Adam Gase – November 3, 2017
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Friday, November 3, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(How would you describe the overall week of practice from your perspective?) – “I thought guys did a good job. They worked hard, which we’ve been seeing for the most part; but I felt one thing that I kind of noticed was just the transition from meetings to field, being able to take the information and go to the field. There’s going to be physical mistakes, but I thought our guys were on it pretty good.”
(Are you optimistic about DE Andre Branch or DE William Hayes or both for Sunday?) – “Yes, I mean I’m always going to think everybody is going to be able to go until they tell us they can’t go. That’s the good thing about having tonight, tomorrow, Sunday all day. We’ll figure it out. We’ve got a lot of time.”
(How did WR DeVante Parker move in practice during the week and where would you say his ankle is?) – “He looked good. It’s just going to be all about when you start getting tackled live and moving in the game you just kind of … I think that goes on the backburner. You never know what’s going to happen and anytime you step on that field, its play every play because you never know. He’s doing everything he can to just get as healthy as he can, but you just never know how this game goes.”
(How much did he push himself relative to explosiveness and jumping? Was it kind of a light week or was he full?) – “No, I mean that’s what he’s been trying to do for a while. Whenever they kind of give him those guidelines of okay, we want you to start going in this direction, he does exactly what he’s asked. Last week we kind of saw him and he was really trying to push himself to show that I’m good, I can do everything. We’re doing a walkthrough and he’s trying to jump over the top of guys and things. I think he’s not restricting himself from what he’s doing.”
(Is there anything you can do as a play caller to help QB Jay Cutler protect his ribs?) – “Not really. I mean it’s just … you’re kind of at the mercy of what happens on each individual play. You can try to keep him out of harm’s way but at the end of the day, it is what it is and at some point, we’re going to have to drop back and throw it and we’ve got to protect it and get open quick, and he’s got to avoid getting hit.”
(We don’t ask you about LS John Denney often but I’m just curious of what you think about his streak of 200 games?) – “I mean it’s impressive. The thing about it is he’s the only guy that … I think I’m older than him by a few months, so he’s been doing this for a minute. It’s impressive to just see how consistent he is. If you watch him practice every day and he comes out there, he’s a grinder. You never see him just kind of standing around. He’s always doing something. He’s always working, whether it be the short snaps, long snaps, talking to those guys, just making sure those guys have the right mindset. That’s why you always feel good, no matter who your punter and kicker are, because he’s taking those guys under his wing and making sure that mentally, those guys are ready to go.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake in spot duty, he’s averaging just 2.5 yards per carry; but when you’re being more featured or you’re getting more touches, why should that be expected to go up?) – “Well I think you have to … I said it yesterday as far as you’ve got to know what we are asking him to do on certain plays. Some of the stuff that he was brought in for were situational-type things. Every play has a different story. Like I said, if its second-and-1 and he gets 1 (yard), he did his job. The last thing I usually look at is average. It doesn’t account for … You can have a 20-yard run and two minus-5s. What do you really want? You just want consistency. That’s really what you’re looking for.”
(Is C/G Ted Larsen likely to remain inactive?) – “We’ll see. I mean we’ve still got time.”
(You can’t give us C/G Ted Larsen?) – “No. (laughter) I want to just keep all of our options on the table right now. I haven’t had a chance to sit down with (Executive Vice President, Football Operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) and (General Manager) Chris (Grier), which I’m going to do today, so…”
(Is bringing up RB De’Veon Smith to have a fourth back a consideration that you think you all will look at possibly?) – “We’re going to go through everything today, so the good thing is I feel like that’s why we like these practice squad players that we have right now. They do a great job of preparing themselves like they’re going to play. All of those guys, they can see what’s going on. When there’s roster moves and guys going on IR and you might have a spot here and there, I mean they’re chomping at the bit to get out there. We’ve got a couple of moves that we’re going to have to eventually make, whether it be this week and then obviously next week, where guys are coming up on the roster. We’ve got some things to work through here, especially this week and then on to the next week.”
(Talking about mixing stuff up and changing some stuff up between now and kickoff, is there anything different in terms of how many walkthroughs, the time of the walkthrough, what you’ll do in the walkthrough? If you’ll see a movie? Just different stuff that …?) – “Well for us, it’s a different schedule because this is really the first time we’ve played a Sunday game but at night. That kind of changes what we do on Saturday and Sunday. We had the Thursday game but that was a short week so you’re just cramming everything in and you’re doing some walkthroughs that morning just to make sure that you’re good to go. This is really something our guys haven’t really experienced yet, so we’re going to kind of … We’ve got an idea of what we want to do and then just see how it goes. It’s really on paper right now for us. Hopefully we’ve got the right formula that we need to get a win this week.”
(Do you want to get WR Rashawn Scott back involved from a special teams standpoint, considering he did well there last year?) – “Yes, I just can’t wait to see him get a chance to perform because he does so many good things in practice and you know it’s just going to be a lot of opportunity. When’s the right time that he gets a chance? The thing about him is he’s just willing to do anything. I love the fact that he knows all three spots as a wide receiver. He’ll do anything that (Associate Head Coach/Special Team Coordinator Darren) Rizzi asks him to do on special teams and whatever he has that day, he’ll get it. That’s why him getting hurt, that was one of those one’s nobody really talked about; but he pushed a lot of other guys, especially in that room, because they knew he wasn’t going to be outworked.”
(With the changes that you’ve made this week to the schedule, to the roster, are you expecting these guys to come out kind of breathing fire on Sunday or do you expect a tangible, visual up?) – “I mean I can’t say that I know that for a fact. I know that every week we’ve talked about playing with passion, emotion, having a swagger to us that we know … You know what to do. You’re going to play fast and you’re going to react to what’s going on in the game. I don’t know if any of that will have any bearing on Sunday because every guy is different. Every guy handles their preparation and game different, and the majority of our guys come out that way. It might now be visually; but you can tell when you look in guys’ eyes and you kind of talk to them, you can tell if a guy is really, really locked in or if he’s kind of not there. The majority of the guys when you talk to them, Cam (Wake), the (Ndamukong) Suhs, Kiko (Alonso), (Lawrence) Timmons, those guys, if you go talk to those guys before a game, you can tell they’re dialed in and ready to go.”
(You’ve only lost one fumble in seven games, which is a pretty impressive pace. And the guy who fumbled is actually no longer here. Just curious of what your teaching point is with that, because obviously whatever you’re teaching is working in that regard.) – “I’m glad that you’re not trying to jinx us on that. (laughter)”
(It’s a compliment.) – “It’s fine. Just don’t talk about it. (laughter) I think (Running Backs Coach) Danny Barrett does a good job. Really, you see it a lot of times with the running back coach, he takes a lot of pride with the entire offense. It’s something that I actually took from Steve Mariucci. Tom Rathman used to get up in front of the group and he’d go through the basic fundamentals of carrying a football, and how to lock it down and how to prevent yourself from ever putting it on the ground, and we carried that over here. I think Danny does a good job of whether it’s a wide receiver, a tight end, running back, of if he sees something where the ball is loose in practice, he’ll go correct it. I think there’s a little bit of personal pride too with each coach of making sure their group isn’t the one to put it on the ground. It’s one of those things where you just always have to be mindful of it, because every week you play a different style of defense when you play these teams, that their d-line gets out and they run fast and you get slowed down. All of a sudden you get drilled from behind and you have to be able to hang onto the ball. Really, it’s just awareness. It’s focusing on what you’re doing right now and make sure you keep that ball tight.”
(Do you teach one technique for every player? Because I would think every player would like to hold it a little differently.) – “You try to make sure that you keep it pretty consistent. We got a way that we teach it. I think guys for the most part have bought into that. Every once in a while you see somebody get sloppy with it and start carrying the ball with one hand and trying to act like Walter Payton. That’s when, as a coach, you start getting a little nervous; but I think guys for the most part, they try to do the right thing.”
(Where are you guys on pass defense right now just considering the way I guess QB Philip Rivers and QB Drew Brees hit you, getting LB Lawrence Timmons, putting CB Cordrea Tankersley in there, DE Cam Wake’s sacks, the late game interceptions – CB Bobby McCain and S Reshad Jones?) – “We’ve been watching it since training camp, the improvement that was made from last year. I think a lot of it has to do (with) you have 11 guys playing together. Sometimes it takes you some time to realize our defense is built through our front. The rest of us are there to try to do everything we can to make sure those four guys get home. The best way that we can do that is by everybody doing their job on every play. When a guy goes freelancing or tries to do something where that ball can come out quicker, that’s really not what we’re looking for. We’re looking to make sure that quarterback cannot throw to his first progression and go to his second one, because we feel like we’re going to get home if we do that.”
(We know that RB Senorise Perry has developed into a core special teams guy. We only saw eight carries from him in preseason. Has there been anything that you’ve seen that intrigues you about him as a ball carrier?) – “I’ve been around him. This is my second time being with him. I’ve actually called plays with him in the game. I just feel like I have a good feel for what he likes. He’s one of those guys that, really at the end of the day, whatever you call, he’s going to do everything he can to execute it. What you see on special teams is exactly what you get from offense. He’s going to give you everything. If he gets an opportunity to carry the ball, I know whoever tries to tackle him, it’s not going to be easy. That’s what I appreciate about these three guys is they are tough and they have multiple aspects of their game that we really like and it makes us very versatile.”
(How big is that trust factor for coaches in general and you specifically? Because we know you’ve gone back to the past with RB Senorise Perry and C/G Ted Larsen and QB David Fales and QB Jay Cutler. How big a factor is that specifically to coaches and you?) – “When you know a guy and you know how he works, you know how he goes through the day, you know how he practices, you know how he’s going to be on game day, that eliminates a lot of things. Sometimes like last year, for me, it took me a minute to kind of figure our guys out. We start off 1-4. I felt like I was a big reason that we were kind of jacked up on offense, because I didn’t get a good feel for Ryan (Tannehill) early, calling plays with him, and made some changes and we kind of got in a better rhythm. And then this year, it has been some different things that really have caused us to not be productive; but when you know the guys that you’re going to work with every day and you know the kind of effort they’re putting in, that’s what helps you bring in the guys that you’ve been around before, because you just know what you’re going to get day in and day out, and they know what to expect as far as what’s coming from me, and then they can help facilitate a lot of these things to other players. When things aren’t quite going right, they can help get you right back on path of saying, ‘This is how we need to do it,’ because they’ve done it before and they’ve been through some experiences with me to where they know what we’re trying to do is the right way.”
(Is there any even general or rough analogy to a college football coach trying to install his program – get his players in – to what you’re doing?) – “It’s tough in the NFL. We’re talking about a handful of guys when you come to a place you might be able to get, because guys are under contract. It’s tough to go from one team to another and try to get guys to come with you because you’re just not able to. Any time you can get at least a few guys in the locker room that at least know what you’re about and how you want to do things, when you do that, it really helps you really get your system installed and ready to go.”
Cameron Wake – November 3, 2017
Friday, November 3, 2017
DE Cameron Wake
(Anything special about playing Sunday Night Football? It’s the NFL’s marquee package. WR Jarvis Landry says it’s special to him, that’s one perspective. Anything for you or zero appeal about that?) – “Not really. I like playing football. It doesn’t matter if it’s – I won’t say Thursday – but it doesn’t matter if it’s Sunday – Sunday morning, Sunday night, London. I just enjoy playing the game.”
(Did you notice any kind of difference at practice this week coming back after the “mini bye?”) – “I think guys were refreshed. I’d like to think guys have time to do whatever, whether it was get away from the game, whether it was get some extra treatment, or whatever thing you needed as an individual to help you get through the rest of the season. I think guys took the time to do that and I think it was good week of practice.”
(How do you measure pass-rushing success when you have quarterbacks who get rid of the ball really quickly?) – “I’ve always thought that we, as a front, we’re eventually going to get there, no matter what. It just depends on whether the quarterback has the ball or not. You can control what you control. Whether he has it, that’s not necessarily in your control; but the reality is at some point – especially with the guys we have in the back end – at some point they’re going to hold it and you have to trust that those guys are going to do their job, and you have to say, ‘This is going to be the play that I’m going to get the opportunity to get to the quarterback.’ If you do the opposite and say, ‘Alright, he’s throwing the ball quick, I’m not going to rush,’ then that’s a play when he’s sitting back there for five seconds and heaving it down the field. You have to have a short memory and you have to have a lot of confidence in yourself in every single play. ‘This is the play I’m going to get there, this is the play I’m going to get there. I trust in my guys.’ From a measurement standpoint, if you beat your guy, whether the ball is there or not, to me, that’s doing your job.”
(Do you get help from the back end? Is that how it works?) – “That’s exactly how it works. I feel like especially as a general teaching for the lay football watcher, that when they see a long pass and the corner got beat or the safety got beat on a 60-yard bomb and (they say), ‘Oh, that guy got beat.’ But in this league, there’s nobody … A corner couldn’t cover me for 10 seconds and I’m not a receiver, so eventually a receiver’s going to get open. As a pass rusher, if you throw a 70-yard pass, that’s my fault as a pass rusher; not mine, but we as a front. We definitely work hand in hand. Short drops and short, quick passes, I feel like, ‘Okay, you guys challenge those route concepts or whatever it may be, and when it’s the long routes, that’s our chance to say we’re not going to put you in that situation. We’re going to get there regardless of what the circumstances are.’”
(On a week like this where obviously you have health questions at defensive end with DEs Andre Branch and William Hayes, do you and Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams or you and Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke have a conversation about more snaps. Do you express willingness for that? Do they come to you and say, ‘We might need you’ or does that conversation never happen?) – “I don’t think it’s a conversation, it’s a reality. Unfortunately, the game we play, it’s violent and injuries happen unlike any other sport that’s played in this country. It’s an unfortunate situation. You know that it’s going to happen at some point, yourself included, and the guys around you know that. If we have to step up and play a little more, that’s just the situation. We knew that the day we signed on to play. Whatever happens on Sunday, and still, again, that’s to be determined about who plays and how many snaps and all of that. When your number gets called, you’ve got to go in there and you’ve got to do your job. That’s the way it’s been, whether it is injury, a shoelace, a person with no shoe, a suspension, so on and so on and so on. ”
(Emotionally, is it better for a team to come out the same way every week or would you prefer to see a spike after a loss or a change in personnel like you guys had?) – “I don’t like spikes. I don’t like rollercoasters. I’m not a fan of extra. For example, Sunday night are we going to play harder because it’s Sunday night? What were you doing Sunday at 1 o’clock? What were you doing Thursday night? If there’s an extra, then to me – and I can say that to any football player – you’ve already been withholding something that you should have been giving. It should be a maxed-out effort week in and week out, no matter what time the game is, no matter who you’re playing, no matter if you all lost 10 straight, you won 10 straight, you’re going against an All-Pro, you’re going against a rookie who’s never played. There’s no let up. It’s your 100 mph fastball every pitch until your arm falls off. That’s the only way you can play this game. If you’re out there throwing lobs because it’s not a great hitter and then you’re waiting for a hitter to come up, then you’re wasting an opportunity. Me, I’m swinging for the fences every play, I don’t care who’s pitching.”
Michael Thomas – November 2, 2017
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Thursday, November 2, 2017
S Michael Thomas
(On whether guys get the message that Head Coach Adam Gase is sending) – “Obviously, Coach Gase did some things last year that got everyone’s attention. The way we’ve got to take that as a locker room is, regardless of how big of an impact it was, is that he sent a message. I think everybody got the message, ‘let’s go out there and do our job.’ It is what it is. Let’s go out there, let’s produce and let’s try to go get this W. That’s it.”
(What kind of feeling did you sense from everybody on the team coming back from the bye after the game in Baltimore?) – “Let’s get back to work. We put something out there on tape on Thursday night that was not respectable. That wasn’t us and we don’t ever want to look like that again, so let’s get back to work.”
(How did you feel when you were pressed into duty in Baltimore?) – “Stay ready. Obviously, you don’t plan for that. I hate to see anybody get injured. Obviously, I didn’t want to see that happen to Nate (Allen), but they’re calling my name – I’m trying to get a breather from special teams – and they’re calling my name to go in. I’m ready. Just go out there and produce. This is an opportunity and I’ve got to make the most of it.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase has talked about a different sense of urgency out there. Have you noticed anything in particular in practices?) – “Just the fact that everybody understands that you can’t take anything for granted. You can’t take being here for granted. This is an opportunity to play in the NFL. You want to put something good on tape at all times. You never know when it’s going to be your last snap. You never know if you’re going to be here, so every chance you get to step out on that field and give it your all, that’s it.”
(Can you handle your normal full load on special teams along with defense?) – “I stay ready for everything. If they want me to play a lot of special teams, I’ll be ready for that. If they want me to more on defense, I’ll be ready for that.”
(Going up against a very talented passing offense this week. What do you see in the Raiders?) – “They’re dynamic. They have explosive players. They have big-play ability. They’ve got a tight end who could be a matchup problem. They’ve got a quarterback who’s young and could be one of the better ones in the game. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but we’re not worried. We’ve just got to execute the game plan (Defensive Coordinator Matt) Burke has for us and we’re going to be straight.”
(Do you expect Raiders QB Derek Carr to be testing you?) – “If he does then I’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity. That’s it. I’m just going to go out there and play my game, that’s it.”
(Were you able to catch your hometown team winning the baseball World Series) – “Definitely. Shout out to H-town (Houston). The city really needed that. The city needed it.”
(Do you interact, just from a preparation standpoint, with S T.J. McDonald? Do you interact with him?) – “Oh, yes. First off, that’s my spades partner in crime. We’re like the dynasty. There’s other people in this locker room that think they can play spades. We normally beat them. But, obviously, he comes back next week. We’re excited for that return; but this week, we’re just trying to go out there and get that W. I’m trying to put the best film I can together this week and control what I control.”
Darren Rizzi – November 2, 2017
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(What happens to RB Kenyan Drake as a kickoff returner now that his backfield duties will be increased?) – “Great question. Obviously, that’s something we’ve been going through all week with all three running backs – with Drake, Damien (Williams) and Senorise (Perry) – kind of their their role, whether to increase or decrease with offense and special teams. We’re still working through some of it, to be honest with you. We’re talking through what their role is going to be for the game. There is still going to be some involvement with all three of those guys in special teams. Whether or not it’s going to be in the return game or in the coverage game and all of that, that’s where we’re still trying to fix the pieces of the puzzle and come up with the best possible answer. Obviously Drake and Damien, specifically, their roles on offense are going to increase, so they may have a little bit of a lesser role special teams-wise; but again, the exact phases and all of that, we’re still trying to work through that. They’re still getting work on everything. We’re just trying to figure out what the best solution is here by the end of the week.”
(With S Michael Thomas now needing to scale down his special teams role, how do you fix that issue where you’re taking three core special teamers – Thomas, RBs Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams – and minimizing their use on the unit?) – “It’s a definite challenge. One of the things we talked about earlier in the year was how one of my biggest jobs is to make sure everybody’s ready to play. As I said to our team in a meeting the other day, I said, ‘Listen, at some point we knew that other guys were going to have to step up and play. It’s no different than the next man up philosophy on offense or defense.’ It’s really the same for special teams, so those younger players – and we’re still trying to figure out who the actives are going to be – but some of those younger DBs have to step up. We know the names: ‘Mo’ (Maurice) Smith’s been active for a couple of games and Torry (McTyer) or Jordan Lucas, or obviously Rashawn Scott’s getting a look this week as well, and we’re trying to figure out what the best duo is going to be there – or the best combination of people that is going to be at the end. There’s no doubt it affects us. Those guys are all very good core (special) teamers. They’ve been very good core (special) teamers for years. Mike’s still going to have a role, just like Damien and Kenyan will still have a role on special teams. It’s not going to be as great, but he’ll still be out there for some of the phases.”
(What makes DT Vincent Taylor so good at blocking kicks?) – “First of all, the number one thing is approach – his mentality. He goes out there with the mentality … He says to me on the sideline, ‘Coach, I’m going to get this one.’ I think he says it to me every time; but it’s just that approach and mentality. The second thing is he does a great job of studying the opponent and looking for weaknesses, whether it be a linemen or the kicker or the exit angle of the ball. So it’s not a surprise to me. Watching him on college tape, that’s one of the thing that really came up. I know it was mentioned here before, he just has a knack, and some guys put themselves in good position. He’s gotten his hand on two so far this year. I think he’s only gotten credit for one; but I think we’re working with the league on that one. He actually got his hand on one in the first Jets game, as well. I just don’t think he statistically got credit for it. He actually got his hand on it, so he’s gotten his hand on two this year, and I can’t tell you how many times he’s come inches away from getting others. Really, it’s just a tremendous effort by him. But really that whole group – Jordan Phillips, Terrence Fede, (Davon) Godchaux, Will Hayes – all of those guys really have given a really good effort there, and we’ve come close to a bunch of others. Even the edge guys as well – whether it was Walt (Aikens) or Bobby McCain. But back to Vincent, really the approach and the film study. Then obviously for a big guy, he’s got great athleticism, he’s got long arms, he’s got big hands and all of that obviously – the physical tools – his God-gifted ability, that obviously plays a part too.”
(Your emergency place kicker is DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “It is.”
(What’s the routine there? How much time does he spend on it? Is there an audition for that job? Tell me about it.) – “During training camp, we try to find the guys that have at least had some experience with that before. We get them a few kicks in camp and then here during a regular season week – it depends whether it’s a regular week, like last week was a short week – in a regular week, we’ll just try to get him a couple. We’re not going to overdo it, but he has done it before.”
(A couple of kicks?) – “Yes, not many. There’s not many at all. There’s weeks that he doesn’t get any, to be honest with you. There’s weeks that he gets some; but all of those emergency players – whether it’s a holder, the snapper, the returners, the punters – all of that, we’ve got to make sure that (they’re ready). Cody’s (Parkey) the backup punter, Mike Hull’s our backup snapper”.
(So why DT Ndamukong Suh as backup kicker?) – “People would initially say, why not the punter? A lot of times … Matt Haack was a position player in high school, so he wasn’t like a soccer player that became a kicker type of guy. He was more of a quarterback and receiver. Matt Darr was the same thing when he was here. He wasn’t really a good kicker, so Suh has had the most experience at it. Really, I know you look at him size-wise and say, ‘That’s your backup kicker?’ But he’s really just our best option.”
(What’s his range?) – “(laughter) If you ask him or if you ask me? (laughter) The sky’s the limit for him. He doesn’t lack confidence at all in anything. He’ll tell you he can kick one from far away, but usually we practice him in the 35 to 45 range.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase this week said that non-personnel changes would happen, in terms of doing different things in practice, teaching differently. What have been the most tangible changes you’ve seen the last couple of days?) – “I think what Adam’s done this week is (he’s) just put an emphasis back on fundamentals. I think that he thought we got away from that a little bit. Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, and really getting back to some of that stuff. It’s really, when you look at it, our errors on film in all three phases, there’s nothing that’s not correctible, which is obviously a good thing; but we have to do the basic things, the fundamental things, much, much better. I know Adam’s talked about that as well, but really that’s in all three phases. We’ve really come close, special teams-wise to making some huge plays. It could be one guy away. It’s one of those things, if one guy’s wrong, everyone’s wrong. It’s one wrong, all wrong and that’s what we talk about one-eleventh. A lot of times on special teams, that’s what that is. It’s that accountability thing, whether it’s getting lined up right, having the right split, hand placement. So really going back to basics, having more of a beginner’s mentality. Everyone got a few days off here, and I think that’s certainly helped the mind and the body. Really, we came back this week with more of a beginner’s mentality, a training camp type of approach, and I think that’s really what Adam was referring to.
(What other position guys, either currently or in recent history, have you seen that could do okay at kicking?) – “At kicking?”
(Yes, I’m back stuck on that.) – “Yes, you’re going back to (Ndamukong) Suh? Wes Welker was a guy that had to kick. Doug Flutie, back in the day, had to kick. I know obviously (Jeff) Heath, the (safety) for the Dallas Cowboys, their kicker got hurt a couple of weeks ago against the 49ers, he kicked a bunch of PATs and kickoffs. Those are the first guys that come to mind.”
(Who else do you have here that’s okay at it?) – “Here? Not that many. (laughter) It’s not a laundry list, I can tell you that. Kicking and punting, back when I played, was more of it was always like the best athlete was going to do it. Now the kicking world has become so much more specific in the last 15 to 20 years, where now you have these kicking high school camps and these combines. It’s really become a lot more specific, where back in the day when I played in high school, it was like, ‘Alright, Joey’s the best athlete, let’s have Joey do it. He’s the best punter.’ Now it’s become so much more specific, the kicking and punting. That’s why the days of Danny White playing quarterback and punting, those days are long over. I remember watching him growing up. That’s really the reason. You don’t have a lot of position players that do it anymore.”
(Who thought he was really good, but wasn’t?) – “(laughter) I think everybody thinks they’re good. Jordan Phillips thinks he’s good at everything. He thinks he can go back there and be a punt returner. I’ve got to fend him off of everything.”
(That’d be a sight.) – “Yes, that would be a sight for sure. (Phillips has) done it. MarQueis Gray’s a guy that’s a do-it-all. He’s played quarterback, he’s played a bunch of different things, so he’s a guy; but all of these guys think they’re good.”
(Do you have any guys that kick straight on anymore? Anybody ever do that?) – “Me. (laughter) I’ve seen it. I’ve actually seen it before and I’ve talk to guys before that say, ‘Hey Coach, I was actually a straight-on kicker.’ They used to be able to have the straight-edge shoe and all of that. My college kicker kicked straight on. That’s not that long ago – the early 90s, not that bad.”
(After Cowboys K Dan Bailey got hurt in the game, did you say something to DT Ndamukong Suh or did he say something to you asking for more kicks, reminding each other that maybe he should do a couple a week, as you said he does?) – “Yes, it’s always a great reminder. Obviously I watched that game and got the chance to watch him kick a little bit. It’s always a great reminder. I remember last year the Eagles had their snapper get hurt. They had two snappers get hurt in one game. Their snapper got hurt, then their backup snapper got hurt. They were down to their third guy, so it’s always a great reminder to a coach when you watch a game like that. ‘We’ve got to make sure that we’re on point here,’ because it is something that can get lost in the middle of the season. So we make sure, myself and (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf), every week at the end of the week, we’re always repping our backup snapper, repping our backup holder, getting our guys some work in case something comes up. It’s definitely an eye-opener for sure, because there’s only 46 guys dressed. There’s not that many guys that can do it.”
(Raiders P Marquette King is obviously a really good punter, but he’s a demonstrative guy, we’ll say. Do the antics get under your skin or your guys’ skin a little more because he’s a punter and o you have to tell your guys to ignore him?) – “I’ve got to be honest with you, I haven’t been that focused on it. Obviously, I’ve watched him over the years, and he’s a tremendous punter. I’ll start with that. Not only that, but he’s also an excellent athlete as well. You’ve got to watch him in the fake game. He takes off with the ball and he can run with the ball. He makes tackles in the open field, so he’s a little bit unlike most punters in that sense, where some of those guys are not the best athletes in the world. He brings a little bit more of an athleticism to the position, because you’ve seen it on film. You’ve seen him take off with the ball; you’ve seen him make tackles. He’s certainly an emotional guy. I saw him get a 15-yarder this year. He took off and ran a fake and got tackled before the stick and ended up throwing the ball at the guy and got a 15-yarder. When someone like that comes up, I always remind our guys just focus on ourselves and not to get caught up. That doesn’t matter if it’s a punter, linebacker or DB, whoever it is. Keep the focus on us and let’s stay away from the antics.”
(We talk about emergency situations for all kinds of positions. Given that, how do you look at LS John Denney and his longevity coming up on a milestone here? It seems like he’s an ironman here.) – “Yes, I could talk about John Denney for a long time, both as a player and a person. I have the utmost respect for him and it really is incredible what he’s done. First of all, I know he’s coming up on his 200th game, and as far as I know, only Jason Taylor and Dan Marino have played that many games for the Dolphins. Right there, he’s in elite company. I know it’s a totally different positon, and I get that; but you look at that position and it’s a skillset that you have to have. John does a phenomenal job of keeping in outstanding shape. This is not a knock on the rest of the long snappers in the league, but some of those guys aren’t in the best condition in the world. Some of those guys only do that particular skill. I’ve joked about this before, but I think John takes about 10 days or two weeks after the season, but then I think he’s here as much as I am because he’s constantly working on his body, working on nutrition. Although he’s getting up there in years a little bit, I think his body’s a lot younger and he’s in a lot better shape than a lot of guys younger than him. I think a lot of the times we go out there and condition in the summer and I think a lot of the younger players are surprised at how well conditioned he is. That’s the first thing. The second thing is he’s got a great mentality and a great temperament for his position, and I think that’s also allowed him to stay in the league this long. Lastly, his skill set. He’s still a very, very good player at his position. If you lined up the 32 snappers in the league, he’s still, in my opinion, he‘s still in the top third of the league at what he does. He’s an excellent blocker and a very good snapper and he’s still athletic enough to cover. All of those factors have played into the fact that he’s played this long. Kudos to him. He’s just a phenomenal person, a really great leader, a great guy to have in our locker room. Again, all of the superlatives. I can’t say enough positive about him. He’s a phenomenal person”
(So when a player at a position starts to decline, you can tell. The quarterback is throwing more interceptions or can’t move, the wide receiver is slower. What happens to a long snapper when he starts to decline?) – “That’s a really good question and it’s something we look at every year. The first thing is the velocity on the snaps is probably the first thing that starts to go. The accuracy of the snaps is the second thing that starts to go. So you start to lose some velocity and then your accuracy starts to struggle, as well. The third thing, and probably the most overlooked thing is the blocking ability. In college, long snappers, 95 percent of them, don’t block because the rules are different. Most of them snap and start running down the field, because they don’t have to block, because the rules are completely different. So it’s really hard to find young snappers that block well. John is, if not the best blocking long snapper that I’ve ever coached, he’s certainly up there in the top couple, and maybe over his career, one of the best blocking long snappers that has played in this league over a long period of time. That part, because he’s kept himself in phenomenal shape, has not really struggled much either. Is he half a step slower, yes. We’re all going to be half a step slower as we get older; but he’s still in really good shape. He still covers better than most long snappers. That’s the final thing that you see that starts to decline. You see a lot of guys really struggling in coverage, not being able to get down the field. This guy’s out here running more than some of our DBs at times and keeps himself in great shape, so he’s still able to cover the field. For long snappers – again, I’m not comparing him to gunners, I’m comparing him just to the long snapper pool – he’s still up there in the top half of the league in terms of coverage ability, too. Those are all things that you look at in a long snapper and John has kept his game up to par in all of those areas. Again, I go back to the way he keeps himself in such great physical shape, and those things haven’t declined.”
Clyde Christensen – November 2, 2017
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Thursday, November 2, 2017
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(One thing that Head Coach Adam Gase said this week is we need to teach guys differently. Has he conveyed that to you and the offensive assistants, and how dramatic changes or what types of changes are there in how you teach now?) – “I think probably a little extra desperation. We’ve always been trying to do that, right? I mean the goal has always been for them to learn and we’ve tried a bunch of different things. I think probably just some … At a point Adam is clear that – Coach Gase is clear that – you’ve got learn it or you’ve got to get changed out, we’ve got to try something else. So I think it was made clear to the coaches too that you’re responsible for your group and ultimately me, that if it’s a group that doesn’t execute, then that goes on the coordinator. So that would go on me and it would be taken personally and it should be taken personally.”
(When you play on national TV and have a game like that, how much do you hear from friends and family around the country?) – “Yes, a ton. We had a little time even … I was laughing (because) I had my Miami gear on and I walked down the Hollywood Boardwalk and got a little work out there and some guy was carrying something and he made a comment about the Dolphins, and ‘Hey I’m moving slow, kind of like the Dolphins.’ (laughter) So it’s everywhere. It’s no fun. (laughter) All my girls call and check in and make sure I’m okay. It was a beat down. It was a beat down mentally, physically, coaching-wise and it’s awful. There’s nothing fun about it. It’s not good. It’s unacceptable and it’s not fun, and that’s where a couple of days, a few hours here or there off even, is almost negative. You just want to get back on the field. That’s the only way you forget those and put them behind. That’s why it’s always so important to win those off weeks and stuff like that. It wasn’t a fun weekend to be a Dolphin.”
(So with that, is it good to get back on national TV again?) – “Yes. I think so, sure. Very seldom do you get back-to-back national TV games and we’re going three in a row, where we can change the impression. You can change the impression of a country; but that’s not why. People’s perception, that’s secondary. We need to play good football just because it’s the right thing to do and it’s how we get to where we want to go and that’s way more important than what people’s perception of us are. I think it’s more about us. It’s more about I think just being disappointed in how we’re playing, more than it is perception; but it isn’t fun. It isn’t fun being out on the street or anywhere else after you’ve just gotten smacked around like we got smacked around.”
(You don’t have many bodies in the running back room. I would say you don’t have as much talent in the running back room. How do you make one less body, less talent, be as or more productive?) – “I think probably … I’m not sure how that will happen. Somehow we’ll try and get it to happen. Sometimes a fresh start for somebody, you get a little jump from it, a little energy from it. Even Jay (Ajayi) going there, maybe sometimes a fresh change is good. So sometimes you do get a little burst from the change, that would be one way I think it happens. Other than that, those two guys, it gives them a chance – a fresh start. It gives everyone a little bit of a fresh start. I’m just hoping that that will be just a change up a little bit. That doesn’t mean that it’s the cure all and that doesn’t mean that Jay (Ajayi) was the problem or this or that; but we haven’t played very well this season, and we have to try some new stuff. We have to try some different things and hopefully it will give us a little bit of a lift or a jolt.”
(What’s RB Kenyan Drake bring to your offense that you have not featured previously?) – “I think he’s an extremely fast guy and he’s an extremely good receiving-skill guy. I do think he’s a little bit of a different style than Jay (Ajayi) was. Just his speed, his ability to take the ball around the corner, his ability to bounce it or go back door and you’re not quite as sure where he’s going to run. I think that gives you a little extra threat. His speed is to be feared, and then the other thing to me is just his hands. His hands are extremely good. Now there’s going to be tradeoffs too. There’s going to be some protection issues and stuff like that that he’s going to be in the fire. It’s a lot different than in a walkthrough, that all of a sudden you’ve got blitzers coming and twists and turns and all of those things. It will be a challenge for him, but those are the traits he brings that are kind of unique to him.”
(The last time RB Kenyan Drake had a heavy workload was in high school, considering he’s been a backup his entire career. Are you certain that he can handle that kind of work load?) – “Yes. I feel good. I mean I’m not certain because we don’t have empirical data on it, but the times we’ve asked him to do things and he has carried a heavy work load on special teams, so it’s not like he’s not a tested guy. He’s NFL tested. If you return kicks, you cover kicks, you work the punt team, you’re not throwing a guy in there who doesn’t understand how fast and how big and how violent this game is in this league. He does know that. That’s a plus. You’re not throwing a guy in there who hasn’t been hit. You can’t lack courage and return kicks in this league, and you sure understand the speed of the game if you’re covering kicks, so I do think that that’s an advantage to him; but as far as just day-to-day and carrying a ball, and I remember when we had that same discussion on Jay (Ajayi) last year. It’s an interesting thing to get hit and get tattooed like they tattoo you in this league for week after week after week after week. The other thing that will help us is that he won’t have to do it alone. It’s going to be by committee and we’re going to play those other guys also, and it’s going to be done by committee, so it won’t be where Jay (Ajayi) would have the 24 or 25 or 26 carries. It shouldn’t be that situation. That should help him also; but it’s violent. It’s a violent position, practicing when you’re sore. I think those are the things we talked through last year when we had a guy who hadn’t really gone through a 16-game season as a starter. It’s the same thing. After about four games, after a short week and carrying the ball 23 times, you don’t feel like practicing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It gets harder to practice, so that’s part of it. You have to learn how to function when everything is not right. You’ve got a couple of tweaks, you’re tired, beat up and you’re sore and you wish you had a couple of extra days off and you just don’t. They just keep rolling at you.”
(Do you have more options with RB Kenyan Drake and RB Damien Williams because of their versatility compared to what you had?) – “Yes, maybe slightly. You maybe don’t have to sub, but I still think we’ll try and keep fresh guys. Sometimes you do it for freshness too; but I think probably it’s no secret that they’re probably a little more natural of a receiver. But they also aren’t as, they also aren’t quite as violent. I do think there’s a versatility that comes with those guys and screens and some of those things that they’re really, really good athletes.”
(The approach to third-and-short and goal line, how does that change without RB Jay Ajayi?) – “We’ll see. We’ve used Damien (Williams) a ton on the goal line. He’s kind of been our goal line guy. We gave him that role last year, so he’s run up in there and been a tough guy on that stuff. He plays with leverage. He’s a strong guy. He’s a strong runner, so I don’t think that will change a whole bunch.”
(With the absence of RB Jay Ajayi, have you gone against calling things that best benefited Ajayi for RB Kenyan Drake or the other backs that are coming into the …?) – “Good question. Probably a question more for Adam (Gase), but I think just when you do the game plan. When you do the game plan, you kind of make your adjustments in the game plan. So once it goes onto that sheet – onto the call sheet – it’s not like you’re just winging it from your back pocket. So when he puts together the game plan, when he puts together the final game plan, he’ll have in mind, ‘Hey, I really like this with Damien (Williams),’ or ‘I really like this with Kenyan.’ So he’ll put it that way and some of the personnel will be specific to a guy. Some of the plays will be just whoever’s in there. The thing that helps us a little bit is they’re similar guys. That does help a little bit whereas maybe Jay to Kenyan was kind of a dramatic change, so you kind of did have to call the game a little bit different and know who was in there. These two guys are a little bit more interchangeable than what we’ve been, so that should help a little bit.”
(What kind of impact are you hoping WR DeVante Parker’s return will have on the offense?) – Yes, I hope it will be some big plays. I think that all of a sudden, you know it’s bigger than just Parker. It shifts everything. It gives us a chance to get Jarvis (Landry) back in the slot a little bit more. It gives us a chance for them not to be able to double – that you have three guys. It’s harder to get an extra … to get some help to a corner. Some of those things. I think just his size and his chance to make a play contested, which Kenny’s (Stills) been doing. He has been kind of hot with those the last couple of weeks too; but it gives you two guys who can make a play on a ball that’s in traffic. It gives you all three guys. It gets diluted a little bit where all of a sudden they can focus a little bit more on Jarvis when ‘11’ (DeVante Parker) is not in there, so that will help us a little bit more there.”
(Oakland DE Khalil Mack, how much pressure does he put on you? He moves, right? From side to side?) – “Yes, he can move from side to side and he’s a versatile guy and he puts a ton of pressure on you. Probably, in my opinion, one of the top young defensive players in the whole league. He has a ton of energy. They kind of go as he goes and he’s going to be a problem. We’re going to have to know where he is and we’ve got to try and limit the times we just leave our tackles on an island and don’t give them a presence at least, or don’t get the ball out. As I always say, it will be all hands on deck handling him, and then ‘51’ (Bruce Irvin), when he gets going, he’s a load also. Those are two really good athletic guys coming off the corner.”
(Is G/T Jesse Davis more likely than C/G Ted Larsen for this game?) – “Yes, I think that’s a safe statement, more than likely. I don’t think any final decisions … Again, we’ll see how Larsen … He’s practicing some. You’ve seen him in there a little bit. A lot will be how do you feel each day after? How do you feel after your third day out there today? We’re just trying to ease him in and give him a little more each day; but more than likely … Jesse kind of settled in and played decent. He did some really good things in the game last week. He started probably a little bit slow but kind of settled in and anchored it down in there and did a nice job, so he’s going to keep improving, and then that will help us when we get Ted back – whether it’s this week or next week or soon. That will help us with some depth and give us a little more versatility in there.”
(How has C/G Ted Larsen been looking?) – “He’s looked good. It’s been good to have him back in there. It hasn’t been a ton, so we’re easing him in slowly; but we’re trying to be smart with him. He looks good. He’s a veteran guy. I’m always amazed how fast football comes back to some of these guys who haven’t been in there; but it’s just what they’ve done all their life and they just kind of jump right back in. So he’s knocking some rust off, but he’s looked good and he’s a smart guy and he’s stayed engaged, which is a veteran move too. He’s been around, he’s been in the meetings, he’s been on the film, he’s been doing as much drill work as he can do in the weight room and on his own. Him being as responsible a veteran guy as he is, really helps him and puts him ahead, rather than a guy who just checked out for six weeks and hasn’t been doing anything. I think once he gets going and once he gets the rust off, I think it will come back quickly for him.”
(Is there concern about QB Jay Cutler and the ribs in terms of playing, mobility and protecting him from hits?) – “Yes, certainly a concern but Adam’s (Gase) handled it more. I don’t know. If there’s a huge concern, he wouldn’t be playing. I think he feels pretty good. I think we got a break there that it wasn’t quite as bad as we were afraid it was initially, and I haven’t seen anything – just from the outside looking in – I haven’t seen anything that makes you … where he’s looked ginger or tender at all, so I think that’s been good. We sure don’t need Khalil Mack coming clean or anything on him. No quarterback does, but certainly we have to be conscious that it’s going to take even more strain than usual to protect him and keep him upright, which will be a challenge this week. (Oakland is) a good rush team.”
Adam Gase – November 2, 2017
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Thursday, November 2, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(While not obviously giving away any specifics at all, is your hope in general to be able to incorporate more in your offense to be less predictable? You mentioned the predictability thing of simplifying it last week. Is that your hope to be able to add a little bit more, substantially more, over the next couple weeks?) – “Well see how it goes. Right now, our guys are doing a good job of trying to take what we’re doing in the meetings, get onto the practice field, execute what we’re talking about and play fast. (We had a) good sense of urgency yesterday. I saw a lot of guys communicating, that was good. It’s just all about getting better every day.”
(I know there wasn’t contact for QB Jay Cutler yesterday, but how did he respond physically with the ribs?) – “He’s not going to say much. He’s always going to say he’s okay. Until he pulls himself out of practice, for the most part, he’s not going to tell me he’s hurting or if he’s not. He looked good to me, so that’s what I have to go off of.”
(The early part of practice, QB Jay Cutler’s throwing looked like it always does. Did that seem … If you didn’t know something was wrong, did he look off at all to you?) – “No. That’s just … I’ve seen him take some really big hits. Like I said, that was the first time I’ve ever seen him stay down. He’s tough. I just don’t see any restrictions for him.”
(QB Jay Cutler has already sort of thrown balls off his back foot. Do you feel like some of the pressures could force him to be a little bit more tentative in the pocket?) – “No, I don’t see that. Sometimes that’s just what I was talking about earlier in the season where just kind of being aware of what you’ve done when you were younger, it’s not always the same. (Age) 28 and 34, it’s a big change. I think sometimes it is just old habits. The biggest thing that we’re always talking about is using his legs, using his body, making sure that alignment and all of the little details that you want to do mechanically as a quarterback (are good). Sometimes you don’t have a choice. We were taking some shots that last game he played where there weren’t a lot of options as far as coming underneath.”
(Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen told me to ask you, so I’m asking you that as far as with RB Jay Ajayi absent now, how do you guard against calling plays that were beneficial for Ajayi and doing more things that benefit RB Kenyan Drake and the other running backs now that you have?) – “The good thing is our offense is pretty fluid. We adjust things; it’s not hard for us to adjust. At the end of the day, it’s what we’ve been talking about for really most of the season is everybody doing their job correctly and giving ourselves a chance. How much is different? How much is the same really? It’s kind of going to be the flow of the game and what they’re doing. It can change within the game pretty quick. They can get a different feel for what they’re doing too, where they might not necessarily like something that we were doing in practice and we get in the game and we’re running something similar and that’s when the suggestions start flowing of, ‘I like this, this and this.’ You just keep communicating with the guys that are playing and they usually lead you in the right direction.”
(How accurate a predictor are your practices to performance?) – “I’d say defensively and special teams, it has been pretty spot on.”
(So if they practice well they usually play well?) – “Correct.”
(And offensively?) – “It has been a little inconsistent. There have been a couple weeks where I felt like we were going to play really well, and we didn’t. Like that Atlanta week, I did feel good the way that our guys were doing things. I still feel like we moved the ball well, we just didn’t get in the end zone in that first half. I felt good, especially at the end of the week, because we went through some bumps in the road the second Jets game, where what they do on third down is tough to pick up. We kind of struggled early in the week and by the time we hit Friday, they were locked in and they understood what we were trying to do, and I felt good about it. Really at this point, we do have a decent indication, because when we have had a couple bad practices, we’ve really performed poorly. Really, it comes from that execution standpoint and the energy level. We’ve just got to be consistent. That’s really the biggest thing for us.”
(And that wouldn’t apply to last week?) – “How can you tell? We’re doing a walk through. I felt great, but we’re walking through.”
(Why has there been a difference in energy level?) – “Some games are more physical than others. When some of these guys get banged up, and they come in on Wednesday, and you expect them to take almost all the reps, it’s a mental game you’re playing with yourself where you can’t allow yourself to dip down. You have to find a way to fight through the grind of the season. What I’ve noticed over my career is the really special ones, the really good players, they find a way, and they find a way to make sure that they keep everybody else up as well. That’s really what we’re always looking for is we need our good players to be good players, but lead at the same time. Show the right example and make sure that we’re all kicking on the same cylinders. We’re trying to get everybody doing the same thing where it is high energy level, understanding we’re a little beat up and keep grinding.”
(Who’s the best at doing that?) – “I think Kenny (Stills) is up there. (Anthony) Fasano for sure. Fasano is always a guy that … I feel like he never has a bad day. I think he loves playing here. I think he’s really enjoying this part of his career. That has been fun to watch. I never really see (Mike) Pouncey … He likes being out there. He’s going to give it to me a little bit during practice, but you know he loves the opportunity to practice. He’s relishing every moment.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake and RB Damien Williams, when you had those days were RB Jay Ajayi was not practicing, did you run a different package or different plays for them or you just ran the same stuff?) – “There were certain things that we like to try to use with each guy a little bit differently; but for the most part, our offense didn’t make an overhaul on those days. A lot of times though we were installing when we were doing that stuff. So in training camp, whatever we were putting in that day, that would be the point of emphasis. If it was a Thursday – which is a lot of our third-down stuff – we were able to say, ‘Let’s hit these few runs, because these are his favorite deals, and let’s just get him ready to go.’ Because if that guy’s number is called … I always get four or five suggestions from them if they’re in the game. Those are what I go to just because I don’t need the full menu, because I knew it wasn’t going to be eight straight plays. That’s kind of how we went about practice. I had an idea of what they wanted to work on, and it just made it easy.”
(There have been only 99 career carries for RB Damien Williams. He has a 3.3 career average. Do you think that’s not reflective of what he can be as a runner if there’s more than average, something more substantial?) – “The average is … You can take that for what it’s worth. I always look at efficiency and a lot of times Damien’s carries … There have been a lot of situations where he has done exactly what you need him to do. We’d have second-and-2 and you’d call a certain play, he was trying to make sure we get the first down. There’s a lot of trust there with him for me. He does a lot of different things, wears a lot of different hats and he does it well. I know this, it’s rare to see him go down, one guy bring him down. We’ve seen it time and time again. A lot of times it happens in the passing game where it’s third down or fourth down, or in the red zone where one guy takes a shot at him, he spins off and then runs a couple more guys over. He’s a relentless runner and he’s one of those guys that he’d rather not hit the ground.”
(Where is RB Kenyan Drake right now in pass protection?) – “He’s actually pretty good. If you haven’t seen him as much as we have, he’s a little more stout than what people realize. His height and I think he looks like he’s thinner than most backs, but he’s put together well. When he steps up … He does a good job of stepping up and meeting contact and delivering the blow instead of waiting for the linebacker to hit him. Any time you got a guy that has done as much special teams as he has – whether it be punt, punt return, kickoff coverage, kickoff return – he has had over his career, including college, there has been a lot of opportunities for him to do those type of blocks.”
Matt Burke – November 2, 2017
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Thursday, November 2, 2017
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(Obviously your group is not responsible for 14 of the 40 points last week but with that being said, have you seen any slippage at all in your unit the last two weeks and where specifically, if there has been?) – “I think everything we do is week to week. You’re always evaluating the goods and bads. I thought we’ve tackled poorly, especially last week – the Thursday night game, the last game. (We had) a lot of missed tackles. We had kind of some isolated incidents we talked about a little bit in the Jets week on a couple of those plays. I thought that was probably one of our bigger issues, that we’ve missed more tackles – definitely in the last game, then like I said, kind of some specific plays in the Jets (game) – that we haven’t normally been doing, so I think that’s kind of one area.”
(Obviously last week you didn’t have a full practice so was DT Davon Godchaux starting ahead of DT Jordan Phillips a function of Phillips’ ankle regressing at all or performance from the Jets game?) – “I don’t know. If you didn’t tell me that, I wouldn’t have known, probably to be honest with you. We rotate those guys through. They all play probably pretty even snaps. I think the starter for us is really more just a matter of situations in the game and what we’re thinking and what we’re trying to play, so I don’t really even … I couldn’t have told you who started to be honest with you.”
(Can you talk about Raiders WRs Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and the challenges they pose for your two young corners?) – “Yes, they’re obviously both great receivers. They do it a little differently. They’re both bigger guys. Both do a good job on the vertical routes, going up and getting balls. I hope they don’t get mad at me for saying this but Cooper has a little bit more speed, probably; but Crabtree is really good with body control and shielding guys and contested catches and those sort of things. Both are good route runners, both are bigger bodies, both are really good at going up and getting deeper balls and vertical routes, which is a big part of what they try to do on offense. It’s a good challenge for both of those guys. It’s a good receiving corps. We’re going to have our hands full, for sure.”
(How do you feel about DE Andre Branch and DE William Hayes playing this week, practicing this week?) – “Yes, they’re going through the process. We’ll probably keep monitoring it as we go and try to keep working them in. I feel good about both of those guys in terms of their work ethic and their approach and if they’re ready to go, then they’re going to go and they’re going to give us everything they’ve got. Those are decisions that we’ll make moving forward in terms of who is ready; but if they’re both able to and healthy, I feel good about the preparation they’re putting in, even when those guys have to sit out some of the parts of practice and things. They’re into it. They’re good on the mental side of what they’re doing. If they’re ready to go, I feel good about both of those guys being able to help us.”
(How do you feel about the safety position now that S Nate Allen is gone and you’re still a week away from getting S T.J. McDonald?) – “Yes, honestly I thought ‘Mike T’ (Michael Thomas) did a really good job when he went in and was actually, probably, one of our more energetic guys out there. In the second half of the game last week, I thought he was flying around. He’s done it before for us and played some spots for us in different roles. He’s been in the system for a while. I feel pretty confident in Mike being able to step in and fill those shoes. We’ll keep trying to work some of the younger guys with ‘Mo’ (Maurice Smith) and (Jordan) Lucas and those guys, trying to find spots for them, as well; but I thought Mike stepped in admirably last week and I feel good about moving forward with him.”
(I know it’s a week-to-week thing, so you probably haven’t given it a lot of thought; but you’re really smart, so you can think about multiple things. So S T.J. McDonald, do you have a vision now specifically about what you would like him to be when he’s back on the 13th? A starter immediately? A guy who plays a lot of snaps immediately?) – “I don’t know. I can’t … I’m trying to win this game and he’s not available for it. We’ll make those decisions when he’s available and on the roster and able to go. If you want me to address something about T.J., he’s been around obviously. That’s helped him, being able to be in the building. Again, he’s been working with our strength staff and staying in shape and stuff. I know he’s itching to get back to it. It’s been sort of a long process for him. I know physically and emotionally, he’ll be ready to go on Monday for sure, and then we’ll just see how it all works out.”
(What did you think of LB Kiko Alonso’s hit on QB Joe Flacco, where it looks like he’s maybe going to slide, about to slide, starting to slide, and he does slide. Any way, we all saw it. What was your take?) – “I think what Kiko said … I’ll say this, Kiko said the same thing to me immediately after the play because I grabbed him when we came off the field and I said ‘What’s going on? What happened?’ And he said, ‘I was kind of waiting for him to slide and he wasn’t and it was getting close to the sticks.’ At one point, he kind of made that decision. We’ve obviously dealt with quarterback injuries. Nobody likes to see their quarterback get hurt. I’ve never found Kiko to be a malicious player. I think it was a bang-bang play like you said and I don’t think that was a scripted response from him. Like I said, he said it to me immediately in the aftermath of what happened. Everyone was kind of heated and stuff and he was very calm saying ‘Man, this is kind of how I saw it.’ I think the league has addressed it in how they’re going to address it and I think that’s about all I have to say about that.”
(You have quarterbacks sometimes who fake you out. They look like they’re going to slide, they look like they’re going to step out of bounds and then they lower their shoulder. What’s the teaching point?) – “It’s hard. We all know what the league is trying to do in terms of player safety, and especially that position. We have to coach and have awareness of that stuff, but it is. You see it every week. Is he running out of bounds and then all of a sudden he cuts back up inside? We try to be cautious and be aware of those rules and I think the bigger issue (on Alonso’s play) was more the head contact then necessarily it being such a late hit. I think everyone watched and it was a pretty bang-bang (play) in terms of slide, hit. I’m not sure that the lateness was as much an issue as where the contact occurred, which is hard because the target area gets sort of shrunk when you’re in that sort of situation. It’s a fine line. The league is officiating it in a certain way and we’ve had to adjust how we coach. You see it every week where, like I said, Kiko’s mentality was ‘I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, essentially. I get it, I get it, I get it,’ and then again, it is a third-and-10 and he’s a yard or two from the sticks. It’s hard. It’s hard to coach. It’s hard to officiate. It’s hard for quarterbacks to get a feel for that. Everyone is competitive. You just try to do your best in terms of understanding the situations and again, trying to avoid the helmet contact – the head contact – is probably the biggest thing.”
(Your offense is going through some changes. Can the defense carry more of a load? Should the defense be expected to carry more of a load?) – “I don’t think we look at it like that. We have our job, they have their job. That’s something that we’ve preached from Day 1. We can’t worry about anything – game situation, what the scoreboard says, what our special teams or offense is doing. We do our job and our job is to put as few points on the board for the other team as possible and get stops. Again, we can’t really worry about that stuff, so talking about ‘We have to do more,’ I think that’s where people get into trouble. To be honest with you, I think I fell into that a little bit last week. I preached to my guys about not forcing the issue and not trying to do too much and some of my calls last week, I got into the mode a little bit. I told the defense the same thing. I said I can’t do the things that I tell you guys not to do, in terms of us pressing to make plays and me trying to blitz every snap and trying to make something happen. It doesn’t work like that. If you start doing that, you get out of being a sound team. We just have to play sound defense and again, this is a good offense that’s coming into town. They’ve got good players, good weapons, good line, a good quarterback. We just have to series in and series out get stops and do our job and we’ll see where the chips fall after that.”
(You guys have been so stout most of the season but you’re last in the NFL in red zone defense – 75 percent. How does that issue get addressed? I know you’ve got so few limited opportunities in there.) – “Yes. I don’t know. It’s something – I wouldn’t say it’s an issue but the numbers have been bad for a few weeks now. It’s not like it’s been a recent thing where you had like a bad game. I think using sort of the Thursday game as like a bye week mentality for me and for our staff, trying to look at some of the issues, part of what we’re preaching is just having a little more focus down there in terms of they cross the 20(-yard line) and they start getting close, we’ve just really got to tighten everything up. It’s just a couple of things. We drop a pick in the end zone in the first week. The Jets game, we have that third-and-10 and (it’s a) scramble drill and we don’t plaster and they score the touchdown. Just little things like that. I think it comes down to … We preach and (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) scripts the way we do practice, it’s situational football in that we just have to heighten our awareness of ‘Okay, we’re in the red zone, let’s keep tightening the screws on what we’re doing down there.’ I don’t think we’re getting schemed up or anything like that. I think it’s just been some random plays like that, that have kind of hurt us. I don’t know if that sounds like a dumb answer but just really heightening our focus when we get in there and saying ‘these are critical.’ We always talk about third-down plays in the red zone, that’s a 4-point play if you think about it. If you get a stop there, you’re kicking field goals instead of touchdowns. For us, going back to (the other) question, that’s a way for us to kind of score points. Once they get into the red zone and we get a stop down there, that’s 4 points that we’ve kind of earned back for us, if not – we’ve had a knack for getting some field goals blocked and missing some field goals. Getting stops down there and just trying to heighten the focus on when we’re in those areas.”
(Putting pressure on the quarterback, that’s key every week but with the weapons Oakland has, how much more important is that this week?) – “Every week (it’s important). Again, it’s no secret. That’s part of our sort of core philosophy on defense. This is another team where (Derek) Carr is very good at getting the ball out quick. Schematically, teams that have playmakers, he wants to get the ball in their hands and try to let them go to work. Pressuring sometimes is hard against these guys. You’ve got to pick your spots because you do have enough weapons that if the ball gets out quick, you’re thin because you’re committing guys to the rush. Again, we feel pretty confident about our guys up front to be able to generate some action and hopefully we have a couple of tricks up our sleeve.”
(Did LB Rey Maualuga play more snaps than you would have liked last week? It seemed like a lot.) – “It’s just dictated by situations. They were playing a lot more base personnel groups and that’s kind of one of Rey’s roles.”
(What do you think of Raiders QB Derek Carr?) – “He’s a good player. He can make all of the throws. Like I said, he’s pretty impressive a lot of times in terms of getting the ball out quick. When you get to third downs, it (usually) changes a little bit (with other quarterbacks) and it doesn’t with him. He’s very decisive in seeing coverages and knowing where to go, so the ball is out quick. Some of it is schematic. I’ve known their offensive coordinator – Todd Downing – for a long time. We worked together (in Detroit). We’re pretty close friends. I think they do a good job of scheming that up. (Carr) is really decisive. He’s really good with seeing coverage, seeing what he wants and getting the ball out and getting it to his guys. I think that’s probably one of his best strengths. He throws a nice deep ball. They’re going to take – I don’t know a number – probably 10 to 12 shots a game. They put the ball up and can put it downfield. You saw the game a couple of weeks ago against Kansas City where he was connecting on a bunch of those and again, they’ve got bigger receivers that can make those plays. He does a good job of being decisive with where he’s going with the ball and he puts a nice ball downfield and gives his guys an opportunity to go up and get those ‘9 balls’ and stuff. It’s kind of a tough combo where you’re saying he’s really good with quick throws and getting the ball out and then he’s really good with putting the ball downfield too. It’s going to be a good challenge for us. We’re excited.”
(How is LB Stephone Anthony doing in practice?) – “He’s doing good.”
(We don’t get to see. I know LB Stephone Anthony is not able to dress all the time.) – “He’s good. All of those guys, every decision we make in terms of game-day actives and those sort of things is obviously a big-picture team thing, and where all of those guys fit in. Steph (Anthony) has done a good job. He really is. He’s big, he can run, he’s been learning the system. We settled him in a little bit. What I’ve tried to do in terms of our defense is give him a couple of spots where, if for some reason we got him up on game day, if that’s what the team dictated, that we’d have a role for him. So he’s ready to go on some things. I don’t know if you guys have talked to him at all but he’s a really energetic kid. He’s happy to be here. He’s excited. I think he’s just waiting for his opportunity but he looks good. He’s a big dude and can run out there. He’s out there and you see him a lot mostly on the scout team and stuff where he does a good job with ‘This play you’ve got to go play Bruce Irvin and rush for us and this play you’ve got to go play this, drop and be an end or a linebacker.’ They move him around (on scout team) because he’s such a versatile athlete. We’re trying to work him in and find a spot where we can get him going on Sundays.”
(You said you settled LB Stephone Anthony in. Where did you settle him in?) – “We’ve been playing him mostly at Sam – if that means anything for you guys – kind of behind ‘Law-Dog’ (Lawrence Timmons) a little bit and just trying to let him work there. Our outside guys are kind of universal so he’s got a feel for that. He feels comfortable, he really does. He’s done a good job. I actually said to him the other day … You worry as a coach about a player getting frustrated and kind of what he had been through and getting traded. I was like, ‘Hey man, your time is going to come. You’re going to have an opportunity,’ and he’s just like ‘I’m good coach. I’m ready when you call on me.’ His attitude has been great and he’ll have a chance at some point to perform and contribute for us.”
Jay Cutler – November 1, 2017
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Wednesday, November 1, 2017
QB Jay Cutler
(How do you feel?) – “Not bad. Not great, not bad.”
(Can you elaborate a little?) – “No. (laughter)”
(Are you sore?) – “At times.”
(How much is it going to affect what you do out there?) – “Practice went well today. Obviously (we are) wearing red jerseys, so we’re not getting hit. We’ll see how it feels Sunday.”
(What’s the most challenging part about this specific injury for a quarterback?) – “I think it’s challenging for anybody. Your core is instrumental in about everything you do. If you move, you have to use your core.”
(Is there or is there no risk that if you take another shot that you could make this much worse?) – “I was told there is a tiny risk. I mean there’s a risk every time you go out there. That’s football. We see it each and every week, guys getting hurt. That’s part of the game.”
(How did things go last Monday? You supposedly lobbied to play?) – “Well, I mean I’m always going to talk to (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) and try to get in the game and try to play – play through things. Everyone in the locker room is kind of banged up; but he wasn’t hearing much of that.”
(Have you played with a broken rib?) – “I’ve never had a broken rib.”
(How much do you think the offense changes without RB Jay Ajayi?) – “We feel good about the other guys in the running back room, so I don’t think it’s going to change much.”
(What was your reaction when you heard the trade?) – “You’re always taken back a little bit when a guy gets traded like that, and a guy that has a lot of friends in the locker room and means a lot to the community, and has put a lot of effort in this organization; but like anything else, we’ve got to keep going on and we wish him the best of luck.”
(How would you frame the importance of this being the week that the offense puts together a complete game?) – “I think we say that that’s the goal every week, to go out there and for offense, defense and special teams all play together and put together four quarters. That mindset hasn’t changed for us.”
(Did you practice throwing with a special type of vest? A new vest?) – “No.”
(Will you have to wear a specifically designed deal for the game?) – “I don’t think so.”
(So you’re not going to wear like a flak jacket or something to protect yourself?) – “I mean we’ve had talks about it. I already wear some pretty good pads. I don’t think … I don’t really want to reduce my mobility any more than I have to.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said he detected a new sense of urgency on the offense today. Did you detect that?) – “Yes. I mean I think the guys, having a little refresher over the long weekend, come back (and were) ready to go. It’s kind of our bye week in a sense, so guys were anxious to get back in the building and excited to get back to work today. We had good walkthroughs; the coaches brought a lot of energy. Players brought some energy. It was a good day.”
(WR DeVante Parker practiced today. How much does he change what you try to do?) – “I mean he’s a big, big dude out there – a big weapon. He kind of changes the complexity of our passing game because you know you can put some balls in some areas that he’s going to go get. He’s going to make some tough catches for you. He’s going to stretch the field. Getting him back is big for this offense.”
(What’s specific about the skill set of RB Kenyan Drake and RB Damien Williams that might get some things going for the offense?) – “I mean we’ve still got to open up holes for them. We’ve got to block holes. We’ve got to get the ball to them out of the backfield. The other 10 guys, including myself, we all have to go our part to help the running back position. It’s not … I don’t think it’s an indictment on Jay (Ajayi) that we traded him because he’s a really, really good player and I think he’s going to go up to Philadelphia and do well. We’re going to plug these guys in and we expect them to play at a high level for us.”
