Adam Gase – September 17, 2018
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Monday, September 17, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(You guys have obviously done a great job of stopping the run. As you look back at the two games, is it a combination of everyone or who has particularly excelled?) – “I think it’s been a group effort. We still have some missed tackles to clean up, where we could probably be better there; but I think guys are doing a good job of handling their responsibility and executing calls.”
(After yesterday’s game, WR DeVante Parker said he could have played. Your reaction?) – “That’s true. He could have played. I told him that he was going to be inactive. We went through the week … We weren’t really sure how it was going to go when we started the week, with once we got into actual contact periods where he had a defender hitting down on his arms and possibly his hand. So we kind of took that slow. By the end of the week … He did a good job. He did everything we asked him to do. It looked like everything was going smooth, but there’s a lot of moving parts to this thing. I explained that to him. I also wanted to … It’s a time thing with him as far as being healed and closer to 100 percent, so one more week wasn’t going to be a bad thing. I explained that to him the night before (the game).”
(Did the trainers tell you that playing WR DeVante Parker yesterday may have been a risk at all of a setback?) – “No, but he’s going to be stronger this week than he was last.”
(Can you take us through the third-and-19 play to RB Frank Gore? Was he where the pass was supposed to go?) – “No; but Ryan (Tannehill) did a good job of pushing up in the pocket. Really, his eyes had to come down because we were taking a shot. We were actually going for the touchdown. He did a good job. Frank was waiting for the defender that looked like he was going to blitz. The guy didn’t come right away, so Frank leaked out and that guy ended up coming, so Ryan pushed up and that’s why Frank was wide open. It was funny because (Defensive Coordinator) Matt Burke was saying that Frank scored like a 60-yard touchdown against him and the exact same thing happened when he was in Detroit and they were playing San Francisco. Frank has a knack of knowing when the right time to go is and when the right time is to stay in.”
(In the bigger picture of that possession, you guys run out the clock and I don’t think you had any penalties. I guess you had a negative play on third-and-19 to set that up, but what does that tell you about your team when it’s able to do that and in that fashion?) – “We’re making improvement. That was something that we’ve made a big point of emphasis is turnover margin and our pre-snap penalties, more than anything. If you have penalties within the game, whether it’s holding or pass interference or things like that – as we say, aggressive penalties – we can live with that. We’ll correct those in individual (drills) as far as technique. But the pre-snap stuff, we can fully control. That’s really been one of the things where if we can improve that, it prevents us from being in long-yardage situations or giving away plays. We get a sack (yesterday) and we have an offsides (penalty). That’s something that … it’s like football karma right there where you have a good play happen and it gets taken away. If you do it right every down, there’s a good chance that good things will happen.”
(As you watch the game again, you see on film that the effort it took just before halftime to stop Jets TE Chris Herndon from getting in the end zone with S Reshad Jones and CB Bobby McCain. Can you talk about that play?) – “It’s a phenomenal play. It was great effort. That’s really what it was. I liked what (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) called and those guys executed that thing, but it took everything both of those guys had to strain and finish that play. We were on the right side of that one.”
(After two weeks, there’s obviously stats that come out that teams that are 2-0 have this percent chance of getting into the playoffs and teams that are 0-2 are in this much trouble and all of that good stuff. Is this the kind of team that you have to caution or warn against that there has only been two games? Do you have to address that with these guys at all?) – “I mean, not really. We’ve talked about it so much leading up to this that everything that’s said outside our building is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is this week. It’s really the truth. I’ve been 6-0 and not made the playoffs. It doesn’t matter. You have to play every week. You have to reset it every week. You have to work to get better to try not to be a team that’s up and down. We’re trying to be consistent. You’re going to lose games in this league. That’s why there’s only been one undefeated team that’s ever won it all and another team didn’t win the last game, so nobody really cares about it if you won them all. If you don’t win the last one, nobody cares.”
(What year was that where you were 6-0 and didn’t make the playoffs?) – “2009.”
(I’m sure every coach everywhere emphasizes turnover margin. Was that really something that you all emphasized more this offseason than previous years?) – “Mhm.”
(It was?) – “Yes, because we were working on it every day, whether it’s ball security or tackling or a turnover drill. We’ve carved out time in our practice to say this is how important it is and we’re going to work on it every day.”
(Did you guys miss G Josh Sitton yesterday and if so, in what ways?) – “I think you’re always going to … When you have a guy that’s a really good player, it benefits when he’s out there. I thought Ted (Larsen) did a good job. He executed what we were asking him to do. He plays physical. I love the way that when he’s uncovered, he can help clean out the pocket. He brings good energy to the sideline. That group does a good job. Those guys play together. It’s a fun group to be around.”
(With the continuity on offense, it really showed when WR Albert Wilson called his teammates over to celebrate the touchdown. What did you think of that and overall, how is your offense…) – “I wasn’t paying attention to that at the time. I was excited that basically I called a really bad play versus what they called and our guys made it work. I didn’t hear about that until we got back last night. I love that because I love how our locker room is. I love how those guys are on the field, off the field, in the locker room, outside of this (building). These guys are tight. It’s fun to be around and it’s enjoyable to watch those guys go through a game and the ups and downs of a game, and they don’t waver. They just keep going out there, putting their head down, trying to help make plays, trying to do the right things and I feel like there’s accountability with each other.”
(Have you ever coached another player with a skill set like WR Albert Wilson’s?) – “No. I think I’ve had, or I’ve been around, a few guys over my time that were similar; but I don’t think as dynamic as what he is. He’s legitimately a guy that is almost built like a running back but plays like a wide receiver as far as running routes.”
(Does that challenge you I guess as a play-caller to figure out…) – “No. I love it. There’s no limit of all the things we can do. It’s like … You can go watch some really good stuff and people will be like, ‘Oh, you can’t do that;’ but (we) can do whatever, because (Albert Wilson) can do everything.”
(CB Cordrea Tankersley was inactive and CB Cornell Armstrong was out there playing special teams. Does Tankersley not offer enough on special teams?) – “I think it’s just one of those spots where there’s a chance that it could keep going back and forth. That happens sometimes. If you don’t do as well one game, the next guy gets a shot and then you just kind of evaluate that and go back and start over the next week, then challenge those guys in practice to say the best guy gets to dress. That’s just what it is. It’s competition. I think (Tankersley) is making a lot of strides at corner. We just need him to get a little better at special teams, which is something that’s fairly new to him over the last two years. The good thing is I like our depth at that position, so the fact that we have multiple guys that could be active or inactive, that’s a positive.”
(You guys are atop the AFC East. Is that something you think your team can maintain a mindset of?) – “I don’t even think … If you ask half these guys, they probably don’t even know. They don’t care. It doesn’t mean anything. The division stuff right now is irrelevant. We’re focused on getting things corrected from yesterday and then we’ll turn our attention on Wednesday to the next team, and that’s what our focus is going to be. No one cares what you’re doing right now. When it’s December and it’s really coming down to the end and you may need to … Half the time you don’t even care then. You’re just playing games and you’re trying to win them all.”
(What do you say to P Matt Haack and how important has he been to winning the field position battle and keeping the opposition inside their own 20?) – “Yes, that was one of our … That was a big point (of emphasis) for us this week of flipping the field. He’s a big part of that. He’s done an outstanding job. What did he have, six punts and five were inside the 20? That’s phenomenal. To make a rookie quarterback drive 80-plus yards every time in his second (NFL) game, that’s what you want to do. You want to try to put that kind of pressure on him and I’m sure the next time we see him, he’s going to be that much better as far as their quarterback goes. We might have to change our approach to that. I think with what we asked him to do and what we asked the offense to do and the defense to do, I thought we played good complementary football for the most part. I still think there’s some things we need to … I’d rather not let up a touchdown and fumble (at the start of the second half). That’s kind of one of those ones that was not complementary football; but then Xavien (Howard) did a great job of getting that interception, so that helped us.”
(A small sample size obviously just two games in, but after 20 months off or whatever it was, has QB Ryan Tannehill’s accuracy surprised you with how sharp he’s been?) – “No. That’s how he’s always … Maybe it’s been too long. I don’t know. It seems like it was a long time ago, but I always felt like he was that way. He does a good job. He makes sure that we complete the ones when they’re open. His accuracy down the field is probably one of the better ones in the league, which I love saying considering that I was told he can’t throw the deep ball. (laughter) I always like bringing that up. He’s doing a good job. He’s being efficient in the short passing game. There’s some things that we’ve got to clean up, and we will. I think the more he plays, the rhythm will just get better and better. I think he’s really enjoying playing with that group of wide receivers and tight ends and running backs. Those guys are all feeding off each other.”
(Guys in the locker room are talking about they’re building something special here but still have room to fulfill that finished product. How far do you feel like you guys are?) – “It’s going to take all year. I mean, really, that’s what you work for. You’re just trying to avoid peaks and valleys. You just don’t want to have extreme highs and then you’re down, and then you’re back up. You want to just keep climbing and just getting better and better every week. You want to put out the right product on the field where you feel like you’re improving. It may not always result in a win, but you see it on tape. Because when you start playing really good teams that are elite, it’s 50-50 sometimes. You have to do everything you can to put yourself in position of winning at the end, because a lot of times in this league, it comes down to the last drive.”
(How did TE Mike Gesicki do as a blocker yesterday? Were there things that you practiced that you just didn’t get to that you wanted to?) – “We had a couple of opportunities in the passing game to get him the ball. It just didn’t work out. They did a good job. They cheated to him a little bit. When he gets singled up on a linebacker, the good thing is we weren’t the only ones that actually watched him in college, so the other defensive coordinators are aware of what he can do, so they’re taking him away and the ball’s got to go somewhere else. And that’s good. I’m glad Ryan (Tannehill) is doing the right thing and not trying to force it to him. I like the fact that he’s not concerned about how many targets he’s getting. He’s playing. I know this, he’s taking a lot of pride in trying to become a better blocker. He had a really good block on (Kenyan) Drake’s touchdown. Drake made a great cut and Mike did a great job of walling the d-end off and there was a nice little lane there and Kenyan hit it, and got in the end zone. That was a big play for us because it got us a touchdown after a turnover. Mike is improving. He’s going to keep improving because the guy is very prideful. He loves doing this. He studies. He works hard. Good things will happen for him.”
(You mentioned turnover margin and penalties as points of emphasis and you’re doing pretty well in them. Are there other points of emphasis and how have you done? Third-down offense? Third-down defense?) – “I bring up the ones that we’re doing good in. (laughter) Missed tackles and yards after contact were some of the ones that we made a big emphasis on. We need to improve on our tackling. I think that’s always going to be a constant theme throughout the whole league. I know a lot of teams are talking about the same thing. I think any time you see a team not play as well as they want on defense or special teams, it comes down to that where you’re giving guys extra opportunities after you probably had them stopped.”
(Your first and second-down defense seemed excellent. I think their average third down was third-and-10 and they had like five that were more than third-and-10. What were you doing on first and second downs? It looked like you were stopping the run.) – “That’s really where it starts. Any time you can try to make a team one-dimensional, it gives you a good chance to have success that day. You kind of have to step away from the yardage sometimes. If you look at both teams’ yardage … It really comes down to turnovers. It comes down to what happens in the penalties. And then the third-down stuff is important. We were better on third down if we got the first one. The three-and-outs need to stop; but our defense did a good job of making sure first and second down were not successful and then get them in third down. With our group of pass rushers, if we get third-and-7-plus, that’s ideal for us.”
(You mentioned tackling earlier. Is that something you feel has to do with the rule changes? Or do you think that’s just early…) – “You can figure that one out pretty quick.”
(Being around this game for however many years, you’ve seen some unconventional things. When you heard the story of CB Vontae Davis retiring at halftime, your thoughts on that? How crazy is that?) – “I don’t even know … That’s for somebody else to worry about. That was a new one for me.”
Reshad Jones – September 17, 2018
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Monday, September 17, 2018
S Reshad Jones
(Coming into the season, WR Jakeem Grant said it best that you guys are all you’ve got. People doubted but you guys are shutting them up and everyone is starting to drink the Kool-Aid a little bit.) – “Most definitely. This team is battle-tested. We’ve been through a lot. Like last year, the first game (we had a) hurricane and couldn’t play the first game. The first game this year was the longest game in NFL history. This team is battle-tested. We’ve got resilient guys in this locker room and a great coaching staff. You just try to keep stacking these Ws.”
(You being a defensive leader, what would your approach be if one of your cornerbacks decided to retire at halftime and leave you hanging.) – “Football is brutal. Everybody’s got personal things, on and off the field that they go through. I’d have to see what’s up with the individual first and then go from there; but it would be tough for your boys to walk out on you on game day, at halftime. I don’t know how to feel about it, honestly.”
(You guys have done a great job making an emphasis on forcing turnovers. How did that emphasis on creating turnovers come about and how do you think you’re doing so far through two games?) – “We know the importance of it. The percentage of winning increases a lot when you create turnovers, when you get those turnovers and you give your offense the ball back to go score points. Coach stresses it. We know the importance of it and we’ve got to continue to get those turnovers to help this team win.”
Can you sense a momentum swing in the game when you are able to force a turnover and then when you’re able to punch it home on offense?) – “Most definitely. I don’t know the exact numbers but percentage-wise, one turnovers to two turnovers, (your chances to win) increases a lot – getting those turnovers. We definitely can feel it.”
(That play with Jets TE Chris Herndon near the end zone, Head Coach Adam Gase was talking about the effort with you and CB Bobby McCain. He loved the call by Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke but he said the effort … Speaking of momentum, how much can that carry into the second half, stopping them just before halftime?) – “I think it was a huge play. Those guys were getting the ball back coming out of the half. If they would have scored right there, that probably would have changed the whole game. I think that one play was huge.”
(Did you guys have a discussion in the huddle before that last play in the half reminding you that if you tackled those guys in bounds, the clock would run out?) – “That was sort of the defensive call that we were in. We wanted to keep everything in front of us, don’t let anybody get in the end zone and tackle the man before the end zone. We did kind of discuss it and we knew the situation.”
(You and S T.J. McDonald are pretty much the same guy. Do you have little personal, individual things you have, like I want to get a bigger hit on whoever today? Because you both like to hit.) – “Not really. We just try to set a presence. We want guys to know we’re back here or whatever. We’re both versatile safeties. We’re interchangeable. We both can do the same things; but I like going to get the ball. I can lay the boom, too, when needed; but I like getting the ball. I like creating those turnovers.”
(Things you’d point to as to why your pass defense is better and your pass rating against is so much better than last year as a team. Is it S Minkah Fitzpatrick? Is it CB Bobby McCain and CB Xavien Howard improving? What things would you point to?) – “I think it’s a total team effort. I think we’ve got one of the best front sevens in football. I think we’ve got a chance to be one of the best secondaries in all of football. I’ve got to give credit to those guys up front. They’re playing lights out – the d-tackles, d-ends. Those guys are getting to the quarterback and they’re just making our job easy. We’re just doing our job back there covering guys and let those guys get to the quarterback. It’s a total team effort.”
(From a back-end standpoint, how much has S Minkah Fitzpatrick helped?) – “Minkah is good. He comes from a winning program. He loves ball. He loves asking questions. He’s been playing solid in the slot. I think he played a lot of nickel at Alabama, so he’s been thriving at that position. He’s definitely brought a spark to the room.”
(You’ve definitely flashed over the last two games – two picks and then a big hit right before the half yesterday. What has allowed to maybe stand out a little bit more so far into this season as opposed to last year?) – “My preparation. Preparation meets opportunity. I prepare. I work my butt off. Hard work and dedication throughout the offseason, I break down film, and I’ve played a lot of ball in this league. My main focus is to be consistent, continue to do what I’m doing and do whatever it takes to help this team win football games.”
Albert Wilson – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
WR Albert Wilson (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On his touchdown celebration) – “It’s something I did in Kansas City and it turned out pretty good. There is nothing like your first touchdown with a team and I just wanted to celebrate with my guys. It takes the attention away from me and puts it on the team.”
(On his touchdown reception) – “I crossed (the defender’s) face, Ryan gave me a pretty good ball and I just out ran the defender.”
(On QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I think he’s doing great. I think we can do a little more around him to clean things up, but I think he’s doing his job.”
(On if he’s surprised the Dolphins are 2-0) – “I’m not surprised at all. I have high expectations for the team, especially for the offense.”
Cameron Wake – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by New York Jets)
(Opening remarks on Frank Gore) – “Before we begin actually, I just passed Frank out there. I just want to take a minute to congratulate him on such a tremendous personal accomplishment, becoming the fourth all-time leading rusher. That’s kind of mind blowing, honestly. I think the team as a whole is just honored to play with the guy. I know I can speak for them to say that and to just give him congratulations.”
(On the defensive line’s success) – “I think it was no secret that they were going to come out and run the ball and I don’t think it was a secret that we were going to go out and try to stop the run. I think that’s probably more often than not a theme of football every week in the NFL, probably even more so this week. They wanted to do that, get the ball rolling, get the momentum going and have us on our heels. We wanted to take it to them and we even focused on that all week in practice. I think the guys did a good job doing that today.”
(On if he is satisfied with how the defense has been playing) – “Just on the surface, it was good but there is more to be desired. I think there are plays that we should have (made), there’s more out there. I think if you ask any defensive guy out there or get the coaches involved, (they would say) we have more work to do and that we can be even better. I think it’s a good start being that its game two. We want to improve week in and week out. I’m looking forward to being better next week and the week after that and the week after that. I think it’s a good start, but (am I) satisfied? No, not yet.”
Robert Quinn – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
DE Robert Quinn (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On getting pressure on Sam Darnold) – “We got to him early, got him rattled, and didn’t let up. It wasn’t just me, it was a collective effort. We may not have always hit him or sacked him, but we collapsed the pocket and made him uncomfortable. We tried to do our job and got it done today.”
(On the defense getting three sacks this week after not getting any last week) – “As defensive linemen we want sacks, that’s what we are judged by. It was in the back of our mind that we have to do better and demand more of ourselves.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
S Minkah Fitzpatrick (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On interacting with the crowd after the incomplete pass to Robbie Anderson in the endzone in the third quarter) – “They thought it was pass interference, but it wasn’t. The ref didn’t call it. I was in good position. (I) played the ball. They were booing me. I had to give something back. It’s my home state so I was just having fun with it.”
(On whether there is something about playing in New Jersey that he appreciates) – “Oh yeah, for sure. As soon as we were flying in and when I saw the skyline and all that, I was just thinking about all the different memories I had back here, because I haven’t been back in a while. It was just good seeing everything. We stayed two blocks away from my high school, so it was just cool being back home. It just made me miss everything and appreciate it at the same time.”
(On whether he walked by his high school) – “I did. It was on Saturday so nobody was there, I saw it, appreciated it.”
(On why the defense is able to create turnovers) – “It’s just everybody doing their job. When you do your job, you don’t try to overcompensate. You do your job and the ball’s going to get to you.”
(On stopping the Jets at the end of the first half) – “That was a real good play by Bobby (McCain) and Reshad (Jones), both breaking on the ball, finishing on the ball. Dude kind of got up a little bit and then he fumbled the ball, picked it up and then Bobby came in and finished it. It was just a great effort play by those two guys out there. It was real big for us because they were going to get the ball in the second half, so it was good stopping them and leaving the field (allowing) zero points.”
T.J. McDonald – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
S T.J. McDonald (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On what this win says about the team) – “We can play with anybody, we can be physical. We can go on the road and be physical, that’s one thing. On the road, you have to be able to run the ball, you have to be able to play defense and we were able to do both today.”
(On Miami’s offensive effort today) – “That’s all you can ask, when you get turnovers, for them to put it in the end zone and that’s what they did.”
(On the defense being opportunistic) – “I think we’re able to stand up when we need to. We’re able to make big plays when we needed to and the offense was able to do the same, as far as the third and 19, being able to stand up and being able to make the play that needed to be made. That’s something that in the past, we kind of struggled with a little bit. I think that just being able to stick to it, being able to handle the adversity throughout the game and being able to keep our foot on the throttle was big.”
(On stopping the Jets on the last play of the first half) – “That was big. We knew that they were getting the ball coming out of the second half, we didn’t want to give them too much momentum. They didn’t have much going on on offense before that, so that was a big drive for them. For us to stop them, we were able to refocus, come back out and do what we had to do.”
(On Frank Gore) – “Hall of Famer. He’s big. He’s a guy that at the end of the game, you want the ball in his hands. He’s going to do what he has to do. He’s been doing this a long time. He’s going to protect the ball and get those tough yards.”
Xavien Howard – September 16, 2018 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 16 2018
Postgame – New York Jets
CB Xavien Howard (transcribed by New York Jets)
(On his interception) – “I knew I had both feet in bounds. It’s just about making plays.”
(On the defense forcing turnovers..) – “We are hungry. We just want to make plays and get the ball back to the offense so they can put points on the board.”
(On Sam Darnold) – “We had to contain him. He’s good and can get out the pocket so we had to stay in tight coverage.”
(On playing as a team) – “That’s football. We have to help the offense. They have our backs, we have their backs.”
