Josh Boyer – October 26, 2021
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Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(Has there been more instances of zone coverage from your calls lately? I know you can’t give away too much on scheme, but what generally goes into the decisions on zone versus man?) – “I don’t think you want to be the same thing over and over against people, so you try to change the picture – whether that’s changing the front or changing the coverage, especially against a lot of the good quarterbacks that we face. We always try to apply pressure to them and apply pressure to the offensive line. I think a good mix of calls is always kind of what you’re looking for. Hopefully that answers your question.”
(Does having corners going in banged up also factor in? Limiting how often you want them running stride for stride with a receiver?) – “I think you always take into consideration matchups. I know offensive coordinators do the same thing. The NFL is basically a matchup league. You’re always trying to put guys in a position to succeed. There’s definitely certain plays that you want to get into certain coverages and certain plays that may help other coverages that you try to run too as well.”
(Was the fact that LB Jaelen Phillips only played 15 snaps entirely a byproduct of him being limited last week with the ankle or did you feel like other players gave you a better chance to win against Atlanta or was it both?) – “I think you always take into consideration when you go into a week of practice of what guys have repped, what they haven’t repped and then at the forefront, always, is player safety. We can only be as good as the health of our team. You don’t want to put players in situations that may not be great for them. I think always gameplan kind of dictates where guys go, players health dictates where guys go and then the amount of reps or comfortability that they have with the scheme of a given week. I think all those things go into consideration.”
(I know every year is different but last year you guys were at the top of the league in terms of blitz percentage, about 40 percent. That number has dropped a bit. I know talking to Head Coach Brian Flores he said his mindset is that you need to impact the quarterback. Given that, what do you think has played a factor in not blitzing as much and where would you assess the pass rush at this point in the season?) – “Again, I think every week we are trying to put pressure on the offensive line, we are trying to put pressure on the quarterback. There’s a number of different ways that you can do it. Obviously, I don’t think at any phase is exactly where we want with the consistency that we want – whether you are talking run defense, pass rush or pass coverage. Again, I think that goes into we have to coach it better and keep a variety of things to try to put our players in a better position to succeed. The other thing is when you do something over and over again, teams prepare for it and they have a lot of plans for it. It’s not one of those things that you can consistently year after year do the same thing over and over again.”
(Over the past couple years, it’s been shown that teams are blitzing a lot less because the rules are favored to the offense. Do you, big picture, see that as well? That a lot of NFL defenses are leaning away from blitzing and favoring the coverage and putting more people in coverage as opposed to sacrificing guys in coverage?) – “I think the offenses, they do a good job of IDing what you’re in – whether it’s formation or shift, motion. Again, they have plans that they can go to. Week in and week out, obviously we’ve brought a good amount of pressure over the years. We’ve seen a lot of different things but teams have different plans to it. Sometimes you’re comfortable with it, sometimes you’re not. All those factors based on, again, matchups and how they may handle it go into account whether you want to do it a lot or not as much.”
(This league has so many guys that can matchup across the board. A guy like Atlanta TE Kyle Pitts for instance. I was curious to get your take as far as how the adjustments go whether it’s the pregame planning or in-game adjustments for how you shuffle who you might cover a guy like that who can play out wide, who can condense inside and just do so many things? How does that in-game adjustment process work for you guys?) – “I think we’re very aware of matchups going in. We always have contingency plans if it’s not going in our favor. Again, Atlanta – like Arthur Smith does a great job with his scheme and has 10-12 different personnel groupings where they can move guys all around, so it makes it a little bit hard saying, ‘Okay, we are going to put this guy here in this set or this guy in here,’ because then it can give you a bad matchup somewhere else that you’re not really fired up about. Obviously, Pitts is a good player. He’s improving and I think he has a bright future in this league.”
(The past two weeks you guys have limited opponents to less than 100 yards rushing which I’m sure a goal each week. I know DT Raekwon Davis returned I believe three games ago but what do you think has been the difference in the run defense?) – “I think that we are playing with better fundamentals, better techniques. I think (Linebackers Coach) Anthony Campanile and (Defensive Line Coach) Austin Clark, those guys are doing a good job of making sure that we understand the run fits, the run schemes, the things that we are trying to do and I think our guys are executing it at a little bit more consistent level. You’re always stiving for perfection. I know football is an imperfect game and nobody has ever called a perfect game and nobody has ever played a perfect game, but you’re always striving for that. I think we are just seeing a little more consistency. We’re trying to build off that and hopefully that will continue.”
(I wanted to ask you about DT Christian Wilkins. Obviously, he’s been a good player for you guys for three years but it seems like the production is really starting to show up in terms of the counting stats. I just wanted to get your take as far as what he’s done this year to really take his game to the next level?) – “I think Christian has always played with great effort. I think it starts with that and I think he’s doing a good job of working on his fundamentals and his techniques to put himself in a position to make plays and then when he does and when he has opportunities, he’s been able to make those plays. I think that’s a byproduct of him knowing and understanding the system a little bit better, him knowing and understanding his techniques and fundamentals a little bit better and also, when you know those things, you know when you can take chances that are probably going to be in your favor and I think he’s done that very well.”
(I wanted to ask you about your rookie safety Jevon Holland. He had the big sack in the game. He’s all over the place in coverage. That one deep ball kind of got behind him. Just wanted to get your evaluation of how he’s playing so far.) – “Again, I think it starts with Jevon from day one he’s come in, he’s worked extremely hard. He loves football. He loves the process,. He’s working at better understanding how he fits in the scheme and the multiple things he can do. I think we’re seeing that growth. Hopefully that will continue for us and he definitely has some playmaking ability. Again, it’s our job to try to put him in spots where he can make those plays.”
(Your reaction to losing DB Jason McCourty for some time now? Head Coach Brian Flores told us he’ll be on injured reserve and what you can get out of a guy like a S Sheldrick Redwine during the interim?) – “Again, obviously I’ve known Jason McCourty for a while and personally it’s heartbreaking for him because I know the work that he puts in and how important the team is to him. Obviously my heart goes out to him and I know how much he puts into football in general, the Miami Dolphins, this team. I feel for him. When we bring new guys in, obviously we are excited about them but you just try to catch him up to speed, see what they can do and try to work them in the best you can. When they’re given opportunities, hopefully they make the most of them.”
Eric Studesville – October 26, 2021
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Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs Eric Studesville
(Who do you think has blocked particularly well pass-blocking wise on the line? Who stands out to you? And from a run-blocking perspective, who has stood out to you in that area?) – “I think in the big picture of it, we all need to do a better job in that area. We’ve been good at times, we’ve had some success in pass pro. It was a little bit better last week than it’s been, but it’s a group effort. Pass protection involves the offensive line, it involves the backs, it involves the tight ends at times, it involves getting the ball out on time, it involves the receivers running routes. We’re all involved in it and I think the better we’re all combined in executing an individual play is going to tie into how much better we are run or pass in those things. I think the guys are working hard at it. It’s important to them. They are continually trying to do things, but it’s an area we’re still working on.”
(We’ve seen success last week in terms of running the ball. I don’t know if it was the amount of attempts or just the opponent. But what do you think led to your second 100-yard rushing performance?) – “For me, we’re always trying to run the ball efficiently and effectively. Up front I think they did a nice job against Atlanta. I think the tight ends did some things good there. I thought the backs ran well at times, but too inconsistent. I think we left some yards out there on the field, there were some more out there for us. We’ve got to go back and look at those things. We’ve got to work on our angles and some of the things that we’re doing up front. We’ve got to see things better in the running back room so that when there are run lanes, we get in the right spots and put the ball there. The wide receivers have to block. There is more out there for us in the run game. We’re continually talking about it, working on it, pushing it because we know it’s an important component for our offense, and that helps everything out. When we can run the ball, it helps us. We’ve got to be able to do that. You’d love to have some of these big plays down the field, but the reality is we just need to stay on track and help the offense be efficient and move down the field. When we’ve done that, we’ve helped our offense on a given series be successful.”
(Against Atlanta, you were 20 for 132 on the ground. When I looked it up, those were more carries against Atlanta than you’ve had the previous two weeks combined. I’m wondering if there was a moment where you guys as a coaching staff sat down, and just re-dedicated yourself towards putting together a running attack?) – “We put together the running attack with the intentions of trying to run the ball every week. We know that’s an important component to our offense. We want to do that. But again, as games change and situations change in the game, if we don’t run it as much because we’re throwing it better or situations dictate that, then we may not run it as many times. Against Atlanta, we were running the ball better perhaps then we had, so we tried to get some more runs in there, and it was going. I think the guys did a good job with some of the things we were seeing out there. But every week, we’re trying to put a run game in. We don’t just go in and say ‘this week, no run game meetings because we’re going to throw it the whole time.’ Because we’re going to need that at some point in time. You never know how a game plays out. We have multiple personnel groupings that we’re working in, we have multiple plays and things that we’re studying and working on, trying to make sure that we have a plan that gives us the best chance to run the ball every week.”
(How does all of that work out now that you’re down to two running backs with RB Malcolm Brown out?) – “With the guys that are in there, that’s a great opportunity for them. So whoever that is. I think Malcolm started out the other day and we lost him after I believe it was nine plays. Then Myles (Gaskin) came in, and Salvon (Ahmed) played more than he has and he did a nice job when he was in there and had to be ready to go. That’s what this is. There is going to be an opportunity for somebody. You hate that it’s injury related, but it’s an opportunity for the next person.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa has shown the ability to lead this offense on 75-yard touchdown drives, 80-yard touchdown drives. But do you think that some of the explosive plays in this offense is missing and do you think that it’s required or necessary for this offense given sometimes the offense’s inability to maintain drives back to back?) – “We’re constantly talking about how to develop and create explosive plays. We want those explosive plays. We’ll attempt to get those. Sometimes those come with the distance that a ball is thrown or somebody breaking a tackle and making a play, how those plays happen. We can’t always control that, but we want those explosive plays. Those plays make the drive better. They change things that the defense has to do. So we want to get those explosive plays. We’ve got to continue to work harder to get them done and accomplish and execute them.”
(In the last two weeks, your third-down percentage has nearly doubled from 35.4 percent the previous games to 64.3 percent. I was just curious why you think that might be, why you guys are having success in the money down?) – “I hope it’s the increased emphasis in it, which we are talking about all the time. Coach (Brian Flores) talks about that with the team, that that’s an important situational football parameter for us to address. We constantly talk about that. He talks about it, he addresses it and we spend a lot of time on third down talking about what we want to execute, how we want to do things on third down. I think then it becomes a credit to the players where they are studying and buying in and they are executing when we call those things. I think it’s a whole philosophy that starts with ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) all the way down to everybody that we understand the importance of that third down situation and we have to be better, to stay on the field and get more plays to continue drives.”
(I wanted to ask you about the RPO. I know that’s a major element to this offense. When it comes to the run game, the fact that there are limitations on the offensive line, does that prevent them from teeing off on guys and resetting the line of scrimmage?) – “Yeah, that’s an interesting question. I think there are different plays and different things – there are techniques that go into each individual concept, kind of run play that we put in and things that we’re doing. Different plays have different techniques, have different things that we need to adjust within them. The RPOs are no different. What we try to do is we try to have a mix of things so we’re not living strictly in one world, in that the players do have the ability to come off and get the ball moving at certain times. Then at other times, they may not be able to do that or it may be a different scheme that changes that a little bit. We don’t want to live in one world exclusively because again, we’re trying to find things that maximize what we can do best on offense.”
Nik Needham – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
CB Nik Needham
(Obviously it’s tough right now already having as many losses as you did all of last year. What’s the message in the locker room as you guys try to stay the course here?) – “The overall message is just sticking together as an overall team. Nobody needs to be pointing fingers and trying to play the blame game. We all could have made one more play that could help the team win the game. We just have to go back to the drawing board like we say every week. It gets repetitive but that’s what we need to do and limit the mistakes.”
(How do you keep that juice knowing that you are 1-6?) – “Are you talking about as a team?”
(Yeah and maybe you personally, too. Maybe both.) – “As a team, you just have to pick each other up. Make sure people aren’t trying to get too down or get in a hole to where it’s just like it doesn’t matter any more because every game matters, every week matters. You don’t want to get people in that mindset. I’ve had experience with that in my college career so I know stuff can get torn apart and you just want to stay together. You have to keep a hard mindset. Like I said, you got to put the extra work in, do extra stuff and try to get more people to keep doing extra work to make that one extra play that will help win the game. If you can do that, that can help try to change things around but it’s definitely a hard task to do.”
(How hard is it to continue to do all of that extra work and now you’re putting more on yourself but you’re still not seeing results?) – “It’s tough but this is the NFL. You can’t try to make any excuses or anything. Hard work at the end of the day should lead to success. If we just keep working hard, eventually it’ll pay off. It’s definitely frustrating that it’s not paying off right now. The only thing we can do is, like I said, go out there next week and try and get a W and go out there and get a W. So we can’t complain about stuff that’s been happening right now.”
Salvon Ahmed – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
RB Salvon Ahmed
(We learned RB Malcolm Brown will have to go on IR. Your reaction to losing a fellow running back for some time? And my other question was just your thoughts on the way you ran the football with 25 carries between the three running backs? That’s something we haven’t seen nearly as much in the games prior.) – “You hate to lose teammates and that sucks, but you just got to keep going. This is a team full of guys ready to play and be professional. That’s that part. We just got to keep getting better as a team, whether that’s running the ball or doing different things. We just got to keep improving and coming to practice and working.”
(What’s your motivation? You guys are probably out of the playoffs here before the season is halfway through, but where do you turn? Where do you draw your motivation from to play your best every week? It’s got to be difficult.) – “The guys in the room. The guys in that locker room. We are a team and that’s where you get your motivation from. You want to play as hard as you can, not only just for the locker room but the coaches. Everyone in this organization works extremely hard. We want to go out there and play our best every single game. That’s where you get that motivation from – the guys that we’re with every single day.”
(Do you remember at any point in your football career losing six games in a row?) – “This game is hard. This game is not easy so there are a lot of ups and downs. We just have to keep working and build. Just keep building. It’s a long season. It’s Week 7 so we have 10 more weeks, so it’s a long season. This game is hard and has ups and downs and that’s part of the game.”
(Mentally, how do you stay even-keel and forget what happened last week and move on? That’s not easy to do.) – “Yeah, absolutely. I think it just goes back to knowing that it’s a long season. You can’t dwell on the past. What happened yesterday was yesterday and now we’re getting ready for this coming week. I think you kind of got to move on. You can’t dwell on it and you have to go to practice and get ready on Wednesday.”
Austin Reiter – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
C Austin Reiter
(What was it like for you getting in there and getting a start with this new team that you’ve been on for a few weeks now? How do you feel the offense did and your communication with the offensive line was?) – “It felt good to get back out there and definitely knock some rust off for myself technique-wise. I think at the end of the day, we all wanted to win, so we’re never satisfied offensively. I thought the communication went pretty well. I think we were on the same page for most of game. Being at a home game is obviously an advantage coming in there for the first start not playing many snaps with these guys. So that helped.”
(What do you think it’s going to be like going into a pretty hostile environment in Buffalo?) – “I’ve been there before. It’s typical with road games. You’ve got to prepare for it to be loud, making points, making sure everybody is on the same page. I think that’s the most important thing is everybody being on the same page. As far as calls and communication wise, it’s going to be loud. That’s definitely the key there.”
(I know you played against Buffalo in the playoffs. What stands out for you about that team from that game?) – “They play hard. It’s a good defense. They fly around to the ball. In the playoffs, everything happens a little faster. I know they like pressuring and bringing (Jordan) Poyer in there. It was a few games ago. I’ve seen a couple of their games this year too. It’s a high energy defense and you have to match their intensity and speed.”
(As a new guy on a team that’s on a losing streak, how much can you add your voice into the mix as a new guy that’s not established like a lot of the players in that locker room?) – “I find myself – it’s a little bit of a tight-rope act because you don’t want to say too much and you don’t want to say too little either. In 2016 and 2017, I was with Cleveland and those two seasons were 1-15 and 0-16. I’ve been on the other side of the spectrum of that as well. I think one of the things I kind of harped to some guys were the margin of winning and losing is small. You just have to trust what you’re doing. You can’t try to do too much and correct too much at a time. Just take little bits and pieces away every time, trying to get an advantage, because the margin is so small. You’ve got to trust what you’re doing.”
Eric Rowe – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
S Eric Rowe
(We were just told a short time ago by Head Coach Brian Flores that S Jason McCourty is going on injured reserve. Just the impact that would have on the secondary?) – “He’s obviously a leader to not just the secondary but to the team. When you have guys like that go down, ultimately it hurts the team. But that’s just how the NFL is. Someone else will just have to step up. Someone has to take his role. He’ll still be around but we just have to step up and fill his shoes when it comes to on the field.”
(Now the team is bringing in S Sheldrick Redwine, a guy who has been around Cleveland, Carolina a little bit and the Jets. What do you do when new guys come into the secondary to welcome in a new teammate midseason like this?) – “We just have to fill him in as fast we can. Honestly, I didn’t know we signed anybody until you just told me. We just have to fill him in as fast as we can because we’re on to the next game. We’ve got to get ready for Buffalo. Whoever we bring in, to the active roster, we have to get him going because ultimately the team signed him and we need him. Whatever role that he’s going to play, we need him to do it well. We just got to fill him in quick.”
(You’ve been around a number of years. I’m sure you’ve had your experiences going to Buffalo. What stands out in your trips there either good or bad?) – “Every time I go play in Buffalo – one, it’s a hostile environment. The Buffalo fans, they are literally ride or die for their team. I played there when they were down at their bottom, I’ve played there when they’re at the top. The fans, they bring the same energy, the same spirit. We ride on the bus, they’re flicking you off, smashing the tables. (laughter) If they could, I know they would throw stuff at our bus, cursing at us on the field. I like that, though. It brings that extra energy like this is football right here. Every time we go up there, it is so hostile.”
(I could never understand how they’re tailgating in 20 degrees, could you?) – “It’s below zero and they are out there. I’m pretty sure they’re out hours – five hours, six hours – before the game even starts, drinking beer, cooking on the grill and smashing those tables. Twenty degrees and some people have no shirt on. It doesn’t affect them. (laughter) Crazy fans.”
Brian Flores – October 25, 2021
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Monday, October 25, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(You had three guys leave the game yesterday with injuries. What can you tell us about RB Malcolm Brown, LB Jerome Baker and DB Jason McCourty?) – “So Jason and Malcolm, we expect both guys to go on IR for at least three weeks. ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker), that will be day to day. We’ll see how that one goes.”
(Anything new on the C/G Michael Deiter situation? How ready might he be to come back off IR?) – “He’s actually making a lot of progress. Don’t expect him this week but he’s certainly making a lot of progress.”
(Yesterday was the third time you’ve had to watch a last play field goal beat you. I’m sorry if this kind of sounds like a broken record but just how much more can a team take with everything that’s gone on and to lose six in a row and three of them in that way? How concerned are you for the psyche and all the comes with that from this group?) – “I think it’s a resilient group. We talked about that today. We’ve lost three games with a field goal at the end. We’ve talked about the margin for error the last couple of weeks and really all year. We’re really on the wrong side of that and there’s a myriad of reasons why but when it comes down to a field goal at the end, there’s always one or two plays that could have turned it and could have been the difference. We understand that. We just have to make more plays throughout the game so it doesn’t get to that point. Or if it is in that situation like it was yesterday, we have to do more offensively, defensively and in the kicking game to pull it out, which we haven’t been able to do. It’s been disappointing. But as far as the psyche of the team, I’ve said this all year that this is a resilient group. This isn’t an effort issue. This isn’t a desire issue. This is just a situation right now where we’re just not doing enough to pull these games out. We’ll continue to prepare the way we’ve prepared. We’ll always look at different ways to do things. But we need to find different ways to help these guys finish these games out.”
(I think we all appreciated yesterday that both you and QB Tua Tagovailoa spoke about how you guys have had conversations to sort of deal with the outside noise, the trade rumors, the distractions. I was just curious – you talked about the psyche of the team. For a young quarterback like Tua, do you feel like in just two years he’s been through almost an inordinate amount of distractions with all of the things around him? And how do you keep him locked in to where you want him to be, given everything that’s going on?) – “I think he’s been locked in. I think he’s played well the last two weeks. Not perfect but I think he’s played well and moved the ball and given us a chance to win the last couple of weeks. We haven’t been able to pull it out but I think his psyche is in a good frame of mind. He’s dealt with a lot the last couple of years with the hip and last year obviously being a COVID season and not having a normal training camp or OTAs. Then this season, with another injury. So he’s dealt with some adversity. He’s overcome it. I think he’s doing a lot of good things and putting us in good positions.”
(WR Will Fuller, where does he stand in his recovery as he’s now eligible to be removed off IR? If he’s healthy. It’s been three weeks now.) – “Will is also doing everything he can to get back as soon as he can. I don’t think it will be this week but I think we’re getting closer.”
(I also wanted to ask about S Sheldrick Redwine. There are reports out there that the team picked him up. Now we know that DB Jason McCourty is going on IR. What can he bring to the team?) – “He’s a young player, a young safety. He was in Cleveland for a couple of years. We had some love for him coming out. We think he has some ability. We’ll get him here, try to teach him the system and try to get him going. He plays in the kicking game as well. We’ll see. We’ve got to get him here and get him going.”
(I know you’ve talked to us about the development of players being important to you. I’m curious now after 12 full games for QB Tua Tagovailoa, how would you evaluate the job that you guys have done as a staff, helping him develop?) – “I think he’s getting better. I think he’s getting better every time he steps on the field. I think he’s pushing the ball down the field more. I think he’s making better decisions. I think he’s making quicker decisions. I think he’s doing a lot of things – look it’s a small sample size, but every time he steps out there, I see progress. I saw that yesterday for sure. I think one of the things – I think he showed some grit and some growth dealing with some adversity, dealing with a couple of interceptions and then coming back and giving us an opportunity to win the game at the end. He’s a young player. Everyone develops at a little bit different pace. But I think he’s doing a lot of good things.”
(You mentioned everybody develops at a different pace. When you have that quarterback position, obviously that gets a lot of eyeballs. How do you view maybe the timetable needed to evaluate whether this quarterback is developing how you want them to?) – “I don’t know if I’ve thought about it from that standpoint. We’ve had close to – let’s call it a year and a half – with Tua (Tagovailoa) and it’s been an unusual kind of year and a half for a number of reasons. He’s coming off the hip (injury), he dealt with another injury this season. But I would say the last two games, he’s done a lot of good things. I think he’s headed in the right direction. We’re pleased with the development that he’s shown over these 18 months.”
(I wanted to ask primarily about WR Will Fuller. I know he’s got the hand injury but there are players with injuries who are around the team or on the field or at practice. Why is it that we haven’t seen Fuller not just since the hand injury but during OTAs and training camp? Why has Will Fuller not been present? Why isn’t he there watching?) – “He’s been around. I see him every day in rehab. As far as getting out there and being at practice, mostly he does his work during practice. That’s how we have it set up for him and most of our guys who are on IR. They kind of work in our meetings and practice.”
(Last year, you probably talked about this with Miami reporters, but last year you were No. 1 on third-down defense. Can you pinpoint what have been some of the factors for the drop off on third-down defense?) – “Probably communication, overall execution. I would start with communication. It’s not good enough from a fundamentals and technique standpoint. It’s definitely something that we need to improve on. That down is a big down from a momentum standpoint, getting off the field, getting the offense back on the field, getting return units back on the field. Again, last year was last year and this is a totally different situation, totally different year, new opponents. We’ve got to improve in that area for sure.”
(Just looking at the Bills offense and where they stand right now, the addition of WR Emmanuel Sanders, do you see them being more balanced as a passing unit than last year?) – “Certainly an explosive unit already with (Stefon) Diggs and (Cole) Beasley, (Devin) Singletary and you add (Emmanuel) Sanders. It’s definitely an explosive unit. They do a good job, they are well coached and it is definitely a tough test.”
(You waived QB Reid Sinnett to make room for WR Isaiah Ford. Do you expect Reid to return to the practice squad? And second, with LB Jerome Baker missing most of the game, did S Jevon Holland handle most of the communication duties on defense?) – “No, Sam Eguavoen handled the communication from (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) to the rest of the defense. What was your first question?”
(Do you expect QB Reid Sinnett to come back to the practice squad?) – “We’ll see the waiver wire today and see how that shakes out. But if so, yeah we’d like to get him back.”
(You had mentioned QB Tua Tagovailoa being aggressive pushing the ball down the field. I just wanted to get a philosophical coaching point with regards to being aggressive versus calibrating when to pull that thing back for a young quarterback. On the pass to TE Durham Smythe it looked like there was a couple guys in the area. How do you calibrate being aggressive with also making good decisions for a quarterback so early in his career?) – “I think that’s a very valid point. You want to be aggressive but you also want to make smart decisions and not put the team in a position where you could potentially turn the ball over or create a negative play. That’s a fine balance. I think every quarterback goes through that thought process. I think a lot of it is based on what defense you’re seeing, the players you have on the field and I think a lot of it is based on how you practice it. If you can see those areas of the field where you can create some chunk plays, you hit them in practice and you have an opportunity to hit them in the game if you get the same look. It’s something we practice, it’s something we try to put an emphasis on and then players have to go out there and execute.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa talked about a miscommunication on that particular throw. Is that something where there’s a sight adjustment post-snap where they can both read something and make an adjustment based upon the original call?) – “Which play are you talking about? We may be thinking of two different plays.”
(The first interception where TE Durham Smythe was in the area.) – “There was a miscommunication on that one, unfortunately. I think it’s one that Tua wishes he had back, Durham wishes he had back and something we have to learn from. When you look at it that way, there’s some other places we could have went with it. What I liked most about that was Tua’s response, Durham’s response and being able to turn it around and create some positive plays after that mishap.”
(Based on the history against the Bills in Miami, is it one thing that seems to go wrong? Can you pinpoint what have been your struggles against the Bills over the course of the six-game skid over the past couple of years? Is it one thing, is it a number of things and what is your approach to now facing them this Sunday?) – “Well they’re a good football team. They’re a balanced football team on offense, defense and special teams. They are well coached. They got good players. When you play a good football team, we have to play well on all three phases to have success against a good team or really any team in this league because every team is good in this league. That’s really what it boils down to. They got good players. They got good coaches. They execute well. They play well together. It’s always a tough test, especially going up there.”
Jevon Holland – October 24, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Postgame – Atlanta
S Jevon Holland
Q: Can you take us through the deep touchdown play to Russell Gage. What was the defense there? What broke down?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s kind of a tough situation. The defense that we’re in, it’s just a play that we miscommunicated on. It happens, but we needed capitalize on that, and so we’re back to the drawing board and be better next week.
Q: It looked like on the one pass to Kyle Pitts at the end there on the sideline, you and Xavien Howard were all over him. You took a good shot at him, he still held on. What can you say about how tough this guy is and how hard it is to separate him from the ball?
JEVON HOLLAND: Kyle (Pitts) is a hell of a player. That’s one of my good friends. He is a ballplayer. You saw that out there. He is a tough guy. Grit. You saw that in college, so the NFL is the best of the best. That’s why he is out there, he is playing.
Q: Second straight week of losing at the end of the game on a field goal. How is that demoralizing to the locker room. Is it that extra added pressure on you guys?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s tough. You’re right there, and then a field goal separated it. Yeah, it’s tough, but we got to stick together as a team, come back ready next week. We’re grown, so we got to make grown man decisions.
Q: You guys take the lead. You know that Matt Ryan has time, and like you just mentioned about Kyle, and he is going to be looking for Kyle Pitts a lot. Just elaborate more, what is it? Did you foresee this kind of success he would have in this league? I know he came in as very, very highly rated and what actually makes him so difficult as a cover?
JEVON HOLLAND: I would say Kyle (Pitts) is a big athletic tight end so it adds a mismatch to the smaller corners. Not necessarily the smaller corners. He is, like, 6’5, 248. He is a big guy and with athletic ability, and he can go up and get the ball. Pair that with Matt Ryan, who is a really great quarterback. It’s a dangerous combination. You saw that out there, and that’s a great team. That’s a good team. They went out there and they capitalized on the opportunities that they had, and they came out with the W. That’s what it is. Game of inches. That’s what football is.
Q: Can you walk us through that hit you put on Calvin Ridley to draw the ball loose?
JEVON HOLLAND: Our coaches work us on something called one shot to find the angle. Any time there’s a post or anything like that or a nine route, you have one opportunity to make the tackle. If not, you know, they can score a touchdown or whatnot, get a first down. I just went through my keys like we do every day, and executed what our coach taught me in practice. That’s basically what it is.
