Adam Gase – September 12, 2018 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with N.Y. Jets Media
(You look at what the Jets were able to do on Monday night, what kind of challenge do you think it’s going to be for you coming into their home opener on Sunday?) – “Obviously, all three phases did a great job. That poses a tough challenge for us. Really, almost every time we play these guys, I think we’ve only had a couple games where one side dominated the other. Two of the games have been tight and competitive and very physical. Early in the season, I’d bet on a tough, physical game.”
(What are your initial impressions of what you saw from Jets QB Sam Darnold the other night?) – “I thought he did a good job. I thought (Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach) Jeremy (Bates) did a good job of calling the game. He put him in great position. Guys were springing free; guys were where they’re supposed to be. That’s a rookie quarterback’s best friend right there where you get to (progression) number one and he’s open and you’re able to make a good throw. They did a good job (with) the run-pass ratio, all of those type of things. They really did a good job of helping him be in a good position and then allowing him to just keep gaining confidence. When you do that for a rookie quarterback, he’s only going to keep … He’ll keep getting better from there.”
(What did you see from the defense. Obviously, forcing five turnovers off a quarterback like Lions QB Matthew Stafford, what went into those turnovers?) – “When you’ve got a defense that plays as fast as they do, as physical as they do, they create pressure on the quarterback. It might not always be about sacks; it’s really about pass disruption. And when you make the quarterback throw the ball earlier or get them to where he’s off-balance and he tries to force the throw where his feet aren’t set, that’s when turnovers occur. That’s what these guys do. They create a lot more pressure than what anybody really realizes, because everybody always just wants to look at sacks and it’s not always about that. It’s about how many times you’re hitting the quarterback, how many times are you creating pressure, how many times are you making him move out of the pocket. They basically did that the entire game.”
(Do you see a significant amount more of team speed out of the Jets than you recall previously?) – “It felt like they were pretty fast last year when we played them and I know they were young. There were a lot of rookies that – if I remember correctly – were playing. I think we got them when our turf was a little soft. That might’ve slowed them down a little bit; but when we played up there, those guys were flying around making plays, causing chaos. I feel like you see that on film and now it’s more experience. One season for an NFL player, that feels like five, because when you see all the things you see week in and week out, if you’re a learner, you gain experience quickly. This group, these guys, they understand what Todd (Bowles) is asking them to do. Those guys are executing and they’re playing fast.”
(Speaking of that, specifically on S Jamal Adams, he seems to fit into what you just talked about a little bit there. He was a rookie last year. Can you see a jump in what you see in him from last year to this year?) – “Well, he was good last year. He was tough from the first time we played him. I think we got him in their third game. When we saw him the second time, he was causing us all kinds of problems. You can see it on tape. When they bring him off the edge, he is physical, he’s aggressive, he’s really good in coverage, he gets his hands on anybody that he has to go against in the passing game, he’s in the right spots in the zone coverages. You can see where this guy is headed as far as long-term career, to where he’s going to be one of those guys we’re going to be talking about for a long time. He’s an impressive guy to watch; he’s a fun guy to watch. He’s a tough guy to play against, but that’s one of the main reasons why a whole bunch of people wanted him coming out of the draft.”
(How much of a handle can you get on your team coming off that game just because the game flow was so disruptive and unusual?) – “The way I look at it is the positive was our guys did a good job of staying engaged. There was quite a bit of down time. That was a long day. We get there at 9:30 (a.m.) and leave around 9 (p.m.). There was a lot of sitting around. I thought guys did a good job of focusing and really staying engaged in what we were trying to accomplish. When things didn’t go well, guys weren’t going into the tank. It was just, ‘Alright, what’s the next series? How do we correct it?’ There was that … Really the progression you’re always looking for within a game to where you’re not getting hung up on what just happened. You’re trying to figure out what’s going to be next and how are we going to make sure that we do it right.”
(Do you think another one of your guys, WR Kenny Stills – obviously had a decent game statistically and I know you said you wanted to get him more involved in maybe shorter, intermediate stuff moving forward – but did you see this potential in him a year ago?) – “Yes. He has always been one of our stronger players. He’s probably been our most consistent receiver we’ve had over the last three seasons since I’ve been here. He’s a tough guy to defend because he plays all the different spots. He could be in the slot, he could be number three in three receiver sets, he could be outside. He has a large route tree and it’s really about do we have the amount of plays within a game that he gets an opportunity to do a lot of different routes. Sometimes there are situation predication in that. Everything that we’ve asked him to do, he’s executed at a very high level. He’s been one of the guys that’s been very impactful for us.”
(Are you at least a little bit surprised that RB Frank Gore is still a productive player at his age given his position?) – “No. Never bet against Frank. Never bet against that guy. I learned that a long time ago.”
(He’s highly unusual though given that running backs typically fall off the cliff at 30, 31 and he’s what, 35 now?) – “He’s not normal. He’s different. He’s built different. He’s mentally built different. He’s a special person. He’s a special player. If you watched him work day in and day out, it would make sense.”
(What do you like about WR Quincy Enunwa. He’s a guy that can do a lot of different things on the field. He’s obviously a very diverse player; but as an opponent, what do you think of him when you try to game plan for him?) – “When you’re dealing with multiple guys within an offense, and I know a lot of people outside – you guys know, because you cover these guys every day – but when we’re in the division, we’re aware of who we’re going against and guys that cause us problems and that’s where we have to do a good job of using what we’ve talked about to defend these guys. We feel like they have multiple weapons that can cause us problems and he’s one of the big ones to where mismatches can be created there. We have to understand where he is and what we’re doing and how we’re defending him and other guys. That’s where our weekly preparation comes in and our guys understanding what we’re trying to accomplish in that game.”
(How challenging is it to have … I know you got an opportunity to see this scheme twice last year in the division with Buffalo, but how challenging is it defending the zone-blocking run game?) – “That’s something that we also do it. I’ve actually worked with ‘Rico’ (Jets Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Rick Dennison) before in Denver. So, I’ve had my tutorial on that over time. When you do it right and you have guys that are 100 percent in, believe in it, and players believe in it, that’s when it’s really good. When you have a back that understands what’s trying to be accomplished and he sticks his foot in the ground and he knows when to get vertical and knows when to stay with it and have a chance for the edge, that’s where you start seeing those explosive plays. We went through it a couple years ago. We were having a lot of success with it and it was almost a feast or famine type deal for us where it would be either 20 (yards) or minus-5. The good ones I’ve been around, it’s really – and ‘Rico’ has experienced this – to where he doesn’t have the negative yardage. That’s when you know you’re really rolling when it’s at least positive yardage but then you start really gashing a team and creating explosive plays in the run game. It just opens up so much more in the passing game as well, because now all of a sudden you’re using the outside zone fakes and all the linebackers are up at the line and you’re getting easy, layup passes, and especially when you have a young quarterback, that’s what you’re looking for.”
