Raekwon McMillan – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
LB Raekwon McMillan
(Are you feeling any faster? Does losing a little weight make enough of a difference to feel faster?) – “Yeah, for sure. You feel a little bit more agile. The body feels better. Rolling into the week it’s just in better conditioning. Overall, (I’m) just playing better.”
(Want to ask you about QB Dwayne Haskins. How well do you know him?) – “I helped recruit Haskins to Ohio State. He’s a good kid – very talented, very, very talented. Hopefully he gets another opportunity. He came in, he had a rough game coming out; but hopefully he turns it up these next couple games.”
(What was the recruitment process like with him? What do you remember?) – “He was coming out of Maryland. He had a lot of guys after him. I think his top schools were like Maryland and Ohio State and we were trying to get him out of home to come to Ohio State and he came. He was on the scout team when I was there. J.T. (Barrett) and Cardale (Jones) were the quarterbacks. He always gave us problems as a scout team quarterback.”
(So if it weren’t for you, QB Dwayne Haskins wouldn’t have been at Ohio State?) – “No, I’m not going to say all of that. (laughter). It was a group effort to get him to Ohio State. He did a great job. He was a Heisman runner up.”
(What do you think is one quality about QB Dwayne Haskins that stands out from most?) – “His arm strength. He knows what he’s doing with the ball. He’s a quarterback at heart. A great leader. He is going to develop over time for him to be that guy for the organization that they want him to be. All props to him. He’s done great for his career and hopefully he does the same thing in the NFL.”
Bobby McCain – October 9, 2019
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
S Bobby McCain
(The question is, how are you doing? Are you feeling good?) – “Yeah, (I am) feeling good. (I am) feeling healthy. I’m ready to get back out there and help get a win.”
(I guess for most guys, the bye week is always good. For you it came especially at a good time?) – “Yeah, it came really good. I just tried to have a little maintenance on some things, a couple things on the body just to make sure we’re all right. We’ve got 11 or 12 straight weeks, so it’s going to be tough. We’re healthy, feeling good. I’m feeling well. We can go into it.”
(What did you see from the sideline just being able to watch?) – “I saw some good things. I saw some bad things as well. Defensively, we’ve got to be better tacklers. Just as a team, we’ve got to bring more energy when guys make plays. That’s understandable when you’re 0-4 and everything; but still, you’ve got a job to do, so we’ve got to bring more energy and we’ll bring that.”
(You have to be a confident person to play in this league and to make it this far. Can confidence wane when the results aren’t coming?) – “They can but I’m a strong-minded person. You’ve just got to be patient, take it one play at a time, one day at a time and one game at a time, and prepare every week like it’s your last because you never know in this league. It could be, so just preparing. That’s where confidence comes from – preparing.”
(It’s funny you say that because your quarterback said he feels like he’s on a tryout every week, like it’s a 12-week tryout from here on in. Could that be a bad thing maybe for some guys to think that way where they’re kind of looking over their shoulders?) – “It just depends. At some point in the game, you’ve got to just stop listening to people and just play the game. When the ball is snapped, no one’s going to be out there helping you. It’s just going to be you doing your job, playing your role, so whatever it takes to get yourself going, whatever it takes to get this team going, just making sure you execute, that’s what we’ll do.”
(How dangerous is a team that comes in when their coach has been fired?) – “Yeah, they’re dangerous and they’ve got good players. It’s the NFL. How I see it, I could care less what a team’s record is. I know they’ve got good players because it’s the National Football League, and you wouldn’t be in the National Football League if you weren’t any good. My rookie year, my coach – Coach Philbin – was fired and we went on like a (two)-game win streak right after that. They’re going to be fired up. It’s going to be like they hit refresh and they’re going to feel like it’s brand new for them; but we’ve just got to come in, put the fire out and try to get a win.”
(I think they said Redskins QB Case Keenum is going to be the guy. Does it matter who the guy is back there? How do you get ready for a team when they have multiple quarterbacks?) – “They have three good quarterbacks – two guys that have been in the league for a minute and played roles pretty well – (Case) Keenum and (Colt) McCoy – and the rookie in (Dwayne) Haskins. We have a game plan for all three. Whoever they roll out there with them, that’s what we’ll do.”
(The offense and the defense have both been struggling here. How much would it help for either of those units to kind of get it going? A couple of takeaways, how much would that help the offense? A couple quick touchdowns give everybody a lift?) – “Yeah, that would be big. Defensively, we haven’t been taking the ball. We haven’t been turning the ball over like we should have. We’ll definitely put an emphasis on that this week. Offensively, scoring touchdowns – that’ll help. Defensively, getting stops – we’ve got to get off the field on third down. That’s what’s really hurting us because if you don’t get off the field on third down, it keeps the drives going. It keeps the possession longer. It keeps your big boys up front more tired, and you’re in the back and you’re just chasing everybody all over the place; so we’ve got to get off the field on third down. That’ll help and (getting) red zone stops – that’ll help, too.”
(So the idea that success can be contagious, right, if one unit can get it going?) – “One-hundred percent. You definitely can feed off each other. The offense can feed off defense, and the main thing that people don’t talk about is the kicking game. Special teams – you can feed off that tremendously. If you get a turnover or a touchdown on special teams, it’ll change the game completely.”
(You’re back this week. You’re feeling fully back?) – “Yep.”
Brian Flores – October 9, 2019
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Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you about interacting with fans and I know that you’ve been busy obviously; but during this season, have you had a chance to interact with fans whether it’s at one of your kids’ sporting events or pumping gas? And if so, what have they said to you?) – “I’ve had a lot of really good interactions with the fans here. All positive. I was at my kid’s flag football game the other day, and that was fun. (We) took some pictures. My interactions have been really positive. We’ve got great fans here in South Florida, really just Dolphins fans from South Florida, from Florida, from really all over the country, I would say. They love this team and I love that about them. My interactions have been great. Hopefully I continue to have more.”
(Have any of them questioned how well this season has gone, or have they kind of stayed away from that?) – “Everything has been positive. Everything is – I’ve had a lot of good conversations and again, when I interact with people, I try to ask them more about themselves than about what’s going on with me or the team. Everything has been positive.”
(How do you approach with the team – at any time – the fact that polls show many fans want the team to lose?) – “Our focus is really on the improvement and really trying to win the day – win the meeting, win the walkthrough, win the practice. I don’t – we don’t – really put much energy into any polls or any reports or anything of that nature. We just kind of try to focus on our specific job. The rest of that really doesn’t matter, to be quite honest.”
(Are you considering any lineup changes after the bye? Did you consider at any or multiple positions changing players?) – “Yeah, we considered really lineup changes across the board. As a staff, we evaluated every position, every grouping, every player, every coach, everything. Everything was considered and again, always in the best interest of the team positionally, from a play-time standpoint, from a production standpoint, I would say. We evaluate it all and we’re going to try to get the best guys out there.”
(Are there are going to be changes? I wouldn’t expect you to disclose what, but will there be lineup changes that we’ll all see on Sunday?) – “I think there’ll be – I think there are lineup changes every week based on the opponent and how we need to play a specific opponent. This week we’re playing against a talented group. They’re really good up front, defensively. They’ve got obviously ball hawks in the secondary, guys who can rush, guys who can stop the run. Offensively, they’ve got obviously one of the best backs I would say of all time (in Adrian Peterson) and some other backs behind him and good young receivers and good players on the offensive line. We’ve got a tough test ahead of us. We’ll try to put guys in the best position to play against this team.”
(What’s the approach at quarterback? Is that a settled thing, or are you going week-by-week…?) – “You’re a Yankee fan?”
(Oh, yeah.) – “Oh really? Wow. Okay, I didn’t know that.”
(You’re a Mets fan, right?) – “Yeah, I am.” (laughter)
(So is that a settled thing, or are you going week-to-week with that or feel? What’s the approach?) – “Quarterback, you asked?”
(The quarterback.) – “It’s settled. I like where Josh (Rosen) is. I think he’s improving on a week-to-week basis. I think he’s a young, talented player, and I think he needs to get in there and develop and get reps and just improve. I think if we could – when he’s scrambling and if he can throw the ball away, that would be an improvement. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot and hopefully if I say it to you guys, maybe he’ll listen, but that’s something – amongst a lot of other things. Just decision-making, accuracy and making good decisions. I like where Josh (Rosen) is and hopefully he just continues to improve today, tomorrow and over the course of the season.”
(Have you had a stronger hand in the game plan in the last couple of weeks? Is there anything that you’ve really asserted yourself in more? Any changes that you want to see game plan-wise?) – “I try to assert myself really, every week in all phases. I watch all the film and say, ‘hey, here are some things that I feel like we should attack. Here are some things that I think they’re going to attack.’ In-game, you can kind of get a feel for how a team wants to play us, so you’ve got to make adjustments from that standpoint as well. Every week, I’ve got things I want to do offensively, defensively and in the kicking game; but I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff. We tend to see things really, ultimately, the same way, and we’ve just got to try to go out there, practice it the way we think it’s going to go and then hopefully execute in the game.”
(One thing we’ve heard from some of your coaches – I know Tight Ends Coach George Godsey has said this and others have: “We want to put players in positions to do what they do best. As it pertains to LB Raekwon McMillan, he’s obviously very good against the run. He’s struggled at times against the pass. Do you want to give him another in-game opportunity – as opposed to just practice – just to see over a substantial body of work, even if it’s just one or two games – how he does against the pass to see if that area is something he’s shored up?) – “I think – look, we have no idea; if I knew every time it was going to be a run or every time it was going to be a pass, I’d be a much better coach. I think any coach would tell you that. Ultimately, the reps that Raekwon gets, he’s going to be in there for some pass plays, so I think that kind of takes care of itself. I think he’s done a good job with those reps in the pass game. That’s the kind of body of work we go off of. He has shown a lot of improvement. Obviously he was dinged up during training camp and has kind of come on these last few weeks. Every guy on this team is going to earn their reps, their snaps, their opportunities to play. I would say he’s in that boat and run, pass, first down, second down, third down, red area, two-minute – we’re going to try to put the best guys out there. I think that’s something every coach – really around the league – is trying to do.”
(How would you assess what CB Eric Rowe has done well and maybe what you know he can do a little better after you evaluated the first four games?) – “I think his communication is good. I think his tackling for the most part has been good. I think he has got to do a better job consistently – have more consistency – from a coverage standpoint. And that is technique at the line of scrimmage, top of the route, there are a few different areas there and I think he knows that. Look, there are some other things going on there too. We have got to rush the passer a little bit better, we have got to have a little bit better disguise, better communication – I mean, you can point to one player but there are 11 guys out there, so – Eric is a professional. He is working at the things he is struggling with, just like all of the rest of our guys, and I think he will improve and get better.”
(You had really high praise for DE Charles Harris in the preseason and we have not seen that production yet show up on the field. Are you pleased with how he has played?) – “I think when you talk about production, I think people think sacks, interceptions and tackles. I think Charles is – he has been in the right spots, been where we want him to be and like everybody else, he has had some tough plays as well. But, when I think of production, I may think of it a little differently than some other people. Are you in the right place? Are you setting the edge when we want you to set the edge? Are you penetrating from a pass rush standpoint when we want you to penetrate? And I think from that standpoint, he has done a lot of good things; but he can always be better. At the end of the day, there have been a couple plays here and there – and it is not just Charles but it is across the board – that we could make that we didn’t, that I feel like we can make. The goal is to make those plays. I think he understands that. We all understand that as a team and it is not just the players, it is the coaches as well. We have to continue to stress the fundamentals and technique and how important those plays are because every play counts. It really does. Every play counts, so we want the right guys out there and everybody has got to take care of their responsibility. If everybody does that, then we should have a good play.”
(Where is WR Preston Williams in his development and is it about where you thought it might be at this point in the season?) – “Preston is getting better every day. I think he has kind of taken that approach since he got here in – I think it was April. He is full of energy, obviously very talented. I think consistency is the key for all the young players and he is no different. Is he where we want him to be? No. Nobody is really where we want them to be; but I think he is on the right path to hopefully become a smart, tough, disciplined, professional receiver in this league. I think he blocks. I think he has to be more consistent catching the football. We say one drop is one too many, one missed tackle is one too many, one missed assignment is one too many and I think if we all take that approach as an organization, we will be on the right path. So from that standpoint, I would say yes he is; but he has a long way to go.”
(The rookie quarterback on the other team this week that you guys evaluated and decided not to draft, what were your thoughts on him during that process and through his limited action this season?) – “Very talented. Big arm. Gifted. He had a great year a year ago and he is a talented player, a very talented player. I have watched a lot of his film. We may or may not see him this week. We are trying to get ready for everyone; but I think he has a bright future ahead of him.”
(If I could ask kind of a philosophical question going back to that DE Charles Harris thing, isn’t a player being in the right place and using the right technique – isn’t that the minimum? That’s, that’s – anybody can do that, right? I mean you need them to make plays.) – “I kind of hear what you are saying and it somewhat makes sense but when you’ve got a 320-pound guy coming at you and we are asking you to set the edge and lock them out with your inside arm – yes, it is the minimum but it is a hard thing to do as well. It is those small details that are the difference between winning and losing a lot of the time and taking care of those things, in my opinion, in my experience, when you take care of all of those little things, those minimum things as you call them, that is when big things happen. When you don’t take care of those minimum things, that is when the big plays or the dropped pass, or not in the right spot, the quarterback and receiver kind of being off, not in sync – so those details I think that some people call minimum or they take for granted, I think those are the things that we really have got to be good at those. The ordinary things that – I think those are the – If we can get that process done more consistently, done right, I think the rest of it will take care of itself. That has been my approach as a coach. I think I may differ from some other people, but I mean it has worked for me.”
(When you are facing a team that is 0-5, how is the challenge of the week different from facing, let’s say the New England Patriots?) – “To me, it is the same. I don’t really look at records. I look at – I am looking at a team and I see a front that is as good as a front we have seen. I am looking at receivers that can take the top off the defense. I am looking at a talented team. Every team – look, this is the National Football League – Every team poses problems and issues and every game is tough, so my approach is the same. We are going to have to play – we are going to have to execute – we are going to have to play smart, disciplined, tough game. We are going to have to take care of all of the little things. We will have to be detailed, play 60 minutes, play together and I don’t really look at records to be honest with you. My focus is on really today and trying to execute the early down and tomorrow will be third down and two-minute and Friday will be red zone. If we can get all of those phases, the detail, all those phases – offense, defense, and the kicking game – if we can get all that done or executed at a good level, at a high level, then the rest of it will take care of itself. That has been my approach.”
Patrick Graham – October 8, 2019
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(We’ve asked about the ever-evolving role for LB Raekwon McMillan. He’s done different things each and every week. Is there more consideration to putting him back as the inside linebacker?) – “I think when you look over the first four games of the season, he’s played inside linebacker. We’re moving him around, just like a lot of people on the defense; but I think he’s shown some value both on the edge, both off the ball and inside. We’re going to do what’s best for the team, but thankfully for us, he’s been doing a good job and he’s continually improving at the roles we’re giving him, if that makes sense.”
(With LB Jerome Baker, I guess based on what we saw during the preseason and training camp, there was a higher level of expectation for him, especially from a blitzing standpoint. Why do you think that that’s not hitting home yet?) – “I think we’ve got – obviously, we’ve got to do what’s best in terms of going against the opponent, in terms of whether it’s a blitz or not blitz. I think, again, everybody’s really just trying to get more and more comfortable, trying to – again, it’s the early part of the season. Guys will improve. The thing is, you get the bye week so you get a chance to work on some things and then you hope to see improvement moving forward, so that’s really what we’re focused on. That – improvement moving forward – and dealing with Washington because again, whether you blitz or don’t blitz or whether (Jerome) Baker’s coming or Raekwon (McMillan) or Sam (Eguavoen) – they’ve got a lot of good skill players, a lot of good offensive linemen, guys that do a good job of blocking. We’re going to have to prepare for those guys.”
(How do you prepare for a team where you have no idea who’s going to be playing quarterback?) – “I think – kind of similar to what (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores talked about, we prepare for all of them. That’s usually – if you take a look again – whether it’s your pass game coordinator, your coordinator, or whoever, just the whole defense and the head coach – you’re always looking at the other quarterbacks because you never know what can happen. You’ve got to have some familiarity, so if somebody went down during the game, it’s not like, ‘Oh, no! What does he do?’ and nobody knows he’s a scrambler or he’s left-handed. That would be bad on us in terms of preparation, so we always prepare for them all.”
(Is that requiring more work than a typical week when you have three guys that can start?) – “More work? (laughter) I don’t know. I try to maximize the work every week. You’ve got to throw effort at it. You’ve got to throw effort at it and it definitely is a challenge, but I don’t know if I would use the phrase ‘more work.’ You’ve definitely got to throw effort at it to get ready for those guys.”
(One guy who becomes available to you next week if the team decides to do so is CB Cordrea Tankersley. What has your interaction been with him and how does he look physically to you?) – “In terms of injured guys and stuff, you’ve got to go back to ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) on that; but just in terms of in meetings, he’s been diligent. He’s been a diligent worker. He’s been somebody that asks good questions and (I have) just been pleased with that.”
(How badly do you and do you want the staff and players to experience victory?) – “What I really want to do, I want to win today. Today means in terms of our preparation. Yesterday, the guys got back and we worked on fundamentals and things of that nature. Again, I’m the type of guy I don’t look too far ahead. I think you can kind of get lost doing that – looking too far ahead – so to me, I find the victories in the small victories. It can be today when we’re preparing for early-down run and pass. Do we win that today in terms of our preparation as a coaching staff? Tomorrow morning when we install and the guys understand what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to accomplish, can we win that? Then as you pile up the small wins, hopefully that leads to the bigger win in terms of on Sunday. That’s always the goal, but I really don’t look too far ahead in terms of that. That’s just not how I’ve been raised to coach. That’s not how I’m built. I’ve just got to try to find the victories where I can focus on today.”
(S Reshad Jones came back two weeks ago and has contributed to two of the scores in terms of the play where he went for Chargers QB Philip Rivers and he made that amazing pass and then a missed tackle on I believe another situation. Where would you assess Reshad in terms of understanding and comfort level for your defense?) – “I think just looking ahead to Washington this week whether it’s Reshad (Jones) or the other players on the defense, we’re going to try to – I think guys are growing more and more comfortable with the scheme and obviously, that’s our job as coaches to get them up to speed. We’re going to utilize their skillset the best that we can in terms of trying to stop Washington because again, going back to Washington, the skill level they’ve got at the backs. Obviously (Chris) Thompson, you’ve got Adrian Peterson – these guys are very skilled running backs. That includes (Wendell) Smallwood – another guy who’s a challenge. Then you’ve got the tight end situation. We’ll see how that plays out with – they’ve had some flux there over the last weeks, but – And then the quarterback situation, you guys already referenced to it but it’s three guys you’re getting ready for. (Case) Keenum, you’ve got (Colt) McCoy and then you’ve got (Dwayne) Haskins – the rookie. That’s where the challenge lies and then we’ve got to make our improvements on our fundamentals. We’ve got to – everybody across the board – we’ve got to improve our tackling. That starts with practice. In terms of us throwing effort at it there, trying to get it right, working to get it right and get it fixed.”
(If I could ask you one question that doesn’t involve Washington – who’s been your best defensive player through a quarter of the season?) – “Just in terms of evaluation, I think right now, the whole self-scout, that part of it, I’m really just focused on how we’re going to defend Washington really right now in terms of the group.”
(Right, but I’m not as focused on that. I’m focused on who has been the best, if you could please answer that question. It’s not asking much.) – “(laughter) All right. I would say this: there’s been a number of guys playing well in terms of guys playing well up front. There’s a number of guys. I can’t single anybody out, per se right now; but we’ve got some guys playing well and then the goal is for us collectively play well as a group of 11 out there on the field for a sustained period of time.”
(With CB Jomal Wiltz down and S Minkah Fitzpatrick gone, how do you find somebody to sort of replace that nickel spot and fill that void?) – “Again, in terms of who’s down, who’s up, what we do is we practice it, we evaluate it and we see what’s going to be best for the defense and for that week. Again, the matchups could be different based on who’s in the slot for them and who’s not in the slot, so it could vary from week-to-week. We’re very much dealing with week-to-week in terms of how we game plan, so that’s probably the best way to answer that.”
(What traits do you look for from a nickel?) – “In terms of the inside corner, what you’re looking for is the same traits you’re looking for in the outside corner. You’re looking for toughness, can they tackle and can they communicate. That’s really – if you were to ask me – that’s really what we’re looking for in terms of all of our defensive backs: can they tackle, toughness and can they communicate.
(Head Coach Brian Flores, Offensive Coordinator O’Shea, yourself – you’ve all talked about it – the need to be fundamentally better. The fan might say, “blocking or tackling – you’re either good at it or you’re not.” Can you speak on that and whether or not things for an NFL player – can they literally improve their blocking and tackling, or are they who they are?) – “To bring it to the fan level or maybe just someone that doesn’t know football, I’ve been married for 10 years and three months. I’m a better husband now than I was four years ago. I know that. I’m a better father now that my daughter is 7 years old and my son is 5, about to turn 6 – I’m a better father now than when I first started. I’m a better brother to my younger and older brothers now. I’m a better son to my parents right now. I appreciate them more. I think over time, you definitely can improve. Whether that’s – again, taking it from football (to the) everyday, walk in life, I would think they would be able to relate to that. So yes, if you throw effort at it, if you try to improve and you put work in, you’ll get improvement.”
Chad O’Shea – October 8, 2019
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Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(So, I know you told us you were going to spend the bye – not you personally buy all of the coaches – sort of looking back at what went right and wrong in all of the games. What did you emerge thinking were areas that, as a coaching staff, you could get better? And also on the halftime adjustment issue, which gets band-aided around a lot, are there things you identified that you think as offensive coaches you could have done things better?) – “Yeah, we looked at a lot of areas and really took a lot of time and evaluated, I would say, every aspect offensively. And one of the things that really struck us is just the importance of playing fundamentally-sound football and that the difference between success and not having success really kind of lies in us just doing some of the little things really well from an execution standpoint. So, we evaluate things from a schematic standpoint certainly. That was definitely part of our exercise; but one of the things we really felt like was when you look at the success or lack of success on a certain play, one of the things that is so important is just the fundamental execution of the play. Certainly, there was evidence of us doing that, at times, well. For example, in the first half of the last couple of games where there were some positive things that we were doing offensively. That was true of those plays too. Really, the source of our success was us playing well fundamentally and doing just the simple things really well. So that is one of the things that we have emphasized to our players. We are going to continue to emphasize those fundamentals that we think are most important to having a successful offense and that was something that was a part of our bye week last week – just identifying what those are and doing those well.”
(As far as the halftime adjustment issue, how much have you looked at that and have you identified things – multiple things – that you think as a coaching staff you could have done differently?) – “Yeah, there is that. We spent a lot of time last week on the halftime part of it just because it was something that obviously we’ve played well at times in the first half and then you’d go to the second half, and we didn’t have the same success. We evaluated every aspect of coming back in the second half, our halftime adjustments, what we do in the locker room, our pre-planning of the second half – whether it is to spend more time on the first couple of series in planning of the second half – and I think that one of the things that came out on that, like I said before, was just the importance of our fundamentals and doing the simple things really well from an execution standpoint was the difference. There were times we repeated plays from the first half. There were times that we called plays that were new plays to the defense in the second half. So I think that there is a combination of play-calling that we looked at to see what works best; but I think in the end what was really important when we looked at it was to just see the importance of the fundamentals, regardless of the play that is called.”
(Just to wrap this up and to make sure I am understanding this – it was more a case of execution and fundamentals than we didn’t make adjustment as a staff, we didn’t do things we should have done. That was not the problem?) – “I think certainly there is all areas that we can improve in. One of the areas I can improve in is a play-caller is putting us in the best position possible on each play. And that is something we closely evaluated – what did we do schematically that was different in the first half relative to the second half? I think there is a combination of factors involved in those decisions and I also think those decisions are based off of the team you are playing. They change so much. But I certainly would not say it is only player-related. That is not the case. We are all in this together and I certainly carry the burden in trying to put us in the best play possible and those are things that we really evaluated. Moving forward, we are going to continue to try to do our best of coming out in the second half and playing more consistently, similarly to the way we did in the first half of the last two games.”
(When you mention fundamentals, do you mean more sub-par technique or are you more often seeing mental errors such as missed assignments?) – “Yeah, I think that when you have a lack of execution on any play, it is a combination of those things – whether it is a fundamental breakdown or maybe a lapse in mental assignment. But certainly my reference to the fundamentals is the basic fundamentals of blocking, throwing, catching and executing those things that we really stress daily in our preparation on the practice field. So those are areas that from a player perspective, they know that we have identified that we can improve on and be more consistent, and they certainly have embraced that last week in the practice that we had and really tried to do a better job in those areas. From a coaching standpoint, fundamentally, it is coaching fundamentals as well. It’s putting us in the best play possible, making sure we are prepared for all of the potential adjustments that the defense may or may not make and those things. Again, this just doesn’t fall solely on the players. It is the responsibility of all of us involved, including the coaching staff, to be better in the second half.”
(Obviously you were forced into making changes on the offensive line because of injuries, but did T J’Marcus Webb’s performance at left tackle make you sort of re-consider where does he fit best on this line?) – “Yeah, it is a good question because I think that we have had moving parts on the offensive line and it has been sort of pieces of the puzzle as I have described, and we are trying to find the best five that fit best together and give us the best chance to do what we need to do to be successful on offense. And certainly, Webb moving over to the left side gave us another look at maybe a potential combination that may work best for us. I think we are still uncertain. We are still looking for the best combination and how it all fits together. I think that is the goal: to find the five best guys that fit and play well with each other. Some of that is related to how they communicate with each other on certain sides. So, nothing set in stone still for us there. It’s still a work in progress and I think that it was encouraging to see Webb go over to the left and have some flexibility and be able to play on the left side for sure.”
(How would you assess the play that you got at guard from C/G Evan Boehm? How did he play?) – “He played kind of exactly the way we thought he was going to play. There were some really positive things. He is a really good communicator, so that was very helpful to have somebody in there that communicates well, especially when we have some moving parts at the tackle spot. He has a veteran presence about himself. He is always well prepared. He studies the game plan, knows what our plan is, knows the opponent. So from that standpoint I thought there were some real positives. I think he is a professional that really works hard at those things I mentioned as far as just overall communication and knowing his assignment. So that is very helpful when you have players that have not had as much experience at those other spots. It is very helpful to have somebody in there like himself.”
(How much consideration is being given to giving T Isaiah Prince another start?) – “I think that Isaiah, certainly there was some evidence in the game that he went out there and did well in his first game, and there were some areas that he certainly needs to improve in. I think that as we tell all of the players, it is kind of you are going to get what you deserve and that is you go out on a daily basis and you strive for consistency, which I think is something that Isaiah is trying to do. He showed us on certain plays that he could do it and he just needs to do it on a consistent basis, and he is going to prove that to us on a daily basis by just going out there to practice and really just trying to improve. There were certainly some positive things not only with Isaiah but kind of just with the combination of the o-line that we had in there. Again, it’s not set in stone but just trying to find the right fit for us.”
(You have three real options as a third down back, just from the limited amount that we were able to see in May and June, which is just a fraction of what you see every day. It looked like RB Mark Walton was the most polished receiver in the backfield. Do you agree with that and is having him on third down is something that is appealing?) – “I think that Mark (Walton) has really impressed me. He has impressed me in both running the football and in his pass receiving. I think he runs hard. I think he does a good job and takes pride in catching the football. He certainly has a skillset that is unique that he can do both. He has the ability to run the ball and he has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and do a nice job. So, we have been impressed with Mark. I know that he falls in the category of somebody that we are impressed with the way he works, the way he prepares and those things. Certainly, I think like any other player when you go out and you have some success and you are consistent in your performance, that is probably going to give you another opportunity to go back out there and do it again. So, I’ve been impressed with him, like him (and am) glad he is on our team. He is certainly somebody that I know will have opportunities if he continues to play at a consistent level.”
(I know you guys basically help out the coaching staff with the evaluation of the draft. Do you remember what your assessment of Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins was in that process?) – “I don’t necessarily want to comment on that right now. We go through a lot of different players and we see a lot of different positions. I know that – I would just say that the draft this year, I had a lot respect for the quarterbacks in the draft this year. I don’t want to go into the specifics, but there is a lot of respect I had for those guys and certainly it is an ongoing process for us. We look at a lot of players. I don’t want to comment specifically on it and that is not a negative, I’d just rather would kind of focus in on the Redskins defensive side of the ball more so than focusing in on what I thought of the quarterbacks in previous drafts.”
(Speaking of the Redskins – how good do you feel about your chance to win on Sunday?) – “We are approaching this week the same as we approach every week. That is we are going to – today is a huge game-planning day for us and last week was a great week for us as far as a team really reflecting and going back on how we can be better here in the next quarter of the season. We are not approaching this week any different than we have before and that is to put our team in the best position to win. The team has certainly worked hard and tried to really come in and do the things we have asked them to do, and we just have to continue, as I have said, on focusing on the process of improving and getting better. Certainly the reason we go to Sundays is to win the game. That is what we do and that is what we are going to continue to do and we are going to prepare that way. Our team is certainly – I think last week was a great week for us and showed a lot of evidence of the spirit of this team and the enthusiasm we have to go back out and compete on the next quarter of the season. We’re real excited. Today is a big day for us in game-planning. Tomorrow will be a big day for us in our first practice. I think we are really excited to go out there. The bye week was good for us to kind of again reflect and see what we need to do better – individually, collectively, and as a team. I am really, really looking forward to the next part of the season.”
(I think it was Herm Edwards that said you play to win the game. I wrote down how badly do you want the staff and players to experience victory?) – “I think it – it’s no – We don’t ever put (certain) wins weighted more or less (than other wins). Wins are wins. Wins are great. That is what we strive to do. So I think that is the goal every week. We are going to win, and we are going to try to win and go out there and we are going to prepare to do so. That is the approach that we have taken. I know that the players have definitely taken that approach, and we are excited for the opportunity to go compete, and that is what we are going to do.”
(I wouldn’t generally have the audacity to limit your response to two words, but I will in this once case. Who is the name that comes to mind when I ask you who has been open a lot that we need to get the ball to more in the passing game?) – “I think that I can’t answer that with your two (words). (laughter) That is a tough one because I think there is a lot of things that go into that question. There are the guys that sometimes have been open and maybe we didn’t have the protection or maybe they have been open but they haven’t been the primary read on the play and it looks as though to the fan that they are open and they may be not, or n the progression as early as the other guy. I think it is kind of a multi-layered answer to that and I think that we have some guys that I still believe have skill enough to get open and create space and do that; but we need to all work together to allow them to do that from a standpoint of all of us doing our job.”
Mark Walton – October 7, 2019
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Monday, October 7, 2019
RB Mark Walton
(You got an opportunity to get some carries last week. What do you feel like you proved?) – “I’m just coming in here every day, just coming to do my job, not trying to figure out how many carries I’m going to have or how many reps I’m going to get. I’m just trying to do my job each day, every day. That’s what I come here to do. That’s why I’m here – to do my job.”
(What was that opportunity like to get some of the work?) – “It’s just showing that all my work just putting in, getting the coaches’ trust around this building to be able to get some carries – multiple carries – in the game, is something that I’ve been looking forward to and (my work) has just been paying off. I’m just trying to continue working.”
(How do you look at the bye week? Does it ‘reset’ coming back from the bye?) – “We just have to regroup together, figure out what’s going on and try to put all the negative plays aside and everything that we can do to make positive plays and just grow from that, grow from the negative plays from the first four weeks. We evaluate the first four weeks that we had before the bye week and we see what was going wrong and just try to fix that.”
Kenyan Drake – October 7, 2019
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Monday, October 7, 2019
RB Kenyan Drake
(So you are supposed to have the bye week and come back refreshed. Was the mission accomplished?) – “Yeah, I was able to go to the crib, see some family, chill with everybody, so from an ‘r and r’ (rest and relaxation) standpoint, it definitely served its purpose.”
(What do you get right back into when you get back?) – “I did some working out in Atlanta too. I tried not to get off the ground too much, so now I am just trying to make sure we hit the ground running in terms of a physical standpoint, using that week of rest to kind of hit the ground running in terms of being the most physical team and the most fit team. Especially with the weather we have down here, we feel like we can go and play in any environment.”
(How do you watch football on the bye week?) – “I catch it when I can, honestly. (NBA) 2K came out not too long ago, so that has been my focus as of recently. (laughter)”
(So you don’t even – it is whatever – you get away from it?) – “Yeah, you’ve got to kind of decompress, so that is what I kind of do.”
(This week, lot of turmoil going on over there on that side. I know it doesn’t matter here, but how do you prepare for a team that is going to come in like that?) – “If you don’t show up to play, then you can get beat on any given Sunday by any given team, so that is what this league is built upon. There are people going out there and doing their job to their full capability, so regardless of the record – how I see it, everyone is 0-0 when you start the game and you go out there and try to play to your best capability.”
(This is the longest you have gone without a win in your life isn’t it?) – “From a football standpoint, yeah for sure. Even when I was younger, I had been on some pretty successful teams. That is just kind of how I built myself in terms of how I kind of work and see that my capabilities and the capabilities of those around me, just putting that work in and being successful. When you are in a situation where we are, all you can do is show up to work. So being on those teams from a success standpoint kind of put me in a mindset to where things will handle themselves when you do the things that you need to take care of.”
(What did you feel when you got back on the field today with everybody coming back off the bye week? How did practice feel?) – “Practice felt really crisp. Obviously the weather didn’t really hold up for us on the outside, so we took it to the bubble and we were able to kind of hit the turf and focus on a lot of things in terms of our schematic standpoint, make sure that everybody was healthy. So, we just kind of did a walkthrough and from that point, I guess we will see how everything progresses through the week and get the game plan going from that standpoint.”
Brian Flores – October 7, 2019
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Monday, October 7, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(In terms of what just happened with the Redskins, how does that impact your preparation – their new head coach situation?) – “Bill Callahan is obviously a veteran coach. He’s been a head coach in this league. He has the o-line background. He’s a very good coach. For us, we’ll go about our business as we normally do. Obviously, he’s got a run-game background, so we’ll – we’ll always do our due diligence from a run-game standpoint. They’ve got good backs, they’ve got good receivers, they’ve got a good o-line. They’re good defensively. We’ll just go about our business the way we normally do.”
(How do you prepare with the uncertainty? They seem to have a different quarterback every week. How do you prepare for that?) – “Prepare for them all. We’ll watch them all. They’ve had a few different guys in there on the o-line, a few different receivers, tight ends. They’ve had some injuries like every other team in the league, so really you end up preparing for the different guys that could be in there. So we’ll prepare for them all.”
(You all mentioned you were going to do some self-assessment over the past week. What did you find?) – “A lot – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game – things we need to do a better job on. The first thing that comes to mind is tackling defensively. It’s something we spent some time on last week just in practice and then going through the evaluation. That’s something we can definitely do better. Breaking tackles offensively – blocking, defeating blocks, catching the ball, getting the ball out a little bit more defensively. So a lot of areas. We spent some time on that last week and we’ll continue to focus in on those this week as well.”
(How was it to have to go back and watch those first four games again?) – “It’s just part of the process. Really, we even went back as far as the preseason. Again, you go through it. Some is good, some is bad; but you just try to learn from it and get better, you try to coach it better, try to help the players understand what we’re looking for a little bit better. I think they understand that and they do a good job of taking coaching and trying to improve and get better and then trying to apply it on the practice field.”
(What did the bye week do for you and can you make any determination on what it might have done for your players?) – “I think it’s just a time for reflection. (It’s a) time to see – you look at everything we’ve done from a scheduling standpoint, from a practice standpoint, from a playing standpoint, from a coaching standpoint. You take a look at everything, you evaluate it all and you look at the things you can do better and you try to do better and try to raise the level of everything we do in the building. The bye week gives you an opportunity to look at all things and try to improve them.”
(What’s the most significant thing you feel you’re going to change moving forward?) – “There’s a lot of places where we can improve so just the basic fundamentals – tackling, catching the ball, blocking, communication. We just need to do all of those things better. I think what we’ve seen over the course of the first games is it’s a block here, a tackle here, a dropped ball here. If we can eliminate some of those basic, basic mistakes, I think we’ll be in a little bit better position so that’s kind of been the focus. It’s the focus every day but you get one missed block, one missed tackle, one dropped ball and those start to accumulate. That’s eight to 10 plays a game that could’ve gone a different way. If we make half of them, the game is a little bit different. So I’m trying to impart onto the team, onto the coaching staff – that every play counts, every play is important. I think they understand that, but when you watch it and you look at it and you go through a game or a half and sit there and say, ‘this could have gone differently.’ One or two plays or sometimes, some cases more than that. We just try to make sure they understand how important every play is.”
(G/T Jesse Davis and S Bobby McCain, will they play this week?) – “Both guys, I expect them to practice today. They’re both working their way back, both doing everything possible. They will do everything they can to be out there. I don’t like to put expectations on guys. I think they are doing everything they can to get back and hopefully they will be out there.”
(What about WR Allen Hurns? Is he still in the concussion protocol?) – “Still currently in the protocol, yes; but he’s definitely getting better. It was good to see him out there a little bit last week and he’s doing better; but he’s still in the protocol.”
(Piggybacking off of that, there was a really scary hit yesterday with Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph. Did you happen to see that and what are your thoughts on they have done so much to protect these quarterbacks and something like that still happens.) – “I mean I saw the play. It was a good collision there. That is part of the game. I don’t think there was anything malicious. I think it was guys playing fast and it happens. It is unfortunate and you never want to see it. I saw it up close and personal with Allen (Hurns). We try to protect the players as much as possible. We talk about it. We try to coach it. But it is a fast game and it’s an aggressive game. Sometimes you try to hit a strike zone and the strike zone moves and occasionally that happens. You never want to see it. It was a scary moment to watch it and then you just hope for the best for the player and hope he is okay.”
(I wanted to ask you about T Isaiah Prince. Based on what you saw from last week’s game – his first start – is that something where you say, ‘okay, with continued investment we can get more improvement from him?’) – “I think that is something we talk about and think about really every week. But it is up to the player. He has to come in, practice well and not get too high on getting his first start and playing fairly decently. And he has done that. He was excited to play and said he had so much fun playing. So he is motivated and that is a good thing. I think with a young player like that, you want to get them more snaps and get them more comfortable so you can develop them, especially on the offensive line. A guy with his size, his athletic ability, we want to get him in there and try to see if he can get better. But, that is up to the player and we have got some other guys that are playing well also, so we will see how it all unfolds over the course of the week.”
(If you guys should win this week, would it be just another victory or as you get later does that first victory become even more significant?) – “My focus is on practice today, getting this team up to speed on how we want to play the game. I think the rest of that kind of takes care of itself. If we do all of the right things, then the results, they take care of themselves. That is kind of my approach and my thought process with this team. Let’s have good meetings, let’s have good walkthroughs, let’s have a good practice, let’s not worry about the end of the game. Let’s worry about today.”
(Do you guys talk about that at any point, like on Sunday or right before a game? The value of a win and what the means to you guys.) – “I think when you start thinking about the end of a game, you just get lost. So it is one play at a time. That is one day at a time, one practice at a time, one really – it is really a minute to minute thing. So, no, I don’t focus on the end of games or anything like that. You have got to go through the process. I think you lose a lot within the process when you start thinking about the end or wins or losses. That’s not really where my focus is. I think if we go through the process and we do it the right way, the results turn out the way we want them. And sometimes they don’t. But you still have got to go through the process. I think if you are focused on anything other than that, then you are not putting your energy in the right places.”
(How was your bye weekend with your wife?) – “Good. We had a good time. (We had a) lot of good family time.”
