Cameron Wake – November 23, 2018
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Friday, November 23, 2018
Defensive End Cameron Wake
(I’m pretty sure the Colts haven’t allowed a sack in five straight games. Does that present a different challenge or extra motivation to be the team that ends that streak?) – “No. It wouldn’t matter if they’ve given up 600 sacks up to this point or zero. I say this all the time: if your motivation is increased, then what were you doing last week? My motivation is going to be 100 percent just like it was 10 weeks ago, four weeks ago, three weeks ago and four weeks from now.”
(You guys have been low on the sack production, low on the pressure production this season. I know injuries have factored into it, but how much of that is a collective effort in terms of what everybody is doing? I know if teams are running successfully against you then they don’t have to necessarily be in passing situations.) – “True. I think there’s a lot of factors that go into it. I think that might be one of the biggest ones. If you’re not stopping the run, then why do I need to pass the ball when I can just run the ball down your throat and we’re putting up points and we have a lead and so on and so forth. At the end of the day, when they do get back there, it’s our job as a front to get to the quarterback. I think … it’s more in tight situations, making the most of it when you can. We also are tasked with stopping the run. Not only us; but us defensively, I think is another part of it, along with some other factors that nobody cares about because we don’t get the production, and that’s understandable. We have to get it done.”
(I wanted to ask you about Colts QB Andrew Luck. Over the years when you’ve played him, he’s been one of those quarterbacks where you will hang on to him and he’ll still throw the ball. How difficult is that when it’s not necessarily an elusive ability, it’s just hard to get him down?) – “He’s a competitor. Obviously, (he is) a big guy, strong. He’s going to do everything he can to make his play and you have to do the same thing. You do whatever you can to get him down without landing on him. I think in the end, it’s not going to be just one guy. It has to be multiple guys, everybody be where they’re supposed to be. Kind of same old song and dance as it was last week and a couple of weeks before that. I’m looking forward to it, I know the guys are as well and it should be a good game.”
(Are you looking forward to the return of QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “Sure.”
(Sure? It’s been a while since you had your starting quarterback.) – “It has been, but we’ve not had our starting quarterback, we’ve not had some of our other starters. A lot of guys have been missing. If guys are out there, obviously I can’t wait to play with them and love to have them, but if they’re not, you have to (have a) next-man-up mentality and go out there and do your job just as if you were the guy who was out there before, the guy you replaced.”
(How do you view being 5-5 and next to one of five teams tied for the last playoff spot?) – “That’s a distant vision for me. It’s too far ahead. Obviously, I’d rather not be 5-5; but we are where we are. We made our bed and have to lay in it. It’s no different than any other season where this part of the season is where teams are going to separate themselves. Teams at the end of the year that are going to be happy with what they did, it starts now. It’s no different this week, but I’m not looking … That’s too far. I’m looking at Sunday. Win Sunday and everything else will take care of itself.”
(How can you get hot?) – “It’s very simple. I think if you look at our wins, it’s complementary football. I’m not talking about just offense, defense, special teams. I’m talking about front, middle, back end, side to side for us especially. When we’ve had good games, it’s been that. It’s not been something magical. It’s been you do your job, I do my job. We’ve spoken about this before, where if you get guys untouched running 70 yards, I have not met the running back that can just make that happen. It’s usually somebody on defense doing something wrong. Receivers running completely open. We have some fast guys in this league; nobody is that fast. It’s somebody miscommunicating, not doing what they’re supposed to do. Doing your job is the easiest way. If we do that, I have no doubt that we’ll be hot. In my mind, that’s not hot. That should be the norm; but (it is) easier said than done.”
(What gives you confidence that that’s going to happen and you guys will be one of those teams that separates themselves?) – “We’ve done it before. I’ve always felt like a can’t and a won’t are two different things. You could not block me, I don’t care how hard you try. (laughter) If somebody won’t or didn’t, it’s very different. If he can and does it five weeks and then one week he doesn’t, that’s very different. We have the ability, so I’m confident in the guys, I’m confident in what we have. I don’t care, injuries and all that other stuff – we’ve shown that we can do it with the guys we have. Is there going to be a mistake or a miscommunication or all that? TBD. I hope not. If not, we will be fine. If we do, then you’ll have uncovered receivers running untouched to the end zone and 90-yard runs, running backs just sauntering down the sideline, which is not what we want to see.”
(It’s been a bit of a rough patch for DE Charles Harris trying to come back from injury. What have you seen from him during this time when he hasn’t been able to take the field?) – “It’s football. Sure, you get a new face; but we have a lot of empty lockers around here. His is not, so he’s doing everything he can to get back on the field. I was him three, four weeks ago whenever I was out. You just have to do whatever you can. You’re at the mercy of nature to some degree. I see that he’s doing everything he can to make sure he’s on the field when the time is right.”
(I’ve heard this about 30-year-olds: It takes their bodies longer to come back than it takes the 20-year-olds. What are your thoughts on that?) – “I don’t think you can make a blanket statement about that. Every single guy is different. Every single injury is different. His ACL (looking to his left) versus his ACL (looks to his right) are two different ACLs and he tears his, he tears his, it’s two different things, two different ways, two different processes. I can’t tell what he does when he’s at home. You can’t tell what he does when he’s at home. (There are) a hundred different variables that all probably go into recovery. To just make a blanket statement like, taller guys can heal … it just don’t work. Some tall guys yes, some tall guys no, some old guys yes, some old guys no, young guys yes … You can’t make a blanket statement.”
(Any thoughts on your first pro coach – Wally Buono of the CFL’s British Columbia Lions – coaching his final game before retirement?) – “Lots of good memories. I actually recently did a little media thing speaking about all of the times we had and all of the accomplishments that he’s had. I would assume I could credit him for kind of sparking my career. Thirty-two teams (in the NFL) had an opportunity to pick me up at any time; nobody wanted me. He did. He gave me a shot to get back on the field and be able to show what I could do and here we are literally 13 years (later), where I’m still doing what he believed that I could do and that, no disrespect, none of these other guys did. Obviously, I definitely have a lot of respect for him and the ability to not only see talent (coughs/laughter) but to kind of mold it into the player that I came to be and obviously other players as well. My hat’s off to him and I wish him all the best.”
(If you was honest with yourself, why didn’t you play at Penn State?) – “I played. Why didn’t I get drafted, you mean? Why wasn’t I known to the world? In hindsight, I probably would have played defensive line. Now, at the time, there were two defensive linemen who ended up being first-round picks, so it wasn’t like they were lacking in that department. (We had) a lot of talent. I didn’t know anything. Literally, that was the first time I played (football). Well, I played in high school a little bit, but Penn State was my third year playing football ever in my life. So I would just get out there and the NFL was not in my radar at all. I was just getting a good education and having some fun at the same time. When I realized that I actually am pretty good at this, maybe it was a little late; but I think I did all right. There were a lot of first-rounders and household names from back then, who (we have) no idea where they are. (They) didn’t make a splash in the league. I’m sure you could go back and look at all of them. All of the household names are at home and I’m still out here playing.”
(Who were the first-rounders?) – “That year, Michael Haynes. LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown had just left when I got there. Michael Haynes was a first-rounder when I left there. We had Anthony Adams, Jimmy Kennedy. All the d-line, they were doing okay. Tamba Hali was my other defensive end. Not that they were bad players especially, but I’m still here.”
Adam Gase – November 23, 2018
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Friday, November 23, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(When you watched QB Ryan Tannehill all week, did you pay attention or try to monitor in terms of the velocity? I know you were monitoring for pain but how did he look?) – “Good. He did a good job this week. All of the throws seemed normal to me. We did as many different types of things as we could to put him in game-like situations. We didn’t seen anything that would make us nervous about anything.”
(You said earlier this week that the plan is to go into this game and we’re going to call it as we would normally call it. But QB Ryan Tannehill is a guy who moves out of the pocket, so the plan is still to use him in these athletic forms?) – “Yeah. We’re going to call what’s best for us for that game. I don’t see any limitations with him. He’s cleared, he feels good and ready to go and I think we’ve covered all of the throws to where I feel good about it and he’s moving around the same.”
(How did T Laremy Tunsil and T Ja’Wuan James get through the week of practice?) – “They got through. I’m sure they’re not 100 percent but they didn’t really miss any reps, I don’t think.”
(RB Kenyan Drake and WR DeVante Parker?) – “They both practiced. We just didn’t have any contact with them so we’re just trying to get them to the game and see how good they feel. I think we’ll be okay in that area unless some surprise happens.”
(With range of motion for WR DeVante Parker, are you confident he can do everything he needs to do?) – “Yeah. I’ve seen him do pretty much everything you need to do. It’s just how is he going to feel on Sunday the first time he gets hit and things like that. He’s been pretty good about bouncing back from these types of deals. He’s recovered really quickly from this.”
(WR DeVante Parker said earlier this week that his confidence has been shaken a little bit because he’s kind of had a difficult season from an injury standpoint, then what was going on with you and the agent and all of that stuff. How do you get a guy to focus in when it has been a rough year mentally.) – “The thing that I’ve told him and other guys before that is you can control what happens the next week. You control how your week of practice goes and then when you get to the game and you get your opportunities in the game, make the most of them. You can’t dwell on what’s already happened. That’s gone. That’s in the past. If you worry about that stuff, that’s like the pollution of the mind. You can’t worry about it. He needs to continue what happened this week in practice. He had a good week of practice. He was running good. He was catching the ball. He was getting up the field. His energy at practice was really good. Now, when we hit Sunday, when the ball is thrown to you, make a play, get us some first downs and make us some explosive plays. That’s all that matters. Nobody cares what happened the other weeks if you have a good game this week.”
(Is DE Charles Harris healthy enough to play?) – “I think things look good going into Sunday.”
(How much do you think DE Charles Harris can help you guys?) – “I think he’s had some time to recover. He’s doing a great job in the weight room. I think he feels extremely – as far as strength goes – as good as he’s ever felt. His conditioning, like always, has been just off the charts. I think this is probably about as good as he’s felt since before training camp.”
Dowell Loggains – November 21, 2018
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(With QB Ryan Tannehill – and obviously without giving away any game planning – but things that you could point to, a couple things you thought you were doing really well with him in general before he got hurt that you would like to build on?) – “He was doing a good job managing the offense, getting the ball to playmakers. Obviously, some of those guys have changed now. At the time, he and (Albert) Wilson were starting to develop a good chemistry together and (Kenny) Stills was making plays on deep balls for us. Continue on that, get back going to doing the things Ryan does well. Obviously, he does a really good job with some of the zone-read stuff that really helped in a couple of games. All of that part of the offense is back available.”
(With the tight ends at this point, obviously, you have three options plus TE Durham Smythe when he’s up. What’s the best thing that each one provides for you at this point with the three if you could go over that?) – “Their skillset is different. Mike (Gesicki) at this point in his career is better in the passing game than he is as a blocker. He’s working hard to become a better blocker. There’s areas in the passing game that Mike has to continue to work on as well. And then you’ve got ‘83’ (Nick O’Leary) who … ‘83’ does everything well and he does a good job with that. A.J. (Derby) is kind of the same way. A.J. has got a lot of experience. He has played in different systems and played in NFL games. Durham is a guy that hasn’t gotten to play a lot yet, but we’re happy with where he’s at in practice. He’s getting better and hopefully as the season goes on, he’ll get to play more and more opportunities will pop up. But each of them has a little different skillset. We’re trying to do a good job making sure that when they’re in a certain place, it’s to their skill set.”
(Both TE A.J. Derby and TE Mike Gesicki are skilled receivers. How are they different though in terms of the types of patterns each one might be better at than the other?) – “Mike is probably better when he can get going with his speed, because he’s lengthy, he’s a long-lever guy. A.J. has more short-area quickness. That’s where it’s different. A.J. to this point right now, just because Mike hasn’t played a lot, has the savviness in zones that Mike is, he’s just better when you get him on the move and running away from people.”
(Losing some big playmakers like you have, does that maybe open opportunities for a guy like RB Kalen Ballage to do some more things?) – “Yes, sir. We’re trying to do … We need to do a better job of getting ‘27’ (Kalen Ballage) on the field some; but we’ve got three good backs. We talk about it every week of how the game goes. You go in with plays for each of them. ‘27’ has done some Wildcat stuff for us. (He) had a really good run a couple weeks ago at home that got called back because of a holding call and they had time to change and they got to a Cover 0 blitz the next time we did it. He’s someone that we’re trying to work into the rotation more. We’ve still got ‘32’ (Kenyan Drake) and ‘21’ (Frank Gore) to balance out their touches and snaps as well.”
(You mentioned RB Frank Gore obviously coming back to play a team he’s played for before. Is there a moment that you’ve had this year that describes why he’s able to still do what the does?) – “The moments really come in practice, they come in training camp. The guy works really hard. He’s got part of ‘The U’ magic from back in the day. You see all those guys that (have) that competitive grit, toughness, the mindset that he has. He’s a really good competitor. He has a competitive spirit. When he gets out there, he goes hard. He practices hard. He just has an old-school football mentality.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill’s throws – how would you describe them? Is it more ripping it, slinging it, letting it fly? How would you describe his throws on a scale from zero to Clyde Christensen, how much velocity?) – “Well, Clyde’s not the best thrower on the staff. I hold that title. (laughter) Ryan has the ability to make all the throws. I do think that. I think he does a really good job. The thing that’s impressed me the most is how much he’s improved as a deep ball thrower since when he came into the league. I’ve seen a noticeable difference watching tape when I got here going back all the way to his first years in the NFL. I think we miss that part a little bit of our game. Hopefully Ryan can get that going. He was doing a good job earlier. I think he can make all of the throws. I think he has every club in his bag, and he’s a good deep ball thrower.”
(Is he ripping it? Zinging it – what word would you use? Is there much difference you’ve seen post-shoulder injury as far as velocity?) – “You can tell he’s probably playing through some stuff. Ryan’s such a tough kid. I’ve learned it’s better not to ask. When he’s out there trying to play and do those things, I’m not going to ask. If there’s a problem, he’ll tell me, he’ll tell the trainers, he’ll tell the head coach. He’s doing enough to help us and he’s the right guy to be out there.”
(Have you watched any throws this week and worried ‘oh my goodness, is the velocity there?’) – “No. Nothing like that.”
(With receiver, any concern about WR Danny Amendola or WR Kenny Stills getting additional coverage or more attention without WR Albert Wilson and without WR Jakeem Grant?) – “No because I feel like the guys that are out there, with the backs included and the tight ends, we have enough weapons that if someone is getting doubled, that means someone else is getting singled and we can take advantage of that. We need some guys to step up, for sure. We have those two guys that have been consistent for us, but there’s some guys that definitely with all of the injuries, they need to step up and play well for us.”
(Without giving away state secrets, when you worked in the three-receiver sets this week, did you try to weave in both WR Leonte Carroo and WR Brice Butler?) – “All of those have gotten reps for the simple fact of numbers. You can’t practice with just three guys during practice. All of them are interchangeable, all of them are getting in, getting reps and playing all of the spots.”
(How has WR Brice Butler picked up the offense?) – “Really impressive. It’s hard coming in doing those things, but you can tell the guy has played in the NFL, which gives you a huge advantage. Everyone’s offense is similar. People do different things and work different matchups and there’s different things on offenses that certain guys are better at than others, but just the experience shows up immediately. He knows in this system it was a seven-cut, in this system it was a circus, we call it this, so there’s familiarity being a pro. That’s shown up right away.”
(When you all make a roster move that affects an offensive player – for example, the decision to go with WR Brice Butler over internal options like WR Isaiah Ford or WR Malcolm Lewis – are you in those talks or is that strictly Wide Receivers Coach Ben Johnson as a position coach, Head Coach Adam Gase, General Manager Chris Grier, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum?) – “It’s really the powers that be. The brass – the Tannenbaums, Griers and Gase. I told you guys before – I give advice when asked and fulfill the vision of the head coach. So if we’re asked … Some of them we are, some of them we’re not.”
Matt Burke – November 21, 2018
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(With DE Charles Harris, do you have a feel yet as to what you have? A year and a half, but now with the absence, do you not quite know exactly what you have in the player?) – “I think we have a sense of what he is as a player. Obviously he’s had some up and down moments and the setback with the injury. I thought before that, those were kind of his best couple of games. You’re hoping you start to see some trends and those things and the consistent level of play. It’s disappointing to have the injury and have that setback and have to miss this time. He’s working his way back in. He’s looked good. He’s looked explosive. He did a good job while he was out and rehabbing in terms of putting some strength on and working with (Head Strength and Conditioning) Coach (Dave) Puloka and the strength guys to put some weight on and do some of those things. We’re hoping the trend we were seeing before the injury is something that continues post-injury when we get him back into things here.”
(Colts QB Andrew Luck hasn’t been sacked in five games.) – “I’ve heard that.”
(QB Andrew Luck’s yards per attempt, is that one reason? And getting the ball out so quickly?) – “Yeah, I think it’s a lot of factors. I think their o-line is playing well. He is getting the ball out fairly quickly – really quickly, actually. I think they’re just … (Colts Head Coach) Frank (Reich) and the offensive staff, they’ve done a really good job. It’s a very efficient offense. Luck is getting ready of the ball but there’s answers, there’s outlets, it’s going. It’s a well-oiled machine. They stay on track pretty well so they’re not necessarily bothered, I don’t think, by the yards per attempt. It’s just kind of part of what they do. They run the ball, they hit those quick passes and they keep on track. They’re first in the NFL on third downs right now. Part of their identity is built into that. I think the sack thing is just sort of an output of all of that. I do think their o-line is playing well. I think Luck is playing well but I think part of that is their identity and the mode they operate in is a very efficient offense. They’re always ahead of the chains or with the sticks and they’re kind of moving it. They keep those third downs manageable and keep the chains moving and its sort of part of what they do. I think Luck is operating at a pretty high level within that context. They’re doing a good job. They’re playing good ball.”
(LB Darius Leonard kind of came out of nowhere for them. Not so much because he was a second-round pick but during the pre-draft process he kind of came out of nowhere from South Carolina State. Is that a guy you were in on at that time and kind of lobbying for?) – “I don’t lobby. Yeah, we liked him coming out. He’s a good player. Smaller school, so whatever the stigma is that goes along with that. But, as an athlete, he’s a tall, long, rangy kid that can run. He made a lot of plays down there in college. We definitely liked him. We liked him coming out. He’s definitely having a lot of success in that system. They’ve done a good job with him. He’s making a lot of tackles. I don’t really watch that side of the ball much, but we’ve had some crossover games and you see him. It’s the same type of thing. He’s a long, rangy kid that’s makes a lot of those plays. I guess one of the questions you’d have about him coming out is from a small school and that transition to make the leap into the NFL, but obviously he hasn’t had a lot of problems with that transition.”
(You were impressed and then you thought … Not necessarily predicted what LB Darius Leonard became but you were seeing something?) – “Yeah, we liked his skill set and the tools he had. Absolutely.”
(Has S Minkah Fitzpatrick played about the same in terms of quality performance at safety, slot corner, boundary corner? Or is there one you think he’s been better at?) – “No. It’s hard. He’s doing a good job. I’d say when we put him on the outside part of the field, it’s probably where he has the least work. I don’t know if experience is the right word, but the least amount of reps out there. So there’s still a couple of nuance things he’s working with from the outside part of the field. It’s been two games we’ve had to play him at about three different spots just with all of the circumstances that were dictating (things). He’s done a good job. It’s hard to absorb. He’s doing a good job playing where we’re asking him to play and executing the things we’re asking him to execute. Hopefully the more we keep doing that and he keeps expanding on, he’ll keep making plays for us.”
Frank Gore – November 21, 2018 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
RB Frank Gore Conference Call with Indianapolis Media
(How are things going for you down there so far this year, for you and the team?) – “It’s going great. I’m enjoying it. I like the coaches. I like the players. We started off real hot and things haven’t been going our way lately but we’re fighting as a team.”
(When you signed here, you said the reason you came was because of QB Andrew Luck. He was injured most of the time you were here but when you see him now that he’s returned to form, what do you think of the way he’s been able to play now?) – “I’m happy for him. He’s balling. I’m happy for him because I know how much he loves the game of football and how he approaches the game. I’m happy for him. He’s back … especially when you watch him early on. When I watched him early on, you could tell he was kind of timid; but now he looks like that boy coming out of Stanford.”
(Do you ever find yourself saying ‘only if’ you would’ve had a healthy QB Andrew Luck your three year here?) – “Yeah, I wish I could’ve played with him, especially being around him for three years and knowing how much of a football player he is and how he loves the game. Knowing that, I would’ve had some easy running lanes, because having a healthy Andrew Luck, you’re going to get six or seven in the box, which is something I never had in my career.”
(What are your thoughts on this offensive line and what you’ve seen from G Quenton Nelson and what RB Marlon Mack and some of these running backs have been able to do this season?) – “I know they’re happy. Not just them, but the group is playing well. They’ve got good schemes. I’m happy for Marlon because just seeing him go from Year 1 to now. They should be happy. They don’t have to deal with what I was dealing with when I was there. (laughter)”
(This is probably an offensive line you would’ve dreamed to run behind I’d assume?) – “It’s just consistency. When you know who you’re playing with, the o-linemen, once you get to know your guys, you can pre-determine certain runs just off of looks. They are doing a great job. I’m happy for them. I’m happy for them.
(Did you sign with the Colts three years too early?) – “I can’t say that, man. They were coming off the AFC Championship (game). When you’re looking from the outside looking in, you don’t know what’s in the locker room until you get there. Andrew Luck, I think the year he did come back and we beat Denver, I think we could’ve gone on a run. We were one of the first teams to beat Denver. I think we could’ve got on a run but he got injured again. When you’re playing with a bunch of injured guys, that’s tough in this league. It’s already hard to win when you’ve got guys healthy. So imagine when you don’t, especially the main guys who run the show. I had a great three years there. The organization was great. Great people. We were fighting. Things just didn’t go the way I was planning.”
(What were your conversations with Colts GM Chris Ballard like earlier in the offseason? Was it always just kind of a mutual agreement that you guys would part ways?) – “One thing I always respect about Chris is that he’s honest and he’s straight up. As a man, that’s all you want. Especially in this league, there’s a lot of BS. He said he was happy that he got a chance to be around me playing ball because he respects the way I play the game of football. We still talk. We still text. He still checks on me to see how I’m doing – him and (Assistant General Manager) Ed Dodds. I respect Dodds a lot. I think we look at football the same. I respect that – Chris Ballard and Ed Dodds. He told me that he was going to get it right, especially starting up front, and those guys have done a great job.”
(When we talk to guys about you throughout the league and even here, they say they don’t notice any fall off from your play. How much longer are you going to do this? Have you thought about it or are you still a year-to-year type of thing?) – “I’m still year-to-year. I’m going to really take a look at me after the season. Hopefully I can try to finish strong and do whatever it takes to help my team be successful and also have individual success. I’m going to just evaluate myself and my body and see if I really want to do it again this offseason. I take it one year at a time.”
(You have a lot of football knowledge that you’ve shared with guys over the years. Do you feel like that’s something in the future that you’re going to put to use after you’re done playing?) – “Yeah, I think I want to stay around the game. I think that will help me because of how much I love the game of football. Yeah, I think I do want to stay around it.”
(A lot of the young guys here have talked about what Running Backs Coach Tom Rathman has meant to them this season. How instrumental was he in your career when you were first coming into the league in San Francisco?) – “I think he came into my career at the perfect time because I was young and when I made the Pro Bowl … Sometimes when you make the Pro Bowl early on, you can kind of be cocky. Once he got there, we used to bump heads because I felt like I arrived already; but I think he took my game to another level. Just all-around game. He made me look at the game differently and try to do everything right. I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m still playing because of the way he moved my mind on the game of football.”
(I know you were only here for three years but do you think there will be any emotions for you coming back to Lucas Oil Stadium or just another game for you?) – “I’ll be excited to see all of the guys like ‘T’ (Assistant Equipment Manager Brian Seabrooks), ‘Frog’ (Equipment Manager Sean Sullivan), all of the trainers and some of the guys I played with. It’ll be good. We’re both 5-5. We both want to win. I’m coming there to try to help my team get a victory.”
Darren Rizzi – November 21, 2018
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(Is this as simple as WR Danny Amendola is our punt returner moving forward and RB Senorise Perry is our kickoff returner or did you open it up where there are legitimate other options that it’s not necessarily those two?) – “The punt thing, obviously Danny has been in the games already this year and he’s obviously had a long history with it, so he has the most experience of all the guys. Just like anything, with everything we have a contingency plan in place. We have more guys that are in the stable of kick returners. A little less group with the punt returners. Danny, we’ve worked a couple other guys in this week with (Kenyan) Drake and a couple of other guys. Kick returning, we have other guys with experience so we have a few more options there. Actually, the last couple days, we’ve worked a few guys through there at kick returner – just a few more options. We’re going to kind of wait and see and kind of see what Friday brings and then kind of make a final decision on Saturday. Certainly Danny, from a punt return standpoint, has the most experience of all the guys we have on the roster, for sure.”
(Can you share on kick returns who else has been in that position?) – “Of guys that have experience – (Kalen) Ballage is a guy that’s done a lot. Obviously, we have (Kenyan) Drake that’s done a lot of it before. Senorise (Perry) has already returned kicks this year and last year. Brandon Bolden has done it in the past. He has some history doing it. (Leonte) Carroo has some experience at both. Kenny Stills has some experience at both. Those are all guys that we’ve kind of flirted with a little bit this week and kind of look at to see what our best options are. The thing on kick return is with all the new rules, you still have to have those eight guys up front. With the athleticism and with the new rule, it really kind of changes the dynamic of the play a little bit because now when you take a guy out of there and put him back, you obviously have to replace him. There’s some roster things that fall into place there with who’s going to be on the 46 and who’s inactive. You’re just always having those moving parts, so just looking at whatever the best is. Whoever we have to put back, we have to make sure we’re not taking away and we’re not robbing Peter to pay Paul type of deal on the kickoff return.”
(Who else can return punts? You said RB Kenyan Drake and who else are other possibilities?) – “There’s some other guys, guys that have done punt return in the past. Kenny Stills has some reps in the past. (Leonte) Carroo, like I mentioned before, has done some punt-returning stuff in the past. Obviously, Danny Amendola. Those are the guys that are kind of getting some reps this week. Drake – if I didn’t mention him already – he’s done both. He’s been an emergency punt return guy his whole career here, so another guy that’s done it. It might be a game-plan thing. You might see a couple of different guys back there during the game depending on when it is, situationally, kind of where we’re at in the game. We’ll kind of have all hands on deck. That’s kind of how we’re approaching that one.”
Reshad Jones – November 21, 2018
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
S Reshad Jones
(Colts QB Andrew Luck hasn’t been sacked in five games. Does that put a lot of pressure on the secondary?) – “Yeah. We just need to get our hands on guys a little bit faster (so he can’t) get the ball out of his hands as fast as he is. I think we’ve got to just slow down their timing. The offensive line hasn’t given up a sack in I think five weeks, so it’ll definitely be a challenge. We’re going against a great football team in their place; but I feel confident in the guys in this locker room. I think we’ll be ready.”
(What’s the challenge of facing a guy as fast as Colts WR T.Y. Hilton? What can you do when you’re lining up against a guy as fast as he is?) – “You just have to know where he’s at at all times. I think the most important part is to slow him down off the line of scrimmage. Get your hands on him and slow down that timing with him and his quarterback.”
(What are your thoughts on the practice schedule being adjusted so you guys can have Thanksgiving off?) – “I think it’s cool. I haven’t had Thanksgiving off in a while, so I think it’s cool for guys to enjoy family and spend a little time with the loved ones.”
(Are you going to watch some football games?) – “Definitely.”
(Do you have some memories of a Thanksgiving meal you really enjoyed?) – “Not really. I’m a big dressing eater, though. I like dressing. I love the dressing. (laughter)”
(Do you do any of the cooking?) – “No, not at all. (laughter)”
(How helpful was that bye week? CB Bobby McCain was saying you guys had a chance to see how offenses attack you. How helpful was that when you see multiple teams trying to do the same thing?) – “The bye week is always helpful, especially coming this late. It gives guys a chance to get healthy and come back in the season at the right time. (You can) look over the things that you didn’t do well and the things that you did do well in the first part of the season, and correct those mistakes and come back ready to finish the season off strong.”
Kenny Stills – November 21, 2018
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(You’ve never been one to complain, but your numbers in terms of catches and targets have been down this year. Is it tougher to get into a rhythm with that being said, or does that never make any difference to you?) – “I’m just focused on winning games. When the ball comes my way, I try to make plays. Nothing productive comes out of me complaining about targets, catches, balls, any of that. As long as we’re winning, I’m happy. And if we’re not winning, I’ve got to figure out ways to help the team win.”
(And the chemistry you and QB Ryan Tannehill have, obviously you’ve built it over years. Could that be a boost not just for you but for a lot of people on this offense?) – “Yeah. We’re excited to have Ryan back. Like I said, it’s about winning games. Whoever we have to have in there to win games, we’re happy about. We want to go out there and make plays and score touchdowns and put points on the board.”
(Health-wise, how are you feeling?) – “I feel great.”
(Are you close to 100 percent or almost there?) – “Yeah. I’m 100 percent.”
(Did the bye week kind of help you with the groin?) – “I think I was fine two weeks ago when we played the Packers. You always feel a little restricted coming off an injury, but I felt like I was fine. That hasn’t been a concern of mine.”
(We’re in the back end of the season. Is there any more urgency to try to fix some of the woes the offense has had this year?) – “We understand there’s six weeks left and everything is out there for the taking. It’s one week at a time. For us to go out there and get a victory this week kind of puts us headed in the right direction.”
(What are your thoughts on the schedule being adjusted this week so the players have Thanksgiving Day off?) – “You appreciate it. It’s not something that you expect. Most of the time, I’m sure other guys are having practice in the morning and then they’re getting afternoons off. It’s something you appreciate. We hope guys take advantage of it, are thankful for it and come back to work on Friday ready to go.”
(The way QB Ryan Tannehill is throwing, does he look back to normal to you this week?) – “Yeah, Ryan looks great. I know there’s always little details and things that he wants to continue to work on, but he looks great.”
(What do you admire most about QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “His attitude and work ethic. From the time that I’ve been here, the time that met him, just the amount of repetitions that he gets, how hard he works at his job. The guy is really competitive. I don’t think a lot of you get to see it or other people get to see it, but when you spend time with him outside of this building, you realize how competitive he is. It’s something that we admire and respect from him.”
