William Hayes – August 29, 2017
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Tuesday, August 29, 2017
DE William Hayes
(Can you talk about this d-line and how you compare it to some of the ones you’ve played on previously?) – “It’s probably one of the most talented groups that I’ve been with. We’ve just got to continue to work and work and work so we can become one of the best to play this game. You’ve got all the pieces. It can be scary if we all start hitting on the same page.”
(What do you think of DT Ndamukong Suh’s kicking skills out there?) – “Pretty impressive. I think he told me he used to play soccer when he was younger. Nothing doesn’t surprise me (about) what you can do when you’re that big of a freak.”
(You play with one of the best DTs in the league in Aaron Donald with the Rams, and now you’re coming to another one with DT Ndamukong Suh. Obviously, their body type is different. What do they have in common?) – “Both of them (are) nasty. They both play with an edge. They’re both trying to prove themselves every year, year in and year out. That’s what makes them so special.”
(It was a pretty spirited practice. You can tell it’s getting close to regular season.) – “Oh, yes. The intensity continues to still pick up and there has been more attention to detail of late, so I’m excited (about) the direction we’re going in.”
(When you’ve been going against that offense for so long, it’s going to get like that. That’s what you want.) – “Both sides understand the better we’re going to get, the better our teammates are going to make us. Every day, we just continually try to push each other and strive to be better football players.”
(I want to ask you how good you are with your hands in the passing game. We saw you tip that pass. You tipped the one DT Jordan Phillips intercepted last week, right? I thought your hands were right there on LB Lawrence Timmons’ interception. Talk about that aspect of your game. How important is it? Do you pay much attention to it?) – “If you’re getting blocked and you can’t get off the line, you might as well go ahead and throw your hand up. I’m just real big on trying to do all I can. I figured I wasn’t going to get to the quarterback, so I try to be an extra pass defender and get my hands up and try to knock the ball down.”
(Has that worked well for you throughout your career?) – “I just think it helps on the back end taking away a throwing lane. That’s just something I’ve always been … That’s something I’ve always done. I figure if you’re not going to get to the quarterback and the ball comes out fast, get your hands up.”
(Do you have any idea how many passes you’ve tipped?) – “No.”
(How have you seen DT Jordan Phillips respond to being moved to second team?) – “I think it was good. It feel it made him compete a little harder and he had to earn his spot back. That’s what this league is about. Every day, it’s a ‘prove yourself’ business. Since then, he has been coming out, he’s a totally different football player. (He is) working a lot harder and just grinding, and I can appreciate that.”
(Defensive end is obviously, if not the deepest, one of the deepest positions you guys have here. Have they communicated to you how your role will be, how much they’ll be using you, when they’ll be using you – things like that?) – “No, not really. Whenever they tell me to go in the game, I’m just going to try and go in there and make a play. Just try to help with the run, pass – whatever they need me to do.”
(With the Rams last year, were you on the field half the snaps, two thirds of the snaps? How would you say that broke down?) – “I was a starter last year, so I played a series and the guy behind me came in and played a series.”
(You expect the same thing to happen here?) – “We’ve got Cam Wake here. (laughter) I can assure you I’ll be on the sideline (on) third down cheering, and I don’t have a problem doing it. (laughter)”
(What makes Head Coach Adam Gase such a cool coach or player’s coach?) – “He’s relatable. He wants the same thing we want. Everybody wants to win. He has a good spirit about him. He’s a player’s coach, but he’s also a discipline coach. He’s not taking that from nobody. That’s what separates him from really any other coach I’ve had where he has been really, really, really structured, like really structured. At the end of the day, he lets us do what we want to do. He lets us play the game we want to play. He doesn’t have but so many rules.”
(In the process though, Head Coach Adam Gase likes to talk a lot of smack, too.) – “Oh, yes. He’s a competitor. That’s what you’ve got to appreciate about him.”
(Do you feel like you’ve taken a mentorship role with the young guys on the line? Is that something you enjoy?) – “Yes. I’m not trying to hold back no secrets. Anything I know, I try to give it to them. When I first got to the league, I had Jevon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch. They took me under their wing, so I plan on doing the same thing. (If I’m) holding back a secret (it) isn’t going to help us get better as a unit. If anything, I can tell a guy that can help him out. I’ll give him all the advice I possibly can.”
(Were you there in Tennessee when Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke was there?) – “Yes, I was there with Matt Burke. I think back then he was a quality control coach. He has come a long way since then, hasn’t he? (laughter) He’s a special coach, too.”
(How has Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke changed over the years if at all?) – “He has got more control now for one. (laughter) He’s calling the shots on the defense. He’s a smart coach. He’s really (paying) attention to detail. The little things to him matter. That’s what’s going to make him so special.”
(What do you think of Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke’s exotic offseason travels?) – “He’s a little bit on that extreme side for me. I wouldn’t do none of the stuff he’s doing. (laughter)”
(Extreme side for you?) – “Extreme, yes. Definitely on the extreme side.”
(You’re a little on the extreme side, too.) – “My thinking is but not like my actions. I’m not diving in the water looking for nothing.”
(Where does Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke’s extreme side come from do you think?) – “I don’t know. He’s just passionate about trying to push yourself to the limits. That’s what you can appreciate about him. You know every week he’s going to give you his best game plan. He’s going to give you his best foot forward. That’s what I appreciate about him.”
Adam Gase – August 29, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On LB Rey Maualuga) – “Today, we didn’t do any reps in practice. We’re just trying to slowly get him going in individual. We’ve got a workout plan for him. He’s been doing a lot of work with (Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Dave) Puloka. We’ll see how he feels tonight and tomorrow and then if we can get him some reps (against Minnesota), that would be great.”
(How confident are you about depth at linebacker to make it through Thursday’s game against Minnesota?) – “We’ll be fine. We’ve got a good plan as far as if we lost anybody, what we’re going to do. We have some other options that we’re looking at with what we’re going to run scheme-wise, so I don’t see any problems.”
(Is CB Alterraun Verner or CB Byron Maxwell going to play on Thursday?) – “We’ll make those decisions tonight. We’ve got a good idea of what we want to do, but we’ll wait. We haven’t really told (the players) yet.”
(QB Jay Cutler obviously threw a lot of deep balls for you in 2015 with the Bears, but is this the best you’ve seen him or as good as you’ve seen him consistently connect on vertical throws?) – “That’s hard for me to say. We had some good practices (in Chicago); same thing here. In practice, when we can hook up like we did today, that’s always good. We’re just going to keep moving the ball around and get in some more situational work, so it kind of called for that; but I see all our guys being used at all different levels.”
(QB Jay Cutler’s got obviously a great arm for deep throws but his touch as a deep thrower, good from your perspective?) – “Yes. The more experience you get, the better you’re going to get at those types of things, where I think early in his career was more about that firmer ball down the field, more on a line, and now he knows what type of ball to throw. So he’s gotten really good at it and he’s had a lot of experiences with some bigger guys that he’s been able to make more of the touch throws down the field (with).”
(RB Senorise Perry looked like he was having a pretty good camp until the knee injury and now the cuts are coming. How big of a hindrance is that for you or how tough a decision for you?) – “We’re going to look at the whole body of work. He did do a lot of good things early (in camp) and I feel bad for him, because he wants to be out there. We’ll see how everything plays out. He’s done well and we’ll see how everything comes out numbers-wise.”
(What’s the number one thing you’ll be looking for Thursday?) – “Really, it’s going to be more about can we execute a little better than we have been, especially with those backup guys. We’ve had a lot of busts and not quite being in the right spot and not doing our job consistently. I know these guys will play fast. I know they’re going to play hard. We just need to execute a little better.”
(How many spots would you estimate are still to be determined, and are possibly going to be won on Thursday?) – “That’s hard for me to say. We’ll get together on this over the next few days and start talking the beginning stages of what our numbers are and where we have to make decisions. We wanted to make sure we gave a full four games to do our evaluation and we have plenty of time afterwards.”
(What is your approach on being a players’ coach? How much pride do you take in that?) – “I don’t really know what that means. Our guys know that I’ve got an open door policy. They know that if they’ve got something to bring to me that I’m never going to turn them away, so if that means you’re a players’ coach, that’s just how I was raised in this profession with a lot of the guys that I worked for and a lot of the mentors I had. I felt like it was a good way for me to go about business as a head coach because the guys that I learned under, that’s kind of how they were.”
(Your thinking on giving DT Ndamukong Suh three kicks today and is he your kicker if K Andrew Franks is injured in a game?) – “(laughter) I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
(Well I know that DT Jordan Phillips said today DT Ndamukong Suh’s likely our No. 2 kicker. Is that safe to go with?) – “Yes, I mean I don’t think we have another choice. (laughter)”
(What kind of camp is T Laremy Tunsil having?) – “It’s been good in practice. I know he was really frustrated last week. It’s rare for him to get beat in a game. He’s finally back at a position that he loves playing. When you have a guy that athletic and who has the ability to have … His awareness is really good. I felt like he had a good camp. I just want him to keep getting better and keep getting comfortable with Jay (Cutler) back there. It’s different. Guys move differently.”
Jarvis Landry – August 29, 2017
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Tuesday, August 29, 2017
WR Jarvis Landry
(Let’s start from the stop. Head Coach Adam Gase said he talked to you about the trade rumor or the trade story. Did you appreciate Adam talking to you and did you listen to that rumor or pay attention to it?) – “It came across and a few people sent it to me, but Coach Gase did an amazing job. He called me in and he just talked to me, explained to me the situation and everything that’s going on and that that’s false, and that’s all I really needed to hear from him. We’ve been working ever since.”
(Do you think that they ever put a test balloon out there and floated your name or does that even matter to you?) – “No, it doesn’t. I mean, if they did, I don’t know about it and that’s not something that I can control. All I can control is what I do out here on the field and I’ll leave the rest up to that.”
(Are you at peace with not getting a contract offer for beyond this year if that’s the way it plays out by September 10th? Are you at peace with that?) – “Yes. I mean I still speak on it like I said earlier in OTAs. One of the reasons why I showed up to OTAs was because I know that I’m the leader of this team and for me to get this team to where we need to be, I have to be here. That’s what it took and like I said again, I’m good.”
(Some would say you’re taking a big risk of not trying to push for a new contract and getting more money while you’re still healthy.) – “This is the game I love. Obviously that’s something that comes with it; but at the same time, I’m not going to rush guys’ timing. Whenever it happens, it happens for me, and that’s what I believe in, that’s what I have faith in and that’s what I have trust in. I’ll just leave it in God’s hands.”
(You set a September 10th deadline for talks. Does that deadline stand?) – “Yes, sir.”
(So once the season starts it’s nothing until the season is over?) – “Yes, sir.”
(Just as the rumors approached and Head Coach Adam Gase approached you about that. what makes Adam that players coach and that cool coach that all the guys respect?) – “Because he understands. He understands pretty much each and every situation and he’s had the opportunity to go through this with Julius (Thomas) in Denver, ‘Bay-Bay’ (Demaryius Thomas), Emmanuel Sanders – a lot of different guys. Obviously (they are) different situations, but he’s just taking it out of himself to come down and talk to me and really clear my head about the whole issue.”
(How much does Head Coach Adam Gase’s age factor into him being a player’s coach and that kind of guy for you guys?) – “It means everything. He can relate to us really well. We’ve got him in there dancing, doing a little bit of everything. That’s fun for us.”
(Can Head Coach Adam Gase dance?) – “Yes. (laughter)”
(What’s any pleasant surprise about QB Jay Cutler, just being around him now for a month?) – “Just his ability to come out here and pick up everything so fast. Again, he’s been in an offense. So for him to come out here and hit DeVante (Parker) on the long ball here in the 2-minute (drill). (He’s) still hooking up with me, myself, Kenny (Stills), Julius (Thomas), just forming that chemistry that we need going into the season. It’s a big shout out to him for that.”
(Do you feel you have a good chemistry with QB Jay Cutler?) – “Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Me personally? Or the team?”
(You personally?) – “Absolutely. Absolutely.”
(Do you think QB Jay Cutler favors WR DeVante Parker?) – “What do you mean?”
(As far WR DeVante Parker as a target? Does QB Jay Cutler like going to DeVante deep more than the other receivers?) – “Honestly, for us, that’s what DeVante is here to do. That’s what Kenny Stills is here to do. And that’s what any guy put in a position with the matchup is here to do. It’s to make plays, regardless if it’s down the field, underneath, a screen. We all find our roles and we buy into it and that’s what’s going to make this team better. It’s not about the targets or who gets them and where they get them. It’s about making the plays when they come to you.”
Adam Gase – August 28, 2017
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Monday, August 28, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What do you hope this year’s team can learn from last year’s 1-4 start?) – “Well, I think that’s something we’ve been really trying to focus on during training camp is start better, just overall in practice. That’s really where it starts for us is do a good job of coming out ready to go, right out the gate and that’s what we’re hoping that transfers over to games early in the season. In the beginning of the year, with one (preseason) game left, it’s hard for us to really focus on anything except what we’ve got going on Thursday. Then once we get past that game, we’ve still got time before that first game. So we’re just going to keep trying to fight to get better and just put ourselves in the best position possible.”
(I know guys are tired of training camp already. What about you as a coach? Are you ready for training camp to be over as well to get the real…?) – “I think it’s a fine line as a coach because you’re always trying to figure out a way to just keep improving and you never want to rush through anything. You want as much time as possible because you feel like you have so little as it is. For me to think let’s hurry up and get to regular season, I’m always … I’m good with keep practicing, keep trying to find ways to get better.”
(How much do you think things will change in terms of sharpness when you start game planning?) – “I think once you kind of hone in what you’re doing, because of training camp, you really have a better idea of what everybody’s going to be able to do and what we’re really looking to do. Then once you get into games, you’re hoping that it gets sharper. You have less guys to work with. You have less things to correct a lot of the time, especially when you’re able to keep your core group together from one year to the next. Hopefully we’ll just keep getting better at what we’re doing and I think right now, we’re trending in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep working on it every day.”
(There was a story/rumor about WR Jarvis Landry possibly being traded. Did you talk to Jarvis specifically about that and do you typically talk to players about that?) – “I did talk to him. I told him there’s no chance he’s being traded and if something that’s not true comes out like that and I’m informed of it, I’m going to approach the player and tell him what really is the story.”
(Was WR Jarvis Landry relieved or did you get the idea that he had been listening to that?) – “I don’t know if he was listening to anything. I just let him know, I was like, ‘There’s no chance that we’re going to trade you.’”
(Your defensive end group, it seems very deep, very talented. What is your assessment of them so far?) – “On paper right now, we look deep. I don’t think any of us will question the talent level there. It’s just once you get going, it’s about how healthy can you stay and how productive we can be down after down. That’s really … You’re kind of at the mercy of the season. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. So right now, it looks good. It’s just we’ve just got to keep working, stay strong all year and keep those guys healthy.”
(On DE Charles Harris, how you and Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke have assessed his first three preseason games?) – “Well, there was a lot of pressures. He was close quite a few times. I think I’ve brought this up before, I really don’t look at the sacks. I look at the quarterback destruction, and he’s been very disruptive. That’s really what we’re looking for. I remember when playing Oakland early in (Khalil) Mack’s career, that first year everybody kept talking about how he didn’t have any sacks and when you’re a coach and you’re watching tape, you’re going we don’t want to be the team that gets this guy rolling because he was close so many times. You know it’s just … that’s how it is. It’s one of those things where everybody wants to look at one stat; but as long as you’re forcing the quarterback to get the ball out quick and he can’t go through progressions because he can feel you, that’s really what you’re looking for.”
(Is there room for opportunity for DE Charles Harris as far as his ability setting the edge in the run game?) – “I think he’s doing a good job with what we’re asking him do. There’s going to be some times where it’s the first time he’s seen a couple of these schemes. We saw some good looks last week. Philly did some really good scheme runs on us that our guys haven’t really had the opportunity to see because of what we do in the running game, and that was a great, great experience for us because they got to see a lot of stuff. There’s a lot of things they did in practice that they didn’t show in the game that we got to see.”
(With the running back position, you’ve got three that are pretty good, but do you feel like you have enough depth there to consider keeping a fourth?) – “Yes, we’ll see how this all plays out. We absolutely are considering all options right now, whether it’s someone that’s already here or somebody that becomes available. I feel like we did get a little lucky last year by having three guys for the entire year that pretty much stayed healthy. We’re going to keep looking at that, we’re going to see how our roster shakes out, see what the health of everybody is after this game, and then we’ll make some decisions after that.”
(Looking ahead, do you have a sense of how Saturday, roster cut down day, is going to be? Is it going to be more complicated for you guys to fill holes, will there be more competition for players you’ve got to call them first?) – “It’s hard to predict anything because you may think you know what’s going on with other teams but you really don’t. You haven’t watched them practice. Some teams will keep guys you wouldn’t think they would keep, but they’ve seen them practice so much. They might not necessarily just say, ‘Hey, the 50 plays they got in the preseason is just a small part of the evaluation.’ For us, it’s always a challenge because we have a lot of guys that we like and we feel like we’re probably going to have to let go of some really good players this year.”
(Can you give us an update on QB Ryan Tannehill’s surgery?) – “You’re really putting me on the spot there, huh? (laughs) He’s still in those early stages, rehabbing. He’ll be back at some point, so I’m sure you guys will see him around. It’s probably still going to be a little time before he gets back around really to building and stuff. In my conversations with him, mostly through text just checking on him – I don’t want bug him too much. I know he gets tired of talking about it. I know he’s grinding already. It’s amazing how fast guys start rehabbing after having surgery.”
(Did you get the sense that it went as well as could be expected or hoped for?) – “Yes, I mean every time someone has surgery, the first thing everybody says is, ‘It went well.’ (laughter)”
(What’s your evaluation of this offensive line heading into the season?) – “We’ve improved. We felt like we had our plan pretty well drawn out, and then Ted (Larsen) goes down and then we had to shift some pieces around and give some other guys some opportunities. We’ll see how it shakes out. We’ve got to get through this game, kind of still do our evaluation here after this game and figure out who’s the right guy for us and are we going to use more than one guy. We’re still working through all of that. We’ve seen a lot of good. We’ve seen some things that we’d like to fix. So, it’s a work in progress right now. I feel good at a lot of spots, but we just want to make sure that we try to tighten it up here over the next 10 days.”
(A couple of injured guys, LB Neville Hewitt and WR Rashawn Scott. Do you have an update on either of them?) – “(With) Neville, we’re still working through some things. We’ll have some good days and then we’ll have a day where it might be a little bit of a setback, so we’re still plugging along with that. Rashawn’s working to just try to get back as fast as possible. It’s good to see him kind of start moving around again. That was a tough one for him to go through. He was a guy that always seemed to spark the rest of the group. He works so hard, doesn’t say much, and I felt bad for him that he didn’t have a chance to compete in training camp; but he’s a guy that we really trust and we feel like he does a lot of good things.”
(The PUP List is a tool you guys can use for WR Rashawn Scott?) – “Yes, absolutely. We’ll see how it shakes out.”
(With C Mike Pouncey, you were saying last week you had him doing four snaps per period, and you guys have had him on and off. Have you settled into the template of what you want to do this season with him?) – “Yes, we have a good idea. We want to see how he feels after today. We’ve been pretty consistent on what we’ve been doing. We’re going to see our practice schedule, when we finalize that, as far as what we’re going to do that first week. How that week goes is just going to be somewhat experimental for us; but we have a good idea of what we want to do and he’s on board with it. Now it’s just going to be how do we feel week after week? Do we need to make an adjustment? So we’re going to be very flexible with this. Really it’s going to be communication with him to see how he feels, and then, like I said, every week could be different.”
(This week, do you have guys that normally because of status or whatever would not play Thursday but you might want them to play Thursday because of continuity? For example, QB Jay Cutler got here a week or two late.) – “Yes, we’re going to talk about that here in the next day and a half. We have a decent idea of what we want to do but there are a couple of things we’re still discussing.”
(With the offensive line, you just mentioned the possibility of using two players at left guard. How deep have you considered that and what are you looking for from a starting left guard?) – “Well, it’s just when you go into the season and you’re not 100 percent sure who has won that job, you sometimes have to go through the season and figure out what’s best for you. Sometimes you might get in a game and somebody might be playing really well and you just roll with it. That’s what you’re always trying to do is figure out what’s the best fit for that game. It’s no different than when you look at personnel groupings, scheme, all of those types of things to figure out what’s the best fit to win that game. Last week, we moved some pieces around in the middle of a series with the ones by starting with Anthony (Steen) and then once Mike (Pouncey) went out, we put (Jake) Brendel in there and then Jesse (Davis) goes in there. It was good for us because we had a different lineup in there with that same group with the quarterback and the backs and with Jay (Cutler) and the receivers so just kind of moving those pieces around, that’s how it could happen in a real game. All of a sudden somebody goes down and we have to pop somebody back in there and re-shuffle some things around. It’s good for us to keep doing that and experimenting with that in practice and then if we can kind of get settled down in a game, that’s ideal. It would be nice if we could go with the same five guys all year long. It’s just a tough position to do.”
(You mentioned how you’re going day to day with DT Jordan Phillips and DT Davon Godchaux. Is it fair to say that based on the last few days, or a couple days, Phillips has had a better…?) – “I don’t know. Who’s out there first? We’ll just keep getting them reps with the ones and the twos. You keep shuffling those guys around. The biggest thing is those guys getting reps, playing each play as well as they can, as hard as they can, doing their assignment. They’re all going to play. We just want whoever is in there with (Ndamukong) Suh to get those guys as comfortable as possible to where they can work well together. It’s the same thing with the d-ends and the d-tackles. That’s all we’re trying to do. We just know we’re going to play more than one guy. I like the fact that those guys are competing as hard as they are and they’ve got their little battle going on, but at the end of the day it’s only making all of us better. That’s really what we’re looking to do.”
(With G/T Jermon Bushrod, pardon me if I’m wrong but I don’t think he’s missed a day of practice this camp.) – “Why do you have to bring that up? (laughter)”
(He’s 30-something…) – “(laughter) I know. I’ve got you. He’s done a good job. He does a good job of taking care of his body. He’s grinding it out. There have been a couple of times where we wanted to give him a day off and we just had so many injuries. I think one time we were down to like eight linemen for a training camp practice. He’s done everything he’s had to do to keep helping us out. Every once in a while we’d like to take care of him and give him a day off and it just hasn’t worked out. He’s done a good job on the days that we haven’t been practicing, he’s taking care of his body. He makes sure that he does every little thing right to help him stay on the field.”
(What is it about DT Davon Godchaux’s skill set and the things that he brings to the table – his attributes. What is it that allows him to…) – “I mean he’s powerful, explosive. He’s a violent interior player. That’s what you’re looking for. He’s done a good job of knowing what to do. When you’re a young player, you can kind of visualize what’s going on and you can talk about it and then execute it on the field. That’s what you’re looking for from all of your young players. The faster they can do that, the better it is.”
(You mentioned that you told WR Jarvis Landry there was no way he was being traded. Do you mind talking about for a minute why he is such a valuable piece to this team and to this offense?) – “He’s one of the guys that brings fire to the offense. All it takes is one play from him and it can ignite a lot of different guys. When he kind of gets in that rhythm where he’s getting targets and making plays that might be 3- or 4-yard gains for most people and he turns them into 15-20 yard gains, the way he does it, it’s so physical. It’s like real football plays. It’s not normal wide receiver plays. When he gets the ball in his hands, it’s like a running back. He really had incredible vision. He can kind of do some things that most guys can’t. You try to get him the ball as much as you can but the other team knows that we’re trying to get him the ball. They’re going to try to take him away and you have to get creative sometimes and try to figure out ways to get him the ball.”
(One other guard question. The body of work so far through camp of T Jesse Davis and C/G Anthony Steen. Is there much gap or do you think very comparable in what they’ve put on tape?) – “I think they’ve both shown some things that we really like. They’re still young players. The more experience they get, the better, and the more we can get them out there. The more looks they see, the better it’s going to get.”
(At the risk of the eye roll that I’m used to getting, when did QB Ryan Tannehill have the surgery and what was repaired? Was it two ligaments?) – “I’m not even going to answer it. (laughter)”
(Why is CB Byron Maxwell not playing like he played in the middle of last year?) – “I think we’ve had spurts where he’s played well. We just need him to keep the consistency that we got last year, especially towards the end. He really did a good job of getting hands on the receivers and making it really difficult for him to release and challenged a lot of balls. We just have to keep getting those opportunities, keep practicing hard, keep doing it right, keep doing what’s being asked of when we’re trying to play physical and really challenge the receivers and let out d-line get there. I think just keep that consistency going. If you practice hard and do it right, I think good things usually happen.”
(Is the technique different? Is he being asked to do stuff he wasn’t being asked to do?) – “No, but sometimes when you’re going against different guys, you almost have that one-on-one matchup. There’s a technique being taught and then sometimes you have to prepare for the individual guy too to where there is some movement within the technique that you can do. There are some tough matchups every once in a while. We just want him to keep working and finding ways to get better. Once the season gets here, we’ll have a better idea of where we’re going with our secondary and if we want to play more than just two corners or if we want to just stick with two guys and roll. We’ll just keep fighting through that with us upstairs and figure out what’s best for our defense.”
Davon Godchaux – August 28, 2017
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Monday, August 28, 2017
DT Davon Godchaux
(What’s your take on how you played against Philadelphia?) – “(I’m) just getting better. Each and every rep, I come out and get better, do things that (Defensive Coordinator Matt) Burke wants, (Defensive Line) Coach (Terrell) Williams wants. I just come out each and every game and get better and expand my game.”
(Now that you’re a starter, do you feel like you’re going to play in that fourth exhibition game against Minnesota?) – “I’m just doing whatever the coaches say. If ‘Coach T’ (Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams) wants me to play, I’m going to play. If he doesn’t want me to play, I’m not going to play. It’s whatever he wants. It’s his call.”
(Do you feel like you need the snaps in the fourth preseason game?) – “Yes, definitely, as a rookie. You always do. As any player, you never can get so relaxed. You always want to get that extra experience, that extra play, especially as a rookie. I need those fourth game snaps.”
(Could you have envisioned being a starter right now? Did that cross your mind when you first came into camp or offseason workouts?) – “I just came in and worked. Whatever they needed, a guy to do the dirty work, get off the ball, be physical, that’s my style of play.”
(Where have you become a better player than the college player at LSU over the last 12 months?) – “I would say mature. (I’ve) just matured just being around with the guys, learning from those guys; but the main thing is being mature on and off the field. There’s a lot of free time we have and I have to be mature in those times instead of going off and doing foolish things.”
(We knew you had the pass rush numbers in college. Had you been, you think, undervalued as far as what you can do against the run?) – “I’m just playing. Like I said, whatever they want. If they want me on the pass rush team, it’s whatever the coaches want. I’m going to do it 100 percent.”
(During the first team snaps, how often has it been where you’ve gotten fewer offensive linemen to deal with because of DT Ndamukong Suh’s presence? Has that been a factor yet in preseason?) – “Suh’s a great help. A guy like that is going to get a lot of double teams, so sometimes I get one-on-ones; but mostly double teams too. It’s a great help having a guy like Suh, just learning, getting the calls from him, just things like that.”
(What is it going to be like for you to play in your first NFL game?) – “It’s going to be big. I always dreamed of it. As a little kid growing up, I always wanted to play in the NFL, so it’s going to be big. ”
(Have you surprised even yourself at all? To come in as a fifth-round pick and be a likely starter is improbable. Are you surprised?) – “The main thing, like (Defensive Line) Coach Terrell Williams) says, is being consistent and attack the ball. A lot of people make football hard, but it’s really just one-on-one, just beating your man. If you can beat your man, you can play football.”
(You mentioned beating your man, but one thing that you do very well is getting your hands on the offensive linemen first. Can you speak to the importance of that?) – “That’s something that we do in individual every day with (Ndamukong) Suh, Jordan Phillips, Vincent Taylor. We do that every day in individual; get off the ball, shoot your hands, get the first step. Each and every day, that’s something we do every day, detailed 20 minutes of individual.”
(With DT Ndamukong Suh, how much are you guys like students? I see him always talking to Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams all the time.) – “The guy is amazing. He teaches me a lot. When he talks to Coach Terrell Williams, they talk about things that I’m just sitting over there ear picking and learning each and every day. I try to get in their business, get in their conversations, see what new techniques they’re learning, and things like that.”
(Does it amaze you that a guy like DT Ndamukong Suh that’s so good still focuses on the little fine-tuning things that he does? – “There’s a reason every year he’s coaching at the Nike Open. He’s not coaching just because. He’s got to have some type of coaching abilities so he can go out there and teach those guys and then come back and teach us the things that he has learned each and every year, it’s so amazing.”
Andre Branch – August 28, 2017
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Monday, August 28, 2017
DE Andre Branch
(A couple of things on two of the rookies you’ve worked with obviously. How has DE Charles Harris dealt with just the ups and downs of being a rookie in preseason – ups and downs in production – and thoughts on what DT Davon Godchaux has done at defensive tackle? Those two guys.) – “Charles is great. (He’s) a student of the game; (he) wants to learn. He knows it’s not an easy league to play in, but he has all the talent to be successful in this league, that’s for sure. And Godchaux, he’s also great. Both of them are working their tails off and we’re just getting those guys acclimated and they’re going to help us a lot this year.”
(Are you surprised how good DT Davon Godchaux has been to come in, now that he’s been with your first team for three weeks?) – “The whole group has been great. I think the best thing about it is that they come in and they work each and every day.”
(You call them students. Do you older guys enjoy being the teachers of that group? I see you talking to them a lot.) – “I’m a student also. I learn from Cam (Wake) each and every day and Will Hayes. For us, we help one another. I think we have a room full of students, if you want to say that. We have one teacher in there, and that’s (Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams); but everybody can help each other.”
(How anxious are you for the regular season to get here?) – “I’ve been ready for that for a while now.”
(You say that Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams is the teacher. Is DT Ndamukong Suh like his teacher’s assistant because he’s chatty there when you guys are going over stuff.) – “I think we all are. Suh is a very smart guy. He gets it. He knows every concept. He knows all the games and he knows every opponent that he goes against, so it’s great.”
(Defensive end could be the deepest unit on the team. What do you think about you guys as a group?) – “It’s great. We need a lot of depth. Last year some guys got tired towards the end, myself included. Just knowing that you don’t have to go as many plays back to back is awesome; but we prepare like we do.”
(What are you guys doing better as a group? Last year I know that setting the edge was a concern early in the season. What are the things that you can do better this year?) – “Communicate, and everybody does their job. I think accountability is the main thing for us. If everyone stays accountable and does their job, then the sky is the limit.”
(As far as the d-line, how do you compare it to the previous ones you’ve been on?) – “Probably the most talented group that I’ve been on. I’ve been on a lot of talented groups, but the younger players are extremely talented. We have the perfect veteran guys in our room. It’s great and everyone are brothers. We talk each and every day after we leave here. That’s the good thing. You never want to let your brother down and that’s how we look at ourselves.”
(I was wondering if you guys thought you were more talented this year than you were last year. Last year, a lot of the same guys, a pretty high-profile line but…) – “I think last year, no one knew who I was. We had a lot of talented players that had played at very high levels in this league; but at the same time, they were a little bit older. For us, just having that youth in our room is going to be great.”
(DT Ndamukong Suh seems like he has lightened up this year?) – “He’s always been. He’s been light with me since I got here. I’m going to force Suh to be light with me. (laughter)”
(So you all have seen this type of DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “I’ve seen this Suh since I got here. I’m going to talk to everybody. No matter who you are or where you come from, I’m going to force you to talk to me. It’s great. Those are my brothers and you can really see this thing getting together.”
(Is DT Ndamukong Suh funny?) – “Hilarious guy.”
(There’s like this whole side of DT Ndamukong Suh that we don’t know?) – “Yes, for sure. You might not meet it.”
(You might never meet that side of DT Ndamukong Suh, like for all of life.) – “Yes, but just take my word for it.”
(Is it just because DT Ndamukong Suh is intense and he’s focused on the game?) – “All day. Now when we step on that field, it is four killers out there, that’s for sure.”
(Are you amazed at what people ask you to take pictures and autographs for?) – “Yes, like sign a baby’s head. I’m not going to sign your kid’s head when he’s six months. There are some crazy things out there, but there are some diehard fans. It’s awesome. My mom once told me ‘sign every autograph you can because there’s going to become a time and place where people will stop asking.’ So I always sign them.”
(With the social media era, I’m sure people have asked you to take some pictures in weird places as well?) – “Yes, it’s crazy; but they get stopped too. It’s the way the world is now. You’ve just got to go with it.”
(There’s no way someone asked you to sign a baby’s head.) – “No question. Clemson University.”
(Back in college, someone actually asked you to sign a baby’s head?) – “Head. The baby couldn’t speak, wasn’t making any noise, literally probably four months. (laughter)”
(It’s good that you had more sense than the parents.) – “Yes, who’s going to wash this off? No, I’m not signing a baby’s head. (laughter)”
Jay Cutler – August 27, 2017
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Sunday, August 27, 2017
QB Jay Cutler
(What would be something that you took away after you had a chance to review the film of the third preseason game?) – “A lot of good stuff. (There’s) some stuff to clean up in ball security there on the strip sack, and then just some stuff in the run game. I thought we were on the same page on the outside with (the receivers). We got the ball to a lot of different guys, so it was good and bad.”
(How do you improve on third downs as an offense?) – “Getting into third-and-manageable is key. I think early on we had a second-and-long and we took a shot to Jarvis (Landry) and missed, and that puts us in a third-and-long. So (on) second down, first down, just taking your three, four yards and getting yourself in third-and-5 or under is going to be the first key; and then after that, we’ve just got to make plays, and that’s myself included.”
(How do you feel a couple of days removed from playing an extended amount of time?) – “I feel good. I probably took the biggest hit I’ve probably taken out here in practice today. (laughter) So other than that, I feel fine.”
(From DT Jordan Phillips?) – “Yes. He got pushed. It wasn’t his fault.”
(How close would you say you are to being ready for the start of the regular season, both mentally and physically?) – “Mentally, I feel really good. Physically, I feel good. I think these next couple of days, just getting some more reps (will be important). Then just getting into game week, where we’re really game planning, honing things, getting the game plan exactly where we need it to be. That’d be good.”
(Is this a tough week for veterans, who likely are not playing in that fourth preseason game?) – “Yes, I think it is. As you get a little bit older, I think you see it as valuable time to work on some stuff, because the stress is off. You’re not playing, for the most part, so you can kind of work on some things and help the younger guys a little bit. So that’s what I’m going to try to use the next couple of days for.”
(How covered does WR DeVante Parker have to be for you to throw it to him downfield?) – “Not open at all. Covered. (laughter) As long as there’s just one (defender), the ball’s going to go up to him.”
(You spread the ball to a lot of receivers against Philadelphia. I think you completed five passes to four receivers. Was that by design? By matchup?) – “I don’t think we really go into games, especially preseason games, thinking about matchups or where the ball is going to go. I think (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) does a really good job incorporating these guys early on and making sure that we get them all involved in the first 15, 20, 30 plays. Then we’ll kind of see what happens after that; but with the amount of playmakers we have, I think the ball is going to get pushed around a little bit.”
(Do they appreciate that? TE Julius Thomas and WR Jarvis Landry and the other receivers?) – “They all want the ball. That’s pretty standard throughout the league; but they’re really unselfish guys. They block for each other. They run off (defenders) for each other. They’re doing every little thing possible to help each other. I think whenever we do score or guys make big plays, you can see the other guy is excited for them. That’s genuine stuff and that’s good.”
(There was that one play against Philadelphia where you were under pressure and you were able to avoid taking a sack by throwing it at the running back’s feet. How has your ability to respond and react to situations like that evolved over your career?) – “I think in my first game, something like that happened in Denver, and I threw a pick. So you kind of figure things out (as far as) when to push the envelope and when just to take the sack and say, ‘Hey, they won. They won that play. Let’s just save it for another down.’”
Julius Thomas – August 27, 2017
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Sunday, August 27, 2017
TE Julius Thomas
(How aware are you guys that QB Jay Cutler likes to spread the ball and you can get the ball at any time?) – “That’s just how our offense is, and Jay is doing a good job of executing his responsibilities at quarterback. Going into every game, we know the differences in coverages we’re going to have and every guy has got to be ready to make a play each and every time we snap the ball. It’s something we want to do. The more people out there touching the ball, the more ways we’re attacking the defense, the tougher it is going to be on them. Every offense’s job is just trying to be explosive, gain yards and score touchdowns.”
(It seems like QB Jay Cutler likes to throw the ball downfield. Can you compare him to other quarterbacks you’ve played for? Is he about average in that respect? Does he like to do it a little bit more than some of the others?) – “I can’t really say. It hasn’t been long enough for me to say exactly what’s his favorite places to throw and how. Ask me again midseason and I’ll have a better answer for you.”
(How quick did that ball get on you in the end zone for that touchdown on Thursday?) – “It seems like it’s quick when you’re watching it, but when you’re in that moment and you get your head around, it takes a little bit longer for me than for everybody else. It was definitely perfect timing. He put it in a great spot. I was able to get my head around and bring it in.”
(You said that it has slowed down for you, so you’re ready for the season to start?) – “Yes, absolutely. I think when the ball is in the air, that’s when things are going the slowest probably in my whole life. It’s that moment when you’re so focused on something. It just seems that things go by so much slower than anything else.”
(As an offense, how do you improve on third downs?) – “As an offense, we have to improve in general. There’s no part of our game that’s where we need it to be right now. Now we start game planning, we start executing and understanding that in training camp, you have hundreds of plays that could come up at any moment. Now we’re going into the season and we’re going to go into a week (with) 150 plays or so. You get to work those. You get to go over those. We’re going to really go through and define it. Mainly, to improve on third down, we have to be third-and-manageable. It’s no secret. Everybody in the NFL, you want third-and-short or no third down at all. We’ve got to try to get those third-and-1s, third-and-2s, and we’ll do a much better job of executing.”
