Josh Boyer – September 15, 2022
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Thursday, September 15, 2022
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(What are the difficulties you find in preparing for a team that maybe you’re playing for the second time this season that you’ve played in close proximity before?) – “Yeah, I think every time you go into a game plan, you always take into account whether it’s a coordinator from a different team, or whether it’s the same coordinator, the same team; I think you always look at the ways that they tried to attack you, the ways that we thought were good going into it, and then the results and the things that actually happened in the game. I think each game is different. Sometimes the games have a different ebb and flow to them. I think there’s always an element of adjusting going into the game. So I think every team in the league would do their due diligence and always study past games against the same opponent, same coordinator. I think those things happen on a week-in and week-out basis.”
(On if he believes in pounding an opponent with something they haven’t proven they can beat versus being ahead of them in making adjustments because you’re preparing for them to counter) – “Yeah, I think there’s a balance there, for sure. I don’t think you want to be predictable in anything you do. We see that defensively. If there’s things that we struggled with, we definitely prepare for that and anticipate that it will show up again the next week. But I think there’s a balance of giving them a little bit of an element of surprise and then really just trying to put your players in position to succeed. Ultimately, that’s what it really, really is about. It doesn’t necessarily mean this coverage, this front. It’s really what you think is best for your team to succeed and really get off the field and get the ball back to the offense.”
(I’m sure that in any given situation, you love having the element of surprise, but I wonder in something like a Cover 0, is the element of surprise that much more important or just the same? How does that work do you think?) – “Sometimes when you line up, obviously you can kind of tell what’s coming defensively. We try to disguise things as best we can so that all looks don’t look the same. But I think it comes down to execution. I really do. I know you guys keep referring to the game from a year ago, but even in some of those zero blitzes, they had some good answers, but it really came down to execution. And that’s in any defensive scheme or any offensive scheme. They have good coaches over there. They’re going to be well prepared. We know and understand that. We’re working very hard to put together the best game plan that we feel going into the game and we’re looking forward to the competition on Sunday.”
(How much, if at all, does George Godsey being on their staff this year impact the game plan?) – “The NFL is really a small, tight knit community. So I mean, usually, you’re always going to have players that are on the other team that you’ve coached or have been in your system or coaches. Last week obviously there was a massive amount of familiarity – I would say us with their offense and them with us defensively. I think each week that you go into it, there’s going to be somebody that you probably know or has worked with somebody. Ultimately it comes down to really game planning and execution. I mean, that’s really what it comes down to. I don’t think that – do they know the ins and outs of what you’re doing? Things are different from year to year. It’s kind of like I talked about last week, once you leave the building of somewhere, you really don’t know everything that’s going on, if that makes sense.”
(One reason that CB Kader Kohou mentioned he signed here was the interest that you took in him and how you all cultivated a relationship during the process. Do you remember was there a day where you were just looking at tape in February or March of him and you saw something that you liked that you told General Manager Chris Grier about? How did that play out with him?) – “I remember it very well. It was actually the day before the draft, if I remember correctly. Usually – there’s a lot there’s a lot of players that you look at going into the draft, and for me, I usually always save the corners for last. I spend a lot more time on the front and then I go to the ‘backers, off the ball ‘backers, on the ball ‘backers, spend time with the rushers, then I go to the safety group and then usually the corner group is the last group that I hit. And I believe that was right before an OTA session, if I’m not mistaken and I saw him on film – and I’ve got a list of every position and then you just start moving guys up and down your list where you got him – and I saw him and I was like, ‘I like this kid and I need to talk to him.’ It was a matter of could I fly out there before or could we just do it on Zoom, and we had a Zoom conversation. It was very clear to me how I thought he would fit in this defense and we had a good conversation. I had a good conversation with his agent. Then it came to the process of talking to our scouts, who they all have their evaluations and talking to Chris (Grier) obviously. In fact, I mentioned something to Chris, out on the field, when we were – and Chris has got a lot going on. I mean, he’s got thousands and thousands of guys. I mean, he’s looking at the other side of the ball, too, before the draft. So he’s probably looking at me like, ‘Hey, who are you talking about?’ But no, Chris was awesome. And he goes, ‘Okay, I’m going to get on that.’ And then really, (Assistant General Manager) Marvin Allen did an awesome job when it came to post-Draft, to make sure that we were able to secure Kader (Kohou). So it’s a group process to get things done. Obviously, we’re happy that he’s here and we’re looking forward to working with him and hopefully he can grow and get better as we move forward. But yeah, that’s usually how the process works. You basically, you evaluate a bunch of players, you kind of move them up and down where you see fit. And then it’s really important to make contact. If you haven’t, I would say – over the years, a lot of guys – Keion (Crossen) is a good example. I actually went to Western Carolina to work him out. And it was one of those deals that I had a good meeting there and then we ended up drafting him late in the seventh round. And some guys, you just do the workout, some guys you call and talk to. Nik Needham would have been a guy that really a lot of that talk was with his agent. And sometimes when you find out that there’s not a lot of interest there, you’re going, ‘Okay, we’re probably the best offer, then.’ So everybody has a different story, a different path, I think there’s a lot of guys that do their due diligence of going through and looking at guys. And it’s always, I think, just a little bit better when you can evaluate a guy and put him in your system, and then that checks out with the guys that have already evaluated him. So it makes that for a little bit smoother process. I know that was kind of a long-winded answer there, but that’s kind of what happened.”
(What specific trait of CB Kader Kohou’s jumped out at you?) – “There’s a lot of things that you look for. I think that he was physical, he had a great play style. I think those are the big key things. And then you – especially when you’re looking at guys that are free agents or late round picks, there’s usually something that’s going to be looked over whether it’s level of competition, height, speed. All guys have different things. So I think there’s an element of things that you look for in those guys and then really, you need to find out what motivates them, what drives them, because it’s going to be an uphill battle and they’ve got to come to work every day, and they’ve got to focus on getting better every day. So, I think those are the things that you really kind of look for. That’s why I think it’s important to make contact with the guys and get in touch with them. And I would say Kader in particular, talking to him, if you guys ever get the opportunity, I mean, he’s an impressive individual.”
(You’ve had a lot of success personally finding some of these UDFAs – JC Jackson, Malcolm Butler, Nik Needham, all these guys here – is there a common theme that you found? I know all these guys aren’t the same, but is there a common theme and I’d imagine that rate is not very high across the league in finding them, but you seem to have…) – “I do think there is a common theme. I’m not so sure that I’m quite ready to share that. (laughter) But I do think there is a common theme. I mean, there’s definitely a specific thing that you look for that I would say whether it’s Malcolm Butler, Justin Coleman who was undrafted out of Tennessee – I mean, we had to end up getting him from Seattle because he ended up going to Seattle, and then we put him on the roster, but there’s characteristics that you look for guys that I think – they’re all different, like Nik is different than Malcolm Butler. Kader’s different than Jon Jones. I would say there’s one characteristic that really kind of stands out that’s common among all of them. And I’ll probably just keep that to myself. (laughter)”
(S Jevon Holland makes a lot of headlines from the safety position, but to have a guy like him and S Brandon Jones together on the field at the same time, what kind of luxury is that for you? And what really jumps out on tape when you watch them?) – “I think with all 11 of our guys that we put out there, the thing that we stress the most is to get everybody to the ball and play with great effort and attack the football. And I think those two – Brandon (Jones) and Jevon (Holland) in particular – they do that. They give you an opportunity. Usually if you get turnovers, and you guys have all been doing this for a long time, so you know and understand turnovers usually correlate most to winning than any other statistic you could throw out there. So obviously, those are things that we stress and then usually if you’re around the ball, good things are going to happen. I think that’s the thing that we stress with our guys and obviously, there’s thousands of fundamentals and techniques. I feel very fortunate, we have a very good coaching staff that that’s very good at implementing and teaching and showing how we want things played. And the fundamentals and techniques, that’s obviously an element of it, but I think any time that you can put guys out on the field that are going to get to the ball and get after the ball, I think that’s a good thing defensively.”
(CB Kader Kohou was mentioning that your approach to him is a large reason why he chose to come here. So what was it in your approach to him? What did you tell him and how satisfying must it be pretty personally to see a guy from Texas A&M Commerce make the roster and then had the effect he did on Sunday?) – “Well again, it’s one game and hopefully we can continue to get better. I think the one thing is when you talk to players, you always need to be honest and upfront. And I think when you’re talking to players, you have to have a vision for what you see them doing and their desires, skillset, kind of have to match that vision. And when that’s matched, there’s an element of getting the best of that player, whether it’s Kader (Kohou), whether it’s Zach Sieler. Like it could be anybody, but I think when the stars align, when you have a vision for them, and sometimes that vision can change based on growing of skillsets. But I think from a starting point, with all young guys and all rookies that are coming in, you bring them into your program, you want to have a vision for how you see it going.”
(You are a really smart guy so you don’t need advice on how to identify traits that you want. That being said, were Bill Belichick and Brian Flores helpful to you in being able to identify traits you like in young guys who were NFL projectable?) – “To single out two guys, I don’t know that would be the case. I think you learn from everybody. I really do. I mean, I’ve been very fortunate, obviously – I believe this is my 17th year in the NFL. I’ve been around a lot of really good ones and whether it’s – Scott O’Brien is a guy that is probably not a name that rings a lot of bells with people, but he was really good special teams coordinator in the league for a long time. And he was a very good evaluator and I got to spend some time with him. Guys like Matt Slater and Julian Edelman – those are guys that I would say Scott was probably very influential in getting to New England. Like Dante Scarnecchia, as a position coach, as crazy as it sounds, I was a corner coach modeling being a position coach after an o-line coach and spent as much time with Dante Scarnecchia as I possibly could. Like I said, I’ve been very, very fortunate over the years to be around a lot of good people, a lot of good evaluators. You always work on things that you think that you could be better at. Again, there’s a reason that I leave the corners for the last because I think sometimes you need to spend a little bit more time on positions that you don’t, that I would say, over the years, I hadn’t had those responsibilities or had to be that familiar with them. I think you always work on things that you can get better at. And I think things that seem to come easier, natural to you, you just put those at the end. But at the end of the day, it’s all work. I’ve tried to learn, whether good or bad from everybody that you come around, which is what we try to tell our players – so if you can have the humility to understand even if you’re put in a bad situation and you can learn from it, you’re making progress. It might not feel like it, but you’re making progress.”
(I was looking at the Ravens personnel splits yesterday and they ran almost everything out of 12, 22 or 21 personnel. How challenging is that in a league where it’s all about 11 personnel and these spread attacks to adjust to a team that goes so heavy all the time?) – “I’m glad you asked because I get really excited. Watching the Ravens and the job that Greg Roman does, I really feel like this is an unsung coach in the NFL. He game plans the run and uses multiple personnel groupings. He game plans the run game like most people game plan the passing game, and he’s done it for a long time. I believe he’s been in the league for 25 years, if I’m not mistaken. I know he’s been in Baltimore for eight. But I would say that – he’s done it with Colin Kaepernick at San Francisco. He did it with Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo. Lamar Jackson, who is a special talent, he can run, he’s physical, he can throw, he can make the reads. I would say Baltimore and what they do, schematically, I’ve stayed here late. I’ve been here real late for the last two nights, for sure. They make it hard on you. They can do a variety of different things out of all personnel groupings, and they have every run known to man. They really do and they execute it well, which again, whether you run blitz zero, or you run all the runs, ultimately it comes down to execution. That’s what it comes down to. And they’re going to be really well-coached. They’re going to be really well prepared. They’ve got good players across the board. It’s a real big challenge for us this week and we’re looking forward to it.”
(Speaking of the Ravens run game, there’s a chance they get JK Dobbins back this week. What does he maybe add to their run game and as you try to prepare for the possibility of…?) – “He’s a very dynamic player. He can take a 4-yard run and make it an 80-yard run in a hurry. He has great vision. He’s got good – I mean with his vision, he has the athletic ability to cut on a dime, if you will, and he can be physical. He’s got a good stiff arm. He’s definitely somebody that we’ve been watching this week and anticipate him being out there. I do think he’s a very good back in this league and I think he probably will be for a while. So again, it’s a huge challenge for us – run, pass, scheme. They do a very good job over there. Like I said, nothing but the utmost respect for the job that (John) Harbaugh does running the team and then obviously, Greg Roman on offense, and then the talent that they’ve amassed over there. Like I said, it’s going to be a big challenge for us this week, and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Frank Smith – September 15, 2022
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Thursday, September 15, 2022
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(QB Tua Tagovailoa seems more polarizing and discussed by national pundits than anybody. Was there a time where you were on a treadmill in the last eight months and happened to have ESPN or FOX on and you see that the nonstop debate on Tua, what do you make of that? Do you think it’s unfair scrutiny or does it come with the territory?) – “I’d imagine it just comes with the territory. If you play quarterback in the National Football League, the performance is always going to be the most scrutinized position – over, under, too much credit, all the blame. So I think he handles it extremely well, especially being around many different quarterbacks from Drew Brees to last year, Justin (Herbert), Derek Carr, Jay Cutler. I’ve been fortunate to see the gauntlet myself, and Mike (McDaniel) with his experience and really our whole staff. I think overall, just the hardest thing I think is to just take it as a compliment. They’re talking about you because the minute they don’t talk about you, it’s probably because you’re not playing.”
(There is some uncertainty this week on the line with OL Austin Jackson kind of dealing with some things and T Terron Armstead. How does that change your guys’ game prep and the possibility of not having one or both of those guys out there?) – “That’s a good question because I think it ties into last week when we’re talking about how do we plan for contingencies on the line? And how do you build continuity? So I think that the reality is you saw this last game, an execution of (Offensive Line Coach) Matt Applebaum working those contingencies that we had talked about, that maybe you guys didn’t see in practice, but we had worked in walkthroughs and our individual (periods). So ultimately, you always want to create consistency upfront through guys playing the position and communicating with each other. And then when injuries occur, you just basically are moving through plan ABCD, all the way up until ‘Ok, we don’t have anyone left at the position.’ So I think this week, we’re operating under one context with a thought that the next couple contingencies or things we have talked about, we do have flexibility with. But ultimately, everything’s a day-by-day situation just because of the way these guys recover, how quickly, how much pride they put into their performance and to the recovery. We’ll basically just make sure that each day, we’re up to date with our training stuff, with (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel), (General Manager) Chris (Grier), that we understand who will be available, what is our plan from it and we adjust like we did. That’s a credit to Matt (Applebaum) and Mike (Person) and ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) for working the drill as they did all throughout training camp.”
(You mentioned contingencies. One of them was moving OL Robert Hunt outside during the game last week. I’m curious your thought process of moving a guy’s position versus bringing guy off the bench. I know you talk about continuity, but how do you balance that element of it? Moving a guy outside versus just bringing a guy in to replace another guy?) – “Sure. I think when it comes to lineman, I think it really goes down to what stance you’re playing in. Sometimes it’s easier to stay on your side as opposed to switching across the ball. Like last year in LA, our contingency plan was Matt Feiler was our emergency right tackle if we would have had one or two injuries. So he would have been our left guard to right tackle. We practiced it. We did it more in individual. You hit it on late in the week, just because it’s an opposite stance. I don’t think it’s necessarily is a guy in the game as opposed to a guy out of the game. It’s more of you’re always evaluating what is your best group, your best combination, your best – who’s communicating what, who’s doing what. I think you’re always working multiple variables. It’s a credit to – I learned that lesson from my second week in the NFL, I think. Or second month. It was a long time ago. But I was fortunate enough that I drove around – Howard Mudd was consulting with us at the Saints and I had to pick him up from the airport and drive him around. And he was very blunt and direct – my memories of him. He used to always say ‘Every day, when you’re a coach some day, every day you’re responsible for your group, and knowing that if that guy goes down, what’s your next plan? What are your best five?’ And then also at the same time when you’re making cuts in training camp, who are the guys? So you’re always evaluating your group and knowing them and that’s a lesson I learned and always stuck with me because Aaron Kromer kind of put it into my head too. So in turn, now you make your progression and you go to talking with Matt (Applebaum), we discussed that and he’s really embraced that and he’s always on constantly on it. So I just think ultimately, to answer your question, it’s basically we’re always evaluating what’s the variable going on, and who do we believe are the guys. Sometimes it might not be the combination that would be the most obvious but to us, it’s already been drilled and practiced.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said that the gameplan going in against New England was to get TE Mike Gesicki getting more involved than he was. Will there be a focus on that?) – “Well, I think the some of the touches we were trying to incorporate them on, the game of football played the way out it did. So on the opportunities that we’re trying to get him the ball, something didn’t go the way it allowed us to, to operate with getting him the ball on time and the timing of the play. I think always we’re trying to make sure that we get our guys the matchups and the opportunities that we want in the course of a game. That’s always the hardest thing is just what’s going to happen on that play. I think it takes all 11 to make sure that Tua can get the ball out on time, get it to Mike (Gesicki), get it to Jaylen (Waddle), get it to Tyreek (Hill), whoever it is. But ultimately, we want to get him involved. And obviously, that was a goal of ours and the game just didn’t work out that way.”
(What is your level of confidence in TE Mike Gesicki as a blocker?) – “Yeah, I think he’s been improving since the day he got here. And I think the greatest challenge is just getting those ops in a game. So it’s trying to always constantly put your guys in the best position to maximize their skill set. So I think that we’ve been pleased with what he’s been doing so far. And we’re continue trying to get him opportunities with the ball in the game.”
(You’ve been around FB Alec Ingold obviously a couple years with the Raiders. Not every fullback can go out on a third-and-1 for a downfield passing play like he can. Is there any unique skill that he has different from the stereotypical fullback? What’s appealing about him that makes him an asset?) – “Sure. Yeah, I was fortunate to be there when we drafted Alec in Oakland the year before Vegas. And we had him at the Senior Bowl. Getting to know him, you just understand him as a person and his high school coach was my high school coach. I’m from Wisconsin. So the exposure to who he is as a person kind of shows who he is as a player. So obviously being new into the system, coming off his injury, he’s done a fantastic job. He was a high school quarterback. Guys who were high school quarterbacks have normally a great understanding of the game and they understand more than just their position. So as he’s been now assimilated to the offense, I know Mike (McDaniel) and Eric (Studesville) both feel we’re just scratching the surface on what we’d like to do with him this year. And you saw it at the end of his time in Vegas with what they were asking him to do. You can see him playing all over the field.”
(I noticed this past game that WR Tyreek Hill in particular was used in motion a lot to get him on the move. From a broad picture and schematic standpoint, what’s the advantage for him in particular, getting him on the move when you’re running some of these plays?) – “I think as far as the advantage, it also is more of what is what does that movement do to the defense? And what is their adjustment? I think you deliberately have to – some people might just do things to do things. We look at when we do something, what reaction are we trying to get? Like, what do they do? So whenever we try to do things, we’re trying to attack a component of the defense and we’re using our skill in a way to use their reaction to our advantage. So I think always you’re seeing and studying and you’re realizing, ‘Okay, if we do this, here’s the reaction we anticipate.’ If we don’t get that, then it’s probably this. So now at quarterback, you’re thinking here’s your progression and you can see now how you teach a passing concept. So we try and use everything strategically when we’re moving people. That’s why we move people so often. I don’t think it’s just relegated to this offense. I think that the history between Mike (McDaniel) and his time with Kyle (Shanahan), and their time in San Francisco, wherever they’ve been, is understanding how motion creates challenges to the defense and then using it to our advantage. That’s really what we try and do. It’s not necessarily like, if we did this with him. It’s like if we use him in this capacity, what reaction are we going to get? How can we use that in our attack to build strain on them? I think that’s the overall when we try and do stuff.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa mentioned yesterday that his timing was off on a couple plays. Do you think the lack of continuity maybe in the offensive line in game one had something to do with that? Or is it just maybe just not seeing the receiver in time?) – “To answer your question, it’s never just as black and white as one thing. A couple times, that did play into it. Other times, we got a reaction from the defense that we didn’t anticipate. I think you look at a couple plays in the game and you realize that you can practice things all week or even when you play an opponent in the opener, you can sometimes over-prepare for certain things and then you run that play more times than you would naturally in the normal course of a week. And then all of a sudden when the variable hits you, you’re like, ‘Oh.’ So I think some of that comes into its Game 1 for us coming together as an offense. We’re learning from it. We’re learning from the reactions. I think sometimes when you’re an outcome-based organization, you just A, you should have done this as opposed to ‘Ok, what happened at that moment? What were you thinking? Why did you do what you did?’ And then you start teaching them their reactions. And then I think as a player, you’re ultimately trying to realize was my action correct? Or does my reaction maybe need tweak or improvement? I think it takes all 11 on offense to be working together and that’s our goal through the course of the season. This should be – and I know Mike (McDaniel) hit it – it’s just constantly, I think, a great message overall for us as coaches and fans. That game should be our worst game because as we work to grow, it’s a race to improve. I mean constantly, you’re worst football you hope is in September and your best ball is coming in December as you’re making your push for January. So I think overall, some timing things would come down to reactions of the defense, maybe who was in there and understanding what we’re trying to do. I think that’s all going to improve as we get more experienced together. And then you can understand the reaction he’s going to have when the defense does this, or when Tua is giving a reaction, off of what he’s saying, you can anticipate this. I think all that growth is going to come, as Mike said, the more we play together as the months go by in the season.”
(The Ravens were in dime personnel almost half the time in the game on Sunday. I was curious, how challenging is it to attack a defense that will stay in that sub package for almost half of the game?) – “I think that you just – every defensive personnel group has complexity to it. You’re just trying to see what is their goal inside of that package. So what are they trying to do? What are they trying to do and how do we attack it? So I think that the big thing was like this last game with New England, around this second half, we kind of were able to see what their plan of attack was and communicate it. Communication improved in the second half. After halftime, we painted a better picture. So I think ultimately, when you’re getting whatever personnel grouping, whether it’s dime, base, nickel – whatever the defense is, I think if we have an understanding of what that means and how we’re trying to attack it, that helps us as an offense. So I think that overall, we just have to improve in our consistency and communication and us as coaches delivering the information to help our guys know what they’re trying to do.”
Darrell Bevell – September 15, 2022
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Thursday, September 15, 2022
QBs/Passing Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell
(It’s kind of uncanny the amount of attention QB Tua Tagovailoa gets on these national talk shows. You had six people weighing in this week alone – Kurt Warner, Keyshawn Johnson, Sean Payton – and it’s been continuous for nine months. I’m going to ask you what I asked Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith, if you’ve been on a treadmill at all the last nine months and looked up on ESPN or FOX and saw him being discussed, what do you make of the preoccupation with him? Is the scrutiny excessive? Does it just come with the territory?) – “I think it comes with the territory. I think it’s part of playing the quarterback position. You’re always going to be looked at. I think the year that Tua is in, everybody says ‘Oh, this is the important one.’ But I couldn’t be more happy and excited about what Tua has been doing. The growth process that he’s had, the information that he’s digesting, learning a new offense again. He’s doing a really good job in it. As we talked about, we’re just trying to get better each and every day. This first game is not going to be our best game. We want it to be a good game and then we want to continue to grow from there and playing our best football when it’s really going to matter.”
(There was some talk between QB Tua Tagovailoa and Head Coach Mike McDaniel about some communication and headset issues and getting plays in late on the game on Sunday. I just wanted to get your perspective on how Tua handled that situation?) – “I think Tua handled that well. He even did a great job of getting us into a play when we needed to so we didn’t end up having to burn timeouts or we didn’t end up getting delay of game. So he handled that well. For the first game, it was good for us to learn one another and to be able to do that in a game where you win the game. But our game operation is definitely something that we can work on from the head coach, to the quarterback, to the line making calls – the whole orchestration, moving around with all of the motions that we’re doing. We can continue to get better at that.”
(From studying QB Tua Tagovailoa’s tape last year, you probably noticed that he is determined to avoid sacks, like most quarterbacks are. So there were sometimes where maybe he threw passes that he shouldn’t have. Obviously on Sunday, he tried to get a couple out of bounds. What is the guidance you give him on whether to take a sack or whether to throw it out of bounds?) – “Well, you’re always trying to play smart situationally. The one where I think we were on the 29-yard line and took a 12-yard sack – you’re always trying to understand the situation. ‘We’ve got points here. We don’t want to be taken out of points.’ I think he had some of that in his head. But always the most important thing is the ball. We have to end the play with the ball. We have to make great decisions there. I talked about I think there were three plays and I’m like ‘We’ve got to get this out of our game where you’re being slung around,’ because you don’t know what’s going to happen with the ball. The ball comes out of your hand, you sling around and it ends up in one of the defensive linemen’s hands. But from your perspective, you guys don’t always understand where guys were supposed to be protected and where they weren’t, and if you’re protected or if you’re not, the quarterback has to understand that as well. Those are situations or things that we’re continuing to learn from.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa said that his timing and footwork were off on a couple of passes that ended up being short or off the receivers. I’m curious what you saw on his mechanics on a few of the plays?) – “I like where Tua is at mechanically, for the most part. I’m not saying that we don’t have plays that we can improve on. But for the most part, he’s done an outstanding job with his footwork. I think you can go back and look at some of the plays from last year as opposed to what he’s doing this year. It’s a major focus for us. He’s buying into the focus and I think he’s done a good job with that.”
(Was there a time you did see any of the national pundits’ names you know or played in the league, say something about QB Tua Tagovailoa over the last eight months, where you said to yourself, ‘That’s unfair. That’s ridiculous.’ I wouldn’t ask you who, but has that happened to you?) – “I can say that I have seen some of it. It’s not for me to say if it’s fair or not because people have their own opinions. I’m just glad that I’m in the building and know what’s going on and that I get an opportunity to watch the guy work every day and I know what’s going on, on the field. I’m happy with where Tua is at.”
Danny Crossman – September 15, 2022
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(What did you think of P Thomas Morstead’s punting performance?) – “I was pleased with Thomas. Obviously he performed like a professional, like we expected. Being aggressive in the plus-50s, able to flip the field when we needed it to be flipped and then obviously the gunners making plays both tackling and then the ball in the air on the plus-50. Really happy with that part of the game.”
(You say aggressive on the plus-50s. What does that mean exactly?) – “Where we want the ball. If you kick the ball at the 15-yard line and it’s going to be a fair catch, you want more out of that. We’re trying to be more aggressive and get the ball further down the field.”
(What sticks out to you when you think about Justin Tucker and the special teams group of Baltimore?) – “I’ve known John (Harbaugh) forever. They’re always going to be outstanding in the kicking game. They’re going to allocate time. They’re going to allocate resources. And then they’re going to get good players. And then they’re going to get good players and make them even better players. What they’ve done over the years is outstanding. They’re aggressive when they need to be aggressive. They play the percentages. Justin Tucker is outstanding – the best in the league since I’ve been around and that’s 20-some years. A good group. They went and drafted an outstanding punter. They’ve got good return players with big-time speed. Overall, it’s a great unit.”
(What went into the decision to use S Jevon Holland as the punt returner last game?) – “A lot of things. We have multiple guys that we feel comfortable with and multiple guys that we like. Sometimes it’ll be a situation. Sometimes it’ll be part of the game. Sometimes it’ll be how the game is going offensively and defensively. We feel we have four or five guys that we like. We’ll just see how the game goes. Maybe this week we’ll get some other people and maybe it stays being Jevon.”
(On a possible rotation at returner) – “Again, it will all be based on the game situation. There are a lot of things in flux with that.”
(You mentioned Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh a minute ago. How does that change your prep when you’re facing a team with a head coach that obviously has that special teams background and you know they put more into it?) – “I think for me, it’s more the combination of – (Ravens Special Teams Coordinator) Chris (Horton) does an outstanding job and Chris has been around a while but then also being able to package that with John (Harbaugh) and some of the things that John has liked and some of the things that John did all the way back to when he was the coordinator with the Eagles. So you’re really blending two different things but the philosophy and how they play, they are very, very similar. You’re going to spend the same amount of time no matter who you play. But you just understand that this is a group that they’re not going to give anything away. You’re going to have to learn everything you get.”
(I was curious on the fourth-and-7 that obviously scored the touchdown, a field goal seemed like an option at that point. Is that something you guys were considering, kicking a field goal in that spot?) – “Absolutely. Any time you’re in that field position, there are always multiple options. You can punt the ball, field goal, what we call a cuatro situation and the offense stays on the field. So there are a lot of different options. Again, those things can change throughout the course of the game based on a lot of different variables. But any time we’re in that area, we like Jason (Sanders) and we feel good, and that’s always going to be one of the things we talk about.”
(Obviously there was a big kicking situation with Denver in the game on Monday. I’m curious, in those particular situations, do you have a number for K Jason Sanders every particular game that you may tell Head Coach Mike McDaniel if we get to this yard line – can you give us a little insight on how that conversation may work?) – “Well, there’s always numbers but situationally, those numbers change. Whether it’s the middle of the first quarter, the end of the half, the end of the game, those lines and what you’re trying to do and what you’re willing to do, those things change. That’s a situation where you’re going to look at the numbers, how you feel, how the game has progressed, what type of game it is. There are a lot of variables. We play every game knowing certain numbers where we feel very confident with Jason and then we also have numbers that we’re more than willing to take the chance of sending him out.”
Jevon Holland – September 14, 2022
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Wednesday, September 14, 2022
S Jevon Holland
(Is it possible to totally prepare at practice for a guy like QB Lamar Jackson?) – “No, it’s not. It’s difficult. He’s a very dynamic player – one of a kind. You try to replicate it as much as possible, but game speed and practice speed are completely different.”
(You guys held the Pats to just seven points last week. Do you feel like that’s something you take pride in, keeping a team to single digits like that?) – “Absolutely. As a defender, you don’t want the offense to score. So when they do score points, you feel like you can grow on that. That’s what we did. We went into the film room, checked out what we need to improve on and we’re going to come back this week a better team.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said after the game the other day that he told the whole team before the season that this is still the defense’s team until proven otherwise. How did that make you guys feel hearing something like that?) – “It feels good. It is what it is to me. That’s cool but we’re the Dolphins. Everybody wears the same colors, everybody has the same logos whether it’s defense, offense. If the defense is lacking, the offense is going to pick us up. If the offense is lacking, the defense is going to pick it up.”
(Can you talk a little bit about the Cover Zero blitz that you guys played on QB Lamar Jackson last year and it worked really well. They’re probably going to expect it this year, the challenge of trying to shut him down like you did last year.) – “Yeah, they probably are.”
(How did you have success against QB Lamar Jackson last year? You had an interception, a touchdown, a 73 QB rating.) – “Just executing our techniques. That’s really what it is. Our coach put in a good scheme, we went out there and did our job, and that’s what it was.”
(Are you expecting a little revenge from QB Lamar Jackson for last year?) – “He’s going to do what he’s going to do. He’s his own man. I’m not looking to expect him to do anything other than to go out there and perform like we are.”
(They have a pretty good tight end. Do you see yourself matching up against TE Mark Andrews?) – “If it’s in the gameplan, definitely. But yeah, he’s a hell of a player.”
(When you’re on the field, what’s unicorn-ish or unique about QB Lamar Jackson that’s different than any other game that you guys are doing your thing in?) – “He’s got elite speed and quickness. His ability to get out of tight situations – he’s very slippery. He’s got a cannon with great touch. It’s difficult to try to keep him in the box, but also he can throw it deep.”
(The offense always talks about crowd noise being a factor, but for you guys it’s quiet when you’re on defense on the road. How does that change what you guys do? Do you need extra juice? How do you handle it?) – “We’re going to have the same juice whether it’s loud or if no one is in there. We bring our own energy and that’s all we need. We don’t need anybody else. It’s going to be what it is.”
(What impresses you the most about playing next to S Brandon Jones?) – “His game speed is crazy. He’s like an energy bunny. He’ll just be flying around 100 miles an hour and he’s a great tackler. He always brings the juice. That’s big.”
(Did you guys have a sense early on that you two together might be a pretty special combination?) – “Yeah, back in OTAs last year when I first got here, we were practicing together a lot and I was like ‘ok, yeah we could definitely work together.’ Then we started to grow chemistry.”
(What’s the difference between QB Lamar Jackson compared to other quarterbacks when you’re talking about gap discipline? It looks like he’s the kind of guy if you give him one inch he is gone.) – “Like I said, he’s very electric and he is real slippery. If you give him any space, he’s like water. He’s going to slip right through there. That’s the most frustrating part. Quarterbacks extending plays with their feet is always frustrating for secondaries because you’ve got to plaster and receivers can go anywhere. He’s definitely dynamic in that aspect.”
Tua Tagovailoa – September 14, 2022
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Wednesday, September 14, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Not a Dolphins football question. You’re going to be in Maryland this week. Will you get a chance to check out your brother play?) – “I’m not too sure. I know they play a night game. I don’t know what time we arrive there, so we’ll see. I’ll have to ask Mike (McDaniel) about that and then kind of see if that interrupts meetings or whatnot.”
(Getting to review your Week 1 win, what were your takeaways and how are you feeling?) – “I would say there’s a lot of things that we wish we had back in the game. Obviously, the first play, we wish we had back. There’s other plays that we wish we had back, too, but it was great to look at them and learn from and then move on to this week against the Ravens.”
(How much – I know you played them last year, the Ravens, but they have a new defensive coordinator – early viewing the film, how much is different?) – “I would say he has his own style of defense with the guys that he has out there. And it accommodates all the guys that are out there and their talents. I don’t know how he’s going to match up their guys with our guys this week, but I’m sure he has a good blend.”
(What excites you about going into a hostile road environment against a very good football team?) – “I mean, opportunity. The opportunity for us as a team to show what kind of team we have. This is our first road game against a really good team, and we have a chance to go out there and do something special. Now it’s going to be a first of crowd noise while we’re on offense and having to deal with communicating out there, so we’ll see how we want to go about that.”
(What do you think of the possibility that you could be without two starting tackles? You also had to have some shuffling o-linemen in Week 1.) – “Yeah, I think that that was kind of awesome. Not that our guys got hurt, but it was awesome that guys stepped up and when their numbers were called, they stepped right in and it didn’t seem as if we kind of missed a step. So I know that Austin (Jackson) is day-to-day and I know that Terron (Armstead) is also doing his best to get back out there with us.”
(There were a couple plays late in the game against the Patriots where you started to go down and then it looked like you were trying to throw the ball away at the last second. How do you balance whether to eat it or throw the ball away, trying to save a sack?) – “Yeah, I would say it’s hard as a quarterback. You’re wanting to make plays. But at the same time, you don’t want to want to lose the field position that you have, knowing you’re in field goal range. So I would say just on my part, I’ve just got to be smarter in those instances. Sometimes it’s not bad taking a sack as opposed to turning it over.”
(Speaking of being under pressure, what was your feeling during the game, just with your decision-making? And when you look at the tape, I know you’re getting better and better at that. We’re seeing it and I’m sure you’re feeling it, but just what are your observations? And what is your feeling after Game 1?) – “Yeah, there’s a lot of things that we need to clean up offensively. There was some miscommunication with plays and then there were also some other things that that were happening that we weren’t able to get plays in on time from my perspective, to tell guys where to go, where to line up and what to do. And so that’s just something that we’ve got to clean up this week and we’ll go out and try to execute a lot better.”
(It was your first time out with both WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill at wide receiver. What did you think? You were able to obviously to get the ball to Tyreek quite a bit and with Waddle you connected on a touchdown. So what did it tell you about the future working with those two guys?) – “There’s still a lot of work to be done. I couldn’t tell you what the future is going to be like. I couldn’t foresee the future and tell you, ‘hey, we’re going to throw this many touchdowns to this guy or this many touchdowns to that guy.’ All I can tell you is those are two really, really good players. They’re really fast and they make plays for our team. So we’re going to continue to use those guys in our game plans and we’ll see where we go from there.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said the game plan initially was to get TE Mike Gesicki more involved in the offense. What ultimately happened to not allow it to work out?) – “I would say a lot of plays breaking down and having to move to find other guys. So yeah, I mean, it’s just playing football.”
(You had mentioned the summer you keep a pretty tight circle as far as people you let into that circle. I was just curious if there was maybe a moment or just in general some things that Coach McDaniel kind of did to get himself into that circle with you.) – “I mean, first would be the Luau. On the first occasion that I can remember him showing interest and that’s where I would say our relationship has grown and built from there. And then a lot of conversations with him in his office. And not just him calling me up there, but me going up there by myself just to talk to him.”
(Just to piggyback from there, how would you compare your relationship with Head Coach Mike McDaniel maybe to other coaches you’ve had in your life?) – “Yeah, Mike (McDaniel) – I don’t know. It’s different because Mike is different. Mike’s not your stereotypical head coach, if you will. He’s not a screamer. He’s not a yeller. If you mess up on a play, you’re not the worst player in the world. ‘Why did you mess up on that play? How can we help you fix that?’ I would say very reasonable teacher and very reasonable coach.”
(We were joking that we got kind of lucky during training camp because we never got rained on, but was this maybe your guys’ first practice in the rain too today? What was that like and obviously I know that’s something you wanted to work on, too, this offseason.) – “Yeah, this was our first practice in the rain, and it started raining pretty good throughout practice, but I thought it was good. We worked on some wet ball drills, being able to throw it in the rain and I thought it was pretty good for us.”
(Was it fun?) – “Yeah, I mean, it’s fun when it’s not hot and you don’t have to drink as much water. (laughter)”
(If I can ask, I’ve never played quarterback before. How different, like what do you have to think about when you’re throwing in those conditions versus otherwise?) – “The ball gets slippery. That’s it. But yeah, I would say other than that, that’s the only thing. You’ve just got to make sure you secure the ball when the ball is snapped as well.”
(One more, I guess, last year, when you guys played the Ravens, that kind of sparked a nice little win streak for you guys. Do you think that this team is going to come back and maybe have something to prove against you guys?) – “Yeah, I would say every team is looking to prove themselves this season, not just the Ravens against us, but every team. For us, we’re looking at it as an opportunity and we’re hoping to go out there and get their best and know that they’re going to get our best.”
(You had a couple of passes that kind of skipped to their targets last game. Was it more mechanically or hesitancy that kind of led to it?) – “Yeah, I would say it was the timing of the play. Some plays, I was a little fast within my footwork and some plays, I was a little slower and having to speed up. So that’s what I would say about that. It’s just the timing of the plays.”
(What does practice actually do for a Sunday? Like, what can you get better at these two days that can actually help you Sunday?) – “Yeah, I mean you want the way you practice to translate to how you play in the game. And so that’s why we work a lot on timing. We work a lot on where guys need to be and for me, if I – for instance, if we have a slant, and we have an over the ball player, and another player in the alley and a flat, for me, I can’t see because I’m not the biggest guy out there. So if I can’t see you, you can’t see me and I can’t get you the ball. And spacing with the guys. So if you can’t see me, get somewhere to where you can see me, then I can see you, then I can hit you. And then even within our walkthroughs, that’s kind of what I use practice for.”
Chase Edmonds – September 14, 2022
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Wednesday, September 14, 2022
RB Chase Edmonds
(What excites you about going on the road and having an opportunity against a team like the Ravens?) – “I always feel like going in a hostile environment like Baltimore is always a little more exciting. There’s just something about not really hearing the snap count, the fans talking a little bit of smack to you. (It’s) a little more hostile environment, so you always have to be on your P’s and Q’s. It’s something that I look forward to. You just have to be back on your A-game, and everything is a little more of a challenge.”
(How do you think the offense ran in Week 1? What adjustments, if any, will you make this week?) – “I’ll say it wasn’t up to our standard. There were a lot of things that we could clean up in the run game, even some things that we could clean up in the pass game. I think it’s one thing about just really honing in on the details, everybody knowing their assignments, making sure that we’re locked in on our communication. I think it was a lot of small things like that where if guys were on the same page, whether it was who the Mike point is or kind of who we’re working towards in the run game, I think we’ll be able to clean it up.”
(What was practice like out there in the rain today?) – “Coming from the desert, I’m not used to practicing in the rain. So that was my first time really practicing in a full monsoon type of thing. It was cool though. It actually – I always feel like rain practices can be a little sloppy, it wasn’t as sloppy as (I thought). We had guys keeping their feet, catching the ball, so it was good for us to get practice into it.”
(Did you have fun?) – “No. (laughter) Nah, I did. I did.”
(What did you think of getting involved in the passing game and sort of that chemistry already with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “That’s something that I feel like is kind of my niche. I feel like I can separate myself around other running backs in the NFL, just with my ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. So just continuing to work with Tua (Tagovailoa), continuing to work in the scheme (and) finding ways that (Head Coach Mike) McDaniel can be creative and get me out in the backfield with mismatches. It’s something that’s going to be a long process – it’s a 17-(game) season. So again, just finding something that I can hone-in on my game and get better at every single week is my goal.”
(What are some of the things that you’ve seen from the Ravens defense that they do well?) – “They cause turnovers, especially in the secondary. Marlon Humphrey is probably the best person right now getting the ball out in the secondary in the NFL. They have playmakers everywhere. They have a lot of speed. (Odafe) Oweh coming off the edge, he loves to get – sack monster. I like Patrick Queen a lot, too, No. 6, the linebacker. He gets to the ball fast and he plays downhill. So we just have to be on our Q’s man. Baltimore is one of those organizations that they’re always going to be good. (Head Coach John) Harbaugh is always going to have them ready to play. Obviously, they have a spectacular quarterback in Lamar (Jackson). So we’re up to the challenge this weekend to find a way to get a win.”
(Just as a competitor, how much are you looking forward to just going on the road and being in that type of environment?) – “As a competitor, I love it. Coming from the NFC West, our division games, and obviously this isn’t a divisional game, but just always having to be on your toes playing against tremendous talent is something I look forward to. I like playing against tough opponents. I like being in the bright lights. It’s something that again, we just have to keep it in the locker room and find ways to get better and get a win.”
Mike McDaniel – September 14, 2022
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Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On whether T Austin Jackson’s ankle injury could land him on IR) – “It’s one of those things that you kind of have to take day-by-day. There has been improvement. As far as how much improvement there’ll be by game time, you’d have to ask his ankle. (laughter) I don’t speak ankle so I don’t really know.”
(Does it look severe in terms of broken or an IR kind of thing?) – “For sure not broken and it’s one of those issues – ankles are finicky so they’re definitely case-by-case. But I know he’s doing everything he can to get ready.”
(You’ve talked a lot about the component of speed that you guys have and saw it for the first time in a real game on Sunday. Can you talk about what you saw? Obviously, beyond WR Jaylen Waddle’s touchdown. But what it is to coach it and what is it to coach against it for opponents?) – “I think it’s a wonderful tool and resource assuming that you can’t just be a fast guy. When you’re fast and you can play strong and you can have a diverse route tree; it’s an issue because you can expand the field in the same amount of time more than other teams, so that puts stress on the defense. None of that stress even matters unless you have a group of guys working together so that you have time to throw the ball, you make the correct progression, coaches call the right plays to put players in successful situations and all that. So it’s not by itself. But it was cool to see those guys running around and playing within the timing of our offense, which helped us on the success we did have.”
(I know we asked you about the run game after Sunday’s game, but you have four games worth of film if you go back to the preseason. Is there anything that sticks out in terms of maybe not getting the production that you would have hoped for on the ground?) – “There’s no common theme. I would be very stressed if there was a common theme. You are always coaching on every run play to max out yardage. We want everybody that we can account for blocked. There’s one ball carrier, so there’s always one guy you can’t block and so we detail that every week. The whole idea of the offense in general is not to have a ton of yards rushing every week. It’s to win. It’s to have productive offense and to take advantage of what the defense is giving you. So I think there will be games with that type of effort. There will be games that against a different nucleus of run defenders, we may have more yards rushing. If people overcommit to stop in it, we have to make them pay. That’s just offense in general to me. So I’m not as results oriented. I saw guys finishing, guys knew who they were going to and as always, as there is every game, there was some technique stuff to improve on. But I did think that we started running the ball later in the game better, and that’s kind of when they knew we were going to run it, so I was encouraged by that.”
(I have a question about the tackles if I could. T Terron Armstead was obviously a little banged up and T Greg Little, too. A, what was that like trying to keep all that together on Sunday? And do you expect both those guys to be available?) – “No, it’s not the first rep that I’ve had at that. Again, I’ve tried to take advantage of all the opportunities that I have had to be involved in a game day operating process. So it was obviously not ideal, but you just go back to when it’s not the first time that has happened to you, you just have to adjust and communicate. I spent probably three seconds thinking about it, and then made the proper adjustments in my mind for what you do in those types of situations and then moved on. Injuries will always happen, sometimes multiple to a position and as long as your coaching staff and players are prepared for contingency plans – we were even prepared for the next contingency should another player had gone down – so that’s the nature of the business, although not ideal. No one cares after the game how hard it was for you. Then as far as this upcoming game, all of our guys are really working diligently to try to make it. I know Terron (Armstead), in his career, has been able to fight through injuries with the best of them. So they’re going to do their best and we’ll obviously make the best decision later in the week on who gives us the best chance to win counting in all those issues with injuries and what it kind of looks like.”
(When you look at the game from last year, maybe the defense’s one of their better performances last season. Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer was here; you weren’t. But when you look at it, and having so much the same personnel on defense, are you encouraged that you’re going to be able to make QB Lamar Jackson’s day as difficult as it was last year?) – “No, I’ve been trying this whole formula for a while now, but I wish we could take the points that we scored or the points that we didn’t allow scored and apply it to this game. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Teams are a collection of human beings that are in the present moment, so although it was cool to watch them, I can put myself in the shoes of the players, of the fans, of the organization. I know what losing streaks are like. So on a nationally televised game, it had to be pretty cool, but as it relates to this game, they get paid, too. That’s a very, very prideful organization that has been at the top of the NFL for a long, long time. Another team that completely dwarfs my win-loss record. So that’s about where it stops, is you watch it for schematic stuff, but as far as it applying to this week, I don’t think it pertains really.”
(How’s your sleep schedule versus your last stops?) – “I actually get more sleep now than I did in my past endeavors. That’s partially because it didn’t matter. I used to be able to really push it from game day to almost Wednesday without showering. Now that would be obvious. I can’t hide. (laughter) So you prioritize that. That’s something that I knew had to be adjusted from the moment that I was assembling the coaching staff. So back in February and March, you’re thinking about that, knowing that you need to – and I’ve articulated it to the guys that we retained and the guys that I hired that, hey, I’m going to need – you’re looking for people that can help you through this process. So the whole offseason has been spent making sure that we’re on the same page, that we are a collection of individuals, not just one person. I am accountable and will always be accountable for whatever decision’s made. That’s my job as the head coach. But my job is also to make the best or make everybody around me their very best. And they in turn, make me better by allowing me to get a little more sleep. So it was a personal record for me last night to get all my work done. And then the stuff that I can delegate allowed me to get a little shut-eye, which is good.”
(George Godsey, the former co-offensive coordinator here being on the offensive staff in Baltimore, does that at all affect kind of the familiarity? He’s obviously very familiar with the defense here. Does that affect your game planning at all?) – “That case in point – I used to be kind of paranoid about that whether it was players or coaches, in the beginning of my career. And then over time, you realize that there’s so many different nuances. Being an expert at what we did right then is powerful, but this is a new, completely new year. We’ve had a whole offseason. The schedule – when did the schedule come out? May? So in May we knew that Game 2 is going to be Baltimore. We know those former coaches are on the staff, but it doesn’t really affect anything specifically. It really doesn’t affect that much on the next calendar year.”
(I wanted to ask about S Eric Rowe. Is he on track to increase his participation in practice and possibly play?) – “We’re hoping so. I know he was really locked in, in the game. He wanted to be there with his teammates. He’s very beneficial when he is able to play and we hope to see continued improvement. As it stands, he’s limited, but we hope to see continued improvement during the course of the week.”
(Who plays QB Lamar Jackson at practice today?) – “I do. (laughter) No, I mean, that’s, again, that’s part of the delegation process. You try to use a couple different people. But the bottom line is, you’re not going to replicate it. That’s part of the shock and awe on game day, when you are – he’s the most dynamic athlete for sure, at that position. He’s continued to develop his pass game skill set, which you guys saw a little on display in the second half of the Jets game. So regardless of who it is, I’m not going to put pressure on one person, put them on blast in the media. But we’ll just say it’s a collection of individuals because it takes a collection of individuals to stop him.”
(When you looked at the film from the New England game and you saw CB Kader Kohou play 18 snaps and have the production he did, what did that show you?) – “Well, hopefully it showed you guys we’re not all crazy working around here. It was something that, I was happy for him as a rookie. I can just tell it on his face this week. He’s a cool dude who has an incredible story, but you can see he’s coming out of his shell. And I thought he was a lot more quiet than he really is. I think he just wanted to prove himself before he did so. Well, he’s been proving himself to the coaches and his teammates for a while. He does stuff every day that you get fired up about, and I think he acknowledges his situation as well, where it’s cool to make some plays; you should gain confidence, but know, as a rookie, it’s more about, okay, there’s something that’s going to happen that you’re not going to like. You’re either going to be a little off or something is coming. It is the nature of this game. So focusing on okay, we can’t just live on ‘hooray, I get cheers, and people celebrate me.’ No, take what you can learn from, from the game, even if it’s good or bad. And where are you going to be at when you get beat or somebody makes a play on you the next play.”
(What’s so fascinating about Sunday, and a big decision for Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer is whether to use obviously the same strategy that was unique that worked so well in the Thursday night game. We’re not going to know that decision until obviously game time Sunday, but will you give him input on whether you think he should? Do you defer to him and say you do what’s best? Or will you offer your thoughts on that when you meet with him this week?) – “No, that’s kind of the way I look at being a head coach in general, is that I want people to own everything as though they are the head coach of whatever position they’re doing. So for Josh (Boyer), I see him as the head coach of defense. That being said, it’s important and that’s what we work on weekly to have a relationship. We talk through a lot of different things. Ultimately on game day, when something happens, it’s under the pretense that I’m approving it. I can be on their headset. I choose to use my words wisely, but if there’s a defensive call that happens, good or bad, all the good ones I gave a thumbs up to. (laughter) No, all that I’m very aware of his plan, and really our plan. And that’s something as a working coaching staff, we work together in practice, as well as the game, so that we’re always communicating and on the same page.”
(What do you want to see from QB Tua Tagovailoa over the next couple days of practice leading into Sunday?) – “What do I want to see from him?”
(Or what do you what do you need to see as his…?) – “It’s just the continued growth. He hasn’t been satisfied at all, so he keeps building upon. It doesn’t always look it, but you got to remember it’s his first year in the offense and it’s the first time we’re working together. So I want to see him focus on the stuff that he knows that he was frustrated with to get better. But also, I want to see his confidence continue to grow because he should get more confidence each and every day that he’s playing the position with us and doing it at a high level.”
(CB Kader Kohou after the game said he had no idea if he was up or down, he just figured he saw the pads in his locker and he went out there. He didn’t even know that… he thought…?) – “He’s a rookie. Our proper protocol is to individually seek out those not active before the game. So we don’t go to each player and be like, ‘congratulations, you’re active.’ (laughter) So (it was a) rookie deal. That doesn’t surprise me. I think we want especially our rookies to assume that they’re playing every day because they’ve got to max out their preparation and catch up to the curve that’s the rest of the veterans in the National Football League.”
