Vance Joseph – December 8, 2016
Download PDF version
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(I got bad news for you. The last two weeks, you all have given up more yards than any Dolphins team since 1984. The good news is that was a Super Bowl team.) – “Was it? Okay. That’s good and bad news.”
(What’s going on here?) – “The last two weeks, we haven’t played well. Obviously, San Fran, with the quarterback issues with the rush plan, that wasn’t good. He rushed for 115 yards. Last week, we felt good going into the game. What they had shown on tape was a lot of vertical passes to Mike Wallace and to (Breshad) Perriman – all those guys – and short passes to Steve (Smith Sr.), and they kind of flipped it. They threw the ball really quick. He (Joe Flacco) threw 34 passes at halftime, and he held the ball probably the longest (for) 1.5 (seconds), so the d-line couldn’t rush. The ball was out. We were trying to play tight coverage, and it wasn’t happening. We were soft across the middle. At the end of the day, Joe got hot, and we couldn’t stop it. We couldn’t cover them. We couldn’t chase them. We played zone; it was too soft. We played man; we couldn’t chase them. It wasn’t good. It’s Week 13. It’s the NFL and what we’ve done well for the last month and a half, it’s on tape. Everyone is making adjustments, so we have to make an adjustment now and help our guys more.”
(Are you concerned about your – obviously, you’ve got some injuries at linebacker – your ability to cover the middle of the field?) – “Yes. When you’re playing without your starters, there’s always concern, but we expect those guys to go and do their jobs. We had some good defenses called, we just didn’t play them well. Joe (Flacco) made some good throws. He made some good throws. There were a bunch of motions where they moved us out of position to have leverage on the receivers. But whoever is in there, we expect them to do their job, so that’s not an excuse.”
(How tough is what LB Jelani Jenkins has been through, trying to play through that leg injury, and for you, in terms of the comfort level with the linebacker corps?) – “It’s tough for all of us, because he’s a starter for us, and he hasn’t been able to play consistently. After a while, it becomes an issue, because if you don’t have him for two weeks, you’re playing with your backup player. When you do have him, he’s half of what he is. Until he gets healthy, we can’t play with him. We have to play the guys who are healthy.”
(Correct me if I’m wrong, but sometimes when you’re bringing your linebackers and you’re dropping some of the defensive lineman, some call those green dog blitzes. Was the idea behind that to condense or shrink some of those passing windows underneath for Ravens QB Joe Flacco?) – “Yes. When you’re dropping defensive ends with pressures, it’s really attacking the protection. You’re trying to overload one way and bring the guys that way and bob in, in the backside window. It’s really more for protection purposes more than it is coverage purposes. That’s more fire zone stuff. So, you’re playing with three guys underneath and the backside end is still backside window dropping. When you’re pressuring and playing man – and it is crossing routes from the slot – it’s tough in man, but in fire zone, when he crosses, he runs backside to the end. It’s two parts: it’s protection-wise and what routes are you getting versus Cover 1s or versus fire zones.”
(What problems does Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald present?) – “Lots of problems. He’s a big man, and he plays the slot position. Obviously, most of your nickels are smaller, quicker guys. He’s going to be matched up on Bobby (McCain). That’s a big man versus a smaller man. That’s an issue in the run and pass game, because he’s blocking our nickel. He’s obviously a Hall of Fame player. He has great hands. If the ball is close, he’s going to catch it. He’s blocking linebackers; he’s blocking defensive ends. The run game goes through him, and obviously, the pass game goes through him and ’31,’ (David Johnson) the tailback.”
(Can you explain why you wouldn’t move one of your bigger corners?) – “I wish we could do that, but it’s more difficult than you think. The nickel position, it’s blitzes, it’s run fits, it’s coverage. We’ve got Michael Thomas who can do that job, who is a bigger player, so that’s a thought. Don’t share that, guys. (laughter) That’s a thought. You’re asking me game-plan questions. (laughter) That’s a thought, absolutely, but you can’t just take a guy and say, ‘You’re nickel this week,’ because it’s a serious role and it takes time to learn.”
DE Cameron Wake:
“I can play nickel. What’s up?” (laughter)
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph:
“He’s your size, so maybe.” (laughter)
(I know a couple of more practices, obviously, this week – more so today than tomorrow – but has CB Xavien Howard shown you enough when he’s ready to play, you think he can play significant snaps, or could the first game back maybe be only five to 15 snaps?) – “I think when he’s back, I think we work him in slowly. Right now, he has practiced for two weeks now. It’s really on him (and) how he feels. When he tells me he’s ready to go, I’ll put him out there. Last week, he wasn’t sure he was ready. This week, he’s doing drills. After practice today, hopefully he says he’s ready to go. If not, onto the next week. It’s really how he feels. Once he’s ready to play, we’ll play him.”
(When you break down Arizona, how difficult is it to believe they’re 5-6-1?) – “It’s difficult, because they’re top five in the red zone. They’re top five in third downs. They have a Hall of Fame receiver. They have a No. 1 pick at quarterback. Their halfback is a great player. Not good, but a great player. So, it’s hard to believe they’re not on the winning side of things. Obviously watching the offense, they’re explosive. They’re very explosive in both parts of the game – both run and pass. It’s scary, because they have four or five targets that can run and catch, and their halfback is a leading guy on third downs. He’s going to be a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver. That’s Marshall Faulk-type numbers. It’s surprising, so it’s going to be a challenge for us Sunday.”
(You spoke of a running back that’s putting up Roger Craig-/Marshall Faulk-type numbers. How do you take that away, because he’s a running back that can run routes from the wide receiver position and also out of the backfield and he’s a great runner?) – “Without giving the game plan away, obviously that’s a problem. You put DBs on him. You put big ‘backers on him with leverage, so you can take him away. Obviously, that’s a challenge. He’s a receiver in their empty package, even from the backfield. Obviously in the run game, he’s a downhill, big runner who can make you miss. He has got speed for the big runs. It’s going to be a challenge.”
(In the past when players haven’t played well enough, you haven’t hesitated to bench them. After last week, are you going to make any personnel changes?) – “No, I don’t think so, because it wasn’t effort. It wasn’t a lack of not wanting to do it right. We just didn’t play well, and they played better. We didn’t cover well. They had a good plan where our front couldn’t rush. The bottom line (is) the last two weeks, my issues with our guys is the details of doing their jobs better. We had a play in the game, it was the first third-and-long, where that was – in my opinion – the biggest play of the game, because it was the first time we got them stopped and contained and it was still the first quarter. It was 7-0. Third-and-15 goes to fourth-and-1 and they convert. That was a huge play. That was a mental error that we made. My issue with our guys is details. Again, you’re in Week 13 and the further you go in the season – and the better teams you play – everyone is watching the tape. So, our game plans of what we’re doing, it’s critical that we get them right. The last two weeks we haven’t gotten them right. From San Francisco with zone read issues to last week with the empty and the drop calls. My issue is that. Let’s be more detailed. Let’s get back to doing it right, and then we can see how we fare. But the last two weeks, it has been too much error.”
(Would you agree that CB Byron Maxwell is playing better now than he was earlier in the year, and if so, why?) – “It’s not even close of how he’s playing right now. He played well Sunday. He was not a guy that played soft in coverage. He was up for the challenge. We’ve got young guys in the back end. At one point in the game, I thought it was moving a little fast for them. It’s a big game. It’s a learning experience. It’s their first time being in a game of that magnitude, but Byron didn’t flinch. You can see he has been in big games, and he played really well again Sunday. I’ve been impressed with the guy. He’s putting the work in after practice, during practice, watching film, extra sprints. He has put the work in. I’m impressed by the guy.”
(That’s the reason for the improvement?) – “Absolutely. And I think now he understands our system. When he first got here, he wouldn’t play to the system. Now he is, and he’s playing a lot better.”
(Can you explain why nickel cornerbacks are smaller guys as opposed to … You would think that you’re in the box, maybe you need a guy with a little more size to him like a linebacker?) – “I’ve had larger nickels. But for the most part, your nickel player has to be laterally quick, and smaller guys have the ability to be quicker. But I’ve played with Leon Hall, who’s a bigger nickel, and Dre Kirkpatrick, who’s a bigger nickel. We just don’t have one. We have Bobby (McCain). That’s who we’ve got. Bobby is working his butt off right now. Bobby has played solid football for us. But that nickel spot is a tough position to be in, because he has got a three-way go on you – he’s got vertical, he has got left to right – every snap. You want a bigger guy? Absolutely, if he can move laterally. I’m not opposed to that. If I ever get one, I’ll put him out there, but Bobby is doing a fine job for us right now. He’s competitive. He’s engaged every day. Even Sunday, it wasn’t perfect, but he competed every down.”
(When the Ravens went for it on fourth-and-short in the minus side of the 50, was that surprising to you and the effect it had on the game?) – “It was surprising to me, yes; and we were so soft on the route. It was the same route both times. Again, that comes with experience. I can see it. I knew it was coming, but I don’t play. So, we have to do a better job of getting our guys ready for those fourth-and-shorts. It’s going to be a short pass, and when they condense the formation, it’s going to be a speed out to the sticks. I saw it, but our young guys didn’t.”
(On Sunday’s broadcast, Rich Gannon said multiple times, “Dolphins linebackers are a liability in pass coverage.” Has that been a shortcoming of the linebackers, and does that need to be addressed either with improvement from within or outside eventually?) – “It has not been, in my opinion. Obviously, on Sunday, a lot of things didn’t go right for us. Joe (Flacco) was really hot. They ran a bunch of short routes. This team – going into the game – was leading the league in throwing vertical balls. They threw three passes over 15 yards – that’s it. And they had 375 yards passing. It was a lot of quick game catch-and-runs. Even the one on (Tony) Lippett (that was a) touchdown, it was a 5-yard pass for a 65-yard touchdown … I guess a 58-yard touchdown. It wasn’t a vertical day. They have been a vertical team in the past, and they came out and threw it quick and short and they ran off with it. It hadn’t been a problem in the past, but obviously it was on Sunday.”
(Bigger picture question about Head Coach Adam Gase: In the 11 months since you guys reunited here, what are some of the meaningful things you’ve learned about him now that you’re on the same staff again?) – “He’s a great leader. For a young head coach, he’s a great leader, even in the bad times, he stayed with the process. The guys love playing for him and the guys love following him. He’s a fearless leader. He’s tough. He’s honest. That’s important in that position. Players know where they stand all the time, even coaches. He never flinched, even when we were 1-3, 1-4. He didn’t flinch.”
(What you’re saying about the process kind of … What examples in that process are you talking about specifically?) – “Well, the process of playing the best players. That’s hard to do when you’re a first-year head coach, when guys aren’t playing well, to sit starters, to sit proven players. That’s hard to do because they’ve proven they can play, but at the moment, they haven’t played well. So to (take) proven guys (and demote them), that takes courage in your first year as a head coach. He’s proven that. That’s important: to be honest and to play the best players at all times.”
(What stands out to you about the way he works with the defensive side knowing his offensive background?) – “Just challenging guys to play well. During practice, kind of walking the DBs through what the offense is thinking on certain ‘D and D’s’ (down and distances) or certain formations, so just educating our guys on what the offensive side is thinking in the red zone or third downs or even 2-minutes, so helping our guys that way. It’s a good deal.”
(After the last couple of weeks your rankings defensively have kind of taken a beating, are you surprised you’re 25th in total defense and what are your thoughts on that?) – “I’m not surprised after two weeks. I’m more into wins. So if we win this game this week, I’ll forget about that. But I saw it. Obviously, what are you going to do about it? It’s been two bad weeks that haven’t been good, so I’m not surprised about that. But I’m more into critical stats like winning, points allowed, red zone and those things. The yardage, it is what it is. If we go out and win this week, I’ll forget about it quick.”
(As far as stats, is there a stat that you look at, where it’s more significant, whether it is points allowed or total yardage?) – “I think it’s four or five stats. I think points allowed, obviously, third downs, red zone, turnover margin and those things. Those are your critical stats. Obviously sacks. (Those are) critical stats that leads to keeping the point totals (to a) minimum. Obviously yards per game, that can be a team stat in some cases, or if you have two games like we’ve had, that stat kind of balloons. The critical stats are keeping the points to a minimum.”
(Getting back to the bigger nickel corner, CB Bené Benwikere is like 5-11, 6-0. What has he not … What does he need to do to factor in that spot?) – “Well, he needs to show us that he’s ready to play. That’s from practice, because he won’t play in a game because he’s on the practice squad. So in practices, he’s got to show us he’s ready to play. If he does that, we can bring him up and he can help us, hopefully. But he was brought in to be in that role. So, hopefully going forward he can prove he can help us and we’ll play him.”
(When you’re dropping guys into zones, a lot of it is guys being able to read their keys getting back to get in their proper depth. You’re putting guys into positions to succeed. How much of it is guys just reading their keys and making the correct reaction to the ball?) – “That’s always the case with players. Some guys do that better than others and some guys don’t. But Sunday was a tough test for guys because the ball was coming out so fast. (Ravens QB Joe Flacco) was hot. Once a guy gets hot, it’s tough to kind of slow him down. I’m not disappointed on how guys in the past have dropped in zones and broke off the quarterback’s look. We’re a match coverage team so we’re close most of the time, and it’s been pretty good. It wasn’t good Sunday, so I can’t say it was.”
(Can Cardinals QB Carson Palmer play that type of game?) – “Absolutely he can. Now again, they’re right now going into the game, they’re (throwing the) second most deep balls in the league, behind Baltimore going into this game. Until you stop it or get it off film, it’s going to be what we saw Sunday. So we have to make adjustments from my side and from the players’ side to kind of put that to bed a little bit.”
