Frank Smith – December 8, 2022
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Thursday, December 8, 2022
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(On the 49ers game and if the corners, linebackers, inside linebackers got a lot of depth on routes.) – “I mean overall, the drops and what they do; it’s part of their system. Whether or not they’re a couple yards deeper or not, it really doesn’t affect what we’re trying to do. We’re obviously trying to – when they’re in zone coverage, you attack the space in between the zones. Man to man, you’re beating the man over you. So overall there wasn’t really anything that we would say that we’re looking at as far as going ‘oh, they did this.’ It’s more of just our execution on each play. Alright, where we can be in the timing and the rhythm for the quarterback. That’s kind of more of where we look at, not necessarily how deep and where they go. It’s just understanding zone or man and where the area’s locations we’re trying to hit.”
(Y’all were 0-for-7 on third down. Time of possession battle, losing it most of the game, it was similar to the Buffalo game earlier. What are some of the keys to preventing…?) – “Yeah, I think just overall for us, it was a great environment for us to go out there and really, it felt like a playoff-type environment. For us to go in there and learn from things, especially areas where we know we can improve – they did a good job obviously with the execution of their plan. We felt like there’s areas that we could really clean up on. I think ultimately some of that results in the third-down stuff. But again, when you get faced with those opportunities in games and those situations, and it doesn’t go the way you want it to go, it gives you a great opportunity to come back and go to work with your teammates or as a staff and make sure we tune up on the things that we need to do for this week.”
(How does it feel to be back in LA and are there things you can contribute to the defensive game plan from being with this team just last year?) – “Yeah, I love LA, man. I loved living here in Newport Beach, California. It was awesome. I was fortunate enough – Brandon (Staley) is a good friend, so is Joe (Lombardi). Very fortunate for my time there. As far as my input on stuff, I may have familiarity with the scheme and stuff like that but there’s a lot of new players. So I don’t know as far as my impact. It’s just certain conversations I’m going to have. But overall, what we were doing last year and what they’re doing this year, obviously there’s some differences. So, ultimately we just have to line up and play and execute our fundamentals and techniques.”
(What stood out to you when you looked at the tape of QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance against the 49ers – some of the overthrows and things like that – what stood out as far as things you have to correct or was it just one of those days for him?) – “Again, when you look at the environment and all that, it’s like – we have such a competitive team – guys want to make plays and it’s just not like, at times – were we pressing, were we not? Were we trying to be perfect as opposed to let the game come to you? Those environments, those things are stuff that obviously that we have discussions on afterwards, but ultimately, it’s like, hey, in the course of a football season in general, there’s going to be a game or two or a couple that you’re just like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t our best, but what do we learn from it?’ And I think that’s ultimately from that environment, I think that’s the challenge of a football season. Is that some games where you feel like you had excellent execution and another game where you feel like there’s room for improvement? I think that’s really the story of the season and how you improve from that will be obviously how we’re measured in this next game on Sunday night.”
(How did T Eric Fisher look yesterday in his first day?) – “Great. It was it was awesome to have him out there. He’s a sharp guy and we were really excited with the opportunity presented to get him here.”
(The first play of the game against San Francisco, it looked like the 49ers S Talanoa Hufanga followed WR Tyreek Hill because he motioned outside and it opened up that area of the field for WR Trent Sherfield. I don’t know if it was… But what kind of pride do you see from Tyreek being able to impact the defense and open things up for teammates like that?) – “Yeah, it was kind of they were running a pressure. So in that, that’s where he’s going to match for his leverage. So really, it was a combination of things and really, I think it comes down to trying to just really – he hit the right spot at the right time and he executed excellent fundamentals. I think that was a great example of all 11 executing and at that time, they pressured, so there was a hole in their zone that they normally wouldn’t have when they’re just playing a four-man rush. So overall, I think that him being in the right spot to make sure they keep their leverage, braking at the right time in or hitting the ball right on rhythm; I think all of it factors into that explosive play that we had.”
(Going back to T Eric Fisher for a second. He hasn’t played a down in almost a year now.) – “Yeah, he’s very fresh. (laughter)”
(I was going to ask. Are there signs of rust or does it look like a guy who’s been working out day and night?) – “I have WD 40 in my backpack, so we’re good to go. No rust. (laughter) No, it’s really I think ultimately for him, he has such a wealth of experience. Playoff battle-tested lineman. Especially a guy older in his career, I don’t think there’s rust. It’ll be for him just our techniques, our fundamentals, just learning that it’s different from Kansas City or at Indianapolis to what we’re doing. So I think that’s really for him. It’s just getting up to speed with that and then getting in football shape ready to play. But no, he moved around, you can see he’s very talented athlete and he’s a big guy who moves well, so we’re really excited to have him. We’re glad it really worked out.”
(He’s played his whole career on the left side. Can he play on the right? Is that something that’s crossed your mind?) – “I think he does have experience on the other side as well. Both sides. So for us ultimately, we look at guys with position flex so obviously he did have some experience on the other side, but ultimately, the goal is that if he’s called upon to play, it’s just obviously helping us with wherever we need to and he’s been awesome so far with his contributions mentally. And now looking forward to a physical next two days.”
(Realistically, can T Eric Fisher play this week or you don’t foresee that?) – “I mean, realistically, he could. We’ll obviously, the next two days, just get him up to speed with everything we’ve asked him to do. But pleased with what we’ve seen so far, that’s for sure.”
(The time that you were around Chargers QB Justin Herbert, what’s something that surprised you about him?) – “Man, what surprised me about Justin? How competitive he is. So he’s extremely competitive. He’s one of those guys that I think whatever you do, he’s trying to win because he’s kind of – I wouldn’t say quiet but he listens very well. So when his competitive side comes out, that was something really cool to be a part of. You get to see like when the game is on the line and how he focuses and how he’s really trying to compete with his teammates. That was awesome. But what a great guy. Just fortunate to spend a year and really get to know him.”
(On a quarterback’s environment having an effect on success) – “Yeah, absolutely. My first job in the NFL was with the Saints and then you look at – that was Drew Brees right after we won the Super Bowl, but if you remember beforehand, they let him out of San Diego. And hindsight is 20/20 as they’re saying, ‘Hey, we can’t win a Super Bowl with this guy. We need to go draft Philip (Rivers).’ Put him in the Saints system and now he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. So I think ultimately, and I think it even is beyond quarterback – all positions – you put guys in the right scheme, in the right environment, around the right teammates, and that’s when they flourish. So I think sometimes if you don’t have those situations, those are where the challenges arise. And I think in reality it’s probably all environments, even all businesses. I’m sure you guys, too, have had places you worked where you’re just kind of like, ‘alright, this kind of sucks.’ But it’s kind of like ultimately, I think that’s just what every player is looking for: a system that makes sense to him that they can own and they can master, they can put their stamp on it. And then have a staff that works with them, a staff that communicates well together, guys who really enjoy coming to work every day because the pro season is so long. When you have a system that you believe in, players that you love working with, a staff you love communicating and working with, that’s when you get great situations. And I think ultimately, hopefully that’s the environment we’re creating here where players love to come to work every day.”
(You mentioned QB Justin Herbert’s competitiveness. Is there a specific example that comes to mind?) – “Oh, just, I mean, when I raced him one time, he had to beat me. (laughter) No, I’m not racing him. He’s fast. No, it’s just overall like with him, just you can see his attention to detail in a walkthrough. When we were in two-minute drills, you could see he wanted to always be on it because he’s always trying to learn. Just everything with him. And I heard with his teammates, he’s extremely competitive, too. Just overall, he has that focus. You could just see it in his eyes when he’s in that moment and that’s what I enjoyed about him. But I mean, the great thing is, is that Tua has that same competitiveness, Drew (Brees) had that same competitiveness, so it’s like you look at these great quarterbacks; you’d say that’s kind of a common trait of them all because they just don’t want to win. They want to be on all their details and make sure they can play their best all the time. I think that transcends into the rest of their life and they play cards and are trying to win.”
(Obviously from the outside, I think people are obviously comparing Chargers QB Justin Herbert and QB Tua Tagovailoa just by the nature of where they were taken in the draft. Would you say that that’s going to be something that’s really similar?) – “Yeah, I think that they both have that drive. I think that their personalities are very different, but when it comes to them wanting to win, doing what it takes to win, both are extremely similar in that capacity. They have different skill sets, but yes, I think like that intangible of the competitiveness is one thing that definitely they would be comparable for.”
