Danny Crossman – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I know earlier this year you guys had a couple of the onside kicks. How has the rule for those changed how you teach that? I know the offsides kind of spoiled it, but you guys looked like it was successful initially.) – “The rule, obviously especially in a must-onside situation, I think there’s been one successful out of 40 around the league for the year. It’s difficult because you can’t hide people, the numbers. You’re land-locked on where you’re playing. It really comes down to really getting a really good kick and then a little bit of luck. But those are things that I think everybody around the league knows you’ve got to keep working on and see if there’s something you can’t find. But it’s made it difficult with the new rules.”
(Last week, you had that, I don’t know if it was a pooch kick that came about and they had the long return on. What sort of went wrong in that play for them to have that?) – “Like anything, anytime there’s a negative play or a good play conversely, a lot of things happen. That’s one of those plays where when it’s all said and done, we’ve got a couple guys maybe not exactly where they need to be. More importantly when you have an opportunity to make the tackles, you can’t miss tackles. I don’t care what part of the game it is, you can’t miss tackles.”
(I know you lost him due to injury this week, WR Preston Williams, but what did you see from him as a returner and what led you to say, “Hey, we’re going to move him there instead of WR Jakeem Grant?”) – “I think when we put him in there in preseason, he did a really good job making good decisions, catching the football and then as you saw offensively, he was the guy that did good things with the ball in his hands. Anything you do, you’re just trying to find ways to give guys opportunities and win games. He worked himself into that role and did a good job when he was in there.”
(You’ve been in the AFC East a little bit and played these division teams. How does that change your preparation and how you go about calling things because some of these players are probably familiar?) – “I think the biggest thing is understanding the coaches, but then the biggest thing is the personnel. I think when you look around the division besides New England, I think every team in the division has had a heavy dose of player turnover. It all comes down to players. That’s where you have to spend most of your time.”
(Is it fair to say WR Jakeem Grant might get another chance at punt return?) – “We’re looking for – and not anything that Jakeem did, it’s just Preston (Williams) did a good job when Jakeem was out and Preston sort of had to play that role. He did a really nice job and we felt it was best to keep him that role because he was doing a good job.”
(Are you worried in any way about K Jason Sanders. I know he’s missed a couple kicks recently.) – “No, not at all. There’s a lot of things that go into that. We have complete confidence. We need to start getting it done on game day; but we feel very secure, very confident with Jason and where he is.”
(Obviously, the special teams plays, the things that you guys try to do with the fake plays, the onside kicks, what are some things you’ve learned from those plays that you hope to better on?) – “Like anything you do, it’s all about trying to win a game. You never know what opportunities and what situations will come up, but we’re always trying to be prepared for any situation whether it’s for us and/or what our opponents may be doing. I think those are things – you’re trying to find ways to win games.”
(When you convert a play like that, what do you think that can do for your team?) – “I think it does a lot. I think, as we all know, momentum is a big part of this game. It doesn’t last long, then you go back to reality; but the initial momentum shift for teams is big.”
(Including to getting momentum, what does it do for your team in the temporary time that you do have it?) – “It gives you an opportunity. If you’re successful, it gives you an opportunity to have the football. If you’re not successful, the defense needs to step up and treat it like a sudden change turnover situation. No matter what part of the ball you’re involved in, those things affect the whole team.”
(When you cash in off of a good special teams play, what does that do for morale, confidence, game plan, possibly being up?) – “I think it’s like any phase of the game. Whether there’s an interception, a turnover on defense or it’s a big play (on) offense, whether it’s a big return or getting a situation play in the kicking game, anything that gives your team a spark and the possibility to build and catapult you forward, I think they’re always big plays.”
(I know it’s a couple weeks ago, but the fake field goal play in Buffalo, was the goal to score or was the goal to get the first down?) – “A combination of both. When you make those calls situationally, that was just because of when and where we did it, there were two-fold possibilities.”
(So a two-fold possibility. You could get the first down, which you did. You may have wanted to score, but you wanted to do. Why did you guys feel at that point – you guys marched all the way down the field. I felt like everybody in that stadium knew you guys weren’t going to kick a field goal after that, so I’m trying to see what was your thought process?) – “Trying to win the game. That’s every call. If you’re every wondering, we’re trying to win a game.”
(So why not do a 3-yard run from that point instead of the fake field goal?) – “We’re trying to win the game.”
(Now that you guys have come together and this is your first time here with the Dolphins and as a coaching staff here, how have you – as Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea said, he’s not second-guessing anything. He’s letting things roll. He’s learning from it, but he’s not second-guessing things. How are you guys learning from everything that’s happened this season and maybe some plays that haven’t gone your way?) – “That’s the game. Every team around the league is going to have those. I think for us, it’s a matter of as a group, as coaches, as players and then as an organization as a whole, continuing to learn and develop and understand and stay with the process of what we’re trying to get done.”
(How have you done on your special teams work? You have guys come in and out of this roster so much the last eight weeks. Do you feel like you have 11 guys for each phase?) – “We keep trying. (laughter) We’re trying. It’s just part of it. You’re going to have years like that. Fortunately, we have a good group that they’re willing to work and the time and we’ll keep coaching the heck out of them and we’ll keep giving it the best and we’ll see what we get on game day.”
(The special teams effort, I know in college, I used to cover Florida State and they would do a collective effort with all the coaches, all the coaches coached special teams behind the special teams coaches. Is it kind of the same thing here? How do you guys divvy up…) – “Well, it’s not – we have people that are involved in it. It’s anything. The organization, it starts with Brian (Flores) who has a great belief in that part of the game. But that’s just like myself with encouraging and supporting and working with the offensive and defensive coaches. We’re all in this together and it takes all three (phases) to get the results that we’re hoping to get.”
(Who are some players that I can ask in the locker room that have taken advantage of their roles on special teams?) – “The list is long. Get the young players like Patrick Laird, who’s had to step up and do some things. Chris Lammons who’s had to step up and do things. Obviously, you have the veteran guys who have made their niche already, the Walt Aikens’ of the world. It’s a combination of the young and the old. We just have to keep working to try and build it the best we can.”
(S Walt Aikens has really made a big career for himself out of that.) – “Absolutely. And he puts the time in.”
