Mike Gesicki – December 4, 2019
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019
TE Mike Gesicki
(Is the confidence as high as it’s ever been in the NFL so far?) – “I feel like I’ve just got to continue with my process and just know that when my opportunity comes, I’ve got to make the most of it. I feel like the coaches and the players around me put me in position to be successful. I’ve just got to continue to make the most of my opportunities.”
(It’s amazing to see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – can you give us some insight to how important he is to have you guys find yourselves the way you have over the last few weeks?) – “Yeah. I think ‘Fitz’ is a great example of a team guy, a leader, somebody that me as a younger guy can kind of look up to and how to carry yourself in this league and how to help out younger guys. He’s an extra coach on the field. I really can’t say enough good things about ‘Fitz’ both on and off the field.”
(Does QB Ryan Fitzpatrick loosen you up in the game? Where does the comfort level come from?) – “I think it’s kind of grown over time – over the course that he’s been here. I feel like I’ve been able to kind of grow closer with him and kind of build a relationship with him and all of that kind of stuff. He’s really easy to get along with. On the field he’s always joking around and just always keeping it kind of mellow, and having fun out there, which you guys obviously see that. I think that’s a big reason why we’re starting to see a little more success and why he’s been successful as well.”
(You talked about how many of your buddies were Eagles fans. I’m curious the text messages you got after that game. Were there any funny interactions? What were those moments like?) – “I actually didn’t get a ton from those people, I guess for obvious reasons. It was a cool game. It was a fun experience; but ultimately now it’s time to flip the switch and move forward and focus on the Jets. We have another opportunity to go out there on Sunday and (need to) maximize those opportunities.”
(Two straight games in New York City, kind of the center of the universe. Is that kind of fun to think about, to look forward to?) – “Yeah, absolutely. It’s going to be a great opportunity for us to head up there and play, obviously this week playing the Jets, and to make the most of that opportunity. It’s another divisional game. They are a very tough, talented, physical, well-coached team. I think it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
(What about playing in the cold and all of that stuff? Is that something you thrive with? I’m not sure if you’re a hot guy or cold guy.) – “Well, before I got down here, I definitely was not a hot guy. (laughter) I’m kind of used to the cold. I grew up in New Jersey, played at Penn State. I’m used to all of that cold weather stuff. At the end of the day, once you’re out there, the temperature doesn’t really make too much of a difference.”
Patrick Laird – December 4, 2019
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019
RB Patrick Laird
(How has your life changed over the past couple of weeks now that opportunities have arisen?) – “I think the main thing that has changed has been more playing time on Sundays on the offensive side of the ball. I’m still on all four phases on special teams, and then my routine during the week has been pretty much the same. I just have to do a better job after the game of just taking care of my body, but it hasn’t changed that much.”
(When did you know that you were good at catching the ball out of the backfield and when did that skill kind of develop for you?) – “I appreciate you saying I’m good at it. (laughter) Actually my second year at Cal, I moved to receiver for a year and then they moved me back to running back. Probably in that year, just developing my hands, developing my route-running. I still have a lot of work to do on that. I can get a lot better and run better routes, catch more balls. So in my mind, I think I’ve done some things well and the coaches trust me, but there’s a lot of things I could do better in the passing game.”
(From your perspective, how important has it been that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has been there with you along the way here?) – “He’s a great teammate. I have a lot of great teammates. A lot of the older guys, I was blown away when I showed up how nice and supportive everyone else is. Yeah, ‘Fitz’ is one of those guys that is extremely helpful to the young guys. He’s just a great leader on the offensive side of the ball. It’s obviously great to have guys like that on the team.”
(Can you give me an example of like during the game, something that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick might do that your typical run-of-the-mill quarterback might not be able to do that either loosens you guys up or turns it into a game like we saw the other day?) – “I don’t have many other NFL quarterbacks to compare them to because him and Josh (Rosen) do a great job of communicating to us running backs; but on the play where I ran out into the flat and I was able to break a tackle, ‘Fitz’ had told me ‘Expect the ball.’ It’s kind of nice when he’s able to step up to the line and he sees things pretty quickly. He’s had a lot of in-game reps obviously playing 15 years or whatever it is, so there are little moments like that where he can anticipate what they’re going to do and then give you some words before the play starts.”
(Some stories you know are going to take a life of their own when you hear them. The whole “Intern” nickname was one of them.) – “(laughter) Yeah, I’ve already heard those stories incorrectly repeated.”
(What’s the correct version of that story?) – “So the story is I walked into the cafeteria that we have. I sit down with one of the operations guys and with him are some operations interns that were here during training camp. So I’m just talking and asking these guys questions. They’re all still in college and they’re undergrads, so I’m asking them what they like to do, what brought them here, how their time is going here, and then one of them goes: ‘So what do you do here?’”
(What did you say?) – “So I told him ‘Oh, I’m on the team.’ And he was really apologetic. I didn’t take it – I wasn’t offended in any way. I thought it was funny, so I told that story to the team when I got called up one time, because they have the rookies come up during training camp just to entertain the team. So I told that story and people thought it was funny. Then the offensive coaches have been calling me that just for fun. They know I don’t take offense to it, so I think it’s funny. Then ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) mentioned that to the color commentator or the TV guys at some point. So they got a hold of it.”
(A bad game of telephone, huh?) – “Yeah.”
(If you were an intern in another field, what would it be?) – “My last internship I did, I did an investment banking internship at a great boutique investment firm in San Francisco called Greentech Capital. I really enjoyed my time there. I still keep in contact with one of the partners there, or the managing partner. He actually might go to the game this Sunday, so I guess I would say that. But I’m going to play football as long as I can. (laughter)”
(So do they call you ‘Intern’ just to call you over? Patrick or ‘Intern?’) – “Both.”
(Is that one of those things where you don’t get to pick your nickname, you just have to live with it now? Or how does that work?) – “Well the defensive side of the ball, I think they have a better nickname for me. They call me – the defensive guys – ‘White Lightning.’ Walt Aikens started that one. (laughter)”
(Do you like that one?) – “It’s fine. It’s cool. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – December 4, 2019
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(You have a 37-year-old quarterback who is still lowering his shoulder and getting after it. Have you seen any at all diminishment in QB Ryan Fitzpatrick at age 37 or is he exactly what you thought he might be this year?) – “I think he’s a good player. He’s a tough, physical leader. If anything, I think he’s improved over the course of the season. He’s very diligent as far as – let’s call it injury prevention and taking care of his body, like a lot of our guys are. I think that’s just part of his routine. He’s done a good job.”
(Is there kind of a re-thinking as to the lifespan, I guess, of an NFL quarterback as far as playing is concerned? You see guys in their late 30s in the league now. Is 37 even a big deal anymore?) – “Yeah, you see a lot of guys playing later in their careers. I think it’s a testament to how they train and how they work out in the offseason. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is part of that. How they take care of their bodies in-season. ‘Fitz’ has obviously done that as well as some other quarterbacks throughout the league. It’s a tough position to play, I know that. Guys take a lot of hits. It’s tough mentally, physically, emotionally, and not everyone can do it. We’re happy with the way ‘Fitz’ is playing right now but we’ve got to continue to play that way.”
(You had 40 passes, 20 runs, the Wildcat, trick plays, the most points in the season, the most yards. Is that sustainable? Do you think you guys can really sustain these next four games, especially with how you guys are at the running back position?) – “The offensive output?”
(Yeah.) – “I think it’s – look, every week is different. We’ve got a lot of challenges this week with the Jets and their style of play. (They’re) a good run defense. They have been playing well defensively, I would say, over the last four weeks. Every week is a little bit different. We’ll try to game plan and scheme up a few things to put our guys in the best position. If that’s Wildcat, then that’s Wildcat. If it’s 40 passes like you said, then it’s 40 passes. If the run game is working, we’ll do that. But every week is a little bit different. We’ll just try – like we always do – to play to our strengths, try to take advantage of their weaknesses and try to play good offense and a good ball game in all three phases.”
(What do you attribute the improvement in the red zone offense to?) – “Practice and execution and players making plays in those situations. We had a couple of guys – DeVante (Parker), Mike (Gesicki) and Patrick Laird (make plays). Look, in the red zone in this league, the field is condensed so you have to make good throws, you have to make good catches in tight coverage. It’s harder to run the football down there because the safeties are right there. I think we’ve got guys – we’ve practiced well in the red zone. We’re having better execution in the red zone; but at the end of the day, players have to go up and make plays, as well. We’ve had that.”
(I know in different sports over the years, I’ve encountered when the team is not in playoff contention anymore, sometimes management will ask the coach to see a certain player. Marlins Manager Don Mattingly mentioned that to us last year that Marlins management said ‘Can you play these guys so we can take a look and evaluate them.’ Does that happen with General Manager Chris Grier at all? Does he tell you that he’d like in the final month to see this young, this young guy, etc.?) – “Chris and I, we have conversations like that all year. That would be no different than it’s been the entire season. We’re trying to – we’ve had as many guys play – I’m not sure of this but as many guys as anybody in the league. We’ve taken a look at a lot of guys. We’ll continue to take a look at different guys and see what combination is the right combination, what different guys can do with different groupings, and try to give guys an opportunity to see if they can help this team this particular week and also in the future. I think that’s something we’ve done all year and we’ll try to continue to do that.”
(What can you tell us about RB Kalen Ballage’s injury and if it’s very serious and if it could affect him in 2020?) – “Kalen obviously went out with a leg injury. Look, if this were earlier in the season, I think we’d be able to get him back. But because we had just four games left, we decided to put him on IR. (Is it) serious? To a degree. But this isn’t a six month or four month (injury). I think if this were earlier in the season, we’d put him down for a few weeks and then hopefully get him back.”
(You’ve mention on occasion how special your former high school coach, Dino Mangiero, is. As you head home to coach a game on Sunday, can you reflect on sort of the impact he’s had on you and where you are today?) – “Well, it’s not just me. There are a lot of guys who went through the program there – our high school program – in Brooklyn and now he’s coaching in New Jersey at Mater Dei. He’s impacted a lot of young men and I think you learn a lot about life playing football. I’ve told a lot of people this: everything I learned to be successful in life I learned in those meeting rooms and on that practice field in Brooklyn and from him. Hard work, great effort, compete, preparation, being on time and then just overall just doing things the right way. It will be nice to see him this weekend. It’s always great to see him and his family, and hopefully we’ll get some of the guys from high school at the game as well.”
(Is there one specific thing that Dino Mangiero may have instilled in you that you still utilize when you’re out there on the sideline to this day?) – “There’s a lot. If there’s one specific thing, he was big on being mentally tough, obviously being physically tough, but being mentally tough and dealing with adversity and dealing with good times and bad times. Never get too high, never get too low. You’ve got to try to stay even. That’s something that I’ve taken with me since 1995 when we first met. He’s a great coach, and I was lucky to learn from him, along with a lot of young guys.”
(Do you anticipate going back to your childhood home or having people from your childhood come to the game this week?) – “It’s kind of a long ride from Jersey, but I was in Brooklyn this past summer. It’s hard to get back up there, but there’s a lot of good people there and I learned a lot about – I got a lot of life lessons growing up in Brooklyn and there’ll be some friends and family there, but I probably won’t get a chance to get back there.”
(What is it about high school coaches and the impact they have because you see guys get to the NFL and a lot of times you can ask them who had the most influence on your life, and they’ll talk about their high school coach even when they get to the Hall of Fame. Sometimes those guys, they’re presenters.) – ”I think that time – (age) 14 to, let’s call it 18 – mentally, physically, emotionally, kids are going through those adolescent years and trying to find themselves as men. They’re right in that maturing process. That mentorship, that leadership, the impact that’s made in that time, I think it goes a long way to shaping a young mind and that’s why I have so much respect for high school coaches in all sports – football, baseball, basketball, soccer, men’s sports, women’s sports – all of it. They have such an impact that’s made, and it’s something that, the lessons that I learned and kids learn on the high school level, I think they take with them really throughout their lives. I think they get shaped in a way that is positive, and that’s always a good thing.”
(Have you gotten any messages this year from your high school coach or your coaches maybe through some of the highs that maybe made you smile?) – “Yeah, I talk to Dino (Mangiero) a lot. He’s always got words of encouragement; but whether it’s college coaches, other coaches I’ve worked with, I’ve gotten a lot of messages. I’ve gotten support in the good times and the bad times, and those are your real friends. Those are people who are going to support you (through) good and bad. It’s been nice.”
(Regarding the CB Eric Rowe contract extension what was it that made you guys want to make sure that he stayed around?) – “Eric, he’s a versatile player. Obviously he’s played multiple positions this year. Again, another conversation between (General Manager) Chris (Grier), myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore). It just felt like an opportunity to extend the contract, do the extension. If we feel like that’s the right move on a particular player – they’re all case-by-case – then we’ll try to get it done. They don’t always get done, but in this case, both sides were able to work it out and we got it done.”
(CB Eric Rowe can play corner and safety, but is it about his strengths and skillset that have actually worked out quite well at safety?) – “I think he’s got good length. He’s a good matchup for tight ends in coverage. He’s still got a ways to go from a run game standpoint, which it’s hard to (do). Going from corner run fits to safety run fits is very different and something that he’s picked up quickly, but he’s got some improvement to make there. He can also still go out there and play some corner as well, so we’re not saying that that’s out of the (question) – we’re not doing that. He’s versatile. He’s played some deep-half, middle-of-the-field safety, played corner, safety, kind of understands the run fits now. That versatility helps, will help us defensively and hopefully just continues to improve and we expect that. We expect him to improve, and we wouldn’t have done the deal if we didn’t think that.”
(Did you have an idea or picture of what this team would look like by the end of the season, and are they on pace to be that?) – “No, you never really have an ‘ideal’ picture of what it’s going to be. Every year is different. There’s so much change on a team every year whether it’s through transactions or injury; so I never have a ‘hey, I want the team to look like this.’ You hope everybody stays healthy and the team you put out there on Day 1 is the same as Week 16, but that’s very highly unlikely. Things are fluid in this league, and I think we’ve got to be able to adapt and adjust and make the best of whatever situation comes up. And I think we’ve done that to a degree. We’re still learning to do that, and this team’s still growing and trying to improve and build. I think if we just stay on that path, then we’ll be okay. We’ve got a tough game this week. The Jets are a good team. They’re talented. They’ve won three of four. They’ve got good coaching. They’ve got good players, and this is going to be a tough challenge for us, so we’ve got to go get them. We have to have a good week of practice if we want to give ourselves a chance to play well.”
Dave DeGuglielmo – December 3, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo
(Is it too early to tell if G Michael Deiter is a long-term starter in the NFL? Can you make that assessment yet?) – “I can’t make that assessment on anybody yet because none of them have played enough football. He’s a rookie. He hasn’t played enough football, even with as much as he’s played this year. I don’t know if you can say that anybody is a long-term anything. People get injured, careers get cut short, guys’ talent drop off because of whatever. You just never know.”
(Through 12 games, what do you think you have with G Michael Deiter?) – “I have a guy who’s played left guard through 12 games. Outside of that, I think those assessments are made in the building. I don’t want to say one thing and then get a different read as I go back and re-evaluate all of the tape, good or bad. I don’t want to overextend what he’s done, or over-inflate his production or lack of production one way or another. I don’t know. It takes a while to truly get a good read of an offensive lineman. It’s a little different. You’ve got to weigh all of the pieces together.”
(Can you say anything about how you think G Michael Deiter played?) – “He’s a rookie trying to find his way in this business. It’s hard for rookies to do that. He’s had experience blocking some of the toughest guys in the business throughout the year. That’s good for anybody to have that kind of education, and hopefully it will serve him well going forward.”
(How has G Shaq Calhoun played since coming back?) – “Like I said, he’s in the growth process. He’s learning. He’s a rookie. That could mean a lot of things. Sometimes that’s a bad word, it’s a good word, it’s a lot of things. Rookie stands for a lot of things in my book. There is a lot that goes into that.”
(What does G Shaq Calhoun do well that made you all want to see him again at that spot?) – “Well, he’s quick. He can move very quickly for his size, which in this day and age, you need guys that can move. You play against really athletic defensive linemen. It’s more about the defensive people and how you can matchup with them. There are obviously some deficiencies with all of our athletes upfront. He’s no exception. He’s got some size issues and some anchor issues that he needs to work on; but he’s a hard-working guy, he studies the game, he doesn’t make mistakes that often and he’s one of those program kind of guys and you want to see if we can help develop.”
(T Julién Davenport has given up a ton of pressures last year when you weren’t with him in Houston and this year so far. What has made you guys want to continue to invest time in him with that in mind?) – “He’s young, he’s athletic, he’s a good guy, he works hard. He’s played through some injury. What can you ask for? I can’t wave a magic wand and have five Supermen out there. I’m not going to – Anthony Munoz, I’m not going to wake up and he’s going to stroll into my meeting room. We’ve got to develop the guys we have and as long as they’re willing and they’re tough, you go through the process.”
(But how can you get T Julién Davenport to cut down those pressures, because he’s…) – “Again, it’s – you’ve got to keep working on the fundamentals, the basics. That’s with everybody. He’s not the only one. Some of the pressures, he’s had his hard moments and he’s had really good moments. At the end of that game the other day, all of a sudden he was picking up the same stunts. He was moving. He wasn’t being affected by the same type of moves. It’s a process. This coaching style is different than the one he had. This system is a little different than the one he had, so how we’re asking him to do things is different than what we did there. I really didn’t assess a lot of what he did there. That line coach is a good friend of mine, but he teaches a different style than I teach, so he’s got to adapt – remember now, this guy played for a week, then went on IR. I didn’t work with him (while he was on IR), so I’ve worked with this guy for three weeks. Let’s not overdo that the guy’s been here a year. The guy’s been in the training room, so if you really want to know about his development, go ask the trainer. He’s been working with him a lot more than I have. (laughter) He’s got to go through the whole routine. He’s still learning some of the drills. He hasn’t been around. It takes a while to get into the system. He’s really – for all intents and purposes – he’s a rookie. He’s a rookie in our system. Yeah, he’s had some playing experience, but we’re putting him into a different environment here and we’re hoping he can develop and learn. He works hard. He’s got to keep working hard. That’s just the way it goes for all of them. I was standing there – Davenport wasn’t the only problem out there the other day. We had a lot of problems and we’re equally to blame, myself included. We’ve got to find a way to get guys to be in the right position and worst-case scenario, take the charge. Take the charge and take one for the team and be a speed bump, but don’t – the free runners, things like that, we can’t have them. We’ve got to work on that. That’s again, not just him. That’s all of those guys. Each one of them had a situation where they had to – they have to firm it up.”
(How has C Daniel Kilgore played when he’s been healthy this year?) – “He’s done a good job. Danny’s done a good job. He’s actually adapted to what I’m – if you say one thing about we’ve done in the last X-amount of weeks, is the middle of our pocket looks different. If you really want to examine something, examine how the middle of the pocket looks on a play-by-play basis. The issues aren’t coming right smack-dab down the middle, which allows the quarterback to work the middle a little bit more than say, when we first started this thing in Week 1. It was a jailbreak. Guys were coming in from all angles, so Danny is the key component to making sure that that middle is firm. It’s solid. Now it may seem like nothing, but when he’s uncovered and he’s working left to right, he can alter his call to assist one side or another; and we ended up doing that during the game the other day. I said, ‘Danny, let’s check the call here in terms of where you’re sliding.’ It doesn’t mean his blocker responsibility changes but how he’s setting – he may be looking left, but he’s helping right or vice versa. Because he’s a smart player and he’s done this a lot, he’s able to help keep that thing squared up, firmed up and allow ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) the ability to come underneath. That really makes the tackle’s job a little bit easier. Again, free runners are free runners. It (doesn’t) matter; but if those guys can turn a defensive end at 8/12, 9 as opposed to going to 10, 11, that’s a huge difference now. Huge difference. We’ve been able to solve a little bit of that. I’m not saying that that’s completely solved, but that’s where you begin. Nowadays in pass rush, if you ask these pass rush specialists, if you want to affect the pocket – look at the guy up the road, the Superman. If you look at the ninja, he gets affected by one thing only – pressure in the middle. When the pocket collapses, then he doesn’t have the ability to move and buy time or move to get away from the true rushers outside. That’s an issue and we’re trying to solve that problem here and we’re working. We’re not complete, but we’re making it better bit by bit in order to allow the quarterback to do what he needs to do. You’ve got to start somewhere, and that’s the foundation, is the middle of the pocket, and I think it’s been long neglected and people don’t get it, that that’s what really makes the pocket the pocket. The depth, that depth, that buffer.”
(The quarterback can work the edges, can mind himself in the edges if the pocket is clean.) – “We go over the philosophy inside-out. If you’re going to get beat, it better be out, never in. You do what you’ve got to do to make sure that you’re inside-out on your defender. Period. That might mean an extreme set to your inside. You can’t just get beat right off the bat outside, but if you’re going to fight a guy and you’re going to lose ground, it better be to your outside because that buffer zone –obviously for a quarterback, the most natural thing to do is take his forward steps up once he hits his back foot on the ground. Ba-ba-ba-boom, and then read. It isn’t as natural going side-to-side and then throwing. So we’re trying to create that little comfort zone, that little safe zone for him. If we can give him two or three yards of step-up and even better when teams rush wide. We saw that the other day a couple times where they starting rushing wide with both the tackles. Well now, even though they’re winning up the field on the edges, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) can step up and throw the football. A good quarterback knows how to work a pocket, understands what’s being developed in a pocket, how we’re trying to create it. Every team, every system is different. Our system is designed to solidify the middle first and then the edges second; so what looks like a guy getting beat around the edge, he’s really not getting beat around the edge. It’s by design. I want him to run a guy at nine yards. As long as the middle is firm. What gets lost in a lot of the assessment of this is, in order for me to truly get the middle of my pocket firm, I have to make my tackle set a certain way to allow the guards to stay flat around their set; so if I’m restricting my tackles from getting width on a particular set based on a defensive look, that’s going have him a little slower getting to the edge. I’m going to give up one thing to get another thing, so I’ll give up the yard and a half on the back end of the pocket in order to gain a yard and a half on the front end, because that’s what the quarterback’s looking at. He’s not stepping back, he’s stepping up, so I need it there, not there. I ask those tackles to stay within the framework of that interior pocket for a split second before they start to expand. Once they expand, there’s a bunch of other things they have to hit on. Like number one, they have to expand…”
(So you don’t them to take a wide set?) – “I don’t want them out there because if you go out there, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong out there. Everybody has their philosophy. ‘I’m going to engage quickly or I’m going to do this.’ Listen, you need to be inside-out. You need to be square. That’s first and foremost. In my opinion, the wider the defensive end is, the deeper you kick. It’s not vice versa – the tighter he is, the flatter you kick. If he’s right on my shoulder, I don’t need to get depth. I just set to him. If he’s got width, I go vertical because all I’m trying to do is get on the line between the end and the quarterback, but the line doesn’t change. It just follows with him, so get back here. He’s got to get to me. I don’t have to get to him. His goal is back here in the pocket, so again, I’m requiring the tackles to help the interior so that the interior can then set the base of the pocket, so the quarterback buys the time. Again it’s kind of reverse thinking, but the whole idea of getting the middle of the pocket firm is to allow those guys who are lesser athletes – the defense is going to play wide three-techniques. How does a guy as a guard get all the way out to a wide three-technique without kicking for depth? He does it because the tackle’s protecting him on his set so that he has time to be flatter to engage firmer on the line. Now, we set the line of scrimmage a lot deeper and it allows the quarterback to do his thing. You’ve got to give up one thing for another, and that’s how I teach the tackles. I thought Jesse Davis had as good a game as I’ve seen him play last week. He had one or two snaps that weren’t good, but he literally looked for the first time, looked like a legitimate big-time NFL right tackle last week. (It’s the) first time. He’s been progressing to that, and he’ll keep getting better and better and he may have his ups and his downs, but for the first time he set to protect the young kid inside. He expanded. He got width. When 55, when (Eagles DE Brandon) Graham was on the edge – (Graham) got him on the first play. He bull-rushed him. After that, Graham started moving around to different spots because that wasn’t happening, so then he started attacking on the inside. He has the ability to move around to different places, so if he’s going to pick, he didn’t pick 77 (Davis). He realized that was useless, so he started finding other spots to do his work, which is – when you look at it, when you recognize it, that’s pretty impressive when a guy like Graham goes away and goes to a different spot.”
(When you look at this offensive line, are there prototypes at center, guard and tackle and how do you go about that – free agents or rookies?) – “You need good players. Smart, tough, guys that can move. I don’t know what to tell you. I love them all. 6’5, 320, run a 4.7. Yeah, that’d be great. Where do you find them? How do you get them? That’s what you’ve got to have – smart, tough and guys that can move. That’s plain and simple. If they can think and speak, they can move. You might be able to get a guy a little stronger. You might be able to put a little weight on the guy, but there are certain things that you need.”
(Size over athleticism or…?) – “Absolutely not. Athleticism is first. This is the National Football League. The days of the big, slow athlete playing up front, you might be able to have one and plug them in. But you can’t have that. You’ve got to have guys that can move. You’ve got to have guys – and you don’t have to be huge to have strength and leverage and explosive power. Those are things that they don’t go hand-in-hand necessarily. Each individual is different. Each athlete is different and there’s a lot of guys out there that have some qualities and others and you’ve just got to find the right mix. You know how it goes. They’re hard to find, but you’ve also got to find guys you can develop. You can’t go out and pick them all. You can’t go out and just say, ‘hey, I want this one, this one…’ We’re not Alabama. He picks whatever he wants. That’s why he’s good every year. I mean, are you kidding me? That’s easy money doing that. (laughter) That’s why you wonder why Florida can’t win all the time. They pick whatever they want. They just leave the rest for the riff-raff to pick up. I got it. (laughter) We don’t have that option, so what you have to do is you have to get some young men in – kind of like what Iowa does. They get these guys and who the hell knows where they get them, what farm, what pig farm they pulled them off of – good kid, tough kid, smart kid – you work them, you develop them, they gain 40 pounds and next you know, they’re getting drafted in the NFL and playing 10 years.”
(Has that always been your thing or that just developed the last 10 years?) – “No, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. My thing is, I coach who they put in the room. (laughter) They put somebody in the room and I coach them and I try to get them to play well Sunday. That’s the best I can do. I’ll help them in any way I can to assess that. That’s a program-wide process, but I’m going to coach what they put in the room. If they put my daughter in the room, 11 years old, I’d put her in a three-point stance and make sure she knew who to block on a 64-protection. Period. (laughter) I don’t know what else to tell you.”
Danny Crossman – December 3, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick says you’re crazy.) – “(laughter) One man’s opinion.”
(Can you remember when that play first occurred to you? When did it come to your brain that this was something that could work in an NFL game?) – “I think all the plays – and we work on a lot of different things – tinkering with them in practice and seeing what certain guys can do; but at the end of the day, it’s an idea of in every play we play, it’s the idea of something that’s clear and easily understood for us but hopefully cloudy for the opposition.”
(Was it something you first conceived of like in 2004 on a napkin in a restaurant?) – “No. There’s always things popping into your head of ‘what if’ and it’s more, what if somebody did this to me? What would the response be? And that’s how you build a lot of things.”
(So how far back does it go? I know you’ve been working on it a few weeks.) – “Yeah, we worked on it for a couple weeks.”
(But does it go back years or…?) – “The ideas are always floating around for years. ‘What about this? What about that?’ But the fruition of it was working with the guys and saying, ‘Okay, I like this.’ Then you get into all the possibilities of the opposition’s response and then you have to have things off of that. So that’s why to me, things take a little time.”
(Did you have to evaluate, can we do this play? Can we run this play? Is it within…) – “I don’t think there’s any ‘within.’ Anything that’s going to help us win, that’s what it’s all about. So any play that we can come up with that’s clear for us, hopefully cloudy for the opposition, that can give us a chance to win, everything we do; that’s the only thing that we care about.”
(Was there any part of the play that came from somebody else’s playbook – a high school game or something somewhere?) – “(laughter) No, sadly…”
(What was Head Coach Brian Flores’ reaction when you took it to him?) – “Brian is outstanding. He’s willing to listen to anything. Then it’s a just matter of …”
(So what was Head Coach Brian Flores’ reaction? “This is awesome?”) – “Just a smile and let’s see where it goes, because there’s going to be things that I bring to him that he smiles and then like, uhh… (laughter) And there’s things that we practice that when you first put them out on the field, it’s like, ‘well, I don’t know about that.’ That’s why you’ve got to keep building and practicing and tinkering and eventually you’ll find a product that you think has got an opportunity to be successful to put yourself in a chance to make a play.”
(Is the first option on that play the punter to the placekicker?) – “I’m not going to get into the (specifics).”
(What was the reaction of the players when you presented it to them?) – “I think some of them looked at (me) a little bit like, ‘what do you – really? Like, okay.’ I think whenever you present anything in a meeting before you are able to take it onto the field – because when there’s no video evidence, it’s just on paper. It doesn’t always come as easy as, ‘okay, here it is on paper and here it is on the field. This is what we’re trying to do.’”
(How do you describe the satisfaction of calling a play like that and seeing it succeed as well as it did?) – “Obviously I’m excited for the team. In terms of – players are the ones that make the plays. I’m going to put them in some bad positions and hopefully they make it at least good and hopefully you give them some good stuff that they can make great and be successful. It’s all about the players. I was happy for Matt (Haack) and Jason (Sanders) because we’ve worked on it a lot and to see them be successful and doing something, that’s what’s gratifying; but it’s after the fact. Then what I’m worried about is now we’ve got to protect the PAT.”
(What was the key to making it work?) – “I think it’s a lot of things. I think it’s again, our guys having a clear understanding of what we want and them being able to take that and transition that onto the field and execute it with vision.”
(When did you know it was going to work? Did you know when you lined up?) – “Once the official raised his hands. (laughter)”
(You really weren’t sure?) – “The visual of what we got was one of the things we’d looked at, but then you’ve still got to execute the play, as we all know. You could do everything right and you get a bad throw or you drop – a lot of things can happen. Once the officials raised their hands, that’s when it was, ‘okay…’”
(Was the pass about how the way it was done in practice?) – “It’s come a lot of different ways because you don’t know how the defense is going to react. It could be an easy throw. It could be a jump pass. It could be a shovel pass. It’s all depending on what the defense does. That’s why, again, it takes time to get it to where you’re ready for any of those situations that come up.”
(Was it executed flawlessly?) – “Nothing is ever flawless. (laughter) There’s always something that could be better.”
(Did K Jason Sanders always catch the ball in practice?) – “He did. Again, once you put it on again, you put it on and sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. We liked it. It was a good situation. It was what we thought would give us a spark and we went with it.”
(How anxious had you been to call it?) – “Anything – I think you’re anxious for any call. Again, that’s part of the understanding of when is right and when is wrong. That just happened to be a good situation in the game with where we were, down-and-distance. There’s a lot of things that go into those decisions of when to put it on or when not to put it on.”
(How likely did you think it was that K Jason Sanders would be uncovered and totally open? When you drew the thing up, how likely did you think that part was?) – “We thought if we did everything right, it would be good. We felt good about it. If we did everything like it was taught and worked on, that we’d have a good opportunity for the throw part aspect of it.”
(So if you were facing that play, would you be mad that none of the three guys stayed with the kicker? I’m wondering, why didn’t anyone stay with the kicker?) – “Again, I’m not going to get into what they do or how we would do it. I don’t want to get into what we would have done or what we expected them to do; but that’s just part, again, of the clear/cloudy concept of what we’re trying to do.”
(So the idea of the Jets spending time this week practicing how to defend that play – is that amusing to you?) – “No. Again, I think you have to have – like anything we talk about – you have principles and you have rules and you live with them. You can’t chase ghosts. The Jets and that’s all our focus on now, but they’re going to prepare like they prepare and we’ll see where that goes.”
(So we will see it again Sunday?) – “(laughter) I don’t know about that.”
(P Matt Haack and K Jason Sanders are two pretty good athletes. How much does that help?) – “I think anytime you have guys — and it’s an old adage in this league and sometimes it’s taken for granted – but the more things that people can do, the more things you can build off of that. That’s why we work on a lot of things. We’re not going to get into it, but I can tell you some of the things we’ve worked on and you’d like at me like, ‘what is he talking about?’ But you’ve got to expand people’s boundaries of what’s possible and what can you do? If you don’t spend time looking at or, ‘can you do this? Can you do that?’ You’re not going to know.”
(Where would this play rank among the coolest plays you’ve ever called or been around?) – “I think anything that’s successful is cool to me. (laughter) Whether it’s a simple play or a dynamic play or anything that’s successful that helps us win – and that’s the most important thing – it happened in a game that we won. That’s what’s most important.”
(What’s the best feedback you got from anybody? Old girlfriends or your head coach or the owner? Anything in particular?) – “Nothing in particular. The fact that we won the game, that’s what’s most important.”
(I know you’ve done this in a few other places. You’ve done some fun ‘trickeration,’ as Rece Davis would say. The fake punts, the fake field goals, the onside kicks – ‘trickeration.’ We like it. Is this the most you’ve ever done in a season?) – “Probably. I think every game is different. Every season is different. The opponent you’re playing is different and then how the game unfolds. You may go into a game with something you like. But did you ever get the opportunity and the right situation? Those are things you can’t force. There are a lot of things that go into it.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said this is who is. He’s a risk-taker. He wants to be aggressive and take chances. Did you know that when you took the gig?) – “Well, yeah, that was part of it. You play to win the game, and I think that’s the thing that is exciting for me in working with Brian (Flores) and working with the rest of the staff is that’s the idea. We’re playing to win, so the rest of it is irrelevant. Sometimes it’s going to work, sometimes it’s not, but if you like it and you feel confident in it, then you put it on and you live with it.”
(Will we see one of those fake field goals – not a fake field goal – like a fake punt – that’s a good example. A fake punt – is that always called from you and Head Coach Brian Flores or is there ever an opportunity where the guy can actually call it – like P Matt Haack can call it based on what he sees?) – “Right. There are certain things that are maybe auto and there are some things that we put on; but there are parameters for both of those. That’s a long discussion. (laughter)”
(Pretty interesting that because of his touchdown catch, K Jason Sanders’ long field goal at the end kind of went under the radar and that turned out to be huge.) – “What was fun to me about it was it was Matt (Haack) throwing the ball to Jason and then Matt holding the ball for Jason to kick the PAT, which as we know is vital and they’re not gimmes. As soon as we scored, that was my only focus, but I thought that was the fun aspect of it, him being able to get all seven points out of the play was fun.”
(I feel like the special teams units overall have been good, which is good. We’re not putting you on blast. Usually when you talk about special teams coaches it’s bad. When they put the camera on the guy on TV it’s usually because he’s throwing something. That’s good to have it the other way; but has the biggest challenge been the number of players? Because I’m guessing you probably are getting some guys on Tuesday and putting them in on kickoff coverage?) – “That’s always the change. That’s part of this business. I think this is maybe more than you’re normally going to see; but that’s something that you deal with in this league whether it’s trades, whether it’s cuts, whether it’s injury, whatever it may be. That’s why we do it. It doesn’t make it easier. It doesn’t make it harder. That’s just what we do. You’re always trying to help those players. Who you’ve got is who you’ve got. Let’s get them better and let’s see what we can do.”
(How would you assess RB Patrick Laird’s play on special teams this year?) – “He’s getting better every week. He’s conscientious. He works hard. He studies hard. We really like where he’s going, along with a lot of other guys trending in the right direction.”
(Do you call RB Patrick Laird by Patrick or “The Intern?”) – “I call him Patrick. I don’t know anything about ‘The Intern.’”
(Where does “Mountaineer Shot” come from?) – “I think somebody might have already (said) – it is based on Daniel Kilgore being on the field.”
(DT Christian Wilkins looked like he was an eligible receiver. I should know this. Is he an eligible receiver on that play?) – “He is.”
(DT Christian Wilkins and K Jason Sanders – they’re the only two eligible receivers the way you were lined up in that formation?) – “No. No. A couple of other guys are eligible, too.”
(What do you call K Jason Sanders’ position in that formation? Is that a slot receiver?) – “In football vernacular, yes. (laughter) Correct.”
(I think I read your Wiki and it said something – because in preparation for this interview which is 15 minutes, a lot of transcribing ahead of us – I read that you were captain of a World League of American Football team as a defensive back.) – “You went way back. Yeah.”
(What was that like? Where was that?) – “In London, many, many years ago. The World League of American Football. In it’s original form, there were three teams in Europe, a team in Canada and then six teams in the US.”
(Barcelona?) – “Yeah, Barcelona. It was Barcelona, Frankfurt and London, and then there was a team in Montreal and then New York, Sacramento, San Antonio.”
(What was the nickname of the London team?) – “The Monarchs.”
(Were you special teamer back then?) – “Yeah, I played DB and played special teams.”
(When was your love and appreciation of special teams fostered?) – “It started while playing in college. I played for an outstanding special teams coach in college. It was probably where…”
(Kansas?) – “University of Pittsburgh.”
(Who was the special teams coach?) – “Scott O’Brien.”
(What were the connections to Head Coach Brian Flores – I saw that also Michigan State, right?) – “Yeah.”
(Was Nick Saban the coach?) – “No, Bobby Williams.”
(Bobby Williams, who went on to be a special teams coach for Nick Saban?) – “Yeah.”
(Was there any other personal connection to Head Coach Brian Flores or anyone else on the staff?) – “When ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) at one point was helping coach special teams – obviously it’s a fairly tight community in special teams. That’s where I originally got to know ‘Flo.’”
(So he was in New England and you were…?) – “I was at that point in Carolina.”
Rob Leonard – December 3, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Linebackers Coach Rob Leonard
(Obviously it’s too early to tell what you have with LB Andrew Van Ginkel, but you have seen him before he got hurt and the last couple weeks. Do you have a feel yet at all for what you think you might have in him?) – “Andrew is truly committed to the process of what we value here: getting better every day. Two weeks ago, he went out there, made a couple plays out there on (special) teams, which was good to see. Here, you earn your playing time. So if you go out there and do the things that required of you on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and it’s going to lead to more opportunity, depending how you play game day, as well. He’s right where he needs to be coming off injury. (He’s) taking it a day at a time. He’s a very smart kid. He understands a lot of things, so putting those into play full speed, a fastball pitch that you see on Sunday is kind of big for him. Just the reps…”
(We saw moments. I remember early August, LB Andrew Van Ginkel made a great play in the end zone in coverage. We know he could obviously rush the passer at Wisconsin. Do you have a sense of what he could do well at this level yet or did the injury make it tough to gauge that?) – “The best thing with Andrew is you’re not going to be able to peg him down to one thing that he does well. It’s just his overall body of work is his value – that he can play (special) teams, that he can drop into coverage, that he can rush, that he’s smart; so you really can’t talk about one thing. It’s the overall body of work, and I call that just being a football player. That makes him valuable and a good teammate, in all honesty.”
(Can I ask you how LB Sam Eguavoen has this year? Just your thoughts on how Sam has played this year.) – “Again, (he is) another guy that’s gotten better. In my opinion, he took advantage of his opportunity this week. He got a chance to play a little bit more, made a few more plays. Again, (he’s) another guy that’s truly committed to the process of what we value here.”
(LB Sam Eguavoen coverage was certainly a cause for encouragement in the offseason program. We saw him make a bunch of plays. He hasn’t had a huge body of work in terms of coverage opportunities. His metrics in that area aren’t great if you believe in metric sites. Has he in coverage been what you expected? Is there room for growth there?) – “Yeah. I think – again, I’m not sure about the sites or whatever it may be – but his coverage in the opportunity that he’s had, I thought he’s done a good job. He’s an explosive guy, has a good change of direction, he can run, which all help in coverage. We see him working his eyes, his eye transition is always important, as it is with all of them, but I would say specifically with him. Yeah, he’s been okay in coverage for what we’ve asked him to do.”
(At the very least this year – and there’s always question with CFL guys – at the very least he’s shown he’s an NFL player.) – “Yes. For sure. Absolutely, in my opinion.”
(I wanted to ask you about the coaching staff. It seems like you guys really did come together. A little birdie told me you guys have little Tuesday night dinners and get to know each other a little bit outside of this, too.) – “Oh yeah, as far as family coming and stuff? Yeah, it’s fantastic. You create that bond in every little way and it creates trust. The more trust you have, the more transparency there is and this staff really feels like a family. People say that, but it truly feels that way from your wives to your kids to interacting with each other; so the more you can have those open transparent conversations, the better you’re going to be off in any situation.”
(Who sparked that? Is that coming from Head Coach Brian Flores all the way down?) – “Oh, yeah. It starts with the head man. It starts with the head man. In my opinion, whether I should or should not say, he’s the most straightforward man in coaching that I’ve been around. He’s going to tell you the truth – player, coach, trainer, scout. It doesn’t matter. He’s the same person. That’s all you can ask for to work for, in my opinion. That’s why I wanted to be here.”
(How’s it working with Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham?) – “It’s awesome. It’s the – again, another guy that I worked with in the past. I was his assistant at New York and again, (he is) another guy that you know exactly what you’re getting. I don’t care if you’re looking for a friend or looking for a guy to work with. When you’re able to have transparent conversations, whether it’s game-planning, personnel, coaching, schematics, whatever you may have – we’re able to have those conversations. He’s a great person, first and foremost. I can attest to the character of anyone in that building. Once you have that, it’s easy to go from there.”
(When you say transparent conversation, is it, “I’m not afraid to go and say, ‘Coach, hey, this is something we need to work on.’”) – “The ability to agree or disagree. ‘I see it like this.’ ‘I don’t see it like that.’ Which – to able to talk to someone like that, there has to be an element of trust. We’ve had that and you develop trust over time through adversity (and) certain situations. At times in New York working with him wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Our last year there was pretty tough, and (we) were able to have conversations of why and why not. That’s just people in general. It’s not football, in my opinion. You know what I mean?”
(Of course. I don’t think it’s been sunshine and rainbows here, too, but it’s something that it’s helped you guys kind of stick together, right?) – “Absolutely. It’s the most important thing, starting with how we see things in that defensive staff room and those coaches rooms before we deliver the message to the players that we’re all saying the same thing. That’s one of the best parts about being here.”
Marion Hobby – December 3, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(A little birdie told you guys have a nice little family dinner every Tuesday with the coaching staff?) – “Oh, yeah. Family night?”
(Yeah. Hope important is that do you think to help you guys as a coaching staff get to know each other during this first season?) – “It gives a chance to see people as more than coaches. We’re seeing some of the guys with their kids, seeing how they interact with their families and stuff like that. My kids are a little bit older now, so it’s good to see some of the other guys interact with their families, the camaraderie of it all. I think that’s big in football and in life.”
(Is that a Head Coach Brian Flores thing that he kind of inspired?) – “Yes. It definitely comes from him. I don’t know if they did that in the past here before; but yes, it was definitely something that was – we’ve been doing it all year. I think it’s really worked out well. We’re working long hours this time of year so to get a chance to see your kids in the daylight, get a chance to come out here and see the guys throwing the ball with to their kids, it’s always good. It really is.”
(How has that helped the working relationship?) – “Like I said, you get to see people in different lights. Sometimes in the coaching role, we’re talking X’s and O’s, it’s strictly business. It gives you a chance to see some guys relax and be fathers and meet their wives. It’s good.”
(You seem to be the lighthearted guy on the defensive coaching staff. I feel like you and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, you guys get to joke around a little bit. You guys have a couple laughs, lighten things up, but also you work really hard too. Who are some guys on the coaching staff that really makes things a little bit easier for you guys, lightens the mood?) – “I think we’ve got a lot of different personalities on this staff. Sometimes things are real serious and intense. They might not be funny right when they say that; but then when you think about it, you think about the situation and maybe the next day I’ll come back and say, ‘What you said yesterday was crazy.’ It’s the same thing even dealing with the players. At that point, some of the comments they make might not be funny at that moment because you’re…”
(Then you come back around?) – “Yeah, you come back around and you go, ‘That was pretty funny.”
(So you come back around the next day you’re like “Man,” you think back on it?) – “Yeah. Maybe an hour later. Maybe at that point it’s just so funny you can’t – it just kind of lightens the mood a little bit. Being intense for 10, 12 hours, it’s kind of hard to turn it on and off.”
(Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski told me that Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo is delivering those one-liners. Who’s some of the guys on the defensive staff that’s lightening the mood?) – “(Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks) Josh Boyer is pretty good. (Safeties Coach) Tony Oden has his own way of explaining things, which is always pretty funny. Everybody has got their – (Linebackers Coach) Robbie Leonard. Everybody has their little deals no matter what that subject is. But it’s good that we can actually laugh and get the work done as well.”
(How important is that for you guys to tone down Head Coach Brian Flores a little bit? I feel like he is – maybe headstrong is the wrong word but he’s strong. He’s the one that’s putting the face on and leading everybody but how important is it for you guys to keep him level too?) – “I’ll tell you what, he does a great job. I think everybody’s personality is different. Everybody’s humor is a little bit different. Sometimes when ‘Coach Flo’ says something, you have to look down to see if he’s pulling your leg. When you do look down there, he’s got a big smile on his face. He’s kind of like, ‘Alright, I’m pulling your leg right here.’ It’s just different personalities. That’s what makes a good staff. If we were all the same, how boring would that be? Being on the same page is important, but being the same person, I think you’re asking for it. It’s just like asking all our players to be the same. They’re never going to be the same.”
(That’s probably helped you guys a lot this season right?) – “Yeah, different personalities. It’s kind of like in the meeting room, I want everybody to be themselves. Be yourself. Be your own personality. But when we jog on the field, let’s just be one.”
(Is Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham also kind of done this thing where he’s divvying up tasks to everybody and let everybody bring their input in? You guys feel like the defensive effort is a collective one?) – “Yes. That’s one thing about it whether it goes good or goes bad, that’s what we agreed on so we all can take accountability for it. We call can – just as long as we agree on it, that’s important.”
(I’m going to ask you on a couple of the young guys. On DE Avery Moss, do you have a sense yet of what you have with him as far as what he does well, what he could be?) – “I’ll tell you, he was really heading in the right track before he got injured earlier this year. Getting him back to playing speed again is good. Avery, football is important to him. He’s very conscientious about his job and what he has to do. He’s not afraid to ask questions if he doesn’t understand. We keep developing him as he goes. It’s a new system for him, new expectations. He’s been an outside linebacker, he’s playing d-end, slash, he’s moving around. I think right now, he’s better against the run than he is against the pass. But I think he does a lot of good things. He’s a tackler. That’s one of the things I like. He is a tackler. There’s something to be said about those guys. They might not do everything perfect, but you find a way to get him on the ground. He is a tackler.”
(From being around DE Jonathan Ledbetter only in the offseason program before he got hurt in Week 1, did you emerge from watching him thinking we might have something here as far as a run-stopping end? What had you thought about him up to the point he got hurt?) – “I thought he was doing really well. He’s another guy that comes from a great high school, a tougher high school in Georgia, went to the University of Georgia. He’s a football guy, so this is right in his element. We’re asking him to play physical at the point of attack, doing the dirty work. That’s kind of what he’s done his whole career. (I was) very pleased with the way he was progressing. It’s a brutal game in there. He ended up getting injured, not able to bounce back and I could see that was wearing on him because he really wants to play football. But I’m very pleased with him.”
(We know DE Taco Carlton can rush the passer. Do you think he needs to prove that he’s more stout against the run to be viewed as an NFL starting defensive end on a good team?) – “I’ll tell you on any team, this is the National Football League. I don’t think any player wants to be labeled as a pass rusher. I don’t think a running back wants to be labeled as a pass catcher. They want to be labeled as, ‘I’m a defensive end. I’m a running back.’ We also know everybody has their specialties, but to be a three-down starter at this level, you want to be labeled as a defensive end, not a hybrid. I think that hybrid pass rusher, that guy is basically – that’s for the older guys who’ve gotten old now. But nobody wants to be labeled one side or the other. His development – keep working at it.”
(Is there physical ability there for DE Taco Charlton to be stout against the run and setting the edge?) – “He’s beautiful. He’s 6’6, he’s 270 pounds. He’s got long arms. He’s coming from a system where they were more pass to run in Dallas and now we’re more run to pass. You have to make those adjustments. You think about his days in Michigan. He’s been out of there for what three years now? So three years, it takes transition.”
(As you watch tape with DE Taco Charlton, what reasons can you identify as to maybe why his run defense isn’t at the level of his pass rush?) – “I didn’t say that.”
(Just from a laymen’s view.) – “I think he’s got to be more consistent with it, because there’s times where you see him and go, ‘Oh you lock out the big lineman, you handle the big tight ends, you throw your body in there, you make the tackle,’ and also he’s a tackler. He finds a way to get his hands on the ball. It might not be pretty the way he gets it done sometimes, but he does find a way to get to the football. But he’s just got to be more consistent. I think that’s with everybody. That’s not a glamour position. Too many times guys are judged on just sacks. Too many times guys will just – the production sheet. What are they really doing to help their team win is what’s most important.”
(On these ends, with what you’re trying to establish, you said you want them to be run first. So the key is to hold the point and set the edge for the defensive ends. And then the tackles, what are their primary responsibilities or roles outside of I know you want them to take on two?) – “I’ll tell you it’s kind of – we’re a big situational team. What is that situation? Is that a run? Is this a run down? Does that dictate the run or is that a pass? In this level, in every level, if they can run the ball, you’re never going to get a chance to rush the passer. As a defensive lineman, from the age of 6 to 30, they all want to rush the passer; but you got to do the dirty work in order to rush the passer. It’s the same thing inside. ‘Hey man, I’ve got to do the dirty work of playing the double teams, getting off the blocks and being physical at the point of attack,’ and then hopefully you can get in a situation where you can rush.”
(How much does it bother you that you guys have ranked amongst the bottom of the league in stopping the run all season?) – “I wouldn’t know.”
(Why is that?) – “Because when the season starts – my college coach told me something a long time ago: he said, ‘You’re never as good as they say you are. You’re never as bad as they say you are. I suggest you not read the media during the season.’”
(But you’ve only limited three opponents to less than 100 rushing yards.) – “Yeah. That’s what he told me. I’m just telling you. I’m not into that. I know one thing, I don’t know about them three opponents, I know we have three wins.”
(But if you stop the run better you might have more wins?) – “But that’s the past. That is strictly the past.”
(So what is the key to getting better against the run?) – “We’ve got to be on the same page. We’ve got to put our guys in the best position. These guys have got to do what they’re coached to do. The combination of coaching and playing and everything, we’re all in it together. We’re all in it together. That’s why I don’t get really caught up in the stats. At the end of the day, I want to look up at that scoreboard when it’s said and done and it says, ‘Dolphins win.’ And then the next day I can come in here on Monday, I feel like anything on tape can be fixed if you’re willing to fix it. There’s 10 guys doing what they’re supposed to, one is out of position. And give credit to the other guys on the other side too because they’re all pro football players. I really don’t get into the stats. That’s a stat you just told me about.”
(It’s an important stat, especially every defense says they want to stop the run. They always say the main priority is to stop the run. You guys have not been able to do that consistently this season.) – “Yeah and score. And holding them to one less point. Right? That’s just kind of my mindset. Because when you’re coaching the defensive line and they start reading about (how) they don’t have sacks, they don’t have whatever, then you get guys starting to doing their own thing. So as a coach, you kind of do the same thing. You’re kind of like you have to stay laser-focused too because they will feed off of you. So in my meeting room it’s more or less, ‘Let’s play together. Let’s complement each other. Let’s play with good motors. Let’s find a way to get this thing to the fourth quarter and find a way to win.’”
Josh Boyer – December 3, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach Josh Boyer
(I saw you guys inked CB Eric Rowe to the deal, the new deal that he came out with. What did you see first in transitioning him to more of a tight end covering role and also what has he provided for you guys as far as versatility?) – “I think Eric, from the minute that we had him in New England, there was always the versatility. He’s been in the tight end covering role before, very much so match-up based depending on what type of receivers are out there. I think he’s a smart guy. He’s tough. He’s able to tackle. He’s a selfless guy. He’s more than willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. I think those things have been consistent over the years for him. He was a very diligent worker at probably injury prevention because he’s had some injuries over the years. He works very hard at trying to keep him body where it needs to be. I think he’s learning as he goes on that. I think as he’s getting more of a role in the safety world, if that’s what you want to call it I would say there’s a little bit more comfort there. There’s still things that we need to improve and there’s things that he’s doing to really well that we need to build upon. You just really can’t say enough good things about his work ethic, his mentality, his selflessness to the team. There’s a communication element we need to continue to work on, which it’s a little bit different from outside in, from inside out, so there’s a little bit more communication there and I think he’s working at that.”
(Obviously, you guys are still in this year; but can you start to see when you get some of those elements back that have to go on IR what that unit could look like when it’s all pieced together with CB Xavien Howard and maybe S Bobby McCain and CB Eric Rowe?) – “I always think there’s a fine line of – you really deal with what’s in front of you, but you’re not so shortsighted that you (aren’t) able to see in the future. But for the most part, all your effort and energy is what’s in front of you. For us this week, it’s the Jets. I think we’ll get their best shot this week. They got a lot of explosive players. That’s where our mindset is. Again, we try to teach concepts and try to teach it as a holistic approach so guys understand what the guy next to him is doing, so if they have to go a different role, they kind of already have a knowing and understanding. There’s just an element of getting them out there and experiencing it. Teaching it that way I think helps smooth over that thing. I think everything for us is short term and even so much more short term is we go from day to day. Our goal every day has never really changed. It’s be better today than what you were yesterday. Be better tomorrow than what we are today. That’s been consistent from Day 1.”
(I also wanted to ask you about CB Nik Needham. He’s a guy that we saw some of in the preseason and he didn’t look like how he was going to look at this point. What can you say about how you guys have been able to develop him to where he could be a starting corner for you guys and contribute the way he has?) – “I think again, it starts with Nik and his work ethic. We’re fortunate here we’ve got a good group of guys, they come in, they put a good day’s work in. I think the thing no one understands is we’re making some progress; but we’ve got a long ways to go. I think Nik knows and understands that. I think the things that he’s done well he’s built upon. And the things that we’re working hard to improve, he’s working hard to improve. He’s put a lot of time and effort in. He’s gotten opportunities and he’s made the most of those opportunities, so he continues to get opportunities.”
(I know we talked in May about the path that you’ve had with Titans CB Malcolm Butler and some of these other UDFAs. Obviously, CB Nik Needham is a UDFA. It’s probably too early to make any comparisons to that, but when you find those UDFAs and those gems and develop them, what is it about a certain player that you can see early on that, “This guy may have it if we can fine tune some of these other things?”) – “I think when you’re watching film, the first thing that pops out to you is play style. Does the guy play with relentless effort? Is there a skillset there? Is he able to make plays? I think regardless of where you’re at or what school you’re at or what system you’re in, I think if you play with a great play style – which to me incorporates your effort, your ability to tackle, your ability to make plays and be around the ball – I think when that all shows up, there’s something to work and develop with. And then to mention guys that you’ve mentioned like Malcolm, Nik and the thing when they get here is it’s a work ethic thing that carries over that allows them to further develop their skills. I think that’s kind of what you look for. The rest of it is really up to the player, putting in work on and off the field of knowing and understanding the game of football – the NFL game, because it’s so different and foreign from the college game – and then working hard to develop techniques that we’re asking them to do. I think over the years we’ve had a number of guys that have fit in that role – the John Jones’, the J.C. Jacksons. It’s a long list. And we have a long way to go with Nik and he knows that and we’re going to keep working hard. Again, it all goes back to what are trying to do is we’re trying to get better today than what we were yesterday.”
(Building off of that, because I’m looking at your defense and especially the secondary and it seems very specific. You guys sometimes are changing in three, five guys and it seems like the roles are very specific. You were saying once you’ve identified stuff on film, play style and all that, go a step further. Once they’re in here, how do you go about identifying what this guy does well and fitting him in a package?) – “I think it goes back for all of our defensive players – not exclusive to the secondary – I think what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to put them in position to succeed. You identify what the opposing offense is doing and how they’re trying to attack you and you’re identifying what your players do well and you try to marry those things up and then you try to put guys in specific roles that they can succeed within the defense as a whole to limit offensive production. That’s really what we try to do.”
(Because your system seems more than maybe some others in the league very team – the scheme. And the parts are – I don’t want to say interchangeable, I don’t want to devalue a player like that – but as opposed to this is the skillset that we have, here’s our scheme, let’s find what this guy can do. Is that correct?) – “I would say, again, we try to identify what our guys do well. We try to identify the things that opposing offenses do well. We try to identify ways that we believe that they’re going to attack us and we try to limit that to the best of our ability utilizing our player’s strengths. It may be different week to week.”
(Really you guys have had a lot of personnel changes. Obviously, no S Reshad Jones and no S Minkah Fitzpatrick and no CB Xavien Howard, no S Bobby McCain now. You’re plugging in guys who haven’t been here a lot of them the whole season since training camp and it’s still working. Is that because the sum is bigger than the individual parts?) – “I think that’s football in general. That’s one thing that I love about the game of football. When you sign up to be a football coach or a football player, you’re signing up to be a part of something that’s greater than yourself, which is kind of counterintuitive to today’s culture where it’s usually put yourself first and somebody else later. That’s why I love football. I think we ask the guys to do the same thing. I think we try to teach it from a holistic approach that we teach concepts and guys understand concepts. When a new guy comes in, we teach the specific things that they need to know right away and then we try to build on that as they continue to be here.”
(Looking ahead to the draft and free agents, the qualities that you want in your corners are what?) – “I would say the first thing that you’re going to look for in guys is there a selfless guy that put the team first. I think the other things that you look for is – to play defense in this league, you’ve got to be a good tackler. That’s something that we put a big emphasis on. And then obviously there’s skill – skills that are specific to your positon. Like if you’re a defensive lineman, you better be able to rush the passer and stop the run. If you’re a DB, you better be able to cover or play the ball in the air. All of those things. But I think it goes back to the characteristics and the fundamentals of the things that you look for, for guys. And we’re very fortunate. We got a good group of guys here that put the team first and work hard.”
(I wanted to ask you on a couple of the cornerbacks. With CB Ken Webster, what skills has he shown you that leave you guys intrigued about what you might have there?) – “I think it starts with his tackling. I think he’s a good tackler. He has the ability be heavy-handed at the line of scrimmage. He’s also got a good coverage skillset. He’s like a lot of our young guys: we’re just asking them to improve on a daily basis. Our goals really haven’t changed from the start of the season. It’s be better today than what you were yesterday and then be better tomorrow than what we were today. We’ve got a good group of guys that work hard and they’ve put in their time and they work hard at trying to understand what we’re doing schematically. At the same time, they’re working to try to improve their skillset too as well.”
(I know obviously you aren’t going to evaluate what you have with these players until January, February, March; but have you seen enough of CB Jomal Wiltz to think we have something here? We have an NFL rotation piece in our defensive backfield. Or is it too soon to say that?) – “Again, I’d say one thing as a position coach, you’re very shortsighted. It goes back to thinking of things in terms of days. How can we be a better group today? And then really as far as we look would be this week’s opponent, which is the Jets. They have a number of explosive players. There’s some games this year that they’ve been able to put up quite a bit of points and move the ball offensively very well. There’s things that – that’s where our focus is. The long-term focus of what this guy will be or what that guy will be…”
(Yeah that comes later on. With CB Jomal Wiltz, things he’s done that have pleased you and how he’s played?) – “I think first, his effort. He plays with great effort. He’s been a solid tackler for us in the run game. He’s been able to communicate and move to multiple positions for us defensively, which has been a real value for us, especially having interchangeable parts going in and out of the defense and him understanding the defense form a conceptual standpoint has really benefitted us.”
