Tua Tagovailoa – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I wanted to give you an opportunity to shout out the offensive linemen, particularly the three rookies there. What did you think of the job they did and keeping you up this past Sunday, and I guess your thoughts on having three rookie offensive linemen there?) – “I think they were all chosen for a reason. I think the Miami Dolphins coaches, the GM (Chris Grier) and (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores, they made those decisions for a reason and I think they did a great job. Any time that you can come out of a game not getting sacked, I think that’s a really great job from the line up front. I think they’re all individually different. They’re all wired differently. They’re good at different things, but I think things are starting to come together for those guys up front. They’re starting to communicate a lot better, but it’s a day-to-day process with us offensively. We’ve just got to continue to work at what we need to to get the job the done and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(What comes to mind when you think of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes?) – “Same agent. (laughter) We’ve got the same agent. (laughter) But when you think of Patrick, you just think of someone who’s very explosive, a generational talent. He can do it all – on the run, in the pocket, look right, throw it behind his head (laughter) – whatever you want, that guy’s got it. So all the respect in the world from me to him.”
(You had a rough couple weeks between the Broncos game and then your injury and when we talked to you last week, you seemed a little down. Maybe you were just focused on the task at hand. How are you doing? How is your confidence? How is your outlook and what did you learn from the adversity you overcame the last couple of weeks?) – “Adversity has always been in my life from high school, college, the injuries and then also in the NFL. I think that’s just life. I think last week I was a little ‘down’ because of the way I practiced and it just wasn’t to the standard that I wanted to practice. You just learn from those things and like I said before, it’s a continuous learning process in the NFL. You learn day-to-day and week-to-week. There’s always something new to learn because defenses are not going to stay the same. They’re going to be different and then you also can expect some nuances coming into this game, too.”
(Do you enter this game kind of feeling the need to keep pace with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and I wanted to ask you about the red zone. Do you think some hurry-up or lining up quickly in the red zone could probably help you guys a little bit moving forward as well?) – “I think we’re going to need to execute every time we go out there offensively. I don’t think we need to do anything new. We’ve just got to go out there and have all 11 guys playing together and being on the same page, really. We’ve just got to be able to go out there and execute, do that and in the red area, I know (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) has something really good for us. But we’ve got to execute offensively. I believe we have the plays, just not executed the way we had done it in practice. It’s all about execution and you can only take it a play at a time and just don’t worry about anything else.”
(How much easier is your defense making your life with the way they’ve been playing?) – “I think the defense has a big part of our success as a team, too. They’ve done a tremendous job getting turnovers for us, putting us in great situations and then you also talk about our special teams. Our special teams does a great job of putting us in great situations and really it’s complementary football we’re playing out there. We’re just trying to play as a team and yeah, I’d say they definitely make it a lot easier for us.”
(I really appreciated that moment you had with G/T Robert Hunt earlier. It was good to see some laughter, some joy. It kind of reminded me of the locker room. I miss that. We’re not able to see a lot of those moments between the players that happen behind the scenes and I was thinking about how QB Ryan Fitzpatrick feels so comfortable in his assignment and his skin that he makes everyone around him feel comfortable. So my question is, in what ways are you feeling more comfortable? In what ways are you feeling more comfortable with your tasks and everything around you, having some starts under your belt and being near the end of your rookie season now?) – “I’d say I’m comfortable with what I’m given. Whatever plays that I’m given, I’m comfortable with them. Mind you, we talk about these things – me and (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) – we talk about what I like, talk about what I don’t like. I have as much input as anyone else does in our quarterback room and that’s what makes me that much comfortable to tell Chan, ‘hey, can we run this or can we not run this?’ So yeah, I would say I’m pretty comfortable with what I’m given.”
(A few minutes ago, we were talking with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and he was talking about some of the unconventional throws that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is able to pull off and he said something interesting about that. He saw it as something that would inspire other quarterbacks to try that and I’m wondering how confident are you in your ability to throw those sidearm throws and some of those others, and how would you feel about throwing passes with your right hand?) – “I’m not too sure. I don’t practice like any of those really. (laughter) So really, if I have to make a throw sidearm, then I guess that’s how it’ll happen in the game. Things just happen so fast in the game. You almost have no time to think; you’ve just got to react a lot of the times. But yeah, that’s what I have to say about that.”
(We talked I guess after the game about tempo and what you guys said there. I watched the game back and saw you guys did more empty formations as well. I’m curious what about those two packages make you comfortable as a quarterback – the tempo and the empty?) – “I think it helps just to kind of see the defense a little bit and see what the defense is going to give us – if they want to blitz or if they’re checking out of a blitz into coverage. I think that helps. I think that’s the biggest thing, really indicator formations.”
Jerome Baker – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
LB Jerome Baker
(I wanted to ask you about WR Tyreek Hill and the crossing routes that he often runs. How much are you going to have to keep an eye on him or keep an eye on whoever is on the slot, to slow them down as they are running across the field and maybe in your path?) – “It’s a constant communication thing as far as we just have to communicate it throughout the whole defense of whose where, do they have the potential to do a crossing route or whatever it is. It’s on a lot of us. We all have to alert each other and really hear each other and communicate well, and go from there really.”
(What was it like in the second half when CB Noah Igbinoghene got in the huddle more, filling in for CB Xavien Howard, and how happy were you of a teammate to see that he was able to pretty much hold it down, especially considering that he had some early struggles earlier in the season.) – “Yeah, we were definitely happy. At practice, he makes plays. He does the right things. He finally got his shot and we don’t expect a drop off. We definitely was all happy for him and we know he definitely can get the job done. We’re definitely happy that he got in and did what he had to do.”
(I don’t know if you can be a fan of players, but are you a fan of anything that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes does?) – “Yeah, I’m definitely a fan. One thing that I’m a fan of is he’s unorthodox. He throws the ball different ways and he gets it out however he has to get it out. There’s no set way with him. He just gets the job done. He’s definitely fun to watch and I’m definitely excited for this Sunday to go up against him and basically have that challenge of slowing him down and slowing all the guys they have down. I’m definitely excited.”
(You guys have been successful being aggressive all year with your blitzes and whatnot. Can you still be that sort of defense against a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, and with all the skill guys they have on the other side?) – “I think that’s the challenge we’re going up against. You still want to be aggressive, but you can’t be too aggressive. That’s just the main challenge we have. We’re definitely going to see how everything shakes out. Ultimately, our defense is built on being aggressive, so we’re just going to wait until Sunday and see how it works out.”
(Looking back over some recent weeks, you guys have done a good job of limiting the opposing team’s leading receiver pretty much every week going back for several weeks now. What’s the key to taking away the offense’s best option?) –“Are you talking about in general or this week?”
(Let’s go with this week.) – “This week it’s all about playing team defense. We can’t rely on one person or two guys or whatever it is. You can’t just double somebody or do things like that. You also have to play together. You have to alert guys across the field. You have to communicate and play together as a defense. The d-Line has to go along with the coverage. It truly has to be a team defensive game. That’s the challenge we have and the one thing about us is we’re always excited for the challenge. We’re definitely excited to go out there and play together, and everything should work out.”
(What gives you that confidence knowing that your defense can go out and perform this Sunday? Where does it come from?) – “The work we put in this whole year. Whatever it is, if it’s Zoom meetings, if it’s on the field – if we put the work in, we truly believe in the guys we have. I think that’s the confidence we have. Our preparation and how we go about doing things, it gives us the confidence. We definitely should be fine. We just have to play together and it all should work out.”
(Going up against QB Tua Tagovailoa, whenever you guys have the hurry-up offense in practice, how do you think that’s going to help you guys prepare for the Chiefs? They have that as a big aspect of their game as well.) – “It’s definitely going to help. We’ve been practicing that quite a few times throughout the year. It’s definitely going to help us; but the main thing is we have to communicate, get ready, get set fast. You can’t just mosey around and just think everything is going to happen. You really have be intentional with what you have to do, communicate fast and ultimately get the job done. We’ve been doing it all year. We have a little experience doing it, so we should be all right.”
(You get a little bit of tight end work too – not a lot, but a little bit. How confident are you guys in what S Eric Rowe has done and contributed this year in terms of tight end coverage?) – “We’re very confident. He’s been proving it week in and week out. We’re definitely confident in him. We’re going to ask him to do a number of things. We’re definitely excited. We definitely believe in him. Ultimately it’s going to be a great challenge for him Sunday.”
(You mentioned challenge. I guess since Week 5, the Chiefs have had the No. 1 scoring offense, and you guys have had the No. 1 scoring defense. It’s sort of good against good. Do you guys look at this as some sort of respect game? A way to show that you guys are for real against the reigning champs?) – “I think the one thing unique about us is this game is a great challenge in the sense of we’re going to see – we’re going to play our best football and they are going to play their best football. Two good teams are going to go at it and truly just go at it with each other. They are coming down to us. We pride ourselves on protecting our home. Ultimately, it’s going to be a great, great game. The atmosphere is going to be there. It’s just a chance for us to go out and play some meaningful football. I think that’s the main thing for us. We’re just excited to go out there and play some games that truly mean something and go out there and have fun with each other.”
Zach Sieler – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
DT Zach Sieler
(What do you think is most unique about the Chiefs offense and what they bring?) – “They’re just a very versatile offense. Obviously they’re a great offense. They have lots of weapons and we’ve just got to prepare accordingly.”
(When you study Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and how difficult it is or is not to sack him, what do you notice?) – “He’s very elusive. He’s very good at reading the pocket and getting out of the pocket. We’ve just got to make sure we’re on top of things and we do what we can.”
(You guys have been aggressive throughout the year. How do you balance that against a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, who can sort of dice an aggressive defense at times?) – “We definitely have a game plan for this offense because they are so powerful and have so many weapons on the edge, inside, quarterback and all of that kind of stuff. So we’re really just making sure our game plan is right and doing what we can.”
(Kind of piggybacking on that question, what’s the challenge and what’s the benefit of being able to get pressure with your front four, particularly up the middle?) – “Yeah, you’ve got to get pressure. Obviously they have lots of guys that can burn you and get long bombs and (Mahomes) has the arm for it. You’ve got to get in there. You can’t just let him sit back there. That’s a challenge, to make sure we get there and don’t let him extend plays.”
(The three rookie offensive linemen, that was the first time in team history that three rookies have started on the line. Going up against them in practice, I was wondering what your impressions were of G/T Robert Hunt, T Austin Jackson and G Solomon Kindley, and the work they did this past Sunday to keep QB Tua Tagovailoa clean.) – “Yeah, they work. All throughout camp when I was here, they were coming in just as rookies and they strapped up and worked. I think they’ve definitely taken the steps they needed to do as rookies to progress and protect Tua back there and become a great o-line for us.”
Raekwon Davis – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
DT Raekwon Davis
(I asked Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby about this this week about the potential long-term of you and DT Christian Wilkins. Obviously he’s excited about it. Do you and Christian ever talk about forming the basis of a long-term defensive line unit here? Is that ever anything you all talk about the future?) – “We just hope we be around each other for a long time. We love this team, we love the defense, we love the head coach, we love the defensive coordinator, we love everything about it. We just hope we be around each other forever, for real.”
(It’s kind of nice to see everyone smiling and laughing because football is a serious business and everyone is very serious. Do you know a side of Tua that’s actually kind of funny? What if anything does he do that makes people smile?) – “He has this weird dance that he be doing. I actually recorded him one time doing it. He does this dance and it’s just so funny. I don’t know where he got it from. It’s a Hawaiian thing, I guess.”
(You and Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby have talked about you coming along and playing better in the second half of the season. I’m curious from your perspective, what’s next? What can you do to take your game to another level here at the end of the season?) – “Just keep working and keep processing. Just keep learning my playbook and just stay ahead of the game. That’s about it for me.”
(Can QB Tua Tagovailoa dance?) – “He’s got some moves.”
(How does QB Tua Tagovailoa rank as far as best dancers on the team?) – “I don’t know. I’ve got ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker). I’ve got ‘Bake.’ ‘Bake’ is probably the best dancer on the team right now.”
(What about playing the world champs brings out the best in you?) – “Last year, they just won the Super Bowl so they are a great team – a great offense, great defense. I’m very familiar with Chris Jones. I worked with him during the offseason. A great group of guys.”
(Being unusually tall for your position, how often do you have to remind yourself or how often are your coaches reminding you to stay low, stay low, stay low?) –“Not all the time; but sometimes I can pop up. I am 6-foot-7, so sometimes I get high. I just try to stay low and do the best I can. It’s hard though.”
(You’ve played games at the highest level at the level you played previously in college. What does it take to win a big game when everybody is watching and all of the pressure is on?) – “Just everybody focusing and everybody together. Defend the deep part of the field, communicate, setting the edge and tackling. That’s where it starts.”
(You guys have faced a few good quarterbacks this year, but I guess QB Patrick Mahomes is unique. When you watch him, what stands out about what he does and what issues he may give you guys on Sunday?) – “He’s accurate with his throws. He’s quick. He gets it out real fast, he gets it out hot and he’s fun to watch. He makes unbelievable throws. It’s crazy how he makes them throws. He’s a nice quarterback. It’s crazy I’m fitting to play Pat Mahomes.”
DeVante Parker – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
WR DeVante Parker
(We haven’t talked to you since the last game. Take me through your emotions of what happened in that fourth quarter skirmish and what you were trying to do standing up for WR Jakeem Grant?) – “I saw the same guy hit him twice. I saw ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) go out there, so I just went out there. Then some guys started swinging. I was just trying to have my teammates’ back. That’s it. That’s all it is. We’re a brotherhood; we’re a family. You have to look out for your teammates.”
(I saw the Adam Schefter tweet with the kid wearing the Uncle Vante hospital gown. I wanted to ask you how did that come about and how you got involved with the Starlight Children’s Foundation?) – “We wanted to try to do something with them this year. So I was able to do that. I wasn’t able to talk to the kids but I was able to waive at them through the window. It was a good experience, giving back to the community. I’m looking forward to doing more of that with them.”
(Do you anticipate any repercussions coming down for you? Have you heard about a fine or anything?) – “Yeah, I’ve heard I’ll probably get a fine for it. It’s probably in the locker room waiting for me but I haven’t been in the locker room yet, so I’m not sure.”
(The Chiefs, everybody knows how much of a high-scoring offense they are. How confident are you that this team can put up the points that they need to keep pace?) – “We just have to execute our plays. Just take one play at a time. We don’t need to go for the big play all at once, if we can keep the driving moving. We take it one play at a time, that’s all.”
(It seems like your timing and chemistry with QB Tua Tagovaoloa has improved over the last few weeks. What do you attribute that to, and how do you anticipate that going from here on out?) – “I would attribute that to staying after practice and getting throws with him, getting catches in with him after practice. It’s just something that we have to continue doing.”
(You talk about the Chiefs. Obviously it’s no secret that they are the champs. Is there any extra motivation to prove you guys are for real with this type of opponent?) – “We don’t need any extra motivation. We just go out there and take it one play at a time. Just go out there and execute what we have to do.”
Brian Flores – December 9, 2020 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Kansas City Media
(I want to take you back to your time in New England in 2018. Obviously you got a chance to see Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in his MVP season; but I’m curious, now that you look at the tape two years later after the fact, what are some of the small things that you see that he’s doing differently compared to 2018?) – “Obviously that was an MVP season for him, so he was doing a lot of good things, a lot of things very well that year; but I think you see a lot of growth from him, even more command of the offense, more confidence, more – to say he’s more accurate is – but he is. I think that’s in part due to even a raised level of confidence. You see a more mature player, which makes sense as well. He’s very well-coached and he does a great job. (Offensive Coordinator) Eric Bieniemy does a great job and he’s got a lot of skill players and he does a good job of spreading the ball around and making sure – taking what the defense gives him, going after big plays, hitting them and just running that offense at a very, very high level.”
(As somebody who has come from the Patriots, you’re used to the job of defending a Super Bowl championship. What are some of the things – the challenges – for a team in that situation like the Chiefs are in this year?) – “I’m not sure if that’s kind of the mindset for those guys, as far as defending last year. I think they take a one-game-at-a-time approach. I think they deal with what’s right in front of them. I think that’s the approach. I think it’s about executing in practice and in meetings and walkthrough and executing at practice. They play as if that’s how they go about their business from an execution standpoint. I think they just deal with what’s in front of them and take it one day at a time and one game at a time. I believe that that’s how they’re handling their business. It certainly looks that way.”
(You’ve been around and seen some high-quality tight ends in your time. With the level that Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is playing at right now, what’s the approach? How do you handle a guy like that who seems to be playing at the best level of his career right now?) – “Yeah, this is an elite-level player in this league. Good in the pass game, good in the run game. They move him around and he goes up and makes very good catches, very good (yards) after the catch. Again, this is an elite player in the league and it’ll be a tough challenge for us from a matchup standpoint, from do you man (coverage) it, do you zone (coverage) it? Very good players, well-coached and obviously he has a great rapport with the quarterback, so it’ll be a tough challenge for us.”
(You’ve got a pretty good tight end down there in Miami as well with TE Mike Gesicki. How much film does he watch of Chiefs TE Travis Kelce or even some of the other tight ends in the league to help his growth?) – “Yeah, Mike (Gesicki) watches – I think he watches a lot of the tight ends – the good tight ends in the league, Kelce being one of them. Mike is improving, getting better on a weekly basis and I’ve watched him develop a lot over the last couple years and hopefully he continues to develop. Obviously he’s got a great challenge with the Chiefs defense this week. I think there are some guys on there – Daniel Sorensen, obviously (Tyrann) Mathieu, (Frank) Clark, (Chris) Jones – I think they’ve got a very good defense. They’re well-coached with ‘Spags’ (Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) there. My guy (Chiefs Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line) Brendan Daly, who is probably one of my closest friends in the coaching business, is there, and he does a great job. They’re a great staff from that standpoint. I’m sure I’ll certainly be saying my hellos to Andy (Reid) and Eric Bieniemy and Brendan and ‘Spags’ and Merritt (Chiefs Defensive Backs Coach Dave Merritt). So they’ve got a good staff and you can see kind of the tenacity and the toughness and the competitiveness that I know a lot of the guys on that staff, you see that kind of manifest itself through the way they play. It’ll definitely be a challenge for us.”
(Here in Kansas City, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes got to sit for a whole year and kind of watch and learn before he had to start and now your guy, QB Tua Tagovailoa, got to sit for about a half a year. What’s his growth been like? Have you seen him – he’s taken a few lumps here and there – but has he continued to show you what you want as the season has gone along?) – “Yeah, I think Tua has improved on a weekly basis, like all over our rookies have. We’re playing a good amount of rookies this year; but to me, every experience you get on the field is a good one. I think he’s kind of learning on the fly how to be a professional in this league (and) the things you’ve got to do in meetings and walkthrough and practice, to have success in games. I think he’s improving every day, getting better and hopefully we just continue to get better. We are about developing players here – not just at the quarterback position, but we’ve got a handful of rookies that are playing a good amount of snaps. Tua is just one of that group and I know the quarterback position is a big one that everyone talks about, but I think he’s doing a good job.”
(Following up on that last question, have you learned anything about QB Tua Tagovailoa in the five, six games, whatever it’s been since he’s been your starter?) – “Yeah, I’ve learned a lot about him and I think it just reinforces a lot of things we thought about him when we selected him. He’s tough, he’s resilient, he’s accurate throwing the football, and I think he’s an improving player. We’ll just continue to coach him, help him grow.”
(From your point of view, obviously there’s a lot going on with the 2020 year and also the 2020 season. What’s been the biggest challenge for you as we get near the end of the regular season, to keep your players diligent and not get complacent with COVID protocols?) – “The biggest challenge, I think every team deals with adversity in some form or fashion. I think we’re all – the entire league is under the same protocol – so it’s hard to call it a ‘challenge.’ I think these are just things we deal with. I think you deal with injuries every year. I think you deal with matchups every year – offensively, defensively. If I had to point to one thing – it’s hard to point to one thing, to be honest with you. Hopefully our team doesn’t sit there and say ‘this is the biggest challenge.’ It’s just, another challenge and we try to do our best to deal with it and overcome it. And that’s been the case this year given the pandemic, given trying to play football through it and I think our guys have really worked hard to give ourselves a chance to work through it and hopefully we continue to do so. That starts definitely this week.”
(How’s the confidence level of your team grown? You lost three of the first four and you kind of got on that roll. Have you seen that grow as the entire team – even with a quarterback change kind of back and forth in the middle of it? Have you guys really kind of gotten that confidence going as the season has gone along and how do you feel as you push towards the playoffs?) – “I think we’ve got a group of guys that enjoy playing with one another, that support each other, that fight for each other and football is important to them. They’re all tough, competitive guys. This is a scrappy team and it’s really important to them. I think as you grow, I think they’re confident in one another and they know that we’re going to go out there and compete. It’s a tough group.”
(You go back to the Chiefs game on Sunday night against Denver and the one touchdown they got came on a free play where the Broncos jumped offsides and QB Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass. He looks like he’s got a knack for those kind of situations. He’s done that thing a few times. Is he about as good as you’ve seen in that area? Have you seen guys who are better than him and what’s your advice to your guys as you prepare to play for him in those situations?) – “Look, this is a great quarterback. You put him up there with the other guys you’ve seen do something similar – the Aaron Rodgers, the Mannings, the Bradys. He’s an elite quarterback. I think that goes without saying. So it’ll be an incredible challenge for us. If you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay for it; and he’s got a lot of guys on his side of the ball that help him make you pay for it. We’ve got to do a great job across the board and I think if you watch enough of this group. teams try basically everything and at the end of the day, you’ve just got to play smart, disciplined football (with) good fundamentals and let the chips fall where they fall.”
Brian Flores – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I’m sure the Chiefs are no different than any other team in how they like to move around their receiving pieces on the line. How critical is it for you guys on the back end and the secondary to have that communication and make sure you have the matchups you want, whenever those guys…) – “Yeah, I think like every week, communication is vital, especially against a team like this with so many explosive weapons. (They have) a great quarterback and a great play-caller, so we’re going to have to do a good job on the back end, but also really across the board defensively. This will take a total team effort. Everyone has to handle their responsibility and communicate just to give ourselves a chance. This is as explosive a team as there is in the league, as you all know. We’re going to have to do a good job across the board.”
(Over the years, there’s a lot more great receivers than tight ends. When you have a great tight end, it seems like there’s a lot of things you can do with that. A guy like TE Travis Kelce, what does having a guy who can do the things he can do at the tight end position, specifically what challenges does that create?) – “Well, when you have an elite player like that, you have to pay close attention to him. When he’s in the tight end position and he’s in the middle of the field – they do a good job of flexing him out, they move him around a lot, so you have to pay close attention to him. You have to try not to have a bad matchup with him because if you do, obviously (Patrick) Mahomes is going to get it to him. It creates a lot of issues and oftentimes, you’ve got to double the guy. But when you double him and they’ve got guys on the perimeter, then those guys get singled. So it presents a lot of issues. I think oftentimes you’re looking at him and then they stick a run in there, and they get yardage in the run game because of that as well. He’s a dynamic player. He’s one of many on their offense and defense. Let’s not forget about this defense either. They’ve got some explosive players there too – guys who can ruin a game. They’ve got a good team.”
(You guys have been aggressive this year attacking offenses and having some success. Is that something you can continue against QB Patrick Mahomes? Or how much does he change what you do as far as your blitz packages and whatnot?) – “Look, they’ve got a lot of explosive players. We always want to be aggressive. The game is aggressive. It’s an aggressive game. We want to call it aggressively. We want to call it aggressively in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – and they’re no different. They try to apply pressure really in all three phases, as well. I think (Head Coach) Andy (Reid), (Offensive Coordinator) Eric (Bieniemy) – I would say these are two of the best guys in the league. They do a great job. ‘Spags’ (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) does a great job on defense. (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Toub does a great job in the kicking game. They’ve got a great staff and very good players. Like every game plan, there’s a mix of things you want to do. Every team’s got it. Every team’s got blitzes, every team’s got pressures, every team’s got coverages. So we’ll see how the game unfolds. We’ll have a plan going in. Oftentimes that plan has to be adjusted. That’s another thing about this group. Andy and ‘Spags’ do a great job – and Eric – they do a great job of making adjustments in-game, so it will be a great challenge.”
(With G Solomon Kindley, being able to move him from right to left guard there when G Ereck Flowers got injured this past game, how does that interchangeability help you and just engaging the assessment and performance of specifically the three rookies, making history and being able to play there. Just revisit that one more time.) – “It’s always nice to have – you need position versatility, really across the board and specifically at the offensive line (positions). We can only bring eight to the game, so if you want to play the top guys, a guy that can go from right to left or guard to center or right tackle to left tackle, as Jesse (Davis) has done, right tackle to guard, or tackle to guard, that flexibility is very important. It gives us a few options. But yeah, those three young guys, I think they’ve improved on a weekly basis. They’re a very challenging opponent this week against this group. Again, Frank Clark and (Chris) Jones, they’ve got a very good group here. It will be a tough challenge. We’ve got to prepare well this week.”
(What are the challenges and potential benefits of going no-huddle with a young quarterback?) – “Again, every week is different. The challenges – look, this is a very good defense. They do a good job of disguising. They do a good job with the rush. They do a good job in the run game. No-huddle, that’s kind of the big thing that everyone’s talking about right now but I think we’ve just got to do a good job of executing. You can no-huddle, you can huddle, you can do whatever you want but if you don’t execute, none of it works. I think this idea of no-huddle is kind of a fancy word right now for us but you can no-huddle and you have to execute. I don’t have much more to add to that except if we don’t execute, we can no-huddle and not execute and we’re off the field quicker. We just have to execute – no-huddle and when we go in the huddle.”
(I’m curious your thoughts on how QB Tua Tagovailoa responded over the past week or week and a half to the benching, to the injury. At what point last week did you have a good sense that he’d be able to play and did he show you something with his resiliency of how he bounced back after a rough couple of weeks?) – “I’ve been talking about his resiliency for weeks. Nobody’s listening. (laughter) Look, this is a tough kid. He knows how to deal with adversity. I’ve said this for multiple weeks. He’s like any player. He’ll have ups and downs in this league. Anybody who is involved in this league, that’s how it is. It’s not surprising that he can deal with adversity or has a resilient attitude. That’s kind of how he is, who he is. I think he’s done a good job from that standpoint.”
(In 2018, you faced the Chiefs and had two pretty epic games. The 43-40 regular-season game and then the AFC Championship game where you held them scoreless for a half. What have you seen in QB Patrick Mahomes and just kind of the team, in general, evolve since then? And what do you remember about those games?) – “I remember it was hard to stop them. It’s still hard to stop them. It’s probably harder to stop them now. I think this is a – I think Andy (Reid) and (General Manager Brett) Veach, they’ve done a really good job of building this team. My buddy (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) Ryan Poles is in the scouting department, my B.C. (Boston College) guy. Ryan Poles is in the scouting department there, so I’ll give him a shout out. They’ve got a lot of great guys over there. (Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line) Brendan Daly, I would say is one of my closest friends in the coaching business. He’s their run game coordinator and a fantastic coach. (Eric) Bieniemy. When you talk about kind of seeing a team evolve, they’ve got a little bit of a killer instinct. (Patrick) Mahomes has got it. (Travis) Kelce has got it. (Tyrann) Mathieu defensively. (Chris) Jones. When they smell blood in the water, they go after you. I think that’s – I see Bieniemy there, I see Andy (Reid) there, I see B.D. (Brendan Daly) as part of that. ‘Spags’ (Steve Spagnuolo) obviously. They’ve got a really good staff. I know they’re coaching those guys hard and their players respond. Yeah, you’ve seen a lot of growth obviously since the last time I was on the field coaching against this group. They’re better. They’re confident. They play hard. They execute. They’ve got good coaches. If E.B. (Eric Bieniemy) is not a head coach here soon, something is wrong. It’s a good team. It’s a great challenge for us and we’re going to have to prepare and practice well this week, and play a competitive ballgame.”
(Do you have any kind of update on WR Preston Williams you can share with us?) – “Preston is obviously dealing with a foot (injury), and we’re coming towards the end of the season here. We’ll see. We’ll see if we can get him back. He’s doing everything he can from a rehab standpoint. We’ll see.”
(Us outside of the building have fun with this matchup, figuring out whose on WR Tyreek Hill, whose on TE Travis Kelce. I’m sure you guys have those conversations. Maybe not as fun. I don’t want your game plan, but what goes into that decision of which corner to have on this guy or how to handle Kelce? How do you go about that in a particular week?) – “Hill or Kelce? Because you said both guys?”
(I guess both, but maybe WR Tyreek Hill since we talked about TE Travis Kelce earlier.) – “Who are you going to put on (Sammy) Watkins? Who are you going to put on Mecole (Hardman)? Who are you going to put on (Demarcus) Robinson. We’ve got to handle the backs too. (Clyde) Edwards-Helaire is a good back. Le’Veon Bell isn’t a slouch either. I wish we could have 14 defenders. That would be nice. They are hard conversations. Do we man them? Do we zone them? Do we blitz them? Andy (Reid) has every play in the history of the National Football League. They run option, they run RPOs (run-pass options), they missile motion you. It’s not going to be easy. You guys can have fun with that. We’ll do our best to try to get them covered and get them matched up. I know that doesn’t answer your question; but I think ultimately, we have to do a good job of communication, we’ve got to get lined up, we’ve got to play a disciplined football game, defend the deep part of the field and force them to execute, which they do a good job of executing. Not give up anything easy.”
Anthony Campanile – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile
(Yesterday, S Eric Rowe talked a little about the calming presence of having LB Kyle Van Noy on the defense because he can effectively and confidently make the checks pre-snap. I was just hoping to get your thoughts on that and maybe talk about kind of the hidden value that presence provides.) – “I think that’s always extremely valuable when you have somebody who knows the system as well as Kyle (Van Noy) does and is as conscientious and works that hard at it throughout the week, based on what we’re trying to do with checks and stuff like that within the system. I think he does a great job with that and I would agree with Eric (Rowe), I think he’s a big help for everybody when he’s on the field.”
(One of your boys was saying that I messed up, that I didn’t ask you about your hair gel.) – “Ah, you know what, I’m more of a spray guy, though. (laughter) I’m more of a spray guy. I’ve got massive amounts of spray in my hair every day. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you – I’m asking all the defensive coaches – obviously the Chiefs are very, very talented as we all know, but what are some things that let you know that your guys on the defense have a chance to slow them down on Sunday?) – “I think we just have to do our part and focus on ourselves and play our best game like we talk about doing every week. That’s always been ‘Coach Flo’s’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) message, and I think he’s done a great job with that with our guys, just trying to get better and better every week. Each week, when you have a new challenge and every team has different personnel, you try to get the best plan together and the players have got to do their best to execute that plan. That’s honestly what we’re working on right now and what we’re excited to get working on with the players when they get back to the facility. It certainly presents a big challenge.”
(There were a couple games recently where we asked you about when LB Jerome Baker’s snaps were in the 20s. That changed last week. It was back to where he typically is. Did you and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Head Coach Brian Flores have any discussion about we need to make sure he’s on the field a lot? Was that any talk you had, and do you feel like he needs to be on the field a lot more with what he brings?) – “I think any time he’s out on the field like I’ve said to you before, I feel great. I think he’s done a great job for us – all the snaps that he’s been in and I talked about this a couple weeks ago, each game plan is different and then you just try to match up the personnel that’s out on the field. I think they did a really good job the other day. I thought the same thing in the game up in Jersey when we played the Jets. That’s really just – it’s basically the same answer I gave you two weeks ago, but he’s done a great job with the reps we give him and it’s usually just always based on what we’re seeing in that game.”
(I’m curious, obviously you spent a lot of time coaching in the collegiate ranks. Is there anything that you’ve seen from coaching in college that could maybe be implemented more, in your opinion, in the NFL?) – “I just think offensively, a lot of the college concepts are trickling into the NFL and they have been for years now. I think guys are always bringing ideas and you’re always kind of talking about those things because what you see on Saturday – like I said – is starting to creep into everybody’s game plan offensively on Sunday. And the more – we have so many great minds in this room, this defensive room – guys have some great ideas and guys have been a bunch of different places whether it’s (Defensive Backs Coach) Gerald Alexander or (Defensive Line Coach) Marion Hobby or (Outside Linebackers Coach) Austin Clark. You go down the list – Coach Boyer, Coach Flores; so we’re always kind of discussing ideas and every week, like I said, people have some great offensive game plans – certainly in this league – and they’re implementing some of the college stuff and it makes you work. It makes you gather ideas and discuss all that stuff.”
