Adam Gase – October 17, 2018 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with Detroit Media
(I was curious, you guys have already intercepted more passes this season than you did all of last season. What’s been the biggest change for you guys in that regard?) – “I think our guys are doing a better job this year of actually really just holding onto them. We had an opportunity in the previous season to probably have more interceptions than what we did and we didn’t finish the play. I think this year, the whole defensive staff has done a great job of emphasizing running to the football. We’ve had a few deflections where because of effort guys are in the right spot and balls kind of really come to them.”
(Can you talk about the decision – the announcement you made – at quarterback, and where QB Ryan Tannehill is at right now in his comeback and what QB Brock Osweiler gave you guys last week?) – “Right now, we’re taking it a day at a time. It’s really been one of those things where we have to regroup and figure out where he’s at. Last week kind of went downhill from the start of the week until the end of the week. Saturday he didn’t throw and then we tried to throw on Sunday. It just didn’t work out as what we thought. We went back and had some more evaluations from some of the doctors and we think right now this is the best thing for us to do this week and then we’ll reevaluate it at the end of the week. I thought Brock did a good job. He ran the offense. He executed the calls the right way and when things weren’t exactly right, he did a good job of finding a way to get the ball into one of our skill guys’ hands or throw the ball away.”
(How is QB Brock Osweiler different than QB Ryan Tannehill? Is there anything he can do that Ryan couldn’t that your offense changes in any dramatic sort of fashion?) – “They’re not far apart. Ryan has probably a larger skillset when it comes to being able to run with the football; but Brock still have the ability to do a lot of that, because he is athletic. He’s a former basketball player. He has really good change of direction. He’s a big guy, too. When he gets out in the open field, he’s not afraid to really mix it up with anybody. There’s not too much of a difference, so it doesn’t really affect us as far as having to … Like it’s not like a wholesale change in the offense.”
(How much of the Patriots defense do you see when you look at the Lions on video?) – “I mean a good amount. There’s different emphasis on certain things because the personnel is different. In New England, it always felt like the inside guys were bigger guys. These guys are still physical, but they can run more sideline to sideline. It’s the early stages of them in their season and probably the development of the defense. It always takes time. I know just three years ago that we tried to really get it going early and we struggled a little bit because the offense wasn’t taking so much. It takes time. It takes games, it takes reps to get everything gelling together.”
(I saw DE Cam Wake was back on the practice field for you today. How did he look and how much does he mean to your defense?) – “He’s an important piece for the amount of disruption he causes in the passing game. Really, it’s going to be more about how he feels the next day. It’s really going to be the determining factor for us of going into Sunday to figure out how he feels. I probably won’t know much until at least tomorrow to figure out what our chances are of him being able to go. He’s been a guy here that’s been here for a long time. He’s a leader in the locker room. He did a great job of really helping a lot of guys out when he was out. It’ll be nice to get him back if we can.”
(Along those lines, how important is it to get pressure on a quarterback like QB Matthew Stafford, the different weapons he has here in Detroit?) – “If you let him stand back there, it’s going to be a long day. You have to try to find a way to disrupt him, throw off his timing, try to make sure that you collapse the pocket. You can’t let him out or let him start moving around and letting him buy time to see if he can make a throw, because he can throw a football about as well as anybody in the league. We’ve got to do a good job of making sure that he doesn’t go anywhere and at the same time, we have to stay tight in coverage and give our guys time to get back there.”
(You referred to RB Frank Gore as a warrior after last week’s game. How remarkable is it that he’s able to accomplish what he is at this stage of his career?) – “Last weekend, it was a nice, warm Miami day for sure. All of our guys were battling through that. When you’re that guy that’s getting those 3-, 4- and 5-yard carries and you’re giving everything you have, it’s exhausting. He laid it all on the field. He fought for the entire game. Every time I see him play in a game or in practice, it’s impressive to watch him do the process he goes through to get himself ready for a game. It’s impressive.”
(You’re 3-0 at home this year and pretty good over your entire tenure there in Miami. What is it about your home-field advantage that’s maybe unique or beneficial?) – “I think our guys believe that the fact that we train down here and we’re living in this, it’s to our advantage. I think it’s one of those things where it kind of reminds me of when we were in Denver. Whether the altitude thing was real or not, a lot of guys felt like it was. They knew if it’s a four-quarter game that they felt like they had an advantage. I think our guys are starting really to see that and feel that way. That’s the biggest thing for us is we try to make it a four-quarter game and try to prove that we’re in the best shape possible to finish the game out the right way.”
(What’s your fondest memory of your time in Detroit?) – “I don’t know, man. It’s been a long time. I finally sold my house, so I’ve got that going for me. (laughter) That only took 12 years. (laughter).”
(When did you sell it?) – “I don’t know. My wife did that thing. She told me like maybe a couple of years ago that we sold it or something.”
(That’s how busy a coach’s schedule is that you don’t even know.) – “No. I’ll tell you what, it was a great experience for me. I met a lot of great people. Everybody that I worked with there, I enjoyed it. I learned a lot. It was a great first step, really, just to get in the league and I got a chance to go to San Francisco after that. A lot of those people I still keep in touch with and I’m still friends with.”
(Where did you live when you were up here by the way?) – “It was in Dearborn. I wasn’t far from the office.”
(This might sound silly but did you hold onto it in part because of the economic downturn to see if you’d make money back on it?) – “I don’t remember. I just remember my wife rented it out and then that was the last thing I heard about it and then all of a sudden she was like, ‘Hey, I sold the house.’ I’m kind of not real good with the economic aspect of anything, so that’s on her.”
(I had one more on the heat down there. We saw the Bears with temporary – I don’t know what you call it – shade with some of their assistants holding up shade on the bench. Have you seen any teams do anything unique or creative or amusing when you’re looking back at the game on film or anything like that?) – “No. I’m worried about what we’re doing. I’m not really worried about what’s going on on their sideline. (Lions Head Coach) Matt (Patricia) has played down here a few times. I’m pretty sure he has an idea of what they can do to combat that, and I’m sure they’ll be ready for it.”
