Adam Gase – October 12, 2018
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Friday, October 12, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Is T Laremy Tunsil still in the protocol?) – “He is not. He is not in it. He’s out of it.”
(So that would mean Sunday, presumably…) – “It looks promising.”
(What was T Laremy Tunsil able to do today?) – “Everything.”
(So T Laremy Tunsil seems completely himself to you?) – “Yeah.”
(I know there had been some optimism from you at the start of the week about DE Cameron Wake. Has their been a setback at all?) – “No. We’re just going through the process that the trainers have him going through. We’re going to be smart with him. We’re not going to rush him back by any means. It’s probably going to be more of us holding him back than him rushing back. We’ll just keep taking it day to day and we’ll know when he’s ready to go.”
(Anything on WR DeVante Parker? Does he look promising or more promising than yesterday, perhaps?) – “I know he’s better than last week. He was able to take a lot of reps and get through the practices. It’s just all about how does he feel the next day? One day he’ll be good and one day he’ll be a little more sore and we’ll have to back off a little bit. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow after today.”
(Is health the only factor with whether or not WR DeVante Parker plays this week?) – “Yes.”
(So if WR DeVante Parker is healthy, he’s in?) – “Yeah. I would think so. We’re kind of out of bodies a little bit.”
(With what TE A.J. Derby was able to give you early this season, are you excited about him coming back as far as what he could add?) – “Yeah, if we get to that point. We got some practice in this week. We’ll just kind of see how this all shakes out. We’re going to meet this afternoon and really kind of sort through everything and see where the finalized health of everybody is. We’ll figure out who is up, who is down and who is healthy enough to go. We just have a lot of guys that have some issues to where some guys might have to go even though they’re banged up pretty good. And a couple of guys may have to sit just because it’s too much.”
(There have been some rumblings with WR DeVante Parker, trades and whatever. Have you talked to him about that?) – “Yeah, I mean a long time ago. I think it was like in training camp somebody said something to me. I don’t really pay attention to all of that stuff. But if it gets back to (me), if something gets to me, then I’m assuming that he probably heard something about it. I know I haven’t called anybody.”
(Playing Bears LB Khalil Mack last year, can you draw anything for this year’s…) – “Do you go and repeat questions? Didn’t we do this yesterday? (laughter) You didn’t but somebody else did. (laughter) No, I mean … Playing those guys later in the season, he was pretty banged up. You can see that he’s in great shape. Probably him not being in training camp was really good for him just because he was probably getting after it pretty hard early in his career and you can see he looks explosive, fast and all of those things that you saw when he was in his first couple of years. He looks like he’s taken it to another level. He looks really good right now.”
(It’s bizarre to see you guys out there without DE Cameron Wake on the field. Can you give us some indication of how bad this was and how serious this was or how far away he’s been from playing?) – “I mean, he’s not far. It’s just we’re trying to be smart.”
(It seems like it’d have to be something serious to keep DE Cameron Wake out.) – “Yeah. It’s just one of those things where we’re being very cautious. We do not want to lose him longer than what we already have right now. We’re just trying to make sure that everything is right and that he’s ready to go and we’ve got him for the rest of the year. That’s really the best answer I can give you because he’s an older player that if you rush him back and you have any kind of setback and lose him longer, now that’s going to be a bigger issue.”
Dowell Loggains – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains
(How do you look back on your three seasons with the Bears?) – “Like it’s over and I’m in Miami. (laughter)”
(Nothing stands out?) – “It was enjoyable. It was a good three years. I really enjoyed it there. (It was a) good spot. I enjoyed working for John Fox. (It’s a) great city.”
(What typifies a Bears Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio defense, a guy you worked alongside with?) – “I got to see it come along where it started in 2015 to where it is now. Coach Fangio is a really good coach and he put those type of pieces that, the talent they have now, he knows how to use them and knows how to call a defense and does enough to cause a lot of problems.”
(If you don’t have T Laremy Tunsil on Sunday – we’ll see obviously – options T Zach Sterup and T Sam Young. Do you think Zach might be a little bit more of a natural left tackle. Sam is obviously a very good right tackle, and has had to play left a lot. Is Zach maybe a more natural left tackle than Sam?) – “We’re letting those guys compete and figure out what’s going on with ‘78’ (Laremy Tunsil) as the week goes on. But we’ll go through the week of practice and (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) will do what he thinks is best for the team.”
(Obviously, I know you have a lot of wide receivers, but what does this offense look like with WR DeVante Parker and what are you missing?) – “The one thing I’ll say about DeVante is, and it showed up in the Oakland game, is the length. We needed that go route and I don’t know if we win that game if he doesn’t catch that go route for us. You miss the bigger body. That’s what he brings – a bigger body with speed that does a good job getting off press. Sometimes when you don’t create as much separation, your length allows you to still be open.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said – I wrote it down – he said ‘Dowell has a way of calming me down when I get a little too juiced up.’ What’s the secret to that?) – “It’s the same thing as with your players. It’s knowing you personnel and, being in that moment, what needs to be said to the team or finding a way to fill a gap and try to help and be part of it.”
(I wanted to ask you about third downs, which we’ve talked about for the past…) – “Six weeks?”
(Yes, six weeks. If you know that getting third-and-manageables is the issue, if you know that we can’t have penalties, how come they keep happening?) – “I thought we did a better job in the first half last week. For two and a half quarters, we played the way we wanted to. It was a lot of second-and-1-to-6s. We did a better job in third down until 5 minutes left in the third quarter and then we kind of fell apart fundamentally. We didn’t execute the way we should’ve. It always goes back to fundamentals most times when penalties happen. It’s someone not moving their feet or not fitting their hands the correct way. Those are things that we need to get knocked out in practice on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and in individual. It’s important that you go out and that’s why practice is so important, because if you don’t take individuals (for) 20 minutes really serious and fix the fundamental flaws you have or bad technique, then they show up on Sundays. We always talk about it around here, practice execution becomes game day reality. We’ve got to clean that stuff up and it needs to happen now.”
(When RB Kalen Ballage gets a couple plays from scrimmage, I imagine it’s not because RB Frank Gore and RB Kenyan Drake are exhausted. Is it just because he shows you things in practice where you want to inject him a little bit?) – “Yes. Ballage has done a really good job to this point of becoming a pro. He’s not there yet, but he’s starting to learn how to practice. It takes a while as a rookie to come in and learn the system. We’re starting to feel comfortable with him; he’s starting to feel comfortable with the system. As he continues to grow, his role will grow. And sometimes it’s going to be there’s going to be plays that get called in the game that are for him and sometimes you don’t get to them, but you have them. As long as we can have him active, he’s doing his job in special teams and he can help the offense, we’re going to try to find a way to use him.”
(What do you guys do with QB Ryan Tannehill to get him prepared for times of chaos like we saw in the fourth quarter on Sunday?) – “It really comes back to doing your job and going back to the fundamentals. A big part about quarterback is the other 10 guys doing their job around him. That’s how you get good quarterback play. When things are going bad and we get beat inside and about to give up a sack, you need to eat it and not turn the ball over and be smart with it and understand that if you end this series with a punt, sometimes that’s what you have to do in those situations. But you can’t let someone else’s mistake become yours. Just rely on your fundamentals.”
(What did you think of the RB Kenyan Drake block on Bengals DE Carl Lawson? I remember Lawson used to battle with Tunsil in the SEC and then Drake on the screen pass a little chip block, but he did more than chip, right?) – “He did. We talked about those chip blocks. Obviously, that’s going to be a big … We’re playing a team with good pass rushers like we did last week and every week. When I first got here, I started watching tape and started studying these guys and that was one thing that stood out with ‘32’ (Kenyan Drake) is he does a really good job in pass pro. He stuck his face in there and he’s aggressive when he has a chance to chip and do those things. He does a good job with those. You’re in third-and-16 and most times you’re just trying to call a play not to put your quarterback in a bad spot and he does a great job chipping, getting out and making a heck of a run after the catch. It’s a strength of his game. He takes pride in being part of the protection unit. Sometimes sacks happen. It’s not always just on the offensive line. It can be on the quarterbacks, receivers and backs. He takes a lot of pride in being part of that protection unit and being a strength for us.”
(Obviously, T Ja’Wuan James has a tough matchup this week in LB Khalil Mack. What improvements have you seen from him and what improvements would you have like to seen from him moving forward?) – “Consistency. I think he’s played well to this point. He’s done a solid job. Just the fundamentals, making sure he’s playing with a base, not getting too narrow. He is a leggy athlete, so you’ve got to make sure that you’re sitting on things, especially versus guys that have speed to power and those things. That’s the biggest thing he needs to continue to work on. He has and he’s done a good job with it, but we just need a little bit more consistency.”
(When you face a matchup like that, do you see more focus in a player? Obviously, every week is a big week, but not the week you’re playing the best pass rusher in the league.) – “When these things come up, it’s really like the game-plan specific things. We need to be working on those techniques and fundamentals every week – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, every day. But you do stuff in the game plan to help those players and make sure that … There’s going to be times where you’re going to have to block that guy one-on-one and you try to do as much as you can with that guy to hopefully give him a bunch of different looks and different things. At the end of the day, you just have to rely on your fundamentals.”
Darren Rizzi – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(You’ve talked about this before, but DT Vincent Taylor has three blocked kicks now in two years. Again, what was the key there?) – “The key there was a couple of things. Obviously, ‘VT’ does a really great job inside there of kind of wreaking havoc. It’s a little bit of a technique. He obviously does have a knack for it, but he works at it. It’s a technique that we teach. If you go back and look at the play, (Davon) Godchaux did a really nice job as well, kind of getting some push on their guard. The field goal block thing, it can happen a couple of different ways. You can kind of create a new line of scrimmage and rise up and get your hand up. You can obviously get through a gap or come off the edge. In that instance, we kind of created some space there and Godchaux was just as instrumental in that particular one. But ‘VT’ does a great job. He studies our opponent. He studies the different ways that we’re attacking the game plan and he’s really in-tune to what we’re doing. Obviously, the physical traits that he has makes him a little bit of a force there. So, kudos to him and another great job.”
(What happened on the LB Martrell Spaight penalty? It looked like they called taunting.) – “Yes. They called taunting on him after the play went out of bounds. He got in the returner’s face, which is not something we want to be doing.”
(I guess we saw you kind of get into his face a little bit too. Was that kind of you just showing your displeasure?) – “Yes. I was just kind of telling him that probably wasn’t the most opportune time to get that penalty. There is never an opportune time to get a penalty like that, to be honest with you. We talked about the weather a little bit and talked about the unseasonably warm day in Cincinnati, and how that wasn’t the best scenario for our team at that point. There were a couple of passionate people getting a little passionate at that time. We made a great play. We covered the ball real well and ran out of bounds. We just need to celebrate with our teammates.”
(That’s what you screamed at him? You screamed ‘Martrell, this is an inopportune time for this less than ideal situation?’) – “You could put the word cloud over my head. Whatever you want to put in there, you could put in the bubble. (laughter) I just made it very clear that it’s not a very smart thing to do at that point. There might have been a couple other things up in the bubble.”
(You’ve seen WR Jakeem Grant take his second touchdown back. What are you seeing from Jakeem this year that maybe you weren’t last year?) – “A couple of things. One, as far as his teammates go, this is the second time we’ve returned for a touchdown where everybody on the field really did a good job. Jakeem did a tremendous job. It was a tremendous individual effort by him. At the same time, you had 10 other guys really working hard. We did a really nice job on the left side in our vice on their gunner, with Walt Aikens and (Cordrea) Tankersley. We won the other vice with ‘Mo’ (Maurice) Smith and Cornell Armstrong. Kalen Ballage had a really big block at the point of attack. Stephone Anthony, Branden Bolden, Senorise Perry, Chase Allen – all of these guys come into mind. Cameron Malveaux had a really good rush off the edge which kind of forced the punt not to be more of a directional deal. We call it one-eleventh, all of the guys working together. It was kind of a really neat thing to see. We really ran the play that we had called, we executed very well and Jakeem did the rest. Obviously, a great individual effort to go and get in the end zone, to not step out of bounds and score. The second part of your question, what am I seeing this year? Jakeem is a guy that just continues to get better and better at the return game. He got criticized a lot his first year here for not maybe being the best punt returner, and it’s something he’s really taken personal. He’s worked at it time and time again. You guys probably noticed in practice, there isn’t a guy that I’ve seen work at his craft more than I’ve seen Jakeem really work at the punt return game. It’s really neat for me to see him go out there and have success because I know how much time and effort he’s put into it. It’s not just one of those things where he goes back there and fields the ball and runs. He’s really studied the punters, he studies himself, he’s learned how to become a better punt returner. He’s not afraid to ask questions to a guy like Danny Amendola, who’s been doing it for years, and kind of getting a little feedback from him. It’s been a work in progress with him. He’s really been arrow-up the entire time he’s been here in terms of his punt returner skills. I know how much time he’s put in on and off the field, so it’s nice to see. We all know he has the athletic ability, we all know what he can do in the open field, we all know he can make people miss, but that’s a really unique skill, punt returning, and it takes a little time and effort. The finer points of the game and the finer points of the punt returning is where Jakeem has really blossomed these last couple years, and I’m really happy to see that. I really thought towards the end of last season, he had a really good second half. He didn’t have a great first half in the return game last year, but if you go back and watch the second half of last year, we really started to trend upwards and he’s really just carried that over. It’s been nice to see.”
(Is it fair to say that you do have more confidence right now in terms of ball security in those backed up punt situations?) – “Yeah, those kind of going-in punts, kind of those plus-50 – again, the nice thing for us right now is we have two options depending on the situation. You’ve seen this year, we’ve put Danny Amendola back there in a couple different situations. It could be the call we have called on, it could be the situation. As far as my confidence in Jakeem (Grant), I have 100 percent confidence in Jakeem, so he’ll be back there in any situation. He’s been back there backed up, when they’re backed up, in the middle of the field. It’s nice to have a couple of different options there, a little change in pace, and for the opponent. Danny has been back there in a number of situations and backed up as well. Again, you guys know that follow this team, I’m a big proponent of having as many options as you can. It’s nice for us to have a couple of them now.”
(How has K Jason Sanders been progressing five games into his rookie year?) – “I kind of really like where he is. Like any rookie at any position, he’s a guy that week after week after week is kind of learning on the run right here, just like any other position player. As we go through games, we’re going to get him more and more and more experience. That was the one thing coming in here. I’ve never really questioned the talent with Jason, it just was the experience. He didn’t have it. He didn’t have a ton of reps in college. For whatever reason, his coach went for it a lot of times on fourth down instead of kicking field goals. The biggest thing with Jason was just getting reps out here through the preseason, now through the regular season, and getting him opportunities. I’ve really seen him do a really nice job. I really like where he’s at mentally. He’s really fitting very well with Matt (Haack) and John (Denney) and they have a nice little operation going right now. I’ve been happy with his progression so far.”
(Is it tough to be a little patient with rookies in that position?) – “It’s tough to be patient with any rookie, but certainly at that position. With a position player, you get maybe a little more leeway on your curve in terms of success. Punter or kicker, at that position, usually when you go out there it’s miss or make. It’s yes or no. There’s no gray area in that way. I’ve been really happy with his kickoffs so far. We haven’t had a ton of opportunities with field goals so far with the way the games have gone; but so far, I’ve been pleased with where he’s at. There is a little bit of a … certainly with rookies at any position, but that position is a little bit unique, for sure.”
(You’re playing Bears K Cody Parkey. You had him last year. Not any disrespect, but is there something about working together now that makes this unit feel more confident going in?) – “Let me say this – Cody Parkey is a hell of a player. We really enjoyed having him here. I have a world of respect for Cody. The situation didn’t turn out for whatever reason, and he didn’t end up back here. I don’t do the business side, I coach the players that we have in front of us. That was more of a business thing. At that point, we went out and found the best available option for us, and I’m really confident in Jason (Sanders) right now. I really like where he’s going. I’m happy with the direction that we’re going. That ship has sailed. I wish Cody the best in every game this year except this one, but I’m really pleased with Jason.”
(I remember back in March, K Cody Parkey received a very large offer from Chicago. Were you tempted to call him and say ‘don’t take the money’ or did that thought never go through your mind or did you call him?) – “When the season ended last year, Cody and I had a lot of different conversations. I’m not part of the business side, so those aren’t questions for me. But Cody and I had a lot of conversations about where he was going through the process and all of that stuff. We talked at length, kind of going into the process, so I kind of knew where he was mentally. Again, I didn’t know the exact numbers and all of that stuff. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I wasn’t disappointed that he wasn’t coming back. I was because I like Cody. I like Cody as a player, I like Cody as a person. Certainly I like him as a kicker. Listen, you guys know that this is my 10th season here. This is not the first time that … Sometimes, it just doesn’t happen. The situation just didn’t work out with Cody, but again, I hope him well in all of the other games, so we’ll see him on Sunday.”
Matt Burke – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(How did CB Torry McTyer and how did DE Charles Harris do last week when you looked at tape?) – “I think they both performed admirably for us. Obviously they both played larger roles for us due to the circumstances. Torry was good. He competed. He really had one play in the run game and one play in the pass game that he kind of got loose on. Other than that, he was really competitive. Torry, it was good to see him firing up in the run game, fitting some of the runs and tackling, which was good for him, and competing down the field in the pass game. I thought he played pretty well. It’s the same with Charles. Obviously with Charles, you’d like to see him finish that sack or a couple. He had a chance to have a really, really big game. He played well for us and did a good job of plugging in. He played with a lot of energy. He played faster than I’d seen him play in a while, which was good to see. You’d like to see him finish a couple of those that he had his hands on on Andy (Dalton) a couple of times but he was flying around, which is kind of … What we’ve been preaching to him is just go play fast. So he kind of did that, which was good to see. I was happy that both of those guys kind of took advantage of their opportunities.”
(I wanted to ask you about your mindset or approach when you’re facing a team that utilizes two backs in two different ways. How do you approach that as a play-caller?) – “Like Chicago?”
(Yes. Do you have a specific set of plays for when this guy is in the game versus…) – “Yeah. I don’t know if it’s a specific set of calls or plays, but you try to see how they’re utilizing those players. It’s not just backs (but) anybody. Obviously those two backs, they have different skillsets. The interesting thing with Chicago is – and they do a good job – they do a pretty good job of self-scouting. I think they understand we’re looking at that, so they try to balance it out. So it’s not always ‘24’ (Jordan Howard) is in the game and it’s going to be always power run game and ‘29’ (Tarik Cohen) goes in and it’s empty spread out. I mean they do everything with both players. It’s not a game where you can just say ’24’ (Howard) is in so let’s all load up and put 40 guys in the box; ‘29’ (Cohen) is in so let’s put 10 DBs on the field because they run the ball with ’29’ (Cohen) and they pass the ball with ’24’ (Howard). You just sort of try to get a feel for how they’re utilizing those players and what their strengths are. With anything on defense, you just try to take away or do the best you can to take away and limit the strengths of the opposing offense. We try to study … Sometimes some teams have different play calls and are running – I don’t want to say running different offenses – but feature different plays with a different back in there. These guys do a pretty good job of trying to mask that. It’s not as clear cut as some other weeks are.”
(I’ve always heard that the book on new head coaches or first-time offensive coordinators, you’ll know what they are running after about five games.) – “Yeah?”
(Yeah. Like rookie quarterbacks, you have a feel for what they’re doing or their strengths and weaknesses. I guess that’s not accurate?) – “I don’t know. They’ve only played four games, so maybe we’re still in that book. (laughter) So I still have one to play. This offense, they’re a unique offense. Obviously it has some roots in some of the stuff that’s going on in Kansas City, Philadelphia and those sort of things. They dress up a lot of stuff. They’ve got a lot of motions, jet sweep actions and again, using the backs in different ways and putting guys out in different personnel groups. Every week, this offense is going to feature some sort of trick plays and gadget-type stuff and unscouted looks. They’re going to give you stuff that you haven’t seen. I’m not sure that we’ve seen all that they have to offer yet, to be honest with you, especially coming off the bye week. I think all offensive coaches are saying if you give them more time, they’re going to start drawing up stuff in the dirt. I wouldn’t say it’s like ‘Aw, man. We’ve seen all of their tricks and now we’re ready to hone in on it.’ I think we’re preparing for some sort of unscouted stuff and things we haven’t seen. You just try to extrapolate out on what you’re predicting, where their next moves are and those sort of things. This is a pretty expansive offense. Obviously again, they have a lot of different ways to get the ball to different players. I wouldn’t say that I feel safe in assuming that we’ve seen everything that they have to give.”
(We’ve seen a ton of S Minkah Fitzpatrick. I think 42 of the 60 defensive snaps last week. That being said, has it entered your mind at all about is there a way that we can get him on the field every play? Is there a need to at this point? Has that thought process even crossed your mind?) – “Everything crosses my mind probably. We’re putting a lot on Minkah right now, already as it is. We’ve obviously had smaller injuries at different spots back there. I just think we’re conscious of not putting even more on his plate – too much on his plate – too soon. We’re asking a lot. We’re plugging him in at some different positions, at both safety spots and nickel and those sorts of things. He’s a good player. We obviously want our good players on the field, so we’re not necessarily trying to hold him back from that; but at the same time, there’s a little bit of diminishing returns putting too much on his plate. We don’t want to take away from what he’s already been good at and the things that he’s doing and the progress that he’s making at certain spots. We’re giving him what we think he can handle and again, I mentioned it last week, some of the stuff – play times and snap counts – are dictated by what we’re getting from the opposing team too. I’m not trying to get him off the field, I can promise you that.”
(S Minkah Fitzpatrick has a tendency to drop players for loss, especially on screen passes. It seems like he diagnoses, reads, understands what happening. What percentage of that do you feel is studying and what percentage of that might be innate?) – “Do I have to put numbers on it or can I just speak to it? (laughter) It’s both. I think he’s one of our better studiers. He’s a student of the game. He loves it. He loves just absorbing ball and understanding the nuances of things. So I think he does, through film study and learning our defense and getting better in that realm of what we’re asking him to do and where everything fits from a big-picture standpoint from our scheme. That frees him up to know when he can take some risks and shoot his gun a little bit and do those sort of things. But I also think one of the advantages for us of playing Minkah down in a nickel-type spot is he’s a bigger body in that role. So that screen game, where you have perimeter screens, we feel that’s a pretty good matchup with receivers trying to block him in the screen game. So some of that is a physical thing for us. We think that’s a decent matchup in a lot of instances. He’s a bigger, more physical nickel than a lot of teams get to play with. There’s a little bit, to us, of a physical advantage to that. I do think he’s getting a better understanding of our scheme and where his leverage and where his help is so he knows where he can take his risks, and then he does a good job of studying opponents and just getting a feel for the game. This is something I’ve mentioned in the past with ‘Mink,’ he’s very good in-game. There’s going to be some things that he still hasn’t seen or just some nuances where he just hasn’t gotten the volume of plays; but as it happens in real time, he’s very good at adjusting. If he doesn’t see something the first time on the field, he comes over, looks at the pictures and he kind of adjusts so the next time something like that comes back up, he’s ready to go. I thought in the Jets game, that happened where he had a screen that he misfit the first time. He didn’t see it and it got out on us and you bring him over and then the next time it’s a 2-yard loss. He does a good job in real-time of taking that feedback and seeing where he wasn’t right, then it happens right the second time.”
(This past game it seemed like there were more frequent blitzes and they were more effective for you, the A-gap pressures. What sort of went into the thought process on being more aggressive in there?) – “Two things: we were a little shorthanded from a player standpoint. There was part of it that we felt we maybe needed to generate some things and try to do some different stuff. Some of it was we felt we could take advantage of some of the things we saw in the protection game and those sort of things. That’s part of the evaluation every week as you’re game-planning and as you’re studying. Any time you’re blitzing and sending more players into the rush, you’re taking players away from the coverage element. So there’s a risk to it. It’s not just ‘Oh, that’s great. We should call a million blitzes every game.’ When you go into a game … That was part of it of our personnel and certain matchups versus that personnel. We thought we had some calls that we could kind of get after them. I couldn’t tell you my tendency numbers in terms of pressures, but we felt we had to generate a little bit more from a schematic standpoint as opposed to just letting personnel work. That’s what went into it.”
(Do you learn more about guys in those situations as far as a blitzer? We saw LB Jerome Baker get a couple of sacks when he was used.) – “He was free in the A gap. Let’s not get carried away with Jerome here. (laughter) No, I wouldn’t say that. I mean we hope to have a good feel. I guess, as a blitzer, who is successful and a guy like Jerome, he finished two of those plays and got the quarterback on the ground, which is as important as anything. I would hope to think I’m not going to send guys that I don’t feel like are good blitzers. But yes, I guess you learn if you send a guy and he has some success and you can generate some different things with him. Again, the more threats to do that, that you have on the field, obviously the better it is. Whether you’re sending them or dropping them or whatever, the more threats now … ‘This guy, ‘55’ (Baker), he can blitz a little bit. You have to be alert with him. He’s not always just a cover linebacker.’ Now ‘47’ (Kiko Alonso) comes and all of a sudden ’20 (Reshad Jones) blitzes. It helps anything else we’re trying to do if you’re generating enough threats of blitzers on the field and have had some success. Then it leads to hopefully more advantages for us.”
(Does whatever the offense have going on, whether they’re injured or banged up … We heard Head Coach Adam Gase talk today that it may be a little rougher week for the Dolphins offense. Does that impact how you may call your scheme?) – “No. I try to shut out every team we play and hope (our offense) is going to score a million points. That’s how we start our week.”
(With the turnovers, there’s just such a huge difference between this year and last year. Outside of practice and focusing on it, what has been the difference?) – “I wish I had the answer to that, honestly. It’s crazy. Again, the whole speaking it into existence. If you talk about having a point of emphasis, it’s obviously something (that’s important). And (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has dedicated practice time to it where we’ve had specific periods almost or turnover periods and things that we’re doing. It’s been interesting. We spent a lot of time talking about attacking the ball when we’re tackling. We haven’t had as many fumbles. It’s been obviously more interceptions. I think it’s a lot of things. We’ve got good players in the back end. Part of that is just the emphasis on being around the ball because a lot of our picks have been tipped balls and stuff gets knocked (around). Obviously Kiko (Alonso)’s last week, Reshad (Jones) made a nice break on it and those sort of things. I don’t know. I hope it’s just guys are flying to the ball a little bit more so when those plays happen, that ball gets bounced up in the air and there are bodies around it to finish those plays. I feel good about the guys that we have in the back end in terms of having good playmakers that can (make those plays). Reshad has a couple of picks, T.J. (McDonald), obviously ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). So I don’t know if it’s a multitude of factors. If I had the answer, I probably would have done it last year. (laughter)”
(Have you ever thought – I’m just spit-balling ideas here – that maybe it’s the caliber of quarterback you’re practicing against on scout team?) – “I will say obviously carrying the quarterbacks that we carry – Brock (Osweiler) and David (Fales) – obviously work most of the scout team reps for us and both guys are veterans that have played. It does help. We had Matt Moore last year for some part of that, who does a good job. That does help just in general, having a guy like Brock who has obviously played in the league. He can look at a card and know what we’re trying to get out of it and know where the ball should go. You can tell him, ‘this is the coverage we’re playing, so try to look this guy off and come back to this.’ He can kind of execute that. We’ve been good. If you want me to expand on that a little bit just to give a little shout out, our scout team has been great, especially (because) we’ve been shorthanded a little bit the last couple of weeks. All of our starting receivers are taking reps on scout team for us. It may be one per period but Kenny (Stills) will jump in there, Albert (Wilson) will jump in there, Jakeem (Grant. It’s been really cool to see. All of those guys will feel like we’re in this together. Kenny will start the scout team period and will take maybe one rep off the receivers; but he’ll run a deep route for us that we can get a pretty good look at someone running through our defense. Those guys are doing a really good job, but having a quarterback that can operate in a system and knows what you’re trying to get as a defense out of that look and out of that play, that certainly helps.”
(Have you and Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek felt after Sunday that there was the same level of efficiency and production with a three-man defensive tackle rotation plus a little bit of DE Charles Harris compared to four obviously when DT Jordan Phillips was here? Did you feel like there was a drop off because of tiredness late in the game? Or did you feel like you were just as affective with three primarily instead of four?) – “I think it’s probably more difficult on Kris than anyone else, just trying to manage that. Obviously when you have more bodies, it’s easier to keep guys fresh and the defense is waving guys out there and stuff. I think it puts a lot more on him to make sure he’s not letting one guy wilt on a vine out there for 10 plays at a time. We had obviously a lot more success on third down last week. We had some shorter drives, so it’s easier when you’re playing in that world, when you’re going three-and-out or when you have shorter drives and you get stops on third down, or when you don’t have those extended drives. Obviously that helped. I thought we did a better job of managing that group last week. Ideally, I’d have 46 defensive guys up. I’d say again, those guys battle. They’re warriors. Honestly, our whole defense last week, I thought … We kind of went in shorthanded. We were banged up and the effort and energy level was outstanding. Guys that weren’t feeling great that played and guys we were shorthanded at tackle, and I didn’t hear a word about it. Credit to the d-tackles. They went out and had a job to do and they battled every play. Like I said, it was probably more difficult on Kris just managing that. We helped ourselves out from a whole unit standpoint in terms of not being out there as long. We had 20 less plays than we had the week before, which is easier to manage a rotation when you’re playing 60 plays instead of 80. There were probably a lot of factors there.”
(In that same sense, for how that game ended with offensive turnovers, was there a massage, or do you feel like you needed to share a massage with the defense because of how that game ended last week?) – “No. The message is we didn’t play well enough to win. We left plays on the field. We did some really good things. Like I said, I thought they had that warrior mentality, which I was really proud of; but there were plays to be made. We always preach about it doesn’t matter what is going on the rest of the game and those things. There is always meat on the bone and we left plays on that field that people may think I’m crazy. But there were a couple of plays that turn that game around if we make those plays. We made a lot of plays and got some stops and we improved on the third downs and we had some pretty decent red zone defense. We did some things like that in areas that we’re trying to work on; but the message was we left some plays on the field that we could have done something to turn that game around. We don’t control what happened on the opposite side of the ball. That’s not our world and that’s not something that we concern ourselves with. The message is, if we want to be an elite defense, then we have to clean up the plays we need to clean up on our side of the ball.”
(You said you guys have turnover periods during practice. I’m just curious what specifically you guys do that’s unique to those periods? Do you have quarterbacks purposefully throw interceptions or poorly thrown balls? What are you doing that you wouldn’t normally be doing in your defensive drills anyway?) – “We literally have separate drills, like a separate period. We do something different every week. Two of the main points of emphasis coming into this season was our tackling and takeaways. On Wednesday practices, when we have our pads on, we have a tackling period, like a tackling circuit or something, where at the end of individual period, depending on the week, it’s a 3-5 minute period that every group does tackling. Sometimes we circuit it and kind of do drills at each spot and move guys around. Sometimes it’s in their own groups. Then on Thursdays it’s the same thing with takeaways. Whether it’s certain ball drills we’re trying to work or we’re working on punching or ripping balls out or scooping. Today we did kind of a return drill. We’ve been getting our hands on balls and I’d say our interception returns are average to below average right now. We’re trying to work on understanding that … Guys are watching. We are picking the ball off and guys are watching it happen instead of turning and trying to lead the convoy back up the field. We’re getting our hands on some balls, now we’re the offense. Let’s try to do something with it. Today’s emphasis was on when we do recover a fumble or do get an interception, let’s go do something with it. The play is not over. Let’s not just all watch and celebrate. It’s different every week, but just saying that every Wednesday we’re doing a tackling something. It’s emphasizing something, whether it’s an extra drill or something. And every Thursday we’re doing a turnover something. It could be a circuit, it could be certain ball drill or tip drills, fumble recovery, strip drills, ball carrying, ripping things out. Whatever it is, we’ll change it week to week, but there’s a point of emphasis of saying every week we’re going to do this. Now obviously our periods in practice, we’re emphasizing taking the ball away when it’s in the air. We’re scooping every ball up on the ground and those sort of things. Within the course of practice, that’s just naturally how it goes; but then we have an additional period that Adam (Gase) has built into the schedule where we’re going to take five minutes a day and we’re focusing on tackling or all we’re focusing on this period is takeaways. Not anything else that is going on. Hopefully we keep seeing the fruits of those labors.”
(What’s the most unconventional thins you’ve done in one of those periods?) – “I don’t know.”
(Something that would be very creative. A very creative drill in practice.) – “I don’t think it has to be creative.”
(Turnovers are so random.) – “Well fumbles are. Fumble recoveries are random, but our philosophy in that world is the more fumbles there are, the more opportunities you have. You eliminate some of that randomness. If we are attacking the ball, if we’re always punching at the ball and the second guy in is always trying to strip at things, well, if you put more balls on the ground, the randomness, you at least have more opportunities to recover the ball. In our coverage element things, we try to be aggressive and we have sort of a multi-coverage package. We change looks and we try to give different looks on one thing and try to drop in and I don’t want to say confuse quarterbacks, but we try to disguise what we’re doing. Sometimes you get some balls thrown into it. Again, some of the emphasis is just running to the ball so when it does get tipped, there are bodies there to catch it. I don’t think we’re doing unusual unheard of drills that no one has ever seen before. I’m not trying to give away my secrets or something. I think if you plant that seed in people’s minds and you keep talking and talking, maybe it’s like some inception stuff. I don’t know. We went back a couple of levels and put turnovers in their minds and we’ve been successful so far, so hopefully we keep going.”
Reshad Jones – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
S Reshad Jones
(What are some of the challenges you see with the Bears offense?) – “They have a lot of motions. They line guys up everywhere. We have to be on our keys this week. There’s a lot of motion going on; they have a lot of pieces. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
(Defensively, a lot of turnovers have been created by this defense and a lot of people are noticing that now. Where do you put the key at that this has worked so far?) – “We just know the percentage of winning goes up dramatically once you create turnovers and giving your offense a chance to go score points. Coach has been stressing the importance of it and we want to continue to go out there and create those turnovers and help the team win football games.”
(Without divulging the game plan, would you say more has been worked on this season compared to last season through the first five games?) – “I think we work on it every year. I just think we’re taking advantage of the opportunity. We’ve been getting opportunities when the ball is thrown our way. Like I said, we’ve been taking advantage of it, and we know the importance of winning. Like I said, the percentage of winning goes up dramatically once you create those turnovers.”
(I don’t know if you heard it Monday, but Head Coach Adam Gase said that the lost felt like a kick to the lower body area. He said a lot of guys are upset. Is that the case with a lot of guys?) – “When you’re up 17- 0 at halftime, it definitely hurts when you can’t close a game out, a game where we’re definitely supposed to win. But that game is behind us and we’re on track. We have another opponent and we just need to go out there and take care of business this week.”
Adam Gase – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(When it comes to TE Mike Gesicki and his transition to NFL blocking and route running, how is it going?) – “Route running has been good. He’s made a lot of strides in the blocking. Yesterday especially it was very noticeable some of the techniques that they’ve been working on have really been improving. Just kind of seeing how much pride he’s taking and trying to do everything right, that’s all you can ask for. He’s really been working on it and he wants to be a guy that can be effective in it.”
(What’s the key to improving throughout the course of the season? That’s what your key was in 2016. What is the key to doing that?) – “Keep working on fundamentals. That’s why we spend a lot of time on individual (drills). I felt like we were longer this week. We extended the time a little bit. I know a lot of the coaches were excited about that. Probably the players not so much because they don’t stop. I mean, it’s non-stop. It’s good work for us and it translates over to games.”
(Did you have a sense in 2016 that you were about to go on a run?) – “I remember the first game I felt good about the week of practice. But you never can predict how many games you can win in a row and things like that because you’re so focused on one. And then you kind of forget that you won the week before. Everything is just so compartmentalized that you don’t worry about how many you win a row. You’re just trying to get that one week.”
(What gives you encouragement that your best football is ahead of you?) – “Because I watch these guys practice every day. I watch these guys try to get better and try to do it right. The last two days the guys have had great energy and worked hard. When we go out on Wednesdays, it’s not like it’s 65 degrees and cloud cover. You’re going to get tested just from being down here, which is great for us because it weeds people out real fast.”
(In terms of the receivers, there’s a ton of speed but not that much size right now without WR DeVante Parker. What is the best way to get them open in press coverage?) – “A lot of times those guys are doing a good job. We’ve just got to make sure that we protect or we get the ball out on time and gives those guys opportunities for run after the catch. Jakeem (Grant) has done a great job as far as being one guy that’s always creating separation at the line of scrimmage. He is a very tough guy for DBs to get their hands on. Albert (Wilson) is a little different as far as the way he runs some of his routes because he’s stronger and a little thicker to where he can power through some stuff. And then Kenny (Stills), a lot of times once he gets those first two steps and he gets clean of a DB, he’s going to win. Are there times where we need to take some better releases or do something different? Yeah. But I think for the majority of the time, we are shaking free. It’s just we’ve got to be a little bit on the same page a little more between (the) front, quarterback, receivers (and) everybody. We need to have success at the same time.”
(Is the timing of these passing plays being thrown off by press coverage?) – “No.”
(Looking at LB Raekwon McMillan throughout the season, especially earlier, it seemed like he could get to the hole but once a guy got his hands on him, that was kind of it. Is that accurate, and if so, how does a guy get better at breaking free when a guy gets his hands on you?) – “I think what he’s doing right now is the way that he wants to play where he’s striking first instead of waiting for that guy to get his hands on him. That’s what happens. The linebackers are smaller than the o-linemen, so if they get their hands on you, science just tells you you’re probably not going to be in good shape. He’s doing a better job of striking first, separating from the block and getting around the ball carrier.”
(When you strike first, how much of that is physical and how much of that is film study, knowing where the ball will be going?) – “It’s repetition really. It’s just reaction. If you understand what’s going on schematically and the way the line is blocking, whether it’s a gap scheme or you’re seeing down blocks and a guy pulling around, things like that compared to outside zone, inside zone, that’s just seeing it. You can watch it on film as much as you want, but you need to be out there and you need to do it.”
(It looked like LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Jerome Baker had their best game this past game. What did you see different from them?) – “I don’t know. I was giving them a hard time saying we’ve got to play in Ohio every week. (laughter) I thought both of them played fast and they did a good job of executing what (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) was calling. And when those two guys are doing that, that changes the whole dynamic of what we’re doing because now that ball is not getting past that second level if it does squirt through in the run game. And they were really good in pass coverage.”
(When you think of S Minkah Fitzpatrick and LB Jerome Baker, the rookie defensive guys, what would be sort of a common trait that you think those guys have?) – “Football instincts. They both just have a natural feel for the game, which is something that’s a great addition for us.”
(You and Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy have something in common. You’re both head coaches who call your own plays. I know you work 110 hours a week but there’s only a finite number of hours. The amount of time you’re planning play calls, does that take away from something else?) – “I don’t know. I don’t think so. You just figure out a way to get it done between that and all the other duties that you have. There’s ways to do it. You’ve just got to figure out your time. The hardest thing is if something creeps up you don’t expect, you have to deal with something that takes away from (that) time and now you’re in a race. You’re in a race to Sunday.”
(Does something unexpected come up every week?) – “No. Not this year. (laughter)”
(Does RB Kenyan Drake have a higher rate of runs that lose yardage than your other guys, and has that affected how you consider using him?) – “It’s probably been … every game has been different. I think there’s been some times where he’s trying to make a big play because he knows he has the ability to. He’s done it in the past to where he makes one of those decisions that’s a millisecond decision and he takes it to the house. Buffalo in 2016, last year, I don’t know how many times. When it doesn’t work, that’s when you get a negative play. Really for us, we’re always really talking to him about, stay with it, especially early, kind of get in the flow of the game before you want to react like that. It’s hard to get a guy to do that all of the time because he’s going to go off of instincts. That’s what makes him who he is is just going off of, ‘this is what it feels like,’ and he goes and does it. He did a really good job last week, I thought, as far as helping us stay on track. There were a couple of times where he tried to bounce it or do something that really wasn’t designed for the play and we got 0 yards or minus-1. But I think he did a good job of really cutting those back last week to where there was a lot of positive coming out of his touches, especially at running back.”
(Because you can’t really get behind the sticks, no?) – ‘That’s the biggest thing. Like Frank (Gore) does a really good job of we’re second-and-5, third-and-2, now we get a first down to where it’s first down, second down, first down. I think Kenyan (Drake) is coming along in that area. It’s just he does give you that element of first-and-10, 60-yard touchdown or 40-yard touchdown to where now it’s a game-changing play. That’s experience. I think the more he does it and the more he kind of understands the big picture, which I think it’s coming together for him – just watching him practice and the way he’s preparing – I think we’re just going to keep seeing a better player every week.”
(How difficult is it to get two backs to buy in? Okay, we’re better off when you share or when you play these roles?) – “This year, both of those guys respect each other. I love the fact that Frank (Gore) came in here and once he kind of started practicing and those guys were working in meetings and stuff, he said it really early, ‘Man, I respect this guy. This guy is legit. I really like working with this guy. When he practices and he’s rolling, it’s fun to watch.’ For him to say that (about Drake), that’s a big compliment to me. I think Kenyan (Drake) has been one of those guys that he’s coming from a place where there was always somebody else. It’s not new to him. Like, if you ask him, he’s going to tell you the same thing. He’s going to say, ‘I just want to win.’ That’s what he’s going to tell you all the time and he’s going to do anything he can to just be on the field, whether it’s running back or we flex him out. He tries to get on special teams. Like he’s at all the special teams walk-throughs, meetings and all those types of things. He’s always trying to sneak in and do that stuff. We don’t want him to do that right now. That’s not in his job description, no matter how much he wants to do it.”
(What did you think of the block that RB Kenyan Drake laid before he caught that screen pass in the fourth quarter?) – “It’s probably one of the best plays I’ve ever seen. He chipped a guy and then he’s the check-down, gets his head around and then he did a great job of getting north, accelerating through, made three guys miss, gets the first down. It was a great play at a big moment of the game.”
(What is your vision for how to use RB Kalen Ballage?) – “We’re taking it one week at a time. He’s doing a good job. Whatever he’s asked to do, he does it full speed. That’s a big man running. I’ve enjoyed seeing him develop on special teams as well. He’s taken a lot of pride in it. Because of the way that room is designed, where all those guys has done special teams or plays special teams right now except for Frank (Gore), you better bring it in that area because all those guys are watching. He’s done a good job of impressing both (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi and ‘Mouf’ (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf) as far as what he can bring to special teams. If we have to play him, he knows what to do and he plays fast.”
(What do you say to the defense who may have felt like their performance was wasted last week?) – “I don’t have to say anything to them. They know they did a good job of what we ask them to do with who was healthy. I thought the defensive staff put together a really good plan. We’re just going to keep building off of that and hopefully keep getting healthy. We just need to do a better job on offense and not turn the ball over.”
(What’s the thought process to put DE Charles Harris at defensive tackle when he goes inside? Is it just to use his speed?) – “His speed causes problems. Guards and centers, they like the slower-moving guys. When you start putting some speed guys out there and they start doing all their games and stuff like that, it’s just hard to track guys and pass things off. We see it every week to where the defensive line coach likes to test to see how well you’re working on things in practice.”
(Do you know some things about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio that can help you out Sunday?) – “It doesn’t matter what I know because Vic is going to have a good plan. He’s tough. He’s very tough to go against. He’s extremely smart and he’s seen a lot of football. Our guys need to worry about executing what we’re doing and we can’t worry about what they’re doing.”
(How much does your old knowledge or Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains’ old knowledge of the Bears help you at all?) – “They’ll use it against us more than anything. Vic (Fangio) knows what he’s doing, I’ll just say that.”
DeVante Parker – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Wide Receiver DeVante Parker
(How has your week of practice gone?) – “It’s going pretty well. I’m just happy to be back out there moving around again.”
(What happened with the quad in practice?) – “I just ran a route and it just hurt.”
(You had high hopes obviously for this season. Do you still feel like your goals can be met?) – “I’m just taking it one day at a time, just working my way back into it.”
(Do you ever feel snake bitten or wonder ‘why me?’ sometimes?) – “No, not really.”
(What do you feel like you can add to this offense?) – “I feel like I can add just high-pointing the ball and doing whatever the coaches want me to do.”
(What have you seen from the way the receivers have been used this season? To me, from afar, it seems like it’s a little bit more creative as far as the end-arounds and things like that. What have you seen?) – “I’ve seen (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) putting receivers in the backfield, getting them out there and just getting them moving around.”
(How does that help the offense? In what ways does that play to the receivers’ strengths?) – “They’re real elusive in the open field, so it helps out the offense a lot.”
(What’s been the hardest part of this season for you?) – “Not being active, obviously.”
(When things aren’t going right and you’re frustrated or mad at the world, who are some people or a person in particular that has kind of helped you?) – “Some of my family. They’re always texting me to check up on me and see how I’m feeling.”
(What do they say?) – “A lot of things.”
(More good than bad, I’m sure?) – “Yes.”
(How hopeful are you about this week and Sunday?) – “I’m not really sure. I’m just going in there a day at a time and just working my way back in.”
(Before you came back from the finger injury, you said an extra week gave you some time. Do you think an extra week would give you some time if you came back next week instead of on Sunday?) – “I’m just (taking it) one day at a time.”
Kenny Stills – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(The Bears are presently one of the best defenses in the NFL. How much of a challenge do you guys see this as?) – “It’s a challenge every week for us to go out there and not turn the ball over, not commit penalties and put points on the board. We know that we can’t hurt ourselves and that’s our main focus right now.”
(So it’s not really the opponent, it’s you guys who you feel are hurting and holding yourself back?) – “Yes. I think if you look across the league, a lot of the times it’s self-inflicted – injuries – or turnovers and penalties. We’ve got to do that first and then kind of worry about everything else after that.”
(Success on third downs has been an issue pretty much all three season under Head Coach Adam Gase. How does it get fixed?) – “The first half of last week’s game, we did a great job on third down or getting first down, second down, first down, first down, second down, first down. We had success and we were ahead in the game. That’s really the recipe for us is trying to eliminate the penalties and then stay out of the third-and-long situations. It’s hard to convert in the NFL in third-and-long situations.”
(Scoring points in the first quarter seems like it’s been an issue. What do you feel like you can do better there?) – “Just execute. We’ve got to do what our assignment is, whatever coach is asking us to do. Like I said, for us, I think most of the time it’s we start a drive with a penalty and it’s hard to recover from that. Not shooting ourselves in the foot is our main focus and our main goal this week.”
(Have you seen defenses cover you guys differently the last couple of weeks than they did over the first three weeks?) – “No. We were just talking about that. I think the defenses are playing their style of ball and trying to get to the quarterback and put pressure on Ryan (Tannehill) and trying to get the ball out of his hands quick. Teams aren’t doing anything different than what we’re seeing on film.”
(How is it affected you and you wanting to go downfield with some of the passes with the shifts at o-line and injuries there?) – “I think it’s more about guys learning to play together. There’s five guys up there and it’s a team game. They’re trying to figure out how to mesh and how to work together. I think it’s more about that than anything.”
(There’s a lot of talk with Bears LB Khalil Mack with the offensive line and tight ends but how does a guy, with what he does, how does that affect the receiving corps and what you guys do?) – “Yes, he’s a great player. He gets to the quarterback quick and creates turnovers and forces the ball to get out of the quarterback’s hands. We know we have to get open and make plays when we get the opportunity.”
