Adam Gase – December 20, 2016
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Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(CB Xavien Howard played 68 snaps Saturday. I’m sure that’s more than you anticipated. How did he respond afterwards?) – “He seems to be good. We didn’t have any setbacks. He looked good, at least from my perspective. We were happy that there wasn’t next day, (he didn’t) have any kind of issues. There’s nothing that came about it. I think we’re in a good spot with him.”
(What did CB Byron Maxwell’s MRI show?) – “We’re still looking at that right now as far as what we want to … kind of where we’re at. I haven’t really sat down with our guys. We’re just trying to figure out if we’re going to have the ability for him to go this week. So we’re working through that right now.”
(How about LB Jelani Jenkins? Are you optimistic that he can go?) – “I think it would be tough. It’s just, every game he’s trying to battle through things, and we just have to be careful putting him out there where he really can’t defend himself. We could obviously tell his change of direction wasn’t what it’s been in the past. I know he’s trying to give us everything he has and put the team first. We probably just have to be very careful with that.”
(The Pro Bowl announcement is tonight and I trust that’s the furthest thing from you mind, but which of your players do you think has played at a Pro Bowl level this season?) – “That’s hard for me to … it’s hard to say. I feel like so many guys have played at a high level. There’s a reason why we’re in the position we’re in right now with winning games, and especially the last nine games. For me to stand on the table for just one guy, that would be hard to do because there has been so many guys on both sides of the ball and special teams that have done a great job. A lot of times, it’s really your peers is really what a lot guys do care about, to find out where other coaches and players feel like where they rank. I know guys feel like that’s an honor when they are selected.”
(How much does that matter to you when … especially in free agency, when you’re going after … If a guy has that Pro Bowl designation, does it make a difference?) – “It’s hard to rely a lot on that because when you do get voted in, in that first wave, I think there is something to that; but when the way that it kind of has gone – in the last I don’t even know how many years – where you have so many alternates going, it’s hard to really determine where really that value is and to say, ‘Hey that guy is a Pro Bowler.’ I don’t know how much you really weigh on that. You go so much off of film and really what you see and the production the guy has had over the years.”
(Regarding all of the big plays your team has been hitting. First, does it surprise you that you’ve hit so many this season? And second, are you seeing a change in the way people are defensing you because of that?) – “I don’t think it surprises me, just considering the skill guys we have. We do have some speed on the outside and DeVante (Parker)’s a bigger body that can go down the field and go get balls and Kenny (Stills) has got unusual speed. I really haven’t had too many guys that can do what he does. That last game was a prime example. When Matt (Moore) threw that ball, I wasn’t sure really if (Stills) was going to get there; but he took it to another gear. You can actually see it on the film of he’s rolling pretty good, but when he saw that ball up in the air, he went and really accelerated on that. We’ve had some run-after-catch as well. Jarvis (Landry) has created some explosive plays on some short throws. It has been a little mix of everything and I think guys have done a good job as far as when they have an opportunity to make plays, we’ve made them. We’ve missed out on a couple at the same time, but the quarterbacks have done a good job of giving our guys a chance to go get the ball.”
(In takeaway/giveaway differential, you’re plus-5. I think over the last nine games, you’re plus-11. What does that allow you to do as a coach? Does that give you comfort? Does that allow you to say, ‘I know we’ll produce a turnover,’ or how do you use that?) – “I think every team is trying to accomplish the same thing, and that’s get turnovers and protect the football. That’s really the starting point for all of us. When you do have a defense that seems to have a knack for getting the ball, creating short fields and really stealing a possession, that’s how you have to look at it. That’s ideal. When a team does get on a roll, you get flooded with them. When you go through those streaks where you don’t get as many, you really feel it, because the game has a different feel to it. On offense, it’s that unselfish mindset of being aware of where you’re at in traffic, how are you protecting the ball, what are you doing, what’s best for the team at the time. Sometimes you get towards the end zone and guys want to reach the ball out, and we’ve seen plenty of times when balls come out and you get touchbacks or turn the ball over. I feel like our guys have done a good job of being mindful of holding onto the football and protecting it. At the same time, when a ball has gone on the ground – you saw last week – we put a ball on the ground, but we had four guys around the ball. That’s what you want. These guys, they’re pursuing the ball.”
(We talked since the spring about the transition from tackle to guard, guard to tackle. C/G Kraig Urbik is swinging between guard and center. What are some of the challenges of those two positions inside?) – “You’re controlling everything when you’re at center. You’re the starting point, and there’s a lot of communication that goes on. You’re dealing with both sides of the line. When you’re at guard, you’re really focused more on what what’s going on, on your particular side. There’s a lot more on his plate. You have to think very quickly. When the quarterback does change something, that changes what you’re doing, and you have to have a response to him very quickly. There’s not a lot of time. When the quarterback changes something on you, usually it’s very low on the shot clock, and you have to move quickly.”
(How did C/G Kraig Urbik do?) – “He did a good job. Anytime that you get a guy that hasn’t done it a ton and gets thrown out there, that’s really the first thing that you’re looking for, ‘How was the communication up front?’ And then you go to the next stage of that, which is protection, run game – those types of things. He did a good job.”
(What can you tell us about LB Trevor Reilly – who you signed yesterday – and what he can bring?) – “We felt like he was a guy that would fit into our program and contribute, whether it be on defense or special teams. He was a good fit for us. Our personnel guys are always looking throughout the league and seeing if there’s anybody that could fit into what we’re doing this late in the season. We felt like he was a guy that could help us out.”
(In the run game, C Mike Pouncey hasn’t been there, I guess, the last five weeks. RB Jay Ajayi’s yards per carry has gone down. I know one man isn’t responsible, but is that a big hole in the run game not having C Mike Pouncey there?) – “Anytime you lose one of the best players in football at their position, it’s never easy to replace that guy. We all have to do a good job of stepping up. We have to do a good job as far as what our scheme is. We want Jay to consistently do what he has been doing, and he hasn’t changed one thing that he has done. We don’t want him to get frustrated, because we haven’t quite got the results we’ve been looking for. He has stuck with what we’ve been telling him, which is big for him to do, because it’s easy to go off on your own and try to gain yards on your own, but we need him to consistently do what he has been doing. We need everybody to keep doing their job. We’ve run into some tough defenses. That’s not one of those things that’s a hidden secret. We’ve got another one ahead of us this week, and I’m sure they’re going to be ready to do whatever they can to stop the run. Rex (Ryan) has always done a great job as far as making sure his guys are ready to go. That’s going to be the No. 1 priority. They’re going to try to stop the run and make us one-dimensional. That’s what most teams have tried to do to us throughout the last nine games.”
(RB Jay Ajayi is obviously still running hard. Do you think his body has held up as well now as it was earlier, where you could rely on him for 20-plus carries if you have to like the 200-yard games that he had?) – “He does a good job of making sure that he’s maintaining his health. He does a lot of things extra. He has taken some big shots, but he’s built for this. He’s a big man. When you stand next to him, and you realize how thick he is, he’s a strong guy. That’s how he runs. He’s a physical runner; but at the end of the day, that’s what he has been doing. This is his job, and he understands the impact he’s going to take. I think that’s the part of the game that he likes.”
