Adam Gase – August 21, 2017
Download PDF version
Monday, August 21, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What did you want to get out of today, and did you get out of it what you wanted?) – “I think it was just being able to come up here and put ourselves in a different environment, go against different bodies, different skillsets for a lot of these guys. Our defense is close to what (Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim) Schwartz runs here. Our offense is a different style. Just being able to (have) both sides of the ball being able to go against different guys, it’s just one of those things at camp where you can get a lot out of this.”
(What were the ground rules as to how much you hit?) – “We kind of just made sure nobody was getting any cheap shots taken on them if the guy wasn’t looking, just making sure we weren’t blowing anybody up. We were just trying to put a few rules on (the practice) to where we could avoid any kind of scuffle or start anything up, and just being able to come out here and get good work.”
(It seemed pretty peaceful out there.) – “Yes, guys were just going and they were working. It started heating up a little bit towards the end (of practice) when we were in full pads. I think guys were more focused on football than anything else.”
(How valuable is this trip from a team-building perspective?) – “It’s good. Last year when we got to go to Seattle and we went out early, we went on Thursday, seeing the guys being able to go out to dinner and each position group hanging out, and different guys hanging out that normally don’t, it’s a different feel for us than training camp because we’re at our facility. We don’t really go away. So this is a good experience for our guys and it’s good to get a chance to hang out and this is kind of all they’re doing right now.”
(What’s been the progression with C Mike Pouncey? Are you guys at full capacity with him right now?) – “I think we’re pretty close. I think today was really what it’s going to be, seeing him take four reps per period. We’ll figure out what we’re going to do on Thursday (in the preseason game). I’m going to talk with him; I want him to feel comfortable with whatever we decide to do.”
(So C Mike Pouncey won’t work tomorrow because it’s one day off, one day on?) – “You know me. I’m not going to get too far ahead. I’ll figure everything out tonight and they give me of schedule of what his daily routine is and I’ll check that tonight. Obviously, you’ve got better sources than I do. (laughter)”
(You seem to have out there today your offensive line, more or less. You maybe one guy short. So should it start to look better?) – “Now it’s trying to get Jay (Cutler) caught up, get those guys together and start working and figure out what are we going to do at left guard. We’re rolling quite a few guys in there. When (Mike) Pouncey’s in there, all of a sudden it starts looking like what we think it’s going to look like. We’re still trying to get Ja’Wuan (James) a little healthier than what he was last week, and I think today was a good step for him to get out there in full pads and just seeing how he feels. There will be an interesting conversation tonight just to kind of see how (Ja’Wuan) feels post practice and the next day. So I think we’re close. I think we’ve got a good battle going on there for that left guard spot, where we’ve got some options.”
(What do you recall most about your interviews with Philadelphia?) – “It was a good experience just to get around. I knew (Eagles Executive Vice President of Football Operations) Howie (Roseman), but meeting a lot of different people from the organization. Just the questions they were asking, kind of the culture they were looking to re-establish, and just a good day to have a conversation about all those types of things. (There were) a lot of questions coming up on things. Usually when you go in those interviews, something always comes up that you learn from that you have not necessarily prepared yourself for and you kind of have to think on the fly. I thought they asked a lot of good questions and it was just a good conversation going back and forth.”
(If I recall correctly, were the Eagles the first team that you interviewed with?) – “Yes.”
(So what happened? If the Eagles were aggressive with you initially, why did it all the sudden turn? Did they try to get a second interview with you?) – Well I had, it was (the Eagles) and then I had three other interviews and by the end of the week, (the Eagles) were still in the interview process and I got offered the job (with the Dolphins).”
(So the Eagles didn’t offer a second interview to you?) – “I’m not saying that. (laughter)”
(With C/G Kraig Urbik, is there any concern he won’t be ready for the opener?) – “Yes. There’s a concern there and there’s probably a good chance that he could miss the opener, and it is what it is. I know for (you guys) the sky is falling; but it’s football. This is what happens and we’ll adjust.”
(Does C/G Kraig Urbik need a scope?) – “Possibly.”
(T Jesse Davis, has he put himself into contention for that left guard spot and what has he done that makes him worthy of that spot?) – “Yes. I think his position flexibility. He’s a guy that’s been in our program for a minute here and he’s done a good job of finding a way to get better every day and I’ve really been impressed. He’s had to play a lot of snaps already, and to see – I think in both (preseason games) he might have played almost the entire game. He’s getting a lot of experience there. I like how our young guys are doing things. They’re all competing; they’re trying to get in there. They see a little daylight there, so I think they want to get on the field.”
(LB Rey Maualuga, what do you hope he brings to the defense?) – “Well he’s an experienced guy. We feel like he’s a guy that can help us a lot and we just want to make sure that when we put him on the field, it’s the right time. We want to get him ready. Where we play, it’s a little different environment for him with the heat. We just want to make sure he’s in good shape and we don’t want to put him in a position where he’s behind all the rest of those guys. When you get put in a position like he was, and it’s the first time it’s ever happened to him and you’re not really sure how to go about your business … You’re working out, but it’s still not the same as when you’re involved in a program. (Defensive Coordinator) Matt’s (Burke) familiar with him obviously from coaching him. Any time we can add an experienced guy like that this late (into the preseason), I think it’s a positive for us.”
(Where do you envision LB Rey Maualuga playing – inside or on the outside?) – “I mean, it’s probably going to be inside. It really is irrelevant; but we’re a three-stack ‘backer team. Three guys off the ball, so he’ll know how to do all of them. He already knows the defense. He’s been in it before.”
(You mention a lot of moving parts that need to come together for your offense so that the sky is not falling, can it all happen by September 10th?) – “Yes, absolutely. This is the NFL. That’s what they do. This is what these guys do. This is what they learn; they learn playbooks. You see guys move from team to team and all of the sudden they’re ready to go. We’re just trying to see if we can get as much cohesiveness as possible, as fast as possible. We had to kind of start over a little bit when Jay (Cutler) came in just trying to get him caught up to speed. We had to back off a little bit; but our guys handled everything in stride. They do a good job. They don’t get frustrated with anything. They just keep plugging along, keep moving and finding ways to get better.”
(It seems like every year you have a new quarterback, whether you’re a coordinator or a head coach. How do you keep adjusting?) – “I think the way that this system was built, which really started in 2011-ish when we went from option (in Denver) and all of the sudden we get Peyton (Manning) and we’ve got to change that up. It’s just an easy system to make some adjustments (to). We don’t have to change terminology. Everything is kind of … We can build it in within whatever we’re doing for that game plan. We’re going to adjust to our players. Whatever fits best for our players is what we’re going to do.”
(Having coached Eagles WR Alshon Jeffrey, who are the Eagles getting?) – “They’re getting a guy that you can basically throw the ball up and he’ll go get it and make the play. It doesn’t matter what the coverage is. (With) two, three guys on him, he’s made some incredible plays when we were together in Chicago. I think it was the first time I ever had a player where I’d call a play and just say ‘Throw it to Alshon.’ He’s a big-body guy. You kind of are surprised when you stand next to him. You always think he’s taller, but his arms and his wingspan are incredible. His ability to track the ball and go get it in traffic is really something that you don’t see a lot. He’s a guy that when you get in the red zone, he’s a definite threat, and he can be a game-changing guy. When he makes those explosive plays, they’re game-changing plays.”
(Who would you list as the candidates at left guard at this time?) – “Warm bodies. Whoever’s out there. Everybody. We’re rolling everybody through and we’re going to figure out who the best guy is. That’s why we’re going through the preseason. We’ve got two more games. We’ve got a bunch of practices. We’re going to figure it out and then when we step on the field in that first game of the season, then we’ll have the right group out there.”
(T Jesse Davis is a guy that to us seemed to come out of nowhere. How has he been able to improve?) – “It started kind of in the spring. I heard some guys talking about him. (Offensive Line Coach) Chris Foerster and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach Chris) Kuper were both saying the same thing of just keep an eye on this, and the personnel guys started noticing it. Then we got in pads and there was no fall off. Sometimes when you go from the whole offseason to training camp, there can be a change, and there hasn’t been. It’s really been an improvement. I think when you’ve got a guy that works as hard as he does, he’s trying to find ways to get better. I think he’s got a legitimate shot.”
(With WR Jarvis Landry, a lot of the knock on him has been his touchdown production throughout the years. Obviously, it’s a tighter area in the red zone. How do you get more production out of him when it comes to scoring touchdowns?) – “Well sometimes what happens is, when you play that position, you get taken away because of the position you’re playing. A lot of teams play double coverage. It doesn’t matter how many touchdowns you have, you get double coverage with the nickel and the safety just by the formation. That’s why we try to move him around quite a bit, to avoid (double coverage) and try to find some one-on-one matchups. A lot of teams are playing zone defense down there, that’s probably why you’re seeing a little more rushing touchdowns. Even though there’s three wide outs, teams are running it. You get the middle of the field open, zone, tight coverages. We’ve had a couple of shots probably to have some touchdowns where we’re a yard or two short. I’m not really too concerned about it because I think there are plays to be made there. (There’s) a couple of things we cleaned up from last year that we’ve talked about. There’s probably a couple of more touchdowns there. That’s the good thing about going into this season, I feel really good about all the skill players we have. I feel like any of those guys could score at any moment.”
(What are your impressions on S Nate Allen’s return to practice?) – “He’s done exactly what we brought him here to do. When we get him back there, his job is to make sure nobody gets over the top and if somebody gets to you, get them down. He seems to be in the right place (at the) right time. He does a great job as far as knowing his assignment. He can help other guys. It’s great having a veteran leader in that room, another one, and his special teams value is very high for us. We really put a big emphasis on that and the fact that we’ve got him, T.J. (McDonald), and Reshad (Jones) back there, it gives us a lot of flexibility. It gives us a lot of options, especially after T.J. comes back.”
(Is there any consideration to bringing back T Branden Albert to play guard?) – “I haven’t had that discussion with the personnel guys.”
(Two weeks with QB Jay Cutler now, where do you feel like he is? And do you continually ramp him up any differently just because the offseason was so unusual for him? He didn’t have the normal sort of throwing and all that?) – “Playbook-wise, I think he’s good. I think it’s more feeling the pocket, getting back used to that again. Really, a lot of it is alignment and his throws, his footwork, and just kind of (getting) his mind right on all of those things. He’s done a really good job of trying to make a few adjustments here and there. When you see a ball kind of not come out as clean as he’d like, he’ll make a little adjustment to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Just getting back comfortable with what he does, what he does well. I’ve got to make a couple of changes from the things we were emphasizing with Ryan (Tannehill) compared to him. Everyday, that’s why it’s a great learning experience for us and today was another one. We saw a few different coverages, some different fronts, some different looks, some different pressures. I mean everything he can see, the more we can put him out there, the better.”
(Any chance that LB Rey Maualuga plays Thursday in the third preseason game?) – “Zero percent chance.”
(You have kind of like a competition with Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke out there sometimes when you guys practice by yourselves. Do you have any of that with Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz? Did you guys kind of get after each other today?) – “I picked Coach Schwartz up when I was a GA at LSU and he was at Tennessee, so really it’s been fun for me to be able to communicate with him and kind of talk through a lot of things with how we wanted to get practice set up and what we wanted to against each other, if either of us wanted to see something or work on something for this practice. Coach Schwartz, I’ve always enjoyed being able to pick his brain. He’s got a lot of experience. He’s been through a lot. He’s seen a lot of things. He’s been with a lot of great coaches. He’s been a head coach. There’s a lot of good stuff that I can get from him and I’ve always enjoyed spending time with him and being able to discuss football.”
(Can you go over Thursday night’s game against Baltimore? What did you take from that film and what did you relay to your team?) – “I thought the first quarter was good, especially on defense. We only gave up 7 yards rushing – just wanted to remind you of that again because nobody asked that question last time. (laughter) On offense, we’ve got a few things to clean up. I thought Jay (Cutler) was smooth as far as getting (the offense) up to the line. (It was) a little bit different flow for our guys. He was going fast. But we made some plays, we had some penalties – a couple holding calls there in a row. (Jay) Ajayi took a shot there on the sideline so he popped right back up. That’s probably what he needed and just to kind of know that he’s alright. It was fun to call it and just kind of get those guys rolling a little bit. We knew we were going to go a few series and once that first group came out on both sides of the ball, we really struggled. We couldn’t get anything going on offense. We had way too many mental errors on both sides of the ball. (We had) way too many missed tackles. We had a lot to clean up with the younger guys, which is expected sometimes. It happens in training camp and we’ve got a lot of them and we’ve got to get them ready to go because you never know who’s going to be the next man up.”
