Frank Smith – September 22, 2022
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I know we talked a little bit last week about FB Alec Ingold, but just to see his impact on some of the plays – on the WR Jaylen Waddle play by the goal line where he gets out and blocks someone – just the impact he’s made so far for you all, can you please talk about that?) – “Sure. I mean, that was one of the best parts about being able to get him here was just knowing who he is as a person. I mean, he’s a college free agent who was a team captain in his third year in Las Vegas, so honestly, I could say we’re not surprised with the play he’s producing right now coming off an injury. Just knowing his work ethic, his commitment, his diligence, I mean, honestly, we’re very pleased with what he’s done so far, and not surprised by what he’s been able to bring this offense through his style of play, his leadership and just overall being such a smart football player that really understands the big picture. I think it stems back to like we were talking about last week about he was a high school quarterback. So he just has a really good understanding of what the offense is trying to do and just overall of understanding what football is.”
(If I could follow up on FB Alec Ingold, we see him line up out wide and then he makes that block. We see him – obviously his position is fullback, but do you kind of view it as like, position-less football with him? Is that kind of a microcosm of the entire team with the way you guys move players around?) – “Yeah, it’s a good point. We view our players as really drivers of what the defense is trying to do, what they’re trying to accomplish in personnel groups. And when you have complete players at those position groups, guys who are have broad-based skill sets, it allows us to move them all over the football field, to basically – I wouldn’t say manipulate the defense, but just move them in ways that we’re trying to attack different parts of it. And when you’re able to acquire smart, fast players who really want to maximize their technique, that’s what you get where you look at (Alec), he’s just one component of the entire offense. But ultimately, our goal is to take these guys and use them to the best of their skill set in a way that is going to challenge the defense. And Alec is a great representation of that because not many people use a fullback anymore. And knowing him, we knew we were going to have a guy that really could do what Mike (McDaniel) and Kyle (Shanahan) similarly did in San Francisco with Kyle (Juszczyk).”
(The Bills’ ability to create pressure without necessarily blitzing this year, what kind of things does that allow them to do on the backside?) – “Yeah, I think they’ve had a great defense there for a while. Coach (Leslie) Frazier, Sean (McDermott), they’ve done a great job of assembling the talent there to really – in many ways, it reminds me of the great defenses they had in Carolina when I was coaching in New Orleans. I mean, they were really a model of many of the same things: great fundamentals, great team speed, effort to the ball. So I think that what they’re able to do, especially this season, with the pressure on the quarterback is really playing to have what they’ve kind of always believed in philosophically dating all the way back to Carolina. And that is playing hard, physical defense with strong fundamentals and attacking the ball, so it’ll be a great challenge for us this Sunday to match their intensity and play fundamentally sound ball.”
(You’re probably asked so many times so many times since the offseason, but now that we see having two wide receivers the caliber of WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle, everything that it allows you to do offensively and all the difficulties it presents to the opposing defenses?) – “Yeah, it’s been – I mean really last Sunday was a great representation of a lot of our practice habits being able to go to the game, especially in critical moments. But when you have wideouts with the skill set that they do, it really allows us to use the field in a way to create space and attack the space. I think the both of them, too, are really working so well together, working with Tua. Wes (Welker) has done a tremendous job obviously teaching the offense, fundamental skills. So overall, I’ve just been very pleased with what they’ve been able to do so far and really excited for this Sunday and just being able to build upon last week. And I think overall, the entire offense feeds upon those guys when they’re out there just making plays and playing within the timing and the framework of the offense.”
(Just a little bit ago you were answering on the pass rush. Von Miller in particular, what does he present as far as challenge for your linemen?) – “He’s a great challenge. Been a great competitor, a great player in this league for a long time. I know Eric (Studesville) has some familiarity being with him in Denver, obviously with myself being in the division for three years. I have a lot of respect for his game and understand situationally, we’re just going to have to be on it to knowing what he’s going to be able to bring in the rush whether they’re bringing it through pressure or they’re bringing it with four down (linemen). So I think ultimately, when you get in these games and you have these type players, we’re going to have be at our best when the best is required because that’s what he’s going to do. So I think ultimately, it’s going to be great challenge for our line to make sure we handle the situational stuff when he’s going to be rushing at his best.”
(Hopefully this isn’t getting too much into technique, but I’m curious when the guy has the bend ability that Von Miller does, do you change at all how your depth for your tackles or how you go about defending a player with some unique skill sets like that?) – “That’s a good question. I think that more it turns into more broad than that. You have to start it from the standpoint of who is the rusher? You look at his history. You understand what he’s trying to do. I mean, really it goes down to the opposition groups. I mean, ultimately, what is the player trying to execute inside of his scheme, with his fundamentals, with his skill set? So I think that with his ability, we’ve talked about it, I mean, obviously, we’re fortunate with a couple of us having experienced being in division or coaching him. You understand what he’s trying to do, but ultimately it’s going to come down to us really being fundamentally sound to what we’re trying to do to execute against his top-level play.”
(WR Tyreek Hill was able to get behind the defense in a couple of crucial situations. How much of that is play calling, QB Tua Tagovailoa recognizing what’s happening, Tyreek’s speed, the defense busts? But what was behind those two?) – “I think that ultimately the one was, I think Coach Harbaugh said, I think they had a bust in coverage where Tyreek (Hill) was wide open down the field. The other one was, through the concept of timing, he was able to – it was the situation where I’m sure Marcus (Peters) wasn’t thinking he’s going to run downtown on me, and he was sitting at the sticks, and then all of a sudden, you got Tyreek coming at you; you got a business decision to make and fortunately, he was able to run past him. So I think ultimately though, all passing offenses, it just comes down to timing and execution, getting on the same page with each other. And I think that, like I said earlier, the greatest thing that last Sunday was able to show was a lot of our practice habits, our work ethic really showing up at critical times.”
(When OL Connor Williams was signed, we heard a lot about his intelligence in the middle of the offensive line. Through two games, what have been the returns in the way he communicates protections and helps you guys pick up rush gains, all the stuff that goes into playing that position?) – “We can’t speak highly enough about what Connor (Williams) has been able to do. I mean, making the transition from guard to center; it’s not as easy as it appears or I should say as he’s making it look. To be able to go on the road and execute the way he’s done has been just tremendous. I think it really stands to who he is as a person. I know Matt (Applebaum), ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre), Mike (Person) – all the guys in the o-line room, myself, we’ve all really throughout spring just helping them understand what the system is about, how we identify things, how we communicate, and how the center is the driving force. And he really embraced it. In many ways, he said – when you play other positions, sometimes you learn in a way for a play and then as he came here in spring, he really had to learn. It was really a great education of defense and he really took to it. I mean, hell his brother’s a coach so you can see football runs in the blood. So just overall, what he’s been able to do and how he’s been able to execute and communicate with the guys and build confidence in the group has really been tremendous. We’ve been really proud of what he’s been able to do so far.”
(Going back to Von Miller, the matchup of him against T Terron Armstead?) – “I’m sure Terron is excited. The great competitors always want the greatest challenges. I know that the years of them going against each other, I know a lot of the times in Denver, Von (Miller) lined up on the right. But ultimately, I think great players want great competition to bring out their best and they want the best from the other side. So we’re looking forward to the challenge that their defense is going to present. I know Terron, specifically, like the rest of the linemen, are enjoying playing in big moments and big games.”
