Sam Madison – November 10, 2022
Download PDF version
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Cornerbacks/Pass Game Specialist Sam Madison
(Did you coach against WR Amari Cooper in high school down here?) – “I didn’t. I had him on my 7-on-7 team for a couple of years.”
(How have you seen him grow?) – “Oh, man. Going into his senior year, he didn’t really have any offers and then coaching for South Florida Express, we were traveling around South Florida, around Florida, and then all of a sudden, it was like who is this kid? But just unbelievable speed. Strength at the top of the route. And that’s the way he’s always played. He’s always been one of those guys that’s going to go get it. He’s very quiet and he lets his play do the talking.”
(We know what CB Xavien Howard can do. We know what he has done. We also know he’s played through groin injuries. But candidly, throughout the first half of the season, how would you assess what you’ve seen?) – “Just going in and watching film when I first got here, and just understanding and knowing exactly who he was, watching him for a number of years doing television, he’s a playmaker. And these little nick and nack injuries, they can take a toll. So being able to finally get him through those different little injuries and not really having him during training camp, the offseason and trying to make sure that he was healthy to get him to this point, those were our main goals. Now I think he feels comfortable. He’s practiced very well the last couple of weeks. He’s just got to get his confidence back, knowing that he’s healthy, and then whoever he’s covering, he’s just got to go out there and dominate, just like he’s been able to do over the last couple of years. So he’s feeling comfortable. I’m feeling comfortable about everything he’s doing. And now we just got to go out there and just get that confidence back, and just go and attack. Getting his hands on the ball last week, I thought that was good for him. But now we’ve just got to take it to the next level and dominate every play.”
(I was curious to get your thoughts on the second to last play on the deep pass to WR Chase Claypool and DB Keion Crossen in coverage. A lot of people are saying that he potentially could have been called for defensive pass interference. I was curious, what are your thoughts on that one?) – “(laughter) Do you watch the offensive line and defensive line? They could get called for holding every play. The same thing in the secondary. So when you’re in that situation at that point in the game, the referees, they’re going to do their due diligence and see exactly what they see and just make the appropriate call. But just get it done at the line of scrimmage. That’s what we really talk about. That’s what we really preach. Since I’ve been here and Coach Josh (Boyer) has allowed me to work with these guys, getting hands on them at the line of scrimmage to eliminate those things down the football field and then slowing guys down. Keion just has to do a little bit better at the line of scrimmage. He knows that and that’s what we work on. That’s what we talked about throughout the course of the week.”
(Didn’t CB Keion Crossen have his hands around his waist on that play downfield?) – “To your point, when the referees come in here and we talk, and they come out there and they watch us practice, one of things that they always talk about is don’t put your hands up high. Put your hands down low. As long as you don’t turn the wide receivers, then it doesn’t become a penalty. So having your hands down low, those are the things that they tell us when we’re working with them, when they come out here during training camp. So those are the things that we work on and those are the things that they go out and try to work and execute. For it to be a no call, any given Sunday it could be called a penalty or not, just like it was for Keion.”
(Can you speak to the growth you’ve seen from CB Kader Kohou from when you first got him? He comes in as an undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M-Commerce and now he’s really an NFL starter.) – “Yeah, he’s an NFL starter. And guess what? He doesn’t shy away from contact. He doesn’t shy away from any challenge. It doesn’t matter if it’s Stefon Diggs or no matter who it is, he goes out there and he’s going to give it his 100 percent, and that’s what we ask from these guys. That’s what he’s been doing throughout the course, since he’s been here. He’s the guy that when you give him something and you talk to him about something, he’s going to go out there and try to execute it. Challenging at the line of scrimmage is one of the things that we work on, on an everyday basis. He’s going to do it. He’s nice, thick (and) strong. He missed a game. It really hurt him when he missed those couple of games. So coming back has really helped our depth and as you can see, when it comes to run support, he doesn’t shy away from that at all.”
(How will the LB Bradley Chubb acquisition affect your guys?) – “It’s going to affect us a lot. When you talk about the defensive line and the secondary always have hand in hand, if we can give our defensive line a couple of extra seconds to get to the quarterback – because they’re starting to do a lot of chipping because they know we play a lot of man and as you see over the last couple of weeks, the coverage has been tight relatively throughout the course of the game. So if we can get those guys a couple extra seconds to get to the quarterback, hopefully they can get the ball out, get the quarterback on the ground but yet still just be a disruptive force throughout the course of the game. He’s starting to feel himself and feel the things that he can do within the scheme of his defense. And Josh (Boyer) is going to do a good job of putting him in those situations to be successful. So, we’re very confident about him. The guys have accepted him very well and he just came in and just picked up right where we’ve left off and just continue to get better. So just looking for good things and more things better from him.”
Danny Crossman – November 10, 2022
Download PDF version
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I know K Jason Sanders is a guy who obviously doesn’t question himself, as he’s had success. But when he’s maybe not kicking up to the standards he has in the past, how do you keep him from losing any confidence or any of his edge?) – “Well, I think it goes into a lot of the things we talked about – the work that he puts in during the week, how he’s hitting the ball during the week, going back to all those basics and how and when things are coming up – you’re only judged by the game. But I think the work he puts in during the week and the success he’s had, he knows what he’s done to have success and he sees it during the week. It’s just – you’re splitting hairs when it comes to making kicks. Now, make no question – that’s a kick that has to be made. You can’t miss that kick.”
(Can you take us through that blocked punt? What was successful on that play and just how gratifying was it to come up with a big play on special teams?) – “Again, the key is to win the game, and the fact that we were able to win the game and make a play in that – there were some things, we liked some matchups. The players did a great job of executing. Jaelan (Phillips) almost got there too cleanly, almost overran it and then a great job by Andrew Van Ginkel with the scoop and score. (Those are the) things that we work on, and I think more than anything, that’s where the feel good part comes from the preparation, the work and then seeing it executed on game day.”
(LB Jaelan Phillips is not among the team leaders in special teams snaps. Forgive me for not knowing this, but is he generally on the punt rush team? Or was that a special plan?) – “He’s not generally. It was just with where we’re at with playing time and situations – a lot of moving parts this year. (laughter)”
(That’s the benefit of also adding LB Bradley Chubb, right? Different snap counts defensively?) – “Correct. It gives us an extra player on the defensive line/outside linebacker/defensive end. So now there’s maybe some more plays to be had.”
(As I recall, LB Bradley Chubb and LB Jaelan Phillips were lined up next to each other. Is that going to be a more regular thing?) – “Again, a lot of things (are) week to week. We’ll see. But again, two talented guys that when they’re able to maybe play less on defense, they maybe have some more reps available. We’ll see where that goes.”
(You mentioned K Jason Sanders’ kick still should have been made. I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel used as the wind as a reason for it, but 29 yards at that distance, should the wind be factoring in?) – “Wind is a factor in everything, but we’ve got to make that kick.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 9, 2022
Download PDF version
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You’ve talked about how you keep receipts and get motivated by the doubters. Now you’re receiving a lot of praise for these last two games. How do you go about keeping the same approach?) – “Just keep doing what we’ve been doing as a team. Continue to work on the things we need to get better at offensively, defensively and in special teams and continue to move forward with that.”
(In terms of just your on-field play, your comfort with the scheme and building on that, would you say that this is the most comfortable or confident you’ve felt playing football?) – “I think Coach Mike (McDaniel) does a great job putting us in great situations offensively. He has a lot of, people would say window dressing. He doesn’t like that term, because it’s just a part of our offense with the movement, shifting, motioning. It’s a part of what we do. So I think it’s a lot of credit to what our head coach has done within installs and things like that to help put us in those situations. We can say that I go out there and throw, Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle and all these other guys catch and run. (McDaniel) continues to give other people praise, but he doesn’t get as much praise as I think he should, and a lot of that is because of him.”
(It looks from the outside that you’re having more fun. Is that correct?) – “I think we’re all having fun. We’re all having fun. We’re feeling comfortable in this offense that we’ve had to all learn, that’s been new for us. So it’s cool to see that all the hard work throughout OTAs and training camp has paid off to this point. It’s not something that we’re satisfied with. We’ll keep going, continue to learn and build off of things we need to, but we’ll continue to find ways to do things that we’re good at and try to do them well continuously.”
(You said the phrase last week, “We’re not afraid to talk about Super Bowls around here.” It’s sort of the talk we haven’t heard from people up there for the last 20 years or so. Is that just a natural progression of his team? Or just how you feel in watching this season pan out?) – “Like I said prior to that, it’s the confidence and the things that we’ve seen throughout OTAs and the build up of that to training camp, being able to kind of build off of that towards the beginning of the season and kind of to where we’re at at this point. Like I said, we can always continue to get better with things. But yeah, I mean, why shy away from that? We’re not afraid to talk about that here.”
(I’m doing something on the pregame coin toss, and I’ve talked to a few players. I’ve got a couple of questions for you. First of all, everybody said that they call heads, which I found kind of strange, but then T Terron Armstead said that he doesn’t like to go out there because it interrupts with his pregame routine. So I’m wondering, do you like going out there? And what do you call?) – “Well, I’m told that I’m one of the captains to go out there. So if I’m told or if I’m not told, I’m not bothered by it. (laughter) But when I do go out there, I don’t know. Whatever I think, whether it’s heads or tails, I don’t have a 50-50 thought in my head or whatnot, or I go in there already knowing what I’m going to call. So it’s just up in the air.”
(Do you have any moments out there? S Jevon Holland was saying that it was cool when he went out against Detroit, because Barry Sanders was out there. LB Elandon Roberts was saying it was cool going out with the 1972 Dolphins. Any moments, either college or pro, that stand out?) – “Yeah, I think going out there with the ‘72 Dolphins – I mean, how much better could that get? That’s the only team in the NFL that’s been undefeated. A lot of greats on that team. I got to talk to (Bob) Griese, so that was cool.”
(Going back to what you were saying a few minutes ago about Head Coach Mike McDaniel and the concepts he’s brought here, what stands out for you? When he was first outlining them to you back in the spring, what stood out to you? Were there things that made you say, “Hm, I’d never thought about that?” Or “This may work really well?” Or “I don’t know if this is going to work?” What jumps out?) – “I think the thing that Coach Mike (McDaniel) has helped us offensively with is he’s kind of tailored the offense towards what we do best. If you look on film, he tries to tailor it to what Tyreek (Hill) runs the best, what Jaylen (Waddle) likes running, what I like throwing, what I’m good at throwing and things like that, whereas you watch their film from when they were with the 49ers, they did things a little different because of what those guys were good at and what they liked. So I really think it’s just things that are tailored to our strengths, and then he builds off of that. So not much of, ‘Why are we doing it like this?’ Or ‘Why are we doing it like that?’ It’s more so, ‘How do you see that play if they get this or if they get that? How do you see him running it and where do you think I should go with the ball on this?’ Just more of that kind of conversation.”
(Regarding WR Tyreek Hill, what have you come to believe is the most unique thing about him on the field? And then also off the field?) – “I mean, I would say the biggest thing that I’ve noticed with him that he carries with him every time on and off the field is his competitiveness. (He is) always competitive. He’s competitive in everything he does. I would say he’s a great teammate. He’s a great teammate for everyone on the team. I think a lot of people from the outside looking in can see that.”
(What would you say after your break from that concussion stuff that was going on – what would you say is the biggest contributing factor to getting back in this rhythm it seems like right away? Three touchdowns in games right away.) – “Just continuing to work the offense – the mental part of it. Today’s a walkthrough day for us. That doesn’t give us an opportunity to kind of slack off. It more so challenges us mentally, understanding where to line up, knowing where to go with the ball in certain coverages and then making quick decisions.”
(Is there anything from the break that you carried over that you think has helped you lately that you’re able to hone in on when you were gone?) – “Well, I think when being out, and then watching from the sideline, watching at home, on TV, then watching the film, there were things that going through progressions that I wouldn’t have thrown. Seeing it from the outside and not being in the game. There are things now that we’ve seen that we could hit that we have. So I would say things like that. But other than that, just coming back in and doing my best to try and work as hard to get back in rhythm with the guys.”
(You mentioned you’re comfortable now. Is part of that you’re getting protection? That you’d be able to step up in the pocket and have some time that maybe in the first couple of years you didn’t?) – “Well, yeah. I think everything – with protection up front, with how our run game is going, with our play-action game is going. And then we have boots, so it’s really an accommodation of all of that and defenses having to figure out, is it this play, is it that play? And then what complements those plays? So I think that’s why we feel comfortable as a group going out there every time.”
(What was the moment where you knew and felt confident that head coach Mike McDaniel as a play caller was worth the hype?) – “I would say it happened when we lost our first game. He came into the team meeting, and really I would say you kind of see people’s true colors of really who they are. And the guy has been the same person and he’s never changed. Never gotten mad. Just always what can we work on? Things that we can fix. And then you look at two more times we ended up losing (and he was the) same dude. Same dude. So I would say he’s won the trust of me, of the guys in the locker room. And then also, I would say the organization. Like everyone feels free to come up to his office. Everyone feels free to be around this guy and say whatever they feel like they can say and be themselves. So I think that’s what we really appreciate about him.”
Jeff Wilson Jr. – November 9, 2022
Download PDF version
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.
(What’s your reaction to the week? First game, touchdown, how has it been so far for you?) – “It’s been an absolute blessing. To come in and be welcomed with open arms, smiles and genuine care, I wouldn’t ask for any other situation because I feel like I’m at home. I feel like I’ve been rocking with these guys since the beginning of the year.”
(Has it truly felt different? Or does this have a feeling of the 49ers from a few years ago?) – “No, this definitely doesn’t feel like the 49ers. I’d appreciate it if everybody stopped saying that. I’m just new on the team. I really don’t like it because it’s the Miami Dolphins. It’s got nothing to do with the 49ers. We rock our own way, we have our own swag and we play our own way. This is two totally different teams. It’s not the 49ers. It’s the Miami Dolphins.”
(You said you have your own swag. What have you noticed about that? Can you elaborate on what that is?) – “It’s just the culture here, man. Everybody, like I said, everybody is on one accord, on one page. Even on the field or even on the side, some teams you just see a lot of side chatter, a lot of this or that – everybody is focused and locked in. Even with the fun, you can still tell that everybody is still on the plan and on the goal of getting to where we want to go. I mean, I just feel like that’s kind of cool and unique to have fun and be able to work at a high level at the same time.”
(Now obviously, you knew Head Coach Mike McDaniel when he was in San Francisco and now as a head coach. Is there any change in him? Or is he the same guy he was there?) – “(Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) has been the same person since I’ve seen him in 2018 at the University of North Texas when he came down and worked me out. He’s still that same guy, and for him to be that, man, that speaks volumes to him. We live in a day and age where everybody changes when you get different statuses and stuff like that. So just to see him still be that same guy, it’s tremendous and I’m still happy for him. I can’t wait to see where it takes us.”
(You mentioned swag. Does Head Coach Mike McDaniel have his own swag too? Because the way he talks to us sometimes, he’s philosophical.) – “Come on, man. Y’all know (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) has swag. He was the first head coach I’ve probably seen on the sideline with some Nike Supremes on. Come on, man – what coach does that? (laughter) Besides all that, like I said, all the outside stuff, it’s really strictly business here. So all the other stuff, it doesn’t need to be a distraction because everybody is just really ready to work.”
(How awesome is it to be with your guy RB Raheem Mostert? You both scored last week and now you’re going into your first home game?) – “That’s crazy, man. To be reunited with him, man, it’s a blessing, because obviously, if you don’t know, it’s the (National Football) League and everybody is not as friendly. You know what I mean? Everybody is not as open to welcome you in with open arms, so I’ve heard. I’ve never been in that situation. It’s just, ‘He say, she say,’ but I don’t have to worry about that here. Raheem (Mostert) takes me in like (we’re) real life brothers. It’s almost like we came from the same home. It’s just that type of bond. There’s nothing fake about it, and it’s all love.”
(What were your first impressions of QB Tua Tagovailoa and his play?) – “He’s a GOAT. (laughter) Besides the game, I like to watch a person during the week, because I feel like behind the scenes, behind the camera or the naked eye, that’s what you can really tell – that really shows a man. So just to see how he goes through the week, how he prepares, how he interacts with everybody in the locker room, how he’s around. You’ll have some quarterbacks that you’ll hardly ever see them or hardly ever talk to them, but that’s not the case. Man, that’s ‘Big Uce.’ (laughter)”
(If I could follow up on that, WR Tyreek Hill said this week, he’s promoting his charity week this weekend, and he made a comment that everyone who doubted QB Tua Tagovailoa or took shots at him should step up to the table and apologize now.) – “Man, he should have a locker full of letters. I’ve only been here, what, a week? I’ve only known him for a week, but like I said, just watching him through practice and being around him through the facility, people really should. He deserves that, because he’s not done yet – he’s just getting started.”
Bradley Chubb – November 9, 2022
Download PDF version
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
LB Bradley Chubb
(It seems like the Browns possess a one-two punch.) – “Yeah, for sure. They’ve got two great running backs. I feel like Nick (Chubb) is in a league of his own, does a lot of great things. He’s one of those people that he gets stronger as the game goes on. And as you hit him more and more, he just keeps churning those legs and keep doing what he does. And Kareem Hunt is kind of more of the same. Like real electric, could do a lot of things. Like I said, once you hit him, he kind of bounces off and gains acceleration off stuff like that. So it’s going to be a good challenge for us and we’re excited about it.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said moments ago that the Browns are no joke, despite their record. Just what have you seen on film?) – “I see a physical group. The offensive line is physical with the guys up front. Like I said, those backs do a great job of continuing to move and never being down off first contact. They got a great receiving corps. Jacoby (Brissett) is an NC State guy, so I always pull for him. It’s going to be fun man. It’s a big challenge for us because at the end of day, like you said, their record reflects a whole different thing. We just can’t go in there with a mindset of whatever they are and we can just run over them. We just got to go out there and do what we know what to do, and that’s play good defense, stop the run and get after the quarterback in those passing situations.”
(What are some of the differences against a team that has a traditional running game with running backs as opposed to stopping a scrambling quarterback?) – “It’s more of a line up and play what you see type thing. A scrambling quarterback is kind of like, whatever he sees, he’s going to take. But these guys, they do a good job too of taking what they can get as well. We just got to be disciplined in our gaps and nobody trying to play hero ball, trying to play two gaps at once and knocking off a different guy. That’s when they crease you for 30 or 40 yards at a time. So if we just play gap, fundamentally sound football, I feel like we will be fine.”
(What are you personally hoping to get out of this week, your second week with the team?) – “Just to get better, man. I feel like last week I was kind of playing a little tentative just because I didn’t really know, I didn’t want to mess up and stuff like that. But now I’m just trying to let my hair down – as much hair as I got (laughter) – let it all down and just go out there and play.”
(What’s this process been like for you? Transferring teams midseason, you got to move to a new place, no bye week in between.) – “It’s hectic. But at the end of the day, man, it’s fun. I get to go out here and play football with a whole new group of guys that I’m learning, and I’m still figuring out. They’re still figuring me out as well. So it’s cool just to see how it’s going from the first game to however long we’re playing until the end of the season, how it’s going to transform, and how it’s going to grow closer together and stuff like that. I always look at it as a fun challenge just because it’s easy to be in the same spot, learn the same defense, know all this and then just kind of coast. But it’s hard to pick up and move and do all this and still have success. That’s my main thing is trying to be the best me I can be out here.”
(What’s been your impression now that you’ve had more time with Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “Everything’s straightforward. It’s not guessing or how does he feel about me doing this. Everything is straightforward. You know what you’re expected of. You know what you got to go out there and do on Sundays. I feel like it’s a good thing because players up front are telling me what I got to do and stuff like that. In practices, he takes care of us as well and makes sure our bodies are good. I feel like it’s a great staff, man. I’m just glad to be a part of this organization.”
Jaylen Waddle – November 9, 2022
Download PDF version
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
WR Jaylen Waddle
(It feels like it’s been a while since you guys have played at home. How excited are you to be back in front of the home crowd?) – “I’m pretty excited. We always have a good come out so it’s going to be exciting.”
(I know you’ve been with QB Tua Tagovailoa since the college days. I’m curious is there a play this year that really stood to you that really spoke to [inaudible]?) – “No, I mean pretty much everything he does, I’ve seen him do multiple times before so it’s pretty regular for us.”
(About this weekend’s matchup, Head Coach Mike McDaniel just said that the Browns are no joke. This is a team that can beat any team despite their record. What do you see with the Browns when you look at them on film?) – “Yeah, pretty much what Mike (McDaniel) said. They’ve got a good roster, good players. They’re capable of making big plays and we’ve just got to go out there and play our game. But yeah, we’ve got a real hard test coming up.”
(You guys had a little bit of time playing with Browns QB Jacoby Brissett. Will it be cool to see him come back here? I know you won’t be going up against him directly, but just for him to come in here playing…?) – “Yeah, I’m excited to watch Jacoby (Brissett) play. I’ve been watching him play all season. He’s been playing great so it’s going to be good. Jacoby’s real funny so I’m excited to just chop it up. I know he’s got some jokes for us, for sure. (laughter)”
Mike McDaniel – November 9, 2022
Download PDF version
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I know you said on Monday that there’s no change in the status of CB Byron Jones. We’re halfway through the season. At what point does it become not really reasonable to expect him to return?) – “I don’t know. Probably the point that we stop? There are a lot of variables at work and you just try to give everyone the best opportunity to contribute to the team, like I know he wants to. If you’re sick of asking it, what do you think the microphone guy is? (laughter)”
(But is the expectation still that at some point he will be able to return?) – “Yes, that’s still open. I don’t try to play the – I react, I don’t try to dictate the future. My crystal ball is broken.”
(How do you determine whether you have quality depth on a team? And has this team reach that standard right now?) – “I think the proof is in the pudding. Quality depth, to me, is when as a team, you’re able to function in a certain standard. And when a certain piece is gone, are you still able to function at that standard? There will always be – there’s unique things to each and every player. When you earn a starting position, you’re not gifted that. But when teams are able to continue to progress and get better when people are out, then then that’s a sign of some strong depth on your entire roster. I feel pretty good about our team. We’ve gone through lineup changes as much as anything I’ve been around and have – who knows the exact residuals, because you have a group of players, coaches and everyone that really doesn’t allow that to be an excuse. So we press forward, and I’m sure in hindsight, I’ll be like, ‘Whoa, that was a lot,’ but right now, it just is what it is.”
(What was the first on-field moment here when you thought to yourself, “Wow, WR Tyreek Hill is a different guy?”) – “Huh, that’s a good one. There was – Ok, I got it. There was a particular route that I think we came up with in 2013. Trivia fact – it was Leonard Hankerson against the Chargers. That’s a deeper outbreaking route that not all that many people can run, because the timing of the play and to push it that deep, you don’t always have protection for it. So I’ve been running that – it kind of got steam and ran it the most when we had Julio Jones, who was unbelievable at the route. And then seeing Tyreek (Hill) in, I think it was probably OTA 4, if my training camp install schedule is correct in my brain, when he ran that. I just had a lot of deliberate reps at viewing that (route) ran at an exceptional speed, depth, intent, and it was like, ‘Whoa.’ I’ve been fortunate to be around Andre Johnson in his prime, Julio Jones in his prime, Josh Gordon, Pierre Garcon, leading the league in receiving. All these great, great players, and he is different. We knew then in OTAs that yeah, this is a different deal.”
(The follow-up is the same question but off the field, since y’all met here in South Florida, what was the first off-field moment where you thought, “Wow, WR Tyreek Hill is a different dude?”) – “The first time I took the trust fall and called him out in a team meeting, I think. And it wasn’t a call out – I shouldn’t really say call out because it’s not. It’s more (that) in team meetings, I think it’s very important to state the facts, and the facts are what’s on tape. So anything that’s on tape, we should be able to discuss openly. There was something that he didn’t do, I can’t remember what it was, but I vividly remember his response that day was corrected. So I kind of made note of that. Two days later, at the beginning of team meetings in training camp, we were showing the fastest GPS of the practice the previous day, and he was fifth that day. So I made a big deal about it, I went over the top and said something like, ‘Dude, congratulations, you’ve been working hard. This is a great achievement.’ I think Keion Crossen was the fastest that day, so I was just like – no, actually it was Braylon Sanders at the time. Whoever it was, I was like, ‘Man, you’re the fastest guy on the Dolphins. This is awesome.’ This is in front of the whole team, and then that practice, he ran the fastest ever recorded in practice here or that I’ve seen. It was something absurd like 23.48 (miles per hour) or something like that. So I was like, ‘Ok, yeah, you’re different.’ On the field, off the field, it’s not happenstance that he’s able to have success.”
(You’ve had a lot of, obviously, mix and match on the offensive line because of injuries, but you’ve started to find some continuity now. What would you attribute the success that you guys had with running the ball and protection that have been an improvement over last year?) – “It’s the least appealing, most real answer that exists, and it’s like the down to the bones, deliberate work, and intent on defensive specific techniques and how we execute our fundamentals and details. It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole coaching staff is that my offensive coordinator, Frank Smith, has deep O-line coaching roots and was a center himself. I think he spearheaded that charge and really led in a moment that, there was a young group that was a little uncertain of themselves. That along with (Offensive Line Coach) Matt Applebaum and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Lemuel (Jeanpierre) and (Offensive Assistant) Mike Person, there’s no quick and easy way to have success in the National Football League. That’s why I like the game so much, is because when you see success or improvement, I should say more than anything, people are too talented and people work too hard. There’s no shortcut around it. They’re sweating after practice. Practice ends and I try to give players a nice schedule that they can get out of the building. But the linemen aren’t afforded that because they are out there working after practice, and it’s to all their credit, collectively. And then everybody else getting used to it, you’re starting to see the skill position players be a little more productive in their areas. The running backs running in space better. It’s a trickle-down effect that they can really dictate.”
(On the challenge the offensive line has against the Browns with their edge players.) – “The theme of the NFL is this, it is a challenge. There’s so many things at stake every week, so every week is a challenge. This one in particular is a lot greater than people realize. This Cleveland Browns team is no joke. They are a good football team. One of the only – I mean, their record is their record. Whatever this means is that I think they can beat any football team in the National Football League on any week, and you can’t say that about every team. So they are (a challenge), and it starts with their edges. I know (Defensive Coordinator) Joe Woods and (Defensive Line Coach) Chris Kiffin from San Francisco, and I can see their elements of coaching on tape. They strain, they go after it. I can promise you this; we comb, tape week-in, week-out, and we are definitely not sleeping on this team. This is a good football team that if you aren’t detailed and technically sound, they will expose you in a harmful way.”
(The broadcast on Sunday mentioned how much pride you took in San Francisco in finding undrafted players. I guess first of all, I was wondering if you could speak to the pride that you personally take in finding those kind of diamonds in the rough, the undrafted guys.) – “That’s a cool process. When I was afforded the opportunity, people had faith in me. Kyle Shanahan really put a lot of faith in me along my career. That, along with Dan Quinn, and then John Lynch and Adam Peters and all those guys, they gave me the opportunity to say ‘Hey, if you find a guy, we’ll listen.’ And to me, how cool is that? It was more – I thoroughly enjoyed the process, but I also just enjoy contributing to the team. When that’s the role, it is really cool because it’s a challenging process. There are a lot of guys to choose from, so you’re trying to find some skillsets; and then you’re also trying to balance it out with your impression of the person as you reach out to people that know them or talk to sources or get to talk to them themselves. And it’s not like a cookie cutter formula, which is why I enjoy it. It was for a portion of my career, it was the best way that I could contribute to the team. So I have always taken those things extremely serious and enjoy those.”
(To follow up, I don’t know how much that process changes for you since becoming a head coach, but how involved were you in finding CB Kader Kohou and scouting him?) – “Being a part of the process in so many different scopes in my career – but being in the process for a long time, you get to see how it’s no person with the sauce. So early when I got here, that’s why I prioritized hiring coaches, and then you prioritize having a very strong, well-groomed, well-working scouting department. And all of those things working together. With Kader (Kohou), I can take 0.00 percent responsibility for that one. That’s Chris Grier, Josh Boyer and all the goons involved. But I trust them and the reason why I trust them is because I understand that my job is not to micromanage or to do everything. My job is to make people better at what they do and rely on people. That’s kind of what I do.”
(We’ve heard how QB Tua Tagovailoa is motivated by his doubters. How do you see him now approaching dealing with success and the praise he’s received after these last few games?) – “Do you doubt that he’s handling it well? Let’s motivate that guy. (laughter) You just have a feeling about people. When you’re forecasting uncharted territory, you don’t totally know but you feel like you know. Anything that’s happening with him isn’t a surprise to me. It would have been a surprise if it hadn’t, just because the day-in day-out work that I’m witnessing and the work that his teammates do and how his rapport is with them and all of that. But it doesn’t surprise me how he’s handled having some success because literally it has no distinction from when we first started working before game one in training camp and OTAs. And that’s awesome. That’s what I would have guessed, but it’s been really cool to see. But it’s case in point, he knows exactly who he is, he knows exactly what he needs to do to do his portion of his job well, and he’s not deviating from that at all. (It is) very, very cool and good to see but not surprising in the least.”
(Going back to the Browns, they’ve been in a lot of close games. Obviously you guys have won plenty of close games. I’m wondering what are some small details that make the difference and winning and losing close games?) – “More points. (laughter) That’s the part of football that you don’t necessarily – you’re hitting on the part that isn’t necessarily on the stat sheet, which is the cool part. You find that teams kind of – it kind of snowballs for teams where you can be in tight games consecutively and you can find yourself with the same result until you get yourself out of it either way. I think being involved in those games gives you a competitive advantage moving forward, when you’re able to learn from them. So teams that are learning from them, whether it’s high, low, whatever; at the end of the season, they end up winning more than they lose of those, in my opinion. It’s hard. Just think about it. Coaches start on Monday, players come in on Wednesday, we are grinding on this one objective all week, that has all sorts of variables, a countless number of variables, that you’re learning, that you’re trying to master. Then you go to this huge buildup of this competitive game that everyone is watching and being able to critique. And then just finality, one final result. When teams aren’t of the right mindset, they want to point fingers. Or you learn how to not point fingers. That’s something that I’ve been on teams that it happens a ton. Just by the tape – I wouldn’t dare to speak on the Cleveland Browns but it doesn’t look like they’re doing that at all. So it looks like they’re in the process of the same process a lot of teams are, that we are, where, ‘Ok, it’s a close game. It’s okay.’ The finality of that whole work week, you don’t need to think about that. Just worry about your individual job and collectively, the more people that do that, end up finding a way, because the biggest mistake is when people get in tight situations, tight games, and they start thinking that they need to do it themselves. And that’s something that you have to learn through trial and error. And something hopefully we have learned from in our close games. But that doesn’t guarantee anything. We could very well buck the trend this week. Hopefully you didn’t jinx us. (laughter)”
(It feels like each week, we can make this comparison about how you’re coaching against the coach that you previously worked with. With Joe Woods in San Francisco, I’m curious if you might have a story about your guys’ year together in San Francisco.) – “It was a cool part of the process because it was kind of a minor football evolution at the time. The Seattle Seahawks – Pete (Carroll), Gus Bradley and all those guys came up with the Seattle 3-deep, and just literally did that and nothing else and crushed people for a decade. And then we had faced – in our history, we’d done the wide nine, four-man front, penetrating defense. Tennessee was kicking our butts in Houston back in the late 2000s. And then they went to Detroit and all that. But under Kyle Shanahan, Kyle kind of wanted to meld those two. So Joe was a part of that. And it was a such a cool process because you have to problem solve. It may not seem like a big deal, but in terms of gap integrity and how you rule out your defense, it was a big deal. And being there with him and seeing how he was such a problem solver in that process, while also having a disposition and energy that players gravitated to – I had heard about him since probably 2013, because Raheem Morris would always do an impression of him. (laughter) So I like knew of him for like seven years before I met him. But he lived up to the impersonation and the buildup.”
Mike McDaniel – November 7, 2022
Download PDF version
Monday, November 7, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I believe WR Jaylen Waddle was the only one to even go into the injury tent. How is he? I think he came back actually. How is he and how is the injury situation from yesterday?) – “He’s doing all right. That was – really it was the best that we’ve come out of a game for a while. It was one of those double takes that you have to look at the injury report and be like, ‘wait, what? Are you pulling a fast one on me?’ But outside of the lone thing that came up was Hunter Long is currently in the concussion protocol. But then besides that, we were all clean.”
(Your offensive line seems to be stabilizing recently and I’m wondering, I know it’s not just one person. It’s not just T Terron Armstead, but you guys had a good performance putting OL Robert Jones in there yesterday. Why has the offensive line improved recently do you think?) – “I think it’s a fixation and a collaborative effort on fundamentals. I think starting to understand on a week-by-week basis what is asked of them for the players, I think is important. And then how to drive home the techniques appropriately from the coaching staff, but I think it’s been a collective mindset and we’re seeing the results week-in and week-out. It doesn’t mean everything is – that we’re performing exactly the way we envisioned the final product looking. That will never be the case, but we are continually getting better each game which is what gives me confidence because I know that is the formula for teams to have success in this league, is improvement during the course of the season and I think we’re all seeing that.”
(Were the Bears exactly who you thought they were because at the third quarter about the 5:16 mark you spoke to Bears QB Justin Fields on the side. It seems like you said to him to stop the running the ball. Did you kind of know that’s what the game plan was for them going into the game or?) – “No, I just wanted him to stop scrambling and it was pretty irritating because he didn’t listen at all. (laughter) He didn’t take the coaching and no, I think our whole team took them serious because they’re young upcoming team that if you take lightly at all, they make you quickly regret that. So they fought exactly how we thought they were going to. I think Justin (Fields) is really starting to get a feel for when he can utilize his full scale of gifts and he’s making plays more and more and becoming more and more difficult to defend. So at that stage of the game I figured no one had asked him to stop it, so I gave that a try. (laughter) I think other coaches can learn from my experience that he does not listen, so rely on other tactics.”
(It looks like a lot of times watching the games back that every receiver runs every route with a certain level of conviction and it does so much to open up space for other guys. I’m just curious how you cultivate that in a room at a position where maybe sometimes across the league guys might not give 100 percent every route, but it seems like here they do?) – “No, that’s cool. That’s something that’s been of paramount importance that I think you can really separate offensive play in the pass and run game by the perimeter receivers because I always looked at it like this: you’re going to by and large, you’re going to have straining try-hard offensive linemen and running backs have to try hard. Otherwise they’re going to get blown up and tackled and tight ends are kind of an extension of the offensive line, but you can really have a well-oiled offense if you have football-playing wide receivers. And so football-playing wide receivers don’t just run routes hard when they are scheduled to get the ball because that’s the orchestration of good wide receiver play within a good offense, is a full commitment and a standard. And that’s something that you don’t just turn on. That’s something that’s to a credit to every single coach and player on the staff because it’s a daily commitment that if Wes (Welker) is in there and not pointing out that the backside of a run or maybe a run-off route isn’t to the standard that we’d like; if he doesn’t point that out on a random Thursday in September, it’s not going to be right in October. That is something that I think is very important in a way that you can separate yourself in this league, is a commitment by a position that is predominantly dominated by statistical figures that they play team football, then you’ve got a heck of an advantage that opposing defenses will feel over the course of time.”
(After reviewing the film, what did you think of LB Bradley Chubb’s first game? What do you hope to see from him as he gets more and more snaps in this defense?) – “I was pumped. The stuff that he was able to do in terms of – you put yourself in his situation and it’s Tuesday and you just get notified that you’re traded teams, then you’re taking your Wednesday of your NFL prep week where you’re preparing for first and second down, half of it is occupied by doing physicals and stuff, then you’re trying to get sped up to a defensive system that’s in a different language. I was very happy with how he was able to go out and play pretty hard. There were several occasions that he didn’t end up on the stat sheet, but he completely affected the pass plays by getting to the quarterback in the rhythm quick enough that he had to get the ball out, and that’s what you’re asking of that position. He’ll get better and better as he gets more versed in the nuances of our scheme in both run and pass, but I’m really happy with the player, the talent and the effort. I feel like he’s going to fit right in and really help our group moving forward.”
(To follow up on that, LB Bradley Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. both pretty decent snaps. What kind of gave you confidence in their preparation going into the game to throw them in off the deep end like that? LB Bradley Chubb played 54 snaps and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. played 28 snaps.) – “That’s kind of what I would have thought going into the game. You’re just hesitant because there’s the human element. But if any two guys were capable of doing something like that, it would have to be two football-centric, committed, professionals like those two. You leave an open window for – just in case, (it’s), ‘Hey, this guy is overly on tilt and needs to take a breather,’ you kind of let them roll and see how they react. So I think that on both sides of the ball – on defense, I think our edge players got into a rotation that made them all better but it’s not finetuned yet. We’ll still be adjusting that to find our perfect mix, but I thought there was some groundwork laid there. I thought it was a nice balance to get some productive touches to Jeff (Wilson) and complement Raheem’s (Mostert) game. So I think all in all, I was very happy with those guys. It’s a testament to them and their teammates, really, for them to be able to produce in the short amount of time that they were able to.”
(In the run game, RB Jeff Wilson Jr and RB Raheem Mostert basically split the snaps right down the middle. Is that kind of how you envision the run game going forward, a 1A-1B kind of thing? Or is that just off a game-to-game basis?) – “I think your starting point, those guys, I think they both are starter caliber players. So you kind of make sure that they both have opportunities. They’ll always have opportunities in each individual game, but they’re both very well aware and well-versed that there’s certain times that guys feel it. So when that happens, we stay out of the way. The great news about our running back room and really our team in general is we have a lot of people acknowledging their part in someone’s success. The running back room gets pumped when a running back makes a play – it’s not really ‘I’ or ‘me.’ I think that’s a huge variable in team success that’s very, very underrated.”
(Can you tell us about the practice and game outlooks for CB Byron Jones and OL Austin Jackson this week?) – “No change on Byron Jones. Austin Jackson, you’ll see out on the practice field a little bit. We’ll get him going a little bit and see – we’ll just take it day by day. But you’ll get some field sightings of Austin Jackson this week, which is exciting.”
(1,104 yards for WR Tyreek Hill so far this season through nine weeks. How do you feel about his level of execution this year so far? And what were your thoughts on his round off backhand spring celebration?) – “I kind of have some beef with our video department, because we cut that celebration off in our coaches copy tape. So we’re re-visiting that after this press conference. But live, I thought it was a – I feel like a 7.8 because I didn’t feel like he stuck the landing. And from – I know that’s a very important part of the judging process, right? But I think that’s the cool thing about Tyreek (Hill) is that he recognizes that this game is all about improving. He’s – obviously, you’re excited to have production on an unforeseen level before, that’s great. But what you like is that he and his teammates see that as a vessel for us to get our job done, which is to win, and in that process, he’s not wavering or trying to take the easy way out. There were a couple things in this past game that he did better than he has all season. That’s what we’re looking for and that’s what makes me the happiest about it, because you’re either getting better or getting worse – there’s not really any in-between. He’s committed to getting better, so I look forward to his production moving forward.”
(To follow up on OL Austin Jackson, I know it’s only one practice, we saw him out there on Friday, what did you kind of see from him on Friday that kind of gives you confidence in having him ramp up some more this week?) – “I saw the same player that didn’t have any setbacks. So it was – he’s actually gotten a ton of mental reps in this period. He’s been locked in the whole time. I was encouraged because it looked exactly like the athlete that I know, and I was encouraged because it didn’t hurt him in the process. We’ll continue to take that approach so that when he is – just to maximize the percentage chance of him when he returns, returning for good. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
(K Jason Sanders, he just pulled it? Was it…?) – “No – you guys definitely didn’t do your part in forewarning me, but that city, there’s all sorts of wind. (laughter) No, there were some technical nuances. There was also – he was a hair off in a situation where if we didn’t get a gust (of wind), it probably would have drilled it. Jason (Sanders) doesn’t use that as an excuse. I was just witnessing the obvious which was a gust of wind right at the snap, but it played a factor for sure. And I’ll know now to expect wind in Chicago on my own help, none of yours, because you guys didn’t tell me anything.”
