Josh Boyer – September 28, 2021
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Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(LB Jaelan Phillips, he started, he got more playing time. What did he show last week in order to get that start and extra snaps, and if you can assess how he did?) – “I think it’s like all of our guys. Week to week, we go into the game plan and obviously we’re going to have probably a different line up in guys based on their week of practice, their improvement over time and what they do with their opportunities with their snaps, we’ll increase their snaps or if the gameplan presents it. Jaelan has been doing a good job of coming in the building, working hard on the things he needs to improve. Some of the things he’s doing well, we’re expounding upon that. That’s a result a little bit of gameplan and a little bit of Jaelen’s work that you’re seeing a little bit more opportunities there. And then obviously with all of our players, when they get more opportunities, if they make the most of them, those usually continue.”
(Last year you guys were the top-ranked defense on third down conversions, not letting drives continue. But as of now ,your team is worst in the league giving up the most third-down conversions. When you look at the film, what would you assess is the biggest point and what’s changed in why you’re allowing so many conversions?) – “I think we can coach it better. I think we can execute better. Obviously when you give up third downs, you extend drives, you extend plays. You give them more opportunities. We need to do a better job in that and that starts with me, making sure we coach it better, put them in a better opportunity to succeed and then when we have opportunities, make sure we go out there and execute.”
(Last summer when Bill Arnsparger passed and won his lifetime achievement award, we talked to you a bit about the football historian in you and how much you really respected what he did here in Miami. With Coach Shula’s celebration of life coming up on Saturday, I was curious asking the football historian in yourself, just your memories of Coach Shula and if you can recall studying what he did as a coach and reading books? I just wanted to hear your thoughts on Coach Shula.) – “It’s kind of interesting, my introduction to Coach Shula. It really started with my sister, who is two years younger with me. She shares the same birthday as Coach Shula, who was born on January 4th, 1930. My sister was obviously born a little bit later – January 4th, 1979. She actually grew up a Dolphins fan because she shared the same birthday as Don Shula. When we were kids, you guys have heard me talk before about my father – he’s a high school football and baseball coach and he’s been coaching football for over 40 years. I had a Ken Anderson poster on my door and my sister had a Bob Griese poster on her door. It just so happened, growing up in Ohio, Don Shula was an Ohio guy – went to Harvey High School in Painesville, which is just a suburb of Cleveland. He went to John Carroll University, which was in the same conference as Muskingum College, where I went to school. Every time we’d travel to John Carroll, you’d see the Don Shula athletic facility there at John Carroll. I think the historian part of me really loves Coach Shula’s story. Obviously, he was drafted in the ninth round by the Cleveland Browns. He played halfback at John Carroll and then Paul Brown ended up moving him to defensive back. Then obviously Coach Shula had a defensive background from there on out. But when you look at Paul Brown’s legacy and the number of people he’s had a hand on, obviously Chuck Noll was there too, which Coach Shula coached with Chuck Noll as well. Those are two Hall of Fame coaches. And interestingly, Coach Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. That’s the same year my sister graduated. There were a little bit of characteristics there. I would just say that Coach Shula’s ability to maintain winning seasons – I believe in his coaching career he only had two losing seasons. I know he was very successful with the Colts. He was very successful here in Miami and then obviously he really spent, even when he was done coaching, he spent about 50 years in the Miami organization. I think it’s awesome that they will celebrate his life and his legacy to pro football, his legacy to the Miami Dolphins, and honestly there’s not enough good things you can say about him. It’s just kind of an interesting fact that my introduction with him basically started with my sister having the same birthday.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene was active for the first time this past game. Obviously he didn’t play any defensive snaps. What have you seen from him in practice, I guess? What is the plan for him? Obviously he’s a former first round pick and has had ups and downs. Is there kind of a plan for him? Do you want to see him on the outside, on the boundary, in the slot?) – “The plan is pretty much universal for all of our guys. They get reps and opportunities at practice, you make the most of those opportunities and obviously when things go into game planning, we try to put guys in the position not succeed. Obviously I need to do a better job with that. Then when those guys get opportunities in game situations, hopefully they make the most of them. Then you re-assess from week to week. The idea is to give opportunities and to progress on a daily basis.”
(I know you go into every week determining the allocation of playing time based on whose practicing well, based on matchups and all sorts of factors you’ve talked about. One big difference from a year ago, speaking of the secondary specifically, last year you had two safeties that played either every snap or most snaps with S Bobby McCain and S Eric Rowe. You decided by Week 4 that CB Nik Needham was your primary nickel. He played all the snaps after experimenting early in the season. Your sharing snaps at safety amongst multiple players. You’re sharing nickel snaps with CB Justin Coleman and Needham. I would imagine in your view, tell me if I’m wrong, they are all compatible talents who can give you different things. My question would be, have you given serious thoughts on just settling on two guys at safety … be your primary players at those spots. Could that be helpful or do you need to see week to week more this rotation of six players at those spots?) – “I think there are a lot of variables that go into that. I do think that when you have multiple players that you feel comfortable with, it gives you a little more flexibility on certain things you can do to try to highlight their talents with what we’re trying to do schematically. At the end of the day, what guys are doing with those opportunities, you go back and see if one, we’re putting them in the best positions to succeed. And two, are they making the most of the opportunities. As the season goes on, guys that are doing better with their opportunities, you will probably see them more. Then guys that are a little erratic with those, you’ll see them less. That’s just kind of how it goes. Having the opportunity to have multiple guys that you feel confident in I think gives you more flexibility schematically.”
(We saw some interesting matchups with CB Byron Jones on TE Darren Waller a lot and even one time when CB Xavien Howard was on WR Hunter Renfrow in the slot. In terms of kind of coming to those decisions, obviously you have a week of game planning but how much of that is in the heat of the moment during the game, you deciding to go with different matchups? And how much of the require other guys to be mindful and be ready to play different positions as well, and switching that up in the middle of the game?) – “I think you set a game plan and guys are well aware that their matchups can change or shift within the gameplan. Once you go to the game, they may know this might be a certain matchup here, this might be a certain matchup here. When you get to the game, that could change too based on how we are doing, what they are doing. I think it’s really a credit to our guys and we try to put them in the position in practice, so when we get to games, it’s not a surprise or something foreign to them. We always set a game plan going in, we set contingencies going in and as usual, when you get into the game, those things can change too as well.”
(We’ve seen DE Emmanuel Ogbah get a lot of pressures consistently this year. We saw DT Christian Wilkins with a sack. Do you think you need more pressures and sacks from your edge guys beyond Ogbah? In terms of LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Andrew Van Ginkel, has there been enough? Does there need to be more? Even DT Adam Butler has a history of being a good pass rusher.) – “I think each week we go into it trying to put those guys in positions where they can affect the quarterback. Sometimes, it’s not just the sacks, it’s the pressure in the quarterback’s face. I think you’re always trying to do that from a week-to-week basis. It’s very similar to what you’re talking about with the DBs. You try to put those guys on good matchups and ultimately what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to affect the quarterback, we’re trying to affect the offensive line. A lot of that starts with me. I can do a better job of putting these guys in better spots. We’re constantly evaluating that and obviously we need to be better in third-down situations. We need to be better on all situations. I think that’s what we’re striving to do. Unfortunately I talk to you guys on Tuesdays and by that time, the last game to me is a distant memory and we’re all on the upcoming opponent. But I think the idea is the same. We’re trying to put the guys in the best spots here. Obviously we want to get as must pressure as we possibly can. Whether it’s moving guys around or bringing pressure, that’s a week-to-week decision.”
(There has been an onus on coaches doing a better job so that the execution can improve. You mentioned third downs but where do you feel like this team is in regards to stopping the run?) – “I think at times we do it very well. And at times, it’s a little bit of – whether it’s schematically the call, myself trying to make a play or schematically it’s a player trying to make a play and gets out of a gap and not trusting – or just trying to make a play. Usually in general when you do that, we just need 11 guys doing their job and when that happens, our results are pretty good. I think that’s a process of us coaching it better, playing it better and everybody being on the same page and just doing their responsibility. Then consistently, it will be what it needs to be. It’s been good in spurts and it’s been bad a handful of times. All of those come down to guys trying to make plays or we’re trying to make plays with the call. The results haven’t been what we wanted. We’re really just striving for consistency in that phase.”
(You guys had so much success with guys buying in last year in terms of playing team ball and you clearly saw the benefits of it. I know this is a new team with new personnel, but you’ve got so much carryover. How do they not buy in?) – ‘I don’t think it’s a matter of them not buying in. I think their intentions are good. I think it’s just a matter of us – again, to your first question, really coaching the fundamentals, coaching the techniques and getting the guys to do it on a more consistent basis. I think when everybody understands that and does that, the results will be better. I don’t think guys are not buying in or they are not trying to do what we’re asking them to do. It’s they are trying to do more. That’s – sometimes when you try to do more, it yields less results. We got a great group of guys. They work hard. They do what we ask them to do. We’ve just got to get it coached consistently better.”
