Jerome Baker – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
LB Jerome Baker
(You prepare yourself physically, but mentally do you prepare yourself also?) – “The game is mostly mental, so that’s how I prepare myself. The physical part is going to come. That’s natural, but the mental side of the game is what I’m really focusing on.”
(Has practice been different this week? I know in your third preseason game, you’re sort of preparing yourself for a game; but this week it’s for real. Is it different for you and what do you think is different out there?) – “Yes, in some ways it’s different. Right now, I’m just focusing on a routine and tuning up all of the things I have to read and my different checks. I’m pretty much just getting ready for the game. Now you know this is the real deal.”
(Do you seek advice from veterans who have been there and done this before?) – “Yes, every day. I sit next to Kiko (Alonso) in the room and every day I’m tapping him, ‘What does this mean? Why did you see this? Why did you do that?’ I try to learn from the vets more than anything.”
(How does LB Raekwon McMillan kind of help you out in that process?) – “He’s helped me on the field and off. From things I may not be seeing on the field, he’ll come in after practice and we’ll watch film. He’s not the only vet that’s helped me. Kiko (Alonso) is probably the main one because I sit next to him, so I’m always asking him questions. Overall, the vets definitely help me.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase was saying that he was thinking about putting a receiver to kind of replicate Titans RB Derrick Henry’s speed and size. How do you stop a guy like Derrick Henry, that’s so dynamic like that?) – “Those are special players. You can’t really stop guys like that. You can contain them, but you can’t really stop them. We just want to go out there and do our job and everything is going to work out. That’s all we have to do.”
(How much do you expect to play this weekend?) – “As much as I can. If it’s one rep or 10 reps, I’m going to give it all I’ve got. That’s all I can really control.”
(We mentioned LB Raekwon McMillan and you mentioned this during the preseason that having him out there at the same time with you, there was sort of a comfort level. Do you feel the same now going into a real game, because this is a guy who has known you since college?) – “Yes. It’s definitely comfortable, but there’s guys that I really lean on a lot. Kiko (Alonso) is one of them. It’s definitely very comfortable to know Raekwon is out there but I pretty much learn from all of the guys around me.”
(What’s been the number one thing you’ve learned from LB Kiko Alonso so far?) – “There’s so many things I’ve learned from Kiko, it’s crazy. We got to even … I started asking him to teach me Spanish a little bit. I stopped. (laughter)”
(Why, what happened?) – “He knows the slang of Spanish, not the proper way. (laughter) Kiko teaches me so many things, I can’t really pinpoint one thing. Every day I pretty much learn something new, so it’s a lot of credit to him.”
Kenyan Drake – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
RB Kenyan Drake
(I know we’ve talked and asked you about it but now here it is, the week of the game. How different does it feel for you going into this season?) – “It doesn’t really feel different at all. I’m ready to just go out there and play football. I’m not putting any added expectations on my shoulders. I’m just going out there and trying to help this team win games by running the ball, being efficient in the pass game and just being a playmaker.”
(How much momentum can you take from the way you finished personally last season, and going into this?) – “Just using it as a stepping stone. I don’t try to look back at it too much because it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ type of league. So when I go out there, I just want to make sure I improve upon things that I do well, learn from the lessons and the mistakes that I make and just try to be a good player.”
(In this offseason and in this training camp and preseason, what kind of questions do you think you answered about this offense?) – “I don’t feel like we’ve answered really anything yet because at the end of the day, the season hasn’t started yet. I feel like we have a big task ahead of us with a good Tennessee team coming down here. We’re just ready to go out there and play ball.”
(When was the last time you started out a year being ‘the guy’ at running back?) – “Probably my senior year of high school.”
(How good does that feel, just knowing that you’re No. 1 there on the depth chart?) – “I’d say at the end of the year when we have a lot more wins, because last year I finished the season as ‘the guy,’ but we finished 6-10. I wasn’t happy. This year I look forward to having a lot more wins and being in the same position, so I’ll let you know then.”
(How curious are you to see what this offense can do with the new players and everything now that the regular season is here and you aren’t holding anything back anymore?) – “I feel like this team has a lot of potential. I feel like that’s every team though. When you step onto the field for the first game of the season, all 32 teams have aspirations of making the Super Bowl. That would be an understatement to say that we don’t have those aspirations, obviously; but we’re taking it one game at a time. We know we have a lot of weapons. Having ‘17’ (Ryan Tannehill) back is definitely a pivotal thing for this team. We’re just ready to go out there and make plays.”
Danny Amendola – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
WR Danny Amendola
(What makes you think this can be a successful NFL offense? What specific things have you seen?) – “We’re going to have to put in the work and we’re going to have to make the plays on Sunday. We’ve been practicing hard; we’ve been working hard and we’re going to get out there and we have a lot to prove. We’ll get out there and try our best to prove it.”
(How’s your chemistry with QB Ryan Tannehill so far?) – “We’re working hard. We’ll get out there on Sunday and let loose.”
(When you’re on a new team and you’re starting a new season, what is the anticipation like? How do you keep it just like a regular game?) – “It all comes down to just busting your tail out there in practice, mentally preparing in walkthroughs and throughout the week and then getting out there on Sunday and letting it go and seeing what happens. It’s a big game so we’re excited to get out there.”
(You’re lined up with a big tight end that can be sent outside. What kind of problems does a guy like TE Mike Gesicki provide when you line up next to a guy like that and you know there’s a 6-foor-6 guy next to you on the outside?) – “Certainly he can run, he can jump, he can catch and he’s a good football player. He has a lot to prove too. He’s a rookie. He’s never played in the league yet so he’s going to get out there and give it his best shot and go from there.”
(Have you added an intensity to the team, your personality?) – “I don’t know. You’d have to ask somebody else that, I guess. I’m just me. Whatever I can do to help this team win games is why I’m here.”
(You’ve obviously watched QB Ryan Tannehill some from a distance. Is there anything that you’ve learned about him about his skill set that is, I don’t want to say a pleasant surprise, but something good that you’ve learned working with him the last five months?) – “His communication skills are … that’s one thing that he’s really good at is communicating and getting guys lined up in the right spots, especially some new guys that are here this first year and trying to learn the offense. He’s got us right. His ability to communicate is huge.”
(When did you feel, whether it was in the offseason or camp or in preseason, that this offense would be pretty dynamic? When did you feel that?) – “We have a lot to prove. We don’t ever think that we’ve arrived or that this is easy because it’s never easy. Every game that we’re going to play is going to be a hard-fought, tough game. We’ve got to play well every game, every series and every snap. That’s my mentality.”
(This is the first time in a while that you’re entering a season as not the AFC frontrunner – on the team that’s considered that or certainly one of the top two – so is that a different feeling for you?) – “Good. Good. We’re going to come out fighting, for sure.”
Gavin Escobar – September 6, 2018
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Thursday, September 6, 2018
TE Gavin Escobar
(When did you get the call?) – “Noon, I guess, Pacific time. I hopped on a flight at 2 and got here around 3 a.m.”
(Did you pack anything?) – “You know what? My bag wasn’t even unpacked yet. It wasn’t even all the way unpacked from getting home. I kind of threw some stuff in there.”
(Were you in California?) – “Yes.”
(Obviously that’s a terrible way to come back to the team.) – “When they gave me the call, I had no idea what the situation was. It sucks to come back because of that; but obviously it’s the nature of the game. I tore my Achilles back in 2015 and it sucks. It’s a bad injury. But we know ‘Q’ (MarQueis Gray) will be back strong than ever.”
(What do you expect your role on this team being?) – “I’m just here to help the team. I haven’t been told anything specifically, so I’m just out here working like everyone else.”
(For you personally, do you think this is a great opportunity?) – “For sure, definitely. It’s great to go to a team that you spent the offseason with, too. I’ve been in situations where you go to a brand new team, you have to learn the offense in a week, so it’s nice … familiar faces, familiar offense. It’s good to be back.”
(Were you told before you left that if something happened, be on the look out?) – “Coach just told me, if something happens throughout the season, you’re one of the guys we’re going to call. I was definitely not expecting it so early. Football is a rough sport, so I got the call and here I am.”
(In what way do you feel you can help this team?) – “However they need me. I feel like I can catch the ball and I can block. I’ll just get the job done.”
(Did you have a hard time waking up this morning?) – “(laughter) I got about two hours of sleep. I’m running on fumes, but I’ll get some rest tonight.”
(Do you have an apartment or no?) – “(I’m) at the hotel.”
(They want to get the tight ends involved in this game plan; do you have a lot of catching up to do?) – “The good thing is, like I was saying earlier, I’ve been part of the whole offseason program. The plays aren’t necessarily new. There might be a couple new plays, but overall it’s not like I have to learn a whole new offense in a couple of days.”
Adam Gase – September 5, 2018
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Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Can you talk about the challenges of preparing for Week 1 and the challenge of facing a team who has a new coach and coordinator?) – “Well, I think the opening week is always tough because there’s probably going to be a few things that you have no clue are coming and you have to adjust quickly. Everybody is trying to use their personnel the way they think they should use it, which every team is going to be a little different. What we did last year will be different this year. It’s the same, basically, with Tennessee, because they have a new staff. It’s one thing when you have history against coordinators and things like that. We’ve played (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Dean) Pees multiple times, twice here and then in the past where I’ve been. And they’ve got a new offensive coordinator. We’ve got four (preseason) games we’re going off of. It can be tough. We know we’re going to have to make some adjustments during the game.”
(So QB Luke Falk was on the Titans for six months or whatever. Can he help you in regards to information?) – “I think it’s hard because when you’re a rookie, you’re trying to make sure that you get to the building on time. You’re so focused on just trying to do the things that they’re asking you to do. It’s just hard. When you’re a rookie … If we were talking about a fifth year or sixth year guy, then probably yes. But I think when you’re a rookie, it’s just so hard. You’re just trying to keep your head above water.”
(What do you like about QB Luke Falk as a quarterback prospect?) – “He was a guy that we brought in here. He was one of the three quarterbacks that we brought in (for a 30-visit). We really liked his football mind. I thought he was – from the system he came from, the knowledge he had of that and how he knew the ins and outs of that and kind of the way they call plays – it kind of fit with what we do a little bit, to where he could make some adjustments at the line of scrimmage. I really liked his anticipation. He throws on time. He’s accurate. It’s one of those things where he kind of reminds me of a lot of the guys that I’ve been around in the past. We were fired up to get him here.”
(In terms of preparing for the opener, do you guys get an advantage because they don’t have your video just like they don’t have yours?) – “I think we’re almost all on the same playing field. They have a little more film on at least what we’ve done in the past. There’s always going to be something different from both sides.”
(What appealed to you on WR Tanner McEvoy and on RB Brandon Bolden?) – “That was interesting with Tanner. (He’s been) a special teams guy in the past and we’re always looking to see what else we can get out of guys that have special teams background to see how much they can contribute on offense. He’s had explosive plays in the past. It hasn’t been a numerous amount of catches but his average per catch is somewhere in the 20s. He’s made some explosive plays. He’s done a really good job on special teams and that was one of the main reasons we liked him. The fact that Bolden was available, we did everything we could to get him here. Obviously with Danny (Amendola) being here and his knowledge and his background and kind of what he’s all about, we felt like adding him was going to be a big deal for us.”
(Do you expect to see a lot of RB Derrick Henry? And what’s unique about him?) – “I’m assuming, yes. I can’t say for sure but what’s unique is he’s fast and as big as you can get them. He’s a powerful man and it takes multiple guys to bring him down to the ground.”
(What does it mean to you to kick off a regular-season game week prep with QB Ryan Tannehill as your guy?) – “It’s so different than the last time because that was two years ago. We were still in the learning stage trying to figure out how it was going to go and who we were leaning on. There were so many little things that we were just trying to learn. Now he grabs hold of the reigns and takes over practice and he’s all riled up. Today, I figured out a way to upset him a couple of times, which is always great. (laughter) He was wired in today. It was fun going through today as a whole – the meetings, the practice, all of that stuff.”
(Why are you convinced that you know QB Ryan Tannehill’s going to be better than he was the last time he played in a regular season game?) – “Just the reps and the experience. I know he said he missed last year but we went through the whole spring. We had a good amount of training camp practices. He’s stayed so engaged throughout that whole year, which is hard to do when you know you’re not going to play. I know everybody will say quarterbacks … Yes, it’s not as easy as you think. He really took last year and used it to his advantage and taking a step back and being able to watch everything, listen to everything and kind of see how guys react to certain things. And then also just listening constantly about when we’re talking about plays, concepts, progressions and why we’re doing things, he was able to really take it all in. Now it’s processing faster for him.”
(You came here as a quarterback expert of sorts. Are you comfortable putting your name behind QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “Oh, yes. I love working with him. I love how he does everything from the time he gets in the building until the time he leaves. He really has shown me a lot, especially on the practice field, with how intense he is (and) how he treats every day like a game. He’s taken a hold of this offense and he’s made it his own. There are certain things that we’ve never done before that we do now because of what he likes to do. I really like the way that he’s working with the group of skill guys. I think they have good chemistry. I think it’s a good start for the season for us.”
(You know QB Ryan Tannehill on a personal level but he’s been on social media trying to get fans and trying to endear himself to fans with certain videos and things like that. Have you seen that? What do you think about him trying to get other people to get to know him?) – “I haven’t seen any … I don’t pay attention much. I think who he is when we’re at practice and in the building and things like that … I think a lot of people get a three-hour snippet of who he is and that’s just during a game. I know it’s a game but at the same time, it’s a business. Guys put a lot of time and effort into this thing and when they get locked in on Sunday, it becomes a different deal. It’s very competitive and they’re professionals.”
(With QB Luke Falk, you said if he was a fifth or sixth year guy, you might try to get some information. Can you think of a time where that’s paid off at any point in your NFL career, where you’ve gotten information from a player who was with a former team?) – “No.”
(Have you ever tried? Have you been around where you’ve tried and it just hasn’t worked?) – “Not that I remember.”
(Obviously a lot of this will depend on snap counts in a game, but is it realistic to ever go more than two deep in terms of carries to running back? Obviously RB Kenyan Drake and RB Frank Gore will have a lot. Is it really challenging to weave in RB Kalen Ballage or RB Senorise Perry?) – “It’s all about how many plays you have per game. We’ve had times where you have 75-plus and now, yes, you get multiple guys in there – two, three or four (of them). It just depends on how many you have up. When you have 50, now you’re struggling to split with two guys. It’s all about the amount of plays, how many drives you can get and how long your series are. The longer the drive and the more drives you have, the more chances you have to spread the ball out.”
(Do you have an update on WR DeVante Parker?) – “We’re still kind of waiting to see how he feels as far as catching balls and stuff like that. He’s doing a lot of cardio stuff. He’s doing a lot of individual drill type things with our training staff. Once we get the green light, we’ll go at it.”
(But he can’t catch anything yet?) – “Not yet. I mean we haven’t tried yet.”
(How different is this September 5th from a year ago, from all standpoints? It’s your third year, not your second year. There’s no hurricane baring down on you. You’ve got QB Ryan Tannehill here.) – “It’s still early. (laughter)”
(It’s got to be like a world of difference, huh?) – “It’s nice to be able to really … It looks like we’re going to open up at home, so that’s exciting. We’re not traveling to Seattle. We’re not in L.A. (Los Angeles). I really think … the coaching staff is excited. The players are excited. We want to get in there and we want to get everything really going in the right direction. It’s the first game of … moving the ball and get some three-and-outs. That’s really what we want to do. Get the crowd involved in it early to where now when we get to third downs on defense, the volume is getting up there. There’s been times where the game starts going our way and we’re getting to those third downs, it makes it really hard on the opposing quarterback.”
(How quickly would you expect DE William Hayes to get back to … I don’t want to say midseason form but…) – “He’ll be alright. He’s been playing so long. We held him out more because we just wanted to make sure we were as close to 100 percent as we could get. He’s ready to go.”
(It’s clear what guys obviously are going to play for the most part on Sunday. But at tight end, you have some interesting options. Is TE A.J. Derby in your mind beyond what you anticipate your use of TE Mike Gesicki and TE MarQueis Gray…) – “I mean we’ll just see how it goes. It’s hard to say. I don’t want to give the game plan away but at the same time, it’s the flow of the game. You have an idea but things change quickly.”
Mike Gesicki – September 5, 2018
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Wednesday, September 5, 2018
TE Mike Gesicki
(The chemistry with you and QB Ryan Tannehill, how do you feel it’s coming along?) – “Really well. Ryan obviously is a phenomenal quarterback. He does a great job leading our offense and leading our team. He’s extremely prepared for this opportunity. I think that seeing that and seeing how prepared he is, seeing how comfortable he is back there, it’s kind of contagious for the other guys.”
(When did your head stop swimming with all these things being thrown at you?) – “Sometimes it still is, honestly. (laughter) There’s a lot of new stuff going in still each and every week, new game plan stuff and all of that kind of stuff. You just have to take it, learn from it and continue to move forward and get better.”
(We saw you have some battles with S Minkah Fitzpatrick during camp. Did you go against S Reshad Jones a lot?) – “I’ve gone up against Reshad a couple of times, yes.”
(What is that experience like, because he’s obviously a four-time Pro Bowler?) – “Awesome. It’s unbelievable competition to go against him. If you’re going against him and guys like Cam Wake and the guys on our defense that we have that have played at an extremely high level, it’s only going to bring the best out of you.”
(Is there anything that S Reshad Jones has not directly taught you, but kind of made you figure out when you go against him?) – “You just kind of see some things in your game that aren’t going to work at this level. He’s pretty physical for his position, so being able to use your hands at the line and all of that kind of stuff. So, I’m definitely being able to take some things away from when I go against him.”
(How different was the vibe this week compared to the preseason game to getting ready for the regular season and live action?) – “We had a pretty good preparation week for this type of stuff against Baltimore. Obviously, that third preseason game, you kind of treat that more like a game week. That was kind of a dress rehearsal for this, so having that experience and being able to learn from that has been good.”
(Do you feel the excitement from when people see you out? They’re looking for a playmaker.) – “I think our entire offense … There’s a lot of guys on the offensive side of the football that are extremely talented and guys can play a bunch of different positions and make plays from all over the field. So, it’s not only myself, it’s not even only myself in the tight end room. We have a lot of talented guys in the tight end room that can make a lot of plays. It’s going to be really exciting to kind of watch how this offense grows and develops.”
(When people see you on the street, what do they tell you?) – “I’m not out much. (laughter) I go from here, back to my place, back to here, back to my place and do a lot of Uber Eats. (laughter) I don’t really go out to eat or anything like that.”
(What’s your go-to Uber Eats?) – “Honestly, anything Italian. I go in there and just type in ‘Italian food’ and get some pasta or whatever.”
(You said you’re still learning some things, you’re still picking up some things. That’s normal for a rookie. How do you deal with trying to pick up those things but also they’re snapping the ball and you’re playing full speed?) – “It’s not so much where I’m supposed to be lining up or who I’m working to and that kind of stuff. It’s just the new plays and the new assignments that are going in. It’s not so much that I’m lining up and I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s being able to take the new stuff from the meeting room and then on to the practice field.”
Adam Gase – September 5, 2018 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with Tennessee Media
(As you look at this team, the Titans, they didn’t have QB Marcus Mariota last year. How different are they with Mariota and how difficult is it to figure out what he might be doing with this new offense?) – “It’s a lot different and it is difficult because there are a lot of options that can take place to where it could be just normal drop-back pass., it could be zone read, it could be play-action where if we’re not really doing a good job with our rush lanes and something opens up, he takes off. That becomes an issue. He’s got a lot of weapons to go to. And then you throw in the run game, with Derrick (Henry) and him kind of working it back there, there’s a lot of problems for us.”
(What kind of added dimension does RB Dion Lewis give the Titans this year?) – “I think the underrated part of him is him as a true running back. When he runs the ball, he does a great job. He was a guy that we actually looked at in free agency, so I was able to watch a lot of the … It’s one thing when you play a team, it’s another thing when you go into free agency and you study a guy. I don’t think I ever realized how good of a runner he was between the tackles. He’s tough. He runs the ball like a bigger guy. That’s probably the first thing that surprised me. And then he’s really a tough matchup in any kind of pass concepts. When he gets out in open space, he really makes it difficult for guys to cover him.”
(How is QB Luke Falk getting acclimated to South Florida?) – “Well I’ve only seen him … Today was my first day being around him. We were flying through our meetings today, so I haven’t had too much of a chance to really talk to him because we’re off and running right now.”
(One of the backs you did end up signing was RB Frank Gore. How is adding a veteran to that locker room helped incorporate the culture that you want to establish?) – “Frank has been great for us, I think not only in the running back (group but) just other guys who really have looked up to him in the past. Frank has been around for a long time. We were together 10 years ago (in San Francisco). It’s crazy how he hasn’t changed much. He looks as good as he did when we were together 10 years ago. There’s a big difference though when you’re his age now and where he was when I was with him before. He does a great job as far as knowing the right time to say things to guys about how to work and how to prepare in meetings and how to handle the volume of an NFL playbook. I think he’s done a great job in our locker room and in the running back room. I think him and Kenyan (Drake) do a great job playing off each other, talking about stuff. Some of our younger guys, they’re smart enough to lean on him a little bit.”
(Is it hard to expect or get an idea what to expect from a brand new offensive coordinator and a brand new scheme? How do you go about doing that?) – “It is tough. You try to go off of what you see on tape. You try to go back to where the heritage of his offense (is). It’s not an easy task. You’re going to have to have a lot of in-game adjustments and make sure if they start doing something that we weren’t prepared for, we’ve got to make sure that we adjust on the sidelines and our players have to handle that.”
(Have you ever crossed paths with Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel and how tough does it also make the fact that you’re dealing with a new, first-time head coach, so there’s not much of a track record there as well?) – “I haven’t had much interaction. I think we’ve met each other a couple times, but that’s the extent of that. Really, it’s tough. When you’ve got an offensive coordinator that doesn’t have a lot of tape out there of what he’s doing and the way that Mike handles in-game adjustments in situations and stuff, there’s not a huge booklet out of that on him right now. It’s going to be the same thing for us as a team. We’re just going to have to make sure that if something comes up and they do something that’s different for us, that we have to adjust quickly and really just get everybody on the same page.”
(Does it help you some that they have players that you’re familiar with that you know their skillset and what they’ve been able to do over the years, especially guys they’ve brought in like RB Dion Lewis and CB Malcolm Butler?) – “Yes, it probably helps a little bit just because we at least know who those guys are and we’ve played against those guys. But really, we’re not going to have an exact knowledge of what they’re going to be doing schematically. They didn’t really show a ton in the preseason. On both sides of the ball, we’re just going to have to do a good job of rolling in the game and do what we’re going to do and adjust to what they do.”
(You’ve got some new weapons on offense, I guess a big wide receiver and tight end and of course having QB Ryan Tannehill back also. Should we expect a much different look to the Dolphins offense this year than last?) – “I think every year this offense kind of changes. Adding the pieces that we have, we’ve got a lot of different guys that we can get the ball to. I think that kind of was our first step. We like our skill guys and we like our guys up front. Hopefully, that’s going to help make a big difference in our season this year and really the production that we have on offense, because we haven’t really done anything the last two years.”
(We asked you about RB Dion Lewis. What about RB Derrick Henry and how he complements what Dion does and vice versa and the challenge that comes with trying to stop two different backs?) – “Obviously, they’ve got different body types. But when you’re dealing with Derrick, you better have a lot of guys coming to meet him wherever he is on the field, because it’s rare to see one guy take him down. He’s big, fast and physical. That makes him very hard for a defense to prepare for, because you can’t really simulate it in practice and we don’t have anybody that’s that size. I don’t think many teams do. We have to do everything we can to make sure that we got everybody running to the ball and try to swarm him as fast as possible.”
(How much harder does the acquisition of DE Robert Quinn make it to prepare for you defensively off the edge with both him and DE Cameron Wake now on either side?) – “It’s been a good thing for us. We’ve had some great work in training camp practices and really dealing with those guys all spring. Those guys do a good job of playing off each other. Defensive fronts – the good ones – they all work together. They all kind of set each other up. I think this group, they do a great job. (Defensive Line Coach) Kris Kocurek does a great job making sure that these guys are all working together.”
(How has RB Kenyan Drake adjusted to becoming the lead back in your offense? I know last year you parted ways with RB Jay Ajayi and he took on a lead role. How is he accepting that role?) – “He just kind of moved in there and really we just … We didn’t really miss a beat. He creates plays when we really don’t have anything. He’s a different style of back. He’s a bigger guy with really good speed. It seems like when we call a play that’s not really ideal in a situation, he finds a way to make it a positive play or an explosive play. He’s done a great job as far as his evolution of learning the offense and what he knows know compared to what he knew two years ago. He’s really made huge strides.”
(Did you guys look a lot at QB Luke Falk going into the draft?) – “Yes. We brought him in (as a 30-visit). He was one of the three guys we brought in. Baker (Mayfield), Josh Allen and Luke – those were the three guys we brought in. We spent time with him and he was one of the guys that I was interested in.”
(How much can you learn or glean from a guy that had spent time with the Titans for a while in the preseason?) – “I think if you’re dealing with a guy that’s five or six years in the league, it’s one thing. But when a guy is a rookie somewhere, you’re trying to find your way to the building, you’re trying to make sure that you’re on time for everything, you’re trying to fight to just make a roster spot. To me, it becomes difficult. If you start asking a young guy questions like that, you’re not going to get very far.”
(Do you guys figure you’ll keep four quarterbacks for a while or is it hard to say at this point?) “We’ll see how everything goes. One of the things that we talked about this spring was developing quarterbacks, especially some young guys. We kind of got caught in a situation last year where we lost our starting quarterback, we had an older backup, brought in another older guy and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
(As you try to replace the production that WR Jarvis Landry brought to you last year, do you expect a lot of guys to step up and make it a cooperative effort to replace that production?) – “The way that we’re kind of spreading the ball out, I see it as we’re going to have a lot of different guys touching the ball. That’s why we brought all these guys here. I like the way this group is working. I like the way the quarterback is spreading it out. That’s really what this offense has always been. Really everybody has had about the same numbers in the past. There’s never been one guy that’s just exceeded the other guys.”
(You had a lot of success with QB Ryan Tannehill in 2016. Things kind of came off the track last year. Does having him back in your scheme, does that allow you to unlock things a little more with him in that offense?) – “We had a whole spring and half a training camp where we were going in a certain direction. Then when he got hurt, we had to switch gears and it was almost like starting over, which is bad timing when you’re going into a season. Him being here the whole spring, all training camp, playing four preseason games – or three preseason games – and now heading into the season, that allows us to continue doing what we’ve been working on since the spring.”
Daniel Kilgore – September 5, 2018
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Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Center Daniel Kilgore
(What do you think is the potential for this offensive line? QB Ryan Tannehill just said he has the most confidence in this offensive line than he’s ever had.) – “Well, when your starting quarterback says that. That’s probably the highest compliment you can get as an offensive line. We haven’t even played one game yet but this line has the potential of being a great offensive line. We’ve got some young guys and we’ve got some veteran guys – not just in the starting five but the guys behind us well. We have too good of a group of men not to be good, if that makes sense. We work well together. It’s an open-door policy. When you have something to say, you say it. That’s one thing that any group that works together, I think that’s the number one priority. This group does that. It’s working well together.”
(What you just said, have you guys talked about that among yourselves, ‘We’re too good to not be good?’) – “We’re too good of people not to be good. Sure. I’ve been saying that since day one after meeting these guys. I think good things happen to good people, and I think we have a room full. Starting with the coaching staff, bringing in (Josh) Sitton, the guys who have been here, the guys who have been through things, guys who have played in Super Bowls, guys who had one-win seasons. Good things happen to good people and we have a room full of good people. We’ve not played our first game yet, so the verdict is still out; but again, I think you have a group that’s going to come to work every day. That’s all you can ask for.”
(T Laremy Tunsil was saying how much G Josh Sitton has meant to him. What have you seen in Sitton as far as being a teacher to guys like him?) – “Some good hair. He has some really good hair. (laughter) Just the knowledge of the game. He’s been around forever. He’s a guy that I could see when he hangs it up, he’ll be a coach one day. He communicates with Laremy. Laremy is still a young guy, so just anything he sees he can communicate with me or Laremy or the other side of the ball. Just his knowledge of the game, for sure.”
(Was there something specific that you saw or heard that sold you on your teammates on the offensive line?) – “Yes. The past coaches that I kept in touch with (were) talking about the guys and how good they were. Just knowing the background of (Head Coach Adam) Gase and the offenses that he’s been a part of. Talking to the front office guys, who they were wanting to bring in and kind of just where they were. The guys that are here, coming in for me, I knew first-hand that they were going to be what they wanted. Just knowing that those guys are good guys made it an easy transition for me.”
