Clyde Christensen – November 2, 2017
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Thursday, November 2, 2017
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(One thing that Head Coach Adam Gase said this week is we need to teach guys differently. Has he conveyed that to you and the offensive assistants, and how dramatic changes or what types of changes are there in how you teach now?) – “I think probably a little extra desperation. We’ve always been trying to do that, right? I mean the goal has always been for them to learn and we’ve tried a bunch of different things. I think probably just some … At a point Adam is clear that – Coach Gase is clear that – you’ve got learn it or you’ve got to get changed out, we’ve got to try something else. So I think it was made clear to the coaches too that you’re responsible for your group and ultimately me, that if it’s a group that doesn’t execute, then that goes on the coordinator. So that would go on me and it would be taken personally and it should be taken personally.”
(When you play on national TV and have a game like that, how much do you hear from friends and family around the country?) – “Yes, a ton. We had a little time even … I was laughing (because) I had my Miami gear on and I walked down the Hollywood Boardwalk and got a little work out there and some guy was carrying something and he made a comment about the Dolphins, and ‘Hey I’m moving slow, kind of like the Dolphins.’ (laughter) So it’s everywhere. It’s no fun. (laughter) All my girls call and check in and make sure I’m okay. It was a beat down. It was a beat down mentally, physically, coaching-wise and it’s awful. There’s nothing fun about it. It’s not good. It’s unacceptable and it’s not fun, and that’s where a couple of days, a few hours here or there off even, is almost negative. You just want to get back on the field. That’s the only way you forget those and put them behind. That’s why it’s always so important to win those off weeks and stuff like that. It wasn’t a fun weekend to be a Dolphin.”
(So with that, is it good to get back on national TV again?) – “Yes. I think so, sure. Very seldom do you get back-to-back national TV games and we’re going three in a row, where we can change the impression. You can change the impression of a country; but that’s not why. People’s perception, that’s secondary. We need to play good football just because it’s the right thing to do and it’s how we get to where we want to go and that’s way more important than what people’s perception of us are. I think it’s more about us. It’s more about I think just being disappointed in how we’re playing, more than it is perception; but it isn’t fun. It isn’t fun being out on the street or anywhere else after you’ve just gotten smacked around like we got smacked around.”
(You don’t have many bodies in the running back room. I would say you don’t have as much talent in the running back room. How do you make one less body, less talent, be as or more productive?) – “I think probably … I’m not sure how that will happen. Somehow we’ll try and get it to happen. Sometimes a fresh start for somebody, you get a little jump from it, a little energy from it. Even Jay (Ajayi) going there, maybe sometimes a fresh change is good. So sometimes you do get a little burst from the change, that would be one way I think it happens. Other than that, those two guys, it gives them a chance – a fresh start. It gives everyone a little bit of a fresh start. I’m just hoping that that will be just a change up a little bit. That doesn’t mean that it’s the cure all and that doesn’t mean that Jay (Ajayi) was the problem or this or that; but we haven’t played very well this season, and we have to try some new stuff. We have to try some different things and hopefully it will give us a little bit of a lift or a jolt.”
(What’s RB Kenyan Drake bring to your offense that you have not featured previously?) – “I think he’s an extremely fast guy and he’s an extremely good receiving-skill guy. I do think he’s a little bit of a different style than Jay (Ajayi) was. Just his speed, his ability to take the ball around the corner, his ability to bounce it or go back door and you’re not quite as sure where he’s going to run. I think that gives you a little extra threat. His speed is to be feared, and then the other thing to me is just his hands. His hands are extremely good. Now there’s going to be tradeoffs too. There’s going to be some protection issues and stuff like that that he’s going to be in the fire. It’s a lot different than in a walkthrough, that all of a sudden you’ve got blitzers coming and twists and turns and all of those things. It will be a challenge for him, but those are the traits he brings that are kind of unique to him.”
(The last time RB Kenyan Drake had a heavy workload was in high school, considering he’s been a backup his entire career. Are you certain that he can handle that kind of work load?) – “Yes. I feel good. I mean I’m not certain because we don’t have empirical data on it, but the times we’ve asked him to do things and he has carried a heavy work load on special teams, so it’s not like he’s not a tested guy. He’s NFL tested. If you return kicks, you cover kicks, you work the punt team, you’re not throwing a guy in there who doesn’t understand how fast and how big and how violent this game is in this league. He does know that. That’s a plus. You’re not throwing a guy in there who hasn’t been hit. You can’t lack courage and return kicks in this league, and you sure understand the speed of the game if you’re covering kicks, so I do think that that’s an advantage to him; but as far as just day-to-day and carrying a ball, and I remember when we had that same discussion on Jay (Ajayi) last year. It’s an interesting thing to get hit and get tattooed like they tattoo you in this league for week after week after week after week. The other thing that will help us is that he won’t have to do it alone. It’s going to be by committee and we’re going to play those other guys also, and it’s going to be done by committee, so it won’t be where Jay (Ajayi) would have the 24 or 25 or 26 carries. It shouldn’t be that situation. That should help him also; but it’s violent. It’s a violent position, practicing when you’re sore. I think those are the things we talked through last year when we had a guy who hadn’t really gone through a 16-game season as a starter. It’s the same thing. After about four games, after a short week and carrying the ball 23 times, you don’t feel like practicing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. It gets harder to practice, so that’s part of it. You have to learn how to function when everything is not right. You’ve got a couple of tweaks, you’re tired, beat up and you’re sore and you wish you had a couple of extra days off and you just don’t. They just keep rolling at you.”
(Do you have more options with RB Kenyan Drake and RB Damien Williams because of their versatility compared to what you had?) – “Yes, maybe slightly. You maybe don’t have to sub, but I still think we’ll try and keep fresh guys. Sometimes you do it for freshness too; but I think probably it’s no secret that they’re probably a little more natural of a receiver. But they also aren’t as, they also aren’t quite as violent. I do think there’s a versatility that comes with those guys and screens and some of those things that they’re really, really good athletes.”
(The approach to third-and-short and goal line, how does that change without RB Jay Ajayi?) – “We’ll see. We’ve used Damien (Williams) a ton on the goal line. He’s kind of been our goal line guy. We gave him that role last year, so he’s run up in there and been a tough guy on that stuff. He plays with leverage. He’s a strong guy. He’s a strong runner, so I don’t think that will change a whole bunch.”
(With the absence of RB Jay Ajayi, have you gone against calling things that best benefited Ajayi for RB Kenyan Drake or the other backs that are coming into the …?) – “Good question. Probably a question more for Adam (Gase), but I think just when you do the game plan. When you do the game plan, you kind of make your adjustments in the game plan. So once it goes onto that sheet – onto the call sheet – it’s not like you’re just winging it from your back pocket. So when he puts together the game plan, when he puts together the final game plan, he’ll have in mind, ‘Hey, I really like this with Damien (Williams),’ or ‘I really like this with Kenyan.’ So he’ll put it that way and some of the personnel will be specific to a guy. Some of the plays will be just whoever’s in there. The thing that helps us a little bit is they’re similar guys. That does help a little bit whereas maybe Jay to Kenyan was kind of a dramatic change, so you kind of did have to call the game a little bit different and know who was in there. These two guys are a little bit more interchangeable than what we’ve been, so that should help a little bit.”
(What kind of impact are you hoping WR DeVante Parker’s return will have on the offense?) – Yes, I hope it will be some big plays. I think that all of a sudden, you know it’s bigger than just Parker. It shifts everything. It gives us a chance to get Jarvis (Landry) back in the slot a little bit more. It gives us a chance for them not to be able to double – that you have three guys. It’s harder to get an extra … to get some help to a corner. Some of those things. I think just his size and his chance to make a play contested, which Kenny’s (Stills) been doing. He has been kind of hot with those the last couple of weeks too; but it gives you two guys who can make a play on a ball that’s in traffic. It gives you all three guys. It gets diluted a little bit where all of a sudden they can focus a little bit more on Jarvis when ‘11’ (DeVante Parker) is not in there, so that will help us a little bit more there.”
(Oakland DE Khalil Mack, how much pressure does he put on you? He moves, right? From side to side?) – “Yes, he can move from side to side and he’s a versatile guy and he puts a ton of pressure on you. Probably, in my opinion, one of the top young defensive players in the whole league. He has a ton of energy. They kind of go as he goes and he’s going to be a problem. We’re going to have to know where he is and we’ve got to try and limit the times we just leave our tackles on an island and don’t give them a presence at least, or don’t get the ball out. As I always say, it will be all hands on deck handling him, and then ‘51’ (Bruce Irvin), when he gets going, he’s a load also. Those are two really good athletic guys coming off the corner.”
(Is G/T Jesse Davis more likely than C/G Ted Larsen for this game?) – “Yes, I think that’s a safe statement, more than likely. I don’t think any final decisions … Again, we’ll see how Larsen … He’s practicing some. You’ve seen him in there a little bit. A lot will be how do you feel each day after? How do you feel after your third day out there today? We’re just trying to ease him in and give him a little more each day; but more than likely … Jesse kind of settled in and played decent. He did some really good things in the game last week. He started probably a little bit slow but kind of settled in and anchored it down in there and did a nice job, so he’s going to keep improving, and then that will help us when we get Ted back – whether it’s this week or next week or soon. That will help us with some depth and give us a little more versatility in there.”
(How has C/G Ted Larsen been looking?) – “He’s looked good. It’s been good to have him back in there. It hasn’t been a ton, so we’re easing him in slowly; but we’re trying to be smart with him. He looks good. He’s a veteran guy. I’m always amazed how fast football comes back to some of these guys who haven’t been in there; but it’s just what they’ve done all their life and they just kind of jump right back in. So he’s knocking some rust off, but he’s looked good and he’s a smart guy and he’s stayed engaged, which is a veteran move too. He’s been around, he’s been in the meetings, he’s been on the film, he’s been doing as much drill work as he can do in the weight room and on his own. Him being as responsible a veteran guy as he is, really helps him and puts him ahead, rather than a guy who just checked out for six weeks and hasn’t been doing anything. I think once he gets going and once he gets the rust off, I think it will come back quickly for him.”
(Is there concern about QB Jay Cutler and the ribs in terms of playing, mobility and protecting him from hits?) – “Yes, certainly a concern but Adam’s (Gase) handled it more. I don’t know. If there’s a huge concern, he wouldn’t be playing. I think he feels pretty good. I think we got a break there that it wasn’t quite as bad as we were afraid it was initially, and I haven’t seen anything – just from the outside looking in – I haven’t seen anything that makes you … where he’s looked ginger or tender at all, so I think that’s been good. We sure don’t need Khalil Mack coming clean or anything on him. No quarterback does, but certainly we have to be conscious that it’s going to take even more strain than usual to protect him and keep him upright, which will be a challenge this week. (Oakland is) a good rush team.”
