Jerome Baker – November 15, 2023
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(The team that has fired their coach and won two straight and sort of playing with a little desperation. What do you see out of the Raiders in the last couple of weeks?) – “Man, they’re hungry. They are hungry. They’re just getting back to the simple things of who they want to be. The Raiders play good defense, run the ball, be physical. It’s going to be a good test for us. I’m excited.”
(What did you think the first time you saw QB Tua Tagovailoa’s cornrows?) – “You know what’s crazy? He was saying it for a while. I didn’t believe him, but when I saw it, I was like, ‘Alright. You committed to the long hair.’ But it was definitely cool to see that.”
(What was the process? Was it like team meeting he was called up and showed it?) – “No, he’s just been saying these past few weeks, ‘I’m going to grow out my hair. I’m going to grow out my hair.’ One day, he just came in with a durag – if you come in with a durag, you kind of already know you’ve got some braids under there. It was definitely cool to see that.”
(Tell us about this t-shirt – Baker the hit maker.) – “Shoutout Molly. She always gives me shirts for me, my family, my friends, every game. I pretty much see her every game. She just kind of became a good friend of mine, her and her family. So shoutout Molly.”
(How did the name come about?) – “She came up with it. You always hear little sayings and whatever, but she just – pretty much every week, she comes with a new stack of shirts for me and I give it out to my family.”
(The Raiders look like they’re having a lot of fun, I don’t know if you’ve watched any of their games. They’re smiling, they seem like a whole new team. How dangerous is taking on a team like that when they’re kind of discovering a new identity?) – “I always say I’d always bet on the opposite end where they were at – a team that everybody counts out and kind of forgets about, those are the toughest teams. They’re going out there playing with all heart, just trying to prove a point that you can’t forget about anybody in the league. They’re getting back to the old Raiders – run the ball, be physical, play good defense and that’s a dangerous team.”
(Why do you think you guys have been so successful at Hard Rock Stadium? I think 16-2 over the last 18 games. That’s an incredible record at home. Can you pinpoint what it is?) – “I think it’s just a credit to our fans. These past few years, our fans really have been getting into it. On top of that, you’re coming down to play in South Florida, it’s hard. Pretty much anywhere in the country, it’s not the same. So you come down here and play in this hot weather, sometimes it can be cold where you’re at and it’s 80 degrees or 90 degrees down here. I think just a mixture of things. We want to protect our home, the weather is always on our side and our fans. It’s a little mixture.”
Connor Williams – November 15, 2023
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023
OL Connor Williams
(What is your opinion? QB Tua Tagovailoa says it was his fault. We want your opinion on the snap.) – “No, it was obviously a bad snap. I could have put it on him better. It’s something I’m working on and trying to improve day by day. But yeah, it was a bad snap. I take it all on me.”
(Obviously everyone wants the snap right here, but when you have a left-handed quarterback is it actually better to be a little left than a little right or a little high or a little low?) – “My job is to put it in his chest and make it unquestionable.”
(How did you feel physically coming out of the last game?) – “Every game you expect to get bruised up and be tired and whatnot and put it all out there.”
(So did the bye week come at a good time?) – “Yeah, I mean obviously a bye week helps. These seasons are long. They’re hard. So obviously it’s good to get your legs back under you and feel fresh.”
(There’s a chance RB De’Von Achane comes back this week. What would it mean to the offense to have him back?) – “We have so many weapons, so many great players and definitely (one) in him. Every time he steps on the field, he’s lightning. So it’d be exciting to have him back and we’ll get him back as quickly as we can.”
(You’ve got a mix of new guards that you’ve got to work with. What’s that process like trying to get comfortable with communication and the operation?) – “Lucky enough we’ve had the same room all the way through and so communication, everything has stayed the same all the way through throughout the year. (I have) faith and confidence in all our guards and all our players on the o-line. We’re working together, we’re growing together.”
(As it relates to blocking, one of the pass-blocking and run-blocking metrics has you as the No. 4 center in run blocking in the league and the No. 8 center in pass blocking in the league. How do you feel about how the blocking has gone for you this year?) – “I’m not worried anything about that. It’s about wins and losses as a team at the end of the day. Just improving as a unit day by day, week by week, and trying to get it all sorted out.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel was talking today about OL Robert Hunt and OL Robert Jones. Have you sort of given them any consolation or guidance about being patient during this process where as you’re getting through it you want to play but you also have to be cautious?) – “Obviously the competitiveness in us wants to put us back on the field as quickly as we can and so it’s about weighing the risks, the pros and the cons with it and just doing the best we can. At the end of the day, it’s got to be on you.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 15, 2023
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(What’s up with the hair?) – “Yeah, I got them done last week. It’s been in for a week and a couple of days.”
(Was it your call?) – “It was my call. My hair was outrageous so I thought if I didn’t braid it or if it wasn’t long enough, I would just cut it. So I just thought I’d get it braided.”
(What was your teammates’ reaction to the new look?) – “They love it. My teammates love it.”
(What else did you do during the bye week?) – “Yeah, I got to work out and spend some time with my family. Spent some time with (my son) Ace. That’s really all it was. We got to go to church, so that was really good.”
(Becoming a father, has anything from that helped you become a better football player?) – “I think it has helped me in a lot of aspects of my life. It has helped me with how I see things, how I respond to things, how I’ve matured. Being a father, your outlook on life is totally different. You know you have more of a feel towards kids when they come up to you and they say ‘Hey, Tua! Can I get a signature? Can I get this?’ How I would have looked at it then is totally different than how I would have looked at that now because in this world, everything comes full circle. There’s going to come a time where my son is going to grow up and he is going to idolize someone that plays football in the NFL, and I’m sure it’s not going to be me. (laughter) But he’s going to want to have a picture. Just having that perspective of it – what goes around, comes around. Can I say it doesn’t help me? I don’t know. Being the football player that I am, I don’t know. But I think being a father helps me in how I am as a person on and off the field, becoming better and growing maturity in that way.”
(In preseason, we had tattoo sleeve Tua. Now we have cornrow Tua. Is this a new level of self-expression?) – “Nah, not really. Just trying them out. Obviously not my tattoo, because that’s permanent. But just trying to see what this is with my hair. That’s it.”
(Twitter is already kind of ablaze. They think you look like Drake.) – “(laughter) Oh, don’t show that to my wife.”
(If RB De’Von Achane is back this Sunday, what would do that for the offense?) – “Well, we’ve all seen the things that he’s done for our offense while he’s been in. He’s an electric player. He’s phenomenal. He understands the game. He understands where he goes. He understands his assignment. It’s going to be good. And it’s not just him. We have a lot of other guys that are starting to get healthy again and hopefully are going to see the field this weekend.”
(Across the NFL, scoring is down. I think it is at its lowest since 2017. But you guys have kind of been able to buck the trend. What would you attribute that to? There’s been a change in defensive styles. We’re seeing more two-high. Defenses are stopping the pass. But what would you credit this success to for your offense?) – “I would credit that to everyone on the offense. Our offensive staff, starting with the head man (Mike McDaniel), to (Offensive Coordinator) Frank (Smith), to our coaches position-wise, and then everyone buying in on the offense. None of that could be possible if we’re all not bought in. It’s an effort of everyone – all 11 guys – making this offense come to life, because if you look on film, a lot of what we do with our (play) actions and whatnot, we can’t go and find that film from another team because nobody is necessarily running the top actions that we run as much. It’s really all based off of the training, the fundamentals, the techniques that we’ve been going over every week in practice, and going out and trusting what you see and executing that.”
(Without even playing last weekend, you guys opened up what is now a one-and-a-half game lead in your division. How important is it for you to be a division champion as opposed to going into the playoffs as a wild card?) – “It’s important for all of us. It’s not just important to me. It’s important for all of us to win our division. In order for us to win our division, we have to start with this upcoming game. We can’t worry about what happened with anybody else in our division. We have to look forward and our next opponent is the Raiders. It’s one of those things where we’re all in this together. We all have to be in this together in order for this thing to go where we know it can go and where we want it to go.”
(Is winning league MVP a goal for you, a consideration at all for you? Is that something that enters your mind?) – “Brother, I just want to help our team win the Super Bowl. I think that would be the greatest deal. When everything is said and done, no one can take that away from you.”
(On the defense, there’s obviously a lot of guys over there that are getting healthier and we’ve seen them take strides in the past few weeks. I’m curious what you’ve seen or noticed, improvements or anything like that, going against them in practice?) – “I think for me, the biggest thing is I see a lot of guys flying around. There’s a lot of accountability that has been going on, that has been going on since training camp with guys communicating. Sometimes the communication wasn’t right and sometimes the conversations between defensive guys is not always pretty. To be able to see how hard they’ve worked through training camp and whatnot, to see everything starting to come together for those guys is I think a really, really empowering thing to see for us offensively and as a whole. The defense knows when we get the ball, we’re able to get things going. And we know if we get stopped, we can trust our defense and they’ll get us the ball back.”
(When you watch the Raiders tape, what would you say their defensive identity is?) – “Well, I think the thing they do really well is play together, obviously. If you look at the past two games that they’ve played in, defensively, I mean they look really good. No. 98, Maxx Crosby, is all over the field. If you look at his film, no straggling from that guy. You can see why he’s talked about the way he’s talked about. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I think that’s someone we’re going to need to keep our eye on. And they have good guys in the backfield. It’s not a team to sleep on and we have to be ready for whatever they have to throw at us.”
(Timing is such a big part of this offense. One way defenses can disrupt timing is applying pressure. Although you’ve been kept clean a lot of games, what are some of the things you and the offense can do when opponents are applying pressure?) – “Yeah, understanding who our hot guy is. We have many plays where a lot of what we do, our timing beats the pressure. When it is a look where we don’t have time to re-ID or flip the protection, we have to be on our P’s and Q’s and understanding what you have to run and the timing of the play. That’s what I would say.”
(Coming off the Germany trip a couple weeks ago, it must be sweeter than ever to be back at Hard Rock Stadium. You’ve answered this in some different ways this year so far, but 16-2 over the last 18 games at Hard Rock Stadium. What is it about that environment? That’s an incredible record.) – “Yeah, for one, it’s our home. We’ve been able to play there for a good amount of games. We understand what the grass is going to feel like. I know that sounds silly, but every little thing in the NFL has a game-changing difference in winning and losing and things like that. I also think just the fans that we have. The fans have gotten louder and louder over the years since I’ve been here. I do think that has helped. But it’s always fun to be able to play in front of your hometown crowd.”
(Going back to timing for a second, I know you’re unloading the ball in like 2.2, 2.3 seconds a lot of the time. I wonder have you at all worked with Dan Marino? He was so known for that quick release. Have you and him worked together on that at any point?) – “I never got to work with Dan out on the field, dropping back and whatnot. But I’ve been able to gain some wisdom from Dan when he is in our meeting room. We ask questions, not just me. How would you read this? How would you look at this? Dan gives his insight. The cool thing with Dan, Dan is very blunt. Dan always tells me the same thing, and it’s the same thing he’s told me since I was a rookie. ‘Pick a guy and let it fly.’”
(Back to the cornrows. Allen Iverson? Any inspiration there?) – “Allen Iverson? Man, no A.I. inspiration. Dude’s a baller. Got a lot of respect for him. It was just one of those things where my hair was wild. I wanted to see what I could do with it. If I couldn’t do anything, I was going to chop it off. But Drake? Ah, I don’t know if I look like Drake.”
(Can you rap?) – “Kiki” (laughter).
(Wifey likes it though?) – “The wifey likes it. She loves it. Got to get it redone before the game.”
Mike McDaniel – November 15, 2023
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Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(You brought in three veteran guards yesterday for a tryout. Are any of them being signed? Then number two, could you talk about the specific skills that WR River Cracraft has that you like as he returns now?) – “It’s a very particular set of skills. That’s all I got I don’t have an impression. (laughter) So the guards, sometimes we just bring guys in because we just like to look at new players. We’re fans of football, so we hung out with them a little bit. (laughter) No, that’s part of the process. You try to get in front of things that could potentially happen. We all know that we can’t control injuries in this game. We all know how many that we’ve sustained during the course of the year and so we have to be prepared if that whole pattern continues. So that’s what that was. They were all taller than me, which I didn’t like. I like coaching people shorter than me. (laughter) That’s not true. I’m trying to throw you off the scent. (laughter) Then River Cracraft, there’s a commonality with guys that are vested veterans in the National Football League, have been in it for multiple years and have been cut. In that process, they didn’t let – just getting cut from a team, I don’t think people really give it’s due to the true weight of that. Your identity is in that, you’re fully invested in that, then the guys that you’re with every day, you’re not a part of anymore. Well, he’s been cut multiple times and he’s made that part of who he is. There’s no detail left unnoticed, or no page not turned, in regards to how he prepares. When you put your best foot forward for an extended amount of time, karma has an interesting way of working itself out. Sure enough, when it is your moment to take advantage of, no matter how many times you’ve felt like you’re getting the short end of the stick or whatever the narratives are in human nature brain, well shoot, he was prepared for his opportunity on a team that’s very talented. I didn’t take votes, but I don’t think you guys voted that he was, in 2022, going to make the team. He represents a lot of what is going on with this team right now, where guys are not thinking about the wrong things. I’m very passionate about things like this so thank you for getting me started on River. That’s the hard thing in life for all of us, not just players, just people in general. Everything’s an opportunity cost. If you’re thinking about how you got short-changed, you’re not thinking about things that you actually can control. The list goes on and on and on from everything that we do as we exist. He represents a lot of guys on this team. We have a lot of undrafted free agents and generally your culture is affected by each and every person. When you have a collection of people like River, it gives you – we’re all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be and not look in hindsight and be like, man we should have done this, that or the other. I’m fired up for him and he’s definitely earned it.”
(Despite half the season still left to be played, how much emphasis do you put on winning the division? How important is that to you versus just getting a Wild Card, for example?) – “You can learn to deal with anything. That’s part of what you learn as an NFL football player or coach. We can handle whatever, but the goal is to win the division. That is the only way you ensure that you’re, for one, in the playoffs, you have a home game in the playoffs and you set yourself up for a journey, not a game. You play these teams twice a year, so there’s no hiding. I put a huge emphasis on that. I don’t think that’s unique. I think a lot of people do. But you know, as long as you’re paying attention to the NFL, that is the way outside of – I mean, what are there, two wildcards ever to make it through the playoffs and be the final team that wins that year? Or however many, it’s very rare. So that’s a big point of emphasis, as well as just getting better in the process. My bottom line is that we continue to improve and we’re at our best at the end of the season. Does it mean the only way that can occur is if we win the division? It doesn’t. Maybe you have to learn the lessons while not winning the division, but then you’re going to have a harder journey in front of you and that’s your path. Regardless, you can handle whatever. But our goal is to the teams that we play the most, the teams that dictate whether or not you can get into the playoffs and have a home playoff game, yeah, it’s very important to us to win the AFC East.”
(Can we get an update on OL Robert Hunt?) – “If you’ve talked to Rob in the last week, you want to talk about like a cat being in water. He hasn’t ever missed a game. So we’re feeling that out. That’s why for me, I’m a little more gray with it because this is uncharted territory for even our training staff, in terms of nothing’s black and white. It’s not like, ‘okay, no, you’re good if you do this. If you do this, you’re going to be bad.’ It’s educated guesses with the wealth of the knowledge that you’ve worked for at your disposal, and then communicating from player to trainer and to coach. So to answer your question, nothing’s been bad, but I’m saying week to week because that’s how I feel, because you’re nervous about guys just saying I’m sick of not playing and then going out there when it’s 75 percent but they’re telling you it’s 95 percent. So we’re feeling that process out. He’s doing well. There hasn’t been a setback. I could see him playing in this game. I could see him playing in the next game. I could see if we pull back because we’re not going to, if we can help it, if we can control it, we’re not going to make this a more extensive injury. It’s our mindset because he’s playing some of his best ball. Guess what? We need him to play his best ball down the stretch at a very important position. He’s a huge part of our team.”
(Is OL Robert Hunt going to be practicing today?) – “No, we’re kind of taking the road of it’s on the side, it’s working with the trainers individualized. So much when you get soft tissues with linemen, you just think about blocking someone and it’s really hard to protect yourself when you’re straining in a direction and then he uses his hands to try to disengage and you have to redirect. You can picture it. If you stood up right now and we just got into a blocking drill, even if I’d be easy to block, you’d still be able to tell, ‘hey, if I had a sore hamstring, this might be bad.’”
(With RB De’Von Achane, we obviously saw a small sample size, but just elite play for him early in the season. If he’s able to come back this week or whenever he comes back, how does that change how you call a game? Are there plays that are just for Achane or is it the offense is the offense?) – “So much of what everything is is a product of all the players we have. It’s at the point where I don’t really think about that, but I know that’s the case. Things adjust with every player you have. You know their strengths and weaknesses. As you guys know, I view it as a non-negotiable that a job as a coach is to coach the player to be their very best and put them in their most advantageous situations and let them play. I think it would be dishonest to be like, nothing changes. They’re all human beings that you spend every day together. You feel like you know them inside and out. You can tell by how they’re walking, their confidence level, where their mind is at. All that stuff does come into play. I think each individual player has different things they bring to the table. And yeah, it does affect how the game is called because it will never be any different. It has nothing to do with our plays, which people refer to my plays. It’s the players and how we fit around them because it’s their game, their moment. That’s what we’re all here for is to watch them do what they do.”
(How has RB De’Von Achane looked in practices? Running, cutting?) – “Well, I mean you should’ve seen it Monday. The whole practice, he didn’t get tackled once. And he’s a running back. Right? (laughter) So he looked good running around. You have a padded practice on Thursday, you have a practice today. I just very much hesitate to get ahead of myself because I don’t even know what tomorrow is anyway. He checked all the boxes on air of doing ball handling, and he didn’t forget his assignments. He’s come a long way in a short period of time to become – it feels like he’s not a rookie in the locker room, and that’s what the locker room needed from him. We don’t have time for rookies anymore. This is pro ball. And he acted like a pro on Monday. So, we’ll see what that results in today in the most important practice and day of our lives.”
(The Raiders have already used three starting quarterbacks this year. The NFL is kind of on a record-setting pace for a lot of starting quarterbacks. I’m curious if your preparation has changed in recent years or if you’ve noticed change within the league as far as preparing for different quarterbacks for each team?) – “I have noticed. I’m not sure if it’s a trend. I notice it, but I don’t have statistical evidence to say it is on an uptick. It feels that way. From the day I got into the National Football League, I was kind of taken aback by the importance they put on the backup quarterback and his backup. Just because I didn’t think that way before I got into coaching. And then being around Mike Shanahan and then Gary Kubiak in particular, when we went to Houston, but he was a backup quarterback. Then you go through the years and you see how often they have to play, and then you see a whole team and organization that is affected by – you just realize you have to invest in the right people and it’s a huge position that is like maybe the experience of an NFL referee. No news is good news. Oh, shoot, now you have to play. Everyone wants to do well. It’s a hard job. Football is about rhythm, timing, reps, reps, reps that they’re inherently behind the eight ball. So, I’m not sure if it’s a trend but I’ve definitely noticed it a lot. I probably would have to speed you up on this, but in 2022, I as a head coach, experienced quarterbacks getting injured. It’s something that takes two to tango. Players and coaches and a little fortune.”
(We know that a good percentage of OL Connor Williams’ snaps have been uneventful. How have you approached with him, if at all, the ones that happen to be eventful?) – “I’d only approach him to communicate I was concerned. If I’m not concerned about – because I think about every snap that he does well and so I can get of ratio that. To be honest, if I don’t have something beyond ‘Do it better,’ it’s kind of like the coaching point, ‘Catch the ball.’ Oh, don’t worry. He’s trying. I’m not worried about his intent, his process. It would be one thing – he had never played center and he has been a starting center for us at a high level for two years. It looks second nature to him. That takes an incredible amount of investment. The investment is right. Everybody has to learn in certain ways. Sometimes, if I could tell he was nervous about, I’d just talk to him about go back to the moment, get yourself into that emotional state, and get another rep.”
(RB De’Von Achane, I know you talked about him earlier. Given what you know about his injury, is he the type of guy that you’d be able to put back in in his typical workload or would you have to ease him?) – “As I continue to stare into this crystal ball that’s not telling me anything, I do know that he really wants to play. He has shown that. I think I said it before, he was the one communicating to me, making sure that, ‘I can go on road trips, right? I want to be with the team.’ He’s a guy that has never lived outside of Texas and is a full-fledged Floridian now. I think it’s hard to say. I think it’s my job to not get ahead and just say it’s going to be this and then chase that. That’s irresponsible to the player. I kind of have to let the player tell me, but I see better than I hear. We’ll go through each day, but we have been pragmatic. Like I said, at least Monday, he was untackleable. (laughter) And we feel good about where he’s headed. If he’s ready to roll for this game, he’ll play. If he’s not, we have plenty of very capable players playing on the field and we’ll wait another week and see if he can play then. But I feel good about where we’re at.”
Christian Wilkins – November 13, 2023
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Monday, November 13, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(The defense is maybe as healthy as it’s been all season. Do you feel like you guys are about to turn a corner? Do you think you need to turn a corner? Are you in the process? How do you view the defense right now?) – “I just think the biggest thing and the thing I’m most proud of, or what we’re trying to focus on and encourage as a defense, is just getting better each day. Don’t look at the big picture things. ‘Oh, this or that.’ Just focus on the steady improvement each and every day, being your best every day, bringing it out there. When we look up at the end of the year, even to this point, I feel like we’ve made improvements each week. Each day, we’ve had that mindset, so we’ll continue that mindset, and like I’m saying, at the end of the season we’ll look up and see where we’re at.”
(What’s the journey been like within this defense? We don’t see the complexities of learning the scheme and going through all of the assignments. What has it been like throughout the season to get to where you are now?) – “It’s just that. It’s always been like a work in progress. Vic (Fangio) is a heck of a coordinator, heck of a defensive mind, and he asks a lot of his players. But he’s also able to allow you to highlight your abilities within this defense. It’s a new defense for everybody. Only like two guys ever played in this scheme. So it’s that steady learning and improvement each day. That’s been the biggest thing, just playing with one another and just getting a feel for each other.”
(I know you’ve been in a few schemes throughout your life. Do you remember a click moment in each of the defenses where it clicks? ‘Like ok, I get the feel of me playing versus the scheme they are asking me to do?’) – “That kind of just comes with repetitions, really. I don’t know if there is really per se like an ‘ah ha’ moment, I got this down. It just comes with the reps, and then playing with guys around you too. To know where you can take shots or make plays or know that this guy is going to be here. Just little things like that. It also comes from knowing what the offense likes to do, and how they want to attack the defense too. All of that comes with reps and time.”
(Is there a correlation between already having matched your career high in sacks, and what you’re being asked to do in this scheme and by these coaches?) – “That’s probably to a lot of different things. Hopefully we continue to improve, and I continue to improve individually, and we’ll just get better and better each and every day.”
(We had some time earlier with LB Jaelan Phillips and he was pretty transparent about the issues he had. He had struggles earlier in the season mentally, he had doubts and all that. Were you aware of that at the time? And as a team leader, do you go to a guy you see might be struggling a little bit?) – “Sometimes you get a sense of the pulse of the locker room, or just guys come and say things to you. It’s your job then to keep everybody working, and eventually encourage them to maybe do more or find different ways to figure out what you’re being asked to do or get them out of a rut. That type of a thing.”
(How do you feel like LB Jaelan Phillips is performing now?) – “He’s playing pretty good. Obviously he was banged up early, but he looks good to me.”
(I think a couple of years ago, you guys did not have a bye after the Europe game, and this time you have the bye after the Europe game. What do you think about this path after the bye?) – “I guess we’ll see. I definitely feel like most guys appreciated it. Just definitely having that time to rest, and reset, especially this time of year. The bye kind of came at a good time. I think guys were happy to reset, get away and get their bodies back right for this back half stretch of the season.”
(What’s the differences you’ve seen from LB David Long Jr. from when he started the season to where he is now, and is it just a matter of comfort?) – “Yeah. That’s kind of what I was saying earlier. Just playing with guys, getting comfortable within the scheme and playing with guys around you, a lot of that can contribute to success. I think David is a heck of a player. I love having him around and playing behind me. He’s a different dude when those pads come on. He’s real quiet off the field, but on the field he brings it. It’s always fun to play with a guy like that.”
(You have a different personality on the field than off the field. He has a similar thing. Your teammates say that he basically becomes a different dude.) – “I can respect how he goes about it, and who he is on the field. I love that, just the energy he brings, and how he plays and his mindset.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel had this quote ‘work can be fun, if you know you’re not going to be judged for that fun.’ A couple of your teammates talked about the environment that he’s created. I’m curious from your perspective, when Mike first got here, was there a moment where you kind of realized that it was going to be a different environment?) – “Definitely. Just really from day one. He’s always being himself and then encouraging guys to be themselves. He wants to create a fun environment. I’m all for that. But also don’t get that confused with the amount of work and focus that has to go into each and every day in preparing for a game, and preparing to be great and preparing to be your best. You can definitely find that balance and it’s good. I feel like guys come in with the right mindset, and we definitely created that environment here of being able to have fun, but also grind like crazy and try to get the results you want.”
(The first team meeting that Head Coach Mike McDaniel called last year. It would’ve been like March of last year. Was there a way that he broke the ice, did he tell a joke that took you by surprise?) – “April 4th. I don’t know exactly per se what it was, or if there was a moment like that. Just every day being himself. Being a personality, being quirky, awkward and all of that good stuff, and just being funny. He thinks that he is a comedian. You guys know that. Really just that, and you get a feel over time for his personality and the environment he tries to create.”
(Obviously every coach has a different style. What value do you see in Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s style? The fun, the loose, the awkward style?) – “It’s just that. Just his style of embracing himself. He embraces himself and encourages others to be themselves, and I like that. I can definitely appreciate that. In some ways, he feels like it’s tough to ask a guy to be their best if they are not being themselves. I definitely respect that and appreciate that.”
(I think you’re a guy who stays where his feet are. I’m wondering if you ever look at the standings, and if so, does that ever motivate you? Do you know what happened yesterday when Cincinnati lost, Jacksonville lost, Baltimore lost, the Chargers lost. Does that make a difference, do you look, and does that matter?) – “I didn’t really pay any attention to that per se. I don’t look at standings or anything like that. I watch a lot of ball. I’m a big fan of the game and what guys are doing around the league. But I definitely don’t look at it like, ‘oh, if this or that.’ You just play the games. I like to see how other guys are doing around the league, especially other d-linemen or whatever. But yeah, not at all. I’m just focused on the team and us improving every day, and being our best every day. Like I said earlier, we’ll look up at the end and see where we are.”
(Do you know where you guys are in the division?) – “No.”
Jaelan Phillips – November 13, 2023
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Monday, November 13, 2023
LB Jaelan Phillips
(How important was it – did the bye week come at a perfect time for you guys to hit that reset button in your opinion?) – “Yeah, no doubt. I mean, especially after obviously that long travel. Like Kader (Kohou) said, that trip took a lot out of us. So yeah, I think it was great timing in terms of momentum wise too. Even though we got the loss – actually I think it worked out to our benefit more so, not (because) we lost. But since we lost, having the bye week afterwards is a moment to reset. It’s not like one of those things where if you’re on a winning streak and then have a bye week, it might mess up the momentum. So I think it came at a good time.”
(Was it kind of tough to stew on that loss for a few weeks?) – “I mean you forget about it, honestly. When it happens, it sucks. That night, obviously you’re thinking about the plays you wish you could have back, different things like that. You watch the game the next day, and then after that it’s over with. It’s really just kind of a suppressed memory type situation.”
(You’re back now, S Jevon Holland is back, CB Jalen Ramsey is back. What can the defense do now with you guys more full than it couldn’t do before?) – “Yeah, I think the Chiefs game was a little taste of that. I just think we play a lot more sound football overall. I think you can see with our run fits and with our coverage discipline, it’s a lot more of a complete picture. Just recently, I was looking back at the Chargers game and I thought we played decent. We had some times where we nutted up and things like that, but just in general I felt like we were really sloppy in technique and with our run fits and things like that. To see that compared to how we played in the Chiefs game, really the last couple weeks, it’s almost night and day honestly. It’s really cool to see the fruits of our labor pay off and we’re just going to keep stacking on that.”
(You were heating up before the bye, three straight games with a sack. What started to get right for you other then the health?) – “I mean, health was obviously a big part of it, but I think that confidence plays a lot too. It was really tough for me, I’m not going to lie, pretty much that month where I missed three and a half games essentially and was dealing with all those injuries. It’s pretty crazy what it can do to you psychologically when it comes to confidence, when it comes to preparedness, just everything. I just felt like I was a shell of myself. Even when I was getting back onto the field, I was second-guessing everything. So starting with the Panthers game, it felt good to get back out there. Eagles game, especially getting the sack on Lane (Johnson), things like that boost your confidence a little bit. Then the last two games, I feel like I’m pretty much clicking on all cylinders. Obviously there’s little technique things to clean up and things like that, but I just think in terms of my effort, in terms of my confidence when I’m rushing the passer, it’s getting to where I want it to be.”
(The sack against Eagles T Lane Johnson, I think he hadn’t given up one in like 4 years. Did that maybe spark it?) – “I mean, yeah honestly for me with that, I was really anxious leading up to the game. Coming off injury and obviously a big primetime game against the Eagles and going up against Lane Johnson, and like I said my confidence had been kind of shot the weeks prior to that, so I was really anxious leading up to it. Honestly, I was kind of second-guessing myself, thinking damn, I don’t even know if I can beat this guy. I don’t even know if I can just straight win and get a sack. I was like I’ll be able to run around maybe, get a second effort sack or something like that. To be able to go out there and actually perform, it was a good matchup. He obviously got me a few times, I got him a few times, but even just to be able to win against a guy like that gave me a lot of confidence.”
(Have you gone through something before where you’re kind of doubting it?) – “All the time. That’s literally the biggest battle I think for me personally and a lot of guys too. For me personally, obviously staying healthy is a big thing, but even if I’m out there playing with little ailments, I can still do well. For me it’s all up here. It’s crazy how much of an impact your mentality can have. That’s something I’ve been dealing with really my whole life, but especially college, my rookie year, things like that. I think the biggest battle for me has been trying to find out how to stay even-keeled through the whole process. Even when I have down games or even if I get hurt and things aren’t going how I want them to, I just kind of have to have that perspective that it’s all part of the process and that it gets greater later type situation. Just to know even when you’re in those moments and feeling not confident, eventually it’s going to turn around.”
(Do you do things like visualization or sports psychology or anything like that to build up the confidence when you need to?) – “I’ve done them in the past. I’ve met with different confidence coaches. I’ve met with sports psychologists. I’ve done meditation, done different types of things. Different things work for different people. I think for me, I’m just still growing and learning. At the end of the day, it’s really just about myself talking and my confidence and how I believe in myself. I think everybody my whole life has told me that I’m my biggest enemy. Like I said, focusing and being intentional. When I do meet with those confidence coaches and things like that, I think the more important part, because I’ve already heard a lot of the things they have to tell me, but what’s more important is taking the 30 minutes or hour session to really just dive in within yourself and being present in that moment. For me, like I said, it’s something I’m continuously working on. But I feel really happy where I’m at right now.”
(Also, do you watch clips of your best plays all in a row?) – “I’ve definitely – the highlight videos for me actually help me a lot because it kind of puts me in a different perspective. It puts me in an observer’s perspective where I’m not being as hard on myself. I’m just kind of looking at it as if I’m a fan or just an observer. I think I’m just really critical of myself and what I’m doing so even when I am playing well, I might not give myself that grace and that gratitude. I think taking a step back and seeing highlight films on Twitter or just watching film and going through a cut up of my best rushes and things like that, I think that helps immensely just in the whole confidence and inspiring me a bit.”
(It sounds like some of your journey reminds me of what QB Tua Tagovailoa was discussing he went through. I’m curious in a macho sport, can you share shared experiences with confidence with your teammates? Guys who may have gone through or continue to go through similar things?) – “Yeah, I mean that’s really what Bradley (Chubb) and I have been doing for each other this whole season. At the beginning, I don’t want to share his journey for him and obviously at the beginning of the season, he wasn’t having the numbers he’d like to. These last four weeks, he’s been going crazy and obviously feeling better now. But towards the beginning of the season, it’s funny, because we were always picking each other up. When he would be down, I would pick him up. The next day I’d be down, he’d pick me up. I’m like, we can’t keep doing this. We just have to be happy. But that’s really how it is, and to be able to have a teammate who understands you and understands what you go through, it really just helps a lot. Although it is a macho sport, I don’t think we have that, especially on this team. We’re not afraid to be vulnerable. We’re not afraid to be honest and open with each other and I think that starts from the head down. That’s how Mike (McDaniel) is, that’s how all of our coaches are pretty much. It really helps to be able to have those shared experiences with people because it makes you feel like you’re not alone.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said something earlier today, I’m going to paraphrase it a bit, to be your best self, you have to be yourself. You can have fun at work as long as you know you’re not going to be judged for it. You just said that kind of attitude starts from the head down, I was just curious if you could expand on how Mike has changed the environment here to foster support for you guys?) – “Yeah, like I said, I think everything starts from the top down. When you have a coach who is really uptight and (expletive) you all the time, it makes everybody tight. It makes everybody tighten up. So it starts with the head man and then it goes to position coaches and then your position coaches are all stressed out because they’re getting yelled at by their defensive coordinator or head coach, whatever the case may be. Then they’re putting that on you. So when you have an environment, like we don’t just mess around all day. We have fun but we’re locked in and know what the standard is. To be able to have that mindset, like you said, just frees everything up. You’re not worried about trivial things. We go through a lot and it’s really taxing, both mentally and physically. So, if we’re in here and everybody was just dead all the time and not enjoying ourselves, it would make this whole process that much more miserable. So, I always tell my girlfriend and tell other people that really one of the redeeming factors of all this is like I said, it’s a grind. There’s no doubt about it. But to be able to come in here and hang out with my brothers every day, just the dynamic we have in the locker room and even with the coaching staff and everything, it’s different interactions with everybody. You have a certain interaction with your position group, with the offense, with the coaches, stuff like that. Just to have that banter, that locker room talk and just those different relationships is really invaluable. It’s probably the favorite thing about this sport for me. It’s really a beautiful thing and I really appreciate Mike (McDaniel) and Chris (Grier) and really everyone in this building who kind of, like I said, start from the top down.”
Jaylen Waddle – November 13, 2023
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Monday, November 13, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(What’d you do during the bye?) – “I went to the crib. I went home, spent some time with family. I ate real good. Everybody was cooking. It was good to be back home, for sure.”
(What’s your favorite home-cooked meal?) – “Oxtail, red beans and rice. Y’all know something. Real country boy. (laughter)”
(How did this week kind of help you recharge your body a little bit?) – “It helped a lot. We got some good work in before we left. Gave us a couple days off just to rejuvenate, really. Body recovery. I got a lot of treatment, not just me but all the guys. It was important to get our body right, especially going into the last stretch of the season.”
(It seemed like you haven’t had anything major – a concussion obviously is major – but a bunch of things have just kind of added up for you. Has the bye been good for you to kind of flush all that out?) – “Yeah, definitely. Little nicks and dinks and bruises. That comes with the season, but that bye week definitely helped me. I feel like in the long run, the second half of the season, I just feel a lot fresher.”
(Have you been getting knocked around a little bit more through the first half of this season than other first halves of seasons?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say knocked around. We’ve just played in some hard, tough games against some physical teams. That’s what goes with hard-fought games.”
(We heard from Head Coach Mike McDaniel himself, we heard from LB Jaelan Phillips a couple minutes ago, just how McDaniel has created kind of a supportive environment here for you guys to be vulnerable and be yourselves. I’m curious if that’s something that you have noticed over these past two seasons?) – “Definitely. Mike is an authentic person. Just him being himself on the daily. He allows us to be ourselves on a daily basis, whether it’s good, bad or in between. When you have an environment and a head coach that allows you to do that, it makes work a lot more enjoyable.”
(Does Head Coach Mike McDaniel have a better shoe game than you?) – “No. Not even close. Not even close. I’m talking about I’m in a whole different universe than him in shoes. He does have some nice stuff but no. No. (laughter)”
(I want to ask you about RB De’Von Achane. Was it nice to have him back today?) – “Definitely. We’ve got a lot of playmakers on the team. Just adding a guy of that caliber is always good. He’s healthy, came back and he’s going to better than ever.”
(Did you invite RB De’Von Achane over for oxtail?) – “I didn’t. He was on his own with – he was in Houston too, so he was with his family and friends. So I know he was getting to have family time.”
David Long Jr. – November 13, 2023
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Monday, November 13, 2023
LB David Long Jr.
(How did you spend your time during the bye?) – “Relaxed, man. I didn’t have to wake up too early a couple day. I went to go see my little sister at West Virginia. She goes to my college. So I could see a couple of players, talk to a couple players, see my strength coach Mike Joseph. It was a cool little weekend.”
(How did your sister end up at West Virginia?) – “I don’t know. They have a big journalism program there, so that’s what she’s doing, and photographing for the team and stuff. She liked it when she came and visited me when I was there, so she took a liking to Morgantown. Not many do, but the ones that do, they love it.”
(Did you spend Sunday watching or catching up on games or anything like that? Just kind of getting a look at all the teams in the league?) – “I do when I have time. Not many days on Sundays. We play mostly on Sundays. Yesterday, I was traveling most of the day so I didn’t catch too many games yesterday.”
(I wanted to get your opinion on the defense. Now that guys our coming back, S Jevon Holland was there last game, LB Jaelan Phillips is healthy, CB Jalen Ramsey is out there, do you feel you guys are about to turn a corner into a different realm of a defense? A better, like an upper echelon in the league type deal?) – “I think throughout the season when I was getting these questions about the scheme or the problems we had early, there were so many observations or opinions, and all I said was once we get rolling, everybody gets used to the defense and used to each other, especially the front seven, you will see a difference. I think you’re seeing that. I think you’ll continue to see that because we’re more familiar with each other and the scheme. I think everything is hitting at the right time, I would say.”
(So for you, you just had to get more familiar with what people were doing up front?) – “I just think the repetition. The more repetition guys have, not even with just the people up front but with the game, in a new scheme or whatever it may be, the better and the quicker your decisions will be. I think that’s what you’re seeing, not only from me, but from the whole defense.”
(How much pride do you guys take that you’re close to being a top 10 unit right now?) – “We take a lot of pride. We have so many dawgs at each position. We have a high standard for ourselves. I think the best thing about us is we can hold each other accountable because we want to be that. I think it starts there – wanting to be that and putting everything into your work and your daily decisions to keep that standard.”
(I have a question about the Tush Push or the Brotherly Shove. I was asking Head Coach Mike McDaniel why this team doesn’t run it. I’ll have to listen to his answer again but I think he said you have to play to your strengths and do what is comfortable with your team. But just overall, what makes that play so tough to stop?) – “You could say personnel because a lot of teams across the league do it, but don’t have as much success (as the Eagles). That Eagles o-line is a little more heavy then other teams. But they’ve also perfected it, I guess. I’m not in their practices, I don’t know what they put into it, but it seems to be working.”
(I wanted to ask about your personality on the field. Your teammates have said you’re not there when you’re playing, like they can’t even talk to you. What is your mindset when you are actually in the game?) – “It’s so hard to put a name on it because I’m a different person. Even my aunts, they say I’m such a cool guy then they see me on the field and it’s so different. I just think it’s the mentality. I don’t really like people on the field, especially if they aren’t wearing our colors. Whether it’s the kicker, the long snapper or whoever it may be, I just know that stays in my game and pours out into how I play. That’s a battlefield out there. You have to have that mindset, especially if you want to play at the top level. That’s where I want to be, so I think you see that in my play a lot.”
