Kiko Alonso – November 25, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Postgame – Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins LB Kiko Alonso (Transcribed by Indianapolis Colts)
What happened there on the hit to Andrew Luck?
“Similar to last year, it was third-and-one, like third-and-two or something. He ran to the sticks. There was nothing I could do. I fell to him. Right when I felt him slide, I kind of felt like I gave myself up too. At the end of the day, I don’t think there was anything I could do about it. Maybe I can watch the film and see. From that play, I remember feeling like there was nothing I can do. Because maybe he’s going to go for that first down.”
Did you attempt to put your hands back?
“Yeah. I basically like chest bumped.”
Those last three possessions, you guys got rolling pretty good and then those last three. What was the change for you guys?
“I don’t know, we get to play the game out. That’s all it is.”
How tough is Andrew Luck? That one when Akeem Spence almost had him and he broke contain, that was the ball game.
“We know that Luck is a guy that can extend plays.”
Ryan Tannehill – November 25, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Postgame – Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (Transcribed by Indianapolis Colts)
How did you feel on the first drive when you lead the team down the field for the touchdown?
“I felt good. I think we came out and did what we wanted to do on that first drive. I stepped up and made some plays. We were able to get into the end zone.”
How did you feel during the course of the game, health-wise, physically? How did it feel for you coming back from a layoff?
“It felt really good. The shoulder wasn’t an issue. I really didn’t even think about it throughout the game. I’m excited for as far as how the shoulder will go.”
Obviously, the last couple drives really spelled the difference in this football game? From where you were standing, what was going on that made it so difficult to move the ball at that point?
“We didn’t execute the calls that came in. They did a good job defending them, we’ve got to give them credit but I still think we had opportunities. We didn’t execute the calls good enough to convert first downs. We were kind of backed up on the field, so coach was trying to just get the ball out of that backed up situation and offensively we didn’t handle it the way we should have.”
Six games left going into this one, an important game for you on the road, it didn’t come out the way you wanted it. How does it feel in the locker room? Your guys’ mindset right now after this game?
“It hurts. This one hurts. The way it went down, the way we felt like we were playing throughout the game. We scored to go up 10 and we were running the ball well and moving the ball efficiently, defense came up with some big stops and then down the stretch we didn’t execute. The way it went down, obviously, really hurts, you’ve to be able to get past it. There’re still five football games in front of us, everything we want still on the table. Obviously, this one hurts. AFC game, on the road, one that we were in a good position to win and to not finish it hurts.”
This game is somewhat similar to the Cincinnati game where you’re up by 17 there and then the bottom kind of falls out, here you’re up by 10 and then the bottom falls out. Is there something similar in those games that closing those games out when you’ve got the lead has been difficult for this team?
“No, I don’t think so. I think in Cincinnati, those plays are on me and I take full responsibility. Today, I think those are kind of fluke, dumb mistakes by me. Today, we just, as a group, when it came down to it at the end, they tightened up on defense. They made some good plays, came off the football and stopped the run. It hurts because we were moving the ball so well on the run game, we’re getting five, six, eight, 10 yards a pop. So we get backed up, we think ‘All right, we should be able to punch this thing out on the ground.’ They did a good job of tightening up their front and making plays there on the line of scrimmage and we just didn’t get it out of there.”
On your series before that, I think you were still leading. On first down it was a pass, on second down it as a pass and then it was a handoff on third down to Kenyan. You were running the ball well. What was the thinking of, ‘We’re running the ball well, so let’s throw it?’
“First down ball we had a screen call and they did a good job of playing the screen. Couldn’t get the ball to the back, he ran around our blocker and I had to throw it away. Second down we had a play action, thinking maybe they were going to step up on the run and [we’d] have an opportunity downfield. They brought some pressure and were able to step up. We just weren’t able to connect. Like I said, we had opportunities there. There were times during the game when we thought the screens would be good. Going into that, we thought the screen would be good and they ended up giving us a little bit different look and playing it really well. You have to give credit to them.”
And as the quarterback on third and 10, way backed up, do you understand the play it safe type of thing or did you want a chance to throw the ball?
“Of course, I understand. I’m a competitor, so I want the ball in my hands and I want to make that play. But I understand the situation obviously we were in. We were inside our own 10, long yardage situation. They had been playing soft coverage, sinking everyone underneath in those long yardage situations. The percentages are low. Thinking, ‘Hey, if we can get a block on one guy and make one guy miss.’ There were a couple situations where we did run the ball and were able to get really close runs. I totally understand the call there but as a competitor it’s tough. You want that ball in your hands.”
Did you ever appeal the case? Say, ‘Hey, I want to throw.’
“It’s tough to do that when you’re standing in the middle of the field and he’s on the sidelines. My job is to execute the calls that come in and do the best that I can. Like I said, I understand the call. I think it had a chance to work. I had a light block, blockers were soft. We weren’t able to get off on the double team off on MIKE and that guy ended up making the play. If we execute the play to how it’s called, we’ve got a shot. Obviously, it’s not going to be an easy first down. But (Kenyan) Drake had made some guys miss, he caught a short pass earlier. It shouldn’t have worked, but he made some guys miss. That was a third-and-4 or third-and-16 and we were one yard short on a short check-down and blocking downfield. Those long yardage situations are tough, guys are going to have to do something kind of special to get that first down if you chuck it down underneath. We felt like we had an opportunity.”
Did you kind of worry that you wouldn’t get the ball back, knowing who was on the other field?
“Honestly, I thought out defense would come up with a stop. I had full faith in them. I have a ton of respect for Andrew (Luck) and I know what he’s done, but I have faith in this team and this defense and we had a good punt. Matt (Haak) had a couple big punts late, kind of pushed them as far back as we could. We had them at third and nine there I’m thinking ‘hey, we’re getting this stop, get this ball back and we’re going to go win this game’. But they made a good play, stepped up and found the open guy.”
What happened on the touchdown pass to Leonte Carroo?
“Scrambled, they covered what we had called. I was able to get outside. Saw the safety coming down and he had leverage on his guy crossing and just kind of waved him to keep going and put it up. He made a heck of a play going up and taking away from the guy and finishing in the end zone.”
You threw it about 44 yards, did you have no concern it would get there? That’s a pretty deep ball.
“Yeah, that’s not too far.”
How did the shoulder respond to that?
“Good. Really good. I had no issues with the shoulder.”
Adam Gase – November 25, 2018 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Postgame – Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Adam Gase (Transcribed by Indianapolis Colts)
What was the thought process on that third-and-10 deciding just to run?
“It was backed up. We were struggling in that distance. I mean, we’ve got to make something happen on those first two downs. Third-and-10 on the minus three or whatever it is – you’re not gonna be good.”
What was going through your mind when you were play calling on those last drives, especially the one where they scored and I think you took 20 seconds off the clock?
“Well they ran what we thought they were going to run. They pressured us both times. We got guys wide open. We got to protect and we got to be able to make those plays. They’re pressuring because they don’t want us to run the ball so we just did.”
On that last offensive drive, how close were you to giving Ryan Tannehill a chance to try to convert with his arm?
“I mean if we would have been in a more manageable situation. I could’ve ran it there and we got it shoved up our (expletive).”
When you look at this team right now, where you’re at with this loss – an important game for you, how do you rally your guys back? How do you get this moving back in the right direction?
“We get back to work. We go back Wednesday – get to practicing. Correct what we need to correct and put another game plan together and figure out a way to win a game.”
When you look at Ryan and his performance today coming back, as you look at it now, what are your thoughts?
“I mean it’s hard to tell without watching everything. I thought he was fine. He seemed relaxed – made some good throws. We just can’t allow him to get hit as much as we do and flushed from the pocket. We just got to figure out a way to tighten it up.”
What’s your trust level I guess in Ryan in those end of game situations?
“I don’t know. I trust him, but it wouldn’t matter who was back there. That’s a (expletive) situation to be in. He’s third-and-long, you’re backed up – it’s a bad situation. I’ve been in that end zone before and I’ve watched a Hall of Fame quarterback get sacked for a safety. So I mean – in this building.”
Did you think you were going to get the ball back?
“Yeah, I had faith in our defense. They’d stopped them a majority of the game.”
How would you describe the way your defense played today?
“I thought there were a lot of good things they did. I just wish we had eliminate the big plays in the run game and we were getting turnovers. It’s a shame that we’re in the plus. Blocking a punt, all those type of things and then to come out without a win.”
You talked about how you guys didn’t get the first and second down yardage that you needed in those final two possessions. Was that because of you guys? Did you not execute or did they defend you well?
“The first play we ran it and we were pretty much – when Frank (Gore) had the ball, right when he touched it there were about four guys around him and the second one we just didn’t get out on the slip screen to take that linebacker option.”
Did Ryan’s injury have any impact on how you called the game?
“No, I wasn’t even thinking about it.”
So, this is the second road win that I can remember that you’re leading late and you can’t finish. Did you see anything that reminded you of …?
“It was just – Branchie’s (Andre Branch) got him. The guy is wrapped up and it looks like we’re going to have a sack and we’re going to get the ball back. That’s what’s tough about Andrew Luck. He swerved out of that and makes a great play. That’s what the NFL is – it’s one or two plays at the end.”
In a game like this, I guess you could probably go over in your mind all the different calls you could have made – third and I think it was 10 and you ran into the line. Is that just because of where you are?
“Yeah, that’s the field position. The safety is coming down the other way, we didn’t block anybody – that’s what bothers me more than anything.”
There were three, I think, third-and-longs when you decided to run. What were the differences in those other two situations?
“It was where we are on the field (and) what I’m looking to do when managing the game. I mean, when you turn the ball over a little bit on third-and-long or down and distances. The rush is coming in different, the stunts. We haven’t really picked up a whole bunch of stunts with the four-man rush this year, so that’s all these guys do.”
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.”
