Tyreek Hill – December 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 11, 2022
Postgame – L.A. Chargers
WR Tyreek Hill
(First of all how tough is this one and the offense didn’t seem to be able to get into any rhythm. Was it the rhythm?) – “I don’t really think it was the rhythm. All of us, I feel like all of us had an off night and that starts with myself. That starts with the leaders on the offensive side of the ball, so we’ve just got to look in the mirror and just take accountability for it. And I will be the first one to say that I’m taking accountability of my actions of not being there for my teammates when they needed me the most.”
(Was there anything in particular the Chargers did that surprised you all?) – “No, no, no. Those guys have got a great defense. They fly around, so they do a really good job of playing team defense. So shoutout to those guys for making plays tonight. Shoutout to just that whole – defensive coordinator, head coach and all those guys.”
(What did you see on that fumble recovery?) – “I didn’t see nothing. I was about to dive at first and then I saw Terron (Armstead) dive and I was like, ‘no, there’s no way I’m going to dive in there with him’ because if I would have dove in he would have de-cleated me and I would have been out for the whole game. So once he dove in, he kind of popped the ball right to me and then I was able to make a play.”
(Did he get that to you on purpose or was it just kind of a flukey play?) – “It looked like he’d kind of seen me. He kind of rolled it to me, but I don’t want the NFL to say…”
(It’s legal. They said on TV you’re allowed to tap it to the receiver.) – “That was kind of crazy. Shoutout to ‘T. Stead’ (Terron Armstead) if he really tried to tap that to me.”
(You come out here, down, 0-2 on this trip. How do you rebound from this?) – “For us, we’re going to get back to doing what we were doing at the beginning of the year when we started out hot, which is obviously the fundamentals, practicing hard, work on our techniques and just trust in the process. I feel like each and every week is any given Sunday. The NFL is hard so you’ve got to bring your best out each and every week, so that’s what we’re looking forward to. I feel like right now we’re up against the – when I play Madden, I always say the Madden gods and because things don’t typically go our way, but everything happens for a reason. This team is young, but this team is smart, this team is strong. We’re going to stick together and we’re not going to point any fingers.”
(What’d you see from QB Tua Tagovailoa tonight?) – “Tua is going to be Tua. He’s going to be our leader. He played good enough for us to win the game, so like I said, I’m going to point no fingers at nobody. I think Tua played well enough for us to win this game and for myself, I’ve just got to make plays for him. I feel like I had a lot of drops out there. That’s not going to be counted and it’s going to go against him so I’ve got to make plays for my boy.”
Tua Tagovailoa – December 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 11, 2022
Postgame – L.A. Chargers
QB Tua Tagovailoa (Transcribed by L.A. Chargers)
(Last week, we asked about some of the issues with the timing of the passing offense. It seemed like this week again, you guys couldn’t really control the field like we’re accustomed to seeing. Did the Chargers do anything different from what you’ve seen them do in recent weeks or over the course of the season?) – “No, they didn’t. They played to what they’re good at, and we just didn’t execute. It’s very disappointing for us to go out there as an offense and kind of show what we showed. That’s not up to our standard. That’s not how we play football here, and that was very disappointing.”
(You went about a month without missing a pass, it seemed like, and now the next couple of games, maybe the offense has struggled, and you’ve struggled. Anything that you can put your finger on?) – “Yeah, everything – from the communication to getting the details right with our guys and just being able to make plays for our team. Like I said, it is very disappointing for us to go out and do what we did. We work too hard to put up a performance like that – to not be in rhythm, on time with certain throws, to not be able to execute some plays and not look like the football we’ve been playing earlier in the season.”
(I’m only asking this question because it’s the second straight week now that we’ve seen the offense struggle. In terms of adjustments, whether that’s during the week or even halftime adjustments, do you think those are being made, the correct ones are being made?) – “Yeah, I do. I think this is just another opportunity for us as a team to face this and look at it head on and learn from it. There is no other way you can go around it. We’ll look at it straight in the eye and see what we can learn from this. We’ve got turn the page quick because we are playing a really good team next week, as well.”
(Have defenses made any significant changes that have made an significant changes in these past two games?) – “I would say the defenses that we’ve played have been playing exactly what we’ve expected them to play, that they’ve put on film. It really just goes back to the details on how we play our offense, and we’re not all dialed in with that. So we have to go back to the drawing board, figure this out and got to keep from losing. I mean, it sucks.”
(Did you think that 60-yard pass to WR Tyreek Hill would get things rolling again?) – “I think any play where you can get eligible (receiver) the ball, anything can happen. It was a great opportunity that we got the matchup we wanted with Tyreek (Hill) being one-on-one. It gave him an opportunity; he made the best out of it and scored for us.”
(What about the difficulties in getting the ball to WR Jaylen Waddle and TE Mike Gesicki? Those two didn’t combine for many receptions tonight.) – “I would say that falls on my shoulders, just with the plays that were given, giving them opportunities on those plays and just trying to make it work. All and all, we were out of whack, out of rhythm. We’re trying to find it. We felt like we had some momentum, then something happens. Whether it’s a penalty or we get stopped on a play, we’ll just have to get better from it.”
(It sounds like you thought the offense was beyond nights like this, right? The way you played in the last stretch – you’re not going to win every game, but you want to have a night like this?) – “Of course, because we’ve seen consistent glimpses of our offense executing and doing well. To have gone out this week and played the way that we played, especially on my part, that is unacceptable.”
(Given that you have a long trip back and a short week playing Saturday night instead of next Sunday, how much does that challenge you guys to fix what needs to be fixed in such a compressed amount of time?) – “Regardless on if we played on Monday night or Sunday night, it being Saturday night, we’re going to get it fixed regardless; we’re going to find ways to fix that. Get back to the drawing board. We’ll go back home. We’ll look this right in the eye and face it head-on to figure out what we need to do to not go out and perform the way we’ve performed.”
Mike McDaniel – December 11, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 11, 2022
Postgame – L.A. Chargers
Head Coach Mike McDaniel (Transcribed by L.A. Chargers)
(The offense tonight and last week doesn’t really look like the offense we’ve seen up to this point. What’s wrong?) – “This is hard to take. There’s a lot of investment and it’s not good enough. I thought the defense played well enough for us to win. There is stuff we can clean up, for sure, but there’s a multitude of things. It’s easy to point fingers one way or another, but what I’ll challenge the team is to do exactly as I’m going to do, which is you’re just accountable and look at everything you can do better. It’s not to our standard. It’s extremely disappointing. Credit does go to the Chargers. They executed a great gameplan and really out-physicaled us, I thought. Football is a humbling game. These are the things that you have to learn as a team. Unfortunately, we had to learn it the hard way. For what we want to do with this team, that’s not going to get us there. We need a better performance, and it will start with me. Bottom line is we have a fully committed team and we haven’t, like you said, really executed to our standard the last couple weeks. Nowhere else to look but myself.”
(Have teams started defending your offense differently?) – “I think that’s always the case. During the course of the season, things evolve. I think that’s been happening all season — each and every week. There’s kind of a different way a team chooses to attack you. It did evolve to a degree, but I think it was more about their plan was better than ours and they outplayed us in that phase.”
(How would you assess the way QB Tua Tagovailoa played specifically?) – “I thought he did some good things. There’s some stuff I think he would think he’d want to have back. But really, I was just disappointed in the connection between him and some of the eligibles [receivers]. All of the incompletions were definitely not on Tua. When you miss opportunities, I think we had — something we work on all week and we’ve been working on all season, a throw to Tyreek (Hill) that I’ll check it out on the film but between Tyreek not being able to pick it up and Tua’s throw, bottom line is who cares whose fault it is? That needs to happen. I know Tua will expect that from himself. I thought, overall, with the way everyone was playing for us to win the game, he’d probably have to do something great. I thought, at moments, he did do some stuff. He competed and gave us a chance to win, but collectively, quarterbacks are only as good as the offense, and together, we just weren’t good enough.”
(Have you ever seen anything like that 57-yard fumble that WR Tyreek Hill was able to take into the end zone?) – “I feel like there’s a – I think from historical tape, I don’t think in a game. I couldn’t really find the ball at all, so that was unique that it was a scrum and then somebody outside the scrum had the ball and was running with it. Those types of things happen when you’re hustling to block and you’re hustling and straining as an offensive linemen, sometimes when the ball does come out, you can find yourself in a fortunate situation. That was a big play that I was hoping would get us out of our funk and it didn’t really do that as much as I had hoped.”
(I know it’s just several minutes after the game, but you spoke about the Chargers gameplan being better on defense. After the first half, what adjustments could you have made to get the offense kind of rolling when the middle of the field wasn’t open?) – “I think that’s – the way I look at it as a coach is it’s a bottom-line business and things have to work. Sometimes, you’ll call plays and there will still be open people, but if we’re not executing it, then I need to have plays that guys will execute appropriately. I feel like we under-produced what our talent and skill level is. It’s a broad generalization, but I look squarely at myself, and you have to figure that stuff out. That is the nature of professional football – that happens every single year. Sometimes, it’s a gut check that you kind of have to figure out, ‘How can you make sure that this doesn’t happen again? How can you come to the game more prepared? Then, how do you have answers for things that the other team is executing?’ The bottom line is I have a hard time blaming anybody else but myself to start any time things don’t work, then I’ll turn the page and look at were the players preparing themselves enough? Did they invest enough in the gameplan and the opponent? Once you do that, I feel like they did a good job all week. I’ll comb the tape and we’ll attack it with the next opportunity that we have with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night. No one’s in the business of feeling sorry for us. No one should. We have tremendous opportunities moving forward to play to our standard. If our team wants to play together longer, then they’re going to have to adjust that standard as it is present and continue to improve.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa had a month there where it seemed like he couldn’t miss, and now today, he was 10-for-28 in passing. He didn’t have a great game in San Francisco. What do you describe it to? Are they doing something defensively? Is it him?) – “Again, I think football is a humbling game and people adjust to certain things and present different issues. I think there are probably a handful of those plays that we will look at the tape and be like, ‘Man, you really can make this play here or there.’ I think there is going to be a handful of plays that were going to say that some of our eligibles [receivers] weren’t doing the job, and I think there will be a handful of plays where it’s hard to expect the quarterback to make a play when the protection is off. So collectively, I that we just are not playing together as an offense in the way that I’d like. I think you want to continue to progress and be your best in December and January. We have had a lot of reps at certain things, and we should be better right now in this last two-game stretch. Again, it is a really cool time realistically for a young team to see what we are all about, so to speak, just because it is hard when you invest a ton and fall short. After last week, I do not think the guys were prepared for this outcome. So, we will learn a lot about people. This is the nature of the beast. Besides one team, you don’t go through seasons without losing games and you want to win them all. The biggest thing is that we have to learn from it. We can’t just push it aside and say it was this, that or the other. You get a bunch of like-minded people, holding themselves accountable and stepping up their game. Then we get a chance to take these feelings from the past two weeks and make them purposeful.”
(Is there any escalated concern when struggles like this happen at this point in the season, like in December and January?) – “I wouldn’t say that, because the bottom line is you do not like that type of output at any point. If you are a team that is all of the sudden trying to turn up and this happens, it would worry me more. I think we have really approached each and every week with diligence, and I think this is like any other situation where — you know what, at one point we had three losses in a row. We had to end the streak at some point. I think the same thing happens now. I have been a part of teams, two teams specifically, that ended up playing in the Super Bowl that had a loss pretty similar to the one we had tonight. You have high expectations and you really take a punch to the gut. I have been on teams where it snowballed even further. I think relative to where the year is at, I think you always want to continue to progress. As long as we learn from all of it and start playing better football, I don’t really care what it is, it is going to hurt. I think our guys’ expectations from what they feel they should be, this is probably the furthest miss we have had all year. So, you really, really cannot hide in these situations. You find out who you are working with and who you are dealing with. I know what they will find out from me, and I am excited about what I find out from them.”
(We didn’t see WR Tyreek Hill in there towards the end of the game, and obviously RB Jeff Wilson Jr. got hurt. With the short turnaround to the Buffalo game, how much of a concern are those injuries?) – “I think they are a legitimate concern. We have obstacles of flying back across the country on a short week, so we have to rest. Regardless of if guys are injured or not, I think I’ll have to tone it down a little bit so we can acclimate to the east coast. As far as I know, nothing has been significantly ruled out for next week with regards to those two players. We are obviously our best versions of ourselves if they’re both healthy, but bottom line is we will play with whoever is healthy and no one cares about our problems. Our job is to go write the ship, so that is what we will be doing right when this press conference ends.”
Mike McDaniel – December 9, 2022
Friday, December 9, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So WR Tyreek Hill has an illness we understand. What did he come down with and will it affect him through today’s practice or even the game?) – “All I know is his illness is gone. Our team is pumped up. He’ll be back out there today and he’s feeling great. We were pumped that we were able to get through it as fast as possible and on game day we still expect him to be fast.”
(We spoke to T Terron Armstead yesterday and he was just kind of detailing the work he’s been doing to try to get back. As it stands right now do you expect him to play in the game on Sunday?) – “You’re always careful to be too absolute in that scenario. I feel good about him being able to play, but we still have a day of practice to go through and we need to make sure that there’s no setbacks. But he’s feeling good and I know he wants to play and we are hoping for the best as far as Sunday goes.”
(His activity today will be what?) – “It will be limited and that will be a questionable (designation) scenario on game day, and you won’t have an opportunity to ask me that question again so I guess it’ll be questionable.”
(On OL Liam Eichenberg’s progress and if he could be active on Sunday) – “You talk about a remarkable recovery that was strongly influenced by hard work and determination and dedication. Him along with the training staff have done a great job which actually gives that a possibility which most (people), this would be way too soon. But we’ll see how he feels today. There is that possibility, but I feel very good about him next week. We’ll see for this week.”
(We’ve talked a lot about how this week was going to be kind of like a field trip. Guys were getting to spend a lot of time together and it’s kind of winding down. What’s your takeaway from just kind of the time away from the facility and seeing guys maybe connect?) – “The hope that your team likes each other; that question was answered because there’s nowhere to hide on trips like this. All your time is really spent with each other or on the phone with somebody in your family and it’s been really cool to watch. You see guys that maybe aren’t in traditional cliques cross position and just different types of personalities spending time together. I think that’s a real cool thing that only the right locker rooms totally take advantage of, but I know there’s a lot of people on this team that been on these experiences before that really has meant something down the final stretch run of the season, and I think this was a good week for that, for guys to get closer and there’s a lot of shared experience. Guys finding random things out maybe that they didn’t even want to know, but that’s all part of being a close unit.”
(WR Tyreek Hill mentioned that you guys had a comedian here and I had some inquiries as to who it was.) – “No, there were several comedians and it’s really not any major news. It was pretty resounding from the entire team that they thought that their head coach had better material than the comedians. They all said that. I promise. (laughter) You don’t have to ask them, though. Just take my word for it.”
(Are you leaning towards or against activating T Eric Fisher for this ballgame?) – “I think I’m very comfortable doing that. He had a good first day of full speed football activity for the first time in a long time and it went well and so if it was just based on that, I think I’d be good. But kind of want to see today how his body responds. It’s a big portion of football, is building that callous in regard to your position-specific stuff and being able to perform and so that callous; he really hadn’t had any time to do. That’s the first real time he’s put himself through a full football practice so we’ll see how his body responds. It was a good indicator yesterday, but there’s a little more detail to do today before we do that.”
(In terms of WR Tyreek Hill as a leader what have you noticed his response is with celebration of his teammates? When WR Trent Sherfield scores, when WR Jaylen Waddle scores, when TE Durham Smythe scores – what do you see from Tyreek?) – “I really like that question because it’s something that I’ve always looked at as a great indicator. You always think you know where your team’s at, but how do they celebrate together? And sometimes the most telling is when other people are scoring and you’ll see him fly over there, you know, because he’s faster than everyone. He’ll fly over and be front and center of celebrations. I’ve also noticed I think two in particular stand out where he scores himself and just the football awareness of where you’re at in the game; there’s nothing worse than – touchdowns are hard to come by – there’s nothing worse when a guy on your team scores a touchdown in a frustrating game and starts popping and locking. When you’re like, ‘dude, have some awareness.’ I think the Baltimore game was one example. This past game against San Francisco was another where he had a long touchdown in a game where this side of the ball was pretty frustrating and his awareness to actually just run to the sideline because we have work to do is something that you don’t know about a person until you’re playing alongside him. So there’s a lot to be told on how he behaves when we do score whether he’s getting the ball or not and I think you can see by the reaction of everyone that he’s not only a good teammate, but watch guys after he scores and does some crazy back handspring or something. Guys are pretty lit and they’re probably in camera scope to be viewed their reactions to whatever he does as well.”
(It seems like that awareness to score imbalance, it seems like the polar opposite of what outside opinion might be since I think part of the reason why the league did the no fun, no celebration was the peace sign. So I guess that’s growth?) – “There’s a lot of layers to that individual. I think the world is starting to see more and more. He’s an especially unique teammate really first and foremost. Great human being. Father and family man. But he also is somebody that just really brings the ultimate team portion to his play even though he’s so gifted, he probably could get away with not doing that.”
(Do you and the trainers feel that QB Teddy Bridgewater is ready to dress if needed? Is he available?) – “We know this time has been great for him. We know that he’s trending in that direction, but you have to treat each particular individual to their individual needs and desires really, and Teddy knows his body better than anybody. He’s also played the game and knows with really as much experience as anybody on our team at football in general; he knows when it’s go time for his body and how his body needs to respond. So we know we’re getting close. We’re not sure exactly when that is, but he’s doing a good job and is in a good space.”
(WR River Cracraft popped up on the injury report with a calf injury. Was that injury sustained at practice?) – “It’s something that just popped up yesterday at practice and expect him to be – especially with River, he’s another guy that where there’s a will, there’s a way – but expecting to list him doubtful for the game as the result of that injury.”
(We saw S Brandon Jones here just doing laps around the field. I guess what have you noticed about his recovery and how he’s attacked rehab?) – “You don’t really know how someone’s going to handle adversity. My expectation for him, just the way he – my experience with him as a player is that I expect it to be attacked in a way where he’s trying to come out of it better than he went into it, and all he’s done is proven that expectation correct because he is as diligent of a worker attacking his injury and enjoys being a part of the team as much as any player that I’ve been around. So it’s been cool to watch and I think it’s inspiring to the players that are able to continue on during the season on just what it means to other guys to try to be a part of it and I think that’s helpful to see and love having him around.”
(How did QB Tua Tagovailoa appear to you from a health perspective? Obviously everybody’s got a little something at this time of year, but how confident are you that the ankle or anything else should not inhibit his performance?) – “Yeah, I don’t see that being any factor. He’s such a tough-minded player and person that I don’t think he’s going to let any injury that’s very common – it’s no different than the common bumps and bruises of a season when you’re in Week-whatever-we’re-in. So I don’t expect that to be a factor whatsoever.”
(A lot is made about Chargers QB Justin Herbert in this matchup, but what about defending Chargers RB Austin Ekeler? Very dangerous pass catcher.) – “He is a guy that is a great player and like most great players in the league, the answer for them is not one person. He does a great job of taking advantage of space and when there’s not proper tracking or maybe you’re playing a defense that doesn’t come out of the stack that fast and the d-linemen aren’t hunting after their pass rush; he makes them pay every time because he will routinely make the first person miss and as long as the technique’s right, you’re okay with that. But where he makes all of his damage is really exposing defenses that don’t pursue well, so that will be something that we have to execute well for us to be happy with the results.”
Danny Crossman – December 8, 2022
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Thursday, December 8, 2022
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(What do you think is the strength of the Chargers special teams?) – “I think they got a really good physical group. And they play really, really hard. So in every single phase, they got some matchup guys that are tough. They play at a super high level. And then (DeAndre) Carter’s really having a really nice year both offensively and in the kicking game as a returner and as a wide receiver. He’s become a real weapon for them.”
(What makes WR DeAndre Carter dangerous?) – “Well, he’s got great speed. He’s fearless. He plays with the edge that you need as a return player. But I think the biggest thing, just from a physical standpoint, he’s got outstanding speed.”
(What are some of the things you’re finding in your coverage?) – “I think the biggest thing for us is number one, we got to tackle better. The same thing we talked about a little bit last week. We’re missing too many tackles. Guys are doing, as we refer to it, the hard stuff. They’re getting down the field and getting into position but now we got to finish the play and make those tackles. We’ve missed too many tackles the last two weeks. But I think with this week, we’ve got to do a great job with protection first because these guys do a nice job of rushing. And then we got to transition out to coverage and our gunners got to do a good job when they’re in singles.”
(How is WR Cedrick Wilson Sr. in returning punts?) – “It’s exciting. He’s had such limited opportunities before he got here and he’s worked his butt off. I feel very comfortable with Ced back there. He’s going to make good decisions. He’s physical. He is going to run the ball hard. So I’m really happy with how he’s progressed as a returner.”
(On K Jason Sanders.) – “Two years ago, it was every week because he never missed. That’s just the nature of the beast. As I’ve said all along, I feel very, very confident in Jason. I don’t have a worry in the world. It’s good to see him have the results in the game that we see day in and day out on the practice field and in situations. So it’s good to see that show up and show up on Sunday. And hopefully Saturdays too going forward.”
(We’ve seen the consistency that we’ve known from him ever since the bye week. Was there anything that you noticed differently in K Jason Sanders? A change in routine?) – “No. And I think that’s the key. He stayed true to what he’s done for the four years that I’ve been with him and he’s had a lot of success. And you guys and gals that are involved in any kind of sport, you know if the smallest little thing doesn’t go the way you want – it’s why the greatest golfers in the world are going to hit the ball in the water. Sometimes you’re a little bit off and negative things happen. But he stayed tried and true to what he believes in and again, it’s just good to see the results.”
(On P Thomas Morstead) – “He’s a different guy. I mean, in terms of taking care of himself and the things he does in terms of stretching and being loose and running, it really is amazing for a guy that’s been in the league as long as he has. But at the same time when you talk to Thomas, he’ll tell you that’s the reason he’s been able to stay in the league as long as he has. He’s just been great with the guys. A true pro and happy we have him.”
Josh Boyer – December 8, 2022
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(LB Melvin Ingram is obviously recording some sacks, which was good to see. At this stage of his career, how would you identify this strengths?) – “I think one, he’s played a lot of football, so he has a lot of experience. And I think, I would say just over the course of my career, and probably everybody’s, I think your goal is, when you come into it, even if a guy’s had success in the league, you try to get the best season out of them possible. I can always reference 2014. I’m coaching a Hall of Fame corner in Darrelle Revis and your goal is to make sure that he has the best season possible. And I think it’s the same thing with Melvin. Obviously, we were very excited when we got him. And there’s going to be things that he does and knows and understands that, really, you don’t coach. But what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to help him, trying to put him in the best position to succeed. And he’s been a great teammate. He’s been a true professional. And he’s been productive for us when we’ve had him in there. We’re looking for that to continue and for it to continue to improve.”
(What do you think of the prospects of him, LB Bradley Chubb, and LB Jaelan Phillips as a trio becoming a game-changing type of unit together?) – “Yeah, I mean, I think anytime that we design something, obviously when we get those guys out there in a situation, it’s usually an obvious pass situation, or predominantly pass situation. And then again, all those guys in different ways affect the quarterback. And I think the more they play together, the more they work off of each other, and then obviously as a staff, we’re getting better at figuring out what they do well together, and try to put them in position to succeed.”
(What are you seeing out of QB Justin Herbert on tape and how does it compare to the first go round against him?) – “The first time that we played him, he was throwing the ball quite a bit before we saw him, and I think they took a little bit more conservative approach, I would say. These guys are throwing the ball quite a bit. He’s definitely getting the ball down the field. He has an extremely strong arm. I mean, he really can put the ball with pretty good accuracy on the receivers at all three levels. He makes quick decisions. (Austin) Ekeler is a phenomenal player. He’s probably, in my opinion, a guy that doesn’t get talked about enough. Obviously he’s up there in the league stats as far as yards after catch. They targeted him a lot in the pass game. They use him a lot in the run game. He’s got great contact balance. He does a phenomenal job. He’s going to fight for yards and he’s elusive in space. So we’re going to have our hands full. And back to Herbert, he does a good job with their guys down the field. And if there’s space with Ekeler, that becomes a problem too. So we’re going to have our hands full defending all short, intermediate and deep parts of the field this week.”
(You mentioned RB Austin Ekeler. What are some of the things you’re looking at specifically with linebackers in coverage and…) – “I think part of it is sometimes you got to credit the opponents. They make plays. And I’d say the thing from looking from the tape of last week, obviously our guys played with great physicality, great effort, and you really got to credit San Francisco. They made more plays than we did. And then obviously, there’s things that you look at that you can coach and you can drill and you can technique a little bit better and put guys maybe in more situations when those things come up. We feel very good about our coverage situation at the linebacker position. I think it’s a continuation of trying to improve week in and week out and we haven’t had – I would say we’re going on a stretch run here where we’re going to have to cover the backs quite a bit, and we’ve probably had a stretch run where that wasn’t as big of a deal. We’ll get tested on that for sure. We feel very confident in the guys that we have doing that, and as coaches, we’re going to drill and technique the best we can to put them in position to succeed.”
(You’ve bene doing a lot of different things with the safeties as it relates to S Verone McKinley and S Jevon Holland. Is the chemistry from college allowing them to do a lot of the things they are doing in the secondary?) – “And I would say their friendship probably starts more off the field. Those guys are extremely tight. Both of them are extremely intelligent. Both of them are extremely hard, diligent workers, and they put in a lot of time and effort. They’ve got an opportunity to play together a little bit more than obviously we had in the early part of the season. I think both guys are progressing. And again, even though we’re here in December in the season, our goal is to try to not so much result based, but make sure that we’re improving steadily. And there’s things that we can build on that are good that we’re doing. And there’s things that we may need to put a little bit more time and effort and work into to make sure that we’re where we want to be going down the stretch.”
(The pass rush, what are the things you look for in terms of determining whether you were successful or not? Is it stats that you value, some over others or just generally?) – “I think the stats – I mean, you can make the stats whatever you want to make the stats. I think the thing is, one collectively as a group, are we getting done what we need to get done? Are we forcing the quarterback and the o-line, are we putting pressure on them? I think that’s what we look at. And then are we getting production from it, whether it’d be downfield production or sack production, tip balls? I mean, there’s numerous things that you kind of look at. I would say week to week it’s different based on who you’re trying to get where and what you’re trying to attack. So I think that that’s a real all-encompassing thing. I think the thing is, again, it goes back to regardless of what you’re talking about, the things that you’re doing well, you try to build upon and the things that you think you can do better, either you eliminate those things or you technique or drill them a different way.”
(What else do you see out of QB Justin Herbert in terms of how difficult he is to bring down? I think LB Jaelan Phillips made a reference yesterday to how he’s about as big as he is.) – “He’s obviously a big guy. He’s got a strong arm. He can feel and see the pocket when rush lanes aren’t what they need to be. And sometimes he’ll scramble to run. He’s doing, I would say, he’s taking less hits when he runs. He’s getting down when somebody gets in the area. But he’s very good at reading. Like, if you’re rush lanes are egregious, he’s going to make you pay on them, for sure.”
(You mentioned their ability to make deep, short, intermediate passes. If theoretically defensively as a play unfolds, the window shrinks, but because of his arm strength, because of the damage RB Austin Ekeler can do, does that keep that window open? How do you approach that? How do you coach your guys to be disciplined enough to slow that down?) – “I think you have to you have to tie it into rush and coverage from the pass game perspective. And then when you’re in man coverage, then obviously you condense that space and you just have to win your one-on-one matchups. When you’re in zone coverage, what you need to do is you really need to break – again, get the quarterback to throw the ball on time and you got to get everybody – okay, when his back foot sets, and his hand comes off the ball, then our feet got to be set. We got to break on the ball and we got to get everybody to the ball.”
Frank Smith – December 8, 2022
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Thursday, December 8, 2022
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(On the 49ers game and if the corners, linebackers, inside linebackers got a lot of depth on routes.) – “I mean overall, the drops and what they do; it’s part of their system. Whether or not they’re a couple yards deeper or not, it really doesn’t affect what we’re trying to do. We’re obviously trying to – when they’re in zone coverage, you attack the space in between the zones. Man to man, you’re beating the man over you. So overall there wasn’t really anything that we would say that we’re looking at as far as going ‘oh, they did this.’ It’s more of just our execution on each play. Alright, where we can be in the timing and the rhythm for the quarterback. That’s kind of more of where we look at, not necessarily how deep and where they go. It’s just understanding zone or man and where the area’s locations we’re trying to hit.”
(Y’all were 0-for-7 on third down. Time of possession battle, losing it most of the game, it was similar to the Buffalo game earlier. What are some of the keys to preventing…?) – “Yeah, I think just overall for us, it was a great environment for us to go out there and really, it felt like a playoff-type environment. For us to go in there and learn from things, especially areas where we know we can improve – they did a good job obviously with the execution of their plan. We felt like there’s areas that we could really clean up on. I think ultimately some of that results in the third-down stuff. But again, when you get faced with those opportunities in games and those situations, and it doesn’t go the way you want it to go, it gives you a great opportunity to come back and go to work with your teammates or as a staff and make sure we tune up on the things that we need to do for this week.”
(How does it feel to be back in LA and are there things you can contribute to the defensive game plan from being with this team just last year?) – “Yeah, I love LA, man. I loved living here in Newport Beach, California. It was awesome. I was fortunate enough – Brandon (Staley) is a good friend, so is Joe (Lombardi). Very fortunate for my time there. As far as my input on stuff, I may have familiarity with the scheme and stuff like that but there’s a lot of new players. So I don’t know as far as my impact. It’s just certain conversations I’m going to have. But overall, what we were doing last year and what they’re doing this year, obviously there’s some differences. So, ultimately we just have to line up and play and execute our fundamentals and techniques.”
(What stood out to you when you looked at the tape of QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance against the 49ers – some of the overthrows and things like that – what stood out as far as things you have to correct or was it just one of those days for him?) – “Again, when you look at the environment and all that, it’s like – we have such a competitive team – guys want to make plays and it’s just not like, at times – were we pressing, were we not? Were we trying to be perfect as opposed to let the game come to you? Those environments, those things are stuff that obviously that we have discussions on afterwards, but ultimately, it’s like, hey, in the course of a football season in general, there’s going to be a game or two or a couple that you’re just like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t our best, but what do we learn from it?’ And I think that’s ultimately from that environment, I think that’s the challenge of a football season. Is that some games where you feel like you had excellent execution and another game where you feel like there’s room for improvement? I think that’s really the story of the season and how you improve from that will be obviously how we’re measured in this next game on Sunday night.”
(How did T Eric Fisher look yesterday in his first day?) – “Great. It was it was awesome to have him out there. He’s a sharp guy and we were really excited with the opportunity presented to get him here.”
(The first play of the game against San Francisco, it looked like the 49ers S Talanoa Hufanga followed WR Tyreek Hill because he motioned outside and it opened up that area of the field for WR Trent Sherfield. I don’t know if it was… But what kind of pride do you see from Tyreek being able to impact the defense and open things up for teammates like that?) – “Yeah, it was kind of they were running a pressure. So in that, that’s where he’s going to match for his leverage. So really, it was a combination of things and really, I think it comes down to trying to just really – he hit the right spot at the right time and he executed excellent fundamentals. I think that was a great example of all 11 executing and at that time, they pressured, so there was a hole in their zone that they normally wouldn’t have when they’re just playing a four-man rush. So overall, I think that him being in the right spot to make sure they keep their leverage, braking at the right time in or hitting the ball right on rhythm; I think all of it factors into that explosive play that we had.”
(Going back to T Eric Fisher for a second. He hasn’t played a down in almost a year now.) – “Yeah, he’s very fresh. (laughter)”
(I was going to ask. Are there signs of rust or does it look like a guy who’s been working out day and night?) – “I have WD 40 in my backpack, so we’re good to go. No rust. (laughter) No, it’s really I think ultimately for him, he has such a wealth of experience. Playoff battle-tested lineman. Especially a guy older in his career, I don’t think there’s rust. It’ll be for him just our techniques, our fundamentals, just learning that it’s different from Kansas City or at Indianapolis to what we’re doing. So I think that’s really for him. It’s just getting up to speed with that and then getting in football shape ready to play. But no, he moved around, you can see he’s very talented athlete and he’s a big guy who moves well, so we’re really excited to have him. We’re glad it really worked out.”
(He’s played his whole career on the left side. Can he play on the right? Is that something that’s crossed your mind?) – “I think he does have experience on the other side as well. Both sides. So for us ultimately, we look at guys with position flex so obviously he did have some experience on the other side, but ultimately, the goal is that if he’s called upon to play, it’s just obviously helping us with wherever we need to and he’s been awesome so far with his contributions mentally. And now looking forward to a physical next two days.”
(Realistically, can T Eric Fisher play this week or you don’t foresee that?) – “I mean, realistically, he could. We’ll obviously, the next two days, just get him up to speed with everything we’ve asked him to do. But pleased with what we’ve seen so far, that’s for sure.”
(The time that you were around Chargers QB Justin Herbert, what’s something that surprised you about him?) – “Man, what surprised me about Justin? How competitive he is. So he’s extremely competitive. He’s one of those guys that I think whatever you do, he’s trying to win because he’s kind of – I wouldn’t say quiet but he listens very well. So when his competitive side comes out, that was something really cool to be a part of. You get to see like when the game is on the line and how he focuses and how he’s really trying to compete with his teammates. That was awesome. But what a great guy. Just fortunate to spend a year and really get to know him.”
(On a quarterback’s environment having an effect on success) – “Yeah, absolutely. My first job in the NFL was with the Saints and then you look at – that was Drew Brees right after we won the Super Bowl, but if you remember beforehand, they let him out of San Diego. And hindsight is 20/20 as they’re saying, ‘Hey, we can’t win a Super Bowl with this guy. We need to go draft Philip (Rivers).’ Put him in the Saints system and now he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. So I think ultimately, and I think it even is beyond quarterback – all positions – you put guys in the right scheme, in the right environment, around the right teammates, and that’s when they flourish. So I think sometimes if you don’t have those situations, those are where the challenges arise. And I think in reality it’s probably all environments, even all businesses. I’m sure you guys, too, have had places you worked where you’re just kind of like, ‘alright, this kind of sucks.’ But it’s kind of like ultimately, I think that’s just what every player is looking for: a system that makes sense to him that they can own and they can master, they can put their stamp on it. And then have a staff that works with them, a staff that communicates well together, guys who really enjoy coming to work every day because the pro season is so long. When you have a system that you believe in, players that you love working with, a staff you love communicating and working with, that’s when you get great situations. And I think ultimately, hopefully that’s the environment we’re creating here where players love to come to work every day.”
(You mentioned QB Justin Herbert’s competitiveness. Is there a specific example that comes to mind?) – “Oh, just, I mean, when I raced him one time, he had to beat me. (laughter) No, I’m not racing him. He’s fast. No, it’s just overall like with him, just you can see his attention to detail in a walkthrough. When we were in two-minute drills, you could see he wanted to always be on it because he’s always trying to learn. Just everything with him. And I heard with his teammates, he’s extremely competitive, too. Just overall, he has that focus. You could just see it in his eyes when he’s in that moment and that’s what I enjoyed about him. But I mean, the great thing is, is that Tua has that same competitiveness, Drew (Brees) had that same competitiveness, so it’s like you look at these great quarterbacks; you’d say that’s kind of a common trait of them all because they just don’t want to win. They want to be on all their details and make sure they can play their best all the time. I think that transcends into the rest of their life and they play cards and are trying to win.”
(Obviously from the outside, I think people are obviously comparing Chargers QB Justin Herbert and QB Tua Tagovailoa just by the nature of where they were taken in the draft. Would you say that that’s going to be something that’s really similar?) – “Yeah, I think that they both have that drive. I think that their personalities are very different, but when it comes to them wanting to win, doing what it takes to win, both are extremely similar in that capacity. They have different skill sets, but yes, I think like that intangible of the competitiveness is one thing that definitely they would be comparable for.”
Jaelan Phillips – December 7, 2022
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
LB Jaelan Phillips
(What was it like being back out here today?) – “It was fun. It was real fun. This whole city is real nostalgic for me. It has a special place in my heart. Obviously it didn’t work out with football, but there’s no bad blood at all, man. I’m just grateful to be back here soaking in every moment. I’m so blessed.”
(Did you take any moments of self-reflection, like you’re back on the same field you once retired from, in an NFL jersey?) – “I don’t got time for self-reflection. I try to stay present. I talk about that a lot and I think that maybe sometimes when we think about like, ‘oh, you know, back in the day,’ or when I see my homies from college, I’ll talk to them about it. But ultimately, I have no regrets about how everything went down. I think it was all God’s plan. It was all perfect timing. So yeah, it’s a crazy journey for sure, but it feels great.”
(What was your favorite UCLA football memory?) – “Football memory? The first game I ever played. We had the second biggest comeback in NCAA history – 35-point comeback against Texas A&M. I had a sack-and-a-half my first game as a Bruin. It all went downhill from there. (laughter)”
(Why did you come here?) – “Why did I come here? I was always a Bruin at heart. My dad went here. My aunt went here. My grandpa was the dean of the school of music for a bit. My grandma taught French here. So I have a lot of family connections and ultimately, I just felt really connected to the coaching staff and the guys on the team and I live an hour and some change away, so it was really the best of all worlds.”
(You were recently announced as the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. How did you find out and what did that mean to you?) – “I found out in a team meeting. Coach McDaniel let all of us know. And really, it’s incredible, man. I was just saying in the interview over there, the community work I do isn’t about recognition. It’s not about awards. It’s about uplifting the community, giving back to the community that did a lot for me and trying to inspire others to do the same. But it feels great obviously. I feel incredibly humbled and honored and just really grateful to be able to receive that nomination and really grateful for everybody on the Dolphins staff that’s helped me throughout this, everybody on my agency staff that’s helped me through all this. I really couldn’t have done it all without them and just people in the community, Dolphins Challenge Cancer. There’s been a lot of people that have been involved in this process. It’s really not about me. It’s a lot bigger than me, but it definitely feels great.”
(Was there anybody who maybe gave back to you and maybe that always left an impression on you?) – “I think it is more so just the example that my parents set for me. My parents and grandparents as well. They’ve always been big into philanthropy and always just told me that the No. 1 important thing in life is to give back. And so I really tried to live my life like that.”
(Last time you were here as a student athlete, I don’t know if you’ve visited since, but last time you were here, did you ever envision you getting to this point, a first-round pick in the NFL, as much success as you’re having?) – “At a point, I did. Coming into UCLA, being the No. 1-ranked player in the nation. I kind of figured I’d be a No. 1 overall draft pick kind of thing. And then about half a season later, I was like, I might not ever play football again. So definitely a whirlwind of emotions. But like I said, ultimately I think God has a plan for everybody. I think his plan for me was to be able to set an example for people and I think that I’m exactly where I need to be now.”
(This next string of games, how important is the pass rush going to be? You have QB Justin Herbert up next, QB Josh Allen quickly after that. Just how key will the pass rush be?) – “We always talk about football gets real in December. I mean, this is playoff football and it’s not necessarily win or go home, but you’ve got to have that sense of urgency in the preparation and in every game moving forward. So yeah, pass rush, complementary defense, complementary football in general is going to play a big part in that, so we definitely have to bring our A-game and just keep preparing like we have been all season.”
(How much family do you have and how far away?) – “I have my immediate family and my aunt and uncle live right next to my parents, and then my grandparents on my dad’s side live in Redlands as well. It’s like an hour and 15 minutes away with no traffic, about three hours with traffic. (laughter) But I have like 91 people coming to the game, so lots of friends, lots of family, supporters. (laughter)”
(I remember last year as a rookie kind of a slow start in training camp, ramping up during the regular season … Can you kind of give an example of something on the field where like it’s clicking faster? Maybe it didn’t click as fast maybe in your rookie year?) – “To be honest with you, I don’t even think I can recall anything in particular that just clicks or anything like that. I just think the more experience you get, the faster you can play and the more instinctive you can play. I feel like I kind of set out with the season and my goal was to become a more complete player overall and be able to play early downs as well as rushing the passer. I think I’ve done a decent job at it and I’m going to keep moving forward and keep trying to progress on that line.”
(How’s that chemistry between you, LB Bradley Chubb and LB Melvin Ingram coming along?) – “We’re super tight, man. Super tight. We’re good friends. That’s my dawgs. I love them boys, man. I got a lot of appreciation and I’m really grateful for the guys that we have in the room. It’s not just Chubb and Melvin. It’s ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel), it’s Cam Goode, it’s Brennan Scarlett. We have a really, really tight-knit group of guys.”
(I guess specifically I meant on the field. Like when you guys are on there together, how is that?) – “We are having fun out there, man. I don’t know necessarily how that affects people’s game plans and things like that, but all I know is I love having Bradley (Chubb) over there. I love having ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) over there. I love having Melvin (Ingram) over there. So it’s really cool that we all get to kind of do our thing and show our production.”
(You love South Florida but what are some things that sometimes you miss – a place, a restaurant, a spot, a beach or whatever – that is unique about Southern California?) – “Healthy food. It’s bougie. (laughter) It’s kind of how I am. But yeah, it’s the weather. The weather’s better out here. I’m sorry, South Florida. (laughter) The humidity is a little eh, especially in camp and stuff. But yeah, for me, I mean, you got Tender Greens, Sweet Green, Tocaya, Nekter, all these like – and I’m kind of prissy when it comes to that. I like my good foods so nothing wrong with South Florida food. I’ll give a shout out to them, too. I like a little Pollo Tropical sometimes, you know what I’m saying. But yeah, I think Cali – I was born in Cali, raised in Cali, so I’ll always be a Cali boy at heart, but I definitely got a lot of love for Miami.”
(Speaking of sacks, the guy that you’re going to have to bring down on Sunday, QB Justin Herbert, I guess how difficult is he, a guy that size to bring down? What do you see on tape as far as what you have to do when you’re in pursuit of him?) – “Yeah, I think that, Justin’s (Herbert) a really athletic guy. Crazy strong arm and he has kind of deceptive speed, too, especially once he gets out into the open field. He’s 6’5, so he’s really got the stride. So it’s going to be important for us to keep our rush lane integrity and rush as a team and really like I said, play complementary football. I think there’s so many layers to complementary football. It’s not just about the offense and the defense and the special teams being complementary; but it’s also the linebackers and the d-line playing complementary, the d-line and the back end playing complementary and even within the rush, the four of us or five of us if it’s rushing, like we all have to be on the same page. And so I think it’s going to be important to do that. But yeah, like I said, he’s extremely talented so it’s going to be a fun one.”
