Danny Crossman – December 28, 2021
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Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I wanted to ask about that perfectly downed punt between P Michael Palardy and WR Mack Hollins in that fourth quarter. How is a play like that executed? What is Mack looking for and how does he know where he’s at on the field as he’s looking up at the ball, and just the execution from a technique standpoint?) – “It’s something we work on quite a bit, especially later in the week at practice. The biggest thing is trying to have a good understanding of where we believe those ball are going to be to give the gunners a good landmark. Obviously Mack is doing a good job of winning at the line of scrimmage and making sure he avoids the returner and then obviously being able to finish the play. Very well executed. A big play at that point of the game.”
(I was hoping you were able to give me some insight on this beyond – I know every decision will be made that’s in the best interest of the team. But specifically the decision to move away from WR Jaylen Waddle since he’s come off the COVID-19 list and use WR Tommylee Lewis on returns. Obviously Tommylee got hurt. Can you share thin insight on whether you guys are trying to save Jaylen’s energy, whether Tommylee had such a good skillset returning, a combination of the two, what the reason has been?) – “No, I won’t share. (laughter) There are so many things that are going into these things and as you guys are very well aware over the last couple of weeks, there is even more that goes into it in terms of who we’re going to have on game day and how we’re going to be able to use them. There are so many things gong on right now, it really makes it interesting during the week.”
(With regards to long term with both WR Jaylen Waddle and S Jevon Holland as returners, has their work in those roles this year left you encouraged that they will be good NFL returners as we saw in college?) – “I believe so. I think both of those kids are really good. It’s been a bit of a blessing that they’ve both evolved as quickly as they have both offensively and defensively, and their roles have really, really expanded on those two sides of the ball. Both are really good players.”
(K Jason Sanders, I think we all would agree that the mental side of kicking is a big part of it. What’s his process or your message to him when the opposing team tries to ice your kicker before the half or before the end of the game?) – “For us, it’s a practice kick. Any time we snap the football, we’re gong to kick it. I thought both balls were well struck. I thought the first one he hit very well down the middle and maybe the second one, maybe after just hitting from 59, maybe he tried to give it a little umph after just going from that distance and pushed it a little bit. But to me when we miss, as long as we’re hitting good hits, and I thought that was a good hit on the ball. In terms of icing, you just play the play. You can’t control what they are going to do. The percentages and numbers are interesting when you look at them. You really got to get into certain individual players. Then it’s what the head coach wants to do. They had the timeout and didn’t feel like taking it into the half and it worked out.”
(LB Andrew Van Ginkel’s defensive snaps keep going up the past few weeks but his special teams has not decreased. I just wanted to ask you about his ability to play 80 percent of the defensive snaps and still give you 20 snaps on special teams every week?) – “A kid that we’re really happy to have, has really developed over his three years here. His production has gone up on defense, his play time has gone up on defense, and that’s how it should work. But at the same time, he’s still heavily involved in the kicking game. He’s still a very good player for us.”
(On a list of moves that have come out of nowhere, RB Jordan Scarlett being elevated was probably high on that list. Had he shown you something with his special teams acumen during his limited time on the practice squad that made you think he’s be helpful in that role last night?) – “Really, it goes more back to training camp. We had him in training camp and we felt like he has some good attributes. When we put him on practice squad with all of the issues that we had in the Jets week, then he picked up where he left off and showed us some good things, especially at the positions that he played and some of the other things that happened to us during the week. It was a move we felt comfortable and he went out and performed very well.”
George Godsey – December 28, 2021
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Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/TEs George Godsey
(Yesterday or last night, staying true to the entire season, you found some really creative ways to get WR Jaylen Waddle the ball. I was just curious as you look back at all the film from this year, how have you seen defenses adjust to covering Jaylen?) – “He’s definitely created some positive plays for us by getting open at all spots on the field. We know that going into each game there’s going to be a plan for him and then it’s we want to make sure that the defense has to adjust. We try to find as many different ways as we can to get him the ball. Inside, outside. Last night it was from the backfield. We try to do as much as possible.”
(It seems like your play calling, especially in the red zone, is uber-creative, whether it’s rolling QB Tua Tagovailoa out or whatnot. When you reach that red area, what goes through your mind as a play caller? Obviously, it’s a more confined space but what are you thinking of in terms of dialing up the best possible plays to get in the end zone?) – “Yeah, that’s it. Just trying to find some type of edge to get in there. We know that those four points, the difference between a field goal and a touchdown, are really big. The more you can pop it in there for a touchdown, the more pressure it puts on the opponent.”
(I know you try to exploit the most favorable matchups every week. But with WR DeVante Parker last night, were there plays that you had called that just didn’t materialize because of QB Tua Tagovailoa audibling or how the defense lined up? Would you like to have gotten him the ball a little more? Does it ultimately not matter because you won?) – “Yeah, I think all of our guys are happy with the victory. We’d certainly like to spread the ball out of we could as evenly as possible. There’s probably some plays that we left on the call sheet that we could have called. The way the game transpired, we kind of played it a certain way.”
(At running back, of course a little bit of a change in terms of how carries were allocated with most of them going to RB Duke Johnson and RB Phillip Lindsay. I know that’s no indictment of RB Myles Gaskin who has played a lot of snaps, but were there things you saw from Phillip and his one game a couple of weeks ago and practice after he came back from the ankle that made you guys want to give him a more expanded role last night?) – “That group is a real cohesive group and they work well together. They’re not really, they don’t really care who gets the ball. At some point they all have their roles and we expect that whole group to perform. Sometimes they’re the same, sometimes they’re different. In last night’s game, it ended up being a little bit more of Phillip, a little bit more of Duke, but that doesn’t mean that Myles’ chair isn’t there. Probably kind of similar to DeVante question.”
(Last night was a little bit more of a conservative approach given what the defense had going but I wanted to ask you about the sequence where things kind of opened up in the third quarter, back-to-back plays with the deep pass to WR Mack Hollins and then going with the flea flicker right after. What opened up there to be able to make those calls and convert those plays back-to-back?) – “it was a good drive by our unit. We were backed up a little bit and it ended up being an 80-plus yard drive. There were a couple of plays there in a row and then a good execution down there in the low red. We call plays to win the game so sometimes they end up being a little bit more explosive as everybody says than others. We felt good about the way we were playing as a team and ultimately, the defense played well and was able to keep them out of the endzone.”
(With this quick turnaround, your early impressions on this Titans defense and what is important to stress to QB Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the guys?) – “I would say everybody has got to jump on this film pretty soon. This is a good defense. They know what they are doing. They are sound. They are obviously playing well at all three levels from level one with the d-line, level two with the linebackers or the nickel and level three with the secondary. These guys play well together, they communicate well, they’ve got very quick reactions to what they see and they’re in the right spots. We’re going to need to execute for four quarters here for this game.”
(What can you say about WR Mack Hollins and his knack for making big plays with limited opportunities? What can you say about that and is there a part of you, I know there is only one ball, but is there part of you that wishes he had more opportunities?) – “He’s found himself in a role where he’s helping on all four downs. He’s helping in the special teams area. He did that last night and then from down to down with a lot of the misdirection, motions. Those receivers end up shuffling in and out. They all have their role on normal downs and on third down and at some point, like it happened last night, somebody is going to need to make a play that the defense maybe honing in on Jaylen specifically on that play. We had some leverage issues on some of the route concepts and that was the correct player to throw the ball to. He won the route and he came down with a great catch for a big play that really turned the field and that created a positive scoring drive. I would say that that play really ignited that drive, obviously because we had two really zero-yard plays right before that.”
(You had mentioned putting together a game plan to win the game. I think you’ve spoken recently about the offensive collaboration that you guys all come together for the gameplan. I was curious how much collaboration there is with the offensive side and the defensive side when it comes to putting together a cumulative gameplan. How does that work for the offensive side of the ball?) – “The head coach does a good job of putting us all on the same page and understanding each side, including the special teams roles in the game. When we develop a gameplan, you don’t really necessarily know how the game is going. The game may end up being one way or the other. Last week against the Jets, we’re down 10-0, so our gameplan goes to when you’re down 10-0 as far as calls go. We got up 10-0 in this game so that’s kind of how the calls go from that standpoint. I think it’s really hard to predict exactly how the game is going and how it will go. You want to have enough calls for however which way the game ends up unfolding. Fortunately for us, we maintained the lead for the whole game so we ended up playing a certain way.”
(I wanted to ask you to assess your offensive line play last night and how it can impact play-calling in certain occasions where rushers are getting to the quarterback quickly?) – “Yeah, I think early on in the first series, we had a pressure on a third down where we had Myles (Gaskin) coming open across the field. I think our guys would like to have that back. Shoot I’d like to probably have that back from a protection standpoint of how we called it. There’s some ebbs and flows of the game. I know the environment created some issues for us like all road games do. There are certain things there that are probably a little bit easier in a home atmosphere. That’s part of the league, that’s how the schedule is and we’re going to have overcome those again this week and do a better job from a play call to execution.”
(Brian Griese made a bizarre comment last night citing a conversation with you and suggesting on second and third and longs, you would just assume punt which I know cannot be precisely what you said. Do you remember that conversation and the point that you were trying to get across?) – “I didn’t hear his comment. I think for some downs, third down and very long, that’s a tough situation and it’s really not fair to a unit, the quarterback, the line, to put that much stress on those type of players. I don’t remember that exactly being the comment but I’m sure that’s really what we were alluding to that sometimes some of those situations are so unfair to that – now we put ourselves in that situation, let’s not forget that. But when you get yourself in third and extra long in this league, those percentages of converting are very low. If we got to have it at the end of the game, we’ll go for it and we’ll try to test the waters so to say. But we don’t want to make a living there in those situations at all. I think Brian knows that as a former quarterback too. That’s kind of how that conversation went.”
Brian Flores – December 28, 2021
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Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(You’ve gone this long with this current offensive line group. I would presume, correct me if I’m wrong, you’d probably stick with them. How do you think they played last night and is the Tennessee front as strong a group as you’ll face this year?) – “Yeah, Tennessee has got a very good team. They’re well coached, a very good front, linebackers, DBs, backs, receivers, offensive linemen. So they’ve got a good team. But yeah, certainly from a front standpoint. Jeffery Simmons is probably one of the top players in the league. He leads the charge there. They’ve got a lot of good players up front. It’ll be a good challenge for us. I think New Orleans had a good front as well. A lot of good players there. They gave us some issues, some problems, which you would expect against a team with a front like that. We’ve got to play better. We’ve got some corrections to make. We need to play well this week.”
(Is there any roster moves you expect today with COVID, injury list or otherwise?) – “We’re going through the injury situation. We’re still running some tests on a couple of guys. Tommylee (Lewis) is the one we’re still kind of running some tests on him. On the COVID front, like any medical situation, I don’t get into a guy’s medical situation. I’ll leave it at that.”
(I wanted to ask you about turning the page quickly after Monday night and a slightly shorter week. Also as the Titans have had extra days to prepare coming off of a Thursday night game?) – “It’s a quick turnaround. A quick watch of the game last night. Probably a lot of our guys have taken a look at Tennessee and gotten a head start. Definitely a quick turnaround. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get a gameplan put together offensively, defensively and in the kicking game, getting to know their roster, getting to know their players, their coaches. It’s a very good team.”
(I also wanted to ask you about WR A.J. Brown. Without revealing too much obviously, is he a guy that demands a greater variety of looks and coverage than what you may normally allow CB Xavien Howard or CB Byron Jones to handle one-on-one?) – “Yeah, he’s one of the top receivers in the league. I think (Ryan) Tannehill is doing a great job of getting him the football. They’re scheming things up to get it to him, which as they should. His talent level, he is someone we’ve got to pay attention to. They’ve got other receivers, backs, tight ends. And Tannehill is certainly getting him the ball and doing a good job of leading that offense.”
(From Week 9 to the present, you guys have the highest sack rate when rushing four or fewer rushers. I wanted to ask you how you’re able to generate pressure without blitzing and the importance of doing so?) – “I think Josh (Boyer) and our defensive staff have done a nice job of putting together gameplans and putting our guys in good position. You really can’t rush unless you stop the run, so I think we’re doing a good job on early downs trying to get that done. I think opportunities to pressure, there is a lot that’s involved there. I think people just think you put your hand in the dirt and rush the passer, but oftentimes the score dictates it, the situation dictates it. If they are running the ball, then there is no pass rush. If you’re down points then they are more apt to run it, so there is no pass rush. There are a lot of things that go into it. It’s not a seven-on-seven league or just a passing league. As a team, we’ve put ourselves in position where we’ve created some situations where it’s more likely than not that it’s going to be pass. Our guys kind of know and understand that. They work well together to try to beat protections and win on rushes. Credit to the players obviously is No. 1 there.”
(I believe when you first came here, you may have had a month or two crossover with QB Ryan Tannehill here before you guys made a move. I’m curious how you think his game has evolved after he left here now running that offense in Tennessee?) – “He’s a very good player. Good arm, mobile, good command of the offense, makes checks at the line of scrimmage. He’s a very good player.”
(Following up on QB Ryan Tannehill, I remember in 2019 you and General Manager Chris Grier talked about getting together to discuss whether or not to move forward with Ryan or move on. What was your assessment of Ryan and what went into that decision at that time in 2019?) – “Well, 2019 is not really something that is on my mind right now. Like I just said, Ryan Tannehill is a very good player. He’s on the Tennessee Titans, who we are seeing this week. This is a major challenge for us. He can run. He can throw. He’s had a lot of success with them. Really, I’m kind of focused on the guys that are on our team. This is going to be a big challenge so those conversations from 2019 are kind of really far from my mind right now. ‘Vrabes’ (Mike Vrabel) and his staff and his team, this is a tough, physical group really on all three sides and Ryan is a part of that. I think his demeanor, his temperament, the way he goes about things, his toughness, I think that shows on their offense. I think that permeates throughout their team. He’s shown leadership and this is going to be a tough challenge for us.”
(Can I ask a more general follow in terms of your opinion about what’s most important at the quarterback position. Every franchise is seeking a ‘Franchise Quarterback.’ What in your estimation are the most important attributes of the ‘Franchise Quarterback?’) – “Again, another answer for things that are far from my mind. I’m really on the Titans. But toughness, competitiveness, intelligence, leadership. These are kind of like draft questions. But leadership, accuracy, taking care of the football. That’s kind of what I think every team is looking for. Yeah, I think that’s what every team is looking for.”
(What have you seen from WR Jaylen Waddle inside the building behind the scenes that maybe has led to some of the recent statistical success he’s had over the last month or so?) – “Jaylen, I think he’s done a good job really since he got here, since he stepped foot in the building. He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s a sponge as far as wanting to learn the receiver position, defenses, defensive structures. Are they playing me inside leverage, outside leverage, double teams, which he’s starting to see a little bit more of now and how to handle those. He’s talented. He’s got speed. He’s got quickness. He’s got good hands. We’re trying to figure out different ways to get him the ball whether it’s coming out of the backfield, whether he’s running routes just one on one, crossing routes, cross routes, vertical routes. I think he’s done a nice job.”
(I know you mentioned Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel. I’m curious what the dynamic is for you. A guy that you coached early in your career – you guys are a similar age but you coached him. I’m curious what your relationship is and how that may impact how you gameplan for him as a coach?) – “I didn’t coach Vrabel. I would say he probably more coached me as a young guy in New England when he was there and he was a player. He was pretty much a coach on the field then. I certainly didn’t coach him but I have a lot of respect for him. I think his toughness, his acumen, I think that shows up and you see it in the way his team plays. He’s somebody I call a friend. I have a great deal of respect for him and I think they’ve got a lot of guys on their staff who I’ve worked with. Jon Robinson, their general manager. Monti Ossenfort, who is a guy that I kind of came up with in the scouting game. Ryan Cowden. There are a lot of relationships there with the Titans. I think they’ve done a lot of really good things over there building a team, building the culture. A lot of things that we would like to emulate.”
(Obviously you’re concerned with keeping all your players healthy but I’m curious with the end of the regular season approaching and the increased importance of every game moving forward, if you had any plan specifically for your quarterbacks? Like maybe to, I know there’s a team or two that are keeping their QBs separate from the rest of the team. Just wondering if you had any plans for QB Tua Tagovailoa and QB Jacoby Brissett?) – “I think our setup here, everything is virtual so that’s kind of how we are setup now. We are really trying to keep everybody away from everybody as much as we can.”
Jaylen Waddle – December 27, 2021 (Postgame)
Monday, December 27, 2021
Postgame – New Orleans
WR Jaylen Waddle
(10 catches for 92 yards and 1 touchdown. How did it feel playing in your first Monday Night Football game?) – “It was great, it was great. Really any time we win or get a W, it’s always great. It was fun. It was fun.”
(What are your thoughts on tying the Monday Night Football record with WR Jerry Rice on 10 receptions for a rookie?) – “Yeah, I didn’t even really know. I just literally found out like five minutes ago. Jerry Rice is the GOAT so anything with him is an honor.”
(The first team in NFL history to have seven straight losses and then seven straight wins in the same season, what does that say about the way that you guys were able to stick together?) – “It just really speaks to the team, how we are going to fight with each other every week. Every opportunity we get, we are just going to try to go out there and just compete.”
(After you scored the touchdown, I wrote down WR Jaylen Waddle touchdown run but I messed that up. It goes in the record books as a touchdown pass and catch. What do you think about that?) – “It was pretty cool. I know it was a weird play design. It was smooth. I liked the play call. It was a great play call. Our OC called it at that time. It’s pretty fun any time you score. It’s hard to score in this league so any time you score is big.”
(You guys have had some good success in the red zone, what do you like about the types of plays that are being called in the red zone?) – “I think our OC does a good job of keeping the defense honest in how they play us specifically in that area. I like it. I think we are doing good. Still room to improve here and there, but I like it.”
(I know you don’t necessarily keep track of these things, but on this 10-receptions game, you are on pace to break WR Anquan Boldin’s rookie record for receptions. Is that something that would be important to you?) – “Important… I wouldn’t say it’s something I got my mind focused on, but I’m all for it as long as it comes with some wins. It would obviously be pretty cool because the NFL is a special league, so anything in this league to have a record in is always big.”
(You’re now in the No. 7 position for the AFC standings meaning if you win out, you get in the playoffs. You don’t need any help. What’s it like to move into that position and when did you become aware that you would not need any help from another team?) – “Really just right now. Honestly, I think our team does a good job of staying on course, taking it one day at a time, one play at a time and then just going out there and competing when it comes time to compete.”
Phillip Lindsay – December 27, 2021 (Postgame)
Monday, December 27, 2021
Postgame – New Orleans
RB Phillip Lindsay
(I know you’ve only been here for about a month but obviously this is a team that was 1-7 not too long ago and now this team is 8-7 with the opportunity to go to the playoffs if you guys win your next two games. What was the emotion like in the locker room and how are guys feeling just knowing that you guys are in control of your own destiny now?) – “Emotions are high. Everybody is excited. You have a team that was 1-7 and now we’ve won, how many have we won? Six, six straight? Seven straight. That’s hard to do in the NFL. Honestly, I’ve always wondered how it would feel to be on a team that has turned it around like this. It’s a great atmosphere. It’s a tight-knit family here and everybody grinds for each other. Everybody takes care of each other, and I think it’s just one of those things where we keep it 1-0 and we kind of just go with the flow of things. One play at a time and it is really, truly, honestly just one play at a time. You look up and you got big plays being made and I think that’s why we are able to be as successful as we are right now.”
(I wanted to ask you about the catch for WR Mack Hollins in the third quarter. It seemed like that was a big moment for you guys?) – “Definitely. Mack (Hollins) had a great catch. Somebody needed to make a play. He made a play, but he’s honestly, if you really go and watch the whole fil, he’s doing a lot of dirty work. He’s a phenomenal player on punt. As you guys can see, he’s downing the punt at the 1-inch yard line. That’s the type of stuff that wins games. It’s how good your special teams can do. Can you make those big plays? Mack came up really big for us and I’m proud of him. It’s exciting to see a player like that with so much energy that just kind of goes and takes it one play at a time. Honestly, it seems like nothing fazes him and he has fun and it shows up. Hats off to Mack for doing that.”
(It was a three-pronged rushing attack tonight. How do the skills of you, RB Duke Johnson and RB Myles Gaskin complement each other?) – “I think you’re coming to the end of the season where people are getting banged up. People are getting banged up and you definitely need – it’s not just us – we have a couple other running backs other that if needed will do well. I think that that helps out a lot and I think that we do complement each other well. We’re getting the dirty yards right now and we always say we need to stay ahead of the chains and that’s what it’s all about. We all want to make those big plays and things and they will come as time goes on, but it’s key that we stay in front of the chains, get those dirty yards because it adds up at the end of the game.”
(I wanted to ask you about the Wildcat as well. Obviously, you’ve been added to it tonight, is that something you enjoy doing?) – “Yeah, I mean it’s something that I’ve done before and honestly, I had to do it against the Saints last year when we had no quarterbacks in Denver. I’m kind familiar with it and it’s just kind of shocking that back in Denver, we had no quarterbacks when we played the Saints and now when we play the Saints again, the majority of their quarterbacks are out. It’s a coincidence, but it is what it is.”
Zach Sieler – December 27, 2021 (Postgame)
Monday, December 27, 2021
Postgame – New Orleans
DT Zach Sieler
(I wanted to ask you what it was like to be part of a defensive game where the team has eight sacks?) – “It’s a team effort. Defensive effort right there. It takes all 11, coverage and the rush – get them married together. I think we did a good job of putting those two together today.”
(I got to ask, is that your chain?) – “No. (laughter)”
(Who’d you borrow that from?) – “(Adam) Butler.”
(When you’re playing like this and you got a rookie quarterback making his first start, is it just an opportunity for a defense to pin its ears back and just attack? It’s not like he’s seen a whole lot of film in his NFL career.) – “I think it’s more so you have to do more of your technique. You don’t know what’s going to happen. I think you just got to play our game. You can’t get overzealous or too excited about anything. I think it’s just as much as any other time to play your technique and do your job.”
Nik Needham – December 27, 2021 (Postgame)
Monday, December 27, 2021
Postgame – New Orleans
CB Nik Needham
(I know that coming into this game you guys were respectful of Saints QB Ian Book and what the Saints were going to be doing in terms of preparation, but as you get into that game and you just know that everything is going, just how much fun is that as a defense to know that you guys can just kind of dial it up and it’s going to work and you’re going to have your way?) – “Today was definitely fun. When we can just execute like that throughout the whole game; I think they caught a little hot drive I think right before halftime so we went in there and just regrouped and said, let’s do what we’ve been doing all game and you can see that in the second half. We were all just having fun, celebrating with each other and it’s tough to beat a team like that so we were just trying to just keep doing that and keep feeding off that energy.”
(The fact of the matter is right now you guys don’t need any help whatsoever. You take care of your business, win two more games, you’re in the playoffs. What’s that feeling like?) – “We just have to take it one week at a time just like we’ve been telling each other all year. When it comes down to this part of the year each week is the most important game of the year, like you said, so these next two weeks are the most important games of the year. But we’ve just got to take it one week at a time and just go out there next week to Tennessee and just try to execute what we did today and just try to feed off this game.”
(Have you ever been part of a game where you held the opponent 0-for-12 on third downs and how much did that really drive – what was the catalyst that drove the defensive performance today?) – “I think like you said we’re kind of the edge and each week is the most important game of the year and I think just trying to do that. But no, I’ve never been a part of a game where we held a quarterback or offense to 0-for-12. I would say that’s somewhat impressive. I don’t know if there’s a better record or something like that, but I’ve never been a part of anything like that, so hats off to all the guys on defense working hard and executing. Just everybody being on the same page. And I think that’s why it resulted in that and Ian Book – rookie quarterback – we mixed up some looks on him so had him a little confused out there and I think that’s what also played a big part in that, and we did a good job on first and second down throughout most of the game just holding them to like, 1-3 yards and getting them on third-and-long instead of third-and-short.”
(Your pick-six. Can you take me through that play from your perspective? How you saw it develop and also just what it felt like to make a play like that right off the bat on Monday Night Football on that stage, that platform?) – “It was great. I’ve never had a pick-six ever in my life so that was my first one ever, so that was real cool and definitely like you said, it was cool – first play in just get right to it. We came out in man, but they didn’t have a really good protection look so we just went max blitz on them so we knew the ball had to come out quick, so I was just staring at the quarterback. Right when he said ‘hut’ he was looking at the slot and he was about to throw it before the receiver even broke, so I was just staring at the quarterback and broke and then I think the ball got tipped or something like that. Just landed right in my hands and it was lit. (laughter)”
Christian Wilkins – December 27, 2021 (Postgame)
Monday, December 27, 2021
Postgame – New Orleans
DT Christian Wilkins
(I know you guys still have two more regular season games left, but knowing that you started 1-7, seven straight wins and you’ve got an opportunity to control your own playoff destiny I guess what do you want the overarching message to be when people look at your team and kind of talk about this team and what you guys have overcome and accomplished?) – “Really we just stayed the course throughout the whole season. We didn’t grow weary. We just stuck with the program, stuck with what we knew and even when things were tough we just took it one day at a time, one game at a time and that’s what we’ll continue to do the rest of the season. That seems to be the right mindset and that’s the approach we’ll take. That’s the approach we have taken; that’s the approach we will continue to take.”
(And when you guys woke up this morning were you personally aware of kind of how the outcomes of Sunday’s game affected your trajectory? Were you aware that you guys were in a win and you’re in situation?) – “You hear rumbles here and there, but I don’t pay too much attention to it. All I know is that we’ve just got to control what we can control and then the rest will take care of itself.”
(Got to ask you about stripping Saints RB Alvin Kamara of his towel. Was that something that you planned you were going to do? Was that just a spur-of-the-moment decision to get into his head? Kind of what was going through your mind?) – “I’m not going to really get too much into that, but like a lot of things I do throughout the course of the game are all just in good fun. I don’t mean any harm by anything. It’s just I’m a big kid out there. I have a lot of fun. Little gamesmanship, but I definitely don’t ever want to cost my team anything so in certain situations I’ve got to be smarter, but like I said it’s always in just good fun and just a little gamesmanship.”
(Obviously you guys have rushed the passer really well in this stretch. Great coverage. But as far as stopping the run that’s obviously been something you all have done very well in these straight wins. Can you talk a little bit about the factors contributing to that whether it’s your play, DT Zach Sieler, DT Raekwon Davis being back, your linebacker play – what would you point to as reasons why you all are doing well against the run?) – “Really it’s just a collective effort. I feel like the biggest mindset is just everyone is focusing on their job. No one is trying to do too much. No one is trying to be heroes and the good thing about this defense is we’ve got a lot of guys who can get it done and do a good job and so you never know who it’s going to be. Who has a big game or makes a lot of plays or whatever, but we’ve got a lot of guys who focus on doing their job and try to do it well and just playing off each other. We’ve got a lot of guys who have now played together for two and three years so there’s good chemistry built and just good confidence in each other. You know, ‘E. Rob’ (Elandon Roberts) says something; I’m shutting up, I’m listening. If I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m thinking about doing this, whatever’ you can kind of just play off each other and you kind of know what each other’s strengths and weaknesses and it just all helps.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned the character of this team and you guys being together throughout the ups and downs of the season. How would you describe what you see from your teammates now that you’ve been able to win seven games, close to the playoffs? What do you see from your teammates day-in and day-out?) – “Really just a group of guys who are about each other, who love playing together, love the game of football. Bunch of guys who just take it one day at a time. Bunch of guys who want to be their best each and every time they walk into the facility, they walk onto that field. And that’s just the mindset we have.”
(Outstanding performance by the defense. Eight total sacks. How were you all able to give Saints QB Ian Book different looks and what will it take for you all next week to continue this effort?) – “Yeah, we were able to do some good stuff today as a defense. Happy about the way we fought. We just competed. We came out here and did a pretty good job. It was a solid performance. There’s always things we can improve on to get better at and that’s just it. We’re going to have to find what we didn’t do so well and improve on that and continue to do things we did do well. It’s all about getting better. You’re never a finished product and you’ve just got to have that one-day-at-a-time mindset.”
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