Xavien Howard – September 15, 2021
Download PDF version
Wednesday, September 15, 2021
CB Xavien Howard
(When teams don’t throw at you, is there ever a time in the game where you would actually like some action in the passing game? Or are you just accustomed to that some weeks – teams aren’t going to attack you because of how good you are?) – “I feel like teams are going to try me. I feel like some teams probably (try to) lull me to sleep. Some teams probably give me less opportunities to try to intercept the ball. The mindset of the defense is getting to the ball. That’s our main thing and that’s what everybody on the field wants to do is get to the ball.”
(Does last year change perspective for quarterbacks and offenses and how they approach you?) – “No, I feel like – the crazy part is I still see the stuff that they attacked me with last year that certain teams are doing. It’s only the first week. There’s a lot of football left. People are going to have different game plans to attack me. I’m just ready for it.”
(What’s the challenge of lining up against WR Stefon Diggs? Or what do you enjoy about lining up against him?) – “You’ve got to line up against five guys. They’ve got Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Isaiah McKenzie. You’ve got the quarterback also. There’s a lot that they have. It’s going to be a tough battle. You just have to be prepared for it. He can extend plays, run the ball, everything. There’s a lot of stuff that they do well.”
(QB Josh Allen, how have you seen him evolve as a quarterback?) – “Each year, just seeing him from his rookie year, he’s taken a big jump each year. I feel like he was a top five quarterback last year.”
(I know you have a lot of respect for other AFC cornerbacks like Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore and Bills CB Tre’Davious White. What do you like about White’s game?) – “He’s a baller. He tackles well. He plays the ball. He does a lot of great things well. He’s also quick. Just watching his game – I try to watch a lot of guys’ game, especially when I’m playing against them. Each corner, I try to learn from and try to see what they do well.”
(Have you ever swapped jerseys with either of those guys?) – “No, I haven’t.”
(I know you don’t play directly against Bills CB Tre’Davious White but when you play an elite corner, does that give you motivation that you’ve got to make sure you have a better day?) – “For sure. I want to be the best corner on the field when I’m playing, no matter who the opposite corner is. I try to be the best corner each game.”
(You guys had a lot of success punching the ball out last game and the Bills fumbled four times in their opener. Is that something you guys talk about, that there are more opportunities there?) – “Yeah, I feel like there will be a couple of opportunities out there and how they play ball. Punching the ball, interceptions, everything – forced fumbles, everything that we’re going for. That’s what we do on defense is try to get the ball.”
(The season finale last year didn’t go the way this team wanted it to go at all. Is there any type of revenge maybe when you see the Bills this time around? I know you guys don’t want to look back but the way they beat you.) – “I’m definitely not looking back but it’s in my head, though – what they did last year. But it’s a new year. It’s a new team. New personnel. There are a lot of things that are going on and we’ve just got to be prepared with what they bring this year.”
(There’s a team that throws out four or five wide receivers that you’ve got to cover. How valuable or how important is it to make sure the communication is right with the rest of the cornerbacks and the rest of the DBs, because you could see some bunch formations and rub routes and stuff like that. How valuable is that communication?) – “Last week, it felt like we saw a lot of bunch routes, pick routes and a lot of stuff they do well. I feel like we’re going to see the same thing. Depending on what coverage we’re playing, they try to attack us in this way or that way. We’ve just got prepared for whatever they bring.”
(Going back to the way quarterbacks approach the way you play defense and all – you mentioned lulling you to sleep and that sort of thing. If you’re a quarterback – put yourself in a quarterback’s head for a minute – how would you attack you?) – “I played quarterback. (laughter) I played quarterback in high school. I feel like I’d just try to take advantage of the opportunities they’ve given me or whatever the quarterback is doing. I won’t give people the up on me on how to attack me. They’ll see. (laughter)”
(Is this an opportunity for you guys to set the tone in the division? You get a good win on the road in the first week. The second week, you’re playing one of the top teams in the division. Is this that opportunity for you guys?) – “We’re just taking it one week at a time. It’s still early football. We’re only going into Week 2. There’s a lot of football left. We’re just taking it one week at a time.”
(Does your quarterback experience from way back when, does that in any way help you in what you do now?) – “Yeah, I feel like it does help me. I played everything so playing receiver also helped me, just looking back and finding the ball. I feel like a lot of cornerbacks panic when the ball is in the air and that’s probably what I do well is just look back. No matter if I’m beat or not, I try to make a play on the ball.”
(What were your QB stats?) – “I ran a lot. I wasn’t passing that much. I really was like a zone read quarterback. It was decent. I’ve got to look it up. I forgot. But I did my thing. (laughter)”
(QB Lamar Jackson style?) – “For sure. RG3. (laughter) That’s who I thought I was. (laughter)”
(Defending WR Will Fuller in the past, do you remember your reaction in March when you heard the Dolphins had signed him?) – “Yeah that game we played them in Houston, that was crazy. I was happy about the signing. I said there’s a lot of speed on offense. They’re going to open up a lot for a lot of guys on the ball.”
(WR Will Fuller was saying something about tracking those deep balls, that Randy Moss taught him to look up and not back at the quarterback. Is it a similar concept when you’re running side-by-side with him?) – “Right. Like he said, Randy Moss – wow, that’s crazy. I didn’t know that. Randy Moss taught him to look up? Yeah, that’s crazy; but that’s the mindset I have. I try to look up because the ball is in the air. Especially being in the NFL, a lot of guys like Russell Wilson are throwing moon balls, so you’ve got to be prepared for stuff like that.”
(Is there a moment where you have to train yourself or fight the urge to turn and jump for it?) – “I try to read the receiver also and sometimes if I’m on my sideline, everybody is yelling ‘Ball!’ and that gives me the leeway to look back also.”
Josh Boyer – September 14, 2021
Download PDF version
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(I wanted to ask you about the fumble production you guys got in the game and particularly the defensive backs. Three of the four forced fumbles came from defensive backs. I was just wondering if there was a coaching point or something you could tell us about how Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks kind of get those guys coached up to get so many balls on the turf?) – “Well, I would say it’s one of those things that we work with all of our guys as a group. We start practice every day with the tackling/turnover circuit. The unique thing about that is all of our coaches coach all of our players. As we go through the circuit, which I’m sure you guys have seen out at practice, it could be a number of guys that are coaching different techniques. Obviously it’s something that we believe in very strongly. Our players believe in it. They work at it tremendously hard. We were able to see some production from that on Sunday.”
(I wanted to ask – obviously the Patriots started the game with a 35-yard run. Not how you wanted to start, and they had some success running the ball. When you look at the film, what stood out to you in terms of some of the success they had on the ground?) – “I would say the thing with the New England game is obviously we can coach it better. We can put the players in better spots. We could do better at our fundamentals and techniques. There were some good things out there and then there were some things that we need to improve. I would say the most important thing is that we’ve kind of turned the page on that game and we’ve moved our focus to Buffalo. It was good to get a win but one win isn’t going to get you anything in this league.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Jaelan Phillips. He was in on only 22 plays the other day and I know he was limited throughout training camp. Given that he came into the draft recognized as such an outstanding pass rusher, was there thought given toward letting him focus on that to start his NFL career, and then gradually working the coverage skills, just to kind of let him show his skills right off the bat?) – “I think with all players, you expose them to a variety of different things and then ideally what you’d like to do is you’d like to utilize their talents to what they do best within the scheme or the structure of what we’re trying to do, given our game plan. Again, I thought Jaelan did some good things out there. I thought there were some things, like all of us, that we can improve. We’ve kind of put all of that stuff behind us and we’re full steam on Buffalo.”
(Speaking of Buffalo, from what you took away from that Steelers game, what was it that Pittsburgh did so well to stifle a Buffalo offense that was second in the NFL last year in passing yards and total yards and scoring?) – “I think one thing to take into consideration when you’re looking at Buffalo is they’re very much a game plan oriented offense. One week they could look different from the next. They’re going to attack what they perceive to be your weaknesses. In a given week, their game plans can look different and varied. Obviously they’re a very talented group. They’re very well coached. Brian Daboll is one of the best coordinators in the league. I would expect that we’ll see some different stuff than they showed in the Pittsburgh game. Obviously Pittsburgh, those guys defensively, they played well, they tackled well and they made plays when they needed to. But again, I would say each game with Buffalo is a very unique thing in and of itself.”
(I know we don’t like to look into the past too much but in the season finale game against Buffalo, it kind of stands out because you guys didn’t look like that at all last season. What were the lessons that you took that game that maybe you carried over to the offseason in terms of things that you needed to improve on? And how has that game sort of altered your approach?) – “I’d say this is 21 years of coaching for me and not all of them have gone exactly the way that you want them to go. I think your approach and the things that we believe in – fundamentals, techniques, taking it one play at a time – I don’t think that changes. I don’t think one game changes that. Obviously in some games, things go your way; in some games, they don’t. I think our approach is put the players in the best position to succeed and work hard to make sure that we’re doing that; and really focus on our fundamentals and our techniques, playing one good play at a time and doing it for 60 minutes because wins are very hard to come by in this league and we’re going to have to be at our best for an entire game. That’s kind of – the approach doesn’t really change. Hopefully that answers your question.”
(I think looking at Buffalo’s team, you can’t really look around QB Josh Allen and his ability to kind of be a dual-threat. I’m curious, teaching point wise, how do you try to teach your guys to defend both his legs and arm?) – “I think we’ve got to play good assignment football. Guys that are assigned to play the pass need to play the pass. The guys that are assigned to play the run or the quarterback scramble, they need to be able to play that. Obviously he does a good job when he’s running the ball and he does do a good job when he’s on the move of looking downfield and making plays there. He’s got guys that get open when he extends plays. It’s very challenging. I would say I go back to Brian Daboll and he puts them in very good schemes to make it very difficult to defend.”
(A philosophy question: the QB spy, some teams use it more depending on the style of quarterback and whatnot. What’s your thought on that style and when you decide to use it and when you don’t?) – “I think there’s a time and a place for everything. The game has been around for a long time. I think we’ve kind of seen it all and things go full cycle and I think you just pick out what you feel is best for the group that you have against the group that you’re going against. Without kind of saying too much on that, I think it really comes down to personnel, what they do, what we have and what we can do. I think there’s a number of different options that you have on that. Honestly, it really goes back to you’re just trying to put your players in the best position to succeed.”
(I know you guys had five cornerbacks active against the Patriots and obviously CB Noah Igbinoghene was a healthy scratch. I know you would say you’re probably just putting the best guys out there, but what does Noah need to show you in practice or wherever it may be for you to be comfortable having him active on game days and on the field?) – “Well, there are a lot of things that go into the decisions of who is active on game day. It’s not just the defense. There’s a kicking game element involved. Then obviously that’s ‘Flo’s (Brian Flores) job (from a) roster management (perspective) to let us know who we have available. I think Noah is working hard to get better. He had a good week of practice last week. Whether you guys see guys out on the field or not, the thing is always the same for us, we’re always trying to get players to be the best versions of themselves. Some weeks, players will be highlighted. They may have bigger roles than what they have in the following week, because we could be a little bit different week to week. He’s working hard. We’re happy with that and hopefully it continues and when guys get their opportunities, hopefully they’ll make the most of them.”
(Your thoughts on how DT John Jenkins held up playing more snaps with DT Raekwon Davis going down?) – “Like all of us, I think there were some good things out there and I think there were some things we could get a little bit better at. I thought John went in and did a good job. He’s a solid veteran for us. He gives us good leadership. I thought he played physical. I thought all of our guys played physical and they played hard. I think it’s my job to make sure we’re doing a better job of putting these guys in better situations so they can have success out there because I think all of those guys, they played hard and did a good job.”
(Considering QB Josh Allen’s success against man coverage last season, how critical will it be for you Sunday to throw different looks at him? More than just man coverage, but to mix in zone. I guess a follow up from that, is he the kind of guy that it doesn’t really matter how many different looks you throw at him, he’s just going to make a play? He’s just going to make plays throughout the game?) – “I think Josh Allen is a very good quarterback in this league. I think their offensive staff has done a great job with him. You can see his progression over the years and I would say Josh Allen plays the quarterback position as good as anybody. He does a really good job for them. He can read defenses. He makes good decisions. He’s got a strong arm. He can make all of the throws. I think what you try to do is what we try to do every week. You try to put pressure on the offensive line. You try to put pressure on the quarterback and obviously you don’t want to sit in the same thing over and over again because that will make it a little easy for him; but you also want to put your players in a good position to succeed. I think there is a variety of things that people have tried to do to him. He’s seen it all. He’s seen it all over the last handful of years and he’s obviously done a great job with that. We’ve got a big challenge in front of us this week.”
(Have you watched the tape of the season finale, the Buffalo game, at all since the week after it happened, over the last eight months? Will you and your players watch any of that this week?) – “Yeah, I’ve seen it several times. I’ve watched it quite a bit. You try to take as much as you can from each film that you watch. I think that’s just part of preparation. You like to study players, schemes, calls, all of those things that go into it as we’re game-planning and prepping this week. It’s definitely something that we look at.”
(Following up on a previous question, they scored 56 on your defense, which I’m sure you’re not used to at all. If you could change one thing for this upcoming game from that last go-around against Buffalo, what would that be?) – “That’s a good question. If I could change one thing – I just hope that I’m going to work a little bit harder, a little bit better, put the guys in better positions. You can play the what-if game all you want. You just try to study things and do what we believe in and try to put a sound game plan that the players can execute, and then really just take it one play at a time. I don’t know – living in the past, one way or the other, I’ve been a part of championship teams, I’ve been a part of losses. At the end of the day, none of those mean anything this Sunday. What means something is our preparation, our work going into the week to put ourselves in the best position to succeed.”
George Godsey – September 14, 2021
Download PDF version
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/TE Coach George Godsey
(I wanted to ask you a QB Tua Tagovailoa related question. In your view, where is he in his ability to go through his progressions, and if the first option isn’t the right option, where is he in his ability to look off that player and go to option two, option three, even if he’s under duress?) – “I think that’s the position and it’s a very complicated equation. He’s growing each day. There’s a lot of different defenses we see and a lot of different personnel groupings and ways to strategically align that. When you combine our play with the amount of defenses that are possible, there are a lot of variables. We try to give him as many looks as possible; but ultimately when we get to game day, there is probably a new look we’re going to have to discern and make quick decisions. We harp on that with him, and he knows that. It’s a matter of being decisive. We try to give him as many looks of that in practice and move forward from there.”
(I wanted to ask you about the scoring on opening drives of halves. What made you guys so successful coming out of the first half and the second half with a touchdown scoring drive, and what changes when it goes from that first drive? Are there adjustments in play that changes things going forward?) – “The first drive, our players really executed. We had a third down where we were on the ball and executed that to continue the drive. We had a big play on a run and when we got the ball in the red area, we punched it in. It was well executed by the players and obviously Tua (Tagovailoa) leads that group. He did a good job of getting us in the right plays there. And then New England made a couple adjustments that kept us from moving the ball on another drive. I think there are a lot of factors in that. Both sides were playing this game behind the game. They did a good job adjusting and then it took us a little bit to get adjusted from there. We scored right before half and then in the second half, we made some adjustments there that we were able to score on the first drive there. It was a little bit of back and forth and that’s how we feel every NFL game is. There are good coaches, there are good players and it’s difficult out there at times.”
(I have a question for you regarding just vertical passes in general, in particular the 36-yard pass from QB Tua Tagovailoa to WR Jaylen Waddle. He came back on a back-shoulder type of throw and it looked like he had a step on top of the defender. I was curious what the rules or the teaching points are on that particular type of look where you get the step and they try to make an adjustment for back shoulder or to go vertical over the top. How do he and Jaylen communicate what to do on that particular look?) – “That really comes from practice quite a bit. In that look, (Devin) McCourty was tilted over to where (Mike) Gesicki was on the single receiver side. That put the three receivers in a one-on-one situation where the longer it travels, the more accurate we’ve got to be because the ball hangs up in the air for everybody to see what angle it’s coming down. Jaylen did a good job of adjusting to it. It was a big play. It was a play that got us eventually for some points. It changed the field position and it was a tough throw. It was an inside fade is really what we call it. It was good to see that ball get connected.”
(Overall, what was your impression of the performance of the offensive line. You guys had a mixed bag of running the ball but I know in that first possession, you were able to get RB Myles Gaskin open on a third-down run running out of the pistol. As opposed to running out of the shotgun, how do you think that benefits your offense and particularly the offensive line?) – “Just overall with the offensive line, we were able to run the ball at times. It’s hard when you’re looking at an average and you take three knees at the end of the game. That average can kind of get a little skewed. Those guys know there are some opportunities there for some bigger plays. In the pass protection, that’s a good pass rush front. That group will cause some problems during the year for sure. For our situation at line, being able to handle some changes there during the week, and be effective and give us enough time to distribute the ball, we think that group needs to continue to improve but it was a good first outing. As far as the pistol is concerned, it’s another alignment that we look at. Some teams look at it as a back in the back field, other teams still look at it as a (shot)gun. For us, it’s just another formation. Our guys have done a good job of ball-handling to make sure we can execute that when we need to call that. On that particular play, it was well blocked for us to get the 15-yard run.”
(I wanted to ask you about G/T Jesse Davis and how important his maturity and leadership is for this young line. The second part of that question is are you a buyer into the theory that the right tackle is the most important lineman for a left-handed quarterback?) – “First off, you hit it on the head with Jesse as far as leadership and maturity. Keeping that group flat-lined is what we say – not too high, not too low. They pretty much carry the offense because they have to be able to get a body on a body in the run game and then protect for the quarterback. Jesse has a lot of experience in the division. He has a good wealth of knowledge to provide to a lot of those younger guys; but also at other positions because he’s communicating with the tight end too. He’s a big piece of our unit and we’re happy to have him and thankful we got him. We think that both of those tackles are very important – both left and right. There are so many things that kind of go on with the scheme with play action and RPOs, point of attack runs, backside runs, that Jesse’s a big piece, Austin (Jackson) is a big piece, Liam (Eichenberg) is a big piece. From outside in, a lot of times that’s where the pocket gets crushed. If we can be firm on the outside, obviously we’ve got to be firm on the inside for the quarterback. That can provide us with a little bit more windows to see left and right on the edge or on the perimeter.”
(We saw it a little bit with WR Jaylen Waddle this past week. Obviously you guys get WR Will Fuller back this week. What impact do you anticipate his speed and the combo of his and Jaylen’s speed will have for the offense?) – “Will has been a high performer in his career. We’re excited to get him back. For Will, I know he’s excited. He’s been itching at the bit. He had a little bit of a setback with an injury, but now he’s back out there – with the suspension too. It’ll be good to see him out there in practice and fitting him in. That group, we’ve got a lot of weapons. Moving them around, getting them open versus certain matchups, and really the catch and run element especially with Will is a factor with his speed. They’ve got to do their job in the run game, but when they’re called on in the passing game to get open, they are an important piece for creating those big plays and putting points on the board.”
(You had some success early with up-tempo, especially in that first drive. Did you get to it as much as you ideally wanted to? And how much does time of possession factor how much you go up-tempo? When it was as lopsided as it was in the second half, are you reluctant to go up-tempo in a close game with that gap in time of possession against you?) – “You pretty much hit on all of the questions that go through our head as we’re going through that. There are some situations where we will go up-tempo, whether it’s a positive or negative play. The three-and-outs are some of the things we talk to the group about, about eliminating those. If we can eliminate those three three-and-outs – there are some self-inflicting plays and then there are also some things we’ve got to do from a coaching staff to get them in a better position. We really want to keep moving those chains and when we can get into third-and-manageable, convert those. The more opportunities we have on normal downs, the more opportunities we have to use or not use the tempo.”
(Looking ahead a little bit to Buffalo, I don’t know how deep you’ve gotten into their film or into Sunday’s game, but was there anything you saw from this defense that strikes you as different from what you’ve seen from them in years past?) – “It’s a fast defense. They make a lot of plays. They tackle you when they need to make the one-on-one tackle. Every throw seems to be contested. They do a good job with their scheme of changing in and out of certain coverages so they are not predictable. They had a hell of a year last year and they held Pittsburgh to limited yards in the first half. This is the same defense that’s been as productive as it’s been in past years. We have a big challenge. We have a big challenge up front. The linebackers obviously have played a lot of football. They play every down. Then their DBs have a wealth of experience and a lot of people know every one of those DBs, regardless of what team they cheer for. There is a reason why they are a good defense. They play hard for 60 minutes and we’ve got our work cut out for us. From our perspective, I wouldn’t say we’re just getting ready to know them because they are in our conference, so we do have some familiarity. But early in the week is a very important part to setting the game plan for Sunday.”
(How you utilized the three running backs, did you like the carries/touch distribution? Would you have wanted to get RB Myles Gaskin more carries after he had five on the opening drive and only four the rest of the way and was averaging over five per attempt?) – “It goes back to (a previous question) about holding onto the ball a little bit more and having more time of possession to where we get the opportunities. We feel like that group, we have a lot of depth at the running back position, the tight end position and at the receiver position. There is only one ball out there. We know that. There is a point where we want to make sure that those guys all get their opportunities. At the end of the game, there was some good running by Malcolm (Brown). Early in the game, like you said about Myles, we had some critical runs there and plays from Salvon (Ahmed). That group knows it’s by committee. The same thing with the tight ends and the receivers. There is no ego in that room, which as a coach, we love that about those guys. We love coaching them. They know that when their number is called on, that their job is to perform and that group continues to do that regardless of which one of those guys are getting the ball.”
(This is the first time we’ve got to see the fullness of your guys’ new offense. What stood out to you about the operation process and the final result of what we saw?) – “From an operation standpoint, it was pretty clean from our perspective. We were playing on the road. That environment is not an easy environment. We saw a lot of teams here in this first week where maybe it wasn’t as clean with let’s just say line of scrimmage penalties, delay of games, in and out of the huddle, having to call timeouts. That part of it, Tua (Tagovailoa) did an excellent job of getting us from coach to quarterback, to huddle, to the line of scrimmage. Then we know we left some plays out there. It’s the first week, thankfully. We’ve got some room to improve and that’s the way we want to look at it. We want to improve each week. We’ve got to eliminate the turnover and be 100 percent ball security. We know we can do some better things in the run game and in the pass game. Fortunately we get another opportunity here coming up and again it’s against a very formidable opponent. We need to be correcting the mistakes now and making sure by Sunday that those fires are put out.”
Danny Crossman – September 14, 2021
Download PDF version
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Obviously you can never go wrong with WR Jakeem Grant as your returner because he’s done a great job with it over many years; but I was wondering was that a clear-cut decision for you or did WR Jaylen Waddle’s presence on the team make it a difficult decision where it could have gone either way?) – “We’re just looking for the best players. The more guys you can have that can do multiple things, you’re going to be happy. We have multiple guys who we feel very confident in the return game. Obviously Jakeem has had an outstanding career so far and we think he has a lot more to give. We think we’ve got a couple of young guys who also have a chance to be really outstanding.”
(I wanted to ask you about the good old term hidden yardage. I know we had the one chipped kickoff that you pinned them deep on. Just overall, how did you feel you guys performed in winning the hidden yardage battle?) – “As you guys know, we did some good things but we can always be a lot better. I thought we missed a couple of opportunities for some better players to even help more in that field position battle. Overall, I thought the guys played hard. We’ll hopefully build on that this week.”
(Obviously you have a lot of returning players on your coverage team, but among new guys that you had for the first time in coverage, who comes to mind as a couple who stood out with their coverage work on Sunday?) – “I think some of the guys that have played in other places and have some experience from around the league, who we had evaluated as guys that could help like (Brennan) Scarlett and players like that; they came in and did what we expected them to do. Duke Riley and the guys that have some experience performed at a level that we had anticipated they would. Those expectations are based on past experiences.”
(Just your thoughts on P Michael Palardy’s punts on Sunday. And the one that ended up going into the end zone, I think I saw WR Mack Hollins kind of signal to him like “my bad.” Should he have gotten that one?) – “It’s hard to say. You’d like to say you make all of those plays; but you give their club and their returner some credit for doing a good job with what he did on the particular play to try to get Mack to hesitate. But yes, in those situations, those are plays again where we need to find a way to make those plays to help ourselves in the field position battle.”
Myles Gaskin – September 13, 2021
Download PDF version
Monday, September 13, 2021
RB Myles Gaskin
(Can you describe what was so effective about that opening drive? It felt like you had lanes to run through, QB Tua Tagovailoa had lanes to pass, you guys moved the ball so effectively on those first 10 plays. From your perspective, what was it that really opened things up for you guys?) – “I think we just came out, knew what we wanted to do, knew the plays that were going to be called and we just executed. We prepared all week for it and I think we were really hyped to be out there and ready to get this ball rolling.”
(On the flip side, did you notice any specific adjustments New England made in the series to follow? It seems like whatever it was, they figured it out until that opening drive of the third quarter.) – “I think they were coming in and out of different defenses, different looks, and they’ve got some really good players. New England’s defense is really good always. They were able to make plays on us, we were able to make plays on them, that’s just the ebbs and flows of NFL football.”
(I think on that opening possession, you had a really long gain out of the pistol, a run on third down. As opposed to running out of the shotgun next to the quarterback, what is so effective about running out of the pistol or even passing out of the pistol?) – “It’s all the same for me personally. You’re just trying to hit the holes wherever they are. Designed runs, just trust it. Being in pistol is a little bit different than being offset, because when you’re offset, they know which way you are going in the sense of if you’re on the right, they know the run will probably be going to the left. It’s all the same for me and I think all of the running backs. Whatever run is called, we trust the O-line that they are going to do their job.”
(We were talking to G/T Jesse Davis earlier and he was talking about from the O-line perspective some of the nuances of the RPO and what they need to know. From the back perspective, what are some things that when you run that, that we may not see, that you guys have as teaching points during the week?) – “For the running back, you just always expect the ball. I think it’s a little bit harder for almost every other position. Receiver, they’ve got to push their depth, they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do for wherever the play is. The O-line, like you were talking to Jesse with, just trying not to be downfield, not to get those type of penalties. As a running back, when RPO is called, you’re expecting the ball every play. It is no different. You just carry out the fake if you don’t get it.”
(Is there something about that style that you like, or dislike, more than a traditional running style?) – “No. I think it’s all the same.”
(I wanted to ask you about the responsibility of you leading the way in the running game for the team. How are you taking that responsibility and what are some of the conversations between you guys? Yesterday RB Malcolm Brown had an impact towards the end. It seems like there is room for everybody to contribute.) – “Like you said, there is room for everybody to contribute. I think we all bring different things to the table. Malcolm being the bigger back, Salvon (Ahmed) is doing a little bit of everything, motioning out and that type of stuff. Myself doing a little bit of that as well. Just playing to our strengths as players. Communicating on the sideline is always a big deal between the running backs because you might not get the same play twice, but somebody else might get the same plays you had. You can relay the message ‘hey, the hole might be on the backside,’ or wherever it may be. Just being able to communicate, I think that’s the most important thing as a running back group.”
Jesse Davis – September 13, 2021
Download PDF version
Monday, September 13, 2021
G/T Jesse Davis
(Obviously a 3.2 yards per carry average is not something that is favorable in this league but where do you feel like you guys were as an offensive line from a physicality standpoint yesterday?) – “I think we flashed in some areas. I think we have a lot to improve on. It’s the first game and we can always get better; but I think we had some good moments.”
(You guys had a lot of success on the RPOs and usually when you talk to offensive linemen, they say they like to get downhill. They like run blocking more. Just as an offensive lineman, what do you like about the concept of the RPO and what you can do as an offense?) – “I think the RPO game was a big part of our game plan going in. We can get some good chunk plays out of it like we did. It’s also tricky not to go downfield as well. It’s kind of a double-edged sword.”
(We’re all in foreign land right now in terms of COVID and year two is different than year one, but what did you think about T Austin Jackson’s journey with COVID and flying on his own and coming back and being active? What was the whole process like for the line?) – “Going into it, we didn’t really think he would be available. When he was activated, obviously we had questions too. It turned into a we’re monitoring AJ, the game plan is still the game plan and if we ever needed to grab him, we’ll do so. It’s another thing with the COVID thing. You never know what is going to happen.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa talked this offseason a lot about of the operational things; getting in and out of the huddle, play calling and getting comfortable running the offense. Year two, game one, what did you see from Tua as compared to last year?) – “I think he’s done a good job. I think he commanded the huddle, the offense, getting us on the right page when we needed to. I think he’s done a good job. Our emphasis was getting in the huddle, getting out of the huddle, breaking it so that way we can get lined up, see the defense and play ball.”
(I’m curious kind of what that teaching standpoint is as far as the o-line perspective on RPOs and how to handle that?) – “It’s just staying on double teams. You can be attached to a defender and go downfield but once you’re off unattached to a defender and you head downfield, when we release the ball then it is obviously an illegal lineman downfield. Staying on double teams is the coaching point there.”
(You can go downfield as far as you want so long as you are attached?) – “Yup.”
(That’s the rule? And is there a certain yard amount that you can’t after that?) – “I think you get one yard if you’re unattached. In college it’s three, in the NFL it’s one.”
(You’re a guy who has played all over the offensive line, I’m wondering if you can put yourself in T Liam Eichenberg’s position for a second, just how challenging it is to move right to the left and then get thrown in at tackle in the last minute in your first NFL game. How challenging must that have been for him and how do you think he performed?) – “That’s always a challenge when you’re moving positions during game day or during the week. The good thing is you can just let it rip. I always go into those games kind of like, ‘Not a lot is expected out of it so let’s just let it rip and see how it goes.’”
(You’ve been a guy who has played just about every position but center – Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre says he’s going to get you in at center by the way. What’s it like to know that you are responsible for the most important spot for QB Tua Tagovailoa because he’s a left-handed quarterback? Is there a level of pride in that now that you are at that point protecting his blindside?) – “Yeah, I think with that position, I don’t really try to get in my head with it like I’m on his blind side or anything. Every game, every play, I want to keep him clean. I want him to be comfortable. I don’t want him worrying about the right side or worrying about one position. I want him to trust me and I’ll trust him.”
(How much pride do you take in your NFL journey? Waived by two different teams to practice squad, call up, starter, multi-year stater. Do you talk about that with some of the other guys?) – “I only bring it up when guys end up getting cut or traded or whatever. Just keep grinding. You never know what happens. The pride thing, yeah I look back on it; but right now it’s just like I’ll look back on it later. Think about that later. Right now, it’s just how can I become the best player with myself each day, each week, each game? But yeah, it’s an interesting journey but everyone has a story.”
Eric Rowe – September 13, 2021
Download PDF version
Monday, September 13, 2021
S Eric Rowe
(I know this is nothing new for you guys on defense doing this, but it was very noticeable on defense that you guy seem to be going for the strips every time you got a chance. You got one and CB Xavien Howard had the one late in the game. Was there a special emphasis heading into this game even more than normal about let’s strip the ball away from these guys?) – “No, nothing more than normal. We’ve been preaching that probably since – even last year – but the spring, OTAs, this year, to training camp to preseason games and to practice. Just always attack the ball no matter how it comes, whether it is in the air or on the ground. Always get a punch at it because eventually somebody will give it up.”
(You guys gave up almost 400 yards of total offense but 16 points so in that light, how do you view the defensive performance? – “It’s Week 1. That was our first, probably for a lot of guys, live tackling since the Atlanta game. Really at the end of the day, points is what matters. Yards matter too but you win the game on points. Especially for Week 1, of course we’ve got a lot of corrections but we did a lot of good things too.”
(You’ve always done such a great job covering tight ends since you’ve gotten here but they sort of got back to doing some damage against you guys. I know it’s two tight ends but what were some of the issues you guys were having?) – “I wouldn’t say anything specifically to the tight ends. I know on a couple, Jonnu (Smith), he had a long play. We had a busted coverage and then the other long play they had down the sideline, he stepped out of bounds. I was like, ‘thank God he stepped out of bounds,’ because that was a big gain. It was just another busted coverage. (They are) fixable things that you correct on the film and there’s not a lot of mistakes that we made like that.”
(Looking ahead to the Bills game, what stands out to you from the jumps that QB Josh Allen has made from rookie year to now and how much of a transition is it going to be to game plan for a different offense? That’s an offense that likes to spread it out compared to the Patriots who seem to kind of want to stick to base personnel.) – “Josh Allen, he’s gotten a lot better since his rookie year. I’ve played him every year, twice a year, and I remember his first couple years he’s always had a strong arm but just accuracy wasn’t really his thing because he was too strong. But now, each year he’s gotten better and he’s gotten a lot more accurate. Now he’s easily one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. Going against him, it’s a totally different game plan but that’s how the NFL is. You have to put one win or loss behind and you have to focus on the next person.”
(I understand it’s a new season but is there a sense among the defensive players a little trial for redemption after the number that the Bills did on you guys in the season finale last year with their offense?) – “I really wouldn’t put it like that. They did kick our ass last year, the last game of the season. We remember that; but we are not taking that as a revenge game because it’s a new season, new players, new coaches kind of like that and whatnot. Now we are just taking it as a big division game. It’s the 2021 season. It’s not 2020. We need to get on them.”
John Jenkins – September 13, 2021
Download PDF version
Monday, September 13, 2021
DT John Jenkins
(Literally, how are you after the extensive playing time that you got? I’m sure you didn’t go into the game thinking you’d be getting that many snaps.) – “Why do you think that? I mean I’ve been around for a while, so you just never know what might happen. My mind is always thinking playing every game, every snap.”
(In terms of the productivity they had running the football, obviously it wasn’t a great day considering their two tailbacks fumbled. How would you assess the team’s performance against the run last Sunday?) – “I think ‘E-Rowe’ (Eric Rowe) said it better. It was the first game, the beginning of the season, and not everybody is perfect. The goal is to win the game and correct the things we need to correct. The biggest jump is from the first week to the second week. I know things weren’t ideal but we were still able to be good in situational – play good situational football.”
(New England went 11-of-16 on third down. I don’t know how you’ve been able to break that down over the last 24 hours or so, but what were they doing that allowed them to have so much success against you guys on third down?) – “They were able to execute. I’ll just leave it at that. This is a grown man sport and everybody gets paid to do their job. They were just doing their job and we were able to do things when we were able to do things at the right time.”
(When you pick apart situation by situation, is it generally things that are correctable?) – “Yes. Without a doubt. Obviously we caused fumbles when we needed to cause fumbles, we had stops when we needed to cause stops. Granted, our defense in the red zone, we stopped them – they were in the red zone four times and they only had one (touchdown). That’s a good thing for us to look at.”
