Mike McDaniel – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Q. What let you know this team wouldn’t have consecutive letdowns?
MIKE McDANIEL: I don’t know, just having my eyes open for the entirety of the season. It’s one thing that I mentioned to the team last night, what’s given me confidence is how they’ve responded to adversity throughout the season. We’ve had four losses, and it was just a point of emphasis from the year previous where our losses came in streaks. We’ve had four losses the previous three. We’re one-game losing streak. There’s a lot of character in the locker room. There’s a lot of character just in the organization. They’ve been really going after it. The players, coaches and support staff, every day, treating it like it’s the most important day. Football is not a game of avoiding adversity or it’s not a game of you go through a season and you don’t have things happen to you. It’s actually quite the opposite. You need to have things happen to you to grow and be able to handle some of the moments that come in December. There’s a litany of individuals in that locker room and beyond that gave me absolute confidence that they would come and compete today.
Q. You brought a running back with you from San Francisco, RB Raheem Mostert, who his career high going into the season was eight rushing touchdowns and now he’s breaking all sorts of touchdown records for this club. What are you seeing from him?
MIKE McDANIEL: Well, it’s the same thing that got him in the position to be on this team. There’s a lot of people on the team that have been told that they couldn’t, and there’s certain types of people that really thrive in those type of scenarios. Raheem was told he shouldn’t have an NFL career from his first draft day. You go undrafted, that’s something that people don’t really pay attention to, but that’s a heartbreak. Then you’re cut from a multitude of teams. He’s one of the strongest-willed people that I’ve ever been around. By the way, he’s a unique athlete, one that I think – second to Tyreek in ’16, he’s the only other player to ever go 23 miles per hour and he did it when he was like 28 or 29. That’s a different type of athlete with a different type of mindset, and just very happy for him, and the first thing he said to me after the game was, yeah, I know, I’ve got a game ball for setting a franchise record for touchdowns, and he immediately came to me and said, every single player on the offense should get one because he understands that for him to exhibit some of his unique traits, each and every play people really have to grind for that to happen. I think a lot of our guys totally understand that at this point in the season, which is why you see inspired football. That’s really fun to watch.
Q. Your defense did some impressive things today. What was the most impressive thing that the defense did today?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think it was really the whole team. The whole team – I can’t overstate how – I don’t know, it was a punch to the gut last week, and I think in a situation where it wasn’t because of lack of effort or attention to detail. So to be able to go into a game and to have so many different question marks all week, for no one to bat an eye and for guys to go have fun playing football without the anxiety of what’s induced from last week, it takes a special unit of people. I thought that Eli Apple did an awesome job, really jumping in the reins. I thought Bradley Chubb was phenomenal, obviously, but guys like Brandon Jones who had to learn the system during the year as he was recovering from a season injury last year. There’s a ton of guys on defense. Then you have some of your – Christian (Wilkins) makes a great play on special teams, and then you have Jaylen Waddle really rise to the occasion when the team absolutely needed it. Collectively that’s what I was impressed with was all three phases being unfazed with such a disappointing end to a game that was important to them last week. So you can’t do anything about the past and the future doesn’t exist. They really leaned into the day each and every day this week, and I was very, very proud, as proud as I’ve been of any performance from this team since I’ve been here. I was extremely proud with the resolve and just that — I was happy that everything that I’ve seen behind the scenes came to fruition, because it doesn’t surprise me.
Q. LB Bradley Chubb had three sacks today. He has been hard on himself. He came here last season and part of the season started off, you said he started to exorcise those pressure demons? Is he doing that right now?
MIKE McDANIEL: Absolutely. Every so often you are trying to take yourself to another level, and you’re inspired to take your game to another level, and you kind of have to realize that it’s the work that you do day in and day out, and nothing has to change on game day. You have to be yourself. Yourself is absolutely good enough. You don’t have to try and go above and beyond. You just have to be diligent and play with your teammates. He’s one of my favorite players on the team simply because of how important it is for him to do right by his teammates, and as you can see, him being him is plenty good enough. He was really, really hard to block today.
Q. You mentioned players that had their doubters – obviously QB Tua Tagovailoa was on their list, people doubted him going into the season and even this week or who were wondering can you do it without Tyreek. He was 21 of 24, 224 yards and a touchdown. How do you think he did today?
MIKE McDANIEL: No, I think him – it’s not like we talk about that, but noise is loud. You embrace adversity for the opportunity that it is. But far from surprised me. I could tell all week there were certain things that him in particular, him and Jaylen Waddle were doing together that I knew they were going to be able to do some explosive stuff, and he really did a great job playing within the play. There was a couple times that there was a shot down the field, I think on the two sacks, if he would have had a tick longer, he probably would have thrown the ball. But he would have been pressing to do it. I was really fired up about his sacks, to be honest. I think what we’re watching as a team is a bunch of young players really coming into their own, and he’s one of the primary ones, Tua is, because he’s learning from everything. That doesn’t mean everything goes well. Again, I think that’s fake. That would make me nervous if at this point in the season we hadn’t gone through adversity, just because I know what is coming. I think that it was a great example of him worrying about the right stuff, which is his responsibility each and every play, and he definitely commanded the game entirely.
Q. How close was WR Tyreek Hill?
MIKE McDANIEL: You know, pretty close. That wasn’t the easiest decision, but when you look at what’s the best decision for the team and what’s the best decision for him, it was a collective decision that when you’re faced with, all right, do we press forward and just hope or do we do the thing that the individual player and the team needs for the season; it became easier in the moment just because we have the right well-intentioned people that are looking at this as their responsibility to protect players first and foremost. I think some decisions are hard but easy at the same time.
Q. QB Tua Tagovailoa said you guys came out and threw a lot of short passes early so you could see how the defense set up without WR Tyreek Hill out there.
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, football is about a collective group of people kind of putting together a plan, and there are a lot more — this is the first time Tyreek hasn’t played since I’ve been here, so there could be extra unknowns disbursed because you usually have an idea of how people are going to be threatened and how they’re going to really approach the game. There was more unknowns than usual because of that, so there was kind of a feeling-out process that was intentional in the opener to kind of get a grasp as to what was going to go on.
Q. You come out there (indiscernible), you came out first down you threw a 60-yard – did you see something that said, okay, we’re ready for this?
MIKE McDANIEL: It something that when you watch it, I’m sure that play will make its rounds on the internet because it was more about the flow of the game, what I kind of thought about protection, and there’s not many people that could cover the route that Jaylen Waddle ran because there’s not many people that are capable of going vertical. He did a left-right move and then still found an exit angle, which is a very hard thing to do. We really liked the player, the match-up, and just kind of the way those two were connecting all week. Yeah, that was pretty easy to call.
Q. How important is rest at this point in the season? I know you all said on WR Tyreek Hill, but is it a possibility Tyreek may sit next week to have him at his best in January?
MIKE McDANIEL: No, there’s people that – there’s no such thing as resting to me at this stage in the season because you don’t just all of a sudden create a scenario where you have momentum. You have to be playing your best football when you’re going against teams that are good football teams that in December there’s no easy games really. I think the – shoot, all those guys want to be a part of these type of atmospheres, to be a part of these type of games, and to crystal ball and say, we don’t need you, I don’t think that’s fair to the team or fair to them. I think resting players and just assuming that – sometimes there’s costs at trying to play your best football. The second you let your guard down and start not taking a game serious is the second you lose your edge. I think really we had a ton of guys really, really do everything they could. I can’t say enough about the work that our training staff did this week. I mean, you want to talk about overtime in a lot of ways. Then there was guys that put some inspirational efforts, Liam Eichenberg is first and foremost the first guy that I gave a game ball to this week for his performance and how he willed his way to make sure that he was the starting center. There’s a lot of guys that way. When you have guys that approach things that way collectively, you can do some pretty cool things like they were able to do today.
Q. When you say you saw some things that Tua and Jaylen worked on throughout the week, is there anything you can share specifically that you saw them doing?
MIKE McDANIEL: Well, I’ve been talking to the team. It was probably two – Jaylen had probably the best offseason, if not the best, right there with the top three offseasons of any player on our team, and he came into the season with a lot of momentum or came into training camp with a lot of momentum and then had just some random injuries that he was dealing with. One of the coolest parts about this season has been watching him progress through those injuries, and then for the last three weeks probably, I thought that he was going to have a performance like this today and I think he had his best route running game the week previous against the Titans. Then he just continued that in the week of practice, so there was some stuff that we had up that I knew our quarterback was supremely confident in because he watched the tape, too, and watched the same progression. So when you have players who are very confident, one running the route and one throwing it to him, you’ve seen that story throughout your career and you know that’s what leads to some special stuff on Sunday for sure.
Tua Tagovailoa – December 17, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, December 17, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q. On the television broadcast, Tony Romo described the 60-yard touchdown pass to WR Jaylen Waddle was a ”big arm throw.” How would you describe that throw and that play?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It was just me, just me throwing the ball to our playmaker. That’s all it was. Jaylen (Waddle) made a play on that, and the result was a touchdown. That’s all that was.
Q. I know after the Titans game, you said that the offense was a little bit out of sorts without WR Tyreek Hill. There was a lot of uncertainty about whether he would suit up during the week. How do you think getting in those practice reps without Tyreek helped with the execution of today’s offense?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, you know, as we looked throughout the week, not having Tyreek, yeah, it’s tough not having one of your star guys out there. But as a collective group, it’s like, well, what are we going to do; are we going to run the ball the entire game or are we going to do action game the entire game? No, we shouldn’t change who we are as an offense because one guy is out. We’ve got a lot of other guys that we trust, that we believed in, to keep on the team, and that’s what happened out there. It’s just the trust that we have in each other, and we just go out there, play what we see and play fast. As we prepared, that’s sort of the mentality that we had going into this game.
Q. After the touchdown pass, you gave a talk and then kind of a (hand motion). What was that signal I guess to your sidelines?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah. It’s an inside thing that I say a lot. I tell the guys a lot, ‘talk to me.’ So that’s what it was. I mean, I just love doing that, and that’s why Bradley (Chubb) said that. A lot of the guys say that, and so it was just funny that we could do it like that.
Q. What does it mean?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: It could mean a lot of things, really. It really could. When Bradley Chubb got his strip sack, he came to the sideline, I looked at him and went like that, and he heard it and was like, ‘talk to me.’ (laughter) It could mean a lot of things. I couldn’t give a definition, but our definition right now means a lot of things.
Q. How did you feel the protection did in front of you today?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: The protection did really well. I would say on Monday with the things that had happened with guys going down and then others having to step up, it was a good rep for me throughout the entirety of the season. Things like that hadn’t happened and we needed just a little bit more time so as we went through our practice this week we knew what we were up with and really it’s just that. It’s trusting the guy next to you. It’s trusting that, hey, one guy might have lost on this play, but don’t think that they’re going to lose on the next time we call that play. Just trust that they’ll make that block, and that’s really the mentality that – not just me that I came in with but that everybody came in with.
Q. You were in this room six days ago and you said you wouldn’t let what happened kind of sink the season, that this was a different Dolphins team. How did that process start over the course of the week? Did it start in the locker room? Did it start Monday or Tuesday? When did that process start saying, hey, we’re going to get back up and still make something…?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think that process started today. I say that because throughout the week, no one changed what they did within their normal routines. No one did more than what they’d normally do. Everyone knew that what we had put out Monday night was embarrassing, and it felt weird as we came into the building. One thing we wanted to do was not feel that feeling again, so in a way guys were happy that it was a short week, that we got to play again, and sort of exorcise a lot of the things that we didn’t do right and take the right step forward in winning – really winning the way we did today.
Q. There’s the idea out there that obviously everyone understands No. 10 is having an arguably MVP season. Does it bother you a little bit that there’s kind of a narrative out there that this team will go as far as Tyreek takes them? Today you didn’t have him and you went out there and you performed against a – notwithstanding their 5-9 record they have a good defense. You went up against a good defense today without No. 10. How important was it to show everybody that we love Tyreek, we understand that, but we can do this without him?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I mean, that’s what everyone is going to say. Everyone is going to have their own deal with how they feel. In my personal opinion, give Tyreek the MVP or give Jaylen Waddle the MVP or give Raheem Mostert the MVP. Give all those guys the MVP. I could care less personally. I feel like everything is made about me, which makes me feel very uncomfortable and makes me feel a little weird about that. But it’s a team sport. Like with ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) being down – I went out there when ‘10’ was warming up. He was talking to Kyle (Johnston), he was talking to Chris Grier, I went up to him, and I told him, ‘Dude, if you can’t go, we got you, brother. It’s a team sport. It’s going to take all of us.’ And he said, ‘I appreciate it, but don’t count me out yet.’ And he made the decision, and it’s tough because he’s a competitor, and he wants to be out there with the guys. With not having him and to be able to put 30 points and have a shut-out by our defense should tell you a lot about the team, really, the guys on all three aspects and three phases of the game.
Q. RB Raheem Mostert is setting all kinds of team records for touchdowns this year. Can you describe how important he’s been to this offense and what he’s meant to you?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, he’s been very important to this offense. This goes all the way back to last year. And then you listen to his journey, things that he’s had to go through throughout his NFL career, being cut however many times, going through multiple teams, and then being able to have opportunities in San Fran, and really when our head coach gets the job here, this is one of the main guys that he brings in to showcase that hey, I believe in you and whatnot. He’s been a tremendous part of the success that he’s had offensively and the success that we have happens because the guys up front, happens because of the guys outside, and those guys are doing really well at executing, and it’s really fun seeing those guys have fun and see their success.
Q. Speaking of Raheem, with his 20 touchdowns, what’s it feel like for you to hand it off to him in the red zone? How confident are you that he’s going to get in there when you hand it off to him?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think it starts with our play caller. It starts with our head coach. That should tell you how much trust he has to be able to call three runs in a row down there and that should tell you basically enough that the trust that our head coach has, the trust that I have with the play call to just leave it on and call it, and the trust that our guys have up front that he’s going to do what he needs to do. It’s good.
Q. Head Coach Mike McDaniel decided to go for it on a fourth-and-5, and you completed a pass over the middle to WR Jaylen Waddle. Can you talk about the decision and the play?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, the decision on that was Coach McDaniel’s call. I think he had a threshold of how far we were in order for him to — wanted us to go for it. I guess it was maybe right there at the 5, while it was 4th and 5. Really we called that play, and it was just tailored for me to read it out, and Jaylen (Waddle) made a phenomenal play on that.
Q. Were you setting up the long pass to WR Jaylen Waddle with short passes coming out early in the game?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: No. I would say with Mike (McDaniel), he was just trying to get a feel off of how the defense wanted to play with ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) being out, if they were going to pressure more, if they weren’t, what the back end was going to look like. I think in that regard, he was just trying to get the ball out as quickly as possible because it also does help our guys up front. It throws off the timing of the d-linemen with where the spot is for the quarterback. I think that that was something that Mike had done really well in the game plan for today.
Q. After taking on the Jets last month, what did you take away the most from their defense, maybe specifically their secondary, that you took to your advantage today against them?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, take what they give me. That’s really what I came out with. Can’t turn the ball over, although we almost had one. But yeah, I would say can’t turn the ball over against a team like that, and I think we did really well with that today.
Q. With the ups and downs of this season, how ready do you think you are for this final stretch knowing what’s ahead of you starting this week in Dallas?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I couldn’t tell you like how ready we are for anything. I can tell you that right now we’re going to enjoy this win. We’re going to get ready for Dallas. That’s all we’re worried about. We’re not worried about anything else.
Q. Keeping the main thing the main thing as far as 10 wins at this point in the season, the experience of last year when it’s December to now getting those wins and taking the loss last week, just staying on track, can you touch on as far as how impactful that loss last week can help prepare you for the rest of the season going into January?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think something like that that happened on Monday could have went both ways. It could have went really good for us, could have been something really good or could have been something really bad. We could have felt sorry for ourselves, we could have felt bad that we lost, and we could have come out here and possibly done the same thing. But I think the mindset that everyone has in the building to just be able to let that go, move on, and realize what we have ahead and the opportunity that we have to do something really, really special this year.
Jaylen Waddle – December 15, 2023
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Friday, December 15, 2023
WR Jaylen Waddle
(What is the approach this week after a tough loss last week? Another opportunity?) – “The same approach. The same approach as every other week.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said today that he really likes what he sees from you guys bouncing back and focusing on what’s next. What is the key to that mindset of focusing on moving forward?) – “Just keeping the main thing the main thing. Going about work each and every day with the same mindset to get better. It’s the last stretch of the season, so getting better at this time is something we’re trying to do.”
(How do things change for you if WR Tyreek Hill doesn’t play? Do you feel like you’ll get extra attention?) – “We got a lot of playmakers on the team that can do a lot. Not extra attention. Everybody just has to step up in a major way. So not really.”
Liam Eichenberg – December 15, 2023
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Friday, December 15, 2023
OL Liam Eichenberg
(What are the chances you play Sunday?) – “I am trying to get better every single day. I would not be surprised if I was out there playing. Yeah, I’m getting better every single day. Just kind of having the athletic trainers get me right and improve every single day. Day by day. That’s the plan.”
(How’s your movement right now? Do you have mobility?) – “Good. Yeah.”
(How much of a strain was last game? I thought I saw a couple times where it was tough for you to pick yourself back up?) – “Yeah, it was tough last game. It was tough. There were certain times where it was a struggle. But at the end of the day, I had to get through it. I wanted to us to win, I wanted to be out there. That’s what matters. I’m trying to help the team win.”
(You guys are short on bodies obviously. How much of that is on your mind when you’re out there? That I got to go because there’s no one behind me.) – “Yeah, at the end of the day I just feel bad for Connor (Williams) man. That’s one of the closest guys I’m with on this team. He went down and the (crappy) thing is I wasn’t even there to be near him. I was taking snaps. So that’s part of how it is. But I felt bad. I hoped it wasn’t too bad. I saw him on the sideline and he said what it was and I said are you kidding me? It just sucks. He’s such a good leader and hard worker for this team.”
(Have you dealt with a calf before?) – “No, I have not.”
(Has there been pain much this week? What’s the week been like?) – “It’s just sore. It just feels like a bruise. It’s not too bad.”
(How much more comfortable are you now at center compared to where you were two months ago?) – “Back in the saddle. Back in the saddle at center. First couple snaps took me a minute, but after that, I felt comfortable. It’s kind of like riding a bike. I felt better as the game went along.”
(What’s the biggest challenge of center? Is it the physical part of it or the making the calls at the line and things of that nature?) – “Just getting the ball to the quarterback. That’s the biggest thing. Snapping it on time, making sure guys aren’t offsides, kind of getting back in that rhythm and getting the ball off. It’s different at guard. I kind of would jump in at guard. But center I need to jump even more. So it’s one of those things you have to be conscious of.”
(You were playing center for the first time in your career this year. Would it be easier for OL Jonotthan Harrison since he is a center? He’s been out of the game for a little bit, but could you project how tough it would be for him?) – “Yeah, I think he’s a good player. He’s done a great job stepping in and picking up this offense. I wouldn’t be surprised – I think he’ll play well if he has to be out there. I think everybody in the room believes in him. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he was brought in. He’s done a great job picking up the offense.”
Mike McDaniel – December 15, 2023
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Friday, December 15, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(On player statuses) – “DeShon (Elliott) is still in the protocol. He is out. Rob Hunt is out. Everybody else will practice with exception to Tyreek (Hill) and there’s going to be a ton of questionables.”
(WR Tyreek Hill will be one of those questionables?) – “Yeah.”
(If OL Liam Eichenberg is unable to play, can you share – I don’t know competitively I guess if you can share who would start if Liam can’t?) – “You can take me surface level on this. It’s one thing when you’re trying not to divulge a competitive advantage for studying purposes. This is not the case. This practice I get to see one of the potential starters for the first time ever. So we have plenty of, a lot of moving parts, a lot of contingencies. If you’re voting for Pro Bowl offensive line coaches, submit your Pro Bowl vote for Butch (Barry). We’ve been getting his money’s worth with his work and there’s multiple scenarios whether our working plan of Lester (Cotton) is involved, whether it’s one of our new acquisitions, it’s important for practice because I don’t feel comfortable just making blind crystal ball ‘this is what’s going to work.’ I’d like to see it and be able to move forward from there. So again, I apologize, but it is what it is.”
(With all the injuries up front, how much does that shrink your playbook?) – “I wouldn’t say shrink because there’s a lot of guys – you’re attempting to do your best job at the art of multiplicity of doing the same thing. With a lot of guys having a lot of experience doing a lot of things, with the offensive line having to block certain things with certain rules, there can be a happy medium hopefully to the point that it would be unnoticeable to all of you guys, so I don’t expect it. There are always things that change, ways you attack defenses. You’re doing it to the strength of your team. When there’s less experience and you’re trying to win a football game, you have to really strain and see how multiple you can be with being very similar for what their piece is. I think we’ve done a good job of putting together a plan where it’s not unreasonable for those guys to really execute it as well as being multiple and keeping the defense honest. But we’re also playing a defense that prides itself on fundamentals and technique. It’s similar to what we do from a defensive standpoint where they’re trying to get their players, the Jets try to get their players to play as fast as possible with as much conviction. They do a good job of being versatile within their system, but it’s also manageable for them because they’re all about the performance of their guys and maximizing their players, knowing Coach (Robert) Saleh and (Jeff) Ulbrich extensively. It’s a good opponent for them to identify stuff. However, that opponent brings it at an aggressive level, so all of our guys have to be very confident and intentional. The bottom line is this defense is – wherever they’re ranked is not fair. They should be higher. I think those guys over there, the energy that they have played with since we last played them, just being involved in some tough times myself, I know what type of coaching that takes. All three phases for the Jets, I pretty much know all those guys and it’s really, really cool to see. We don’t want them high-fiving this week. But just the whole locker room, it says a lot about the players. They have played with energy and I think they’ve had two out of the three best defensive performances when everyone was saying, oh this season is this, that and the other. That’s my favorite stuff. Hats off to them, we’re going to have to be super prepared because they are going to be coming to Miami with a point to prove. I can assure you that.”
(What, if anything, should we or could we read into WR Tyreek Hill not practicing?) – “It’s not really a read-in, in terms of where – like I think he in theory, he would be able to practice if he didn’t have the standard of practice that he has. Right now, we’re just focused on getting it as healthy as possible and then bottom line is, we’ll have a conversation that will be based upon – remember this is Tyreek Hill’s career. He’s a very experienced player. I handle very experienced players different than I handle younger guys because they know what they signed up for and it’s his career, so when we talk, this is what will happen. In his season, in his career, on his team as a captain; if he’s confident and I have the support of the medical guys, he’s confident that he can go be himself and I have the support of the trainers that’s responsible to the risk, then he’ll play. If it’s not that, then he won’t and literally every hour for him is imperative. He has had the same energy that he has had all season, which I’ve never seen somebody take a step like this who’s already a great player and he is in this building – what is that, a 12-hour day – of focusing, knowing everything to do and rehabbing. So he’s doing everything he can. I don’t know. I don’t have a feeling yet because we’re getting ahead of it, but he’ll be spending time rehabbing. We’ll see what happens.”
(I wanted to ask you about backup quarterbacks and with some of the injuries we’ve see to starters in the past couple of seasons, backups have come in and played really well. I’m wondering your thoughts on kind of the importance of the backup quarterback role in today’s NFL and I guess how important it is to kind of invest in and develop that position?) – “I think I didn’t give it its due when I first got in the league and then over time, it’s one of the more important positions on your team. Just because they’re not the starter doesn’t mean – I mean, they’re as important as anybody because not only are you supporting the process of the starter, but you have to at a moment’s notice, go and orchestrate full-speed everything you have worked on and you have to have the right guy because a lot of those times those reps aren’t to be had so you have to work extra and then you have to have the right type of mindset so that zero to 60 process, you are able to do best by your skillset to not quiver. It is challenging, challenging, challenging because you never know what’s going to happen and to sit there and say at any position, ‘oh, we’re good, we don’t need depth,’ – I think in just two years of me being here, you can’t assume any position is going to be void of injuries. We’ve had one at least at every position, so the quarterback being able to do that and then on top of that, you have to garner the confidence of all your teammates so that when you walk in that huddle, they can be their best selves and it’s not like, ‘oh, here we go.’ It is an important role that I think Mike White and Skylar Thompson for us, every week there’s residual effects of what they do during the work week through Tua. That is a group. Coach Bevell has said in his 20 years in the NFL being in those rooms, this might be the best one and they’re all supportive of each other. It’s a hard position, but then you have some brothers that can attest and give you feedback and be like, ‘dude, don’t worry, that was a really hard throw,’ ‘oh, don’t worry, I didn’t see that.’ That hits differently to your ear than this guy. So it’s very important and it will continue to be important.”
(What have you noticed about Jets QB Zach Wilson’s performance? I guess he was AFC Offensive Player of the Week? What did you see on tape?) – “I thought it was kind of cool because just think about that. To be offensive player of the week for your whole conference in the same season of getting benched. Fortunately he’s in a small, under the radar media market. (laughter) So I think it’s cool. What I saw was internal fortitude. There’s some conviction and confidence. I saw when the pocket was clean, he was seeing it and then when it wasn’t, he was able to find ways to get on the edge of the defense and do some of the stuff that is the reason he was the second pick in the draft because he has some arm talent that’s unbelievable. I don’t have to be in that building to project. Everybody knows – that’s a galvanizing situation – because everyone knows how hard it has to be, I’ve talked about it before, everybody wants to live up to where they’re drafted and you go and you have to hear questions about stuff. Then for his teammates to watch that happen and then him go out there and really believe in himself and show confidence and then make some plays, I’m happy for people specifically when that happens. I can relate to that stuff. So I see a confident guy that’s dangerous that you have to disrupt. I think that you have to be very, very good with your pre-snap presentations. I think you have to get on edges of offensive linemen and disrupt his vision. And I think if you allow him early confidence, he’s going to play confident, so that’s our objective to start the game and I think guys are up for the challenge there. One thing they’re not doing is – you can tell it hit our locker room, too – they’re not taking this team lightly. They know how tough things can be when you’ve lost a couple games in a row and then the amount of momentum you have from one game. So we’re going to have our hands full, but at this stage in the season, that’s what you want. You don’t want to gift victories. You want to go earn it and they’re going to make sure we have to do that, so we’re going to have to be on all of our stuff, which is why today is so important. It’s the most important day of our lives.”
(You mentioned how one game can kind of flip momentum. Have you been able to sense from the players, coaches, the team in general, from Monday night to today, how have they been able to move past that?) – “You know what it is, but the team, I see a team that is eager to play football again. I sensed the first time I talked to them this week, they wished the game was that day. I know their bodies didn’t, but you want to wash that out. What I’ve seen thus far is guys focus that frustration into the gameplan and preparation for this opponent. I think on the surface, you’re generally kind of worried about that. For me, this team this week, I’m not. Because like I said, they’re eager to go make some things right. And it’d be one thing if we spent that game – watching the film, there were things that were to our standard. So we’ve been focusing on how did the backend of the game unfold. Once we did that, we moved past and it’s been J-E-T-S all week.”
(Along those same lines, where do you think that mentality comes from? Is it the leadership? Is it you guys within the week? After a tough blow on Monday, where’s that core, that base of the way you guys approach this week?) – “I think that all has to do with the collection of individuals. As a coaching staff, we try to do our best to kind of – you end a game and there’s so many things that happen. Individuals think about this play, this play, this play. Then quite naturally, you’re like, how did this happen? I think as a coaching staff, we kind of look at things and then you deliver a mindset message on okay, well, this is how we can kind of categorize that. Then it takes a bunch of like-minded individuals who are interested in things much beyond themselves, who are strong-minded with will, to listen to that and then decide, ‘hey, you know what, collectively, this is the way we’re going. This is how we agree that we can file this under this envelope and say, okay, that’s what that was, and learn from it.’ That’s why I love the locker room because they are not blinking or feeling sorry for themselves. They are 100 percent focused on the Jets, which you have to be in this league. That’s another reason, another example, that will always present itself in every NFL season of why you have to come prepared. Everyone gets paid and there’s a lot of teams that win games that beat Vegas’ odds. So all of that being said, I think the bottom line is none of it matters unless you have the right human beings as players. My expectation is that as coaches, we funnel the information appropriately, because that’s our jobs. I could be Knute Rockne and if I have guys that aren’t about each other and focused on the right things and committed to this team and organization and the city, it doesn’t matter. I would say it’s a credit to the locker room that has been built up and the individuals in it.”
Danny Crossman – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(When you have a guy who’s got four blocks in the last three years, is it just – obviously you have to identify him, but is it just making sure that he’s that focus player?) – “Our concepts and our techniques aren’t going to change, but you highlight guys that have special traits and are able to overcome a lot of the techniques that they’ve seen and still be able to get penetration. So he’s a guy who we were aware of, and we just didn’t do a good enough job. I didn’t get the guys in the right mindset and it cost us.”
(How good of a game did DB Elijah Campbell have? I saw the muffed punt recovery, but I think he also had a tackle on a punt right?) – “Yes, he had a tackle on a punt and had an assist on a kickoff. He played very well. He probably played one of his better games. He’s been a good player for us for a couple years and really was in a zone on Monday night. Really both he and Justin Bethel at the gunner and some of the other spots they played, they both played very well.”
(You guys had WR Tyreek Hill back deep even after he had sustained the ankle injury. What was the thinking there?) – “Well it was a package we were in based on some things that they could have done in that situation, and with the way our group is dispersed from a personnel standpoint, that’s his spot on that particular grouping.”
(So it would have taken a lot for him to return that is what you’re saying?) – “Correct.”
(The LS Blake Ferguson penalty, I talked to him about it, what did you think? He said that they’d hit him in the head a couple of times previously, he told the ref.) – “The only person – I’m old school. The only person that should speak to the referee during the game is the head football coach.”
(Really? So a player, you don’t…?) – “Nope.”
(The rain this week, does that – I know you always talk about wind as being, but does rain, if it’s wet ground, wet ball, does that make a difference punting or kicking or for LS Blake Ferguson snapping?) – “It does. It adds an element to it, whether it’s good or bad. Here in South Florida, we have a tendency to get those occasional rain showers, so working with wet balls is something that we are able to do fairly regularly. If not, we can simulate that. The biggest thing, and you mentioned it, is the wind. The wind is supposed to also be a possible factor, and that’s always a bigger issue than rain, snow, whatever the precipitation may be.”
Frank Smith – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I guess I’ll start it off the question everyone is wondering. How are you guys handling the center situation? Obviously OL Liam Eichenberg is dealing with an injury, but with the two new guys that you’ve brought in, is there a possibility or a strong likelihood that one of them could be starting on Sunday?) – “As we’re working through it, we just have to have a plan for all the potential situations that occur. Just making sure that when we bring guys on, that guys fit what we’re trying to do. Basically when you come off a short week, you get home and it’s Tuesday. The whole part about this week is getting everyone back – players physically ready, mentally ready, coaches mentally ready. It’s such a quick turnaround for your next opponent so as we’re working through all positions on this week, the key would be just making sure that whoever is available to help us win, that we’re putting everyone in the best situation possible.”
(What is your confidence level in OL Lester Cotton snapping the ball if he has to?) – “You look at in the spring when Connor (Williams) was out, it forced us into working contingency plans and that’s the best part about spring, and it kind of even took us down a whole other level of cross-training guys and making sure that we had ‘hey, get him here, get him here’ so as far as Lester’s ability to snap the ball and play, him at guard, him at center; the versatility of the group is something that is a strength. I know Butch (Barry) and ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) make sure every day we’re always getting guys different things. So I think when it comes to Lester and all the guys, we feel the most confidence because also it’s not them by themselves. It’s all of us together and us as coaches making sure that everyone who plays is in the best position possible to succeed.”
(How do you prep the game plan with maybe only one starter available to you on the offensive line?) – “There are many variables like unfortunately this is not my first time going through this. It flashes me back to sometimes the other places I’ve been when you don’t have certainty and you’re working through the week and you’re working through the variables and anticipation of things. So when we’re looking at stuff, it’s not like it’s different, but it’s more of how we communicate about what we’re doing and we’re making sure that whatever we do is able to be versatile if we have to go through multiple scenarios. But ultimately, we look at the defense, we attack the defense for what we think it is and use our guys as best we can to attack the parts of the defense.”
(When going through that, are you of the ideology of having as few moving parts as possible or do you have to sort of prioritize you have to be good at center first and then figure other things out?) – “You can go ‘if this, then that’ and you have your plans for personnel variabilities, but you can’t – we factor in things, but it’s not like you’re just drastically going to shift everything you do. But it’s like you’re very conscious of the different elements that could be in play and we just try and make sure that like every week, we’re always trying to make sure we put the best plan together for our guys to be successful and that’s our driving force, is we look at defenses and attack them.”
(What’s your confidence level in two of your more explosive players – WR Tyreek Hill and RB De’Von Achane – being out on the field on Sunday and being effective out on the field?) – “For our guys to play on any game day, it’s the communication that they have with the training staff, coaches, everyone involved and making sure guys are ready to play. When we put the guys forward to play on any game day, we feel confident that they’re going to be able to execute and play the level that they feel comfortable with because it’s December in the NFL. If you feel completely great, then you probably haven’t done anything. Same thing for coaches. Like if I said I felt fresh and spry like I did in July, then I’m definitely full of it. But it’s that process of as you go through it and you just know, ‘what do I need to do to be at my best and perform to help my teammates and fulfill what we’re trying to do as a team?’ And everyone that plays on Sunday goes through their process and we feel good about it.”
(At the risk of sounding ridiculous, what changes when WR Tyreek Hill is not on the field for your offense?) – “That’s why we have all the guys that do what we do. It’s kind of like for me, I go, ‘well, this is why we practice the way we do in the offseason,’ where when you guys see different guys in there running routes with Tua, you see different guys – Tyreek running routes with Mike White and Skylar (Thompson). We do all this intentionally to make sure that we have cohesion and guys we’re developing that chemistry throughout the entire offseason because in-season, you just have to work different possibilities and we’re counting on our guys to be in the right spots at the right time and do the right things, and that’s where we as coaches help them through the plan and all that. We adjust throughout any game plan so when guys are in, guys are out, not every guy on the team –they come in and out. Like ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill) doesn’t play every play. We make sure we have plans for all that.”
(When a top offense is slowed down, people will say that’s the blueprint to stop that offense. I’m curious the converse of that. If you guys don’t play up to your usual production, is there value in that tape of how somebody else is able to slow you guys down based upon your average game?) – “When you go through history – this is me going full nerd – how many people go through – you learn from your failures. You learn more from areas where you can go, ‘oh, and this is why.’ So I always go to the story of Abraham Lincoln. There’s that quote with Michael Jordan about how many shots he missed and everything. We all remember one side, but he remembers the other. Whenever you have adversity, you can either run from it, hide from it, or you embrace it, learn from it, grow from it, become stronger from it. I think so many guys on this football team, that’s kind of who they were and how they got here. I think a lot of us when we go through games where we had our expectations not met, it’s time to go back to work. That hunger and that fire as a competitor, I mean for me, I know how I feel. I’m excited for every day, including today, as I know everyone else is in the building.”
(One more thing on the center. For a position that is demanding physically and mentally, having to make many ID’s, is it realistic, even for veterans as experienced as OL Jonotthan Harrison and OL Matt Skura, who haven’t played in a game this year, to come into a building mid-week and be able to, if needed, start at center with all that’s required? Is that realistic do you think?) – “I mean, we have to plan for all contingencies just in case what occurs. I think when we go through guys who are acquired and what’s going to happen on that weekend, it’s going to take a collective process to make sure everyone’s ready to execute, if necessary. They’re not on their own to learn everything on their own. It’s on us as a staff to make sure we’re communicating what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, on players collectively to have inclusion and making sure that they’re catching everyone up to speed. That’s when you have strong teams. Guys really work together and communicate together. But is it unheard of? No, it’s not unheard of. I remember I was in Chicago in 2016 and it was last cuts and we signed Logan Paulsen. He showed up on Monday and started that Sunday. He had no idea when he walked in what any one of our words meant. So that was actually very impressive. It’s a measure of being in the NFL, being a professional football player. If it’s easy and anyone can do it, that’s not really what this business is. It’s tough.”
(In the five sacks, where there any common themes? Coverage sacks, pressure up the middle, pressure off the edges, anything?) – “There’s variable of stuff. Like we were talking about, this tape is tough to watch because you expected to have something different to happen. But for where we want to go, for our goals, this was a good game for us to learn in many areas. We’re just ultimately looking forward to getting back to work and finishing the day, get tomorrow, and then get ready for Sunday because the greatest thing we can do is get back and play some more football.”
(On the snap, cause for concern? Or a one-off? What are your thoughts on that?) – “I mean, it’s clearly unfortunate. But it’s a thing that we’re aware of and there’s nothing that we’re sitting here going to express great concern over it. We understand what occurred. We know how to fix it. And we’re going to work the process together.”
(This offense, a lot of it is so predicated on the speed and your ability to stretch them vertically and horizontally. Does that change at all when WR Tyreek Hill is out of the game?) – “I mean, no. I think the basis of all offenses should be that. A lot of people don’t adhere to it. I think that’s where we try to make sure whoever’s in the game, we have a certain width of the field and length of the field that if you don’t make them defend it, compression, compression, compression; and that’s what they want. Defenses want you to play small, play in a close space. And our job as an offense is to challenge the space and make them defend it all. However we do it, with all the people we have at our disposable, that’s what our job is every week, to make sure all the guys on the field are executing concepts that do stretch defenses and challenge them to create space for us to maximize the space and score. So I think ultimately, a lot of times when you look at other teams that don’t move as much as us and do those things, they have different philosophical ways that they believe in attacking. I think we look to attack a defense in a certain way. However our personnel changes, our job is to adjust, but ultimately, all of our plan is derived from who are they? What do they do? And how do we use our pieces to challenge them and put them in conflict?
(Where is WR Chase Claypool in terms of his digestion of the offense and the motions? I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked about there’s a Claypool package, but is he well-versed in the entire offense now?) – “Yeah, I mean in practice, we have our packages of plays, and we go through them. It’s just what is the nature of the game and how is it going? Sometimes we reflect after we’re done and say, ‘Hey, maybe we should have gotten to these plays,’ or ‘Maybe we called too many of them.’ There’s stuff that we have to reflect on as coaches after the game and making sure that we’re putting guys in the right position. He’s doing a great job. I really enjoy talking to him. He’s got really just a great perspective of life and he’s really hungry to learn and get better every day. Because I mean ultimately, you want to surround yourself with likeminded people whose drive to be their best is just a daily, every day, and you can feel that out of him. So we just keep working every day, and his number is going to be called at some point, like everyone’s is. I’m sure he’ll be ready when that time comes.”
(What stood out to you about what the Jets did last week against QB CJ Stroud and the Texans?) – “Overall defensively, they have a very together system. You can tell they communicate very well, they play together well. They’re physical. There’s a lot of challenges they’re going to present. Whenever you have to travel on the road in the NFL, every game is tough. When you look at the challenges that they gave Houston, those are obviously challenges defensively that we’ll have to handle. I don’t really – it’s not like it’s one thing. Every game is just so many different components that are little things that can add up over time, so for us to be able to come out on Sunday and do what we want to do, it’s not really about whatever they’re doing, it’s about us and making sure we’re on our plan and on our communication so we can execute together.”
(How does preparation change when you just saw this team three or four games ago and they’ve only played two games in between your two meetings with them?) – “Well first, it feels like, ‘Wait, it was three weeks ago? It feels like a month ago or two months ago.’ It’s just funny how time, just you’re in a vortex and next thing you know, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I guess that was Black Friday.’ But as far as our preparation, it gives you – you can reflect on what you did and why you did it, and then you can learn from that, the positives and the negatives. It just helps you in your next evolution of how to attack an opponent. Yeah, it helps, but there’s no guarantee to anything. So we’ll just make sure that we’re on what we need to do for Sunday and make sure we’re communicating and playing well together.”
(Your touchdowns came as a result of special teams and defensive turnovers, which was advantageous of the offense. Is that frustrating for you not to get in the end zone? Was Tennessee doing stuff? Did you guys limit yourselves? How do you view that?) – “It’s a combination of things, but you’ve got to give credit to them for making it a challenging day for us. But at the same time, we need to look at ourselves and make sure we’re operating the way we believe we’re capable of operating. Whenever we have setbacks or things don’t go our way, it’s why did it occur and how do we improve from it? I mean there’s a lot of things that we’re going to grow from that, because like we were talking about it earlier, if you can run and hide and you push it anywhere else, it’s like, no, absorb the reality of what occurred, handle it appropriately, communicate why, don’t shift – it’s just the hallmark of why it’s a joy to work here, because you have an entire building of accountable people who after failure occurs, everyone is going like (raises hand). Everyone everyone is accountable to each other, that’s how you can improve and we can get better, because you don’t hide from adversity. You embrace it and learn and grow. That’s the great part about December. We can get better together.”
Vic Fangio – December 14, 2023
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(I know obviously this year you’ve had a lot of success with four-man rushes and you were playing two backup safeties late in the game. I’m just wondering if that contributed to you not blitzing at all on Tennessee’s last two series. Was that something you regretted not doing at all in those final two touchdown drives?) – “No, they were kind of unusual drives in that they got some early big plays that turned into a red zone two-minute (drill) on both of them. Yeah, you always wish something different had happened. But no.”
(Can you explain what happened on the long WR DeAndre Hopkins pass on the first play of the game-winning drive that they had? It seemed like there was maybe a bust in coverage. But from your perspective, what happened there?) – “Yeah, I mean we just didn’t pick it up the way we usually do and had a problem with that.”
(How do you assess those last two drives? What went wrong for you guys in general?) – “Yeah, we gave up some early plays that got big yardage for them. That really kick started the drives for them.”
(How different is it calling defensive plays when you have S Brandon Jones and DB Elijah Campbell? I’m not asking you to throw anybody under the bus, but I know Elijah hadn’t played from scrimmage in a while?) – “Yeah, this is the time of year for every team in the league where more backups have to be ready and go in there and play. We have confidence in those guys, but obviously when you’re missing your two starters, it sets you back a little bit. But I have confidence in Elijah and Brandon.”
(When the team has a two-touchdown lead with about four minutes to go, how unlikely do you feel it is, what confluence of events would have to occur for the opponent to come away with a win?) – “Well, we saw it there. They got some big plays, which allowed them to score fairly quickly. On the first one, we weren’t able to execute the four-minute offensively and they got it back around the 36 or 37-yard line or whatever it was, and they scored on us. There was still time left for us to have a legitimate chance. So a lot of it happened very quickly.”
(I believe you previously called S Jevon Holland the quarterback of the secondary. How much was his absence specifically maybe attributed to some of the miscommunication that occurred?) – “There wasn’t a lot of miscommunication. That wasn’t an issue. But Jevon has been the quarterback, as I’ve said before, and it’s pretty obvious. Then DeShon (Elliott) has taken that role when Jevon has been out.”
(So just to follow up, you’re saying especially on the late two drives, it was more so about the execution rather than maybe the communication?) – “Yeah, I don’t think communication was the issue. I needed to call it better and we needed to play it better. We’re teammates in this operation, players and coaches, and we all just needed to be a little bit better.”
(On the TV broadcast, they mentioned that you guys could’ve done a better job of protecting the sideline. What goes into teaching those moments and what went wrong?) – “Yeah, we do teach that. On the one time, you alluded to the play that he (DeAndre Hopkins) caught coming across the middle. We didn’t have anybody there to keep him in bounds because of the pickup. But we do emphasize that.”
(If CB Xavien Howard is unable to play Sunday – I know he wasn’t able to go yesterday – would CB Eli Apple be the next option or is CB Cam Smith in your thinking? And CB Kader Kohou will obviously be out there.) – “Yeah, all three are possibilities.”
(Your play that you have been getting at inside linebacker since LB Jerome Baker left – LB Duke Riley was very active against Washington. How’d he play Monday night?) – “I thought he played well. I thought Duke played a good game. He handled being the signal-caller in the huddle and on the line signal-caller. I thought he played good. And I thought David (Long) played good too.”
(Did you get a glimpse of LB Melvin Ingram in his workout, and what did you see?) – “No, I didn’t. And today we’re not really moving around much, so I don’t have anything for you there.”
(What did you think of the pass rush last game? I think you had one sack and eight quarterback hits. Was it a good pass rush and you just didn’t get him to the ground? What did you think?) – “We had some opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on getting him to the ground. But I thought overall, the pass rush was pretty solid.”
(How tough will this game-plan become if you don’t know if you’ll have either safety?) – “It’s like I said. Those guys have been here all year, S Brandon (Jones) and DB Elijah (Campbell). We have other guys that are capable, and it’s time for them to step up.”
(Who else is an option at safety? You said you have other guys. Is CB Nik Needham an option?) – “Yeah. Nik knows it some.”
(Do you see maybe a bigger role for CB Nik Needham? Obviously the Achilles was a big rehab for him, but he’s 14 months removed now. Is that still a limitation for him?) – “No. He doesn’t have any limitations because of that.”
(What is your thinking of not playing CB Nik Needham more?) – “Well right now, we’ve had, for most of the season, Jevon (Holland) and DeShon (Elliott) at safety, and Kader (Kohou) at nickel, and Jalen (Ramsey) and Xavien (Howard) at corner. He’s been the sixth DB to come in when we go to six. But now with some of those guys out, there is definitely a possibility he could be playing more.”
(Is it different getting ready for an opponent you saw four weeks ago as opposed to having not seen a team all year long?) – “Not really because teams change during the course of the season. You have to go by what you see. They played a hell of a game last week against Houston. They have a different quarterback from the last time we played, and he played well. He got (AFC Offensive) Player of the Week in the league. I don’t see it as a big, big difference.”
(What was the change from the first half of that game where they got shut out and punted the ball five time, versus scoring 30 in the second half?) – “They just started really moving the ball, completing some passes. The quarterback played well. Things just clicked for them in the second half. They did a nice job.”
(As far as their passing game, I think RB Breece Hall had 86 yards in receptions, maybe eight receptions, and WR Garrett Wilson had 108 yards receiving. How much of that do you think the Jets will try to translate into this game?) – “I think they will try and do that in any game. Those are two of their best players, and they are going to try to get them the ball. That’s what most teams do, try to get their best players the ball. Certainly Wilson and Hall are great at their positions.”
(When you have a tough loss like this team just suffered, how do you get the team to flush that and move forward, especially on a short week?) – “You just have to do it. That’s part of playing in the NFL. I think the best thing to get it going is just to get out there and practice and prepare for the next opponent, and not sit around and just think about the last game.”
(For you personally? Are all losses the same at this point, or does what happened last week take a little longer to digest or process for you personally?) – “I’m pretty good at moving on to the next one. But I’m just disappointed in the way that it ended. We had been pretty good all year in two-minute situations, if you remember. We were out there with games on the line, and we just didn’t get it done this time.”
