Frank Smith – November 2, 2023
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I know a couple weeks ago we spoke about your German ancestry and whatnot. What’s your experience been like being in Frankfurt this week?) – “It’s been great. Unfortunately we haven’t had much time outside of the hotel, but my great grandma was born here. She moved to America from Stuttgart so my first trip internationally with my dad was to Germany to Düsseldorf. So it’s awesome. Can’t wait until Friday afternoon and actually get out of the hotel area, but the whole week here has been awesome. Really looking forward to the game.”
(Not a lot of schnitzel or anything like that for you yet?) – “Not until Friday. Friday is business as usual.”
(I wanted to ask about the Chiefs defense. It seems like under Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, they’ve always been a pretty good defense. Maybe they’ve turned it up this year. What has stuck out to you about that unit?) – “It seems they’re playing very well together. Ultimately, the last couple years there they’ve had a lot of success. The players they got, they seem to have a very good understanding of the system, communicating together, working together well. It will be a tough challenge for us this Sunday and we’re really looking forward to it.”
(Obviously this is WR Tyreek Hill’s first game against the Chiefs since he was traded. He’s done a lot over the course of his career, but just the stuff that he’s done since he’s been in Miami has been even more impressive. What has stood out to you most about Tyreek and his time here?) – “Just his work ethic and how competitive he is. Every day his commitment towards maximizing his time and just being the best player, the best he can be. Seeing him all those years in the division and just hoping he wasn’t going to have a day, it’s just awesome to be on the same side of the ball for the last two years.”
(I know you are the offensive coordinator for the No. 1 offense in the league, but how do you approach player development and getting the best out of your offensive players?) – “I think the process begins at the beginning of the offseason. Just as far as how we implement things, how we train the team, how we go about just our day-to-day. So when you lay the foundation back in April when it starts, it allows for this time of year, guys really understand the expectations, understand what is necessary. It really always begins with like everything, whenever you’re teaching a class, teaching anything, you’re trying to build something. It’s all about a foundation. If you have a weak foundation to a structure, it will crumble. Same thing if you have a weak foundation to your education, you’re not really mastering the subject matter. So I think the one thing we pride ourselves on here is our process and how we began and how we teach and its growth all the way through as we’re going along.”
(Between this year and last year, at what point do you think the game slowed down for QB Tua Tagovailoa so he can excel at this high rate that he’s been doing so far?) – “The way he sees the game is really one of his gifts. So ultimately, he’s grown within the system and within what we’re trying to do here with everyone. You just see him really taking things and his understanding, his communication, and everything and it just keeps growing and growing and growing. Ultimately, the challenge is each week is trying to improve on what you did last week. Between whether it’s Tua or the whole composite of the whole offense, it’s just the approach everyone has. It’s great when you’re quarterback has the mindset of everyday to attack and make the best of it.”
(What do you expect from the atmosphere on Sunday here in Frankfurt?) – “I don’t know. Doing two London games, the atmosphere was fantastic. So here with it being the first game in Frankfurt, I imagine it will be very much similar to a playoff game in America. Looking forward to the energy and seeing what it’s going to be like. Playing these games have really been an awesome experience for all of us being able to be apart of it. So we’re really looking forward to it and enjoying it.”
(Given your family history, how important is it for you to be a part of history here this weekend? First game in Frankfurt. Also the importance to you the league is expanding in the way that is has?) – “I think it’s fantastic. I think when the schedule got announced, I think my dad bought tickets – or I shouldn’t say he bought tickets, he requested me to get him tickets to the game probably immediately. I just think it’s great. I’ve been traveling to Germany since I was 11 or 12, and my dad has done business over here for the last 20 years or probably more than that, but I think it’s great. It’s a fantastic country. Everyone loves sports. American football has obviously been a sport that everyone’s enjoyed. To be apart of the first game, for me, I couldn’t be happier for us to play here.”
(On the o-line, a lot of moving parts. How are you managing all that this week? Whether to activate T Terron Armstead? You have OL Robert Hunt in question, his status and OL Connor Williams too?) – “A lot of variables, but I think it ultimately goes back to when we talk about in the offseason how we train the group and try to have versatility and have guys who will flex between positions. As we bring guys back or work between variables, those are all contingency things that we work on through the whole offseason. We’ll see how the week plays out and we’ll play the guys that can best help us win.”
(I wanted to ask about the running backs real quick. Does RB Raheem Mostert look comparable at this point to where he was last weekend? Do you envision yourself continuing to get RB Jeff Wilson Jr. a few more touches?) – “Yeah, just like all the guys this week with the travel, it’s just a little different week for us. Ultimately, as we get ready for the game, our processes will get going. The guys who are ready to play and ready to contribute are the ones who you’ll see on the field.”
(Are you getting used to the time change?) – “Forcibly, yes.”
(WR Chase Claypool’s snap count continues to rise since he’s been active on game day. How much have you noticed him grasping not just the playbooks, but the blocking. I don’t want to be subtle. We heard WR Jaylen Waddle say yesterday in order to play for this team you’re going to have to bock. It was a popular criticism against Chase coming into this trade. How have you noticed him embarrassing the nuances of playing offense for the Dolphins?) – “Chase is just like many guys that I’ve been fortunate enough to coach throughout the years. We’ve really enjoyed his want to know why. Why are we doing this? How can he help be the teammate he wants to be here. How can he contribute to the offense? And like Jaylen said, we block. That’s the one thing at the wide receiver position, your willingness to block and help your teammates get the ball on the perimeter, and I think ultimately with Chase since he’s gotten here, he’s finding his growth within the offense and understanding it. That piece of understanding how our system works and where he can fit is one thing he’s really taken a strong control of. Just how he approaches himself everyday at practice, questions he asks are very specific and you can tell he’s dialed in on everything. So far, it’s been awesome and we’re looking forward to continue the growth the rest of the year.”
(The thing you said at the beginning, the wanting to know why. When a player wants to know the why and not just the what, what does that tell you when a player wants to understand the why and just the assignment itself?) – “When you’re reading a book and you just read it, it’s like anything. When you do a task and you just do it to accomplish it, maybe you can execute it or not, but the more comprehensive knowledge you have on the subject, it makes you know all the variables that could occur. So you’re really investing into that one moment and all the things that can occur. So you’re knowing the why. Why am I doing this? And then when you can paint the picture so they get, okay you’re this piece of an 11-person puzzle that’s going against another 11 people, that allows you to be able to say okay, if this, this, and this – you’re going through your checklist of things that can occur. It just shows a guy who has a real understanding of the complexity of every offensive play and he wants to know so he can help and contribute to help us win.”
(I know before you got to Miami, you coached several seasons with other AFC West teams. Even though you didn’t coach against him, what are your impressions, what do you think of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes?) – “He’s one of the best at his position. You’re flashing me back to a lot of bad moments. But also, at the same time, when you’re a competitor, you always want to face the best. That’s one thing that he’s been able to do. He plays at a high level and they’ve done a great job with their program and we’re really looking forward to the opportunity to do it here in Frankfurt against them.”
(I wanted to ask about the left guard position. I think last game, OL Lester Cotton started and then you started rotating OL Rob Jones before Rob Hunt went down. I was curious, what was the thought process behind that? If Rob Hunt is able to play, is that still something that is on the table for this weekend?) – “As we evaluate each game and all the options that are going to help us win, there’s maybe different variables, different things that would occur that we’re working through for various reasons. When we put guys out, when we don’t, the consistency of positions, we kind of have thought about that during the week and what’s best for each guy. When it comes to all positions, whether it’s the o-line, wide receiver, running back, we’re always trying to make sure that we’re putting ourselves in the best position to get the result we want. We weigh all things during the week to make sure we have the right options on Sunday.”
