Brian Flores – September 16, 2019
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Monday, September 16, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Have you made a decision on who your starting quarterback will be this week?) – “It’s ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). But we’re – after a couple of weeks like that – we’re evaluating all positions: quarterback, running back, o-line, d-line, corner. We haven’t made any final decisions yet. We’re evaluating all positions, like I just said. Right now, it’s ‘Fitz.’”
(RB Kalen Ballage had a couple of drops yesterday and I’m wondering if you know the reason. Was it just lack of focus or was he trying to run before he caught the ball? Do you know?) – “It’s a fundamental we work on every day. He wasn’t the only one who had drops. We had drops at multiple positions. We had drops that if we make (the catch), the game is a little bit different. Kalen is a professional. He works extremely hard. I have a lot of confidence in him. I think he’ll get it corrected. But at the end of the day, he has to make those plays in the game, along with some of our receivers who had some drops as well. We all – as a team, there was a lot of good out there I thought – especially early in the first half. But we’re making those corrections right now that we need to make and we’ll come back on Wednesday and work to improve.”
(Speaking of that good, tell me a few things that you like that you saw out there, especially with the defense.) – “I thought guys played hard. I thought the communication was better. I thought we tackled better defensively. We didn’t give up very many big plays. I thought they fought. There were a couple of third-and-longs there I wish we were better on. It was a step in the right direction but we still have a long way to go – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game.”
(Is there something that can be done besides lineup changes to improve the offensive line?) – “Just constant communication, constantly working together, working through the protections, working through the run game. Communicating – we got a lot of games yesterday that we struggled with. We need to do a better job there. But again, when you work with a group week after week after week and you build a better rapport, I think that will help the entire situation.”
(What was your initial reaction when you saw QB Josh Rosen rolled up on the other sideline and what were your conversations with him when he came over to your own sideline afterwards?) – “It’s the same reaction I have when any player goes down. I hope it’s not serious. You want to see him pop right back up. When they’re on the ground for a minute, you start to think that it’s a little bit more serious; but he jumped up. We had to take a timeout to put him back in the game. He went back in there and finished, so that’s a good thing.”
(How would you evaluate QB Josh Rosen’s play?) – “He went in and obviously the game was where it was. He made some good throws. I thought we could have helped him out by catching a couple of those passes. He turned it over at the end. He could’ve thrown that ball away that he got dinged on. Overall, when you’re in the game in that situation, it’s pass, pass, pass. You’re not really managing the game. He’s trying to push the ball downfield to create some plays, which I thought he did a good job of that.”
(What does QB Josh Rosen need to show you to get a start?) – “It’s like everyone else. If you do a good job in meetings and do a good job in walkthrough and do a good job in practice – that’s at all positions, to include the quarterback.”
(Do you expect QB Josh Rosen to be a full participant in practice this week or would he be limited?) – “He’s in today. He looks good. We’ll see where he’s at Wednesday.”
(Looking at your offensive line, I think you had seven guys up yesterday. C/G Evan Boehm and G Shaq Calhoun were the two guys that didn’t start. What would you have done at backup tackle? Who was your backup tackle?) – “We had a plan for the backup tackle position. I’m not going to hand that out right now. We didn’t have to get to it; but yeah, we definitely had a plan for a backup tackle. We wouldn’t go into a game without a backup at every position.”
(We hear all of the talk all across the league. It’s a week-to-week situation and these guys are professionals who get paid to play. But how do you talk to them about the emotions of these historically bad losses the last two weeks?) – “I think we come in, we make the corrections and we move on. We don’t point fingers. We don’t make excuses. There’s a room full of guys who aren’t doing that. That’s how you do it. You move on to the next day, to the next practice, to the next meeting, and you start preparing for the next opponent. Like you said, it’s week-to-week, so we’ll try to turn things around as quickly as possible and we move on. I coach these guys to move onto the next play – play after play after play. The next play is the most important one and I think that has to be the case off the field as well.”
(You said after the game that S Minkah Fitzpatrick played well. Would you like to find a way to keep him here?) – “He’s here, and he played well yesterday. We’ll go through the Cowboys tape and find a role that we feel is best for him and the rest of the group as well. Yeah, I though he played well, and hopefully he continues to play well.”
(He looked like S Minkah Fitzpatrick played a lot of deep safety. He said after the game that he enjoyed that. Is that something that you can anticipate him doing more of?) – “He’s capable of doing a lot of things. Again, I’ve said that over, and over, and over again. He’s a heck of a player, he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s physical, plays deep, he can cover. I think at the end of the day, we’ll do what we feel is best for the team and put him in positions to do what he does well.”
(I’m sure a lot of it is necessity-drive but G/T Jesse Davis at left tackle, how would you assess the job he is doing and do you think maybe of sliding him back to guard?) – “I think he’s done a good job at left tackle. Again, it’s a new position. I think he’s done a really good job showing some leadership on this team and he’s a guy that obviously we extended him and we feel like he’s going to be here for a long time. I think we’ve got a good young nucleus of guys that we expect to be here for a while. He’s part of that. I think one of the things that’s – he brings his versatility. Left tackle, right guard, right tackle, left guard, we’re going to see if he can snap a little bit. I think he’ll do whatever helps the team and those are the kind of guys we want.”
(WR Antonio Brown has the touchdown yesterday I believe against CB Jomal Wiltz where it appeared he pushed off. Is that an example of something you would send to the league to get a clarification on the ruling? How do you handle that?) – “Yeah. I took a timeout there to see if we could get a better look at that. They ruled that there wasn’t a push off. Yeah, that was the call. Whether we agree with the call or not, that was the call that was made. We’ve got to play through it. I thought the guys did. That made it – obviously that was a big play in the game. It made it 13-0 right before the half. (It was a) tough call; but that’s a part of the game.”
(Have drops been an issue for this team, have you seen at practice? Or was that kind of out of character yesterday?) – “Yeah, I think it was out of character. I think if there is something we’ve been consistent with, it’s that. But you can’t take anything for granted. We’ll go back to the drawing board from that standpoint. It’s something we work on a day-to-day basis – throwing, catching, blocking, defeating blocks, tackling and all of those fundamentals. That’s why you do them because you want to be sharp in all of those areas. When you’re not, it hurts you in the game.”
(You mentioned that the Patriots completed some third-and-longs. Philosophically and strategically for us and for the fans, can you share a little bit: when the team decides to rush three and drop eight, what in generally is a potential positive for that and what can be a negative?) – “I would say anytime you rush three, it’s three on five. If you do the math on that, it’s not a good matchup form a rush standpoint most of the time. Now I’ve seen instances where you can create a rush from a three-man rush. So, I’m not saying that there is no rush there. When you drop eight, you just put a lot of bodies out there and force the quarterback to take a look at eight guys in coverage and see if he wants to take a shot with something downfield. That’s the thought process. That’s really the thought process. If you feel like eight bodies in those zones will give the quarterback problems, then you do it.”
(Do you have an idea on which guys will be here for you in the long term and what guys won’t?) – “I think that’s – Yeah, I feel like we got a young nucleus that will be here for a while. I like that group and I think they’re coming together and improving. I’m excited about that group. Yeah, I think it’s a good group.”
(Do you coach a young nucleus different than you may a veteran that might not be…?) – “No, I coach everybody the same. I’m trying to get everybody better. My goal in coaching is always to try to help guys maximize their potential – so a veteran, old guy, new guy, it doesn’t matter. Everyone, to me, needs to be coached, and the really good players want to be coached. Young players want to be coached, and they need to be coached. This game is about development, and everyone is developing. Everyone is trying to improve and get better. That’s what I love about the job.”
(How would you assess the work of DT Christian Wilkins?) – “I thought Christian had some good plays yesterday. Obviously, he was never perfect, but he plays with great energy. I think he’s starting to get a little bit more comfortable with the NFL game. I think he’s an ascending player, and hopefully he continues to build and improve as the year goes on.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is your starter, as you said, but there have been some quarterbacks around the league that have been going down the last two weeks. Have you guys fielded any calls or entertained calls for Ryan?) – “We take calls every day. Again, about players – we take calls every day. (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore) – those guys do a great job as far as handling that; but yeah, we field calls every day.”
(If somebody did approach you with a trade for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, would it be something for the team to consider?) – “Those conversations we have – there are calls that are made on a daily basis for every team about players. There are talks every day; but those conversations are all confidential, and they’re internal. I like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), and I like (Josh) Rosen. I like a lot of players on our team. No, we have not had those conversations. That’s where we’re at.”
(Could you talk a little bit about how your own personal circumstances in growing up prepared you for professional difficulties, and on a lighter note, would you mind telling the story that the first time your uncle Darrell Patterson introduced you to football…?) – “My uncle Darrell – Darrell Patterson – he was a firefighter in New York. My dad was a merchant marine, so he was gone 10 months out of the year. My uncle Darrell was basically a father figure. He’d take us to the arcade. He’d take us to bowling and things like that. We’re driving home one night, and I see a Pop Warner league, and I asked if I could play. I was 12 years old at the time. I’d never played, and no one in my family had every played football. He played football in high school and played for the FDNY football team, so he was excited that I had some interest. I went to practice one day, ran a 40(-yard dash) and ran somewhat well, I guess. That was kind of the start of my football career. So he’s somebody who’s very special to me, and I don’t know if I’d be standing here if it wasn’t for him.”
(Could I ask you about your personal circumstances growing up, and how that prepared you for these kinds of difficulties?) – “I would just say I’ve had very difficult moments. Growing up in a tough neighborhood – I don’t want to get into all that; but yeah, I’m very prepared for difficult moments. I learned resilience at a very early age. I think when you deal with tough times, you want to lean on the people who you trust and care about you and have your back. You always know that if you put your head down and work hard, things normally turn around and get better.”
Jerome Baker – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
LB Jerome Baker (transcribed by Devin Davis)
(S Minkah Fitzpatrick was saying that each week has been a learning experience. What do you take out of this game that you think you’ll be able to learn from without looking at the tape so far?) – “I learned a lot about these guys I’ve played with. No matter what, they didn’t quit. They never quit. They looked me in my eyes and they want to go to war with me every snap. It’s a true honor to play with those guys. We’re going to go back and watch the X’s and O’s; but ultimately I learned a lot about our defense as far as our heart. That’s one thing I definitely learned and ultimately I’m just proud to play with this team.”
(What made you successful the first half as far as a defensive unit as opposed to the second half?) – “We played together. We made some mistakes but ultimately we played together. We communicated, we played hard. That’s the little light that we had. Ultimately, we didn’t get the job done. So we have to go back and watch film. We just have to get better.
(S Bobby McCain was saying today was probably an away game for you guys. Is that the way it’s been feeling that past few weeks in this stadium?) – “Our fans are amazing. They do so much. Our fans are pretty amazing. Out in Miami, they speak to us. Even before the game, they give us so much love. I never take for granted the fans that come out and support us. I don’t know about an away game, but you can definitely feel the love that they definitely support us.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
S Minkah Fitzpatrick (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)
(Some good and some bad for the defense. Tell me first about what thought was better for the defense?) – “I think we did a better overall job of just executing the game plan. I think last week, we didn’t execute the game plan as well. It was the first game – jitters or whatever, maybe – the first time playing together as a defense, so there were probably a lot of jitters. But like I said, we just did a better job of just executing the game plan and just communicating what the coaches called. I think we did better.”
(And what would be one thing that was a little bit disappointing or frustrating?) – “I think we could have won third down a little bit more. They won third down. We’d stop them first and second down and then on third down, they’d win, and they would get the first down. I think if we would have stopped them maybe three or four more times on third down, it would have been a better result.”
(Did you appreciate and enjoy the opportunity today to play some deep safety?) – “Yeah, that was the game plan. Like we always say, week to week, it’s a different scheme. So I knew that’s what it was going to be. Yeah. I’ll say yeah.”
(You’re so used to winning, whether it was high school level or collegiate level, but to come into this kind of situation that you’re enduring right now, how difficult is that to deal with?) – “You could look at it one way. You could look at it as losing, or you could look at it as learning. There’s a saying, ‘I never lose, I just learn.’ I forgot who said it but that’s just what we’ve got to do right now. This whole entire process has just been a learning lesson for me, my teammates, my family, these coaches, everybody. It’s just been a learning process. I’ve lost before. I’ve never had a season that was perfect. I’ve lost games before. Like I said, you’ve just got to learn, and if you don’t learn, then you really lost. Like we did last week, I think something we wanted to focus on was executing the game plan better. We did that today, as a defense. The score doesn’t reflect how we actually played better; but like I said, I think we’ve just got to learn.”
Eric Rowe – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
CB Eric Rowe (transcribed by Devin Davis)
(How do you guys bounce back from this game?) – “Yeah, the process – we just have to stick to it. Especially now, there’s a little adversity so it’s really tough. We’re not seeing the results right now but that’s something we have to overcome and just keep working. We have 14 or 15 more games left. We can still turn this around.”
(You were just saying you have 14 more games right? I remember the Redskins were 0 and 6 and won the Super Bowl. Where do you guys go from here?) – “Back to the practice field. Back to work. It’s the only thing you can do. I feel like compared to Week 1, even though the score doesn’t show, as a defense we fought a little bit better this week and we just have to build on that. We can turn things around this season.”
(Once you have that consistency, everyone comes together and pulls together right?) – “Yeah. It’s all about teamwork. It’s the ultimate team sport. Everyone is kind of new but that’s just an excuse. We’re all going to pull together. We’re going to get it rolling.”
Daniel Kilgore – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
C Daniel Kilgore (transcribed by Katharine Bohlmann)
(How do you let these two blowouts not inject doubt into the team?) – “Lift each other up, remain positive with the guys, point out the good. There are some good things. This team – we work too hard during the week to not have some good things happen. Tipped balls at the line, the sacks – again, not establishing first, second down positive plays – those are things we need to work on. Really, just pointing out the positives and what individuals are doing and build off of that. That’s a good way to start.”
(With the run game, it’s second straight week where it has been stifled, and you guys are putting difficult down-and-distance situations. How do you do a better job of establishing the ground of attack?) – “Just get back to it and do what we do best. Attack, give the guys our creases and work to double teams and get up to the second level. That’s the basis of any run game. We’ve just got to be better at our fundamentals, our techniques, and make sure we are all on the same page.”
(How do you guys stay away from getting frustrated and still keep going. You still have games to play?) – “It is a long season, right? So obviously we are 0-2, but it is a long season and we have to point out the positives. Yeah, we’re 0-2 and we just got blown out we got our asses kicked honestly; but to stay positive you have got to point out the positives. When guys are doing really well individually and obviously point out the negatives. What we have to do to get better? What do we have to do to run the ball? To protect the quarterback, to score points? And on top of that, just point out the good things. Try to stay positive, come into work and get ready to work, because this is one group and one team that is going to come to work and is ready to get better.”
RB Kenyan Drake – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
RB Kenyan Drake (transcribed by Anthony Gutierrez)
(Do you want to be here?) – “Of course I want to be here. This is my fourth year, and I’ve got a good relationship with everybody from the people that sweep up and mop up behind us, to the people in the kitchen staff, the coaching staff, the media relations people – everybody. So obviously, everything being equal, I would want to be here.”
(What does this team need to do to get out of this funk?) – “We need to get back to the basics. When you barely have 100 yards total offense at the end of the game, I don’t see you winning many games in that aspect. So we have to just play better ball, as cliché as it sounds or as simple of a fix as it sounds. You have to go out there and make sure on every single down you are playing good football – making sure you have your hands where they need to be, making sure you have your eyes where they need to be, because we can’t beat ourselves at this point. When we get behind the chains, we obviously have trouble moving the bal. So we have to continue to build confidence move the ball, get the ball in manageable situations and play ball from there.
(Obviously you didn’t come into the game until the second series, late on a third down. Are you comfortable being a third-down back?) – “I’m comfortable putting this team in a position to win games. I haven’t started legitimately since like high school. So regardless what the situation that the coaches see fit for the team to be at their best, I have to go out there and put myself in the best position to maximize the opportunity to help this team win games. So, my touches come when they come and when I get on the field, I put everything together from a culmination of this week, and that is what I’m going to continue to do.”
CB Xavien Howard – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
CB Xavien Howard (transcribed by Devin Davis)
(You guys obviously got a lot of pride as individuals. To lose two in a row like you did out there…) – “Losing sucks. We still have to keep our head strong. I feel like we just have to get better each week. I feel like we did way better than we did last week. I feel like we’ve got to keep improving and get better each week.”
(You were on WR Josh Gordon a lot today, obviously when WR Antonio Brown was in. For the most part you handled him pretty well. What did you think of that?) – “I thought I did a good job. I probably had like two penalties, but other than that, I need to catch the ball.”
(I presume you’ve never gone through a stretch like this in football – losing like this. What do you do to get better? How do you know you can get out of this?) – “I feel like we’ve just got to keep improving. Like I said, we’ve just got to keep improving and get better each week. It’s tough right now. Hopefully we just turn everything around.”
Josh Rosen – September 15, 2019 (Postgame)
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Postgame – New England
QB Josh Rosen (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)
(That play toward the sideline, what happened on that play when you scrambled out? What happened that you were able to come back into the game?) – “I scrambled out a little bit and took a couple, too many split seconds before I stepped out of bounds, and my foot got kind of caught in that little tarp area. It was dumb by me. I have to understand when the down is over and move onto the next one. The trainers told me to stay down. I was trying to get up. But, I don’t know I just listened to them and came back in the next play.”
(You looked like you were slinging it. You took three or four deep shots. Was that a situation where you just had nothing to lose? What was your thinking there?) – “I just wanted to go in and provide some kind of positive for us to come in after the game. They put me out there to try and throw touchdowns, so that’s what I tried to do. Obviously you never want to throw a pick in the last second of a game, but it’s all a learning experience. I think I threw some good ones and some bad ones. We’ll watch the film.”
(Do you feel like your time is coming eventually? That you just have to be patient and you’re going to get a shot to start a game at 0-0 for the Miami Dolphins?) – “I don’t know. That’s not really up to me. Whenever they put me in, like I said my job is to try and throw touchdowns.”
