Tua Tagovailoa – September 6, 2023
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Wednesday, September 6, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You told us in the spring that you at one point did think about, did consider giving up this game that you love. Now that the game week has arrived, how do you feel about your decision to continue to continue playing?) – “I feel good. I think all the guys on our team are really excited to be able to get back out on the field. Some guys come from a different team and this is a new system for them. Some guys have been here for some time and the guys are just really excited to go out there and showcase their skills against a really good team.”
(Every season you’ve come in with an expectation, a goal, a plan. Did this offseason, given the way it ended last year, feel any different? How do you enter this Game 1, Week 1 knowing what this offseason was like and trying to get your body and mind ready for this opener?) – “I think the best way is to prepare yourself for all the things that haven’t gone right for you the previous season. And this isn’t just for me. This is for – I know a lot of the guys in our locker room, how they’ve prepared, things that they’ve wanted to work on – that’s basically what my offseason has been like. And like I said, we’re really excited to go out there and play a good team.”
(How much do you still get to be a fan of the NFL? I know you’re in it, but Thursday Night Football comes along, do you and some of the players get together and be like “it’s finally here” just like normal fans?) – “Yeah, it’s exciting to know that football is back. I don’t think the fan in anyone will ever go away. That’s something that we grew up doing whether it was going over to a friend’s house and watching it or guys coming over to your house and then even now in the league, guys are more invested because it’s hard and so when someone does something good it’s like, ‘man, what did they do?’ or ‘how did they do it?’ We’re definitely still fans and very much invested into it.”
(What do you remember about last year’s game against the Chargers? What do you think can be done differently to not allow the same scheme, same game plan to stop this offense?) – “First off, they had a great game plan for us last year. It was tough to get things started in basically the first half and then trying to move on from that into the game, trying to get a rhythm going offensively. But you’ve got to tip your hat to their coaches. Their coaching staff, they’re well-coached. They took a lot of things away that we would normally run and things that we felt comfortable doing so hats off to them, but like I said, I’m really excited. This is going to be a good team.”
(Have you had any communication with Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary Renaldo Hill who was there last year maybe to work out some of the things that they had that worked against you?) – “Yeah, there’s been some conversations talking to Renaldo.”
(How much do you think going up against Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense has maybe prepared you and this offense for what you’re going to see in Week 1?) – “Going against his defense is tough in itself and understanding, asking him a lot of questions, asking their position groups a lot of questions, trying to understand how their defense works together. Like I said, they really communicate out there, to a point where it sounds like they’re overcommunicating which is something that I haven’t really seen, especially using the helmet cam. You’re trying to get the cadence going and sometimes the center can’t hear because of all the noise going on in the background and guys can’t hear it as well. So going against his defense definitely helps in preparation for (Brandon) Staley’s defense. So we’ve got to be ready and we’ve got to understand the problems that they give us on certain plays and just got to keep moving forward with it.”
(How many snaps does it take usually for you to level out at the beginning of the game? Is it different in Week 1 than it might be in Week 10 or do you need that period?) – “I think it’s different for everyone. I think the first game is always a little more jittery than every other game because you’re getting your body back into the mindset, the mind frame of, ‘all right, this is a 60-minute ballgame, I’ve got to be on for the next three hours and I can’t shut off.’ I’ve got to constantly understand my protection issues, where the guys are going to be, things like that. I definitely think once you get the first completion, get a drive started; then you sort of get into the groove.”
(If I could quickly follow up on that, is there anything specific that you want to do yourself or tell yourself considering it’s your first regular season game in so long?) – “There’s some things that I have as far as self-talk throughout the week, but outside of that, you’ve just got to go out there, trust what you see and you just got to go and play.”
(Do you set individual personal goals for yourself prior to a season?) – “Yeah. I think we all do. Everyone in our locker room does as well as outside of what the team goals are.”
(Do you share them with anyone or is that something you keep to yourself?) – “I’m keeping that to myself.”
(What’s one thing you learned about yourself, the game, anything over the last nine months? It’s been a rollercoaster.) – “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a rollercoaster. You can never get too high in this league, can never get too low. Every week is a different week. Any given Sunday, whether that team is 0-2 or 0-12, you have to prepare for them the same way you would prepare for a 12-0 team or a 2-0 team. Whether you came off a really good game, don’t expect that coming into the next game. You have to prepare for the next team the same way you prepared for the previous team. Sometimes it’s not always going to be seven touchdowns, 500 yards. Sometimes it will be three interceptions and you have the ball, it’s a two-minute drive and you have to lead your team to score and you throw one touchdown. That ‘W’ is all that matters.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said a few weeks back we were going to see the best possible version of Tua this year. Do you agree?) – “Well, I’d like to say that every year. I think everyone likes to say that you’ll see the best version of them every new season, every new year. But for me, I’m just myself. I’m just being myself when I go out there. Just playing football the way I know how to.”
(How do you feel about your helmet and switching up the helmets?) – “I like it. It feels good. Doesn’t give me any problems, so I’m going to stick with it.”
(One thing I’ve noticed about this team is you’re not afraid to talk about Super Bowls. I’ve covered this team for a while and that’s not just a word that I’m used to hearing. Is that just a mentality, playing in that final game, or why talk about it?) – “Yeah, I mean why not talk about it? Every other team is talking about it, regardless of their record. You have to believe it. If you don’t believe it, that’s where you go wrong. First off, regardless of opinions of people outside, it has to start from within. When it starts from within, you start believing in each other, you start believing in play calls that normally you wouldn’t want called. But when you’re able to believe in them, you trust that guys are going to be in the right spot at the right time, and anything can happen.”
(You spoke very highly of Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Darrell Bevell last year. How has that relationship evolved now in the second year together?) – “It’s been really good. He’s someone who is really detail oriented. He doesn’t let anything slide, when you think, “Oh he won’t catch that”, that’s where you’ve gone wrong. He’s helped us tremendously. There’s a lot of things that I probably shouldn’t share, but he helps us a lot.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned the eye surgery that Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Darrell Bevell had and the impact of the meeting and showing him laying down. I just wanted your perspective on all that.) – “That just shows you the dedication he has to the game. He always wants to be there for his guys. We thought it was hilarious seeing that he had to be down with one eye covered. I couldn’t stay down like that. It’s hard.”
(You and Justin Herbert are always going to be compared. Obviously, you’re focused on the Chargers defense, but do you ever find yourself thinking about that comparison?) – “No. Justin is a totally different player then me. Justin can throw the deep ball as far as anyone in this league. There’s things that Justin does that I look at and go, “Oh my gosh.” Sometimes you can’t help but fan over those plays. But we’re just different in our styles and who we are as football players. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him. It’s him going against our defense, and our offense going against their defense.”
(Mentally and physically, how far are you from the last time we saw you against the Packers?) – “I think I’m far ahead. It hasn’t been a thought ever since it happened. Ever since I’ve been cleared, it’s never been a thought to look back at that.”
(This is your first game week in nine months. Are there things that you’re appreciating or soaking in differently now after everything you’ve gone through, especially the decision you made to come back?) – “I think being appreciative of being able to continue to play is one thing. The thing with that is you can never take it for granted, regardless of the position you’re in. I don’t know how to explain it. Some guys have the luxury of finishing whole seasons, and other guys, as myself, I’ve never had that luxury. I’m definitely cherishing the opportunity to still go out there and lead these guys.”
(Do you write it on your list to play 17 games as one of the things that you’d like to do?) – “Oh, I wouldn’t like to. I’d love to do that. I would love to do that.”
Xavien Howard – September 6, 2023
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Wednesday, September 6, 2023
CB Xavien Howard
(How does it feel to be back in an actual game week? Where’s your excitement level?) – “It’s very exciting. I’m going on year eight and am just getting ready for Week 1. I’m excited for everybody to go out there and play ball again.”
(How do you feel about starting up against a team that made the playoffs last year to figure out where you guys are at right off the bat?) – “Definitely. I’m looking up to the challenge. They have some good guys over there and like you said, made it to the playoffs. Just challenge us to see where we’re at.”
(What challenges come with facing a quarterback like Justin Herbert?) – “I feel like he’s one of the business doing it right now. He puts the ball on the money for his guys to make plays. I’m just happy to go against him.”
(What are you trying to do to formulate a plan to slow him down and the weapons that he has?) – “He has a lot of weapons. Nice receivers over there and a running back, so we just have to stick to the gameplan we have and hopefully get the job done.”
(Bigger receivers, too. What’s it like to go against those taller and longer guys?) – “Big body frame guys, like Mike (Williams). Big guy, high-point guy, back shoulder. (Justin) Herbert puts the ball right on the money for those guys, so I’m looking forward for the matchup.”
(What’s the feeling of just knowing the expectations are so realistic for a Super Bowl this year? This is probably the best team that maybe you’ve been a part of on paper?) – “I feel like the expectations are always high. Each year, I feel like everybody has that mentality. It’s Week 1. When you mention a Super Bowl, that’s what everybody feels like is the Super Bowl. At the end of the day, you have to knock one game out at a time and just stick to the gameplan.”
(After everything that QB Tua Tagovailoa went through last year, how great is it for you to see him back on the field for a game in the regular season, ready to go?) – “I feel good. I have a lot of confidence in that guy. Just ready to see him ball.”
Mike McDaniel – September 6, 2023
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Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I know over the history of time, NFL head coaches for whatever reason have often guarded the identity of offensive linemen who are starting, so I’m going to throw out two questions if you wish to answer either one. Who won the left guard competition between OL Liam Eichenberg and T Isaiah Wynn? I know Liam was listed first on the depth chart, in the least. Number two, is T Terron Armstead feeling well enough that you believe he’s likely going to start on Sunday?) – “I can’t speak for other people, but me myself, I am very fond of you and out of no disrespect do I not answer things. However, from a football coach’s perspective, there’s a lot of different ways that you can take information so you just try to prioritize, I know, the team over you. (laughter) Terron Armstead, I mean I would be an absolute fool to discount or really have any sort of feeling considering he did what I’ve only been around like, once or twice in my career – he did literally the entire season – which was not practice and play. So, I have a hard time after all those reps, ruling one way or the other. The great thing about Terron and myself, as well as the rest of coaching staff, is we have great communication amongst what’s the best for the team, patience and making sure that we don’t go out there and take a step back. So that long-winded answer is, to me as a professional coach, I plan when he’s not practicing to play without him. However, I’m not going to go into that crystal ball because I would have been wrong more than I was right last year. Had a good conversation today, had a good conversation yesterday and feel good where he’s at mentally.”
(Along those lines, the day before T Terron Armstead went down, injured his leg, he himself said that he wasn’t ready to play Week 1. Given the fact that it’s been two or three weeks and he may not get a week of practice this week, is it the same situation as last year where he just doesn’t practice and then he can suit up Sunday?) – “There were measures taken this offseason so that we could prevent that from occurring. You can’t control everything, but that was part of the reason we had such a gradual introduction into football for him is to try to avoid that at all costs. That’s not ideal. It’s already hard enough when you’re playing, offensive, defensive line football. That’s where the phrase, it’s a game of inches comes from. When you’re in charge of blocking the best athletes in the game, you can’t have anything in your head. It’s already hard enough to block them the way that Terron is able to do. But to do it without going through the calls, the calls between your teammates, the assignments live speed, it’s pretty remarkable what he was able to do last year. We’re trying to avoid that as best we can. But we’ll always adapt.”
(One of the old rules of football was the offensive line has to practice together. Is that a fallacy?) – “That’s what you try to enter every year, however you have to adjust based upon your current situation. I have been very well versed at how to adjust. So that’s from an ideal standpoint, but you’re also kind of shortchanging Mr. (Chris) Grier and those guys in that, you also want tough decisions. So, it’s a balance. The best scenario is you have the very best player at their position at every position. Apparently, the salary cap frowns on that. It isn’t necessarily a negative to have things drag on longer than you’re used to. I haven’t had really this many capable starters on one line. Usually there’s a huge difference in who you’re trying to get acclimated to the NFL game, and who is acclimated. We took measures to make sure that competition was at its fiercest and the dividends aren’t in the way that you’d totally expect. You’d love a clear-cut answer but at the same time, I think that’s somewhat of a positive as well speaking to, there’s only five available spots. When you have more than five players, as we feel like we do, it can get kind of tricky. But nothing we can’t handle.”
(To circle back for a moment, I don’t think you addressed the left guard portion of the original two-for-one.) – “I thought I addressed it. I just didn’t want any disrespect. Do not take it personal. (laughter) I should in theory be better at my job than spoon-feeding. Regardless, I know one thing. My time spent with Brandon Staley and the coaches that I know over with the Chargers; they’re going to be prepared for everybody. It’s all in jest but if it helps us sleep at night then we’ll do it.”
(I’ll ask you it this way, then how much weight do we put on the official depth chart at this point?) – “How heavy is the paper? (laughter) I mean, man it could be spot on. Or it could be totally abstract. It’s really semantics. The biggest thing is that we need everybody locked into what their role is within this week and the players we’re going against. It took me, what, two games as a head coach in the NFL to realize that everyone that is up better be able to play regardless of the position. Injuries are aplenty and they happen fast and when they do, the box score does not care.”
(WR Tyreek Hill has talked about getting 2,000 yards receiving. As we sit here today, would you say that that would indicate the offense is healthy if he gets it or that the offense is maybe too one-sided?) – “Shoot, I could see both scenarios. The thing about a player such as Tyreek is generally, if you’re getting yards on an opponent with him running around really fast, it generally opens up other players for opportunities for success. You do want to spread the ball around. At the same time, really, if your percentages are still high in how you’re targeting him and the completion percentage is still robust, I think it’s just like a defense. A defense will run a certain coverage or a certain blitz until you can execute against it, and they will continue to do it until you can give them reason not to. I think there’s a little of both there. But great players can get numbers while also spreading the ball around. We’ll just see the opportunities that our guys take advantage of.”
(Obviously it’s a violent sport. What gives you the confidence that QB Tua Tagovailoa is ready to play 17 games this regular season?) – “When you go into a situation and you completely cross all the T’s, dot all the I’s on what you can control, if I worried about stuff that could possibly happen or all the different things that can happen in the game of football, I’d be spending a lot of time worrying about something that probably by statistics didn’t happen. You deal with whatever comes in front of you. I’m very confident because he hasn’t wasted a day in getting ready for the season. That was a huge goal of his. He understands what he means to this football team and I can tell you honestly that he does not take that for granted at all. How much support he has to do what he does, he definitely has given it back this offseason. Actions. He’s really gone after it, so it’s hard not to be confident in that.”
(Looking back at the last time you played the Chargers, and correct me if I’m wrong, but it looked like they played a lot of press coverage, maybe shading inside for inbreaking routes. Figure they may try some of that again this game. What are your thoughts on that tactic as a ploy against your offense?) – “Execute against it. Obviously it wasn’t cool to experience it first-hand, but from a coaches perspective, I told Brandon (Staley) after the game, it was so impressive, it just tells a lot about that team that they didn’t blink and they came out to challenge us and they did. I think that’s a lesson that can never fall to the wayside for any coach or team. It’s all about the group of people coming together and they were prideful, came out with a chip on their shoulder, I would say, and it was cool from a coaching perspective to see a team attack it that way. That will happen nine times out of 10, if people have that competitive edge on you. That’s something that the second you forget in this league, that’s the great thing about the National Football League is that parity is so real. The fact that 80-plus percent of the games come down to turnover differential, it just speaks to how a communal effort by a bunch of individuals, and if you don’t bring it, it will get brought on you.”
(Sticking with Tua, what is your message to him this week as he gets ready for his first regular season game in, I think, nine months? Or is he the kind of guy that you’re not worried about getting too amped up?) – “Human nature would lend me this. You talk about something that hasn’t happened so often, in terms of the next time you play. You’re preparing yourself. You’re answering questions. That in itself makes it a natural, human buildup. I’m conscious of that, not because he’s done anything to indicate that, but because I’m a human being who has ears and eyes. The biggest thing for Tua is literally as boring as the same thing that we’ve been talking through each and every practice when anything goes right or wrong. And it’s like “And?”. It’s worry about the next play. Worry about how we’re getting from the huddle to the line of scrimmage. Worry about your technique and fundamentals and your assignments. You have to hold that independently, because the second you start buying into a bad play or a good play, you’re really wishing the future into existence. It’s hard enough to play in this league, you can’t worry about extra stuff. I just want him to go throughout today and get everything mentally out today and biomechanically. Then approach tomorrow where we get more situational stuff and Friday the same thing. It’s that process that across all sports, anybody that’s been successful over a period of time, has that process to them. You’re only as good as the next play that you have. You shouldn’t stand on entitlement of previous plays if they were good. Or you shouldn’t shame yourself if you didn’t like the result. That mental fortitude, that strong mindedness, is something that not many people have, but Tua is wired that way, which gives him a chance to succeed.”
(How is Quarterbacks/Passing Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell doing? It was reported that he was away from the team with a detached retina.) – “If you want to talk about adversity being an opportunity, a great way to show people how much you care is lay down for a week and the only thing you look at is practice footage endlessly. There’s a lot of things that I haven’t really gone through. I can kind of venture to extrapolate what that would be like. A week? Like this? What was cool was the team moment with that because that little story, which people have their own stuff to worry about, but there’s so many stories like that where people are sacrificing things, going through things to contribute to this team whether its coach or player. It wasn’t lost on the quarterbacks. You should’ve seen them. The first time we talked about it after he got the surgery, you should’ve seen their eyes light up. This practice is all Bev’s got going. He’s going to watch on his iPad for the next 24 hours, so live with that. They ended up, collectively all three of them, had a really good practice that particular day that it occurred. I think that’s a testament to who Bev is and the players on this team and how people are all in with each other.”
(You shared with us in the spring that there was a time where QB Tua Tagovailoa actually considered stepping away from the game. Do you have a sense for, since he made that decision, what this means to him, being able to continue to play the game?) – “I took that as a young athlete. You hear a bunch of noise, and you agree or disagree. The second that he digested that, he didn’t necessarily tell me, but he really didn’t have to either. He was so focused. Football is a crazy sport. It’s a physical sport where things can happen that are out of your control. But I think it speaks how diligently he’s attacked this offseason. There was a time where I was like, “Hey, jiu-jitsu?” And on the field he’s had a couple of opportunities to, without having to say anything, without having to do anything but trust his training. He’s shown everybody really where his mind is at. You have to really attack that. If you push me over right now, I’m not sure I’d be able to withstand it. I’d probably have a separated shoulder or something. It’s like everything else, he’s an unbelievable learner. We all feel very fortunate to be a part of that process.”
Tyreek Hill – September 4, 2023
Monday, September 4, 2023
WR Tyreek Hill
(Did your team win or lose in the battle with WR Jaylen Waddle?) – “I can say that my team won, but Wes Welker and the other assistant receivers coaches aren’t fair to me because – I just don’t know why. I believe they are trying to make it a very competitive thing where they bring a different side of me every day. I think I won, but he’s going to say that they won because I ended up paying for dinner when we went. It’s crazy.”
(It doesn’t sound like you won then.) – “I think I won though. Because if you go back and watch the film and you watch how many plays that ‘J’s’ (Jaylen Waddle) team made, and you watch the plays that my side made, we made more plays. I won every one-on-one rep. We won every one-on-one rep, we won team drills and all of that. Obviously ‘J’ and them, they had a few explosive plays, touchdowns or whatever, but I think we won.”
(I’ve got to know because this is a pressing question. WR River Cracraft was your first pick, what was your thought process there?) – “He was my first draft pick because River, he’s the kind of guy – so we set rules. The rules were impact plays, impact blocks, knowing the assignment each and every play and River, the reason why he’s on the team is because he’s a smart guy who knows where to line up at every position and he’s going to make every impact block. That’s a key point for just drafting for myself because I drafted a pretty good team. I drafted guys who are smart, guys who can make plays, and guys who are still kind of learning the offense that kind of need a wing. I’m like their helping hand, the leader for them. I think I won, dawg. I don’t care what nobody says. (laughter) I don’t care.”
(Last year the Chargers talked afterwards about jamming receivers and taking away the middle of the field. What do you remember from that game and what counters are there to it?) – “Last year… no excuses because we play this game. Last year obviously was the first year for everybody in this system. Obviously, we played nine or 10 games up to that point, but I feel like this year we kind of got an understanding of where everybody needs to be at on the field. They do a great job of jamming receivers and playing to their leverage. I feel like this year is going to be a little bit different on both sides. It’s going to be a fun matchup, I’m glad the league gave us this game so we can go ahead and knock it out. It’s going to be fun in L.A.”
(You’ve played teams who have had success against the offense you’ve had before. Do you expect a similar look from them?) – “To me I think those guys did a great job, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
(What’s the energy right now in the locker room knowing that Week 1 is here? What’s the mindset from training camp to now focusing on the actual Chargers?) – “Right now everybody is obviously happy, and the message from all of the leaders is mindset, mentality each and every day. Because at the end of the day we still got to work today, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday leading up to that point. Just trying to keep all of the young guys focused for the guys that’s new to playing in the league. So far everybody is excited. I’m very excited. I can’t wait to see ‘Uno’ (Tua Tagovailoa) back on the field. It’s going to be fun.”
(You’re obviously close with QB Tua Tagovailoa. How excited is he? It’s been eight months since that guy has seen a regular season game.) – “Tua (Tagovailoa) is the same guy each and every day. He’s always happy, he’s always grateful for this opportunity. Just by me looking at him, I can tell he’s ready. That’s why we had those moments in the preseason, so whenever he’s out there in real action for the whole game it’s not like, ‘Oh my gosh, here I am. I’m back on the field.’ He’s definitely excited, man, I can just watch it. The way he’s throwing the ball out there on the field each and every day. Completing passes, talking trash while he’s doing it. He’s showing swag each and every day. He’s leveling up each and every day.”
(Were you relieved to get the news that you weren’t going to be suspended or were you expecting it?) – “To be honest I kind of wasn’t thinking about it, but now I’m glad everything is behind me. It took two days of me going to mow the commissioner’s lawn. That’s why I was excused. (laughter) I’m joking by the way. I’m so joking. So yeah, I’m just glad all of that is behind me. Just moving forward, I just got to make better decisions obviously. Not only for myself, but for this team, for my family, my kids and just be smart and be a pro. And just be grateful for this opportunity because I feel like sometimes we lose sight of who we are and that’s not the person my grandparents raised me to be. They raised me to be a father, son, a teammate, a citizen and I’ve got to strive to be better.”
(You’ve talked about the second year in this system and knowing it a lot better. I’m doing something on the defense being in the first year of the Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s system. What should they expect, how patient should they be, I guess there is going to be growing pains like you experienced in the offense. What would be your advice to them?) – “You know what man, as much trash as I talk to the defense every day about how much I played defense, I have literally no idea about what defensive meeting room would look like. (laughter) I feel like if I was on defense, I feel like the message is easy. Just play fast and run to the ball. Those guys are all on top of it. You got a bunch of veteran guys over there ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), Christian (Wilkins), Jevon (Holland), you got ‘J. Ramsey’ (Jalen Ramsey) in the meeting room helping those guys out. I believe those guys are going to be all over it and they are going to make a bunch of plays because the Chargers, they love to sling it, baby. They got ‘J. Herb’ (Justin Herbert).”
(What comes with being a captain for the team?) – “What comes with being a captain? I don’t know. To me what comes with being a captain, you definitely have to be somewhat of a leader. Even if you’re not comfortable vocally. A lot of guys show it in different ways. I’m the kind of guy, I love showing it vocally and I love showing it through action, too. It comes with that. It’s a major responsibility, man, because when you’re dealing with so many guys so many things are going to come up during the season. As that leader you have to find ways to bring this team together through adversity, through those tough times. I feel like that’s what a leader is. And then on Sunday, whenever the game day is, you just make plays.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio and Head Coach Bradon Staley – he got his start under Fangio. There’s so many defensive coordinators around the league that did their start… Not just in this game, but across the entire season, how do you think going up against that defense every day in practice is going to benefit you guys this year?) – “It’s definitely going to help us because watching the film and going against the defense, you bring up a good point. There are a lot of similarities. We aren’t going to take our foot off the gas. We’re going to continue to do what we’re doing, practicing fast, practicing deliberate, and getting to our spots for our quarterback. And as far as the offensive line those guys are going to take pride in protecting our quarterback, because clearly he’s our key to success and everybody knows that. That’s the plan, baby.”
Christian Wilkins – September 4, 2023
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Monday, September 4, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(Will you watch Thursday Night Football? How ramped up do you get going into Sunday? Will you watch college football? What will your mindset be getting ramped up for Sunday?) – “Well, first thing’s first, there’s a more important game coming on tonight. Go Tigers, shoutout to Clemson University, so I’ll be watching that. I’m a big fan of football. I always like to watch the game, see what guys are doing around the league, see what other teams are doing. I’m always pretty locked in. This is an exciting time of year. You work so hard year-round, day in and day out, not just the days required, but even on your off days, doing whatever it takes. So, it always gets a little more exciting, but yeah, usually I watch a little ball. I always watch the Thursday night game. Just try to keep it calm until Sunday, though, for the most part and let it all out on Sunday.”
(You and QB Tua Tagovailoa are two of the biggest leaders, obviously both captains, on this team. What he’s been through, the opportunity Week 1 for him. What’s his mindset like right now? Where is he at right now in terms of excitement level and just getting that opportunity again?) – “I don’t want to completely speak for him, but I will say, I just see another year of growth for Tua. Just confidence, understanding the offensive system and the scheme and taking more command and control of the offense. He just grows every year as a leader. You just see the growth constantly. I feel like he’s always attacking each day ready to improve and I’ve been able to see the results.”
(I think that Chargers game last year was one of your most productive. How much do you take from that tape to apply to this year’s game against the same team?) – “They do some different stuff this year, but you could kind of understand matchups and just take a good mindset into the game. But that really doesn’t matter. It’s a new year so just all the work you put in should carry you through and just got to lock in on the new scheme and a new system and different things they do now so that way I can have another productive performance and we can ultimately go out there and get a win.”
(Along those lines, obviously it’s a new offense for them or a new offensive coordinator. I don’t think they played a lot of their starters in the preseason. Are you still watching preseason and just kind of seeing how their top guys fit into that?) – “Yeah, you always try to just watch a little bit everything, try to see what you can pick up on. I watch last year’s stuff, just to even kind of see tendencies, maybe, or whatever it is. This year, even though it’s a small sample size like you’re saying, I try to watch a little bit everything so you can get a beat for individual players and for the scheme.”
(You were describing QB Tua Tagovailoa’s growth as a leader and his maturation process. How would you answer the same question about yourself?) – “The biggest thing for me, since my rookie year I just came in every day and just put my head down and worked and grinded. Slowly but surely, I don’t realize how much my teammates pay attention, but they pay attention. Slowly, but surely, they’ve just been able to respect me more and more. When you get to see the fruits of your labor and all the work you’re putting in actually translate on the field, that only gives you a little bit more credibility and a little more respect amongst your peers. I’m just humbled, really, just to be respected by my guys. You play the game for a lot of different reasons, but the respect of your peers and the guys around the league is up there with all of it.”
(You’ve been a player rep I think since your rookie year, right?) – “Correct.”
(What did you learn from that experience?) – “There’s a lot. I didn’t really know what I was getting into my rookie year and kind of just fully understood the role and that position. But now I do more, and there’s a lot that goes into that. Just representing the players on your team and just the guys around the league, it’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m up for it and I feel like I’ve got a good sense of the guys in my locker room and just kind of typically how guys think. It allows me to be good in that role as well.”
(You were here at the beginning when this organization started building what they have right now. The one thing that I’ve noticed is that this year’s team is not afraid to talk about Super Bowl. They’re not afraid to say the word in terms of talking about what you guys are aspiring for. Is that just the mentality? Or is that just growth?) – “Obviously that’s the reason you play the game. You want to compete at the highest level, win at the highest level and be the best team. Or else you wouldn’t be out there in hot-ass sun every day at practice working your butt off. But ultimately, it just comes down to a daily focus. I feel like we do a pretty good job of that. When we do a lot of those little things that’ll lead to the bigger things and those bigger things will come. But yeah, each and every day, we’ve just got to focus on the little things and the task at hand. We know we’ve got potential. We’ve just got to, like I said, build on those little things and see where we end up.”
(Talking about your duties as a player rep, can you take us back to the WR Daewood Davis conversation? How surreal was that? Talk about being on the field talking about that.) – “I’m not going to get too much into actually what was talked about for the most part, but a call had to be made and it was just kind of getting all the information from both sides, from the NFL, from the refs, talking amongst each other, their coach, and our coach and everybody. Then just a call had to be made in obviously a tough situation. Again, just another time where a lot of responsibility is put on the guys, us as leaders, to make a decision.”
(The decision to actually not play, to not continue the game, did you and the kicker – I can’t remember his name, from Jacksonville – you guys talked about that? Or did you talk to a couple other players? How did that work?) – “Again, like I said, I’m not going to speak too much about what actually the conversation was and wasn’t, what was said and what wasn’t said.”
(Off the top of your head, do you remember any other times where your team has been the first to play against a new offensive coordinator?) – “I don’t really recall.”
(What is the difficulty in being the first team to kind of debut against a new system? Do you watch Chargers Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore’s Cowboys film?) – “I see what you’re saying. I feel like you’ve kind of just got to take a little bit of everything and watch as much as you can. That would help, obviously, watching some of the Cowboys stuff and trying to figure out some stuff. But you just try to pick up as much as you can so that you can go out there and have a productive game.”
Jevon Holland – September 4, 2023
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Monday, September 4, 2023
S Jevon Holland
(What does the captain ‘C’ once again mean to you?) – “Same as it did last time. It’s a lot of weight on my shoulders, but it feels good to know that the guys trust me. Go out there and lead.”
(How does having a relationship playing with the Chargers current quarterback back in college, how does that kind of ramp up the matchup for you going up against him?) – “Just like being friends, kind of like playing anybody else. Like if we play the Vikings and I’m playing against Troy (Dye). Whether I’m going against him, actually offense-defense or defense-defense, special teams, doesn’t really matter. Old teammates are old teammates, so I enjoy going against them. Always fun dialogue within the game, too. So it’s always enjoyable.”
(You spend a lot of time talking to Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. I see Vic come over to you all the time. How much responsibility do you feel as the safety to lead the defense? And I can imagine some of those conversations are about that.) – “I mean, I feel all the weight on my shoulders. I see everything because I’m back there. So if somebody’s misaligned, if something happens wrong, I want them to look at me so that I can help them correct it. That’s what I signed up for. That’s the kind of person I want to be, kind of teammate I want to be. And being a captain, you can kind of see that guys see me as that – somebody that can kind of get everybody in order.”
(There was an open competition throughout the season to see who would start alongside you. Just curious, with so many different guys back there training camp, what did you do, if anything, just to make sure that you’re on the same page with every single player that is next to you back there?) – “Communicating with all of them in the same room so everybody hears kind of where my mindset is, how I’m communicating, how I play so that we’re all comfortable with each other. I think Vic and ‘Notty’ (Renaldo Hill) and Joe (Kasper) have done a great job just filtering everybody around so that everybody gets comfortable playing with everybody else. And yeah, that started in OTAs. We were all rotating, getting reps and whatnot. So I think you know, when whoever is in there whether it be Brandon (Jones), me, Verone (McKinley III), DeShon (Elliott), Elijah (Campbell) when he gets back, everybody’s going to be ready to go out there and ball.”
(A lot of times the offensive players talk about how much more comfortable they are in Year 2 of this system than they were last year in Year 1. You guys are in Year 1 of a system. Is it tough to kind of stay patient because you know that next year, you’re going to know a lot more about the system and be a lot more comfortable. In light of that, is it tough to be patient with where you are, with where your feet are right now?) – “Tough to be patient? I mean not necessarily. If you will be more patient, the more you’ll know. So like with time, you’ll become more patient, but I’m just trying to learn the plays if that’s your question. It’s not tough to be patient, though. Being patient is the ultimate goal. So when you get to that point you’re just patient. It’s not hard to be that.”
(We’ve heard that Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio pops into every position group’s meeting rooms and interacts with every position group. I’m curious what that experience is like to have a defensive coordinator who’s that plugged into every position on the field.) – “I would hope he is. He’s the DC. I mean it’s his job. It’s his job to know everybody’s job because if something goes wrong, I’m going to look to him. I’m looking at my position coach, but I’m looking at Vic (Fangio) like, ‘This your defense you curated it out of thin air some time ago. I hope you know what I’m supposed to be doing.’ So I think it’s good. I don’t think it’s like – I’m not like starstruck, ‘oh my God Vic’s in here.’ I’m just like, ‘okay, appreciate it, coming in here making sure everything’s going well.’ That’s kind of how I see it.”
(When did you know that Justin Herbert, or first know that he was a special player and that he had that special ability?) – “It was my freshman year in college. We were running sprints, and he was beating everybody or in the front. Because I was running full speed and I’m looking. He’s with the bigs because he’s a large individual and then he was running with everybody else. I was like, all right, this dude is special and his arm talent is crazy.”
(Speaking of college, what’s more impressive: Oregon putting up 81 or Puddles getting I think it was 550 push-ups on Saturday?) – “Puddles, 100 percent. Portland State is whatever, but Puddles doing that many push-ups. I don’t know who that guy is in there, but he’s off the juice for sure. (laughter)”
Mike McDaniel – September 4, 2023
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Monday, September 4, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(The Chargers probably were the first team to have a good deal of success against QB Tua Tagovailoa in your offense in terms of stopping him in the middle of the field. He was 10-for-28 as you know in that game. How much have you thought about that game over the last nine months? And without obviously revealing any game plan things are there things that you feel confident about that you can go do to sort of counter that Chargers Head Coach Brandon Stanley plan that had some success last year?) – “It definitely comes up over the course of the offseason at least one-seventeenth of the time, divvied up amongst the other games, but there’s things you learn. You always have to be careful about making too many absolutes. A lot of times those are game-specific situations whether it’s your health, the opponents’ health, where you’re at the in the season, what you’re good at, what you’re bad at. Bottom line was I thought they did a great job last year in those two teams – last year’s teams. They did one of the better jobs all season, but this is a new year really is the way I kind of look at it. You do learn certain things about individual players, maybe play calling, degree of tendences. But Week 1 has a great way of kind of equalizing that because you have all these things on your side of the ball whether you’re offense, defense or special teams that you’ve been working on to unveil. So there’s a little balance of that. We will be watching last year’s game, but not with too much weight relative to the guys we have now and what we’ve been emphasizing this offseason.”
(Maybe Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary Renaldo Hill can tell you everything.) – “I’m going through the motions this week. (laughter) No, we obviously have Renaldo (Hill) on staff so I think he’s quick to jump on the sword and say all of the bad ideas were his and all the good ones were Brandon Staley’s. Or maybe it’s the opposite, who knows. It’s another connectivity spot that we have so many of them week-by-week in this league, but it was good information from last year. I thought they did a good job last year and excited for this year.”
(Who is your backup quarterback and why?) – “This was a difficult one. Informed him late last week – we’ll be going with Mike White as the backup to start the season. I feel super fortunate in our situation. It was kind of what we were hoping for as we’ve learned the hard way that you need available players on your roster just in general and I thought Mike White and Skylar (Thompson) competed all the way until the last rep and when it really came down to it I thought they both made just cases, but for our football team and really adhering to what a backup quarterback needs to do, they’ll all be active each day, but to be able understand our system in such a short period of time that Mike White did and the command that he exudes in the huddle and you’re solving an imperfect puzzle as a backup quarterback where you don’t get any of the reps during week and have to master your situation, your craft rep-less. So I think relying on Mike White’s veteran experience and really all the growth that he did this offseason made me feel pretty comfortable with that.”
(I wanted to clarify. You said all three will be active. Do you mean on game day or just on the active roster?) – “They are on the active roster and there is a new rule where – so I guess I’m saying both. Am I?”
(Yeah, because they put a new rule, I guess the quarterback doesn’t necessarily have to be on the game day roster.) – “I guess I was saying both, but in light of the new rule, it definitely makes it certain of it. But yes, I was saying all of the above and neither at the same time.”
(How were they successful at taking away the middle of the field last year? I remember at the end of the game you seemed to have a real respectful conversation with Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley. I don’t know whether that was about anything about the game or…?) – “It wasn’t like they reinvented defense; it was more that their guys understood their issues in each individual coverage and really played in a competitive spirit. I thought there were a lot of 50/50 balls that went the way of the Chargers last year and I just really thought overall that the team itself took that game with seriousness and you could see a unit that was well-coached and well-schooled at the opposing team’s offense in this case. So I just thought they were very competitive and did a very good job challenging things that we were trying to do that particular game.”
(You have three starters and one key contributor that are dealing with injuries. I’m wondering if we could cross off that T Terron Armstead, WR Jaylen Waddle, S Brandon Jones and RB De’Von Achane?) – “Expecting to see Brandon (Jones) and De’Von (Achane) today, as well as (Jaylen) Waddle. He got him some reps that last practice. And then don’t expect to see (Terron) Armstead today, but he’s progressing well.”
(I’m just curious with S Brandon Jones it’s kind of a process where it’s kind of shelf for a little bit to bumps and bruises. Do you feel comfortable if he gets a week of practice that he’s able to play and contribute in Week 1?) – “Yeah, I think I’ll feel comfortable after today’s practice being able to assess Wednesday’s and you really have to go day-by-day with guys that are coming back from injury so you don’t get ahead of yourself and start pushing them in adherence to a schedule that you made, like, last week. It’s that much more important that you assess it each and every day, but I think the reps in practice are all that Brandon (Jones) has had the opportunity to take and in those situations he’s gotten better and at some point he’s going to have to play in the game and we have no preseason games left, so at some point he will be playing fresh off of practicing and we’ll assess how much that is later in the week.”
(The list of the team captains came out. Was that a player decision, your decision with the rest of the coaches, and how did you guys come up with the seven names that are now the captains for this season?) – “So that’s something that we do – a player-driven vote that the locker room really comes up with, which is one of the reasons it’s such a special honor to each and every one of those guys because it’s voted on the most important person of opinion in the building and that’s their peers in the locker room.”
(It’s been a while since the AFC Championship Game has been hosted on these grounds. I’d say about like 1992. If you think about it, football is starting to be played back all over America and especially here in South Florida. The Canes (Miami Hurricanes) kicked things off Friday. The Orange Blossom Classic was Sunday. You think about starting the season on the road, how much emphasis would that give you all to protect home field so when it comes to that time to have the opportunity to host..?) – “I think it’s a good reminder because our first game is not on our home surface and there’s things that are residuals because of that. You’re talking about owning the snap count and having to go on silent offensively and vice versa for the defense. I think, inherent, I didn’t really think of it that way. But inherently that is, if you don’t like this scenario, not being able to hear offensively and it being quiet as a mouse defensively, then you do have the opportunity to change it with regard to postseason play referencing. But that’s way down the road. We’re just trying to orchestrate ourself for Week 1 against a team that’s going to be very much prepared and so we better be prepared ourselves.”
(Going back to last year’s Chargers game, that was kind of the start of a skid for this offense that you guys never really got to work out of before QB Tua Tagovailoa was hurt in the Packers game. I’m just wondering how much of a motivator that stretch was for you guys this offseason as you get everybody back to full health?) – “I think the season in its entirety was motivating enough. Not just one particular game. I’m sure from an individual standpoint, players often harbor those individual matchups, those ‘hey, it’s man-to-man coverage and I’m covering you and you’re running this route.’ Those types of things you develop, you kind of have a memory of. But overall, as a team, we’ve been focused on the Miami Dolphins every day since we’ve gotten back together in 2023. I’m pretty positive that up until this game, then after this game, most of the guys are going to be focused on the Miami Dolphins as well. Not making more of one individual opponent. It’s more about us and how it relates to us. I’m sure there’ll be a couple, ‘hey, I’m going to get you this time, you got me last time.’ That’s kind of the case with all these NFL football games.”
(Is T Isaiah Wynn left guard one this week?) – “He will be getting reps this practice week and he may or may not be getting reps in the game.”
(Week 1 is kind of a chaotic week around the NFL in terms of not having a film to go off of. How much do you have to lean on the rest of your staff to be able to kind of make those in-game adjustments?) – “I think the best the best staffs are the ones that, it’s not just one voice and the more we’re around each other, the more we understand what each one of our pros and cons, skills and maybe things that we can help each other out with. That’s an ever-moving piece. The strongest ones are the ones that can really utilize each other for the benefit of the whole group and not just each and every entity. So I look forward to that. I could feel it in the preseason. It was one of the better orchestrating coaching staffs that I had been on in the preseason, so I’m excited for the residuals of that moving forward this year.”
(Since you open against the Chargers and since they put out a video in the offseason, and I don’t think you’ve been asked about it. What was your reaction to that video?) – “Huh? I don’t know what you speak of. The schedule release? A lot of creative people doing creative things in 2023 which is pretty creative.”
(I know you’re from Colorado and there’s been a lot of movement in college football. Big weekend of college football, too, as well. What are your thoughts on…?) – “The Colorado State Rams? (laughter) No? Prime? You can’t say it’s not entertaining. Any time that you – I have a lot of respect and regard for people that knowingly have no problem putting a bull’s eye on their back and then following through. As a competitor and in the coaching profession, I appreciated that win for the Colorado Buffaloes and Boulder. It was a rough year they went through last year. So if there’s another team that deserves a win, that’s the Colorado Buffaloes, so that was good for them.”
(Week 1 is unique and that you’re not coming off a game, you have a practice on a Monday, generally you don’t do that during the season. So when are you giving the players – I know you’ve been working on the Chargers for a while, but the game plan? Is it still the normal Wednesday or is this week a little different?) – “You try to get guys into a routine as soon as possible. They’ll get their in-season Wednesday on Wednesday, and you try to make that as consistent for all the guys which you find benefits over the course of the season. So when you do have an extra day, you try to make sure that you’re operating on full cylinders, offensively defensively and special teams. That means your timing’s right, your communication is right and your executions fast. You try not to get too ahead of yourself because for us it’s still about our game and where we’re taking it and kind of holding off to do the full Wednesday prep for Wednesday.”
