Danny Crossman – October 24, 2024
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Thursday, October 24, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The team released depth chart has WR Malik Washington now replacing WR Braxton Berrios as your punt and kickoff returner, is that the way you expect it to go for the most part – I know there are always exceptions for WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle – and what kind of skills does he bring to the job?) – “Well, I think as you guys saw, and you gals, he did a good job in the preseason, got a good history. We were happy with where he was coming out of training camp after the preseason and then was dealing with a little bit of an injury. So No. 1, happy to have him back to begin with. Sadly, with Braxton (Berrios) getting injured, we felt really off to a strong year in the return game and decision-making and some of the things that he was able to do. But with Malik (Washington) and some of the other guys that we’ve talked about over the years, we think we still have some quality players on the roster that’ll be dressed on Sunday that we can get through the game.”
(Just looking at the video, it looked like WR Braxton Berrios’ injury was non-contact? He was at the 20-yard line and made the cut.) – “Yeah, just making a cut. Put his foot in the ground to make the cut, and yeah, it’s a sad deal. But that’s the game we play sadly, and it’s part of it.”
(LS Blake Ferguson, is there anything you can tell us about him and the job that LS Matt Overton did in his replacement?) – “Yeah, Blake (Ferguson) is dealing with a personal issue and we’re going to support him. He’s still a member of our club and a guy we have great respect for, but we’re going to do everything we can while he’s dealing with what he’s dealing with, and in the meantime, like everything in the National Football League, the train doesn’t stop. So we’re fortunate we were able to get Matt (Overton) in, he did a good job on Sunday and look forward to working with him going forward.”
(What’s the challenge for a new long snapper? Cadence, weather…) – “All of it. It’s a different operation, the sequence, the protection, the terminology. It’s any player, but that player in specific, that’s what starts the play. So any time you’re changing center, quarterback, the cadence, the operation, the voice inflexions, all those things are a moving part. So those are things that we’re working through and so far, happy with where we’re at.”
(You mentioned LS Matt Overton did a fine job on Sunday. Right now he’s on the practice squad needing to be elevated each week. Could you see him as a long-term solution?) – “As you guys know, there’s so many moving parts when it comes to handling roster stuff. So there’s a lot of ways that we can handle it. Right now, because of how our roster is set up, that’s the best way for us to operate.”
(Your punt block or punt return team, correct me if I’m wrong, TE Julian Hill, DT Da’Shawn Hand and LB Quinton Bell all came close to punt blocks or perhaps and DT Calais Campbell tipped one earlier this year. How is that unit doing for that respect?) – “Yeah, they’re doing well. We got to finish those plays as you mentioned. We got the tip and we’re getting the ‘close to’s – it’s like anything, that’s a little bit where we are right now. You look at it in a couple other phases, i.e., field goal. We’ve hit the upright twice in a row; close, we’ve got to be able to get it done. We’ve got to be able to finish the play. They’re doing a great job putting themselves in position, now we just got to be able to clean up some of those minor details to be able to finish some of those plays.”
(TE Julian Hill had a false start – you don’t have to name anyone, was that Julian? I thought it was someone else.) – “There were multiple people.”
(I figured I might owe TE Julian Hill an apology, a social media apology. And then just a football question – so on the touchback before the half, the touchback to the 30, Indy only has to go 36 yards and anybody does. Two plays, 52-yard field goal, is that touchback too punitive? What does the league want you to do?) – “Again, those are all things – and don’t take this (the wrong way), we’re not worried about what the league thinks. We’re going to play the rules and we’re going to play the numbers, and we have our own thoughts and process. There’s a lot of things that go into that; time, timeouts, who you’re playing and who the quarterback is – there’s a myriad of things that go into that and it’s a week-to-week, game-to-game operation and decision that we’ll make based upon who we’re playing, how much time, how many timeouts, how the game is progressing, is it a shootout, so there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
(But just as a football question, the extra ten yards – you used to get it at the 20. Or am I reading that wrong?) – “I think – you can’t even think about that anymore. I mean the average drive start on a return is the 29, the average drive start on a touchback is the 30. So the 20-30, get that out of your mind. Right now, it’s a yard.”
(How was the snap and how was protection on the missed field goal near the end of the game?) – “There’s one thing that we can clean up from a protection standpoint, but the snap, the hold, the kick – no problem with it. Again, it’s just two weeks in a row we hit the left upright. Again, I don’t like it. It bothers me, I’m not happy. It’s a results, got to have points business, but at the same time, you see misses that are like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ You have misses where you’re hitting the stick, not that it’s easier to live with because it’s points that we leave on the field and we don’t put them on the board, but it’s not something that I stress over. There’s a lot of stuff I stress over.”
(RB DeeJay Dallas, he ran one back earlier in the season. What do you have to do to make sure that doesn’t happen?) – “Talented player. You got to tackle him, he is a hard-running, physical running back. You’re not going to bring him down with arm tackles. He does a good job – when he has a crease, he does a good job of putting his foot in the ground and finding it. Deceptive speed for a bigger player. They’ve got multiple guys in the return game that are good players, so when they have the ball in their hand, we have to do a good job of tackling. Whether it’s he (Dallas), whether it’s (Greg) Dortch, whether it’s Dortch in the kick game, the return game – he can make people miss, so it’s a good group.”
(They’ve got K Chad Ryland kicking, does that affect your strategy for Head Coach Mike McDaniel, for Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver or any of them? I mean, he’s obviously not K Matt Prater.) – “But again, if you look at the season that he’s having – and there’s a lot of those guys around the league that maybe have a speed bump with their first organization and then they come back with the next organization or the second organization and they’re very, very productive and good players. I see a couple guys and gals shaking their head – in your mind you’re thinking ‘Oh, there’s this guy.’ Everybody can think of two or three guys on their own, probably not even the same people. So he’s a good player, he’s a talented kicker getting a second chance which you love to see and doing a good job. So won’t change our thought process at all.”
(I’m curious if the league put out any memo about the pushing the head down thing that we see – the pushing the head down and jumping because I saw it was flagged on a player in a national game last week. Was there a reminder sent out or something?) – “In the weekly – here are some things that are going on. Here are some things – here are the rules and here’s what you can and cannot do. So something that the officials are just more aware of. Any time it happens, especially in a national game, it’s going to be going forward – “
(So prior to last week’s games, there was a reminder about the pushing the helmet down while touching, can’t use him for leverage? That’s the key word, right? Leverage?) – “Yes, something that was talked about – correct, you can’t touch your player or the opposing player as you work through the line of scrimmage.”
(One more thing on LS Blake Ferguson without getting into why he’s absent. Obviously, the list he’s on puts him out for four games. We didn’t have a chance to ask Head Coach Mike McDaniel this yesterday with all the QB Tua Tagovailoa news, but is the expectation that Blake will play for you this season again?) – “Again, no timetable, don’t know. We’re dealing with things and whatever course those things take, when it comes to fruition and he’s available, we’ll cover that bridge when we get to it.”
