Matt Burke – September 21, 2017
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Thursday, September 21, 2017
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(It’s always next man up but you find out the day before the game that LB Lawrence Timmons isn’t there. What does that mean to you? Are you scrambling? What’s going through your … take us through that time?) – “Yes, I mean I know it is cliché guys, but I always say with (Head Coach) Adam (Gase), our process is we’ve got to put … We’ve got to make the best decisions in the moment at who’s available and what I’m doing. So there was a little bit of adjustment game plan-wise the night before the game. I don’t know, maybe about midnight or so I was up to, just changing some things and again like knowing ‘Okay, hey, we’re going to play Chase (Allen) a little bit,’ and what I felt comfortable calling with him in the game. So we took some stuff out and readjusted some things and then had some contingency plans because then obviously we’re going to be a little bit thin at linebacker. So I had to kind of put together some other packages, just again, in case we got even thinner at linebacker, if something happened in the game. So we had some other guys ready to go. I’ll tell you, the players responded great. We had about three or four guys that we kind of grabbed Saturday night and talked to them about ‘Hey, this may be a situation we’re going to put you in. We kind of had all different guys. Literally from Terrence Fede to ‘Mike T’ (Michael Thomas) to obviously with Chase (Allen). So there were about three or four guys that we kind of had some contingencies based on and again, they put the ball down. I mean it kind of got out about what Cam (Wake) said to the team on Saturday night – no one cares. They’re kicking the ball off at one o’clock on Sunday and so we put our best plan together with the guys that were going to play for us.”
(Who else can play linebacker?) – “It’s more just … We had contingency plans again, playing some sub or some nickel in different spots, to certain personnel groups; or again, if we had to go big. I mean that’s really sort of where you start getting down. We had four linebackers active. So it was more like okay, well if we have less then that playing, for whatever reason, who can kind of fill those roles? So really it was a matter of what we could play out of sort of our nickel packages versus certain groups and what we could play with say an extra guy like Will Hayes or Terrence Fede or one of those guys playing as a big sort of Sam (linebacker) or something. Those were kind of the thoughts we went through when we had everything in place, depending on kind of what came out in the game.”
(How did LB Chase Allen respond to the challenge and did he earn himself more playing time?) – “Chase was great. Chase was great. I’ve dog-cussed him pretty much since the day he walked into this building. I’ve been all over him and been in his ear and killing him and then I walked passed him – I was all amped up on game day – on stretch line, I walked past Chase, and he’s kneeling down, stretching or whatever and I grabbed him by the shirt, by the jersey, and I was like this is why I’ve been MF’ing you all year and this is why you’re here. I probably said some other stuff I can’t say live here. (laughter) And he’s just looking at me and he goes – I yelled at him for about two minutes – and he looks at me and he goes ‘Okay, coach.’ I mean literally that was it. (laughter) I was like, ‘Alright, we’re good.’ The first call of the game, I blitzed him just because I was like I don’t want him thinking. I want to get him out there and I’m going to send him. (He had a) TFL (tackle for loss). I think he only played like 10 snaps or something. He had four tackles. I mean he was great. He didn’t bat an eye. Literally, that’s kind of how he was, just ‘Alright, coach. I’m good,’ and kind of handled my manic attitude. So he was great. He did a good job and we feel comfortable playing him.”
(It’s unusual for a fifth-round pick – DT Davon Godchaux – to play right away. How is he different? How has he evolved to the point where he can have a significant role in the opener?) – “Again, one of the first things I tell the guys when we have like the rookie camp or whatever it is, when we bring those players in, is it doesn’t matter where you’re drafted. The best players going to play. I think (Head Coach) Adam’s (Gase) proved that since he’s been here. So we pitched that to those guys as a starting point, like no one’s putting your draft number on the back of your jersey, so he’s been here. He’s worked his balls off. I don’t know if I can say that. Sorry. (laughter)”
(Change it in the transcript.) – “Yes, I know. (laughter) He’s worked hard. He’s a very mature kid. He’s a tough kid. The one thing I appreciate about him is he knows his role like in terms of, he talked to me on Sunday and he was just like ‘Hey, I know maybe I’m not necessarily part of the rush plan and third downs. I know what I’m here to do. I’m here to stop the run and set the tone and be physical and tough,’ and he’s done that since he’s been here. He did it in the game. He’s never given us pause to think he can’t do what we’re asking him to do. So he’s been great from the start.”
(What’s your vision for LB Stephone Anthony now that he’s here?) – “We’re still trying to get to know him. Obviously he just came in yesterday. We weren’t actually expecting him to even practice yesterday and he did, which was good, just to see him run around. We’re going to put him in the mix. My thought with him is really just to try to put him in one spot and let him learn. It’s hard anytime coming into a new system in the middle of a season – one game in, I guess. So we’re going to get a feel for just kind of what we do with every guy we bring in: the process of getting a feel for what he can handle and where his best fit is. And then kind of once – probably by the end of this week – we get a feel of what we think his best role is, and then put him in there, throw him in the deep end and let him get working a little bit.”
(How do you decide if a guy’s got what it takes to be a middle linebacker as opposed to being maybe a Sam linebacker?) – “Well it’s really more just … It’s really more athletically for him and partly for us, he’s a little different case for us in terms of we’re just trying to look at our depth and see where we can overlap guys and where the best … where we can cover all of our spots. I mean obviously we feel like it’s every year right? It was last year and this year where we get thin and so we’re trying to just see more like where he fits in with the puzzle, and I mean that sort of thing for him. It’s not necessary that … I think physically he can play every spot, to be honest with you. Most of our linebackers are pseudo-interchangeable in terms of being stacked players and off the ball. It’s more of like ‘Okay, what’s our best…?’ Chase (Allen) and Mike Hull for example have had crossover reps. Mike helped play some, dime, Will (linebacker), Mike (linebacker). Chase (Allen) has played Mike and Sam now and those things, so just trying to find out, ‘Okay, where do we kind of overlap and cover our bases with everything so we’re not getting to a point the night before a game where we have to maybe play a d-end at some position or what not. So his fit will be more like … Okay, I think physically, from what I’ve seen, he’s a big kid. He can run. He can hit. So for us, it’s going to be more of what’s the best puzzle that we can overlap spots and cover all our bases moving forward.”
(From a personal level, when a player goes missing like LB Lawrence Timmons, how concerned were you and what was going through your head it was …?) – “Obviously, there’s a level of concern. We care for all of our players deeply. We’re around them a lot. So, you went through a lot of stuff obviously. We were concerned for him. I know (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) wants to keep sort of all of the details in-house and we’ll just … I’ll be there for him whenever Adam decides he’s back on the team.”
(About your pass defense, what did you think of it?) – “I think … Here’s what I told the guys, and I think this is moving forward this is sort of a big picture thing for us. Opposing offenses are not going to want to deal with our pass rush. I think the message to the back end guys, that’s linebackers and DB’s, is that we have to challenge throws better on the outside part of the field and match-up our underneath progressions just a little bit tighter. I think it was pretty clear. I mean I think – he’s a great quarterback, (Philip) Rivers is – I think his average release point was like 2.1 seconds or something. He was not going to give a chance for our guys to get going. He was catching the ball, throwing it and our d-line was still almost there. I think that’s just going to be a theme moving forward, so our job, again, the defense always works together. So our job on the outside part of the field is to be tighter and to challenge some of those throws to give those guys that extra second to work. I thought I was wanting a little bit more, again, from both spots – some tighter coverage and just getting hands on stuff sooner, so to give our d-line a chance. I mean if we’re allowing those guys to just … They were neutralizing our rush by just getting the ball out so quick. I mean they really didn’t have a chance to get going so I think that’s something we have to just address moving forward.”
(Four days after the fact, how would describe your first game as an NFL defensive coordinator?) – “It was great. A win, a big win on the road, after all of that stuff. I mean it was cool. A win is a win. These things are hard. It’s hard, hard, hard to win in this league. I was excited. It was … From top to bottom, from the week before to the end of the game, it’s probably not how we might have scripted it; but you guys have been around this team now for a couple of years. It’s kind of what we do. So it was fun.”
(There was play I noticed where they ran at DE Charles Harris and an offensive tackle just kind pushed him really wide of the play. Take me inside Xs and Os a little bit. What does Charles Harris need to do in terms of the run. Remember that one? They ran towards him and he took a wide rush trying to get to the quarterback and the tackle just kind of pushed him out the play? – “Specifically, I’m not sure but I mean our d-end’s … We’re an aggressive team. We’re an attacking front. We want them to obviously rush the passer; but their angles in terms of … I don’t remember the specific play to be honest with you, but last year one of our issues was our ends going too vertical up the field and creating running lanes underneath. So we work on our aiming points in terms of having a sharper angle, so if a tackle tries to turn out on one of our d-ends, they need to close that gap down so it’s not just creating that large space out there. I don’t remember specifically on Charles’s play.
(How did DE Charles Harris do in general?) — He did good. Again, it was hard. They weren’t giving him a chance to rush. He had a big hit on the one he did (get in the backfield on). We had trouble getting into third-and-long because of all of the quick throws and stuff. We only had eight third downs I think in the game. So again, we limited rush opportunities. The one that we did have a third-and-12 on, he got a big hit on the quarterback. I think the more opportunities that we provide, again, not just for him, but for all those guys up front, the production will come.”
(Regardless of what has happened or what we might say, I doubt that your linebacker group thinks that they’re undermanned.) – “No. Why would they?”
(What’s the attitude or kind of the mentality of the linebackers group?) – “They’re all football players. Like I said, it was cool. You always worry about a rookie, an undrafted free agent rookie starting. I mean those guys, that’s what they do. We practice all these guys. They go through the work. We went through it last year. The same thing, we played a bunch of different guys. I mean it’s like old hat for us now. Those guys are confident. Kiko (Alonso) does a great job. Kiko’s really grown into his role, obviously, knowing he’s going to be here long term and that he’s part of what we’re doing. He takes those guys and Kiko’s level of communication and sort of direction has been awesome, so he’s really helped kind of … Again, he’s the alpha dog in the room so his attitude sort of, whatever gets the rest of those guys, they feed off of his energy; and he does a good job of getting everybody lined up and we go play ball. That’s a confident group. They should be.”
(Keeping in mind the cornerback play was not sterling last week, do you expect to give CB Alterraun Verner snaps Sunday?) – “Again, I don’t know. That’s a week-to-week thing. ‘Vern’ is ready to go. He’s done a good job. Again, part of that’s on me to determine whether it’s a fit or schematically, whether we feel, ‘Max’ (Byron Maxwell) and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and Bobby (McCain) and ‘Vern,’ who kind of matches up and what we’re trying to ask them to do week-to-week. All of those guys are ready to play. Again, I’m not opposed to playing anybody that’s going to help us win ball games, rotating them, playing them, starting different guys. I’m not ready to make those determinations today; but ‘Vern’ will be ready to go if we call on him, for sure.”
