Matt Applebaum – September 22, 2022
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
Offensive Line Coach Matt Applebaum
(I want to get your impression on T Greg Little’s first start for the team here?) – “Yes, he did really well in there. I was proud of him. I think it’s been a little while since he played and he had a great week of preparation. He went out there against some good players and performed pretty well, so I was really happy for him. I think he was really proud of himself after the game. It was a really cool moment.”
(With OL Liam Eichenberg so far, your thoughts on how he’s done? Do you feel like left guard has turned out so far, a small sample size, to be a good spot for him?) – “Yes, I think it’s turned out to be a good spot for him. I think every guy on the field is always striving to be better. Like you said, it’s a small sample size up to this point, but I know he’s working at it. I think he’s done some really good things out there and I know he’ll keep getting better.”
(How much does it help the offensive line to know that you have a fullback who can clear the path as well as FB Alec Ingold can?) – “I think it’s great to have a guy like Alec (Ingold) out there. He’s a tone setter for the whole offense and the whole team. Just his physicality, the multiple ways you can use him – I mean, he had a knock down block on essentially a defensive end on the line of scrimmage early in the game and then you turn around and he’s making a block for 30 yards downfield and springing what could have been a regular pass play to an explosive (play). So I think everyone is excited to have him on the field.”
(Are fullbacks supposed to be that fast to get down there?) – “I don’t know if they’re supposed to be, but I’m happy ours is. (laughter)”
(Was there much doubt in your mind last week about T Terron Armstead playing? Obviously, he was listed as questionable. He was sort of non-committal Friday. Or had you known he’d be able to play through the toe?) – “I felt pretty confident that he was going to be able to play. I mean, you’re talking about a pro’s pro – the guy has been doing it a long time, knows his body and knows what he’s got to get out at any given week to be ready to play on Sunday.”
(This fell through the cracks where we didn’t have a chance to ask Head Coach Mike McDaniel yesterday about it, but just bringing in OL Brandon Shell, is that just to have a veteran in the building on the practice squad and see what he still has left in case of break glass if needed?) – “At the end of the day, that’s really a question for the front office and Mike (McDaniel). I just coach the room. But he’s been good so far. I’ve watched his tape from previous years. I think he’s a really good player. He’s a veteran player. He knows how to play and knows his own skill set. We’re getting him in shape right now and what that leads to, we’ll see.”
(If I may go back to T Terron Armstead, on that game-winning drive, we kind of saw him calming the offense down, kind of getting guys in the right rhythm. We know what he does in his position at left tackle, but I was curious if you could speak to the ripple effect that he has in the rest of the room just by everything that he brings to the profession?) – “I think he has a ripple effect on the team. I think it’s been like that since the day he joined the team. I mean, again, (he’s) a pro’s pro, a very smart, articulate man (who) knows not only what he needs to do but what everyone needs to be doing in terms of scheme, technique and just like behavior stuff. So I think there’s a ripple effect on the whole team with Terron. That was – I saw that little clip. I think that was a cool moment, but that’s something that he brings to the table every day.”
(Against New England, T Terron Armstead and a couple of the others talked about communication and identification was a little bit rough in the first half and it got much better in the second half. I’m wondering how it went last week and how long does that generally take?) – “I think it was better last week. Still room for improvement. In terms of a timeline, I think that goes back to answering the question about Liam (Eichenberg). You’re always striving for it to be better. So I mean, you’re always striving for perfection knowing how hard that is to achieve. I don’t have a timeline for you. I think we’re making the right strides. I think we know the things that we need to get better at and the guys are working at it.”
(So if T Terron Armstead is good to go again, what are your thoughts of the matchup with DE Von Miller and DE Greg Rousseau on the other side?) – “I think Buffalo has really good players on defense at multiple positions, and obviously, their defensive ends are really good players. Von (Miller) has been a great player in the league for a long time. So I mean, we know the challenge in front of us. Terron Armstead is a really good player, and he knows not only how he needs to play individually in a game, but also against the different types of opponents he’s going to face. So you know, I always feel good rolling out there with (No.) 72.”
(Just kind of piggybacking off that, that T Terron Armstead versus DE Von Miller battle, we get excited on receivers versus DBs. Do you get excited on a matchup like this where you have one of your guys versus one of theirs?) – “I don’t ever look at like one-on-ones. We have five guys on the field every time. I’m just excited to see our team go out there and play against a really good football team and see how we stack up. So I wouldn’t say that I get particularly excited about one individual matchup like that, plus we’ll see where (No.) 40 (Von Miller) lines up.”
(To add to that point during the game, I’m not sure if you’re on the sideline or in the box.) – “I’m on the sideline.”
(OK, are you like intently watching like just the offensive line? I mean obviously that’s your position group and I guess, during the game, what are you looking at? Or what do you really focus on?) – “I think there’s a whole checklist of things you’re trying to look at, but obviously, the main focus would be on my guys. But you’re surveying a defense, seeing how things could – what tells they’re showing that could potentially lead to things unfolding certain ways and then what that would lead to for our guys in terms of reactionary things. Then we could use some of those tells on the sideline as we’re going through corrections. But I mean, the majority of time that the offense is on the field, yes – my eyes are on my guys.”
(I know you were asked about OL Greg Little. What NFL skill did you see when you looked at his tape that made him a high pick that manifested itself on Sunday?) – “I mean, the guy’s got a lot of physical tools. There’s a reason he was a high pick. I mean, he’s probably 6-6, 325 pounds. He’s got long arms, good feet and can bend. I mean, those guys don’t grow on trees. That’s what everyone saw when he was coming out. In terms of manifesting itself on the game, I think he just was locked in and ready to play, and he went out and executed his job. I’m not going to speak on the things that have happened to him or haven’t happened to him in the past because I had nothing to do with any of that, good or bad. I know that since I’ve been here, Greg (Little) has done everything we’ve asked, and I’m really happy that he’s been able to go out there and perform.”
(On the first touchdown to WR Jaylen Waddle, T Terron Armstead went downfield and made a block. We’ve seen him move – to be honest, I didn’t watch him that much in New Orleans, but his ability to move is a lot more than I think most left tackles. Is it?) – “Yes, I think he ran a 4.6 (40-yard dash) coming out of college, so that’s pretty good. (laughter) Yes, he’s really athletic, quick twitch, fast guy. On the touchdown to (Jaylen) Waddle, Liam (Eichenberg) had a really nice block, too. But yes, it’s rock and roll.”
(Speaking of OL Liam Eichenberg, what kind of growth have you seen him in playing left guard, being able to focus really on one position throughout the offseason and also being able to play next to a guy like T Terron Armstead?) – “I think he’s gotten better throughout the course of the offseason. Each position has its own intricacies. If you haven’t played the position before, it’s going to take some time for you to maybe pick up on some of those things. I think playing next to Terron (Armstead) is an advantage for anybody. Like I said, the guy is a pro’s pro. So he’s going to be someone that’s going to be able to help him see things a certain way and see things how he sees them, so they can work in combination with one another. So I mean, all that stuff’s been good and then honestly, playing next to Connor Williams. I know Connor is playing a new position that he’s played, but the guy’s played in the NFL. He’s played a lot of football in the NFL. So I mean, another guy that maybe isn’t a veteran like Terron who has played 10-plus years, but he’s a guy who’s seen a lot of football and also can be very helpful to the guys next to him.”
(I guess just to quickly follow up on that. Have you noticed T Liam Eichenberg is playing more instinctually than he showed on tape last year when he was kind of bouncing around?) – “It’s honestly hard for me to comment on that because what exactly is being asked of him in previous years, not just like scheme-wise, but then like the little nuances of o-line play. I just don’t think it’s fair to have a comparison like that.”
