Mike McDaniel – November 6, 2023
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Monday, November 6, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We’ve got the rare treat of seeing you two consecutive weekdays, today and tomorrow, which never happens. So I figured I’d get the one injury question out of the way. The one health question out of the way to start and it’s a two-part. One, with OL Robert Jones – do you know MRI results to know if it’s a multi-week type injury? And with RB De’Von Achane even though you don’t have to make a decision on designated to return until next week or beyond, was his progress such that you think he has a real chance to play November 19?) – “Rob Jones, because of the kind of crazy travel and us trying to get a lot of stuff done while also giving the players a couple days off, I’ll probably have more information on that tomorrow. The good news is apparently I’m seeing you tomorrow. (laughter) So I’ll have more information on that. Still getting some more tests, so I’ll be able to detail that. And then we had no setbacks with De’Von (Achane) so we’ll see. So far, so good. There hasn’t been any reason to think it’ll take longer, but you know how those things are. You have to take it one day at a time, so we’ll approach that when we need to make a more firm decision.”
(And then OL Robert Hunt, how is his progress going?) – “Good. A ‘did you know’ is that was the first game of his NFL career that he missed. So what was good for him was talking to him before the game and he stayed in it, but there can be pros to having that experience and you capture some of that. You never know what you have until it’s gone. You capture some of that frustration or you just truly appreciate how much you love participating in those games, so then you capture some of those moments and then you apply it to what you can control and that’s practice. Maybe it’s that much easier to take the full-speed last three minutes of individual to game-like tempo. It’s that much easier to strain in the fourth period of practice. All these things, I think he did use it for his overall benefit because it was the first rep for him in that situation.”
(I’d like to ask a question and a follow-up if I may. I’m sure when you watched the film there were some frustrating moments, opportunities missed on the tape, you saw it in real time, too, I’m sure. It seems to be a bit of a recurring theme sometimes with the losses with this team, just the mental focus sometimes might not be there, the penalties we’ve talked about before, the drops, stuff like that. Have you been able to identify why in certain moments just the concentration might not be where it needs to be?) – “Here’s the thing that I find interesting that I think we can all agree upon; that for one, the narratives of how we lose games or the types of teams we lose to, there’s one way that will change. I don’t think that’s unfair and I’m very comfortable with that and I think all the players understand that. Two, I think nobody – I think it’s interesting that inside the locker room and indirectly the question that you just posed, you guys are sharing the same sentiment, which is not that we’re not good enough. So that I think is what the feeling of the locker room is, is that when we lose, we beat ourselves. And it so happens I think in this season, that when we have beaten ourselves, there’s been three teams that have really taken advantage of that and they all have winning records. Correlation, causation? The bottom line is we’re finding different things out that have nothing to do with our opponents, in my opinion, as much as they deserve credit. The Kansas City Chiefs have hardware from last season and are used to winning and they played hard. But we look at ourselves, how we can get better and I think it’s an example of, you have to be your best when your best is required. And when we take a little bit of time to get into a rhythm when those things happen, you’re losing the game that you have capabilities to win every week and that’s what we’re focused on. Because the loss is a loss. It was hard to watch the tape. That hurt is healthy, though. Just like I was very proud of the of the way we invested ourselves into the workweek of practice last week, I was proud of how we didn’t run from that tape, which can be painful. If you’re going to lose the game, you might as well make it purposeful. I think we’ve lost two games since the Buffalo game, but we made the Buffalo loss purposeful. And we’ve approached practice collectively at a heightened level across the board and we have no other plans but to use this experience purposefully as well moving forward.”
(What can you do differently? Self-scouting on the bye week. Is there a different message you could emphasize again? What can you do different to make sure those lapses don’t happen?) – “I think you’re always trying to assess how you can do stuff better. I think that starts from the top. I think it’s important for me to be proactive in finding things that can be done better. I also think that it’s as important that the pillars of importance stay consistent. I don’t see anything but the daily application of your intent, your focus, your deliberate nature, the presence that’s involved with that. I think that’s the nuts and bolts of everything and everything can extrapolate from that. However, I’ve always said this. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, it’s the same for me always. I think I always am looking critically in how I’m approaching everything because I don’t see it as copy-paste anything in my job. The particulars are very individualized to who I’m speaking to, how people respond to certain messaging. You’re always tinkering with that. But I think overall, it’s that much more important for me to double down on the pillars and values of being present, deliberate practice, and game-like workweeks that will ultimately render more successes than failures and being able to win big games against tough opponents.”
(I was going to ask you about the thinking going empty on that last drive on first down after the two RB Raheem Mostert big runs. When you have an incomplete pass obviously on first and second, it puts you in a spot where you probably can’t run, but was it something that went through your mind on the flight back at all? That particular sequencing of plays and why you went empty initially on first down?) – “Just so we’re clear, every single play that I ever call, I critically assess after the fact. And you’re looking at, okay, I think it’s my job to look at did I put the players in position for success? And it’s not as black and white as the result. One thing that I’m absolutely positive of with two minutes and 30 seconds to go, if the run didn’t work, we would be having a different conversation about, ‘hey, why’d you run the ball then?’ That’s literally the stakes for every decision and that’s fair. Because guess what? The people that are really questioning it after two successful runs – not necessarily you, but maybe some of your readership, we’ll give you the out – but if they are questioning that, it’s because they want it to work. Every play I take with that regard. The players definitely know that I don’t pass the buck of responsibility at all and they have high expectations and they’ve earned my confidence to do that. But I’m hyper-aware of the fact that every single situation, literally every time you go for it, every time you don’t, when people care about the result, they’re going to be like, ‘Well, you should’ve done the other thing. I mean you just ran for 40 yards in two plays, you should run it again.’ It was definitely on my mind. But when things don’t work, if you collectively – if I look at critically, was that the right decision? And then the players are able in a healthy manner say, ‘I don’t care what you call coach, we need to execute our fundamentals and technique.’ That’s the vision of what I think ultimately will have success over time in the way that we want it. I think that’s what’s going on. I don’t think there was a player that was questioning going empty and passing the ball. I know that every single play, especially when they don’t work, I’m like, ‘Well yeah, you probably should’ve done the other thing. Let’s do the stuff that works.’
(You’ve talked a lot about the growth of the season, the journey of going from one place in September to the ultimate destination in January. The defense has really kind of come on here the last couple of weeks. The whole year they’ve had their big plays, but really stifling offenses the last few weeks. How excited are you about where they are, not just from a performance standpoint, but the fact that you seem to be really healthy on that side of the ball?) – “I’m excited as much as one can – it’s a very conflicting Monday, ok? I’m not going to lie, we were all in as a group and that was a heartbreaker of a loss. I also know – I feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – I also know that we’re a better team than when we left for Germany. I know that. How are we? Because of how much we put into going after our assignments during the work week. It was probably where we had 100 ways to just go ahead and have excuses about tired or travel or stuff, but we embraced it. We became tighter. Then the proof was in the pudding, because guys invested more, really individually – it might be the most that they’ve ever invested in the game of football. And you sat there at 21-0 at halftime, and you’re like, ‘This is terrible.’ Well, it’s also a great moment of evaluation for who you’re working with. You really find out about your teammates when it’s like, ‘What is this?’ No one blinked, everyone went after it. I think the defense is exactly – is a microcosm of what’s going on with the team where whatever we’re talking about this team is right now, our team isn’t interested about right now. Our team is interested in what we’re going to become and controlling everything we can control, which is what we’re doing that day. But our job is to not live in the narrative of whatever it is right now. Our job is to have a bigger vision and work towards being the best that we can be as a team. I think that’s what the defense has done. While people were talking about what they were, they’ve been more focused on what we are. And I think that’s a microcosm with what the team is, regardless of the highs and lows, which are inevitable in an NFL season.”
(You’ve talked about the narrative a couple of times. Obviously, you have those three losses against quality teams. What would a win against a team of that echelon do for the psyche of your team, the confidence, whatever it might give you that you don’t have right now?) – “I don’t think that – this is me personally with my ear to the locker room, I don’t think our team is in need of any prove it in that way. I think that it’s important to understand that the narrative will continue until we until we change it. But I honestly also don’t think that that’s something that’s in the back of our team’s mind. I think correlation and causation are two different things, and I don’t think that we’re losing games because we don’t believe. I think we’re losing – good teams have made us pay when we’ve allowed ourselves to be vulnerable, in terms of shortchanging our execution, fundamentals or technique, and that, as we’re learning, NFL teams are good and it’s to be expected. So I don’t think that this team, as much as – I think we’re all aware of that their narrative. It’s a pretty no (expletive). I’m very comfortable with it, because I wouldn’t want to be like, ‘No, this is you don’t have to prove it. You’re entitled to our belief.’ No, this is what we do. Our team doesn’t want to be given anything. We’ll continue to work. We’ll let people talk about the things that move the needle for the business of football, but if we’re doing our jobs and worried about the right stuff, we’ll change the narrative. But it’s important not to be – none of that happens if we’re worried about the narrative. We need to be worried about our jobs and what we’re doing each and every day to get better, and that will come.”
