Danny Crossman – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I know earlier this year you guys had a couple of the onside kicks. How has the rule for those changed how you teach that? I know the offsides kind of spoiled it, but you guys looked like it was successful initially.) – “The rule, obviously especially in a must-onside situation, I think there’s been one successful out of 40 around the league for the year. It’s difficult because you can’t hide people, the numbers. You’re land-locked on where you’re playing. It really comes down to really getting a really good kick and then a little bit of luck. But those are things that I think everybody around the league knows you’ve got to keep working on and see if there’s something you can’t find. But it’s made it difficult with the new rules.”
(Last week, you had that, I don’t know if it was a pooch kick that came about and they had the long return on. What sort of went wrong in that play for them to have that?) – “Like anything, anytime there’s a negative play or a good play conversely, a lot of things happen. That’s one of those plays where when it’s all said and done, we’ve got a couple guys maybe not exactly where they need to be. More importantly when you have an opportunity to make the tackles, you can’t miss tackles. I don’t care what part of the game it is, you can’t miss tackles.”
(I know you lost him due to injury this week, WR Preston Williams, but what did you see from him as a returner and what led you to say, “Hey, we’re going to move him there instead of WR Jakeem Grant?”) – “I think when we put him in there in preseason, he did a really good job making good decisions, catching the football and then as you saw offensively, he was the guy that did good things with the ball in his hands. Anything you do, you’re just trying to find ways to give guys opportunities and win games. He worked himself into that role and did a good job when he was in there.”
(You’ve been in the AFC East a little bit and played these division teams. How does that change your preparation and how you go about calling things because some of these players are probably familiar?) – “I think the biggest thing is understanding the coaches, but then the biggest thing is the personnel. I think when you look around the division besides New England, I think every team in the division has had a heavy dose of player turnover. It all comes down to players. That’s where you have to spend most of your time.”
(Is it fair to say WR Jakeem Grant might get another chance at punt return?) – “We’re looking for – and not anything that Jakeem did, it’s just Preston (Williams) did a good job when Jakeem was out and Preston sort of had to play that role. He did a really nice job and we felt it was best to keep him that role because he was doing a good job.”
(Are you worried in any way about K Jason Sanders. I know he’s missed a couple kicks recently.) – “No, not at all. There’s a lot of things that go into that. We have complete confidence. We need to start getting it done on game day; but we feel very secure, very confident with Jason and where he is.”
(Obviously, the special teams plays, the things that you guys try to do with the fake plays, the onside kicks, what are some things you’ve learned from those plays that you hope to better on?) – “Like anything you do, it’s all about trying to win a game. You never know what opportunities and what situations will come up, but we’re always trying to be prepared for any situation whether it’s for us and/or what our opponents may be doing. I think those are things – you’re trying to find ways to win games.”
(When you convert a play like that, what do you think that can do for your team?) – “I think it does a lot. I think, as we all know, momentum is a big part of this game. It doesn’t last long, then you go back to reality; but the initial momentum shift for teams is big.”
(Including to getting momentum, what does it do for your team in the temporary time that you do have it?) – “It gives you an opportunity. If you’re successful, it gives you an opportunity to have the football. If you’re not successful, the defense needs to step up and treat it like a sudden change turnover situation. No matter what part of the ball you’re involved in, those things affect the whole team.”
(When you cash in off of a good special teams play, what does that do for morale, confidence, game plan, possibly being up?) – “I think it’s like any phase of the game. Whether there’s an interception, a turnover on defense or it’s a big play (on) offense, whether it’s a big return or getting a situation play in the kicking game, anything that gives your team a spark and the possibility to build and catapult you forward, I think they’re always big plays.”
(I know it’s a couple weeks ago, but the fake field goal play in Buffalo, was the goal to score or was the goal to get the first down?) – “A combination of both. When you make those calls situationally, that was just because of when and where we did it, there were two-fold possibilities.”
(So a two-fold possibility. You could get the first down, which you did. You may have wanted to score, but you wanted to do. Why did you guys feel at that point – you guys marched all the way down the field. I felt like everybody in that stadium knew you guys weren’t going to kick a field goal after that, so I’m trying to see what was your thought process?) – “Trying to win the game. That’s every call. If you’re every wondering, we’re trying to win a game.”
(So why not do a 3-yard run from that point instead of the fake field goal?) – “We’re trying to win the game.”
(Now that you guys have come together and this is your first time here with the Dolphins and as a coaching staff here, how have you – as Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea said, he’s not second-guessing anything. He’s letting things roll. He’s learning from it, but he’s not second-guessing things. How are you guys learning from everything that’s happened this season and maybe some plays that haven’t gone your way?) – “That’s the game. Every team around the league is going to have those. I think for us, it’s a matter of as a group, as coaches, as players and then as an organization as a whole, continuing to learn and develop and understand and stay with the process of what we’re trying to get done.”
(How have you done on your special teams work? You have guys come in and out of this roster so much the last eight weeks. Do you feel like you have 11 guys for each phase?) – “We keep trying. (laughter) We’re trying. It’s just part of it. You’re going to have years like that. Fortunately, we have a good group that they’re willing to work and the time and we’ll keep coaching the heck out of them and we’ll keep giving it the best and we’ll see what we get on game day.”
(The special teams effort, I know in college, I used to cover Florida State and they would do a collective effort with all the coaches, all the coaches coached special teams behind the special teams coaches. Is it kind of the same thing here? How do you guys divvy up…) – “Well, it’s not – we have people that are involved in it. It’s anything. The organization, it starts with Brian (Flores) who has a great belief in that part of the game. But that’s just like myself with encouraging and supporting and working with the offensive and defensive coaches. We’re all in this together and it takes all three (phases) to get the results that we’re hoping to get.”
(Who are some players that I can ask in the locker room that have taken advantage of their roles on special teams?) – “The list is long. Get the young players like Patrick Laird, who’s had to step up and do some things. Chris Lammons who’s had to step up and do things. Obviously, you have the veteran guys who have made their niche already, the Walt Aikens’ of the world. It’s a combination of the young and the old. We just have to keep working to try and build it the best we can.”
(S Walt Aikens has really made a big career for himself out of that.) – “Absolutely. And he puts the time in.”
Marion Hobby – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(I wanted to ask you about – you guys seem to have found a couple of – I say you guys have a lot of reclamation projects and I include DT Robert Nkemdiche and DE Taco Charlton, former first-round picks. I put QB Josh Rosen on there, I put WR Allen Hurns on there, RB Mark Walton on there. Speaking of DE Taco Charlton and DT Robert Nkemdiche – What have you seen from both of them thus far?) – “I think they both are still learning. You miss a lot of time when you come in out of training camp. That time is so valuable and when you miss that time – playing catch-up with the guys that have been here through camp, minicamp and all of that. But I think these guys are trying to put that effort in there.”
(The four sacks that DE Taco Charlton has had, have any of them stood out to you for any reason? Like hips, or hands or technique or just being an animal?) – “A couple of them were on second effort and were out in the open field. Seeing a big guy that can track a quarterback out in open field, especially one stood out for me – I think it was Buffalo – where he had a great inside-out angle to him and being able to tackle a guy of that magnitude in the open field stood out.”
(DT Robert Nkemdiche, it’s two games has it been for him? Has he showed you that he is close or is it still going to take two or three more weeks before he is ready?) – “First, you have to get their feet wet. I don’t care how old you are or how many games you have played. You have to get comfortable playing again, especially when you are playing in a new system, so that is why we are just trying to bring him along in that route.”
(DE Taco Charlton against the run, how has he stood up setting the edge?) –“He has gotten better. He’s coming from a different system. Dallas, they were more pass to run almost and now he is in a situation where he has got to hunker down a little bit. He is getting better at it. He has to make improvements for sure.”
(And DT Christian Wilkins – was that a turning point Sunday at all? Was there clear improvement that you saw or was his game similar to what you saw in previous weeks?) – “I thought he was just week by week. I thought he was getting better, getting used to the speed of this game at this level, the competition at this level. His motor is always running. I haven’t really had to be on him about his effort or anything. But I think he was just – his progress is pretty much on track.”
(Above all, do you want DT Christian Wilkins to be a stout run defender where teams feel like ultimately they can’t run up the middle against him and DT Davon Godchaux?) – “Yes. I think everything starts inside out. You have to be good inside and that is the center of your defense and it works out to the edges; but yes, you definitely don’t want anybody – at every level people can just hand the ball off – it is the easiest thing to do. So we definitely want to be stout in there, help in the run game and shut down the run game for sure.”
(Is DT Christian Wilkins a good run defender yet or is he just average so far?) – “I think he is working in that direction of being good. I think it always takes time. The more opportunities they have, the tougher it becomes. Two on one is sometimes a little bit different than one on ones, but he is working in that direction. It is hard to put good on anything right now being a young guy – on anybody, just good. But we always try for perfection, trying to be dominant, so I think he is coming along.”
(With this defensive line, primarily the pass rushers, where are you in terms of the edge setting stand point?) – “Well, I guess when you say the edge setting, I am thinking more of the run game, just keeping the ball in front and inside of you. In terms of the pass rushers, we have got to continue to get better and keep putting ourselves in position to get opportunities. You have to make them throw the football at this level. It is the easiest thing in the world to turn around and hand it off. I think everybody would know that. We know one thing about the National Football League – those running backs are the best in the country and they probably have a guy on the sideline that is pretty good too. So, we just have to be in a position where we continue to get people in position where they can –“
(So get them in more favorable thirds and whatever?) – “Yeah, just making them throw the football. Sometimes we haven’t done that from a defensive standpoint or a team standpoint. As a defensive line, you want to get in those games where you have an opportunity to rush back-to-back plays, but there is a sacrifice to doing that. It’s playing good on first and second down and getting them in that situation behind on the sticks. That is the tough part. That is the grind with so many explosive offenses that you have in the National Football League.”
(With DE Taco Charlton and DE Charles Harris and LB Trent Harris – where are they in terms of leading their tackles and getting into the backfield?) – “I think you have to focus really on – you could look at a lot of the NFL – how many people really beat them on their first move? I am really focusing on what has my first one done, what does my second effort look like? Am I twisting and turning? Am I doing everything that I can to go get that guy? I see that kind of effort coming out. They are still relatively young guys, but I don’t question their second effort, their want to. You have to win in one-on-ones that is for sure, but we are making improvements there. We have to stay in that situation.”
(I know people often only see the sacks and tackles for loss, but I know DT Christian Wilkins got his first one this past week. How would you evaluate his play now and kind of his growth throughout his rookie season?) – “I think he is getting better and better. As it goes on from game one to game two, he’s getting better. Game three, you keep seeing him getting better and better. His competition was good – really good, good, good. He has faced some of the best right guards in this conference – in this league. Sometimes some of the older guys have some technique and a little bit, but he is standing in there. I am very proud of him from the way he is growing, how he is studying tape. You can see him work at it. He’s coming on. He’s coming on. Eight games in, I think he is on track.”
(You didn’t feel like he got – he had Redskins G Brandon Scherff one week and one of the other guys another week – he didn’t get discouraged that he is going against these All-Pros and maybe the production like he had wasn’t there?) – “No, you have got to know his person. He accepts those challenges. When you get in that mindset that you are one of the best, you look forward to playing against the best. Out of 40 snaps, if you can win 70 percent of them, you have done what you can do for your team. Sometimes it is a sacrifice of what you have to do for your team. That is one thing you have got to get the defensive lineman to do because you don’t want them to start playing the high game, and then they stay with the weak game. You can tell. If they’re going for stats, they start doing things that are – you don’t want them trying to do something that is outside of the scheme. So keeping them in there, being a defensive tackle is ugly in there. It is hard to make a highlight tape of defensive tackle play. Sometimes it isn’t picture perfect. It isn’t pretty. Sometimes you’ve just got to find a way to stay on that line of scrimmage.”
(Former Steelers LB Joey Porter used to say, all he needs is three victories – three wins in a game and he is making it to the Pro Bowl. Three clear-cut wins and he is – a whole game a stalemate, but three clear-cut wins, and I was like, ‘he is right technically.’) – “Well, when you become Joey Porter. Not earlier in his career, but later in his career, maybe because that name is still going. But again, you are talking about an edge guy compared to a defensive tackle. It is air, no space. It is hand-to-hand combat in there on every snap. It is hand-to-hand combat on both ends, but it is a little bit different in there. You have got a little more space, you have the two on ones, the conversion, the pass, the run – it is a little bit different now. So when people kind of put them in the same category I am kind of like, no that is a totally different.”
(What is the main thing that you look for in a defensive tackle?) – “Well, I think how are you at the point of attack. You have to be stout at the point of attack. When they are running the ball at you, that is when you have to shine. Then, that second effort of coming from the backside and playing with that great discipline. Doing that over and over and over and over again is the thing. Being a consistent point of attack. If you are requiring two, then you are really doing your job. If there is just one and they don’t feel like they need to double you or something, then you’re just a guy.”
(Anything going on with DT Gerald Willis? The last month, have you been pleased?) – “He has done some good stuff. He is getting welcomed to the system. I think he responds to coaching. I think he does a lot of natural things. I think he likes rushing that quarterback. You can tell that about him. Guys have done a great job with him at the University of Miami. When he talks football, you like what comes out of his mouth, so I have been pleased with his progress and stuff like that.”
Jerry Schuplinski – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski
(How much has your role changed I guess from last year in New England to this year, what initially it was going to be here, after Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Jim Caldwell left and what it is now?) – “It’s really been a great experience for me overall. I’ve really enjoyed it. Certainly, titles were going to be similar from when I was at New England. Coming here, having the opportunity to work with Jim in the spring, we had a great system going. He let me take care of the room and run those meetings and he was in there as well giving some valuable input and asset. Having him leave was really disappointing. Certainly, whatever he needed to do to take care of his health is first and foremost. It was just disappointing because I enjoyed working with him so much; but once he left, we just carried on as usual. I was running a lot of those meetings and working with the guys, so it was business as usual minus Jim, which we certainly could always use his input. It’s been very similar, but going into the meeting, I’d say overall the perspective of going into the meeting and having to be ultra prepared because you are running the meeting and you are running it compared to in New England when Josh (McDaniels) ran a lot of those meetings, it was certainly different; but certainly something, a challenge I was really looking forward to and really excited about. Those guys are great in there. They’re really smart, so you’ve got to be prepared every day. It’s been a good challenge for me and also very rewarding at the same time.”
(I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but I’m assuming that you took this job because of opportunity. It gives you a chance to further what you want to do.) – “Yeah. I loved my time in New England, loved the people I worked with and have nothing but great feelings for all those people. It was just an opportunity that I thought was really beneficial for my career moving forward. I really respect Brian Flores and the other guys that we have on staff here that I’ve worked with before and the guys that I’ve gotten to know and work with now. It was certainly an opportunity that felt like it was in the best interest of my career moving forward and it has kind of worked out that way in terms of responsibility.”
(I heard a lot of your career in New England before you first got here was that you working with a lot of the young quarterbacks. Now, the lead quarterback in your room is on the opposite end of that spectrum. How has that been different? Obviously, you still have a young quarterback, two young quarterbacks, in the room, but leading him versus leading some of the young guys.) – “Absolutely. Working with those young guys is really rewarding, because you get to see them grow from a very entry-level, foundational level, build their foundation, see them grow, see them prosper. I know one of the guys who we will maybe be playing this week in Jacoby (Brissett). He was one of those guys and then certainly (Brian) Hoyer, too – we had him. I think the greatest experience about the New England room was seeing and being a part of that interaction with a guy like Tom (Brady), who is so advanced, to see how that needs to be done, how prepared you need to be, the questions he’s going to have, the questions you need to be prepared for. And then coming in here with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) let’s call it, is an experienced guy, not a young guy, (and is) very similar, very smart, knows it inside and out, is going to have really good questions for you, so you’ve got to really plan ahead and think ahead of, ‘Here is what this is. He’s going to want to know this. I better show him this clip or this cutup,’ or something like that. That’s certainly helped me being in that room and then coming here and working with an older guy, an old veteran who knows and is really smart.”
(I know we kind of joke about it out here about the “FitzMagic” being sort of part of Q Ryan Fitzpatrick’s game. How has that for you as a coach, because some of those aspects, it’s just him and it’s not necessarily coached? How do you balance from, “This is what you’re supposed to do in the scheme versus for you.”) – “He’s a special guy. He’s really talented. I’m learning, personally, how to work with all of that. So, I would say the best part about him that I really respect is we have great dialogue back and forth in the meeting room and then you could bring (Offensive Coordinator) Chad O’Shea into the mix too, so we talk a lot. There’s certainly a ‘FitzMagic’ here or there, sometimes when the ball gets snapped; but for the most part most of that stuff is discussed, talked about, little adjustments, little intricacies here, maybe an add-on a certain route here, take something away here. He’s very good in his input and I think we take that into consideration because he’s seen a lot of things and done a lot of things in this league.”
(We hear QB Ryan Fitzpatrick talk sometimes whether he’s talking about his kids or whether he’s talking about life. It seems like he’s coaching already us as media people. Is that something you had in a Tom Brady, having that voice who has been in all these systems so he can give you that additional…?) – “It’s great. I really enjoy his company, first of all. I do have some stuff in common with him – family, kids, all that kind of stuff –so that’s kind of fun on a side, personal level. But then from a football perspective, he’s been in so many different systems, so a lot of times we’ll bounce things off of him or I’ll bounce an idea off of him and say, ‘This is how I’ve done this play before. I really like it. Have you read this the same way? Have you seen this differently,’ or ‘How do you like this versus this coverage?’ We’ve still been figuring each other out a little bit, but it has been going pretty good, pretty smooth.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s numbers have really spiked since he got back into the lineup against Washington. What have you been seeing from him during that stretch?) – “I think the biggest thing that he’s been able to do is he sees the defense really well, he knows what’s going on out there, he’s really well prepared, he knows what to expect, he knows the weaknesses of what they’re trying to do and where we could maybe try to exploit where the matchups are. I think that along with the fact that he’s able to get the ball out really quick. I think it has been a huge help to our offense, been a huge help to our guys up front that he knows there’s that time clock in his head that he can’t really hang onto the ball, he’s got to make a decision with it and go. Like I said, if he knows that matchup pre-snap, as long as he gets the look that he’s looking for, he’s able to do that and get it out quick. He’s been doing a good job for the most part of taking care of the football, which has helped.”
(When you see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick scrambling are you hoping that he’s going to slide and not do the tough guy thing?) – “I always hope they slide. I don’t want him to get hurt not matter who’s playing. Sometimes they’re football players and they make decisions out there. Most importantly, if they take care of the ball and hang onto it at the end of the play, that’s probably the most important thing.”
(You mentioned a little bit earlier you had some similarities on a personal level with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick because of the family ties. How have you seen that, if you’re able to share, the family element of him and what you guys have been able to share?) – “It’s just little stories here and there about kids playing different sports or whatever. His family is away, so every now and then it’ll just be something. It never takes up any meeting time, but it’s just some stuff on the side maybe walking to practice or walking to a meeting or something like that. That’s really all it is, nothing too crazy. I can respect him being a dad. I think it’s really cool for him – his boys and his girls – and they’re really into it. I think it’s really neat as a dad to be able to play and have your family around for the game. It’s really cool.”
(Do you have seven children as well?) – “I don’t. I’ve only got four. We’re going to end it there. (laughter) He’s got boys; I have all girls. He’s got a mix.”
(You’ve got four girls?) – “Yeah, four girls. I’m not catching him. We’re done. (laughter)”
(We were laughing because we saw his kids in the locker room after the game and he was like, they kept on giving him the puppy dog eyes.) – “I heard him say that. We all needed one, that’s for sure. It makes everyone a little happier.”
(I know he’s not the guy right now, but how are you still working with QB Josh Rosen and trying to continue to develop him?) – “We’re working with everybody at every positon, whether it’s ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), Josh or Jake (Rudock). The one thing I’d say about Josh is he’s been really good. He’s working his butt off. He comes here early, he stays late. He tries to do everything that he can to make sure he’s prepared for that week, whether it’s me meeting a little bit extra with him sometimes to catch him up to speed on a few things, whatever we’ve got to do. But his effort has been tremendous. I couldn’t be more happy with the way he’s approaching this whole thing. We’ll see where it goes or where it takes him, but he’s been awesome and we’re continuing to work with him very much so to continue to build his foundation, his knowledge and everything, too.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores has a comment yesterday I think it was where he sort of basically called QB Ryan Fitzpatrick a coach on the field pretty much. Have you seen examples where that really stands out to you?) – “I think he’s just a really good communicator with everybody from the coaching staff to the players as well. He sees some things out there on the field that he’s going to see and he’ll say, ‘Look, this guy is playing this guy outside. I think we can get a slant in here,’ just to make a hypothetical and he’ll come to the sideline, say something to me and then he’ll talk to the receiver, he’ll communicate well with those guys. I think you need that extension out there. It’s really important. Chad (O’Shea) is in his helmet and talking to him, but his ability to adjust some things on the fly and talk to those guys whether it’s up front with the line, the receivers, the tight ends, the backs, whatever. He’s great with those guys, communicating with them and if he sees something, he doesn’t hesitate to let them know and try to make a small adjustment.”
(Do you still communicate with Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Jim Caldwell and how much input does he give you?) – “I keep in touch with Jim, most of it just on a personal level seeing how he’s doing, his health. He’ll ask me a little bit about the quarterbacks. I’ll share a few things with him. I think he still watches the film and stuff, so he’ll share a few things with me. But most of it is just personal. Just really respect the guy. I think highly of him as a person. He’s a great coach and I think he’s an even better person. He’s someone I hope to stay in contact with for a long time.”
(I couldn’t help but notice, I was looking at stats yesterday, and you guys are first I guess five games or so you didn’t do as much offensively, I think it was two touchdowns, but the last 13 quarters, you’ve had 10. What do you attribute that to? I don’t know if you knew that, but just improvement.) – “I think it’s a combination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, starting with ‘Flo.’ He’s very demanding and rightfully so. He’s going to keep the gas down, the foot on the gas and we’re going to go and we’re going to keep trying to get better and improve every day. I think it starts with him, it trickles down to our coaching staff and then I think a lot of the credit goes to the players. Those guys, it’s been tough when you’re not winning. They come out every day and they work hard and they try to take what we teach them to the field and apply it. We ask for their focus, we ask for their attention. I think we’ve improved in the red zone, which has really helped getting the touchdowns. We’ve had some times where we’ve gotten down there and stalled out there. I would say the last couple of weeks since the bye, we’ve had really good success down there. Those guys are finishing plays, making the tough catches, making the good throws and protecting well and all of that stuff. I think that probably has a lot to do with it.”
(This offense, you have QB Ryan Fitzpatrick an experienced veteran, a guy who can grasp things quickly and knows your offense sort of like the back of his beard a little bit. When you have a player that can grasp everything like that, how much easier is it for everybody else to fall in line and learn it behind him?) – “I think there’s a confidence standpoint that goes with that for him and for everybody. The fact that he’s pretty well adept and well-versed, I think he’s confident, we’re confident in him, he’s very comfortable handling everything with the line, with the protections, with the run checks, with everything else. He knows what he sees and he’s able to get the ball out a little quicker. That’s really helpful. That’s something he brings to the table that we’re fortunate to have. With everyone else, we’re still working on getting better and improving.”
(When you have a quarterback that maybe doesn’t know the offense as well and needs some more time to mature and learn, how much does that hinder you on a game-to-game basis?) – “Not at all. That’s been my life most of my NFL career that I’ve had is working with the younger quarterbacks and trying to get them better. I think it’s important for us as coaches to try to find all their individual strengths, what they do the best and try to tailor the game plan according to that.”
George Godsey – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Tight Ends Coach George Godsey
(How proud are you of the improvements TE Mike Gesicki has made and where do you think has been the biggest growth area from when you arrived to now?) – “He’s still a young player and I keep saying that just because there’s a ton of improvement to do every day. He’s practicing a lot harder. He’s taken reps on the show team to kind of get his craft down. When you’re a receiving a tight end – which that’s his main trait – if you get one opportunity, then you better be on-point on that one opportunity. So I keep stressing the fact that you’d better get multiple opportunities in practice so you make the most out of your one opportunity in the game, if it’s a third down rep or depending on the situation. He’s practicing a lot harder.”
(And then route running, how has that improved since you first saw TE Mike Gesicki and got your hands on him?) – “He caught a downfield pass along the sideline, he caught a crossing route – a couple of those – he caught outbreaking routes. So the more we can be versatile with his route tree the better off it is for him, but it’s harder to defend. It’s harder to defend when he’s press, it’s harder to defend when he’s getting off coverage; so that type of variety, you can’t just be good at one route. He’s improving in his whole route tree.”
(I remembered in the beginning you had a master plan to help TE Mike Gesicki evolve as a player. Now we’re starting to see him run routes a little bit faster, get open, find the seam – what was in the making of that?) – “The passing game is pretty complicated because you’ve got to protect to be able to get routes either downfield or schemed up. At the tight end position, sometimes we’re asked to protect, sometimes we’re asked to go out on routes. He’s making the most of his opportunities and he’s making the most of his opportunities in practice. He’s practicing a lot harder. He’s voluntarily taking reps on the show team to go against Eric Rowe and some of the other defensive backs that have played a lot; so if he can’t get open in practice, then maybe in the game he probably won’t get open, too. When he can get open in practice and that’s on tape and the quarterback can see it and maybe he’s an outlet there for him, too. There’s a lot that goes into it. He’s working hard in his individual drills, so he’s really – if you practice well, it’s transfers to the game. If you had one thing to pinpoint, he’s practicing a lot better.”
(How do you get a long-strider to speed up TE Mike Gesicki’s release?) – “If his main intention is to threaten downfield, then he needs to get downfield as fast as he can (and) spend a little bit less time at the line of scrimmage. We motion him a little bit, too. There’s a lot things that we can help out with that. Pad level – he’s a taller guy, so it’s easy to grab if he just stands straight up. All of those things – route technique – you can’t just talk about it either. It’s releases. Then it’s the secondary stem – making sure he’s not giving away his route and then the top of route, uncovering or sitting depending on man or zone and recognizing that. When I say he’s a young player, just recognizing all that stuff at this level, it just doesn’t come watching it on tape. You’ve got to go out and do it and you’ve got to do it the wrong way and then get that feeling, ‘okay, I know exactly what that feeling is and I need to do this next time.’ The defender, who he’s going against, he spends a lot of time studying him. Sometimes it isn’t the matchup and sometimes it is, but at least we’re prepared for who’s going to guard him.”
(What do you think are the keys to helping any player reach his potential?) – “First you’ve got to identify strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes that’s easy and sometimes that’s not. For example, you can have a strength because you run the route a lot and then you can have a weakness because you don’t run the route; but that player is capable of running that particular route or block or any facet of the game. Maybe it’s even a read for a quarterback. Let’s just say a go route. If you’re not winning the go route, is it because you just can’t get open or is it because you just haven’t had enough opportunities to see what you’re doing wrong? That part and how much time you want to invest and how quickly they can improve becomes just another pebble on the plate, so to say. How many of those do you want to approach? Do you want to work a go route, an out route, an in route and try to fine-tune all of those? And that’s just in the route-running game. Obviously there’s some run game that’s involved, so when you add all those up – that’s why I keep saying the pebbles on the plate – because you can do a bunch of things okay and it may not be worth a darn at this level.”
(The second part of my question – Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned after the victory that he’s proud of his staff for putting in a lot of time to find the small advantages that may exist either in a broad perspective or individual matchups. What have you learned about how to best find an advantage vs. an opponent?) – “Experience helps, but it’s also knowing who you’re going against, meaning you watch enough tape where you know that that player plays this coverage or front or technique this way. Because you don’t have a lot of time for the player so you better boil it down to a couple sentences and then you better have the examples for him to be able to recall that when we’re in that instance and we’ve got to block that player versus this technique. Those are the things that I think we’re trying to find the quickest way to teach them. There’s not enough time in a day. Ultimately, being on the field and repping it is what the most important thing is. One of our phrases is, ‘say it once. Rep it a million times.’ So if we can say it once and it affect a manner for them to grasp it, then they can rep it and achieve it.”
(In the Major League Baseball playoffs, there was a ton made on Fox about how certain teams are doing an awesome job of getting tips from the opponent. They knew that this was likely to be a fastball, likely to be off-speed pitch. Even in the Ravens game, they were talking about how depending on what Ravens QB Lamar Jackson did – if he patted his hands it was more likely to be a pass. Just in general, how easy or hard, how helpful is it to pick up going into a game, tips or how often do the opponents actually tell you what they might be more likely to do?) – “I’d say at this level there’s a lot of self-scouting going on, too. If there is a tendency it’s because usually that’s what the team does the best. If you do you something well and somebody else knows you do it well, maybe you feel like you can out-perform them. That’s part of it. I think both sides of the ball – talking about offensively and defensively – everybody tries to self-scout before they put in a play so those tips aren’t able to help a defender or help an offensive player get an edge.”
(So it’s not just in this formation they usually run right. It could be the tight end – your guys – could learn that maybe they’re tipping off to the opponent that based on the position of their feet or the position of their hands or when they wait to get down, that could be a tip to the opponent about whether it’s more likely to be a run or a pass, right? Is it really heavy study on tips?) – “I would say that these guys have been playing football for a long time, so sometimes it’s good to bring that up. ‘Hey, every time you run this route, you do this,’ or ‘this is a tendency that you’re building;’ but everybody is pretty in-tune to a lot of that, too. It’s always ‘this route needs to complement this route so that they look the same on the route stem.’ I just feel like at this level, some of those tips that maybe people are picking up from a pitcher or something, it may be very, very minute; but in the final game, anything like that may help them. I don’t know. I’m not a baseball coach or player, but it’s very similar to us. If you get down and this is your stance and you’re giving away run or pass – just even that, not necessarily which kind of run or what kind of pass – then potentially you might have a bigger challenge.”
(One day when you’re retired I’d like to read your notes like in terms of what you told a player going into a game and how it translated to a play. That would be a fascinating thing for me. I know you won’t show me your notes now but one day.) – “You can see them. (laughter) You might not be able to read them. A lot of that, too – I’d be anxious to see everybody’s notes. You may think you have a tip and then going into the game, you’re playing what you see. You’re not relying on that tip.”
(The emergence of TE Mike Gesicki – last game career highs in receptions with six, career yards 95 – is something clicking? What is it that you’ve seen in him and the room and just kind of on the field and everything and his performance?) – “He’s practicing a lot harder, a lot better. He’s taking basically a practice rep like a game rep. When you run a route on third down, that’s a critical down. You’re either staying on the field or you’re punting from an offensive perspective. It’s a critical down to get open and there’s not a lot of room for error. If you’re going to rep it one time in practice offensively and then one time in the game, to me there’s some more practice time throughout the week that he can sharpen that route up. He’s been taking some reps on the show team to try to get another rep at that route or work a competitive route vs. our starters on the other side of the ball. That’s the biggest improvement that I’ve seen – the way he’s been practicing – so I’m not really surprised when he has a game like that based on how he’s been practicing because if the ball’s thrown his way, he’s done a pretty good job of attacking and getting the ball.”
(When you see TE Mike Geiscki get fired up like that what does that do? What does that help create on the offense, not only in terms of for himself but in terms of the team and kind of as you’re driving and trying to strive to make it better?) – “He knows how critical of a play it is. We harp on the situations and for him to make a play in a critical situation – a couple third-down conversions – it means a lot for our team and helps us move the ball to get points. That’s him doing business.”
Patrick Graham – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(Head Coach Brian Flores said the team needs to learn how to win and you guys got a win, but it may not mean you guys learn completely or know how to win completely. What can a win do for you guys?) – “I think, and I can’t speak for Coach (Flores); but the discipline of winning, I think, of finishing out games in terms of, ‘Can we stay penalty free for four quarters? Can we stop the run for four quarters? Can we play our leverage in the pass coverage for four quarters?’ That’s part of the discipline of winning in terms of what usually gets games done, whether it’s the third quarter, fourth quarter. Again, that’s stuff done there. So when you finally get a win like we did last week, it was because of the hard work the guys put in – practice (and the) meeting room. It’s also because guys were disciplined enough to be able to execute when it was most critical. That’s where I’m the most proud in terms of when guys are able to execute when it’s most critical, the third and fourth quarter, whether it’s third down, two-minute, whatever it may be. I think all that stuff builds chemistry with the team, trust with the system and how we’re trying to go about things. But ultimately, what does it have to do with this week against the Colts? I don’t know. It’s a totally different week. It’s a new game. You’re dealing with an offense that regardless of which quarterback is back there, they’ve got enough dynamic skill players and I think, in my opinion, arguably the best o-line in the league. These guys play well together. Their backs are playing strong. Does it really have anything to do with the game this week? I don’t know, but we have to prepare for the Colts and what they do.”
(I thought after a win you’d try to relish it a little bit.) – “No, absolutely not. (laughter) If you do that in this league, any type of complacency, you won’t be here for very long. You’re not going to be here very long if you do that. We’ve got to get ready for the Colts.”
(Do you think that after eight games, seven losses and the first win, there is an opportunity for complacency with this team?) – “I think any – I don’t even know if it’s just football, it’s just in life. Anytime you have success, you’re fighting – like my kids, I don’t want them getting complacent. Just because your mom and dad can afford this stuff that we couldn’t afford when we were kids, I don’t want you to get complacent. I make sure I check them every week. (laughter) I think that’s just a life thing. I think the beauty of the NFL (is) there’s only 16 opportunities you’re guaranteed and the people that stick around the longest – the players, the coaches that stick around the longest – they realize once that game is over, you’ve got to move onto the next one, because there’s only 16 opportunities. We do all this work all year, all this time, this commitment, away from our families, for 16 opportunities. And if you harp on one too long, you’ll miss the chance to get the next one. For me, last week is over. I’m on the Colts and the o-line, the quarterback, getting ready for both quarterbacks – you don’t know who’s playing – the receivers. (Zach) Pascal, this guy is a go-to guy for them right now. (Eric) Ebron, these guys are guys we got to get ready for. They’re dynamic all over, across the field. And their scheme is pretty strong.”
(What can you say about the win last week that shows the players that if they trust in the process and trust in the vision that you guys have, that winning could be the ultimate…?) – “I just think that how last week will help us for this week is hard work. So let’s just keep working hard, keep doing the things we’re doing, harping on the fundamentals. Let’s tackle. If we minimize the missed tackles against these team, against the Colts this week, we’ll win – or we’ll have a chance to win, let’s put it that way. If we play our leverage this week against the Colts, we’ll have a chance to win. If we defeat blocks and play square at the line of scrimmage, stuff that we’ve been harping on for the last whatever many months, if we do that, we’ll have a chance to win. I think that’s really the thing that the guys have to look at. That’s what I’m going to try to guide their eyes or their vision for that in terms of, ‘Listen, if we keep doing the stuff we’re – harping on the fundamentals, harping on techniques that we’ve got to improve, harping on situational awareness and do a little bit more each week, get a little bit better each day, then we’ll be okay.’”
(Everybody gets caught up in the sacks and tackles for loss, everything like that; but can you talk about how disciplined your team has been on your side of the ball, obviously, being least penalized or one of the best teams at not drawing penalties?) – “I think right there, you have to go to the leadership. ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores), he made that known from the beginning. He said, ‘We are not going to beat ourselves.’ And the beating ourselves part of that is not being penalized. We harp on it in practice, we’ve harped on it since OTAs. It’s something that we believe at the core of us. I would think that’s one of our core values in terms of not beating ourselves and trying to be the least penalized team on the field. I think it’s a great accomplishment. It’s a great stat. It doesn’t matter if we don’t do that this week. We’ve got to make sure we do that this week going into a hostile environment like Indianapolis where snap count can be an issue, hard counts. So can we be disciplined enough to execute in that type of environment come this week? That’s where it’s going to pay off. But of course we would like to be the least penalized team. I just hope that it all carries over for this week against the Colts.”
(When you say it’s about leadership, that’s a testament then for a lot of the young players. Can you talk about how, for as young as they are, that they are able to be mature and disciplined and to step up and be able to be that composed?) – “I always tell them, the young guys, if you don’t know, you’ve got to ask; and if you don’t know, watch some of the older guys and if the leadership needs to come – the leadership comes from our head coach, the position coaches, the coordinators, whoever it may be. I just think our young guys, they’re doing a good job so far –obviously, everything could be better – of coming into work every day, being diligent, learn from their mistakes and try to correct them. That’s all we can ask them to do and try to get better every day. I know it’s cliché and I’ve got a bunch of them in my pocket, but that’s how I live my life. I try to get better every day. Whatever I’m trying to do, I think that’s what they need to do.”
(It seems like you guys are on an ascent. What have you seen with this defense the last few games and overall in eight games?) – “I think one thing that we’ve really focused on and I think it’s important that especially this time of the year has been the fundamentals. What we’ve focused on has been tackling. No. 1, tackling and making sure that if they catch the ball, they get down on the ground. So now you’re minimizing the yards after contact, yards after catch. Playing our leverage in coverage, that’s something we’ve harped on it. Again, if we’re going to lose on a pass play, let’s not lose where we’re not using our help. That was a focus there. Run game, we’ve got to set the edge, we’ve got to play more square, more stout inside. And then of course, being physical at the line of scrimmage. I’ve talked to you guys about that for a long time. As you look at it from – I want to be able to watch the sideline copy of the film and see that we’re being physical. I don’t need to see the end zone. I want to see the sideline copy of the film and see that we’re being physical, meaning we’re getting hands on receivers, we’re playing with extension, our pad level is low and we’re reestablishing a new line of scrimmage. That’s what I’m looking for. Those are the things we’ve harping on and then we told the guys, ‘What we’re looking for is for you to get better every day mentally, physically, get better every day. And if you just keep doing that over a course of time, a certain period of time, the improvement is going to come. Don’t try to jump from A to D. Let’s go A to B, B to C, C to D.’ That’s really what we’re seeing right now. Again, all that doesn’t mean anything if we don’t play well against the Colts. But that starts with practice tomorrow. The guys come in tomorrow, understand that we’ve got to get better today in the meeting room, we’ve got to get better on the practice field and make sure we definitely get on these guys. We’ve got to know – because it’s a different opponent – we’ve got to know who we’re playing. We don’t know these guys.”
(Your secondary, you guys have seen a lot of turnover I think in the last month. CB Ryan Lewis and CB Ken Crawley and CB Xavier Crawford have all come aboard. Why was it good? Let me rephrase that. How were they able to play together? And CB Xavien Howard is not out there.) – “I think, again – players, good players – you want them to play well. I think that (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach) Josh (Boyer) does a good job, Josh and ‘T.O.,’ (Safeties Coach Tony Oden) they do a good job working with those guys to get them on the same page. When they get out on the field, it’s really up to them. They’ve got to – We can teach them all the stuff and go over everything with them, but they’ve got to be able to execute and they’ve been able to do that because of their willingness to put in the extra time, to get familiar with one another, to get familiar with the playbook even, and then to go out on the field and execute. That’s a testament to their skillset. That’s why we wanted them here.”
(CB Eric Rowe is able to move from corner to safety. Is that being in the system up in New England?) – “He’s the definition to me of being selfless, of what we’re looking for: guys who put the team first, who increase team belief. He’s an example of a guy like, ‘Okay, you’re playing corner this week. You’re covering a tight end this week. You might cover a back some other week,’ but not complaining, doing his job. If it requires him to make an in-line tackle, he’ll make the in-line tackle. If it requires him to make a space tackle, he’ll make the space tackle. If it requires him to take on a tight end in the run game, he’ll do that. If it requires him to take on a tackle in the run game, he’ll do that. Selfless, team first, increased team belief – all the stuff the ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) wants from our players – that’s the epitome of that to me. Again, we’re going to need all that this week against the Colts, because they’re an offensive team that’s playing well together. The offensive line is stellar in my opinion. The backs are running hard and finding holes. We’re going to need that from everybody, the selfless, do-your-job type of mentality. That’s what we’re going to need against the Colts this week.”
(DE Taco Charlton and DT Robert Nkemdiche, a couple of former first-round picks. I know Taco leads the team in sacks. Nkemdiche just came aboard, or was just activated. What have you seen from each of those guys?) – “To me, Taco has a skillset that lends to being a good edge player and somebody that can transition in the pass rush. Obviously, we can all improve on certain things. I can improve with my play calling, coaching. He can improve on edge-setting possibly. I see the tools there to do it and he’s done it, set the edge, the ability to transition in the rush. For Robert, Robert has been a guy who is rusty right now but he’s coming along and we’ll see how that goes.”
Chad O’Shea – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(Two hits to the offense in terms of RB Mark Walton being suspended for four games and WR Preston Williams being out for the season. How can the offense compensate for their absences?) – “I think the first thing I’ll say is that those two did a tremendous job for us and really, there was a lot of production that both of them had combined. So what we’re going to have to do, the challenge for us offensively, is obviously to go and find that production from other players. I think it’s going to have to be a combination of several guys. I don’t think anyone’s going to fill exactly the role of each of those players exactly, so I think we’re going to have to do this by committee and I think that there’s some guys that we’re looking forward to seeing what they do with the opportunity. I feel like we’ve got some guys that have worked hard and are ready for this opportunity and it’s going to be by committee.”
(At the beginning of the season you said your receiver group, you really like that unit. Where is WR Albert Wilson and WR Jakeem Grant on their road back from their injuries?) – “I think it’s been a road back. I think there’s been a steady progress made, but it’s been one of which has been a work-in-progress for both of those guys. I know physically, there’s been times they want to be at full strength and they really aren’t, and I think that we’re closer to that than we’ve ever been. I think that the thing that in combination with that that’s been challenging for those guys is that they’re trying to play in this offense for the first time and when you’re not healthy and you’re not able to be out there and get the reps, it’s challenging. They’ve continued to have increased reps here in recent weeks at practice which has been very beneficial to them and I think physically, they’re at the best place that they’ve been all year. I think both of those things are kind of coming together right now and I think it’s going to be good to see their opportunities and see how they make the best out of those.”
(I wanted to ask you about RB Kalen Ballage. Obviously you guys had high hopes for him earlier in the season. The average isn’t where it needs to be. What do you think has been the issue there?) – “I think that, as I’ve said all along with him, I think it’s been a combination of a lot of things. It takes all 11 at that position and I know that when he’s had his opportunities earlier in the year, we were still in the process of putting together the offensive line and there were some consistency issues not only at that position but at all positions that really relate to his production and all that. But he’s going to have a great opportunity now moving forward obviously with an increased role in our offense with Mark (Walton) not being there, and I know he’s looking forward to making the most of it. He sure has prepared and practiced that way and I look forward to seeing what he’s going to do with this opportunity.”
(I know you said that it’s going to be a collective effort, but the coaches and I guess the scouts, found a couple of guys in WR Preston Williams and RB Mark Walton. Are there other guys on this roster that are “lying in wait” so to speak?) – “There are some guys that obviously haven’t played yet that. I think of a guy like Patrick Laird who has done a nice job for us and worked extremely hard and had a role on special teams. We’ll see if he has an increased role on offense. He’s at the running back position where we just lost a guy, so we look forward to seeing him. I know we have some other guys on the roster at the running back position in (Myles) Gaskin, who hasn’t had the opportunity yet, but obviously he’s at a position that has one less in the room than we had last week. We’ll just see how the game plan goes, but we certainly have some guys that may have the opportunity to play an increased role that they haven’t had this year.”
(Through eight weeks, what are you seeing in this offense because it seems like you guys are on an ascent.) – “I think that there’s been some – we’ve had more consistency here in recent weeks. I think that that consistency has been built through practice and our preparation. That’s the one thing that I think I’ve really taken away from the last several weeks, is just I feel like our preparation has been good and I think it’s really transferred to the field with more consistency on Sundays in those areas.”
(How did you guys get more consistent? I know you just said practice, but was it QB Ryan Fitzpatrick? Was it solidifying the offensive line? The emergence of RB Mark Walton and WR Preston Williams?) – “I think it’s a combination of all those things. Sure, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has done a good job of coming in and kind of added some consistency and some continuity to that position and I think the offensive line situation, those guys are working with each other in combination more often right now, which is good. I think it’s a number of factors that lead to more consistency. Again, the greatest factor has been just the ability to believe in the process of our preparation and practice has been really good the last several weeks.”
(What about coaching? Brag on yourself a little!) – “(laughter) I feel like the players have done a good job of embracing what we’ve asked them to do and I really feel like – I’m very complimentary of what they’ve done as far as going out and preparing well. The meetings have been really good. There’s been a lot of focus in meetings and walkthroughs and I think it’s something that they can learn from. If they believe in that and they should believe in that because of some of the results that we’ve had, that it’s the right way to prepare and to believe in the process of our preparation.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores was talking about learning how to win and maybe you might not have learned that thoroughly, but you have one win. What does one win do for a team like this?) – “I think it does bring confidence and I think the one win, it really kind of reaffirms the power of our preparation. That’s something we really, kind of tried to really stress in recent weeks, is the importance of our preparation during the week and how that relates so strongly to our results on Sunday. It’s easy to say and then you don’t have the results and the difficult thing and the challenge is to come back that next week and to continue to do those things and ask the players to really believe in the process of preparation. Then when you win a game, it obviously – there’s evidence that it’s the right thing to do and that our process works. The things that we do from a scheduling standpoint, a walkthrough standpoint, meetings, all those things, collectively come together and it’s the right way to prepare. I think that’s the one thing that’s been good, is that you win a game and it kind of confirms those things you’re trying to stress to the players.”
(What’s the vision the next eight weeks. Is the sky the limit for you guys?) – “I think the vision is to continue to improve and make progress. That hasn’t changed despite the win obviously. It’s something we’ve stressed even when we were not having the results that we wanted. We just said we’ve got to continue to just find some things to improve on each week. Maybe it’s one or two things. And if we focus on the process of improving, that’s the way to go and not worry necessarily about the end result or what’s the immediate future. It’s just let’s get better every day and try to focus on what we can control and that is improving.”
(Two-part question: how much have you enjoyed play-calling and at the end of three and a half hours, are you just mentally drained? It’s got to take a lot out of you.) – “It’s a good question. I’ve really enjoyed the process. Especially on game day, it’s obviously very rewarding when things go well and then I would say you have the exact opposite emotional response when things don’t go well. I know that there’s a lot of decisions that are made on game day. I think by the end of the day, when I’m driving home with the family in the car, I feel that it’s an intense – call it three and a half, four hours – and I’ve looked back and realized that there’s a lot of decisions to be made and there’s going to be times where you maybe would have wanted to do things different and you always have that in mind.”
(Does it go quickly or does it go slowly, those three and a half hours?) – “To me, it has gone quickly. It’s gone quickly. I think that I really try to rely heavily on the staff here. We have a great staff and they’re a great help to me on game day. ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) has been excellent on game day (and) been very helpful to me in the process, not only on game day but during the week of preparation; but it’s something I’ve definitely been grateful for the opportunity to do and I’ve enjoyed the process and I’ve learned every time I’ve gone out. There hasn’t been a time that I haven’t come off and sat on the bench after a series and learned from that series and gotten better as a play-caller, I think. It’s been a work-in-progress and one of which I’m very thankful for the opportunity.”
(How do you wind down?) – “Family. I spend time with the family. I have a great family that really supports what I do – win, lose or draw, good play call, bad play call. I’ve really kind of leaned on them through some tough times and they’ve been great and very supportive.”
(I went to college with Chan Gailey and he used to tell me he needed to be after three hours of calling plays, he just needed to be alone. He just needed to take a deep breath and hyperventilate.) – “I understand his feeling on that. I’ve found where I’ve kind of winded down is through my family, being with them and spending time with them. I always am entertained by some of their thoughts on the game.”
(One of the things I think is interesting about what you do is you really don’t have time to enjoy a great call.) – “No, there’s no time to enjoy that and there’s not time to (linger on a bad call). That’s the same thing we stress to the players, is it’s one snap and clear as we say. Each play is unique to itself, so you need to move on as quickly as you can. No different than the players.”
(Everybody gets caught up in the numbers in terms of touchdowns, yardage, stuff like that. Can you just talk about how disciplined the offense has been in terms of penalties?) – “It’s something we really stress and that was something we stressed as we started off the program here. I think that there’s a lot of hidden yardage. If you can stay disciplined, stay focused and have a minimal amount of penalties, it can be the difference in the game and obviously it’s a lot of things that go unforeseen; but it’s an area that we really feel is very, very important to the success of the offense and something we’re going to continue to stress.”
(How is it that you’ve been able to achieve that? Is it just kind of hammering away at it with players or just repetition? What is it that’s sticking?) – “I think it’s the preparation. I think it’s something we try to emphasize daily, at practice – I know we have the T.N.T. (takes no talent) wall which has been a big emphasis point here – and the players are very aware and conscious of that and the importance of playing penalty-free; but I think it’s a daily thing. I think it’s stressed through our fundamentals. It’s stressed through the importance of it on a daily basis and I know that it’s going to continue to be an emphasis point for us.”
(RB Kalen Ballage is a guy who really flashed in the summer. How might he benefit from the increased workload that’s expected with the situation with RB Mark Walton?) – “I think he’s somebody that I’ve spoken about throughout the year and said I have a tremendous amount of confidence in and I look forward to him having increased opportunity, and I think this is it. He’s going to get a chance to go out there with Mark’s suspension. He’s going to have a great opportunity and I know he’s done some things in his preparation and in practice that we have confidence that he’s going to make the most out of his opportunity. He’s worked extremely hard. He’s been very focused through times of maybe not as many opportunities as he saw himself having at this point thus far, but now he’s going to have the opportunity. Hopefully his hard work and all his preparation will really result into being the player that he wants to be.”
(Human nature being what it is, would it be fair to say that most running backs that are in a situation where they are expecting to get heavy workload – I don’t want to say their preparation ramps up because they’re always prepared – but human nature being what it is, that it changes a little bit?) – “Yeah, I do. I think when you know now you are going to be the one that’s going to have an increased role and there’s going to be some of that – we have a lot of guys in that running back room that we’re going to look to. We just started our game planning today for the Colts and I think there’s going to be some guys that’ll have some opportunities whether it’s Kalen (Ballage) or the next guy; but I think when you know for sure that you’re going to have that opportunity, it definitely intensifies the focus and overall preparation. He certainly has done a good job in his preparation even in the role that he’s been in and I could see obviously him doing the same thing and having great preparation and making the most of his opportunities.”
(RB Patrick Laird has been limited to special teams so far. Is it because strictly a matter of the log jam in front of him?) – “Yeah, I think Patrick has had some guys in front of him and he’s definitely prepared well and stayed ready offensively. We stress special teams so much here and it’s so important to what we’re doing that that’s what his role has been and it’s been a very important role for us; but we have one less guy in the running back room now, so we’re going to have to have some increased roles for different guys in the room.”
(TE Mike Gesicki’s increased number the last couple of weeks – purely a matter of opportunities or is he running his routes better, getting open more?) – “I think it’s a combination of several things. I think he’s definitely done a great job on the practice field. I know he’s worked extremely hard with (Tight Ends Coach) George Godsey on the technique of route running and the details of route running, so I’ve definitely seen some improvement there. He’s had some opportunities in the game and I think the other thing is that (Ryan) Fitzpatrick really has a lot of confidence in him to throw him the ball and give him the opportunity. I think it’s his work ethic and his improvement in practice with a combination of ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) having a lot of confidence in him and then obviously defensively we’ve been able to throw him the ball based off of what we’re getting defensively.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s numbers have really spiked up since he got back into the lineup against Washington. What are you seeing as the difference there?) – “I think that some guys are playing well around him. I think that at that position – sometimes you just look at the success of the quarterback position and you think it’s just him, but you rely so heavily on the other guys and their consistency and I think that we’ve been able to be more consistent around him. He’s taken advantage of that consistency around him and really played very well for us.”
Tony Oden – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Safeties Coach Tony Oden
(On CB Eric Rowe, has he been in your room over the last three weeks now that he’s playing safety or does he go back and forward between you and Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Josh Boyer?) – “We are all intertwined. None of that stuff kind of changes from day one. They are in everybody’s room because we all have a different expertise, we all have different things we can share with them. We kind of move them around – it’s the same thing in practice. They’re in this drill, they’re in that drill. That’s one of the things that ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) has brought to the staff, just the versatility of things. We all have to know how to coach all different positions, we all have to know what the other position is doing, and they have to know it as players. That way, whoever’s room they are in, we can hit the same coaching points and say it the same way.”
(How has he CB Eric Rowe played at safety?) – “He’s getting better. It’s a new experience for him. The play entry is different, the physicality of the game is different from a tackling perspective, and from a block-destruction perspective. He is improving every game for sure, getting more comfortable.”
(With the secondary, you guys have had so much personnel change. Why is it working? You’ve been fairly effective.) – “One thing is that from Day 1, you coach them all like they are starters. The first guy in the room, the first guy on the roster, the last guy on the roster, at some point in the year, they’re going to have to play. You hold them all accountable in the meeting room and on the field in regards to the information that they have, the routine – the study routine that they are establishing. So when and if the opportunity presents itself, they are ready from that perspective. You still have to go out there and physically do it, but at least the mental part of it is there. The other thing is that we preach playing different positions all the time. When we talk to guys – when we talk to a safety about playing the flat, the corners are in there and they are hearing it as well. So, they don’t tune out and say ‘Oh, he’s only talking to them’. The way we phrase it, we say ‘Gey, the person that is playing this position, here’s the technique they are playing.’ It could be anybody in the room. So when you do it that way, you’re asking questions about that and it forces them to stay locked in and stay focused because you never know when the question is going to come. Then lastly I’ll say that ‘Coach Flo’ and (General Manager) Chris (Grier) have got the right players in here that can play multiple positions. I think that’s probably the number one thing. You can have the greatest player in the world, but if he’s only locked in at one position, that limits what you can do defensively. But if you can get a player that is smart and has good work ethic, you can kind of move them around and have some moderate success as they grow into the position.”
(Is that kind of what’s going on with CB Eric Rowe?) – “Yeah. He’s been in the system for many years. He came from New England, so there is some familiarity with that. So the things that we are saying, it’s definitely not the first time he has heard it. It’s just a matter of him going out there and doing it. He’s getting better every week. He’s smart, he can tackle, he understands the games and formations and things like that. He’s getting better and better every game, it’s just a different type of game he has to play now. When you go out in the perimeter, your play entry is different, your tackle angles are different, the physicality of the game is different. When you’re coming downhill, now it’s a little bit of a different ball game now.”
(CB Eric Rowe is in the box a little bit now?) – “From time to time, from time to time. He has the potential to be in there. The way we play our guys, sometimes the corner ends up in the box based off of what we are doing. We try to teach them all the same – try to use the same verbiage, the same communication. We talk to the corner just like he is at strong safety because you never know when he’s going to be in there in that position and have some familiarity with it when it happens.”
(A lot of times when you hear the word continuity, it’s towards the offensive line, the offensive line has to be together. What about the secondary? Individual talent, is that good enough? Do you need to know the whole defense to know how everybody moves?) – “Talent helps, for sure. I think what overcomes that is if you know the defense, then you have a greater idea of what the offense is trying to do to you by situation and by formation. I think if you have that, you have a better chance of being successful, then if you just have a great athlete that doesn’t have a great big picture of it. The continuity, you always want continuity. That always helps. Continuity in life is good. The more you get a chance to talk to someone, you know his strengths and weaknesses, you know when he has a good look in his eye and he doesn’t, you know his communication. You don’t even have to say anything. You just look into his eye and you already know what he’s thinking. Obviously the more you get that, the better. Until you get that, and as you build that, the more guys who understand what our defense is and where guys are supposed to be, and what the offense is doing situationally and formationally, as you create that continuity, you have a better chance of having success.”
(I know you can never keep a whole group healthy. If I’m not mistaken, in October you brought in CB Ryan Lewis, CB Xavier Crawford, and CB Ken Crawley. How does that work? Have you been through that? You probably have.) – “If you coach long enough, it happens. But, that’s why to me, it starts in the offseason with the guys you do have to make sure they are able to play multiple positions. Then when you get into that situation, bringing in guys that have that versatility and have a little bit of football knowledge as well. So you’re not starting from Day 1. It’s not like you’re bringing a rookie right out of college at this point. The guys that you are bringing in have some football awareness, and you may have some background on the player already in regards to his intellectual abilities, physical abilities, and just trying to bring in the right type of guy. Not just a guy, but the right type of guy is probably the most important thing.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores talked about this team needing to learn how to win. You got a win under your belt. You may not have learned that whole entire process on how to win just yet but what can a win do for this team going forward?) – “It’s no different than what it can do for any other team. It builds confidence. Coach (Flores) has talked about this being a process from Day 1. We’ve been learning the winning process all season. We were close a couple of times and it finally came through. You can get confidence in it, but it’s not a false confidence. We understand we still have a long way to go. Our next game is our most important game because it’s our next game. Our most important practice has to be our next one. It’s all a building process. What does it build? It builds confidence. It validates some things. But it also lets us know we did it, but we still got a long way to go. So when you put your foot on the gas pedal, you can press down a little harder right now. You hold on to that steering wheel a little bit tighter, take that curve a little bit stronger. Keep going, keep going.”
Brian Flores – November 4, 2019
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Monday, November 4, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(You spoke yesterday about concern about complacency. Is that seriously something you worry about in this situation?) – “Yeah. I think it’s…”
(Human nature?) – “I think it is human nature. It’s easy to feel good about a win. I think it’s something that I need to talk about with our team after really any success. Really it’s not necessarily one win, it’s just success. I’m sure the guys feel good. Everybody feels good; but at the same time, we’ve got to turn the page and move on to the next opponent which is a good opponent.”
(How did you celebrate last night? May I ask?) – “I went out to dinner with my wife and we just talked like we normally do. It was a good night.”
(Did you have any messages, phone calls or anything that were special to you last night?) – “Yeah, I got a lot of messages. A lot of well wishes, a lot of congratulatory messages from Pee Wee coaches to high school coaches to college coaches to friends. I got a lot of messages. It was well-received. It was nice to get those. I’ve got a lot of support. This team has a lot of support. It was a good feeling really for me – and at dinner last night my wife, she talked to me about a Dolphins fan who’s been a lifelong Dolphins fan and he brings his son to every home game. She’s seen him the first few games and he just wanted to get a win and celebrate that with his son, so I thought about that and how special that must have been for those two last night. I don’t know how many other situations there are with that. It’s good to get one. Now, the only thing better than one victory is two.”
(Did you get much reaction in the restaurant?) – “No. Nobody knows who I am. (laughter)”
(Is that true? No one came up to you?) – “No. I hide in the corners anyway. (laughter)”
(What did you see from your secondary yesterday playing their first game with CB Xavien Howard on the injured reserve list? They seemed to come through pretty well.) – “I thought they played hard. I think they tackled well. Those are some things (we) harped on a lot last week. I thought we tackled well. I thought the communication could have been better in some of those – let’s call it traffic situation, pick situations – but we’ve got some young guys in there, new guys. I think ‘Pat’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) and (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach) Josh Boyer, I think they do a really good job of getting guys ready to play and really locking in and honing in on these four or five things that we need to get done to compete and be productive in the game. I thought the players executed that. Obviously Nik (Needham) had a big play in the game. Jomal Wiltz had a big play in the game. I thought Eric Rowe played really well. I thought Bobby (McCain) played well. I thought as a unit, the communication was good. (The secondary) put together a solid performance, took care of the deep part of the field, tackled, communication. When you do those things, you normally play some pretty solid defense.”
(What did you see on CB Jomal Wiltz’s interception on his end? We saw LB Raekwon McMillan apply the pressure but it was a pretty athletic play there.) – “An athletic play. I think a lot of traffic on that play. I think he fought through a lot of traffic. They were trying to get (Jamison) Crowder open on a flat route and there were some picks and rubs and traffic there. (Jomal Wiltz) kind of got through it all and applied the pressure and let’s call it a 50/50 ball. They can go get it or we can go get it and we made the play. It was a big play in the game. I’m glad we made it. Jomal is a guy who’s been on the practice squad and is finally getting an opportunity to play. He’s trying to take advantage of it. He’s played well. He’s done a good job from a communication standpoint. I think he’s getting better each week.”
(I think three sacks were a season high for you all. What was working for you on that end?) – “I think the guys are really doing a – they’re working better together on a lot of the rush games (and) the rush communication. (They) understand what the protection – what protection we’re going to get and how you (beat it). You can beat any protection if you know what it is, so the hard part is knowing what it is. I shouldn’t say you can beat anyone. You have an opportunity to, and then you’ve got to execute. I think we understand what teams, from a protection standpoint, want to do. Everyone’s got three, four or five protections – different protections – and we try to attack the protections a little bit in a way that gives us an advantage. That showed a little bit yesterday and we were able to get a little bit more pressure, which we needed. We need that, that group.”
(How is WR Preston Williams?) – “So Preston – this will be a season ending injury for Preston. I’m not going to go into details about what it is. It’s a big loss for us. I talked to him this morning. He’s done an incredible job, really. He came in as a free agent and he has really kind of grown over the last six months, seven months. I was devastated for the kid, and he was as well. I told him this was just a bump in the road and he’ll be back. I believe if he attacks his rehab and his training the way he did from the time he got here, he’ll be just fine.”
(How good could WR Preston Williams be do you think?) – “He could be a very good player in this league, but it’s up to him. There are a lot of players in this league with a lot of potential and a lot of talent; but it’s up to him to put in the work, put in the preparation, the training, the diet, the sleep, the nutrition – all of it. It all counts. I think he’s definitely on the right track to get the most out of his talent and his ability. In some cases, a setback is a good thing. It will allow him to train and really lock in on all of those other things. I know that’s a little bit earlier than we would have if he played an entire season. I think that’s the kind of approach he needs to take on it.”
(Could WR Preston Williams potentially do some work at training camp?) – ‘It’s way too early to tell. It’s way too early.”
(Would you hope that this won’t go into next year?) – “I’m not going to get – we’re a couple of hours after (a diagnosis) so I don’t want to speculate on a timetable here. I think the best thing for him is to take it one day at a time than put a, ‘Hey, we’ll be back on this day.’ I mean that’s crazy in a lot of ways. We’ll just take it one day at a time and try to get better – not just the injury, but every aspect. He’s still a young kid. He’s still a young kid. He needs a lot of – I mean that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to mentor, we’re here to teach, we’re here to coach in every area. In the building, outside the building, that’s our job.”
(You said earlier you have one victory and what’s better than one victory is two. What do you envision the rest of the season is going to be like for you guys in the second half? What’s the goal you guys want?) – “Well we’re starting the third quarter of the season now. I try to break this up into quarters. I think the second quarter we were better than we were the first quarter. I’d like for us to be better in the third quarter than we were in the second quarter and the first quarter. Better communication, better fundamentals, better technique, better execution. We could obviously be better with the turnovers. We’ll try to continue to improve in the areas we are doing some good things. That’s my vision. We’re always going to come out and compete, play hard and try to play tough. It will always be that way. We want to execute and try to play at a good clip, at a good level, at a winning level. That’s the goal. Whether we achieve that, that’s up to us. If we fall short on our process, or fall short on our preparation for a myriad of reasons – it could be complacency, it could be fatigue, it could be a lot of reasons why that happens. Each team and each individual is a little bit different. We’ve got to try to ward that off. That’s our job as coaches, to remind them. It’s a long season. Guys get tired and we need to fight through it.”
(Without WR Preston Williams, where do you turn now? You’ve got several guys as back-up receivers who are working their way back from injury or back and forth on and off the roster. Where are you going to look for help?) – “I think you’re hinting at – Isaiah Ford has been on and off the roster. I think he’s definitely somebody we have a lot of confidence in. That’s definitely one option. From DeVante (Parker) to Allen Hurns to Albert (Wilson) to Jakeem (Grant), I think we just need the next guy to step up. At the end of the day, that’s really what it boils down to. They know that. I think those guys are up for the challenge. While Preston is a big loss, it opens up an opportunity for some of these other guys.”
(We say a lot of good individual performances in the passing game. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and TE Mike Gesicki and WR DeVante Parker and WR Preston Williams. Why did it work so well as a unit? Why did it work so well together yesterday?) – “I thought – we talked all week about good spacing, good route detail, ultimately getting open and catching the football. We did have some drops, which we can eliminate those. I’d say at the end of the day, our guys did a good job of releases, getting into the route, our route detail and technique at the top of the route, getting themselves open and they made some tough catches. I thought Mike, this was his best game, I thought he played with an attitude and an energy that we need to see on a week-to-week basis. He was fired up. I love that about him. I got on him a little bit. You can’t get fired up and get animated and then come out because you’re a little gassed. Let’s save our energy then. (laughter) But he played well. I think our o-line did a good job from a protection standpoint and gave us some time to throw it. Honestly, it starts with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). I think there is a lot of confidence that he’ll get them the ball with an opportunity to make a play. He gets the whole offense going. He’s done a good job. He’s a leader and they follow.
(What are you thinking at right guard with C/G Keaton Sutherland and C/G Chris Reed? Who’s ahead or what are you looking for there?) – “We put Shaq (Calhoun) – we made him inactive. I would say, we’ve talked about this as a total team – the rookie wall is a real thing and we’ve got to push through that, so I guess that’s my message to Shaq and all rookies. Shaq’s done a good job so he’ll be in the mix. You just mentioned Keaton and Chris, but Shaq’s definitely in the mix. We’ll continue to go out there and do a good job in practice and let’s be clear: Shaq’s done a very good job the entire year. I don’t want this to get misconstrued as me jumping on Shaq. I think he’s done a good job. This is a good young player. This is somebody I have a lot of confidence in; but the rookie wall is a real thing and I think the fatigue is starting to set in a little bit and that was part of the reason why he was inactive. I just want to be, let’s be clear on that one. So yeah, he’ll be in the mix there. I think we’ve got three guys who we feel good about and based on practice, based on matchups, we’ll play who we feel most confident in.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has talked about how he feels like he’s made for this kind of situation this season with this team and the kind of player that he is. You’re smiling. I assume you agree with that? What did you see particularly yesterday?) – “’Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is made for any situation so that’s why I’m smiling. (laughter)”
(How has that been the case that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s helped keep things pointed in the right direction with some pretty tough sledding at times?) – “I think he’s an experienced player. He understands this offense. By all accounts, he’s pretty much a coach on the field, so he can kind of direct traffic and point guys in the right direction. I think in a lot of ways, that’s probably what he’s alluding to, and I see that, too. He’s done a good job from that standpoint and he’s a confident person. The other guys feed off of that confidence and I think that’s helped us across the board, not just offensively. So I would agree with him.”
