Brian Flores – November 11, 2020 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with L.A. Chargers Media
(You evaluated QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Justin Herbert during the pre-draft process. What stood out to you about Tua versus Herbert in that process?) – “They are both very good quarterbacks. Both smart, both (have) good leadership qualities, intangibles. They both have good arms, both are accurate. Obviously two good players. That’s why they both went high in the draft. I think Herbert has done a very good job early on. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s athletic, he’s got a big arm. He’s a lot to deal with. He’s a good player and they have a good team, and we have to do a good job preparing this week for a tough, physical ballgame.”
(In regards to QB Tua Tagovailoa, what had Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey meant to his development these eight weeks you guys have had him?) –“Yeah, Chan has done a really good job with he and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and really the entire offense. It’s never just one player, or one coach with one player. There are 26 other offensive guys plus our practice squad. We’re responsible to help each guy get better, as coaches. Tua is one of 53 on the active roster and one of 69 total. We’re trying to get all of them better and he’s got to do his part. Each player has to do their part and the coaches have to do their part as well.”
(You guys currently lead the league in defensive scoring. Do you take pride in that? Is that Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer? Are you helping Boyer with that process? Elaborate on that if you would.) – “I think Coach Boyer has done a good job. Our players, they come in and try to prepare the right way, learn the game plan, execute it at practice. They prepare the right way and then try to execute it again in the game. We’ve got a tight-knit group. They work hard, they work well together. Every week is a different challenge. Obviously we’ve got a lot of challenges this week with the Chargers and their explosive players – (Mike) Williams, Keenan Allen, (Jalen) Guyton, (Justin) Herbert obviously extending plays, Hunter Henry. There are players everywhere obviously, as you all know. It’s as talented of a group as we’ve seen. It will be a tough test. I don’t really worry about the statistics or whatever. Each game is different. We’ve got to earn it every week. That’s the message to the players.”
(When you were going through the draft process, what stood out to you most about QB Justin Herbert and were you able to meet with him?) – “Yeah, we met with him several times. The first one was at the Senior Bowl. He’s very smart, very talented, a driven kid, competitive, tough. There is a lot to like about him.”
(There were a lot of questions about QB Justin Herbert coming out. Did you have any of those questions after meeting him? And did you feel like some of those question were just not what you thought when you talked to him?) – “I don’t know what questions you’re talking about. That was a long time ago. Now we’re eight games into the season. There was training camp, COVID, there’s a lot going on. I’m not really quite sure what the questions are you’re talking about; but what I saw is what I just told you, which is he’s a competitive kid, he’s smart, a big arm, talented and the Chargers got a good player.”
(Do you feel like you need to talk to QB Tua Tagovailoa a little bit? Like when fans talk about Tua – the Dolphins fans – they see him as a savior, the next big-time quarterback that the team’s going to have. Do you ever kind of have to talk back down to him and let him know that he shouldn’t have to be facing all that pressure and it’s all about what he does and just staying consistent and just doing his thing and not really hearing the outside noise?) – “We talk about this being a team game every day. He knows that. Every player on this team knows that. There’s 11 guys on the field. This isn’t golf, this isn’t wrestling; this is football. There’s 11 guys. He can’t throw the ball if nobody blocks for him. He doesn’t play defense. He doesn’t play on special teams, so when those guys are out on the field, he can’t do anything to help. He can only do his part on offense and handle his responsibility, and that’s the case for every other player on the team from the offensive right guard to the left guard to the tight ends to the receivers to the holder to the snapper to the kicker to the defensive linemen. So I don’t know if I’d ever use the word ‘savior’ in football. There’s just too many people that you rely on for anyone to think that they could handle the whole thing on their own. Just my opinion.”
(When you talk about your receiving corps and how they’re developing – WR Jakeem Grant, how’s he developing mixed with No. 11 out there?) – “Jakeem (Grant) and DeVante (Parker) – those guys have been here a number of years and they’re very close and they work hard. They’ve made some plays for us and they’re guys that have the respect of the entire locker room. They work hard and it’s important to them. They’re tough and competitive, and they practice every day and they just try to improve and get better.”
(You had an injury last week – No. 18 – you had an injury. Is he playing this week? No. 18 went down. Didn’t your receiver get hurt?) – “Yes. Yes, we had a receiver go down. Preston Williams went down. He’s going to go on IR.”
(In terms of Chargers QB Justin Herbert and going against the blitz, have you been surprised for a rookie quarterback how he’s been able to fare in that?) – “He’s done a very good job against blitz coverage. I think that’s in part due to the protection they’ve gotten, his ability to extend plays and give himself a little extra time to get the ball out of his hands and they’ve got good receivers. It’s never just one person handling it. It’s the team as a group understanding the situation, knowing what’s happening to them. Clearly they’re well-coached and that plays a big part in it. ‘A. Lynn’ (Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn) has done a great job from that standpoint. Again, Herbert is obviously at the forefront of it; he’s got to make the throws and extend the plays and give him a little bit more time to step up in the pocket or whatever the case may be for any particular play, but he’s done a good job.”
(And then just in terms of your defense, I know there were a couple games where you were in plenty of Cover 0 blitzes. Just how do you think your defense is performing so far?) – “We’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a long way to go in a lot of areas. We have to improve in a lot of areas. I could sit here for a while and talk about the things that we need to get better at, so I’m not going to bore you with all of that, but there’s a lot of things we can do better. We made a couple of plays, but there’s been plenty of situations that we could’ve gotten off the field or made a tackle or lined up correctly or been in the right gap. I could sit here for hours, but you probably don’t want to sit here and watch 0 technique or my nose (tackle) – his hand placement, his footwork and where his hat should be and things like that. So there’s plenty we can work on. That’s what we do on a daily basis and we’re just focused on today and getting better today. We’ve got a tough opponent here. Their record is misleading. I’ll say that. Very much so.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 11, 2020
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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I wanted to ask you, I talked to Head Coach Brian Flores a little bit about this this morning, but there’s so much national attention on you, on this team, on this defense. With such a young team, is there anything that you guys say to each other to just kind of keep your head focused and then I also wanted to ask you about another big weekend for the Tagovailoa brothers and just kind of conversations between you and your brother about the success you guys are having so far?) – “I’ll start with me and my brother. After games, we call one another literally while we’re in the locker room, but after this past game I called my parents. I FaceTimed them and whatnot and then I FaceTimed my brother. It’s always good to just talk to him and whatnot and he always asks questions and has questions for me, and I just tell him certain things that went through my head and then also talk to him after; but we’re always supporting one another in that sense. But I think as a team, the way we go about doing things every day, it’s kind of hard to get complacent. So the way we go about doing things is just with what ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) says, is just keeping our head down, continuing to grind. The feeling of winning is good, but the feeling of loss is – it’s the opposite end. And we don’t want to feel that. So we know that in order to give us the best chance to be successful, we’ve got to go in and we’ve got to work hard in preparation as well as executing, and like I said, preparation for the team that we’re up against.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores was talking today about your dead leg move on Cardinals S Budda Baker. Said he hadn’t seen you use that one at Alabama. I’m wondering, is that a new move? Where did that come from?) – “I’m not too sure. (laughter) I was just out there trying to play football. I thought I had an opportunity to try and make a guy miss. I know he probably wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know. I don’t know how to answer that. (laughter)”
(Those are some nice trophies back there. You’re nearly I guess a year removed from that injury you suffered at Bama. Does that year mark have any added significance for you and how close do you think you are to your old self?) – “Oh, man. I don’t know if I’ll ever be my old self because when something dramatic like that happens – it’s just a continuous process I think for me. Just continuing to focus on what I need to do to continue to strengthen the muscles around my hip and so forth and just continue to stay on rehab. It’s been a journey. It’s just been a journey just looking back at that whole process. Literally almost a year from now, we’re making a decision to decide if I was going to be able to play again or not. I’m just blessed to be here.”
(I wanted to ask you about the communication you had with Tight Ends Coach George Godsey throughout the course of the game. I had a chance to speak to TE Adam Shaheen, who told me that Godsey is a one-of-a-kind communicator. I’m just curious about your interactions with Coach Godsey and his ability to kind of come in there and do a job that he hadn’t been doing all year in the game on Sunday.) – “I think that’s what this whole year has sort of been about. It’s been about adjustments and we didn’t have a lot of our coaches out there, so we had to make some adjustments coaching-wise. So with Godsey being able to take that role – I don’t even think this is his first time doing that, as well. I understand he’s been an OC (offensive coordinator) before, too. So this was nothing new to him. But as far as communication, I think it was a pretty good job from Godsey’s part, as far as getting the play in and then also certain reminders coming onto the sideline before series in and out.”
(I believe last week you said finally being able to get some game film was really beneficial for you, so I guess I’m wondering what you’ve been able to take away now that you have these two starts under your belt and was there anything you thought you were able to correct or improve upon from start one to start two?) – “Yeah, start one to start two, I would say we were able to push the ball downfield a lot more. We were able to get into a groove offensively with the pass game as well as the run game, but I think there’s just continuations of what you can improve on and I think that’s the best thing and that’s the best way to go about it, and if you feel like there’s nothing else you can improve on, then that’s not good.”
(The NFL Films crew caught a pretty heartfelt moment there at the end of the game where you gave that ball to Head Coach Brian Flores. What inspired you to do that and can you just kind of take us into that moment of did it seem as special as it looked on film?) – “I had seen ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and ‘Flo’ was waiting and I had the game ball. When I went up to him, it was just one of those – for me, it was like ‘thank you for taking a shot on me.’ Like I said, a year ago, who would’ve known I could’ve had a season-ending injury; but the Miami Dolphins decided to take a chance on me. So that was awesome.”
(I wanted to ask you about the wide receiver situation. We got news today that WR Preston Williams is going to miss at least three weeks. How big of a blow is that to the team? What receivers that we haven’t seen much of on the field are you confident can step up and how are you going to distribute the ball now?) – “It’s tough losing someone like Preston (Williams), who’s kind of been a game-changer for us while he’s been in there. He’s been targeted a lot more I feel like this year in our offense; but it’s next man up. Really, it’s pretty much all the guys that you guys have seen when we played the Cardinals. That’s pretty much the guys that need to step up and there’s probably going to be some other guys as well, but it’s just really a daily competition for all of us – receiving corps, quarterbacks, the list goes on – and so nothing really changes as far as who I’m going to target more and whatnot. It’s I’ve got to go through my progression and if that’s the open person, then that’s where the ball needs to go to.”
(Just wanted to get your perspective on Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy and Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III have obviously had impacts with their respective teams out here in the AFC West. What made each one of those guys unique to throw to during your time together at Alabama?) – “First, they’re both really good, but they’re both really different. Henry (Ruggs) is really explosive. He’s really fast. Everyone knows that. You can throw it at whatever radius you want to and he’ll go and get it. And then with Jerry (Jeudy) – Jerry is a playmaker. Those big-time plays, Jerry’s going to go down and make those for you. His route running is, I believe it’s superb. I’ve been very fortunate to have been teammates with those guys, and I’m happy for them with their success that they’ve been having so far in the NFL.”
(Because Chargers QB Justin Herbert was drafted one spot after you, I kind of feel like your careers will always been intertwined. Five, 10, 20 years from now, people will be wondering, well how did it turn out? They took Tua, they didn’t take Justin. How do you process that and sort of how do you feel about that comparison that will forever be made?) – “I just think that’s just something that’s going to have to be dealt with in the media. I have no animosity towards Justin Herbert and for me, it’s not even a competition between me and him; it’s a competition for myself to go out and see what I can do to help our team be successful against their defense. And I’m pretty sure it’s the same for Justin as well; but yeah, that’s kind of my thought with all of that.”
(This is obviously an unusual year to come into the league, especially for a quarterback trying to get up to speed. I’m wondering when you look back in the summertime, even though there was not a lot of on-field reps to be had where there would’ve been usually and no preseason games, what did you do and your coaches do that allowed you to get up to speed in the preseason that was obviously abnormal?) – “I would say nothing really changed from like a camp/practice standpoint. We just practiced and we had walkthroughs for the rookies and the rookies would have early meetings before our actual position meetings; but yeah, you said it. It’s difficult when you don’t have an actual preseason, but it’s for every rookie around the league where we’re all learning on the fly right now. It’s either you’re going to pick it up or you’re not.”
Austin Jackson – November 11, 2020
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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
T Austin Jackson
(Welcome back, Austin. What has the journey back been like for you and how surprised were you that you got back in the action first game back?) – “Thank you for that, first and foremost. I want to say the journey was, it was definitely a learning experience being hurt. The NFL is a lot different than college. Just the whole IR process and all that stuff is new; but I made the most out of it and I just took every day as an opportunity to get better in as many ways as I could, since I couldn’t step on the field. I’m glad I got the opportunity to better myself and the opportunity to play in the first game back, like you said.”
(I wanted to ask you about your college days obviously with being in that same conference with Chargers QB Justin Herbert. What do you know about him and obviously you guys don’t line up against him, but were you able to watch him from the sidelines when you were back in school and just what are your thoughts on him?) – “Yeah. I’ve probably seen him play since high school and this is my first time playing (against him in the NFL), but he’s a great player. Great quarterback. Real smart guy. Can make plays with the ball in the air and on the field. I know he’s a very talented guy. I’m looking forward to seeing him this weekend.”
(We don’t know if Chargers DE Joey Bosa is going to play. He is returning from a concussion and he was limited in practice today, but Bosa and DE Melvin Ingram III are both really good. Based on what you’ve studied so far, what do you think each guy does best?) – “What each guy does best – (Melvin) Ingram is a real shifty guy. Great at reading leverage. I know that’s one thing he’s really good at. Then Bosa on the other side, the same thing. Both are very technique-sound defensive ends, so that means they’re going to read shoulder leverage and all that stuff. I think that’s what they do best, or one of the things they do best.”
(I’m curious, can you walk us through your rehab a little bit? What happened? How’d you get hurt? Were they surprised when they IR’d you and at what point did you have a sense that your return was imminent?) – “My recovery – good question, loaded question. My recovery process was good. It was like a small sprain in my foot, so you’ve just got to kind of heal those things up with time unfortunately. So that was the approach we took. And in the meantime, we worked on just making sure I didn’t lose my upper body strength and my lower body strength, even though I couldn’t be on my feet. So that itself incorporates a lot of different available exercises to do and stuff like that. I forgot about the other two parts of your question. (laughter)”
(Just when did you have a sense that you were close to a return and also how do you feel like you played in your first game back?) – “I just trusted my trainers and my coaches. I talked to ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and they all had a plan for me and I just stuck to it and attacked it as best as I could. And sure enough towards the end of when I came off of IR, I was feeling pretty good – good enough to practice and go. So it worked out and I was pretty excited to play in my first game back. Watching them play for so long, it was nice to be part of the fun.”
(I wanted to know how you felt you played on Sunday and how long did it take to get back totally into the groove?) – “Sunday, I think I played well. There’s definitely always things you can work on. For example, I got tripped up on my sack. I think it was the only sack I gave up. I got tripped up, but that’s just stuff, learning the spatial – having that spatial awareness that you kind of gain a sense of where you’re moving and the pocket and stuff like that, for an offensive lineman, is big. So getting my first game back and getting back used to that was a challenge; but for the most part, I felt like I prepared myself to go in there and not leave a drop off for the team, so I think I did pretty well.”
(Two-part thing I wanted to touch on with you real quick. One, did you ever think that this injury was going to be any kind of long-term thing or longer than it turned out to be? Was that ever a fear in your mind and secondly, at the very beginning, you talked about how you took advantage to get better while you were out. Is there anything maybe different that you did to help improve yourself while you were out? Anything that is out of the ordinary.) – “When the injury first happened, you don’t really know anything until you look at some x-rays and some MRIs, so of course you’re hoping it’s not as bad as it may be. But luckily the x-rays came back and it was nothing major, nothing long-term, so that was good. And then I would say when I was out, not being able to practice with the team, I got more chance to look at some film to really study and memorize and learn a bunch of new things. Just studying NFL defenses really, learning defensive movements, defensive assignments; stuff like that helped me a lot. I studied that a lot and extra hours in the weight room and the training room, too. Those helped as well while I was out.”
(Obviously when you got hurt, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was the starter. When you came back, QB Tua Tagovailoa was the guy. I’m curious how that changed things for you in your first game back when you’re playing.) – “It wasn’t too different. The only difference was probably the voice of ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) versus Tua. It’s a different cadence. It sounds a little different. I think on like my very first snap, I almost didn’t fully hear him just because it was so different, but we’ve had all week to practice. We’ve had all camp to play and we’re both in the playbook, so it wasn’t too much of a difference. We all know our assignment, so it wasn’t that much of a difference, I would say, other than the cadence.”
DeVante Parker – November 11, 2020
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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
WR DeVante Parker
(I wanted to ask you and follow up on the WR Preston Williams injury and what you think that does to the receiver room. Does that mean you have to step up more or other guys in the room have to be playmakers? What are your thoughts on that situation?) – “With that happening, prayers up for him; but I would say it’s the next man up. That’s just the mentality that we have to have. You never know when your name will be called and you just have to be ready at all times.”
(What’s this week been like for you guys in terms of the rules and regulations. I guess you have to have team meetings over Zoom. Is this a throwback to when you guys were working in the offseason?) – “Yeah, I’d say it’s very similar to that. It’s something, like with what happened before, you have to adjust to it and find ways to overcome it. We’ve still got to work to get the job done.”
(What was it like – QB Tua Tagovailoa bounced back with the second game. What was it like seeing him make those moves on folks when he got into open field with his legs?) – “That was great to see. I didn’t know he had it in him. (laughter) He put on some good moves against them and like I said, I’m happy for him. He just has to continue to keep getting better.”
(I wanted to ask you another one about QB Tua Tagovailoa. He led a comeback victory in the fourth quarter, which the best quarterbacks in football do. How do you feel about Tua’s ability to lead comebacks?) – “I’m very confident in him with that. The coaches give him the play call and he just executes it. We all have to be on the same exact page, and that’s how we can get the job done together.”
(I wanted to ask you about your season so far. You’ve been able to be somewhat consistent and still deliver for the team. How have you done so far with the injuries, and how do you feel like you’ve produced so far this season?) – “I’m fine on my end with injuries and things like that. This is a team sport. We’re all putting in as one. We’re winning. We’re doing good right now. We’ve just got to keep that up.”
(Can you give us a breakdown on some of these younger receivers that are going to be called to step up? WR Antonio Callaway, WR Lynn Bowden Jr., RB/WR Malcolm Perry, even WR Kirk Merritt. What do they bring to the team?) – “Confidence. As I said before, when your number is called, you’ve got to step up. Whoever is in, that’s the coach’s decision; but whoever is in, it’s the next man up like I said before and just do your job. Get the job done.”
(You’ve been around a number of years now. You know how teams react when teams are depleted in one way or another. What’s your best assessment on what you’re going to see from defenses now that WR Preston Williams is out?) – “From what I’ve been watching, I’m pretty sure I’ll see the same thing. I don’t really think they be focusing on me like that. We’ll just have to see when it’s game time.”
(You’ve been around the Dolphins for a long time. What about this team is different from previous teams?) – “I think this team is more confident than what we’ve been in the past. It’s something different that (Head Coach Brian) Flores and everyone has just brought into the building.”
(Winning four in a row and five out of six, it seems like you guys might either continue it or be in for a trap game here. How do you guys don’t let the outside expectation and the noise get to you guys, from the success you’ve been having, and still keep your focus?) – “I’d say just continuing to do what we’ve been doing the whole time. Ignore all of the noise outside and just focus on us and what we have going on.”
Shaq Lawson – November 11, 2020
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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
DE Shaq Lawson
(I’ll start with a softball. What was your last 40-yard dash time? You were looking pretty quick there in Arizona on Sunday?) – “My last 40 time was like a 4.68 when I ran it at the Combine. Something like that. Yeah, that’s what I had on my mind. That’s all I was thinking about. I can’t get caught. This is my first opportunity, I can’t get caught.”
(Did you see WR D.K Metcalf in the rearview mirror when you were running it down?) – “I was thinking about that; but then I was like, ‘alright man, they don’t got nobody like D.K. that fast.’ And then how far I was in front of a lot of people, they had at least 15 more yards. The only thing I saw was two offensive linemen and then the next think I know, I saw my boy Brandon (Jones) come with a big block. I said, ‘oh yeah, I needed that.’”
(I want somebody to explain to me how come DE Emmanuel Ogbah always gets the free rush and you’re always blocked? How come he always gets the free rush in zero blitz?) – “I don’t know man, that’s a good question. That’s a good question. I don’t know man. It just puts a lot of stress on the offensive line and it’s been mostly him. Hopefully I can get some of those. It just puts a lot of stress on the offensive line when you do it, so they don’t know which way to go. Usually they mess up. They mess up every time.”
(I thought for sure that one of those two big offensive linemen would get you. How would you describe S Brandon Jones’ block? It seems like he came out of nowhere.) – “Brandon Jones’ block was big. I didn’t really notice it until I went back and saw the video. That was a big block. At first, like you said, I saw the two offensive linemen. I saw one backing up and I’m like, ‘man, I’ve got to out run him. I can’t let no offensive lineman get me.’ Then the next thing I know I see B-Jones (Brandon Jones) come out there and finish the block and he made my job easier.”
(There is so much national attention on this team, especially on the defense. With such a young team, what do say to each other, or what does Head Coach Brian Flores say to you to just keep you guys focused, tune out the noise, we still have a lot to prove?) –“We’re going to get people saying we’re great and things like that, but we try to block that out. That’s what we’re doing, we’re blocking that out and taking it one game at a time. It’s a one-game season every week. We’re just putting our most into preparation for that one game. We don’t look at the outsiders, what they say about the team or how good we are on defense or anything. We just come in there week in and week out and take it one day at a time, and try to make each other better.”
(The defense is providing touchdowns, how big is that for you guys as a unit from a confidence standpoint? I was wondering if you could take us outside and go to your neighbor’s house and knock on the door, what would happen if you knocked on your neighbors’ door right now?) – “Wait. It depends on the left of right on the neighbor. (laughter) It depends on what side you want me to go. Do you want me to walk out outside?”
(Pick the right side. Or is there someone on the left side you got to go to?) – “Dang man, how you all know that? (laughter) How do you all know me and Tua (Tagovailoa) – that’s crazy. As a defense, we just preach about getting the ball. It’s all about getting the ball back, helping our offense. If you take the ball away and give it back to our offense, we have a better opportunity of scoring. That’s our goal. We do drills every day to get the ball out and things like that. That’s been very successful for us right now.”
Brian Flores – November 11, 2020
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Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Opening statement) – “I wanted to start by – today is Veterans Day, so I just wanted to shout out Adam LaChance, who’s on our strength and conditioning staff. He’s a veteran and I wanted to thank him for his service and all the veterans for their service. I just wanted to do that.”
(I wanted to ask with the changes that you guys made during the game to the offensive line, was that experiment, effort to improve, is it an open competition this week? T Austin Jackson’s return, how does that impact your offensive line?) – “It’s always an open competition. We’ve got a number of guys we feel very good about and there’s a few different combinations we could go with. Jesse Davis is someone who’s played multiple positions and played them at a good level. We’re also working in the young guys – (Robert) Hunt, Solomon (Kindley), Austin (Jackson) – and we feel good about all of them. We’ll see how practice goes this week and we’ll see the group that’s out there on Sunday.”
(It’s pretty obvious you’re no stranger to the whole tuning out the noise concept. That was obviously a big thing in New England and I think now that especially after this last win, you guys are dominating ESPN, NFL Network. You guys are the talk of the NFL right now. What do you say to a young team and a young quarterback to kind of tune out the noise?) – “I think the focus is – we all understand, I understand, that it’s there, that we’re being talked about. But really the only thing that matters is what’s going on in our building. I’m not sure how much anyone outside of our building really actually knows what’s going on inside the building, so the way we practice, the way we prepare, how we walk through. The only people who could really tell them the truth about how they played in a game or how they played in practice or how they did in a meeting are the people that are here. That’s kind of my message. I’m going to tell them the truth. I’m not going to blow smoke up anyone’s behind. They know that. We’ve got a whole half of a season left, so I think we need to focus on that and even more than that, this week – it’s a good team that we’re playing this week, the Chargers. Putting our energy anywhere else or listening to anything else in a lot of ways is less energy on a good opponent with a lot of good players and a lot of good coaches … Hopefully it doesn’t get to the point where they spent too much time on something else and not enough on the Chargers. They would feel the effects of that on a Sunday, so that’s my message.”
(I would like to get an update on the COVID situation. How many coaches, if any, will you be down in your walkthrough today for example?) – “We’re just following the protocols – the league protocols – so we’ll be down a few coaches. We’ve got guys who are going to step in and we’ll get those guys when we get them back. That’s kind of where we stand. As far as specific numbers, I’m not going to get into who’s back, who’s not back. We’ll be down a few today.”
(I know you guys did a lot of evaluation of Chargers QB Justin Herbert when you were trying to make your own decision in the draft. What have you seen from him so far and maybe has it even surprised you given your own homework on him?) – “He’s a very good player. He’s talented, big arm, athletic. He was very smart in the meetings when we spent time with him, so that’s not surprising. It’s not surprising at all that he’s having success. I think he’s got a good team around him. He’s well-coached. (Chargers Head Coach) Anthony (Lynn) is someone I have great respect for. I know he’s doing a good job. He’s got a tough, physical team over there. He’s (Justin Herbert) well-coached and he’s playing well, so it’s a big test for us and we know that. We’re going to have to prepare well all week.”
(What has pleased you the most about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s progress since he became the starter?) – “It’s the same thing that he did earlier in the year. His preparation, his focus, the way he asks questions, wanting to learn. All that leads into – I think to me, in my opinion – into an opportunity to have success on the field. I think if he just continues to prepare the way he has and even take it up a notch, because as a rookie, you don’t know what you don’t know. So in a lot of instances, he’s learning how to prepare, how to prepare better and I think that’s been the case even over the last couple weeks. He’s a sponge. That I like and he’s open to learning different things, learning from different views, whether it’s a defensive coach or an offensive coach or something in the kicking game. He’s doing well.”
(I was hoping we could get an update on WR Preston Williams. Do you envision him being able to practice this week or is this a long-term deal?) – “We ran some tests. Preston (Williams), he’s going to go to IR, so it’s a little bit more significant than we initially thought.”
(Obviously I’ll follow up on that important news. What does the loss for a minimum of three games mean to the team and how prepared do you feel some of the receivers who haven’t played a lot yet, such as WR Lynn Bowden Jr. and perhaps WR Antonio Callaway, are to contribute?) – “It’s a big loss. Preston (Williams) has made a lot of plays for us over the first half of the season; but we’ve got guys who will step in. Jakeem (Grant) stepped in for him last week. Mack Hollins stepped in and had a big play. Kirk Merritt was up last week, played well in the kicking game, played a little bit offensively. And you mentioned Lynn (Bowden Jr.). So yeah, I think it’s kind of how we have to approach this. Someone could be down for COVID, someone could be down due to injury. We need the next person to step in – a player, coach, whatever it may be. As a team, it’s 2020, so we need to take that approach and I think those guys will step in. We’ve got to get them coached up and put them in positions to have some success.”
(Is WR Preston Williams out for the season? And also, is WR Antonio Callaway close to being able to help you?) – “Preston is going on IR. Callaway, he’s on the practice squad and practiced for the first time last week. He’s had two days of practicing. I don’t want to speculate on how long Preston is out, but it’s enough that he’s got to go on IR. We’re still running tests and we’ll see where that goes.”
(With the young receivers, I know you’ve always pushed the rookies in term of their understanding and give them a role. Now with such a huge role available, what do you hope to see from them?) – “Nothing changes on our end, from that standpoint. I don’t think you can just – hey, somebody went down so you go from playing 10 plays to playing 60 and that’s how it goes. We’ll try to split the reps in some form or fashion. I think some of the guys who have already been up and practiced in some of those roles – like I’ve mentioned, Jakeem (Grant), Mack Hollins, Malcolm Perry has been in there a little bit. I think to mix those with the young guys, there are a few different way we can do this. You don’t have to just put one grouping in there. We’ve got some tight ends who can play, we’ve got some backs who can play. You can only play 11 at a time, so it doesn’t have to be three and four wide receivers. I think everyone expects it to show up that way, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. I think we can handle that with the rest of the team. Again, it’s a team game. We’re going to need the tight ends, the backs, the receivers – like I said, it’s a different year. It’s a year of COVID. We’ve had some other teams who have been down multiple people at positions and not play. You adjust. We’ll adjust if we need to.”
(Yesterday we talked to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and we asked him about QB Tua Tagovailoa and he said he didn’t really see a difference in him as far as how he looked in college and his physicality. I wanted to ask you where do you see him in comparison to maybe what you were watching on tape, as far as his athleticism and his movement?) – “I think he looks good. I mean I haven’t seen the dead leg move from him in college. I thought that was a nice move he made the other day. I think physically, he looks good. He’s just got to continue to take care of himself. That’s part of being professional – from a nutritional standpoint, from a weightlifting standpoint and obviously from a preparation standpoint. All of those things are important. Is there a difference? I guess I’m not really thinking about it in those terms. I just think he looks like he’s healthy and he’s doing a good job with his preparation and leading the offense. He looks healthy to me.”
(What specialness, if any, is there for you when you get to coach against another black head coach? And also, this game you have Sunday will be the only time this year where two full-time black head coaches will go against each other. What do you think that says about the current diversity of head coaches?) – “I have a lot of respect for ‘A-Lynn’ (Anthony Lynn). I met him at a coaching symposium like two years ago. I went to him when I was a position coach. I met him at a symposium a few years back and picked his brain on a few different things. He probably doesn’t remember that; but I have a lot of respect for him as a coach, as a man. I think he has leadership qualities that are out of this world. His teams are tough. They are physical. And there are a lot of things that I took from him that I try to bring here, that I try to implement here. A lot of respect for him. As far as the second part of your question, diversity – let’s call it a head coach, a general manager, positions in the NFL – are something that people are talking about all the time. I’ve always said there are many, many worthy minority coaches in this league that have leadership qualities, that are smart, are great teachers and can help young people, or young men, become the best versions of themselves. I see that on a weekly basis when I talk to coaches on the field pregame and postgame. They are out there. They just need an opportunity. Thankfully I was afforded one. I think there are plenty of minority coaches out there who would take advantage of the opportunity if it presented itself.”
Danny Crossman – November 10, 2020
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Could you give us the top three reasons why K Jason Sanders is kicking so well right now?) – “(laughter) I think in my opinion, we have a very good rapport right now and a very clean operation with the snaps and the holds. Obviously any time that that triumvirate is working very well, it seems like to the kickers in the past and obviously with Jason now, that they’re really able to get a good, clean picture of what’s happening on the hit. And then he’s just in a good rhythm. As we all know in whatever our chosen profession is, there’s times when you just find that nice rhythm and things are going and they’re going smoothly and things are clicking. That’s sort of where he is right now and he’s playing with a lot of confidence.”
(I wanted to ask about how crazy Sunday was with you guys missing a bunch of coaches. I know I think almost everybody had multiple roles. What was your responsibility beyond coaching special teams on Sunday and how do you think the staff handled all the craziness?) – “I think we handled it very, very well. We’re always in the next-guy-up mentality – whether it’s coaches, players – just as an organization, especially obviously this year during the pandemic. So whatever everybody’s opportunities are, whatever roles you need to pick up or transfer, I think we’ve talked about it since last spring and obviously have worked through it during the season. So when those things come up, we feel like we’re going to be in good position to just roll with whatever comes at us.”
(How do you, I guess, overcome the natural worry or fear that comes when you hear something like that? A coach on your staff has tested positive and not knowing how that would affect you one way or the other?) – “Again, I don’t spend any time even thinking about it, to be quite honest with you. It’s a pandemic. Anything can happen. You can do everything absolutely correct and properly and follow every guideline and still end up with the virus. So it doesn’t even enter my mind. I just come in every day and do my job and don’t even think about it.”
(I wanted to ask you about TE Durham Smythe, who had to leave mid-game in this game; and when he missed the San Francisco game a few weeks ago, Head Coach Brian Flores had told us about the impact that has on who dresses for game day. I just wanted to get your take on his special teams ability and the impact that he makes for you guys when he is available for you out there on special teams.) – “I think Durham (Smythe) probably doesn’t get enough credit. As an available player, he’s going to play three or four phases for us based on the week and how his play time is set up both in the kicking game and offensively. He’s very trustworthy, very accountable. So any time you don’t have those guys, it’s a knock; but we feel very, very confident in anything we ask Durham to do. (He’s a) good football player, a good leader and we’re happy to have him.”
(I know this play wasn’t under your department, but how thrilled were you for WR Mack Hollins when you saw him bring in that touchdown, especially considering the importance that he brings to special teams since Week 1?) – “Again, anything we can do to win the game and whoever is making those plays to win the game, I’m all for it. I’m happy for any player – whether it’s an offensive, defensive player – when those guys have to step up, if they make a play in the kicking game – and just like the guys that are predominantly kicking-game role players, when they get their opportunity offensively or defensively. So I’m very happy for Mack (Hollins) and obviously it was a big play in the game. I’m just very happy for the team.”
(Obviously K Jason Sanders hit one from 56 yards, which is I believe a career-long. He’s really good from 50-plus throughout his career. I’m curious, in practice do you guys even bother doing the 58 or 60-yarders? Has he successfully tried or made a 60-yarder in practice?) – “He has. Week-in and week-out, we have a certain number of kicks we’d like to hit in certain positions on the field – high, low, hashes, middle of the field, whatever it may be. And routinely we ask him to hit some of those longer field goals. So again, any time we send Jason (Sanders) out, his job and our job when that group goes out on the field is to score points. So if we’re sending him out there, we feel confident in what we’re asking him to do.”
(Just wanted to ask a little bit more about the coaching situation on Sunday. Did you have anybody in particular that helped you out on special teams or did any other assistants kind of stand out as playing a bigger or significant role in helping the communication, getting guys on and off the field, things like that?) – “Again, I’m not going to get into a lot of that stuff. I think ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) has talked about it. We had a lot of people step up. We had a lot of people ready to handle a lot of different roles, so it’s an outstanding staff – not only the coaching staff, but then you incorporate the strength guys who are always involved. So there’s always guys that do a lot more than a lot of people understand and know outside the building. And I think it just comes all with getting good people, hiring good staff and then everybody understanding that as things change, just like players – Mack Hollins came up earlier, going in and catching a touchdown – it’s the same thing from a coaching staff. You never know when certain things are going to be asked of you. We have a great group that’s always able to step up and handle whatever is presented to them.”
Chan Gailey – November 10, 2020
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey
(Could you tell me what G Ereck Flowers means to that offensive line and where he’s at as far as his play currently?) – “He’s a veteran – one of the most veteran players we have up there. The one thing that’s great about him is his leadership and enthusiasm on game day. He really brings a lot of enthusiasm to the game every week. He’s excited about scoring. He’s excited about winning. That’s what you want out of those guys. He’s been a very good stabilizing force for us up there. He’s played well so far. I expect him to continue to play well and even improve on a couple of little things that (Offensive Line) Coach (Steve Marshall) has him working on.”
(When you were envisioning QB Tua Tagovailoa’s second start, I’m pretty sure you didn’t envision him going without three wide receivers, two running backs and his position coach; and yet, he went out there and played at a high level. What was the difference from Week 1 to Week 2 for him and how encouraged were you that all that he had to overcome as a player, he was able to do so?) – “I think probably the best answer for that is going to come from him. But from my perspective, as the game slows down, as he plays more – and I said this last week but I believe it’s the truth – as he plays more, the game will slow down and he’s able to see things better. He’s able to feel the game. He has a tremendous feel for the game. That allows him to see some things and do some things and throw the ball in some spots that other people might not do. I think that he just went out and played the game. He didn’t care who was there or who wasn’t there. He was playing the game and that’s what you like about him. He doesn’t think about adversity. He thinks about, ‘ok, how can we go be successful?’ That will carry a person a long way.”
(I wanted to ask about RB Salvon Ahmed. He led the running backs in snaps. What did you think of his performance? It felt like there were some plays there that showed some explosion that we obviously hadn’t seen before.) – “Yeah, he had some good plays and he had some things he’s got to work on. It was his first time out. He’s got some things that we’ll have to improve upon and talk about and get him better at. He does show what you just said. He does show some explosion. It was good to have that and be able to see a short run turn into a longer run with that burst that he has, to be able to get on the edge. I think he’ll improve. I hope that all of these guys that are playing for their first and second time, the second time they go out there I hope they improve and continue to improve. He was running the ball well in the first half so he played most of the second half.”
(We’re doing a story around the league on rookies at midseason. I wanted to ask you with no exhibition season and very little offseason, I’m wondering with rookies in general, do you think they’re still behind and will be behind all year? Or at this point, have they caught up in their development? What do you feel about that?) – “I think a guy that’s played in every game is pretty well caught up at this point. I think you get eight games into the season – halfway through the season – and you should be caught up if you’ve played in every ballgame. Those guys that haven’t, that are being thrown in there for the first time, they’re behind. They were behind because they hadn’t played early and they’ll be behind and it’ll probably take them about eight games to get fully aware of everything that’s going on and what they’ve got to do. If you hadn’t played in the first few, those rookies will be fresher at the end of the year because guys don’t realize a 16-game season, what that does to you.”
(What you said just now about playing eight games and being fully aware makes me excited about what you are going to see from QB Tua Tagovailoa the next six games. What do you think he has to prove moving forward and has to show? I also want to ask you about communicating with Tight Ends Coach George Godsey during that game? It seemed to me that he filled in for Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown on the coaching staff there during the game.) – “That worked very well. We were fortunate in that Coach Godsey hadn’t been available earlier in the year, and that we had two coaches who had coached the tight ends so that (when) we needed George (Godsey) to come over and fill in for this, those guys had experience working with the tight ends to be able to deal with them on game day. So it worked out in a very good scenario for us to have George available to talk to me and to the quarterbacks and to do the communication. So that worked very well.”
(You said something about eight games in, players are going to get a lot more comfortable. What does QB Tua Tagovailoa have to show you more in the next six games? What are the next strides you want to see him take after Sunday’s performance?) – “The next strides are he’s got to see and understand defenses more and more. And that just comes from doing it. We worked against the same defense all offseason, so you didn’t have any preseason games to go say, ‘okay, this is what another team does, this is what another team does.’ He’s getting that on the fly. So I think just understanding defenses, what they’re trying to do, how they’re trying to attack you, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are; those types of things will be the strides I hope he makes here in the next few weeks.”
(I guess with everything that QB Tua Tagovailoa’s been through I guess over the last year, do you feel like he’s back to where maybe you were seeing him on tape in college as far as his play-making ability?) – “It looks like it to me. I can’t see a real difference. Physically is the one thing you had the concern about and I think he kind of relieved all our thoughts about that the other night.”
(I wanted to ask you about TE Adam Shaheen. I know he had the extension a couple weeks ago and we saw TE Durham Smythe out in that 49ers game and then leave this past game. I’m curious to get your take on the impact he’s had in that tight end room and the confidence level you have in him to elevate him into a more prominent role if someone like TE Mike Gesicki or TE Durham Smythe is unavailable ahead of him.) – “I think we have a great deal of confidence in Adam (Shaheen) and what he can do. He’s come in here, he’s learned the blocking schemes, he’s blocked well. Everybody can get better at that, but he’s done a good job there, and he’s a very good pass receiver. He’s been a big plus to our tight end room and we have a great deal of confidence in what he might be able to do in the future for us.”
(I wanted to ask you about poise and maturity as it relates to QB Tua Tagovailoa being 22. He kind of feels like an old soul to me. Can you think of an example of on-field poise and maybe off-field maturity since you’ve met the guy?) – “It’s hard to me to talk about on the field on game day, but in practice I see the way he interacts with the other players on our team and you see a real maturity there, the way he handles his interactions day to day, on a day-to-day basis. So is that on the field or is that off the field? I don’t know which one that is, but he really has a great deal of maturity in how he builds relationships with other people on the football team.”
