Jakeem Grant – September 18, 2019
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
WR Jakeem Grant
(On playing a game back in his hometown.) – “Being back home, it’s going to be good, because I get to see family and stuff for a short period of time. It (will) feel good to be back in the state.”
(How many at the game? How many are going?) – “It’s a family reunion. That’s all I can say. (laughter) It’s going to be a family reunion. There’s going to be a lot. I’m going to enjoy it.”
(Did you pick up the tab?) – “I made most of them pay for it. No, no. You definitely have to (have them) pay for that. That’s too many – No. (laughter)”
(You told me you played at the old Texas stadium in pee-wee football. Tell me about that. What do you remember about that?) – “I remember the first time we played, I know they basically were like in the mode of building the stadium that they have now and getting rid of this one. I remember running back a kickoff return and they had a little hump in the middle of the field like it’s basically like you run up the field or whatever a little bit. I played in the Cowboys stadium probably my whole career in college against Baylor – against Xavien (Howard). I had some good times and some bad times there, wins and losses. It’s an awesome atmosphere.”
(What is it going to mean to you to be back there as a professional? Is it going to be any more special than playing at Lambeau Field or MetLife Stadium or anywhere else?) – “I would say it’ll be more special because my family will actually be there. Most of my family will be there and be able to see me live in the stadium, just like them watching me in college and in high school and pee-wee as well. It’s going to be a great feeling to be back home and be able to go out there and play.”
(Did you notice that game as soon as the schedule came out? Do you look at the schedule and that game stood out or no?) – “It really didn’t stand out to me until I had all of my family calling me – because they’re Cowboys fans, of course – and like talking trash and stuff like that. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever. You’ll see whenever we get ready to play them.’ They’re for me and the Dolphins but then they’re (also) Cowboys fans, so I’ve got to hear a lot of trash talking. I’m not really worried about what they’re saying. They were like, ‘I hope you have a good game. That’s all I can say.’”
(What’s the funniest thing that they said to you trash talking-wise?) – “It really comes from my oldest brother. He plays with the Cowboys on Madden. He’s a Madden freak and die-hard Cowboys fan. He was like, ‘Keep your head on a swivel when you go across the middle.’ I was like, ‘Man, whatever.’ He was like, ‘I’m telling you, because I was playing against the Dolphins earlier this week with the Cowboys and I hit you pretty hard.’ I’m like, ‘Man, whatever.’ (laughter) He’s just giving me a hard time about that, but it’s all love.”
(Your brother is rooting for them over you?) – “It’s 50/50. I would say it’s 50/50. My brother is a die-hard Cowboys fans. The Cowboys can do no wrong in his eyes. Yes, I’m his younger brother; but it’s the Cowboys. He loves the Cowboys and he won’t let me say anything about the Cowboys, so it’s like I can’t win on that one.”
(Did you take the ticket request away from him then?) – “Yeah, I almost did. I was like, ‘If you show up to the game with a Cowboys jersey, you’re not getting a ticket.’ And he was like, ‘Come on, bro.’ (laughter) I was like, ‘No, bro. You’re supposed to be there to support me. The only reason why you’ll be going is because I’m giving you a ticket.’ He was like, ‘Alright. Alright. That’s a deal.’ He can’t wear any Cowboy stuff. He’s probably going to have Cowboy undershirt, probably. (laughter)”
(What’s your brother’s name?) – “Markeith.”
(What’s that defense he was playing with against you?) – “I don’t know the defense he was playing. He does his own playbook with Madden. He’s phenomenal at Madden. I don’t even try to play against him, honestly.”
Christian Wilkins – September 18, 2019
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
DT Christian Wilkins
(Let’s face it, in college you’re not used to what’s been going on. Is it difficult for you?) – “the thing is, I just try to keep a positive mindset through all of it. The good, the bad, the ugly, I just feel like it is part of the process. Whether I have a good play, a bad play, a good game or a bad game, whether we win or we lose, it’s just all a part of the process. Just have that mindset that it’s just a part of being a pro now. I’m going to be exposed to different things I’ve never been exposed to, be a part of different things I’ve never been a part of. You just have to keep a mindset of you’re here to get better. I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do. This is my dream job, so just try to embrace it and have as much fun with it as possible.”
(Another big offense you guys are going to face both in the air and on the ground. When you look at their film, is there anything that’s vulnerable for them?) – “They really don’t have any weaknesses. They are a really good offense and a really good team. We’re definitely going to have our hands full. We’re just going to have to have a good week of practice and a good week of preparation, and see what we can do on Sunday.”
(How do you feel you played the first two games?) – “I’m never satisfied. Even if I played the best games of my life these first two games, I’m never satisfied and always want more. I’m always searching for that perfect game. I always can improve and always can get better.”
Sam Eguavoen – September 18, 2019
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
LB Sam Eguavoen
(Some players might get disheartened by two blowout loses, others get motivated by it, so it’s a mixed bag, I’m sure. How does the unit stay cohesive here and focused towards the positive? How does that happen this week?) – “I think pretty much around the whole NFL, you just have to have a short-term memory. Sunday, Monday, a little bit of Tuesday, you still kind of think about what went wrong in a game. Then you come in Wednesday, there’s practice, you’re hitting, you’ve got a new install, you’ve got a new scheme and it’s like everything is wiped away. You can’t even remember what happened in the past you’re because you’re so focused on what we’re moving forward to. I don’t think it’s really hard to get all of the guys to buy into, ‘We have to move onto the next week.’ I think practice helps a lot to get our minds shifted.”
(Was there one positive? The score was, against the Patriots, 13-0 at the half. The defense did some good things. Do you try to carry that into the next game? Because there were some good things.) – “Yeah, we’re just always building. Our motto here is to get better every day. We’re always trying to build off of what we did the day before. That Patriots game, 13-0 when you look back at it, it was just little things here and there. If we stop that, it could’ve been this, it could’ve been that. At the end of the day, it was an ugly score. We just have to improve from it. I don’t even really like talking about it that much, but there was definitely some positive in that game, especially how hard we were still fighting at the end of the game. That showed a lot with this defense.”
(What are the biggest challenges the defense will face on Sunday against Dallas do you think?) – “’Zeke’ (Ezekiel Elliot). He’s on my fantasy team. (laughter) No, I’m just playing. He’s probably the best back in the league. That’s the anchor for them. I’m pretty sure he’s going to be ready to play so that’s probably going to be the biggest challenge. They have a good defense, good linebackers over there. Us as a defense, we’re going to try and – We have to make it work. We have to do something. We have to make big plays defensively to make it a game.”
(How do you make it work against RB Ezekiel Elliot when he’s such an important thing to stop and then you’ve got everyone else?) – “You’ve got to hit him. I’ve never played running back before, but I’m pretty sure no running back just likes getting hit all day, especially when you’re that good that you rarely get hit in games. We just have to get everybody to the ball, all hats to the ball and lay some licks on him.”
Brian Flores – September 18, 2019
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Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Obviously we’ve seen throughout training camp and the first two games, S Bobby McCain is a starter at one safety spot and played most of the game. With S Minkah Fitzpatrick no longer here, would you expect S Reshad Jones – once he’s healthy – to be your other primary starting safety, or do you envision a scenario where he’s competing with S Walt Aikens, S Steven Parker, etc.?) – “We’ve got a – obviously, Reshad has played a lot of football over the course of his career. (He is) kind of dealing with a couple things; but yeah, when he gets back, we expect him out there along with Walt (Aikens) and (Steven) Parker like you said. It’s a good group. We’re happy with that group. Once we get out there, communicate and practice together, I think we’ll be okay.”
(How far do you think S Reshad Jones is away? Is it mostly that ankle that’s keeping him back?) – “He’s working extremely hard to get back. He’s close. I would see him as close. Again, he’s in there. He’s in the training room, working out. He’s closing in, so I expect to see him soon. He’s working to get back as soon as he can.”
(Do you have any update on the quarterback situation? Have you made a change, or is QB Ryan Fitzpatrick your guy still?) – “Right now, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is the guy; but again, every week both quarterbacks will get reps. That’s the case every week. You go throughout the league and you see there have been injuries at that position across the league. It’s like every position on the field. You’ve got to have a backup. Everyone – you’ve got to get them all reps during the week. It’s no different at quarterback for us.”
(Given the losing margins that you’ve had here, do you find yourself doing a little more morale building or spirit lifting than you would if say you were 2-0, or do you just treat it the same way?) – “My message is always the same. Come to work, get better, we improve, we learn from our mistakes. There are always mistakes. There are always things that we could improve and get better. That’s kind of where my focus always is. I try to stay the same. I never get too high. I never get too low. I try to stay even. It’s been something I’ve done my entire career, and I’m going to stick with that. Hopefully our team’s that way as well.”
(What have you seen from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick the first two that gives you confidence in him going forward?) – “’Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is – I think he’s got real leadership ability. He’s smart. He knows what we’re doing offensively. He can get guys in the right position. He’s a guy I have a lot of trust in. I think he’s – I like ‘Fitz’ a lot.”
(Can you talk about the specific challenges Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott poses for your defense and how much of your success on defense will be predicated on containing him?) – “They’ve got a really good offense, really across the board. You can go a few different ways. You can go to Ezekiel (Elliott), you can go to Dak Prescott, go to (Amari) Cooper, go the offensive line. They’ve got a good team. They’ve got a good offense. They’ve got a good defense. They’ve got a good special teams unit, so this will be a big test. Specific to Ezekiel, he is a downhill, physical, fast, good stiff-arm, breaks a lot of tackles, can hit the big run. This is a very explosive player. It’s going to take a total team effort to keep him contained. At the same time, this offense is a good one. If you put too much emphasis on stopping the run, Dak has done a really good in the pass game and is much, much improved. This is a really good quarterback, so he’ll sit back in the pocket, whether it’s play-action, whether it’s drop-back, whether it’s – he’s got a really good grasp of what they’re doing offensively to get those guys in the right plays. He’s been very accurate. If you focus too much on one player, they’ll get you somewhere else. They’ve got big-play receivers really across the board and then a big offensive line. It’s a good team.”
(Do you plan any changes on the offensive line?) – “Nope. We’ll go with the same five guys from last week. Obviously we’ll – again, like every position, we’ll work in backups from Shaq (Calhoun) to (Chris) Reed to (Bryan) Witzmann. We’ll work everybody but the plan is to go with the five guys from last week.”
(What went into the decision to have C/G Evan Boehm play some snaps instead of G Danny Isidora?) – “We just wanted to get him in there. You want to get guys some game reps. He’s a guy who has practiced well, so we wanted to give him an opportunity to play a little bit in a game. That was the plan there.”
(How important is it for you to have some continuity? You’re going to have five starters from one week to the next.) – “I think it’s very important. I think that’s how you grow, build and improve and get better. That’s the goal here with that. It starts in practice. We’ve had a couple of good weeks of practice. I think we were better from Week 1 to Week 2. We’ll try to just continue to get better week after week after week.”
(Over the last three weeks, you guys have moved off of a lot of players. CB Xavien Howard is one that’s still here obviously and part of your future. We saw on Twitter after the trade that he had kind of a wistful tweet about being the only one left in the room, it seemed like. Have you had conversations with him about how this has all gone and the future and his place in it?) – “My conversations with him today have been about the Cowboys – Amari Cooper, the quarterback (Dak Prescott), this run game. That’s kind of – I’ve said this before – the more effort, the more energy somewhere else is less on the Cowboys and we need to put all of our effort on this team. Those have been the conversations. I haven’t talked to him about that.”
(We’ve seen TE Mike Gesicki with a couple of receptions here. Where have you seen improvement in his game?) – “I think he’s really done a much better job in a lot of areas – blocking, catching the football, route-running. There were a couple of plays last week where he’s open and he’s getting open and we just don’t have enough time to get him the ball. He just needs to continue doing what he’s been doing. We’ll get it protected, we’ll have more time and we’ll try to find him in the pass game. He’s done a better job in the run game. I just want to – if he continues that improvement, I think that will go a long way for him.”
(Is most of the improvement that TE Mike Gesicki needs kind of mental as far as understanding how to get open and running those routes? Or is it physical and actually making that play?) – “No. I think physically, this guy is big, fast, athletic. I don’t want to say mentally, but you have to learn how to play this game at this level at that position. That takes a little bit of time. This being his second year, I think he’s showing a lot of improvement. I think we’re starting to see some of that in flashes and then obviously we always have to be more consistent.”
(It’s been a low per carry average for RB Kalen Ballage so far and I know it’s clearly not all his fault. There’s blocking and other things involved. Are you at the point where you’d like to see more of RB Mark Walton carrying the ball in a game or even RB Patrick Laird or RB Myles Gaskin? Obviously you have RB Kenyan Drake of course. Or do you just want to move forward with Kalen and see what he can do over a longer body of work?) – “I like all of our backs. I like Kalen. I like Drake, obviously. Walton, Laird – I like all of the backs. Obviously there’s one ball and you can’t get them all the amount of touches you’d like; but I think Kalen had a really good camp. I like Kalen a lot. I like Drake a lot. We’re going to try to get both guys in the game and if we get a hot hand, we’ll stay with that. That’s been expressed to both guys and I think they’re both – I really like both of them. I like all of our backs but Drake and Ballage, these are two guys who have a lot of talent, who are tough, who are physical, who love to play. I like both of these guys. I want to get them going.”
Patrick Graham – September 17, 2019
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Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(I know you don’t like to go backwards, however, there are specific plays I need an explanation for. On third-and-17, I believe you rushed four, and then there was a third-and-12 where it looked like you guys were in cloud coverage and you were rushing three. I know it’s Patriots QB Tom Brady, and blitzing is not exactly the greatest strategy, but what was the thought process in this?) – “Again, that was last week. Based on the situation, in terms of it was third-and-extra long, I think ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) spoke about it the other day, but we’re trying to do the best call that we think is going to help us in that situation. If it means dropping eight guys and we think it’s going to give the quarterback some problems, that’s what we’ll do. If we think rushing six guys is going to be the best way, (we’ll do that); but obviously, they got the first down. That’s the thought process into it. Sometimes, the situation calls for dropping eight guys and you guys see guys struggle with that or rushing six guys, so that’s how that normally comes into play.”
(What is the thought process with LB Raekwon McMillan moving forward? It seemed to me he was on the edge a little bit more this week. Is that permanent, or was that game plan-specific?) – “All the guys – we’re hoping all the guys are as versatile as possible. The more they can do, the better chance it is to get on the field. The role Raekwon had last week – that’s not indicative of exactly what it’ll be this week, but he excelled in it. He did a good job. I was happy with the work he did on the edge. He had plays when he was inside as well, too. Again, we plan on having guys that are versatile and being able to do different things, so that just fits into that mold.”
(LB Raekwon McMillan seems to be making a lot of tackles earlier this season. What is he doing well?) – “He’s moving well. He’s moving well and he’s diagnosing plays pretty well. He’s a physical football player. He’s a physical football player who brings a little thump to him when he hits people. To me, whenever you’re getting in on some tackles, it’s because you’re doing a good job of diagnosing what the offense is doing, and also you’re finishing plays, so that’s always a good thing.”
(You just lost a versatile player in S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Who are you counting on to fill that void now?) – “Minkah – he’s a great player. I wish him all the best at Pittsburgh. (He’s a) good player. I wish him all the best. In terms of guys that are going to make up for him, there’s a bunch of guys. We’ve got to work through it. We’re still in the game-plan process right now, but we’ll try to figure out the best way to make up for that spot in our defense and move forward from there.”
(CB Chris Lammons is a guy who you gave him a couple snaps to, same as CB Ken Webster. What do you see from those young defensive backs in terms of how they can help you?) – “You know what’s interesting about Webster being a newer guy and Lammons has been here for a while? I’m talking about hard-working, fast and tough. (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks) Josh Boyer, our corners coach, he’s looking for tough guys – tough guys that can tackle. On top of that, if you can run, those are some of the things that we’re looking for, and they’ve shown that. Then they get their chance.”
(What’s the skillset with – we saw S Stephen Parker – obviously Rams practice squad last year – played some. He’s in the mix at safety. His particular skillset that intrigues you?) – “I would say the mental part. You start there. He’s a smart guy. (He is) intelligent, has some football IQ to him. (He’s a) good, physical player, smart player that can have some range. He’s shown all of that stuff that’s been pretty good for us.”
(With S Walt Aikens, you used him in the first game to cover tight ends a little bit. Is that a role where you can see him emerging and getting some playing time on defense?) – “I think Walt – it starts off with the fact that (he is a) captain (and a) leader on this team. He’s a physical presence on the field whether it’s defense or special teams. (He has) good speed. (He is a) good communicator. Again, whatever role it’s going to be, it’ll be; but he does such a good job with every role we’ve given him. We’re just looking to see his role grow as the season continues.”
(We know this is a developing team and a developing defense. How do you measure progress?) – “Progress – we’re going to keep it real simple. Are we tackling better? Are we doing a better job of playing blocks and defeating blocks? Is the edge getting set? Is our communication better? Really, if we see improvement there, then improvement on the field will come. Where does that start? It starts with your day off – working to get better there. Then you get to the meetings and then the practice, but all of that stuff comes into play from the individual work you do on your own, in terms of communication, seeing how to diagnose the plays, to the meetings, getting information on the calls, and then going out and practicing it. That’s what we’re going to judge progress on.”
(I know you’ve been around Head Coach Brian Flores for a long time. Do you have a favorite story that he’s either told about growing up in Brooklyn or from the Patriots that illustrates why he might be able to succeed in this rebuilding process?) – “Individual stories – that could take all day, but I know this: A lot of my friends from college are from New York City, and my best friend from college, he’s from Brooklyn. I know where he grew up, and for him to have been at Yale with me and me having my background where I’m from Waterbury, Connecticut where I’m like, ‘how did you get here?’ It’s amazing. To me, just knowing where he grew up and just the perseverance and to be able to do that, to me, it means a lot. You’re a strong person. That’s just my opinion, just knowing the area, if that answers your question. My older brother went to college in Long Island. His friends were from New York City. Seeing them be successful, I’m like, ‘wow.’ I thought I had it hard, but no.”
(DE Charles Harris, where would you say he is two games into the season?) – “It was funny during the game, the look in his eyes. He’s a focused player. He’s improving. He’s improving, and all of that stuff will come as we progress during the season. He’s still a young player. He’s still learning football just like we all are. I feel like I’m still learning football every day trying to get better. I really like the progress in terms of the run game, starting there. Playing with his hands, and playing with low pad level. And then in the passing game, providing pressure, transitioning in the play action. I thought that improved during the game this past weekend. He’s making strides to being a better player and he’s working at it. You have to be diligent about that. You’ve got to work at it, because anytime you get complacent in this league, you’ll be out of here.”
(With the pressure, not necessarily from DE Charles Harris, but you did get two sacks against QB Tom Brady which is not an easy thing to do. Do you feel like you’re getting enough pressure on passing downs?) – “I think we’ll always have enough – I think you want more pressure. You want to be able to affect the passer more. We’re working towards getting more pressure in terms of making – whether it’s the passing windows for the quarterback or making sure we’re discipline in our rush lanes, we’re just trying to do a better job of affecting the quarterback. That’s amongst other things we’re trying to do a better job of. We’re really just trying to get better every day. I don’t know when I’ll ever be satisfied with the rush or the pressure; but we’re going to keep striving to get better at it.”
(You guys have allowed a lot of points obviously. How tough is it to shut off the daily or weekly competitor in you and keep the big picture in mind here?) – “I’d say the daily and weekly competitor in me never shuts off. I mean, I would hope not. Just like I said, if I got complacent and wasn’t being competitive, I don’t think I’ll be who I am. It always is there for me. Thankfully in this league, you get 16 opportunities and we’re on our third one this weekend. You move on and now we’re getting ready for Dallas, who is a great offensive team, built from the ground up – offensive line, to the back, to the quarterback, to the receivers. We’ve got plenty to get ready for. If I’m not competitive – I’m competitive right now when I got up this morning, whatever time this morning, to get ready for you guys. (laughter) Trust me, I pray that the competitive spirit never leaves me. I don’t care what happens.”
(How does it not drive you crazy, how do the results not drive you crazy?) – “Because I know – I know I have another opportunity this weekend. But before that, I have another opportunity today, Tuesday. When I woke up this morning, there is an opportunity to study the film, get to know these guys – whether it’s (Dak) Prescott, whether it’s (Amari) Cooper, they’ve got a lot of players you’ve got to get to know to try to put our players in the best position to defend them. I can’t imagine not waking up and being competitive. I was dreaming about them last night.”
(With LB Vince Beigel, it was the way that you utilized him this week – I know roles change every week – but did you see him as a pressure player when you guys acquired him?) – “The thing that – he has some length, he has strength, and he has some quickness and he has some natural knee bend to him. Right there, you just mention those terms right there. Whether you’re a DB, linebacker or D-lineman, that’s going to help you in terms of whether you’re a pass rusher or setting the edge. Those are positives right there – being able to play with some extension because he has length. Being able to bend, come around the corner, those are things that play into him being able to do that. Thankfully for us, he was able to apply some pressure on Sunday and we’ll see if we can improve that as we go through the week.”
(Back to Head Coach Brian Flores for one second. Do you think apart from his coaching ability, is it just the sheer perseverance that will serve him well?) – “I just think that’s the first initial in my mind. But then just knowing the man, the thing I value about him and our friendship is that he is very honest. He’s very honest and that’s why I trust his vision. That’s why I trust him completely, because he’s always been honest with me whether I’ve been in the wrong, or been in the right. And we shared an office together. So I know that. I know he’s going to be honest with me. I might not like what he says, but he’s going to be honest with me. To me, that’s no different from my mom, my dad, my brothers. To me, you don’t have to be all ‘lovey, dovey, buddy, buddy.’ As long as somebody is going to be honest with you, I value that more than I value somebody patting you on the back all the time. That’s’ why I think – I’ve said enough. I’m focused on the Cowboys right now. But I’ve got the utmost respect for coach.”
(What are you looking for from the players that you are going to put on the field Sunday, and every Sunday?) – “Smart, tough, tackle, heavy-handed, some of the stuff that I’ve labeled before – and passionate about their role. Passionate about their role and executing their job. That’s what I want. That’s what I want, and guys that play together – really play together. That’s going to be the big thing with us, just playing together. I was happy to see those guys playing together, having success together, and hopefully we’ll get more of that.”
(You do understand the mental toll that’s happening to this team in terms of draft picks leaving and what we call a purge. You do realize that it takes a toll on the players?) – “You’ll have to ask the players about that. I just know this: when I go up in front of those guys, the eye contact that I’m getting, the questions I’m getting, these guys are ready to go to work. I’m looking forward to seeing them when they get in tomorrow, and be ready to work. Again, we’ve got 16 opportunities. We’re down to 14 right now that are guaranteed. So, let’s go get it – this one this weekend.”
Chad O’Shea – September 17, 2019
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Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(How do you measure improvement with your offensive line?) – “I think that it’s an ongoing process and some of the things that might go unforeseen we measure improvement in. Obviously, the way the game went for us is not what we want as far as not scoring points and those things, but we thought that there was a lot of improvement at all positions on some small things that we’re asking of the group to try to make progress on. Certainly, I think that was true of the offensive line. This is a work in progress for us. It’s one of which we’re embracing the challenge. I know that the players are, the coaching staff is. I think that what we’re asking is to improve every week and to get better and certainly, they’ve done that.”
(With the issues you’ve had on the offensive line, why not move the pocket more, why not change launching points for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick or QB Josh Rosen?) – “I think that there’s – that’s a good question. I think there’s a lot that goes into our plan and the pass game on offense. Certainly, there’s a number of factors one of which is the defensive scheme that we’re presented each week. That may change and that may vary what we do as far as our protection systems. Like I’ve always said, we’re always going to try to do what’s best schematically to produce points and contribute to winning football. The protection scheme is one that we definitely look at very closely each week. I think there’s a number of factors involved that would determine what protection scheme we’re going to use on a weekly basis. I think there’s a number of factors involved in that. It’s a great question on moving the pocket and those things and that’s certainly one way in which we could do things. And I can just say that we do everything on a weekly basis to try to evaluate everything whether it’s the protection scheme, whether it’s a pass concept that we think is going to work. And that’s one of our jobs as coaches is to do what’s best for our team.”
(When you have a lot of drops like you guys did with WR Preston Williams, WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kalen Ballage, do you hammer on that the next week in practice? Because obviously these guys know how to catch. Or do you kind of do your normal work? How do you handle that?) – “The first thing I’ll say is those guys have done a good job in that area thus far. Obviously, I thought it was uncharacteristic in the game. Certainly Kalen is somebody I have a tremendous amount of respect for and no one (was as) hurt and was as disappointed as much as Kalen after he dropped the football in the game, because he’s one that really takes a lot of pride in his work and one of the areas he takes a lot of pride in is catching the ball. Is it something that we work on daily? It is. Is it something that we’ll continue to emphasize because of some of our issues that we had in the game of not catching the ball? It is, and we’ll emphasize those fundamentals that we think we need to improve on, but certainly catching the ball is one of our everyday fundamentals that we try to emphasize as an offense.”
(There’s been a little bit of mention I guess of how much QB Josh Rosen had to grow when he got to you guys. Can you quantify a little bit of where he maybe was and where he is now?) – “I think we’ve made progress. He’s made progress, certainly. I think anytime that you have to learn a new offense and you have to learn a new language and you’re doing it at a place in which it’s your first year, there’s challenges along the way. But I certainly think there’s progress that’s been made. Last week was a good week for him – and during the week – of preparation. He stayed well prepared during the week. He worked extremely hard in the meeting rooms, in the walkthroughs and in the settings other than in the practice field to try to improve as a player and help our team. And I think that’s what we’re asking of our players right now in general is let’s control the things that we can control. One of the things that we can control is our improvement. Certainly, Josh has been an example of somebody that I think has really tried to do that and tried to improve. The quarterback position is a difficult position to play regardless of what system you’re in. There’s a lot that it entails and a lot of responsibilities that you have that are unique to the positon. I think that it’s a difficult position to play in the National Football League. I think that there needs to be a number of factors involved to get to the point where you’re a consistent player at that position. Certainly, he’s aware of what those are and he’s continued to work on those and we’ve bene pleased with his progress. Although he’s not out there playing in a game, we’ve bene pleased with some of the things at practice and he’s making progress.”
(Where is QB Josh Rosen in terms of reading defenses and getting the team into the right play?) – “Again, I think it’s similar to some of the other positons: we’re making progress in that area. I think it’s a great challenge at that positon, because there’s so many other things that are going on prior to the snap that they’re responsible for and then the ball is snapped and you’ve got to read the coverage as the quarterback. It’s something that he has worked tremendously hard on. I think anytime you put in the effort that he has, that you’re going to make improvement. I would say we’ve made progress in that area. It’s an area that was been well stated that he needs to improve on among other things that all of our players need to improve on. That’s one of them for Josh and I think we’ve made improvement in that area.”
(You’re always evaluating QB Josh Rosen. How many games does it take to give him a fair full evaluation at the end of the season?) – “It’s a good question. We’ve talked about that as a staff and I don’t think there’s a set in stone number. I think this is an ongoing process whether it’s practice reps, whether it’s his familiarity with what we’re doing scheme-wise and where we think that is. I think that you can’t put a number on it and that’s how we’ve approached it. We’ve looked to see improvement and that’s certainly what he’s done and how he’s approached it is he’s tried to improve. That’s what we’re asking all of our position groups. I know the offensive line and the quarterback position is being talked about more than the others, but certainly we just mentioned the receivers and the running backs having to focus in and catch the ball better and be better fundamentally. I think that that’s probably true of all positions right now. There’s no set number to see whether we make improvement – it’s just over the long haul, the progress needs to be made.”
(I know that you mentioned with us the Mike call is something that was difficult for QB Josh Rosen to pick up and he’s felt like that’s something he’s progressed with substantially since he’s got here. When you find younger quarterbacks, are there things that now in this new era that are harder for them to pick up as they transition to the NFL?) – “I think one of the things in general that’s happened is in college football with the amount of no-huddle offense and the spread offense, a lot of responsibilities in the NFL that you have at the line of scrimmage and in the huddle as far as communication-wise, it can be challenging for players to transition from college to the NFL. Certainly, that’s one of the challenges, but that’s probably true of other positions, too. You take the receiver positon for example, they line up and look to the sidelines in a lot of the offenses in college – which I have a tremendous amount of respect for those offenses and the way they do things in college – but it’s challenging as far as the transition that one makes from college to the pros because of simply not being in a huddle, breaking the huddle, seeing some of the coverage things that are different in the NFL to college. I do think that there’s challenges. I think that’s true of any offense you may go in, not just specific to our offense here at Miami.”
(Right now you guys are converting 20 percent on third downs. Obviously, it’s what’s handcuffing this offense. Is there a strategy that you think can work to get you in better down-and-distance situations?) – “I think the success of third down really relies heavily on the success of your early down success. Our inability to get ahead of the down-and-distance on early downs has been something that’s really hindered our success on third downs. To your point, when we talk about third down, it relies so heavily on early downs. Again, when you’re at third-and-longer and you play the game like that, that’s a tough place to play the game, especially with the multiplicity of what teams are doing defensively. They know what position they’re in defensively and that is they can be aggressive and bring pressure and do things they would not do if the distance was manageable at third-and-2-to-5. If we can do a better job on early downs and be at a more manageable third down distance, obviously, that’s going to really help our third down and that’s where we want to be.”
(With RB Kalen Ballage, obviously, the drop aside, he’s not even averaging a yard per carry right now. How much is that the line versus him finding the right hole?) – “I think that, and I talked about this last week with Kalen, that’s Kalen’s stats, but it’s everybody’s stats. I really, truly believe that. I think Kalen, I’ve been impressed with him as a runner and we really stressed to the team that it takes all 11 to be successful and this is certainly true of the running back positon. They rely so heavily on not only the offensive line but the tight ends and the receivers to block-run for us and for the quarterback to get in the right play whether it be an alert at the line of scrimmage or the right identification of the front. There’s a lot of pieces to the puzzle in the run game and unfortunately right now for Kalen – he’s a player in which I have a tremendous amount of respect for because of his work ethic and his professionalism and he’s a talented runner and one of which we need to help him obviously be better. We’re all in this together and it takes all 11 for an offensive play to be successful.”
Chris Grier – September 17, 2019
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Tuesday, September 17, 2019
General Manager Chris Grier
(Obviously, we’ll ask about the S Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, shortly, but one big picture rebuilding plan we wanted to clarify with you. You’ll obviously – besides having a ton of draft picks – you’ll have a ton of cap space next offseason. Would your hope be to go out and spend on impact starting-caliber free agents before the draft with the hope of being a competitive team next year, or would you think it’d be best to hold off on major free agent spending until you’ve gone through a draft or two more in this cycle?) – “We’ve talked about building this long-term with sustained success right away, and for us, we’ll be very aggressive. We’re not going to sit here on a bunch of money or anything. The plan is to build a winner here. No one likes losing. We’ve talked about building a team that’s going to win and compete for championships for a long time instead of being in this one year, and then you fall back for two or three. Again, it is a long-term vision, but we will be aggressive.”
(What is the time schedule as far as, say, getting to the playoffs, getting to a Super Bowl, having a winning record – things along those lines?) – “I don’t know if you really put a time frame with it. For us, it’s – we’ve positioned ourselves to where we think the organization will be in a good place here shortly. How long that takes – like I said, we’ll be aggressive (in) free agency. Again, we’re not going to sit back and not do anything. We’re going to be very proactive and try and get this turned quickly.”
(Why have you given up on two of your last four first-round picks?) – “I wouldn’t say ‘given up.’ With Laremy (Tunsil), that was one where we got a phone call and they kept pursuing us. Multiple, multiple times, we talked and kept telling them ‘no’ and what it would take and they came and offered it. A funny story I was saying the other day was I called Laremy about the trade, and Laremy walked in my office and saw it on the board and goes, ‘I would trade me for that.’ (laughter) But seriously, we were not trying to do it. With Minkah (Fitzpatrick), it was just one of those things. The player had expressed that (it was) maybe time for him to change, so we tried to make it work. Myself, (Head Coach) Brian (Flores) and (Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner) Steve (Ross) – we had multiple conversations with him, saying we wanted him here and viewed him as a core piece and wanted him here. The kid just felt it was time for him to move, and we told him what the value was. We told teams we had multiple offers, and we felt that the Pittsburgh one was the one best for the organization.”
(You’ve lost the first two games by a combined roughly 90 points. Obviously season tickets are not cheap. What would you say to fans who are wondering if they’re getting their money’s worth?) – “I would say to the fans that I appreciate their support, and they deserve a winner. We’re trying to build them a winner. I would think the fans would also say that the cycle we’ve been in the last 10-plus years is not good enough, and we’re trying to right that as fast as we can. They deserve a winner, and we’re trying to do that for them.”
(What do you think you can do with up to seven picks in the first three rounds next year?) – “We can do anything we want. (laughter) Whether it’s free agency, as well, and the draft. For us, we’ve positioned ourselves where we think we can do anything or get whatever player we feel that will help us as soon as possible.”
(Are you looking to trade anybody that wants to be traded? It sounded like S Minkah Fitzpatrick came to you and said he wanted to be traded. So will you try to move people if they want to be moved?) – “No, no. For us, we had multiple conversations with Minkah. We told him we wanted him to be here multiple times. Brian (Flores), Steve (Ross) and myself – we all expressed that. For us, when we got to a point where we weren’t sure if it was going to work, we said, ‘Hey, if we get the value that we deem was worth moving him, we would do it.’ There’s no precedent here where any player is going to come in here and say, ‘I want out’ and we’re going to do it. Again, I have not had calls from any agents or any players asking to want out. We’ve extended some of our younger players –Xavien (Howard), etc., Jakeem (Grant) and all of those guys are bought in 100 percent. They’ve told me again as much Monday. So we have a good group of young guys that want to be here.”
(Did S Minkah Fitzpatrick say why he didn’t want to be here?) – “I’ll let him talk about that if he wants, but it was nothing – he likes Brian (Flores) a lot. He likes it here. He had talked a little bit about some of the position stuff he thought, and Brian I know told you guys the Patrick Chung story and stuff. I’ll just leave that for Brian and Minkah.”
(What have you said to Head Coach Brian Flores about the situation?) – “Brian and I have been lock-step on it. Again, we’ve had a lot of conversations. Brian and I communicate every day. I talk to Steve (Ross) every day. We’re in this 100 percent together. I believe in Brian. He’s a great leader, a great man. I think he’s the right guy to lead us through these times. So for us, Brian is a good football coach, he’s a good man, and Minkah said he appreciated that about Brian. He really liked him. It was just too bad it didn’t work out.”
(What is the plan for QB Josh Rosen this season, and have you guys kind of zeroed in on a quarterback for next season?) – “In terms of Josh, we just want him to keep developing. For him, it’s been a – and he will tell you – it’s been an eye-opener. He said he’s learned more here in the last couple months than he has, he said in his whole career. For him, having someone like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) to mentor him and to be that kind of veteran influence to help him has been great. I think when he’s ready to go, if the coaches deem it’s time for him to play, he’ll play; but the good thing for us is we see him every day. We see him in the meetings, see how he prepares and learns and handles himself. We’ve been very pleased so far, so when the coaches feel they want to make a change – if they want to do that – then, that will happen.”
(Drafting a quarterback in the first round, are you committed to that for 2020?) – “We’re going to do whatever we can to make our team better right away. For us, yeah, we’ve all talked about the quarterback being an important piece, and it’s competition. We’re not shying away from that, so whoever’s here, there’s going to be competition at every position whether it’s quarterback, o-line, wide receiver, o-line; so, yes.”
(When you guys set up a strategy last January, February, March, was this part of it? Or as the season predicated, you’d make – trade S Minkah Fitzpatrick, trade T Laremy Tunsil and take the roster down further than you expected?) – “I would say (it was) very unexpected as far as the Laremy and Minkah situations. You can’t prepare for that. I’m not going to sit up here and lie about it; but for u,s the opportunities as well were kind of unique with a little bit of the historic haul for him (Laremy Tunsil) and Kenny (Stills), with what we’re getting. So I think for us, to strike on this opportunity – because we know as the team was built right now, it wasn’t going to win a Super Bowl, much less – it’ll be hard to compete for a playoff spot. Again, we’re trying to build a team that’s going to win right now and do it, (and be a) long-term winner and bring a championship here hopefully to South Florida.”
Vince Biegel – September 16, 2019
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Monday, September 16, 2019
LB Vince Biegel
(How did you feel about what you were able to do on Sunday?) – “After looking at the film, I was really happy with what I was able to do. I think the coaches are starting to get confidence in me to be able to go out there and do what I do, which is rush the passer and have some good rushes to put some pressure on (Tom Brady). Obviously that helps the back end and helps the defense win games. As I continue to learn the playbook and I get familiarized with the defense and what they want from me, I’m going to continue to grow; but it was definitely a good showing on Sunday. (I was) happy with what I did and (will) continue to stack those.”
(So what was it like to sack New England Patriots QB Tom Brady? That did happen, right? You got a sack?) – “Yeah, I had a sack against (Tom) Brady. When I first got in the league, I said, ‘if there’s one guy I want to sack, it’s Brady.’ Probably the next guy would be (Green Bay Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers. (I have) a lot of respect for Brady and what he’s done. He’s a great player. So to be able to kind of check that one off the box is big. (I was) definitely excited, though.”
(Did you get Packers QB Aaron Rodgers during your time with the Saints?) – “No. Never. We didn’t play them last year. I was obviously in Green Bay my first year, but we never had them on the schedule last year.”
(Can you take us through that play where you got the sack?) – “It was – I think the defense was kind of working well together. It was me rushing up to the passer, getting to the second level, coming underneath. I think it was more a coverage versus me having a good move. It was kind of a second effort. Secondary on my rush. Good coverage in the back end and kind of fell off and slipped off and made a sack. It was a good sack. I’ll chalk it up to a good overall defensive play, and hopefully there are many more to come this year.”
(Speaking of that defensive play, as a defense, how do you try to take away some positives from some of the things you did yesterday and trying to grow and turn this around a little bit?) – “I think there are a lot of positives on defense. You flip on the film and for two and a half quarters, we’re in that game. Obviously, we have some balls that don’t go our way. The defense – I think as you see the game go on, we’re starting to get fatigued and being on the field a lot, but I think as we start continuing to improve as a team overall – offensively, defensively, special teams – I think those things will fall into place. I think the score doesn’t really speak for what was out there. I thought we had a really good showing on a lot of ends. There were a lot of positives; but at the end of the day, we’ve still got to grow and continue to develop and get some wins.”
(Are you confident the kind of pressure you were able to show during your snaps will lead to more snaps, even starting this week?) – “Absolutely. I think for me – that’s the guys upstairs – but for me, I’m going to go out there and rush and do what I need to do to be able to get those snaps. For me, it’s continuing to get better every single day, have good showings like I did on Sunday and the reps and the more PT (playing time), that will come. For me, it’s continuing to develop and grow and get better every day here.”
(It seems like you play the game with passion. What is sort of the genesis of that?) – “I think every good football player, you need to play with passion. I grew up in a football family. My dad played college football. My grandfather is in the National High School Hall of Fame for head coaches, so football is in my blood, and that was one thing my dad always taught me was effort. There’s a lot of things you can’t control, but there’s one thing you can control and it’s your effort. I obviously had some coaches at Wisconsin, too, that really emphasized effort, so that’s kind of the way I play: high-motor guy. For me, it’s a compliment when people say, ‘hey, you’re a high-motor guy.’ That’s something that I wear, the chip on my shoulder, being able to go out there and play with a high motor and make some plays.”
(How can you encompass the last couple of weeks of your transition here in Miami and how did you feel getting in?) – “I really do love being here. When Miami traded for me, I knew it was going to be a great opportunity because this is a young team. There are a lot of opportunities. I came from New Orleans where they’re one of the oldest veteran teams in the NFL. So for me to come over here, there are opportunities for obviously more playing time, there are opportunities for me to develop as a leader here. I was extremely excited, and for me, it’s to be able to continue to show myself, develop myself and show this team and organization what I’m about. I’m extremely thankful to be here. It’s been a whirlwind from just figuring out my living situation, learning the playbook, learning the guys in the locker room, names, everybody; but I’m excited to be here, and I’m excited to hopefully stick around here for a long time.”
(Have you settled in with your living situation, or are you still looking?) – “We are settled into our house, but we’re kind of still working on some of the details. We’re getting settled in, and the wife – I’ve got my wife and our daughter down here – so the family’s settling in. We’ll just continue to get more comfortable with time.”
