Liam Eichenberg – September 8, 2021
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Wednesday, September 8, 2021
T Liam Eichenberg
(How are you feeling physically? I know you have worked your way back from a couple things, right?) – “I feel pretty good. I feel back to normal. I was just dealing with a strain, so nothing too serious. Obviously it sucked being out, not being out with my teammates and at the same time, it’s hot out there. It’s grueling. Not having another body out there to rotate is kind of tough, so I just kind of felt bad for the guys. But at the same time, I was working hard trying to get back to where I needed to be. It’s been awesome to be out here.”
(You took so many snaps in the period that we saw in the periods open to the media at right tackle and left guard. Yet I believe you had a 33-game sackless streak at Notre Dame at left tackle so if you ended up at any point this week or Week 7 having to play left tackle, what’s the comfort level at that position?) – “I kind of joke with Jesse (Davis) that I’m kind of going down his path. He’s played pretty much every position. But for me, I was at right tackle, left guard. But in college, that was in college, if I’m being honest. At the same time, it is kind of – being on the left side was a lot easier. Being at left guard, just kind of the movement pattern as you know. Regardless, wherever they want me and wherever the offensive line coach – ‘Coach Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) and ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) put me, I’ll play. Whatever it takes to help this team win. I’m just excited to practice, to be out there.”
(Have you received a single left tackle snap since training camp started?) – “I’ve taken reps at right tight tackle, left guard. I took a couple snaps at center. I took a couple at left tackle. It’s been pretty much everywhere. There’s plans in place I guess in case somebody goes down; then you’ve got to shift everyone around. So wherever they need me, wherever they want me to be.”
(When you switch around so many positions, do you feel it comes natural to you to then block at that new position or do you have to kind of think, hesitate, other foot, other arm?) – “I wouldn’t say ‘hesitate.’ I think it’s just different technique. I think playing tackle compared to guard is completely different. Center to tackle is different, so at the end of the day, you have to go back to your fundamentals, technique and your coaching. The good thing is that I’m in meetings when our coach is talking to the guards, too, and I’m listening. So just kind of that’s how it is.”
(What’s your confidence level with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “I back him. I believe in him as much as anybody on this team. The offensive line will always be there to support him and I listen to anything and everything he says. He’s our guy. If he tells me to run a mile, I’ll run a mile. I’d do anything for him, but I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a confident guy. He’s a great leader. I’m very fortunate to be on a team with him – a guy that cares about his teammates and also who cares about this team and winning.”
(What are your thoughts on WR Mack Hollins’ hair?) – “Mack (Hollins) looks great. I wish I had hair like that. I’m kind of balding, so… (laughter) But no it’s – I’m very fortunate to be down here on a great team.”
(In theory it’s easier just to back a couple questions here – easier to switch from left guard to left tackle than it is from right tackle to left tackle?) – “I think it’s hard regardless. One day you’re at a certain spot; another day at another. I think it kind of just comes back to getting used to that movement pattern. I think any offensive lineman would say that, but like I said before, tackle is different guard and guard is different from center. So just kind of those little things that a lot of people don’t notice or know about.”
(You were asked at the start how you’re feeling physically. I’ll ask you how are you feeling mentally now that you’re a few days away from probably something you’ve dreamed of for a long time – your NFL dream?) – “I think I’m just taking it one day at a time. I don’t know if I’ll be playing on Sunday if I’m being honest with you, so for me it’s just taking it one day at a time, one snap at a time and going out there and improving every single day. Like I said before, I was out for a little bit dealing with a strain; so I’m just so happy to be back, to be out there with my teammates, enjoying practice, having fun and working hard.”
Brian Flores – September 8, 2021
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Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Is T Greg Little back?) – “Yes, he’ll be out at practice today.”
(Is T Liam Eichenberg a full go?) – “You’ll get the injury report later on, but we expect him to practice today.”
(Are there any players who are out that could be unexpected?) – “No.”
(Can you share with us the 2021 team captains?) – “Yes. Offensively (it is) Jesse Davis, Mack Hollins. Defensively (it is) Elandon Roberts, Jason McCourty. And in the kicking game, (Clayton) Fejedelem.”
(I’m curious what your game day routine is for yourself, especially on the road. Do you get up early, get a workout in? What do you go through to mentally get yourself ready?) – “It depends on a 1 o’clock versus 4 o’clock or night (game). I try to get a good night’s sleep. We prepare throughout the week so I feel pretty good going in. Get a good night’s sleep, no work out. Maybe watch a little bit of film, go through the game plan one more time, see if there is any thought that I may have, talk to the coordinators see if there is a thought they may have. There are a thousand things it could be. ‘Hey, what do you think about this player on this, or this route on this third down play, or this concept’ or something we could do defensively that may be a little bit different than what we practiced, which is a minor adjustment. That’s the word I was looking for was a minor adjustment that we could make.”
(Do you eat something or just something you make for your own…?) – “No. No rituals. I eat what I feel like – what’s in the café, what I feel like, what looks good. I don’t have any rituals.”
(Alabama now has three starting quarterbacks in the NFL that were all consecutive. You’re obviously facing one and you have one on your own team. That program’s ability to turn out high-level quarterbacks says what about the job they do there?) – “I don’t think it’s just quarterbacks. They have position players throughout – offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers, safeties, corners, receivers, tight ends. They do a good job there of recruiting and then coaching the players so they can have success at their level, which gives them an opportunity to play in this league, and they’ve had a lot of success in this league as well. Coach (Nick) Saban has done a great job. His staff has done a great job. They’ve done a great job recruiting and we’ve got a few ‘Bama players on our team. We’re pleased and happy with those players. They came to us with good fundamentals, good techniques, knowledge of the game, knowledge of situations and that’s a testament to the program they were at.”
(Out of your team captains, I thinks it fair to say that WR Mack Hollins is a little bit under the radar during training camp. What did you see from him in terms of leadership and why he’s worthy of being a team captain this year?) – “I think that’s probably under the radar from your vantage point, but in our locker room – that’s just something no one else would know. He brings energy on a daily basis. He works hard. It’s important to him. He plays in a variety of positions. He plays in the kicking game. I think he does a lot of good things for our team. His teammates elected him captain and I think they did that for a reason.”
(How pronounced is the difference between Week 1 scouting report versus Weeks 2 through Week 17? There is educated guesswork every week obviously, but particularly so in Week 1, I would think. Is it a significant difference in what you show guys?) – “Yeah, I mean in Week 1, that’s when you have the least amount of information. I think a lot of it is predicting, forecasting based off of the preseason, based on what players have done in the past, what coaches have done in the past. But coaches change. We all go through different concepts, different themes throughout the offseason – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. (We all) implement a few new things. I think at the end of the day, Game 1 is about fundamentals, techniques, communication, tackling well – which is obviously a part of fundamentals – throwing, catching the ball, playing penalty free. I think those things, no matter what week, those are things that are standard operating procedures you have to have. But Week 1 from a scouting plays, schematic concept standpoint, yeah you have the least amount of information. Then you really rely on your rules, believe your rules, follow your rules and your fundamentals. I think if you do that, really in any game, it’s probably your best bet.”
(What would be your thoughts for QB Tua Tagovailoa relative to using his voice to stress his input on not only the offensive concepts, but the weekly game plan?) – “There is always a discussion from the quarterback, in the quarterback room, within the entire offense. We’re running a route, here are the depths. He’s talking to the receivers, he’s talking to the backs, he’s talking to the O-line. As far as input on the game plan, yeah there is definitely input from the quarterback and quarterback room. I think that input is also based on the players you’ve got around him. I talked to so and so and he wants to run it like this, or I talked to this guy and he thinks he can get open on this. I don’t know if it’s specifically Tua’s input. I think it’s Tua’s relationships, which turns into a team input on what we would do offensively, if that makes sense.”
(Is there a cut-off point where you have to prepare for this game without T Austin Jackson or TE Adam Shaheen, or is there still hope that either of those players can play?) – “Yeah. They are not here, so we are preparing as if they are not going to play. We’ll go through the process. If we get them back, we get them back; but as of right now we’re going through it as if they are not going to be there.”
(How do you balance going against a quarterback who’s playing in his first NFL game trying to confuse him with looks, make his mind go a million miles an hour versus just doing what you do defensively, knowing he’s inexperienced and maybe mistakes you try to force will maybe come naturally?) – “I’d like to think we’re always trying to disguise and create a situation where it’s not easy for the quarterback. I’d like to think that. I think that’s always part of the game plan. That player has the ball in his hands on every snap, so if you can disrupt that player, then you have a good chance of creating disruptive plays. I think we’re always trying to have an effect on the quarterback – rookie, veteran. I think that’s where it starts, I would say just at least from a pass game standpoint. But they’ve got a very good run game. I think we’re a little bit of ‘Mac Jones, Mac Jones, Mac Jones.’ He’s a good player, but they’ve got a lot of good players on that offense and defense and kicking game, so I think for us, we’re playing the Patriots. They’ve got a good offensive line. They’ve got good tight ends. They’ve got good receivers and I think there’s a lot to handle there. If we just put our emphasis on affecting the quarterback, then they’ll probably get us somewhere else. So there’s a lot here.”
(There’s a lot of talk of players making a big jump from Year 2 to Year 3. Where do you think your biggest jump has been now entering your third season in charge here?) – “I think I just take this one day at a time. I don’t really kind of look at it of where was I last year versus this year. Right now I’m just trying to help our guys have success, help our guys improve, help our guys get better today. I just don’t think that way. I don’t think about where I was a year ago from where I am now. I try to be present and I think that’s how I’ve kind of operated. I try to get our players to operate that way and I don’t think about next week or last week or last year. I just try to be in the moment.”
(You’ve obviously gone back to New England a few times now as head coach of the Dolphins and obviously you’re focused on the task at hand which is the game and your opponent, but are there moments when you’re there where you get a little more reflective – maybe even dare I say more – I don’t think I will dare say that because you’re always motivated – but is there anything special that even after the game, before the game, that stands out when you’re in new England on that other sideline?) – “This has happened twice and one time there was no fans, so it was a very different atmosphere and then the other one was two years ago and again, I’m not a guy who kind of thinks to what happened two years ago. I was there for a long time. I learned a lot there. There’s a lot of – obviously from Bill (Belichick), and I’m very fortunate to have been there. I enjoyed my time there and there’s still some people there that I have good relationships with and then I have a great deal of respect for their coaching staff, the people in that organization; but when we go there, we’re going there to compete. And there’s no – that’s what it is. I’ve said this before – they know that. Bill (Belichick) – everyone on his staff is there to compete and that’s what I learned there and I’ve taken that with me here and that’s my approach. So there’s no nostalgia. I know I used that word the other day, but I’m just going there to compete.”
(I noticed LB Jaelan Phillips listed third-team on the initial depth chart. What factors played into that decision?) – “I wouldn’t look too deep into the depth chart. Jaelan (Phillips) has worked really hard. We have so many different groupings. You can only put one group on the depth chart so I want to say it’s the base group. Actually I think it’s the nickel group. So a lot of groupings – we’ve got nickel, we’ve got dime, we’ve got base, we’ve got nine DBs in the game. We’ve got a lot of different groupings. He’s worked hard. I think we’ll find a way to get him some snaps, but we’re going to play the guys we feel give us the best chance to have success.”
(You want to play the best five on the offensive line. If T Liam Eichenberg were to rise into that for Week 1, your comfort level in playing him at a position where he hasn’t practiced all training camp, even though he does have college experience there?) – “We’re going to play the best five. Obviously part of that is making sure all five guys are comfortable playing the position that they’re playing and we have to feel comfortable with that, that the players are comfortable. That’s what we’ll do. Liam’s played a few different positions and I think that’s the case for a lot of guys on our line. Rob Hunt has played tackle. Jesse (Davis) has played tackle and guard – left side, right side. (Michael) Deiter has played guard. Rob Jones was a tackle in college. We like the versatility and that’s why we have it, for situations like this where we could potentially be down one guy; and if that’s the case, then the next guy’s got to kind of step up. I think we’ll be comfortable with whoever we put out there.”
(You’ve said many times that you tend to be present like the answer you stated a couple minutes ago. You just focus on what’s in front of you. Do you find that players generally have that same approach or is that something you kind of have to steer them toward?) – “I think we all naturally think about the past, think about the future. I think that’s just kind of general human nature or that’s been in conversations with people about this topic. What’s in front of me, what happened – I think it’s harder to stay present. I think there’s a discipline to trying to be in the moment. And yeah, I think that’s something we talk about a lot and I think in this game, if you’re thinking about what happened on a previous play, that could affect you on the next play. So we want them to be in the moment because good or bad, we’ve got to focus on the next play. ‘I just scored. I’m good.’ No, that’s not how we want to operate. Or ‘I just had a bad play. I’m no good.’ No, that’s not how we want to operate. I think that’s not just a football lesson. It’s really a life lesson and if you can apply to that to the other things in our lives, then I think we’d all be better for it. So just my thoughts, not that they mean much. (laughter)”
(What are your on-field expectations for QB Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday?) – “Good fundamentals, good technique, good communication, good decisions and that he has fun playing this game that he loves to play. That’s part of this, too. Nobody talks about that, but that’s part of this, too. I love coaching football. I’m going to be having fun on Sunday because I’m doing what I love to do, and hopefully you guys are all doing what you love to do – covering the team – and the players are doing what they love to do – playing the game. So that’s what I’ll tell him to do.”
Eric Studesville – September 7, 2021
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville
(I know everything this week you’re focused solely on this opponent. But if you can just for a minute, from a human side, having an opportunity as co-offensive coordinator after a very distinguished career as an NFL assistant, is it meaningful to you personally?) – “Every game is. Every game is. I think it’s an honor to coach in this league. I’ve enjoyed it, I’m humbled by every opportunity I get to do it. Every game that I get to be a part of, regardless of what role that is, is am awesome thing.”
(Since it’s a good story this week, when Head Coach Brian Flores first told you about this opportunity, was there any joy at all? What sort of emotion was there to be a offensive coordinator?) – “I think the first emotion was you realize the increase in responsibility and the opportunity that you’re given, and you appreciate the fact that ‘Flo’ entrusted that in you. That was my first thoughts in there. It wasn’t anything other than, ‘man, there is a lot of work to get done. We got to get on this, George (Godsey) and I got to get on this pretty quick.’”
(What do you want this offense to be? What would be your hope of what this offense is known for? One that keeps defenses on their toes, one that is consistently productive? What in your words?) – “I would say yes to those things for sure. I think we want to be known as a tough, physical group that’s smart, that we’re going to execute at a high level whether that’s run or pass, protection and everything we do; and that we play with great effort in what we do. Everything is centered around what gives this team the best chance to win. It is an unselfish concept; but yet there is a high level of accountability and responsibility for each and every one of us involved in the offense. That’s what I hope people see when they look at us.”
(The offensive personnel that you and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey have been given, what do you like especially about this group of offensive players? You obviously have the speed element among others.) – “I think the biggest thing I like about this group is how they work. These guys come to work, they are unselfish, they are willing to take on other roles – smaller roles, larger roles, different roles, moving from positions, whatever that we feel is best. This entire group of offensive players is trying to come together and create something that gives us the best chance to win. I think that comes with an open mindset, it comes with a tremendous work ethic and then it comes with a commitment to each other saying, ‘if we all get in and do this, we’ve got a shot.”
(Who taught you to coach?) – “I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve been around a lot of great coaches. I’ve taken something from each and every one of them. I had an opportunity this summer to sit down and have breakfast with my very first coach, my little league coach Will Smith in Madison, but Bob Berezowitz and Bruce Bukowski at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Everywhere that I’ve gone, there have been coaches in my life at all different levels that have impacted me. I take something from each and every one of them.”
(What did you take from your little league coach?) – “A love of the game. I learned some things about him this summer that I didn’t know. His passion for building a little league program in Madison, Wisconsin is now over 50 years old and still running, he started when he was in high school and basically gave up his high school career to start the Southside Raider football program. To have been a part of that and knowing that in hindsight now is a really cool thing. I have a lot of respect for him for doing that.”
(Was this level always the goal for you or was there a point in life where you would’ve been content with being a high school coach, a college coach?) – “I had no idea I was going to get into coaching. I had no idea. I don’t want to say I stumbled into it, but I was looking for something, and this found me at the same time I needed to find it. It was a great fit for me.”
(What’s that story? What had you been doing at the time?) – “I was in graduate school at the University of Arizona, way over my head academically (laughter) and trying to figure out what I was going to do next. I just missed the game of football and Dick Tomey, who was the head coach at the time at the University of Arizona, who I have a tremendous amount of respect for, he gave me an opportunity to see if this is what I wanted to do. He opened up that door and it became more and more and I decided that this is what I wanted to do. Since 1991, that’s all I’ve wanted to do.”
(What non-football career had you been mulling in college?) – “In college, I wanted to be a college professor. My master’s degree is in exercise physiology. I wanted to do research on the body and how it affects sports and performance. I just went a different direction.”
(Your first regular season game as an offensive coordinator with George Godsey is against one of the best coaches of all time with a defensive … is that a challenge you relish this weekend?) – “Absolutely. I relish every opportunity we get to go out and play games. We spend a lot of time and effort getting our team ready to go and how we plan as a coaching staff and our preparation, any chance we get to go up against somebody else, that’s the competition. That’s why we all do this. You love the competition of going against somebody else, and particularly the best at doing something. If you don’t want to go against the best, than why are we doing this?”
(I know you’ve talked about obviously how your running backs all work very hard. Do you think this group of backs has been under-appreciated? I know they have to show it on the field this year, but in terms of their body of work and what they’ve shown? I say by the public, not by you as coaches.) – “There are opinions on lots of different things. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this group of running backs that I’m working with. I think they are going to determine how people view them based on how we perform going forward. That’s the opportunity we have to play games. That’s why we do it. They’re going to determine how people view who they are, what they are and how productive the are.”
(What does RB Myles Gaskin do best?) – “He works. I think it’s an under-appreciated skill. He comes and he works and he tries to improve and learn and take care of his body. Everything that he is doing as a professional, he does to the utmost, and I think it’s very impressive to be around him.”
(How smoothly has the process worked in the exhibition season – plays being called … the offense. Has it gone a lot better than you expected? About as well?) – “I think it’s gone well. I think it’s gone well. There are always things we can do better. We’re always evaluating that after a game and what we could do better and how we should streamline things or make something cleaner. We are always trying to improve that process. I think it’s gone well so far. We’re going to continue to find ways to make sure it goes well because that gives us a chance when it does.”
(I know all of the offensive assistants are involved in game planning as both you guys have said. How many times do you and George Godsey meet a week?) – “Every day. We get together every morning. It starts out every morning and then there are times throughout the day where he comes in my office, I come in his. We talk about things. We talk multiple times a day about many, many, different topics.”
(If you have a play that you think is going to work for this particular week, will you write it on your desk on a Post-it note, just to remember to talk to George Godsey about it later?) – “Sometimes you get up right from your desk and go in there and draw it on his board. Sometimes he comes in and draws it on my board. There are drawings everywhere on the boards, in the staff room and things like that. We’re constantly sharing ideas and talking through everything, bouncing ideas off of each other.”
(What is the process of figuring out this offense between you and George Godsey? If you see things differently, how are you able to work through that and come to an understanding?) – “It’s not just me and George, it’s the whole staff that does this. We’ve got good football coaches on the whole staff. We get input from everybody. It’s a collaborative effort in how we build it, how we talk about it and how we throw ideas out. We work through all of those ideas all the time. It’s not just George and I sitting there and kind of throwing things at the staff saying ‘this is how we’re going to do it.’ We talk about, ‘this is what we like in this area, what do you guys like, lets throw ideas out, and let’s talk about what’s best for us as an offense going forward.’”
(What has RB Myles Gaskin worked on, or what have you worked on with him over the last couple of years that’s really paid dividends? I know you’ve talked about his work ethic.) – “I think the biggest area that Myles has improved in is pass protection and route running. Those two areas from when he first got here – he could always run the ball and doing things well. I think he’s really put time and effort into becoming a better pass protector and a better receiver.”
(What does that entail?) – “Work, study, film time, understanding dogs and blitzes and things that are happening to us. Then seeing different routes and going in and actually working on catching balls from quarterbacks and doing things.”
George Godsey – September 7, 2021
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/TE Coach George Godsey
(I know all you’re thinking is on New England and this game but if you would be kind enough, just sort of a human question for you, getting your first opportunity to be a coordinator again since 2016. Is that meaningful to you at this point in your life?) – “I don’t think it has anything to do with this week to be honest with you. We’re just working towards the Patriots. Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for that one.”
(When you were a coordinator last time in the National Football League, how has that helped prepare you for what you are going to do on Sunday? What did you take away from your past experience as a coordinator?) – “Every day as a coach, I have taken something out of it. I think all of us have, so we try to use those experiences to help us for this week. It’s very hard to put everything from one year before into the current situation. There’s different players, different coaches, different teams and different opponents. The teams are the same but it’s a completely different roster. It’s very hard to make it apples to apples if you will.”
(Not giving away anything strategic, what do you, Head Coach Brian Flores and Co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs Coach Eric Studesville and all the offensive assistants want this offense to be known for?) – “Our job as an offense is to move the ball and score points. That’s the bottom line. We’ve got to be efficient, eliminate bad football and make plays when we need to.”
(I know WR Mack Hollins and others have said the offense is very similar to Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey’s system, how compelled have you and Co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs Coach Eric Studesville felt in terms of adding your own nuances to make it a little different and make it harder for opposing teams to prepare for?) – “There’s some new pieces and we are trying to make them all fit into a game plan. Everybody has a role whether it is normal downs, third down, red area, two-minute, four-minute – everybody has a role. We’re trying to maximize everybody’s abilities as much as possible.”
(How do you balance creativity and ingenuity with this is what we do best and we are going to do this a lot?) – “That’s the job. We’re trying to, like I said earlier, move the ball and get first downs. There’s a little bit of everything that has to play into that by series. We’re going to try to do what we need to do to move the ball and then at times, if we get the opportunity down there in the red area, try to punch it in and limit ourselves from field goals and score touchdowns.”
(Not only is this your first game as the Dolphins offensive coordinator, but you’re going up against an all-time great NFL coach with a defensive mind in Head Coach Bill Belichick. Does that make the experience even more interesting? Is it a challenge that you like going up against a coach of that quality?) – “This is a tough league and there’s good coaches, good players and every week is a challenge. This is the first challenge of many. We’re going to have to be – especially against a quality opponent, divisional opponent, good coaching staff, good players that we are going against so we are going to have to be sharp and execute right off the bat. Even though it is game one, that is our expectation.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores has said the team is preparing to go without T Austin Jackson on the COVID list. How do you feel about the depth at the offensive tackle position and the options including T Greg Little, T Liam Eichenberg and G/T Jesse Davis?) – “I think last year’s experience was helpful for everybody to realize that this could happen at any point. It could be a coach, it could be a quarterback, could be a running back, lineman or receiver. Everything is real and when that happens, it’s the next man up. That’s what the NFL is. We prepare all during training camp for situations whether it is injuries or in this case, a COVID situation, so that the next man is ready. It’s not a roster like college where you have so many different players and the next guy can just run in and you have unlimited depth. Those players, those pros know what their responsibility is. If it comes to that, then the next man up.”
(I know you don’t have WR William Fuller V this week, but how helpful overall do you think the speed you have on your offense at receiver and running back is going to help? Is that something that you absolutely have to maximize and exploit over the next 18 weeks?) – “Like I said earlier, as far as each player’s individual talent, we have some guys with some speed and hopefully we can get those guys the ball in space and make plays. They know that their responsibility isn’t just them getting the ball too. The more we can create plays that can change field position, the better off we will be. If we have to move the ball and we are not able to get explosive plays, then we are going to have to make sure we get first downs and continue to hold on to the ball.”
(There have been some really good quarterback rooms in college and pro, thinking USC, Michigan where Michigan had Brian Griese and Tom Brady and maybe even a baseball player. USC had Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart. What do you think it would have been like as an offensive coach to have Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts all in the same room?) – “It’s interesting to think about. I don’t spend too much time thinking about that just because we have a lot of things that we are working on right now. Obviously, those guys had good college careers and really excellent college careers. We’re moving on to this level and their roles now.”
(Who taught you the most about coaching?) – “When you coach this long, I think everybody has got a part of it, even the lowest level to the highest level. I’ve learned a lot from every coach I’ve worked for and I’m still learning a lot. Assistants, the other side of the ball, listening to special teams coaches. As a coach, you always try to take something from everyone.”
(Going back to Houston, you served as the offensive coordinator but I don’t get the impression that you called plays based on what I’ve read, correct or not correct?) – “Not correct, no.”
(Okay, so you did call plays. What does this opportunity provide for you to be an offensive coordinator?) – “I just really worry about the current day and what the job is. I don’t really look at the big picture like that. We all have responsibilities here and we work together as a unit. That’s how it’s always been wherever I’ve been, whether I have been an assistant or the coordinator level. We’ve got another game coming up here and this is an important one because it’s the start of the season and we want to get off to a good track. Right now, there’s really not much thought into that, to be honest with you.”
(With the Patriots, I’ve always looked at their scheme, before you guys started running them, as very complex because there is so much variation in terms of what they do. How much does it help that you actually face that type of defense and this is something that is familiar to you guys?) – “Yeah, they’re a divisional opponent so we study these division teams quite a bit. We try to familiarize ourselves with them as much as possible and knowing that they are the first game of the season, just like they know us, there is a lot of time to prepare. That part of it is an important part because we are going to face them again; but right now is the most important thing on all of our radars.”
(You talk a lot about execution. You’ve got teams who know what you’re playing or what you’re calling but it’s really about execution. Early season for offenses, they generally need to get a little flow and get a little rhythm. How do you feel like execution has been so far in terms of what you guys want to achieve offensively?) – “I think through training camp, you have some good days and you have some bad days. You’re going against a lot of the same guys for the majority of it. We had some good experiences with other teams but preseason is one thing and this is the regular season. We know that they are going to give us their best and we want to make sure it’s competitive and at our best every snap. We need to be on blocks when they are called and we are asked to do it and we need to find the open guy, deliver an accurate ball and catch the ball and get yards in the passing game. Running backs need to run hard. It’s not a complex formula but going back to your original point; we talk about technique, fundamentals and they’re well coached. There will be guys in position and it’s up to us to block them, get open, catch the football and deliver an accurate ball.’
(This question is for me because I was a big QB Joey Hamilton fan. Was there crossover between you two?) – “Yeah, we were roommates.”
(Could he have played in today’s NFL?) – “If you talk to him, yes. (laughter) I actually talked to him last night. We’re still close. I think he can play in any year. He’s accurate and a good leader, that’s for sure.”
(That was my introduction to football as a quarterback, so it’s like I fell in love with him as a quarterback and then I followed you as well because I was a Georgia Tech fan. I always thought he never really got a good shot. I know he played in the CFL for a long time.) – “Yeah, he played in the Arena League and played for the Bucs some. I love him. He’ll love that you asked about him. You know he’s on the radio in Atlanta?”
(No, where is he?) – “790, or I think it’s 680 now.”
(Okay, that’s good to know. Big fan, that was one of my first fanhood.) – “Yeah, he got some yards each game.”
(We’ve heard a little bit about the RPO. What in your view does that look like…) – “There’s a lot of advantages to it and then there’s some things offensively that we have to make sure that we keep that advantage. I think it’s a part of the game just like any form of offense. Whether it’s a two-back run or a one-back team or an empty team, motion team, it’s just another tool that an offense can use. That’s how we look at it. I don’t know if that really gives you a lot of clarity on that but certainly some things in all of those different phases that can cause defenses problems, that’s why they’re all used. It’s up to us an offense to be able to execute them.”
(I know when QB Tua Tagovailoa was coming out, there was a lot of talk about him because he was really good in that part of the game. I guess when you see that from him and go back to watching that, how much can you pull from that … how much can that realistically be part of your offense?) – “There’s a lot of variables there. He was pretty good at a lot of different phases in college, as far as executing for that team – play action, regular boot game. That was part of the reason we looked at him and liked him. This is obviously a jump in personnel and who’s playing and strategy. A lot of those variables play into that more than it does actually copying and pasting, if you will, a play. That’s a little bit harder to do.”
(Let me ask you about the tempo. You talked a lot about that last year … When you add tempo, what do you view as …) – “It’s another way to play the game. Even in, I’d say every offense I’ve been in at some point, you either use it for a certain amount of plays, you may use it for more in another game, you may not use it at all in another game. There’s a lot of factors in that. I would just put that in the same bucket as an empty play or an RPO or that type of bucket more than anything. It’s just another way to play the game. I don’t think you can live in any one way and be successful at this level. If you watch most of the teams, they have a lot of different modes that they play the game in offensively. You’re trying to create your offense to have as many as possible in case the defense takes away one. At some point, so much film and so many good coaches and players that you are going to have to have a variety with that.”
Josh Boyer – September 7, 2021
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(As you prepare to game plan for the Patriots, obviously you’re getting ready to face a rookie quarterback. What differences do you see kind of facing a rookie for the first time in the season, in the opener, compared to a more established veteran?) – “I think the preparation is pretty much the same. You look at as much film on them as you possibly can whether it’s a 10-year veteran or a rookie quarterback. So I think the process of what you’re trying to do is the same. You try to watch a lot of film. You try to study the coordinator. You try to understand some schemes based on their personnel grouping. I don’t think it’s just the quarterback. I think you’ve got to look at what their offensive line grouping is, their skill players, how they’ll use them. I think there’s a lot of components that go into facing whether it’s a quarterback – you kind of look at the group as a whole and you take into account the coaching aspect of it and kind of stuff that they’ve done over the years and ways that they might use them. But being opening day, there’s a lot of unknowns going into it.”
(Obviously I know you said you look at the group as a whole, but late last week the Patriots cut Cam Newton and kind of named Mac Jones as the starter. How far were you guys in your preparations for New England when you kind of found that out?) – “I think you prepare for everybody that’s on the roster. So when you start in the preseason or you start last spring, you prepare for all the quarterbacks that are on their roster. We were preparing for Cam (Newton), we were preparing for Mac Jones, we were preparing for Brian Hoyer, we were preparing for (Jarrett) Stidham. And you just kind of see how it shakes out. I think you have a preparation plan that goes into place for all of them and then once it kind of gets narrowed down and fine-tuned, you have to prepare for everybody that’s on their roster.”
(How much of a chunk was Cam Newton involved in that earlier part of when you were preparing for all those quarterbacks but then guess you moved once he was cut? He’s very different than the others.) – “I think that goes along with the week of preparation. When you start preparing for teams and you prepare for the quarterbacks that are on their roster and the differences that there may be and I think when you get down to the end of the week, it’s ‘okay if it’s this guy, we probably like these things a little bit better than others.’ And if you get down to the end of the week and you go ‘okay, these are calls that we like against whoever,’ we’ll carry those and if something happens in the game and the game changes and the quarterback changes; then you kind of just adapt and adjust to that with the set of calls that you like going into that.”
(Is your approach to the first game different at all from let’s say Week 10 with regards to those adjustments because the likelihood for something new you haven’t seen to come up maybe might be a little more increased? Is that different at all or is it the same approach?) – “I think we’re guaranteed to see something that we’re not preparing for Week 1. I think that was the case last year. I think that was the case the year before. You prepare for a lot of things and you look at a lot of history, a lot things that they’ve done with certain personnel groupings; but there’s always an element of unknown going into it. So I think you just have to be ready to adjust and be ready to adapt, when we’re playing on Sunday, to get things handled that you weren’t quite ready to see.”
(The Patriots did add a lot in terms of the skill positions with wide receivers and tight ends. From some of the film that you’ve seen in the preseason, what do you expect from them? What have you seen from the type of offense that they want to run?) – “Again I think it starts with, you look at their personnel group as a whole even with all their additions. I think you look at the coordinator and the things that he’s done with certain personnel groupings and you try to relate that to guys that he’s had in the past and how he may use them. There will be an element of unknown to it. I think we’ve prepared for a lot of different scenarios. In the preseason, they didn’t have everybody available to them that they’ll have available this Sunday; so again, there’s a little bit of a guess on that. I would say it’s an educated guess. We’ve spent some time on what they’ve done in the past, but there’s also going to be an element of unknown that we’ll have to handle and be ready to prepare for. What we do know is they’re going to be very well-coached, they’re going to play hard, they’re going to play for a full 60 minutes and we’ve got to be ready to match that and we’ve got to be ready to go.”
(Just curious going into Week 1, you’re facing a rookie quarterback – if at all do you even look at some of the stuff that Mac Jones did at Alabama just knowing that they may want to do stuff that makes the quarterback comfortable?) – “I think you work extremely hard especially going into Week 1 to leave no stone unturned. So I think whether it’s watching guys that are on other teams or college teams or watching years past where the coordinators used certain personnel that you think is similar to what he has now; I think all those things go into consideration and I think that’s just part of the preparation process.”
(LB Jaelan Phillips – obviously the way you guys list the depth chart you have three linebackers with Phillips listed as third-team. Is there some motivation aspect that goes into it? Or when you guys do run traditional base with a front seven do you envision him obviously being higher?) – “With all of our players, I think our defense will evolve over time. It’s one of those things that kind of remains to be seen, what we’ll be on defense. It’s exciting but it’s also a process. Hopefully we’ll be good at certain things. Where guys are listed or where guys end up, I think how you start the season and how you end the season will be two different things. We’re excited for all of our guys. Any guy that we march out there on the field on Sunday, we’ll have confidence in, and we’re looking forward to getting ready against a well-coached, a very talented opponent this week and we’re all going to need to be at our best.”
(In that preseason finale, LB Jaelan Phillips was asked to do a lot of different things so the staff really got to see him hand in the ground, standing up, one time dropping back. Your assessment of how handled different responsibilities and how he’ll be used in real games going forward?) – “I would say not unique to Jaelan (Phillips), but we’re all striving to be as consistent as possible. I think there were some good things out there. I think there were some things that we can correct. I think we’re all striving to be consistently good at coaching. We’re all striving to be consistently good at playing. I think that’s a work in progress for all of us and like I said, I don’t think it’s unique to Jaelan. I think we saw some good things out there. I think we saw some things that we could probably get a little bit better and the good thing about all of our guys is they’re diligent workers. They’ll come in, they’ll put in a good day’s work and again, our goal really hasn’t changed from Day 1 as we want to be better tomorrow than what we were today and then just carry that and try to string good days together.”
(I had a bit of a two-part question for you. I was looking at some stats on defense and some different packages and I think last year, your defense – only like nine teams were in base packages more. Could you just kind of talk about do you think that was more maybe because of situation just what was kind of going in games? As a defensive coordinator what kind of goes through your mind as you’re kind of subbing in players and trying to match with different packages to the offense?) – “I think it all starts with you consistently want to put players in the best position to succeed and I think week to week that can differ. I think a lot of it is based on the offensive personnel. Some of it will be based on our personnel and then really kind of their scheme and what they’re trying to do. But I think the underlying factor is really what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to put the players in the best position to succeed.”
(And then along those lines, how valuable is it to know that you can play heavy packages, heavy fronts with the defensive line, but you can also do a lot of dime and nickel with the depth that you have in the secondary?) – “I think regardless of who you are on the football field, if you can only do one thing, you better be able to do that one thing really, really well. Because it won’t take anybody very long to figure out what you’re doing. So I think any time that – we ask our guys to do multiple things and I think collectively from a group, when guys can do multiple things, it gives you the opportunity to run different looks. And again, it goes back to just trying to utilize everybody’s talent and putting them in a good position to succeed.”
(Question about the Pats tight ends. With the amount of money that they spent on that position and the skillset that those guys bring to the field, what are you expecting to see from the Patriots tight ends on Sunday?) – “I think it goes back to they have some talented guys at that position for sure, and I think they’re very good football players. You can go back and look at how the coordinator, Josh McDaniels, who does a very good job – you can go all the way back to Daniel Graham and Ben Watson. I think you try to look at how they’ve utilized their tight ends in the past. They’ve had good tight ends there in the past and how their skillsets are similar to some of the players that they’ve had. But again, like I said, there’s an element of unknown and we definitely expect to see the unexpected. We’ll just have to prepare and adjust for that as it comes up, but again, I think just when it comes to preparation that you don’t want to leave any stone unturned so you kind of study the player themselves and where they’ve been and what they’ve done and what they’ve had success with. And then you look at just from a philosophical offensive standpoint of how they may use them.”
(Traditionally speaking, and I don’t want to put anybody’s cards on the table, but traditionally speaking from your experience, how do offenses that are kind of tight end-heavy use that position to help a quarterback who might be making his first start or is just relatively inexperienced?) – “I think it varies from team to team and how they use them and again what the tight end’s skillsets are. I think obviously when you put a good group of guys and I’ll say this – it doesn’t really matter what the quarterback’s (experience is), whether it’s his first game or his 10th game or his 12th year – whoever Josh (McDaniels) is going to put out there on the field on Sunday, they have a lot of confidence in him and confidence that he can run the offense and he’ll run the offense well and he’ll make good decisions; and it’s going to be a big challenge for us to make sure that we know and understand what personnel they have on the field and what they’re trying to do to us and how we can best try to get them off the field.”
(Between S Eric Rowe and S Jevon Holland and DB Jason McCourty and the list kind of goes on at safety – what does having that kind of depth do for you throughout the game? Like was this just, okay, we’ve got guys to fill in when need be or is there a plan to just continuously rotate everybody in throughout the game?) – “Again I think a lot of it is – it’s the same thing. When you see guys out there for us on Sunday, we’ll have a lot of confidence in them and we’ll have confidence that they know what they’re doing and they can execute our game plan well. Not really getting into hey, we’re going to use this guy on this or use this guy on that. I think that would just put you at a competitive disadvantage, but we’re excited about all of our guys that we have on our roster and we’ve got to get everybody ready to go and we’ve got to get ready to defend everybody on their roster. So that’s kind of how we look at it.”
(Biggest challenge – knowing Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick as well as you do – biggest challenge going against one of his coached teams, what makes him unique in terms of game planning against where you obviously have to be on your toes every week in this league but perhaps even more so with a Bill Belichick?) – “I think you start with the premise of it’s hard to win in this league. And every week, if you just try to slap it out there or roll the ball out there, the results are not going to be very good. You have to prepare very well each week. Everybody has to understand the plan and then you have to execute the plan at a very high level to even get into an opportunity to be in the game to win. And I would say this week, we know that this team is going to be very well-coached. They’re not going to make mistakes, they’re not going to beat themselves; and we have to match that. I would say our staff and our players, we’re all excited for the opportunity to go up there and play and we kind of understand that this is going to be a 60-minute game and we’ve got to play well the entire time we’re out there.”
(I wouldn’t ask you what for strategic reasons, but would you say there are a handful of meaningful strategic things that you learned from being around Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick that you’ve been able to apply as defensive coordinator? How much of his imprint has impacted how you do your job?) – “I do believe that you learn from everybody you’re around so whether it’s good, bad or indifferent you kind of take all those things. Obviously I spent some time there. I spent some time with Dean Pees who’s been a coordinator for multiple teams in this league. I think you try to learn from everything and I think there’s a lot of good things, a lot of good concepts, but I think the big thing is not so much who you’re learning from or what you’re learning; it’s really the process that you go about preparing and getting the end result which is execution on Sundays.”
(Did anybody give you a piece of advice that sticks out to you in your coaching career?) – “That’s a good one. Because I mean, my father is a high school coach…”
(Is he still coaching?) – “He is still coaching so yeah, he’s over 40 years and I’ve been around coaching since I could walk. Since I could talk, since I could hear. (laughter) So I’ve heard so many things over the years that have been so valuable. I think collectively what you do is you just kind of put all that stuff together and you kind of mold your own thing about it. And I would say the thing that for me personally that I enjoy about football is I think that it’s so much like life because there’s a lot of bad things – every day you have trials, tribulations – and football, it can knock you down from time to time and the only way to get through that adversity is to fight through it. The only way to get through a block is to defeat it. I think I’ve always enjoyed that. So I think one thing that somebody said over the years – it’s probably been an accumulation of a lot of things.”
(In the offseason, do you look at your dad’s tapes?) – “We have conversations just about on a nightly basis usually on my ride home which is a little bit longer now which is kind of a blessing in disguise. I really value that time that we have because a lot of things that come up at his practice, sometimes they may be similar to come up at this practice so it’s an enjoyable time and it’s definitely something that’s probably connected us throughout my life for sure, going all the way back to when he would take me to their practices. So that’s about, call it 40 years of us talking football.”
(Was he the coach for your school?) – “No, he actually coached our rival school.”
(You were helping the rival?) – “(laughter) Well actually I think the leagues have changed so much over the years. When I was playing it was a rival school. I’m not even sure that they’re in the same league anymore. So yeah, that’s kind of how that went.”
(When you drive, is the talk mostly just about football? Most of the conversation about football?) – “It’s mostly about football or it’s about being a father, which to me is the most important thing in the world. We talk a lot about my daughter. So those two things are the things that we really talk about in those conversations. But the good thing is, is usually on a daily basis, I’ll get about a 40-minute conversation with him. Like I said, the longer drive has kind of been a blessing in disguise for me for sure.”
Danny Crossman – September 7, 2021
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Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(On WR Mack Hollins) – “Mack (Hollins) has carved out a niche. He’s been a guy who has carved out a niche in this league being a high-caliber special teams player and a quality leader. Those are the things that we expect from him and then obviously as you alluded to a year ago, he had to get a lot more involved offensively and his preparation – just like in the kicking game, his preparation offensively and just as a team player, he’s ready any time those opportunities present themselves.”
(Is there someone that really stood out to you this camp that made strides?) – “No. I think as a group, we have some quality players throughout the roster and we have some of those guys who we expect to perform at a high level and do. There’s always guys that step their game up some. But no one in particular.”
(Your thoughts on the camp that P Michael Palardy had?) – “I thought he was solid. I think you always want more. No matter who it is, no matter what player it is, we’re always trying to get more consistency and a higher level of production. But we’re happy with all of the guys right now and where they’re at.”
(On K Jason Sanders) – “Yeah, it’s a great weapon to have. We have a lot of confidence (in him). That’s one of those positions on the team that the pulse of the club sometimes gets tied directly to that guy. We feel very confident and more importantly, the team feels very confident when we jog Jason out on the field.”
Jesse Davis – September 6, 2021
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Monday, September 6, 2021
G/T Jesse Davis
(You begin preparations for the week of practice today and then you have an offensive lineman on the COVID-19 list and then another offensive lineman not spotted at practice today. How unsettling, for lack of better word, is that as you begin the practice week?) – “We take those things day-by-day. We wish ‘AJ’ (Austin Jackson) well and he’s moving forward with it. But it’s day-by-day, next man up. Nothing new for us.”
(I know Head Coach Brian Flores talked about some different options on the offensive line. Are you prepared to make a move back to the left side if need be?) – “Yeah. If that’s where I’m needed to play, that’s where I’ll be focusing on. Right now, we’re just day-by-day and seeing where we’re going to stack them this coming Wednesday.”
(You’ve done it for a while so it’s probably become second nature; but how difficult is it with a week of notice to switch and do something different than you’ve done all camp?) – “Yeah, those things are hard. I’ve done it a few times, so it’s nothing I’m going to get super anxious about. It’s just all about preparation. Today’s message was preparation leads to confidence and I think that was a good message to the team today. Whoever is going to be there, prepare.”
(One of the options on the table would be T Liam Eichenberg playing left tackle, which we’ve seen him practice pretty exclusively at left guard or right tackle. How difficult would that be for a rookie first-time player?) – “I think any position for a rookie coming in and getting their start is difficult in and situation. But that one for sure is difficult because of the pressure as a left tackle. But with a left-handed quarterback, the right tackle is now the left tackle. To each their own. Rookies have a hard time doing that, but I think all of our rookies have done a great job the last two years here, so I think it will be good.”
(You’ve spent a little bit of time with T Liam Eichenberg. What stands out to you about him as a guy or player?) – “Liam is a smart kid. He’s strong. He knows the game really well. I think he prepares really well and that’s his main focus is going in each day. He doesn’t get overwhelmed with a lot of things. I think that’s one of his strongest points.”
(Relative to Sunday’s game, what kind of a statement would you like to see the team make on Sunday?) – “I think just going out there and playing well in all three phases of the game. Complementing each other on playing football, it’s our job to do it. The coaches do a really good job of putting us in good situations and I think we’ll be confident going into that game.”
(I think the last time you guys played this team, you had a really good running game. I think you ran for 200-plus yards. What is the key of having that sort of performance on the ground?) – “For us, it’s stay on double teams. It’s finishing plays. Don’t take a play off. Don’t give them an easy one. For us, it’s be strong, play together, communicate. This will be the first time we’re playing together as one unit, so it’ll be a good challenge.”
(Last year, the team was able to win some games even when there weren’t long plays – 15-plus in the run or in the passing game including that Patriots game. You won the game even though there weren’t a lot of plays of 15 yards or longer. What do you think are some reasons there might be more long-distance plays in the running and passing games this year?) – “You never know. I think we’ve got really good backs. I think we’ve got really good young offensive lineman and a really good young quarterback. It’s our job to protect the quarterback and it’s our job to give the backs holes to run through. Hopefully that will happen.”
(Some of the young guys talked last week and they talked about how you’re the leader of the group. I know you’re probably going through transitions but now being that guy, what have you done to maybe embrace that role?) – “Just being more vocal in the huddle, to the guys, and trying to get us all on the same page. Everybody is a good leader out here. They’ve got good guys in here that are just natural leaders. Just leading the huddle, trying to keep us focused, trying to keep us a one play at a time kind of deal; and they do the same for me too. I’m just trying to be more vocal and lead by example.”
(You mentioned earlier about you guys playing for the first time together. How do you gain that chemistry quickly? Obviously Week 1, there is no more trying to gel.) – “We had two joint practices. We got a lot of reps through there. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that. It kind of helped us a lot as a unit and it’s our job to put it together. Moving forward, I think we’re in the right direction.”
Jerome Baker – September 6, 2021
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Monday, September 6, 2021
LB Jerome Baker
(What’s your reaction when you hear about them going with QB Mac Jones instead of QB Cam Newton and how that impacts you guys defensively?) – “I guess we just got to prepare for him. They are a little different. Cam is a little bit more mobile and Mac is slightly less. At the end of the day, it’s a NFL quarterback, so we got to come out there and prepare and execute at the end of the day. That’s something we go into and that’s what we got to do.”
(What have you seen from QB Mac Jones on film and some of the stuff you were able to see from the preseason?) – “He’s smart. He’s not like your typical rookie quarterback coming in and making mistakes. He’s smart, he’s got a strong arm, accurate. He’s a Patriots guy I guess you can say. We’ve got to come in there and bring our A game. At the end of the day, he’s a pro player just like the rest of us, no matter if it’s his first year or his fifth year. You’ve got to come in there and really execute at the end of the day.”
(How much did that change alter preparation for you guys? A lot, a little, somewhere in between?) – “Slight changes. With Cam you’ve got to worry about the quarterback run a little bit more. With Mac it’s slightly less; but at the end of the day, you just got to come in there and execute. Our coaches do a great job of game planning and everything, so we’ve got to come in there and execute what they have set for us.”
(After the Chargers game last year, many of the offensive players for the Chargers were saying that they were confused. I know it was a different year and a different quarterback but you see where I’m getting at with a rookie quarterback. What are some of the things that will help create confusion for a young quarterback?) – “For any quarterback, it’s like anything you play – basketball, football or whatever it is – you just try to throw as many looks as you can. With football, it’s a little different. It’s a little harder. You just try to confuse guys, execute well, line up different and really just play that cat and mouse game. You really don’t know what we’re doing. At the same point, the offense does the same thing. We don’t really know what they are doing. They try to line up a guy differently, bring him back in, bring him back out, try to go fast, get us out of personnel. It’s the game of football that we all know and love. I’m sure we’re going to do a little bit of that and they’re going to do a little bit of it. At the end of the day, we’ve just got to come in there and execute, follow our rules and play together.”
(The past couple of years the team hasn’t started off well. I’ve heard some of the players talk about the importance of a fast start this year. What has the talk been like and how do you accomplish that? What’s happening behind the scenes to get your season off to the start you want?) – “For us, our coaching staff made it a point as soon as we came in the offseason. We want to start fast no matter what we do. That’s offense, defense, special teams – whatever it is, we want to start fast. Even coming in early with meetings, we’re starting fast. Our meetings are faster. Everything you do, you want to have that mentality of start fast, no matter what it is. Our coaches do a great job of hammering that home. We just follow that up.”
(How did you spend your last free weekend before the grind starts this week?) – “I played a lot of Call of Duty. (laughter) That’s pretty much what I did. A lot of Call of Duty. I studied the playbook a little bit, but I chilled most of the time at home. It was cool.”
(You cold on the stick?) – “I’m actually on keyboard and mouse. It’s a little harder. I am not going to say I’m nice, but I did get a few Ws.”
(What’s the hacker situation like right now?) – “Oh, my goodness. They are so bad, I low key wanted to – nah, I’m playing. They are going to fix it eventually, but I’m still nice. I’m not nice, but you might not want to get with me on the sticks, because I’m nice.”
