Terron Armstead – November 22, 2024
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Friday, November 22, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(I know everybody here – us, your teammates, your coaches – admire you for playing through stuff. With the knee was it just kind of wear and tear that it’s developed where you didn’t practice the last week and a half?) – “I’m not even going to get into it, for real, just trying to do everything I can to be ready for Sunday. That’s it.”
(Feeling good?) – “It don’t matter.”
(How pleased are you with what – you continue to put high level stuff on tape – are you pleased with your year personally?) – “For me I try to treat every game the same. I try to be my absolute best, keep the quarterback clean, make lanes for the running backs. So I really don’t even get into to grades or the way it looks. Like every game I approach, I try to be the best I can possibly be, so I try to treat them all the same.”
(How much have you enjoyed these long sustained drives that we’ve seen so many of these last three weeks, four weeks?) – “It’s great as far as it’s a testament to our execution, to be able to execute whatever we dial up. We love the explosives, though, don’t get me wrong. Like I would love to see one-play drive, two-play drive. We love to see it, but to be able to have sustained drives and execute down after down, eliminating the penalties, the turnovers and all those things. It’s hard to do, to have 15-play drives and run that many plays without those mistakes. So it’s been great for us to be able to execute.”
(And I had one other thing for you. I know you’ve helped LB Chop Robinson a lot. Without giving away what, with the success he’s had the last couple weeks – like 13 pressures, two sacks – have you seen little things he’s done that you’ve said to yourself “I helped him with that, I’m pleased”?) – “Chop (Robinson), he’s scratching the surface of what he’s going to be. His work ethic, his ability to take what you give him – a coaching point, a tip or something that you see and apply it like immediately – is incredible. But the way that he goes about his business, his level of professionalism as a rookie, he’s got a lot more production that we will continue to see.”
(What allows you to have so many occasions to be able to make it to a game day despite not practicing on certain weeks like you did last week?) – “It’s a lot of mental. I’ve got to be locked in on the playbook, know my assignment and then have a plan for each player that I’m going against. So I do that. I do my homework. I make sure I’ve got a plan on how to attack each rusher, how to fit in the run game against who I’m going against so just a little extra work.”
(I asked Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith about how the 33-year old T Terron Armstead is different than the rookie he first met. He said you were actually wise beyond your years as a youngster, but he got a little emotional in describing you as a friend. Can you talk about your relationship with him?) – “Yeah, Frank (Smith) is a huge reason why I’m here. Our relationship, our connection. Back when I was in New Orleans as a rookie, I didn’t start right away so there wasn’t much time for my development from the head o-line coach, I would say, and Frank, man, I’m talking about every day after practice, before practice, after walkthrough, before walkthrough; we hit it – technique. It was me, Senio Kelemete and Bryce Harris – us three. I mean like every day, we’d grind it out. And then you started to see my growth and development as a player and being NFL ready and when that time came, Sean Payton gave me the nod. It wouldn’t have happened without Frank, plain and simple. So I’m forever appreciative of everything – the time, the effort, the energy – that he gave to me and he’s truly a friend. He cares.”
(How is Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith different? How is he different 11 years later?) – “He’s definitely different. It’s cool to see, like it’s great to see his growth and development because we were together two years and then we weren’t for the next eight. So to come here and he’s offensive coordinator but back when I knew him, he wasn’t even allowed to speak in the o-line room. He couldn’t even make a coaching point or adjustment. It just wasn’t the climate of the room. That wasn’t his position. So any type of coaching would be off to the side or after practice. So to see him running the room, running us and the entire offense – he’s talking quarterback play; he’s talking receiver routes, depths and all that. I’m like, look at my dawg, man.”
(He’s a guy whose name has come up for head coaching jobs…) – “As it should.”
(What are your thoughts on that and did you ever see some of those glimpses back then when you first met him?) – “I was always really trying to digest everything as I came in as a rookie, but to see him and his development now and the success he’s had, successful players he’s had in his position room; but the fact the ‘Frank approach’ and why he has such close relationships with so many players is he truly cares about the individual, not just the player. And we know we’ve got a job to do so he hits that hard, but he’s also somebody that has no problem getting personal and showing you that he’s got your back regardless. Frank is somebody that you would go in an alley with. I don’t know how well he can fight, but he will fight.”
(The way TE Jonnu Smith has been further incorporated into this offense, what kind things do you think it could open up?) – “He’s been great. Jonnu (Smith) is a weapon. He’s a weapon. He’s a running back with the ball. He’s given us an added dynamic that we haven’t had honestly in the last couple years, so people try to take away Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle, but now, with Jonnu and (De’Von) Achane out the backfield, ‘O’ (Odell Beckham Jr.), Odell, he’s getting more and more touches. Malik Washington. It’s making us more dangerous so you’ve got to kind of pick your poison.”
Mike McDaniel – November 22, 2024
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Friday, November 22, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Why has T Terron Armstead not been practicing recently, and do you think he’ll still be able to play through the knee injury?) – “I think he’s along the same lines of utilizing one of the assets that ‘T-Stead’ (Terron Armstead) gives us is the ability to know his body, how many reps he needs for an opponent to perform and to try to gain as many games with him as possible when he’s battling through something by way of rest. So I think this was an execution of that. I think pending today’s practice, I feel optimistic about him playing but we’re able to utilize him and his connectivity to what we’re trying to get done and his experience where he’s – it’s very, very rare that left tackles can feel comfortable playing in a game without at least two to the three days. He’s proved to be the exception, so when we can, we try to enhance his ability to play on game day by giving him rest when needed. So he’s working and hoping to have him, but we’ll see how today goes.”
(Is CB Kendall Fuller still in concussion protocol?) – “Yeah, he’ll be out.”
(With T Terron Armstead, we always ask these injury questions but what about the season you’re getting from him?) – “I think case in point, he’s found ways to be involved in practice more often this year and as a result, he’s gotten really good at some technique and fundamentals that he can utilize within the offense. There’s always guys that get better as their career goes, and I think he’s one of those guys and that’s because of – I think he still has the NFL Combine record for the 40 (-yard dash) for offensive linemen. So he was supremely talented, but also he had the mind and passion to be an elite left tackle in this league and as a result he continues to get better and better. It’s something that isn’t necessarily the norm, but I’ve been fortunate in my career to be around a couple guys that have been able to have their best play be in their thirties. I had Trent Williams in San Francisco before, and ‘T-Stead’ is much like him in that way where he is utilizing his understanding of the game and his ability to execute and perform with his God given abilities.”
(Will FB Alec Ingold be available?) – “We’ll see what happens today. I’m feeling as optimistic as I’ve felt in the last three weeks, but that will be subject to setbacks or just how I feel, so it’s an important day for him.”
(I know you had been optimistic about LB Bradley Chubb being able to play this year when we last asked you, maybe about three weeks ago. Do you still feel that level of optimism?) – “Yes, I still feel the same exact thing as the last time you asked me.”
(Excellent. I know at one point you had said that you think LS Blake Ferguson will play in a game again this year, do you still think that?) – “I still think that as well.”
(How is WR Tyreek Hill navigating his wrist pain as far as you can tell?) – “Phenomenally. Understanding – I think he was really empowered by the information of the deep dive of finding out all the pros and cons of the variables, the way to treat it and to understand it’s going to heat up on him sometimes and how to prevent that while also not changing his game too much. I think with a competitor like that, sometimes it’s hard to tell how much it’s hurting him because adrenaline. He seems to fight through and will himself to certain things, but I think more than anything, when your captain is not only executing, but doing so in spite of an ailment, it leaves a locker room full of players that have a tough time making excuses. So I think that’s a big deal when your best players are willing to do whatever it takes in the game of football, which a lot of times has some sort of pain tolerance involved just by the nature of a very physical and violent sport. How to manage it, he’s putting a clinic on how to manage it, how to treat it and how to perform and so very, very grateful for the way he’s attacking that.”
(Can you talk about managing the challenges of two games in five days coming up? Although this is such an important game, you have to take it one week at a time, but just knowing on the back end you have a…) – “You’re telling me we have two games in five days? That will come to my awareness very quickly after the only thing that exists, which is today’s practice, and then there’s another day of preparation and then the Patriots game. But I think simplicity in situations like this are of primary importance. It’s very simple that we can’t worry about a game that’s after a game and say, ‘Yeah, let’s think about that game assuming we win this game,’ that’s a recipe for humility, fast humility. So the biggest thing I’ve been doing with the team is talking exclusively about the Patriots and how we need to approach our jobs in all three phases collectively, and we’ll get to the rest of the schedule after that.”
(Do you expect a roster move with S Patrick McMorris and OL Isaiah Wynn this weekend, or is that more likely next week or beyond?) – “More likely next week. I don’t have the crystal ball so I can’t say with 100% certainty since we still have this practice. But I would anticipate it’s more likely next week or a time after this week.”
(You said QB Tua Tagovailoa has taken a gigantic step with controlling the emotional part of the football game. He’s mentioned this Seakeeper mentality. I’m curious to where that Seakeeper lesson came from and also when did you realize he’s made improvements in the emotional piece of the football game?) – “This is something we’ve been chipping away at, as it’s very much one of the biggest mountains you have to climb as a quarterback. As a talented thrower like you have with Tua (Tagovailoa), sometimes he wants to will the result of a game based upon something he decides pre-snap. That has been something that came up in his game that I’ve noticed because that’s part of all quarterbacks’ game is trying to make things easier on yourself from a decision-making standpoint and lock into what you’re going to do post-snap, pre-snap. Working through that or looking at attacking that the same way you’re attacking anything else in your game, if you’re trying to have a higher completion percentage on plus 40-yard throws, which was a thing at one point that was talked about in press conferences, you work on it. You work on that difficult task that is way easier said than done, and I think in the quarterback room that being ever-present on the tip of the tongue of Coach (Darrell) Bevell in terms of talking about each play stands on its own merit. That’s something we’ve been talking about for two-and-a-half years. Then it takes another step forward when you have player ownership. In this circumstance, the phrase Seakeeper was Tua’s to connect the idea we’ve been talking about – myself, Frank Smith, Coach Bevell, we’ve all been talking to him about. He kind of equated it to his newfound understanding of boats and what a Seakeeper product does which steadies everything. I think that is something that not all players are even capable of getting better at. At the quarterback position, it is extremely difficult to work at something as incessantly as you have to, to be a starting quarterback in this league, to wear the team result on the shoulders of if you’re winning, the quarterback gets a pat on the back. If you’re losing, he gets pointed at, so that makes it very difficult. But it’s also one of the biggest things you can equate to his recent play, is his mastery of that in those games and that once you’ve mastered it in one game, it doesn’t mean you can master for the next. That is something that is ever-present that you’re always thinking about. Your mindset based upon both success and failure within a game and how to appropriately play the position, which is classic Tua, great learner. He’s learning better and better.”
(Browns and Steelers were in the snow last night. I don’t know if you saw any of it, it was a pretty good watch from my couch. When you see the highlights or you’re watching the game, are you thinking what might I call in the snow here? Because I suppose calling the game is different in those types of conditions.) – “I think that does come up situationally. Obviously, the weather isn’t premier for throwing the ball in the air far, however there are certain types of throws and certain types of situations and known passing situations where you still can operate the same way and there’s situations that you can’t. I think for me, it’s a lot easier to adjust to the environmental circumstances just because inherently, when you’re calling a play, you’re thinking that it will work. And when you can’t picture how it will work or it’s a little easier to – but you’re also attacking that during the entire work week, understanding that while meteorology isn’t an exact science, they’re generally in the right stratosphere. So the most difficult is adjusting to very wet games, because a lot of times you don’t know that to be fact based upon the whole week.”
(What has the greater incorporation of TE Jonnu Smith done for this offense?) – “I think the proof is in the pudding in terms of the last two weeks. You’ve seen very high percentage throws in terms of shorter throws go really long, and you can see his physical skill set which is he’s a hard guy to tackle and very competitive with the ball in his hands. That extra space that defenses tend to give our offense by the overindulgence in paying attention to our premier receivers, the way to equal the playing field is to have players take advantage of that space. I think Jonnu (Smith) has done a phenomenal job in that regard. I think Tua (Tagovailoa) has done a great job understanding the value of progressions and playing on time but also distributing the football. I think there’s a multitude of players that have assisted in what Jonnu has been able to do. I think Julian Hill had some exceptional YAC situations, and I think Malik Washington has done the same. So I think he’s an example of players finding success in a way that really complements the other skills to your offense and he’s done a great job and is a fun guy to have on our side.”
Tyreek Hill – November 21, 2024
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(It’s obviously been going well with long efficient drives, but at some point knowing that you guys second-to-fewest 20-plus-yard passing plays in the league this year, at some point will a big play be needed?) – “Of course. We’re always looking for big plays and obviously Tua (Tagovailoa) understands what he has to work with whenever he’s on the field. So whenever that time comes, he’s going to take a shot so just waiting on our moment.”
(We’ve seen a lot of receivers in the league over many years, if they don’t get a lot of targets they’ll complain. Are you impressed with how you and WR Jaylen Waddle have handled from a maturity standpoint this year in terms of not having a tirade obviously about not catching a ton of passes?) – “We don’t really care about none of that. As long as we’re winning, plus we already got our back end so we’re good. I feel like a lot of people get football mixed up with stats and worrying about what a guy is doing instead of worrying about the win-loss column. I was just saying this to my dad the other day. I said, ‘A lot of people have stake in the game that I grew up loving so much and turning into betting and turning it into fantasy numbers and stuff like that.’ It’s like I can’t even enjoy a day out with my wife and my kids. Somebody is always walking up to me and is like, ‘I drafted you No. 1 and you’ve having the worst fantasy season of your career.’ And it’s like, ‘Bro, I do not literally care.’ I’m with my family. It’s like bro, the only thing I care about is the Miami Dolphins winning games and me and ‘J. Dub’ (Jaylen Waddle), we obviously understand that. If that means we’ve got to block a thousand times to get teams out of Cover 2 or Cover 4 or whatever the case may be, we’ll do that. We’ll come down and crack some safeties or pin some d-ends, whatever we’ve got to do. So all for the team.”
(Is that the product of that 54-yard TE Jonnu Smith touchdown, was everybody went up to get the guys up front and then he was wide open?) – “I mean, we went back and watched it on film. I feel like that was just a miscommunication by their defense obviously. If you go back and watch it, they actually doubled Julian Hill on that play. It was two guys on Julian Hill. It was No. 44 and the safety was rotating down doubling Julian Hill and then I was manned up on the corner.”
(And one guy went up on motion…) – “See a lot of people, they don’t be respecting Julian Hill. They doubled him on that play. But I’ve been saying that all week. A lot of people have been ignoring me. Go back and watch it.”
(You said you want to keep the winning going. What is the mindset now getting ready to face the Patriots on Sunday?) – “The mindset is obviously we’re in playoff football right now. We’ve got to continue to play ball. Can’t lose a game and we obviously know that. Our backs are against the wall, so that’s the mindset. Guys are preparing like it at practice. The preparation has been great. Guys have been flying across the field on defense so it’s been a great week of preparation so far.”
(The Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, there was a funny clip where it looked like after TE Jonnu Smith was running, you maybe said something to him. What went on there?) – “Their whole sideline was telling me the whole game, like saying, ‘Oh, jam him up, jam him up, he can’t get off a jam.’ So when Jonnu was open I was like, ‘oops, sorry.’ So it was great, it was a great moment, man. Football is always fun especially in a moment like that when your teammate is scoring and then you’re obviously on their sideline so I get a chance to talk trash. Nothing against Coach Pierce, he’s obviously a great coach. He’s been doing a great job with that team, so it was nothing.”
(What did you think of that first touchdown TE Jonnu Smith caught? He throws the ball up in the stands and it lands with his family?) – “That’s crazy. Now that’s next level, but that’s truly amazing for that to happen because I feel like I had a similar situation and the fan took the ball from me for my mom. But for that happened to Jonnu, that’s amazing, man.”
(You had to be pretty confident that he was going to outrun all those DBs because you knew it was a score.) – “Jonnu (Smith) is fast, believe it or not. I really think Jonnu can run like a low 4.3. He’s that fast and the way Coach (McDaniel) uses him, he does a great job of using him, putting him in situations to make plays that I’ve never seen before. So Jonnu, he’s a real special guy.”
(So no doubt, you knew he was gone.) – “I knew he was gone. No doubt. It’s like Steph Curry when he’s shooting a three and Klay Thompson and everybody is like this. (laughter) I already know.”
(What do you like about WR Malik Washington and his potential long-term and his skill set?) – “I was talking to Wes (Welker) about this and I’m like, Malik (Washington) is one of those guys that can play in the league for a long time, because obviously he’s smart, but he’s one of those guys that he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He’ll go in and block a d-end, block a linebacker and then he’ll come and then make a clutch third-down catch, and that kind of reminded me of me my rookie year coming into the league. I had to do some of those similar things and it kind of developed my game a lot and it kind of gave me the trust of the coaches amongst the staff in Kansas City. So Malik, he’s a hard worker, very coachable guy. Loves the game, always the first one in meetings, always. And he’s just one of those guys that every receiver coach wants in his room because he’s eager to learn, always asking questions, too many questions, but he’s going to play in this league a long time.”
(Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith was saying today that he’s seen QB Tua Tagovailoa grow in the area of scramble drill. Tell me about that.) – “Yeah, my biggest thing is he’s not fat anymore so he can move. He’s more mobile. I don’t know what more to say. He looks amazing. I don’t know what to say. (laughter)”
(Do you encourage him to continue to look for you guys and…?) – “Yes. Yes, I do. I think that’s where the big plays happen, and obviously Tua knows that whenever we’re down the field and he breaks outside the pocket, it’s very hard for a defensive back to keep up with whoever it is – me, (Jaylen) Waddle, Odell (Beckham Jr.), Jonnu (Smith), De’Von (Achane), whoever it is – down the field, because those extended plays are the ones that we really want and something that we’ve been harping on this whole entire offseason.”
(What does WR River Cracraft bring now that he’s back? A guy who you’re always taking first in your wide receiver draft with WR Jaylen Waddle.) – “Well, all I’ve got to say is we’re undefeated with River Cracraft back. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Jonnu Smith – November 21, 2024
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(Speaking of preparing for Sunday, WR Tyreek Hill said that you guys are kind of having the mentality now that playing backs against the wall, like playoff football. Is that something you’re also seeing and kind of getting ready for the Patriots and knowing that you guys can control your destiny?) – “Well yeah, we didn’t accomplish anything. It’s nothing that we won two games back-to-back. It’s very hard to win in this league, but we’ve still got a long way to go. So we know the position that we’re in. We know each individual has to look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘I’ve got to be the reason why I help this team win.’ And that doesn’t mean you have to be Superman, just do your job and don’t be the reason why it goes the other way. So I think we all have that mentality and just playing with that mindset and it’s been transferring to wins.”
(One other thing WR Tyreek Hill mentioned is not only praising how you’ve been playing but saying Head Coach Mike McDaniel has used you in creative ways. Are there ways this year where you’ve been used that you haven’t been used before? A couple of ways, anything new in your usage this year that Mike sort of explored?) – “I would say I’ve been in a lot of offenses where I have been put in a lot of positions: running back, receiver, fullback, slot – I’ve been everywhere. I’ve lined up everywhere in my career. Going on eight years now, obviously this is my skillset. Every team that I’ve been a part of has known that, what my skillset is. I would say Mike (McDaniel) has just the way that the production and the efficiency is going, it’s just kind of panning out a little better right now. And that’s just the way it’s been going. Mike does a phenomenal job at getting guys the ball that he knows can help this team win. So we just continue to trust in him, put trust in his system and just continue to stack these wins.”
(I know you said you didn’t care about stats after the last game, but after you found out you were the Dolphin tight end since the AFL-NFL Merger (1970) to have 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns, what was your reaction to that?) – “Now that was a cool stat. That was a dope stat. Like I said, I’m not – it’s something you can go home to your kids and talk about, you know what I mean? It’s cool to hear that. What year was that?”
(Since 1970, first tight end to do it.) – “I wasn’t even thought of at that time, man, you know what I mean? I wasn’t even thought of; my mom didn’t even know my dad at that time so it’s a cool stat. But again, just trying to focus on the main thing – keep the main thing, the main thing.”
(Talking about your kids and your son caught the football, what does he do now with it? Is it in his room? Is it in a little special case?) – “Dad’s still figuring out how we’re going to go about this one. This one’s a little different, this one is a little different. This one is extremely special just the way it went down. It’s not just a regular football that’s sitting in our – we’ve kind of got like a little sports bar area in our house with helmets, jerseys and that – this one is a little different, so we’re still figuring out how we’re going to treat this one.”
Frank Smith – November 21, 2024
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(With RB Jaylen Wright, obviously we saw early, in a limited sample size, a high per carry average. It’s been 10 carries, eight yards the last couple of weeks. What has led to that? Has it been primarily a blocking issue from what you’ve seen on tape or something Jaylen could have done?) – “A couple times there was some blocking things that we could have executed better. Sometimes we’re getting loaded fronts that were hard looks to run into, but overall, I think that he’s been doing a great job. Like the ebbs and flows of all seasons, you have some weeks you’re high hitting, some weeks where it’s a little more gritty to gain the yards. So we think overall we’re in the right spot we need to be with stuff and we’re looking forward to this week, getting back to success.”
(How have you seen RB De’Von Achane handle his increased workload? He’s already surpassed last year’s carry total, he might double last years receptions total, how have you seen him handle all that?) – “I think him, like all the guys, just whatever the game requires, he’s ready for it and he’s done a great job with everything just making sure he’s ready to go for the season. Your hardest year as a player is your rookie year because there’s so much transition. So for him, he’s been great. I know he handles everything like a professional and he’s been helping us win, so excited for everything he’s done.”
(On QB Tua Tagovailoa’s touchdown pass to WR Tyreek Hill, we see Tua roll to his left, as he’s rolling, he tucks the ball, he checks back to see if anybody is coming, he uses his legs to buy time and he throws to Tyreek. I thought that was a significant play, am I making too much out of that? Did that show some learning by tucking the ball and using his feet? Did that show progression?) – “Yeah, I think that showed awareness to where he was in the pocket, making sure that the space to defenders, the ball was first. And then obviously, working into a scramble drill and then the guys executing was awesome. Yeah, I think in those moments the big thing is you see the growth as what do you learn? And I think that was a great moment for us to extend the play and it worked out really in our favor. Each week is a learning lesson.”
(What do you tell him about – because it seems like he has a pretty good clock in his head. So some of it is intuitive and instinctual, but to add to that, what can you tell him about when to get out of there and try to extend it?) – “I think a lot of it comes into the feel in the pocket, where you’re at in the timing of your progression, so you kind of feel as you’re starting your drop – I mean, the longer you’re in it, the more you realize you can feel stuff and you create space when you break it. There is a feel to it or sometimes you’re getting back there, and you feel the distinct color of the opposite team in your face. It helps when it’s a black jersey coming right at you versus our white jerseys. But I think what he’s done is a great job of, like you said, knowing where I’m at in my progression, where do I need to get the ball and then when you break the pocket and you move, where are my people at and how are we distributing towards it? Because that’s the big thing. Playing with (Ben) Roethlisberger in college, it was constant, that back and forth and we learned how to block for him because we all worked down. Our guys learn, OK, hey, if he has to vacate the pocket, like you saw in the touchdown, how do we get in phase to it? So a lot of growth from last week for the guys and just working together and understanding.”
(So that’s the real reason you guys wear white all the time.) – “Exactly, (laughter) makes it easier to see.”
(On an extended play, what percentage of time would you say the reception occurs after an altered route? In other words, the guy comes back to the ball or something, and what percentage? I know it’s hard to say, but just so I get a sense.) – “It depends on the nature of the scramble and where you’re at. Are you in the open field versus down kind of in the red (zone) because then as the field dissipates, you have less, you have different areas that you try and move to get in phase with the quarterback. So in the open field, you’d say, hey, it’s maybe more of the intermediary routes, where you get down in the red (zone), it’s back pylon, front pylon type stuff as you vacate the pocket.”
(We’ve talked so much about the big play, but now there’s the focus on efficiency and QB Tua Tagovailoa and the completion percentage. Is this just the next evolution for this offense and what is it about Tua that helps him complete 70… what is he at now?) – “A lot.” (laughter)
(73, yeah. 73 percent of his passes.) – “I think it comes down to as you’re attacking the defense, how are they trying to defend? And as they try and defend parts of the field or different players, it’s about distribution of the other guys. So if they’re going to condense into a part of the field, that means they’re vulnerable in others. As you can see whether you’re attacking it through levels or you’re attacking it through distribution across the field, or you’re attacking it with width. So that’s where you can look at, or if they want to take away the middle, you work a side. They want to take away the outside lines, you then have the middle, right? If they want to take away the pocket and bring more people, then they’re vulnerable, pretty much everywhere through proper distribution. I think that when you look at us for last year, our ability to have deep scoring plays, explosive plays and stuff like that; well what’s the defenses response? It’s that now, ‘OK, we’ll sit back and maybe we’ll devote four people for two a lot of the times.’ Well, when that happens now, there’s matchups in other spots. So for us to be able to work as a unit and distribute the ball, it helps get everyone open collectively. So when you’re doing that stuff, I think it just comes down to how do they want to play defense? How do they believe in defending the field? How do they have force patterns, coverage patterns? It all works together as far as our build, and then it connects with Tua (Tagovailoa) and his ability to play through it with timing.”
(Now he’s always had the accuracy. Is this just now diagnosing ability probably stepping up a level just because he knows the offense?) – “I think it comes into his preparation and you can only do these things when you build through it and you work your core concepts, your core principles over and over again. And then that way, you have the connection between the guys, the quarterback, timing, the line, trying to set the pocket – like everyone together and knowing that if you want to play that way, it comes from practice and getting all those things down. So I think that’s the big thing, is his ability to take in the information, the practice from our core principles and then implement it, and he’s been doing a great job just because the way he plays really holds into his progressions and reading it through.”
(What were the keys to keeping Raiders DE Maxx Crosby quiet last Sunday?) – “Don’t let him have a chance to get involved. When does he make plays? When you give him opportunities to be at the point of attack, you give him opportunities to have one-on-ones, when you give him opportunities to do what he does. So for us, it was you look at them, we were not going to let him tone-set for their defense, because when he can set the tone, they feed off his energy. So for our run plan, we were going to make sure that we either had two people on him or we were running away from him. And if we were in the passing game, we’re going to make sure that we had protection towards him – either if we had to move away, there’s someone chipping him; if we’re in a play
(-action) pass, it was either two tight ends going to him or we had a tackle and a back. And then it’s just when you do that and you’re playing a certain way, it’s on the guys and they understand the plan, and then now, it goes into the execution. It was great that they understood the plan, making sure that we we’re going to run one way and then, ‘Oh, he’s over there,’ you go the other way. So there were a couple times where I’m sure you guys saw, we’d be lined up, there he is, go the other way. So it’s all on the guys that understood the plan, and when you have an elite player like that, that’s where coaching we can create a plan that minimizes impact and then the guys got to take it to the field, so it was a fun one.”
(How would you assess T Kendall Lamm’s role in accomplishing that goal?) – “It was great. I think he, like all the guys, he executed what we needed to get done. There’s always plays that you’re like, ‘Hey, there’s more meat on the bone. We could have been a little bit better,’ but overall, executing with his experience and how professional he is about everything that goes. So we were lucky when we got him here the first year and he’s helped us be successful. He’s a great teammate.”
(Were you in New Orleans when T Terron Armstead was 22, 23 years old?) – “I was there when we drafted him, yes.”
(How is the T Terron Armstead of 33 years old, different?) – “It’s funny you say that, because he always when he was young, you knew he exuded confidence for a guy – you’d thought he had been in the NFL. But man, what did he run at the combine, like 4.6? I mean he was just extremely athletic; he ran a toss crack in college where he outran the back into the end zone. It was like, ‘Man, what are you doing?’ You just see his growth, his perspective, his experience, he’s been in huge games. When he was a rookie, he didn’t play his rookie year until later in the year because he was still working on his stuff and developing. So his growth from where he is today, he’s a good friend, it’s awesome.”
(A philosophical question. Right before the half it was second-and-10 at the 35-yard line with two seconds left. I guess there’s a difference between coaching scared and coaching normally. Why not take a knee there? What was the goal with QB Tua Tagovailoa? You’re kind of exposing him to a pass rusher. What’s the thinking there? Is that thinking developed during the game, or during the week? How do you handle that?) – “I think each week you look at your situations – end of half, end of game – they are unique. When you have the opportunity to take advantage of something you see that they do – ultimately our goal is to be as efficient and score points, however we get that done. Last year, we were able to get explosive plays. This year, we’re doing it through efficiencies of what the defenses are providing. It doesn’t mean we’re not trying to get the ball down the field, but that end of half, we’re trying to score. Especially with what we saw, we thought there was an opportunity to try to get the ball down the field or at worst draw a potential penalty with the distribution of the concept. You can take a knee and say it’s done, or you can be aggressive and try to make something happen. Because if you guys go back to the Chargers game in 2022, we were aggressive right before the half, got a penalty and got the field goal that ended up winning the game for us.”
(You were the assistant offensive line coach in New Orleans. So you worked with T Terron Armstead?) – “Oh yeah, every day.”
(What do you work on with a young lineman like that to help him get to where he is now?) – “He is a worker. He is a worker. It was him, Senio Kelemete and Bryce Harris were the three guys every day, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It’s really a lot of things is – there’s two positions on the football field that has challenging movements, it’s defensive back sand offensive linemen. You’re doing your job backwards, so it’s learning how to control your body and your movements because if you don’t move to load to power or don’t move to load to carry yourself, you expose edges of your movement. An offensive tackle, you’re the width of the pocket. If you’re not in balance, you’re exposing a soft edge of your body that gives a beeline to the quarterback. For him, he was so explosive, we were asking him to pass set different. It was teaching him how that the angle, how it plays out, now rush patterns of the defender, how you need to play, run game, here is what it is. He was just – him, Senio and Bryce were machines. They just went every day, wanted to get better and it was awesome because Bryce ended up playing for us in New Orleans, had a six- or seven-year career. Senio ended up leaving and signing a big contract in Houston. He played all five spots, and then Terron has been Terron. Success isn’t by chance; it comes from hard work and he’s earned it.”
(Can you detail the adjustments that go into a second meeting with a divisional team? So kind of just adjustments, it kind of fascinated to me in how you have to adjust so much from one time facing a team to another within the same season.) – “You do have some familiarity with the divisional opponents, but at the same time it’s like how have they been playing the last couple of weeks and how are they trying to defend and what little things do you notice. It’ll be on us to challenge to do it again and to maximize what we’re trying to do. It comes down to the guys, as we adjust our plan and try and do some different things, understanding why and understanding what the defense – because I think that’s the biggest goal for us. Each week is this is how the defense is trying to defend, here’s what they believe in, here’s how they try and stop the run, here’s how they try and stop the passing game, here’s how they try and have their coverage variables, here’s how they’re going to try and confuse you. So you have to take this information of what the defense is and how they want to defend and make it simple so that way it’s like you can create overriding patterns so the player can bank and then take it into the game for execution. Because in game, if they do something that you don’t anticipate, that’s where the adjustment is and that’s where you carry the volume of your plan to make sure that, ‘Oh, they’re doing this a little bit different, so let’s go to this concept,’ or ‘Let’s get to this formation because it’s giving us an advantage.’ So each week, when you come back and play a divisional team, it’s a challenge because they know you as much as you know them and we’re sure New England will have a great plan for us and we’re excited to compete with them this weekend.”
Anthony Weaver – November 21, 2024
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(I’m kind of torn on whether or not “Weave” should be “Weave” or “Weav.” So what’s your preference?) – “So it’s funny you say that, because I do go back and forth. It’s more based on who I think I’m writing the email to and probably how close we are. (laughter) But yeah, I don’t know what the right way is. Most of the time, I add the ‘e.’”
(So you have two very competent backup safeties obviously with S Marcus Maye and DB Elijah Campbell. You’ve told us not to sleep on Elijah. So do you feel like at this point S Jordan Poyer playing every snap alongside S Jevón Holland gives you the best chance to win or is that a decision that you’ve revisited this week?) – “I think each and every week, whether it’s players or coaches, we’re all earning the right to be where we’re at. Like nothing is given – the same reason my nameplate slides out by my office. So I have the utmost faith in Jordan (Poyer) and Jevón (Holland), the way they work together, their connectivity. So at this point they’re certainly our starters, but I love Elijah (Campbell), I love Marcus Maye and I know if called upon, they’ll be ready to come out there and execute their job at a high level.”
(What would S Jordan Poyer have to do to sort of improve from a coverage standpoint?) – “It’s interesting because I don’t know exactly what his numbers are or where in the narrative that he’s failing in terms of coverage because there’s so many other things that he does in terms of just getting people in the right positions that he doesn’t get credited for. So there is a cerebral part of the game particularly at that position which is incredibly important and he has graduate level honors in that.”
(I’ve got a philosophical question that was debated during the game in the press box. So S Jevón Holland when Raiders QB Gardner Minshew runs and he sticks the ball out and gets the first down, looked like Jevón had a shot at Gardner Minshew, could take a hit. There were some people saying he should have taken that hit to prevent the first down, others were saying, no, he’s a quarterback, he would’ve gotten a flag. What should he have done in that situation and do you think that through to that level?) – “It’s certainly always a bang-bang play when you’re in that predicament and we understand the precautions that are taken to protect the quarterbacks. As a defensive guy, I always err on the side of aggression, so in my mind, take the hit. (laughter)”
(When you took this job, this offense was the most electric downfield passing offense scoring 30-plus points in every game. Now they have this new approach of sustained drives, 15-, 16-play drives every game it seems like. Does that change the way you call a new defense compared to an offense that would be an explosive one we saw last year?) – “No, I don’t think so. I think however our offense is playing the game, as long as the ball continues to end up in the end zone, we’re happy regardless of how it gets there. And ultimately whether we’re playing a 40-play game or a 65- to 70-play game, the goal is the same; it’s to keep them out and limit their points to as little as possible.”
(What are some points of emphasis for CB Cam Smith to at some point fulfill his potential?) – “I think the points of emphasis for him are just mastering your technique and fundamentals while you’re continuing to learn the intricate details of the defense. As a young player, like I said this before with him, when he’s had his lapses, it’s been because of technique and fundamental flaws. It’ll never be an ability, because he’s disadvantaged from a physical attribute standpoint with him. He can run. He has length and he is smart. He’s a smart kid, so all he needs is just reps. He needs reps at all these things where he’s making mistakes, learns from those mistakes and doesn’t repeat those mistakes. So for him, it’s just a matter of getting him on the field as much as possible.”
(You didn’t face Patriots QB Drake Maye in the first game against New England. He’s kind of defining who he is his first year. What do you see from him that’s not only – he’s not backing off running the ball obviously. What do you see from him?) – “The thing you see on tape is just he doesn’t lack confidence. He trusts his ability; he trusts his arm. And the thing with all these new crops of young quarterbacks is when plays break down, they have ability to create extended plays and run both outside of the pocket and down the field and then run to throw it, too, so we’ve got to be cognizant of that. Again, this is not me saying he’s Josh Allen, but you’ve kind of got to approach him like Josh Allen a little bit where you’re trying to funnel him certain directions and try to contain his rush ability as much as you can.”
(Yesterday when we were talking with RB De’Von Achane, he was describing how effective he’s been catching balls out of the backfield, and he expressed some surprise that defenses haven’t clamped down on that more than they have. I’m wondering from a defensive coordinator’s perspective, when a back comes out of the backfield and has that kind of space, is that more a product often of blown assignment or defense is focusing on the guys on the outside?) – “I think particularly when you’re talking about our offense, you devote so much attention to those guys on the outside and the speed they have. So what that requires you to do is obviously play with some air, and you’re willing to give up some of those underneath routes. Oftentimes that’s a check down at the back. When that check down is to a guy that runs a 4.3 or whatever De’Von (Achane) runs, then that’s problematic. So you’ve got to concede something, right? There is no perfect defensive call. There is no perfect defense, and if you’re facing the athletic skill set that we have on our offensive side of the ball, then usually that’s the one you’re going to give up.”
(Some recent struggles covering top tight ends. The Patriots are another team with a good one in Hunter Henry. Have you given any consideration to using CB Jalen Ramsey on tight ends especially maybe against a team that don’t have a top-ranked receiver on the outside?) – “Yeah, of course, of course. That was certainly discussed last week. I think where we fell short last week was when they had the change in coordinator, really they changed philosophically some of the things they were doing with him. So when those discussions came up, well, prior to the previous coordinator with (Luke) Getsy on third down in particular, Brock (Bowers) was chipping a lot. So the one thing you’d hate to do is you’d have Ramsey on Brock Bowers and he’s chipping and going to the flat or something like that. That changed. In game, you’d like to do some things, but there’s multiple pieces that have to move in order to make some of those changes, usually not just that easy. So we’re certainly accounting for Hunter Henry. We know the athlete he is. We’ve played against them. We feel comfortable with our matchups and we know that there’s a comfort level there with the Drake Maye kid and we have to account for that.”
(DT Benito Jones seemed to be a lot more of a factor in the pass rush last Sunday…) – “It’s funny you say that because early in the season, when we were having some of our run issues, I told Benito (Jones) like, ‘I don’t care if you get zero sacks on the season, I need you to grind these run blocks out.’ And now he’s turned into Warren Sapp all of a sudden. So I don’t know if he’s just not listening to me. (laughter) No, I joke around. But I think Benito, just like all of our guys, the challenge is just to get better weekly and I think that’s what you’re seeing out of him. There’s ability there to both impact the game in the run and the pass game, and it was pretty cool last week to kind of see those flashes. Now we’ve just got to turn it into actual sacks and not pressures.”
(LB Chop Robinson seems to be chopping up offensive tackles. The last two weeks he’s abusing some guys. What’s the difference for him?) – “It’s just reps and confidence, right? I think Coach (Ryan) Crow and Coach (Sean) Ryan are doing tremendous job with him and as well as just the players, too. I mean, he’s always talking to Calais (Campbell), Bradley Chubb, I’d see talking to him all the time. When Jaelan (Phillips) was out – with Jaelan back, Jaelan has been helping him, too. So there’s been a collective effort in trying to impart as much wisdom in a very short, short period of time with this kid. And to his credit, he’s just taking it all in and he’s going out and attacking that on the football field and I think you’re starting to see the residuals of all that now.”
(In terms of last year, you had opportunity to talk to a team about a head coaching opening. What did you learn from that experience and how did it help you to grow and to become the defensive coordinator that you are now?) – “I learned from that experience, one, that it was certainly nothing to be nervous about or have any anxiety about. Ultimately, I’m just going to be myself and whether or not they want me as their head coach, that’s up to them. In terms of how has it prepared me for this, I don’t necessarily know that it has. I am so entrenched in doing what’s necessary for the Miami Dolphins to win and whatever happens as a result of that, it happens. I’m not worried about it whatsoever. I just want to do right by these players and do everything we can try to make a run and try to find a way into the show.”
(I’ve got a pass rush question. Last week – I don’t know if I’m making too much of this – I thought I saw some really good pass rush, keeping the quarterback contained. I thought on LB Emmanuel Ogbah’s sack, he’s coming at the right tackle spot, DT Calais Campbell is at the left tackle spot, DT Zach Sieler is in the middle taking on a double team and then kind of LB Jordyn Brooks comes in and helps clean up; but am I seeing that right? Did you guys have a few rushes where you kind of bracketed people, the quarterback? And will that help with Patriots QB Drake Maye?) – “Our rush plan – who we charge Coach (Austin) Clark and Coach (Ryan) Crow and myself, it’s a collaborative effort week-in and week-out and how we want to attack just the space and what they’re trying to do from a protection standpoint and who the quarterback is. So when you have a guy like Drake Maye obviously who’s going to go through his progression and he’s going to be quick to run, we’re always trying to make sure that we can funnel him places he doesn’t necessarily want to go to. I think there’s times in the season where we’ve been successful in doing that. I think the second time we played the Bills, we were much better against Josh Allen than we were in Game 1. There were times I thought we fell short; I didn’t think we did a good enough job versus Kyler Murray. So it’s certainly a point of emphasis this week against this guy and who he is, but it’s certainly something we spend a lot of time working on.”
(Now that he’s been here for a week and not just a new arrival, are you anticipating using LB Tyrel Dodson on defense at all a bit or is the plan still to go with LB Jordyn Brooks and LB Anthony Walker Jr.?) – “I love ‘TD’ (Tyrel Dodson). I love what he brings to this defense and obviously, just the experience he has. Unfortunately, you can only play two, maybe three backers at a time, and I feel real confident in the guys we have out there playing right now. But if he’s called upon, the one thing I know is he’s ready. He’s ready to go in and he’ll play at a high level for us.”
(With LB Anthony Walker Jr., is it – there’s been a shift or change in this defense, I wouldn’t necessarily credit it all to him, but is it partly just a communication standpoint or the assignment that has helped you guys take that next level especially from a run stopping standpoint?) – “You think of ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.), even prior to the season, I think he was – him and David (Long), he was nipping at David’s heels the entire time. And then he got hurt in training camp and that kind of set him back a little bit. So I love that he’s out there. He’s a very calming influence on the defense and the guys around him, and from the Mike backer position, that is invaluable. He can help put out some fires that are sometimes created out there by guys that don’t necessarily know what to do in that particular moment. So I think that and obviously he’s played a bunch of meaningful snaps, like he instinctively knows what offenses are trying to do and how they’re trying to attack us. So his FBI (football intelligence) and obviously his overall just confidence in the defense and schematics just helps us all.”
(Does he ever ask you DC pointers to you as in his role with the high school?) – “Yeah, you know what’s funny is I talk to him obviously a lot about the Xs and Os. Jalen Ramsey is another guy who I think at one point whenever his time is done would like to coach high school football, so I talk a lot of Xs and Os with him, too. I love those guys just because the more you know about the game, you can start to figure out when you can take your chances because you know big picture what’s happening around you and how offenses are trying to attack. And it allows you to – if you can make one or two extra plays a game, I mean, that could be the difference between winning and losing.”
(That third quarter stop you guys made on the Raiders’ first possession, I’m wondering how big that was. It was 10-6, they had that field goal. Do you guys talk about that first possession and how big was that stop? Your offense goes down 97 yards and scores, how big was that stop?) – “Yeah, huge. We’ve talked every week about starting fast and finishing stronger. So whether that’s the beginning of the game, end of half, start of the second half, end of game; to me, all those times are critical points for an offense and for a defense. So it’s funny because all the time, it’s like, who’s starting, who’s starting, who’s starting? Like I don’t care who starts. Who’s finishing? That’s what I want to know. Who’s finishing plays, who’s finishing tackles, like that ultimately is what’s most important to me.”
Danny Crossman – November 21, 2024
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I’m always curious, it’s one of my favorite positions in football. How do you identify a good gunner?) – “Take the talent out of it, you need someone that is just tenacious – (that) would be the best word I would put on it. You can never be out of the play, and that’s what makes the great ones the great ones, where you may think you have them at the line of scrimmage, then they win down the field. You may think you’re OK at the line of scrimmage, you think you’re in good shape down the field, now all of a sudden that guy spins off and still finds a way to get involved in the tackle. No. 1, you’ve got to be a tenacious sun of a gun. If you have that, along with the talent because we’re saying the talent is what it is, but when you are never out of a play – that’s what when we look to evaluate guys and most importantly when we’re playing against guys and you see that, it could be a long day.”
(Is it toughness? Speed obviously is a prerequisite, is toughness a prerequisite?) – “Speed, transition from speed to power. You’re going to get people on you. It’s a little bit like rushing the passer. You got to have a counter. Now they are going to jump set you and take the outside away, what is your counter off of that? Your inside move, do you have a counter off of your inside move. Can you be flat, can you stem, can you stick? So there’s a lot of things and then you got to get into the hand play. It’s not an easy position to play and I’m glad you brought it up – it is hard. In most cases, you’re getting double teamed and it’s a hard way to make a living. The great ones affect the play even when they are double teamed.”
(How are you feeling currently about if and when LS Blake Ferguson could return?) – “Just playing the process of the National Football League. He’s going through his stuff which No. 1 is what has to get taken care of. We’ve got to make sure he’s where he needs to be and then worry about and get ready for the football part of it.”
(How has LB Channing Tindall done on special teams this season?) – “He’s actually done really well the last couple of games in particular. He had a couple of tackles in the Rams game on Monday night and then was in good shape last week. We had a little bit of a misfit on one of the kickoffs where we had a chance to get a little bit better field position for ourselves because Channing (Tindall) was in great shape, the guy made a good cut off of a little bit of a misfit outside of him. But happy with where Channing is right now.”
(I saw the Cowboys took a 64-yard field goal off the board. Obviously, there is some strategy and analytics behind that, but I feel like there was a time where that never would’ve happened. How have you seen that change and are you surprised a 64-yarder comes off the board or not in today’s game?) – “I going to back it up – the idea of kicking a 64-yarder not at the end of the half or the end of the game, 10 years ago that wasn’t even brought up. You wouldn’t even think about that. I think the combination of analytics, understanding the situation and making that part of that we’re going to need two scores. Let’s take it even though it’s a 64-yarder, which again is not a gimme. But any time you take points off the board in a two-score game, if it doesn’t play out right, it’s going to be a topic of conversation.”
(It’s kind of ironic right? Because teams are going for it on fourth down more than ever, even in field goal range and yet they are also trying extraordinarily long field goals. I don’t know how to align those two things.) – “When you look at the numbers, you’re exactly right. You’re gaining points, you’re giving away field position; you’re going for it on fourth down because you’re trying to get seven as opposed to three. There is a lot of different things that are going into those situations and those decisions. Every game is different, how the game is going – you look at the Steelers and Baltimore, you’re talking about a field goal, one-score game. Then you watch Baltimore a couple of weeks earlier they are in almost a 40-point shootout with somebody else. That in it of itself, you could have the same team and be playing two different games in terms of decision making, field position on fourth down, field goal, punt, even though you’re the same group based on the situation and how that game is progressing.”
(Brenden Schooler has gotten you guys a couple of times now in recent meetings. Is there some extra way to give him more attention or what can you do against him?) – “We give him plenty of attention, sometimes it’s not enough. And again, I always equate it to when you get really good players – everybody sort of looks at special teams different, but he’s a really good player. When you got really good players on offense and really good players on defense, even though there’s a lot of game planning involved around those players, great players still can find ways to make plays. You see it week in and week out. Last week, you play Maxx Crosby – he’s a great player. We got a lot of bodies on Maxx Crosby, but if Maxx Crosby comes out of that game with a sack and two tackles for loss, is anybody going to be surprised? No, because he’s a great player. So great players find a way even when you gameplan them to find ways to make plays.”
(It’s been a few weeks now obviously without WR Braxton Berrios, and I know things are fluid, but do you feel good about moving forward with WR Malik Washington on punt returns and RB Raheem Mostert and RB Jaylen Wright on kickoff returns?) – “Again, it’s always a weekly thing and we’ll play who’s available, what’s available, how the game’s going, but obviously, losing Braxton (Berrios) was big. He was really having a good year, was really off to a good start. So any time you lose a player with injury, you hate to see that, but we’re fortunate that we do have some guys that we feel strongly about and their abilities.”
(Two questions about your field goal block team; their first field goal, you guys have LB Quinton Bell, DB Elijah Campbell and CB Siran Neal on their left side. No. 74, it looked like Elijah was coming through and No. 74 stuck out his leg, should that have been a penalty?) – “That’s a hard call. There’s penalties – again, I’m just talking about my opinion and when you look around the league – there’s certain penalties I think that are easier to see for the officials and recognize. Sometimes those edge plays from some of the vantage points of where officials are stationed aren’t as easy to see. So when you go back and look at the tape, there’s always plays that you’re like, ‘that could have been,’ or ‘should have been.’ I always look at it, as we talked about in the past, I look at it both ways; whether it’s a penalty called on us, if I was the opposite team, would I expect the same call if they call something on them? Would I expect the same thing to be called if it was us? Those are hard decisions, and some of those plays are hard for those guys to see. There’s other ones that in my opinion that aren’t that hard and that they need to be 100% on.”
(The 22-yard field goal there at the five-yard line, you had DB Elijah Campbell and S Marcus Maye back off, CB Siran Neal and CB Cam Smith go straight in. Is that defending against the fake? I don’t think I had seen that this year.) – “It’s a call we have based on certain situations in the game. (laughter) I like your film study though.”
(On the play DT Calais Campbell came close to blocking the punt and got the penalty, is there a teaching point there or just bad luck?) – “There is. The angle of where you’re playing the ball, and it’s a great teaching point because the trajectory of a punt – here’s a great example of where the foot contacted the ball and where Calais (Campbell) was with his hands was a yard. So you got the launch point of the ball off the foot of the punter and a long, long-armed individual only a yard away in terms of where the hand is on a vertical plane and the ball clears the hand. You got to change that vertical plane to a flatter plane. So we always talk about ‘out, not up,’ you’re not going to block going up, you got to be out.”
(DT Calais Campbell went and talked to LB Duke Riley on the sideline after that, and that was…) – “Yeah, out not up.”
(Has DT Calais Campbell always been on punt teams this year?) – “Again, that’s one of our packages and one of the groups that we play in certain situations and have certain calls based on what’s going on in the game, so he has been a part of that.”
(Snapping on field goal attempts, it says here: “You cannot directly tackle the long snapper. While contact is not entirely prohibited, you cannot directly hit him, especially to the head or neck immediately after the snap because he is considered a defenseless player.” I feel like that happens all the time. Two parts: 1. Non-reviewable, right?) – “Correct.”
(OK, and 2. Are there times where it’s worth trying? Because it seems like it’s happened.) – “That’s a great point because you look around the league and it’s called sometimes, and that’s one to me that as big an emphasis that we put on player safety, that’s a spot and a position and a visual where that’s a call that needs to be 100%. Again, is it worth it? That’s one of those situations where if you get away with it and you win the game, it’s a good thing. My whole thing is always about what do we want to teach? What am I telling the players? What am I telling my bosses? We don’t want to teach something that is a foul because then when you get called, it’s a foul and there’s no complaining.”
(It’s 15 yards?) – “Yeah. You know what the situation is, you’re giving a first down or you’re giving another opportunity from closer. So what do you want to teach? As long as there’s uniformity in the calls and you know what you’re going to get and it’s around the league, it’s better for the players and obviously it’s better for us as teachers of what can we teach and what can we not teach. To me, you don’t want to teach and coach something that, i.e., you read the rule and then you’re saying, ‘This is illegal, why are we putting this in?’ And then when we get called for it, we have no leg to stand on for complaints.”
Mike McDaniel – November 20, 2024
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Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(The guys who are eligible to come back, will we see LB Cam Goode, LB Bradley Chubb or LS Blake Ferguson designated this week?) – “Do not think so, do not anticipate that.”
(With WR Tyreek Hill, I guess he told CBS that there was one specialist who recommended wrist surgery. Are you guys basically just leaving it to him for the rest of the season? He says he wants to keep playing and not have surgery until the offseason, if he has it at all.) – “We’re kind of approaching it as a collective knowing that his best interest is our best interest. So utilizing all the resources at hand, and it didn’t really put the burden on him exclusively, even though I think he knows whatever is best for him we view is the best for the team. I think utilizing each other and all the experts and having one common goal, which is him at his best and what’s the best way to do that and weighing the pros and cons, it was a lot to unpack so there was good conversation and trusting regard in opinions, et cetera. It was a healthy process.”
(You’ve made some personnel moves this season. TE Durham Smythe has lost snaps, RB Raheem Mostert has lost some carries, David Long lost his starting job. What was behind those? Were those strictly performance based or were you trying to send a message, particularly with David Long?) – “No, I think it’s been the same pattern each and every season in terms of one thing that I’m very upfront with with players, the second they get in the building, the second that we start talking about projected lineups or positions within a position group, I think it’s important that people understand you’re entitled to nothing in this world. Playing time is solved by players on the field, and the best players have to play, and that’s my job to follow through with that. I don’t look at someone lost something, I look at who earned the opportunities. It’s more about the players that are getting the opportunities and less about guys doing stuff to – I don’t trivialize each and every game, that’s so sacred, that’s very finite for each and every player and coach in terms of you only have so many opportunities and I don’t play around with those at all. It’s something that I think is important to players in general that not only for themselves, but teammates want the teammate next to them that best deserves that situation; it’s about them and it’s always fluctuating. I don’t stipulate, ‘All right, you’re this and because I said that, you will be that.’ Guys are very aware that I’m adjusting to them all the time, and when snap counts change, that means they change for then. Is that going to be the way it is moving forward forever and always, we’ll see how the players take advantage of their opportunities. I don’t believe in quote unquote to send a message at the expense of someone’s career, and quite frankly, everybody that roots for the Dolphins and is counting on me to make the hard decisions regardless of what the ifs ans or buts, you have to do what is best for the team and that’s the best players for that scenario being on the field together in that situation.”
(To clarify that, CB Storm Duck played over CB Cam Smith as CB Kendall Fuller’s replacement last week. Was that because CB Storm Duck outperformed CB Cam Smith in practice that week?) – “A little assignment related, matchup related that week, yes. There’s no crowning of – it wouldn’t be factual to say one of those guys is over the other. We’ll see what they do with the situation and the opportunity. It was very specific and that one is a great example. I’m really happy with, especially in the last month, the development of Cam (Smith). So it renders one to think that we might be down on him because Storm (Duck) played, (but) that was because what Storm was doing and the assignments and kind of our game plan for that particular opponent. Which I won’t give you the keys on that, but you can look at the types of defenses we were playing and we thought that against the Raiders, that Storm would be the best answer for that. It’s important the players know that; I don’t shy away from that because they have more control in their journey than they realize. A lot of times it can feel like, ‘OK, I’m on the outside looking in,’ or vice versa, ‘I’ve made it,’ and that’s a favor to nobody because that’s not real. Because tomorrow if Cam completely outplays Storm Duck and we feel comfortable with what we’re doing, he’ll absolutely play over Storm Duck and everybody is very aware of that. I think it’s very important to get the most out of people that they realize that it’s about what they’re doing in unison with what they’ve done, but what they’re doing and they get to dictate the terms at the present and moving forward.”
(I always wondered if a player is going to have a diminished role, say on Sunday, do you sit them down and tell them that in advance or do they figure it out by 2:30 p.m., 3 o’clock on Sunday?) – “You try to not to have surprises; nothing is perfect, but when you know, when you can anticipate maybe a reduced role, you absolutely have conversations that are direct led by the position coach. Sometimes that’s a follow up with me just depending on how drastic the role adjustment is. If you had been a starter and then you’re not going to start anymore, I’ll probably talk to you. If it’s a minor tweak, then the position coach usually handles it alone, but that’s for all the forecasted adjustments. Then there’s the in-game adjustments where I’m going into the game thinking there’s going to be a 60-40 split in play time and then the guy on the field is really going above and beyond his job responsibilities, playing really well, well then I’ll adjust and am very honest and clear about that. Sometimes guys are on the short end of the stick in that situation, but again no one is entitled to a thing. We’re not entitled to go out there and win based upon X, Y or Z, you have to go earn it. You’re not entitled to any position in the National Football League, and if you think you are, then you’re very delusional because these are very sought after positions, coaching and playing, and the competition is fierce so you better be up for the challenge or someone will be found to rise to the occasion.”
(I don’t think we’ve asked you about Drake Maye ever. This is a guy you might have to deal with for a decade plus. What did you see of him in evaluation coming out and what have you seen of him since he’s been on the field?) – “I saw a true quarterback who has the ability to gain the confidence of his teammates and lead and orchestrate an offense. I saw a guy that can make plays in a multitude of ways. I think the Patriots are kind of feeling that right now where he’s a guy that can see down the field, can play fearlessly in the pocket and make every throw with the arm strength to do it, but also is a very good athlete that has some juice and can make plays off schedule. I think that’s been a huge bonus to their offense as of late, had some explosive plays, whether he threw it outside the pocket or he scrambled outside the pocket. He’s a guy that you expect to continue to get better, and it’s always impressive when rookie quarterbacks make plays at the NFL level just because there’s a lot coming at them. They just learned the foreign language like a handful of months ago and are doing it in live action with guys that are trying to inflict pain on you. So I think it’s a credit to him and his preparation and the coaching staff as well.”
(How is CB Kendall Fuller doing? Would he be ready to practice this week or would he take a longer recovery?) – “Just got done talking to him on the bike, he was sweating on the bike a little bit. It’s hard to say. I would be pessimistic about this week, but we’ll see.”
(Regarding S Jordan Poyer, it seems like he’s struggled at times; Brock Bowers’ touchdown, it looked like he got caught up in some traffic then missed the tackle. How has his season been going do you think?) – “I think there’s some plays that ‘Po’ (Jordan Poyer) definitely has a higher expectation for himself. I think the play you just alluded to is a prime example. It’s a play that he could have made to stop the bleeding, however, there were some other extraneous circumstances when you’re talking about the traffic and how from a technique and fundamental standpoint, we could avoid that traffic issue with teammates. But there’s some absolute plays that he could be better at; I will say I’m very happy with his play overall and what he brings to our defense. I think it’s hard to measure when you’re not working day-in, day-out. For example – I’ve never asked him this directly, but there’s open locker rooms, you can ask him yourself, but I would imagine Jevón Holland would say he plays his absolute best when he’s alongside Jordan Poyer. I would forecast there’s multiple players that feel that way, so there’s a lot of things that aren’t point of attack that he’s really, really doing a high-level job of. He’s making plays for us from a physical standpoint each and every week and he’ll improve on the stuff because he’s a – there’s a reason he’s been in the NFL so long. I’m not sure if he was a seventh round or undrafted free agent, I just know that he wasn’t expected to make the team back in 2014 in Cleveland when I coached there and he was there. He’s had an unbelievable NFL career because he’s a great player that is very accountable and finds ways to improve within the season which I expect him to do as well.”
(Going back to the Patriots, I think you’re 4-1 against them as head coach. Kind of a two-part question, what has allowed for that to happen but also, what does that mean for this week? How do you not let that be a false indicator of success going forward?) – “I’ll answer the latter first, it mean’s nothing for this week and I think that’s important in either scenario of matchups; those are different teams, those are different times of the year. It’s the NFL, and are you ready to play and does the collective group have mastered the plan to go attack? I think the biggest set up in the National Football League is praise or overindulgence into stats of former teams. It is the Miami Dolphins versus the New England Patriots on Sunday; first time that we’ve played against this quarterback, first time that we played this season on the heels of a two-game winning streak. What does that look like? How do we play that way? It’s all about this game, and trying to – football and the sport it is, shoot, what shape is a football? It’s the shape of a football, right? I don’t even know what shape that is.”
(Oblong.) – “Right, which is more of a description. That’s not necessarily, ‘oblong.’ Anyway, the ball bounces weird ways. (laughter) It’s unpredictive in that way and you have to embrace that by just being prepared, know that you’re going to get a team that in the middle of the season, when you have this much left, it doesn’t matter what people’s records are. If you’ve been losing more than you’ve been winning, it’s miserable – we can attest. And so you try to do everything in your power just to win. There’s a lot of season left and you’re trying to, for one week, get that winning feeling back so the world feels right. That’s a dangerous competitor in any fashion and the team that I watch on tape plays hard, and so it would be pretty dumb to expect anything less.”
(I know you’ve been asked this a couple times the last couple weeks, but what has DT Calais Campbell brought to the defensive line? To the defense? To the whole team? And has he been even better on the field than you anticipated when he signed?) – “I think he means a great deal to not only the defensive line room, but the entire defense as well as the entire team. It’s rare for a guy to get here when he did, and then be voted, with such conviction, captain. I think the way that he operates to be a pro, I think has had a substantial impact on a lot of players that hadn’t been fortunate enough to be around someone with sustained success like he’s had. We played high school football against each other.”
(Really?) – “Yeah. So he’s longer in the tooth – tape. I mean there’s nothing – man, it is so cool to watch people put film out there that is the antithesis of what people would expect. You’d expect a player every year to get to lose a little something, and he’s channeled the fountain of youth that – you can put his tape this year against three years ago. How does that occur? In no way shape or form does any of that happen without extreme commitment and hard work, and you talk about a guy that comes to work every day and demands juice from his teammates. You can’t go through the motions around him; first of all, he’ll call you out, but then second of all, you’d feel too guilty. So he’s a very powerful piece to our team and a guy that – it’s been my pleasure to coach him and be around him and we’re certainly glad we have him.”
(How many games did you guys play against each other?) – “One, and I’m here so he didn’t tackle me. I have a rib cage still, so he didn’t tackle me. (laughter) But yeah, he was such a big deal because this – I must have heard about him in 1998 at first. We were in high school, but there was this guy getting a bunch of buzz – I think he was two years younger than me, and he was getting offers from ‘The U’ (University of Miami), which was like, ‘What?’ This was right before the assembly of that team that grew into the – Colorado football generally, outside of Christian McCaffery, doesn’t really have that going on, so he was giant in the state of Colorado, for sure, and he’s giant in the National Football League. A giant man, both in presence in and in size.”
(You laid a big block on him that game though, right?) – “No, I stayed away from him. I was trying to coach here 20 years later. (laughter) And I couldn’t do that if I was dead.”
