Gerald Alexander – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander
(I’m curious, do you guys have like a trophy or something waiting for CB Xavien Howard if he breaks the team record in interceptions?) – “I don’t know about all that, but I would love for him to just continue to do the special things that he’s been doing this season as far as getting his hands on the football. One of the things that he does so well is put himself in position to give himself that opportunity when they try him. We always talk about when technique and opportunity meet, that’s when splash plays happen. He’s having a special year and we need him to continue to play at this high level that he’s been playing all season.”
(You might have heard the end, but I asked Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark and Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile about being collegiate coaches going into the NFL. I’m curious from your perspective, as you see maybe the offenses evolve more to collegiate, how does your experience in the college level maybe help you teach some of these players how to stop these offenses?) – “To be honest with you, I think that my path – and I can’t be thankful enough for the people that have kind of helped me into this coaching profession. Going through the college ranks and being with some of the individuals that I got a chance to work with, I believe gave me a great foundation to be prepared to have the opportunity to do what I’m doing here now. That’s kind of the way the game has really kind of filtered up. Seeing some of these pre-snap across motions, missile motions, orbit motions and the things that Kansas City is doing and the things we saw against the Rams and just the way that football is right now, it’s kind of reflecting the collegiate game. It’s giving me a great understanding and a foundation to be able to do what I need to do now and that’s teaching these guys how to defend these particular attacks and putting our players in the best positions possible to have success on Sunday. I can’t thank the people enough to put me in this position.”
(Kind of continuing that theme of I guess learning as a coach, I wanted to ask about CB Byron Jones because every time we get him on, he’s so articulate and well-thought-out in his responses. I know you’re very in-tune to the process of learning and finetuning your craft. I’m wondering how Byron’s ability to both process and communicate has helped you grow as a coach and then obviously the ultimate impact that has on the defensive back room as a whole.) – “Byron (Jones) is a very, very smart player. I think that from myself to Byron to (Coaching Assistant) Charles Burks, who works with the corners as well, all of us in the secondary really kind of challenge one another and being able to, especially for us as coaches, to be great teachers and give these guys the valuable information and the useful information that they can apply on a game day or a specific rep to put themselves in positions to make plays. I think that that’s kind of led to the success that we’ve had as a secondary and as a defense, and that work is only going to continue to ramp itself up, starting with this week and really when you get into the month of December. They remember December and we’re just doing everything we can as coaches, as a secondary, as a crew, to put ourselves in the best positions possible for Sundays.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Noah Igbinoghene. What are some things that he has improved on since he got a chance to play earlier in the season and how did you see that translate to the field in the second half?) – “Noah (Igbinoghene) has done a really good job. Noah is in a very unique situation; he’s a high-round draft guy playing behind two of the more elite corners that are in the National Football League, that are playing at a high level. So he’s able to really kind of lock in and get valuable practice reps. I think the things that he’s improved on over the course of the season is, especially as a corner, is just his foot work. This is still a guy who was a very athletic prospect coming in, but doesn’t really have a lot of the banked reps as a corner as a guy that’s asked to play at this level right now. Something as small fundamentally as his patience and his footwork at the line of scrimmage, which he works diligently on every single day and being able to take practice reps against DeVante (Parker) and Jakeem (Grant) and all that stuff. So when he gets thrust into action like he was on Sunday, those are the things that he’s been working on. It’s been a long time since that Buffalo Bills game, but now he’s kind of worked himself into continuing to develop as we had planned for him all along. This guy was always going to be a developing prospect with great skill.”
(Obviously the Chiefs bring what they bring to the table on an offensive standpoint. I wanted to ask you, what are some things that you’re confident about on the defense that lets you know you guys have a chance to slow them down on Sunday?) – “For us, we’ve just got to play our brand of football and obviously this is a very talented offense, really on all levels, whether you start with the quarterback, the tight end, the elite speed of the receivers. We understand the challenge that is being presented when you have the reigning Super Bowl champions coming into town; but we love the fact that we have the guys that we have. We like our matchups. We like our secondary and what our defense has done throughout the course of the season, which doesn’t guarantee any success on Sunday, so we know that this week is a great week to work and get familiar with these guys and know what they’re trying to do and how they’re going to attack us; and on the flip side, how we can attack them and how we can take advantage of maybe some things that we feel like that are strengths on our part, and we like our matchups there. So we know we have a lot of work to do between now and Sunday when we kick off, and I think that everybody in the building is very excited for the challenge that this Sunday presents.”
(I wanted to ask you about Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill. When you have a guy that moves around so much pre-snap and in the formation and you definitely have to give him extra attention, probably double cover, how difficult is it and can it lead to breakdowns when he’s just everywhere?) – “I think really to be honest with you, with a guy like that who’s an explosive target who moves all around, I think it really challenges your communication and where guys need to be and having an understanding of where he is. Maybe one movement in and out of motion across the formation can maybe change a matchup or change a call or change a rotation or something like that. I think that’s where you could really – you’ve really got to lock in throughout the week and that’s where the hard work of figuring out where he’s going to be, how is he going to line up, how are they going to move him and how does that directly affect us? And making sure that regardless of where he’s going to be located pre- or post-snap, that all 11 individuals on defense have an understanding of where they’re supposed to be and how this puzzle is supposed to fit. Again, it’s just another challenging thing that we have as a secondary, we have as a defense, and obviously there’s other guys that move around. There’s (Mecole) Hardman who also presents the same elite speed that Tyreek presents, and we know that blade of grass will be attacked with ‘15’ (Patrick Mahomes) at the point of the engine that drives the car, so we look forward to it.”
Austin Clark – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark
(We know how great the Chiefs and their personnel are, but what are some things that make you believe that you guys and your personnel have a chance to slow them down on Sunday?) – “The Chiefs are a great team, obviously. The quarterback, receivers, running back – you look all over the place and they’ve got great players. We’re looking forward to the challenge but we’re just focused on getting better today. I think the guys are doing a heck of a job playing hard, trusting the process, believing in the game plan, and playing for each other, and I’m excited about getting on the field tomorrow with them.”
(You’ve obviously spent a lot of time coaching in the college ranks. When you see the offense evolving to more collegiate stuff in the NFL, how does what you bring from the college ranks kind of influence what your teaching style is for these NFL players?) – “I would say there is a lot of different – I actually caught the tail end of ‘Camp’s’ (Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile) answer, so I know you’re going to be like, ‘man, he’s saying the same stuff’ – but I’ll tell you what, I’ve picked up personally a lot of stuff from some of the other college coaches that are on our staff, which is pretty cool. Also, I think there is an element of us as college coaches in what ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) have done for so long on defense, being able to learn from. The other thing is having young players that have come in and we’re asking them to do maybe some things similar to what they did in college, which I think is awesome. We’re looking forward to the challenge this week.”
(One of the things I really enjoy about watching this Dolphins defense is kind of playing like ‘Where is Waldo,’ when you guess line up pre-snap. I’m curious, the value of having guys like a LB Kyle Van Noy or LB Jerome Baker, that can both line up in those A gaps or rush from the outside. What does that do for you guys as a defense to have that versatility at that position?) – “I think that kind of goes across the whole defense, to be honest with you, in terms of guys that are selfless. It may be their week to make the play, or maybe the scheme calls for them to take on a double team. I think it’s a credit to those guys and how selfless they are within the scheme. It allows Josh (Boyer) to call different things and be multiple and versatile. Like I said, I’m excited for Sunday.”
(With LB Kyle Van Noy specifically, how much of a luxury is it to have a linebacker of that quality who can rush the passer, go out in coverage, and is it fun for you Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer to decide how he’s going to be used that week because of his diverse skillset?) – “I would say that the guy is a hell of a player. I think he’s getting better each week. I think his experience within the scheme is a huge benefit. I would say as coaches, the guy does stuff sometimes where you’re like, ‘man!’ The way he plays, his instincts are just as much of an asset as where he’s aligned. The guy makes big time plays in games and we’re lucky to have him, that’s for sure.”
Marion Hobby – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(We were talking to somebody earlier this week and they were talking about just the impact that DT Christian Wilkins has had since he’s come back. Oftentimes we, and outside people, look at stats and that sort of defines everything; but can you maybe take us into the impact he is making that may not be visibly seen in the stats for your defense?) – “One thing is if you’ve ever been around Christian before, you know his energy level is contagious. His personality is contagious. He leads by example on the field. He’s an unselfish football player. He doesn’t mind doing the dirty work inside. We’re just happy to have him back – we say meeting room, but on Zoom. We have him at practice. He brings a lot to the table.”
(I wanted to ask you about the combination of DT Raekwon Davis and DT Christian Wilkins. Obviously two young, talented players. From a standpoint of having defensive tackles with that skillset, is there anything you feel is unique about that combo that not every team has in terms of the skills those two former high-end college players bring?) – “I think them working to play together, trying to play as one. We always talk about everything starts inside out. If you’re not good inside, it’s hard to be good outside. I think those guys have taken a big-time pride in developing inside (and) working together. It’s been good to watch.”
(Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer was telling us a lot about WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce, obviously of course because of how talented they are. I wanted to ask you, what are some thine that you know about your defense and personnel that lets you know you guys definitely have a chance to slow them down a little bit on Sunday?) – “I think we have a confident group of men that we work with every day. I think they understand who they are going against this week, and I think they accept the challenge each week. I think we have some talent on our defense, as well. We always talk about playing as a team – offense, defense, and special teams. I think we’ve got some right pieces to the puzzle as well.”
(I also wanted to ask you about DE Jason Strowbridge. What does he do well at this point early in his career?) – “The times that he’s gotten into the game, he’s done good stuff in the run game. He hadn’t had that many opportunities in the pass game yet but, he’s very contentious. He comes to work every day. I think he’s got a little bit of both. He shows he can rush. He shows he can play the run. I think he’s excited about his opportunity. Getting more than two words out of him is probably the hardest thing, but he’ll work. (laughter)”
Danny Crossman – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(We always ask you about special teams plays that go right. I guess one didn’t go right the other day with the fake field goal touchdown negated by penalty. Can you explain to us what should’ve happened and what didn’t go right?) – “I think it’s quite simple. There is an emphasis since about the middle of last year on some broken formation reports and eligible. It’s a long list but the bottom line is we didn’t get done what we needed to get done. As always, that starts with me. We need to get better. When you get those opportunities, they don’t come along often and you’ve got to make sure you’re not beating yourself.”
(After that game, Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor had a pretty interesting quote I thought. He said ‘that is the No. 1 punt return unit in the league. He does not fare catch the ball,’ – referring to WR Jakeem Grant – ‘so you’ve got to put pressure on him.’ I’m wondering, obviously when two incidents like that happen to Jakeem, what was the message yesterday in film review and do you continue to push aggressiveness with him moving forward in terms of fielding the ball and utilizing that speed?) – “I think there is always a fine line. Yeah, we’re going to be aggressive; but we’re also trying to be smart and understand and manage the situation. Every punt is a different opportunity based on our look, their look, the punt. There are a lot of things that are involved in those decisions. The bottom line as a punt returner, the No. 1 job of that guy is making good decisions. We’ll just continue with our rules and how we want to play it, and make the right decisions hopefully each time.”
(Going back to that special teams play, you mentioned sort of a rule there. Is that a thing that’s sort of arbitrary where they call it or don’t call it? Or is that something where just the o-lineman made a mistake? I’m curious how that works?) – “It’s a little bit of a combination of a lot of things. Each crew is a little bit different in what they are looking for and what they feel they need. But if we’re doing everything like we should, it shouldn’t matter. We’ve just got to make sure we drill down and don’t out ourselves in a position where we are leaving it up to somebody else’s view of what’s happening.”
(Going back to WR Jakeem Grant and his punt return duties, don’t get me wrong, I totally find Jakeem blameless on what happened the other day, but do you think that he should fair catch more, for the sake of him staying alive? Would you like to see him fair catch more? What do you tell him about judging when to do it and when not to do it?) – “I think to answer your question, we have things that we tell them, and there are rules and different things that you give every player. At the end of the day, that’s why they are called players. It doesn’t happen on paper; it doesn’t happen in the meeting. It happens at full speed with live things coming at you, and the training of making those decisions. As I said, you want to be right on all of those decisions. Sometimes we may be wrong on some of those decisions. But we’ve just got to keep emphasizing what we are looking for and why. Then like anything, I don’t care what player it is – the punt returner, the quarterback, the left guard, the defensive end – on each play you have responsibilities and progressions, and our job as coaches is to give them all of the information and hopefully we make the right decisions in game time and game speed.”
(I know the league has gone through great lengths to make special teams safer, and kind of water it down in my opinion, for the players. But the two-yard window that these punt returners have, I don’t feel like it’s being honored this year. It especially wasn’t honored last week. Are they overlooking that? What happened to WR Jakeem Grant, that should kind of be an ejection, shouldn’t it?) – “Those things are way above my pay grade up in New York City, in terms of that stuff. It’s a bang, bang play. I think even those two plays were, to me, quite different. They were similar, but they were quite different in the timing and the spacing of it. It’s a tough deal. I don’t have a great answer for you. Yeah, I think the player’s safety should always be No. 1 at the top of anything – any rule and more importantly, how it’s judged on the field. But again, that’s not necessarily my department. We coach our guys on both sides of it of what the rules are and again, at game speed, everybody has to make those decisions.”
Chan Gailey – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey
(The third quarter when QB Tua Tagovailoa and the offense comes out, obviously we saw a lot of up-tempo. How much of the feedback and the conversation you have with Tagovailoa do you apply to the next week and moving forward, knowing that type of play style and scheme obviously benefited him and the offense?) – “I think we will continue to use it. How much? I think it will depend on the game; it will depend on the situation. We felt like that would help us in the second half of that game and obviously it did. I think as time goes on, we’ll just have to see how much of it we’ll use or what direction it goes. It was obviously good for him and for us. It will be a part of what we do, I’m pretty sure, from here on out.”
(What are the challenges and benefits of going up-tempo no-huddle with a young quarterback, specifically in this case, QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “The challenges are he doesn’t get as much time to see what is happening. The benefits are the defense doesn’t get as much time to see what’s happening. (laughter) You have to decide the trade off and that’s where it is. Are you gaining more by being in the up-tempo or are you hampering the quarterback’s ability to see everything that’s going on? As we design it – what we might use each week – we try to take that into consideration and use it to however it might be the most beneficial to us, so we can get the most out of it. Those are the two things that I would say.”
(I saw an interesting break down of QB Tua Tagovailoa on the internet, where they talked about how he can move defenders with his eyes, head, shoulders, hips and feet. I’m curious where he is on that in terms of being able to mislead or trick defenders?) – “I think he’s learning everyday about how to do that. In college, you look one way and you turn back and you throw, and you can be kind of definitive about it. You look hard one way and then come back and throw the other way. You have to be a lot more subtle here. Those defenders have seen a lot of things, if they are not rookies. You have to be more subtle about it and I think he’s learning the subtleties of looking with his eyes or moving his shoulders instead of moving his eyes and doing things like that. I think he’s coming along in that.”
(I wanted to ask a specific question about WR Lynn Bowden Jr. We got teased based on what he did last week with the ball in his hands and his ability to make defenders miss. We’ve seen that in his film at Kentucky. What’s been the hindrance in why he hasn’t gotten to the point where he can contribute on a regular basis and what’s next for him?) – “There are a lot of things that go into a season. It could be injury, it could be anything. This year it could be COVID. There are a lot of things that go into that. Then if somebody else is playing good and a guy gets hurt – like Malcolm (Perry) got hurt, Lynn got a chance and Lynn did some good things. That’s what you have to do in this league is you have to take advantage of your opportunities, and he did that last week. I think we will continue to try to use him and let him get some touches, along with some of these other guys that we think can make plays for us.”
(On the broadcast of the game last week, the guys that were the broadcasters had done a previous game for you guys, and they said that when they talked to you, you had told them that you don’t like the up-tempo, no-huddle stuff. You prefer execution as opposed to going fast. I just want to hear it from you – is that true and why do you feel that way and how do you feel about the no-huddle and all of that stuff?) – “I probably said something along those lines because you don’t get to take advantage of some things sometimes when you’re going into the up-tempo because it is – You don’t have your whole offense up-tempo. You have limited packages in that. You want to try to take advantage of what you can take advantage of. Sometimes the tempo does take advantage of some things. You’ve got to be flexible. You’ve got to be able to go do different things in order to move the football. If up-tempo is one of those things, we’re going to use that to help us.”
(Outside of tempo, you guys did a lot of empty in this game, and had some success with that. What sort of things does empty packages unlock for QB Tua Tagovailoa as far as what you guys can do in the passing game?) – “First, it defines rushers. People got to go out and cover those guys, so it defines who is rushing. That means if they bring one more than you have blockers, then you’ve got to get rid of it. We got caught on that one time and it almost cost us. We feel like it gives him an opportunity to see where the rushers are coming from, and then see where the matchups are that we like. Who’s on who, you can see that more distinctly, rather than being in closed formations where they can disguise better. Those are a couple of things that help him somewhat.
(You’ve lived through the evolution of NFL offenses and I’m curious, what Kansas City is doing right now, could you have envisioned 35 years ago the diversity of their packages and the speed and the quarterback play? When you look at what Head Coach Andy Reid is doing, what do you see?) – “I couldn’t have. Thirty years ago, I’m not saying we were three yards and a cloud of dust, but it was close to that. (laughter) Everybody was in closed formations. You seldom got into wide formations. The game has changed and they’ve done a great job of taking the talent that they have, and using it and spreading people out. I don’t study them, but I get to see them a lot because we have common opponents. I do get to see them play some, and they do spread people out and have people going everywhere. They do a good job.”
Josh Boyer – December 8, 2020
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Monday, December 7, 2020
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(You guys played fantastic last week, but I want to ask you about the Chiefs because they’re the upcoming opponent. I’m curious, when it comes to the challenge of a player like Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill, who’s got incredible speed and can get open, have you found a certain kind of corner does better against – do fast corners do better against him, do bodied-up big corners…? How do you defend a guy who’s that explosive?) – “I think to answer your question, I think you’ve got to do it multiple ways. I think he’s obviously an explosive player and he’s getting better. You watch it on film, he was very good to begin with and he’s taken that to another level. He’s an extremely good route-runner, he’s very quick, they do multiple things with them, they’ve got great scheme. (Chiefs Head Coach) Andy Reid and (Chiefs Offensive Coordinator) Eric Bieniemy, those guys do a phenomenal job. They make you defend every blade of grass and they have a tremendous set of skill players to do it. Tyreek Hill is a very explosive player, (Mecole) Hardman is a very explosive player and they’ve got very good skill all the way around the board – tight ends, receivers. You’re looking at two of the fastest guys in the league that they have on their team and then a quarterback that can make all the throws and extend plays, so it’s a big challenge. I don’t think there’s one way you can do it. You’ve got to approach it with a multiple-facet approach to make sure that you limit those explosive plays.”
(You guys have done such a good job this season of being a disruptive defense and putting other teams on their heels. How much have you seen defenses be able to do that with the Chiefs over the last couple years?) – “I think it’s hard because one, their players and the talent level that they have; and two, the outstanding coaching and scheme that they have. So usually the times that there are disruption, it’s probably a mistake here or there. They’re going to do an outstanding job. If you get them once, they’ll fix it. I would say Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy, they’re going to adjust to whatever you do, so it makes it extremely hard. It’s not like somebody’s just teeing off on them; they adjust very well to what you’re doing and like all offenses, they’ll have some plays that probably aren’t their best, but for the most part, these guys are a really efficient group.”
(What have been your observations and study about how Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes generally does against numerous – when you bring a lot of people when he’s blitzed?) – “I think he’s a very good decision-maker. I think he does a very good job of keeping his eyes down the field. I think he has a very good feel of what’s going on on the field, so he doesn’t necessarily sit there and look at the rush. He’ll keep his eyes downfield and look for matchups. The guy’s a tremendous player, so like I said, we have a big challenge in front of us this week.”
(There’s been a lot of talk about up-tempo given how successful you guys were with it the second half the other day and I’d like to hear a defensive coordinator’s perspective of going against up-tempo. How much do you hate it when you have to face it or are you just hoping that you have the right guys on the field because you can’t substitute necessarily? What are the things you’re looking for when you face that?) – “Whether they’re huddling or not huddling or they’re going fast or they’re going at a normal pace, you’re looking at what they’re trying to do and what they’re trying to attack. I would say obviously defensively, we’ve practiced against it. We’ve seen it this year. You’ve just got to make sure that your communication, the calls get in quickly, the communication’s a high level. Those are the things that you’re looking to do, but really the matter of it is how are they trying to attack you and what are they trying to do? That could be the same as if they were going at a slower pace or sometimes it’s different or maybe they only have select plays when they’re going fast, so all those things kind of go hand-in-hand. It’s just a part of defending offenses and I would say all offenses have it because if you get into a two-minute situation and then the clock becomes an issue for them, they’ll all go fast. You have to be ready for it at any time. It’s no different than if they give you an unbalanced (formation) or they give you a formation maybe that you aren’t – or a personnel grouping that maybe you aren’t expecting. You’ve just got to handle it as it comes up and I would say in the course of a week, we prepare for all that stuff.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Byron Jones. I know CB Xavien Howard gets a lot of the publicity with all the interceptions; but I’m curious, does having Byron on the other side maybe deter quarterbacks from throwing in that direction giving CB Xavien Howard more opportunities? Like what exactly is Byron doing that maybe we’re not seeing that really proves his value on this defense?) – “I think the thing with Byron (Jones) is whether it’s zone or man or in the run game, he’s consistently been able to do what we’ve asked of him and for the most part – like I said, you can have a great game as a corner and have really a zero stat line. If you don’t give up a third-down pass, you don’t give up a red-area pass, you don’t have any penalties, no missed tackles. For a corner, they could have a great game and really nobody would even know they had a great game unless you went back and really kind of studied the film. And I think Byron works hard at a lot of those things and there’s a lot of things that he does that are unseen and then I would say like everybody – myself included – there’s always things that you can improve on and we work hard to do that. Byron does that. He’s a diligent worker, but he’s been productive for us and I’m glad we have him.”
(I know we’ve talked to you in previous weeks about your amoeba defensive package. I wanted to ask again, I know you guys did some of it in New England when you and Head Coach Brian Flores were together, but I wanted to see how much has it evolved for you guys now in Miami from where it initially was?) – “I think things evolve all the time and it’s a copycat league and I think you look at things and like I said, it’s no different than plays that hurt us defensively, we’re probably going to see it again from other offenses. A lot of coaches watch a lot of film, so if they see something that hurts a certain protection or gives something a certain problem, you’re going to see it. And there’s always little tweaks here and there, so I would say it evolves. A lot of it depends on what the offenses are doing and your personnel defensively depending on what you can get done. It really goes back to you’re just trying to put guys in position to succeed. I think that’s the way most people approach it, but it’s been – like I said – nobody’s out there inventing anything. Everybody, they kind of look and they take stuff from other people and you really just try to put your guys based on your personnel in the best position that they can be in that really kind of attacks the offense. So in a long roundabout way to answer your question, I would say it’s always evolving.”
(I wanted to ask, we talk about the Chiefs and their playmakers and stuff, but I wanted to ask you what are some things that let you know your defense has a chance this week against them?) – “I think we go into every game with the idea to win the game and again, that starts with one, having a good plan; two, the players putting in a great week of preparation and having a great week of practice, executing at a high level and then going out there Sunday and being able to execute in pressure situations, and knowing and understanding the situation and being able to execute. I have a lot of confidence in our guys. We’re going to play hard and we’re going to compete and the goal – it doesn’t matter who you’re playing – the goal every week is to win. We know we’ve got a good opponent this week that’s very well-coached, a very good scheme with a lot of talented players, but like I said, we’ve got a bunch of competitive guys in this building. We’re going to work hard, we’re going to prepare and we’re going to go out there and play on Sunday.”
(What does Chiefs TE Travis Kelce do best?) – “I would say much like Tyreek Hill, these guys are getting better and better. And they were really good players to begin with. You’re talking about elite players to begin with and they’re actually getting better. Travis Kelce is an outstanding route-runner. He’s got great hands. He can make tough catches in traffic. He usually comes up with big plays. They move him all around, so obviously he can handle the whole offense. He’s just really an outstanding player. It’s kind of mind-numbing to think that guys that are playing at that high of a level are actually just improving and he really has had a great season and like I said, he’s really good route-runner. He’s got good hands and he’s made a lot of tough catches for them.”
Eric Rowe – December 7, 2020
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Monday, December 7, 2020
S Eric Rowe
(There was a little bit of concern for you yesterday when you left with the injury. I’m curious, what is the concussion test like in the moment. And I don’t know if you’ve had concussions in the past but do you know in the moment if you’ve got one or not?) – “The test is a series of – like they want you to remember 10 words and see if you can remember that, kind of where you’re at in time. They’ll ask you like what’s the date, can you put the months backwards. I did a little balance test, almost like you see when you see all of those cop videos when they have the drunk drivers and they have the heel-toe action and all of that stuff. They had me do all of that. I was like ‘come on, let’s get this over with because I knew I was good.’ I was just trying to get back out there.”
(You’ve got one of the biggest matchups this week, obviously the Chiefs are a dynamic offense, they pretty much got a tight end who is on the verge of having a Hall of Fame career. How much do you get excited about that matchup?) – “It’s a great opportunity. You can’t really ask for anything better – going against a guy that’s been consistent every game for years now. Just having that challenge ahead of you. I’ve been looking forward to it since the schedule came out. It’s a great test, not just for me, but as a whole defense too and as a whole team. It’s going to be a great test this week.”
(With TE Travis Kelce, I know you’ve defended a lot of tight ends, but do you have to defend him differently because of maybe his prowess as a receiver?) – “Yeah. Well, you have to defend every tight end a little bit differently because everybody has got a different skillset. Some are more blocking than receiving and some are more receiving than blocking. This one is more receiving than blocking, obviously. I already see from a little bit of film that the way he runs his routes are like receivers. He’ll stem leverages, he’ll push you outside, cut you inside to go back outside. He does a lot of stuff. Obviously with that, I have to approach it differently.”
(What’s unique about QB Patrick Mahomes?) – “He’s a complete quarterback. He can make all the throws, he has the arm, he can read defenses, he can read coverages, he can read protections, he’s mobile enough to get out and run for the first down. He’s not slow, so he’s the complete package. What’s unique? He’s got it all.”
(I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about your teammate LB Kyle Van Noy. They caught him on the sideline predicting his three sacks, and he got them. I was wondering, does he do that every week or was that actually a premonition? And two, what does he add to this defense in general, going back to your time with him with the Patriots. What is something he does that the fans don’t see every single Sunday?) – “Everybody tries to predict their stats, right? I go into the game like, ‘I’m going to get two and maybe a TFL today.’ Bobby (McCain) is like, ‘I’m going to get me one. I’m going to get me one this week.’ Everybody always like to predict, but he spoke it into existence. He called out three and he got three. That’s good for him and just for him, as a guy on the team, he provides leadership, experience, when he’s on the field, he’s confident about whatever call or check he needs to make within the scheme. Having that kind of security on the defense, whatever call he makes, his confidence kind of puts everybody at ease, like ‘we’re fitting to run this call,’ rather than maybe someone who is not too sure and kind of gives you the call kind of faintly. Then everybody is questioning ‘what did he say, what did he say,’ then the ball is snapped. Just little stuff like that really adds a – he’s really an important piece to the defense.”
(I have two quick questions. No. 1, you guys have been amongst one of the best defenses all year. What is the sense of excitement in facing the challenge of stopping the Kansas City offense that few teams have been able to slow down. And No. 2, what makes TE Travis Kelce different than other tight ends that you have faced this year?) – “This is really going to test us to see how good we are as a defense – from our run defense, to pass, to pass rush, to coverage, to everything. It’s not like a team that let’s say we get a jump on them and we have a comfortable lead and we’re good. Nah, we’ve all seen them score and put up points. I think last year they put up like 21 points in two minutes or something like that against the Texans. This is going to be a good test for us. We’ve got to play all four quarters, 60 minutes. Everyone has to be on their details because one slip up and we all see how explosive this offense is. Then two, with Kelce, just like I said before, what makes him different is a lot of tight ends when they run their routes, they don’t really stem, they don’t push leverages, they don’t do stuff like receivers do. They kind of just run the route like you see on paper. If it’s an over, they’ll run straight across the field and you’ll be like ‘ok, that’s easy.’ But with him, he’ll push you vertical, maybe a couple of juke steps, jab out, then break on his route, which obviously makes it harder to cover. He has a totally different skillset.”
(How does the way TE Travis Kelce goes about his business, how does that compare to a guy you know well in TE Rob Gronkowski?) – “The difference between those two guys is ‘Gronk,’ his route-running ability is not like Kelce’s with the stemming and all of that. But what makes ‘Gronk’ great is the way he knows how to use his body. He’s a wide dude. He’s a big bodied guy and obviously he has tough hands. You put the ball anywhere in his radius and ‘Gronk,’ he was getting it, even with the hits coming on. Two different skillsets, but obviously I think Hall of Famers.”
Ted Karras – December 7, 2020
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Monday, December 7, 2020
C Ted Karras
(I think I Tweeted I would have liked to have been a fly in the room at halftime. Sometimes halftime speeches are kind of overrated. Coaches maybe don’t throw chairs as often as we might think, but were there any chairs thrown? What was it like in there from Head Coach Brian Flores and the other coaches?) – “It was intense. Obviously we needed to play better than we did in the first half and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) emphasized that. We came out a lot better in the second half. I think we had a better sense of urgency and we made some adjustments. I think it was obviously a good halftime adjustment period, because we came out way better than we did in the first period.”
(One of the adjustments it seemed like was the use of tempo – more no-huddle offense. I guess from your perspective, what does the use of no-huddle do for you guys as an offense and QB Tua Tagovailoa as a quarterback?) – “I think as an o-lineman, the one thing you can do is slow down the pass rush if we can keep guys on the field longer, but we executed well in those situations and came out and had a big drive to start the third quarter, which kind of set the tone for the rest of the game. Coach Gailey (Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey) does a great job scheming it up and that was part of the scheme this week and it was successful and I’m glad we could execute it as a team.”
(You know this next opponent very well. You played them in the AFC Championship a couple years ago. What can you tell about the Kansas City Chiefs from a defensive standpoint?) – “A lot of really good players up front starting with Chris Jones, but several very good d-linemen and linebackers, and they’re going to be well-prepared and bringing high energy, so we’re going to have to match that with our preparation this week and play our best when it counts the most Sunday afternoon.”
(You guys ran for over 100 yards for the second straight week. No sacks this week, which is a good rebound from the two previous games. Do you feel like you’re getting your footing as an offensive line?) – “I feel like we’re being more consistent. Obviously like you mentioned, the last two weeks we had to rebound, but we’re just going to keep working hard every day. Obviously o-line is a very cut-and-dry position as far as if you’re successful or not, and we’re working hard every day and we’ve got some young guys out there who are playing really well. It’s fun to play with these guys. This is going to be our biggest test of the year coming up here Sunday.”
(I don’t know if you knew this, but Sunday was the first time the Dolphins franchise started three rookies on the offensive line. Obviously a rookie quarterback there in QB Tua Tagovailoa. We hear all the time about this valuable experience this time of year for young players. I’m just curious form your perspective, how valuable can this meaningful football in December, how far can that go for such a young team like you guys have?) – “Well, experience can only go so far. It’s in performance here. We’ve put ourselves in a position to have a chance and every game here is really huge moving forward and if you want to be a good team, you’re going to have to win December, January and ultimately February is the ultimate goal. So we’re going to come to work like we have. The sense of urgency is high and I’m proud of those three rookies. They’ve played really well. Those guys are fun to play with – a lot of talent up front – and it’s fun to play with those guys and watch them grow and get better myself, so it’s been good.”
(What are a couple of the keys or the points of emphasis that you guys have really been working on in the run game that have shown up at times this week and I think it was in the second half of last week, too?) – “Sustaining blocks would be a big one. I think we did a way better job doing that – everyone being on the same page. I think I said this a while back, everyone just taking a turn in the run game, doing something and you need all 11 doing the right thing on offense to have a successfully executed play, so I think we’re getting more of those and we’re sustaining blocks as an offensive line. We’ve just got to keep working hard to keep this run game going because it’s going to be very important here coming up in this last month of the season.”
(One more question about the Chiefs, if I could. Aside from I think the last time that you faced them, all those games are track meets and that’s not a surprise. The Chiefs are maybe the best offense in the world. As an offensive player, when you know you have to go against that, is there a little bit more get-up in your step? How do you approach a game where you know that if you don’t score 25, 28, maybe 30 points, it might be a bad day for you?) – “As an o-lineman, it’s kind of a one-play-at-a-time mentality. I just focus on doing my job and then hopefully everyone is doing the same, but I have a lot of confidence in our defense and I think as an offense, we want to step up our game. Our defense is playing very, very well and we want to be at that same level. So this is going to be a big test for us – for everyone on our team. So we’re going to have to bring our best preparation starting today, tomorrow, but ultimately Wednesday and then finish with execution and performance on Sunday.”
