Josh Boyer – September 14, 2021
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Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(I wanted to ask you about the fumble production you guys got in the game and particularly the defensive backs. Three of the four forced fumbles came from defensive backs. I was just wondering if there was a coaching point or something you could tell us about how Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and Cornerbacks Coach Charles Burks kind of get those guys coached up to get so many balls on the turf?) – “Well, I would say it’s one of those things that we work with all of our guys as a group. We start practice every day with the tackling/turnover circuit. The unique thing about that is all of our coaches coach all of our players. As we go through the circuit, which I’m sure you guys have seen out at practice, it could be a number of guys that are coaching different techniques. Obviously it’s something that we believe in very strongly. Our players believe in it. They work at it tremendously hard. We were able to see some production from that on Sunday.”
(I wanted to ask – obviously the Patriots started the game with a 35-yard run. Not how you wanted to start, and they had some success running the ball. When you look at the film, what stood out to you in terms of some of the success they had on the ground?) – “I would say the thing with the New England game is obviously we can coach it better. We can put the players in better spots. We could do better at our fundamentals and techniques. There were some good things out there and then there were some things that we need to improve. I would say the most important thing is that we’ve kind of turned the page on that game and we’ve moved our focus to Buffalo. It was good to get a win but one win isn’t going to get you anything in this league.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Jaelan Phillips. He was in on only 22 plays the other day and I know he was limited throughout training camp. Given that he came into the draft recognized as such an outstanding pass rusher, was there thought given toward letting him focus on that to start his NFL career, and then gradually working the coverage skills, just to kind of let him show his skills right off the bat?) – “I think with all players, you expose them to a variety of different things and then ideally what you’d like to do is you’d like to utilize their talents to what they do best within the scheme or the structure of what we’re trying to do, given our game plan. Again, I thought Jaelan did some good things out there. I thought there were some things, like all of us, that we can improve. We’ve kind of put all of that stuff behind us and we’re full steam on Buffalo.”
(Speaking of Buffalo, from what you took away from that Steelers game, what was it that Pittsburgh did so well to stifle a Buffalo offense that was second in the NFL last year in passing yards and total yards and scoring?) – “I think one thing to take into consideration when you’re looking at Buffalo is they’re very much a game plan oriented offense. One week they could look different from the next. They’re going to attack what they perceive to be your weaknesses. In a given week, their game plans can look different and varied. Obviously they’re a very talented group. They’re very well coached. Brian Daboll is one of the best coordinators in the league. I would expect that we’ll see some different stuff than they showed in the Pittsburgh game. Obviously Pittsburgh, those guys defensively, they played well, they tackled well and they made plays when they needed to. But again, I would say each game with Buffalo is a very unique thing in and of itself.”
(I know we don’t like to look into the past too much but in the season finale game against Buffalo, it kind of stands out because you guys didn’t look like that at all last season. What were the lessons that you took that game that maybe you carried over to the offseason in terms of things that you needed to improve on? And how has that game sort of altered your approach?) – “I’d say this is 21 years of coaching for me and not all of them have gone exactly the way that you want them to go. I think your approach and the things that we believe in – fundamentals, techniques, taking it one play at a time – I don’t think that changes. I don’t think one game changes that. Obviously in some games, things go your way; in some games, they don’t. I think our approach is put the players in the best position to succeed and work hard to make sure that we’re doing that; and really focus on our fundamentals and our techniques, playing one good play at a time and doing it for 60 minutes because wins are very hard to come by in this league and we’re going to have to be at our best for an entire game. That’s kind of – the approach doesn’t really change. Hopefully that answers your question.”
(I think looking at Buffalo’s team, you can’t really look around QB Josh Allen and his ability to kind of be a dual-threat. I’m curious, teaching point wise, how do you try to teach your guys to defend both his legs and arm?) – “I think we’ve got to play good assignment football. Guys that are assigned to play the pass need to play the pass. The guys that are assigned to play the run or the quarterback scramble, they need to be able to play that. Obviously he does a good job when he’s running the ball and he does do a good job when he’s on the move of looking downfield and making plays there. He’s got guys that get open when he extends plays. It’s very challenging. I would say I go back to Brian Daboll and he puts them in very good schemes to make it very difficult to defend.”
(A philosophy question: the QB spy, some teams use it more depending on the style of quarterback and whatnot. What’s your thought on that style and when you decide to use it and when you don’t?) – “I think there’s a time and a place for everything. The game has been around for a long time. I think we’ve kind of seen it all and things go full cycle and I think you just pick out what you feel is best for the group that you have against the group that you’re going against. Without kind of saying too much on that, I think it really comes down to personnel, what they do, what we have and what we can do. I think there’s a number of different options that you have on that. Honestly, it really goes back to you’re just trying to put your players in the best position to succeed.”
(I know you guys had five cornerbacks active against the Patriots and obviously CB Noah Igbinoghene was a healthy scratch. I know you would say you’re probably just putting the best guys out there, but what does Noah need to show you in practice or wherever it may be for you to be comfortable having him active on game days and on the field?) – “Well, there are a lot of things that go into the decisions of who is active on game day. It’s not just the defense. There’s a kicking game element involved. Then obviously that’s ‘Flo’s (Brian Flores) job (from a) roster management (perspective) to let us know who we have available. I think Noah is working hard to get better. He had a good week of practice last week. Whether you guys see guys out on the field or not, the thing is always the same for us, we’re always trying to get players to be the best versions of themselves. Some weeks, players will be highlighted. They may have bigger roles than what they have in the following week, because we could be a little bit different week to week. He’s working hard. We’re happy with that and hopefully it continues and when guys get their opportunities, hopefully they’ll make the most of them.”
(Your thoughts on how DT John Jenkins held up playing more snaps with DT Raekwon Davis going down?) – “Like all of us, I think there were some good things out there and I think there were some things we could get a little bit better at. I thought John went in and did a good job. He’s a solid veteran for us. He gives us good leadership. I thought he played physical. I thought all of our guys played physical and they played hard. I think it’s my job to make sure we’re doing a better job of putting these guys in better situations so they can have success out there because I think all of those guys, they played hard and did a good job.”
(Considering QB Josh Allen’s success against man coverage last season, how critical will it be for you Sunday to throw different looks at him? More than just man coverage, but to mix in zone. I guess a follow up from that, is he the kind of guy that it doesn’t really matter how many different looks you throw at him, he’s just going to make a play? He’s just going to make plays throughout the game?) – “I think Josh Allen is a very good quarterback in this league. I think their offensive staff has done a great job with him. You can see his progression over the years and I would say Josh Allen plays the quarterback position as good as anybody. He does a really good job for them. He can read defenses. He makes good decisions. He’s got a strong arm. He can make all of the throws. I think what you try to do is what we try to do every week. You try to put pressure on the offensive line. You try to put pressure on the quarterback and obviously you don’t want to sit in the same thing over and over again because that will make it a little easy for him; but you also want to put your players in a good position to succeed. I think there is a variety of things that people have tried to do to him. He’s seen it all. He’s seen it all over the last handful of years and he’s obviously done a great job with that. We’ve got a big challenge in front of us this week.”
(Have you watched the tape of the season finale, the Buffalo game, at all since the week after it happened, over the last eight months? Will you and your players watch any of that this week?) – “Yeah, I’ve seen it several times. I’ve watched it quite a bit. You try to take as much as you can from each film that you watch. I think that’s just part of preparation. You like to study players, schemes, calls, all of those things that go into it as we’re game-planning and prepping this week. It’s definitely something that we look at.”
(Following up on a previous question, they scored 56 on your defense, which I’m sure you’re not used to at all. If you could change one thing for this upcoming game from that last go-around against Buffalo, what would that be?) – “That’s a good question. If I could change one thing – I just hope that I’m going to work a little bit harder, a little bit better, put the guys in better positions. You can play the what-if game all you want. You just try to study things and do what we believe in and try to put a sound game plan that the players can execute, and then really just take it one play at a time. I don’t know – living in the past, one way or the other, I’ve been a part of championship teams, I’ve been a part of losses. At the end of the day, none of those mean anything this Sunday. What means something is our preparation, our work going into the week to put ourselves in the best position to succeed.”
