Zach Sieler – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
DT Zach Sieler
(How worried were you when the injury first happened?) – “It definitely was not an injury I ever expected to have to forego with football. I was very fortunate; God looked out and my actual physical eyesight and everything ended up being all right, the biggest thing was the swelling. So once that started to calm down, it really was able to work through kind of what happened, how to go from there and how to recover.”
(What can you tell us about how it occurred?) – “I’ll be honest, I don’t even know. I just remember just on a block, all of sudden (my) head went back and something hit my face or hand, I don’t know what it was, but yeah.”
(And you’re going to wear a visor?) – “Yeah, I’ll have a visor on for my wife the rest of my career. (laughter) And she’s right though. I’ll be honest, I don’t want to go through something like that again. As frustrating as a visor is – I remember in COVID we had the visor and the faceguards and getting in your stance, you start sweating on them and everything and it gets tough. But without the lower face – the COVID guard or whatever that crap was – it’s a lot better, just the visor.”
(What can you tell us about the incident? About getting hit?) – “I remember just coming on the edge and I don’t know what it was, but something got up in my mask and I just remember my head going back and I just had to put my hand – kind of just dark, no other way to say that. Like I said, it’s nothing that I really expected to work through. And then once that swelling got under control and I was able to work through what happened and everything, it was better. So I’m glad to be back, it sucked missing two games. It’s never happened to me. Thankfully I’ve been fortunate enough and blessed to where I didn’t have to go through something like that. I’ve played through a lot and could play through a lot, but this was something that kind of had to be worked through separately.”
(What did you experience along the way? Was it blurry vision for X number of days or how did it go?) – “It was the swelling that kind of messed with me I think, as in that was the biggest hurdle to work through. I don’t think I said this – I was fortunate enough to where my actual retina and cornea didn’t get damaged, but the swelling made it hard to kind of decipher what was going on. So once that did calm down after a few days, I was able to get a plan of attack and kind of work through it.”
(You mentioned that it sucked missing two games, obviously knowing how tough you are, what was it like for you to just not be able to help your team out, knowing the guy you are?) – “It kills me. It sucks to be in the trenches working with these guys day-in and day-out and then just on a Thursday just kind of not be able to – all of a sudden it’s, ‘Hey look you guys, it’s on y’all this week.’ And it happens, it’s football. It happens to everybody. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen again probably, it’s just what it is. Don’t know how long it’s going to go or what’s going to happen, but just get through this injury and then go from there.”
(Anything that you notice with the defense that you feel like you can obviously add?) – “I’d like to think I bring some energy to it. (laughter) I think those guys did a great job these last couple of weeks. I think they held them under 100 yards rushing both teams and hopefully I can come back in and make that even better.”
(Where do you see the position that this team is in and the sense of urgency?) – “Urgency is a good word. We have no more time to mess around. I think 2-6, but I think we still could achieve what we want to achieve. We’ve just got to clean some things up and come together as a unit and hopefully this is the week we can do that.”
(Obviously, facing RB Kyren Williams this week, definitely one of the best running backs in the league. What do you guys hope to do to kind of try and stop him? Especially considering the past two weeks under 100 yards rushing.) – “I think the biggest thing for us this week is gap sound, play our style of defense which is do your job. You’re one piece of 11, and focus on our part and each play what we’re going to do and work from there. It’s not trying to be an all-star or make these huge plays, it’s ‘Hey, this play dictates what I can do,’ and play within the scheme. I think we’ll have a great shot if we do that.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(How do you build on a performance where you had just three incompletions?) – “We just continue to find ways. We build on the things that we did good in that game and we continue to find ways to grow. In that sense, find other ways to run maybe similar routes or how I’m sitting in the pocket and how I’m trying to read through progressions and whatnot. So I would say that’s something I’ve been working on.”
(I think it was like nine different players touched the ball on Sunday. How much of a point of emphasis was it to implement that level of balance into this offense after two years where it seemed like just the game plan was WR Tyreek Hill?) – “I would say we didn’t go into the game saying, ‘hey, we’re going to need you to spread the ball around.’ We just went into the game with the mindset that this is the call, play the call out. If this is what you see, throw it; if not, then go through your progression. That was basically it and I’m glad it worked out that way that we got to spread the ball around to different guys.”
(I wanted to ask about the short pass game. I know a lot is always made about the big play with this offense, but how effective has that been for you guys and how big will that be on Monday against another really good pass rush?) – “That’s been really effective these past couple weeks for us offensively, and I think what helps with that is the run game. We’ve been doing really well in our run game, and I think going into this week, it’ll definitely help with the front that they have. They’ve got some good guys on the front end and in the back end and we’ll see how they come out and play us and then we’ll adjust from there.”
(With that RB De’Von Achane has been so big in both the pass and run game. What have you seen from him and his growth and I guess versatility that he’s brought?) – “I would say the same thing that we all got to witness his first year with his versatility and playing in a backfield and going out wide has shown itself evident. And then it really helps when he’s in the backfield and can run routes from the backfield as well and you get the matchups that you like.”
(I think it was DT Calais Campbell who said if you guys play the way you did against Buffalo, you can pretty much beat any NFL team but that the margin of error is so thin now. So where is that fine line between, dare I say, playing guarded, not wanting to make a mistake but also going all out because you’ve got to win the way you know how to win?) – “I think it starts in practice and how we prepare with conversations you have as a leader of the defense, as a leader of the offense, as a leader of the team. Having those conversations with the guys of what the expectation is and continuing to harp on the guys to stay in it, stay in it. We could be one game away from going on a streak and hopefully turning this whole thing around. So I would say that’s sort of the process.”
(Speaking of staying in it, everybody’s banged up in the NFL. You were banged up a little bit. Guys have been out. What does it say about your team, about these guys – like FB Alec Ingold or WR Jaylen Waddle who are battling, LB Emmanuel Ogbah – that they want to be in this despite what the record says right now?) – “Tough guys, tough guys. You can tell that they love football. They want to be out there for their teammates. They want to be out there to be able to help our team win games and you really can’t say anything negative about guys like that. They’re just football guys. They want to be out there regardless of what they are going through whether they’re playing at 60 percent or not; you just have nothing but respect for guys like that.”
(You talk about conversations. What would you say you get from your teammates when you’re having those conversations with them about this tough stretch that you’re going through right now? I imagine they are tough. It’s a tough moment in the season.) – “I would say a lot of guys that are on our team, they’ve got some experience in this league and some guys have actually gone through what we’re going through now and have been able to turn it around, myself included. We all have different stories of what that looks like and the outcome of what can happen if you go on a streak. All these external things, but really regardless of the experience and things that we share and whatnot; we’ve got to put the product out there on the field and win games. At the end of the day, that’s what matters.”
(Do you believe that the success in the run game and the high completion percentage on the short-range passes will at some point open up some of the more explosive 25-plus-yard opportunities?) – “I would say with the plays that have been given, we just run whatever is called. If Mike (McDaniel) calls for a shot play and we check it down, that’s just what the play entails for us to do. So it’s not like we haven’t been trying to stretch the ball down the field. That’s just what the defenses have been showing us and then there are some things on film that look like, ‘man, I could’ve hit this person,’ but sometimes it’s not within our progression with what we talked about with how we would read it.”
(You mentioned postgame in Buffalo about your dive forward for the first down and not to make a big deal out of every time you scramble and protect yourself, but you successfully slid the week before but – a different way to protect yourself, similar play to the one you got hurt on where you dived to the ground though instead…) – “Just knowing the situation of the game, knowing the time that if we didn’t get that first down, that could potentially be the game if Buffalo played their cards right with the plays and allowed us to use all our timeouts and whatnot. So to me it was important – obviously wouldn’t have wanted to try to run somebody over or try to do that to get a first down, so as you can see I sort of, as I’m scrambling to the right, I’m looking at the sticks so that I know where to dive. So that’s sort of what ended up happening on that play and luckily we got it.”
(With WR Tyreek Hill I think he’s on pace for either a career low or just lowest yards since his rookie year. Feels like the first time we haven’t been talking about the 2k race, but when we talked to Head Coach Mike McDaniel and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith and Pass Game Specialist/Wide Receivers Wes Welker, they say he’s doing XYZ well, he’s doing this, this. From your perspective, what does a guy like Tyreek do? Like how does he positively impact the game even when he’s not getting these 180-yard, three-touchdown games we’ve seen in the past?) – “I think what’s so cool is you turn that film on, you get to watch what him and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle) do with the blocking game or with the run game and how they do blocking. They allow our runners some pretty big holes outside of the o-linemen, but those guys are getting to the second level quick and I really think that it translates to the way that they play in the pass game as well and that was something that we’ve been trying to find for those guys and there were also some things where if ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) was out, ‘17’ was in. The DC (defensive coordinator) could play the chances of it being more run than pass and vice versa. If ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) is in, okay, maybe it’s more pass than it is run. But those guys staying in the game, staying in the run, staying in the passes; it forces the DC to, ‘okay, I’m going to play my cards here and just stay in a two-shell and if these guys want to go 15-play drives to go score, we’ll be fine with that.’ So it’s sort of pick your poison.”
(How much is different in terms of the two-shell that you’re seeing now? Because I mean, I would think that WR Tyreek Hill has been double covered his whole life, but why does it look so different now?) – “I would say because it’s variations of two-high coverages with what guys want to do into the boundary or if ‘Reek’ is into the boundary, what they want to do to ‘Reek’ versus what they do to (Jaylen) Waddle. And then back side looks, some teams play two-man while they’re playing zone on the front. So it’s just different ways they try to get to their two-high against us.”
(Kind of following up on the blocking, what you’re saying about them blocking, was there any moment over the past three years and maybe even this year, any specific block that you remember where you’re like, “oh damn, he’s pretty efficient at this” for somebody who’s 5’9, 5’10, like he can actually get this done?) – “I think it was throughout the five-week stretch that I was out that I’ve heard conversations with ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle) talking about like a mindset that like, okay, if we can’t get the ball down the field or if we’re not getting the ball, how can we help the team with what we have right now? And so I would say it was more so of a mindset that when we came back or when I came back for the Cardinals game that it just felt different with those guys. They were in more, the efficiency went up with the run game. The efficiency went up with the passing game as well and it’s due to everyone, but those guys definitely played a big role in that.”
(With the offensive line, obviously they had a lot of criticism coming into the season. What kind of growth have you seen from that unit as a whole?) – “I would say those guys have never blinked and never really wavered from what they said they wanted to do this season. Obviously it’s different when your quarterback goes out, hearing cadences, hearing different guys in the huddle. Things can get a little dicey especially in loud environments so it’s, ‘wait, did I hear this run or did I hear that run?’ Like all right, communication, ‘oh, the snap is going.’ So I would say they haven’t wavered. They’ve been in their playbook. They’ve been doing their thing and I’m super excited for them. I think they’ve done a great job up to this point and they’re only going to get better.”
Mike McDaniel – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(There were a couple of players who were dealt before the trade deadline who could’ve filled maybe some need-positions, pass rusher etc. From talking to General Manager Chris Grier, was your sense that he just didn’t want to give up future draft picks for players who were available at this point?) – “There was a couple of conversations we had, both about people reaching out to us and different possibilities inward and outward. I think the action was that there was no action. That in itself, I think we believe in the roster and want to see guys come through a tough time. I think that’s really what was executed and nothing more than that.”
(Where do things stand with S Jevón Holland and CB Kader Kohou?) – “They are working. I pretty much think that Jevón (Holland) won’t be practicing today, Kader (Kohou) will be involved and we’ll see how it goes through the week.”
(You versus Head Coach Sean McVay. What comes to mind? You had time together in Washington and so many years competing in the NFC West while you were in San Francisco.) – “I think what comes to mind is I know Coach McVay and his team are always consistently a straining outfit, that they do a good job in all three phases. I know he’s going to make sure his group is very detailed, that they’ll compete, they’ll be challenging. And they’ll be complementary in how they play and they’ll be unified in their collective groups. I think it’s a good team who’s had some resolve themselves and is on a winning streak that you’re going to have to beat them for them to lose and they’re not going to give you anything.”
(You guys have a new practice squad quarterback?) – “No, we do not. We’ve been discussing that. We’re also pretty hopeful about Snoop’s (Tyler Huntley) recovery. But as it stands, it will be Tua (Tagovailoa) and Skylar (Thompson) this week.”
(Regarding RB Raheem Mostert, I know he’s a heart and soul player, Pro Bowler, he’s had a couple of fumbles. Is there a question whether he continues and you bring RB Jaylen Wright in? Or he’s still the man there?) – “That group, we try to give opportunities to each guy because they deserve it each and every game. I think based upon his performance, Raheem (Mostert) got more attempts. It might’ve been his first touch was on a third-and-11 that he inflicted force on the defense, and you earn more touches that way. That being said, he knows he has to hold on to the ball. We’ve learned how vital those turnovers can be especially in a one-score game. I think he himself would be the first to tell you that at this time, we’ve learned two hard lessons. You can’t really be in the whole scope of all right, well there’s another lesson that needs to be had when there’s other guys that aren’t turning the ball over. That’s the nature of football, and when you have a group that’s talented like they are and competitive, you have to give reason and keep that for all of your touches. There’s been about 400 touches that he hasn’t fumbled on, but that being said what only matters is this next game and is putting full focus on making sure that that ball stays with him.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa threw three incompletions last week. What’s the message to your quarterback after you lose, but he played very well, enough for you guys to win? What is the focus in terms of improvement for him?) – “I’m careful not to have overarching, ‘that was good’ or ‘that was bad.’ For me, my job is to coach and to detail each and every snap, so whether or not his handoff, his first step was at three o’clock and not four o’clock. Whether or not your progression was too fast, or you handled inappropriate or appropriate protection, all those things. The first thing Tua (Tagovailoa) did the day after the game was come to my office and say, ‘What could I have done to win this game?’ And then of those snaps, you go through his plays and what if you put the ball here or you did this. He’s trying to be great; he’s not trying to relieve himself of burden or stress. As the quarterback, he looks at it like the stat that is next to his name is the win or loss, so when you lose, what could I have done better. As the franchise quarterback, you need him to be that way if you’re going to expect others to be that way. I think the message is coaching, just like some of his best games, some of the most valuable coaching moments come up and there’s positives when he has an overall statistically poor performance sometimes as well. It’s just important that you stay even keel and attack each and every rep so that guys truly get value out of a coach.”
(With FB Alec Ingold, another heart and soul guy, it seemed to me after the CB Jalen Ramsey interception, he starts limping on that calf. He plays the rest of the game, blocks excellently. What can you say about the effort that he gave and how is his availability this week?) – “I think no coincidence that a fullback has a ‘C’ on his chest. And I think he’s earned that through daily investment into the team and his play, and I think it says the world about who he is, and everyone knows that. Every teammate is responsible to protect Alec from himself when it comes to sacrifice for the team, and I think he’s an unbelievably valuable player on our team. So we’ll always be aggressive with him in terms of our management because he would be – if his leg didn’t work, he would be hopping, you know what I mean? So I think that’s important to know your personnel and cater to that, and he’s in a situation where he will do anything and everything, which is why he’s the captain and a leader of this team.”
(Last year, QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill combined for 30 catches of 25 yards or more. This year, so far, it’s only been five, obviously Tua missed four games. In addition to the return of Tua and Tua’s availability, what are some other reasons for optimism in the second half of the season that we’ll see more big gaining plays?) – “Before the statistical result, from my vantage point, I’m coaching guys on technique and fundamentals and how they’re playing the position. I’m not addressing what coverage people are running or what they’re trying to take away or anything, I’m watching their game and I can honestly say that the two of them, in terms of route running and timing and connectivity, there’s been growth over the entire season and there’s been different challenges presented based upon – what is it, three full games that they’ve had – and I think the biggest thing is that you haven’t seen Tyreek Hill wide open and Tua (Tagovailoa) missing him and or missing a throw – their timing and their fundamentals are what will produce the results when the defense is giving us the opportunity. I think it’s important in football, defenses have really taken notice of those explosive plays and they’ve tried to prevent him by basically doubling him. I think as a result, it’s forced a lot of the offense to get better, it’s forced Tua to get on the same page with a lot of the other eligibles, and it’s forced our offensive line to block and our runners to run and Tyreek to run block a little bit. You do that and you have to understand in team football, if you’re getting double-teamed, there’s a teammate of yours that stands for a lot of reason for success. I think their game, from technique and fundamentals, has seen growth this year. They did execute on two opportunities this past game and that’s what I’m most concerned with is that their game is developing within whatever trials and tribulations they’re going through. I thought Tyreek had his best game releasing off of press coverage, and little things like that is what I prioritize.”
(I wanted to ask you, this team is seemingly running out of track in terms of to achieve the ultimate goal for what you guys began the season with or the expectations. What should make Dolphins fans confident that this franchise is headed in the right direction based on what they’ve seen so far in the early portion of the season?) – “I understand the question, it’s very valid. I think from my vantage point, I’m responsible for all things. I’m also the guy that the players lean on for football expertise, and in talking to them about their game and staying true to the most vital thing that I know to be true in any season is that there’s sometimes there’s false hope where you’re saying you’re close or you’re saying things will get better – I live in real hope which is how are people’s games getting better? Are we getting better? Does that mean it’s up to standard or that losses are acceptable? Absolutely not. But vital to football teams having success in any NFL season, is that they master the art of getting better in the noise, and don’t confuse noise with just losing. Noise is also very loud when you’re winning, and sometimes you can have that – you could be sitting at 6-2 and if the ball isn’t getting better through all the noise, I don’t have real hope. My hope is real is because the football that I’m watching and detailing is improving, and I think the team is focused on trying to have a game where they feel like their brand of football was mastered. I think the football team knows that when that occurs, things will take care of themselves in the win column. But more than anything – I’ve said it before – it’s not easy having no control but full investment, and if you’re a fan, today is miserable like the day before, like the day before until you have a win, right? Today is the most important day of our season, of our lives because we have work that can dictate the terms of what everybody wants. And as long as I see guys, in whatever noise, continue to embrace and take their individual efforts and their collective efforts to another level to get it right, I think that’s what gives me absolute hope and vigor with this team because that is real, too. I think guys are determined, and I think they know that while each individual can’t control whether or not it’s a win or loss, they can control how they are working individually and collectively. Today will be the first day on the field with that as we progress through the week and hopefully dictate what happens on Monday a little bit on Thursday.”
(At what point – I understand what you’re saying about improving and it needs to happen obviously week to week – but at what point does merely improving not become enough? At what point do you have to get the results in order to get where you want to go and make the playoffs?) – “Ultimately the game is about winning, so I’m not saying – that is ultimately how you’re judged and I think that’s fair. You tirelessly work at not obsessing about the idea or the false sense of ‘hey, we’re going to win this week.’ No, what are you going to do about it? And how are you going to affect the change? We’ve had a lot of hard conversations that ultimately have been very necessary, and in that process, you ultimately have to win in this league, but you have to take care of your business through the entirety of the preparation – coaches and players included – and then ultimately you do have win football games. That’s the whole idea so we’re working to improve that.”
(LB David Long Jr., a team captain, lost his starting job. How tough of a decision was that? What went into it and what kind of message does that send to the rest of the team?) – “I have the upmost respect for David Long as a man, as a player; and I think the important piece of it was that it was less about David Long not doing something and more about we felt like ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) needed and deserved the opportunity and has skills of his own in his own right that were the best man for the job. But that’s never easy, especially when you care for a human being and we’ve gone to battle a lot together. So those are things that in the position it’s not necessarily fun, but the whole team and organization are depending on you to try to do what you see as very best. And I think David (Long Jr.) respects that and regards that. I’m sure he disagrees, but it’s about understanding intent and I think the whole team loves David. That’s why they voted him captain, but also you have to – I think it was the football team was excited for ‘Walk’s’ opportunity which he made the most of, for sure.”
(Do we have a possibility that LB Bradley Chubb could practice this week or is that window not open yet?) – “I wasn’t seeing it this week, but I’ll be sure to convey it the week that I’m seeing it because I appreciate your guys’ patience. He’s doing good. We’re just trying to be prudent to his body and he’s working his way.”
(And LB Cameron Goode and OL Isaiah Wynn, not close?) – “I think both Isaiah (Wynn) and Cam (Goode) are getting closer, for sure. I don’t know the timelines the usually use but week-to-week or kind of that issue.”
Jordyn Brooks – November 5, 2024
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Tuesday, November 5, 2024
LB Jordyn Brooks
(You had a new inside linebacker next to you for this game. The move to insert LB Anthony Walker into the starting lineup instead of LB David Long Jr. What did you see from “Walk” [Anthony Walker Jr.] and then also, how have you seen Long sort of react to it?) – “I think it’s been a good transition. I thought ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) came in and played great, communicated well for us, kind of got everybody settled down. And as far as reaction, I don’t think it’s been any reaction. Nothing crazy, it’s been all love in the linebacker room. Everybody supporting each other and so I think it’s been a good transition.”
(You often faced the Rams being in the NFC West so many years. What can you say about their offense?) – “I think that the playmakers on their offense is what makes their team go. Quarterback and the two receivers they have. They’ve also got a good running back along with good coaches, so it’ll be a challenge, just like every other week to stop them.”
(According to Pro Football Reference, you’re the only Dolphins player on defense that has played every defensive snap this season. Did you know that? Have coaches ever tried to take you out and give you a break and you wave them off saying like, “no, I’m not coming out of the game”?) – “No, I mean I play linebacker. Linebackers don’t come off the field and so I’m used to it. Did the same thing in Seattle, playing every snap so it’s nothing new to me.”
(Can you break down what happened in the Buffalo game on that long touchdown where RB Ray Davis sort of escaped and then went downhill with a lot of room to run? From your perspective, what occurred on that play?) – “Just communication. I put that one on me, having to take the back. We were in man coverage, having a back and a tight end for the inside linebackers, just a miscommunication on my part and so I went back, told the guys, ‘that’s on me.’ Got it handled on the sideline and so that’s something that we got to get better at this week, speaking to myself.”
Terron Armstead – November 5, 2024
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Tuesday, November 5, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(Today’s the trade deadline. You’re a veteran who is past 30-years old and have contemplated retirement ahead of this season, knowing how limited time can be in this league and with this team at 2-6, did you ever consider going to the Dolphins front office and asking for a trade to a team in a better position this season? Why or why not?) – “No, I’m here. I’m here we’re locked in trying win this game Monday night, that’s it. I haven’t thought about anything else.”
(So that would express a belief in this team down the stretch. Can you speak to what gives you confidence in this team in the second half?) – “No reason not to be, no reason not to be. We feel like we can beat anybody. We haven’t had those results, but the way that I am and the way that we are as a team, we’re going all in. So we’re going to put in all the time, effort, energy and preparation to win this next game. That’s the only way to get it done, you’re not going to just fall into a win. So we go out there and try to get one, do everything we can to get this and then we can start worrying about the next. But full belief, it’s nothing else.”
(What have you done that makes a difference in being able to stay on the field this season? You’ve only missed the one game, so what’s made the difference for you personally?) – “All the- my process and preparation, injury prevention and all that, it’s extensive and it’s been extensive for years now. Still can’t control what happens on any given Sunday, get rolled up and all those things. So (I’ve) been fortunate enough to not have any of those freak incidents pop up, but things that my body personally, we’ve put in that work throughout the week. A lot of hours spent outside the building.”
(On the same vein, it seemed like every week last year you were going with a different starting lineup. This year, that’s not the case; you’ve had continuity just about every week. How big of a difference has it made for the entire line do you think?) – “It’s been great. It’s been great to get that experience together, get that chemistry, that cohesiveness. I think you’re starting to see some of the results, and we still got, like I said and will continue to say, we still got things to get better at and try to get better at it fast – eliminating the negatives, MEs (mental errors), the missed hand usage, technique things, penalties. We have to try to get those eliminated completely from our game, but we’re doing some things well, just got to keep going.”
(The season obviously hasn’t gone as planned, but how good has RB De’Von Achane been for you guys? And also, what has been one of the driving points for his success?) – “He’s sitting right here, so that’s why there was a smile. But he’s incredible, man – he’s really got to step out, I don’t want to say this in front of him. (laughter) No, he’s incredible. He’s a special talent, he’s probably the most confident guy I’ve ever been around and that says a lot for somebody that’s so young into his journey and his career. But his confidence, his belief in his ability and his preparation is through the roof, so it’s no surprise to us in this building what he is doing – it’s no surprise to himself, at all. He feels like he should have 2,000 yards right now, but I love that about him, for real. I love playing, blocking for him, and I’ll try to do anything I can to give him a lane.”
(How has Head Coach Mike McDaniel been through this stretch? Obviously, we know him, outgoing, fun guy, joking – it’s gotten a little bit more serious with this obviously, news conferences. Behind the scenes, how has he been?) – “He’s been him, man. He’s been the same. He’s been the same, he’s been unwavering. He’s been confident, he’s showing the reasons for the result so we can make the corrections and secure the win. From the top, the belief in the building, the buy-in and all that, it’s from the top down, for sure. Mike (McDaniel) hasn’t wavered at all; we’re not talking about anything else but getting this next win.”
(How happy are you that you don’t have to see Aaron Donald anymore now that he’s retired – but at the same time, the Rams have done a really nice job of reloading that defensive line with some young talent. What do you see there going up against them this week?) – “Historically, the Rams they always keep a d-line. You know that when you see them on a schedule, you know it’s going to be one of those games. I’m glad that Aaron Donald is gone, I hope he is enjoying retirement to the fullest, wish him the best. (laughter) I had a lot of games against that man, he was really like that – first ballot, for sure. We got to prepare and get ready for a tough challenge. Like you said, the Rams, they always load up that defensive line, so it’ll be a fun challenge out there Monday night.”
(What changes when QB Tua Tagovailoa is back in there at quarterback for you guys – getting the calls from him and his operation of the offense?) – “Tua (Tagovailoa) just has a great feel for the offense. He has experience now, he’s got time spent in the offense now, he understands the layers of it. He knows where guys need to be to lineup, the motions – all of it, snap points, all those things. There’s so many small intangibles that go into our offense that he is the best person to perform and orchestrate it. And beyond that, his ability – his anticipation, his accuracy, his ball placement, timing, pocket awareness, he’s an incredible player, we know that.”
(I want to get your thoughts on the interior offensive line guys. Obviously, the run game being so effective of late, they have played a part in that. What have you seen out of the guards and OL Aaron Brewer?) – “They’re doing a lot of things well, a lot of things well. Still got some areas of improvement, as we all do, but I love their approach and their intent on how they’re attacking their process, working the technique, getting extra work in, watching guys that have been in this offense that have been successful before, seeing what they can take. So it’s been a full head of steam approach to improvement and to accelerate that improvement and I think it’s been working out for us well up front, and as we continue to do that, it’s only going to be better.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – November 5, 2024
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Tuesday, November 5, 2024
LB Emmanuel Ogbah
(We heard Head Coach Mike McDaniel talk a little bit about your injury the other day. What can you tell us about it and is it sustainable that you can remain on the field and perform at the level you have despite that injury?) – “Yeah, it’s definitely sustainable. It’s just one of those injuries that just needs time to heal, but unfortunately, we don’t have time to let it rest. So yeah, I’m managing it out there. I’m still doing my job, so I’m just doing what I can do right now.”
(Has surgery ever been discussed whether it be them recommending it now or after the season? Did the doctors ever say anything about that?) – “No, the good thing about this injury is it’s not surgery, it’s just more rest and letting it heal. But yeah, thankfully no surgery is required for this.”
(LB Chop Robinson got his first sack on Sunday – I see you’re already smiling as soon as I mentioned his name. How have you seen him progress this first half of his rookie season?) – “Chop (Robinson), he’s been working. The stats kind of haven’t shown it, but he’s been working his tail off. I was so proud of him. I was so happy for him when he finally got one. I was trying to do the chop celebration with him, but it was kind of all over the place. I didn’t know when he was going to do it, but I’m just so proud of him. He’s been putting in work and he’s been getting better every week, so I just want him to keep stacking up good days.”
(What do you see going forward in terms of points to build on as far as a team that’s trying to turn it around now at 2-6? Obviously, a tough loss at Buffalo – one where you guys competed to the final seconds – just points to build on for this defense going down into the second half.) – “Just going back and watching film, it’s a lot of self-inflicted wounds that we gave up that game. We’ve just got to do a better job – our assignments, technique and just hustling to the ball and doing our part. We’re not very far off. We’ve just got to keep fighting. And like I said, it’s still a long season left to play so we’ve just got to keep working and keep one foot forward and just keep putting in the work and not let stuff slow us down. Don’t let no distractions happen, like I said, it’s still a long season and we just got to keep coming together and keep playing our best.”
(You faced mobile quarterbacks three weeks in a row. Obviously QB Matthew Stafford isn’t as mobile as the rest of the guys – I guess how does that change your job? Do you prefer facing mobile quarterbacks? Do you prefer guys that are a little bit more stationary? And then just outside of that, what have you seen from this Rams offense that makes them so scary?) – “So we have faced the past three weeks, we’ve been facing mobile quarterbacks. It’s definitely harder to go after mobile quarterbacks than pocket passers. It’s a different type of rush mentality. You’ve got to keep them in the cage. But going against a non-mobile quarterback, I wouldn’t say it’s easier because they are a good threat at passing the ball, but you can get after them more. You can take more of a chance with them. What was your other question?”
(Just overall, what have you seen from that Rams offense that makes them so dynamic?) – “We haven’t really gotten into the Rams yet. We just kind of went over the Buffalo game, so we haven’t gone over the Rams yet. I haven’t really taken a look yet.”
(Are there certain motions that still feel uncomfortable playing through your bicep injury? Like I saw an impressive tackle that you made on QB Josh Allen, who’s a big guy to bring down, but I guess that was more lats and triceps to bring him down the way you did. Are there certain motions that could be uncomfortable playing through this injury?) – “I’ve played through pain damn near my whole career, so it’s definitely just dealing with the pain. I think that’s the hardest part about it – just having to deal with the pain. But other than that, all my motions are good, just kind of fighting through pain. It’s football at the end of the day. You’ve got to play through stuff.”
(Are teams looking at you guys differently this season? Are you picking up on anything? Are they maybe not respecting you as much as the previous two years? Or are they looking at you as being vulnerable? Do you pick that up from game plan or conversation on the field or anything like that?) – “I wouldn’t say that entirely. I would say they’re actually going after us more because they probably feel like we’re, since we have a losing record, but no. We actually get their best overall. We never get a slight, we always get their best with every team we play.”
De’Von Achane – November 5, 2024
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Tuesday, November 5, 2024
RB De’Von Achane
(You probably just heard T Terron Armstead say you’re probably the most confident guy he’s ever been around. What’s your reaction?) – “I told that his list wasn’t long enough. He needed to say some more words, but mentor really, though, that’s my locker buddy as y’all can see when y’all come in the locker room. He’s right next to me so we talk day-in just about the little things that we can do to improve the run game that’s going on every game day. So yeah, I told him, ‘man, you need to make sure to the list is a little longer next time.”
(Do you put a lot of stock in that? Where does that confidence come from?) – “I feel like you’ve got to be confident. You’ve got to be confident in yourself for anything. Like this is something that I’ve been having. I’ve been this way ever since I started playing football at a young age. I just feel like I can go out and I can make plays and do a lot of things with the football, so the confidence that I have, it’s a mindset thing. I think if you don’t have confidence in yourself, then I think you’re playing the wrong sport.”
(Just wanted to ask obviously you’ve displayed a lot more of your pass catching chops this year. What did you work on in the offseason to really prepare yourself for the pass catching opportunities this year?) – “I feel like, catching footballs, it really comes natural to me growing up and I always played running back, but I played other positions as well as far as playing receiver in the slot. So when it comes to catching the football, it’s like me running the football. That’s how I think of it. It’s something that I do, something I’m great at and this offseason when the receivers were going out and throwing with Tua (Tagovailoa), I made sure that I was there as well because like you said, it’s the team thing. The running back can get thrown the ball, too, especially in this offense so it’s something I pride myself in, going out and working with them, learning from them. So that was something I did this offseason.”
(And then quick follow-up if I can, what did you learn or pick up from the receivers as what they helped you this year?) – “Just as far as like when defenses play us, like you said, they play a lot of two-man so a lot of press. So when I get lined up out there if somebody does try to press me, just the footwork, stuff that they go through and the timing of this offense and just learning like if I’ve got an inside route, how to release or how to get this person to do this. Just the intangibles of being a receiver.”
(To your point here, QB Tua Tagovailoa, he finds you often when he’s back in there at quarterback. We’ve been seeing that. What do you see, just changes overall? Not just from your perspective but overall in the offense once he’s back in?) – “I feel like Tua (Tagovailoa) knows the offense from in and out. I feel like ‘T. Stead’ (Terron Armstead) said, he is the perfect guy to be the QB of this offense. Like he said, you have to know so much when it comes to this offense because we’ve got a lot of motions and you’ve got to know a lot of things. Like it’s not easy for somebody just to come in and be like, ‘okay, I can do this’ because it’s not the type of offense we run. But Tua, he comes into this offense, he brings a lot of confidence. He makes our job easy. He makes sure we’re lined up right and if you happen to forget like what you’ve got to know, Tua is able to make sure that he puts you in the right spot.”
(And also with the run game getting going so much in recent games, the last four specifically, interior of the offensive line really looks like it’s playing great. What do you see out of those guys blocking in front of you?) – “They’re doing a tremendous job. Like you said, these past few weeks we’re running the ball well and I see the work that they put in during the week and we just want to keep building and just keep stacking and hopefully we can keep this train moving.”
(I’m looking at your numbers here per carry. You’re 10 carries away from your total from a season ago and we’re just eight games in. So I’m curious, how is your body feeling at this point of the season with obviously a heavier workload and what have you learned about taking care of yourself?) – “My body feels great. Like you said, I pride myself taking care of myself after all the injuries that I had last year so this year I was pretty big on that. I’m always in the training room just trying to stay fresh because like you said, we’ve got a long season ahead of us. We already had our bye week early so from here on out it’s no breaks, so play every week so I just try to make sure my body is ready for the game day.”
(Last thing for you, how would you evaluate your performance overall this year in comparison to where you were last year at this point?) – “Obviously last year as an offense we started off good. This year I feel like we probably, we’re getting better – like you said, each week we try to make sure that we’re getting better than we did last week. But I feel like there’s always more. I feel like I always can do more and that’s something that I pride myself on trying to go in and do better than I did last week. So I feel like for me, I always go to the next week making sure that I try (not) to make the mistakes that I did last week. If it’s like not taking the right aiming point or just any little thing, I always try to judge myself and make sure that I correct it so as we go forward, I feel like this team, we got better from even last week even though we’re going to make sure that we can go into next week and make sure we’re better than we were last week.”
Mike McDaniel – November 4, 2024
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Thursday, November 4, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So if you got just one more defensive play maybe the last two results would be different and DT Zach Sieler and LB Bradley Chubb obviously two impact guys, wanted to try to get a little bit more clarity on both from you. With Sieler, have doctors yet indicated if they think it would be safe for him to play next Monday? That would be a full 12-days or actually 17 days after the injury. And with Chubb are you confident he’s going to play at any point this season?) – “So with (Zach) Sieler, that’s kind of – I’m optimistic about that timeline and you have to take it day-by-day anyway to accumulate information, but that was more safe of a timeline from his injury and so feel optimistic about that. I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m optimistic that we’ll see Bradley (Chubb), but I do know that it’s very simple. The time is based on how his body is responding and there’s no – I saw him today outside my window running – he’s working incessantly on it. So there’s hope and optimism, but we’ll see how that plays out. I couldn’t with reason hedge my bet on that, but we’ll continue to see how that progresses.”
(I hate to have anyone speak for you, but Drew Rosenhaus was on the TV last night saying that it was – he had information suggesting that there’s no interest at all in being sellers at the trade deadline. Is that accurate? Have you guys made a decision of when you’re…?) – “I know two things exist and one of which – I think there’s no real label on what we’re doing just because I know one that thing that Chris Grier and I both share a strong conviction and belief in this team and what it looks like if you can find a way to get over the hump which we fully expect to. At the same time, Chris Grier’s job is to field all business and listen and think both in the short and the long term of the best interest of the franchise and then he comes to me with any and all business that’s real and we discuss from there and he hasn’t brought anything that is real to me. But I know first and foremost, we are absolutely convicted in this team being better than the win-loss column right now and believe that it can make a turn and that’s how we’re approaching each and every day.”
(One follow-up if I could, beyond this year long-term, what is the argument for keeping all this together? There are guys – not to name names – but are on one-year deals, things like that. In your mind, what’s the value? Even if maybe the playoffs [are out of reach] at some point to continue to keep this group together?) – “I think the answer to that question is found – you get no greater insight into who people are than times like these, and I think they have each and every day to make the argument for themselves as well as we do. That’s what you fight for in the National Football League, so I think that the only positive in a luster of adversity is that you get clarity into each and every person who is part of the solution and who is part of the problem. And I think that’s the ultimate accountability for the National Football League that we all have to bear and I think there’s a lot of the argument for anybody’s existence is in their hands to a degree with all the football that is left to be played.”
(I have a question about I guess the negative connotations that come with the idea of a game manager quarterback. I think some of the discourse when a quarterback throws a bunch of short passes, they’ll say he was just a game manager and that comes with a negative connotation. How would you push back against game manager being a negative and also kind of how QB Tua Tagovailoa played that game with how he saw things, got the ball out quickly and how beneficial it is for an offense?) – “I think we found the hard way going against a division opponent that is at the top of the class in defensive football for the last couple years, that particularly the Buffalo Bills will force bad things to happen – sack-fumbles, picks – if they want to take something away. And football in general is about maximizing – specifically our offense – is maximizing over-play and if you’re going to over-play with depth, you have to execute in high-percentage completions and yards after the catch that aren’t necessarily the cross-court gigantic plays but are the ‘throw it for four and you get seven.’ And that’s kind of the art of that particular style of defense when they want to play the way they’ve proven to have success against our offense and I thought it was a great display of Tua’s (Tagovailoa) evolution of finding completions and utilizing his accuracy and challenging the areas of the field that weren’t over-populated. And with a team that plays with a bunch of quarterback vision that relies on turnovers, it’s absolutely imperative to be able to pass the ball efficiently and take advantage of the areas where they’re voiding. So I think that’s an art. What you’re saying – managing the game against zone defenses, against really good zone defenses you can’t manage the game in the way of just finding checkdowns because if you go to the checkdown too early in the play, they play deep and will sprint forward and you’ll get a two-yard gain. So you have to play the position appropriately to get the ball to the eligibles in the time of the play and that is an art form that many, many quarterbacks find very difficult particularly against the Buffalo Bills. So I thought yesterday was a great example of aggressively taking what the defense gives you and was able to have some success that we haven’t had in the past based upon his commitment to his craft and being aggressive to all eligibles based upon over-play.”
(This may piggyback on that question, but that 97-yard drive, a lot of different players touched the ball. WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle didn’t. So what kind of effect do they have on a series like that? Just the throw to them and what they can kind of create for other players?) – “There was like three or four plays where Tyreek (Hill) and Jaylen (Waddle) got two-man, so basically they got doubled which basically your math equals out to you get a lot of three-on-twos or three-on-ones underneath, so dispersing the ball is imperative. Jonnu’s (Smith) screen on that play was based on an overload in coverage to slot two of the other eligibles or to Tyreek and Waddle. There was a couple two-shell run defenses where they were playing two-man and thus late to fit that we were able to exploit on back-to-back plays, I believe it was to Raheem (Mostert), at least backed up on an inside zone and then there was another one in 11-personnel where Malik (Washington) was out in front. So really we’ve been talking about making plays without the ball and the finest orchestration that ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle had I thought with both the releases and challenging the defense every play even when they weren’t getting the ball so they had to give them the prerequisite attention. And then as you saw the game develop once we evened out the playing field a little bit and they started playing true evenly-spaced zone defense, that’s when they got involved as we’ve kind of outlined and they’ve been diligent about. So I was very – we kind of knew going in that we were going to need to do that to have the success where they’ve proven to put over-attention on those guys and I think that’s why we were able to find some success offensively in that game.”
(Do you think S Jordan Poyer’s hit on the final, their drive there, was a finable offense and also if you believe was it the right call?) – “I try to stay out of the things that – either way I’ve seen things not get fined and seen things get fined. I don’t really have any idea. I just know that you leave yourself vulnerable any time you leave the strike zone. I have no question in my mind that Jordan (Poyer) had the right intent and then it’s a skill to be able to identify a moving target and then adjust your strike zone based upon if they’re jumping or not in a millisecond. So I think his intent was correct; it didn’t surprise me that it got called because there was contact there and I’ll leave it to the league to assess if that’s finable or not. I don’t really know. That’s out of my expertise, I would say.”
(The refs permitting Bills WR Mack Hollins to spot the ball without the refs touching it – the ball themselves to spot it – did that irk you or the staff and do you think it was costly at all on Buffalo’s final drive?) – “Based upon on how I understand the rules, if you were able to spot things on your own, it does save you time. Time was of the essence in that period of the game, but that’s not the reason why we lost the game. We had plenty of controllables that are in our hands. I’ll just kind of leave it at that. I think that if we’re focused on – the gripe is one thing. Another thing is how I want the team and the players to look at it and officials have pluses and minuses every game. We’ve got to focus on defending the field and not getting into the range of a field goal kicker with a strong leg.”
(You opened this by talking about yours and General Manager Chris Grier’s faith in the team and how you believe you’re much better than the record, but the record is what it is. You have as many losses now as you had last year and the playoff thing, we know how difficult that will be. What keeps them in the locker room confident and still thinking they can do what you believe they can do?) – “I think because the most powerful thing that we have in coaching and playing is tape and understanding what our jobs are and how we can do them better. So I think the team overall thought that we should be in a better position to perform based upon our work week and how we attack that and what we focused on and what we thought about. And as a result I think we played our best version until this point of football in a lot of ways and I think the guys – how much they’ve kind of bought into what we are trying to do – see areas where they can tighten up the game and in a game like that where it comes down to a 61-yard field goal, every little thing does matter. And regardless how difficult the circumstances may be, they are our circumstances. I think guys are really just trying to do right by their teammates and the organization for something they believe in. We went into the game having full confidence that we could win and we knew we were the only people that would hold that confidence. And we got close, but close doesn’t really count, so it was a tough pill to swallow but not the type of pill that tells you to take your foot off the gas. Albeit it was a heartbreak, it was more validation that we are much better than our record is. But our record is what it is, so you have one choice if you really feel that way. You have to dictate change and closer only counts if it’s on the path to fixing it. So I think guys will be hungry to go attack business for a Monday night outing against the Rams and make some of these failures purposeful. We’ve scratched and clawed to get closer, but I definitely don’t think anybody in the locker room is satisfied with closer. That was a tough pill to swallow that we have to apply all the tough part of it to the Rams and nothing else.”
(You mentioned how important the little things are. It seems like especially over the last three weeks like little things have really prevented you guys from winning games that you probably should’ve won. How do you correct those little things?) – “You try to identify and patternize and take care of something without something else popping up. Sometimes you’re able to execute that. I think that we did get better in our preparation and as a result had some success in the game that we’d otherwise had failures in that environment. But at the same time you’re depending on the accountability of all people across the board and then letting the game tape speak for itself when we get together and talk about the realities of what our football is. And each and every week you just try to knock stuff out so that you don’t have that lesson learned in vain where you’re losing a game and you don’t get better from it. The idea is if you’re going to lose the game, you better get better from it in some way shape or form. To chase the accomplishment of succeeding where there is a lot of reasons to continue on a path of losing. So trying to find our team’s performance to be the best team in the stadium that day, it’s been kind of challenging at times for us this year, but I haven’t seen people relent and that is because they believe that we are a better representation of what it is. Valiant effort, but we got beat so what are you going to do about that? I know the Rams don’t care and nor will any other team, so we have to get ourselves prepared for those next challenges and completely immerse yourself into that if you’re going to try to expect a different result.”
(You guys have had leads in the second half each of the last three weeks. Has there been a common thread as to why you weren’t able to hang onto them?) – “I thought this past game going against a really good quarterback that has been able to find some success in that second half. I thought the team did have more resolve and there was a couple of plays offensively that maybe a field goal was a touchdown a couple of plays defensively where we get off the field in critical situations that we kind of shot ourselves in the foot. But the resolve was an improvement. The week before you have a situation where I think both sides of the ball had a chance to win it and they didn’t. Not the same formula even though it was the same result, and the week before that, I think the offense was on the field. The common denominator is winning those last couple drives. I think there’s been several different reasons why that hasn’t occurred. But there is an absolute fixation. We kind of talked about it most of the week that chances are this is going to come down to a final possession or be a one-score game, so we have to be ready to execute. I thought we were close to that on defense with a third-and-14. Shot ourselves in the foot, got to a third-and-9. And you’re looking at getting off the field until you get that penalty. Then there was a couple of throws that were five or six-yard throws into the boundary that I think we could’ve been tighter in coverage. So that wasn’t the same formula from the week before and you have to be clear with that with the player so it’s just not like, woe is us. No, let’s correct something and make sure we’re not victims of the same circumstance in the same way. So it hasn’t been in the same way, but the tonality now that we have a three-game pattern is definitely a focus on how we finish collectively as a group, not just offense, defense or special teams; but collectively finishing an opponent that you’re able to gain a lead on.”
