Adam Gase – October 18, 2017
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Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Any updates on WR DeVante Parker or C Mike Pouncey?) – “Yes. (Mike) Pouncey’s in the (concussion) protocol, so that is what it is, and he’s going to go through the steps that all of these guys have to go through. DeVante (Parker), we’re just going day to day. We’ll kind of see how it goes today, see where he’s at. It’s hard to predict anything.”
(Do you anticipate WR DeVante Parker doing something in practice today though?) – “I don’t know. We’re still kind of working through some things.”
(You’ve been very complimentary of the Jets run defense. There was nowhere to run in that first game. Is that a point of emphasis, the main point of emphasis for this week?) – “I think it’s always going to be a point of emphasis for us no matter who we play. I think it’s pretty obvious that when our run game is having success, it really kind of helps everybody else out. It helps our play-action game, it helps our drop-back game as well, because there’s that doubt that it’s not a pass; it could be a run. It slows the pass rush down a little bit and the games that we’ve struggled in have started there, where we haven’t been able to run the ball. I think every week it’s going to be a point of emphasis for us.”
(You’ve had nine or 10 drops in the last two games. Is it concentration or what do you attribute that to?) – “I don’t know. It’s just we haven’t caught them. We haven’t caught the passes. It’s an area that we’re really stressing and we need to obviously improve because right now, I think we’re dead last in the league with catchable passes, and we have to improve on that very quickly.”
(You mentioned last year a couple of plays that were just this close to being big hitters. Could any of those drops potentially be touchdowns?) – “I don’t know if they could be touchdowns; but right now, it’s all about first downs and putting ourselves in manageable positons. I think we’ve got like 15 first downs of missed opportunities on the season. That hurts you. That’s time off the clock. That’s another chance to score, a chance to get in the red zone. With us, if our defense is fresh and they’re out there and they’re able to play the way they’re playing and we keep them out of that 65-plus play range per game, that’s a good thing for us.”
(In you experience, can extra practice, repetitions, help cure dropped passes?) – “Yes. That’s the only way I know how to do it to where you just catch as many balls as possible and keep your focus and understand that once the last play’s over, you’ve got to move on to the next one. You can’t let it carry over. I think last week was a good example of, in the first half, we had a couple of balls where we didn’t come up with and we kind of figured out a way in the second half.”
(I read something you had said Monday about WR DeVante Parker. It sounded like from what I read there, that he’s closed the conversation with you as far as you don’t question his toughness. There’s nothing that he needs to prove as far as whether he can play through something. You assume if he’s not playing that it’s because he just can’t?) – “Yes. I mean that’s fact. With what I saw him do last year, not a lot of guys would have played through what he had.”
(In what ways are you guys better than the last time you faced the Jets?) – “It’s hard to say. I know on defense, I think we’ve got three different guys playing this game than what we had last time, as far as starters. Offensively, I think we’re in a different spot. I think we were feeling good going into the game, thinking that we had something to build off of. We had a good week of practice. They did a good job. They were more physical than we were and they got us out of rhythm. They kept us in third-and-long which, if you’re in third-and-long all day on a Todd Bowles defense, it’s going to be a long day because he is creative. He does so many good things with what he brings with his defensive packages. You will have an idea of what the structure may be, but you’re never really going to know who’s going to come. You have to be great in your rules because no matter what you practice, there’s a good chance you’re going to see a few things that you haven’t seen on film. That’s what makes him a tough, a tough guy to go against, because he’s very creative.”
(One of those new starters is CB Cordrea Tankersley. What has impressed you the most about him since he took over the starting job?) – “I just think his confidence. When you play that position, it’s all about, really, how good do you really think you are? And if you do get beat, can you recover on the next play? He’s not short of that. I think he uses his size, his length and his speed to his advantage. I think he knows what puts him in a bad situation. For a rookie, that has been pretty impressive to see how confident he is in his skill set. When he is in a bad position, he knows how to not panic and get himself back in position.”
(What has DT Jordan Phillips done well?) – “I think it’s just he’s doing his job. I see a guy who every snap he’s out there, he’s playing hard. It was really impressive last week to see – in that second half, especially. He made two or three plays right in a row. It’s just good to have him back out there – a guy that size with that kind of movement skills and to see how excited his is to be back out there. He has been doing it really since that Philly week. He has just been doing such a good job of practice day in and day out, everything has been consistent. He’s just doing everything right, and it’s showing up on game day. For him to go back out there – his first game back out there – and play as well as he did, that was a good thing for us.”
(What’s it going to take for CB Byron Maxwell to get back on the field?) – “I think he just needs to keep working, just keep doing really what he was doing before he … He’s kind of been banged up a little bit. Once we get him back out there and we keep working through (the) little bit of injuries that he has had … He always finds a way to get back in the mix. I know sometimes it’s frustrating when you’re a veteran player and you’ve got a younger guy starting in front of you right now; but the good thing is he’s a pro. He studies hard; he works hard. He goes out there, he gives us everything he has day in and day out when he’s out there. That’s really all you can do, and then when your number is called, just be ready to perform.”
(If CB Byron Maxwell is healthy, will you activate him?) – “I don’t know. We’ll see.”
(How do you differentiate with WR DeVante Parker? How do you differentiate something that you want him to play through or something that you want him to exercise caution over?) – “I’ve just kind of gone with … My philosophy has always been, ‘Trust the player.’ If he tells you that he’s not right, believe him, because I’ve been in too many situations when I was a younger coach where a guy is saying something is wrong and it is not kind of seen the same by whether it be the training staff or coaches. You just kind of observe that when you’re younger. A lot of times, the players are right. They want to be out there. A lot of these guys play through extreme pain and find a way to be productive on Sunday or be impactful. I’ve just always believed that those guys want to be out there, so if they’re healthy enough to play, they will.”
(Is C/G Ted Larsen ready to practice?) – “I think we’re close. We’ll kind of see what’s really down the road. We’re trying to be smart at the same time.”
(What has been the mindset of getting RB Damien Williams more involved there?) – “We’ve always wanted to. We just didn’t have the play count, really. That first game was really on me. I just didn’t really call his stuff. Jay (Ajayi) was in a good rhythm. And then after that, really, we’ve made an emphasis to make sure that we put him in more so we can try to give Jay a little bit of a rest. Even last game, Damien had a lot of impact plays and Jay still ended up with 26 carries and three targets. Both those guys when they’re in there, they’re being impactful. I think Damien’s percentage of making good plays when his number is called, it’s up there.”
(I think I asked you on Monday about WR Rashawn Scott. Any determination on when he’s practicing?) – “I think he’s going to practice today. It sounds like we’re heading in the right direction. I know he has been itching at it. He has been waiting really for this opportunity to get back out there. We’ll see how it goes. The good thing is we have time to make decisions and see how he is and how he feels. It’s one thing to run on the side and things like that, but when you get out there, it’s just a different feel.”
(What would you like RB Kenyan Drake to do better?) – “He has just got to embrace the role that he has right now. And then when we get opportunities and we put him in a game where if something happens to where we’ve got to put him in for Jay (Ajayi), just be right. Just do your job, run hard and protect the football and (take) what’s there – try not to hit the home run every time you’re in there. I think that’s the hardest thing when you’re spot playing. You want to make a big impact play. Really, that’s the hardest thing for a young player to do is understand it’s not always going to be a 60-yard touchdown. Sometimes 4 or 6 yards is good enough.”
(DE William Hayes has been very productive on limited snaps as compared to his defensive line peers. Is that something you talk to him to keep him upbeat?) – “You don’t have to talk to him about anything with him being upbeat. When you put him on the field, you’re getting everything he has. He’s been one of the most impressive players I’ve ever been around with his work ethic, the way he is in the building – everybody respects him. He’s not afraid to speak up, I think when he talks, everybody listens. He’s made some big, big plays for us this year so far and it’s early. Those guys playing defensive end right now in that group … We like that group a lot.”
(Jets QB Josh McCown last game… I recall him having success on intermediate and short passes. I know they had the one deep, is that correct? And why? Was that just a function of getting the ball out quick?) – “Josh is a smart player. He’s been around for a long time. (This) is something we always try to talk to the quarterbacks about – know your outs. When you have a pass rush like we do and they’re coming quick, he just knows where to go with the ball. He’s really been like that for the last few years. He knows how to make sure that he’s not getting blasted all the time. He knows how to get the ball to the right person and when he has chances to make some big plays, he’ll buy himself a little bit of time and make a good throw.”
(You mentioned targets for RB Jay Ajayi. What was your assessment with what was going on there with the misfires?) – “I think the first one … The biggest thing for him – I know he’s a little frustrated because we talked about getting the ball out quicker and he’s just a little slow getting his head around. Then the other one he had, when he ran out in the flat, he was trying to … He knew the defender was close and he was trying to catch that thing, drop his shoulder and turn up the field. The hardest thing sometimes is just realizing that you do need to look it in. You need to catch the ball first and just trust the fact that he’s a powerful runner and he’ll run through contact more times than not. I know that’s frustrating to him because he’s worked so hard to make sure that he’s a reliable receiver for us.”
(We saw a fair amount of emotion out of QB Jay Cutler on Sunday. Is that something … We don’t see a ton on the outside. On the inside, do you see it?) – “I mean, that’s all I know. I’ve seen it since I was with him in 2015. He just … He’s trying to stay focused in the game, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent. I kind of saw during the week where I could tell it’s was going to be that kind of game because he was really dialed in during the week. It’s good for guys to see him get emotional, especially at the end of that game, when we convert a big first down – or a big third down to get a first down. Jarvis (Landry) had a great run on that. Just being ready because they pressured us, and Jay got it out quick and Jarvis was ready for it. Just to see him get fired up like that, that’s nothing but good stuff for us.”
(Your offensive line the last two years, there’s been so much in and out. You guys didn’t have a Pro Bowl offensive lineman last year. You might not this year depending on how things go. They always seem to somehow find a way to be good enough. How are they pulling that off time and again with so many things going wrong?) – “The biggest emphasis that we made last week, and this goes back to (what) we kind of leaned on that first game: What we felt like we did really well in that first game (and) we were able to run the ball well (because) it wasn’t so much about execution, it was the passion, the energy, the strain, the finish. Those were huge things for us that first game. Even when a guy made a mistake, he just fought to try to recover. That was enough to buy us time, whether it be in the passing game or in the run game. I thought last game, you saw it across the board. Guys were really trying to finish blocks. They were trying to make sure that they stayed on their guys as long as possible. They were fighting to stay in position in the pass game. If they did get beat, they strained to recover. Really, a lot of times in this league, that’s what it’s all about. Who’s willing to fight for the entirety of the play? Sometimes it gets frustrating because when you’re playing a good player and you get beat, it’s a frustrating position to play because those guys are very athletic up front and we’ve played some good d-lines. I think our guys had a good mindset last week. That’s what we’re looking to build off of. We’re looking to build off and keep that consistency going to where we’re fighting for 60 minutes.”
(What’s the root of that? Where do you see that emanating from?) – “I just think it’s been all of those guys together, whether it be the line, the quarterback, the running backs, the wide receivers. That was their big thing last week. They were all talking about let’s make sure if we do one thing, let’s finish every play. Let’s make sure that we’re trying to do everything we can to give Jay (Ajayi) just enough room to hit one of those holes. I think Jarvis (Landry) did a great job of leading by example last week because you saw him get on his guy and fighting 15 yards down the field and helping him get five more yards. I think between him and then seeing (Jermon) Bushrod and (Mike) Pouncey and Ja’Wuan (James) – Ja’Wuan is always around the ball. I said something to him, ‘Lead the charge,’ because he is. He’s one of those guys that just has a motor that doesn’t stop and he’s down the field and he’s trying to throw blocks; he’s trying to protect our ball-carriers. All of those guys just kept trying to do the same thing.”
(T Ja’Wuan James gets kind of a pass for that penalty? A one-time pass?) – “I think what he was trying to do was the right thing. I think he was just trying to make sure that nobody was taking cheap shots at our guys. Whether he heard a whistle or not, it’s hard. I can’t tell because you can’t hear everything. We were so far away from the play. The call was what it was. We don’t want him taking cheap shots at anybody but at the same time, I think he was just trying to make sure our ball carrier, (that) somebody (wasn’t) taking a cheap shot on him.”
