Frank Smith – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(It’s been pretty consistent with TE Julian Hill getting the most snaps for tight ends pretty much most every game. What’s led to that this year, that shift in playing time toward him?) – “I think a lot of it was in training camp, a lot of things he was doing really well and he’s a young player still, as we see it, ascending. I know with him right now, he’s very conscious of certain areas he needs to improve on and those are things last week that we really worked on and we saw improvement. The big thing that we love about Julian (Hill) is his focus, how important this is to him and being an in-line blocker isn’t easy in the NFL. So just with us, it’s goes as a culmination of things and we’re looking to build upon what we did well last week and continue it this week versus Indy.”
(What was the difference that you saw in the run game efficiency against the Patriots? Was it opponent-based or was it more execution?) – “It was a little bit of both. We saw with the attack that we were able to do some things that would allow us collectively to really focus on a couple areas of our fundamentals and really attack that part of the game plan. A credit to the guys, they really worked on it during the week with their fundamentals and how they were going to do it. Especially a division opponent on the road and where we were at, it was an area that we thought, ‘Hey, if we do this, we can really shift the attack into all things with the run game.’ You always want as an offense to be balanced in your attack and then the way the game goes, you might run a little bit more or throw a little more the way it goes back and forth, so really everything went into what we kind of thought they were going to play, how we were going to focus between the core blockers, the backs, the receivers, how it was all going to be connected and I think it was really a credit to the guys of their execution (which) allowed us to be really effective in the run game versus New England.”
(How big was it to get TE Jonnu Smith more involved?) – “It was great because once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s very, very much effective down the field. So I think this is something as we were looking at ourselves, and especially over the bye week, areas that we can really improve and help ourselves and it’s just making sure that overall, utilizing all of our guys to be involved in the passing game and utilizing all of our guys in different areas of the run game as well in different capacities.”
(A question about WR Odell Beckham Jr. We hear different players, quarterbacks and receivers talk about how intricate this offense is – the shifts, the motions, the timing. Is it realistic that a veteran such as OBJ can be an immediate impact guy or do you kind of phase him in a little bit?) – “It’s kind of what are you looking to do and then when you’re looking at the defense, what areas can your personnel lead you to advantages in matchups and advantages in run games. I don’t think you necessarily go, OK, you assume he’s going to be able to take it all in at once. That’s not fair to anyone. So I think ultimately, we look at it of, all right, who’s the defense? How are we going to attack them? All right, with our deployment of the people, what’s the best way to work matchups? And I think that’s kind of overall, what we always try to go with so like, each week is different; but the more you’re here, the more you get involved, the more things you can pick up on, all the things that guys who have been here for three years know. But I think each week we look at ways to attack the defense and we use our people so we’re excited to continue his growth in this next week.”
(We saw what an improvement it could be for QB Tyler Huntley going from start No. 1 to start No. 2 with a week. How much did this bye week and two weeks now before the next start help all you guys get him prepared?) – “I think it was really good for everyone, not alone him. Yeah, it does – the familiarity with certain things, with how guys play live and the communication he’s having as he’s working with the guys – but I think when the season doesn’t start out the way you were anticipating, what do you do? You can either go into panic or disarray, or you really focus on OK, what have we done well and how do we really build upon that and then work and utilize our guys to get better? So I think that was really what last week allowed us to do, is to really focus on ourselves, ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) included. But I think really for us, it was getting back to some basic principles and making sure we execute them better. And then that’s the challenge now this week – what did we learn from last week? Areas we’ve grown and now being able to do it again on the road up in Indianapolis.”
(Provided that RB De’Von Achane can play on Sunday, I believe it would be the first time you have him, RB Raheem Mostert and RB Jaylen Wright active since the opener when Raheem got hurt and exited that game. What would the impact be on the offense playing all three of those backs for you guys?) – “It’d be great. Guys are going their process to return to the game so we follow medical for all of that, but ultimately when we get back to full health Sunday with our guys, it would be a fun opportunity to really use our personnel to attack the defense in different ways.”
(A question about Indy. Colts G Quenton Nelson, impactful player. What can a guard do for a team and what does he do for that offense?) – “Guards in general, they help you control the front edge of the pocket obviously in the passing game, obviously they’re point-of-attack blockers in the run game. Whatever scheme you utilize, obviously there’s a different emphasis to the way they impact the blocking. Like my time in New Orleans we had Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans who at the time were about as good as it gets, and we were heavy inside zone in gaps schemes because of the way they could splice the line of scrimmage and the way they could set the front edge of the pocket for Drew (Brees), kind of we built from there. So I think it’s ultimately who do you have, what do they do well and how are you going to utilize your people, so with what they do, obviously he’s a very good player for their system – ultimately, I think when you’re building a line, you’re always looking at the matchups and how you can do different schemes. For us, we do a bunch variations to different things that allow our guys to be in positions to be successful.”
(Colts own the second-worst run defense in the league. Without giving up too much of the game plan, how important will that running back room be for Sunday?) – “I think when you look at all defenses whether statistically they’re doing something – like statistically it says they’re poor or they’re doing something well – I think it ultimately comes down to the backs being connected to the linemen and understanding how we’re trying to attack the defense through different schemes, being connected to the blocking allows them to be able to know where they can anticipate through their aiming points, where the reads will be. So I think just whenever you’re facing any defense in the league, because every week is challenging in its own right, even if someone statistically isn’t doing well, it’s the challenge of the execution to make sure we’re all connected. Because ultimately you don’t want the running backs to have to do it all on their own where it’s like guys are unblocked, they’re just making people miss. It’s like you want to make sure that everyone’s in phase so that way we’re able to connect and hit the pockets of the defense that we’re anticipating.”
(To that point, has the thought of incorporating QB Tyler Huntley into designed runs been brought up at all over the bye week, having an extra week for this game?) – “We’ve weighed it each week and it’s just going – for us, it’s more of what is the defense, how are they trying to defend the run, what are the areas you can create advantages for yourself. So it’s like normally each week it’s all right, what are the areas that we think we can get a matchup or we can get an angle or something to that extent. Each week we evaluate it and it basically always comes down to what does the defense present and how can we challenge them when we’re deciding which stuff to do.”
(With QB Skylar Thompson, how comfortable are you guys with him now throwing the football and moving around in the pocket based on what you’ve seen from practice recently?) – “He’s still working himself all the way back to feeling comfortable, so ultimately with Skylar (Thompson) being here for so long, once he’s returned and everything and feeling completely ready to go, obviously we know what he brings. I think ultimately for us it’s just making sure that when guys go through their process to return to play, it’s making sure that we’re all clear, everything’s good and then we can get him back to doing what we do. Because ultimately for us offensively, it’s you want to do what guys do best and you play to their play strengths and then ultimately we have our way – our offensive system when we go – so each quarterback really provides a… like ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) has a different skill set that he provides than Skylar, but I think ultimately his ability to throw the football and play in the pocket and also move his feet, we feel very confident that when we need him to play, he’ll be ready to go.”
(So is QB Tim Boyle – he’ll be the backup this week?) – “Today we’re still with the process for the rest of the week. We just make sure we’re figuring that out before we set everything in stone for Sunday.”
(Well QB Tua Tagovailoa still has to become eligible to return to practice and go through the final stages of the protocol. How quickly do you feel that could happen for him just to get back into the offense and back into the swing of things to be able to start again if he were to be cleared quickly once he’s eligible?) – “I think whenever he’s cleared to return to play, we’ll just see how that process plays out. But the way he is, I’m sure it’ll be nose to the grindstone, here we go, and making sure that he can be ready to go for whatever the timeline is. He’s been great in the process and is trying to play, just his energy so whenever that happens we’ll make sure that we do the right things and his return to play is all handled appropriately.”
(I know you guys don’t want to make excuses, I’m not asking you to, but from a coaching challenge standpoint you’ve gone from QB Tua Tagovailoa to QB Skylar Thompson to QB Tyler Huntley, QB Tim Boyle in there; how difficult has that been on this coaching staff, like this staff, has this been the biggest offensive challenge that you’ve faced?) – “I don’t know. For me, no, I mean, I remember back in 2016 Chicago when Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley; I mean, we went through a whole – that was a very much challenge in itself, and that was a very tough year. This one, when you’re dealing with the variance of guys at the quarterback position, it’s just making sure that we have a plan built that they understand and can execute and communicate. So it’s weird, like as a coach, you embrace the challenges and you love the challenges because it’s all problem solving. So sometimes you enjoy the challenge of each week and the variables that it plays out, and other weeks you wish that they didn’t occur. So it’s kind of that, you’re like, ‘Yes, here comes the challenge,’ then like ‘Oh gosh, I wish it wasn’t as hard this week.’ But I think it all comes down to the guys we’ve had and the way they go about their process, and that’s what makes it easier for us because we know how diligent they are and how ready to go they are.”
Anthony Weaver – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(Do you think S Jevón Holland is going to be able to play with a club on Sunday? Or is it just expecting too much at that position to play with that limitation?) – “Yeah, we’re certainly hopeful as a staff. I think with that kid, I’m not saying he can’t do anything. So if I was going to count on anybody to get out there and play, it would be him – but we’re preparing for both situations.”
(In regards to when you have a safety with something on their hand, do you look at them as “Hey, the opposition might go after them because they have some limitations?”) – “Well unfortunately, we’ve had three. So I think our safeties are taking boxing classes in their off-time or something like that. We had a situation with (Jordan) Poyer, he did something to his hand in training camp, as well as Marcus Maye and both those guys at this point have played excellent when they’ve been out there. So regardless of if he has something on his hand or not, I think he’ll be able to go out there and do his job.”
(A question about your defensive success – you’ve got nine sacks, and you’ve allowed teams to rush for 100 yards each game, but you’re No. 5 in the league in defense. Why are you No. 5? Why have you had success?) – “The run defense numbers, obviously we got to improve there. That’s certainly a thorn in our side at this point. It’s particularly the explosive plays that have hurt us in the run game. In terms of our success, I think a lot of that has been our pass defense and then just guys collectively starting to grasp big picture wise what we’re trying to accomplish. I think as long as we don’t give up those explosives and let the ball go over our head in the pass game, we have the guys that are going to make plays if we force offenses to try to matriculate the ball down the field, which nobody wants to do, particularly this team we’re going to play this week.”
(What about red zone defense? Those numbers aren’t that flattering. Is that just a byproduct of the run struggles?) – “I don’t think so. Some of those numbers, just situations we’ve been put in bad spots. We’ve had a couple of pass interferences where they’ve gotten the ball on the one – those obviously kill your red zone numbers. We had a couple long third downs that were converted where, I mean good throw, good catch, hats off to them. I was encouraged by the last game where we went 0 for two and that’ll help. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come, and like I said, I think it’s just a matter of finishing particularly when they get down there.”
(What challenges does QB Anthony Richardson pose?) – “I mean you’ve seen him. He’s back there, when he pulls the ball down to run, he looks like John Riggins. He’s enormous, he’s big, he runs through people and then he has a hose for an arm. The throw he made against Houston, which was like 70 yards in the air falling backwards was incredible. So just his skill set, his physical attributes, he is certainly still maturing as a player, but I think his ceiling is incredibly high.”
(The splits in the red zone for the Colts are much better with QB Anthony Richardson in the game. I’m curious what a quarterback with his running ability does to make the challenge even more difficult in the red area.) – “It’s a nightmare because essentially, they always have another hat for you when you use him as a runner. I’ve lived through that, have got to watch that from my own sideline with Lamar (Jackson) for the last three years. So the thing we try to stress to the guys is that even when it’s empty, you got to play it like wildcat because he can certainly pull the ball down and they can do a bunch of scheme runs in that situation. So it certainly provides issues for our defense; you find certain ways to try to attack them and not leave your defensive backs vulnerable and we’ll try to do just that.”
(What difference does RB Jonathan Taylor’s presence make to their offense and to your defense?) – “Yeah, I think that kid is an absolute stud. When I watch him, he reminds me a little bit of Fred Taylor in the sense that he has some patience and vision. He’s a guy that’s going to dip in an out of holes – Le’Veon Bell type back – and then still has the speed to get away from guys. So if he doesn’t play, it certainly doesn’t hurt us. If he does play, you always want to play against the best and I consider him one of those.”
(You’ve been getting some good playing, some good minutes and snaps from DT Da’Shawn Hand. What has he shown you – probably since the beginning of when you got here to where he is now?) – “Yeah, I mean Da’Shawn – you look at him, he’s as strong as an ox. And every day he’s in this building, he just works. He’s not an excuse maker, he’s not a guy that goes out and makes the same mistake multiple times. He’s just constantly trying to get a little bit better each day, which is all we ask of every single player on the team. So I’m happy with where he’s at, I’m happy he’s stayed healthy throughout and knock on wood, he’s out there for all 17 for us.”
(How much more can you get out of LB Tyus Bowser now that he’s been with the team for a bit as opposed to just arriving on Thursday morning and going and playing 30 snaps on Sunday?) – “Yeah, a lot. Tyus (Bowser) is obviously a guy I have history with, and unfortunately, he missed last season with dealing with some things with his knee. I think Tyus is a tremendous football player. I still think he’s kind of working himself into where he was prior to injury, but he’s extremely knowledgeable from a scheme standpoint. He can play multiple positions, so just when you’re able to acquire somebody that’s that familiar with what you’re doing, particularly at this point in the season, it’s huge for a defense because you don’t have to limit yourself when he’s in the game. So I think the sky is the limit for him as he gets more confident in where he’s at with his body, I think you’re just going to see more production from him.”
(Was his name one that came up? Did General Manager Chris Grier ask you about him earlier this offseason, obviously with your background with him? And what physical skill does he have that makes him effective?) – “Yeah, I’ve been keeping an eye on Tyus (Bowser) for a while because when I first got here, he still wasn’t cleared to play. So we were just keeping an eye on him where he was from a health standpoint, just because I knew he would be a seamless add to the defense. And another thing that happens, and I saw it – you saw way back in 2008, 2009 when Rex Ryan went to the Jets and he brought Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him to the Jets, that you have guys that are scheme familiar that are able now to help you teach the other guys some of the intricacies of what you’re trying to get done. So in terms of his ability and his flexibility, he can play SAM backer, he’s a guy that’s had 9.5, almost 10 sacks I believe when I was with him in 2021. You can rush him from multiple spots – on the edge, inside, he can drop and knows every drop with detail, so just adds tremendous value for us.”
(Going back to RB Jonathan Taylor and QB Anthony Richardson, what kind of added layer of stress is there late in the game having to account for a running back and a running quarterback? I know the Ravens come to mind with how they use RB Derrick Henry late in the game where they’re able to just take over a game late in those situations.) – “Yeah, always an issue, particularly in close games. And the things where they really stress you is when they’re particularly in plus territory, it’s four downs for them. So that normal situation where it’s third-and-5, third-and-6 where typically thinking, ‘All right, let’s go hunt and get after the passer,’ you’re playing those more 50-50 situations now. So to me, that’s probably the biggest stress in it all is that your typical, predictable pass downs don’t play like that when you have those guys.”
(Have you found any noticeable growth in LB Chop Robinson through his first five games?) – “Yeah, I thought his last game was his best game to date. You talk about setting the edge, falling back, playing gap and a half, impacting the passer – which we obviously expected and know that he can do. I’m pleased with his trajectory and how he’s grown so far this season. I know the sack hasn’t been there yet, but he’s close. And like I tell all rushers, they come in bunches. As soon as you get that first one, you usually get a bunch of them back-to-back. So just looking forward to that kid’s career as he pushes forward.”
(What stands out in the self-scouting that you did during the bye week for your defense?) – “Yeah, the biggest one I think was just the explosive run numbers. If you take the biggest explosive run out of each game, we’re like top five in run defense and yards per carry. Now, unfortunately you can’t do that. (laughter) We have to get that fixed, but I don’t think it’s going to require wholesale changes. Pleased obviously with what we’re doing on third down but knowing that you got to continue to spin the dial and keep offenses unbalanced. So just trying to make sure we’re not doing anything that’s going to come off as predictable when somebody is studying us.”
(Are you optimistic about having LB Emmanuel Ogbah on Sunday?) – “I am, I am. I mean you see the guy – he’s tough, he was out there through individuals yesterday. I know he’s nursing an injury, but just like I said about Jevón (Holland), I’m not counting that kid out.”
(A question about G Quenton Nelson. We look at QB Anthony Richardson, QB Joe Flacco, RB Jonathan Taylor, WR Michael Pittman Jr. – he might be the best player on their team, G Quenton Nelson. What can a guard do for them? What can he do for Anthony Richardson? What can he do for Jonathan Taylor?) – “Well first off, he went to an excellent university. Let’s start there, I mean arguably the best in the country. (laughter) No, I think the kid is an absolute stud. Me, particularly as a defensive line guy by nature, I don’t have the most love for offensive linemen; he is one that I do because he plays the game from the offensive perspective like a defensive lineman. He plays nasty, he’s trying to finish everything and to me, he’s kind of the tone setter for their offense. So when you have that guy, particularly when he’s big, right in the middle, he’s kind of your enforcer and your intimidator and guys tend to follow that guy.”
(When we first talked with you back in February or whenever that was, you raved about CB Jalen Ramsey’s flexibility. I’m curious, five games in, six weeks into the season, how you’ve seen that play out?) – “As expected – I don’t think there’s a position on the football field he hasn’t played. You blitz him sometimes like a SAM backer. We’ve put him all over the place, we’ve blitzed him from the corner position. I’m almost ready to put him at inside backer just to try to mess with these offensive guys. (laughter) But just love the kid and the intensity he brings to the game. His competitiveness and then just his overall football IQ allows him to play all of those spots seamlessly. To me, it’s incredibly admirable what he, and Kader Kohou as well – I don’t want him to get lost in all of this because when Jalen (Ramsey) does move, that requires somebody else to know the job too and Kader has been great. Just seamlessly moving those guys around and offenses trotting like the same people out there and when they don’t know where they’re going to be, that’s a problem.”
(Obviously you guys are having tremendous success on third downs, credit to you, but where would you want to have success on defense? I know sack production, turnovers, red zone defense, third down defense, obviously, those are all factors that connect to the outcome, but where would you put the most stock in terms of this defense helps teams win?) – “Scoring defense. That’s it. I’m pretty sure that you win 100 percent of the games where you score more points than the other team, pretty sure about that. (laughter) So we’re trying to hold offenses to as little points as possible. All the other stuff is incredibly important but ultimately, I think that’s all. All those measurables are to justify not allowing offenses to score, so that’s what’s most important to me. I love the stats, and it’s incredibly important. Obviously, you want to be great on defense but most importantly, we want to win games. That’s the most important stat and there’s going to be certain games that are required to win a certain way, and whatever way that is, we’ll try to play that way and get it done.”
(I know that takeaways are always emphasized, and you’ve got a quarterback like Anthony Richardson who’s tied for the second most interceptions, what do you tell your defensive backfield?) – “Nothing different than how we approach any other week where we’re always striving for takeaways. Coach (Joe) Barry just had a great meeting about takeaways and turnovers, both trying to preach to the offense of holding the ball and for us, punching it, strip-sacking, doing everything we can to try to get that ball away because when we win that differential, your percentages of winning go way up. And just like I said, ultimately that is goal – win the football game.”
(We saw that LB Jaelan Phillips posted that he had a successful surgery. What’s the approach he has taken through all of this where a lot of guys could be down over it but it seems like he’s positive?) – “Yeah, just what an incredible individual, right? The adversity that he was hit with, a lesser man, lesser person, you could see crumbling or going through a state of depression. He has not done that. He’s faced it head on, which you would hope particularly in this profession that we’re in, that’s what you do. After a storm comes the rain and this is a storm for him. I know he’s going to push through this and be the guy we expect him to be.”
Danny Crossman – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The punt that was blocked, was that – it looked like they had overloaded that side and the blocking got off. Was that them or was that you guys?) – “It was a combination. It’s the same rush they worked later in the game. Just slightly off on technique and you can’t be slightly off on technique versus good players. That’s probably their best player and he did a hell of a job with effort and lean and bend the corner and was able to get a hand on the football. But again, your technique is off a little bit some bad things can happen. Especially against good players.”
(LB Quinton Bell looked like he got in on a couple of field goal attempts on the kicker’s left side. What have you seen from him and what did you see – without getting too specific on those plays, what did you guys do right?) – “I think we’re doing a good job with that unit overall. It’s the old adage; you’re close but it doesn’t matter. We’ve done a good job on that team. We’ve had a couple of guys get close and I think as that happens the emphasis goes in certain directions which creates maybe some opportunities for some other players. I think ‘Q’ (Quinton Bell) did a good job and was ready to answer the bell, and when those opportunities came for him did a good job. We just got to, again, clean up the little bitty things which could be the difference between getting a hand on it and not getting a hand on it.”
(Kicking in domes, obviously no wind but kicking off turf, is that better than kicking off of natural grass? How do you view that?) – “It can vary based on the stadium, what type of turf it is. Some turfs – I was in Buffalo for six years and now have played there for six more years, that turf has a tendency to get slippery because it’s built into the ground with cement. So that gets a little bit slippery, other ones not as much so. The good thing for us is the kicker spends a lot of time in our indoor. They kick off turf, they warm up on turf, so it won’t be that big of a transition.”
(After a week where you had so many special teams mistakes, the botched snap, the blocked punt, missed field goal, what are special teams meetings like with Danny Crossman with those guys?) – “They’re the same. There is always going to be issues. Some of those things can’t – that snap issue is something that, I’ve been around this thing a long time, that’s the third time that a group that I’ve been involved with has had that happen. You’re going back to when I’m 12 years old. So those things can’t happen, but they do. You see it around the league, it doesn’t happen a lot, but those things can’t happen. We miss a field goal; we bang it off the upright which is our nemesis, as you guys know, and then we have a little breakdown with the technique. Those things we got to get cleaned up and they can get cleaned up. We also steal a possession by quick counting them and getting 12 guys on the field so it’s a turnover. We get a possession we do a good job on punt return twice. Doing a good job with the returner and the vice players on their gunners to get touchbacks against good players. There’s good things – I like a lot of things we are doing in the play; we’re just doing too many things that we have to do better before the play or at the end of the play. We had another penalty last week; we’ve got to eliminate the penalties. We’ve talked about that in here. The things that in my opinion we can control, that’s what we’ve got to do a better job of. They’re good players, we’re going to play good players. There’s going to be plays made. I can live with some of those things. The hard thing is living with the pre-snap, the post-snap things and the things that you can control. If you can control it, we’ve got to do a better job of it.”
(All of those things I mentioned occurred in the first half. Was there anything mentioned at halftime to get guys right?) – “To answer your previous – I’m harder during the week. On game day, game day is game day. They know when the mess up those things. There’s technique stuff that we’ll talk about, schematic stuff that we will spend a lot of time talking about, but when guys mess up, they know they mess up. They don’t need me reminding them; they know that. Blake (Ferguson) knows he had a poor snap. Jason (Sanders) knows he missed a field goal. What did we see technique standpoint that we can correct and let’s move on from that. Now when stuff happens in practice, then I get a little bit more upset because it’s private, it’s inhouse and nobody needs to see and hear about it. On game day, they don’t need to hear about it from me. They know. I mean you guys know – when you guys mess something up, you mess something up. When you mess something up, you don’t need somebody reminding you. Sadly, we all get reminded then you get even more mad. (laughter) But that’s part of life.”
(Are there certain calls in the punt return game where it’s an automatic fair catch for the return man?) – “Not necessarily when you’re going into – situationally yes, but overall no. It may be a case of based on score, time, time on the clock, trying to not use time, try to save time, try to take time off, no matter what if you can’t return – there’s a lot of those situations, but we don’t ever go into the game like, ‘Hey, we are going to fair catch.’ No.”
(There has been a couple of incidents where guys have jumped over the center on the line to block kicks. Take me through that from both sides. Do you coach your guys to do that, and what are your interior guys supposed to do?) – “It’s going to be an interesting thing because technically when that’s happening, there’s holding. In those situations that it’s happening, guys are grabbing the guard and grabbing the center and pulling them in a direction enable that player to jump through. By rule, it is legal if you’re at the line of scrimmage and leap over as long as no part of your body touches any of the offensive players. You can’t touch them on the way over, you can’t land on them – legal. The process of that, using hands to grab and pull people is something that you’ll see the league is looking into because that goes outside of what is viewed on paper as legal. That’s something that’s in everybody’s gameplan and a lot of times it’s based on the technique you see the field goal team. There are some things that the field goal team can do to help themselves, but I think that is something you’ll see being talked about here in the near future.”
(On the blocked punt, LB Duke Riley was on that side and the week before he almost had the touch. He’s one of your more reliable guys generally. Is there any conversation you feel needs to be had with him?) – “Believe me, we have conversations all the time. Again, a little bit off on your technique against a very good player and that’s the kind of stuff happens. If you guys want to go back and look at it, it’s the exact same alignment, outside, wide 1, 2, 3, that they run later in the game and you get it protected. Again, the technique is a little bit better and it doesn’t happen. I don’t care what it is; when you play good players and you’re off a little bit, I don’t care what position. If you’re off a little bit, there is a chance of something negative happening and it happened to us. Credit to them and more importantly credit to the player. He makes a hell of an effort, leans around the edge and still it’s almost like, how the heck did he get a piece of that.”
(To move things forward, what do you see in Indy? K Rigoberto Sanchez, what do you see about their special teams?) – “They’re a good group. Matt Gay was a good pick up for them. They’re playing the game aggressively. They have a really good group of core players. They have that 200- or 230-pound group, they’ve got about six or seven guys that all run very well and then they add the big guys into it, so they’ve got a couple of big bodies that cause you some problems also. It’s a well-coached group. They made a switch at returner with (Josh) Downs and he’s done a good job of getting the ball up the field. They’ll be ready to play.”
Tyler Huntley – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
QB Tyler Huntley
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said today that there’s been a night and day difference since you first arrived. What would you say is working for you now and continue to help you play well?) – “Just continue those reps. We keep going through reps, and the more you get more reps, the better you feel.”
(Did you spend the bye week just throwing yourself into the playbook?) – “Yeah, just honing in on the footwork and all the various calls. I’m just trying to recite them to myself and get a great feeling for them.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle mentioned that you called guys back early from the bye week to throw passes to, was that last Thursday or Friday? And how many guys had you called to come back early and how many showed up?) – “I didn’t really want to bother too many guys, you know what I mean? The guys that were able to come back early and had a chance to catch a few passes, it was good.”
(Was it WR Jaylen Waddle? Who else in that group?) – “It was a couple guys. You got ‘Nu,’ (Jonnu Smith). It was a couple guys there, it was good.”
(And was this like Friday?) – “No, it was Saturday, Sunday.”
(It’s weird as a backup quarterback because you obviously want to play as long as you can, but the team certainly wants to see QB Tua Tagovailoa back as soon as possible. Does it go through your mind that, “Hey, this may be the last time I get to play for a while?”) – “Man, I’m just looking at the opportunities. Just working to win this game this week and that’s all I can control.”
(How do you feel like this has gone for you – this Miami experience?) – “It’s been going great and it’s only going to get better as much time as I’m here. We’re just going to continue to build off of that.”
(How familiar are you with the Colts defense? Have you faced them in recent years?) – “Yeah, we played them a couple times in Baltimore. They’re a good defense, fly sideline to sideline.”
(Is it more about the comfort level for you? What I mean by that is you’ve doubled your passing yards in the last game compared to the first game you started.) – “Yeah definitely, that’s all it is. Repping plays like I said, repping plays gives us a better chance of feeling more comfortable doing it.”
(Last game the run game really got going, what does that do for you?) – “That opens up a lot of the pass lanes. The defense has got to stay honest and be able to get some passes downfield.”
(And with that said, do you think there’s possibilities of you getting incorporated more into running the ball?) – “I’m here to play quarterback, so no. I make runs when I need to.”
(Is anybody local – friends or family, or coaches, high school football friends, anybody new going to come to this one that hasn’t been out yet?) – “I don’t know. If so, they all got their tickets on their own. I wouldn’t know. (laughter)”
(Are you itching at that first touchdown pass because it’s been almost a year since you’ve thrown a touchdown pass? You did that with the Ravens against Seattle last November.) – “I had one in the Steelers game too, that was a little later in the year. But whatever it takes for this team to win, that’s what we’re going to do, and I hope to come out with a lot of passing touchdowns.”
(How beneficial did you feel like the bye week was? Do you feel like you have a deeper understanding of the offense after this week?) – “Yeah, definitely. It was great to have the bye week when we did, it gave us time to get a break. I got time to move into my house, got settled in and able to get into my playbook.”
(It was an earlier bye week than we’re used to, but in this case, do you think it was ideal for this team to kind of be rejuvenated and sort of get the cobwebs out and sort of put everything, all the negative stuff behind them as far as what’s happened on the field?) – “Yeah, definitely. It was good to go into the bye week with a win and we’re going to build off of that. We got some days to rest up and be ready for this week coming up.”
(Do you know anything about their young QB Anthony Richardson from the University of Florida? Have you seen any highlights or anything?) – “Yeah, I watched him when he played at Florida. He’s a great quarterback, made a lot of plays. Yeah, he’s a baller.”
(So you said you got newly settled in, it had been a long time since you’ve been a South Florida resident, right? So what was that like?) – “It was good. Being able to have your own place and not being in the hotel and living out the suitcase.”
(What is your confidence level at right now? Being able to have a break like this, but being able to grow the chemistry as well.) – “It’s great. I’ve got great confidence in my team and especially our coaches. They’ve been prepping me, getting me ready every week, and it’s only going to get better.”
(Are you a Taylor Swift fan?) – “I like Taylor Swift, the person that she is. That’s really not my cup of tea, but I can tell from a distance she’s a great person.”
Tyreek Hill – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(How have you seen QB Tyler Huntley kind of grow in the short time he’s been here?) – “He’s been doing a great job. He’s been doing a fantastic job overcommunicating with clarity amongst the guys. I can see the confidence each and every week from playcalling, from getting guys in line and just understanding the playbook. He’s been doing a great job.”
(Is one of his key attributes is that he’s always smiling. He’s always very positive?) – “Yes, that is one of the great things about ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley). You can see him in this building walking wherever – I seen him leaving out of the bathroom earlier, he was smiling at me. He’s always smiling. ‘Snoop’ is a great guy, he’s always smiling.”
(It has to be a disappointing offensive showing the first couple of weeks. With this bye week were you able to put it aside and it’s almost like a fresh start here?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. The great thing about the NFL is it’s going to continue on going, and obviously we get a chance to learn form our mistakes from the past and get better from it. We’ve got a great head coach who does a great job of holding himself accountable, holding his players accountable. Today we had a great day of practice. Things aren’t going to go perfect but I believe our operation was great, guys were getting out of the huddle good. No pre-snap penalties as far as false starts from the wideouts, the running backs, the linemen, so I think today was a good start to where we used to be.”
(Has Head Coach Mike McDaniel come up with different ways to get you the ball? Do you think that’s been needed?) – “No, no, I don’t think it’s needed. Like I said our head coach, he does a great job. He understands situations, and there is so many guys to get the ball to there man. Not only me, you got (Jaylen) Waddle, (De’Von) Achane, Odell (Beckham Jr.), ‘Heem’ (Raheem Mostert), Jonnu (Smith). My job is my job. Whenever he calls my play to get open, I’m going to do my thing. He doesn’t have to try to force it or anything.”
(Do you feel like you’ve been playing at the same level as years past? The number aren’t there, but you lost your quarterback obviously.) – “I’m going to do my thing regardless. ‘Cheetah’ going to be ‘Cheetah.’ I’m not going to make no excuses; I’m not going to point anybody out because that’s not what I do, man. But I will say, I’m ‘Cheetah’ baby. I’m going to deal with any circumstance that I’ve got. I’m here for this team, I’m here for my brothers all day long. If I’m open, I’m not going to go to the sideline and point it out. We’re going to fix it whenever we watch film as an offense the next day. As long as I continue to put it on film, I’m good.”
(If you guys win, you get to 3-3. Considering some of the struggles, are you – I don’t want to say happy with that record, but knowing there’s still 10 games ahead – confident in where you are moving forward?) – “We’re always happy about winning. I think that’s the most positive thing any team would want. Obviously the first few games didn’t start the way we wanted it to. You said it we’re 2-3, but it’s all about how you finish. Hopefully down this long stretch that we’ve got, we can put together some wins.”
(You mean to tell me that when you come back to the sideline you don’t say anything to the quarterback?) – “No, I don’t. I just tell him, ‘Hey man, let’s go. Keep going. Keep going.’ That’s my mentality, I’ve always been like that. My parents raised me in a different shape of form. I know people try to compare me to ‘AB’ (Antonio Brown) all the time, but I’ll never run off the field and ruin my paycheck like that. I’m smart at the end of the day, I got kids to take care of. I’m never going to do that. I love ‘AB’ to death, but I just feel like at the end of the day – my dad always told me if you put it on tape, the eye in the sky won’t lie. So if you’re open, they’ll see it. Keep doing it over and over again. That’s the mentality.”
(Not in a bad way. You can have a constructive conversation.) – “You can. You can, but I feel like at the end of the day a quarterback is almost like a kicker. If you say something to him then, you’re in his head. I don’t have to do that – when it’s time, it time baby.”
(It’s hard to know this without QB Tua Tagovailoa, but have you sensed the pre-snap motion have been as effective as getting the defense off balanced this year as they were for you guys the last two years?) – “Yeah, they have. I feel like the pre-snap motions have been helping us a lot, whether that’s getting bump coverage off me and (Jaylen) Waddle so we can have those free releases. Whether that’s trying to figure out what kind of defense they are playing, are they running shell, are they running cover four – pre-snap motions have been helping us out a lot.”
(What’s your reaction to WR Davante Adams, and WR Amari Cooper going into the AFC East? Do you feel like a trendsetter – a Pro Bowl receiver getting traded to the AFC East like that?) – “They’re still not the best receiver in the league, because I am and I stand on that. I want my momma to send me this and say, ‘You’re talking your trash today,’ because I am. (laughter) No, I’m definitely happy for Davante (Adams) teaming back up with his old quarterback – I know that’s obviously where he wanted to be. And for Amari (Cooper), I think him and Josh Allen those two guys will play very well together, because Amari is still one of those guys that can get open. It’s going to be a good test for our DBs when we play them, but got Jalen Ramsey on our team – we straight.”
Jevón Holland – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
S Jevón Holland
(It must be hard to play with a broken bone in a hand. Do you think you’re going to be able to with some sort of protection on it this Sunday?) – “Definitely going to be day-to-day. So yeah, just keep it at day-to-day.”
(How did you feel today?) – “Felt good. It’s just my hand so the rest of my limbs feel good. (laughter)”
(Is it hard to play with a cast on or something like a cast, some sort of protective covering in your position, is it difficult to play safety position – you specifically – to play with a protective thing on your hand? Is it difficult?) – “Presumably. Yeah, I’ve never really done it before so it’s my first time. But yeah, I’m going to assume it’s going to be a little difficult. If I have to club it, I’m not really sure yet, but yeah, I’m going to assume it’s going to be a little hard to catch the ball and whatnot because it’s kind of in the way.”
(If you put some kind of cast or club on it, do you plan on using it to try to draw the ball loose like you did that Week 1 game?) – “I mean, probably, and it probably won’t that hurt bad since it’s casted and everything. So yeah, I’ll probably end up doing that.”
(What is the feeling when you’re running around, do you feel it or is just like when you make contact?) – “Honestly this is my first broken bone for real, so it kind of just feels like a bad jam almost. That’s as best as I can explain it.”
(Do you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel and the trainers want to go through the week before deciding your status for Sunday?) – “Yeah, yeah and the doctors.”
(What do you think about facing Colts QB Anthony Richardson?) – “It’s going to be fun. He’s got a strong arm. He can make plays with his feet. They’ve got a good offense and I’m looking forward to it.”
(When you face a quarterback with that kind of athleticism, what kind of challenges does it present to the secondary?) – “Just extending the plays, that’s really kind of the difficult part. A lot of the time like in zones or whatnot, if we’re in a big zone and they spread the field, it opens up the middle for him to run so that makes it difficult. Obviously, we’ve got to come off coverage and make the tackle. If he can extend plays and keep his eyes downfield, we’ve got to cover for longer, so just that and even in the front, they’ve got to keep their run lanes and that’s hard for them because a lot of the time, there are gaps where they can go make plays on the quarterback but because he’s so athletic it’s easy for him to evade and get into open lanes.”
(Do you feel like the bye week is kind of like a reset?) – “I would hope so. I hope everybody decided to reset this week. You’ve got like four days off, kick it, chill, come back with a fresh mindset. Everybody’s like, body’s fresh, so I would hope they use it as a reset.”
(Besides the athleticism, did you get a chance to see that throw he made, I think it was in Week 1?) – “Yeah, it was a bomb. It was to (Alec) Pierce, I think? Cannon.”
(When a quarterback can do that, how does it impact how deep you have to play as a safety? Is it something you have to just be constantly mindful of throughout the play?) – “Yeah, I think it’s just continuing to play through the whistle because a lot of the times deep balls like that, you kind of just kick it. Like it gets to point where you’re already back there covering him and the receiver keeps running and you’re kind of like, ‘all right, the quarterback is not going to throw it, he’s too far.’ But with a quarterback like that with a cannon like that, you’ve got to just keep on going back.”
(What would are a couple of things that have led some of the success the defense have had on third down?) – “On third down, I think it’s just trusting our keys and fundamentals honestly. For defense if you just play the call, do your job as a one-eleventh of the defense, then you’re going to eventually come out successful especially because our coaches are putting us in position to be successful. So if you don’t try to do too much and force plays and you just work your technique, you’ll be all right.”
(Besides dealing with your hand was there anything specific that you did during the bye week to kind of help you reset mentally?) – “No, I was kicking it. There was a tornado and (expletive) and hurricane so I was just really trying to kick it. Oregon whooped on Ohio State so Jerome Baker, that’s my guy, but y’all took an L. I knew it was going to happen, but anyway, we’ve got Purdue next on Friday so y’all tap in. But other than that, nothing else.”
Mike McDaniel – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We did not spot LB Emmanuel Ogbah at Monday’s practice. Is he injured, and will he play this weekend?) – “He is day to day but doing well.”
(Is RB De’Von Achane still in the protocol?) – “He is progressing through the protocol with all things positive. The last protocol piece is based upon activity that he should be doing. Hopefully he’ll get some clarity on that, but we feel good where he’s at, for sure.”
(Is QB Tua Tagovailoa still on pace to practice the first day that he’s eligible and when will he be getting out of protocol if you can tell us that?) – “Nothing has changed from Monday with Tua. The process will go as – you have to allow days to progress for evaluation of where you’re at and have a proper assessment. I feel good about him; the experts and family and everybody that’s been involved has been very diligent. When the next step occurs, the next step occurs. Don’t really know what time is.”
(The last time you played a game, your three rivals in the AFC East looked markedly different from how they look today. I’m wondering, how much are you monitoring that and what do you make of the division now with all of the changes that have taken place?) – “First of all, I’ve always looked at it like it helps your team the better the teams are in your division ultimately if you’re trying to succeed at something. It makes your team have to be better, and really I caught wind of it but I’ve had plenty of focus on how to get our team better, like pretty much every team is doing. The two teams that added a player, it will be pretty cool to see how they involve themselves in the team and where their teams go and what type of challenge that will present. I know the players very well and they are very good players. I’m not the guy that’s like, ‘Oh man, somebody got somebody.’ If you are trying to do what you say you want to do you have to beat whatever team, whatever day in whatever stadium. We just need to get better, as I’m sure every team in our division is saying that, because if you don’t you will be at the bottom part of that division if you don’t get better.”
(QB Tyler Huntley has been here for about a month, I think. Is he at the point now that I’m not going to say the training wheels are off, but whatever you want to call, you’re able to call?) – “I think it’s a cool point because there are things you learn that he learns about, what we’re doing, why we are doing it. He absolutely knows he knows things, but then there’s extra variables that you learn. As well as from a coaching perspective, I like to make decisions based upon concrete information and whatever that information is I can adjust. It’s more difficult when you know a player from a far, but you don’t know the daily of how – his first week of practice, we found out his Thursday was going to be an improvement over Wednesday and Friday was going to be an improvement over Thursday, as you want quarterbacks to do with weekly gameplans – didn’t know that was the case. Certain things that I can tell he has conviction on throwing or running or doing whatever, you go into it thinking you know, you get a lot of clarity. For all parties involved, it is a night and day difference because we’re working together to improve results day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out. I think ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) has really done a fantastic job becoming a part of our team in a way where teammates needed him to continue to develop and he has. I look forward to seeing what he does today, because what I’ve learned from him is that tomorrow he’ll have an even better day and continue to stack through the week. Very, very valuable information that there was a lot in the previous games that you learned more and more each game, but you feel more convicted in what you’re doing play-in, play-out when you have the nuanced information. I’ve always tried to tailor offense to player’s skill sets, and you get a little bit better idea so you can be a little bit more detailed in what you can do.”
(What’s the status of WR River Cracraft? Is he possibly having his practice window open?) – “I don’t see it this week. It’s a week-to-week deal. I don’t see it this week, but I am encouraged by his progress for sure.”
(Is someone getting a practice window open? You mentioned on Monday there were some possibilities.) – “We won’t today. I was kind of looking at it like through the progress of the week because I need specifically Wednesday and Thursday to really know where everyone is at. You get used to in the job of all sorts of issues, but they clear up on Wednesday and Thursday whether that’s other players or whether that’s players opening a window. It’s those two workdays in particular where most of the information comes, so I’m confident I’ll have more information which might be the same information on Friday.”
(Is S Jevón Holland open to trying to see if he can play?) – “Yeah. He’s – don’t get it twisted – football players got into football to play football. He is going to be smart with the team and not be irresponsible with forcing a round peg into a square hole, but he also knows that he’s a very good player that we’re better off with when he’s playing. So I’m very comfortable with all parties involved making an appropriate decision for the right reasons and (he is) definitely spending a lot of time in the training room to try to make that come to life.”
(Do you anticipate a little extra pep in the step of your players coming off the rest and getting away from the facility during the bye?) – “Yes and no. When your team collectively is trying to battle through some adversity, that doesn’t go away with one week. You kind of have a hunger to… it’s one of the rare times players get – it’s a lot of wear and tear on the body for all the players, the sleep and rest and seeing your family as coaches. But generally when you’re trying to get something right, these are the rare times you’re like, ‘Yeah, I do not want the bye week right now.’ So I do think there will be pep just because of the eagerness. It was a highly motivated post-bye Monday practice more so more spirited, more focused, as it should be because you don’t get into this profession – anybody involved – to have things happen and to hope for better circumstances. You’ve got to put the work in and I think the work has matched the vigor to get our ball better and that’s what we’ll be sweating through today.”
(A question about the run game. According to my numbers, when you guys have 25 or more carries, you’re 16-7. When you have 27 or more carries, you’re 11-4. But you have RB Raheem Mostert who has missed some games, RB De’Von Achane in concussion protocol, RB Jeff Wilson Jr. has had a knee problem, RB Jaylen Wright is a rookie – how do you balance that? Is it keep going and it’s next man up? Or are you mindful of what the workload could do to your guys?) – “So I think that’s – going into the season, specifically the work that Chris (Grier) and his staff did, we felt very good about the running back room and felt in a way that you feel that all guys are capable starters for you and that you can play winning football and do all the things you want to do with running backs, whether that’s handing it to them or having them run routes. So we knew that had the potential of being a strength, but what you need is a group that when you’re competitive like that, they have to be the right people where they aren’t worried about what someone else just did on the play previous or how many reps they’re getting right then. They are worried about getting themselves better and supporting their teammates as a very close, tight room and as a result, I think you’ve seen situations where guys have been able to rise to the occasion and do some certain things. We had a ton of injuries at the receiver position; De’Von (Achane) stepped in and had been working on stuff in the offseason and played a lot of receiver. Jaylen Wright, as a product of the entire room, was ready when he was called upon. And that’s the key that you’re talking to the team all the time about because regardless, the absolute non-negotiable in a player’s mind is ‘Oh, when my number is called, I’m ready,’ but you have to proactively do that and they’ve done that as a group. As a result, there’s plays that are made week-in and week-out by that room. It’s exciting because you go to a game with competitors like that, you don’t know who it’s going to be necessarily but you’re very confident somebody is going to give you reason to give them the ball more. I think that room has done a great job; the team expects a lot of them and we rely a lot upon them.”
(Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley has been doing this a long time, calling defenses. When you watched the Colts on tape, what stands out about how he structures that defense and how they play?) – “It stands out that I’m old. I’m lowkey old because I’ve played against Gus Bradley, a Gus Bradley coordinated defense since 2012, I think was the first time, in Washington in a playoff game. And then played against him with the Chargers, Raiders just over the last decade, and one thing that is – it’s cool to see over time like that, you can tell what coaches prioritize, what they value and since you get such a cross sectional of all sorts of different players, different draft classes on different teams, you get an idea of ‘OK, this is a guy that players play for,’ and you can see it on the tape and it’s a consistency over 12 or however many years I’ve gone against him. That’s pretty obvious, especially as seasons go, when you can just tell how groups play together and how consistent their fundamentals and technique are. Where so much of NFL defense, defending pass games now, are people being coordinated in various spots on the field, not being able to communicate to each other because it’s loud so you can’t hide the connectivity, or lack thereof, in a unit. I’ve been very impresses with the Colts football team in general, in all three phases, but in particular you can see how Gus Bradley has always wanted to play football. They are fervently vibrant on defense in Indianapolis and have some pretty good players doing it. I’ve had to play ‘Buck’ (DeForest Buckner) in practice two-a-days forever, so it’s not fun watching him again, like ‘You are so tall.’ (laughter) But I think just in general, it speaks to the program, the health of it, and they’re playing some ball that if you slip up at all, you will have negative plays, turnovers, just bad football situations that you have to proactively execute to prevent. I think getting the ball back is something that’s always been a staple of his defense and it’s definitely stayed consistent over my 12 years or however old I am.”
(What did you think of QB Anthony Richardson coming out of the University of Florida?) – “I was like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen that,’ really big, fast and has a cannon. He’s a cool player to watch, very confident and a problem for defenses. You have to play team defense – any time you have to play team defense to minimize the impact of a player, that speaks to the player. Pass rush has to be connected to coverage, run fits have to be on point and he can do a lot of things if you allow him to. I think you saw him throw it 65 yards today going backwards – I couldn’t do that going forward. (laughter) So a good player that – I think their team in general has done a great job in playing football with both quarterbacks, and I think you have to be prepared for that situation because they are very productive NFL players that present their own problems.”
Jonnu Smith – October 14, 2024
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Monday, October 14, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(Your family made it out of the storm OK?) – “Yeah, we’re good, man. We’re good, made it out safe, thank God. Some people didn’t though out west, so definitely our thoughts and our prayers with those people, for sure man.”
(Your participation last game, I think it was five catches for 62 yards – whatever it was, are you encouraged that that’s going to keep going? Or do you think that was just specific to the opponent? What do you think about that?) – “You got to continue to build on certain things as an offense and every week that may require more or maybe different roles from some guys, you know what I mean? This is a team game; it’s not about filling up the stat sheet. I’ve said that before, I’ll continue to say it. It doesn’t matter what the stat sheet does if you don’t win – that’s the most important thing, so we’re just focused on winning games and contributing as much as we can. Sometimes you may see that on the stat sheet, sometimes you may not; a lot of guys showed up last game and probably didn’t light up the stat sheet but was a huge part of that win, for sure. So it’s just about winning games in this league, man, and that’s what we’re focused on doing.”
(What have you noticed about how QB Tyler Huntley has picked this offense up and really just found his voice in it over the past couple of weeks?) – “I’ve definitely seen – I think we’ve all seen a big jump from the first week he was with us to the second one, and he’s gotten a lot more comfortable. (He’s) gotten a much better, comfortable spot leading from that position. We were able to go in there and win with him and we’ve showed that we can do that and that’s just the expectation. He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal player but a better person, so I’m glad to have that guy back there leading us.”
(We heard Head Coach Mike McDaniel earlier today say that he expects QB Tua Tagovailoa to come back and play football again in 2024. How much are you looking forward to catching balls from Tua?) – “Man, I think that’ll be very encouraging. Obviously, we have to do business as business is being done and focus on things week to week. Tua is a warrior, he’s a fighter. We already know what kind of player he is; we don’t have to speak on that, but he’s an amazing leader. He’s been here for a while – this is his home; this is his team. Obviously, this organization has committed a lot to Tua. We all have committed a lot to Tua – and not just Tua, but to one another. Obviously, that’ll be an encouraging thing for not us, but Tua – I know how much that could mean to him. Again man, like I said, we’re just kind of focused on what we’re doing now and focusing on Indy and we’re kind of letting the pieces play out how they may.”
(I know you guys don’t want to make excuses and you’re professionals, but it occurs to me over the last couple of months that you’ve caught passes from QB Tua Tagovailoa, from QB Skylar Thompson, from QB Mike White, from QB Tim Boyle and from QB Tyler Huntley. Does that make a difference for the offense?) – “I mean you always want some consistency in the NFL, obviously, but it’s the NFL – you’ve got to adapt. That’s the kind of league that it is, man. It’s 100% injury rate and guys are – we’re all guaranteed to get hurt, it’s just a matter of timing of how long that injury may be. That’s the kind of cards we’ve been dealt with, it is what it is and nobody’s crying about it. Nobody is pouting their faces and nobody is giving up. We’ve still got every expectation right in front of us. Everything is just kind of zeroed in onto this week, so that’s the main focus and that’s what we want to get to so we can get a win in Indy.”
(You’re a great athlete. If you had to do it all over again as a good athlete, would you choose this sport again?) – “(laughter) Man, I think it didn’t even have much to do with me, God blessed me with – I wasn’t 6’8”, you know what I mean? I wasn’t 6’8”. If anything, I grew up in Philly, so boxing was something – I’m a huge boxing fan, I love it. After football, that’s my favorite sport, and that’s something that was kind of there in me growing up in Philly, you know what I mean? Obviously, every kid in the neighborhood boxed, so that was something that I kind of daydream about still. But I mean, I ain’t blessed with a Mike Tyson hook either, so this is where I’m at. Although I think I could have developed into a nice, solid heavyweight, but this is where I’m at and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
(Do you ever talk to T Terron Armstead about boxing? You ever talk boxing with him?) – “T-Stead? No, I haven’t, man. What, is T-Stead a boxer, a big boxing fan?”
(Yeah.) – “Me and T-Stead have talked about a lot, but we haven’t talked about boxing thought. But yeah, I think T-Stead, where’s he from, D.C.?”
(Illinois.) – “Illinois? OK, because I know D.C. is another big boxing town. That’s why I was saying that, but I haven’t yet. You might have sparked something there.”
(I don’t know how much of a fan he is; I know he boxes.) – “Oh, T-Stead box? A lot of guys do. Like in the offseason, especially offensive linemen, defensive linemen because you got to use your hands. There’s a lot of carry over with that, definitely a lot of carry over with that. And surprisingly, that’s something I haven’t implemented yet into my offseason plans, just because it’s more kind of offensive line, defensive line related with the hand use, as much as you use the hands. It would be more beneficial for them. For guys that just do it to kind of stay in shape in the offseason, it’s just more of a stamina thing. But after I’m done playing, might try to hop on a card and fight Jake Paul or something. Everybody’s doing it man. Everybody doing it. (laughter)”
(How’s the chin?) – “The chin is good – it’s all in the neck, you know what I mean? It’s all in there and I got a strong neck so it’s all in there. I got a pretty strong chin so I’m going to see what’s up, may check something out after that, man.”
(First game back for WR Odell Beckham Jr. a couple weeks ago, what did you see from him? What was it like to have him back?) – “It was big to have him back. It was big to have him back – he’s going to be a big piece of this offense, man. Not worried about one game, obviously. We just got to continue to be ready when our number is called, and that guy right there is going to give us a big lift. So excited to have him back, excited to see him going and excited where we’re headed.”
(What do you think of your alma mater having its stadium renamed Pitbull Stadium?) – “Yeah, that was crazy right there. Shoutout to Pitbull. I don’t know what to tell you on that, but shoutout to Pitbull. I was actually just there the other day watching the St. Thomas-Chaminade game and it’s funny looking up, because I practice in that stadium – man, I practiced on turf for four years straight. We weren’t Alabama or Oklahoma; we didn’t have that money, so at the time – they got a grass field now. But when I practiced there, it was just straight turf. Obviously I was in that stadium every day, so when I went back there Friday night, seeing Pitbull Stadium, it was a little bit different but shoutout to Pitbull, man.”
