Mike McDaniel – October 27, 2023
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Monday, October 23, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Let’s start with three quarters of your starting secondary. Is S Jevon Holland out of protocol?) – “No, he’s not But still working through it.”
(Then your starting corners, with CB Xavien Howard and CB Jalen Ramsey, if they go through practice today well, there are no health issues, things go well, they look good to you, do you expect both of them to play Sunday?) – “Everything is case by case. With those two individuals, I have a very good working relationship with them, and we communicate very well. So they both know what they mean to the team, and what their desire to play, if they put themselves in harm’s way, what it can do to the team. Much like Terron Armstead, and that’s an earned right because they’re not just telling me, they’ve shown me they know how to prepare. I think literally nothing to do with any competitive advantages, or any like – I really have to go through practice and listen to them. I’m already going to know I’m going to like the way they look, those two in particular. But it’s about them understanding, which we’ve worked to this point to be in a working relationship like this where they know the implications, they know what it’s like to feel right, and they know that we have guys that we’ve really depended on all year, fortunately, that are able to make plays and orchestrate the defense if they’re unable to. Obviously, we’d love to have them both. I’m prepared for either scenario for both players and I really don’t have a clue if they’re going to play or not. Which is fun, right?”
(And if they do not play, how comfortable are you with the contingency plan?) – “That’s a good question with the information that we have to work with, so I appreciate that. I’m very comfortable. I was very happy with the performance that the secondary had last week. You learn a lot about people when you’re on national television and your matchups are as difficult as they can get. You talk about the receivers that Philadelphia had, and they didn’t blink and gave us a chance to win that football game. That’s the comfort level. That’s the good thing. I find comfort in the fact that both ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and (Jalen) Ramsey know how capable the players are that they play with, so they won’t make an irresponsible decision. Because just kind of like Terron (Armstead), I’m going to look at it and I’m going to be like, yeah, that’s awesome. I want that guy to play. But I’m not inside their mind. So I’m comfortable with all the scenarios and will be excited regardless at Hard Rock (Stadium).”
(Outlook on OL Connor Williams?) – “Yeah, we’re going to go through practice. He’s in the same category. My gut tells me he’ll be active. I’m not sure yet if he’s going to start, just because today’s like – when you get in these situations where you have up to the day decisions, each practice is monumentally important, especially because it’s the most important practice of our lives, the most important day of our lives, today. We’ll see how that goes. There’s a litany of questions that I truly, with the support of the training staff and the rest of the coaches and stuff, I’m still figuring out. YOLO.” (laughter)
(WR Tyreek Hill told us he’s playing tomorrow. Can you confirm that? Sunday, I’m sorry I’m jumping ahead.) – “There’s no trick or treating for his kids, right? (laughter) Yeah, I would expect him to play, for sure. He’s done well. We’re very proactive with our – it’d be like, would you run on ‘E’ if you had a Ferrari? You’d probably make sure it had gas. You take care of it on the front end. An emissions check would be something you’d get done early. Our proactive work proved very well served yesterday as he had a phenomenal practice, and I expect him to be full Tyreek (Hill) energy today.”
(Going back that you’re not in the player’s mind, but CB Jalen Ramsey posted on social saying that he has to go and feel great in order to play, and he has to go through a whole process. What ends up being the process that you guys have to see in order to get back?) – “OK, so literally what he’s talking about with this whole process is playing football snaps. When he’s talking about his process, he has to go through, ‘Alright, so I get warmed up. I feel a certain way, I go through my reps, and it doesn’t mean that every play I executed perfectly. It’s more am I feeling 100 percent convicted in what I know I need to do.’ And then after practice, going through the normal process and then communicating with the trainers as he’s literally done every day for the last however many months. It’s really just going through the movements, fundamentals, technique, drills and seeing how confident you can be doing all the things that you have to do at that position. You have to turn every single way. You have to stop passes and runs and all sorts of stuff. He knows – he’s only interested in one version of Jalen Ramsey, and that’s Jalen Ramsey and we know him to be that, because he’s not going to shortchange the team and go play a game where he knew going into it that, ‘Oh man, I might have to come out in the second quarter, or that I’m just going to be a non-convicted version of myself.’ Well that takes away what he does for his teammates when he’s going. When he’s going, everybody can feel – by how he plays – residual energy, so he’s not going to settle. He’s not a settler.”
(So all in or nothing basically?) – “Yeah. When you’re talking at that position and game day actives, you kind of have to be, because the trickle down is so real when you have a guy come out.”
(Is CB Cam Smith IR on the table? Or not considered at this time?) – “We’re not totally thinking that. I wouldn’t say it’s off the table. We’re trying to work through it and see how he responds. We don’t want it to linger throughout the season and make him worse while we’re trying to make him better. I have to tip my hat to him. You can see that he is made of the right stuff, that he has what you’re looking for in a talented player which is determination and resiliency, and I’m confident that anything we do with him, that he’ll find a way to get better from it. He’s in a good spot and learning from some unbelievable teachers and coaches within his position room.”
(Where are you with the left guard replacement? I know you’ve got OL Lester Cotton in the mix, you have OL Robert Jones in the mix and then OL Liam Eichenberg – if OL Connor Williams does return to center – obviously could return to the position that he once played. How have they all looked this week in trying to replace OL Isaiah Wynn?) – “I think one of the best parts of practice this week is the way the guys have gone after executing the specifics of that position. I’m feeling very confident in the way we finished the game. I loved Lester Cotton’s reps. It’s hard to keep Rob (Jones) off the field. He’s an ascending player. We might try to find a way get him on the field at some point. Like I’ve been telling you guys, Liam has been playing – I just love how he evolves every game and gets better at certain things. So, with his commitment to the center position this week, the one thing we’ve had to make sure of is alright, we’re going to commit him to working with Connor and see how that plays out. He has the ability to play guard, but I’m very confident in Lester and Rob and just what they’ve put on tape this week.”
(At running back, how is RB Raheem Mostert’s ankle? Do you think we might see carries for RB Jeff Wilson Jr. Sunday?) – “Raheem Mostert, getting himself ready for Sunday, he’s very good at that. I was very happy with the way he looked yesterday. Today is a new day, so we’ll see how that plays out. We were planning on getting Jeff some touches last week and we always get frustrated when the game doesn’t go a certain direction that we were unable to do that. So, I have a heightened desire to get him some touches this week, but we’ll let the game play out and the players on the field decide how many touches those are by their performance.”
(With S Brandon Jones, he’s pretty much been a strong safety in the box guy. I know you guys don’t necessarily have positions at the safety spot, but are you comfortable with him filling in for S Jevon Holland, especially all the communication that goes with it?) – “That’s what he’s been working at because it was challenging. He had such a physical mountain to climb, and he did so in such a diligent, great way. Then, just like you’re really hitting the nail on the head, it’s a system change for him. That position is all about how convicted you can play, because you have a lot of space and you have to stop the run from deep and you have to be able to protect a lot of space. That’s a process. He continues to get more comfortable. He’s getting better at – he cares so much and wants everything so bad that he’s like a lot of people that are inherently driven, you make yourself vulnerable to snowballing plays. If you don’t like something, it can become two plays because you’re so mad at yourself. It’s been cool to watch him through the process because you’re always going to be – in practice this week, every safety has their own alignment, technique, assignment, issues. What I’ve seen growth in him is stopping the lingering. He’s going to continue, and all that does is give people confidence. So his teammates I know are all in his corner. It’s not something easy that he’s gone through, and the journey isn’t over. What he wants to do is feel 100 percent comfortable executing our defense at a high level, and he’s in the midst of that journey and it’s an ongoing one. It’s hard to be really, really good in systems if your system’s really good. There are things that you have to – what do I mean by that? There’s high level nuances and details to a good system that make it more challenging. If you have loose rules or non-detailed responsibilities, it’s an easier system, but in terms of like, ‘Hey it’s somebody’s job to make a play,’ when you have a system where you identify who has the difficult down, who has help, and how do you play together and have a ton of different position specific details with that, it’s a process. But that’s why we don’t overreact. I’m happy with where he’s at and I just want to see him continue to get better at executing the stuff that is so important to him.”
(At this hour, S Jevon Holland is not ruled out yet? I just want to clarify that.) – “That’s right.”
(Inaudible question) – “No, I really enjoy quality football. You know how hard it is, the NFL season for players, to just execute. You want to talk about what’s harder is getting better while doing it. I just really have high regard for teams that finish the season better then when they started. I see on tape a team that’s better than when they started, so I know what type of work goes into that. I think from a defensive standpoint, what’s very unique about this unit is they have concrete fundamentals and principles that every player on the defense shares. So you can see consistencies in how they defeat blocks, from corner to safety to edge player to 4-technique. It’s based on fundamentals and technique to me. They’re a very good tackling defense. Offensively, I’m seeing a team that is really evolving and finding more of who they are and finding abilities to make plays in all sorts of ways with guys that I’m very familiar with contributing at a high level. Not just Mike Gesicki, but I coached Kendrick Bourne in San Franscisco. Those guys’ uptick in involvement, their backs are playing real well and I think Mac (Jones) is seeing the field. I think they are a team that I know that our team isn’t taking lightly and a team that will take advantage of those who do take them lightly.”
(FB Alec Ingold has been battling I think a foot injury. I’m wondering how he’s been progressing. It seems like his snaps from special teams and scrimmage have been reduced recently. Is that accurate and how is he doing?) – “Typically he’s on the field a ton and he’s still been on the field a lot, but we decelerated that simply because of how important he is to our team and making sure that we don’t run him into the ground so to speak. We have a lot of good football players and we’ve been able to spread around assignments and responsibilities, whether that be in 3-wides or 2-tight end personnels and do some things that he would do. Because of that, we have a chance to have him continue to be a featured player for us here moving forward. It was something that we were trying to get in front of because we know how much he means to the team and didn’t want him – you kind of have to protect him from himself by the way he plays football. He is that physical component that you want to have on your team, not go against. We’ve been trying to be cognizant of that.”
Frank Smith – October 26, 2023
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Thursday, October 26, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(Do you have any family of German descent?) – “Yes, my grandfather, my mom’s dad, who just passed away, his mom was born in Frankfurt. They immigrated from the Black Forest, I think it was during the depression during World War I, that they moved to Indiana. My great-grandma passed away when I think was eight. She barely spoke English and had a fantastic German accent, so the letter J is not a letter – my mom’s name is Julie, so it was ‘Chulie’ and ‘Channy.’ She pronounced it with a ‘ch.’ Things you remember from way back in your childhood.”
(Have you ever been there?) – “Yeah, a couple times. I went over there after college in my 20s traveling with friends. My dad used to bring me on his business trips when I was a little guy. Then my other grandfather was a Captain in the Army and brought me on his company’s reunion tour from when they landed at Utah Beach all the way to when he got hit by the mortar. So I followed it. We got on the bus and went to Utah and then went all the way and saw everything. I’ve been there a couple times. It’s a really cool experience when you get to do it, especially when my grandpa was like, ‘that’s right where I got hit by the mortar’. I’m like, ‘That’s a big hill you guys are trying to go up.’ And he’s like, ‘Tell me about it.’ It was a good experience. I’m excited to go back next week.”
(Since Head Coach Mike McDaniel isn’t here today, are you able to share if WR Tyreek Hill will practice today?) – “Basically, anyone who’s eligible to practice will practice. But when it comes to injury questions and stuff like that, we’re going to leave it to Mike and (General Manager) Chris (Grier) to make those assessments and comments on it.”
(On the depth chart that’s released every week by the media relations department, it has WR Braxton Berrios as WR Tyreek Hill’s backup. Would he be, obviously you can spread snaps across several receivers, but would he be the one who’s playing time would be impacted the most if you don’t have Tyreek?) – “I think ultimately whenever you do lineup changes, we always make sure to spread out things with multiple contingencies with personnel packages and stuff. Going back to training camp when we talked about why we do certain things we do, we try to make sure we have vested options in situations that could occur throughout the season.”
(With the possibility of Tyreek not playing, how does that affect weekly planning? Do you prepare as though you are going to play with him and without him? Or do you do it one way or the other? What do you do?) – “I think we just kind of weigh how we want to attack the defense and use the personnel that we know is going to be available. When it comes to contingencies really throughout the whole season, those are things we weigh in every week. You have an idea early in the week, so we make sure we have options just in case for all the things that could occur.”
(How is prep different this week knowing the Patriots deployed that three-safety plan against you guys in Week 2? Does it change how you play your scheme and gameplan this week?) – “I don’t know if it necessarily changes, but we just had to be aware of, like all things when variables occur during the season that you weren’t expecting, it’s trusting our rules, trusting what we’re doing, you play through what you see, making sure you have options schematically that account for variants and coverages and front. Just all defensive stuff. When you play a good defense like the Patriots that will give a lot of variants, the big thing is we make sure we understand our intent, our purpose, and what each play is trying to do.”
(I know you talked a lot in the past about how you’re trying to make plays and make decisions based on the defense’s rules. How do you teach players to react when the defenses break their own rules as maybe a counter to that?) – “It comes back and conversely when you start your attack of what the defense is trying to do, then in turn you can’t get to that level of conversation sometimes if you don’t know the intent of what you’re trying to do. It’s like when you’re learning in college and all of sudden you didn’t start off with 101 English and you try to jump to 401 English and all of a sudden you’re like, I can’t structure this paragraph the way I want to. Or is that a preposition? Should I end that with a question mark or an exclamation point? You can’t get to those levels, but if you build appropriately, then therefore you’re like ‘Ok, I understand where I fit because I understand my purpose of this play and what this concept is trying to attack.’ Now, we match defenses each week where ok, here’s what we’re trying to attack. That’s how the player can know there’s carry over in some concepts because they can go, ‘they’re like this defense, they’re like that defense.’ There’s certain elements that they can see the carryover of why and the more years you have, the more you can anticipate certain plays because you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m facing this’ or ‘I’m facing that.’ So ultimately, as we attack defenses, that’s why we spend so much time in the offseason understanding why we’re doing what we’re doing. Then you build it to understand the concept of what it’s trying to attack and why, and how you build it with moving pieces. Then when you get that, that’s when you can get guys connected because they are anticipating, and they can handle the variants over coverages.”
(We know QB Tua Tagovailoa is amazingly accurate. He’s got six interceptions in seven games. Last year it was eight in 13. Is there a reason for the increase? And is there any concern or is that just football?) – “No concern. There’s never really one reason you can sit there and say it’s this. I think ultimately through the course of the season, it’s at the end is when you make the ultimate assessment of how each week – because you can have games where some things we can sit there and scrutinize it, but at the end of the year, you can look back and reflect on where and why certain things happen. That’s where you can see in the back half of the season a drastic improvement. Ultimately, this part of the season is you’re really learning who your team is and how to utilize them, how to put them in the best positions possible. They’re learning their communication with each other, expectations of each other. That’s where you’re building so the back half of the season you’re working to play your best football as you get near the end.”
(If OL Connor Williams is healthy to play center, do you still view as OL Liam Eichenberg as an option to play left guard or do you solely viewing him as a backup center now?) – “Well I think that’s why we train the group the way we do with the versatility in it, so we give ourselves options. We don’t limit ourselves to, ‘Hey, he’s either this position, or this position only’. We make sure we allow ourselves versatility in our training so we can use the best available to allow them to play their best when we need them on Sundays.”
(WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. had a couple big catches. What are your thoughts on his play and his outlook?) – “I think like everything, each week and the growth and the little things he can improve on. Obviously each guy is always working on something each week, and you’re working for that improvement. When you look at the way the season goes, it’s that focus on the daily process and getting better. I think ultimately, that’s just one thing he’s embraced, and all the guys have embraced, is just the commitment to get better. There’s a lot of things in the game that we know we can get better at, but there are a lot of good things too that we saw that were growth for where we want to go long term.”
(How is WR Chase Claypool doing?) – “Great. Great guy. Just understanding his level of knowledge for football and his love for football, and just getting him indoctrinated into our system, he’s been great. I enjoy having him around.”
(Mike McDaniel said there was a package of plays he considered using that ultimately didn’t get to because of game flow. Are you comfortable seeing him get some more action, get some touches?) – “Yeah, ultimately everyone who’s active on gameday, we’re trying to make sure we’re able to use them in some role as far as helping the football team win. Yeah, so packages of plays that we use for guys, we have up each week. Just the way the flow of the game goes really allows us to be able to implement certain things. Some things we just weren’t able to get to. Each week as he grows within his knowledge of the offense and how we’re going to use him, the variants of what we’re trying to attack each week is also the thing that we have to weigh. We’ve been very pleased with what he’s done so far though.”
(Along the same lines, RB Jeff Wilson Jr. only got seven snaps last week. Was that an issue or ramping him up a little bit or game flow?) – “Game flow. One thing we came out of the game, you could see in the second half, we started to get to a couple things in the run game that we were meaning to get to, but just hadn’t yet. You’re attacking for certain reasons and then when we got to the stuff later on that we felt really good about, and you could see we were starting to make headway. But it was just ultimately the way the game went. We weren’t able to do certain things and that stuff that we looked at after the game, making sure we can run the ball effectively and get our players touches so they can get in the flow.”
(You guys had done a really good job of pre-snap penalties earlier this season. This week you had a few false starts and delay of games. Was the crowd more of a factor there? Or backup center? What do you equate that to?) – “Ultimately, all those things start with us as coaches. We have to make sure that we’re always mindful of what are we asking them to do? How are we asking them to do it? I think ultimately as we look into our execution, it’s making sure that we’re putting the guys in the best position as possible to execute. That’s something that Mike (McDaniel) and I came out of the game that we’re very mindful of, but at the same time it’s great learning. It’s the middle of the season as we come to it. When you get these two environments that we’ve had in Buffalo and Philadelphia, they’re going to be fantastic for us as long as we use them for what we need to get to our end goal. The good thing as we learn about the football team is these environments, we’re really learning from. The mindset of the guys has been awesome. It’s really going to help us the rest of the season is how we really feel.”
Vic Fangio – October 26, 2023
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(Looking at CB Jalen Ramsey, do you think that he’s ready to play on Sunday? If so, how does him and CB Xavien Howard change the defense?) – “It has yet to be determined if he’ll be able to go on Sunday. He is progressing well, practicing more this week. We’ll see how that turns out by Sunday.”
(How does having CB Jalen Ramsey and CB Xavien Howard change the defense?) – “Anytime you add good players to your team, it will change. It should be a benefit, both from their production and what it allows you to do schematically.”
(How do you think your defensive front held up against Philadelphia?) – “I think they did well. Philadelphia undoubtedly has the best offensive line in the league. I thought overall when you consider that, who we were playing, I thought that they probably had their best game against the run this year. I thought Raekwon (Davis) made good advances in his quality of play.”
(I know a lot of coaches and players talk about this being a process-oriented team. So from your perspective, when you look at that last game, you gave up 31 points but you also had two takeaways. How do you rationalize that?) – “Obviously they are one of the best teams in the league. We were ranked No. 1 in offense going in and everybody forgot they were No. 2. It’s a high-quality team. I thought we acquitted ourselves well. We had the touchdown. The strip sack by Bradley (Chubb) set up the other three points, so we kind of scored 10 points. We were a play or two away from having a great performance. We just let a couple of plays get away from us, but I was pleased with the progress we showed. I know it’s hard to fathom that when you allow 31, but there was good progress made.”
(What did you think of the LB David Long Jr. and LB Jerome Baker combination at inside linebacker?) – “I think David has been improving all along here the last couple of weeks. Hopefully he can keep doing that. And ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) has been playing better the last couple of weeks too.”
(If you don’t have S Jevon Holland on Sunday because of protocol, who among S Brandon Jones, DB Elijah Campbell and CB Nik Needham have a skillset best suited for Jevon’s role?) – “I probably would start off with Brandon and see where that takes us.”
(Have you looked at your defense and how it’s progressing here in Year 2 and where it could be in December?) – “I’m not a look-ahead guy. Like I told the players, you have 17 weekly seasons. We’re focused on Game 8. It’s a big-time team, divisional opponent, conference opponent. Hopefully we will keep improving. A lot of that is predicated on availability of players, and we’ll hopefully cross our fingers and keep free of the injury bug. I am encouraged and enthusiastic about where we can be.”
(It looks like LB Bradley Chubb has come along the last few weeks. Would you agree with that assessment, and if so, what has gone into it?) – “I think he’s played well all year. He made three or four big plays against New England in the first game that helped us win that game. He’s been consistently good all year. Lately, he has had some sacks, which is what everybody notices so they think the play is much better. But I think he’s had two or three sacks in the last two games. He played about 110 plays in those last two games. How did he do the other 107. He’s been doing good.”
(How does the trade deadline work for you and the defense? Does General Manager Chris Grier start asking you four weeks ago, or does he ask you this week? Do you tell Head Coach Mike McDaniel? How does that work?) – “Neither one of them has said a peep to me. If something happens, I might know a couple minutes before you do. (laughter)”
(Have you said a peep to them?) – “Nope. (laughter)”
(When CB Jalen Ramsey was signed, is that somebody you say … obviously you’re happy to sign talent. Was that any input from you at all?) – “No. As an example to what I just said, Chris (Grier) called me. I was in my car driving somewhere here and he explained to me what could happen. I said, ‘this is already happening, isn’t it?’ He wasn’t calling me to ask. I think I knew a half hour before you guys did on that one.”
(What was your reaction when General Manager Chris Grier told you that news?) – “It was good. I’m always in favor of great players. There are a bunch of coaches in the Hall of Fame. It’s just coincidentally a bunch of players that they had are in there with them. Good players make good coaches.”
(General Manager Chris Grier has been very good historically in taking input from his head coach on personnel. Is that something you sought clarity on from Head Coach Mike McDaniel or General Manager Chris Grier before taking this job, that you would have input on defensive personnel decisions and acquisitions?) – “No, I didn’t.”
(If you were asked for your opinion, would there be certain positions you would highlight?) – “If there was, I certainly wouldn’t say it here. (laughter)”
(When CB Xavien Howard and CB Jalen Ramsey are available, is CB Kader Kohou going to be the best option for the nickel or slot position?) – “Yeah.”
(You would also have CB Nik Needham or DB Parry Nickerson available as backups?) – “Correct.”
(You’re getting a lot of players back in the secondary soon. Have you ever seen anything like this before?) – “Yeah. Our secondary has been in flux all season, even during training camp. Hopefully at some time in the near future, we can get it iron clad, because it’s a group much like the o-line, you want continuity. Different guys have different skillsets. It definitely affects what you do schematically in the secondary. Hopefully we can get there, but it’s been that way almost from day one when I got here.”
(In terms of that, we hear about o-line consistency with five guys. You’ve got five guys in the nickel package. Is it just as important in the secondary than the o-line, or is it a little less? Do guys play a little independently of each other more in the secondary?) – “It’s just as important. It really is. Now they are spread out more. Those five o-linemen are right next to each other. But it’s just as important, and the inside linebackers are a part of that equation too.”
(How much of a dilemma has it been, if any, with DE Emmanuel Ogbah this year? Because he is a guy with a career body of work that is good. Obviously only a handful of snaps the other night. You’ve got great depth on the edge. In terms of usage of him, how much though have you given to that?) – “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. Right now, when we’ve got the lineup we had the other night, with ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) playing primarily on the outside and (David) Long playing better inside, it just makes it hard to get a fourth guy in there some.”
(What’s your honest assessment of LB Channing Tindall?) – “It’s been so long since Channing has gotten any reps on defense. He’s doing a good job on special teams. I still think he’s a good player with good potential in his future.”
(You had mentioned earlier about inserting CB Jalen Ramsey and opening up what you can do schematically. Can you give us a better sense of how much of your playbook have you yet to open up because you don’t have Ramsey and CB Xavien Howard on the corners? And how much, if any of that, cooking up you did in the past year, the ideas you had, how much of that plays into having Ramsey and Howard on the corner?) – “It plays a lot into it. In many ways, not the only way, your corner’s abilities govern the defense. If you feel confident in them that they can play good outside the numbers on the routes you get out there, it has an effect on what you do defensively. There is no way around that.”
(You obviously played this team in Week 2. What have you seen change about this Patriots offense?) – “Not a lot. They had a really good game last week against Buffalo. The quarterback was on fire. They ran the ball good. They had a big two-minute drive to go win the game. I think much like in our case, in some places, the first time we played them, both of their tackles were out and now they’re back. It would be, just from that standpoint, a better offense than it was in that game. I think they are coming around. They’ve only won two games and they did have a couple of games where it got lopsided, but in all of their other games, the point differential is about seven points. They are a really good team that plays good defense. I don’t think we’ll have a Star Wars type game on offense. We’ve got to be ready to go play good defense to win this game.”
(There was talk before the Philadelphia game – obviously you were in Philadelphia. Did that help you at all?) – “No. Like I said, and I wasn’t kidding, they got way more out of me than I got out of them. That’s just what the setup was. I was giving them information. I wasn’t getting it from them.”
(With CB Cam Smith, what would you like to see out of him, what is the feedback on him on a week-to-week basis?) – “Right now, he’s nursing an injury. He had to leave practice yesterday real early. Don’t think he’ll practice today. He’s got to overcome that to continue his progress, but he’s been getting reps and doing better.”
Danny Crossman – October 26, 2023
Thursday, October 26, 2023
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(WR Braxton Berrios had a really good return game on Sunday. Can you tell us what that did for the offense? I think on his returns, the worst starting field position was from the 27, if I’m not mistaken. How did that help the offense and the team?) – “Obviously field position is always critical. Every yard, as we saw in that game, in each phase, yards are so important. You look at their tush push and being able to convert on fourth-and-ones. I always look at it, when you talk about one yard, I don’t care what aspect and where it is. Every yard is important. So obviously, the better field position we can give them, the better off we’re going to be. Fortunately, the offense has been explosive most of the year. When you have that, it’s not as big of a factor. But in a game like that, I thought it was important.”
(You said last time – actually before the Patriots game – that they’re one of the few teams that actually go out and – basically, they scout and pick special teams players. Is that unique in the league? How many teams do that?) – “Not a lot. Not a lot. When you look at their roster – and it’s funny when we just went over it with the guys – you look at their punt team. They just got (Cody) Davis back off of short-term IR but every other guy has been the exact same guy at the exact same position on every play. So they have those guys that their only role, and you look at it after each game, they’re there to play in the kicking game and play in the kicking game only and excel at it. Which is why, for as long as I can remember, they’ve been very good in the kicking game because number one, they’ve got a head coach with special teams experience, they’ve got three very good coaches coaching special teams and then they go get really good players. So it’s a good place to start.”
(So that’s the only place they play, on special teams, a lot of those guys?) – “Yeah, you look at like a Chris Board and (Matthew) Slater and (Brenden) Schooler and (Cody) Davis, those guys are there to excel in the kicking game. They’ve got the right guys because they’re all very, very good players.”
(Just out of curiosity, I’m wondering how many players are in your special teams meetings? Because DT Christian Wilkins and S Jevon Holland and LB David Long Jr., is it like 45 of the 53-man roster?) – “Throughout the course of the week, every single guy that’s on the roster, minus the quarterbacks, will be in one meeting or another. Some guys are in there every day and every meeting. Other guys are one or two days or one or two meetings, but everybody’s involved at some point in the meetings and obviously in the gameplan.”
(And that’s because guys play backup?) – “Correct. Backups, different looks on punt return, field goal, field goal rush. So every guy’s got a role somewhere.”
(I want to ask about a couple kicks. P Jake Bailey, did he just shank that one and K Jason Sanders’ opening kickoff, was that a squib or did he mis-hit it?) – “Yeah, we had a mis-hit on the kickoff and then Jake’s just lost a little bit with the nose. So those things happen. Thought he did a really good job rebounding and had a real good ball in the minus and it ended up being a touchback. But we’ll take that ball every time with a 57-yarder with great hangtime and good location. Then he pinned them deep late. So he bounced back good from there, as did Jason with the kickoffs.”
(WR Braxton Berrios’ kickoff returns, did Philly want him to return them or were they kicking errors or a designed play?) – “Well, I think when you go back and look at that game, I think both teams kicking in that direction, every ball that went in that direction ended up being in play. So I think that maybe the wind had a little bit to do with some of those kicks based on distance and or where they hung and where they landed.”
Nik Needham – October 25, 2023
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
CB Nik Needham
(How difficult was the last year for you? How much did it test you psychologically, physically and how are you feeling now?) – “Definitely last year to now, probably the hardest year of my life mentally and physically. Just overcoming this injury, it’s one of the hardest injuries in football, definitely for this position too. But I’m just blessed and grateful to be back, able to play football and be out here with my guys. So it’s all I could ask for.”
(Do you feel back to normal?) – “Yes sir. Good as can be, yes sir.”
(Having said that, what have these last couple weeks been like when you started getting back into it?) – “It’s been great, because just rehabbing for what, nine to 10 months, watching them guys grind and die out there, running hard and all of that, I’ve just been on the sideline watching. To be able to in that process and get back to playing football is the best thing for me. This is the happiest I’ve been in eight to 10 months. This feels good to be back out there, for sure.”
(Do you feel rusty?) – “I mean there’s a little rust. I haven’t played football in a year, so there’s going to be a little rust, but I can knock it off quick. It’s something I’ve been doing my whole life, so like I said, I’m ready to get back out there and show what I can do.”
(I don’t know if you know, this team had good fortune with Brent Grimes and Cam Wake both coming back from Achilles injury. Tell me about your hopes and how optimistic you’ve been and why you’ve been optimistic during rehab.) – “I did not know those two guys tore their Achilles, but they both have great careers, so that’s just extra inspiration for me. I’ve just been keeping my family close and trusting these guys in the process and just listening to whatever they have me doing. Like I said, right now I feel great and I feel ready to go. I’m just ready to get back out there.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio told us last week he sees you as a nickel and dime corner and a safety. First time anyone has mentioned safety with regard to you. Are you getting working at safety in practice?) – “I mean it’s not the first time I played safety. I played safety two years ago, filled in for Jevon (Holland) when he was hurt, filled in for when Brandon (Jones) was hurt. It’s nothing new to me. I feel like I’m a versatile DB and as the years have been going on, I’ve just been doing whatever I’ve been asked to do. Whatever it is – safety, nickel, corner, linebacker, I can do whatever you need me to do.”
(It could be really cool that you, CB Jalen Ramsey and CB Xavien Howard all come back together potentially, possibly. How did CB Jalen Ramsey look?) – “Jalen (Ramsey) looks great. Man, that’s a freak athlete right there. That’s one of a kind. He ran like 22 miles per hour fresh off the injury. You don’t really see that normally out here. It’s just crazy to see him out there. I just try to admire him, watch his work and take after him.”
(So hold on, he ran a 22?) – “I think something like that.”
(In practice?) – “No, no. Just when he was coming back. Just when he was out there running sprints and stuff. That’s a freak athlete right there.”
(What was the hardest part about this journey coming back?) – “Probably the first three months, just sitting on the couch watching football. I’ve never really missed a season of football ever off a big injury. Just having to be in the boot for three months straight, showering with the boot, sleeping with the boot, it was definitely a mental headcase. Just getting out of that and getting back to running around and playing football probably helped me out the most. But definitely the first three months just sitting on the couch. I think I didn’t leave my house for like two weeks, I was just in the house.”
(So who took care of you? Somebody had to take care of you?) – “Oh yeah, my brother, Tyriq Wilson, shoutout to him. He was living with me. He was my chef, my personal driver, all of that. So I thank him very much, because without him, I don’t know really how I would’ve got that done.”
(You were a free agent for a time. Was there thought to any other options other than Miami?) – “I really wasn’t worried about that too much, I was just worried about getting myself right for whoever wanted to trust in me and believe in me. I appreciate the Dolphins wholeheartedly, because I love it here and I can’t wait to get to work for them and showing that I can do what I do, for sure. I was just focused on my rehab and the process.”
(Did you think that you had a chance to go on the Physically Unable to Perform at the start of the year?) – “Like training camp? Like could I play? No, I don’t think I was ready for that. Like they said, this is like a 10-to-12-month recovery type of thing. So I was trying to take my time with this, because I had already put all that rehab time in, I didn’t want to go out there and rush it and have something else pop up, because I’ve heard of that stuff happening too. I just wanted to be 100 percent healthy.”
(How do you think the vic Fangio scheme – obviously, you’ve been in a lot of the meetings, right? So you are mentally prepared for the scheme. How do you think it works to the advantage of defensive backs?) – “I think it works great. We’ve been primarily a man defense over the past years, and now we all get to show our abilities in zone, having our eyes on the quarterback. I think we’re all big playmakers in the secondary, and I think this will just help us excel in our careers, for sure.”
(When you go back to a new scheme, the mental reps you could right now, right…) – “Yeah, it’s a little easier seeing it mentally and looking at stuff on paper. As of recently, I’ve been getting live action bullets, so like I said, trying to knock the rust off with that type of stuff. I think once I get comfortable with it fully, I’ll be able to go out and be ready to perform at my best ability.”
(If you do get to play on Sunday, it’ll be in the special throwback jerseys.) – “Oh yeah, those are my favorite too.”
(I’m trying to campaign to get them to be the regular jersey and helmet. What do you think about them?) – “Yeah, that’s not in my tax bracket. (laughter) I just do what I’m supposed to do, wear what I’m supposed to wear. I don’t have a lot of say in that. I wish we could though, I do love those.”
(You have black cleats?) – “Oh yeah, they’re right here. All I wear are black cleats. Black cleats, black gloves.”
(How did you keep yourself mentally strong to come back, especially in those three months that you mentioned?) – “Like I said, having my brother live with me helped a lot. Just the support of all the teammates and coaches, they all called me after the injury and told me everything is going to be fine, so that helped. I have a couple of friends that have also had big injuries as well. One of my big bros, Jason Verrett, he’s battled a lot of injuries as well like that, and I think he had an Achilles as well. He just said, ‘You’ll be able to shake back,’ and I watched him come back from it as well. It was just inspiration just keeping the family close – that was the biggest thing for me.”
Jaylen Waddle – October 25, 2023
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(The surprise this week was the team is going to be on Hard Knocks. Do you view it as an annoyance? Do you like it?) – “It’s going to be something we have to adapt to, having the cameras around. But I feel like it’s something everybody watches, so you kind of know what to expect watching episodes and seasons. So you kind of have an idea of what it’s going to be.”
(So you don’t like all these cameras on?) – “I mean, it’s cool. You just have to get used to it.”
(If it was up to you, would the team be doing it or not?) – “That’s above my pay grade.”
(We did not see WR Tyreek Hill today. Do you think he’s playing Sunday?) – “That’s above my pay grade too.” (laughter)
(What did you guys learn from that Eagles game about this offense and this team?) – “How important the small details and kind of how one thing can overflow into the next thing. When you’re playing a good team, that stuff just stacks up. You get a limited amount of opportunities and a limited amount of mess ups. In an important game, on the road, against a good team, they’re going to make you pay.”
(What do you think of the throwback jersey and helmet?) – “I love the throwback. Now if that was up to me, I’d definitely have that as our every week jersey, the throwback. I like it. It brings the swag out.”
(Why does everybody like the throwback so much?) – “I don’t know. That old school logo is crazy with the all-white. It’s going to be live.”
(What did it feel like, it looked like you took a shot in the back, and you were trying to work through it through the game? What does it feel like then and now?) – “I feel solid. I had a little pain during the game. The training staff got me back right and I was able to come back and finish the game. Shout out to the training staff.”
(Do you think it’s something that will linger and bother you at all?) – “Hopefully not. Hopefully not. I’m hopefully always going to be available. Nothing that’s lingering. I expect always to play.”
(It should be better in the heat, right?) – “Definitely.”
(Is there a worry that Hard Knocks could disrupt the vibe in the locker room or just have people thinking twice about what they say, what they do, and disrupt overall?) – “Nah, I don’t think so. It’s just something we have to adapt to on the field, off the field. I don’t think it’s going to be as big as people are trying to make it. I think it will be a sudden change, but something that we just have to get used to. It’s going to be here for however long weeks. Just something we have to deal with.”
(How did CB Jalen Ramsey look out there?) – “He looked good. Excited to see what happens this week, but he looked good.”
Tua Tagovailoa – October 25, 2023
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I know when we talked to you this summer about the idea of the “Quarterback” series, you talked about your privacy. Now you’ll have “Hard Knocks” coming in the building in a couple weeks. What was your reaction when you heard that?) – “That was probably my reaction. I have no control over that. That was probably not necessarily the best body language I’ve had in a team meeting as it was being introduced to us that we were going to be on ‘Hard Knocks.’”
(Do you have concerns about the competitive aspect and how it could interfere with your ability to prepare?) – “For me I’m not going to let any of that affect how I prepare, how I talk in our meetings, with how we want to get things done and what we want to do. I’m going to be myself and I think the guys are going to do their best to be themselves as well, although it is different when there is a camera there while you’re trying to do something that’s very private. I’m sure that our PR team will do their best to help keep a lot of us out of trouble.”
(For you, is it more this is just another obligation I’m going to have or is it you just don’t like being on camera that much?) – “I’m just not a big attention guy. I understand it comes with the territory and I am able to use my platform for bigger things. But as far as me doing something silly purposefully outside of football, it’s just different for me. I like to keep things private in how I do things, but this isn’t just about me. This isn’t something that’s for me; this is something for the entire team and the entire team has to figure out how they go about that as well. So I know having conversations with some guys in the locker room that for them, it’s going to be tough as well. So we’re all going to work through this together.”
(I know you played this team about a month and a half ago, the Patriots, what can you download from that game to maybe take? I know they a lot of three-safety to take WR Tyreek Hill out. As you game plan this week, a different corner out there, how much do you copy that game plan because of how close the games are together?) – “I think as you look at the first game, the way they played against our offense, to me they change some of what they do defensively but then they also got back into what they ran normally. So we’re expecting some of that. I think the most important thing for our offense is we’re really going to have to hammer down the formations, hammer down the things that we have to know and then as we go out there, we’re going to have to nail it. We’re going to have to execute the plays and the plan that Mike (McDaniel) has set out for us. I think the guys are excited when we’re able to go out there and see things that we’re not normally accustomed to seeing because that’s not what we practiced against. It’s more so reverting back to your training and for me, if the read doesn’t tell you to throw it there, don’t throw it there. Continue through your progression.”
(We heard that CB Jalen Ramsey was scout team player of the week. From your perspective, what was it like going against him during apparently a prolific week of practice?) – “He had a really good week. Very impressive how he runs with our fast guys, how he transitions in and out of breaks with them. Some of them it was almost mirrored while our guys were running full speed. And for him to break down on a dime the way that they break down is very impressive. So we’re hopefully getting that guy wrenched up to go into the game or hopefully we get him back sometime soon.”
(We were talking in the media room that we couldn’t remember the last time WR Tyreek Hill didn’t practice with you. Just what was it like today not having Tyreek Hill out there in practice?) – “Yeah, it was a weird not having someone like Tyreek (Hill) out there. His leadership, his aura, but it calls for other guys to step up in his room. Jaylen (Waddle), I think Jaylen had a really good practice today. ‘Ced’ (Cedrick Wilson Jr.), ‘Ced’ had a really good practice. A lot of guys had good practices today, especially being a Wednesday. So yeah, not having someone like Tyreek is hard, but that calls for other guys to step up.”
(Just a quick follow up, if I may, can you put into words the impact he has on the field on Sundays? How could you possibly, if he was at any point unable to play, make up for the loss of him?) – “Yeah, I don’t think anyone can emulate what Tyreek does on the field – his speed, his cuts in and out of breaks, I don’t think there’s anyone that can emulate him. He’s in his own league. He’s one of a kind. But needless to say, I think people forget about the things that Jaylen Waddle can do, the things that he already has done for our team since his rookie year and there’s a lot of other guys I think that you can’t sleep on. If we couldn’t have Tyreek, that would be tough, but the show goes on. You’ve got to continue to play. And somewhere down the line, we’re going to get Tyreek back and it has to be one of those things where you never let your foot off the gas and you don’t lose that rhythm as a team or as a unit.”
(This team has lost only two out of the past 17 home games, so you’ve done really well obviously protecting the home turf. Why do you think that is and how important is that to get you where you want to be?) – “Well, I think for one, it’s the fans that we have. The fans definitely make the atmosphere one to remember as far as third downs, they’re really loud. And it’s when the guys go out there and we’re all warming up. The guys see the crowd, the guys are playing catch with the fans, we get to see our families. It’s just an atmosphere that we feel comfortable in, so it’s always important for us to get a dub every time we play here. But it’s important for us to win any time, whether it’s home, away, it doesn’t matter. We want to get a win anytime we can.”
(You’ve obviously had great success against Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and the Pats, I think 5-0. What do you attribute that to? He’s obviously a challenging head coach to be that consistently successful against. What do you attribute that to? Is there any commonality there at all that you’re reaching back for?) – “I attest that to our team. It’s a team win every time. That’s basically all it is. It’s not me, myself and the offense. The defense has got to get stops to allow those guys not to have points on the board and we’ve got to go down and we’ve got to go score. So it’s a team win. It’s a team loss for everything and this is no different and the respect I have for Coach Belichick and his team is high regards. High regards.”
(Patriots CB J.C. Jackson they picked up a couple weeks ago. What have you seen from him now that he’s been reintegrated and probably going to see a lot of him on Sunday?) – “They’ve got a lot of personnel groupings now that they’ve got J.C. (Jackson) back and they’ve got some other guys back as well. It’ll be kind of unique to see how they match up against us with their personnel groupings. There’s a lot of different things where it could look as if it were base, but it’s nickel, it’s a different way that they’re running nickel. And they just have nuances in that where people can play multiple positions and be called a different position within their defense so it’ll be unique to see what they have, but never get lost within our training. We’ve just got to come out and revert to that.”
Mike McDaniel – October 25, 2023
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Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(For the first time all season you have more guys on IR than the rules allow you to bring back, so I was going to ask this in a careful way. I’m not asking you which of these players you’re going to designate to return, just asking from a health standpoint, do you anticipate OL Isaiah Wynn, WR River Cracraft, WR Erik Ezukanma – those three or any of those three – being physically able to play this season if you all decide to bring them back? Wynn, Ezukanma, Cracraft.) – “That was very well-put. Isaiah (Wynn) has a long journey ahead of him. I’m not going to rule it out, but that’s why I don’t adhere to timelines because I would’ve been totally incorrect on the Jalen Ramsey window opening. He’s got a long journey, but I’m not going to say zero chance. River Cracraft’s window will be opening today, so I would say he’s on the positive side of that question considering he’s practicing today for the first time. And we’re still allowing the process to go with Erik. I can’t firmly say either way, not as far out at this point as Isaiah, but you really just have to handle things as they come. So he’s diligently going. It’s going well, but it’s hard to have a finite date on that one.”
(Is S Jevon Holland still in concussion protocol and if so, is he progressing in the protocol?) – “Yeah, he is progressing in the protocol. It’s been positive at each stage, so we’re just hoping for his health and we’ll assess the football when that’s complete.”
(And CB Jalen Ramsey, will he be out there this Sunday, do you anticipate? Do you know?) – “That’s several days ahead of us. Did you guys know what today is?”
(Wednesday) – “Which is?”
(The most important day?) – “There it is. (laughter) It’s the most important day of our lives because it’s the only one that actually exists. So it would be getting ahead of ourselves to predict. He’ll have an uptick in his participation. He’ll be getting some reps, not just on scout team today, and we’ll see how that manifests itself. It’s been all positive so far but you don’t want to get ahead of yourself in that. And that’s the way from a coaching staff perspective we’re handling it, as we’re prepared for either way and we’ll just see how each day progresses for him.”
(With the injuries that you guys have had, does that change your thinking as far as moves before the trade deadline?) – “I think to the credit of, first and foremost, the actual players that we have on the roster, and then to our personnel department led by Chris Grier, I’m very, very comfortable with everybody on the roster. So we were talking about this back in August about how much depth we have and we’ve continued to progress as a football team so we’re fortunate that we have high-quality players across the board in terms of depth at positions. So I’m not really looking for anything at all. And who knows what Chris (Grier) is doing, but he hasn’t come knocking on my door or in my office about anything. He’ll always be doing his job, but I’m very happy with the roster that we have, even with the slight adversity that we’ve been facing.”
(What do you think of the Miami Dolphins throwback kit?) – “’Kit?’”
(It’s a soccer phrase.) – “Oh, got it. Topical for Miami. (laughter) I’m really a huge fan of our uniforms that we have. I’m a huge fan of the throwbacks. I think we’re fortunate to have an iconic logo and that historical – the whole idea of throwback uniforms I think is tailored to us specifically just because we do have – that’s my whole childhood is what I picture. It’s cool when we have those on deck and it’s always fun to plan, but I love our uniforms, too, so it’s a win-win for sure.”
(You’ve been adjusting to multiple offensive linemen being out really the entire year. I was curious as the play caller, how much does not having your five core guys impact maybe the run plays you can call, the blocking, the pass plays with regards to blocking schemes? How much does that change what you envision doing?) – “It’s definitely not absolute. It speaks to the group of guys we have here and speaks to Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith and (Offensive Line Coach) Butch Barry that – and really the whole personnel staff – in lining these guys up. But this particular year, with these particular players, doesn’t really affect me at all. There’s certain strengths that you play to in game planning and certainly you try to feature strengths of individuals at every turn across every position. That’s kind of the job of coaches assembling a game plan. But with regard to – we’re very fortunate here. That hasn’t always been the case in terms of my career and how you have to kind of adjust, but here it doesn’t really affect it that much at all, just because of the quality, technique and refinement that we are pretty steadfast in. So everybody has their strengths and weaknesses and you try to fit the plan to that, but fortunately for us, we have more than five guys who are playing at once. We have more than capable NFL football players, so we get the opportunity of playing our style of game with the guys we have, for sure.”
(When CB Jalen Ramsey does return whether this week or the weeks ahead, do you anticipate him having a snap count, easing him back in? Or is he going to be full go to start?) – “That changes on a case-by-case basis depending on who the player is, their experience level and their exact injury. I think that would be – I’m more curious to acquire more information from Jalen (Ramsey) specifically that only comes from post-exertion and to see where he’s at. What’s fortunate for us is that although he’s new to this team, the crossover in scheme is huge for him. He’s actually the most experienced player in this defense that we really have from his years from L.A. with Coach (Brandon) Staley and Raheem Morris running the same system that Staley obviously worked with Vic (Fangio) in Chicago. So for him, it’s kind of a different formula. It’s kind of adhering to where he’s at when he’s ready to play and if there’s any sort of sustain issues that he’ll encounter, which this guy has been amazing his teammates left and right. It’s rare in professional sports that you have someone earning – like, who is this guy? How does he do this? And the only way you do that is have a special human being and special support staff around him so that he diligently prepares for the moment that he does go on the field. So we’ll cater to where his body is at, but that’s more stuff that we’re prepared to make decisions on once we get to that point, which we still have the most important day of our lives in front of us.”
(Did the league communicate information to the Miami Dolphins in general, no specifics, about the officiating from the previous game?) – “There’s a due process that every team has that you submit to get clarification on for each individual either penalty or maybe non-penalty – something that wasn’t called that maybe you’re trying to get more information on. Every week we submit a report and they bring us back their ‘upon further review, X, Y or Z.’”
(Were you pleased with the “upon further review?”) – “I never attach any emotion to it because it already happened. Like, ‘hey man, our bad’ or ‘yeah, we were right.’ Like, okay. You’re just trying to be as well-versed as possible in the rules of engagement and I have a hard time even factoring officiating into any sort of emotion that I have because you control what you can control. So I might as well get mad at thunder. (laughter)”
(How long do you allow yourself to even feel any sort of emotion after the game if there’s a blown call, if there is a penalty discrepancy, if there is something that is humanly frustrating? How long do you give yourself to feel that?) – “I think the only way that you have a chance to maximize your daily output is you allow that to live ‘rent-free’ – is that the saying? It’s frustrating at the moment that there’s any discrepancy in personal opinion versus what happens. And I try to minimize how long that is to the nth degree, just because emotions factor into decisions, and I feel like personally, that’s irresponsible of me as a decision-maker to have all these people, including you guys, be affected by decisions that I make. ‘Well, it’s because I was mad,’ like what? So I try to minimize that. I’m sure there would be a scenario that other coaches have experienced where maybe the work of an entirety of a season, something falls short, and it’s in the moment of truth when the game’s on the line, something doesn’t go your way; I’ll leave room for that scenario, but that hasn’t happened to me, really. And I’ll try as hard as humanly possible for that never to be – I try to avoid outs and say, well, it’s not fair. If you operate in life trying to keep score of what’s fair, you’ve already lost.”
(Just wanted to ask about Patriots. How have they evolved since Week 2?) – “It’s so funny, I feel like everyone invests so much emotion and attention. It’s all so important to everybody, NFL football in general, fan bases, coaches, players. But it almost makes me feel like the human population is senile, because it’s like every single year, every single year – it’s one of the things that I’d be so proud if I was a part of the organization and what we’re trying to do here that you earn every day – but every single year, they get better during the course of the season. I can’t remember how many times since Coach Belichick has been there since I think he got his start when I was going to prom, right? And like how many of the scenarios have been like what’s happening here with the team after four weeks or whatever, and it’s like a created adversity. And sure enough, they get better as the season progresses. I think that is the formula. I think that’s the end-all for NFL football and I see a better version of themselves as I would expect – because my eyes and ears are wide open – as I would expect from historical, just my observations since I’ve been an adult. They focus on fundamentals. They do a good job tuning out the noise. I see a team that just last week was an example. I’m sure there were some people that lost money but not anybody within the team. (laughter) I’ve learned not to be surprised at their team development and growth during the course of the season.”
(I wanted to ask you about the three-safety defense to defend your speed. Are you surprised that teams haven’t tried or adapted? Because usually when Bill Belichick shows something, everybody is like, ‘ok, that’s the way.’ Nobody has tried to replicate that.) – “I think it will make most people nervous. I think they don’t feel comfortable doing that because their front and how they are as good at defeating blocks as there is. I think you have to be very confident and comfortable because you’re giving up space, and generally people worry about the run game. It’s not just that they deploy that, but it’s also a lifetime of calling plays and you don’t know when it’s coming. You’re kind of left at a spot where you have to prepare for it but it’s not something that he’s going to do every play. I think they do a wonderful job teaching, which is very difficult, so that it fits within the realm of what they already do. The way I see it from my vantage point, I’m not there, but I see it as just a different deployment of defenses that they already have. That comes with a huge amount of diligent, deliberate practice and experience so that your system in training camp is built to functionally evolve or have answers for different problems. It wasn’t something that completely surprised me when they deployed it because I figured, just like this game, we try to do similar things and have different tools in our toolbox to handle whatever is coming. But I think it’s because how they do everything, they are able to be a little more varied. There are just a lot of people cross-training over there, and a lot of different positions doing the same thing, which gives you the chance to do something unique like that.”
(Sunday marks 42 days since you played the Patriots, and the defense you were just talking about, I think they held WR Tyreek Hill to I think his lowest mark of the season. I’m curious your thought process of trying to figure out a way to get him more active instead of just taking what the defense gives you?) – “That’s the fun part of football. You’re trying to cost analysis. If they are taking away one thing, you’re giving up another thing. If people are going to overplay one thing, you have to be able to execute another. I think if you really commit, you can put 11 players on one guy. But that leaves other players available, and the structure of the defense a little vulnerable. We’ll always have a feature player in our scheme. We’ll always have him involved in some way, shape or form. But when people overcommit to something, other guys have to make plays, and other parts of your offense has to go. That’s the cool balancing act of NFL gameday, which is one of the reasons why it’s so fun.”
