Brian Flores – August 13, 2019
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Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw QB Josh Rosen getting some reps with guys like WR Kenny Stills, WR DeVante Parker, WR Isaiah Ford, TE Mike Gesicki. What did you see from him in those settings today?) – “I thought he practiced okay. From the naked eye, I think he has to do a better job getting guys in and out of the huddle, his communication, body language. There were some plays there he didn’t like and we just have to move onto the next play. That’s the case for him and all the quarterbacks; but I think at that position, that’s something that’s part of the evaluation as well. But he got in there with some of those other guys and I thought he did an okay job.”
(Body language is interesting. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you want to see?) – “I think it’s something that – I’m looking for good body language out of everybody. We’re going to have bad plays and we’ve got to move onto the next one, period. That’s players, coaches, that’s everybody. At the quarterback positon, they’re all looking at you. I think that’s something that they have to be conscious of. I talked to him about that, I talked to all of the quarterbacks about that, as well as the leaders on the team. They’re looking to you as a leader. I think that’s an important piece of this that people don’t talk about very much, but I think it’s very important.”
(How do you think your team responded to the intensity and physicality of today’s practice?) – “I thought they were fine on that part. I thought from a conditioning standpoint, from a physicality standpoint, that was fine. From an execution standpoint, there was some that was good and some that wasn’t so good. I think you’ll find that really at any practice. It’s good to work with the Bucs today. Bruce (Arians) and his staff, they do a great job. They have a lot of good players on this team. It’s a good opportunity for us to work against a new team, a new unit, a new scheme and not the same things we’ve been seeing throughout training camp. It’s good. It’s really good. New coverages, new fronts, new everything. It’s a good learning opportunity for us and you have to make adjustments on the fly. I think you need that. We need that as a team. That’s what games are like at times. We’ll learn a lot from the tape today.”
(We also saw WR Preston Williams in with that first group of receivers. What went into that decision and what are some things you’re seeing from him?) – “I think we work guys in different groups, really, on a daily basis. I feel like this is something we talk about every day. This guy worked with this group, this guy worked with that group. I think we’re starting to find that we mix it up a good amount. Preston worked with the first team, he worked with the second team, worked with the young guns group. We’re just trying to get him as many reps as possible so he can really learn through those experiences and I think the more experiences he has with whatever group it is, the better for him.”
(Is WR Preston Williams a guy you can see playing special teams and give you an impact on that?) – “I think he can definitely do that. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s tough, he’s physical. We talked about finding some roles for him in the kicking game and I think he can certainly help us there.”
(This young guns group, what’s your vision for them?) – “I think it’s an opportunity for them to develop, for them to get in there, get plays, get those experiences. When you’re a young player in this league in training camp, your opportunities, you don’t get very many of them. We’re working a lot of guys and so we just try to take a period there where we’re working that group and they’re getting those reps that they need to develop. Ultimately that’s what this is about. We’re trying to develop young players, give them an opportunity to show what they can do. If they do a good job with those reps, we’ll give them more.”
(I couldn’t help but see and hear Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo at times. How would you describe his personality and approach?) – “He’s a fiery, high-energy coach. I think we have a lot of coaches on this staff with that temperament. He, like myself, gets worked up at times. I think we all do for good and bad plays. That’s a good thing. We’re trying to stay on them, on the players. We try to help them improve and get better. Really, that’s on a play-to-play basis. I love hearing ‘Guge’ out there coaching his guys. I think we have a staff full of guys who coach play after play after play. That’s what those players need. We’ll go back in, watch the film and coach them some more. We’ll try to get the most out of each player that we can.”
(It’s been reported in that past that DT Robert Nkemdiche might not be ready for the start of the season. Is that your hope is that he’s ready for the start of the season?) – “Rob is doing everything he can to get back and better as quickly as he can. We’ve got a plan in place for him. He’s working and he’ll be back as soon as he can.”
(What happened to DE Jonathan Woodard?) – “He was waived/injured.”
(You don’t want to tell us when DE Jonathan Woodard got hurt or what his injury is?) – “(laughter) The injury report comes out in September.”
(Do you anticipate the same plan in this preseason game with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick starting?) – “That’s something we’re talking about. Right now, yes. That’s kind of the thought process, but that can change right after we walk out of here. I think that’s a fluid situation there. I think both guys are doing well. It’s fluid. That’s something that’s in discussion now. We’ll make that choice here in the next couple days.”
(We saw a little bit of WR Albert Wilson out there today. How is he in his progression and have you been happy with how he’s gone about his injury recovery?) – “I think the progression has been good. He’s working extremely hard. We’ve got a plan for him to increase the reps for him on a day-to-day basis. We saw a little bit more of him today. Hopefully we see a little bit more tomorrow. As we go through training camp, hopefully we see even more of him. He’s a good player.”
(Is Week 1 a realistic goal for WR Albert Wilson to be 100 percent?) – “It’s hard to say. I think, for him, he’s trying to – He’s doing everything he can so he can be ready sooner than that. We’ll see. If he is, then we’ll try to get him out there, because he’s going to need some reps as well, game action. It’s been a while since he’s been out there.”
(What, if anything, can you tell us on RB Kenyan Drake? We saw him leave practice today.) – “That happened early. I got a quick note on that. I was just told he had to leave practice. We’ll find out a little bit more about it. Hopefully it’s not too serious. Hopefully he’s back out there tomorrow.”
(How do you feel your o-line held up today?) – “I think that’s something we need some improvement on. I thought that was evident. I think (Tampa Bay Defensive Coordinator) Todd (Bowles) does a good job defensively. He’s got a myriad of schemes. That’s what we’re going to have to deal with. I think we could’ve done a better job there and I think that’s good. We need to see that. It’s better for that to happen in a practice setting. We learn from it and make the corrections and hopefully that’s better in a game. I think that’s part of the learning process here.”
(With the two rookies that are in that lineup – G Michael Deiter and G Shaq Calhoun – is there – patience might not be the right word – but understanding that there will be some growing pains and let them grow through those?) – “I think every experience they have is a good one. Every time they see over, under, diamond, odd, double mug, mug in the b-gaps – every time they see that, it’s a good experience for them and one that they can hopefully learn from and then the next time that it comes up, they know how to handle it. I think these situations for those guys, specifically the young guys, but really the entire line working as a group, this is good.”
(It looked like DE Jonathan Ledbetter and DE Dewayne Hendrix did a couple of good things in the first game. Can you give us a little bit on each of those guys and what you think their strengths might be?) – “I think Ledbetter, he’s big, he’s physical, he’s tough, does a good job in the run game, uses his hands well, does a good job defeating blocks. Hendrix, I think he’s got good strength, (a) good first step. From a pass rush standpoint, he needs to play with a little bit more consistent – They both need to play with more consistency. They both flash some good things. I think if you’re in this league, you have the potential to at least flash. What it boils down to is can you do those things consistently? From a conditioning standpoint, from an effort standpoint, from a communication standpoint, from a tackling standpoint, how consistent can you be? That’s a hard thing for a rookie. As a rookie, if you think your one good play is the one that you’re going to hold onto, then it’s our job as coaches to let you know that’s not the case. Those guys have to show up every day. They have to work every day. They have to get better every day. They’ve been told that; but they are improving. That’s a good thing.”
(You signed DT Robert Nkemdiche. There’s a rumor out there linking you to another d-end out there. How would you assess your defensive end positon right now?) – “Right now we’re working a few guys – Charles Harris, Tank (Carradine), (Dewayne) Hendrix, (Nate) Orchard. We’ve got a few guys there we’re working. I think those guys are working hard and doing a good job. We’ll continue to work those guys. Obviously, they need to improve. We all need to improve. We need to improve at each position and hopefully we continue to get better.”
(I noticed at least one interception by CB Xavien Howard today. Do you anticipate or do you think teams will start throwing away from him? Can quarterbacks avoid him?) – “It’s hard to say what other teams are going to do. You never know. If they feel like they’ve got a good matchup, maybe they’ll go after it. If they don’t, then maybe they’ll throw – It’s hard to say. I think within a play, sometimes there are guys who don’t know where he is. You’d hope they would; I hope our guys would, that’s for sure. He’s a good player. He’s had a good camp. He works hard. This is important to him, very important to him. Every day from a practice standpoint, from a game standpoint, from a walkthrough standpoint, he wants to be a good player. He’s working towards that. You see some of the fruits of that labor on the field a little bit today. It’s not perfect, but I think he’s a hardworking kid and I think he’s doing a good job.”
