Clyde Christensen – December 8, 2017
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Friday, December 8, 2017
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(In trying to explain why RB Kenyan Drake in this particular year has had more success than RB Jay Ajayi did during the first seven games, how much do you think is a function of has the blocking been better in your opinion for Kenyan, and what are some of the other factors?) – “No, I don’t think so. I’m not sure he’s had, in my mind, more success. It’s different success. He’s a home run hitter. We’ve used him differently. They’re two different guys. You’re comparing apples and oranges a little bit and Jay (Ajayi) would out-do Kenyan at what Jay does well and Kenyan probably is better than Jay at what he does well. So I don’t think it’s necessarily playing better, he’s just a different guy and he’s going to have those big strikes. And Jay had his share to; but Jay was a physical guy. Kenyan’s a fast, kind of a bounce … What he does is really special when he gets rolling. That run he made for the touchdown, which was an inside run, but it was still kind of his style with five moves in a 2-yard area right there and then comes out of it, squirts out of it for a touchdown is big. He’s really special with that kind of thing.”
(Aside from the fumbles, would you give him high marks in all of areas, aside from two fumbles?) – “Protection. I think he’s still got a ways to go protection-wise and ball protection-wise. Then, as I always say to you, he’s got to prove he can do it after you’ve started 10 games. See if you’re still doing it in January on frozen fields and below-zero temperatures, etc., etc., etc. So there’s a long way to go before we start making the bust of him quite yet; (laughter) but we’re off to a good start.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase said yesterday that with RB Kenyan Drake back there ,it’s a little different for the offensive linemen.) – “Yes.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake’s lateral quickness, isn’t it an adjustment for the offensive line?) – “I think it is. Yes, I do think it is. Those guys have a different style and yes, I think it is. Just like when you have different quarterbacks in there, it’s a different thing. We’ve really stressed playing hard, finishing blocks. Jay (Cutler) in the pocket, Kenyan with the ball. The other thing that he makes it unique that all of a sudden an inside play goes around the corner and that’s where your holding calls come. So there’s a lot of factors that go into it. All of a sudden, you’re blocking the thing and you think he’s going up off my left hip here and then all of a sudden, I’ve got my guy locked down and all of a sudden he runs around the right corner and he starts to leave and I thought the ball was going … Now all of a sudden I’ve got to make sure that I don’t grab hold and restrict him. So yes, there’s a lot of things that go on and it makes it interesting for him; but it is different. It is different. Jay, you kind of knew where he was going to hit it and you just start bulldozing and pushing piles. This guy, it can go anywhere.”
(Are you seeing anything different from TE Julius Thomas in recent weeks?) – “Yes, production. I think the production has been different and up a little bit and I think that would be the biggest thing. Yes, I think he’s kind of getting in a little bit of a stride and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase has done a good job getting it to him and giving him some good opportunities, so that’s encouraging.”
(We always hear about how Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick takes one thing away. What did he do last time and how do you adjust to that in game?) – “Yes, they’ve always done a great job there. They’re going to double Jarvis (Landry). They’re going to take away what you’re doing well and make you try to beat them left-handed. That’s what they’ve always done and they’ll do it a lot of different ways and so you never really have a beat going into the game. I think I’ve said that to you before that they do a great job of being one of the best fundamentally sound, one of the best fundamentals – leverage, hands, head, hands placement – they’re one of the best teams, if not the best team in the league, at (being) consistent that way and then their changeups don’t compromise their technique. They’ll do it a lot of different ways. They’re a good man coverage team. Now they may double the two inside guys. They could double anyone they want to; but their techniques are what is really, really good. So you focus on their scheme and you try and have good plays for their scheme and the next thing you know, you forgot that we’ve got to beat press coverage. They make you do things well and that will be a great challenge.”
(If they take WR Jarvis Landry or if they choose to take Jarvis away, do you force it to him, because I think he was seven for 80 last game?) – “Sometimes it happens that way. Sometimes it doesn’t. That’s a little bit of a … that’s a teach. When do you stay with a guy being doubled? There are some times, there are some routes where you have a chance to win even though you’re doubled, that Jarvis is just going to win anyway. There’s somewhere you’ve got to go ‘Hey, hooray for them. They took him away. Let’s move on and someone else has got to win.’ So it’s both. Both of the above and you don’t know when that’s going to happen. Some routes you feel good about, some routes you don’t. Sometimes they’re tight coverage, sometimes they’re loose coverage and the double comes from up top, above. Sometimes it’s from underneath and from the line of scrimmage with one of those (line)backers coming out. So it happens a lot of different ways and I think what they do a great job of is making you make your adjustments during the game. They’re not going to do exactly what they’ve done the last five games and you’ve got a beat on them and you scheme everything up for it and then they do it just exactly like you schemed it up. You’ve got to be ready to be on the sideline making some adjustments.”
(In what ways do you see WR Kenny Stills work to get even better in more areas? He got paid but it seems like he still puts in the …) – “I think he’s got some momentum. I think he’s becoming really, really one of the good receivers in this league and he just keeps working. I think the biggest thing, which no surprise, is he’s healthy. He stays on the field and he gets his practice time. That’s the best thing, right? If you’re on the field and you work, you’re going to get better. That’s in any field. That’s coaching. That’s whatever. If you just do it every day and you come to work every day and you work at getting better, you tend to get better at whatever you do, whether it’s writing and writing articles or coaching football or playing receiver, that just kind of holds true. That’s what he’s done the best thing of. He’s been working. He’s been really consistent. I’ve said to you before that when I got here, he was in this building. He made the conscious decision ‘Hey, I’m going to be a consistent football player.’ His words to me was ‘I’ve been good at times but I’ve been up and down,’ and I think two years ago he made a commitment that I’m going to be a consistent, steady, upper-echelon receiver in this league. I really think the sky is the limit. He’s a fast guy but he’s not just a big-play guy. His technique is good. He’s running good routes. He’s made catches this year that have been outstanding and one last week on the low ball was one of the three or four best I’ve ever seen in my life. That was a great catch. So he’s doing those things, which maybe he didn’t do as much last year. I think he’s becoming a well-rounded, good worker. The other thing I’ve said a lot is we’re dying for guys who you can say ‘Hey, do it like him. Work like him. Act like him.’ That’s what we’re dying for leadership-wise offensively. Just some guy that (you say) ‘Hey, he’s turning into a heck of pro,’ and where you say, ‘Hey, do you want to get better? Watch Kenny Stills. Watch how he works. Watch how he takes care of his body. Watch what he does on Tuesday on off days. Watch what he does after practice. Watch him during practice.’ He’s becoming that kind of guy, so that’s been great. It’s been fun to watch and he’s turning into a really, really fine receiver.”
(It’s only been a couple of week since the last meeting with New England but is that enough time to see any differences in the defense?) – “It really isn’t. It’s just weird. It’s a weird deal. It’s both ways, but we’ve played them so many times and you see them twice a year, and now you see them twice in three weeks that you know what they do. You know what you have to do, but it doesn’t make it easier to beat them. It’s still hard work to beat them and they do a good job. They’ll have their wrinkles and we’ll try to have a wrinkle or two but at the end of the day, it’ll come down to if we can block them, if they can tackle us, if we can beat man coverage, if they can cover us, if we can protect our quarterback and it’ll come down to the same basic things in football. It takes some of the scheming and all of that stuff out of it and makes it more about the fundamentals and who gets themselves ready and plays harder or longer.”
