Adam Gase – August 8, 2017
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Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Obviously you know QB Jay Cutler. What did you see today on Day 1?) – “The same when I saw him last time. He was good. He remembers basically everything with the offense. The biggest thing for him was just kind of getting that feel with the rush. It’s one thing to throw when we’re routes-on-air or one-on-ones, but to get in there and be able to take some reps with the line in there and just be able to see everything kind of develop and our players body language and how they run routes, that’s the biggest difference for him, and just kind of getting that feel back from pass rush.”
(Do you feel or see, I should say, that QB Jay Cutler was comfortable?) – “Yes. I mean he said he felt good and he’s not going to sugarcoat anything with me. So it was good that he fell just right back in it.”
(How long does it take QB Jay Cutler to learn little things about receivers? Like where they like the ball on a certain situation, maybe what their favorite or least favorite routes are. Things that make up a receiver.) – “Yes, we kind of build it into the offense. Our guys are … They’re all so different, so we kind of specialize in certain routes and it’s no secret that we do that and other teams know that. We just kind of have moves off certain routes. He just was trying to figure out who does what. He just jumped right back in. It seemed like he had been here for a minute.”
(What percentage of the playbook would you estimate is different than the one QB Jay Cutler last reviewed with you?) – “It’s more terminology with … I think there were a few more teams that we’re all kind of using the same terminology. We kind of switched it up, just being a lot of our stuff originated with New England so we had to make sure that we kind of changed a lot of the terms up. We changed a few things from when I was in Chicago, but he looked at it. He’s got it all down already.”
(Can you give us a sense of how much of a reset this is for the offense? It’s a change of quarterback but it is a guy that, like you said, you have a lot of familiarity with?) – “I didn’t see a problem.”
(It feels like a continuation to you?) – “Yes. Our guys do a good job. They adjust well and Matt (Moore) does a good job. It’s like when he jumped in there, you just keep rolling. Guys just keep doing what they’re supposed to do. That’s why we try to be as detailed as we can when we’re running routes, no matter who is back there. The quarterbacks, if they’re not, when Ryan (Tannehill) was practicing and Matt was the backup, I mean you knew how those guys all ran routes by when we go through the film of practice and when he jumped in there, it was nice and smooth. It just seems like whoever we’ve put back there, receivers, the line – all those guys – the backs, they do a good job. They stay consistent.”
(You told us yesterday that QB Jay Cutler wouldn’t play on Thursday. Are there others you have already ruled out?) – “No, I haven’t.”
(There’s a possibility RB Jay Ajayi could play?) – “I would be hard pressed to do it. I’ve got to wait for him to be officially cleared from the protocol. He’s still in it. This is kind of part of the process with that. So I’ll be smart. I haven’t met on this one yet because you don’t do it until the day before.”
(Is T Laremy Tunsil expected to play?) – “Once again, I’ll figure it out here tomorrow. That’s when we’ll talk about it.”
(Is T Laremy Tunsil okay?) – “Yes, he’s fine.”
(There’s obviously no running back controversy but the more carries that RB Kenyan Drake gets in the practice setting, it looks like he’s getting just that much more comfortable. What are you seeing out of him as far as explosion and comfort level there?) – “The more reps he can get, the better. Last year, we were kind of in and out in the spring. We had so much work to do with Jay (Ajayi) and then Arian (Foster) was here and Damien (Williams), and he kind of got lost in the shuffle a little bit. So being able to get him as many reps as we can is valuable for us and just getting him comfortable and understanding how everything works with the run game, where he fits, where he’s supposed to go. The reps for him are very, very important.”
(What is your philosophy for playing time in the first preseason game?) – “Play until somebody tells you to come out.”
(As far as QB Jay Cutler’s arm strength, is that a concern? He said he needs a couple of days to really build that up. How did that look to you?) – “Fine. You don’t have to worry about his arm strength.”
(What is your thought process with the new rules for cuts this year? Are you planning to do a big one at the end or is it something that you’ll do as you go?) – “For us, when you’re a coach, you don’t have to … that fourth preseason game, especially, you’re going to get a lot of guys that get more tape. I was excited. It was really tough to play some of the fourth preseason games. I’ve been involved in games where you’re kind of hoping nobody gets hurt because you don’t have that many guys and it’s going to be new and it’s a great opportunity for a lot of guys.”
(Do you generally plan on keeping a big group until the end?) – “Yes.”
(We’ve seen growth from WR Jakeem Grant as a receiver clearly these last few days. What’s impressed you about how he’s developed in that regard?) – “I think he just feels comfortable. He understands what he’s supposed to do. He doesn’t have to worry about all these different options you have inside. That’s why the slot is a lot harder than a lot of people realize. You’re working off the DB a lot and trying to figure out leverages and what you’re supposed to do to be on the same page as the quarterback. I think putting him out there on the outside lets him use his strength – his quickness off the ball, his vertical speed. When he makes a cut, he creates separation. If you get the ball in his hands and there’s open space, it’s a dangerous situation for the defense. I just see a guy that’s very focused. He wants to do right. He’s really been good in the meetings. He’s trying to be one of those guys that does things as perfect as he can. It’s been good so far.”
(I saw QB Ryan Tannehill out there talking to QB Jay Cutler. How do you envision his role moving forward? Of course is there any medical update?) – “There’s no medical update. As far as what he’s going to do, we just talked about staying engaged. He’s going to be able to help me a lot. So it’s not an easy situation for him to be in. It’s tough to stand there and watch when you’ve worked as hard as he has to come back and he knows what kind of team this is. He knows that these guys have been doing things together for the last eight months or so … seven months. It’s tough when you put that much work in there to have to sit out. He’ll stay involved. I mean I know it’s important for him. He wants us to win, so he’s going to do whatever he can to help.”
(C Mike Pouncey, any update as far as progress?) – “He’s doing exactly what we’re telling him to do. I told you that. (laughter) He’s not practicing.”
(Some of the stuff QB Jay Cutler said yesterday made it sound like you guys have kind of a funny relationship – a funny back and forth. How much does he kind of go at you about things or start stuff with you?) – “You know, the communication is good. It’s just we’re probably both a little bit … We’re both smartasses so we make comments to each other all the time about every little tiny thing that goes on. I think a lot of our quarterbacks … all of our quarterbacks are really like that. We’re kind of open. That’s just kind of how I am and they’re not afraid to give it back to me. I mean that whole group, it’s opening up a tidal wave of stuff. (laughter)”
(Is that part of why you and QB Jay Cutler clicked originally, because you both like to instigate and agitate with each other?) – “I don’t know. He was coming out of Vandy. It was a weird situation. I picked him up at the airport. I was the quality control guy. I just met him there and we didn’t have a quarterbacks coach so he was with me the whole time. We just kept running into each other. It was like we go to Denver, he’s there and then he leaves and then (Mike) Martz goes to Chicago. We were talking about how that whole dynamic would work and what to expect. Then the next thing I know, I’m in Chicago. We just kept bumping into each other as far as guys in the league and people that we’ve been around. We just keep crossing over a lot. We just kept in touch.”
(Are you happy, glad that these preseason games are finally starting?) – “Yes, I think it’s a great opportunity for the guys to prove what they’ve been doing out here in a real game. You get to tackle. Every time you think you’re sacked or it’s a negative play, now you have to take the guy to the ground. It’s good. We need it. That’s why we did live periods this year, to get better at tackling, blocking and finishing plays. These preseason games are a continuation of that.”
(With guys like DE Charles Harris, and LB Raekwon McMillan and rookies that are going to be expected to play a fair amount this year, what do you want to see over the next four weeks?) – “Just keep getting better every day, that’s it. Pay attention to every little detail we’re doing and keep pushing guys to get better. Don’t get complacent.”
(You’ve touched on the skill guys, the rookies from last year. What have you seen from WR Leonte Carroo? Do you feel like he’s improving?) – “Yes. I feel like he has a way better grip on the playbook. He’s playing way faster. His game speed, or practice speed in this case, has been lightyears from last year. He’s very comfortable. You can see why we drafted him because he has strong hands, (he’s a) big guy, physical at the line of scrimmage. His quickness has gotten better. His releases have gotten better this year. He has a better feel of what defenses are trying to do and why they do it, and I think that that has helped him.”
(Did QB Jay Cutler and you hit it off right away or did your relationship build?) – “No, we were good right from the get go. If you spend a day and a half with somebody all day long, you’re either good or you’re not.”
(With the offensive guard, center, left tackle, left guard situation. How are you going to work that in terms of C/G Kraig Urbik, C/G Anthony Steen and decide who plays what on that first team?) – “Whatever (Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator) Chris (Foerster) does, that’s what it’s going to be. We’re working everybody everywhere. That’s the good thing about having a really good o-line coach. You don’t question what he does. You let him do his job. I trust him because he gets so many guys ready to play so many positions and when we get in a game situation, you’ve got seven guys up. He always had great plans, contingency plans all over the place. If this guy goes down, he’ll go through it so fast. I just never even have to worry about it.”
(It looked like there was a palpable decline in swag or whatever you want to call it in the team after the QB Ryan Tannehill injury. Is that back now? Is the excitement…) – “I think that the day after that happened, we had our best practice. That was a punch in the gut for everybody. I thought Matt (Moore) went in there and tried to pick everybody up. I think we were all kind of like, ‘Did that just really happen?’ And then the next day, guys just refocused, came out, and that was our best practice. There was high execution. Everybody was playing fast. The speed was great. Going back and watching that practice, we were all very excited because we really felt like it was that same mentality you saw when things weren’t going right the year before. Seeing those guys just understand that this isn’t ideal, but we’ve got to move on and get it going again. When they came out the next day, it was very impressive.”
(Going back to WR Jakeem Grant, you said the move to the outside, does that help streamline things for him because he’s not necessarily worried about options and things he has to process based on leverage?) – “Yes, it goes to … His strength is his speed and quickness. By him moving outside, it allows him to do it. You look at his size and automatically think he should be in the slot, but he plays against these corners that are 6-foot-2. If he makes one move and all of a sudden that guy’s standing still and he’s by him. He’s a hard guy to cover.”
