Zach Sieler – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE TACKLE ZACH SIELER
What is your perspective on being 2-4 at this point in the season?
“We talked about this when we were 1-2 or 1-3. We’ve been 1-7 out of eight. We’re in double digit games and there is enough time to come back. It’s a long season. Everyone is counting things out. It doesn’t matter. We’re 2-4. There is a lot that could happen. There is a lot of ball left to play.”
How do you get out of making self-inflicted problems?
“We need to get on top and stay on top of each other more in a sense of holding ourselves accountable every single day. There is no, ‘I’ll get it right the next play,’ or ‘I’ll fix this right now.’ We need to get a stop, reload it, get it right and stop those little mental errors. We have a great team. I know we have a great team. We can beat these guys. We can beat any team in the NFL. It’s just a matter of doing the little things right and focusing on those things.”
What is the frustration level after playing well but still losing?
“It comes back to the first question. It’s things we need to make sure we are correct on the little things. Our fits, our security or whatever the play entails. You’re one piece of 11. Do your job and don’t try to do too much. Everyone falls victim to that. You try to make a big play and then things can happen. Let’s do our jobs, focus on that, be right on every play. When you do that, that’s when you do that, that’s when you win games.”
Can you take me through the fumble recovery?
“I haven’t watched the tape yet. I don’t know what happened. I know we had the puller, played back to the center and tackled and I saw them bobbling it around coming off of the edge. I jumped on it and tried to keep hold of it.”
De’Von Achane – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS RUNNING BACK DE’VON ACHANE
What is your perspective on being 2-4 right now in the season?
“All of our loses have been one possession games. It’s not like we are going and getting blown out. It’s not like the team is hurting us. We are beating ourselves. We had two turnovers today. We had a lot of penalties as well. We just have to correct the little things. We get a rhythm and then we get penalties.”
What did you think of the run game as a whole today?
“We ran the ball great. All of the backs had great running games today. When we do these runs and get penalties, it puts us in a bad spot.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS HEAD COACH MIKE MCDANIEL
What would be your explanation as to the difficulties getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in this game?
“Compounding. I think they were phenomenal all game. They’ve really looked at their role in an expansive way. They’ve been trying to do whatever we can to win the football game. When you run the ball 40 times, it does minimize your opportunities and then if you’re trying to take advantage of a defense over playing and doubling them and getting the ball to the tight end, then they have less opps (opportunities). I always look at that as part of my job, to find ways anyway. So, it was frustrating this game. Didn’t anticipate some of the game shaping out that way. I have to find a way, specifically when they are doing their jobs at a high level. They were very involved in the run game in blocking. And contrary to popular belief, they do play every play. They’re one of 11 in terms of not just passes. Sometimes they’re limited to requiring a lot of attention and emphasis from the defense, which gives other guys opportunities. But we have to take advantage of those opportunities, and I need to find ways to get them involved.”
It felt like, over the past couple weeks or past couple games that defenses have specifically tried to take away Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and make you use your other guys. Have there been opportunities to get them involved?
“I think every team goes with that objective, because they know how good they are. I think that there have been games in the past that maybe as they reviewed the tape and where they’re at in their careers, where they’re trying to be great. They’ve acknowledged sometimes that they’ve minimized their involvement by certain things that they can do in their game. However, this game, I didn’t see that. Teams always do. So, you have to continue to problem solve. Sometimes you think that you have solved the problem, and then you find out you haven’t. That will always be the case with them. So, I can’t look at it like – I have to keep them involved. But they were very active in the game without the ball. So that was a good thing.”
The turnovers. The big one that leads to a touchdown, and then one on the 14 or 15-yard line, where it takes you out of scoring position, and derailed where you were going. It looked like both sides of the ball were playing at a pretty good level. And that kind of just flipped the script a little bit?
“Absolutely. They were tough ones. Raheem (Mostert) has had 400-plus carries since he’s been here with us. That’s what’s tough about it. He has his fourth fumble out of those 400 touches. The timing of that was, was rough. And then Alec Ingold is a captain, because he’s one of the best players, people and really a playmaker for us a lot of times without the ball and with the ball. I thought that was unfortunate in that situation, because I think there was an opportunity for him to not be strung out sideways and have the ball. If we would have executed like I anticipated, it would have gone a different spot. But it’s also a game of accountability and at the same time, they know they can’t do that. Some players from the team didn’t know where my head was at, so they came and made sure that they were given an opportunity, and that they all still believed in them, which I already knew. So that’s why they continue to get opps (opportunities). But they can’t do that. Just like the game of accountability – it doesn’t matter. If there are good calls, it doesn’t matter. Collectively as a team, we just have to play smarter football – it’s crazy. So that starts with me. It’s always rough for me when guys that are very ball secure do have fumbles. They get picked too and things happen. I’m very frustrated because you think you emphasize things correctly, and you think you have certain things fixed, and when they’re not, it’s not going to be anybody else’s fault but me. I was definitely wrong. And you have to approach it that way. We have retooled stuff to clean up our game with the penalties and it’s still killing us. I need to figure out something better, which is what I’ll be doing starting the second this press conference ends.”
Would you be able to say that Tua Tagovailoa will begin his practices this week?
“I think tonight, when we’re talking about a game that people played in, I think talking about guys on IR I don’t think is appropriate and doesn’t hit me right. So, I’ll be more than happy to address that tomorrow. But tonight, I’ll try to keep it about guys tonight.”
What were the conversations that led to De’Von Achane wearing the Guarding Cap?
“I think you on the front end, embrace player safety with your team. So, if you are very open about, this is a tool that, if you’re comfortable for your professional career and playing football and regular season games and whatever – absolutely, if you want to do that, we support it. So, I do think that’s important to support it – allowing players to have those types of decisions to make for themselves. But I support all that. That’s why if anybody wants to wear thicker elbow pads or a thicker helmet, I have no problem with that. We support that.”
Would you recommend Tua Tagovailoa wear it?
“I do the same thing that I do for every player. You don’t skirt information. I force guys to have knowledge of what they would be turning down on what they would be doing. I just support any of that for all players, with no exception to be Tua (Tagovailoa).”
What did you think of how Tyler Huntley played today? Do you have an update on his status?
“I don’t have an update. He’s a tough dude. Coming off the field, he was trying to say he was going to be good. When the paid professionals that are on our medical team talk to him about the things that he’d have to do, and put him through some strength testing stuff, I think he wasn’t. I don’t really know the extent of it, but I know it was going to take a lot to keep him out. I thought he did a good job with command. I thought he gave the offense a chance to win. I will have to look at the tape. There were a couple things that I thought were there that maybe we didn’t execute, but it’s short sighted to place blame on any one individual. But I think he had us in a position to win this, which is all you can ask for. And I thought he made a couple plays that were report, both with his throws and with his feet. So, he’s continued his progression, which was good.”
Tim Boyle – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
Download PDF version
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK TIM BOYLE
How much work did you get with the offense this week in order to get thrown into the game in the situation you were in?
“Most of the time, the backup quarterbacks don’t really get any reps during the week. Snoop (Tyler Huntley) took the good majority of them. Being pros, making sure you are getting mental reps. Coach (Darrell) Bevell will make sure that we all have enough good reps with drill work, but from the bulk of the work standpoint, not a lot of reps.”
What was your mindset as you did ultimately end up going in?
“You’ve got to go in and step in and not skip a beat. I think Snoop (Tyler Huntley) did a really good job the first half and beginning of the third quarter. He was playing a really good game, and it’s unfortunate what happened to him. I hope he’s okay. I haven’t seen him yet, but you have to step in and run the offense like nothing happened. We did a good job driving the ball, we just got to hang on to the ball in certain situations, and we got to tighten up the end of the game situation.”
Can you take me through the final fourth down play?
“It was a play call with the coverage they gave me. I tried to put it in a spot where only (Malik Washington) could get it, but we all got to be better at the end of the game. Players and coaches. We win and lose as a team.”
Why do you think there were so many issues getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for a majority of this game?
“I think defenses do a really good job of taking those guys away, and we have to be creative with the ways we get them the ball. But when you have really good players like that, the defense is game planning them too. So, a lot of the game they were, they were (inaudible) Tyreek (Hill). We see a lot of that. This defense was primarily going into the game a one high structure defense, and they played us a majority two high, and that’s to take away our guys outside. So, we took what the defense gave us, but we got to find ways to get those guys the ball, because they’re really good players.”
What have you been seeing lately out of Tua Tagovailoa internally as now his window could potentially open up on the other side of this?
“He is hungry to get back. He’s been around every meeting (and) every practice. He’s a bright light for this team right now, and I know he’s excited to get back and hopefully he can do that here soon.”
De’Von Achane – October 18, 2024
Download PDF version
Friday, October 18, 2024
RB De’Von Achane
(How are you feeling? Have you had any symptoms at all, concussion symptoms through the process?) – “No, I’m good. I haven’t had any symptoms really since Day 2, for real. Ever since it happened, I hadn’t had no symptoms then. I’ve been feeling good, feeling great, feeling back to normal.”
(Are you going to play on Sunday?) – “I’m hoping so. I should. I just, like you said, cleared protocol so I’m good to go.”
(You did? You cleared protocol officially?) – “Yeah.”
(What is that process like? Being able to practice but still not being back until the doctors say so?) – “Yeah, basically. You do a lot of brain stuff, so it’s basically like you’re back in school going through steps and a lot of memorization stuff. But it isn’t too intense, it’s just regular.”
(It’s not like you got wires and stuff…) – “Yeah, it ain’t all that. (laughter)”
(Are you going to miss at all the heavy workload you had against Buffalo now that RB Raheem Mostert is back? It’s going to be more of a split-carry thing I would guess.) – “I wouldn’t say I would miss it, I mean, it doesn’t matter who’s out there. I feel like whoever goes out there can do for this team, so like you said, it’s good to have him back. It’s just more bodies and more talent on the field.”
(What would it mean to have a full stable of running backs, all healthy for the first time since Week 1?) – “It’s good. So that means a defense can’t just kill one of us because like you said, all of us are healthy now. So any one of us can go in there and make plays and do what’s best for the team.”
(Has RB Jaylen Wright ever picked your brain about, “you were able to do this as a rookie, what are some tips on how to make an impact in Year 1?”) – “I feel like we all do that. Even though we’re not a rookie like him, I feel like we all still ask each other questions about what you’ve seen or what I could do. Everybody’s different, everybody sees different things. So I feel like just because he’s a rookie, I ask him stuff, he asks me stuff, we ask ‘Heem’ (Raheem Mostert), ‘Heem’ asks us. It’s not like, ‘oh, he’s a rookie so he’s just the one that asks us,’ I feel like as a group, we ask each other.”
(What was your impression on how they played after you left the New England game?) – “I feel like they played great, him (Jaylen Wright) and ‘Heem’ (Raheem Mostert). Like you said, we ran the ball 40-something times, so that tells you a lot that we are able to run the ball and even get our fullback (Alec Ingold) involved because he was out there doing a lot. So for him to score the touchdown, that meant a lot for us.”
Terron Armstead – October 18, 2024
Download PDF version
Friday, October 18, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(I know as you’ve said every offseason you’ve been thinking about whether to continue playing. You’re obviously…) – “Where are you going with this? Where are we going with this? (laughter)”
(I was going to ask you this – you’re playing at the same high level that you’ve always played at, the same elite level. Is it important to you late in your career to continue to play at an elite level, to want to continue playing?) – “I just try to put my best foot forward every day, every game do what I can as far as my assignment to help my teammates, so I really don’t look at like where I’m viewed across the league or whatever. I try to execute my assignment, don’t let my guy make the tackle, don’t let my guy touch the quarterback. That’s just, seriously, like I try to take that small viewpoint of an approach.”
(With RB Raheem Mostert obviously having him back, what is it about his running style that makes him fun to block for?) – “He’s physical, he’s violent. The defenders know that they’ve got to bring it when they come in to try to tackle ’31.’ (Raheem Mostert) Like you look at him and you see him and he’s not the biggest guy, but he’s crazy strong and his mentality that he runs with – and he’s always a home run threat, too, so they know they can’t be late and you can’t mess around and play with him with you see ’31’ coming through that hole.”
(You said last week that the run game has to be the staple going forward. Why is that? Why do you believe that?) – “I believe it’s a part of what we do in order for us to be as successful as we want to be. Like it has to exist, it has to be the foundation of our offense because it opens up everything in the passing game and the other plays and gadget plays that Mike (McDaniel) wants to install, but you don’t really get the defense’s eyes or they don’t really respect a lot of their fakes unless you’re running the ball effectively. So in order to bring linebackers up, get the safety eyes and Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle to get behind them, got to run the ball effectively.”
(Throughout your career have you found that teams coming off of a bye – your team – usually performs well and benefits from the bye?) – “Honestly I’ve never seen a study on the record of teams coming off a bye, but I would assume it’s probably pretty well. You’ve got extra time to scout a team and prepare the game plan, but then you’re also getting that rest to get your body back. It’s a physical sport we play so week to week it’s a grind. Nobody’s going in 100 percent. A team coming off the bye is a little better situation than the other in my opinion.”
(With all the adversity that you guys have faced in the first quarter of the season, how important is it to leave Indianapolis at .500 approaching the return of QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “Man, let’s go No. 1, 2 and 3. For sure, like it’s serious, man. We want nothing more than this one. It’ll be huge for us moving forward, but not even thinking about moving forward. When we get this win, we’ll be right where we want to be.”
(Where is this offensive line in terms of the chemistry, the comfort? Obviously you got a little bit of teasing what you can do against New England, but how do you get that out of them consistently?) – “We’re progressing, we’re progressing. I think the thing that we need to do more as an offensive line and as far as our consistency is eliminate the negatives, the penalties, the ‘MEs’ (mental errors). As long as we can eliminate those or minimize those, our production has been there on film, but a lot of our best games have come back from penalties and the negatives so if we can eliminate those and continue to progress with our technique, I like where we are.”
(What have you seen from OL Robert Jones, in the guy playing next to you?) – “He’s a dawg. He’s a dawg. Like I said before, I love playing next to him. He’s physical, I know what I’m getting from him – somebody that’s going to fight no matter what the situation is. He’s about it, I’m about it with him so I love going to war with Rob (Jones).”
Mike McDaniel – October 18, 2024
Download PDF version
Friday, October 18, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So I know you have a game Sunday, but since it’s a high interest topic, can you share if QB Tua Tagovailoa will practice next week?) – “So everything has been the same. There’s been no negative; everything has been positive each and every day. And then yeah, you’d be right in that I am focused on the Indianapolis Colts who we play in 48 hours.”
(The IR decision with QB Tua Tagovailoa is one that obviously had to be made well in advance before you could see how he recovers from this particular concussion. At any point has it felt like it has either delayed his progress through protocol or limited him? Or would you feel justified in it regardless based on the obvious health benefits of Tua not having to worry about it?) – “No, it was like you almost nailed my quote, but with a little caveat. So when you have a timeline that you do know you have like on that week you have to make a decision, you wait all the time you can and then that decision is driven by medical experts. And then with conjunction of the communication of the whole team and obviously Tua, yeah when medical experts in a timeline that’s not ideal for anyone say the best thing would be, with the information they had at the moment, to do X, I’m happy with X because the idea is that people – especially in the business of having expertise, I don’t ask the doctors for play calling advice and so I’m not going supersede a medical expert, that wouldn’t be very smart. So once that’s determined, when you make that decision that is based upon the information and driven by medical experts, it’s easy to – there’s no really second guessing or even evaluation of should we or shouldn’t we have. We should have because of medical expertise. So then you take the time to utilize the time, and I think Tua has done a great job of getting something out of a situation that is obviously not ideal. I think you don’t get to choose what you go through but you get to choose how you handle things, and he’s been unbelievably diligent, he’s been a leader while doing it. The right thing for the Dolphins with regard to medical things regarding players is based upon the medical expertise, for sure.”
(What is RB De’Von Achane’s status entering Sunday? Has he cleared protocol? Will he play versus the Colts?) – “So the clearance of protocol is based upon a forecast of today’s – it’s based upon the final stamp of a medical expert after today’s activity is completed. Would I say I’m optimistic? Absolutely. I do not have a crystal ball. Something could happen today but barring an event that you can’t forecast, I feel pretty good about it.”
(With S Jevón Holland, how much have you been able to see him operate with that hand and where would you say he is from a usage standpoint?) – “I’ve seen him – it’s a little tricky because you’re trying to get work without making a vulnerable situation worse with having and determining whether or not trying it out with it at the point of attack is appropriate or if you’re vulnerable to regression. So in the process, the work has been good all week. I do think he’s day-to-day, and that one is a little more evaluation up in the air for me, because I think you’re kind of acknowledging that you’re trying to not overcook the testing process too early as well. I’ve seen him do a lot of things – engaging in shedding is the last on the list that you try to do, and you try to do it appropriately so that we’re doing right by him and not setting him up for a longer situation. So he’s been very good all week about being a responsible professional to the team, which means he has to do right by – doing right by himself is doing right by the team because he’s a very valuable asset that we depend on, and I think he’s very eager to continue his development within this defense because he’s a cool part of it. So we’ll be very responsible with that, with the long-term vision, but also be responsible to the player’s opportunity to play in a National Football League game – which for all players, those opportunities are finite. You don’t trivialize that and you take everyone serious.”
(There’s been a lot of talk on obviously QB Tyler Huntley getting more comfortable with the offense, but along that parallel track, how more comfortable are you calling games for him in this offense?) – “It’s night and day because you have reasons and expectations for each and every thing that you’re doing. You do that every play that you put in, acknowledging the unknown, trying to bridge the gap and seeing what your forecasted strengths and weaknesses are within what we’re doing and what in actuality it is and being able to adjust. We’ve always been able to tailor and tool our offense to the assets and you do that by knowing the players inside and out. The way he’s gone about it, his consistency of getting better at things has made that easier because I’m not guessing as much and I think there’s been some overlapping themes of things that he’s been successful with that we try to lean into. Not necessarily a route or certain action or anything; more all-encompassing types of plays that he’s feeling comfortable with – the areas of the field, the tempo of the play, the timing of it, the launch points – all the little intricacies that make the offense go and tie to the run game and all those things. So it’s been very, very beneficial simply because of how he’s attacked it, and I think he’s done a very, very good job being at the helm of the ship. That’s a very tough thing to do in a foreign language and he’s already fluent in our vernacular and had a very, very good two-thirds of the practice week. We’ll see today, I’m expecting a continued trend because every day he’s got a little bit better and that’s all we ask players to do.”
(T Terron Armstead said that the run game has to be a staple going forward. How true is that considering the Colts’ issues defending the run but then also the potential of having a fully healthy running back room for the first time since I think Week 1?) – “We’re in lockstep, ‘T. Stead’ (Terron Armstead) and I, in terms of understanding that football teams, if you’re wanting the end results that you talk about, that the fanbase talks about, that everyone is working towards; you have to be a team that can win any type of game, because at one point in time, you’re going to be in an elimination game. Whether it’s eliminating yourself from the playoffs or elimination in the playoffs, everything is going to come to a head and in those moments where your season is defined, you don’t determine the matchups. You don’t determine where you play. You don’t get to dictate those terms, so you have to be fully tooled to be able to win a game any way necessary that always, always in playoff football – always – equals run game. For sure, and stopping the run. You can probably list on one hand in the last 24 years or whatever number you want to pick of how many teams won the Super Bowl being just pass-game dominant on both sides of the ball. And I got I think 1999 was – what were they called, the St. Louis squad? ‘Greatest Show on Turf.’ You have to be able to take advantage of where the other team is vulnerable. From an offense perspective, you have to take advantage of what they’re giving up when they’re taking something else away. From a defensive perspective, that means you have to be good against teams that are good against the pass, you have to be good against teams that are good against the run, because you have to put people in non-normal down risky situations and create turnovers and do all those things. I think when Terron says moving forward the run game has to be something, he’s meaning if we want to win games, we have to be tooled to win games however we need to win games. And I do think the only positive of rough starts with some adversity and turmoil is early in the season based upon all the buildup from the offseason and what guys’ expectations are going in; the best way you can get everyone to only worry about winning is when they’re only worried about winning. And when you feel the results of early season losing streaks, those 24 days couldn’t feel like three months and that perspective of what is most important is very clear and ever-present right in front of the football team, and so you can make sure each and every thing that you’re doing and every motivation each coach has and every player has is what can we do to contribute to the ‘W’ column and not the ‘L.’”
(Kind of piggybacking off of that, something Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry said yesterday was that the offensive line needed to be in full concert to be effective. You’ve had those guys on the field for a lot of reps together this year with pretty good injury luck. How would you describe the value of those banked reps through five games so far for those front five guys?) – “I would say it’s always important in the National Football League to be prepared for your opportunity, not worry about your opportunity. I think the offensive line, we’ve benefited from the consistency. In that, there is an opportunity to have for the first time since I’ve been here, a 40-run game that was a one-score game the entire time. That’s an opportunity to – in those situations, good football is winning time of possession and when your defense is playing well, being able to control the clock and control the line of scrimmage is everything. And I think for this team, it was obvious – there’s nowhere to hide in the National Football League. The offensive line had the opportunity to take the game in their hands, particularly on the final drive with however many runs to end the game or to get the touchdown, and fortunately for the team, they were ready for their opportunity. And that is across the board on football teams – some days we might ask (Jalen) Ramsey and the boys to play man 70 percent of the time. Some days we’re four-man rush and you’ve got to play zone because of the issues the opponent presents. Whatever those things are, when your moment to have the hard – when the moment of truth comes where you have the opportunity as a unit to do something, the team gets the residuals of if you’re ready, and I think they’d been working tirelessly at receiving the results that were close to expectation. It was a frustrating couple weeks for that group in particular, and to go and not wish and hope for better results, but to attack and earn those results through investment and daily diligence, that’s what football in the National Football League is and that’s where teams are made or broken, is in adverse times can you come through for your teammates. So I was happy with that effort and if we want to win football games, I think they have to be ready to do that at any time as well as any other phases, stepping up when their moment is.”
(What do you think on S Jordan Poyer and LB Emmanuel Ogbah?) – “(Jordan) Poyer, I’m very optimistic. I feel really good about it. (Emmanuel) Ogbah is a little day-to-day, a little more in the Jevón (Holland) category of I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying he will or won’t, just based upon the time before the game and how they’ve been in the past and how bad they want to be a reason for our success this weekend and contribute to the team as much as possible. So I’d put both in the day-to-day category and we’ll see how today progresses.”
Raheem Mostert – October 17, 2024
Download PDF version
Thursday, October 17, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(Is it just important to re-establish the running game this weekend?) – “Yeah, it’s very important, especially after what we did against the Patriots. Just trying to get back in the rhythm of the run game and it’s showing how important it is still. I’m always going to be a big advocate within the run game, so if we can come out here right out of the jump, put our foot down and establish the line of scrimmage and carry the ball and ease everything up for ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley), it’ll go a long way. I’m excited about this week. I’m excited about what we got going on.”
(I was going to ask you about that because QB Tyler Huntley said he’s feeling more comfortable learning the playbook, but just to help him so you balance it out?) – “Yeah, it’s all about a balance. You can’t do one thing without the other. You need the pass game to complement the run game and the run game to complement the pass game, and that’s something we tried to focus on this week in particular, because we see a lot of stuff on the offensive side of the ball that we can attack and exploit in the run game.”
(Getting you going, RB Jaylen Wright and maybe if RB De’Von Achane can come back at some point, could you put out a three-headed monster if all you guys are—) – “I mean yeah, we definitely could, but we got to focus on our individual game, of course. We’re just excited about the opportunity to go out here and try to run against the Colts. They got a good defense though. They got (Zaire) Franklin at the linebacker position and (E.J.) Speed, they both are great linebackers that are running down, and they’re pretty fast and they’re making plays for themselves so. And then that d-line, I was told that maybe ‘Buck’ is coming back, DeForest Buckner. I’m very familiar with him, back in my San Francisco time with him, and he’s just a playmaker. He’s a stud and he’s a guy that is going to do everything in his power to make sure he plays a good game. So it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
(There’s a lot to be said for having a bye at the end of the year leading into the playoffs and all, but given that you guys have had a rough patch with those three games, did the bye coming early sort of become a blessing for you guys?) – “I would say that it came at the right time, just because we came off of a three-game losing streak and then we ended up winning against the Patriots. It just feels like – I’m happy that it happened early. Yeah, it’s going to be tough because we have a long stretch, but we’re not the only team in the league that had a bye week that week. So we’re just excited to move on and our focus right now is the Colts.”
(Does it feel like a fresh start in a way?) – “In a way it does. When you’re able to win against a division opponent, against the Patriots, and then have the bye week, it almost feels like a reset in a way. But we’re getting guys back, guys are feeling good and that’s the most important thing. We we’re able to utilize our bye week.”
(Obviously you were off a couple of weeks, but have you guys noticed on film how teams are defending the outside zone differently? Or is it the same as last year?) – “Not necessarily. I think it’s just been cumulative of the entire offense and how we’ve been rolling thus far with the injuries and everything like that. But in the grand scheme of things, in particular, I know me coming back just felt like – I felt like it was a bit of a weight. I felt like I was able to come back and produce at a good pace, a good level given my injury that I had with my chest. So I felt like it was just a kickstart for the offense a little bit. Hopefully ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) is feeling the same way. I had a conversation with him as soon as I got back and he was like, ‘Hey Heem, you really do make a little bit of a difference back here when you’re back,’ and I’m looking at him like, ‘Hey man, I just play this game. I’m just trying to help you out.’ So we just had those conversations and honestly, it’s been good. You can tell he’s just feeling a little more relaxed in this offense and that’s what we needed.”
(So you came away completely healthy with that chest after the bye week?) – “Yeah, oh yeah. I’m good now, so chest is doing good. I feel like my back is still tight, but other than that – I don’t know if it’s the age or not but just one of those things. (laughter) It’s all good.”
