Josh Boyer – December 22, 2022
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Thursday, December 22, 2022
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(Do you think you need to change usage of some of the players in terms of reducing playing time of some, increasing playing time of others? Or do you think you have the correct players being used the correct amount of time, depending on matchups, but just need those players need to play better?) – “I would say we look at everything when you go into games. Obviously you try to learn from whatever happened in the game before good, bad or indifferent. And then you try to make the best decisions you can moving forward based off of the information that you have in front of you. I think that’s something that we look at week in and week out. And I think it depends on the opponent you’re facing, the game plan that you’re putting in and the availability of players that you have to you.”
(A weekend like this where you’re playing a guy that’s as experienced and knowledgeable about the game as QB Aaron Rodgers is, do you have to be more cognizant of coverages and the looks that you’re throwing at him, because it seems like he’s probably seen just about everything?) – “Absolutely. I would say Aaron Rodgers, he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. There’s nothing he can’t do and there’s not much that he hasn’t seen. He’s able to diagnose very quickly. You see it over and over again, on film, like what teams are doing to him. And he diagnoses it very quickly, he goes where he’s supposed to go, he can make things happen off schedule. He’s very nimble in the pocket. He’s always got his eyes downfield, he has a rare ability, not only does he know what all 11, or all 10 of his guys are doing, but he knows what all 11 guys on defense are doing. I mean he sees the field extremely well. He’s a special talent and there’s nothing that he can’t do.”
(Along those lines, when you look back at the last two games, in the situations where the defense didn’t perform perfectly – for example, the long drives like at the end of the first half against the Chargers and against Buffalo as well – how much of that was things that were not done by the defense? And how much of that is you just tip your hat to a great performance by the quarterback on the other side?) – “I think there’s always opportunities. We stress – in the majority of those drives, there were third-down opportunities there for us to get off the field, to either give them no points or to give them an opportunity to kick a field goal. There are instances where guys make plays. Like the first touchdown that they threw the touchdown to the tight end (in the Bills game), Jevon (Holland) had pretty good coverage on it. That’s a good throw, that’s a good catch. It’s competitive. You kind of deal with those. You understand that their players are good and they get paid too. But I think the majority of the time, we go back and we look at things that we could do that would limit the offense in those situations? And again, I think that’s what you’re always striving to do is – is it the position that we’re putting them in? Is it that technique that we’re teaching them? Or is there another circumstance where the player actually makes a play? I think you take all those things into consideration. Obviously, we’ll continue to stress and we need to be better on third down. That limits drives. It limits points. And when we have opportunities, and to understand the critical nature of them – and again, you have to have all 11 guys operating on the same page to marry the coverage with the rush or the rush with the coverage, however you look at it.”
(I want to ask you about DT Christian Wilkins and the season he’s having. And not only just your assessment of the season, but as you know, last night the Pro Bowl came out and he was not selected. I wondered if part of that might have been that he was listed at end rather than tackle. That’s actually a decision of the club. Were you involved in where he was listed by any chance? Did they ask for your opinion?) – “I was not involved on that. I would say with the Pro Bowl, and I think this happens every year, I think a lot of the guys that get voted to the Pro Bowl are well deserving. I think there’s always, every year, there’s guys that are probably deserving. And I’m not probably the best guy to ask, ‘okay, should it be this guy, should it be this guy?’ I think sometimes stats get involved in that stuff. I think Christian, he’s been a huge part of our defense this year. I think he’s having a really good year. I think he’s improved each year he’s been here and I think he’s only getting better. I think he’s a phenomenal football player. He’s made big plays for us this year. I think he’s a great teammate. And he’s been a good captain. Nothing but good things about Christian Wilkins. When it comes down to, does this guy get nominated for this, does this guy get nominated for that? I think those are all great honors. I think you always have to take in the fact that it’s just somebody’s opinion. I think Christian, from the coaching staff, is highly thought of. From his teammates, he’s highly thought of. And we’re going to need him to continue to have the year that he’s been having. That’s how I look at that.”
(Whether it’s QB Josh Allen, QB Lamar Jackson or QB Justin Herbert to QB Aaron Rodgers, how do you prepare for quarterbacks who, they’re so good, they’re arguably at their best when things are off script?) – “A lot of that is you try to keep them where they can’t get off script. And then when they do, you have to have coverage rules that apply. If you’re in man coverage, you have to finish your coverage, even though it’s like, ‘okay, the timing should be off here.’ But it’s not. You have to finish. And then if you’re zone, you have to have rules where you plaster to receivers, and then you put a plan in place to where you try to limit those plays the best you can.”
(What’s been your take on the contributions you’ve gotten from LB Bradley Chubb since acquiring him?) – “I think Chubb’s done some good things for us from a rush standpoint. I think he’s done some good things for us in the run game. I think he’s given us the ability to utilize all three other guys, and we’ve been able to keep them a little bit fresh as we’re going. And again, it’s one of those things that each week, he’s just adding to the things that he’s already brought to us.”
(DT Christian Wilkins’ tackle numbers are outrageous for a player at that position – 89 last year and he has 81 this year. What makes him able to not just hold blocks, hold the point of attack, but get off and make the play? What’s so special about him that he has these high tackle numbers every year?) – “I think he’s doing a good job of defeating blocks, seeing the play, and then shedding at the correct time. There’s a lot of times you could defeat a block, especially at that position, and if you shed too early, the backs in this league, they’re too good. They’ll make you miss. I think Christian has timed that up very well. And I think the times that we’ve put him on the move, he’s been able to penetrate, get into gaps and make plays.”
(There have been several fourth quarter drives, unfortunately, against you guys, during this losing streak. Do you worry at all about high snap counts for DT Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins? Do you think that’s at all been a factor in terms of long drives against you, them getting tired? Is there any factor you can point to for that, these last three games?) – “Obviously, you’re trying to mitigate long drives in general. And I think it goes back to the focus on third down. And then obviously when you get into critical or crucial times, you want the best available to you, and you try to keep guys as fresh as you can. We’re at the point of the season now where it’s not like guys are ‘okay, they’re starting to get healthier and healthier and healthier.‘ There’s usually more and more wear and tear as we go. That’s a big point of emphasis for us in general is just the third down, get off the field, limit the drives, and give us an opportunity to be a little bit fresher at the end.”
(How would you describe CB Xavien Howard’s season?) – “I think it’s unfinished. I think that’s like us as a defense. I think if you’d asked a lot of us, some of the things that we’ve done, I would say, are below expectations. I’ll start with myself on that. But it’s unfinished. I think you learn from the things that we’re done. We’re looking forward to the opportunity this week. We get to face a Hall of Fame quarterback, a very good offensive scheme – Coach (Matt) LaFleur does an outstanding job of scheming things up – and we’re going to have a big challenge in front of us this week. I think, our guys, they take accountability. They keep working. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to finish things the way we need to finish them. And that’s how we look at it. I would say, you could – whether you use ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), Christian (Wilkins) or anybody, our season is unfinished. And we’ve got a big one in front of us. I think that’s the way we look at it.”
(The snap count was pretty even between DT Raekwon Davis and DT John Jenkins last week. Has John done something in particular the last couple of weeks that made you want to elevate his playing time?) – “I think it goes back to what you were asking earlier. I think both guys are performing at a good level. And when you have the opportunity to take some snaps off of particular players as you go and keep guys fresh, I think that’s always a great opportunity when those players are available to you.”
(We saw fairly comparable snaps for DB Keion Crossen and CB Noah Igbinoghene as your third corner. Obviously Crossen was injured for part of the game. How tough a decision has that been between those two? And I know special teams factors into it. Are they comparable in ability where it’s been a difficult decision?) – “I think both guys are working hard and both guys have done what we’ve asked them to do defensively. Like everybody else, there’s things that we can do better that we’re working on, and we’re all pushing in that direction. But there are things that they’re doing well, and I think each week, it’s a team decision – offense, defense and special teams – that all things are considered and the guys that are available to us. If they’re up, we’ll probably choose to use them.”
(This is a question we get from fans all the time. Why is LB Channing Tindall not getting snaps on defense?) – “I think he has veteran players in front of him that that know and understand the defense a little bit better than he does. We’re continuing to work with Channing as we go. When there’s a lot of multiples and variables that are in it, we just feel like the guys that we’re playing give us the best chance at this point.”
(What has LB Channing Tindall done well so far that you’ve seen?) – “He runs well. He’s a physical player. He tackles well. Those are things that obviously we like that he does. We’re encouraged by that.”
