Mike McDaniel – October 9, 2023
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Monday, October 9, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Our readers have expressed concern about RB De’Von Achane’s ankle. Did he emerge yesterday with any sort of ankle issue?) – “Oh no. He’s kind of dealing with – it’s more his knee. And we’re evaluating it, but more information as it goes.”
(Do you think he’ll be questionable for Sunday?) – “I’m not really thinking anything so much right now. He’s still in the process of getting evaluated, so it’s to be determined.”
(Is RB Jeff Wilson Jr. getting designated to return?) – “That’s something that we were planning on visiting once we got the entirety of the medical evaluations that come through in the latter half of today and some tomorrow. Our plan is to revisit that regardless, which was our plan going into it. We’ll talk about it probably tomorrow.”
(You’re 4-1 for the first time since 2003. How do you prepare for a team that’s seeking their first win of the season?) – “Well, I think it’s pretty obvious. You just said it, maybe accidentally. But teams that that have been losing for a while, have a lot to play for if nothing else. Having gone through a losing streak ourselves just last year on a couple occasions, you know how hungry you are for a win. And it’s a talented team. The objective that we’re really as a locker room starting to identify, starting to understand, is it’s about our game and nothing else. So if you’re the type of team you want to be, it doesn’t go up or down depending on whatever the record of anybody is. That team is coming to play. And we’re worried about our game and making sure that we continually improve. So if we’re trying to be that type of team, that’s the way you approach it. And that’s why there’s no such thing as a trap game. It’s 1/17th of the season and that definitely factors into the equation at the end of the year. So they’ll be geeked up like most teams are in the National Football League, and we’ll have to bring forth our best game not only to try and win the game, like you do every week, but for our bigger picture goals of trying to get better week in and week out. We can’t afford to take a step back. So I know that guys look forward to any time we get to play in front of the Hard Rock (Stadium) fans. It’s awesome. I think we’ll have plenty of things to play for because the season has just begun and really records are semi-irrelevant at this point.”
(I wanted to ask one more about RB De’Von Achane. Did you know what happened when he got hurt? He was out for a bit but then he came back.) – “No. There was, like I said, something that we’re treating that we’ll get more information on. But he was in and out of the game, standard rotation at the end of it like normal. He thought that he might have something but he’s such a tough kid that it was kind of tough to read. So we need to evaluate more, and that’s what we’re doing today.”
(One last thing on that. But to just to allay fans concerns, do you at least know that it’s not something that would sideline RB De’Von Achane for the season? Or is that still unknown?) – “When I don’t know, I literally don’t spend anytime forecasting either way. That’s all this is just because we’re getting more information. But I find it trivial to even forecast until you get all the information. So I really don’t know.”
(Is RB De’Von Achane undergoing a MRI today or anything like that?) – “Yeah, I mean there’s various things that he is undergoing. Handshakes as well. High fives. I think from all accounts, had a good breakfast and lunch. But we’re just evaluating it. That is part of the process.”
(There’s a formation that I noticed you guys used the past couple games with RB De’Von Achane, RB Raheem Mostert, WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle on the field at the same time. I’m curious, do you have a name for that formation?) – “It’s slow guys. Slow guys personnel. All the slowest guys on our team are in that personnel group. (laughter) But yeah, we have a lot of personnel groups depending on who is playing Y or playing F. Generally, when you have a fullback, running back, two receivers and a tight end, you call that 21. And when you exchange a fullback for another half back, you call it Fast 21. So it’s called Fast 21.”
(I was calling it 4×4 and didn’t know.) – “It’s always been named Fast 21. It just so happens that there’s some fast people in Fast 21 now.”
(With that specific, super-fast 21 personnel group, what kind of strain does that put on a defense having all those guys on the field at the same time?) – “I think the way they’re playing football and have really taken to various assignments being able to multi-train and get some receiver responsibilities from running backs and some running back responsibilities for the receivers, because of their football acumen, it does present a problem that there’s always some sort of solution defensively, and so they have to be – especially if you have a tell, in terms of what you’d like to do in it. So I think it’s a testament to all those guys’ commitment to the whole offense because we’re able to run various different types of schemes, runs, passes, drop-backs, play-actions and all sorts of things out of that, because they like being out on the field together.”
(How’s OL Isaiah Wynn?) – “He’s doing good. He’s a tough dude. I don’t expect anything holding him back, but we will get some more information in about 24 hours and he should be good. But we’ll see with that information.”
(Have you had a chance to evaluate the celebrations this week? WR Tyreek Hill’s celebration and the first ‘Waddle’ of the season, what were your thoughts?) – “I thought (Jaylen) Waddle stepped his game up. He got kind of a cross-brand there with like a toy figurine and his known ‘Waddle’ dance. All things equal, I think as a team, we all agree that the best celebrations don’t include 15-yard penalties. But the gesture was fantastic.”
(We always hear how coverage and rush marry together on defense. The pass rush got home a lot yesterday. What role do you think the coverage played in getting all that pressure on the quarterback?) – “They go hand in hand for sure. It was really exciting. I thought the defense had the best week of practice they’ve had all year and I think it definitely translated. I think the players saw it. Quarterback hits were the most since a certain amount of time that was a while ago. I think that’s a testament to team defense for sure. You can’t have one without the other. You have explosive plays when the coverage isn’t tied to the pass rush, even if you’re getting home pretty quick. The idea of our defense really, in general, is that when we’re tied together, you force teams to have to execute at the highest level or you make them pay by being a little too aggressive or being too conservative. So I thought that there were the most examples of the vision of what we want to be as a defense last game, which is what you want to see.”
(Is yesterday’s win the type where, despite coming away victorious, there’s still so much you can harp on as a coach with the three turnovers and whatever else you may have found?) – “My hope for our team and where I really think we’re at, is I think that the coaching staff is ready to be extra particular and I don’t think the players would have it any other way. I think the players, they understand that if we continue to improve, we have a lot of good things ahead of us. But any positive result that we’ve had thus far in the season can be directly attributed to handling business that day. So if we take things one Monday at a time, game review and be critical of ourselves there, then once Wednesday hits, hit each step of our process and our approach to the opponent, then we are our best selves. So I’m hoping, expecting really, internal motivation from both sides, both players and coaches at the highest level starting Wednesday, for sure.”
(I think yesterday was the first day WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. played the most snaps at receiver beyond the starters, obviously. Was that game plan specific or has Cedrick done something in practice that impressed you, Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith the last couple of weeks?) – “We were planning on him having more opportunities. He has been playing very, very well in practice. Really, in the game, he made a ton of plays in the pass game and there’s even more in the run game he did. We asked him to do some heavy lifting with some point of attack blocks on the perimeter and he executed it. Not only was he willing, but he executed some tough blocks, some tough downs that really opened some stuff up in the run game. His imprint on the game was very positively felt by all of his teammates and really helped in a lot of results.”
(How did CB Nik Needham and OL Robert Jones get through the week of practice?) – “No setbacks. We’re feeling good about it. I’m excited about continuing to push the envelope Wednesday. At any moment, that could happen there. We’re just making sure that it’s a healthy return to ball, which is what they both have signed up for.”
(It’s been a while since we asked you about CB Jalen Ramsey and his progress. Are you getting closer to maybe nailing down a timeline for him to first return to practice?) – “Well, he hasn’t sprinted yet except past you guys. I got intel that you guys noticed that. (laughter) He’s doing a great job. He’s a special breed and he is on the positive side of returning for sure.”
(You guys had so many blocks yesterday with offensive lineman outside the numbers, getting in space, squaring up some big blocks. What kind of value does that add to your team when you have such athleticism on the offensive line?) – “It’s the strain, three, four seconds into a play and those blocks that are occurring closer to the numbers or outside the numbers. If you’re a successful offense running the ball, that’s pretty much a staple. I think it’s consistent with any good running team that you’re having 100 percent commitment to executing your assignments. The second you start having success, guys start understanding how important each and every block is. As we do find success, we’re finding more and more plays where guys are engaged with the appropriate leverage relative to the back. You’re seeing a lot of our ball-handlers make some plays and you’re even seeing linemen doing some pretty cool stuff on receiver screens as well. I think that is a picture that if you’re wanting to be successful in those phases, it will always kind of have those marks. Glad that it’s showing up now.”
