Adam Gase – September 5, 2018
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Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Can you talk about the challenges of preparing for Week 1 and the challenge of facing a team who has a new coach and coordinator?) – “Well, I think the opening week is always tough because there’s probably going to be a few things that you have no clue are coming and you have to adjust quickly. Everybody is trying to use their personnel the way they think they should use it, which every team is going to be a little different. What we did last year will be different this year. It’s the same, basically, with Tennessee, because they have a new staff. It’s one thing when you have history against coordinators and things like that. We’ve played (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Dean) Pees multiple times, twice here and then in the past where I’ve been. And they’ve got a new offensive coordinator. We’ve got four (preseason) games we’re going off of. It can be tough. We know we’re going to have to make some adjustments during the game.”
(So QB Luke Falk was on the Titans for six months or whatever. Can he help you in regards to information?) – “I think it’s hard because when you’re a rookie, you’re trying to make sure that you get to the building on time. You’re so focused on just trying to do the things that they’re asking you to do. It’s just hard. When you’re a rookie … If we were talking about a fifth year or sixth year guy, then probably yes. But I think when you’re a rookie, it’s just so hard. You’re just trying to keep your head above water.”
(What do you like about QB Luke Falk as a quarterback prospect?) – “He was a guy that we brought in here. He was one of the three quarterbacks that we brought in (for a 30-visit). We really liked his football mind. I thought he was – from the system he came from, the knowledge he had of that and how he knew the ins and outs of that and kind of the way they call plays – it kind of fit with what we do a little bit, to where he could make some adjustments at the line of scrimmage. I really liked his anticipation. He throws on time. He’s accurate. It’s one of those things where he kind of reminds me of a lot of the guys that I’ve been around in the past. We were fired up to get him here.”
(In terms of preparing for the opener, do you guys get an advantage because they don’t have your video just like they don’t have yours?) – “I think we’re almost all on the same playing field. They have a little more film on at least what we’ve done in the past. There’s always going to be something different from both sides.”
(What appealed to you on WR Tanner McEvoy and on RB Brandon Bolden?) – “That was interesting with Tanner. (He’s been) a special teams guy in the past and we’re always looking to see what else we can get out of guys that have special teams background to see how much they can contribute on offense. He’s had explosive plays in the past. It hasn’t been a numerous amount of catches but his average per catch is somewhere in the 20s. He’s made some explosive plays. He’s done a really good job on special teams and that was one of the main reasons we liked him. The fact that Bolden was available, we did everything we could to get him here. Obviously with Danny (Amendola) being here and his knowledge and his background and kind of what he’s all about, we felt like adding him was going to be a big deal for us.”
(Do you expect to see a lot of RB Derrick Henry? And what’s unique about him?) – “I’m assuming, yes. I can’t say for sure but what’s unique is he’s fast and as big as you can get them. He’s a powerful man and it takes multiple guys to bring him down to the ground.”
(What does it mean to you to kick off a regular-season game week prep with QB Ryan Tannehill as your guy?) – “It’s so different than the last time because that was two years ago. We were still in the learning stage trying to figure out how it was going to go and who we were leaning on. There were so many little things that we were just trying to learn. Now he grabs hold of the reigns and takes over practice and he’s all riled up. Today, I figured out a way to upset him a couple of times, which is always great. (laughter) He was wired in today. It was fun going through today as a whole – the meetings, the practice, all of that stuff.”
(Why are you convinced that you know QB Ryan Tannehill’s going to be better than he was the last time he played in a regular season game?) – “Just the reps and the experience. I know he said he missed last year but we went through the whole spring. We had a good amount of training camp practices. He’s stayed so engaged throughout that whole year, which is hard to do when you know you’re not going to play. I know everybody will say quarterbacks … Yes, it’s not as easy as you think. He really took last year and used it to his advantage and taking a step back and being able to watch everything, listen to everything and kind of see how guys react to certain things. And then also just listening constantly about when we’re talking about plays, concepts, progressions and why we’re doing things, he was able to really take it all in. Now it’s processing faster for him.”
(You came here as a quarterback expert of sorts. Are you comfortable putting your name behind QB Ryan Tannehill?) – “Oh, yes. I love working with him. I love how he does everything from the time he gets in the building until the time he leaves. He really has shown me a lot, especially on the practice field, with how intense he is (and) how he treats every day like a game. He’s taken a hold of this offense and he’s made it his own. There are certain things that we’ve never done before that we do now because of what he likes to do. I really like the way that he’s working with the group of skill guys. I think they have good chemistry. I think it’s a good start for the season for us.”
(You know QB Ryan Tannehill on a personal level but he’s been on social media trying to get fans and trying to endear himself to fans with certain videos and things like that. Have you seen that? What do you think about him trying to get other people to get to know him?) – “I haven’t seen any … I don’t pay attention much. I think who he is when we’re at practice and in the building and things like that … I think a lot of people get a three-hour snippet of who he is and that’s just during a game. I know it’s a game but at the same time, it’s a business. Guys put a lot of time and effort into this thing and when they get locked in on Sunday, it becomes a different deal. It’s very competitive and they’re professionals.”
(With QB Luke Falk, you said if he was a fifth or sixth year guy, you might try to get some information. Can you think of a time where that’s paid off at any point in your NFL career, where you’ve gotten information from a player who was with a former team?) – “No.”
(Have you ever tried? Have you been around where you’ve tried and it just hasn’t worked?) – “Not that I remember.”
(Obviously a lot of this will depend on snap counts in a game, but is it realistic to ever go more than two deep in terms of carries to running back? Obviously RB Kenyan Drake and RB Frank Gore will have a lot. Is it really challenging to weave in RB Kalen Ballage or RB Senorise Perry?) – “It’s all about how many plays you have per game. We’ve had times where you have 75-plus and now, yes, you get multiple guys in there – two, three or four (of them). It just depends on how many you have up. When you have 50, now you’re struggling to split with two guys. It’s all about the amount of plays, how many drives you can get and how long your series are. The longer the drive and the more drives you have, the more chances you have to spread the ball out.”
(Do you have an update on WR DeVante Parker?) – “We’re still kind of waiting to see how he feels as far as catching balls and stuff like that. He’s doing a lot of cardio stuff. He’s doing a lot of individual drill type things with our training staff. Once we get the green light, we’ll go at it.”
(But he can’t catch anything yet?) – “Not yet. I mean we haven’t tried yet.”
(How different is this September 5th from a year ago, from all standpoints? It’s your third year, not your second year. There’s no hurricane baring down on you. You’ve got QB Ryan Tannehill here.) – “It’s still early. (laughter)”
(It’s got to be like a world of difference, huh?) – “It’s nice to be able to really … It looks like we’re going to open up at home, so that’s exciting. We’re not traveling to Seattle. We’re not in L.A. (Los Angeles). I really think … the coaching staff is excited. The players are excited. We want to get in there and we want to get everything really going in the right direction. It’s the first game of … moving the ball and get some three-and-outs. That’s really what we want to do. Get the crowd involved in it early to where now when we get to third downs on defense, the volume is getting up there. There’s been times where the game starts going our way and we’re getting to those third downs, it makes it really hard on the opposing quarterback.”
(How quickly would you expect DE William Hayes to get back to … I don’t want to say midseason form but…) – “He’ll be alright. He’s been playing so long. We held him out more because we just wanted to make sure we were as close to 100 percent as we could get. He’s ready to go.”
(It’s clear what guys obviously are going to play for the most part on Sunday. But at tight end, you have some interesting options. Is TE A.J. Derby in your mind beyond what you anticipate your use of TE Mike Gesicki and TE MarQueis Gray…) – “I mean we’ll just see how it goes. It’s hard to say. I don’t want to give the game plan away but at the same time, it’s the flow of the game. You have an idea but things change quickly.”
