Adam Gase – November 7, 2016
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Monday, November 7, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(In your plan on the road, what’s the advantage to being able to run the ball?) – “I think it helps us as far as slowing down the pass rush anytime you want to throw it. I know that makes the biggest difference to me. It’s both home and away. Running the ball is critical to just really your entire game plan –offensively and defensively. It helps the other side of the ball as well. When you’re in those situations that you want to get some play-action, that’s when you can get some big plays and if you’re running the ball effectively and you get guys up in the box, you get a chance for some bigger plays then just 5 to 7 yards a clip.”
(Last week in talking to Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen, he said you sometimes get a rash when you call too many running plays. When you were struggling in the first half to get a lot of production on the ground, did you start to break out into a hive?) – “Clyde might not be speaking any more. (laughter) The one thing, and I reminded our guys again today, don’t let me go away from Jay (Ajayi). And don’t allow me to start getting in that rhythm of just throwing the ball. The reason why is, why Jay is so effective is, he’s a guy that runs very angry, and when you do that for four quarters, eventually the other teams going to break because he’s a big back that runs hard and he runs through contact. You saw the other night, in that last three minutes of the game, all of a sudden a couple of arm tackles, he runs through them and its 20 yards. So the key for us is it’s really the attempts, staying with it, finding that rhythm, and if it happens early, great. Because that means it’s going to be a long day for the other team. If it doesn’t, just stay with it because eventually it’s going to work out for us.”
(When you get on win streaks of three or more games, do they have different feels? Do some feel more secure than others and if so, have you thought about this win streak?) – “It’s different right now for us, just because we’re at a different stage of our program. Obviously it’s very early in our program. We have a lot of young players, so we’re more focused about one week at a time. I really think we have that mentality. I know it’s very boring, but I’ve been on teams before where we’ve gone … we went 11 in a row in 2012 and we just expected (to win) the next week. We have a lot of things we need to clean up. We have a lot of things that we’re off on. There are a lot of things that could have happened in that game that it could have flipped for us really easy. We’re still kind of in that learning stage of how do we do things correctly throughout a 60-minute game to put as close to a perfect game together as possible.”
(Has G/T Laremy Tunsil been all you expected through eight games?) – “He’s done a great job as far as adjusting to that position. The last three weeks, he’s been unbelievable as far as the way he’s changed as a puller. When we’ve run some of these gap schemes, he looks really smooth going through there. He knows who he’s going to go get. He attacks them. I think that was something that was tough for him early, just trying to figure out … It’s just a different feel. You’re pulling around. It’s just a different vantage point. But all of the outside zone stuff and inside zone, any time he’s climbing in the second level, I mean that’s an impressive thing. He could go the wrong way and then be like, ‘Oh, we’re supposed to go this way,’ and he turns around and still gets the linebacker. I mean the guy is a physical freak and an unbelievable athlete. The good thing is he learns quick. He makes a mistake one time and he doesn’t make it again.”
(What do you say to a wide receiver who says this is great, we’re winning, but I’m not getting a lot of touches. I’m not getting as many targets as I’m used to.) – “I think a lot of times when that happens, I put it more on myself. I did a bad job yesterday. We had some things moving around and I know what you’re trying to get at. I’ve got to do a better job of getting Jarvis (Landry) the ball. It was bad. We got into a couple of situations where they played some different personnel groupings and he’s so valuable to us in the slot. Then when we lost Kenny (Stills) and DeVante (Parker), he kind of was struggling a little bit as far as he couldn’t really open up the way he had done during the week. I have to find a way to get him the ball – just figure out a way to get him some touches to where he can catch it and go and make some plays, which he did. Anytime we put the ball in his hands, he makes something happen. And the fact that he … What did he have? Three catches? I mean that’s just not acceptable. And that’s all on me. I know Ryan (Tannehill) does a good job of trying to make sure that we’re in a good play and gets him the ball when his number is called. I don’t want him forcing the ball to him. It’s my job to make sure that our best player on offense is getting the ball.”
(What led to the decision to put TE Jordan Cameron on IR Saturday and do you get a sense from talking to him maybe that this is it for him?) – “Well, we felt like it still was going to be some more time. Obviously we want to make sure he’s comfortable, when he gets to the point when they say he’s cleared, that there’s no hesitation for him as far … Because really, you have the protocol and then once you’re cleared, the guy still has to feel ‘I’m good to go.’ Obviously when you have had a couple (concussions), you want to make sure everything’s right. That’s why we sent him back to Pittsburgh. We make sure that he’s seeing all the right doctors. As far as talking to him, he’s been very positive with me. He wants to keep playing. But right now we weren’t sure how long he was going to be out. So that’s why we ended up (taking) the IR route, which is good for him because now it gives him a chance to really do his homework (and) evaluate everything. But the sense that I’ve gotten from him, as far as down the road, is that he wants to keep playing.”
(When you have two talented and very explosive players like WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kenyan Drake splitting the hashes back there on kickoff return, how beneficial is that for you guys on special teams?) – “For us, obviously, if they try to avoid Jakeem, we have a guy that’s pretty explosive back there (and) a little different style too. Anytime you’re trying to defend two different styles, it’s just like a running back or wide receiver as far as using two different guys, it just makes it really tough because you have to be right on whatever decision you make as far as ‘We’re going to kick it to (Kenyan) Drake, and this how we need to attack him,’ or ‘We’re going to Jakeem (Grant), and here’s how we have to attack him.’ I think you saw what they both bring as far as back-to-back kickoffs. Jakeem’s running around forever and not making any yards but he’s got a lot of guys tired, which was good, and then Drake’s just going to go straight ahead, find a crease and hit it.”
(When did you know about WR Kenny Stills and the illness and how did that alter your game plan?) – “He came in and he started talking about how he wasn’t feeling well so we started getting with him and then we were close to almost not making him active. He got an IV, and then he looked fine. He really did. When we were going out there, I was like, ‘Alright, we’re going to be good.’ He kept telling me, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ Once we started playing, it looked like it was getting worse for him. He was trying to go and as the game (went on), you could tell he wasn’t himself, but he was trying to push through whatever was going on with him. Then all of a sudden, he … when we went into halftime, I think it was before that 2-minute drive, the (athletic training staff) was like, ‘Hey, he’s already in the locker room. We should have him for the second half.’ When we came back out for that third quarter and he wasn’t going to come back, then it was, for myself, trying to figure out how do we make all these changes? Obviously he’s heavily involved in what we do and makes a big difference with us because he does so much as far as he’s a big-time deep threat. It makes the DBs and the safeties play a lot deeper. You saw yesterday there were a couple of times where we’re trying to get the ball to Jarvis (Landry) and the safety is 15 yards deep and doesn’t move, because he’s not worried about anybody going over the top. Kenny does so much more for us besides what normal receivers do as far as catching the ball. Blocking (and) the fact that he is a threat at all times and can hit a home run is something that is very important for us.”
(With the young guys, you ran a lot of times with two tight ends and then you even had your running backs out there running routes. Where is your confidence level with WR Leonte Carroo and WR Jakeem Grant?) – “Both of those guys played more than they’ve ever played. Carroo had quite a few plays. Jakeem, we have certain packages for him just because he does have a lot on his plate with special teams. I know that seems like something that is very easy but we need him to be on what his job is on special teams. We have certain things that we’d like to do as far as personnel groupings with Jakeem. We try to just make sure, ‘Hey, know this stuff and that’s the most important thing.’ Carroo has to know the whole gamut. He’s got the tougher job because he has to know all three positions. He has to be able to go in for any of those three guys. He does have a tougher job and that is a tough job for a rookie because you’re (usually) just trying to figure out one position. To have to know all of them, it becomes tough. But those guys are developing and they’re getting better.”
(Your run defense gave up a pretty big number overall yesterday – a very small number in the second half. Why the improvement in the second half, and how do you feel about them?) – “They got a couple things cleaned up at halftime as far as being a little more assignment-sound. We got a little loose there in the first half. (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) did a good job when we went into halftime. He cleaned a couple things up, made a couple of adjustments. A couple of the calls that we were making were really good and we were doing a couple things that weren’t right. Obviously, that touchdown was completely … The run (Matt) Forte had, we screwed that up as far as what we were doing technique-wise. But he’s making the right calls. If guys just execute those calls, we’re going to have a lot more efficiency in the run game.”
(Have you made a determination on whether CB Chris Culliver will be activated, or are you going to wait?) – “We’re going to wait. We’ll go through our normal deal.”
(When WR Jarvis Landry comes off the field hot, he plays hot. Do you stay away from him? Do you let him simmer down?) – “Depends. Sometimes I don’t see it. I think he does that to make sure I don’t see it sometimes. But I saw one time (where) I knew he was mad and it came from the fact that I had him on one side, and I called something, and I think they had a neutral zone infraction, and I flipped the formation to go to something else. I think he knew what I was trying to do the play before – he knew what the play was – and they jumped offsides. I think he was just mad, because he was going to get the ball on that play. I think he was just mad that I changed the play, which I’m fine with. I want him to want to get the ball. That’s how he plays, and that’s why all of us enjoy being around that guy on game day, because there’s an intensity there. The guy is a competitor. He wants to win.”
(You question some facet of your play calling just about every game. Is there ever a game when you look back and say, ‘I hit this one out of the park. There’s nothing to second guess.’?) – “No, that’s hard to do. It’s like any job you have that you really have a passion about doing. You’re trying to do everything you can to be perfect, and it’s hard to do. It’s probably impossible to do, but that’s the mindset. That has got to be the goal for everybody in our organization.”
(A couple of other housekeeping things: DT Earl Mitchell I think can come off the IR this week, is that correct?) – “Yes.”
(Do you anticipate him doing so?) – “If everything is the way that we think it’s going to be, probably.”
(Do you still have hope you might see DE Dion Jordan in uniform this year?) – “I don’t know. We’ll see. When somebody tells me that we’re close to that range, then I’ll worry about it.”
(How did you evaluate QB Ryan Tannehill’s game yesterday? He was kind of a unique task for him.) – “He did good. I didn’t put him in great spots. He got hit a lot yesterday. There are probably about three hits there that I don’t know how many guys would’ve been playing after them. The amount of hits he took at his legs was … We got to protect him better. He did a good job though as far as getting us in and out of the right plays. He made some good throws. He went where he was supposed to go with the ball. There were just some situations he was in where we either didn’t do the right thing or (there was) broken protection. There was nothing he did to where I could say, ‘That was bad on his part.’ He did exactly what he was asked to do. There were a bunch of us that really didn’t come through on the other end for him.”
(I’m sure you came in with some ideas of things to work on as far as development. Where are you guys at on that halfway through the season now?) – “I feel pretty good as far as what we’re doing with (Tannehill’s) drops, what we’re doing with some of his mechanics that we tweaked here and there. The thing about him is he’s one of those guys that will work on things on Monday and Tuesday where no one is really looking. In practice, he’s always trying to make sure that he’s right with what we’re asking him to do. He has got a lot on his plate. He has got a lot mentally on his plate. That just adds to the technique part when you’re trying to make some adjustments. He has done everything I’ve asked him to do, and he has played well. He has played well, especially in crunch time here when we’ve had some tight games.”
(People that have been with Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph in the past, they always talk about how he’s able to make adjustments at the half or throughout the course of the game. How big has his ability to kind of see things and make those corrections, even if it’s something that you haven’t practiced throughout the week? How has that been for you guys this season?) – “That’s something that I noticed right away in the preseason. The way I hear him talk during the game is pretty … It’s a neat experience for me being on the other side of the ball and hearing a defensive coach. Sometimes, I’m hoping that a defensive coordinator, it doesn’t say the same thing about me sometimes as far as, ‘This is coming,’ or ‘This is coming,’ (and) he’s calling good defenses, because then, you start feeling like, ‘The guy has got me pegged like that.’ But what he does as far as being able to see it and see it before the play and seeing what mistake was made and then being able to adjust right there off of still pictures and then making a change within the drive or the next drive or at halftime, it has been very impressive to watch. It has been – for me – educational to see a guy that works and thinks as fast as he does.”
(DE Cam Wake and T Branden Albert both said this upcoming West Coast trip is not a vacation. Just curious what you have in mind to make sure that everybody stays focused over 10 days, 11 days.) – “Everybody has just got to be a man. We’re there to do a job. It’s not a time to … We’re not on a bowl trip. We are there to do one thing. We’re there to work, find a way to win a game and then go to work for an entire week and try to win another game. We’ve got to handle business there on that first leg of the trip. When we hit that second part, then we really got to … That’s going to be the week that we have to buckle up and be pros.”
(Will you have a curfew during the week?) – “Maybe. We’ll see how Sunday goes.” (laughter)
(With P Matt Darr, when he drops that punt, you know it’s uncharacteristic, you know he takes it tough, do you talk to him? Do you leave it to Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi? Do you talk to him today? How do you handle that?) – “I didn’t say anything to him yesterday. I saw him for like two seconds, walked by and said, ‘Move on.’ It’s rare for him. The guy does everything right. I got a lot of trust in that group. All three of those guys, they do so much right, do everything right during the week. Those guys are true pros. Our biggest thing is it’s about trust. I feel like that’s why we were able to stick together yesterday. It looked like it was going to be interesting there towards the end. And the fact that guys have developed this trust amongst each other that each guy is going to do their job, that makes a big difference.”
(Where is your confidence level with LB Jelani Jenkins playing with a club? Can you talk about all that this guy has fought through?) – “It was a freak thing that kind of happened when those two guys collided. It’ll be interesting. He has got to figure out how he’s going to operate like this. It’s one thing to talk about it. I’ve been around a couple guys that have played like that and some guys have handled it well, some guys it has been tougher, because you can’t grab anything. We’ll see how his preparation goes, how quickly he can get used to everything. The fact that he’s so quick to want to get back out there, those are the kind of guys we want here. Those are the kind of guys I want to be around all the time that constantly are trying to (say), ‘It doesn’t matter what happens, I want to want to be back out there. I want to help us win.’”
(On that note, how do you evaluate a way … [Is it] having LB Jelani Jenkins practice with that or holding him out of practice this week?) – “If he has got a club on, he’ll be alright. He can just roll. The whole thing is (about) how comfortable he is.”
(With LB Jelani Jenkins and these injuries, obviously, it’s a number of fluke things – maybe the groin is connected to the knee. But can you talk about how difficult the season has been for him?) – “Anytime that you get injured … The amount of work that he has put in from the spring – because we had a little setback there early in the spring – but the way that he worked to get back was very impressive. And then we had things rolling and then we’ve had these little setbacks. The thing that he has done is you never hear him complain. Whether he has been hurt or healthy, he’s one of the best guys you have in the meeting room. He’s always asking questions. He’s always making sure that he’s on point, even if he wasn’t playing. The guy just puts his head down and works. And then he comes out to practice, and he sells out. He has done that every day that we’ve had him on the field. That has been a true pro that keeps grinding. Sometimes you have these potholes in the road and you keep moving through it, because sometimes you have those early and you push through them and then all of a sudden you have eight years where nothing happens.
(The time that LB Jelani Jenkins has been out, what have you seen from LB Neville Hewitt?) – “I’ve seen a guy that the experience of playing every week, it helps him a little more. When we came in this year, we were thinking developmental, let’s get him ready, but he has accelerated as far as the more reps he gets – the more he sees – the better he gets. Obviously, with a guy that has his skill set and talent, for a guy his size that can run and hit, the faster that we can get him to where he starts playing at a starter-type level with the knowledge of football – the skill set is already there – it’s just the football IQ to make sure that we keep growing that with him.”
