Gerald Alexander – September 2, 2020
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Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander
(From the 10 practices we saw, it looked like the young corners competing for jobs all had their moments with CB Breon Borders, CB Tae Hayes, CB Ken Webster, CB Jamal Perry – how difficult a call is it when you talk to General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores in terms of deciding who to take from that group if you don’t have room for all of them?) – “I think that obviously we’ll take everybody’s body of work throughout camp. Those guys really did do a good job competing in camp. It’s a good problem to have – to have some good young talent out there showing what they showed in camp thus far. It’s a decision we’ve got to make as an organization to kind of figure out what’s the best personnel that we feel like we’re going to be able to go into the 2020 season with. We love what those guys have done on tape and obviously that’s led us to some tough decisions to make.”
(I wanted to ask you about the two draft picks. Obviously CB Noah Igbinoghene has been in a prominent role basically Day 1 since we’ve seen him. How has he progressed as a player when you first got your hands on him I guess a couple of weeks before we did. What did you see, what traits did you see in him then and how has he developed? With S Brandon Jones how comfortable would you be playing him from scrimmage if needed?) – “As far as Noah (Igbinoghene) – you started to see over the course of camp him get more and more comfortable in his role as a perimeter corner out there competing. You see the competitiveness that he has as a player – things that we thought we saw as a college player. He’s still pretty fresh at the position. He hasn’t been playing corner for that long in his career, obviously being new to this level, but you start to see a guy who is developing technically out there on the perimeter and look forward to kind of getting the chance to kind of see what he can do throughout the course of this season. As far as Brandon (Jones), I would feel just like anybody in this building, we just haven’t had the chance to see it live yet. Unfortunately we haven’t had the opportunity to see these guys play in games – these young guys for the lack of the preseason based on what we have seen so far in practice. It’s going to be an opportunity for him to go out there play in a real game that I would feel comfortable with and then just going out there and getting a chance to learn from there. He’s going to be a guy that has to learn from experience out there on the field – whatever that role is big or small. I’m looking forward to see what both of those kids can do in a real game.”
(I wanted to ask you about having time together, experience, communication, and things like that. You often hear about that for example on the offensive line, and you hear about it in the secondary. Given that, we have not seen for obvious reasons CB Xavien Howard on the practice field with the other guys in the secondary. How concerning is that for you and how much time will be required before ‘X’ can get on the same page with the safeties and with CB Byron Jones?) – “I think ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) has handled himself as a professional in the midst of obviously his coming back and being on the field with those guys. One of the things that he’s done is to make sure that throughout the meetings and out there on the field if he is not taking the physical rep, he’s taking the mental rep. He understands the communication that’s going on with those guys out there on the field. So when he does insert himself into that role on the field there is some familiarity even though he hasn’t take the physical rep as much as some of the other guys given the situation. I’m not too concerned about it. I think that he understands the terminology. He understands the responsibility that comes with certain calls and certain communication, but it’s just about, again, getting that on-the-field experience and practicing it and obviously once we get into game time, being able to execute the things that we need to execute on the field.”
(I wanted to ask you where is your comfort level in the guys that you have playing nickel cornerback? I know CB Jamal Perry has been in the a lot, but I saw CB Noah Igbinoghene was getting some lessons in there, or some reps in there as the nickel spot. How difficult do you think that is to play in this era of the league?) – “That position is so valued now. That nickel role with the amount of spread personnel formations that you see offensively, and you’ve got to have a guy in there that can cover in space, that can tackle in the run game, that can maybe add perimeter pressure off the edge. Those guys are invaluable in today’s league. As far as Jamal (Perry) and guys like Tae Hayes and Noah (Igbinoghene) getting some of those reps – through practice and through training camp those guys have showed flashes of making some splash plays and having tight coverage on the slot. Those guys have done a good job, so I’m – based on what we’ve seen so far going into the season – my comfort level is high on them, them getting into the game. But obviously there’s got to be some improvement as we continue to develop in the secondary and especially at that position because it’s such a valued position.”
(Coaching philosophy question. What would you tell a player separates good from great?) – “Good from great – I think it’s really about routine and then understanding. What I always tell those guys is that understanding leads to control. When you get a chance to understand your responsibility – not just yours as a player – but the entire big picture of what we’re trying to get done as a secondary, and what we’re trying to get done as a defense even though you’re one of an 11 piece puzzle; if you understand what your responsibility is and how you’re going to be attacked, that can give you an opportunity to do great things. That’s controlling the field and then personally what do you do to prepare yourself throughout the year, throughout the weeks, throughout the day to make sure you’re going to be able to perform at your highest level on any given day. It’s tough. It’s just like anybody else in any business who is dedicated to their craft. It takes more than being ordinary. It takes doing extraordinary things all the time and that’s what I would say from a player. That’s why there are few great players in this league. Something about those guys – not just the physical part – has made them stand out in their career and shown their body of work when it’s all said and done.”
(You’ve got cut-down day on Saturday. I know this is your first time as a coach in the NFL, but you’ve lived the NFL life before. I’m just curious to get your take on the challenges of cut-down day and kind of how that is from a player’s perspective and a coach’s perspective?) – “This is fresh for me obviously from a coaching perspective. I think obviously these are tough decisions you’ve got to make as an organization to make sure that you’ve got the best 53 guys going into the season that you feel like you can win with. As a player, I know it’s taxing. It’s emotional. I’ve lived kind of both sides of it. Made teams and got cut from teams and so I understand the situation that the players are going through. For some of these guys the cut down may be their last opportunity to get a chance to play in this league. It is a huge accomplishment if you do make a roster. I understand really both sides of it. I’ll get a chance to obviously experience this side as a coach. But that’s the reality of this league. It’s a very competitive league. I tell guys all the time, even when I was coaching college ball: to stay in this league is harder than getting here. And it’s really hard to get to the NFL and play at this level. That’s the reality of the business, and we’re going to go about our business as we normally do and just look forward to the 2020 season with the guys that we decide are going to be Miami Dolphins.”
(I appreciate you bringing up that point. What do you remember from cut-down day when you were a player? You bounced around so much as kind of a journeyman. What was it like to get fired?) – “It’s a hard reality. You don’t know if your playing career is over. You don’t know if that opportunity is going to come, but if you continue to want to play at this level, you have to make sure that you are physically prepared to take on any call from any team and go try out and all of that. I remember just being in that mindset of trying to continue to hold on and then I also remember when the reality hit me where the opportunity to play in the National Football League was over. It’s a tough deal emotionally as a player and as a person, you’ve got to kind of look forward to really the next step in life if that situation is a reality for you as an NFL player. I’m fortunate enough to have found a new passion obviously with what I’m doing as a coach. But it took a while and it was scary. It was scary being a 27-year-old about to be married, and about to have a kid on the way and not know what my next step in life was going to be. Through actually volunteering at my high school as a coach I found a new passion in coaching and I pursued it, and now I’m here today.”
