Anthony Weaver – November 8, 2024
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Friday, November 8, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(I know it’s a week-to-week league, but are you going to move forward this week again with LB Anthony Walker Jr. starting alongside LB Jordyn Brooks?) – “Yeah, that’s certainly the plan. I thought ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) went out there and did a good job of both executing not only his assignment but communicating to the defense overall and trying to help guys out. So yeah, that’s the plan right now.”
(And as far as weaving in LB David Long Jr. at all? Something that had been done in reverse for a couple weeks earlier this season, is that a consideration or do you want the continuity of LB Anthony Walker Jr. and LB Jordyn Brooks playing every snap together?) – “Yeah, I certainly think that’ll be a decision based week-to-week. Love ‘Dave’ (David Long Jr.). He’s a captain. He’s an outstanding teammate. At this particular time, we just think ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) gives us the best chance to go out there and execute from a defensive standpoint.”
(What were some of the things you were seeing going into that decision before executing?) – “Yeah, again, I think ‘Dave’ (David Long Jr.) was doing a heck of a job out there, but I think he’ll be the first one to admit to you that he had left some plays out there. So I’ve said this to you guys before – we see that linebacker room as a position of strength and ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) was a good player waiting in the wings and we wanted to give him the opportunity to go out there and make those same plays.”
(Regarding CB Cam Smith it looked like he was targeted a couple of times especially with Bills WR Mack Hollins. How did he do and what are the teaching points moving forward?) – “Cam is a young player. We know he is Year 2, but in a lot of ways you can still say he is kind of a rookie out there. So the fact that he was targeted certainly wasn’t a surprise to us. When he did have his mistakes, they were lapses in technique and fundamentals, so from a coaching standpoint, that’s what you try to focus on. Now to his credit, I think it says something about him where he did get in some instances where he gives up a couple passes, gets a holding penalty and a PI, I believe, but then that most critical play late, he was there and made the play. And I think that just says something about the kid and who he is, just that even though he was targeted at the most critical time, he showed up and was there to break that pass up.”
(And it looked like he kept I guess at least one player in bounds late in the game?) – “Yeah, for sure. For sure. So again, I think you’re going to go through some young growing pains with any young player and we’re just going to have to continue to work our way through those.”
(Your pass defense in general, these last three games, what’s gone wrong in the second half?) – “I don’t know that – there have been lapses particularly in communication and we’ve given up big plays like the 61-, 63-yarder in this last game. That’s when those instances come up, particularly when we’re in man coverage. We’ve had some lapses there. I think you’ve also got to give credit to the two quarterbacks that we’ve played. There have been instances where we had them dead to rights and they’ve been able to make some things happen. That’s why they make the money they do, so ultimately I think we’re just trying to chase, as a defense, competitive greatness. You go back to old John Wooden where we’ve got to be at our best when our best is needed and right now we’ve fallen short really two games in a row.”
(I think there was a viral clip of you challenging – maybe last year or the year before – the Ravens defensive line, you have to dig deep… how do you translate that into the second half because you guys have had leads the last three weeks? How do you instill, hey, this is the time to do it?) – “I think we can talk about it till we’re blue in the face. What we have to do is you have to go out there and work for it. You have to make sure that you prepare each and every day so that when you’re in that situation, nothing is surprising to you. People always say you rise to the occasion. I don’t think you rise to the occasion; I think you drop to the threshold that you’ve been working at all week. So let’s make sure in everything we do whether it’s a walkthrough, a live speed period in practice that we’re taking all those reps like it’s fourth down and five to go in the Super Bowl.”
(It’s approaching moot point here, but since this is the first time we’ve been able to talk to you since Sunday, S Jordan Poyer’s unnecessary roughness penalty, those are such bang-bang situations. What can he do differently in that scenario? Like realistically what could he have done differently in that scenario and how do you coach him to get to that?) – “It’s unfortunate. It’s like you said. It’s a bang-bang play. It’s certainly up to interpretation from the official at that point. All you try to do with Jordan is say, one, try to go get the ball, right? And hopefully in doing that, you don’t make helmet-to-helmet contact. And at this particular time unfortunately in the league, you’ve really got to lower your target and make sure you’re in the strike zone which is easier said than done when you’re when you’re going at those speeds. So I hate that it happened. I hate that it happened to him in particular in that place because obviously you know the importance of that game, particularly to him being an old Bill. But the last thing you ever want to do as a coach is take away his aggressiveness. So you just continue to try to talk about the strike zone and then just go get the ball.”
(I know when S Jordan Poyer was out earlier this year where I mentioned S Marcus Maye, your line was “don’t sleep on Elijah Campbell.” Where is he now in your thought process? If S Jevón Holland is out again on Monday, is the best approach you think sticking entirely with Marcus and Jordan or has Elijah done something to change that thought process?) – “I have the utmost confidence in Elijah and I think he’s earned the right to go out there and play for us. So we’ll see how it all shakes out during the week with Jevón and some of these other guys, but I would not be shocked at all to see Elijah come Sunday.”
(Sometimes we worry about players trying to do too much when they face their former team. CB Jalen Ramsey gets a chance to go back to the Hollywood, California, area. Inglewood is probably kind of far from Hollywood, but how do you think Jalen is built for this moment where he’s going to face a team that he won a Super Bowl with?) – “This is, to me, like these prime time games, that’s when players like your Jalen Ramseys, your Jevón Hollands, all your guys who are supposed to be prime time guys; that’s when they show up. So there’s no situation, there’s no game, there’s no areas, no ex-team that I think is too big for him. He is going to go out there and play like he has all year and try to be impactful.”
(How would you describe that DT Zach Sieler being back could make for the defense?) – “Yeah, I think it’s huge. He should be a Pro Bowl and All-Pro player. The impact he has for us obviously off the field is tremendous and then on the field he’s showed up consistently and has been impactful all year. And then the connectivity he has with Calais in terms of their communication – both to talk nonverbally and verbally and what they’re hearing from the offensive line and being able to use that to their advantage; you miss that a little bit with him out. So if he can get out there and play, man, like I told you guys last week, I am a much better coach and it certainly enhances our pass rush, too.”
(Is the feeling any different in the locker room before a prime time game compared to 1 o’clock on a Sunday?) – “Yeah, for sure. Any time you know that you’re in the only game in town and all your peers and all your family are going to have eyes on it, there’s certainly a heightened sense of urgency there where you want to go and put your best foot forward. So the short answer – that was long-winded – is yes. Yes, there is a very big difference.”
(You talked a little bit about CB Cam Smith. Can you speak to the importance of having CB Kader Kohou in the lineup, what he does for the defense?) – “I mean you guys saw really the way we were able to move in and out of Jalen (Ramsey) being at nickel, putting Kader outside and just being able to do that seamlessly in one personnel group. The ability to do that, it surprises offenses because you really don’t know. When Kader is not out there, right now we don’t have the flexibility to do that. At some point you hope we can grow into that, but some of the guys that we have playing in Kader’s spot, like they’re very specific in their jobs and what they can do. So to have him back, particularly he was playing at such a high level prior to his injury, obviously is huge for us.”
(You’re always going to try to get pressure on the quarterback of course, but the trouble you’re having and getting it with consistently the front four getting home to the quarterback, is it almost better off, hey, you might be better with seven guys in coverage and take our chances? Is that kind of the way you look at it or will you always be aggressive even if you don’t get the results?) – “Again, I think whether or not we’re rushing four or being aggressive is truly based on an opponent. I don’t go in with any preconceived notions about ‘this is how we have to do it.’ I have faith in our four-man rush and our ability to get there. Sometimes, again, based on opponent, you want to bring some pressure and put that guy under some heat. I thought we were selective in when we chose to do that against Josh Allen where some of those younger quarterbacks like an Anthony Richardson, you’re probably going to be a little bit more aggressive because he probably will be more prone to make a mistake. So this week there is nothing that Matt Stafford hasn’t seen, so we’re probably going to be in that mode where we’re going to be selective when we decide to apply pressure and our four-man rush will have to come alive.”
(I’m trying to understand what I saw with LB Chop Robinson. I thought the first possession, he got that pressure just off his first step and I thought his sack – I don’t know if Dion Dawkins’ technique was off or it was a bull rush – can you…?) – “Let’s not take anything away from the kid’s sack and blame it on the lack of technique by Dawkins. He got chopped up is what happened. (laughter)”
(No, no, I’m not. I’m trying to understand what I saw. What did I see on that? That’s what I was getting to…) – “No, I just think Chop (Robinson) is continuing to grow. And I’ve said this from Day 1, it’s unfortunate he hasn’t had the sack numbers, but the thing I love most about the kid is like I said, his approach to work. Like he is out there every single day just trying to listen to all the wisdom that he’s getting from both coaches and players alike. Bradley Chubb is out there working with him. I know Coach (Ryan) Crow and Coach (Sean) Ryan do a tremendous job. I think even Terron Armstead has talked to him a little bit about some stuff, so he’s taking all that in. Trying to figure out what he can use particularly with his specific skillset and we’re starting to see some of the benefits of that on Sunday.”
(Did we see a combination of speed and strength, I guess would have been a better way to ask that originally?) – “I think he possesses both those traits, yes.”
(What’s unique about the Rams receiver trio of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and now Demarcus Robinson?) – “I was with Demarcus (Robinson) in Baltimore, so I think the thing he adds for them is he’s kind of a big target and obviously he can get down the field and he’s one of those guys where if you throw him the ball he can go up and get it. Puka (Nacua) and Cooper Kupp are two of the toughest receivers I believe in the National Football League. They’re asked to do things that not only receivers do in terms of blocking but tight ends do as blockers. And then as receivers their short-area quickness and ability to get open in that intermediate window in coverage is outstanding. I mean you certainly have to account for all three of them. Fortunately I think we have the secondary and the guys on the roster do that, but it’ll certainly be a challenge for sure.”
(LB Jordyn Brooks took the blame for the long touchdown that went to the running back, Ray Davis. Was it just a miscommunication in man coverage as far as where…?) – “Yeah, in really the last two games, the majority of our communication breakdowns have happened in man. So it’s unfortunate that it happened in that particular instance. It was certainly two backers that are communicating and then at the end of the day we’ve got to get them down with a post safety in Marcus (Maye). So Jordyn is a man, right, so he’s certainly going to take blame, but ultimately we’re all responsible for that.”
(I know how much time you spend obviously training camp and other times in terms of chopping the ball out. Turnover creation bottom five in the league. How bothersome is that to you and has that been a factor in higher point totals these last two games?) – “Certainly disappointing because it has been a point of emphasis from the very moment I stepped foot here in Miami, so certainly something we’ve got to continue to work on. I think you’ve got to make sure you’re constantly have that as a point of focus in practice, particularly when you’re not wearing pads a whole lot. And I think that’s where some of the drop off has been. So we’ll continue to chase that, continue to attack that and hopefully the ball starts to fall our way a little bit.”
