Adam Gase – October 11, 2018
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Thursday, October 11, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(When it comes to TE Mike Gesicki and his transition to NFL blocking and route running, how is it going?) – “Route running has been good. He’s made a lot of strides in the blocking. Yesterday especially it was very noticeable some of the techniques that they’ve been working on have really been improving. Just kind of seeing how much pride he’s taking and trying to do everything right, that’s all you can ask for. He’s really been working on it and he wants to be a guy that can be effective in it.”
(What’s the key to improving throughout the course of the season? That’s what your key was in 2016. What is the key to doing that?) – “Keep working on fundamentals. That’s why we spend a lot of time on individual (drills). I felt like we were longer this week. We extended the time a little bit. I know a lot of the coaches were excited about that. Probably the players not so much because they don’t stop. I mean, it’s non-stop. It’s good work for us and it translates over to games.”
(Did you have a sense in 2016 that you were about to go on a run?) – “I remember the first game I felt good about the week of practice. But you never can predict how many games you can win in a row and things like that because you’re so focused on one. And then you kind of forget that you won the week before. Everything is just so compartmentalized that you don’t worry about how many you win a row. You’re just trying to get that one week.”
(What gives you encouragement that your best football is ahead of you?) – “Because I watch these guys practice every day. I watch these guys try to get better and try to do it right. The last two days the guys have had great energy and worked hard. When we go out on Wednesdays, it’s not like it’s 65 degrees and cloud cover. You’re going to get tested just from being down here, which is great for us because it weeds people out real fast.”
(In terms of the receivers, there’s a ton of speed but not that much size right now without WR DeVante Parker. What is the best way to get them open in press coverage?) – “A lot of times those guys are doing a good job. We’ve just got to make sure that we protect or we get the ball out on time and gives those guys opportunities for run after the catch. Jakeem (Grant) has done a great job as far as being one guy that’s always creating separation at the line of scrimmage. He is a very tough guy for DBs to get their hands on. Albert (Wilson) is a little different as far as the way he runs some of his routes because he’s stronger and a little thicker to where he can power through some stuff. And then Kenny (Stills), a lot of times once he gets those first two steps and he gets clean of a DB, he’s going to win. Are there times where we need to take some better releases or do something different? Yeah. But I think for the majority of the time, we are shaking free. It’s just we’ve got to be a little bit on the same page a little more between (the) front, quarterback, receivers (and) everybody. We need to have success at the same time.”
(Is the timing of these passing plays being thrown off by press coverage?) – “No.”
(Looking at LB Raekwon McMillan throughout the season, especially earlier, it seemed like he could get to the hole but once a guy got his hands on him, that was kind of it. Is that accurate, and if so, how does a guy get better at breaking free when a guy gets his hands on you?) – “I think what he’s doing right now is the way that he wants to play where he’s striking first instead of waiting for that guy to get his hands on him. That’s what happens. The linebackers are smaller than the o-linemen, so if they get their hands on you, science just tells you you’re probably not going to be in good shape. He’s doing a better job of striking first, separating from the block and getting around the ball carrier.”
(When you strike first, how much of that is physical and how much of that is film study, knowing where the ball will be going?) – “It’s repetition really. It’s just reaction. If you understand what’s going on schematically and the way the line is blocking, whether it’s a gap scheme or you’re seeing down blocks and a guy pulling around, things like that compared to outside zone, inside zone, that’s just seeing it. You can watch it on film as much as you want, but you need to be out there and you need to do it.”
(It looked like LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Jerome Baker had their best game this past game. What did you see different from them?) – “I don’t know. I was giving them a hard time saying we’ve got to play in Ohio every week. (laughter) I thought both of them played fast and they did a good job of executing what (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) was calling. And when those two guys are doing that, that changes the whole dynamic of what we’re doing because now that ball is not getting past that second level if it does squirt through in the run game. And they were really good in pass coverage.”
(When you think of S Minkah Fitzpatrick and LB Jerome Baker, the rookie defensive guys, what would be sort of a common trait that you think those guys have?) – “Football instincts. They both just have a natural feel for the game, which is something that’s a great addition for us.”
(You and Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy have something in common. You’re both head coaches who call your own plays. I know you work 110 hours a week but there’s only a finite number of hours. The amount of time you’re planning play calls, does that take away from something else?) – “I don’t know. I don’t think so. You just figure out a way to get it done between that and all the other duties that you have. There’s ways to do it. You’ve just got to figure out your time. The hardest thing is if something creeps up you don’t expect, you have to deal with something that takes away from (that) time and now you’re in a race. You’re in a race to Sunday.”
(Does something unexpected come up every week?) – “No. Not this year. (laughter)”
(Does RB Kenyan Drake have a higher rate of runs that lose yardage than your other guys, and has that affected how you consider using him?) – “It’s probably been … every game has been different. I think there’s been some times where he’s trying to make a big play because he knows he has the ability to. He’s done it in the past to where he makes one of those decisions that’s a millisecond decision and he takes it to the house. Buffalo in 2016, last year, I don’t know how many times. When it doesn’t work, that’s when you get a negative play. Really for us, we’re always really talking to him about, stay with it, especially early, kind of get in the flow of the game before you want to react like that. It’s hard to get a guy to do that all of the time because he’s going to go off of instincts. That’s what makes him who he is is just going off of, ‘this is what it feels like,’ and he goes and does it. He did a really good job last week, I thought, as far as helping us stay on track. There were a couple of times where he tried to bounce it or do something that really wasn’t designed for the play and we got 0 yards or minus-1. But I think he did a good job of really cutting those back last week to where there was a lot of positive coming out of his touches, especially at running back.”
(Because you can’t really get behind the sticks, no?) – ‘That’s the biggest thing. Like Frank (Gore) does a really good job of we’re second-and-5, third-and-2, now we get a first down to where it’s first down, second down, first down. I think Kenyan (Drake) is coming along in that area. It’s just he does give you that element of first-and-10, 60-yard touchdown or 40-yard touchdown to where now it’s a game-changing play. That’s experience. I think the more he does it and the more he kind of understands the big picture, which I think it’s coming together for him – just watching him practice and the way he’s preparing – I think we’re just going to keep seeing a better player every week.”
(How difficult is it to get two backs to buy in? Okay, we’re better off when you share or when you play these roles?) – “This year, both of those guys respect each other. I love the fact that Frank (Gore) came in here and once he kind of started practicing and those guys were working in meetings and stuff, he said it really early, ‘Man, I respect this guy. This guy is legit. I really like working with this guy. When he practices and he’s rolling, it’s fun to watch.’ For him to say that (about Drake), that’s a big compliment to me. I think Kenyan (Drake) has been one of those guys that he’s coming from a place where there was always somebody else. It’s not new to him. Like, if you ask him, he’s going to tell you the same thing. He’s going to say, ‘I just want to win.’ That’s what he’s going to tell you all the time and he’s going to do anything he can to just be on the field, whether it’s running back or we flex him out. He tries to get on special teams. Like he’s at all the special teams walk-throughs, meetings and all those types of things. He’s always trying to sneak in and do that stuff. We don’t want him to do that right now. That’s not in his job description, no matter how much he wants to do it.”
(What did you think of the block that RB Kenyan Drake laid before he caught that screen pass in the fourth quarter?) – “It’s probably one of the best plays I’ve ever seen. He chipped a guy and then he’s the check-down, gets his head around and then he did a great job of getting north, accelerating through, made three guys miss, gets the first down. It was a great play at a big moment of the game.”
(What is your vision for how to use RB Kalen Ballage?) – “We’re taking it one week at a time. He’s doing a good job. Whatever he’s asked to do, he does it full speed. That’s a big man running. I’ve enjoyed seeing him develop on special teams as well. He’s taken a lot of pride in it. Because of the way that room is designed, where all those guys has done special teams or plays special teams right now except for Frank (Gore), you better bring it in that area because all those guys are watching. He’s done a good job of impressing both (Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi and ‘Mouf’ (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf) as far as what he can bring to special teams. If we have to play him, he knows what to do and he plays fast.”
(What do you say to the defense who may have felt like their performance was wasted last week?) – “I don’t have to say anything to them. They know they did a good job of what we ask them to do with who was healthy. I thought the defensive staff put together a really good plan. We’re just going to keep building off of that and hopefully keep getting healthy. We just need to do a better job on offense and not turn the ball over.”
(What’s the thought process to put DE Charles Harris at defensive tackle when he goes inside? Is it just to use his speed?) – “His speed causes problems. Guards and centers, they like the slower-moving guys. When you start putting some speed guys out there and they start doing all their games and stuff like that, it’s just hard to track guys and pass things off. We see it every week to where the defensive line coach likes to test to see how well you’re working on things in practice.”
(Do you know some things about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio that can help you out Sunday?) – “It doesn’t matter what I know because Vic is going to have a good plan. He’s tough. He’s very tough to go against. He’s extremely smart and he’s seen a lot of football. Our guys need to worry about executing what we’re doing and we can’t worry about what they’re doing.”
(How much does your old knowledge or Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains’ old knowledge of the Bears help you at all?) – “They’ll use it against us more than anything. Vic (Fangio) knows what he’s doing, I’ll just say that.”
