Cameron Wake – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
DE Cameron Wake
(I don’t know if you’ve heard but Jaguars T Branden Albert just announced his retirement. What is your reaction and the thoughts on the career he’s had?) – “Well, obviously I was privileged to spend a few years with the guy. (He’s a) tremendous football player (and an) even better man. One of the guys who we always go back and forth (with on the field). I think we looked up to one another as far as being in the game for as long as we have and going through the things we had to (in order) to stay at the top for as long as we could. For him to be able to be able to have the career that he had and also be able to bow out on his own terms, my hat is off to him and I wish him the best.”
(You’re a veteran that has been here since 2009. Does the grueling of training camp ever get to you?) – “It’s training camp. It’s part of the process for me. I actually look forward to it. I feel like if it wasn’t tough, if it wasn’t a grind, it wouldn’t be football. It’s part of being tired and still doing your job, part of it being 110 degrees, downpour rain, you’re a little sore, a little achy, a little on edge, that builds the character that’s going to take you through the whole season. That builds that team (chemistry) and that bond that you need. If it was easy, anybody would be doing it. I feel like if it wasn’t that way, it wouldn’t be the same.”
(RB Jay Ajayi went off the field during practice today. Is that something you guys think about when you’re on the field or is it just keep pushing forward with your job? Do you ever think of how that affects the team, how that affects the offense?) – “I’m sorry, I don’t even know what happened.”
(RB Jay Ajayi walked off the field with trainers.) – “I didn’t even notice. Unfortunately, we play a violent sport. I don’t know anything about what happened or whatever happened. I just saw him (a moment ago). I guess you all will figure out whether he’s nicked up or not. I have a cut here too if you guys want to… (laughter)”
(What’s the balance between going hard in practice and being smart?) – “It’s football. You play it in pads and there’s collisions and there’s violence, so I think for the most part, we found the violence. You’ve got to go. Can you play this game and not have injuries? I’ve never seen it done. You don’t want anybody to get hurt in practice, but at the same time, you’ve got to be ready, you’ve got to hit, you’ve got to tackle, you’ve got to run to the ball. There’s a lot of big men moving fast, so things are bound to happen. But again, hopefully he (Jay Ajayi) is fine and will be back tomorrow.”
(Can you judge defensive line progress before the regular season starts, with you guys specifically? Or is it all about what happens in the regular season?) – “I think it’s a little early, honestly. This is our first full padded day and we obviously enjoy that part of the game. For us, probably more so than a lot of other people. You’ve got to speak to the DBs about the way they play; but for me and the guys I play next to in the trenches, it’s hand-on-hand, collisions and combat every play. To do it in shorts and t-shirts, it’s kind of different. Obviously I like getting a little dirty with the fellas down in the dirt. Today was the first step, so to put a finger on where we are, it’s way too early. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
(Some athletes believe that you can be better two years after a significant leg injury than you were one year after a significant leg injury, because you have more explosion. Do you think that can apply to you?) – “Sure, why not. I like the way you think. I guess three years would probably be even better than two years. Coming off an injury and still building back and finding trust, and finding your feet under you so to speak, that’s all going to be part of it. I went through that last training camp trusting it, doing the move that you normally do with the forces and the pressures and the twisting that you had done before and knowing that it’s going to still be there and follow you through. I think it’s possible and that’s what I’m working on today, getting after it and getting back to not thinking about it at all. So far, so good.”
(Before I just brought it up, and I’m sorry for that, when was the last time you even thought about that Achilles injury?) – “It’s been a while. Occasionally we’ve had a couple guys with some nicks and reminiscing a little bit and kind of telling them my story as far as helping them through theirs. We’ve had a couple guys with some things. Aside from that, on the field, it’s been a while.”
(How do you feel about the veteran day off? Where do you stand on that?) – “I’ve got the angel and the devil yelling in my ear on both sides. I’m not a proponent of taking it, but that’s very short-sighted and fairly shallow thinking. Again, this is a marathon not a sprint, and you’ve got to understand and look at the big picture. So far, the guys in the training room, the sports science guys, and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase have all gotten together and figured out a plan and it’s worked from last season going into now. If you’re a guy who’s earned it and you’re smart about taking care of your body, whether it’s getting some rehab, cold tub, or some extra running or lifting weights, whatever it is you have to do, you know your body being a veteran. Getting back and getting fresh, those guys that have earned it, I think it could definitely help out.”
(I believe you’re going to Canton on Saturday to see the Jason Taylor Hall of Fame ceremony, is that right?) – “That’s what I’ve heard.”
(Have you been to Canton before and does that inspire you more to see your own bust in there one day?) – “You’re going to go there, huh? (laughter) No, I’ve been there. We played the Hall of Fame Game in (2013). We went and that literally was one of the most memorable – for me in the football sense – one of the most memorable experiences because just going through … Literally, they gave us time to just walk through and you’re looking at the plaques and looking at the memorabilia and they’ve got video boards going through some of the scenarios and things that happened in the football world. Some of the things some of the players have done is just mind boggling. Obviously to have one of our own greats being inducted, a guy that I had the privilege of playing with for a couple seasons, the guy who I kind of think of as my mentor and the guy who started me off in this process, he’s one of the best players ever to do it. I couldn’t be more blessed to share the field with a guy like that and sit next to him in the locker room and pick his brain for as much as I possibly could. I’m doing everything I can to continue to help put this franchise on another level the way he did and the way the guys that came before us did. That’s my goal, to just be the best player I can be day in and day out. I’ll let all that other voting and whatnot take care of itself whenever I bow out.”
(What’s your best Jason Taylor memory?) – “I’ve got a few. Some that are probably not appropriate for this venue. Early on, before we were chummy as we are, I was this unknown rookie coming in from the CFL and he was obviously ‘JT.’ We butted heads a little bit because I didn’t think I was a rookie, he obviously told me I was, and there was one day I didn’t get any food for the plane and we had some choice words with one another. (Then Head) Coach (Tony) Sparano at the time actually sat me down and posed the question as to if he was me, he said ‘I’m not telling you what to do, you’re a grown man you can do what you want; but if I had Jason Taylor,’ and at the time Joey Porter was here too. ‘If I had those two guys at my disposal to pick their brains and find out how they do what they do, or who’s the best masseuse, or where to go on Friday to get your haircut, all these things that they know and all they’re asking me for is some chicken, it might be worthwhile to take part in that silly rookie tradition.’ Needless to say, I had some chicken for them the next week. That was a good one for me.”
(What was the chicken?) – “For the plane. We’ve got to get chicken for the plane. Food. (laughter)”
(What brand? What kind?) – “I don’t remember. Popeyes, I guess.”
(You don’t eat that stuff.) – “I don’t eat it. (laughter) It wasn’t for me. It was for me to give to them. (laughter)”
Adam Gase – July 31, 2017
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Monday, July 31, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Anything you can tell us about RB Jay Ajayi? We saw him walking off?) – “He was getting evaluated for a concussion. I’ll know more this afternoon. I didn’t go get a full debriefing of everything today so far. I usually get it probably in another couple of hours.”
(What went into the decision to go live today?) – “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, probably since last spring. I think a lot of it had to do with just we made a lot of missed tackles last year. It probably took us a while to really get going in the run game and pass protection, kind of that sense of urgency to have. (I was) just talking to the coaches and seeing how we could set it up to where we could get great work in there. When you talk to some of your veteran players and you can’t even finish the sentence and they’re saying ‘Absolutely,’ that’s when you know it’s a good thing. We didn’t do it last year. We were still … I think we were just trying to feel everything out. A lot of times when we talked about going live, we’d get pushed in the indoor and that wasn’t ideal for us. This was the right time for us.”
(When a player leaves the field such as RB Jay Ajayi did, do you think “Oh man, I hope it’s not bad?” Or are you able to keep pushing through and focus on practice?) – “There’s nothing I can do right that second. I just keep going and then once I kind of … (Head Athletic Trainer) Ryan (Grove) comes back to tell me where we’re at as soon as he knows. He gives me a heads up. It’s kind of like a game. There’s nothing I can do right in that moment and you try to, once practice is over then you try to go find more information.”
(RB Jay Ajayi seemed to, I think maybe the first snap, DT Ndamukong Suh got him pretty good and took him to the ground. What’s the fine line between going physical and protecting your guys that you’re going to need?) – “You’re not going to win either way. If we don’t go live, you guys write that we don’t work on tackling. If we do go live and somebody gets hurt, then you say we shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter. You’re going to be wrong either way. We feel like that’s best for our football team. We needed to go live and tackle and it’s football.”
(LB Raekwon McMillian being a rookie going in there and making calls at times. Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner was a guy that came in and he expressed being a little shy, being nervous about making calls in a room full of veterans. Have you experienced that at all with LB Raekwon McMillian or is he kind of outgoing and…?) – “He’s not afraid to talk. He’s respectful. He understands where he’s at in his career compared to some of the guys, especially on his side of the ball. We’ve got more veterans; but he also knows he’s got a job to do. When it’s his time to do it, he does it the way he knows how to do it. He played at Ohio State. He’s played in some big games and he’s dealt with a lot of guys that are playing in this league right now and I think he knows how to handle himself.”
(Are there two or three things you look for in the first day of full pads, whether it is aggression or keeping blocks or anything along those lines?) – “Really, I mean, I know it’s not full pads but when we go with shoulder pads, we’re doing the same thing as we’re doing with full pads. You’re getting the same thud, wrap up, all those type of things. It’s just full pads we can actually say ‘Hey, we’re going live. We’re going to the ground.’ That’s the difference. So once we throw the shoulder pads on, whether we’ve got the leggings on, I mean we’re getting the same work. Just today we were able to go to the ground.”
(Did anybody look noticeably better because you could be a little more aggressive?) – “It’s a different feel for you because there’s no gray (area) when you’re doing a third-down period. ‘Oh, I would have got him down.’ That’s the beauty of … Like having Jay (Ajayi), on third-and-9 we throw him a 5-yard pass and we get the first, whereas in practicing you’re tapping off and you say you don’t get it. There’s no gray (area) which is sometimes a good feeling because that’s what it’s going to look like in a game.”
(What was your reaction about Jaguars T Branden Albert retiring today?) – “Yes I just heard about it.”
(What do you think of the career Jaguars T Branden Albert had in the NFL?) – “My respect level for him is extremely high. Even his career before he got here, he was an outstanding player and then him getting hurt … I didn’t understand really what he had to go through until I got here and his makeup and his ability to come back from that injury, just talking to trainers about what he did to be able to play again. That was even in question when that happened. It went from all accounts that I’ve been told that it was about as nasty as you can get. It just shows the toughness he has. The mental strength to be able to fight through and really prove everybody wrong and then come back and play at a high level and going to a Pro Bowl, being part of a team that he helped really get to the playoffs last year, getting injured and then coming back probably earlier than most guys would have, and him actually almost inspiring guys to play through a lot of injuries that most teams probably wouldn’t see guys out there. Guys were just trying to do everything they can for each other to win. I think he was a big part of the reason why we had success last year.”
(Is there an update on WR Isaiah Ford you could share with us?) – “Yes, I’ll have to get back to you guys on that. I need to find out. We’re getting a second opinion and stuff, so I don’t have … Everything’s not clear for me right now.”
(With WR Jarvis Landry, was he being held out of some team stuff?) – “I mean we were having some scuffles and stuff. We were just getting him to cool down. You know how it gets out there when you get full pads and everybody gets going a little bit. We will be fine. He’ll be alright. He’ll be back not tomorrow (because of a day off) but the next day, and we’ll get rolling again.”
(How close do you think you might be on S Reshad Jones?) – “Good question. I’ll have to … I’ll know more tomorrow. We’ll have a better idea of kind of where he’s at. I’m taking this a little slow just because with that being a calf injury, I don’t want to bring him back too fast. It’s like one of those deals that in my experience, especially talking to the trainers where, if you have any kind of setback on that, it’s a long period of time. So the last thing I want to do is lose him for an extended period of time. If that means we kind of lost him here at the beginning of camp, I’m okay with that, especially with him … You’ve got to tell him he’s an old man now (laughter). So we just want to be smart with it.”
(Does DE Cameron Wake, two years removed from an Achilles, is there a chance that he could be better than one year removed from an Achilles?) – “Yes.”
(Because?) – “For me, I think the fact that he can do everything in training camp … Last year we were trying to be smart, which I know didn’t really bode well for me in the first five games.”
(I didn’t say that.) – “I know you were thinking that though. (laughter) I noticed a difference in our run game, like the way that he’s setting the edge. He’s really done a great job of being a presence on that edge. His strength is really remarkable, how strong he is and the way he contacts a lineman and the violence he plays with. He’s really caused a lot of … We’re trying to run the ball to his side and there’s nowhere to go. It really is amazing. You forget how long he’s been playing and his age. That just seems to go out the window and he does a great job of taking care of himself. He looks like he’s 25 years old.”
(Does DE Cameron Wake get a veterans day off?) – “It was supposed to be today but he was like ‘No chance.’ He was like, ‘We’re going live. I’m not sitting out.’ So we had to move it. But yes, we will make sure that we do the right thing with him during camp.”
(DE Andre Branch was in here a little earlier and he spoke about how impressive DE Charles Harris has been with using his hands. Is that something that has really stood out to you guys? Because he’s kind of earned the respect of the veterans with that.) – “I think the veterans, first of all, saw that he works relentlessly. He’s one of those guys that he’s always doing something. I’m watching him after practice and quarterbacks are working on drops and he’s out there pass rushing, giving them a feel of what it’s going to be like. He’s always doing something. As an offensive guy, I just feel him coming around the edge; but those guys are looking at more detailed-type things. I just know the quarterbacks can feel him very quickly.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill has … most of his interceptions have come in between the hash marks. Is that him just being too aggressive? Is it his comfort level with his targets? Is there a rhyme or rhythm to what’s going on there?) – “I think every one (of them) has a different story behind it. He had a tipped ball one time. (Andre) Branch did a good job of getting a hand up. Maybe he could have went somewhere else on a couple of them. I’m alright with it. I want him to be aggressive. I don’t want him to be sitting back there and trying to evaluate stuff. Go through your progression and throw it. If we throw a pick, I have a lot of confidence in our defense to walk out there, go three-and-out and we’ll get the ball back.”
(Looking ahead a little bit, you have at least three guys that are supposed to go up to Jason Taylor’s Hall of Fame induction – DE Cameron Wake, LS John Denney and C Mike Pouncey. Really I guess for Cam, how do you manage that with the scrimmage on Saturday?) – “We’ll have a good plan in place. It’s not like that thing is too much for him. It’s not a ton of plays. We did it last year. The coaches did a great job as far as getting guys reps. We’re kind of getting a little bit of a feel of that game day process of what we’re going to go through because we’ll be able to do what we normally should do when we have that scrimmage at the stadium where we can get headsets out and the communication factor and all of those types of things. That’s really why we’re doing it is to make sure if there’s anything that goes wrong, we can fix it before the first preseason game. That’s really one of the main reasons why we’re doing it. Guys getting used to us calling it in, substitutions and things like that.”
(By my count, you’ve had one bad snap in the first week of practice. Am I correct?) – “I think you are.”
(Is that normal?) – “Yes, pretty much. Usually it’s hard to go perfection. That’s what you want but realistically, usually you have three or four probably. Even there, we had just a little bit of a miscommunication where we thought he was under and we were in the (shot)gun and that happens every once in a while. It doesn’t happen a lot. Having one bad snap, I’ll take that, especially early in training camp.”
(How have so many guys – because there are three guys in there working with four quarterbacks – how have you gotten to the point where it looks pretty seamless?) – “Well, we’ve been working on it since the spring. When we do our quarterback/center exchange (period), it’s a long seven minutes for those guys. You’re trying to get rapid fire and you’re mixing everybody up. We only go a couple of snaps with one quarterback with one center. We just keep rolling those guys to where everybody gets used to them. It’s about a little bit of the quarterbacks. Everybody has to mirror Ryan (Tannehill)’s cadence and do it the way he does it, just because if you come in there with a different feel for the cadence, then it kind of screws up the line. They’ve been working on it for a long time and they’ve spent a lot of time making sure it’s right.”
(There was a moment I noticed where QB Ryan Tannehill – maybe after one of the scrums – he was in the middle of about 30 guys and he was really vocal, really loud and really passionately going around and delivering a message. I’m not sure what the message was but how have you seen his assertiveness evolve since you met him?) – “I think any time you get comfortable with a system you’re in, you gain confidence, to where you can take those type of roles. It’s harder when you’re trying to figure out what you’re supposed to do. I think he felt like there was a moment in practice where he needed to say something. You don’t have to constantly be saying things. A lot of times your actions are what’s going to count. For whatever reason, he … I saw something going on but I wasn’t really paying attention to it at that time. We were setting up for the next period or something like that. If he feels like something needs to be said, I don’t think he’s afraid to say it.”
(Obviously having a young developmental third quarterback, what was your message to QB Brandon Doughty going into this offseason about where you wanted to see growth and how much growth have you seen?) – “It’s a little bit frustrating because when we were able to do some of the rookie stuff, being able to work with him one on one and spend a lot of time with him, he’s a very relentless worker. He wants to be coached constantly. Those are great opportunities where we can kind of work with him and really try to fine tune him to help him on a couple of the things we want him to do. That’s where the rules kind of make it really tough. You wish you just had more time to be able to work with him one on one. For him, it was just all about he has a really good feel for the offense right now, he knows what he’s supposed to do a lot of times, it’s just getting to reactionary as fast as possible. We keep working on some things mechanically. Sometimes it’s tough because you’re … You take one then you’re waiting forever then you might take three. That’s when it gets hard for a quarterback. You don’t feel a rhythm. It’s not like you get six in a row. That’s the tough part about developing a young quarterback in the NFL is you’re trying to get your starters ready, you’re also trying to get your backup ready and then you’re trying to develop guys. When you don’t have a ton of reps to do that with, you want those to count. He just knows he has to make every rep count. Really, his money is going to be made when we hit the preseason. He gets 30 plays, 40 plays in a game and just make sure mentally you’re ready to go and react when you get into the game.”
Adam Gase – July 30, 2017
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Sunday, July 30, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What went into the decision to let Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green talk to the team today and what was his general message?) – “He told me … I’m trying to remember what part of the summer I saw him up in New York. He was going to be down here for El Clasico and I asked him to come over to practice and a couple a days ago just texted him and said ‘Would you be alright if you said something at the end of practice.’ It’s kind of weird because of the way we do practice, some of our guys are … We don’t have that final call up, so we kind of had to stop there before we hit that special teams period. He had a great message just as far as guys being able to pick each other up and guys stepping up, especially in the tough situations. It just kind of gave them a little something to think about and talked about where they started and kind of where they’re at right now. I’m kind of trying to give those guys that thought process that where we’re at right now, that’s part of the process and keep fighting and trying to do it right.”
(Obviously my guess is that relationship is Michigan State based. Is that correct?) – Yes, it’s a little bit of Michigan State and he has some association with some of Mr. Ross’ people and obviously Mr. Ross knows him really well and it makes it easier for us to be around the same circles.”
(Did you do any recruiting of Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green for the red zone?) – “I think something must have happened at Michigan State where he went out there one day or something and somebody made a comment to him and he’s like ‘No. I’m not throwing any pads on.’”
(What kind of early camp has TE Julius Thomas had so far and has he gotten off to a slow start?) – “I wouldn’t say he’s gotten off to a slow start. I think a lot of the things that we’ve tried to do with him, we haven’t really gotten the matchup we wanted and the ball has kind of gone somewhere else. (Defensive Coordinator) Matt’s (Burke) has done a good job of running certain coverages to kind of prevent us from doing that. The thing about him is he’s been in this long enough, but especially in this offense, he kind of understands about just keep doing what I’m supposed to do and going out there and working in individual. His big focus is always going to be getting good in the run game because he knows that’s going to be something that’s bigger than what we did in Denver and the chemistry between those two guys in the passing game, I feel like is pretty good, and those two have confidence in it. Hopefully we’ll be able to kind of work a little more in the preseason when we start seeing other defenses and other teams. But we kind of come out and there’s a little bit of game plan feel between offense and defense to try to take away guys and not put terrible matchups out there. I think Matt’s done a good job of taking away some of the things, especially in the red area. I like what he’s doing right now. I like that he always knows how to stay focused and kind of just stick with what’s going on and just keep finding ways to get better.”
(How much does it help you from a confidence standpoint that you have pretty much a whole section of the playbook designed with him having experience in it?) – “It makes it very easy to go back and see what we’ve done in the past and what worked. I mean we had a lot of stuff that didn’t work too and it’s just being able to say ‘Cross that off,’ and that’s just not what he does well. It does save some time, but he hasn’t done a few of those things in a while and we just kind of got to get him back in the rhythm of some of those routes he hadn’t done in a couple of years.”
(Is there a preliminary diagnosis on CB Bobby McCain?) – “Yes, he’s fine. I pulled him out of practice. I just wanted to double check everything was good and then he was trying to go back in and I said no. So they were just kind of making sure everything was good after practice. I expect him to be out there tomorrow.”
(Speaking to G/T Jermon Bushrod, he talked about not getting locked into whether it be outside zone, inside zone, but also talked about some power. You guys had some success with that last year. Is that something that there’s more potential for that in Year 2?) – “I think the longer we keep working together, it gives us more flexibility in the things that we can do. It’s hard to go away from something that we did so well last year, but when teams start over-playing certain concepts in the run game, you’ve got to have some options to go and you’ve got to work on them. That’s really kind of where we’re at right now. We’ve got a lot in and we’re trying to work on a couple different things, but at the same time, we’re still trying to stay with our bread and butter and make sure that everybody’s kind of on the same page. And it’s always, for Jay (Ajayi) especially, he likes to feel kind of how they’re setting up their blocks and how it’s going to feel for him when we get to real games.”
(And if I can follow up here, given the type of backs you have, you have a lot of different backs that can do a lot of different things. How does that kind of play in to the type of things that you may be calling?) – “That’s probably the hardest thing to try to manage when your scripting of getting (Kenyan) Drake all the things that he can do. All those different types of things that we can do with the passing game, run game, protection. It’s the same thing with Damien (Williams). We’re trying to see what the younger guys can do and how far we can take them and at the same time, I’m always trying to get Jay (Ajayi) really feeling good about the passing game because he wants to be able to do a little bit more this year and it’s just you never feel like there’s enough plays. You’ve got really less than half a game during a practice. So it ends quick, and you’re trying to spread the ball out. It’s a little tough when you’ve got that many backs that can do all three parts of being a running back.”
(We saw DE William Hayes working on the side. Is there anything you can tell us about that?) – “We gave him a day off. We’re just trying to spread it out because between him and Cam (Wake) and (Ndamukong) Suh, we’re just trying to … We’re not trying to do it ‘Hey, all three of you guys are down on the same day.’ So we’re trying to spread it out a little bit.”
(How is your perception of WR Leonte Carroo evolving?) — “I think he’s done a really good job. There were a couple of things that we wanted to kind of change with him with his releases and kind of how he was running some of his routes and some of the things that we wanted to emphasize. We started in the spring and then he came back to training camp and he was really sharp right out of the gate. It’s funny, we were just having a conversation about the way he is running off the ball. He wants to be consistent with that and stay with what he’s doing because the DBs are struggling putting their hands on him and then trying to stay with him because he’s physical. He’s a big man. The way that he’s kind of angling the DBs a little bit, he’s making it very, very tough on them and I think we’re just going to keep pushing that and trying to put him in the position to make some plays and just keep developing him.”
(With his releases, is it taking more time at the line of scrimmage or is it getting…?) – “It’s just going. We’re trying to get him to go more. Last year was a lot of work in the line of scrimmage where for a guy that size, it’s hard to just like stop him because he can get going pretty quick and then he’s a big man. I mean he’ll run through you. So we want to emphasize that with him.”
(A number of your guys want to practice up on the near field because the fans are there, but you don’t get the field chewed up you think? – “It’s good for what we’re doing right now when we have our day off. The field recovers really fast. I mean you’d be surprised what one day of nobody doing anything would do. Not doing anything on there, it will come back pretty fast and our guys do a good job of day-to-day, being able to get it back to life for the next practice. I feel good with it. If there was an issue, they’d tell me right away. If there were any concerns, even if we had to move to the far field, it’s not ideal for the fans, but we’d do it if safety was getting in the way. But those guys, they do a good job of getting that thing back and like I said, they will tell me if there’s an issue.”
(How much has WR Leonte Carroo’s weight loss helped him in terms of speed and release?) – “I think it’s helped him more with his conditioning. I don’t feel like he’s … He’s not exhausted at the end of practice. I’m not sure how much the speed has really changed for him because whether he was a little bit heavier, I still felt the same speed. I do think him being able to go for longer, it’s help him. Like there’s not a part of practice where I see him laboring and last year I felt like he came in a little heavier than he is now and I think it was tough and the heat started getting to him and it would wear him down during practice. I don’t see that any more. “
(You’ve mentioned spreading the ball around. Are you going to have to talk to your players, playmakers and explain to them it’s not always going to be you?) – “We’ve had that conversation before where we keep talking about being where you are supposed to be. Everybody running off the ball. I mean the defense, it does dictate a little bit where the ball can go sometimes when a defense decides to cloud a guy and you don’t have the best route versus that or play Cover 2. You just have to be patient. You just keep playing and every game could be different. It should be a different guy every game. You just want to make it really hard for a defense to say take this guy away or take this guy away. If they keep thinking of who they have to take away and they select a guy and then the other guys have a big game, it’s kind of how you have to approach it. It all evens out at the end if you do it right. I’ve seen it before. I’ve experienced this before, especially in 2013 and 2014. I mean there were a lot of guys you had to get the ball and everybody just kind of did what they were supposed to do and it works out right in the end.”
(On the defensive line, you’ve had some very intriguing pass rush combinations, which I won’t name – I was admonished for that in the offseason – but, how many of those combinations do you know that you’ll use and how many are kind of still experimental?) – “I think it’s just going to be one of those things ever evolving. You try to figure out who works well together and it really comes down to a communication thing. It’s a brutal honesty thing, saying you guys don’t work well together or one guy saying, ‘I don’t like when I work with that guy.’ You want the best matchups because you only get so many times you can do that. You don’t want to waste a rep just because nobody said anything. I think our guys have done a good job. I don’t think there’s anybody right now I can say that says, ‘I don’t like working with that guy on a side.’ I think our guys all play off of each other really well.”
(That’s really a big factor then, if a guy says “I can’t play off of him.” You take that under advisement?) – “Yes, we’re always going to listen to those guys because it’s not like we are dealing with guys who don’t know what they are doing. When you have experienced guys up front and they’re honest with you and they give you their opinion, that helps you. You’re eliminating bad plays. You’re eliminating calling a defense where they don’t believe what they are doing. I think right now, these guys are doing a good job. They are mixing it up and guys are trying to work with each other and kind of get a feel.”
(How many people still call you ‘Goose’ and where did it come from?) – “I don’t know how many people still do. Probably quite a few.”
(On the team? In this organization?) – “Probably a couple of players that have known me for a while. A lot of the building does. Some of the guys in the building. I’m not mentioning any names. It was something from high school. It kind of stuck with me in college and just kept coming back around. I thought it was gone there, but then when I went to Detroit and T.J. Duckett signed with us. Then it started back up again.”
(Where does it come from?) – “I don’t know, I moved to Marshall, Michigan and some guy asked me what my last name was and he was like ‘We’re not calling you that.’ So he said ‘We’ll call you Goose.’ So I said ‘Alright.’”
(So there’s no Maverick right?) – “(laughter) No, not that I know of.”
(Do you like the name?) – “I don’t know. I’m just used to it, I guess.”
(C Jake Brendel, what does he bring to the table? I can’t diagnose center play but anecdotally it looks like…) – “We keep working all of these guys, whether it be center or guard. We like that whole competition going on up front because we do have multiple guys that can play center and at the same time, when they play guard, they can do what we need them to do. The position flexibility that those guys can have is critical. He’s just a young player. He’s going to keep learning and trying to find ways to get better. You’ve got great competition up front because our d-line, they are competing so hard because there’s open spots. Those guys are fighting to make the team. You’re not getting any down play from the other side of the ball so you’ve got to bring your A game every day.”
(What’s the personality of that receiver group? It sounds like even if some of those guys aren’t competing against each other for spots, they compete with each other every day for production.) – “I haven’t really heard them say much about production. I watch those guys. They kind of like coach each other. When we are in meetings they are really a tight group. They’re all trying to help each other get better. I haven’t heard anybody say ‘Hey, I caught this many balls today’ or ‘I did this.’ It’s more about they’re trying to help each other. ‘Hey, this is how I do this’ or ‘this is why I do this.’ It’s almost like they are trying to help each other get better all of the time. It’s a tight group. If (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn Jefferson is your coach, that’s how it’s going to be.”
(WR Jakeem Grant seems to be very talkative in that group. He’s talkative in general but he doesn’t think of himself as secondary to those main three guys. He seems to think of himself on equal footing and he is comparing himself against them every day.) – “Jakeem is very confident. That’s what we need him to be. I think him having more success this spring and this training camp, he’s way more comfortable then he was last year. You can see it comes out in his personality, like you’re saying. He does. He’ll talk with the best of them. It is fun to watch all of those guys interact with each other. When we were doing our walkthrough I was watching them and they’re insane. I’m glad that they enjoy each other. It’s a fun group to be around.”
(Does WR DeVante Parker say anything? Is there a side of Parker that we don’t know that you could shed some light on?) – “Yes. He’s like the rest of them. All of those guys are all the same. They’re all the same. When they start going, they are all getting after each other. I think when he has to do interviews he’s just not very talkative.”
(WR Jakeem Grant had a couple of drops today on special teams that we saw. Obviously you don’t want to overreact to any one day but with him, what’s the key? Is it the body of work that he does this summer, the preseason games? What’s the most important thing that you need to see from him?) – “To learn from when he puts the ball on the ground and do everything he can not to let it happen again, and not get hung up on a dropped punt. If you sit there and dwell over it, ‘Oh, I can’t believe I…’ Just move on to the next one. Learn from it. That’s why we’re doing this. He’s not the first guy to ever drop a punt. Like last year, he had one in a game. The defense picked us up. We got a pick two plays later. That’s what your teammates are for. If somebody has a mistake, somebody else picks them up. That’s my biggest thing with him is move on to the next one. He’s effective for us. We know he can hit the home run and we need him to just keep working on being consistent.”
(I guess the upside with him being able to hit that home run negates the downside of him sometimes worrying about handling the ball?) – “I just don’t even worry about it. I’m just more worried about us doing our job blocking guys to give him some space to see if he can find the lane and hit it. My confidence level in him is extremely high and that’s the best thing about when you start a new year. Whatever happened in the past is irrelevant.”
Xavien Howard – July 30, 2017
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Sunday, July 30, 2017
CB Xavien Howard
(How would you describe your battles with WR DeVante Parker? It seems like both of you guys are making plays.) – “It’s a good battle – me and DeVante. Every down, every time I line up against the one’s receiver, I try to go against DeVante Parker.”
(What do you think WR DeVante Parker’s potential is as a receiver?) – “The sky’s the limit. This is his third year going into it. A little bit of injuries had brought him down a little bit – me and him both. We’re both healthy. We’re competing and doing the best, trying to get each other better each day.”
(What specifically can you point to at WR DeVante Parker about why he is so different? We hear that he’s running routes quicker every time more consistently.) – “He’s more consistent in his routes. His releases … That’s my main goal, try to get my hands on receivers and his releases are quick. It’s hard to get my hands on him and (it) messes the timing up. His releases are something I’ve got to watch film for and look at that.”
(How much fun are those one-on-one battles with WR DeVante Parker?) – “I love competing against DeVante. I feel like he can be the best receiver in this league, and I want to go against the best every day.”
(You worked this offseason and strengthened your legs, is that right?) – “Yes, this summer I had done that. I’m still doing a little bit.”
(What did you do specifically and have you noticed a difference out here?) – “I’m doing more squats and stuff like that, stuff I was doing in college that helped me strengthen my legs. I try to keep that and keep taking care of my body, being a pro.”
(What’s it like to have a healthy training camp?) – “Last year just watching from the sidelines looking, and I’m out here competing every day, it’s just motivating (so) I can get better. Last year, I didn’t go through training camp. I went straight to preseason and stuff like that. Stuff I can grow from with training camp and just watching film and doing more stuff like that.”
(Does it help that you have an understanding of this defense now in Year 2?) – “Yes, it’s given me time to grow. This defense, this is my second year in the defense. I’m steady learning each day what to do and stuff that I got to learn.”
(Working with ‘Footwork King’ down in Texas, do you notice a difference now with your footwork getting out of brakes?) – “I was doing that since college, so I’ve been working with ‘Footwork King’ ever since my college career. We keep working and are trying to see some things he’s seen on film that I need to work on, and we’re just trying to get that.”
(What’s the next step for you in your development?) – “My next step is … I’m still learning the game. I’m trying to polish my game. I’m watching other guys and stuff like that to see what they’re doing, what has helped them, certain stuff probably doesn’t help me, but it’s helping them. So, I’m just trying to learn from each guy.”
(Who are you watching?) – “(Arizona Cardinals cornerback) Patrick Peterson, (Kansas City Chiefs cornerback) Marcus Peters, a lot of guys like that at the level right now.”
(What do you take from Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson when you watch his film?) – “He’s an athlete. I like his one-on-one skills. That’s the kind of guy I am – I’m in the dude’s face, I want to put my hands on him and stuff like that. He’s an athlete. Richard Sherman, he’s got some good stuff, but he’s more of like a zone corner. I like my man corners that get in a dude’s face and put his hands on him.”
(Is there anybody else you studying?) – “Marcus Peterson from (the) Kansas City Chiefs.”
(What do you see from Chiefs CB Marcus Peters?) – “He’s a ball hawk. Everywhere the ball goes, him and Eric Berry are over there. They’re ball hawks over there. I want to bring that to my game.”
(Do you see anything that you can take from that in terms of the ball hawking?) – “I feel like each year they’re growing and getting better. There’s just stuff I’ve got to learn from to see what they’re doing that probably can help me out.”
(Do you mean like read recognition?) – “Yes, read, knowing the splits and stuff like that, when I can jump the route, when I’ve got to sit on it, stuff like that.”
(You mentioned Chiefs CB Marcus Peters. He’s a guy that finds the ball, always turns his head and locates the ball. Head Coach Adam Gase talked about locating the ball and getting a hand on the football. Is that something that you guys have done a lot more of this camp?) – “We’re trying to do that every day, get our hands on the ball.”
(I noticed you were rotating in with CB Tony Lippett. What has that competition been like? How do you look at that competition?) – “Every day, me and Tony Lippett have been competing, especially when I first got in. Tony Lippett was here and I was the rookie that (was) coming in. I’ve been sharing reps with each one of those guys, even Byron Maxwell. Me and Tony, we’re going to compete. He wants the best from me and I want the best from him, and the best man is going to win the job. But at the end of the day, we’re just getting better, competing and learning from each other, too. That’s the best thing we do and we try to keep that going and try to be the best man out there.”
(Do you feel like you’re going to win that starting job?) – “It’s up to the coaches. I’m just doing what I can control right now.”
Julius Thomas – July 30, 2017
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Sunday, July 30, 2017
TE Julius Thomas
(How have you felt physically so far in this training camp?) – “I feel pretty good. You get the humidity off your back a little bit. I’m getting used to it, so it’s been a good camp for me. I’m getting into the swing of things so I’m encouraged about how it’s going.”
(What is your biggest asset to this team and offense? Is there a specific part of the field you feel you will succeed the best at?) – “I think, just the flexibility I give our offense. Being able to do different things out there for us gives our coaches a lot of ability to call some pretty intricate stuff. I think that would probably be my biggest asset.”
(You did a lot of blocking today, I saw that. Do you think that’s an underrated part of your game?) – “It’s probably always going to be that way. It’s hard to shake the basketball (player stereotype) and catching passes. It will always be … If you can’t do it to the same level as somebody else does or whatever … I always try to do it – it’s important for me to do to help my teammates. I’m going to give it my best every play.”
(Your offseason training, did you change anything this year as far as some of the injuries you’ve had to strengthen those areas more than usual to prepare?) – “Luckily for me, none of my injuries have been wear and tear. All of them have been just getting hit in the wrong position, none of them have been chronic. I stick to the things I do. I’ve been a little more calm this offseason. I’m getting a little bit older now so I’ve been able to have a more mindful approach to it. That’s about it.”
(Is that pacing yourself basically because you know what this is already?) – “Yes, a lot of it is. I used to kind of burn the candle on both ends a little bit more than I do now. I think it’s just, you’re 29 now so your life starts to settle a bit and you start to understand more about yourself and the things you need and want to be doing. I feel like I’m in a good place.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase compared Devante Parker’s development a little bit to a young WR Demaryius Thomas. Do you see any of that?) – “6-foot-3, fast as (heck), yes I can see how you could liken those two. DeVante is having a good camp. He’s an amazing athlete. We’re going to depend on him big time to make big plays for us this season.”
(Obviously you’re a veteran who’s done it. When you go through a practice and you don’t catch two or three passes. Do you start to look around like, “Hey what’s going on around here?”) – “Luckily I’ve gotten a little practice at that. You learn not to value your day based on the passes, based on the touchdowns, based on the yards. That’s part of me getting older and understanding that I just have to be my best every day. I can’t control the outside factors. I can’t worry about that. I’m just going to focus on making myself a better player. The catches, that’ll all come.”
(You’ve talked about the age and the durability. As you’ve matured, how have you started treating your body differently?) – “You get better time management. You start to understand that, ‘Man, I don’t have no time.’ Well actually, you have a lot of time if you do some things differently in your day. You make more time for things. You cut out things that you were doing. Maybe I don’t pick up the sticks to play the game anymore, I don’t have as many shows that I used to watch. All that time you spend maybe not even treating but working with people, helping people understand movement and different things you can do to prevent injury. That’s what it’s all about.”
(What are you doing now different than maybe four years ago?) – “Just the understanding I have of the body. It’s completely different. Four years ago, I stretched because they said stretch, I ate these foods because they said you should; but now I understand the muscle groups. I understand why you’re stretching. I understand the order, whether it’s heating, stretching, is it myofascial work, is it ice tubing and how to do that. But a little bit more of a scientific approach, that’s making a big difference in how well I feel coming into practice each and every day.”
(Are the durability concerns that come with you bother you?) – “No, not at all. I think that everything I’ve always done was to be my best. You’re never going to be able to affect the things that happen to you in life and you can’t consume yourself in that. What I’m going to do is I’m going to come be the best player I can be every day. I’m going to give it all I had. That’s the only thing I can control.”
(As a former college basketball player, how much did you enjoy have Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green out here?) – “It’s funny just to see a basketball player again and remember how skinny I used to be. I graduated college at 217 pounds. Even though I don’t play, I still watch the game a lot. It’s hard to remember back to being a basketball player for me at this point. It’s great to see a guy that has been a champion. He’s part of one of the most exciting basketball teams I’ve even been able to watch.”
(Could you have taken him one-on-one in your prime in basketball?) – “No. He’s a good player. Unlike most football guys who are like ‘Aw, man I’ll get buckets,’ I’ve been there before, I know how hard it is to get those buckets. (laughter)”
(Did this feel familiar to you out here with Head Coach Adam Gase the past few days? Is it what you expected having known him?) – “The offense has changed a little bit, but it’s the same terminology. ‘Goose’ (Adam Gase) is always going to be the same guy. That’s the beauty of playing for him. That’s why so many guys appreciate him and want to play for him. That’s what made me want to come back here and play for a guy that I respect and the way he relates to players. He’s humble. He doesn’t have that aura of ‘I’m this head coach.’ He just comes to you and he talks to you and lets you know what’s expected and he holds you to that. That’s always been appreciated.”
(Where does the nickname ‘Goose’ [Head Coach Adam Gase] come from?) – “Where does ‘Goose’ come from? You’d probably have to ask him that. When I was a rookie in Denver, that’s what everybody called him. He’s still ‘Goose’ in my phone.”
Anthony Fasano – July 30, 2017
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Sunday, July 30, 2017
TE Anthony Fasano
(You were running like a 25-year-old out there today. Running free.) – “I don’t know about that. It’s just the first couple days of camp. We’re trying to get our football legs back and get back on the same page. I think the offense has some bright spots but a lot of work to do.”
(We tend to pigeonhole people. You’re a great a blocker. Do you think you still have a lot to show in the receiving end too?) – “Sure. I’m trying to prepare myself for whatever role coaches put me in, whether that be run heavy, pass heavy or a mixture of both, I’m going to try to fit myself in the best I can within those roles.”
(Are you going to run any ‘9’ routes this year you think?) – “(laughter) You never know, you never know. Keep the defense honest.”
(Is it a familiar feel out here or different years, different setting, different feeling?) – “You mean the humidity? (laughter) Yes, a little bit. It’s been a while but also, once you get back into it, it almost feels like you never left. There are a lot of new faces, kind of a different culture, but one I’m happy to be a part of.”
(Talk about kind of a different culture.) – “Well, for one, there are a lot of younger guys from my perspective. It comes from (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and the all ball, no distractions, get your job done (philosophy). But he’s not going to really grind you into the ground as much either. I think we get good, efficient work and everyone takes advantage of the time they have.”
(You’ve been in the league for a little bit. Is that kind of the biggest thing that separates Head Coach Adam Gase from other coaches that you’ve had?) – “I think he’s a great offensive mind, calling plays and creating a playbook and a game plan. But also, the psychology of a team and ways to motivate players in certain roles and motivate the team. I haven’t been there on a true game day yet, but I can see all the makings of a great mixture of that.”
(Is the humidity about the same?) – “I think it’s gotten worse, actually. (laughter)”
(What do you think of TE Julius Thomas as a downfield threat?) – “I think he’s great. He’s a student of the game. I’m really impressed by his football IQ and his willingness to do everything. He loves to stick his nose in there and block but also get out there on the edge and create mismatches. I think our whole tight end room is a really solid room with a lot of competitiveness in it. I think he’s going to be an asset for our offense.”
(You caught more passes than TE Julius Thomas today.) – “I wasn’t counting. (laughter)”
(I was.) – “I guess so. (laughter)”
(I know it is early but when you watch yourself on film, can you see where you want to be and where you want to get to?) – “Sure. I know it’s early in training camp and I’m just trying to knock the rust off and get the football legs back; but there is a lot of competitiveness. A lot of defensive players, especially the d-line, are going to make us better. I look forward to that competitiveness throughout camp. I welcome it on both sides of the ball.”
(Is it a comforting feeling when you’re in a two tight end set and I see you talking with TE Julius Thomas and having another veteran presence there just communication wise, is that a comforting feeling for you?) – “It is, yes, especially when we’re just trying to feel how each other communicates and what we see and think on certain plays. This is the time to do that through the spring and this time. So come Sundays in the fall, we know what each other is already thinking. It’s the same thing with Ryan (Tannehill).”
(What did Golden State Warriors F Draymond Green tell you guys?) – “I think he did a great job speaking to us. He focused on growing out of each group and that’s needed, and also the margin of victory is so slim on this level, and to really concentrate on details. I think it was a really appropriate message for our team.”
Leonte Carroo – July 30, 2017
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Sunday, July 30, 2017
WR Leonte Carroo
(How did you feel about your day today?) – “It felt pretty good just to go out there and make some plays for my team. I’m just trying to get better. That’s what training camp is for is to get better each and every day and to just go out there and compete.”
(There was a play where there was kind of a hard-fought competition over the middle there and you won the ball. Tell me about how that fits into what you’ve done in your career and what you hope to continue to do.) – “That’s what I’m known for, just having strong hands and competing. ‘Mike T’ (Michael Thomas) and I were battling for the ball and I was just going to come down with it. Like I said, that’s what training camp is for – to go out there and compete against your teammates and have fun.”
(What happened on the touchdown that they said wasn’t a touchdown?) – “(laughter) In my eyes, it was a touchdown. We’ll watch it on film.”
(What are some of the bigger things that you’ve been working on during training camp this year?) – “One, like I’ve said before, just getting my weight down. That’s a big factor for me, to continue to lose more and more weight so I can become a more fluid, faster receiver. Also, just to learn from ‘The Big 3’ (Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills) and learn from what they do every single day, and try to feed off of them and make plays myself so I can make my way into their little group.”
(What is your target weight? What are you trying to get down to?) – “I’m trying to get down to 208 (pounds). Right now I’m like 212. The way my body is set up, it’s kind of hard to lose four pounds every single day, so I’m just trying to get down to a steady 208 and become a better and faster receiver.”
(What weight did you play at last year?) – “Last year I was about 221 (pounds).”
(So you want to be down like 13 pounds this year?) – “Yes.”
(From last year to this year, was last year a disappointment for you not getting as much time and what do you look forward to this year?) – “Yes, I would say it was a disappointment as far as the expectations that I had for myself and that these guys had for me. This year, I’m just looking to go out and make plays (and) make way more plays than I did last year. (I just want to) go out there and do whatever I can for my teammates – special teams, offensively – and just continue to have fun.”
(How much better is it in Year 2 where you’re more comfortable and you know the surroundings and all of that?) – “A lot better. You’re just going out there. You’re not thinking as much. You’re just making plays. Now I just have to focus on my craft instead of worrying about what I have to do.”
(The weight you lost already, have you noticed a difference out here in training camp as opposed to where you were last season?) – “Absolutely. Last year during training camp I couldn’t do two plays without breathing heavy and dying. This year, I’m able to run four, five or six plays without feeling as tired. I just have to go out there and continue to take each day by day and continue to grind.”
(Is this the ideal weight for you for the rest of your career you think?) – “Yes. I don’t want to get anywhere next to 215 (pounds). I want to stay at a steady under 210, between 208 and 212.”
