Mike McDaniel – October 6, 2023
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Friday, October 6, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(What were the specific skills that you and General Manager Chris Grier liked about WR Chase Claypool that made you want to pursue that? And did the WR Erik Ezukanma and WR River Cracraft injuries contribute towards the choice?) – “I think that’s an exciting opportunity. It’s kind of like Christmas in terms of, I don’t know anything. When Chris comes to me about something that he has on the docket, we have good discussions. For us, it felt like a situation where there might be a role to carve out for him. Then I think important for the player, you have a guy that wants to take things into his own hands and have an opportunity to be on a team. To me, beyond that, it was an opportunity to take advantage of. We definitely weren’t looking for receiver help. It wasn’t in that nature at all. Very, very happy with our receiving corps. But I think one thing that Chris and I have always agreed upon in how we operate and do business is you have to stay steadfast to the commitment of making your team as good as it can be. Sometimes things come across your radar that you weren’t even looking for. But when you assess it, if it falls under the category of this has a chance to make us better, then you jump on that. That’s been the case. There’s been several instances now that are starting to accumulate where things – when the opportunity presents itself, you jump on it. Really happy about practice today. I don’t think he’ll be there. But beyond that, it’s just business as usual, trying to get better one press conference at a time.”
(His skillset besides size, what else about WR Chase Claypool stood out to you and General Manager Chris Grier?) – “You guys want me to say it, don’t you? Yeah, he’s fast. (laughter) That’s cool. But really, you’re very open-minded to the unique attributes of a guy that comes into the league and generally, you don’t see that often, receivers gain a reputation through special teams and then develop as a receiver. There’s a multitude of ways that he’s contributed. I think this team, we have a lot of players that are moving in the right and same direction. There’s guys that, really, across the board, I wouldn’t say one player is satisfied with their role. Everybody wants more of the pie in one way, shape or form, whatever that looks like for them. But we have a team that really respects each other and really has love for each other. So you’re competing with people not against them. I think that’s a good situation for any player to come in to. Like every player that comes here, they get the opportunity to earn their place within the locker room. That will be very important for him and kind of dictate the terms on what that looks like. But not really getting over the top envisioning this, that or the other. More that we have an opportunity to upgrade our team. A talented guy that’s not easily accessible all the time. Now it’ll be up to him to see what that looks like. One thing I do know is he’ll get the support from his teammates. The locker room here is pretty, pretty cool. Really our locker room loves people that help us win.”
(There’s been rumblings other places about WR Chase Claypool and maybe his work ethic question marks. I’m curious how much you and General Manager Chris Grier talked about that before deciding to bring him in and how you manage that?) – “There’s a balance with that. Everybody hears things. I think it’s very, very important that you let people tell you who they are. I see better than I hear. There’s so many things that can go on, certain circumstances. From my vantage point, I looked at it like this, I’m not going to make myself wrong with something that I don’t know by judging X, Y or Z. We give you the opportunity to define who you are in the most honest, organic, real way possible. That’s an open mind, clean slate, let’s go. To me, then we as an organization, myself as coach, you don’t have to play the end all be all predictor. You let people – that’s the way it should be. They should be able to decide who they are and whatever that is. You hear stuff left and right. I’ve been in the league long enough to know that circumstances can be all sorts of different things. I don’t downplay what he’s gone through. He went through it. You give an opportunity and you allow someone to follow their dream, put the control in their own hands and show teammates each and every day what you’re really about. That is an opportunity that we’re happy to afford him. It’s less about ‘oh, I know this is not true.’ That’s literally irrelevant. He’ll start as a Dolphin and be able to earn whatever place he wants within the locker room based upon his actions on a daily basis. I think our standard of commitment and work ethic, it’ll be very clear what that is. You have to really deep dive into the whole program to keep up and I think he’s a competitor that sounds like he’s up for the challenge. It’s fun. Chris gets to come into my office and tell me cool prospects and blow my mind while we’re game planning. Then we talked through it. I’m excited. It’s always a nice litmus test for your locker room when guys come in. You can see where they’re at and I know I’m very confident that our guys will embrace him and will move forward with a new teammate.”
(You’re also placing T Terron Armstead on IR, is that correct?) – “Yeah, and he will return. This is something that it’s a scenario where Terron, he really doesn’t waste a week without just totally captaining our team. He’s fighting the urges to just be like, ‘No, I want to go do this.’ He understands the long game with it. He understands what not being available for a certain amount of time (means). He’s embracing something that he’s not excited about, but he’s excited to do right by the team and he’s excited to get himself back healthy. I can’t talk about it enough. He’s such a big part of what we’re trying to develop within the locker room and I think guys really see his commitment to the team, especially when he’s battling through stuff like that.”
(We know with T Terron Armstead, you guys had expected weeks already. Is it the four weeks minimum obviously for IR, is that a situation where he would be close at that four-week mark given what you know?) – “That was very well phrased because you know that I’m not about the business of timelines, because it undercuts what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to not get healthy by a certain thing and compromise that process. We’re trying to get healthy. But I don’t think you’re far off. I guess that’s what I mean. It was a decision that shows the investment that Terron has in this team by that being something that it’s a no-brainer for him. But it will be pretty, pretty close. And I think that’s probably – if it’s pretty close at this point in time, I’m not going to be putting him at risk anyway. And I’m not going to defend against myself. I really like watching him play.”
(I get what you’re saying about the clean slate. I can appreciate that. At the same time, for example, this morning I saw some clips of WR Chase Claypool, and it seemed to show him not giving full effort out on the field at all times. Have you and General Manager Chris Grier talked to him about things like that as far as what’s expected of him in terms of commitment to this team?) – “Yeah, it’s very clear. And honestly, he’s very understanding of his opportunity, and what the stakes are for him. And really, I’m pretty sure he’s aware of the narratives out there. And you can do one of two things with those things. You can say, ‘Woe is me that that’s there, it is what it is.’ And then if you’re not that, don’t be that. Expectations are crystal clear and that’s not even something that I would say Chris and I generally have to overly worry about, because the locker room kind of indirectly handles that. Okay, so you have 11 guys on the field. If 10 of them are straining, you know what players hate is watching film of the one guy that’s not. And so the collective standard that no one’s above that. And for that reason, I’m not really worried. I think that will play itself out.”
(What are LB Jaelan Phillips and OL Connor Williams’ prospects for playing on Sunday?) – “Yeah, I feel like every time I bump into either one of those two, they’re like eyeballing me like, ‘Don’t you dare.’ But I will dare if I have to. They’re both doing well. I think particularly with the vibe that Connor Williams keeps giving off to me, I might need a bodyguard. But I’ll do whatever it takes for the team. We’re seeing what he can do today and we’re seeing what Jaelan can do today without keeping them from setbacks. It’s so much easier to assess after that, that’s kind of complete. So that’ll be a big day for those guys. I can tell you one thing, they are trying hard.”
Tyreek Hill – October 5, 2023
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Thursday, October 5, 2023
WR Tyreek Hill
(Other teams are trying to stop this offense. Two safeties deep from Buffalo, that wasn’t new. Is there an answer for everything defense can give you when you guys are executing correctly like two safeties deep, etc.?) – “I feel like nobody in this league can stop us except for ourselves. If we come out and don’t execute pre-snap, and we get penalties pre-snap, then we’re going to put ourselves behind the eight ball. Teams can run two-shell, play man-to-man, do whatever they want to, but I feel like we have a good enough unit to make plays. It doesn’t matter who’s getting the ball or what coach is calling. We have the dynamic playmakers to do anything that we need to do.”
(What’s it like around this week coming back from your first loss? How have guys responded?) – “Guys have been attacking it. Guys are working hard and competing against each other. It’s been fun. Nobody is panicking, nobody is doing anything crazy. Nothing different. I feel like the same is the same. I mean obviously you’re going to have a few guys in the building with a tight butthole, but they’ll be alright.”
(What have you guys learned from the Bills loss?) – “Well, I can’t speak on anybody else, I can only speak on myself. But I feel like as a leader, I have to be better for this team. Vocally better. I feel like as a young team going into a tough environment, it can be hard for young guys because they’ve never experienced a playoff kind of atmosphere. So yeah, just sharing that knowledge and giving them all the confidence I can and just helping them out along the way.”
(As far as pre-snap motions, noise wasn’t a factor the first two weeks. Was it you think last week? And how can that be countered by you guys in loud environments in the future?) – “It was definitely a factor. I’m not scared to say that. The Buffalo Bills, Bills Mafia, they definitely brought that 12th man energy. Ways that we can counter it is just create situations at practice. I feel like we’ve been doing that throughout training camp, throughout OTAs, and even now when we have crowd noises at practice. So it’s been very effective.”
(We heard crowd noise today, even though it’s a home game. Was that surprising to you that the crowd noise was out before a home game?) – “Nah, it’s not. You just never know what to expect.”
(When you’re watching RB De’Von Achane, have you ever watched him and said, ‘boy he might just be a little bit faster than me?’) – “I’ll never say that. Why would I say that?”
(RB De’Von Achane has the fastest time, the fastest clocked time right now.) – “What is it?”
(I don’t remember what it is.) – “His is 21.-what? And mine is 22.-what?”
(Okay.) – “There you go. Now we’re talking. Men lie, woman lie, but numbers don’t lie, do they? I’m just saying though. I’ve been doing this since what, 2016, baby. I’m the cheetah. I’m the fastest in the game and I’m the fastest in real life too though. I don’t be talking my – excuse my language – I don’t be talking my (expletive). But I’ll never let anybody take that crown from me. I’m going to hold onto that forever. De’Von Achane, he’s fast. But I’m 9.98 fast. I’m Triple Crown high school fast. Junior Olympic fast. I’m Mr. Us– no let me stop. (laughter) Don’t let me keep going. But De’Von’s fast though. I would say he’s like the third-fastest on this team, though. We’ve got another kid on the practice squad that’s pretty fast. Ethan Bonner.”
(CB Ethan Bonner?) – “He ran 22 (miles per hour) in camp. He had me like, ‘okay, this dude, okay.’ I may not call him out in a race.”
Danny Crossman – October 5, 2023
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(You guys seemed to have your best all-around performance on Sunday. Is that true and if so, why? Was that just meeting the expectations?) – “Everybody views things differently. I thought we played a sound, solid game. I thought (we had) some opportunities in the return game, which we really hadn’t had. So that was good to get Braxton (Berrios) started there. I thought Jake (Bailey) did a great job of punting the football – hangtime, direction, location. I thought that was good. The coverage teams did a good job on kickoff. There’s always things that we want to be better at. It is the result, okay, because it’s a result-oriented business. But there’s a lot of things that we as coaches look at and maybe critique and evaluate differently. But I thought they played a sound, solid game and I like the trajectory that we’re headed.”
(WR Braxton Berrios took a few more kickoffs out. What did you think of those?) – “I thought it was a great example of we’ve got to clean some stuff up. I thought we were one or two blocks (away) on two of them from having an opportunity for a much better result. But again, that’s going to come with – as much as we emphasize it and you practice it, it’s always going to be a little bit different in the game. It is what it is. But having those opportunities to be able to coach and teach off of game reps as opposed to teaching off of practice reps, I think is great, especially for the young guys.”
(Has the mindset around kickoff returns changed? I mean, obviously it’s changed in the last few years. But in terms of, is it you better get back to the 25? Or is it, are we trying to hit the big play? What’s kind of the mindset when you do bring the ball out on a kick return?) – “You’re trying to make a play. Now what that play is, I don’t know what that result is. We’re trying to get as much yardage as we possibly can. To us, with Braxton (Berrios), I think we feel confident that if we do our job in the blocking scheme, that yes, we would be able to get beyond the 25-yard line for field position.”
(You made some changes on the extra-point blocking two weeks ago when DT Christian Wilkins had that edge position. Then I saw TE Durham Smythe I think took it over at one point. I think Christian switched. But anyway, the changes that were made, have you seen positive results? Have you gotten what you wanted out of those results?) – “It’s a lot of the same guys playing and sometimes we do switch sides, sometimes we don’t. But it’s the same guys playing. I like where they’re at. I go back, and I’m sure in your mind you’re referencing the New England play. I just keep giving them credit. That was an outstanding play. We had a lot of guys doing exactly what we were asking them to do, and they gave us something that we hadn’t covered, we hadn’t gone over. They made a great play. All the credit in the world to them. So I’m happy with where that group is. There’s obviously always things that we have to clean up from a technique standpoint, from a timing standpoint. But that group, and we always talk about Jason (Sanders), we feel very confident in that group when we send them out on the field.”
(DE Chase Winovich, I think this would be his third elevation. He’s progressed satisfactory?) – “Yeah, he’s done a good job. We’ve talked about this and that’s how Mike (McDaniel) approaches it. That’s how the players approach it and that’s how we as coaches have to approach it. We’re working with a 69-man roster. You don’t know sometimes it’s going to be early in the week where you have an idea that a guy is going to be elevated. Sometimes it’s not until late in the week. The key is when your time comes and you have those opportunities, to take advantage of it and be productive and Chase has done that in the games he’s been elevated.”
(K Jason Sanders hasn’t had a field goal attempt, if I’m not mistaken, in the last two games. Can that get weird for a kicker the next time he trots out because it’s been so long?) – “No, not at all. That’s part of the mindset. Ten extra points, that’s 10 33-yard field goals. That’s a lot of kicks. He’s been out on the field and he’s had to kick so that’s not an issue at all.”
(I wanted to ask about CB Cam Smith in terms of his role on special teams. I know he’s been out there as a gunner. Obviously, when you’re a star college player, it’s a different process for you, but where is he in that development?) – “Continuing to grow. Very talented individual, tough, fast, good understanding of football. I think he’s just going to do nothing but keep getting better and better both in the kicking game and on defense. So very, very fortunate, very happy to have him.”
Vic Fangio – October 5, 2023
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Thursday, October 5, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(Has the group of DT Christian Wilkins, DT Zach Sieler and DT Raekwon Davis been as productive as you would like?) – “Well, I just think our whole defense overall hasn’t been as productive. I think overall, speaking specifically about last week, it affects everybody. When the unit as a whole is not playing up to snuff, both coaching and playing, I think it affects everybody.”
(When you look back at the decision to not shadow Bills WR Stefon Diggs, it was obvious that the Bills were kid of exploiting that and putting Diggs on CB Kader Kohou. Looking back, would you have done anything differently?) – “We gave Diggs a lot of attention. Obviously, not enough as far as schematically. Yeah, in hindsight maybe. But I don’t really feel bad about that decision. I have confidence in Kader, and it didn’t work out. But the second guessing is justified.”
(Do you have confidence in CB Xavien Howard in terms of what he’s capable of and what he’s done throughout his career? Last year was an issue with injuries, but performance, do you feel like he can shadow elite receivers?) – “Yeah, I think he’s definitely a candidate for that.”
(How ready, I know I ask you this a lot because I’m a CB Cam Smith guy, but how ready do you think Cam Smith is now?) – “He has to keep improving in practice. We’ve been giving him a fair amount of reps relative to his position. We just need to keep seeing consistent progress.”
(Is the plan to keep CB Kader Kohou outside? I know late in the game moved him inside. I think CB Kelvin Joseph went outside. Is the plan for Kader to stay on the outside full time?) – “We’re still looking at all the different combinations. Obviously, we’ve had a few of them here early in the season, and we’re looking for the right one. So, we’ve been practicing it a couple of ways.”
(The tackling issues on Sunday, is that something that needs to be coached better?) – “Yeah, it definitely needs to be coached better. And I think we need to focus on the tackling more, especially in certain situations. I think sometimes we were too ball conscious and not tackle conscious.”
(There was a drive, I think it was the Bills third scoring drive, where LB Jerome Baker wasn’t in at all. I think LB Duke Riley went in. What was the reason for that?) – “Yeah, we had planned to give Duke some reps during the game, and that was the series we did it to begin with.”
(And then in terms of S Brandon Jones and his first start, he played exclusively deep it felt like, and S Jevon Holland played a lot in the box. It seemed like a reversal of what we’ve seen over the years with those two. What was kind of the reason for exclusively keeping Brandon deep?) – “It’s more so the particular defenses we were in versus certain formations and how it worked out. It’s not totally by design.”
(I have sort of big picture question for you, and I had a similar question for LB Jaelan Phillips yesterday. How far along the defensive players are towards grasping what you want out of them and the scheme you’ve applied? He said he couldn’t give a percentage, but it’s still in progress. It’s not quite there. What would you say?) – “Well, I think it should be there. Obviously, we’ve been up and down with our performances. Two good, two not good. But it should be there. I don’t think that’s a reason for the two games that we didn’t play as well as we needed to.”
(In that aspect, what would you attribute some of the communications issues to? Do you think that’s been a major issue?) – “No, I don’t think communication has been a problem.”
(Now that we’re four games into the season, does scouting change? You have video of this season, as opposed to maybe preconceived notions from training camp. You know what works for you opponent, they know what works for you. Is scouting a little more advanced now at this point of the season? The video review of your opponent and what their tendencies are.) – “I mean it’s still kind of early. The coaching staff there in New York in this instance, we’ve gone against in the past, so there’s a history there to a certain degree. So, I mean you look at everything you can in preparation for the game.”
(Are you at the point now where you’re considering any personnel changes? Obviously, you played Duke Riley a little more last week. Just in general, are you considering any others?) – “No, nothing earth shattering.”
(With the frontline in terms of you use kind of a light box where it’s mostly pass rushers and two defensive tackles. I don’t know if you’re a 3-4 front or not just because of how little you use three defensive linemen down. Is there any concern regarding stopping the run when you go that light?) – “One of the reasons we are in so much nickel is what you’re saying. That’s the way the game has been played a lot. Teams are putting three wideouts there, so you’re playing a lot of nickel which is no different for all teams that are a 3-4 base. You end up playing more nickel. I know that doesn’t answer your question, but it’s more what the offense is doing more so than what we’re doing.”
(What has surprised you looking at the overall body of work through the first four games?) – “We’ve just been inconsistent. And not at one position per se. Just inconsistent across the board. We need to a better job of coaching.”
(I know it’s only been one practice for CB Nik Needham, but have you thought at all what he can provide once he is ready?) – “Not yet. Yesterday was the first time he’s been on the field since I’ve been here. So, I mean he’s got some work to do coming off that injury, coming off a full year of inactivity. I mean, hopefully he tells me he feels good. We’ll see how he does the rest of this week and into next week.”
(What was the players’ reaction and response to the performance on Sunday? Have you seen them bounce back and kind of prepare for improving things and making corrections?) – “I think the reaction was what you expect. A combination of disappointment, pride is hurt, upset, everything all rolled up into one.”
(When you have a game such as CB Kader Kohou last week, do you have a general rule on how you address it? Or is it case by case. Would you talk to Kader? Or would you have a position coach talk to him? Or does it kind of depend on the player?) – “Well, the position coach, they always communicate. But we review every play, every team period, and every game rep we watch as an entire unit and we make our corrections there and talk to them then.”
(One more DT Christian Wilkins, DT Raekwon Davis, DT Zach Sieler question. Obviously, stopping the run is paramount with defensive linemen, defensive tackles. How important is generating more pass rush from that group to you?) – “It’s important. Everybody that’s rushing the passer, that’s part of your job description. They need to do a better job of that. We need to do a better job of getting them in those positions.”
(Last time the defense had a poor performance in Week 1 against the Chargers, they had a nice bounce back Week 2 against the Patriots. Are you looking for a similar sort of rebound in that way? And do you hope you can get some more consistency and control?) – “That’s the plan. But there’s 11 guys on the other side of the ball competing, but hopefully we’ll bounce back and play better.”
(What can the linebackers as a group do better?) – “Just be consistent. Be where you’re needed, where you’re supposed to be and be more consistent.”
(Twice, HC Mike McDaniel has said he though the defense, some players have tried to do more then their 1/11. How do you convince players to stay within the scheme and trust the scheme?) – “Just show them the examples of when you do it right what happens and when you do it wrong what happens.”
Frank Smith – October 5, 2023
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Thursday, October 5, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(In terms of how the process of snap allocation at running back works with you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel. Do you and Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville discuss it typically early in the week, later in the week? And is this as difficult a spot as you’ve been in in a while, obviously knowing you have three good backs, RB Chris Brooks, and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. soon?) – “I think that as we go through the week, like all positions, you’re going through the availability, who will be up for the game, discussions with the position coach, myself, and Mike (McDaniel). We’re all collectively dialed in to what we’re trying to accomplish. Certain plays have guys tagged to be in them. Ultimately, they’re good problems to have when you have a room with such depth. Basically, we look at every week, like all players, what are we asking them to do? What do they do well? Putting them in positions to be successful. The great thing is, that whole group, they’re so professional with what they do in their approach. I think just ultimately, each week, that’s the challenge of when you have a group that’s that deep, how do you use them? Like all things, when you have guys that deep, you start playing a couple of them at a time.”
(Do you and Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville in this case, and Head Coach Mike McDaniel know going into the week, we want to get this guy the majority of carries? Or do you not decide that typically until Friday?) – “It’s a collective as we go through the game plan throughout the week of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
(With RB De’Von Achane, he talked about yesterday, and I’ve heard him mention this before, at first the offense was like speaking Spanish and he just didn’t understand it. But now, he’s at the point where he can understand it. Where is he in terms of, when you add those installs, being able to execute or understand the concepts?) – “When you’re in college, or as your progression goes through football – high school, college to professional level – at first the volume is less. So by the time you get to the NFL, you just realize the mistake a lot of rookies make. ‘Oh, I’ll be okay,’ because you remember your last experience. The challenge they get is the volume that comes with it because we have more time with them and it’s a longer season and a longer whole process towards the first game. With De’Von, yes; but it’s all about your approach and how do you handle the process and the volume. And how do we as coaches make sure the progression comes at him the right way so he can grow and develop appropriately. I think with him, it’s not being in a rush in spring and training camp. Every failure isn’t an overreaction of why that occurred. You’re going, okay, if it was a good result, reinforce the process. If it wasn’t the result we’re looking for, correct the process. How are you looking at things? What in your intent made you think to do that? I think that’s just been the great thing. I know that Eric’s (Studesville) really worked with him. Then you’re also learning the conversation and dialogue with your position coach, with your coordinator or the head coach. I think that’s just like all rookies, that’s part of the process. How do you accelerate the process? Well, it comes into, alright, their approach, their detail, how much extra work they put in. All these things that factor in and sometimes wide receivers, tight ends are a little harder when we have to move them all over the place. Where running backs, obviously, there’s their natural positions, and then there’s their external positions. For him, I know that all the extra work that he’s done with Eric has really helped. I’ll have to start speaking Spanish to him to see if he really does understand it. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask about the pre-snap operation against Buffalo. Obviously you had a couple pre-snap infractions. I know TE Durham Smythe was saying that sometimes when it’s as loud as it is, as it was in Buffalo, maybe you have to scratch some motions. I was curious about your perspective. Obviously, the timing with the motions is really important to what you do. But are there some situations where in a raucous environment, maybe you have to scrap some things and maybe go about the pre-snap operation differently?) – “You evaluate all scenarios for what occurs and game four was a great test for us. I mean, it was a playoff-type environment, and when you can get those early in the season, it’s great ability to learn. What we do and how we operate, obviously there’s scenarios and situations where we have to maybe adjust some of the things that we came out of that game that we feel very confident that we’ll be able to make the corrections going forward. The hardest thing is when you have the week before and you come out from one performance is that it looks like it’s in such contrast. But in reality, there’s a couple things that we know we can improve on that can allow us to have great growth in the second quarter of the season. That’s what we were really addressing yesterday and going to continue today.”
(How did you assess OL Liam Eichenberg’s game and what are the teaching points you’re nailing down with him?) – “I mean, your first game at playing a new position is at Buffalo versus the reigning divisional champion. There’s always going to be things that you know you can improve on and you can work on. For him, a player and actually the guys who have the right internal process, they’re always going to remember the one play, the two plays, the cut handful of things where they know they can improve. Then it’s what about the rest of the body of work that you did really on? I think that ultimately, when you’re playing center for the first time in an environment like that, was it perfect? No. But there was plenty of things that we can build upon and with how conscientious Liam is and how intentional he is, we’re very confident with his growth for the rest of the season as we ask him to do that work.”
(Is OL Austin Jackson giving you above average NFL quality right tackle play?) – “From where we’re going to with Austin (Jackson), each week keeps getting improvement out of him. Offensive line play, it takes five of them to work together to get the production and then the quarterback and connection, and with the work Austin has put in to get better at all the things he wants to from obviously losing almost the entirety of last year, we’ve felt really good about his improvement and we feel really good about his work habits, how he’s been working with Butch (Barry). So ultimately where you rate and where you measure people, that’s for the end of the season. Our goal right now with him and all guys is just to keep improving and to make sure that we’re playing our best football when it matters the most at the end of the year.”
(Has OL Austin Jackson played well, I guess, would be another way of saying it without asking you to compare him to other NFL right tackles. Just is he playing well?) – “Yeah, we’re very pleased with how he’s been developing and how he’s playing.”
(Is there a simple explanation for why WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle did not have more receptions last week?) – “There’s a collective of things that we come out of that game and we’re assessing and evaluating and make sure we move forward and do the right things schematically and the right things overall for the offense. Yeah, when you have a game that doesn’t come out the way you want, there’s many things that you look at. You’re like, ‘okay, what can we do better?’ It starts with the coaching staff. Play design, play implementation, how we went about certain things. There’s several things that we look at the game that we wish we could’ve done different, but ultimately our focus this week is just making sure that with the Giants we’re attacking the defense appropriately and we’re making sure we’re putting the right people in the right spots.”
(I was reading around when you were at Butler, is it true that you developed a relationship with Brad Stevens?) – “Yes. Yes I did.”
(I was wondering, we’ve asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel about his relationship with Erik Spoelstra and talking about maybe some commonalities between basketball and football and maybe concepts. I was wondering if you ever had those conversations with Brad and maybe something that you learned?) – “Yes, I did. In 2019, they were playing the Warriors and him and I met up in the city for dinner. think at that time they moved on from Isaiah (Thomas) to Kemba Walker and they had some roster shake over things and I was curious how they handled all their travel and how much they play. Because when he got to the NBA it was him and Micah Shrewsberry, were both at Butler and I got to know. I was more curious from college to the NFL, the contrast of basketball, so many different things because at Butler they had to practice in the morning just due to class. There were so many issues in college that obviously were different. And the big thing we talked about was with their contracts being locked and guaranteed versus ours and how when they’re assimilating the roster, what are they looking for, how are they doing it? Awesome dialogue at the time because at that time I was with the Raiders. We had that 2019 draft class where it was like Maxx Crosby, Foster Moreau, Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow. And then at that point I think we were 6-3 or something like that. It was funny because I had all these questions about how they operate and Brad being Brad, we sat down, he immediately went at me for our things that we do because at that point, we were winning and we were trending the right way. We were winning some close games. And the discussion we had I think was about two-and-a-half hours. It literally was just your sport, our sport, what do you guys do, how do you guys do it. The thing that I think as coaches, we’re always interested in, is how do you evaluate the talent you’re trying to assimilate on the roster, how do you maintain the talent, how do you do recovery, how did they handle their travel, how did we handle our travel especially across the country, practice habits. Hell, a good friend of mine is in the Navy SEALs and I went down to Coronado and spent time with him talking to their BUDS training guys of just going through and how do they sort out things. Like how do they – it’s just everything. If you can see the differences but you have the perspective, and you try and find the commonalities between the things, that’s where you can get the connection of where you can take something and steal it. It’s great when you have like-minded coaches that are just so obsessed with improving every day. I know this is a very long answer because it’s got me excited because it reminded me of that dinner. We were sitting there and I don’t think we ate for like an hour-and-a-half. We were just going bang-bang-bang-bang-bang back and forth and Brad – and he had experience with the Patriots – like Erik in our crossover with the Heat guys, it’s all about the dialogue and the dialogue and different perspectives allow you to have, you can find commonalities and you can extract things. But there isn’t really one thing that you can say you ever go into a conversation, you can say ‘hey, I want to start with this idea.’ But it’s amazing what you can get out of a long conversation like that. Because at Butler it was Brad (Stevens) and then Kelly Findley, our men’s soccer coach. I remember our kicker, we couldn’t make a damn kick. He was missing everything short but everything long, he’d drill. We went to our soccer coach, showed his tape and our soccer coach helped us like just talking about kicking and targeting things and he goes ‘you ever think of a kicker, maybe you just staring at that, do you ever just kick into space and say kick it straight?’ I was like, ‘no’ and he goes, ‘why don’t you try it?’ So we kicked to the sideline just straight down the 20-yard line. He didn’t miss a kick for the next month-and-a-half and I gave Kelly all the credit even though we’re high fiving ourselves behind and going like, ‘we are morons, how did we not think of that?’ So it was like all that, it’s just perspective towards things.”
Tua Tagovailoa – October 4, 2023
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Wednesday, October 4, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(After the game, you mentioned communication issues. Just wondering how you go about fixing that throughout the week leading up to the next game?) – “Yeah, I think communication issues start from the beginning of the week. It starts with today – Wednesday. I think we had a pretty good day. There’s been a lot of things that have been installed. We‘ve got to get in and out of the huddle to get the looks that we want to present the motions that we want and things like that. So I think for the most part today, it’s been a lot better.”
(What have you seen from your run game especially over the past two weeks?) – “It’s been really good for us. That’s what I would say. It’s been helpful to offset some of the actions that we do in the pass game and then off of those run actions we can marry some of the ways we motion and do our action fakes to some of the pass plays that we have in, so I think it’s been really, really good.”
(What’s unique about RB De’Von Achane?) – “Oh my gosh, I mean, you guys see it. I think the entire NFL can see it. Dude’s a special player. He understands ball like the back of his hand and I think that is one of the coolest characteristics that I can say about someone like him, is he’s very soft-spoken, but he’s very smart, very intellectual when it comes to the X’s and O’s of understanding where to line up, where he needs to be in the timing of the play and things like that. I think that’s something that needs to be said because it’s hard, especially being in this offense. So he’s done a tremendous job and I know he’ll continue to work hard and continue to do all he can to help us try to win games.’
(What does that mean for you when you know you’ve got these proven guys coming into the season but then a guy like RB De’Von Achane just shine. Like for you, that just must be awesome?) – “I think for everyone on our team, it’s really awesome to see a young guy come in and the way he goes about his business every single day, it speaks a lot to his character and how seriously he takes this. He’s gained a lot of respect from the guys in the locker room. Needless to say, the entire league in on watch as well with him. He’s a tremendous, tremendous athlete and a great person.”
(How would you describe your style of leadership and how has that developed from the time that you first started playing to now? Like have you become more vocal over time?) – “Yeah, I definitely have become more vocal. I think when I came into the league during Covid, it was a little hard for me to find myself leading the way I wanted to lead because of the hierarchy with how I was told I should have led. It just wasn’t the way I felt comfortable with and so I didn’t lead in that sense; I continued to lead the way I felt was necessary in being the true character to myself. And so having Mike (McDaniel) and the new coaching staff come in has definitely helped allow me to be myself. And with me being able to be myself, that’s just how I became to be more vocal, feeling comfortable talking to guys certain ways and it’s also how you approach guys in this league. Some people respond better when you yell at them. Some respond better if you just pull them to the side and have a man-to-man conversation. And there’s just different ways that you go about that and I would say that’s sort of my leadership.”
(It seems like you’re more about positive reinforcement than negative. I know leaders lead in different ways depending on wins, losses, etc. But is it more about uplifting or are there sometimes times that you need to get in someone’s face and say, “look, we need something else, we need something better?”) – “Yeah, it’s definitely both. You always want to try to uplift the guys. The guys in that locker room, everyone’s hard on themselves already. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Those guys know that everyone has their job at stake every week and so everyone already has that negative thought, ‘if I don’t do this, if I don’t do that.’ So for sure I want to positively reinforce things when I’m explaining or having to talk to them. And then there’s just times where it’s like ‘okay, we’ve, talked about this multiple times. Like, we can’t be doing that.’ And that’s the bottom line. And I think having a good relationship with everyone in locker room, there’s a good understanding of ‘okay, like if said person comes and tells me this, I know it’s coming from a good place because he never does this. So when he does this, I know something’s up.’”
(Coming off the obviously disappointing result in Buffalo and coming back to work this week, I just wanted to get your perspective on what you’ve seen in the locker room in terms of how guys have approached coming off a disappointing loss like that?) – “Yeah, I think guys are approaching it the same way this week. I don’t think anyone’s pushing any harder to do more or to do anything out of the ordinary. Guys are coming into work and they’re working and working on their craft. But I would say for us, there’s a lot of things that are going on that we – in order for us to be able to play together, we all got to know our own assignments. So it’s about knowing our assignments and being able to trust the guy behind us and trusting that they’re going to know and understand where to be and what to do.”
(In regards to the successful third-down scramble in the previous game, I’m curious, what are some of the things that are being calculated in your head as you decide to go for it?) – “There are a lot of times throughout the week where we talk situationally what we want to do if it was this sort of game or if it was that sort of game. Things we want to run for our two-point conversions. We talk about a lot of fourth down. If the game is going this way, this is the play we’re going to run on fourth down. If the game is going this way, this is the play we want to run. So it’s really about figuring out the players we want to get the ball to and the timing of the play and things like that.”
(I know after struggles in Buffalo it might be easy to focus on all the negative things. But it seems like one of the things that sticks out to Head Coach Mike McDaniel is that he’ll kind of point out the things that you can build on as well. Was there anything that you saw from that game that made you say, that was actually pretty good, and we can continue to build on that?) – “Yeah. There’s always good, there’s always bad when you’re watching the film. Nothing is ever as good as it seems, nothing’s ever as bad as it seems. We’ve come in after the game, we watched the film, we got what we needed to get corrected and today was our first day to be able to go out and practice against really a new look. The last game, I mean, it’s done. You learn, you live and you continue to move forward from that.”
(You mentioned it’s a new look. I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel about that. The Giants don’t do what they Buffalo Bills do. They play a lot of single-high, a lot of cover zero. That might open up opportunities to get the ball to WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill. Do you expect them to kind of sit in those looks?) – “Knowing that those two guys, as well as our backs – those guys are really our backbone of the team – we’ve just got to stay connected and when there’s space, space is our friend. So we try to use that to our advantage. If they pressure, we’ve got to have answers quick, get the ball out quick, and allow our guys and our playmakers to make plays.”
(After last game, it seemed like you were sending a message with the ‘humbling experience’, which you said was needed for some. Just wondering what you were seeing in guys and how you think they responded after that?) – “You can see being in a locker room, some people, some guys take things with a grain of salt, and some don’t. Sometimes something like that is well-needed. Sometimes things like that are needed in losses, especially in the way that we lost, to get our guys closer together, to get guys doing things maybe they’ve never done or maybe they never had to do. But I do know one thing, that some guys are being asked to do more than others and I think it’s a good challenge for some that are willing to take up that challenge and hopefully do something with it on Sunday.”
(Isn’t that part of the leadership thing you’re talking about though? When you’re speaking about that, you’re including yourself in that.) – “Of course.”
(But some don’t. I mean, that’s just the case. Then that doesn’t go over so well in a locker room. But that’s something you’ve got. That’s a learned trait isn’t it, to understand how to motivate others while including yourself in the conversation?) – “I would say yes, it could be a learned trait. I would say for me, it’s just been through experiences of what I’ve liked more as far as how I was coached, being coached growing up. Then how I would see friends react to some of the coaching and how they would respond better to certain things. So I would say to that, it was just something that was trial and error. ‘Try to yell here. Okay, yelling doesn’t work. Then try this. Okay, that works.’ It’s things like that and then as you continue to grow and mature and then you go to become who you are, who you’re supposed to be, then I think you start to figure out what works best for you and what your true self is.”
Jerome Baker – October 4, 2023
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Wednesday, October 4, 2023
LB Jerome Baker
(In terms of the defense, obviously this hasn’t been to everybody’s expectations or what you guys wanted or expected. What do you do to fix it?) – “Come out here like we did today and have a good practice. I think we all know what we have to do, what we can do better. We’ve all got the expectation and all the hype or whatever you want to call it, but at the end of the day, we have to come out here every day and just execute. That’s all we can do.”
(How much is this different for you as an inside linebacker in terms of what you guys were doing last year? In terms of the blocks the front line has to take?) – “I mean it is different, but at the same time, football is football. Most of the time we all have one gap, so it’s nothing too crazy. It’s more of just all being on the same page together.”
(How tough is it to be patient to wait for everything to come together?) – “How tough is it? It’s not tough at all. We’re 3-1. We’re not 0-4. It’s going to take some time. Sunday is a good step in the right direction. We just have to lock in on Sunday and take the next step.”
(As a veteran, you’ve been through all these seasons where sometimes with the fan base, it feels like the sky is falling. Are you able to be more patient throughout the season now and take one not-so-great looking loss and just progress as the season goes?) – “Yeah, our fan base is funny, for sure. You can just check my Twitter if you want to laugh a little bit. (laughter) It’s one of those things that they’re going to love you when you’re winning and they’re going to hate you when you’re not. It’s a part of the game. At the end of the day, we’re professional athletes and it comes with it. But if you let it get in your head, that’s when everything snowballs. It’s going to be alright.”
(You’re going against a team that just gave up 11 sacks in one night. Shark smelling blood in the water?) – “I hope I get one. I hope we all get one and we all have a good day, but it’s the NFL. I’m sure they’re not going to let that happen. They’re going to be working on that. At the end of the day, we have to go out there Sunday and execute, because we can’t rely on what they did last week. We just have to lock in and execute.”
(What did you see on film from their protection issues from Monday night?) – “A lot of miscommunication, a lot of guys getting beat, but it’s the National Football League. They’re going to go back, watch the film and they’re going to be working on it all week. They’re going to make sure they understand what we’re going to do. I’m sure they’re going to fix it. We’re going to have to come up with new things. At the end of the day, it’s about a man beating another man, so we’ll have to do that.”
Jaylen Waddle – October 4, 2023
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Wednesday, October 4, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(QB Tua Tagovailoa seems like more of a positive kind of lift you up type guy than a get in your face. Have there been times over the course of your times playing with him where he’s really gotten in your face and said, “Listen, this is what you need to do?” Or is that just not the way he goes about it.) – “No, Tua (Tagovailoa) shows respect to pretty much all the guys, all the players on the team. It never got to that point at all. I honestly don’t think he’s that type of guy. He’s more of a tell you what he needs from you and encourage you and go from there.”
(Do you have any advice for RB De’Von Achane on how to handle stardom?) – “He comes from (Texas) A&M, so he was a great player there and they had a good following. He’s a grown man. He knows how to handle all that good stuff.”
(What’s been most surprising about what you’ve seen so far from RB De’Von Achane?) – “Not really surprising. I told y’all way back when, when he first came in, that he was going to be a special player here. I’m standing by that. He’s going to be a special player for years to come.”
