Adam Gase – August 23, 2018
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Thursday, August 23, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(We noticed DE William Hayes running pretty well on the side there. How is he progressing?) – “Good. He’s wearing me out right now about playing this week, but we’ll be smart with that. That was a pretty severe hamstring (injury) he had. That was one of the longer ones that I’ve been around.”
(How do you put toughness in a team when it needs it? Does it comes from coaches or does that have to be from within?) – “I think a lot of times it’s really the kind of players you have. You can try to create it a bit, but at the end of the day, it’s who your guys are and kind of the way that they’ve been their whole career. I’ve seen a few guys here and there kind of change their attitude as far as how they play, but I think that’s very rare.”
(When you have a team such as Baltimore, do you make it a point with your players knowing what’s happened the last couple of years? Or do you just kind of leave that to them?) – “We’re focusing on ourselves. If nobody realizes who we’re playing and the type of team we’re playing, then they don’t know the NFL. Guys are aware that they’ve played these guys enough times, even if they’ve come from a different team, that those guys have a reputation of being physical. Everybody knows they’ve got to bring it this week.”
(Having Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains around, how has that been? In what ways are you finding that’s going to be a good setup?) – “Yes, it’s been good. We have good chemistry. We’ve worked together before. He plays off me and vice versa. It’s just an easy transition for us. He’s able to do a lot of things in meetings and I’m able to go do other things. It’s been a good transition.”
(From an injury perspective, can you give us any update on C Jake Brendel and WR Leonte Carroo?) – “Brendel, we’re still working through that. And then Carroo, he felt something yesterday, so it’s going to be a couple of days; but it’s nothing serious. I’m not sure if he’s going to make the game.”
(What do you want to see from LB Raekwon McMillan this game? Is it more abstract?) – “It’s just more snaps for him. Just keep learning, keep doing your job, get the basics down and just go make plays.”
(How has LB Raekwon McMillan done as far as the mental part of the game? Is he understanding or is he kind of a typical rookie?) – “He does a good job. He’s been around for a year; he hasn’t played. He does a good job with the mental side of it. It’s just really putting in classroom (and the) field together (and) reacting. At that position, sometimes it takes a minute to really get going. I think we’re progressing the way we want.”
(I assume some of your staff already is looking at Tennessee. When do you turn your thoughts to that? Not until the week of the game?) – “Nobody is looking at Tennessee. The personnel guys are, but we’re not.”
(You don’t turn your thoughts to them at all?) – “No. That’s so far away. I’m worried about the 90 guys we have right now.”
(T Zach Sterup is a guy you picked last season. How would you assess his development?) – “I think he’s had some really good practices. He’s done well in games. He’s really been one of those guys that last year when we got him, right away a lot of the defensive linemen noticed when he put hands on them, it was different. Being able to get him in live action, that was good. Right now, he’s competing for a spot and he’s doing a good job and it’s going to be one of those decisions where we’ve got to figure out how many guys we’re going to end up keeping in that line room; but he’s played well enough to really put himself in good position.”
(DT Jordan Phillips looks like he’s tracking to play this week. Where does he stand after having a couple of weeks off and what might the season hold for him this year?) – “We’re going to meet about who’s going, who’s having issues and things like that today. Right now, him practicing is a good sign. And then we’ll kind of talk about how many reps everybody is getting and what we’re looking for this week.”
(WR Jakeem Grant described the wide receiver room as a real tight brotherhood. How do you look at that group, both in the locker room and on the field?) – “I agree with that. Those guys are around each other all the time. You rarely see one of those guys by himself. It’s a group of them. It’s like a little gang there. They’re tight and they work well together. They’re talking football all the time and they’re trying to help each other out. Really, a lot of the times this offense does run through that room. We need that group to be good, and I like where we’re headed right now.”
(Have you and RB Frank Gore had “the talk” about this week?) – “No.”
(Would you tell us if you had?) – “Yes. I haven’t talked to him about it yet.”
(RB Frank Gore expects to play.) – “Oh, I’m aware. (laughter) I am aware.”
(Has WR Danny Amendola been what you expected physically? I know that he’s provided some things you like as far as being a mentor, but does he look exactly like what you thought you’d be getting?) – “Yes. He’s everything we thought and we’re excited. I feel like he does a great job.”
(What would be the reason not to play RB Frank Gore?) – “I don’t know. I never said I wasn’t (playing him). I just know he’s played a lot of football. He’s a running back. I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of veteran running backs go through the entire preseason not playing and go Week 1 and they’re fine. I know Frank wants to get out there and get hit a couple of times and probably get in the stadium and kind of get that first time over with.”
(Last week I asked what was the quarterback plan, so I’ll try it a different way. Is it good for us to expect a lot of QB Ryan Tannehill and some QB Brock Osweiler and QB David Fales in this game?) – “There you go. We’ll go with that. (laughter) Yes.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill didn’t have a brace out there today. Was just a one-day thing or do you anticipate more of that?) – “I thought he had it on. I know he had it on at some point unless he took it off.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill didn’t have it on.) – “I don’t know. I’d question that one. I’ll get back to you on that one. (laughter)”
(When it comes to those conversations that you’re going to have about the 53-man roster, how much of it is offense vs. defense, keeping a certain number vs. whether or not we have what we need, let’s say, at wide receiver? Wanting to keep a guy vs. keeping too many?) – “We haven’t gotten to those conversations yet. At some point, we’ll figure it out. That’s going to be one of those … It’ll be interesting how that’s all going to work out because we’ve had a good amount of guys play well. I have a feeling I know who you’re kind of talking about where, ‘Hey, in or out.’ But we’ll get to that point. For me, I look at it as I had 90 guys on this team that have been here since April working their asses off trying to make this team and I don’t like going ahead on any of the roster move stuff.”
