Frank Smith – November 21, 2024
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(With RB Jaylen Wright, obviously we saw early, in a limited sample size, a high per carry average. It’s been 10 carries, eight yards the last couple of weeks. What has led to that? Has it been primarily a blocking issue from what you’ve seen on tape or something Jaylen could have done?) – “A couple times there was some blocking things that we could have executed better. Sometimes we’re getting loaded fronts that were hard looks to run into, but overall, I think that he’s been doing a great job. Like the ebbs and flows of all seasons, you have some weeks you’re high hitting, some weeks where it’s a little more gritty to gain the yards. So we think overall we’re in the right spot we need to be with stuff and we’re looking forward to this week, getting back to success.”
(How have you seen RB De’Von Achane handle his increased workload? He’s already surpassed last year’s carry total, he might double last years receptions total, how have you seen him handle all that?) – “I think him, like all the guys, just whatever the game requires, he’s ready for it and he’s done a great job with everything just making sure he’s ready to go for the season. Your hardest year as a player is your rookie year because there’s so much transition. So for him, he’s been great. I know he handles everything like a professional and he’s been helping us win, so excited for everything he’s done.”
(On QB Tua Tagovailoa’s touchdown pass to WR Tyreek Hill, we see Tua roll to his left, as he’s rolling, he tucks the ball, he checks back to see if anybody is coming, he uses his legs to buy time and he throws to Tyreek. I thought that was a significant play, am I making too much out of that? Did that show some learning by tucking the ball and using his feet? Did that show progression?) – “Yeah, I think that showed awareness to where he was in the pocket, making sure that the space to defenders, the ball was first. And then obviously, working into a scramble drill and then the guys executing was awesome. Yeah, I think in those moments the big thing is you see the growth as what do you learn? And I think that was a great moment for us to extend the play and it worked out really in our favor. Each week is a learning lesson.”
(What do you tell him about – because it seems like he has a pretty good clock in his head. So some of it is intuitive and instinctual, but to add to that, what can you tell him about when to get out of there and try to extend it?) – “I think a lot of it comes into the feel in the pocket, where you’re at in the timing of your progression, so you kind of feel as you’re starting your drop – I mean, the longer you’re in it, the more you realize you can feel stuff and you create space when you break it. There is a feel to it or sometimes you’re getting back there, and you feel the distinct color of the opposite team in your face. It helps when it’s a black jersey coming right at you versus our white jerseys. But I think what he’s done is a great job of, like you said, knowing where I’m at in my progression, where do I need to get the ball and then when you break the pocket and you move, where are my people at and how are we distributing towards it? Because that’s the big thing. Playing with (Ben) Roethlisberger in college, it was constant, that back and forth and we learned how to block for him because we all worked down. Our guys learn, OK, hey, if he has to vacate the pocket, like you saw in the touchdown, how do we get in phase to it? So a lot of growth from last week for the guys and just working together and understanding.”
(So that’s the real reason you guys wear white all the time.) – “Exactly, (laughter) makes it easier to see.”
(On an extended play, what percentage of time would you say the reception occurs after an altered route? In other words, the guy comes back to the ball or something, and what percentage? I know it’s hard to say, but just so I get a sense.) – “It depends on the nature of the scramble and where you’re at. Are you in the open field versus down kind of in the red (zone) because then as the field dissipates, you have less, you have different areas that you try and move to get in phase with the quarterback. So in the open field, you’d say, hey, it’s maybe more of the intermediary routes, where you get down in the red (zone), it’s back pylon, front pylon type stuff as you vacate the pocket.”
(We’ve talked so much about the big play, but now there’s the focus on efficiency and QB Tua Tagovailoa and the completion percentage. Is this just the next evolution for this offense and what is it about Tua that helps him complete 70… what is he at now?) – “A lot.” (laughter)
(73, yeah. 73 percent of his passes.) – “I think it comes down to as you’re attacking the defense, how are they trying to defend? And as they try and defend parts of the field or different players, it’s about distribution of the other guys. So if they’re going to condense into a part of the field, that means they’re vulnerable in others. As you can see whether you’re attacking it through levels or you’re attacking it through distribution across the field, or you’re attacking it with width. So that’s where you can look at, or if they want to take away the middle, you work a side. They want to take away the outside lines, you then have the middle, right? If they want to take away the pocket and bring more people, then they’re vulnerable, pretty much everywhere through proper distribution. I think that when you look at us for last year, our ability to have deep scoring plays, explosive plays and stuff like that; well what’s the defenses response? It’s that now, ‘OK, we’ll sit back and maybe we’ll devote four people for two a lot of the times.’ Well, when that happens now, there’s matchups in other spots. So for us to be able to work as a unit and distribute the ball, it helps get everyone open collectively. So when you’re doing that stuff, I think it just comes down to how do they want to play defense? How do they believe in defending the field? How do they have force patterns, coverage patterns? It all works together as far as our build, and then it connects with Tua (Tagovailoa) and his ability to play through it with timing.”
(Now he’s always had the accuracy. Is this just now diagnosing ability probably stepping up a level just because he knows the offense?) – “I think it comes into his preparation and you can only do these things when you build through it and you work your core concepts, your core principles over and over again. And then that way, you have the connection between the guys, the quarterback, timing, the line, trying to set the pocket – like everyone together and knowing that if you want to play that way, it comes from practice and getting all those things down. So I think that’s the big thing, is his ability to take in the information, the practice from our core principles and then implement it, and he’s been doing a great job just because the way he plays really holds into his progressions and reading it through.”
(What were the keys to keeping Raiders DE Maxx Crosby quiet last Sunday?) – “Don’t let him have a chance to get involved. When does he make plays? When you give him opportunities to be at the point of attack, you give him opportunities to have one-on-ones, when you give him opportunities to do what he does. So for us, it was you look at them, we were not going to let him tone-set for their defense, because when he can set the tone, they feed off his energy. So for our run plan, we were going to make sure that we either had two people on him or we were running away from him. And if we were in the passing game, we’re going to make sure that we had protection towards him – either if we had to move away, there’s someone chipping him; if we’re in a play
(-action) pass, it was either two tight ends going to him or we had a tackle and a back. And then it’s just when you do that and you’re playing a certain way, it’s on the guys and they understand the plan, and then now, it goes into the execution. It was great that they understood the plan, making sure that we we’re going to run one way and then, ‘Oh, he’s over there,’ you go the other way. So there were a couple times where I’m sure you guys saw, we’d be lined up, there he is, go the other way. So it’s all on the guys that understood the plan, and when you have an elite player like that, that’s where coaching we can create a plan that minimizes impact and then the guys got to take it to the field, so it was a fun one.”
(How would you assess T Kendall Lamm’s role in accomplishing that goal?) – “It was great. I think he, like all the guys, he executed what we needed to get done. There’s always plays that you’re like, ‘Hey, there’s more meat on the bone. We could have been a little bit better,’ but overall, executing with his experience and how professional he is about everything that goes. So we were lucky when we got him here the first year and he’s helped us be successful. He’s a great teammate.”
(Were you in New Orleans when T Terron Armstead was 22, 23 years old?) – “I was there when we drafted him, yes.”
(How is the T Terron Armstead of 33 years old, different?) – “It’s funny you say that, because he always when he was young, you knew he exuded confidence for a guy – you’d thought he had been in the NFL. But man, what did he run at the combine, like 4.6? I mean he was just extremely athletic; he ran a toss crack in college where he outran the back into the end zone. It was like, ‘Man, what are you doing?’ You just see his growth, his perspective, his experience, he’s been in huge games. When he was a rookie, he didn’t play his rookie year until later in the year because he was still working on his stuff and developing. So his growth from where he is today, he’s a good friend, it’s awesome.”
(A philosophical question. Right before the half it was second-and-10 at the 35-yard line with two seconds left. I guess there’s a difference between coaching scared and coaching normally. Why not take a knee there? What was the goal with QB Tua Tagovailoa? You’re kind of exposing him to a pass rusher. What’s the thinking there? Is that thinking developed during the game, or during the week? How do you handle that?) – “I think each week you look at your situations – end of half, end of game – they are unique. When you have the opportunity to take advantage of something you see that they do – ultimately our goal is to be as efficient and score points, however we get that done. Last year, we were able to get explosive plays. This year, we’re doing it through efficiencies of what the defenses are providing. It doesn’t mean we’re not trying to get the ball down the field, but that end of half, we’re trying to score. Especially with what we saw, we thought there was an opportunity to try to get the ball down the field or at worst draw a potential penalty with the distribution of the concept. You can take a knee and say it’s done, or you can be aggressive and try to make something happen. Because if you guys go back to the Chargers game in 2022, we were aggressive right before the half, got a penalty and got the field goal that ended up winning the game for us.”
(You were the assistant offensive line coach in New Orleans. So you worked with T Terron Armstead?) – “Oh yeah, every day.”
(What do you work on with a young lineman like that to help him get to where he is now?) – “He is a worker. He is a worker. It was him, Senio Kelemete and Bryce Harris were the three guys every day, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. It’s really a lot of things is – there’s two positions on the football field that has challenging movements, it’s defensive back sand offensive linemen. You’re doing your job backwards, so it’s learning how to control your body and your movements because if you don’t move to load to power or don’t move to load to carry yourself, you expose edges of your movement. An offensive tackle, you’re the width of the pocket. If you’re not in balance, you’re exposing a soft edge of your body that gives a beeline to the quarterback. For him, he was so explosive, we were asking him to pass set different. It was teaching him how that the angle, how it plays out, now rush patterns of the defender, how you need to play, run game, here is what it is. He was just – him, Senio and Bryce were machines. They just went every day, wanted to get better and it was awesome because Bryce ended up playing for us in New Orleans, had a six- or seven-year career. Senio ended up leaving and signing a big contract in Houston. He played all five spots, and then Terron has been Terron. Success isn’t by chance; it comes from hard work and he’s earned it.”
(Can you detail the adjustments that go into a second meeting with a divisional team? So kind of just adjustments, it kind of fascinated to me in how you have to adjust so much from one time facing a team to another within the same season.) – “You do have some familiarity with the divisional opponents, but at the same time it’s like how have they been playing the last couple of weeks and how are they trying to defend and what little things do you notice. It’ll be on us to challenge to do it again and to maximize what we’re trying to do. It comes down to the guys, as we adjust our plan and try and do some different things, understanding why and understanding what the defense – because I think that’s the biggest goal for us. Each week is this is how the defense is trying to defend, here’s what they believe in, here’s how they try and stop the run, here’s how they try and stop the passing game, here’s how they try and have their coverage variables, here’s how they’re going to try and confuse you. So you have to take this information of what the defense is and how they want to defend and make it simple so that way it’s like you can create overriding patterns so the player can bank and then take it into the game for execution. Because in game, if they do something that you don’t anticipate, that’s where the adjustment is and that’s where you carry the volume of your plan to make sure that, ‘Oh, they’re doing this a little bit different, so let’s go to this concept,’ or ‘Let’s get to this formation because it’s giving us an advantage.’ So each week, when you come back and play a divisional team, it’s a challenge because they know you as much as you know them and we’re sure New England will have a great plan for us and we’re excited to compete with them this weekend.”
