Jaylen Waddle – December 15, 2023
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Friday, December 15, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(What is the approach this week after a tough loss last week? Another opportunity?) – “The same approach. The same approach as every other week.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said today that he really likes what he sees from you guys bouncing back and focusing on what’s next. What is the key to that mindset of focusing on moving forward?) – “Just keeping the main thing the main thing. Going about work each and every day with the same mindset to get better. It’s the last stretch of the season, so getting better at this time is something we’re trying to do.”
(How do things change for you if WR Tyreek Hill doesn’t play? Do you feel like you’ll get extra attention?) – “We got a lot of playmakers on the team that can do a lot. Not extra attention. Everybody just has to step up in a major way. So not really.”
Liam Eichenberg – December 15, 2023
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Friday, December 15, 2023
OL Liam Eichenberg
(What are the chances you play Sunday?) – “I am trying to get better every single day. I would not be surprised if I was out there playing. Yeah, I’m getting better every single day. Just kind of having the athletic trainers get me right and improve every single day. Day by day. That’s the plan.”
(How’s your movement right now? Do you have mobility?) – “Good. Yeah.”
(How much of a strain was last game? I thought I saw a couple times where it was tough for you to pick yourself back up?) – “Yeah, it was tough last game. It was tough. There were certain times where it was a struggle. But at the end of the day, I had to get through it. I wanted to us to win, I wanted to be out there. That’s what matters. I’m trying to help the team win.”
(You guys are short on bodies obviously. How much of that is on your mind when you’re out there? That I got to go because there’s no one behind me.) – “Yeah, at the end of the day I just feel bad for Connor (Williams) man. That’s one of the closest guys I’m with on this team. He went down and the (crappy) thing is I wasn’t even there to be near him. I was taking snaps. So that’s part of how it is. But I felt bad. I hoped it wasn’t too bad. I saw him on the sideline and he said what it was and I said are you kidding me? It just sucks. He’s such a good leader and hard worker for this team.”
(Have you dealt with a calf before?) – “No, I have not.”
(Has there been pain much this week? What’s the week been like?) – “It’s just sore. It just feels like a bruise. It’s not too bad.”
(How much more comfortable are you now at center compared to where you were two months ago?) – “Back in the saddle. Back in the saddle at center. First couple snaps took me a minute, but after that, I felt comfortable. It’s kind of like riding a bike. I felt better as the game went along.”
(What’s the biggest challenge of center? Is it the physical part of it or the making the calls at the line and things of that nature?) – “Just getting the ball to the quarterback. That’s the biggest thing. Snapping it on time, making sure guys aren’t offsides, kind of getting back in that rhythm and getting the ball off. It’s different at guard. I kind of would jump in at guard. But center I need to jump even more. So it’s one of those things you have to be conscious of.”
(You were playing center for the first time in your career this year. Would it be easier for OL Jonotthan Harrison since he is a center? He’s been out of the game for a little bit, but could you project how tough it would be for him?) – “Yeah, I think he’s a good player. He’s done a great job stepping in and picking up this offense. I wouldn’t be surprised – I think he’ll play well if he has to be out there. I think everybody in the room believes in him. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he was brought in. He’s done a great job picking up the offense.”
Mike McDaniel – December 15, 2023
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Friday, December 15, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On player statuses) – “DeShon (Elliott) is still in the protocol. He is out. Rob Hunt is out. Everybody else will practice with exception to Tyreek (Hill) and there’s going to be a ton of questionables.”
(WR Tyreek Hill will be one of those questionables?) – “Yeah.”
(If OL Liam Eichenberg is unable to play, can you share – I don’t know competitively I guess if you can share who would start if Liam can’t?) – “You can take me surface level on this. It’s one thing when you’re trying not to divulge a competitive advantage for studying purposes. This is not the case. This practice I get to see one of the potential starters for the first time ever. So we have plenty of, a lot of moving parts, a lot of contingencies. If you’re voting for Pro Bowl offensive line coaches, submit your Pro Bowl vote for Butch (Barry). We’ve been getting his money’s worth with his work and there’s multiple scenarios whether our working plan of Lester (Cotton) is involved, whether it’s one of our new acquisitions, it’s important for practice because I don’t feel comfortable just making blind crystal ball ‘this is what’s going to work.’ I’d like to see it and be able to move forward from there. So again, I apologize, but it is what it is.”
(With all the injuries up front, how much does that shrink your playbook?) – “I wouldn’t say shrink because there’s a lot of guys – you’re attempting to do your best job at the art of multiplicity of doing the same thing. With a lot of guys having a lot of experience doing a lot of things, with the offensive line having to block certain things with certain rules, there can be a happy medium hopefully to the point that it would be unnoticeable to all of you guys, so I don’t expect it. There are always things that change, ways you attack defenses. You’re doing it to the strength of your team. When there’s less experience and you’re trying to win a football game, you have to really strain and see how multiple you can be with being very similar for what their piece is. I think we’ve done a good job of putting together a plan where it’s not unreasonable for those guys to really execute it as well as being multiple and keeping the defense honest. But we’re also playing a defense that prides itself on fundamentals and technique. It’s similar to what we do from a defensive standpoint where they’re trying to get their players, the Jets try to get their players to play as fast as possible with as much conviction. They do a good job of being versatile within their system, but it’s also manageable for them because they’re all about the performance of their guys and maximizing their players, knowing Coach (Robert) Saleh and (Jeff) Ulbrich extensively. It’s a good opponent for them to identify stuff. However, that opponent brings it at an aggressive level, so all of our guys have to be very confident and intentional. The bottom line is this defense is – wherever they’re ranked is not fair. They should be higher. I think those guys over there, the energy that they have played with since we last played them, just being involved in some tough times myself, I know what type of coaching that takes. All three phases for the Jets, I pretty much know all those guys and it’s really, really cool to see. We don’t want them high-fiving this week. But just the whole locker room, it says a lot about the players. They have played with energy and I think they’ve had two out of the three best defensive performances when everyone was saying, oh this season is this, that and the other. That’s my favorite stuff. Hats off to them, we’re going to have to be super prepared because they are going to be coming to Miami with a point to prove. I can assure you that.”
(What, if anything, should we or could we read into WR Tyreek Hill not practicing?) – “It’s not really a read-in, in terms of where – like I think he in theory, he would be able to practice if he didn’t have the standard of practice that he has. Right now, we’re just focused on getting it as healthy as possible and then bottom line is, we’ll have a conversation that will be based upon – remember this is Tyreek Hill’s career. He’s a very experienced player. I handle very experienced players different than I handle younger guys because they know what they signed up for and it’s his career, so when we talk, this is what will happen. In his season, in his career, on his team as a captain; if he’s confident and I have the support of the medical guys, he’s confident that he can go be himself and I have the support of the trainers that’s responsible to the risk, then he’ll play. If it’s not that, then he won’t and literally every hour for him is imperative. He has had the same energy that he has had all season, which I’ve never seen somebody take a step like this who’s already a great player and he is in this building – what is that, a 12-hour day – of focusing, knowing everything to do and rehabbing. So he’s doing everything he can. I don’t know. I don’t have a feeling yet because we’re getting ahead of it, but he’ll be spending time rehabbing. We’ll see what happens.”
(I wanted to ask you about backup quarterbacks and with some of the injuries we’ve see to starters in the past couple of seasons, backups have come in and played really well. I’m wondering your thoughts on kind of the importance of the backup quarterback role in today’s NFL and I guess how important it is to kind of invest in and develop that position?) – “I think I didn’t give it its due when I first got in the league and then over time, it’s one of the more important positions on your team. Just because they’re not the starter doesn’t mean – I mean, they’re as important as anybody because not only are you supporting the process of the starter, but you have to at a moment’s notice, go and orchestrate full-speed everything you have worked on and you have to have the right guy because a lot of those times those reps aren’t to be had so you have to work extra and then you have to have the right type of mindset so that zero to 60 process, you are able to do best by your skillset to not quiver. It is challenging, challenging, challenging because you never know what’s going to happen and to sit there and say at any position, ‘oh, we’re good, we don’t need depth,’ – I think in just two years of me being here, you can’t assume any position is going to be void of injuries. We’ve had one at least at every position, so the quarterback being able to do that and then on top of that, you have to garner the confidence of all your teammates so that when you walk in that huddle, they can be their best selves and it’s not like, ‘oh, here we go.’ It is an important role that I think Mike White and Skylar Thompson for us, every week there’s residual effects of what they do during the work week through Tua. That is a group. Coach Bevell has said in his 20 years in the NFL being in those rooms, this might be the best one and they’re all supportive of each other. It’s a hard position, but then you have some brothers that can attest and give you feedback and be like, ‘dude, don’t worry, that was a really hard throw,’ ‘oh, don’t worry, I didn’t see that.’ That hits differently to your ear than this guy. So it’s very important and it will continue to be important.”
(What have you noticed about Jets QB Zach Wilson’s performance? I guess he was AFC Offensive Player of the Week? What did you see on tape?) – “I thought it was kind of cool because just think about that. To be offensive player of the week for your whole conference in the same season of getting benched. Fortunately he’s in a small, under the radar media market. (laughter) So I think it’s cool. What I saw was internal fortitude. There’s some conviction and confidence. I saw when the pocket was clean, he was seeing it and then when it wasn’t, he was able to find ways to get on the edge of the defense and do some of the stuff that is the reason he was the second pick in the draft because he has some arm talent that’s unbelievable. I don’t have to be in that building to project. Everybody knows – that’s a galvanizing situation – because everyone knows how hard it has to be, I’ve talked about it before, everybody wants to live up to where they’re drafted and you go and you have to hear questions about stuff. Then for his teammates to watch that happen and then him go out there and really believe in himself and show confidence and then make some plays, I’m happy for people specifically when that happens. I can relate to that stuff. So I see a confident guy that’s dangerous that you have to disrupt. I think that you have to be very, very good with your pre-snap presentations. I think you have to get on edges of offensive linemen and disrupt his vision. And I think if you allow him early confidence, he’s going to play confident, so that’s our objective to start the game and I think guys are up for the challenge there. One thing they’re not doing is – you can tell it hit our locker room, too – they’re not taking this team lightly. They know how tough things can be when you’ve lost a couple games in a row and then the amount of momentum you have from one game. So we’re going to have our hands full, but at this stage in the season, that’s what you want. You don’t want to gift victories. You want to go earn it and they’re going to make sure we have to do that, so we’re going to have to be on all of our stuff, which is why today is so important. It’s the most important day of our lives.”
(You mentioned how one game can kind of flip momentum. Have you been able to sense from the players, coaches, the team in general, from Monday night to today, how have they been able to move past that?) – “You know what it is, but the team, I see a team that is eager to play football again. I sensed the first time I talked to them this week, they wished the game was that day. I know their bodies didn’t, but you want to wash that out. What I’ve seen thus far is guys focus that frustration into the gameplan and preparation for this opponent. I think on the surface, you’re generally kind of worried about that. For me, this team this week, I’m not. Because like I said, they’re eager to go make some things right. And it’d be one thing if we spent that game – watching the film, there were things that were to our standard. So we’ve been focusing on how did the backend of the game unfold. Once we did that, we moved past and it’s been J-E-T-S all week.”
(Along those same lines, where do you think that mentality comes from? Is it the leadership? Is it you guys within the week? After a tough blow on Monday, where’s that core, that base of the way you guys approach this week?) – “I think that all has to do with the collection of individuals. As a coaching staff, we try to do our best to kind of – you end a game and there’s so many things that happen. Individuals think about this play, this play, this play. Then quite naturally, you’re like, how did this happen? I think as a coaching staff, we kind of look at things and then you deliver a mindset message on okay, well, this is how we can kind of categorize that. Then it takes a bunch of like-minded individuals who are interested in things much beyond themselves, who are strong-minded with will, to listen to that and then decide, ‘hey, you know what, collectively, this is the way we’re going. This is how we agree that we can file this under this envelope and say, okay, that’s what that was, and learn from it.’ That’s why I love the locker room because they are not blinking or feeling sorry for themselves. They are 100 percent focused on the Jets, which you have to be in this league. That’s another reason, another example, that will always present itself in every NFL season of why you have to come prepared. Everyone gets paid and there’s a lot of teams that win games that beat Vegas’ odds. So all of that being said, I think the bottom line is none of it matters unless you have the right human beings as players. My expectation is that as coaches, we funnel the information appropriately, because that’s our jobs. I could be Knute Rockne and if I have guys that aren’t about each other and focused on the right things and committed to this team and organization and the city, it doesn’t matter. I would say it’s a credit to the locker room that has been built up and the individuals in it.”
Danny Crossman – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(When you have a guy who’s got four blocks in the last three years, is it just – obviously you have to identify him, but is it just making sure that he’s that focus player?) – “Our concepts and our techniques aren’t going to change, but you highlight guys that have special traits and are able to overcome a lot of the techniques that they’ve seen and still be able to get penetration. So he’s a guy who we were aware of, and we just didn’t do a good enough job. I didn’t get the guys in the right mindset and it cost us.”
(How good of a game did DB Elijah Campbell have? I saw the muffed punt recovery, but I think he also had a tackle on a punt right?) – “Yes, he had a tackle on a punt and had an assist on a kickoff. He played very well. He probably played one of his better games. He’s been a good player for us for a couple years and really was in a zone on Monday night. Really both he and Justin Bethel at the gunner and some of the other spots they played, they both played very well.”
(You guys had WR Tyreek Hill back deep even after he had sustained the ankle injury. What was the thinking there?) – “Well it was a package we were in based on some things that they could have done in that situation, and with the way our group is dispersed from a personnel standpoint, that’s his spot on that particular grouping.”
(So it would have taken a lot for him to return that is what you’re saying?) – “Correct.”
(The LS Blake Ferguson penalty, I talked to him about it, what did you think? He said that they’d hit him in the head a couple of times previously, he told the ref.) – “The only person – I’m old school. The only person that should speak to the referee during the game is the head football coach.”
(Really? So a player, you don’t…?) – “Nope.”
(The rain this week, does that – I know you always talk about wind as being, but does rain, if it’s wet ground, wet ball, does that make a difference punting or kicking or for LS Blake Ferguson snapping?) – “It does. It adds an element to it, whether it’s good or bad. Here in South Florida, we have a tendency to get those occasional rain showers, so working with wet balls is something that we are able to do fairly regularly. If not, we can simulate that. The biggest thing, and you mentioned it, is the wind. The wind is supposed to also be a possible factor, and that’s always a bigger issue than rain, snow, whatever the precipitation may be.”
Frank Smith – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I guess I’ll start it off the question everyone is wondering. How are you guys handling the center situation? Obviously OL Liam Eichenberg is dealing with an injury, but with the two new guys that you’ve brought in, is there a possibility or a strong likelihood that one of them could be starting on Sunday?) – “As we’re working through it, we just have to have a plan for all the potential situations that occur. Just making sure that when we bring guys on, that guys fit what we’re trying to do. Basically when you come off a short week, you get home and it’s Tuesday. The whole part about this week is getting everyone back – players physically ready, mentally ready, coaches mentally ready. It’s such a quick turnaround for your next opponent so as we’re working through all positions on this week, the key would be just making sure that whoever is available to help us win, that we’re putting everyone in the best situation possible.”
(What is your confidence level in OL Lester Cotton snapping the ball if he has to?) – “You look at in the spring when Connor (Williams) was out, it forced us into working contingency plans and that’s the best part about spring, and it kind of even took us down a whole other level of cross-training guys and making sure that we had ‘hey, get him here, get him here’ so as far as Lester’s ability to snap the ball and play, him at guard, him at center; the versatility of the group is something that is a strength. I know Butch (Barry) and ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) make sure every day we’re always getting guys different things. So I think when it comes to Lester and all the guys, we feel the most confidence because also it’s not them by themselves. It’s all of us together and us as coaches making sure that everyone who plays is in the best position possible to succeed.”
(How do you prep the game plan with maybe only one starter available to you on the offensive line?) – “There are many variables like unfortunately this is not my first time going through this. It flashes me back to sometimes the other places I’ve been when you don’t have certainty and you’re working through the week and you’re working through the variables and anticipation of things. So when we’re looking at stuff, it’s not like it’s different, but it’s more of how we communicate about what we’re doing and we’re making sure that whatever we do is able to be versatile if we have to go through multiple scenarios. But ultimately, we look at the defense, we attack the defense for what we think it is and use our guys as best we can to attack the parts of the defense.”
(When going through that, are you of the ideology of having as few moving parts as possible or do you have to sort of prioritize you have to be good at center first and then figure other things out?) – “You can go ‘if this, then that’ and you have your plans for personnel variabilities, but you can’t – we factor in things, but it’s not like you’re just drastically going to shift everything you do. But it’s like you’re very conscious of the different elements that could be in play and we just try and make sure that like every week, we’re always trying to make sure we put the best plan together for our guys to be successful and that’s our driving force, is we look at defenses and attack them.”
(What’s your confidence level in two of your more explosive players – WR Tyreek Hill and RB De’Von Achane – being out on the field on Sunday and being effective out on the field?) – “For our guys to play on any game day, it’s the communication that they have with the training staff, coaches, everyone involved and making sure guys are ready to play. When we put the guys forward to play on any game day, we feel confident that they’re going to be able to execute and play the level that they feel comfortable with because it’s December in the NFL. If you feel completely great, then you probably haven’t done anything. Same thing for coaches. Like if I said I felt fresh and spry like I did in July, then I’m definitely full of it. But it’s that process of as you go through it and you just know, ‘what do I need to do to be at my best and perform to help my teammates and fulfill what we’re trying to do as a team?’ And everyone that plays on Sunday goes through their process and we feel good about it.”
(At the risk of sounding ridiculous, what changes when WR Tyreek Hill is not on the field for your offense?) – “That’s why we have all the guys that do what we do. It’s kind of like for me, I go, ‘well, this is why we practice the way we do in the offseason,’ where when you guys see different guys in there running routes with Tua, you see different guys – Tyreek running routes with Mike White and Skylar (Thompson). We do all this intentionally to make sure that we have cohesion and guys we’re developing that chemistry throughout the entire offseason because in-season, you just have to work different possibilities and we’re counting on our guys to be in the right spots at the right time and do the right things, and that’s where we as coaches help them through the plan and all that. We adjust throughout any game plan so when guys are in, guys are out, not every guy on the team –they come in and out. Like ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill) doesn’t play every play. We make sure we have plans for all that.”
(When a top offense is slowed down, people will say that’s the blueprint to stop that offense. I’m curious the converse of that. If you guys don’t play up to your usual production, is there value in that tape of how somebody else is able to slow you guys down based upon your average game?) – “When you go through history – this is me going full nerd – how many people go through – you learn from your failures. You learn more from areas where you can go, ‘oh, and this is why.’ So I always go to the story of Abraham Lincoln. There’s that quote with Michael Jordan about how many shots he missed and everything. We all remember one side, but he remembers the other. Whenever you have adversity, you can either run from it, hide from it, or you embrace it, learn from it, grow from it, become stronger from it. I think so many guys on this football team, that’s kind of who they were and how they got here. I think a lot of us when we go through games where we had our expectations not met, it’s time to go back to work. That hunger and that fire as a competitor, I mean for me, I know how I feel. I’m excited for every day, including today, as I know everyone else is in the building.”
(One more thing on the center. For a position that is demanding physically and mentally, having to make many ID’s, is it realistic, even for veterans as experienced as OL Jonotthan Harrison and OL Matt Skura, who haven’t played in a game this year, to come into a building mid-week and be able to, if needed, start at center with all that’s required? Is that realistic do you think?) – “I mean, we have to plan for all contingencies just in case what occurs. I think when we go through guys who are acquired and what’s going to happen on that weekend, it’s going to take a collective process to make sure everyone’s ready to execute, if necessary. They’re not on their own to learn everything on their own. It’s on us as a staff to make sure we’re communicating what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, on players collectively to have inclusion and making sure that they’re catching everyone up to speed. That’s when you have strong teams. Guys really work together and communicate together. But is it unheard of? No, it’s not unheard of. I remember I was in Chicago in 2016 and it was last cuts and we signed Logan Paulsen. He showed up on Monday and started that Sunday. He had no idea when he walked in what any one of our words meant. So that was actually very impressive. It’s a measure of being in the NFL, being a professional football player. If it’s easy and anyone can do it, that’s not really what this business is. It’s tough.”
(In the five sacks, where there any common themes? Coverage sacks, pressure up the middle, pressure off the edges, anything?) – “There’s variable of stuff. Like we were talking about, this tape is tough to watch because you expected to have something different to happen. But for where we want to go, for our goals, this was a good game for us to learn in many areas. We’re just ultimately looking forward to getting back to work and finishing the day, get tomorrow, and then get ready for Sunday because the greatest thing we can do is get back and play some more football.”
(On the snap, cause for concern? Or a one-off? What are your thoughts on that?) – “I mean, it’s clearly unfortunate. But it’s a thing that we’re aware of and there’s nothing that we’re sitting here going to express great concern over it. We understand what occurred. We know how to fix it. And we’re going to work the process together.”
(This offense, a lot of it is so predicated on the speed and your ability to stretch them vertically and horizontally. Does that change at all when WR Tyreek Hill is out of the game?) – “I mean, no. I think the basis of all offenses should be that. A lot of people don’t adhere to it. I think that’s where we try to make sure whoever’s in the game, we have a certain width of the field and length of the field that if you don’t make them defend it, compression, compression, compression; and that’s what they want. Defenses want you to play small, play in a close space. And our job as an offense is to challenge the space and make them defend it all. However we do it, with all the people we have at our disposable, that’s what our job is every week, to make sure all the guys on the field are executing concepts that do stretch defenses and challenge them to create space for us to maximize the space and score. So I think ultimately, a lot of times when you look at other teams that don’t move as much as us and do those things, they have different philosophical ways that they believe in attacking. I think we look to attack a defense in a certain way. However our personnel changes, our job is to adjust, but ultimately, all of our plan is derived from who are they? What do they do? And how do we use our pieces to challenge them and put them in conflict?
(Where is WR Chase Claypool in terms of his digestion of the offense and the motions? I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked about there’s a Claypool package, but is he well-versed in the entire offense now?) – “Yeah, I mean in practice, we have our packages of plays, and we go through them. It’s just what is the nature of the game and how is it going? Sometimes we reflect after we’re done and say, ‘Hey, maybe we should have gotten to these plays,’ or ‘Maybe we called too many of them.’ There’s stuff that we have to reflect on as coaches after the game and making sure that we’re putting guys in the right position. He’s doing a great job. I really enjoy talking to him. He’s got really just a great perspective of life and he’s really hungry to learn and get better every day. Because I mean ultimately, you want to surround yourself with likeminded people whose drive to be their best is just a daily, every day, and you can feel that out of him. So we just keep working every day, and his number is going to be called at some point, like everyone’s is. I’m sure he’ll be ready when that time comes.”
(What stood out to you about what the Jets did last week against QB CJ Stroud and the Texans?) – “Overall defensively, they have a very together system. You can tell they communicate very well, they play together well. They’re physical. There’s a lot of challenges they’re going to present. Whenever you have to travel on the road in the NFL, every game is tough. When you look at the challenges that they gave Houston, those are obviously challenges defensively that we’ll have to handle. I don’t really – it’s not like it’s one thing. Every game is just so many different components that are little things that can add up over time, so for us to be able to come out on Sunday and do what we want to do, it’s not really about whatever they’re doing, it’s about us and making sure we’re on our plan and on our communication so we can execute together.”
(How does preparation change when you just saw this team three or four games ago and they’ve only played two games in between your two meetings with them?) – “Well first, it feels like, ‘Wait, it was three weeks ago? It feels like a month ago or two months ago.’ It’s just funny how time, just you’re in a vortex and next thing you know, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I guess that was Black Friday.’ But as far as our preparation, it gives you – you can reflect on what you did and why you did it, and then you can learn from that, the positives and the negatives. It just helps you in your next evolution of how to attack an opponent. Yeah, it helps, but there’s no guarantee to anything. So we’ll just make sure that we’re on what we need to do for Sunday and make sure we’re communicating and playing well together.”
(Your touchdowns came as a result of special teams and defensive turnovers, which was advantageous of the offense. Is that frustrating for you not to get in the end zone? Was Tennessee doing stuff? Did you guys limit yourselves? How do you view that?) – “It’s a combination of things, but you’ve got to give credit to them for making it a challenging day for us. But at the same time, we need to look at ourselves and make sure we’re operating the way we believe we’re capable of operating. Whenever we have setbacks or things don’t go our way, it’s why did it occur and how do we improve from it? I mean there’s a lot of things that we’re going to grow from that, because like we were talking about it earlier, if you can run and hide and you push it anywhere else, it’s like, no, absorb the reality of what occurred, handle it appropriately, communicate why, don’t shift – it’s just the hallmark of why it’s a joy to work here, because you have an entire building of accountable people who after failure occurs, everyone is going like (raises hand). Everyone everyone is accountable to each other, that’s how you can improve and we can get better, because you don’t hide from adversity. You embrace it and learn and grow. That’s the great part about December. We can get better together.”
Vic Fangio – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(I know obviously this year you’ve had a lot of success with four-man rushes and you were playing two backup safeties late in the game. I’m just wondering if that contributed to you not blitzing at all on Tennessee’s last two series. Was that something you regretted not doing at all in those final two touchdown drives?) – “No, they were kind of unusual drives in that they got some early big plays that turned into a red zone two-minute (drill) on both of them. Yeah, you always wish something different had happened. But no.”
(Can you explain what happened on the long WR DeAndre Hopkins pass on the first play of the game-winning drive that they had? It seemed like there was maybe a bust in coverage. But from your perspective, what happened there?) – “Yeah, I mean we just didn’t pick it up the way we usually do and had a problem with that.”
(How do you assess those last two drives? What went wrong for you guys in general?) – “Yeah, we gave up some early plays that got big yardage for them. That really kick started the drives for them.”
(How different is it calling defensive plays when you have S Brandon Jones and DB Elijah Campbell? I’m not asking you to throw anybody under the bus, but I know Elijah hadn’t played from scrimmage in a while?) – “Yeah, this is the time of year for every team in the league where more backups have to be ready and go in there and play. We have confidence in those guys, but obviously when you’re missing your two starters, it sets you back a little bit. But I have confidence in Elijah and Brandon.”
(When the team has a two-touchdown lead with about four minutes to go, how unlikely do you feel it is, what confluence of events would have to occur for the opponent to come away with a win?) – “Well, we saw it there. They got some big plays, which allowed them to score fairly quickly. On the first one, we weren’t able to execute the four-minute offensively and they got it back around the 36 or 37-yard line or whatever it was, and they scored on us. There was still time left for us to have a legitimate chance. So a lot of it happened very quickly.”
(I believe you previously called S Jevon Holland the quarterback of the secondary. How much was his absence specifically maybe attributed to some of the miscommunication that occurred?) – “There wasn’t a lot of miscommunication. That wasn’t an issue. But Jevon has been the quarterback, as I’ve said before, and it’s pretty obvious. Then DeShon (Elliott) has taken that role when Jevon has been out.”
(So just to follow up, you’re saying especially on the late two drives, it was more so about the execution rather than maybe the communication?) – “Yeah, I don’t think communication was the issue. I needed to call it better and we needed to play it better. We’re teammates in this operation, players and coaches, and we all just needed to be a little bit better.”
(On the TV broadcast, they mentioned that you guys could’ve done a better job of protecting the sideline. What goes into teaching those moments and what went wrong?) – “Yeah, we do teach that. On the one time, you alluded to the play that he (DeAndre Hopkins) caught coming across the middle. We didn’t have anybody there to keep him in bounds because of the pickup. But we do emphasize that.”
(If CB Xavien Howard is unable to play Sunday – I know he wasn’t able to go yesterday – would CB Eli Apple be the next option or is CB Cam Smith in your thinking? And CB Kader Kohou will obviously be out there.) – “Yeah, all three are possibilities.”
(Your play that you have been getting at inside linebacker since LB Jerome Baker left – LB Duke Riley was very active against Washington. How’d he play Monday night?) – “I thought he played well. I thought Duke played a good game. He handled being the signal-caller in the huddle and on the line signal-caller. I thought he played good. And I thought David (Long) played good too.”
(Did you get a glimpse of LB Melvin Ingram in his workout, and what did you see?) – “No, I didn’t. And today we’re not really moving around much, so I don’t have anything for you there.”
(What did you think of the pass rush last game? I think you had one sack and eight quarterback hits. Was it a good pass rush and you just didn’t get him to the ground? What did you think?) – “We had some opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on getting him to the ground. But I thought overall, the pass rush was pretty solid.”
(How tough will this game-plan become if you don’t know if you’ll have either safety?) – “It’s like I said. Those guys have been here all year, S Brandon (Jones) and DB Elijah (Campbell). We have other guys that are capable, and it’s time for them to step up.”
(Who else is an option at safety? You said you have other guys. Is CB Nik Needham an option?) – “Yeah. Nik knows it some.”
(Do you see maybe a bigger role for CB Nik Needham? Obviously the Achilles was a big rehab for him, but he’s 14 months removed now. Is that still a limitation for him?) – “No. He doesn’t have any limitations because of that.”
(What is your thinking of not playing CB Nik Needham more?) – “Well right now, we’ve had, for most of the season, Jevon (Holland) and DeShon (Elliott) at safety, and Kader (Kohou) at nickel, and Jalen (Ramsey) and Xavien (Howard) at corner. He’s been the sixth DB to come in when we go to six. But now with some of those guys out, there is definitely a possibility he could be playing more.”
(Is it different getting ready for an opponent you saw four weeks ago as opposed to having not seen a team all year long?) – “Not really because teams change during the course of the season. You have to go by what you see. They played a hell of a game last week against Houston. They have a different quarterback from the last time we played, and he played well. He got (AFC Offensive) Player of the Week in the league. I don’t see it as a big, big difference.”
(What was the change from the first half of that game where they got shut out and punted the ball five time, versus scoring 30 in the second half?) – “They just started really moving the ball, completing some passes. The quarterback played well. Things just clicked for them in the second half. They did a nice job.”
(As far as their passing game, I think RB Breece Hall had 86 yards in receptions, maybe eight receptions, and WR Garrett Wilson had 108 yards receiving. How much of that do you think the Jets will try to translate into this game?) – “I think they will try and do that in any game. Those are two of their best players, and they are going to try to get them the ball. That’s what most teams do, try to get their best players the ball. Certainly Wilson and Hall are great at their positions.”
(When you have a tough loss like this team just suffered, how do you get the team to flush that and move forward, especially on a short week?) – “You just have to do it. That’s part of playing in the NFL. I think the best thing to get it going is just to get out there and practice and prepare for the next opponent, and not sit around and just think about the last game.”
(For you personally? Are all losses the same at this point, or does what happened last week take a little longer to digest or process for you personally?) – “I’m pretty good at moving on to the next one. But I’m just disappointed in the way that it ended. We had been pretty good all year in two-minute situations, if you remember. We were out there with games on the line, and we just didn’t get it done this time.”
Jonotthan Harrison – December 14, 2023
Thursday, December 14, 2023
OL Jonotthan Harrison
(Are there any Florida Gators in the locker room that we know of?) – “I don’t even fully know. I just got here. I’m still trying to learn where the bathroom is right now. (laughter)
(Is there anybody in the locker room that you know, as a player or coach?) – “Yeah, I played with (Chosen) Anderson and Braxton Berrios up with the Jets. (Parry) Nickerson as well. And then, (Justin) Ellis, I was with on the Falcons this past training camp. So yeah, I know a couple of people, a couple of familiar faces.”
(What was meeting QB Tua Tagovailoa for the first time?) – “I expected kind of a more chill, like Islander vibe. That’s exactly what he is. It was a great conversation off the bat. We started working on some cadence.”
(What were you doing when you got the call?) – “The honest truth? I was sitting on the couch with my wife and we we’re about to eat some food and watch some Netflix. (laughter) I’m being completely honest. I enjoy training and staying in shape so I’ve been doing that regardless. It’s kind of ingrained in me just to always be ready. I was this close to being like alright, I guess I’m not getting my 10th year. I got the call and here I am.”
(How hard is it to just jump right in? I mean, you haven’t played football in what, four years?) – “I’ve been on teams. But like actually playing, yeah we’re talking about four years.”
(So you’ll have the opportunity now. What does that mean to you?) – “It means a lot and I’m going to do whatever it takes to help contribute, do whatever they need me to do. I’ve been getting some reps at center. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a team that’s allowed me to play some center. That’s my bread and butter so I’m really excited. The locker room is great. Everyone is very welcoming. Nice and warm. I’m just looking forward to getting to work.”
(So obviously the starter is out for the year, unfortunately, OL Connor Williams, who was playing very well. OL Liam Eichenberg has filled in capably at times this year. But what have you been told as far as coming in and trying to compete to start? What have you been told in that regard?) – “That’s the mentality regardless. No matter what your role is, whether you’re practice squad, whatever, your mentality is to compete to start. That’s all it is. Come in here, just get up to speed and we’ll go from there. So that’s all I’m focusing on, just learning the playbook, learning some names around the building and just getting up to speed. Whatever they need from me, I’m here.”
(Tell us about the surprise of getting the call, because it sounds like you were kind of resigned to, well, I won’t be active this season.) – “Everything was just a whirlwind at that point. And the funny thing is, today is Thursday. I got the call on Tuesday. Today, I was actually supposed to fly down here for a baby shower. So then I was like, alright, let me just get a bag together and get out of there. But it was very, very exciting to get that call. Very exciting to be active on an active roster again. Like I said, I’m just ready to do whatever, whatever they need me to do.”
(Were you in Lake County or where were you staying?) – “I was about an hour and a half northeast of Atlanta. I recently moved from Arizona to the Georgia area. I was transitioning to training, like strength training offensive and defensive linemen. Then yeah, I got the call and just had to set everything down and take off.”
(So that’s your future, training athletes?) – “Yes, yes it is. It’s something I’m very passionate about. I feel like I can offer mentorship as well as developmental skills.”
(Is there a point in the last four years where you considered just walking away from football entirely to focus on training or some other job?) – “My goal from day one was to get 10 years. I told everyone, all my family. I’m like, dig, scratch or claw, I’m going to get 10 years. I was really disappointed to get released after training camp. We’re in the middle of December right now and I was like, alright, well, maybe I’m not getting it. It’s a reality. It is what it is. They say that the NFL door closes fast, but it opens right back up as well, clearly.”
(So what’s the rule? If you get four rostered games, does that count as an accrued season?) – “I want to say it’s three.”
(So what was the plan if football didn’t happen to work out this year? What was the next move?) – “The next move was to train, to train offensive and defensive linemen. Obviously, I’m an offensive lineman so skill-wise, I can train offensive linemen. But I was partnering with a former teammate up in Georgia. We were kind of tag-teaming it, helping a lot with strength training kids to adults, working with a couple of USFL guys. So that’s what I’d like to do post-career. But clearly that’s on pause for right now.”
(Which of the teams that you’ve been on in recent years use the zone scheme that the Dolphins and of course we know the 49ers use?) – “Actually, there was a lot of carryover from the Falcons. A lot of carryover from the Falcons. The terminology might be a little bit different here, maybe the technique on how to get there. But schematically, there was a lot of carryover so picking up the playbook has been fairly. It’s been a lot easier than I expected.”
(How many snaps do you think you might get a chance to do with QB Tua Tagovailoa so that you can get comfortable with each other?) – “Practice wise?”
(Yeah, moving forward.) – “I think obviously, they signed myself and Matt Skura. So I feel like they’re going to just keep rotating us so we can get whatever work we need, just in case they need us.”
(Are you still going to make it to the baby shower?) – “No, I’m not. This is work. It’s actually on Sunday, so I’m not making it. (laughter) But yeah, all my friends and family, they’ll be watching cheering, supporting. This is my hometown team. I was born in Plantation.”
(And grew up in Lake County?) – “Yes, I grew up in Lake County. I moved up there for fifth grade and on. Just went like another hour and a half north to Gainesville.”
(Does that mean you’ve been a Dolphins fan up until fourth or fifth grade before you moved upstate?) – “Yeah, I was a Dolphins fan I’d say until the NFL. Then I kind of stopped being a fan of teams because it’s night and day when you’re in the locker room, in the business.”
(Mike Pouncey was a legend in this space.) – “I know. I know.”
(Do you know the Pouncey guys?) – “They were my mentors. They were my big brothers in college. I was just trying to resemble how they play, so that’s kind of all I know. A little nasty, twitchy. I definitely looked up to them in college. I still looked up to them in the NFL. They had phenomenal careers. Obviously, my career isn’t the same caliber as theirs, but hey, I’m here.”
Alec Ingold – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(I was talking to CB Jalen Ramsey after the game and he said that not having practice reps with some of the players out there affected the game. For you, how important are these practice reps to carry over to Sunday?) – “I love practice. I love practice reps. I’m a big body mechanic, I need to go through everything (guy). It’s a stress mentally to be able to put yourself in that practice field. You have to be so intentional and detailed oriented and it’s hard. It’s hard with long days, but choose your hard. Stress yourself out during the week, during practice, get the reps that you can and the body is going to heal up a little bit, and then you go out there on Sunday you get to cut it loose. You can either live with the stress in the meantime, or you can live with the regret later. I think a lot of us would rather prepare as hard as we possibly can, whether it’s mentally or physically and then spend Sunday with your brothers.”
(When you think back to some of the most difficult losses you’ve ever had to experience, what stands out in how you were able to overcome that?) – “I’ve been a part of some gut-wrenching losses in my time – five years in the league now. I think it’s just when you talk about process – and we talk about process all the time, being really high after a win or really low after a loss – throughout it, you never want to be conditioned to be ok with losing. That’s never in your DNA as a competitor. You can never let that slip in. But at the same time, you have to be able to take tough lessons. You have to take your medicine. You have to learn how to buy into the process that the coaches are talking about, that the players are talking about, and say win, lose or draw, we didn’t play our best game. When you’re in a results-based industry and it’s black and white, there is a whole lot of gray in that film. If you can continue to condition yourself to look towards improvement and not get sick of it, not get tired of it, I think that’s what gives you the best chance to win at the end of the day.”
(In some ways, is a short and tough week like this late in the season easier considering you played the Jets recently?) – “I wouldn’t say easier. A week like this with a lot more mental load than physical, is probably a lot more common. A lot more injuries happen throughout the season. So it’s a part of the year in December, the good December teams have to practice well. One of the first times we were watching practice, Coach (Mike) McDaniel was showing us how to practice without pads in training camp. He’s like winning teams have to learn how to do this. That’s the process that we’re learning right now is how to practice without pads, how to get your mental reps, turn them into physical reps, and then be able to execute when it comes to game time.”
(Obviously you guys have had success running the ball all season. Number two in yards to game, number one in yards per attempt. How much do you feel you have to convince Head Coach Mike McDaniel to lean on you now especially in these tough December games?) – “I think you inspire the play-caller by your play. I think everyone in the room fully has faith and trust in whatever game plan gets put out there, and you’re going to execute and make whatever play work. Good, bad or indifferent, that’s the way football works, and I think that’s where when we’ve got a guy like Raheem (Mostert), we’ve got a plethora of backs, we’ve got an offensive line that is rotating through what they are rotating through. Whatever we got on Sunday is inspiring the play caller, it’s inspiring each other, to be able to go out and execute that way. I think one of the best parts of this last Monday night’s game was the adjustments the offensive line was able to make, the players were able to make throughout the game. We got a lot of different looks and you saw a lot of runs that might have been similar in the first quarter versus the fourth. You can see guys hitting different lanes and being able to have those explosive runs. I think it’s all about showing up on game day with that good week of prep, and then inspiring one another in that run, that tenacity, that mindset, to say we’re going to run, we’re going to do it, we’re going to stick with it and succeed with it.”
