about Trevor Reilly a little bit. Trevor Reilly played against (us). It’s funny, him and I were talking today that he has actually played now for every AFC East head coach. He’s an AFC East guy. He was with the Jets with Rex (Ryan) and Todd Bowles. He was, obviously, up in New England and now here. Playing against him, I can tell you this, we were pretty impressed with him. I was impressed with him as a special teams player last year. He played very well against us. I know he was cut at the end of training camp. I think he had an injury. We brought him in maybe a couple of months ago, tried to see where he was at workout-wise. (He) wasn’t 100 percent healthy, yet. I think it was a situation where we felt like he could help us (and) help the cause here down the stretch. Again, I’m not the decision-maker on who he comes in for, but Trevor Reilly, in particular, I think can help us on special teams, because he has played well, particularly in this division.”
(LB Trevor Reilly will probably play this week on special teams?) – “We’re trying to get him ready. Again, we’ll see what the decision is at the end of the day, but just like every guy – I’ve said that before – (we are) trying to get him ready to go. The good thing for us is he has played multiple spots, and he’s a very intelligent player. Meeting with him here the last couple of days, he has got a high football IQ, so that certainly will help him. (He is a) big, physical guy. (He) hasn’t played in any games since last year. Obviously, he was in training camp with the Jets and the practice squad with the Patriots, so I certainly know he has been well coached. Like I said, playing against him I’ve always been impressed by him being on the other side, so I’m glad he’s in our uniform.”
