Frank Smith – September 22, 2022
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I know we talked a little bit last week about FB Alec Ingold, but just to see his impact on some of the plays – on the WR Jaylen Waddle play by the goal line where he gets out and blocks someone – just the impact he’s made so far for you all, can you please talk about that?) – “Sure. I mean, that was one of the best parts about being able to get him here was just knowing who he is as a person. I mean, he’s a college free agent who was a team captain in his third year in Las Vegas, so honestly, I could say we’re not surprised with the play he’s producing right now coming off an injury. Just knowing his work ethic, his commitment, his diligence, I mean, honestly, we’re very pleased with what he’s done so far, and not surprised by what he’s been able to bring this offense through his style of play, his leadership and just overall being such a smart football player that really understands the big picture. I think it stems back to like we were talking about last week about he was a high school quarterback. So he just has a really good understanding of what the offense is trying to do and just overall of understanding what football is.”
(If I could follow up on FB Alec Ingold, we see him line up out wide and then he makes that block. We see him – obviously his position is fullback, but do you kind of view it as like, position-less football with him? Is that kind of a microcosm of the entire team with the way you guys move players around?) – “Yeah, it’s a good point. We view our players as really drivers of what the defense is trying to do, what they’re trying to accomplish in personnel groups. And when you have complete players at those position groups, guys who are have broad-based skill sets, it allows us to move them all over the football field, to basically – I wouldn’t say manipulate the defense, but just move them in ways that we’re trying to attack different parts of it. And when you’re able to acquire smart, fast players who really want to maximize their technique, that’s what you get where you look at (Alec), he’s just one component of the entire offense. But ultimately, our goal is to take these guys and use them to the best of their skill set in a way that is going to challenge the defense. And Alec is a great representation of that because not many people use a fullback anymore. And knowing him, we knew we were going to have a guy that really could do what Mike (McDaniel) and Kyle (Shanahan) similarly did in San Francisco with Kyle (Juszczyk).”
(The Bills’ ability to create pressure without necessarily blitzing this year, what kind of things does that allow them to do on the backside?) – “Yeah, I think they’ve had a great defense there for a while. Coach (Leslie) Frazier, Sean (McDermott), they’ve done a great job of assembling the talent there to really – in many ways, it reminds me of the great defenses they had in Carolina when I was coaching in New Orleans. I mean, they were really a model of many of the same things: great fundamentals, great team speed, effort to the ball. So I think that what they’re able to do, especially this season, with the pressure on the quarterback is really playing to have what they’ve kind of always believed in philosophically dating all the way back to Carolina. And that is playing hard, physical defense with strong fundamentals and attacking the ball, so it’ll be a great challenge for us this Sunday to match their intensity and play fundamentally sound ball.”
(You’re probably asked so many times so many times since the offseason, but now that we see having two wide receivers the caliber of WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle, everything that it allows you to do offensively and all the difficulties it presents to the opposing defenses?) – “Yeah, it’s been – I mean really last Sunday was a great representation of a lot of our practice habits being able to go to the game, especially in critical moments. But when you have wideouts with the skill set that they do, it really allows us to use the field in a way to create space and attack the space. I think the both of them, too, are really working so well together, working with Tua. Wes (Welker) has done a tremendous job obviously teaching the offense, fundamental skills. So overall, I’ve just been very pleased with what they’ve been able to do so far and really excited for this Sunday and just being able to build upon last week. And I think overall, the entire offense feeds upon those guys when they’re out there just making plays and playing within the timing and the framework of the offense.”
(Just a little bit ago you were answering on the pass rush. Von Miller in particular, what does he present as far as challenge for your linemen?) – “He’s a great challenge. Been a great competitor, a great player in this league for a long time. I know Eric (Studesville) has some familiarity being with him in Denver, obviously with myself being in the division for three years. I have a lot of respect for his game and understand situationally, we’re just going to have to be on it to knowing what he’s going to be able to bring in the rush whether they’re bringing it through pressure or they’re bringing it with four down (linemen). So I think ultimately, when you get in these games and you have these type players, we’re going to have be at our best when the best is required because that’s what he’s going to do. So I think ultimately, it’s going to be great challenge for our line to make sure we handle the situational stuff when he’s going to be rushing at his best.”
(Hopefully this isn’t getting too much into technique, but I’m curious when the guy has the bend ability that Von Miller does, do you change at all how your depth for your tackles or how you go about defending a player with some unique skill sets like that?) – “That’s a good question. I think that more it turns into more broad than that. You have to start it from the standpoint of who is the rusher? You look at his history. You understand what he’s trying to do. I mean, really it goes down to the opposition groups. I mean, ultimately, what is the player trying to execute inside of his scheme, with his fundamentals, with his skill set? So I think that with his ability, we’ve talked about it, I mean, obviously, we’re fortunate with a couple of us having experienced being in division or coaching him. You understand what he’s trying to do, but ultimately it’s going to come down to us really being fundamentally sound to what we’re trying to do to execute against his top-level play.”
(WR Tyreek Hill was able to get behind the defense in a couple of crucial situations. How much of that is play calling, QB Tua Tagovailoa recognizing what’s happening, Tyreek’s speed, the defense busts? But what was behind those two?) – “I think that ultimately the one was, I think Coach Harbaugh said, I think they had a bust in coverage where Tyreek (Hill) was wide open down the field. The other one was, through the concept of timing, he was able to – it was the situation where I’m sure Marcus (Peters) wasn’t thinking he’s going to run downtown on me, and he was sitting at the sticks, and then all of a sudden, you got Tyreek coming at you; you got a business decision to make and fortunately, he was able to run past him. So I think ultimately though, all passing offenses, it just comes down to timing and execution, getting on the same page with each other. And I think that, like I said earlier, the greatest thing that last Sunday was able to show was a lot of our practice habits, our work ethic really showing up at critical times.”
(When OL Connor Williams was signed, we heard a lot about his intelligence in the middle of the offensive line. Through two games, what have been the returns in the way he communicates protections and helps you guys pick up rush gains, all the stuff that goes into playing that position?) – “We can’t speak highly enough about what Connor (Williams) has been able to do. I mean, making the transition from guard to center; it’s not as easy as it appears or I should say as he’s making it look. To be able to go on the road and execute the way he’s done has been just tremendous. I think it really stands to who he is as a person. I know Matt (Applebaum), ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre), Mike (Person) – all the guys in the o-line room, myself, we’ve all really throughout spring just helping them understand what the system is about, how we identify things, how we communicate, and how the center is the driving force. And he really embraced it. In many ways, he said – when you play other positions, sometimes you learn in a way for a play and then as he came here in spring, he really had to learn. It was really a great education of defense and he really took to it. I mean, hell his brother’s a coach so you can see football runs in the blood. So just overall, what he’s been able to do and how he’s been able to execute and communicate with the guys and build confidence in the group has really been tremendous. We’ve been really proud of what he’s been able to do so far.”
(Going back to Von Miller, the matchup of him against T Terron Armstead?) – “I’m sure Terron is excited. The great competitors always want the greatest challenges. I know that the years of them going against each other, I know a lot of the times in Denver, Von (Miller) lined up on the right. But ultimately, I think great players want great competition to bring out their best and they want the best from the other side. So we’re looking forward to the challenge that their defense is going to present. I know Terron, specifically, like the rest of the linemen, are enjoying playing in big moments and big games.”
Josh Boyer – September 22, 2022
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(One interesting thing so far has been DT Zach Sieler is playing a lot more percentage of defensive snaps than a year ago. Has that been purely a matchup issue? Has it been a determination that you made that he needs to play more because he’s a productive player? Or is it both?) – “I think it’s probably a little bit of both. Obviously we feel very comfortable when Zach is out on the field and all the situations. And like we do with all of our packages, we try to put guys in good spots and Zach’s been a productive player for us. I would say he works very hard at his craft. and I think he’s shown constant improvement since the day he’s been here and I think he’s continuing to improve. I think he’s really become – we have a lot of leaders on defense. I know people talk about leadership a lot, but there’s different ways you can lead. And I think we have a good group of men that work hard. I think Zach, by example of the way he works, and the way that he produces on the field, I think guys have a lot of respect for him.”
(You go from Lamar Jackson to Josh Allen this week. They seem so opposite quarterbacks – one speed. But fundamentally, they both do a lot of the same things, right?) – “Yeah, both of them are extremely talented. I would say as far as running or throwing, both of them can run like running backs and both of them can throw the ball 80 yards. But schematically, I would say they’re two different systems, and they try to attack you in different ways. So yeah, we’ll have a big challenge for sure this week. We’re looking forward to it. But I would say there’s not a lot of carry-over from scheme from one team to the other.”
(As you look at film right now with Josh Allen and then you look back to you know a couple years back when you were scouting him for games, where has he improved the most?) – “I would say his overall total game. I think this guy, when he first came into the league, you could obviously see the talent. I think his control and comfort and command of the offense is much better. I think it’s continuing to improve. And I think it’s been at a high level for a while. But I think you can see a constant improvement with him. I think he knows what he wants to be in. I think he feels very comfortable with the offense. I think he knows more of what defenses are given him. And not that he didn’t know that a year or two ago, I think it’s just improved over time for him. I think his comfort level of commanding the offense, running the offense, and feeling comfortable in it, and then his ability to make plays, whether it’s with his arms, whether it’s with his eyes reading things, or whether it’s with his legs, I think he’s been very productive.”
(What do you think of LB Jaelan Phillips’ start to the season. He hasn’t been very active in terms of tackles and numbers. But some of the advanced metrics say he has a high pass-rush win rate. Just what’s your feel for the way he’s started his season?) – “Well, I think it’s the same with everybody. Obviously, we’re happy to be where we’re at from a win standpoint. But I think each week, there’s things that we can build on that we’ve done well, and I think there’s things that we can get corrected to try to improve. I think Mike (McDaniel) has done a great job with the team in saying that each week we need to get better than we were the week before. And I think there’s things that you can point out that, ‘okay, this was better, but we need to improve on this.’ And I think that’s what we’re striving to do. I think all players kind of fit into that category of there’s some good things out there and there’s some things that we can get a little bit better. Sometimes depending on what the scheme is, if you’re doing your job, you may not be the guy getting the production. That’s why like, to us, it makes very little – I mean this guy got this, this guy got that. It’s a team game. And this is going to be a big week for us to play complementary football. The Buffalo Bills, they’re good in all three phases. Obviously defensively, we’ve got to do a good job for Miami, holding up our end on the defensive side of it, and the offense and the kicking game. We all need to play a complementary game to get done what we want to get done.”
(Do you think LB Jaelan Phillips is doing well when the ball is coming to him or helping out so somebody else to make the play?) – “I think he’s playing within this scheme and I think it can get better. I think he’s done some good things. I think that’s like everybody. I mean we’re Week 2 in the season. I mean to sit here and say, ‘Hey, this is it. This is what it is. This is not this. This is good.’ I mean, I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s an evolving thing that we’re all trying to get better. I think that he has done some good things. And I think you’ll continue to do some good things and I think he’ll get better at some things.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us that CB Kader Kohou had kind of a look in his eye before the second half and that kind of led to him playing more in the third and fourth quarters. I was wondering if there was a more of maybe a technical reason why you all decided to go with Kader there on the outside?) – “Well, I think for us every week, it’s all kind of – you put a plan in place, especially for young guys. You put a plan in place, you try not to overload them unless you have to out of necessity. And then you see how things are going and you see their demeanor – and I think that’s probably what Mike (McDaniel) was referring to, on how things are – and then ultimately, you choose to do what you think’s best in that situation. Again, just the familiarity of the position, the corner position over the years, a lot of times you look at those guys like baseball pitchers. This guy’s a good matchup for this guy, this guy’s a good matchup for this guy. What may work for one week won’t work for the next. But like I said, I think when you’re talking with guys that have relatively limited to no experience, when you have the luxury to kind of get the reps going at a rate that you’re comfortable with to kind of bring them along, I think that’s a good thing to do. It’s a week-to-week thing for us. We’ve got a lot of guys competing in the back end and we’re excited with the improvement that we’re seeing some guys make, and we’re definitely grateful for the experience that all of them are getting, because it’s a long season and at some point, we’re going to need them. I think that’s the thought in mind, over the years. Especially a lot of times with, I can just remember over my career, sometimes, rookies, you’d put them in, and you take them out as fast as you’d put them in. But you’re trying to get them out there and get some of that playing experience. And then the more productive you are with your opportunities, obviously the more opportunities will come up. But I think it’s a calculated process. And I think it’s a week-to-week thing. And then there is an element of ‘How are things going? Is the guy ready to go?’ I think that was probably something that Mike was referring to.”
(Where is the line when you’re playing rookies and you’re getting that experience between allowing them to kind of learn on the fly and learn on their feet versus okay, you’re doing more harm than good?) – “I think it’s probably situation-based, game-based. And part of it is like, is it a favorable matchup? Or are you putting them in a tough spot, which you’re always trying to put them in favorable matchups, but the cards don’t always work that way. So I think there’s a lot of variables that go into that. But at the same time, you’re trying to build from week to week and understand that if you’re a rookie coming into the NFL, it’s a lot different season, no matter whether you played at Alabama or Texas A&M-Commerce. It’s a lot different than the season that you just went through. So I think you have a short term goal in mind, and you also are always thinking of the long term goals and implications as you go. And then the whole time, the most important thing is you’re trying to win the game at hand.”
(You guys have used CB Xavien Howard to shadow receivers in the past? What are the pros and cons of that and what goes into that decision?) – “Again, a lot of it is matchup-based and how you feel like he can do in that matchup. The other thing to consider is the guys around him and the other matchups. So again, there’s a lot of variables that go into it week to week. Some games you may go, ‘Okay, well let’s do this with him. And then everybody else will do this.’ And then maybe if you play him again, you go, ‘Okay, well, let’s do something a little bit different, and then shift this to this.’ So I think there’s just so many variables into it. But ideally, like what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to put the guys in the best spots that you possibly can. But I think it depends on individual matchup and then what you’re doing with the other guys around him.”
(I realized that last week, obviously Jerome Baker played quite a bit outside and you had LB Elandon Roberts and LB Duke Riley inside. That being said, it was a little bit eyebrow raising that LB Andrew Van Ginkel didn’t play any defensive snaps. What’s going on with him? Is it the recovery from the appendix? Is it a case of LB Melvin Ingram is simply beaten him out? Where does he stand? What’s contributed to the playing time plummeting?) – “Yeah, well I would say the fact that he’s come back from appendix surgery in like two and a half weeks is pretty impressive in and of itself. I would say he’s working his way back. I would say he’s getting his weight back, which I feel like he’s getting at pretty much back to where it was. It’s very impressive that his mental makeup and his desire to get back as fast as he has, and then there’s a lot of times where just because everybody’s available to you doesn’t mean you want to rush them out there. So he’s been a productive player for us in the past. I’m sure he’ll be a productive player for us this year. There’s nothing like, ‘Okay, well, we can’t use them in this situation.’ And then a lot of times, like I said, it’s really a matchup-based thing or how we feel it’s going into the week, the guys that we want to play. But I can’t say enough good things about Van Ginkel and his mental makeup to come back as fast as he did. I mean two and a half weeks after having your appendix – you literally just got opened up and he’s coming back in two and a half weeks. He’s a pretty tough kid.”
(On your nightly conversations with your dad, how much does Josh Allen’s name or the Bills’ offense and what they’re doing come up?) – “Yeah, well, this week, it’s been more about the Granville Blue Aces because they’re 5-0, and so they got a big one this week. So it hasn’t really – he’s pretty much been, ‘how you feel about the plan?’ It’s not really been into specifics. We’ve probably talked more about the Granville Blue Aces then we have the Buffalo Bills.”
(You’re 2-0 and he’s 5-0?) – “No. That’s the opponent. The Blue Aces are the opponent that he’s playing this week. So they got they got a big win last week team that it could have went either way. And hopefully they’re playing some of their better ball now. They do have a couple losses. But yeah, that’s been most of the talk this week was about Granville.”
(Do you help him out?) – “No, no, no. One, I don’t know what they’re running or what system they are. But you know, but that’s what we’ve been talking about.”
(Does he have any advice for you?) – “Not really football advice. So we were just talking, we talked a little bit about my daughter’s taekwondo classes and how that’s going and stuff. So she’s a three-year-old and she’s kicking some boards and stuff. (laughter) So that’s good. And he likes the videos. So yeah, that’s kind of pretty much the advice he’s given me this week. It’s normal stuff.”
(You guys have two short-yardage stops in the game on Sunday and one in the game against the Patriots. I’m just curious, how are you guys able to get off the field so often and fourth-and-short?) – “Well, I think it’s a mentality. And I think the one thing that definitely stands out about our group of guys, and I think you can appreciate is basically the first drive of the game, if you will, it was basically a 20-play drive, and we ended up an inch away from a touchdown. And I think our guys mentality – and there’s a lot of second-and-one stops or a lot of third-and-one stops. Obviously, we’ve got to do a better job of getting off the field when we have opportunities. But I would say it’s a mentality. A lot of times it’s somebody beating somebody on a block. It comes down to blocking and tackling, pad level. Usually you’re going to have a body for a body in those situations. I think our guys played with really good effort getting to the ball. Obviously sometimes there’s a lot of variables that can go into those plays. I think it’s a credit to our players, that they really defend every blade of grass that’s out there. Now, it doesn’t always work in our favor. But we’re going to get that effort and I think they know and understand what we’re trying to defend while we’re out there.”
Danny Crossman – September 22, 2022
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel was saying it was the first time in your career you had a kickoff return taken back for a touchdown. I’m sure you obviously weren’t happy about that. Can you give us a little insight on maybe what happened there?) – “Well No. 1, it was an opener. I’ve given up a couple others, sadly. It’s been a while though. But it’s like anything else. There’s fit. Think of it as a run play – there’s guys that have certain fits and certain responsibilities. Against a dynamic return guy, if everybody’s not where they’re supposed to be, there’s going to be an issue. And then we had compounded that with a second issue of a secondary player. So it was a very poor play. I take the blame for it. Like anything, good plays – you guys have been around – good plays, give all the credit to the players; the bad plays, blame me. So I have to do a better job.”
(How did you like the way special teams responded to that after the fact?) – “I think that was critical. And really, not only the kicking game players but our whole team. If you think about that game, we overcame a couple of turnovers. Minus-two in the turnover (battle) and you have a 17 percent chance of winning. You give up chunk plays on defense. You give up a big play in the kicking game. We overcame a lot as a team. And the kicking game in particular, bad things are going to happen. It’s the National Football League. Some days you get the bear and some days the bear gets you. But you better be able to overcome and not let things spiral. It’s the old adage that we played 30 plays but you only remember one of them. And that’s the way it is.”
(This is a little bit philosophical. The kickoff has kind of been decreased, some of the rule changes and kickers kicking it out. Because of that, there may be less reps in games. So I’m curious how that impacts how you coach that play in particular?) – “I think any time you have less live reps at something, it’s going to be a factor. But if we play our rules, if I do a better job of coaching our rules and our techniques, that shouldn’t be a factor. But I think without question, you’ve seen the reduction in the number of returns over the last couple of years. But like we all know, as the season goes on, based on who you’re playing, where you’re playing, weather becomes a factor, there’s a lot of things that go into that goes on that.”
(What is practice like for players on that kick coverage team? What do they hear from you? Is there an added intensity that comes from you in the week after giving that up?) – “No. Whether it’s a good play or bad play, it’s a play and you’ve got to move on. As long as you’re coaching and teaching the same things and you don’t go and try and change things, you’re going to be fine. We’ve been, in my opinion, fairly successful at what we’ve been doing and how we cover kicks. So we’re not going to make changes and we’re not going to – I’m not going to act like a knucklehead. We gave up a play, give credit to them, take blame where it’s deserved on our part and move on and continue to teach and coach what we’re doing.”
(What do you see from the Buffalo returners in terms of WR Isaiah McKenzie and RB James Cook?) – “And (Jamison) Crowder does the punt return. When you look at the Bills as a whole, they’re a very good team, well-coached, good players. Point differential, which year-in and year-out is a great indicator of quality of clubs. The last several years, they’ve been near the top or at the top of point differential every year. They’re stingy on defense, they play well in the kicking game, explosive on offense, very good complementary football. So it’s going to be a challenge for our club this weekend.”
(Very random question here. Fake field goals, you see them so infrequently. Is it harder to execute that play or defend against that play?) – “Well, I think again, there’s a lot of variables. Any time you talk about any – I don’t want to say risk play – but there’s a lot of things that that you look for when you break down people. So I don’t think that either one of them is harder or less hard. I think as a coach, you cover all the bases of our possibilities of what we may be able to execute and then making sure all our bases are covered on what the opposition may be able to execute. Then you constantly self-scout as the year goes by of, what are we doing? If I was playing us, what would I do? So all those things go into it.”
(Just kind of following up on that, I’m curious, in your career, do kickers or punters try to come up to you and show off their arm strength or show off their legs and try to convince you?) – “From my first meeting every year when we get together, it’s ‘I want to see – show me what you can do. Don’t tell me what you can do; show me what you can do.’ When we go out for practice and walkthroughs, guys are always – sometimes, they’re doing it on purpose and sometimes, they just happen to be messing around and I see something and it piques an interest and ‘Hey, maybe we can execute and do something with that.’”
Jerome Baker – September 21, 2022
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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
LB Jerome Baker
(People are saying that your coach cracks jokes, he keeps things loose but we’ll see when the crap hits the fan. Well at halftime, the crap hit the fan last week and you guys responded. Can you talk a little bit about what the connection with your coach, with your teammates, and what happened from halftime to the second half?) – “I think as a team, we all knew that the first half wasn’t us. It wasn’t just our head coach, it was the leaders on our team, our captains – just everybody. We all knew we had to lock it in. In years past, we all have been in tough games and we came back and gave teams a challenge. We knew we had it in us and it worked out for us in the second half and we got it done.”
(You’re playing a better quarterback and a better offense this week. What do you guys have to do to make sure that you’re not in that hole again?) – “I think the first thing is to start fast. We can’t come out there and give a team like Buffalo the lead or anything like that. We just got to got out there and play what we do, play together, play hard and we will be alright.”
(You talked about containing QB Lamar Jackson. How do you contain QB Josh Allen?) – “That’s going to be a big test. It’s one of those things that’s the same thing as Lamar. The d-line has got to lock it in. We can’t have him rolling out and just throwing the ball anywhere. They’ve got a lot of weapons with (Stefon) Diggs and guys like that. It’s going to be a good one. It’s going to be a tough one, but I think we’re up for the challenge.”
(How do you assess the pass rush you guys have had so far this year?) – “I think it’s one of those things where of course we can get better. It’s easier to say that when you’re 2-0. A guy like Josh (Allen), we’re definitely going to have to lock it in and get to him and affect him a little bit. I think we’re up for the challenge with that.”
(Did you watch Monday night’s game?) – “A little bit, a little bit. I ended up falling asleep so I only watched a little bit of it.”
(You can attack a stationary quarterback, but you didn’t play one last week and you aren’t playing one this week. Talk to us about that pass rush. What do you have to do?) – “It’s more of a contain thing. You don’t want him rolling out and just having free access to look down the field or have that option of throwing it down the field or just running the ball. You really have to contain him. Even when you have free shots at him, you have to be under control because he can easily make that first guy miss and now you’re leaving a big gap. It’s really a team effort, a defensive effort, and I think we’re up for the challenge.”
(It’s clear you have a good team, but in your mind as a veteran that’s been here for a while, can you be the team you want to be without beating Buffalo? Or do you need to beat them at some point?) – “That is a good question right there. I think for us, we know how good we are. We know how good we can be. I think Buffalo is our big test we have coming up. Ultimately, we just got to get it done every week. Sunday is going to be a great test for us.”
Jaelan Phillips – September 21, 2022
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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
LB Jaelan Phillips
(On facing QB Josh Allen) – “He’s tremendous. He’s a really talented guy both physically and mentally, his knowledge of the game. Somebody like him, we’re just going to have to bring our A-game, for sure.”
(You guys carried the team to so many wins last year. To have the offense do what they did to sort of carry you in the fourth as you were getting stops, what was that like on the other side of the ball?) – “I think having a team or having an offense that can put up that many points definitely gives us some relief. But at the end of the day, if we as a defense don’t make all of those stops in the fourth quarter and especially that goal-line stop in the first half, the game might be different. It all comes back to complementary football and playing well for each other and with each other.”
(You’ve been around Miami for a while now. Even though you are inside the locker room, have you felt a different kind of buzz about this game coming up?) – “I mean we try to treat every game like any other game because you don’t want to inflate any game and get too high and play outside of yourself. But it’s definitely an exciting game. Two talented teams. We’re super excited for this game. Obviously a divisional (game) and it’s a big rivalry, so we’re going to bring our A-game.”
(Tackling a guy like QB Josh Allen, do you go for the legs? The midsection? What’s the best way to tackle him?) – “Just anything to get him down. (laughter) Wrap him up and make sure you get him to the ground.”
(On the difference when rushing a passer who can run) – “It’s all about a team-rush mentality, so marrying the outside rushers with the inside rushers so you’re not creating lanes for the quarterback to step up in. So yeah, you definitely have to be diligent in your rules and what we’re doing as a defense.”
(Did you watch last year’s tape of the Bills games or mostly just their first two games against the Rams and Titans?) – “We’re watching both. We watch our games a lot obviously because they are playing us and they’re going to repeat certain plays that worked well against us in the past. But they’re also going to have new things. Definitely watching these last two games that they played and our games from last year and their games from last year and two seasons ago. There’s a lot that goes into film study.”
(Is this a statement game for you guys?) – “Like I said before, we try not to inflate any one game over the other. Really, it’s just about taking it day-by-day and being present in the time. We’re going to play our asses off like we do any other week. It’s a big game, for sure.”
(On starting fast and facing adversity) – “Adversity is great because it shows you a lot about yourself but obviously we don’t want that much adversity. (laughter) So we’re going to come out and try to correct some of the things that we were doing poorly and just keep it pushing.”
(How excited are you for Greg Rousseau and seeing the success he’s having?) – “It’s great for Greg. I love it, man. He’s a great kid. Him and I are close. I’m always excited to see my guys have great success like that.”
(Any fun wagers going on between you and him this week?) – “No. I don’t talk to him game week. We don’t speak when we play each other. It will be fun. It will be great to see him on the field.”
(On winning at the line of scrimmage) – “You never want to chase numbers and chase stats. It’s all about just the effort and focusing on honing your craft. I’m just going to continue to try to improve and bring some pressure.”
(Can you describe on the field what it’s like playing defense a guy like QB Josh Allen?) – “I mean it’s a war. Every time you go out there, every single play is a battle. When you have an offense that is as dynamic as the Bills are, they can really take the top off at any time. You have to prepare for everything and you have to bring your A-game when you come, so you better believe we’ll be playing hard.”
(Do you know LB Von Miller at all?) – “Never personally but I’ve spoken to him over Instagram and things like that.”
(When you see him on the field, is he a guy you’re going to seek out? What will you ask him?) – “How he’s still doing it after 12 years like he is. (laughter) He puts on these pass rush summits in the offseason and that’s something I am looking forward to and hopefully next year I’ll be able to attend. But yeah, just studying him, being a student of the game. He’s incredibly talented. He has an arsenal of different moves that he can do and a lot of juice for how long he’s been doing it. It’s impressive.”
(The University of Miami plays Middle Tennessee State this week. Have you and OL Robert Jones been trash talking throughout the week?) – “He’s trying to make bets and stuff and I don’t even listen because we’re going to dog them boys. (laughter) I don’t have anything to say. It’s Middle Tennessee. They’ve got to bring their A-game for sure, but it’s Middle Tennessee.”
Tua Tagovailoa – September 21, 2022
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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(On his t-shirt) – “’I wish it were hotter.’ That’s a phrase that Mike (McDaniel) likes to say. More so reverse psychology, if you will. It gets really hot out here and so just say it, believe it.”
(What was your reaction to winning AFC Offensive Player of the Week? Was it expected after the game?) – “It was cool. That’s my first one, but I’ve said this in many other interviews that individual success is only done within team success. If we never won that game, if the defense never did what they did, if our offense didn’t go out and put points on the board; none of that would have been possible. So I amend that to our team.”
(You got that award, but were you also getting a lot of congratulatory messages from friends and family after that game?) – “Yeah, I got a lot of messages after the game. But yeah, just normal congratulations.”
(There’s a bunch of stats through the first few weeks of the season to show how you’ve proved how you’re a better player. Through two weeks, what is something that maybe the average person hasn’t seen that you think you’re executing at a higher level than years past?) – “Well, I think it’s hard to look back at the things that I did last year or the year prior because of what the offense entails for us. You got to be locked into every play. You’ve got to understand the landmarks, motion points. There’s a lot to the offense, so it’s kind of hard for me to evaluate myself from years prior. But that’s not something that I would say I necessarily do on my own as well. I don’t just go back and look at all the years that I’ve played and all the games that I’ve played in and then compare it to this year. They’re all three different systems and they all work differently. So I’ve got to hone in on what every play asks of me and go out there and execute.”
(Is there a particular part of your game that you feel that much more comfortable about right now?) – “Well, I think I feel comfortable distributing the ball to our playmakers. Just getting the ball into the hands of our playmakers and letting them go to work.”
(I’m doing something on home-field advantage and I’m wondering from your perspective and your experience, what makes home-field advantage – the venue, the crowd, the actual team that plays in that venue? What makes home-field advantage?) – “Well, I would say the crowd for one and then I would say the atmosphere, like our first game. I would say that was probably the most people that I’ve seen in our stadium and it got really loud for the opposing team’s offense and that’s probably the loudest that I’ve heard since I got here with the Miami Dolphins fans at Hard Rock (Stadium). I think that plays a big key with how they operate within their offense, but, yeah, I would say there’s not much more to it than just that.”
(We talked with Head Coach Mike McDaniel about stacking good days in light of success. What’s your approach to that?) – “Yeah, I would say the same thing, just one day at a time. Got to continue to go out there and take what we’ve learned from the meetings out there to the field and get it corrected when we watch film.”
(Why are you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel seemingly a perfect fit?) – “Why are we a perfect fit? That’s a unique question. I mean…”
(Or what about him allows you to be the best version of yourself and play the best football that you have of your career?) – “Yeah, I think what Mike does with our offense is he complements everyone’s talent. He complements everyone’s ability within the offense. For instance, if I’m good with RPO’s, he’ll find some way to get the RPO implemented. If I’m good with something else or if someone’s good running a certain route, we’ll find ways to get him the ball within that route a few different ways. So things like that.”
(There was obviously a lot of talk about broken coverages at the end of Sunday’s game, but I’m wondering from you and this offense’s perspective, were there things that y’all did to maybe set the defense up to bust their coverages or what have people missed about that fourth quarter?) – “Yeah, I’m not too sure if what we did offensively with motions screwed them up, but then again, we have no control over what they do on the other side. All we can do is go through our reads, go through our progressions and then get the open guys the ball.”
(How much of a measuring stick is Buffalo for you guys?) – “We understand that they’re a really good team. That’s no secret. Everyone knows that they’re really good team. They’re tough defensively, they’re explosive offensively. So I wouldn’t say that we have a measuring stick for how good that these guys are because when you look at it, their opening game, they beat the Super Bowl champions of last year. And they didn’t just beat them; it was by a lot. And the next team they played, a really good team; they beat them by a lot. So for us, we’re just looking at playing the way we play and playing the way we’ve played for the past two weeks and we’ll go out there, they’ll get our best and we’ll get theirs.”
(You mentioned motion a second ago. I think you guys lead the league in pre-snap motion. Can you explain what that does for you as a quarterback getting it to WR Tyreek Hill or WR Jaylen Waddle?) – “Well, we get to see what kind of defensive front they run. If they do adjust their fronts with our motions with our tight ends and then with our jet motions with Tyreek (Hill), Jaylen (Waddle), and all our other guys in the back end, we get to see how they move within their coverages and it’s going to be a real good challenge for us this week because of how sound Buffalo plays defensively with those.”
(If I could quickly follow up, have you seen example maybe in this game or the first game of how a defense has reacted on that motion that has affected the play?) – “I would say in one instance where Chase (Edmonds) ran the ball in the fourth quarter to get us down into the red area. I don’t know maybe it was like the 10-yard line or the 5-yard line – somewhere down there – we’ve been we’ve been running a certain play where I keep the ball and just dish it out to guys and that motion helped get guys to move out of their gaps and Chase was able to run and get a tremendous amount of yards. So I would say that’s kind of how we look at plays complementing other plays.”
(Obviously the comeback was fun because you won the game, but is there an emphasis this week on starting fast so that you don’t have to play come back?) – “Yeah, we talk about adversity as an opportunity, but I think that was a little too much adversity. I don’t think we want that much adversity. (laughter) But for sure, we definitely want to start a lot faster. We want to get into the game and just stay on top of what we got to do.”
(We know that WR Tyreek Hill obviously thinks your coach has lot of confidence. The fourth-and-7 call coming back from three touchdowns down, when did you have a sense that this guy was going to go for it, that this wasn’t – you know first year coach sometimes get scared – he wasn’t…?) – “I mean, you never know with Mike. I’m just like, are we going for it? Are we not? He’ll just say, ‘hey, just stay in there, we’re kind of waiting to see where they mark it’ or just things like that. But I think Mike has the utmost confidence in our offense, that if he does call a play, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to execute it to the best of our ability. And yeah, he just has trust in us.”
(I just wanted to ask you your impressions of Josh Allen?) – “Beast. I mean, he’s a beast. I don’t know what else to say about him. I mean the guy runs the ball when he needs to, extends plays with his legs. He can get the ball down the field and he gets the ball to his playmakers. That’s the biggest thing. But beast. The guy’s a beast.”
Mike McDaniel – September 21, 2022
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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Could you please update us on where you stand at tight end? Any update? Will the four players who worked out for this week be signing? Are TE Cethan Carter and TE Hunter Long healthy this week?) – “That was more you try to get in front of potential situations. We don’t have a situation now. But we’re very close to having one. So instead of – (General Manager) Chris Grier and the staff do a great job of staying in front of that stuff. So you get that done on the front end so should we have any more issues at the position, we know exactly where we want to go. That was the purpose of that whole deal. And right now, we feel good about Hunter and Cethan in terms of the progress that they’ve made.”
(Is TE Cethan Carter out of concussion protocol?) – “I don’t know when the protocol ends, but he’s still protocoled. And that’s the protocol for me to explain that. (laughter) But he’s doing well and progressing. He was watching walkthrough from a stationary bike, sweating, and that’s always good sign.”
(You guys have won seven straight at Hard Rock Stadium. When you look at home field advantage, do you think it’s a venue and a location? Or is it the team that plays at that venue and location?) – “I think it’s a little bit of both, for sure. There’s something to be said about the team that’s playing in front of their fans. It takes the human beings to appreciate what the home crowd is doing. And then it takes a home crowd that’s vested and committed. And I think both of those things are occurring, I can tell – obviously I wasn’t here last year, but the feedback that I got from the first game from all the players really, was that they could tell the difference in that there was an added excitement and really energy. And that helps players more than fans can realize. When you bring the juice, football players are normal human beings as well, where they can feel that and it energizes them to push them possibly beyond where they’d otherwise go.”
(Is it a bit of a cram this week with the Monday night game for the Bills, getting the game plan for today ready?) – “No. If it’s a new coordinator or new head coach, that’s a issue. When you have – I’ve been fortunate to be in the NFL long enough to know exactly – really, for all the way back from the Carolina days. Really, Coach (Leslie) Frazier – they both (Ken Dorsey) have done a great job. And so you kind of understand, like any really good high-level coaches, they have a principality to them, a starting point, and then it’s whether or not they’re doing little nuances within it – points of emphasis. But you guys know that regardless if it works or not, you’re going see outside zone. They’re going to play unbelievable strenuous defense. They’re going to play hard and run to the ball. And they’re going to force you into mistakes because they can get home with their four-man rush. It’s always good to see and you get a different perspective of where they’re at, especially Game Two, but it didn’t really put us behind, just because that defense in general, it’s kind of like you know what it is. That’s what I appreciate so much about it as because they’re not hiding from what they are. They say we’re going to take our guys and line up and we’re going to play the same type of defense against every offensive structure and our guys are really good players that play hard for each other and do something about it is what they kind of do. So, in this circumstance, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
(You played against QB Josh Allen in San Francisco in 2020. What was your first impression of him then? How have you seen him grow in the two years since?) – “Well, it goes further than that. I saw his growth in Wyoming. That’s what was really cool was it was an example of young in his career, the guy is a giant with a giant arm. But he had kind of like a stigma about accuracy or something that, I think each year in his college career, he drastically improved. You can tell – which was a big deal to me with him coming out because you learn a lot, not by hearing, but by seeing. And what you could see was a guy diligently working at his craft, who’s however old he is. So fast forward to the league and I think we’ve all been witnesses to he’s steadily become one of the best players in the National Football League. (You could) easily argue he’s the best one. And it’s not because he’s God’s gift. It’s because he’s unbelievably talented. But it’s because you can tell more than that, it’s because he works at his craft. He’s developing every time he’s on the field. He’s a really, really good player that you’ll never, I don’t think, see him stopped necessarily. It’s about minimizing and containing all together.”
(When you first found out that you’ll have WR Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle together, was there some kind of vision of what you could scheme up with the two of them? Was last Sunday some validation of that coming to fruition?) – “I don’t think – it’s always kind of difficult. I hadn’t personally been around two players in the same position group of that caliber. I think it’s the, ‘What if you had two?’ It’s an exciting thought. But then more than anything, I tried not to get ahead of myself with any of it. You’re trying to acquire, you’re trying to get your hands on some talented players for our quarterback to throw to as well as to hand it to and etc. But I think it’s important to put stuff in the players’ hands and kind of see how they digest all the stuff, and really to kind of let your offensive scheme evolve. So I wouldn’t say I would envision it. And I probably didn’t allow myself to hope that they would be that productive on a given game. But the best thing about it is I don’t think, if you ask them point blank if they were very happy with the game, I think they were happy with being able to make plays. But there’s a lot of stuff for them to clean up, especially in the first half. So while they were making plays, that’s not the final product of the vision to me. I think the final product is better execution with other things that were not at the point of attack and then offensively it would be everyone – I don’t think you ever want to go that extreme with targets. I think the best your offense can be is when you can distribute the ball. But shoot, I’m not going to argue with hot hands, so I’m also not hard-headed that way. So I think there’s a lot more to see from them for the rest of the course of the season. But they also know that’s on them to develop their game within the offense because I’m pretty sure every other defense also took note and will have a plan to get in front of them as well.”
(WR Tyreek Hill said after the game it looked like you were playing Madden with your play-calling in the fourth quarter. What is your experience playing Madden as a play-caller, if you have at all?) – “Hmm, I don’t know about all that. I think when players are doing some video game stuff, it can look like it has maybe something to do with me but I don’t think it has anything to do with me. I think that’s players executing plays. I was a college football – I used to love back in college is probably when I last really did it. And I was more into like building the program. For like whatever it was, I’d be like the Colorado Buffaloes and they’d be a historic national championship team, which you can tell is a video game. (laughter) I love the Colorado Buffalos still, but with Madden, I never really – once they started taking it to the next level where you could do multiple buttons for multiple moves and stuff, I’m kind of like a poor sport. So when I can’t dominate, I just tap with stuff like that. My video game prowess isn’t that high, to be honest, and I really haven’t played since I was a couple years ago in college, which is like 20 now. (laughter)”
(You made some waves with the sunglasses on Sunday.) – “I did?”
(Yeah, on social media a little bit they were noticed. The watches, the shoes, you seem to have a little bit of swag, so to speak. Where does that come from? How long have you had that going on?) – “If you’ve been to your optometrist lately, you’d know that there’s some – which, I did trying to get contacts here, is they let me know that I had some sun damage on my eyes. And so how do you protect that? You wear sunglasses. Watches are important to tell time. And I like to know what time it is. There’s nothing worse than the boss who is like, ‘What time is it?’ But outside of that – I don’t even think about it, to be honest, which probably gets some judgment here or there. But I think it’s important, when you do have the opportunity to be in a leadership role, to if you’re going to ask people to be honest with themselves and take an honest look at how they approach their stuff, I think it’s important to lead by example. I don’t want people feeling judged about trivial things because I think that’s an opportunity cost. If you’re trying to sit here and guess what I expect you to act like, that seems like the most inefficient process known to man. And when you’re doing that, that opportunity cost, you’re not thinking about what’s important. So I think it’s important from my vantage point to worry about the stuff that I think is important to my job and them and the players and the team. And to be honest, I don’t put that much thought outside of my normal thought. I like shoes, so if I’m like ‘Hey,’ on a given day, ‘that shoe looks cool,’ then I’ll wear that. But yeah, outside of that I was just trying to keep my retinas protected and know what time it is.”
(I don’t know if you’ve crossed paths with Ken Dorsey at any point in your career. He’s a big name down here obviously winning a title with the Hurricanes. What’s impressive about him as an offensive coordinator?) – “I was in that generation that was very enamored with – I respect really thin ballers. Because if you’re balling in a bunch of chaos, it means you’re kind of fearless. Otherwise, because you’d probably break. So as a player, I loved him. As a coach, he has been very impressive. just because it’s no tall task to replace the guy he replaced. Their offense has had a ton of success. So that is a subconscious burden and you’re interested to see how people react to that. I think what’s been obvious on tape, and I don’t know him personally, but watching the tape is he is not rinse and repeat. He’s not just doing what they’ve done, which I respect and it takes some guts. I think he’s done what they do well and then it’s obvious that he’s locked into what the quarterback likes. But you can also tell he’s working at it because there are different presentations of things and different concepts week in and week out, which is very telling to me. So I respect not only the coaching that he’s doing, but I respect his authenticity for whatever he wants to be because people really didn’t know. And what I do know is if you do anything a little different and it doesn’t work, you leave yourself vulnerable for naysayers. So I really respect the fact that he’s done whatever he’s done for the right reasons, which is obvious on tape.”
(How about QB Tua Tagovailoa being named the player of the week?) – “Yeah, how about that? Yeah, it’s awesome. It’s a team award to me, but an award that he tremendously deserves because when you’re around the guy and you see him work amongst noise and you see him – who doesn’t appreciate an earned achievement? I think he’s done a great job handling all the stuff that he can control and not worrying about the stuff that he can’t. And I think our entire team felt a little ownership too, because they all have his back. And if as an organization we’d allow it, you’d hear a ton more rants from players because they see him work each and every day. And like I said, whenever I talked to you guys last, I don’t think his teammates were totally surprised. They were just excited.”
(Stacking it something coaches talk about a lot – stacking good days on good days. What’s the next stack for QB Tua Tagovailoa after a record day?) – “Oh, I mean, it’s using that day in a beneficial manner moving forward. So what that means to me is I mean situations, numbers, all those things I’m not talking about – statistically his rating or any of that stuff. It’s using that game for confidence, understanding how he got there – that was a ton of prep on the game week and harnessing that moment where he – the second pick he threw was the worst that he’s thrown in practice or games for me. And what he did after that, that’s something to hold on to. So I think stacking – it’s impossible. The people are too good. Teams are too good. Coaches are too good. You’re just not going to get better stats week in, week out. It’s bigger than that. It’s how he approaches his position and whether or not – if he feels himself pressing, like he did when he threw that second pick, how fast can you get out of that yourself and utilize that whole experience for confidence moving forward.”
Christian Wilkins – September 19, 2022
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Monday, September 19, 2022
DT Christian Wilkins
(How much have you calmed down from yesterday and the plane ride and that game?) – “It’s the 24-hour rule. That’s how you approach it in the NFL. After today – well, meetings are over now so we can’t really think about it anymore. It was a gutsy, gritty win on the road, especially the way it started. We were able to come back after putting ourselves in a pretty tough situation. But we did a good job of sticking together and just kept playing ball all the way through, so that was a lot of fun.”
(Fans are very excited about this Buffalo game. Your thoughts? Is it one of 17 or a big game?) – “They’re all big. You’ve got to approach it the same way each week because once you start playing that inconsistency game in the NFL, you get showed up for sure. You can’t be like, ‘Oh, let’s prepare harder this week because it’s such and such.’ No. We’ve been building a good foundation since April, since we got started. Guys are coming in with the right mindset, taking care of business and being professional. From that standpoint, it’s just any other week. It’s just business as usual with how we’ve been carrying ourselves since April.”
(When talking about targets, TE Mike Gesicki just mentioned a few minutes ago that it’s about the team, it’s not about me. Inside the locker room, how do you get to that point about thinking it’s not about individual effort and it’s collectively what we can do?) – “Really, no one is more important than the team as a whole. Whether we experience that on the d-line, guys experience that on the offensive side or Mike said – there’s a little bit of that. Sometimes it’s not your play to make. Sometimes if you do your job, that’s what the team needs right there. So do it to the best of your abilities and plays will come your way when it’s your time. That’s kind of the mindset and you’ve just got to take that approach because it’s a team game.”
(Your defense is obviously a prideful group that has accomplished a lot. How mad were you all collectively with yourselves at halftime, and to be able to come back and play as well as you did in the second half?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say mad was the word. There were just a few plays, really. We knew we could make the adjustments. We knew what we were doing wrong and we were able to do a little better in the second half. The biggest thing was we were able to make the plays we needed to make when we needed to make them. That was the most important piece of it all.”
(Building on that, can you talk about the tone in the huddle? Were guys looking at each other saying ‘Let’s make this play. We’ve done it before.’) – “Yeah, it was really just a one play at a time mindset. It really wasn’t like – we kind of talked about it and we just knew we’re going to have to play each play as an individual play. You can’t win the game thinking about what’s coming. You have to just have the right mindset and carry through one play at a time.”
(Last year you did the worm in the end zone. I’m curious your thoughts on TE Mike Gesicki’s griddy yesterday.) – “That was wow. (laughter) It was interesting. I give Mike props for effort. He gets an A for effort but the execution was pretty bad. That was pretty funny. I appreciate all the laughs of people seeing it on social media everywhere. Mike is one of my best friends so I give him an A for effort.”
(What do you think of Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s cut-up in the film session?) – “Oh, that was really funny. That was really on point. We all got a good laugh out of that one. I didn’t see Mike (Gesicki) laughing too much but I thought it was pretty funny. (laughter)”
(What about the challenge of facing QB Josh Allen this week.) – “It’s a great challenge. Josh is a heck of a player. He’s proven that over his last few years in the league. He’s got a lot. He can run. He’s a dual-threat. He can throw the ball. He really has few weaknesses. We’ve got to be ready. We’re going to have to have a good week of prep to prepare for him. He’s a heck of a player.”
(How will you take advantage of your free day tomorrow?) – “I do pretty much the same thing every off day. I come in, take care of my body, get ahead on the opponent and then get away from ball for a little bit after I take care of all my stuff in the morning.”
(On Friday there’s a big soccer game at Hard Rock Stadium. Are you going? It’s Lionel Messi coming to play at Hard Rock Stadium?) – “That’s right. That’s obviously a big deal. I might try to go check it out for a little bit … I think it’s going to be awesome. It’s pretty cool to have Messi here and everything like that. Obviously he’s an exciting player. He’s one of the best right now. I might try to go check it out for a little bit so that’s cool.”
