Ted Karras – November 2, 2020
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Monday, November 2, 2020
C Ted Karras
(In terms of the performance that you guys had against the Rams, do you think that silenced a lot of people who thought you guys weren’t prepared to handle Rams DT Aaron Donald?) – “There’s a lot to work on on offense. It was definitely not our best performance, but we didn’t let them wreck the game. We did enough to win, but our defense and special teams kind of bailed us out. We have to put more onus as an o-line and as an offensive unit to be more productive than we were yesterday.”
(I’m wondering, after a few home games in front of the crowd such as they are; what your thoughts are about home-field advantage and how it has changed this year with sort of crowds we are dealing with or lack of crowds altogether?) – “Yeah, I love the crowd at home. Obviously the crowd, fans in the stands and a little bit of heat is definitely an advantage for us. My family really enjoys the limited capacity – the seats for our family members have been fantastic – so there’s been a lot of positives for that, but as we get down the stretch, if we want to open it up and really have a full stadium in there for some of these big games coming up, that wouldn’t be bad either – it might be bad. (laughter)”
(You talked about needing to be more productive. There was no drive yesterday that lasted more than six plays and no drive that really lasted more than 33 yards, I believe. What wasn’t working for you guys offensively and how can you guys improve?) – “I think it was we’re still learning and trying to get a rhythm with what we’re doing. It was one of the weirder games that I’ve been a part of. Our defense played outstanding and Jakeem’s big punt return was a huge plus. We didn’t run many plays, we didn’t make a lot of first downs, and I had plays that I wish I could have back. I felt like it wasn’t my best performance. I think everyone up front feels that way on offense. So we’ll get back to work Wednesday and we’ve got a big challenge going out to Arizona on Sunday.”
(Non-football question for you. We were just talking about Head Coach Brian Flores about this a few minutes ago. Tomorrow is a big day for the country. How do you feel about politics? Do you talk politics with teammates or is that something you absolutely stay away from?) – “I don’t absolutely stay away from – I would stay away from it with you guys, (laughter) but with my teammates, we have good discussions. I’ll be voting in Broward County tomorrow. I’m excited – a little nervous – going on voting day, but I think it’s a big day for the future of our country.”
(I was wondering if you could give us a peer assessment on QB Tua Tagovailoa and then also obviously that first drive didn’t go as anyone would’ve planned, but a few drives later, what that meant you think for him to throw that touchdown there and also a few good plays on that drive.) – “Yeah, (Tua Tagovailoa) battled it out all game. Obviously yeah, that first drive was tough. As an o-line – we talked today – we have to do way more to help him be comfortable and get in a rhythm. We did enough to win. (He is) 1-0 as a starting QB and that’s all that matters.”
(I’ve got two questions, if that’s all right. And if not, then you only have to answer one if you want to. The first one was a follow-up on QB Tua Tagovailoa. Was he feeling some nerves there at the beginning? Some anxiousness? And two, the pass pro has been actually good, but the run blocking has left a little to be desired. Why do you think there is such a disparity, discrepancy between what you guys are doing in pass protection and run blocking?) – “The first question – I thought he handled himself like a true professional. I’m anxious and nervous before every game as well. This is a high-stakes league with guys that’ll make you look bad if you let them. And the second one – we take a lot of pride in both pass and run blocking. It’s kind of just been everyone taking a turn in some of the run schemes – missing or not finishing enough – and we have to come back and get to work and do a lot better in that department, and that’s something that we’re going to be focusing on all week.”
(I was sort of piggybacking on what the previous question was addressing in terms of the run blocking. Do you feel like – and I’ve asked you this question before – do you feel like you guys have established or identified what’s the best run identity for you guys?) – “Not yesterday we didn’t, but I think we’re getting there. We’ve had some games, but we need to be more consistent. We need to have a consistent rushing attack and be a well-balanced offense, especially with a young quarterback back there. That’s a luxury that we want to give him, and as an o-lineman throughout our careers, you want to be a good run blocker and you want to get your backs over 100 yards and that usually – if you can rush 20-25 times a game and have a good 4.0 yard average, usually you’re going to win the game, so that’s what we’re striving for.”
(Every game has its own plan and for this most recent game, I’m guessing because it was QB Tua Tagovailoa’s first-ever start, and because the Rams have a very strong pass rush, that the plan was to try to run the ball and have a lot of short passing. If that wasn’t the plan, it would be surprising to me based on what I saw. How much do you think the plan can be expanded as the season moves forward?) – “I think we can have options to do whatever we want. We’ve got to find how we’re going to click now with a new offensive rhythm and keep moving forward. A lot of it is like I said earlier, we’ve got to finish blocks better. I had a few that I wasn’t pleased with myself and I know a lot of other guys are, too. It takes 11 guys on offense doing their job every play, and we’ve just got to finish better and keep grinding. (We are) 4-3 going to the desert – I’m very excited so we’re looking forward to it.”
