Mack Hollins – December 6, 2019
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Friday, December 6, 2019
WR Mack Hollins
(You have a teammate in CB Ryan Lewis who you went to training camp with or worked against kind of during the season, and you get to see him here now. How much has he helped the transition process of going to a new team?) – “It’s big any time you see a familiar face. I think when you go anywhere, familiar faces are always good. They just show you the routine and how things are done, the things coach doesn’t like, what he does like, certain rules that guys wouldn’t know that only comes with the experience of being on a team. Having guys like him and Jomal Wiltz also played with me in Philly my rookie year. It’s great to have those type of guys.”
(What did they tell you about what they liked about you? Did Head Coach Brian Flores or General Managers Chris Grier or anyone say anything to you when you came in the building?) – “They just said that they see the type of player that I am where the team always comes first with me. I’ll do whatever the coach needs me to do if it helps us win ball games. They were excited about that and my energy. Like I said, I’ll do whatever necessary.”
(In your exit meeting with Head Coach Doug Pederson, did he indicate to you why they made the move?) – “There are a few different things, but I won’t get into that I’m just excited to be here. I’m excited to play for the Dolphins. Let’s win games here.”
(Just the idea, I know you have touched on this before, but did you ever envision being back here after Sunday? It must have struck you as weird when you got the news on Tuesday.) – “Yeah. I joke about it now. I’m like, ‘I guess I could have just stayed down here.’ The funny thing is we had two off days in Philly back-to-back, so it’s not like I even practiced up there. Hindsight is 20/20. I’m here now and it’s time to work.”
(You have an opportunity that the Dolphins have given you here to make some plays in the return game and on the field too.) – “It’s awesome. I think any player will tell you that an opportunity is a gift. You don’t get them all the time. I’ve definitely learned that over my three years in the NFL already. Them giving me the opportunity is all I can ask for and it’s time to take advantage.”
(Back when you studied the Dolphins defensive backs last week, who stood out to you?) – “They have a bunch of good guys. For me as a player when I study, I think I look at schemes a lot. Obviously I wasn’t the primary receiver in Philly, so Alshon (Jeffery) is going to have a guy follow him a lot of the time. For me, it was how could I dissect schemes and be able to do what I can reading safeties and reading what coverages they are in and relaying that type of stuff.”
Brian Flores – December 6, 2019
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Friday, December 6, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw LB Jerome Baker and CB Nik Needham were limited on Wednesday and Thursday. Do you expect to have them Sunday?) – “Yes. We expect to have both guys Sunday.”
(And S Steven Parker I know is limited as well. Has he been doing better from his injury?) – “Yeah. Yep.”
(I know you guys have claimed a lot of rookie draft picks from other teams this year – several of them. Yesterday you parted ways with your first rookie from this class. I imagine that’s tough to do. Was it a difficult call with T Isaiah Prince and why don’t you think it worked out here with him?) – “Yeah, anytime you have to release a player, it’s difficult. Obviously with Isaiah, that was another difficult one. At the end of the day, we just try to do what we feel is best for the team. There’s only so many spots. When we made the claim, we just – he was the guy we felt like we had to part ways with, not necessarily that we wanted to but at the end of the day, you have to make decisions that you feel are best for the team.”
(There’s not a high percentage rate of sixth-rounders becoming long-term NFL players anyway, but do you think with offensive linemen it’s particularly tough – not speaking of T Isaiah Prince specifically but in general – to translate college performance to NFL success? I know college coaches – University of Miami Head Coach Manny Diaz said it’s tough recruiting, projecting high school to college with offensive linemen. Is it like that do you think college to pro?) – “I think we have to project. Our job is to project and predict and see if guys will pan out at all positions. We’ve got a good personnel department, and coaches are involved. A lot of people are involved in that, but not everyone works out. That’s the National Football League. Players can do everything right and give their best effort and play to the best of their ability, and it doesn’t work out sometimes. I’d say Isaiah worked extremely hard. He made a lot of improvement over the course of the year, and I think he’s got a future in football in this league.”
(What’s your evaluation of CB Chris Lammons this season and your relationship with him? Obviously he’s a hometown kid who got the game-winning pick last week. That was probably a big play for him.) – “Yeah, Chris Lammons, he really did a good job from OTAs to training camp to really most of the season. He’s a kid who’s worked hard, who’s made the most of his opportunities, not perfect – I know he had the interception last week which was good for him and a big play for us – he also had two penalties. We’ve got to correct the mistakes and obviously highlight the successes, but he’s done a good job and hopefully continues to play well and contribute.”
(Was there anything specific you guys liked about RB Zach Zenner?) – “Yeah, (he is) a big back. He’s had some production in this league playing in the kicking game. We were looking after we lost Kalen (Ballage), we needed a back who we felt like we could play in the kicking game and also give us some snaps offensively. We looked at a few different options there and we felt like Zach was the best in both areas – the kicking game as well as running the football. Between De’Lance (Turner), Patrick (Laird), Myles (Gaskin) and Zach (Zenner), we just try to find the right group of guys to kind of fit the role as we need at the running back position.”
(With DT Zach Sieler – the player you claimed – did you see tape from Ferris State, back with the Patriots or any Ravens tape the last couple years that intrigued you?) – “Yeah, there’s a lot of Ravens film that we’d seen earlier in the season and then preseason. (Sieler is) big, physical, high effort, good length. Just watching the tape and doing some background on him, he’s everything we’re looking for. High effort, works hard, football is important to him. Those traits – we like, we covet and we had an opportunity to claim him and thankfully we got him.”
(Jets RB Le’Veon Bell is dealing with an illness this week that may cause him not to play on Sunday, but how hard of a player is he to kind of game plan for in both facets – passing and the run game?) – “We’re preparing for him to play. He’s a good player at full strength. He’s a very good player at 80 percent. Obviously he’s one of the best backs in the league. Really good vision, good run instincts, very patient, can find the space and he can hit it. He does a good job in the pass game, does a good job with protection. At any point, he can break a long run, so we’re preparing for him to play, and we’re preparing for him to be at full strength. It’s a tough test.”
(You saw WR Mack Hollins play in-person last week. Do you envision a similar role for you guys that you saw what he was with the Eagles?) – “I think Mack – it’s been a couple days, so his role will evolve over the next few weeks. Obviously he’s done a good job and had success in the kicking game. I think in the last two days, you can see that he has a lot of ability as a receiver, as well. He’s fast. He’s big. He’s got good hands. He blocks. So we’re excited to have him. Over these next few weeks, we’ll just try to develop a rapport, a relationship. He’ll get more comfortable with the playbook offensively and in the kicking game. Hopefully he can contribute towards the end of the season.”
Jason Sanders – December 5, 2019
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Thursday, December 5, 2019
K Jason Sanders
(I know you’re laser-focused on Sunday, but do you remember how many times you’ve gone back and watched the fake field goal play, if at all, the last few days?) – “No, I don’t; but it’s like what I said. There’s four games left. You don’t want your season to be defined by something else you do that’s not good. You want to go out there and make your kicks and walk out of there 100 percent.”
(How many people texted you about the play that you haven’t heard from in years? Were there a number of those?) – “Sure; but at the same time, I want to focus on my job. I don’t want to take any outside elements that can distract me from coming in on Wednesday. I go into practice and try to do my job there.”
(The most random person who reached out to you. Was there like a grammar school teacher? Has there been anyone where you literally didn’t hear from them in six or seven years and all of a sudden you get a text?) – “No. Not really.”
(So it was more just friends, maybe? Might more just texts from friends, perhaps from New Mexico? Any from college?) – “There were a couple college teammates, yeah. Just the normal people that you know, family members…”
(Did you think P Matt Haack was going to throw it to you conventionally or were you a little surprised he just flicked it?) – “Matt was going to do his job, whether he was going to throw a nice spiral or he was just going to flick it like he did. He’s the one that had to do the heavy lifting on the field goal fake, so I think I give credit to Matt more than me. I was just the guy that happened to stand in the end zone falling to the ground with his hands out. (laughter)”
(That’s why you gave P Matt Haack the ball?) – “Yeah, 100 percent.”
(From a field goal standpoint, it’s gone well. Do you feel like you’re happy with how you’re hitting the ball recently?) – “I think I’m confident with how I’m hitting it. I try to avoid all of the numbers and take it one week at a time. Quite honestly, I don’t even know what my percentage is right now and I don’t really want to know. I want to go out each week and treat it like a new week and build off the kicks that I’ve had like going into Sunday, building off that 51-yarder I had in this last week and use that confidence to get you through this week.”
(You’re staring at a stretch now of three games out of four – the last four in potentially cold situations. What the bigger challenge there?) – “It’s the same thing. We had a couple of games last year in the cold weather. I believe (I went) 4-for-4 at the Packers, and I consider that a cold game. It’s just preparing the same way as you do every week.”
Trevor Davis – December 5, 2019
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Thursday, December 5, 2019
WR Trevor Davis
(How have you grasped the playbook so far? Do you feel like you can pick it up?) – “I’m learning it day-by-day. I had to do that when I moved to Oakland quickly and had a quick turnaround as well, so I’m kind of used to different offenses and some things are similar, some things are different; but at the end of the day, the offense is offense. You need to learn the concepts by themselves as well as the formations, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”
(Did anyone here – Head Coach Brian Flores or anyone – say they remembered you in a particular game either for Oakland or earlier in your career?) – “No, I haven’t gotten to talk about that. I haven’t been able to meet everybody yet. I’m getting there.”
(Does your head spin the first 24 hours on a new team? What’s that experience like?) – “I’m kind of used to it now after having the situation once going from Green Bay to Oakland. You’ve really just got to dive into everything, learn all the names you can and then really dive into the playbook as much as you can (and) try to get ready to play.”
(How late were you up studying the playbook the last couple nights?) – “I didn’t even sleep before I got here because it was a redeye flight, so I got in in the morning. I tried to get as much sleep as I possibly could before coming in here.”
(Did you go right from the flight Tuesday night to practice Wednesday morning?) – “Yeah.”
(How was practice Wednesday on no sleep?) – “It’s football. People have pulled all-nighters before. I might’ve got some (sleep), a little bit on the plane, but it wasn’t too bad. Take a little – whatever those little shot energy things are – and you’ll be good.”
(What’s the volume of material you have to learn this week? Is it 20 pages, 30 pages? I know a lot of it could be on an iPad, but how big is it?) – “Man, it is on the iPad, so I don’t even know. I’ve just been scrolling, so I don’t know. (laughter)”
(Is it a lot?) – “Yeah. Offenses are, they’re intricate; but at the same time, also you have packages that are just for certain weeks so at the end of the day, it’s not the full offense. Right now I’m trying to learn the whole thing and kind of learn things conceptually, but when it comes down to a specific week you’re in, it’s a lot less so hopefully you can hone in on that and then go learn the full offense after that.”
(Any skill guys you know on the team that you’ve sort of asked them for any input?) – “Of course (Patrick) ‘Patty’ Laird. I’ve played with him (at Cal). That’s one familiar face I have and then the other receivers in the room help me as well.”
(Is RB Patrick Laird the only guy you had the previous connection with?) – “Yes, when it comes to playing-wise. Yeah.”
(As far as the return game goes, that’s probably not as much the material that you have to know, you just do what comes natural to you. Do you feel like that might be where you can make more of an immediate impact come Sunday?) – “Yeah. Like you said, the special teams playbook is normally a lot easier than the intricate offense. Being able to do that would be nice; but I don’t know come this week, the next week – I have no idea on what’s going on yet.”
(Besides sleep, what’s the other thing about just day-to-day life that’s most impacted when you join a new team that week? Is there anything else that you just have to put aside, can’t do – talking to family? Anything like that?) – “Oh you mean like you can’t do?”
(Yeah, things you can’t do basically.) – “(laughter) Oh yeah, you’re locked away in your hotel room basically every night and just trying to learn as many plays as you can – just sitting on an iPad and looking at the time and setting your alarm clock. That’s really your life for the next couple weeks until you really get everything down (and) feel comfortable.”
Zach Zenner – December 5, 2019
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Thursday, December 5, 2019
RB Zach Zenner
(Even as tired as you were last night, did you still study for a few hours? How does that work on the first day on a new team?) – “(laughter) Of course. Yeah, I mean I’m trying to prepare. I hung out here for a while and studied all the way up until I called my wife and then went to bed.”
(You seem very level but for some guys, their first day on a new team when they’re claimed off waivers during the season, do you think it can cause anxiety? Can it be stressful just in terms of being overwhelmed with a lot of material?) – “It’s definitely stressful but it’s just part of the game. The majority of players in the NFL, this will happen to them at some point. There’s probably – I don’t know what the percentage is but I would estimate it’s a low percentage of individuals who start their careers somewhere and end their career there.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores told us today that he actually studies all of the waiver guys who are available as obviously the General Manager Chris Grier does. Did Flores say anything to you which made you realize that he knows you and has seen your work? Was there any exchange like that?) – “We had a meeting, for sure. I know that he’s a smart guy. I know that he’s up on all of that stuff like you said. He knows what’s going on throughout the league, is paying attention and that was clear.”
(Did anybody in the building – General Manager Chris Grier or a position coach or anyone – say I remember you in a particular game? Was there a particular moment that somebody mentioned to you?) – “No. Most of it has just been trying to help me learn what’s going on. Maybe we’ll get to some of those other conversations in a week or two.”
(One last thing – what’s the level of complexity here with learning assignments as a running back and special teams guy compared to previous stops? Is it comparable? More difficult?) – “I think it’s comparable. It just depends. The football concepts are very similar across teams but the language is different, so that’s the main issue.”
Brian Flores – December 5, 2019
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Thursday, December 5, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(A couple of things on the running game – I know no one can be happy with the 3.1 per carry average. I know it’s always a combination of things with the running game. Would you say that the blocking has been more of an issue than the running backs finding holes? And also, who has your best run blocker been this year?) – “Like you said, there’s a lot of things that go into it. I think it’s a combination of the things you just mentioned. Sometimes it’s blocking. Sometimes it’s running. Sometimes it’s receivers not getting the correct guys. Sometimes it’s miscommunication. Sometimes it’s – it’s a myriad of things. At the end of the day, you don’t point at just one thing. It’s never one thing. You just try to get all of it right and if we can get everybody on the same page – and again, it’s a hard thing to do – get 11 guys on the same page, execute versus defensively what they’re giving us – but we’ve got to be able to do it. We’ve got to do it more consistently. It’s something we’ve talked about for a lot of weeks now, and I think they’re working at it. I have to give credit to the defenses that we’ve seen. We’ve played against some good fronts, and I think the score plays a role in how much we’ve been able to run; but every game is a little bit different and we’re not going to make excuses or say, ‘hey, it’s this or that.’ We have to block better. We have to run better. We have to do everything a little bit better.”
(Who’s been the best run blocker do you think of your linemen?) – “I think – you could point to one guy, but one guy is not going to get it done. I’m not going to point out one guy. I think we all have to do a better job, starting with me. That’s my message to the team. It is. One’s not going to get it done. That’s my answer to that.”
(Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea singled out QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and C Daniel Kilgore as two leaders of the offense who maybe corral the younger guys together when you guys are kind of trailing in games and leading the comeback. Who are some guys on your defense that really have all the players kind of locked down and locked in when things are going not so great?) – “(Jerome) Baker, (Davon) Godchaux, Raekwon (McMillan), Jomal Wiltz, Eric Rowe – I think all of those guys. I think this is a team that feels like we can battle back and get ourselves back in games when we’re down. I’d like for us to not play that way and try to play a little bit earlier in games. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot among other things, but I think we’ve got a lot of guys that have belief in each other. We all know there’s no quit. We’re going to keep competing, and if you do that, things turn in games. You need that belief in order to get back in games and to start games as well.”
(How has LB Sam Eguavoen done this season, especially relative to his transition from CFL to NFL?) – “I think he’s made a lot of improvement since the day he got here, really since we started spending time with him. This is a guy who works extremely hard. Football is important to him. He studies. His preparation is very good in all areas defensively and on special teams. Whatever roles we ask him to perform in, he learns it quickly and does it to the best of his ability and we’ve asked him to do a lot of things in the kicking game and defensively in different groupings and different positions; so I think he’s made a nice adjustment and I still think there’s a lot more room to grow and develop. We’re going to use these last few weeks of the season to do that and then hopefully that gives us a good start to what’s next to come.”
(How has LB Sam Eguavoen done in areas of physicality – run stopping, tackling and things like that?) – “I think he’s a physical guy. I think he plays downhill and is not afraid of contact. When we ask him to set the edge, he’s been able to do that. I think he’s a tough, physical guy and hopefully we’ll continue to see more of that from him throughout this week in particular and then the rest of the year.”
(What does DT John Jenkins bring to your defensive line? What would be his most underrated asset?) – “Leadership. I would say, I think that is underrated. He’s the veteran guy in the room, and he’s been on some good teams, around some good players and brings that experience and that leadership to the room. He’s a good player, too. He really does a good job with fundamentals, technique, specifically on first and second down. He’s a hard guy to move, and I think he’s played really solid football for us.”
(How does the run game philosophy change if at all, now that you’ve gone from RB Kenyan Drake to RB Kalen Ballage and now you’re with RB Patrick Laird? How do things change?) – “I don’t think it really changes much. We want to run the ball efficiently. That’s always at the forefront, and we want to move the ball efficiently in the run game, in the pass game, in the screen game, in the play-action game; but specific to the run game, nothing really changes, I would say. We’ll mix the scheme runs with the zone runs with the various runs we have, and at the end of the day, it comes down to execution. I have confidence in all our backs. We wouldn’t change what we would do for – I don’t think we have to change what we would do for Myles (Gaskin) or Patrick (Laird) or (Zach) Zenner or De’Lance (Turner). We just have to execute better than we have.”
(You’ve added four players in the last couple of days. Would you and General Manager Chris Grier and Vice President of Football Administration Brandon Shore just want to get a look at as many players as you can over the last month in practice settings to see if maybe you have something there and of the four, anyone that you remember in particular that you had seen in the scouting/pre-draft process or in games that stood out to you?) – “Yeah. All of these guys – obviously you guys know (I have) a background in scouting, so I watch a lot of – I watch everybody. The guys we brought in, I watched them all and we feel good about them. Mack Hollins for instance, he’s a tough, physical wide receiver, plays in the kicking game. He’s had some production offensively and in the kicking game. We like him. He’s a guy that obviously, we just saw him, so we know a lot about him and the rest of the group – Evan (Brown) with the Giants – we watched him in the preseason. I watch all this stuff, so anyone we feel like can help us get better that we feel like has some developmental potential, we’ll look into it. We don’t make every move we could possibly make, but the ones that we think feel like will help us, we try to make.”
(When you do look at these guys before you add them to the roster, how much film and how long are you taking to watching these things? Do you have the film cut for you so you can see some things beforehand? What’s that process?) – “I watch a lot before I make a determination on what I think a guy can or cannot do. My process is a little different than I guess some other people. I take a good amount of time once a name comes across my desk, or we check the waiver wire on a daily basis. I watch a good amount of it along with our next opponent. I’ve got a routine on how I’m doing this. We’re not going to delve into my exact routine right now. (laughter) But yeah, I do spend some time.”
(Is that process that General Manager Chris Grier or someone else in the front office will say ‘hey we’re looking at this guy, tell me what you think?’ And then you get back to Chris or someone else?) – “That’s fluid. There’s a lot of communication from that standpoint. I’ve looked at the wire every day for the last 15 years. It’s just part of my routine and process. I know all of the – or I look at, at least – all of the transactions on a daily basis. Chris and the personnel staff does the same thing. I just think that’s part of working in this league.”
(When you look at the wire, what percentage of players do you think that you know just based off looking, playing and watching football?) – “I know a lot of them. I’d say when I was in personnel, I knew pretty much all of them. When you get into coaching, you know the guys you’ve played and you know most of the league; but there are some teams you haven’t seen and some new players that have been acquired. You don’t see all of the draft picks so maybe not as much when you are coaching, but this is a different role. I spend more time on – the draft last year, obviously I knew a chunk of those players and the rookies that are in the league now, I know the lion’s share of those guys, and I’d say over the next couple of years I’ll know most everyone. Hopefully I’ll know everyone.”
(WR Trevor Davis is one of the new guys you brought in here. Where do you see him making the most immediate impact?) – “Well he’s got return value – kickoffs and punts. He’s fast, he’s big and he’s had some production offensively as well. Anybody who comes in here, the opportunity they receive is going to be up to them and how they perform in practice. Trevor had a nice practice yesterday and we’ll see how it goes today. That’s the case for everyone. You guys have heard me say that every day that I’m up here.”
(Going back to the waiver wire and mining it for gems, what’s one or two guys who you’re really proud of that you spotted on the waiver wire and really feel good about, ‘Hey, this guy really panned out.’) – “I could name a couple of guys but it’s not a one-man show. I think it’s the entire staff. We have a really good personnel staff here. They do a good job of uncovering guys and I’m not going to sit here and say I’m 100 percent on draft picks or free agents. No one is, but having that background I think helps me a lot. But again, it’s a team collective effort. It wasn’t me who found any specific player. I think that part of it is about having strong opinions on players and being able to forecast and predict what guys are going to do. I guess I feel confident in that area as well as I feel confident in our staff to get that part of it right.”
(I’ve heard other coaches say you guys play and coach with house money, and that you are playing with nothing to lose. What do you think about that aspect of it, and is that something you enjoy or appreciate being said about you?) – “We’re aggressive and we’re going to play to win. If we feel like there’s a place where we can gain an advantage, we’re going to try to do that; but I think every team does that. As far as playing with house money, I guess you can say that. We’re going to play to win. We’re going to play to win and if there is something that we like and we feel like we can make a play on, we’re going to try to do that. We’ve got a group of guys in there who practice hard and compete. You don’t win games with trick plays in this league. That’s just not how it works. You have to be able to execute on play-to-play basis and play consistently and we need to do that.”
(How would you assess G Michael Deiter’s growth?) – “Deiter, I think he’s had a solid rookie year and he’s continuing to develop and get better on a day-to-day basis. He’s had some ups and downs, and he just needs to continue to trust the process, play with consistency and play with the same effort, grit and toughness on a play-to-play basis. I think he’s tried to do that, and we’re going to stay on him to do that, that’s for sure.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – December 4, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Two things: were you actually stopped at the goal line by one person last week?) – “(laughter) Yeah. Malcolm (Jenkins) totally got me. It wasn’t good.”
(The second question is about the red zone offense. Over the last six, seven weeks, it’s No. 1 in the NFL and earlier in the year, it was near the bottom of the NFL. What’s changed?) – “I think we’ve run the ball well down there. We really have in some of those short-yardage situations. I think we have big targets. I think our coaches do a great job of scheming down there and getting our players in position to make plays, and there’s been a couple red zone scrambles as well. But I think we’ve really just put a heightened focus on that area and the difference between seven and three points is obviously huge, especially when we were struggling to get down there. Points are at a premium always, but just being able to take advantage of that when we get down there, and I think the coaches have done a great job with getting us in the right position.”
(How has your experience been being a part of this team and what were your expectations going into the season and were they met?) – “I came into it without – I just came into it kind of like I come into every year, especially when I come to a new team, which is put your head down, work hard and see what happens. In terms of expectations, I don’t know that there were many. I just came in and tried to do the best I could. I’m happy with the fact that I’ve been able to – that I was re-inserted into the lineup and able to play and able to grow with some of these guys. The way that some of these guys are playing right now and developing a rapport with them; that stuff has all been really good.”
(You don’t want to talk about your future obviously, but has there been any part of this experience that would not – if you want to play – want to continue to be here?) – “No. No, not at all. It’s been really – I don’t like losing, but in terms of the day-to-day and the effort that we put in from the top-down, the coaches to the players to the kitchen staff to the equipment guys, everybody – this is a really good building in terms of all that stuff and the effort and the ‘want to’ is there. I’ve had a very positive experience.”
(Sunday’s game, you guys came down from 28 to 14. There have been a couple times in previous weeks where you guys have come back from deficits but maybe not all the way. Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea kind of credited you and C Daniel Kilgore with being leaders on the offense and guys being able to follow you when in those positions. Why do you have pride in doing that and leading the team and making them feel like even when you’re down, you’re not really out yet?) – “I think experience helps, I think, and having been in situations on both sides – having been in situations where you were winning and maybe you free up a little bit and take your foot off the gas and lose a game and then the flip side of it when you’re losing, you just keep trying to get one possession at a time, get back into a game. I think the experience of being in those games that have been up and down and just experience in the NFL, that’s what happens in a lot of these games. I think that helps, and I think that rubs off on guys. Danny’s a guy that’s real even-keeled up front and does a great job in getting all those guys in order. I’m kind of the same way in that I’m not going to get too high or low. I’m going to get excited when we score touchdowns, but there’s a lot of stuff that we’ve experienced and seen and been through to know that it’s always going to be 60 minutes worth of a game.”
(How fun is that for you to kind of instill on everybody else with such a young team?) – “I think just – we’ve talked about weeks back just learning how to win. There are so many different ways to win in this league and I think the Cleveland game really set up what happened in the Eagles game in that there was a belief out there and sometimes even through losses, there’s plenty of stuff that you can gain from it and grow from it; and I think that was a good example of that.”
(Where do you see your game right now? Do you think you’re playing at a higher level than ever before, as high as you’ve ever been or…?) – “Personally, I feel like I’m better now than I’ve ever been. Statistically, whatever, just in terms of what I’m doing and my focus and preparation and going out there with the group that I have and my confidence is at an all-time high just in terms of all that stuff. As an offense, our focus really the last few weeks has not necessarily been on the opponent; it’s been on us and fixing us and getting us better and working at practice. The guys have done a really nice job of really putting the focus on that and just continuing for our team to grow and to improve every day.”
(How has your comfort with Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea and vice versa, grown and improved throughout the season?) – “Chad and I have a really good relationship off the field and in a working relationship, there’s going to be bumps along the way; but there’s a lot of stuff that we’ve really grown this year, me and him – because the play-caller and the quarterback especially for him being kind of a first-time play-caller and me being a guy that’s played in a lot of different systems, there are certain situations and different things that maybe we don’t always see it the same way, but the communication that he has had with me leading up to games and talking through certain situations and what we expect and what we want or maybe what I like in a certain situation, Chad’s been a great communicator. And that really goes a long way – a coordinator that has no ego, that’s a great communicator, that wants to do what’s best for the team has really been helpful for me in terms of asking for suggestions every now and again, maybe doing something a different way because I’m more comfortable with it a different way. He’s been really open to a lot of that, and I think he’s really grown as the season has gone on.”
(RB Patrick Laird is kind of an interesting dude. He said something about a podcast, that you were Airdropping him something on a plane. Do you know anything about that?) – “(laughter) You’ll have to ask Patrick about that.”
(We will, I guess. What are your experiences with RB Patrick Laird? I would imagine you guys have some interesting conversations.) – “Yeah, I mean it’s just – he’s so young, you know? (laughter) No, Patrick’s a great guy – a real interesting guy just in terms of not just what he’s been able to accomplish and achieve as an underdog kind of his whole life on the football field; but off the field, just different interests and things that always make it fun to talk to him.”
(Do you see a little bit of yourself in him?) – “I don’t know. No, not really.”
(I wanted to ask you about the Dolphins-Jets rivalry. You guys played them a few weeks ago, and I don’t remember any questions to anybody regarding the rivalry. You’ve been on both sides of it. Back when there used to be a whole lot of venom, a lot of copy that – stuff we could write about – where is this rivalry now? Is it still trying to find its legs once again? Where is it?) – “I think – and I can just I guess speak for us as a team – we’re really trying to find ourselves and improve, and we’ve only won three games this year; so there’s a lot of things internally that we’re just trying to focus on and fix and get better at. Some of those questions and then historically and in the past, some things that have happened, that is not really our focus right now. We’re kind of hyper-focused on the now and getting ourselves better.”
(So you don’t have any venom for us, then?) – “(laughter) I mean I’ve been on both sides of it. (laughter) Yeah, I mean so has Brandon Marshall. There’s been plenty of guys that have been on both sides.”
(What type of unique feelings come back when you go and play in New York? You spent a couple years there.) – “I’ve got great memories there (and) a lot of great friends, so I’m looking forward to that a little bit and just maybe being able to catch up with some people. I saw some of them on staff or on the team, but even just old neighbors and things. Just people that made it such a special place for our family for a couple years. There’s a lot of good people there.”
(What do you think this last stretch of the season can do for you guys? Do you think you guys can get on a run and put a winning streak together here?) – “I think it’s important for us to continue to get better. I think that’s really important and it’s been a fun group to work with, especially the last six, seven, eight weeks – whatever it’s been. Guys are working hard and it’s not – we’re not counting down the days to the end of the season. We’re really excited to get out there and play every Sunday, and that makes it fun to come to work every single day and give it all you have because you don’t want to let the guy next to you down. I think we’re in a good spot with that right now. We just have to continue to focus one game at a time and continue to do that.”
Eric Rowe – December 4, 2019
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Wednesday, December 4, 2019
CB Eric Rowe
(What was it like to get a new deal?) – “It’s great. I’m excited to be here, add some more years, to keep playing football, keep playing football somewhere that you like. There are some guys playing at some places they don’t really like; but I was blessed to get a place I like, teammates and coaches I like. Getting that deal is amazing.”
(A lot of times deals happen in the offseason. Why do you think this one went down right in the middle of the year or during the year?) – “I have no idea. No idea. I just kept playing week to week and then my agent was like, ‘They want to extend you.’ I was like, ‘Oh. Shoot, that’s great.’ I don’t have to worry about free agency, where am I going to be next year, me and my wife have got to move. You know how all that goes. Stability, everything is great.”
(No one has been around Head Coach Brian Flores more than you have. How excited are you about the possibilities here. Obviously, more of the roster will change, but how excited are you about what can happen eventually with this franchise?) – “Definitely it’s tough to say with the record on the outside, but everyone here is getting better as a team – offense, defense special teams. We’re all getting better as a team. Obviously, with new coaches and new guys, things rebuild; but I already see in the future it’s going to be a lot better.”
(How much do you think your willingness to embrace the position change when they moved you to safety played a role in them wanting to lock you up long term?) – “At the time, I think Reshad (Jones) was down. Shoot, that was it. He was the last strong safety, so when they moved me there, it’s what the team needs. Anything we have to do to win. They threw me in that role and I was like, ‘Alright. I’m going to do the best I can do,’ and obviously it turned out great.”
(There was never any hesitation on your part, any resistance to the position switch was there?) – “Me? No. They were like, ‘Hey, we need you at safety. Reshad (Jones) is dealing with some injuries. We really don’t have anybody left.’ I’m like, ‘Alright. I’ll go back there.’ As long as I can still go out there and cover, that’s all that mattered.”
(I know we’ve talked about this, but it’s seemingly becoming more and more clear just logically that because you’ve done so well at safety, you might ultimately be that into next year. I know no one said that to you you’ve mentioned, but are you growing into that belief where maybe this will be my permanent spot going forward into 2020?) – “Yeah. Yeah, I do, especially now. They signed me, they like me at strong safety, covering tight ends, fitting the run when I need to. They see me there. That’s not a bad thing for me.”
(When you singed the contract, did they ask you to sign it ‘Eric Rowe, safety?’) – “No. That would be wild. (laughter)”
(You did it on college, right?) – “Yeah, I played safety in college. I was more free (safety) than strong and being in the box if that counts for anything; but yeah, I was a safety.”
(When you originally signed here in the offseason, the one-year deal, did you kind of look at is maybe an audition that could lead to something big or something longer or were you just strictly focused on this year?) – “I was strictly focused on this year. The past couple years I had been injured, dealing with surgery, so it was my first year being healthy in that part. So I was like we need to focus on just playing good ball out there. Everything will fall into place after that.”
(WR DeVante Parker said that he’s been able to stay healthy in part by doing acupuncture and massage, more acupuncture and more massage. The coaches complimented you for how you have done injury prevention. Is there anything that has worked for you that you think?) – “Yeah. Every Monday I have someone come to my house and she does acupuncture, dry needling. Even if I’m not tight, even if I’m feeling good, feeling super sore, just every Monday she just comes and (she) works on my legs. And then Tuesdays, I do a massage. Just my weekly routine. If I’m feeling good, it doesn’t matter. If I don’t feel like I don’t need it, I’m going to get it any way. Just keep that routine to prevent injuries because it’s a long season.”
(What’s harder: covering WR A.J. Green or WR Julio Jones or covering a monster tight end like TE Zach Ertz or TE Rob Gronkowski?) – “It’s still harder to cover receivers. Who did you say like Julio? It’s still tougher to cover receivers to me, personally. They generally have more routes in a route tree. I wouldn’t say game-plan routes. Not taking anything away from tight ends; but to me, it’s still tougher to cover receivers.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned that one of the things you’re going to continue to work on is angles against the run. How is it different supporting the run from corner versus safety?) – “There’s gaps. Now you’ve got linemen coming in your face. Things are moving fast down there. Usually my eyes are on tight ends became I’m usually manned on him, then he blocks and I’m looking and I just see ‘boom, boom, boom,’ and I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ve got to fit somewhere.’ As a corner, you’re kind of outside in. Your really only fit is if the receiver comes down and blocks the safety, you stay outside. That’s about it.”
(Should Utah make the College Football Playoff?) – “Yes.”
(That guy on TV said, “No one wants to see Utah in the College Football Playoff.”) – “I know.”
(What did you think when you heard that?) – “They’re just hating. (laughter). They’re hating.”
(They’re ahead of Oklahoma right now. The worry would be if Oklahoma jumps them if one of those spots opens in the top four. That would be the concern.) – “I’d be so mad. If we lose and it’s like, ‘dang, alright.’ But if we win, it’s Friday, 8 o’clock, I’ll be on the couch watching that game.”
