Brandon Jones – October 17, 2022
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Monday, October 17, 2022
S Brandon Jones
(I guess one concern now obviously is at corner where you lost CB Nik Needham and unfortunately DB Keion Crossen, I know, is dealing with a knee (injury). Have any ideas come up with regard to you, S Jevon Holland and S Eric Rowe? Obviously, S Eric Rowe has played some corner, S Jevon Holland played in the slot at Oregon a lot.) – “I hate that it happened in the way it did happen. Injuries are obviously a part of it, and Nik (Needham) and Keion (Crossen) have done a tremendous job thus far already. So it’s always tough to see, especially with guys that work their butts off every single day. I’m not sure. I don’t know what’s gone into it with the whole corner situation. Jevon (Holland) obviously made a joke about being able to lock people up and be on an island. So we’ll kind of see gameplan-wise and whatever we decide to do. But we still have some guys that are able to do a lot of different things and we just kind of take it from there.”
(What’s the advantage of the three-safety lineup? I know you had obviously S Eric Rowe out with you and S Jevon Holland on I think seven or eight plays. What’s the advantage of that lineup?) – “I think just being able to be multiple and do a lot of different things kind of plays a huge dividend, and also just being – if we have these packages where we have three safeties, people are playing in other positions and it kind of just helps with your familiarness of playing, being able to know and understand that he’s a strong safety in this, being able to give tips and just help guys out and make sure everybody’s on the same page.”
(Were you able to talk to CB Nik Needham yesterday or today? How did it go?) – “Yeah, I texted him. We all texted him in our group message. He’s in good spirits. Obviously, it’s tough. Like I said, he was so, so locked in going into the game. I knew that obviously, without the injury, he was going to have a huge game. So seeing that hurts, obviously, with it being another DB and just a guy that we’ve all loved. It was tough to see that. And I know that it’s – obviously, it sucks to be in that position, but for me, everything happens for a reason, even though it’s hard to kind of see right now. But he’s definitely in good spirits and I hope the best for him and a speedy recovery.”
(Have you seen the other B. Jones around the building – CB Byron Jones? Has he given you any sense of optimism that he’ll be back this season?) – “Yes, Byron (Jones) has been around. He’s like a teacher these days. He’s in there when we’re watching film, when we meet as a defense and as DBs, putting his input in and asking questions and just being very involved here and dealing with what he can. Obviously, his injury is – it is what it is with that. But yeah, he’s definitely making strides to potentially come back whenever he’s ready and however the injury stuff has gone.”
(This defense has been one to force a lot of turnovers, not so much since then the Patriots game, especially interceptions. What do you guys need to do to get back on that track?) – “Man, me and Jevon (Holland) were literally talking about this yesterday. I don’t know, because even with a game like yesterday, how well we played – I think we’ve been doing a good job of attacking the ball. I just think that the opportunities, there’s only so many. Whether there’s one, three opportunities, whatever it is, we just have to make those. We can’t think like, ‘Oh, we got a good pass breakup, but when the next one comes, we’ll get an interception.’ We have to – any time the ball is in the air and we have that opportunity, we have to you know go for the ball and make it. Nothing – as a defense, we could for sure stress more of just getting the ball out. Obviously, tackles are good and something that we’ve worked on all week on being able to make good physical tackles, but if you’re in the position, if you’re the other guy that’s chasing from behind, just get the ball and give the ball to our offense.”
(Yesterday, CB Xavien Howard talked about after the game how he challenges everybody to make plays moving forward. What has his message kind of been to you guys in the DB room since yesterday’s game?) – “Be aggressive. Trust your technique. And every – our coaches put us in the best positions possible. Even when we go from certain stuff that we do, how we treat bunches in man coverage, simple stuff like that and the way that it shows up in the game, literally the exact same way we practice it, we just have to – ‘X’s’ (Xavien Howard) biggest point was just being able to execute and make plays. Like I said, it’s hard and the plays come, and when they do come, we just have to be able to execute and make them.”
(How encouraged were you by the play of CB Noah Igbinoghene and CB Justin Bethel, who haven’t been called upon too many times this season but held up pretty well for the most part yesterday with all the injuries?) – “Yes, they played well. I wasn’t surprised. I see the way they prepare. With circumstances, it’s easy to check out, especially if you’re not getting the reps (and) getting opportunities that you want, but I didn’t see any drop off. They got in the game, they executed, they played well. Noah (Igbinoghene) had some good pass breakups. Justin (Bethel) came in and had some really good plays. Yes, they did a really good job of handling their business.”
(You had mentioned a few minutes ago about how CB Nik Needham was locked in and how you were so confident he was going to have a big game. Was there any particular reason for that? Or is that a feeling you’ve had many times before?) – “I don’t know. It was just something about going into this game, I don’t know if it was just an energy thing or just how well prepared we were. It felt like we were. It was weird. I don’t know. Just the energy, just the way that we were all flying around, not just Nik (Needham) in general, but I think the defense, we all were like, ‘Yeah, today is going to be a big day for us.’ And I think we kind of went into the week last week starting from practice on Wednesday with that same mindset. Nik was making plays on the ball, having picks, pass breakups during the week. So seeing that, usually if it happens in practice, it’s going to happen in the game. So my mindset was, ‘He’s doing all of this in practice, I can’t wait to see what he does in the game.’”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned that he doesn’t want the team to sort of point to injuries as the reason for the string of losses. What do you guys see as the reason outside of injuries?) – “I think just complementary football is the biggest thing. Injuries are a part of it. They’re going to happen. They happen to every team all over the league. But being able to hit on all cylinders, offense, defense and special teams, even when somebody’s not playing well, or being able to pick each other up. I think if you can have those three phases all on the same page, regardless of who’s out there, you can win the game.”
(On offense, you guys have obviously had to adjust to different quarterbacks in a lot of different games. But this week, you guys are playing the Steelers who have also been kind of shuffling in and out of quarterbacks. What’s it like preparing for that from a defensive perspective?) – “It’s the National Football League, so it doesn’t matter who’s playing where, they’re going to execute and do what they do. We haven’t really gotten into Pittsburgh yet, in terms of the personnel, their favorite plays and stuff like that. But whoever they line up there, obviously they have enough faith and trust in to do so. And like I said, they’re in the NFL, so they can execute just like any other quarterback can.”
(You’re going to be going against a familiar face on the other sideline, what’s that going to be like seeing Steelers Senior Defensive Assistant/Linebackers Coach Brian Flores out there?) – “It’s exciting, just to be able to see him in person. I haven’t talked to him in a while, obviously, but I’m excited. I know that with the route that he’s taken and being able to – I know he’s been helping out their defense a lot from what I’ve seen. I like to watch film on a lot of other teams and stuff like that. But yeah, he’s been helping them out a lot, and it’ll be really cool to see him.”
Raekwon Davis – October 17, 2022
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Monday, October 17, 2022
DT Raekwon Davis
(You did your normal good work against the run yesterday but how pleasing was it to get a sack for you?) – “It was all right. A little something. Something new. Just trying to get some in.”
(Is pass rushing something – I know you and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark have spent time on it. Are you happy with where you are with that? Or do you look at that as anything I get is a bonus because nose tackles in this league primarily have to stop the run?) – “I mean if you get them, you get them. I’m just doing my job. Whatever it takes to help the team out in that situation. It was a good play though. They’re not going to take that from me. (laughter) I’ll take it.”
(Just overall your thoughts on the run defense aside from the touchdown?) – “Some of the things we were doing – I can only speak for myself, some of the things I did were ok. Some things I have to continue to work on and get better with.”
(What is your assessment of where you are at this point in the season?) – “I’m pleased. I can do better.”
(You guys are 3-3 but coming off three losses. Would it feel different if it was coming off of three wins and it was reversed?) – “That’s not really our focus. We’re just trying to get everybody better and just continue doing a good job and try to push everybody to be their best version of themselves.”
Jaelan Phillips – October 16, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Postgame – Minnesota Vikings
LB Jaelan Phillips
(Obviously you guys talk about the next man up mentality all the time but how tough is it when you see CB Nik Needham go down and DB Keion Crossen go down? CB Noah Igbinoghene and CB Justin Bethel made some good plays but how tough is it to keep having to deal with this injury bug week in and week out?) – “Yeah, I mean it always sucks to see one of your brothers go down. We just feel for them. But like you said, (it’s the) next man up mentality, and I was proud of the way the guys stepped up today.”
(The pass rush got going today. How good was it to see you guys on that side of the ball and get to QB Kirk Cousins a few times and pressure him and take him down?) – “It was great. But we definitely got more. We’re going to keep working, keep practicing and hopefully the result will be different next time.”
(What’s the feeling in here now as far as the 3 losses? Frustration? Do you understand injuries play a part? How do you take these?) – “Definitely frustrated, but it doesn’t shake our confidence. Our eyes are onto the next week already, so we just got to get back in here tomorrow and get back to the drawing board and make the adjustments that we need to.”
Greg Little – October 16, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2022
Postgame – Minnesota
T Greg Little
(How hard is it when it’s another game where the quarterback at the end of the game is not the same one you start with? How difficult is it when the guys behind you are changing every game?) – “It’s really about everyone being ready to play. Everyone has to be prepared. You never know what happens out there, who might go down. So we don’t really think about that kind of stuff. We prepare and everyone prepares the same as a starter. That’s our job.”
(The quarterbacks – do they move differently, have a different cadence? Does that make it harder?) – “Life is a challenge. You have one play to get used to it and then you’re rolling. You can’t really think about who is back behind (you). We all have a job to do..”
Brandon Jones – October 16, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Postgame – Minnesota
S Brandon Jones
(How tough is it to start a game so well and coming up short…?) – “It’s tough, it just shows you that in the NFL, the margin for error’s very slim. They’re a good team, obviously, and stuff doesn’t always go your way.”
(We know that injuries are a part of the game, it just seems like the injury bug is tearing you guys up. How mind boggling is that right now for this team?) – We’re big on next man up mentality. I think we have guys that when injuries happen, they come in and they do the best they can and everybody rides for the guys that have to come in through the injuries. But it’s part of the game.”
(If you had to put your finger on it, what are the things that you definitely want to work on immediately to get back on this winning streak?) – “Everything, especially on defense. We just have to play our brand of football, all three phases, and once we do that, I think our team will reconnect for sure.”
Mike Gesicki – October 16, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Postgame – Minnesota
TE Mike Gesicki
(Despite the loss, you had a really good game. Just talk about getting a part of the offense. I’m sure that had to feel good for you and you lived up to the promise. You made sure you Griddy’d, probably the longest one ever.) – “I tried to enjoy that one. You have to maximize the opportunities when you get them, when they present themselves. I tried to do that today. But that’s been unfortunately the storyline, people talking about me fitting in the offense—do I fit? Do I not fit? It’s not about me. It’s not about me when I have one catch for one yard and we win and it is not about me when I go whatever the heck I went today. It’s not about that’s about that. It’s about whatever we can do to help this team win football games. If my number is called to make a play, I’ll do it.”
(With all the adversity you guys have faced, you still gave yourselves a chance in those closing minutes. How encouraging is that and is that something you guys can build off of and maybe take a positive of the loss?) – “Yeah. For me, I have been through this before, that’s what I look at. I am not going to dwell on a loss and (think), ‘Aw, man. We’ve lost three in a row.’ I look at the positives of things we did and guys that stepped in and made big plays. So, I think we got better today. I’m excited for the future of the Miami Dolphins and starting up tomorrow morning when we get in there and get into meetings because there’s a lot of positives of things we can correct and get better from.”
(Coming in on a Monday morning after a loss when you know you get your starting quarterback back in the next game, just kind of another pep in your step?) – “Yeah, absolutely. The other two guys who have played, played their tails off and made a ton of plays for us. But if he is back and Tua is ready to roll, then obviously we would love to have him back and we would love to go out there and make plays for him.”
Xavien Howard- October 16, 2022 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 16, 2022
Postgame – Minnesota
CB Xavien Howard
(Is it frustrating? You were once 3-0, and now here you are, back to .500.) – “It’s football, man. It’s hard to win each Sunday. We just have to keep going, like I said, and keep getting better.”
(What was it like covering WR Justin Jefferson today? What’s it like going up against him?) – “I accept the challenge. We came to win, so I feel like I didn’t get the job done.”
(How quickly will you guys turn the page with QB Tua Tagovailoa coming back, Sunday Night Football? It’s a big week coming up.) “We have to watch film, see what we did wrong. We’ve got Tua (Tagovailoa) back. Like I said, it doesn’t matter who’s at quarterback – we still have to score touchdowns, make plays, special teams – everything. I challenge everybody, we’ve got to make plays.”
Mike McDaniel – October 16, 2022 (Postgame)
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Postgame – Minnesota
Head Coach Mike McDaniel (transcribed by ASAP Sports)
Q: You look at the stat sheet, you guys had yardage and plays and all that stuff. How do you look at this team?
MIKE McDANIEL: You know, it’s disappointing. Guys put a lot into this game. I was very happy with our preparation during the week. I thought we took a step forward in that way. I think the direct result was you saw a team ready to play in the first half. Now I have to look at the tape. I don’t want to jump to complete conclusions and be result oriented, but we were all there and knew it was a flag fest. When I watch the film, I’m anticipating people or players potentially doing too much, which is common, very common thing when you lose a couple games in a row. You start to press. I was very, very happy with the way we prepared. I think guys were ready to play. Then a lot of stuff happened, which is the nature of football, so then I also look at the end of the game where we took a step forward in our resolve and how guys tried to finish the game when it’s — it’s a very, very frustrating process when you feel like you’re ready to play and you don’t get the direct results. I see it as — it hurts. It hurts the locker room. It hurts a lot of people. But it can be a step in the direction we want to go if we use it appropriately. Yeah, I was surprised. I think we’ve been — last week we were up in the numbers in penalties. We had started the season off pretty good in that regard, and they kind of piled up, definitely hurt us. Turnovers hurt us, and overall the tightness of the ship, which that’s what the head coach is there for, so you take that square in the eyes and you let the guys know that you’re going to bring a better effort next week.
Q: How tough is it that for the third straight week the quarterback who prepared most with the ones is out of the game…? How tough is that for the quarterback coming in? How tough is that for the offense for things to smoothly run?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, all of it, I guess, you can look at it as difficult. You can look at it as a reason for X, Y or Z. I challenge the guys not to. We have a lot of faith in all the players that we have on this team, and the quarterbacks that we’ve been working with since last April, any one of them we have high expectations to go execute and succeed. Now, of course it’s not ideal. You want the guys that get all the reps during the week to play, but you always know that that’s a possibility. I think — I’m going to demand that the team does not point at that to be a reason for what’s happened or a reason for the loss. I think that’s the easy thing to do. I think that’s the path of least resistance, and generally the path of least resistance doesn’t lend the results that an ambitious, convicted, all-in players’ team, organization wants. Yeah, there’s always difficulties and adversity within NFL football games. I thought we had the capability to overcome that, and we didn’t.
Q: We saw QB Skylar Thompson go out with a thumb injury and then came back on the sideline, but QB Teddy Bridgewater stayed in the game. Was Skylar able to come back into the game and play or did you just make that decision?
MIKE McDANIEL: No, he was — he wouldn’t have been physically capable to come back in so it was not any indication or decision based upon his play. I would have definitely stayed with him had he been able to proceed, but he was not.
Q: What’s the status of his thumb?
MIKE McDANIEL: You know, it’s a little early to tell. I know he was — the biggest issue was that he wouldn’t have been able to — he didn’t have any strength holding the ball, which is an issue when you’re trying to throw it. I’ll have to get a lot more information tomorrow. You don’t know with those type of things. I literally have no idea if it’s anything that’s going to be an issue for a while or if it’s something that will heal pretty quick. We’ll see. We’ll get more information on Monday.
Q: You mentioned last week that part of the reason why Skylar had a tough time was not taking starter reps and not working with the first team. How much of a problem was that today for Teddy having just cleared the concussion protocol on Saturday?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think the obvious answer is it does make it more difficult, but I don’t think Teddy nor any — my expectation, I know Teddy won’t, and my expectation for the team is that you don’t take that easy out, that you don’t say, well, shoot, man, we’re getting — it’s hard for us. It’s hard for everybody. Definitely not the ideal set of circumstances. It is unique to my NFL career with regard to the things that have happened probably in the last three weeks. Does that mean that because of that we’re unable to win the football game? It does not. I think the tape will be obvious to all the players. The hard part is when you invest, like I said — I was really pumped about the work week we had, and you don’t get the desired results. So you get to find out a lot about who you’re working with. Every indication that I’ve had since I’ve been in the building, I don’t have anything to worry about how players are — how the organization, how staff, how the coaching staff, how people are going to respond. We will find out if — that’s the great thing about the game of football. It checks you. There’s nowhere to hide and you work really hard, and as a team we fell short. It’s one of my favorite things about football, is that it’s not for everybody, and this is difficult, but so? We’ve had three games in a row where we’ve finished a game with a different quarterback than we’ve started with. And? I don’t think anybody has the mindset that, well, that’s the reason why we’re losing. We’re fully capable of winning this game. I think that’s obvious to everybody. It’s a simple, simple formula. You look at the tape. You don’t hide from it. And then you move forward and try to use the learning experience to get better in the middle stretch of the season, pushing forward to the end.
Q: Were T Terron Armstead or T Austin Jackson close to playing at all today?
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, they were, and they’ve really done everything in their power. That’s one really cool thing that I’ve learned about both of those two players is how much they love to play the game. This was a circumstance where we came to a decision with both of them that it was in their best interest not to try to push through to go ahead and go with the guys that we went with, which our team was confident in.
Q: Defense did force a lot of three-and-outs, but no takeaways again. Losing the turnover battle 3-0 obviously difficult to win the game that way. Your assessment of what could be done better?
MIKE McDANIEL: No, I think as a team we need to play better complementary football. We really do, and utilize momentum. I think the defense took a step in the right direction for sure this week. But the number one indicator in wins and losses has been and forever always will be turnovers. When you’re minus-3, you’ve got to be pretty epic in other ways to try to come out on top, and we just didn’t have that really in our game this week. We’ve got to continue to stress it because it happens to a lot of teams. Almost every team during the season, you go through a lull of turnovers, whether it’s getting them or giving them up, and sometimes it snowballs into two, three games, but what you don’t do is deviate from the points of emphasis just because you haven’t gotten the results. You keep trying new things. I’ll be doing my best with the coaching staff to try to problem solve that, but if you’re trying to win more than you lose in this league, you’d better be on the plus side, and that’s just a fact.
Q: Do you have any updates on the injuries that we saw? We saw DB Keion Crossen leave. CB Nik Needham got carted off. LB Trey Flowers. Do you have any update on them?
MIKE McDANIEL: I don’t really. It would be a little too early to say. I know Nik (Needham) was in pain, that it felt real, but they’ve got to — I’m not quite sure if it was the way it was either higher ankle or Achilles. I know that, just by being on the field with him. He’ll get updated on that or I’ll get you guys an update on him specifically tomorrow. Keion (Crossen), I believe it was a knee and that definitely needs some more information before I’m comfortable speaking on that one.
Q: WR Jaylen Waddle (indiscernible)?
MIKE McDANIEL: You know, Jaylen went back into the game. Level of concern, it’s one of those things that I’ve learned about Jaylen, that if there’s a will, there’s a way. He is a tough kid. A real tough kid. He really didn’t give anyone an option whether or not to be in there at the end. He was pretty hard on himself with that last fumble. If he is, I’m not terribly concerned because if it’s legit maybe AC joint, which my non-medical expertise would have guessed. I don’t really have information on that yet, but regardless of whatever it is, I know he’ll be back sooner than later, and we have plenty of players on this football team that if he is gone for a week or two that there will be no batting of an eye in confidence. Those aren’t the things that are keeping us from where we’re going to go. It’s stuff that we can figure out within ourselves, and that’s all we’re going to be focusing on.
Q: What was the risk/reward that into going into the thinking of going for points at the end of the first half?
MIKE McDANIEL: At the end of the first half? You know, the thinking really is a lot of the stuff that when I’m making those decisions, it’s based upon the whole team and where we’re at, and I wanted to — there’s been some stuff that whether it’s true or not true, it feels on the field when you’re getting a slew of penalties, it feels like it’s out of your control. It always is in your control, but it feels, and knowing how the defense was playing, I think it was — we had the opportunity to get the ball back after halftime, so I saw it as a time that would really benefit the whole team if we could go get those points. I always do that based on what’s best for the team, fully knowing that it is result-based. Great calls if it works, terrible calls if it doesn’t. But I think at that point in the game, it would have best served us to have a little momentum going into halftime, and I’ll always make that decision if that’s the case.
