Adam Gase – November 21, 2016
Download PDF version
Monday, November 21, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Do you allow yourself to enjoy any of this? – “Last night was fun. It was fun after … you know in the locker room, just seeing the guys were excited and the plane ride was a good plane ride, just to go back (to the rear of the plane) and be around those guys and just see all those guys hanging out together and enjoying the fact that we figured out a way to pull one out. Today we’ve got to move on. We’ve got to get some things corrected and we’ve got to move on to the next game.”
(Coaches are never satisfied and I know that is the process of getting better but between the time that you were 1-4 and right now, was there a moment when you felt that your team was sort of flipping the switch and went from what it was to what it’s becoming?) – “I think after that … I think the Cincinnati game was kind of where we felt like we had to start making some adjustments. I’m trying to get like the order of the games that we actually had. But Cincinnati, that Tennessee game was kind of … those were some turning points for us to where we knew we had some issues in some certain places. We knew we had some things that we needed to do to clean up personnel-wise. We were having some issues with some … as far as attitude and things like that. It wasn’t really work, it was just kind of like the way we were going about our business. It wasn’t as detailed as we were looking for. For whatever reason, when we hit the Pittsburgh week, and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that ‘Pounce’ (Mike Pouncey) was back, ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert) was back. It was just a different feel. We hit that Pittsburgh week and you could tell there was different, ‘Hey, everybody just all in, sell out. Let’s do every little detail we could possibly do and let’s leave it all out there.’ And that’s what those guys did, and I think it just constantly kept building off of that and each week was like one more step. And then the next week was one more step. So I think guys were … that Pittsburgh game really flipped it for us.”
(What was the thing that impressed you the most yesterday?) — “I would say just our defense hanging in there and not getting frustrated with the offense. I felt like the sideline was really good as far as the encouragement from both sides of the ball. The offense kept telling the defense, ‘We’re going to get it going. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Just keep us in it and vice versa. The defense did a great job as far as their attitude was phenomenal. They were very positive as far as, ‘You guys are going to get it going. You’re going to get it going.’ And they just kept going at it. I mean that was an easy game for the defense to just be like, ‘We can’t do anything on offense. We’re in trouble.’ I almost felt like the defense was to the point where they were like, ‘Alright, let’s find a way to score.’ There was a great attitude and obviously with ‘V.J.’ (Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph) leading that group, he does such a great job as far as those guys being engaged and understanding, ‘Let’s not let them get a yard.’ And they fight for every inch. We’re heading in the right direction in that area, for sure.”
(Any sense of what’s wrong with G/T Laremy Tunsil’s shoulder and how long he might be out?) – “No. I don’t know anything. I’ve been avoiding (Head Athletic Trainer) Ryan (Grove) today. I don’t want to know anything right now. He can tell me later.”
(There are a lot of coaches in the NFL that would have been happy with tying the game up and going to overtime but were you right from the start – we saw a coach here that fist pumped for every field goal – were you right from the start, we’re going for … was that just absolutely your DNA? Your mindset?) – “Nope. It was either going to be a pick or a touchdown. That’s how we were going to … that game wasn’t going into overtime. That’s how it was going to be.”
(Did you talk about the defense not getting frustrated but your side of the ball had 10 punts and an interception. How were they not saying, well today’s not our day?) – “That’s a good question. They did a good job. I think the coaches did a good job as far as staying positive on the sideline. I think Ryan (Tannehill) makes a big difference because he never wavered. He kept his … like his attitude in the huddle. I could see he kind of felt like we’re right there. We’ve just got to kind of clean a few things up. When you talk about it so much, about getting that first, first down, and that was our biggest struggle. We just couldn’t get that first, first down. We put ourselves in some third down situations where we had opportunities for some really good things to happen and one thing here and there. We had a protection issue a couple of times where we don’t block the right guys. Ryan (Tannehill) had a misread and then we had a route … it’s just one thing after another on third down. It’s really hurting us. It was kind of like, once we had that first play and then we get that late hit tacked on top of it, you felt kind of a different attitude by the guys. It was like flipped right away and the next thing you know, we’re in the end zone. You kind of look up and you’re like, ‘Wow, we got a couple of time outs here and we’ve got some time left.’ The defense did a great job of playing off the offense and then we get the ball back and after that, you felt like something good was going to happen.”
(Since the first time we talked to you in Boca in March, you always had a conviction that you could win with Ryan and that he could be a good quarterback here. When did you get that conviction? Was it before you took the job? Was it after watching tape after you took the job? And why did you have that conviction?) – “I think it was before I even took the job. That’s why I took the job. That’s a starting point. When you feel comfortable with the quarterback you’re coming in with, that’s always a good starting point. And then obviously, there’s a huge checklist going down after that; but I felt really good about him coming in and the more we’ve worked together, the better I’ve felt. As we’ve gone along, I feel like it probably took me a little longer than it should have as far as figuring out what we could do well on offense. That was a little disappointing. It’s really my fault, just not really waking up and realizing, ‘Okay, we can do this, this and this and stay away from these things.’ That was bad coaching but I feel like he’s done a great job as far as sticking with our process and kind of trusting me on some stuff. There were a couple of things that he’s changed that probably wasn’t really comfortable for him and he did it. That showed a lot of trust from him.”
(Are you talking mechanical things?) – “Just some things with footwork and stuff. It’s not easy to go about changing some things if you’ve been doing it a certain way and you get a third new coordinator in five years. I’m sure ‘Sherm’ (former Dolphins Offensive Coordinator Mike Sherman) had some things he liked that he wanted (Ryan Tannehill) to do. (Former Dolphins Offensive Coordinator) Bill (Lazor) probably had some things he wanted him to do and then here I come saying, ‘Hey, do it this way.’ At some point when you’re a fifth-year quarterback, you’re like, ‘How many times am I going to change this?’ He did a good job as far as just buying in and doing it the way that I asked him to do it.”
(Rams RB Todd Gurley had a couple big runs there in the first half and then in the second half, not so much. What has been the key for your guys’ turnaround in shutting down the run game from opposing offenses later in the game?) – “Playing together. Using the right technique. The two runs that (Gurley) had, we misfitted. The rest of the game we fitted everything right. Guys did a good job of tackling (and) tackling as a group. It’s hard to run the ball when a team does that.”
(How would you describe the job the offensive line did on the last two drives given who you had playing where?) – “Outstanding. They fought. That’s the key. The way I look at o-line play is if you’ve got five guys out there that are just going to do everything they can in their physical power to not let the quarterback get hit, that’s all you can ask for. It’s a mismatch. No matter who is out there. D-line versus o-line nowadays, it’s a mismatch, especially when they know you’re going to throw it. So you do everything you can to get them covered up and the quarterback has to do a good job of feeling what’s going on and moving in the pocket and getting the ball out there. Receivers have to get open quick. It’s a full group effort when you’re trying to protect the quarterback and make throws. I thought they did an outstanding job. They fought until the end. You could see it on film, especially on Jarvis (Landry)’s first touchdown. Those guys do a great job as far as they follow the ball. We talk about it all the time – protect the ballcarrier – and they did a great job and they finished the play.”
(Are those the five guys you’re looking at this week?) – “We’ll see. I don’t know. I really don’t know. Until I know something about (Laremy) Tunsil, I don’t know what’s going on with ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert). I still really don’t have all of the information on (Mike) Pouncey yet. I’ve got to figure out what’s going on and then when we hit Wednesday, I’ll have a better idea.”
(Three weeks ago it was a kickoff return in the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago it was a pick-six. Yesterday it was touchdown passes. What does that say about your team that you’re finding all of these different ways to win games in the fourth quarter?) – “I think it says that it’s a group of guys that have developed a belief in each other. There’s a trust there. I think it starts with the fact that they’re holding each other accountable in everything they do, from just the littlest tiny things – meetings, being on time. When we were out on the West Coast, that was a recipe for a lot of things to go wrong and we didn’t have any issues. No one was ever late. Everybody did everything right. You could tell, the veteran players really stepped up because you could hear them chirping in the background a lot of times about doing things right and some guys making sure that certain guys were on time. That’s a big step for us. There’s a different feel as far as just making sure we’re all in this thing together. That’s why I think you see good things happen at the end of the game. There’s no, ‘I wonder if this is going to happen?’ The whole time we’re thinking, ‘We’re going to figure out a way to win. We’re going to figure out a way to win.’ It’s a good mindset to have.”
(How big was TE Dion Sims as far as his pass protection towards the end of the game with chipping and things like that?) – “Any time you have a tight end that basically you feel good enough to where you go one-on-one versus a defensive end, that’s a pretty rare thing to have. I don’t know if I’ve had too many tight ends that have been able to do that. The last guy I actually can think of that I felt really comfortable when it was one-on-one was Dan Campbell. (laughter) That shows you how long ago that was. He did an outstanding job. It helped us be able to double some of those inside guys because if he isn’t able to do what he does, then we would have had a longer day than what we did.”
(I know your focus is on San Francisco and correcting mistakes from yesterday, but do you allow yourself to know the standings?) – “I’m not … We’re so far away still. It’s not even worth it to me to look at it. We just have to focus on this week. If we just keep doing it right enough times, then good things will happen. We’ll just keep playing until somebody tells us not to.”
(The last two drives you said ‘Okay, you got the first, first down.’ Starting there, was that a different QB Ryan Tannehill? Or was it a different offense? Guys getting open…) – “I think it was just a combination of the situation when you’re down that much, really. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but the clock is going to move pretty quick. With what they had to start leaning on – because they’re just trying to keep you inbounds and just keep you in front – they’ll let you have completions. We just tried to steal a couple chunk plays here and there and if you can do that and try to minimize the time as you go to try to score a touchdown, that’s what you are trying to do. We had an opportunity. We got the ball with over 2 minutes left and a chance to go tie the game up. Once again, they have to play their 2-minute defense. You try to mix it up and pressure but the problem is, if you make one mistake and we get it blocked up and we hit them on a deep ball, then everybody is saying, ‘Well, why would you pressure there?’ They played the defense that they’ve been really dominant with all season, our guys just made a couple of plays that were probably risky throws and they were close at ending the game themselves.”
(The touchdown call, I think you took a timeout right before that, right? On TV you could see you were looking for players, why that particular player?) – “Because, I knew what hash we were on, and I knew who we were going at. I was just being a little cautious, and I may have said something to myself to just call it. I just told him, to make a good throw.”
(Did you second guess what you wanted to call?) – “Yes.”
(That all or nothing attitude, you said it was going to be a touchdown or a pick. Is that a part of you, or is that shaped by a coach you worked for?) – “Yes, probably. It’s just… I started being under Steve Mariucci, but I wasn’t really involved as much. But spending three years with (Mike) Martz, that was probably the greatest thing to happen to me, because, I don’t know if you could’ve had a more confident mentor than what I had. (I) learned from the guy that it was always about going to win the game, not playing not to lose.”
(What’s the thinking of having WR DeVante Parker in deep center field on a Hail Mary, and did he drop that or knock it down? It was hard to tell.) – “He’s back there to make sure he either catches it or knocks it down, not drop it. Even if he would’ve caught that one, it would’ve been nice.”
(That’s a design thing?) – “He didn’t sneak on the field or anything. The front did a great job because they put enough pressure on him. The scary part is, if the ball goes backwards, they’re going to have two guys that are supposed to be back there. We obviously got to get that cleaned up. I think (Parker) thought he … I hope he was trying to catch it. I didn’t ask him.”
(That would’ve been nice to have a touchdown catch and a pick in 30 seconds.) – “Yes, that would’ve been nice.”
(How much of a building block could this be for QB Ryan Tannehill? It’s one thing to think you’re going to win, or think you can pull out a comeback, but it’s another thing to do it. He was like 12-for-13 at the end there. There was no room for any kind of error.) – “I guess I … again, he hasn’t done anything to show me that he can’t do things in the fourth quarter. What your experiences are and what my experiences have been have been completely two different things. I guess when we get in the fourth quarter and it’s a close game, I feel confident. Between him being able to play in the fourth quarter and the deep balls, I’m kind of questioning your guys’ evaluation skills right now. I’m just glad you’re not in personnel.” (laughter)
(To that extent, there are a lot of guys that have been here that these games don’t go that way. Obviously, you’ve been able to instill something in them.) – “I think guys have been relentless. They’ve sold out every game, played to the end (and) keep fighting. I think it’s the guys we have – the mentality we have – as a coaching staff, front office, people around the building. Everybody has sold out 100 percent to try to do everything we can to help our players have a chance in the fourth quarter to win a game. Our players have to go out there and actually do it. They’ve done a great job as far as laying it on the line and giving it everything they have.”
(Going back to WR DeVante Parker, you said there are times that the defense is just going to give you things and stay in front of everything. Does it make his ability to separate – the separation that he was getting towards the end there – does it make it that much more special knowing that there are certain things that they’re trying to give him?) – “It’s probably a little tougher for him than what we realize, because when you’re getting all these different types of techniques, he really has to be on it. He does have some ability to change some of his routes, and him and Ryan (Tannehill) have to be on the same page. Obviously, this goes back to – even in the spring – of him not practicing as much, training camp, all those things, and our timing has to pick up. You saw we missed some things early in the game, and you’re like, ‘Wow, that really didn’t look right.’ We do put a lot on (Parker’s) plate as far as what he has to do and the options he has, and he has to be right. When teams start giving him all these different looks, some of these are like first time (that) we may have talked about, but might not have necessarily been able to do. I think he has done a great job as far as getting it mentally and being able to execute it on the field and then making the play. The guy that he was going against that last drive, that’s a really good corner. That last play of the game, the margin of error for him was very slim. Ryan did a good job as far as putting the ball where it needed to be, but he ran a really good route.”
(So, their timing, you feel like they’ve gotten better?) – “It’s getting better. The more we can practice full speed together, the better it is.”
(Since you took over, do you feel like there has been a major shift in the culture of this team?) – “It’s hard for me to say that, because once again, it’s like … I’ve been here since the spring, and we’ve made some adjustments to the coaching staff and personnel and around the building. So, when you’re coming in and it’s a clean slate … I can’t speak on the past, I just know everybody that has been here since the time I’ve been here has (had) one goal, and it’s to try to help our players do everything they can to win a game.”
(I know you touched on this a little bit, but how impressed were you by the o-line’s push of WR Jarvis Landry to the end zone?) – “I think it started with … When I saw … Ja’Wuan (James) has been doing such a great job as far as really pursuing the ball. We encourage that a lot of times; but sometimes when you’re an offensive lineman, you’re exerting a lot of energy trying to keep those guys off the quarterback. I think guys have really seen him do that play after play. As soon as one guy sees a guy flash by him, and it’s one of their guys, the rest of them start following. I saw ‘70’ (Ja’Wuan James) hit that thing, and you saw the rest of those guys get involved in it. Jarvis did a great job of staying … Initially, he should’ve went down and somehow stayed up and then did a great job of keeping his feet. I know, especially at that point in the game, he was exhausted. He has pretty much exerted everything he had, and the fact that he could stay on his feet was impressive.”
(WR Jarvis Landry mentioned he closed his eyes and saw No. 70 come at him and kept his feet moving.) – “He’s a tough sucker, man. I don’t know if there are many other guys built like that guy.”
(Looking at the remainder of your season and the schedule and how, at least going until the last game, it really seems manageable. Does that give you confidence?) – “To be honest with you, (I have) no idea. Past San Francisco, I have no idea who’s after that or after that. I come in, start working on San Francisco and after that, we’ll worry about when that that comes up. But right now, we’ve got to figure out a way to win one game this week.”
