Adam Gase – August 14, 2018
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Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Today was the last day of training camp. What is the significance of that, and what did you guys accomplish during training camp?) – “To me, I just look at it as guys can stay at home now instead of the hotel. To me, it’s not that big of a deal. Next week will just have a different format. I think this is the first time over the last three years that we’re actually going to be able to go through an actual mock game week. Just the time frame of playing Friday to Saturday, getting into game preparation, actually have a clean dry run. We’ve always had something that has kind of stood in the way of that. Last year practicing at Philly, we were kind of going through it, our game plan, with them. So there weren’t a lot of surprises when we got to the game. And the year before that, we were still kind of toying with a lot of things and we didn’t really have our regular week set.”
(Do you have a feel or understanding about who this team is identity wise?) – “I still think it’s going to take a little time at least in the – I shouldn’t say that – the next couple of weeks to really define that. I think our coaching staff has a better feel right now, but I still think we’re trying to sort a few things out of who our starters are going to be and who our role guys are going to be and what they’re going to do. Once we end training camp, I think we’ll be able to nail that down a lot better than right now.”
(What stood out to you during training camp?) – “I think we changed it up a little bit. I think this one was probably a little harder than what we’ve done in the past. We were out there a little longer and I think guys were – take yesterday out of it – I think guys acted professional and there was a lot of physicality. There was a better sense of what we were looking for as far as how we want to tackle, how we want our ball security to be, our turnovers. Just all these little details that we’ve been talking about – pre-snap penalties. We’re talking about that at a rate of … I don’t even know the word to use. But we had a very good point of emphasis in this camp. The first year we were trying to figure things out, like who are we and what do we need to work on, who’s staying, who’s going. The second year, I don’t think we were as clear as probably what we needed to be. I feel like this year everybody is all on the same page. We all know what we’re looking to do.”
(What led to the decision to cut DT Gabe Wright?) – “It was time for us to move on. I don’t really think I need to get into more detail than that. It’s part of the NFL.”
(Has the blocking of TE Durham Smythe translated from college to here, and is he as good a blocker as you have at the position? Obviously TE MarQueis Gray and some others are good blockers as well.) – “I do think it’s translated. There’s been a large amount of time where he’s done a really good job. I think any time he gets thrown in there with that first group, that’s really the big test for him, where he has to play fast and if he thinks too much, you’re going to pay for it because those guys are coming off the edge hard. I do think what he did in college has translated to the NFL.”
(Was there more than just the one incident that happened with DT Gabe Wright? You seemed like maybe you were irritated in general by yesterday’s practice?) – “We moved on. It is what it is. I know you want more, but that’s all I’m saying about it.”
(What can you share with us about the quarterback plans for Friday?) – “Nothing. They’re all going to play.”
(You said you didn’t want to rotate QB David Fales and QB Brock Osweiler in the first preseason game, and then you rotated?) – “I lied. (laughter) No, our plan was really, how many plays? And how the feel of the game was going. It kind of changed. It was really more me than anybody else of who was going first and how long they were going to stay in. I think I just kept flip-flopping as far as what I wanted to do and kind of waited until game time to kind of feel out the game and go, ‘All right, this is what I want to do. This guy is up, this guy is up.’ I felt like it worked out. We got both of them in a rhythm. It took me a little longer with Brock, but he ended up having a, whatever, 17-play drive. It worked out. The reps worked out and I thought both of them did a good job.”
(At the end of training camp, where does your offense stand compared to years past?) – “There’s just a better feel. With Ryan (Tannehill), this is his third year in the offense. He’s at mentally a different level. He’s able to really help some of the guys out. A couple of the moving pieces we’ve had, those guys have done a good job of picking it up. This offense isn’t too far off from what Danny (Amendola) has already done. The communication between, whether it be (Wide Receivers Coach) Ben (Johnson) or myself or (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Shawn (Jefferson), it’s easy for us … It’s probably easier for me because I can still talk to him in some of the terms that he’s used to and translate them over for him. I think Albert (Wilson) has done a really good job of grinding out the playbook. He’s very prideful in making sure he’s not making mistakes on the field. It’s been a very good transition for us.”
(You said something on SiriusXM Radio about helping QB Ryan Tannehill clean up third downs and becoming more efficient; what’s that process like?) – “It’s one of those things that you talk about it but it’s probably easier said than done, just being able to have that feel of when it’s there and when it’s not. When something breaks down, getting the ball out and see if we can get it on a short completion but not standing back there and holding on to it, taking a sack. That’s really my biggest thing is trying to make sure that he’s not taking unnecessary hits. There’s times where I understand he’s going to stand in there and he’s going to deliver the ball and then there’s times where there’s no hope to deliver the ball, so let’s get it out of our hands. I think that’s been a point of emphasis probably for the last two years since he really got injured.”
(Where do you see the cleaner practices with QB Ryan Tannehill most?) – “Probably when we do anything where it’s just the straight, he knows he’s got six to eight plays, move the ball and it’s more of a game feel. When we have the scripted-type periods to where it’s like one emphasis of red zone, third down, whatever it is, I think those don’t feel as natural. He doesn’t like those like he likes to move the ball because now it’s like, here’s third-and-6 and now he can go three plays in the drive or four plays in the drive. It just feels real for him and I think he does a better job when we’re kind of in that rhythm.”
(You mentioned Carolina LB Luke Kuechly a few times, what you think of him, how much you like or maybe dislike him, I guess, depending on how you look at it …) – “I don’t dislike him. I think he’s a really good player.”
(Why is Carolina LB Luke Kuechly so frustrating or such a headache?) – “Because he’s one of the few players that you go against that you might call plays and you know he knows. And he can watch and see how everybody’s stance is. He listens to what the quarterback is saying. He picks up on little things that a lot of players don’t and he uses that information and processes it fast and can get the other guys on board. When you’ve got a guy that’s basically saying, ‘They’re going left,’ or, ‘They’re going right,’ or, ‘It’s a pass,’ or, ‘It’s a run,’ that’s frustrating as a play-caller because you’re at a disadvantage. He has just an unbelievable ability to put his guys in great position.”
(After the Buffalo game last year, I think you talked to RB Kenyan Drake about that ejection; was there a conversation yesterday and do you think that there’ll ever be a point where he can just either walk away or not be a part of it or do something else?) – “Yes, we had a conversation about a couple things. For me, I lost my cool a little bit because I was a little frustrated that he got upset because that’s exactly the first thing that popped in my head. It’s a little harder to call plays when he’s out of the game or he’s not even available. We talked about that and at the same time, I think he has a clear understanding of we’re counting on him. There’s a lot of people that if he’s not in the game or he’s not on the sideline or we don’t have him because he’s either ejected or he gets hurt because of something like that, he’s letting a lot of people down. I think that hit him to where he understands … He understood where I was coming from. I love his emotion, I love his passion. You don’t want to take that away, but at the same time, he’s a really good player and he’s young and we need to have him on the field.”
(I was asking QB Ryan Tanneill about the different speeds of the no-huddle offense. He said there’s a “ludicrous speed,” which I guess just by name, it raises expectations. What are the hallmarks of “ludicrous speed?”) – “There’s just different tempos. Most teams have similar versions of what we do. You try to block everything out with, ‘Here’s this package, this is the tempo we go at.’ ‘Here’s on the ball,’ and, ‘Here’s huddle.’ You just try to have as many options as you can to keep the defense off balance. When we want to be in an attacking mode, we jump into something like that and try to put pressure on the defense. When we’re down here, you get a team running, all of a sudden it’s an eight-play drive. It’ll take the wind out of them.”
(How have you guys been doing as far as the no-huddle overall in training camp and Thursday?) – “It’s been fine. I mean, that’s all we really do.”
(Is that the actual name of it, “ludicrous speed,” like “Spaceballs?”) – “You know it.”
(“Spaceballs?) – “Yes. There’s a lot of ‘80s terms. You’ve got to remember when we started this thing who the quarterback was. The only problem was, nobody else knew what we were talking about. (laughter) So it was good between me and him, but nobody else. (laughter)”
(How would you assess the play of your rookies throughout training camp?) – “I’ve been very impressed with this class. Very impressed. Very football-oriented. There is nothing else … These guys grind, they spend extra time, they study, they know what to do. They’re playing fast. You see the impact. It’s noticeable that these guys are going to help us this year. This isn’t going to be, ‘Hey, let’s see what happens over the next three years.’ We’re seeing four or five, six guys actually … We know these guys are going to help us.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill mentioned that he feels more comfortable this year being him, particularly with his teammates and how he speaks to them. How have you seen that?) – “I think it’s just the first conversation we ever had. It’s like whoever you are, just be that guy. I think he’s done a good job with that. He’s at the point of his career where all of the things that people kind of look at – stats and all of that stuff – he just wants to win. If there’s anything standing in the way of that then he’s going to address it. He’s not going to be shy about it. He’s going to bring it up. I don’t think he’s afraid of confrontation.”
(Regarding WR DeVante Parker, did he have an X-ray? Is there a broken bone? Can you tell us anything?) – “Right now we’re going to be going week to week. Right now he wouldn’t be able to catch the ball, so we’ll just keep evaluating that. We just need to make sure that we’re keeping him in great shape and when they tell us that he’s good to go, then we’ll have him ready to go.”
(On if he’ll be available to start the regular season.) – “I don’t even … I’m not going that far ahead right now.”
(Was WR DeVante Parker injured on that play where CB Xavien Howard broke up the past and it looked like he came down hard?) – “I think his hand got stuck in his shoulder pads. It was a very odd looking play.”
(A weather question … Week 1 last year was actually postponed by Hurricane Irma. What’s the mindset going into impending weather as the season starts?) – “I want it to be as hot as it can be. For me, I love being able to train down here. I really love the fact that our guys like being down here. It’s hard. There’s nothing easy about it. You don’t have to worry about creating adversity down here because you get it every day. You walk out into a sauna and then we’re going. There’s been some nice hot days and when you’re a coach and you’re standing around and you see those guys, they’re sweating. I can’t imagine what the guys that are actually in full pads (feel like). It’s probably 1,000 times worse. But I do think when we hit the game, these guys are in great shape. That’s what we want. To me, I kind of compare it to training in altitude. It’s just a different feel. I think it’s an advantage for us and that’s why I do like going on the ball and trying to get as many plays as possible. We just need to have success doing it because the more first downs we get, the more time of possession we get, it gives us a better chance to wear down the defense.”
(Beyond QB David Fales and RB Senorise Perry, it seems like a couple of other offensive guys have improved – G Isaac Asiata and WR Francis Owusu. Would you agree with those two? Anybody else you’d throw into that mix of guys you’ve really seen growth? It’s clear that Asiata has done a more effective job at run blocking.) – “I think those guys have done a great job.”
(With WR Francis Owusu, he’s obviously not a guy who played a ton at Stanford. Have you seen growth there during camp?) – “Yes. I know this, he’s been a guy … You know when (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi likes a guy, we’re going to hear about it. He’s getting those opportunities on offense and it’s all about the adjustments. When things change, can you adjust? When you get your opportunities to make plays, are you going to make them? I think in practice, it’s been a little bit inconsistent. It’s like right when he went into the game the other day, I’m going ‘I know this ball is going to go to him.’ I have no idea what the coverage is going to be but he does what he did the last time he was here, he makes plays.”
(I want to ask you about the preseason. I know it’s like asking somebody to go out with you on a date when you’re trying to arrange those preseason games, but you’re playing two of the teams that gave you your toughest games last year in Carolina and Baltimore. Is that coincidence?) – “Baltimore we were actually trying to set up to where we had a chance to go to them. It just didn’t work out. You know how in preseason, it seems like there’s a lot of conflicts in the schedule with things going on at their stadium, our stadium and things like that. I love playing Baltimore. I think it’s always a great challenge for us. Coach (John) Harbaugh has obviously done a great job there and their attitude is one of those attitudes that we’re striving to get to where they’re tough, physical, smart, do things right and (are) competitive every week. That’s why I love playing those guys. Carolina, that’s kind of a location but at the same time, we’re playing a good team. I think it’s a different team for us to play, especially for our defense. They have a new (offensive) coordinator this year, but any time you can go against Cam Newton, I think it’s a great test for our defense because he’s a hard, hard quarterback to defend.”
