Adam Gase – September 28, 2018
Download PDF version
Friday, September 28, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Is S Reshad Jones still a full-go?) – “He practiced again today, so we’ll wait until game day and really kind of figure out where we’re at.”
(I know you mentioned that Offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains had reminded you about the play before WR Albert Wilson’s long touchdown. How much do you want guys talking in your ear? You have so much to deal with as head coach and play caller, do you encourage your coordinators to do it? What’s your philosophy on that?) – “A lot of times, there is discussion before the series. He’s somebody that we have a good chemistry with. He knows when to suggest things, he knows the right timing, he knows the right opening. We talk about a lot of things in between series to make sure that we’re both on the same page, which most of the time we are.”
(I had a question about the practice music out there today. It’s what New England plays. The first couple songs – Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne and the classical song – how does that help a team? Does that build animosity in a good way? Is that just getting you familiar with the surroundings? What does that do for you?) – “I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention.”
(You don’t ever notice that?) – “I don’t do the music selection.”
(You don’t even notice what’s playing or associated with it?) – “Not really.”
(It just so happens the first two songs are played before the Patriots game.) – “I guess I didn’t notice it.”
(But you have to pay attention, right?) – “I have other things going on. I’m not picking iPod songs. (laughter)”
(Are you willing to go in with two tight ends if you have to?) – “We’ll see. We have time to kind of make the final decisions. That’s why we have our meeting today, to kind of clean everything up and see where we’re at.”
(You mentioned briefly that TE Nick O’Leary has just done a good job. Can you elaborate?) – “He’s trying to learn things as fast as possible. He has game experience, obviously. I remember him scoring a touchdown against us. That was the first thing that came to mind. I remember when he came out, I remember evaluating him and really liking him as a pass catcher. He’s impressed me as a run blocker as well. We’ll figure out what we’re going to do here. It’s a large volume to learn really fast when you play that position. There’s just a lot of moving parts, so we just have to assess where we’re at.”
(Does TE Nick O’Leary know it? In two weeks…) – “I think he has a pretty good grasp of it, but there’s always these little things that come up that can make you a little nervous.”
(How much do you guys look at an opponent’s injury report each week and does Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, who is known for listing everybody, is that an extra hurdle?) – “I don’t really take much stock into that. I just get ready for the game. If somebody is out, then they’re out. We don’t spend too much time concerned with who’s in, who’s out. We know that if their guys are healthy, they’ll roll and if they’re not, they’ll make them inactive.”
(Does that affect strategy and game preparation?) – “It can sometimes. There’s certain teams where guys are out, where you’re either trying to avoid them or you’re assuming somebody is going to be playing a certain position and then they’re playing a different position. That can change some things.”
(Do you ever, for lack of a better term, play games with the injury report? S Reshad Jones, for instance, one day last week he’s catching passes while we’re out there, while he’s warming up. Do you ever use us to send a message to an opponent?) – “I don’t think so. Maybe Matt does, I don’t know. (laughter) Not that I know if.”
(You don’t take it that seriously then?) – “No. Unless somebody says that they’re out early in the week, then you can make adjustments. You just never know.”
(How much of a challenge, when you have natural attrition with injuries, is it going to be to maintain the four quarterbacks? Obviously a lot will depend on injuries going forward, but was that a discussion you guys even have among you, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Chris Grier this week?) – “No. It just is what it is. Nobody likes it, but I do. (laughter)”
(You’ve mentioned before that DE Andre Branch is kind of a guy that gets everybody going on that unit. Now, he’s not really part of things for a little bit, so who takes on that role?) – “I think the good thing is that we do have multiple guys. Two years ago, he was big time as far as an emotional leader-type guy, where he was really setting things ablaze where guys really fed off of that. I think we have more guys like that. We have so many young guys now, where they still have that college kind of feel to them where they’re really amped up for the game and excited, and it’s not just another game for them. Every week, they’re excited to be playing an NFL football game. I think the longer you go in your career, some guys, it turns into almost business to where ‘this is what I do for a living’ and it’s not as emotional for them. The intensity is there, but it’s just not high emotionally. I think a lot of our young guys that we brought on board, they kind of help fuel that fire and other guys feed off of it.”
(When you talk about getting to quarterbacks and moving them off of their spot, we know Patriots QB Tom Brady gets rid of the ball pretty quickly. Is it more of a coverage game against him, not to say you don’t want to get to him, but do you have to kind of approach it like that?) – “I think it’s really just the front coverage being tied together. Whether you’re pressuring, you’re covering, however it is, everybody just has to be on the same page. That gives you the best chance. Even when those are tied together, sometimes when you’re playing an elite quarterback, sometimes it just doesn’t matter. You have to do a good job of just keep coming and staying tight in coverage and trying to make things hard for him.”
(What would a win mean for you guys?) – “It’s the fourth game of the year. I know everybody wants to make it bigger than that, but that’s what it is. It’s the first quarter of the season. There’s a long ways to go. Every game is important and that’s the one we’re focused on right now. Anytime you can get a win and you keep stacking them on top of each other, it’s a positive.”
