Mike McDaniel – August 27, 2022 (Halftime)
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Saturday, August 27, 2022
Halftime – Philadelphia
Head Coach Mike McDaniel on WFOR broadcast with Kim Bokamper
(You don’t waste any time getting this offense going. QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill on the first play, it had to feel good for you?) – “I think it felt good for them. They’ve put in a lot of work, but it doesn’t matter until you do it in a stadium in front of fans. So I know they were happy to get started the right way. It was an awesome read by Tua (Tagovailoa). That’s not easy, and it was an awesome read by Tyreek (Hill) tracking that ball, so I was happy with that.”
(One thing you talked about was trying to find this running game. Well, you’ve certainly found it. RB Raheem Mostert comes out with a big run, RB Myles Gaskin getting some effort and RB Salvon Ahmed. Are you seeing your running game do what you want to do?) – “There’s – any time you run the ball with sustained success, it takes a group of individuals working together. So I was happy with the effort, with the (running) backs breaking tackles, but it was good to get a little rhythm going and be able to get some runs called. So there’s a lot of work that goes into that, and I was proud of the guys to be able to reap some of those rewards.”
(Defensively, you got a nice fourth-and-1 stop and a lot of pressure on their quarterback. That had to feel good?) – “That’s an important part of our defensive unit. They take a lot of pride in working the fundamentals and technique. I thought that was on display, and I’m hoping for more of that in the second half.”
(About 30 minutes left in this game, are there still jobs to be had out there?) – “Absolutely. Absolutely, any time you’re on the field in a professional football game, that tape lasts forever. So all the guys are very focused to make sure that the standard that was taken first half, there’s no let up and that standard continues in the second half.”
Mike McDaniel – August 25, 2022
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Prior to the 206 questions you’re going to get about stomach flu, just to get two things out of the way. We haven’t seen LB Andrew Van Ginkel in two days. Does he have a serious injury that will sideline him into the season? And CB Nik Needham we saw walk off with trainers. Does he have a serious injury that will sideline him in preseason?) – “Van Ginkel had an unforeseen appendix issue, so we removed him of said issue. And he should – he’s feeling great. I just talked to him recently and we’ll be moving forward. There’s some significant optimism that shouldn’t affect anything in the season. But I know he’s going to do his best to get back as fast as possible. So I’m excited to move forward with that.”
(And CB Nik Needham?) – “He’s day-to-day. It’s nothing super significant. I’m really happy for him because I feel good about where he’s at and it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
(Can you tell us about the situation today in practice?) – “So yeah, that was kind of a unique curveball early this morning. It was just an accumulation of some players having having a stomach bug that we don’t really know totally where it was coming from and we’re just trying to be overly cautious so that we didn’t further affect players on the team, as well as we had to think of the best interest of the Philadelphia Eagles as well. We couldn’t, in good conscience, just move forward and try to limit reps in practice. We just wanted to make sure that – really, it all comes down to wanting to be able to fully play the the preseason game as planned. So the best way to do that with the unknowns were to just keep everyone away from each other because clearly it’s some sort of contagious. But it appears to be the normal symptoms that I’ll allow you to detail if you’d like of stomach bugs.”
(How many players are we talking about that are ill right now?) – “There’s more than a couple players. So it’s not half the team by any stretch, but that’s what I was trying to prevent, is I didn’t want to have half half the team drained out from a stomach bug, fight through the heat and then have depleted performance in the preseason game because for a lot of guys, it’s the most important game of their career, and I hold a strong amount of value to that and didn’t want to compromise that in any way.”
(Is it limited the players or are there staff also?) – “There’s a couple of staff members too, which is why the decision was easy just because I really didn’t want this to linger and the best way to nip in the bud was just aggressively act, erring on the side of caution.”
(With COVID and other viruses and any other type of illnesses that could pop up during the season, what are some things that I’m sure you’ve thought about relative to “Ok, if we lose a player or a play-caller on a Thursday or Friday, we have our contingency plans?”) – “You have to think about this stuff. It’s kind of your job. So that’s very natural and organic because it’s the same protocol. Football, by its nature, you can’t predict the future and you have to be ready to adjust. So you’re always doing that with with the roster in general, and we’re all very well-versed in COVID. So those types of things, an unintended consequence of that is you end up naturally thinking of contingency plans because no one – the bottom line is the organization has to operate at its best and no one cares about extenuating circumstances. So this was a random curveball, but I’ve said on record before, I look forward to any sort of adversity in general because I always think there’s something to take out of it. In this case, guys can get a little perspective. Maybe my team meetings are actually more entertaining than they realized. (laughter) Missing their teammates, an opportunity to really rest and recover and regen. These are all things that I spoke to the team about virtually probably an hour ago because it’s not about – you just don’t worry about what happens. You worry about how to handle things, and how you handle things that are really unforeseen.”
(Do you have any feelings about how this could potentially affect who plays on Saturday?) – “Feelings, I wanted to share feelings. I actually was pretty excited about today because upon waking up and driving to work, before I got said news, I was excited to talk about my feelings and maybe some announcements. (laughter) This unfortunately, and with all seriousness, I kind of had something in my mind and I was ready to go with it. And sure enough, the world told me not to get ahead of myself. So it’s just like any sort of football-related injury where now you just have to really reassess tomorrow, when when you get everyone in, and and make sure everyone is not put in harm’s way and then take it from there. So it may or may not affect – I’m hoping the whole intent with having the guys not come in and not practice today was to nip it in the bud so that it wouldn’t be affected. But we’ll see. That’s not something that really rattles me. I’ll just adjust. That’s kind of the nature of my job.”
(Do you know if you guys have identified the origin of this illness and have addressed it so it won’t recur?) – “I don’t wear multiple hats of MD or athletic trainer. But luckily, we employ a lot of people that are taking care of that. When you don’t know exactly the total cause, you make sure that you take the necessary measures to not perpetuate the whole deal. So without knowing exactly what it is, I know they’re doing their best to figure it out. That’s why you keep people out of the building. And that’s really what was the strongest motivating factor for me, because it wasn’t like they were extenuating circumstances of ailments. People have stomach bugs. And then when all of a sudden you have an accumulation of those over one night, you’re like, ‘Hey, we don’t want this to spread anymore.’ So they’re diligent and hard at work. So I trust in my teammates and that’s where I’m going to keep my trust.”
(What steps, if any, are you taking that you wouldn’t normally take inside the building? When I say you, I mean, the organization? Is it possible to like, sterilize anything?) – “Again, an unintended consequence of COVID. Like those measures, you just have measures that you can apply. So in the short term where you don’t have any information other than symptoms, you can move forward with those same types of protocols to make sure everything is up to snuff with sanitation, etc, etc. But that’s not – these are measures just because we’re trying to be overly cautious and make sure nothing continues to trickle moving forward.”
(Are there sort of three, four or five roster spots that are really just not decided at all at this times? Or give me an idea, if you can, on where the roster sort of stands.) – “There are some jobs to be settled and it’s not as easy as who has the most tackles, who has the most yards. You’re talking about an accumulation of – I look at like this, each position is coached by a position coach that is accumulating points of emphasis during the course from May on, and you see how people adjust. The longer that you get into camp, the more specific those things get. In that process, you’re seeing how people respond. And by nature, especially with a competitive roster like we have, where there’s multiple – we have more NFL players than spots. That’s the bottom line. So yeah, there’s too many to count on a hand with things that need to be ironed out. Unfortunately, we missed an opportunity on the field today. But then all that means is guys have an extra day to – with that extra day of preparation, we get to see a product on Saturday that is not result-based. It’s an accumulation of how people have handled coaching points and how they’ve really evolved and got better, because the bottom line of an NFL game is you’re looking for players and units that are their best in January. So that is the prerequisite of teams that win. And if you’re trying to be a winning team, one of the things all the players have to be able to do is continue to get better. So it’s it’s a really fun process that you’re exhausting, where you get to see this final product at play after all of these different coaching points, and that’s why you you don’t try to rush the process with a lot of those undetermined spots that we’re trying to finalize.”
(There was a report earlier this week that TE Mike Gesicki’s name has come up in trade conversations. Is that report accurate? Is he assured to be on this roster in Week 1?) – “These reports are tricky to me because I’m like – again, I’ve alluded to this before, at the beginning of the offseason. Durring training camp and during the offseason in general, GMs have work to do. And they’re not just watching us coach. So when people report that somebody is – when they use the that loose verbiage of ‘his name has been brought up,’ or whatever, the report is kind of misleading because there probably should be a lot of names on that report. All I’m focused on is regardless of what people try to drum up, I’m focused on coaching Mike and Mike’s focused on getting better. People have made stuff about this, that of the other. Whether you are a receiver or a tight end or we even have running backs do it – you have to be able to do stuff with the ball and you have to be able to block for other people that are doing stuff with the ball. And we continue to work those techniques with everyone. He’s had a great week of practice this week, which tells you a lot about that individual because there has been random noise that he’s hasn’t listened to clearly. He’s putting his best foot forward and that’s all I’m concerned about. It’s my job to coach the players on the team and I like coaching Mike. And beyond that, it’s kind of a no-ends process of talking about did someone talk about somebody else with (so and so). That stuff happens more often than it doesn’t?”
(Is there an update on WR Jaylen Waddle? We know he’s been out for a little while.) – “He’s still mad at me. (laughter) He got a little indy work and that was intentional because we knew that he had – not only is he yearning to compete and do his job, which he loves to do, but also I’m aware enough to know he has some close ties on the opposing team. So if we were practicing against ourselves, would he have practiced? There might be a stronger chance maybe. I’m just very acutely aware of even if a guy says, ‘Alright, I’m going to take it easy,’ you have to protect people from themselves. I saw him on the field for my office after practice catching JUGS with his buddy that I knew he’d probably try to perform in front of. So yeah, he was out there and it wasn’t because of any setbacks. We were just making sure that we took it step-by-step and didn’t go zero to 60. The rest has been awesome for him and I’m really fired up and expect to see him on the field sooner than later.”
(On the offensive line, I know they’re not a finished product. But for the first part of the season, I’m wondering how you manage them. Do you figure out four or five things they do well and play to that until they develop later in the season? Or how do you manage that?) – “You’re always trying to do stuff that your players are good at as best you can. I’m happy with how each individual is progressing. If it was – if you’re striving to be really good at something, that process is never complete and it should be hard. There’s a lot of things that go into both of their responsibilities, protecting for the pass and blocking for the run. I thought that’s one of my favorite things about joint practices, is you get that – like Philadelphia, for example, their defensive line penetrates a lot. They’re very good and I was very happy with how they responded yesterday in practice, in terms of adjusting to techniques. I’ve told you guys before, that’s a huge part of their job. So yeah, I try to -that’s the whole idea of the entire offense in general is that you don’t leave offensive lineman on an island. You try to do what they’re good at. Just yesterday, there were a couple – in jest, there were a couple of really good Philadelphia defensive linemen that were poking me a little bit like, ‘Why don’t you drop back more?’ I’m like, ‘You would like that, wouldn’t you?’ So I think they’re in a good stage of where they’re developing. And I’m confident that at some point in time moving forward that the results will reflect that. But there’s a lot of compounding variables for those results, which is up to everyone, even the quarterback. He has a job on run plays too. If you don’t see Tua (Tagovailoa) carrying out his fakes, make sure you get on (Quarterbacks/Passing Game Coordinator) Darrell Bevell.”
(You mentioned the competition on the final roster spots. How did players react to missing this key practice, the last one in training camp…) – “That was an unintended consequence of the Zoom meeting this morning. Guys were in the tank. Guys wanted to practice. Guys were doubling down asking to come into the building. So I didn’t know this whole, ‘stomach bug gate’ to be something of gathering information, but every circumstance that you you incur, there’s something to be gathered from it. And I learned that they wanted to be in the building. I thought that but you don’t know until you see their faces and they’re just like, ‘Well…’ And I’m like, relax. So it was tough on all of them. I think they’re all aware that there are opportunities missed. But in turn, they are also feeling the responsibility of ‘Ok, well I better use this day to rest, recover and also make sure I am completely square on all responsibilities that I’m going to be held accountable for on Saturday. So you just try to use what can be perceived as a negative and turn it into a positive. It’s the same message that I preach daily that I don’t even care if it gets old. I’m going to keep pushing it because that’s what I believe.”
Jaelan Phillips – August 24, 2022
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Wednesday, August 24, 2022
LB Jaelan Phillips
(You must be feeling good in that orange jersey?) – “It’s a little crinkled up and a little sweaty right now, but I’m feeling great.”
(How does last practice and this one compounding those two practices?) – “Yes, I mean it feels great. I feel like I’m just kind of really getting into gear as the season’s coming soon. So we’re just rolling along and trying to get better every day. But it’s definitely great to get these opportunities and reps out here.”
(We saw you and I think Landon Dickerson kind of mix it up. Just from your vantage point, what was going on? It looked like it was physical on that side.) – “Yes, we’re just competing man. It was hot out here. We’re having a great time competing. There’s no animosity. That’s just that competitive spirit, man. You’ve got to butt heads sometimes. So it’s just good on good. We’re getting them better. They’re getting us better.”
(What did the Eagles do on offense that is maybe a little different from what you see with your own offense every day?) – “They do a lot of quarterback run, obviously, with Jalen (Hurts) being back there. But they’re just a very multiple offense. I mean, they’re similar to ours in that sense. They’re solid. They’re good. They’re doing their thing.”
(How does this compare to going against the Bucs in joint practices?) – “Different schemes, definitely, but the intensity is there and I think that’s what’s important. We’re just trying to come out here, push our conditioning and just get better every day. So that’s kind of similar in that sense.”
(How tough is balance between not being able to go at each other full impact, but still wanting to mix it up a little bit? Talk about the delicate balance.) – “Yeah, I mean, this is pretty full impact out there. We’re going after it. (laughter) I don’t know if you saw some pulling guards coming after me, but you have to obviously take care of that the team and take care of our teammates. So you always want to hold it back a little bit, but we’re competing out there, definitely.”
(Was that you who went flying when the whole dust up happened?) – “I don’t know. (laughter) Maybe. Maybe not.”
(This defense is more accomplished than the offense at this point. Do you feel that the defense can carry this team for the first half until the offense catches up? Or could you carry the team all season if necessary?) – “Honestly, it’s just complementary football. It’s us feeding off of each other. It’s us carrying each other. You don’t ever want to have a team that’s one-sided. Like you want every aspect of the team to be able to carry that load. So I’m completely confident in our offense, our defense, our special teams. So we’re just trying to get better every phase of the ball, every game.”
(What were your impressions of another Jalen, Jalen Hurts?) – “He’s fast. He’s a really good quarterback. Obviously he has some experience in this league. I’ve been watching him since he was at college, so it’s cool to get those reps against him.”
(Too many Alabama guys out there.) – “There’s a lot of Alabama guys, a lot of Bama guys. (laughter) I think I’m only ‘U’ (University of Miami) one though, sadly.”
(What’s that like for a University of Miami Hurricane? You’re in South Florida and all these Alabama guys are running around.) – “I mean, I don’t pay much mind to it. (laughter) But it’s cool to see all these talented guys come in here and get us better, like I said, and we try to do our part.”
(Did you get to Jalen Hurts? What’s the challenge when you have a guy like that?) – “I mean, I have to watch the film. I think I got to him. But that’s up to the refs to decide. But with him, playing against a guy who can run the ball, who can pass the ball, it just makes you honor all aspects of his game. And so it was definitely good work for us, because there’s plenty of other quarterbacks out there like that. So we need to get that practice.”
(With so many pass-rushing linebackers on this defense, it feels like come fourth quarter, everybody is still going to be fresh and still going to be relentless. Have you gotten a sense of that from practice of, I guess, sharing reps and how fresh you could be at the end of the game?) – “Yes, and like I said earlier, we’re just continuously trying to push our conditioning. … We’re just trying to push our conditioning so that every one of us can be available at any time. But having that depth, having guys you can trust, it’s definitely helpful. Just keep the o-line on their toes and keep us rotating in and out.”
(I don’t know how much you might play on Saturday, if at all, but do you like these formats where it’s two joint practices and a couple days as opposed to that fourth preseason game?) – “Yes, honestly this is only my second year, and last year, I was hurt for the first preseason game. So I’m still kind of getting my footing in it, but I’m enjoying it. I think that it’s the right balance of getting us the experience before the season but not wearing us out too much before the season. So yes, I’m excited for this week and excited for Week 1 to come, for sure.”
(How much more prepared do you feel going into this year than you did as a rookie? Obviously you missed most of camp last year.) – “Yes, I mean I definitely feel more prepared, both mentally and physically. But just still continuously trying to get better every day. I have a lot of room to grow, a lot of things to work on in my game. So every day is a challenge to come out here, not think about the future, not think about the past and just really be dedicated to trying to improve all those little aspects.”
(You rushed up the middle a lot at the University of Miami, didn’t you?) – “Yes, I did a little bit of 3-(technique) action. I’m a small 3-tech, but I get loose a little bit in that pass rush.”
(I saw that today. Is that new for you this year?) – “Yes, I mean I did it a little bit last year, too. I think there’s just we have different schemes that we try to do, and I just want to be able to help the team out as much as possible and be available to do whatever they really want me to do.”
(How has LB Melvin Ingram become more incorporated as he’s gotten more reps in this defense?) – “Melvin (Ingram) is just – he’s learned the defense at this point. He’s great veteran leadership, extremely talented pass rusher and early down stopper, honestly, too. So he’s been invaluable for me and for our team, just learning from him and really just picking his brain on what it’s like to be an elite pass rusher and an elite edge player in the league.”
(What challenges does it present an offense when your defense has guys like you and LB Melvin Ingram who can rush but also drop back in coverage? What sort of challenges does that present especially for quarterback?) – “Yes, I mean I guess for – I’m not a quarterback, so I don’t really know. (laughter) But I think that just being able to do multiple things within the scheme of a defense gives them challenging looks and makes them honor both aspects of that game.”
Tua Tagovailoa – August 24, 2022
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Wednesday, August 24, 2022
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You set the tone with the first one, right? You had to set the tone with the first one to WR Tyreek Hill in the corner?) – “As ‘Coach Bev’ (Darrell Bevell) – because me and Tyreek were going back and forth about what route he wanted to run first. He told me any route. I said, ‘what route do you want to run?’ He said any route. So ‘Coach Bev’ jumped in and said, ‘Hey, I want to hear the crowd cheer.’ So I said, just run a go. So we ran a go route and Tyreek caught the ball, so that was cool.”
(That will get the crowd going right?) – “Yeah. That was really nice.”
(We heard Head Coach Mike McDaniel do an interview earlier this week talking about how it’s cool to watch you become a professional before his eyes. I just wanted to get your perspective on what he means by that and kind of your development and command of this team and this offense.) – “Yeah, I think just being able to understand the concepts of the plays we’re given on a day-to-day basis. There’s some plays that are installed day of and for us to go out there, be able to walk through it, kind of see it come to life, and then execute it against our defense or an opposing team’s defense, I think that that’s what he’s kind of talking about.
(Did it feel like homecoming today) – “Homecoming?”
(With all the Alabama…) –“I think it was cool seeing my ex-Alabama teammates. It’s good to see that they’re doing good for themselves and their families, being able to compete at the highest level, and it’s not like they’re backup guys. They’re starters. So that was awesome to see.”
(Did you talk to Jalen Hurts at all?) – “I got to talk to Jalen. I got to talk to Gardner Minshew. I also got to talk to Reid Sinnett. I know as you guys know, he was here a couple years back with us. I think that was awesome to be able to see those guys, talk to them. It was very brief.”
(With Jalen, you guys are both going into your third season. Obviously you had an interesting dynamic at Alabama. How do you think overall that really prepared you for your first couple of years in the NFL and particularly the changes that you went through in college, you stepping in and Jalen stepping in at quarterback?) – “Yeah, I knew when I went to Alabama, I’d have to compete and compete against a guy that was really good. The year before that he was the SEC Player of the Year at the time and he led his team to the national championship. So I knew what I was up against. But at the same time, when you go to a place like that, the standards are high, expectations are extremely high as well, because of the success that they’ve had. And really just you’ve got to go out there and compete every day. And I would say that’s how being at a place like Alabama has helped set up success for me coming into the NFL is nothing’s given to you. You got to earn everything.”
(A while back you mentioned that you talked with Jalen Hurts around his first NFL start. Can you talk about how you guys kept in contact and why is that relationship important to you two?) – “Yeah, I think all these relationships are important to me, not just with Jalen, but with Mac (Jones) and the younger quarterbacks that are coming up from Alabama. It’s good to be in contact with those guys. They’re starters and having a good relationship with them throughout the years at Alabama helps, then you can call them ask them about what they’ve seen with previous teams that they’ve played against in the NFL, how did they scheme you guys up and just things like that. And it doesn’t always have to be football. It can also be how are you doing? How’s the family life? How’s everything like that? I would say all of our relationships have been good.”
(This yea,r how ready are you right now for Week 1?) – “I think we’re all ready as a team. I think we’re ready. It doesn’t hurt that we get these extra days to continue to work on our craft, but I would say we’re ready.”
(We get all the talk about WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle and their speed, but we see plenty of big plays from WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. and WR Erik Ezukanma with their size and physicality. How does that balance in the receivers room make your job easier?) – “It makes it a lot easier. Jaylen gets Tyreek open. Tyreek gets Jaylen open. Tyreek and Jaylen get everyone else open. And those – all three, all four, whoever’s out there; they get their running backs open. And so it opens up a lot of things for our run game and our run game opens up a lot of things for our play pass, so everything really complements kind of the scheme that we play football on offense.”
(As this preseason and training camp comes to a close, what’s felt different about this year than the previous two?) – “Everything. Everything. The offense is different. The confidence that the guys have coming out to practice is different. The confidence that the guys have coming into the building is different. The way we do things around the building is different. Just everything. I can’t necessarily point to one thing and I think that’s what’s going to help make us a better team is us spending more time with each other, not just in the building, but outside the building. And we’ll see where this thing goes for us.”
(Just to follow up, where is that confidence coming from for you and the team?) – “Yeah, I think for the team, it’s the guys that that are helping us get to where we want to go. And I would say it’s our position coaches. It’s obviously our head coach, who is probably one of the most optimistic people I’ve ever been around, and I would say just those guys and kind of the leadership that Mike (McDaniel) displays for everyone to see. I think that’s what gives the entirety of the team confidence.”
(We’re from Philadelphia and apologize if it was already asked, but with Jalen here, what did you learn about him when you guys were together about his character with everything that went down there at Alabama?) – “I think first thing’s first, for Jalen, when I went to Alabama, the dude’s a hard worker in the weight room, in the classroom and then on the field. The dude had to be the first into the weight room, he had to be the first out onto the field. Like sprints, he had to be first. So it really tells you how he goes about his life. It tells you about how he kind of sees things and how he looks at things. Obviously he’s a competitor. He never wants to be last, so that should tell you a lot about him.”
(How has your relationship with Jalen Hurts evolved? Do you guys spend time in the offseason together? How is that?) – “I would say we don’t spend time together in the offseason, but we text each other. Really just checking in. And then I remember last season, we’d been texting each other quite a large amount. Just you know, for me when I ended up playing the Saints, he played the Saints prior. I texted him about that. He gave me some tips. He texted me about playing another team. I gave him some tips. You know, just things like that. So I think that that was cool. I know our relationship with me and Jalen is not going to go anywhere. My relationship with me and Mac (Jones) is not going to go anywhere. Regardless of how many times we talk throughout the year throughout the week, or if we don’t.”
(Did you have a chance to talk to Jalen Hurts prior to practice today at all?) – “I didn’t talk to him prior. I talked to him during practice, so yeah. They were telling me it was hot. (laughter)”
(On Philadelphia’s physical defensive front and Haason Reddick) – “Yeah, I think their defense, they’re good. Obviously it’s a little different with climate change and I do understand that they just got done with a game in Cleveland. They just went back to Philly and they had to come here to Miami and practice already, which I know they don’t want anyone feeling bad for them but I think they did a great job coming out here and showing us some really good looks. They gave us opportunities to have to execute really well on offense.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – August 24, 2022
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Wednesday, August 24, 2022
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
(Was that fun?) – “It was fun. Any time you get a chance to compete against another team, that’s always fun.
(First day of joint practices. How would you assess the defense? It seemed like it got a little testy at times…) – “Like I told him, it was fun. But it was a lot of back and forth. We’ve got to go back and watch film and see what we struggled with but it was good competition for both sides of the ball.
(I know you’ve got to see the film first, but on first look, what do the Eagles to that is maybe different from what you see with your offense every day?) – “I mean they came out with a lot of lateral run but we fought hard. Like I said, we’ve got to go back and watch film see what we really struggled on but like I said, it’s competition on both sides of the ball and we’re just getting better.”
(What makes QB Jalen Hurts dangerous as a quarterback?) – “His run game. You’ve got to be aware that he can run the ball and throw the ball too.
(On keeping QB Jalen Hurts contained) – “That was kind of the main emphasis. Keep him in the pocket. Don’t let him escape the pocket.”
(On DT Christian Wilkins’ energy) – “Yeah, Christian brings the energy. We like it when he gets going. It makes everybody get going too.”
(The other team doesn’t like it too much, huh?) – “Nah. I would say Christian is one of the most hated dudes on another team. (laughter) We love him over here though.”
(When you have these joint practices, how do you measure success? Is it unit by unit? 11-on-11? 1-on-1? How do you measure success?) – “It’s a team sport. If we struggle giving up pass plays, then it’s the d-line. The d-line didn’t get back there fast enough. Or the DB didn’t cover long enough. It’s a team game. If one struggles, we all struggle.”
(We were on the other side and we saw a little dust up with DT Christian Wilkins. What did you see?) – “It’s competition. Any time you have competition against another team, it brings out the best in guys. We’ve got Christian’s back. Whatever he wants to do, we’ve got it.”
Kader Kohou – August 23, 2022
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Tuesday, August 23, 2022
CB Kader Kohou
(What’s the biggest difference between Texas A&M-Commerce and their level of football and the NFL? Has it been the speed of the game? Something else you can point to? Or is there not a dramatic difference?) – ”I wouldn’t say there is not a dramatic difference. It’s football at the end of the day. But it has been a big transition playbook-wise and learning the playbook. That was probably the biggest issue. I’m picking it up as we go along, but it’s football at the end of the day. Just more fans in the stands. Way more. (laughter)”
(There was a play where you almost got your hands on the ball and almost got a pick. You were following a receiver and kind of passed him off. What did you see on that play to almost make a play?) – “My coaches just harped on it the whole week. Leading up to it, he just kept telling me that play was going to happen and I have to make a play on it. I give the credit to all of my coaches for getting me ready for that specific play.”
(Which coach was that?) – “All of them. My defensive coordinator, my position coach – they all made sure during the whole week, they just let us know what was going to come when we got to the game.”
(Learning the playbook is something that you’re adjusting to. At Texas A&M Commerce, stylistically what was similar? And what is different now with Miami?) – “Miami is more aggressive. The college I went to was kind of aggressive. When I say playbook, it’s just a lot more plays. In college we probably only had like 15 plays. Here it’s like 70 or 80. You’ve really got to stay in your playbook. That was a big adjustment.”
(How important was it to you when you decided to sign here that Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer was a guy who liked you? I know he called you. Was that something important in you deciding to come here?) – “Yeah. I know when you get recruited to college, you want to go to a good coach and a guy you’ve got a relationship with. When I talked to Josh, he seemed like he was upfront and real with everything he was saying. I read that through the Zoom call. That was a big deal to me.”
(What does he see in you that he’s expressed to you? What skills has he expressed to you) – “I’m not really sure, but he liked something because he got me here. (laughter)”
(What was your confidence level? You’ve got to be pretty confident. What’s your confidence level at the beginning and now that you’re starting to figure this thing out?) – “Coming in, I was just trying to learn a lot because I know it is a big transition. The confidence I had before is the same confidence I have now. I’m just starting to pick up a little more. Coming from a smaller school, you’ve got to have a chip on your shoulder. I have the same confidence that I had at (Texas A&M) Commerce that I have here.”
(Do you feel like you belong?) – “Yes sir, most definitely I feel like I belong.”
(Why?) – “I’m just going to have to show you all. (laughter) We’ve got a preseason game coming up. I’ll let my play do my talking.”
(I know that you moved here form the Ivory Coast as a kid and didn’t speak English. Tell me the story.) – “The short story is my dad had just won the lottery and we moved over here. He just wanted a better opportunity for his kids, so we moved out here. That was a way harder transition – not speaking English and not knowing anything about football. But I used sports to make friends. From then on, things stated stacking on top of each other. Learning the language was the biggest barrier though. After I learned the language, it started going along pretty smoothly.”
(Have you ever been back to the Ivory Coast?) – “No, sir. I plan to. It’s just with football, you have summer workouts and stuff like that, so I don’t have too much time to go back. But I plan on doing it.”
(How does a guy with futbol in his blood fall in love with the NFL?) – “To be honest, the only reason I played soccer is because that was the only sport we had. I wouldn’t say I loved soccer. I fell in love with football but I didn’t really love soccer.”
(Is French your first language?) – “Yeah, French is my first language.”
Zach Sieler – August 23, 2022
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Tuesday, August 23, 2022
DT Zach Sieler
(How good did it feel to get there and have some brief playing time in the preseason game but also come away with the sack and be productive? How did that feel?) – “It just felt good to get back out there. It’s been since last season, so it felt good to get back out there, get some live bullets and some playing time.”
(What goes through your mind when the starting unit is out there and then you come out and you see guys like LB Porter Gustin and DL Owen Carney Jr. and DL Ben Stille starting to compete as well?) – “It’s awesome. We’re excited for everybody. We want to see everyone succeed here. So it’s a great feeling seeing those guys take the technique they’ve learned over the last few months and kind of apply it, use it in games and be successful with it.”
(Are you seeing progress in this team’s run game offensively as you go against it?) – “I think our offense is doing great building and learning from each other. The defense-offense is very competitive each practice, and it’s very exciting to watch.”
(What’s the skill with OL Connor Williams that you think can make him a good NFL center when you know he’s a good NFL guard?) – “He’s very smart. He’s very smart, he knows what to do, he’s savvy and he just works.”
(You already do a ton for this team. You played about half the downs last year on defense. Do you think your role might expand even further with DL Adam Butler’s departure? Are you being asked to do more at this point by Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark than you were a year ago?) – “I think the way we’ve always prepared as a d-line is be ready for anything. So just like last year and just like this year, it’s be ready for is put on your (plate) each week. I’m ready for whatever we plan to do, whatever our gameplan is and just be always ready.”
Mike McDaniel – August 23, 2022
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Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We got the news about CB Mackensie Alexander going on IR. If you could just update us please on where you stand at corner. Are CB Nik Needham and DB Keion Crossen good to go this week? Are you guys looking for more veteran help with Mackensie now out?) – “Yeah, it’s been a long time since I first or after the game – and you know, there’s some medical undertakings that go in that process and so that was unfortunate. Really unfortunate for him, specifically, because you just feel like you just got him and he was doing some good work out there, so that was unfortunate. As far as Nik, he’s good to go. And then Keion is day to day just really, really trying to be proactive and not stress a guy that’s been really, really getting better, and doing good things. So as it stands right now, we are a week away from the final roster cuts around the league. Right now all that means is there’s some guys that have been getting opportunities that will continue to get some good opportunities. I feel pretty good about all the development that we’ve had at that position. And, you know, it’s kind of twofold. I’ve got the whole coaching staff really just focused on these guys taking advantage of their opportunities and making sure that they continue to progress and correct, which is the nuts and bolts of how you’re successful in this league. While you know Chris (Grier) and his staff are kind of preparing for who’s going to be out there in a week, so that we can make the best decisions for the 53 for the Miami Dolphins. This is the nature of NFL football and I would be a lot more concerned if I didn’t really like the guys that are on our roster that really did some good stuff on Saturday.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa when he was asked about the run game after the Raiders game, he mentioned that a lot of the plays were very basic. Things like that. Do you expect that to continue this week in joint practices leading up to the season finale or do you plan on switching it up?) – ”No, I would – again, like I told you I’m pretty well-versed in preseason football. And no, I look at it more like okay, what are we going against? How are they playing? And what should we do? Are things in the run game a product of three or four guys and how they’re operating? Or is it one player on each play? More than anything really this preseason, we haven’t got stuff going because it’s been one or two guys off, which I’m more concerned about the players, whether they learn from that are not. Joint practices generally you’re a little more comfortable doing not the one-on-one version of your run game, pass game, defense. But I wouldn’t see myself – again I look at a collection of things. I want stuff to be better from that Raiders game and I want I want us to run the ball well, but at the same time, I think our players are pretty confident and the coaching staff I know is, that we’re going to be fine moving forward. We just have to get better from stuff. That’s what I’m concerned about. So my philosophy’s not going to change. That’s something that’s par for the course in preseason sometimes. Depending on what the other team is trying to work on and do and what they’re concerned about, sometimes you have awesome – I think I’ve had 180-yard running games in seasons that you haven’t finished high in rushing yards and vice versa. So it’s just kind of par for the course.”
(Getting back to the cornerback position. Because things are so basic in preseason, when you’re evaluating guys, you want the guys that it comes easy to the basic stuff, right? You can work with the guy that does the basic stuff, right?) – “Right. And you’re also doing on both sides of the ball, you’re really trying to be basic for that sense because you want to see how they can perform without schematic help necessarily. Offensively and defensively, you call games different because you are trying to – there’s a portion of it that you’re really trying to not just hold back the stuff that you’re going to do in the regular season, but you’re also trying to put people in positions to prove themselves. We had a ton of man coverage in this past game, a ton of it for that reason, so that we could evaluate people at all positions. And that’s a very important thing. Now, we might show up at games and do the same thing. You know, who knows, but the purpose of doing it was just for the reason you’re talking about, because we’re trying to evaluate and see how people can do the fundamentals and technique that we talk about at length each and every day.”
(Do you find it easier to evaluate, analyze players in those specific situations you could put them in joint practices, as opposed to the big game format of preseason? And also, what are you looking forward to most in the final preseason game?) – “Yeah, the joint practices are easier because there’s a good majority that you can dictate the terms. You make sure you get a certain amount of plays, you can dictate how much run versus pass. Those things are kind of controlled, whereas in a game you can’t control whether or not you have multiple possessions in the first quarter, and you can’t really determine whether or not – people call games off of the momentum of it. So, you end up adjusting to what’s being called or trying to dictate the terms of what you call so it’s a lot easier there. And joint practices really, that is my favorite part of the preseason, in general, is when you do get those opportunities to practice against other people. It’s such a great opportunity for both sides of the ball to defend against and to run your offense against different techniques, coverages, alignments, assignments, all that stuff. That is what you have to do to be successful in the NFL season, is adjust. So it is really fun. It breaks stuff up. We’ve been doing this – I feel like I’ve been meeting you guys in this room for couple months now. Maybe it’s been one, but training camp does get monotonous to guys, and so it’s a great way to really break stuff up and make sure you keep that competitive nature. Going through the process and before you start preparing for your Week 1 opponent.”
(What did you guys think of Devonta Smith and/or Jalen Hurts when you kind of assessed them in your previous stop?) – “Yeah, both players were both very good players that I think that when we were evaluating him, we knew him as ‘Slim Reaper.’ That dude is awesome. I really respect his game, how he goes about his business. I’ve always had an intrigue with guys that can be on the slimmer side and play the game physically. He’s a cool player. And Jalen (Hurts), yeah, I’ve seen him coming out, know his path. I think he wasn’t a first-round draft pick and that bothered him. And he did the best thing that you can do as a player and that’s prove other teams wrong. I think he’s really developing in his pass game, like he’s always been able to throw real well, but as far as the timing and how he competes in that way. And then they do a great job featuring him in the run game as well. So both players – were very, very interested in when they came out. We just specifically, the ‘Slim Reaper,’ we knew we weren’t going to have an opportunity to draft him, but we thought it’d be cool if we could.”
(I know you have to be true to your process before…) – “Oh, the process. It’s always about the process…”
(Have you already made a decision on this week based on playing all the starters this past week?) – “No, I mean what I say with that. I have feelings that it’s impossible for you not to be like, ‘alright, well, I would anticipate X, Y or Z,’ but they are just feelings. I truly let each practice play itself out. And then where are individual players, and what does that trickle-down have to do with other players. So I would tell you my feeling, but I feel like that’d be irresponsible and weird, if I just came up here and told you my feelings all the time. (laughter) So we’re going let stuff play out a little bit and then address each and every player for what they need. And there’s also a lot of things that go on. There’s a lot of decisions to be made. We have a good amount of depth at a lot of positions. We have NFL players really scratching and clawing to make the roster so I do not want that decided anywhere but the field. So those guys have to get themselves in there, too. So a lot to do, a lot of exciting stuff for Miami Gardens this week, with the Philadelphia Eagles for every single player on the roster, because this is where everything comes to comes to fruition and you get to find out who your group of men are that you’re going to war with for the upcoming season.”
(So what are your feelings? If you were to not play most of your starters this week, you would be going into the regular season without seeing, “a dress rehearsal” for most guys, like for QB Tua Tagovailoa playing with WR Tyreek Hill and so forth. Would you be comfortable with that based on how they’ve looked in practice?) – “Yeah, I mean in theory, I could go – I really like where we’ve developed on both sides of the ball. In theory, you could – I think what you guys are seeing across the league is a bunch of organizations and coaching staffs and head coaches trying to adjust to three preseason games. Because there’s way more variance in the protocol. It was like clockwork when it was four preseason games, but it’s not just that it’s only three, it’s that there’s two weeks until the regular season begins. So those compounding variables make it kind of tricky. I believe the Super Bowl champions last year didn’t play anybody the entire preseason. I know Matthew Stafford didn’t, but then, philosophically, it kind of gears everything towards my belief anyway, which is it is case by case and I don’t like absolutes. I think there’s a lot of people in that same boat because there is not an exact formula. You’re trying to get guys to play together and you want those opportunities. Well, some guys, that’s not as big a deal for because they’re vested veterans that have done it, that have 100 games under their belts or whatever. Then you’re also trying to weigh the risk that everyone undertakes every time they’re on the football field. It’s really a maddening, non-perfect formula. But I feel very, I’m happy and I feel like I’m very lucky to be able to have that burden of decision on my plate, so that’s something that I don’t take lightly trying to figure out the best formula for the final product. But to do that, for me, I have to just let the process play out and ignore my feelings, which I don’t think you’re that interested in because right now I’m hungry. (laughter) Is that worth writing? Well, I am hungry, maybe I’ll explore more feelings moving forward.”
(How hopeful are you that when FB Alec Ingold is able to play in games, that he will have a positive impact in the run game? In what ways can he help?) – “The fullback position in general, is something that I believe does assist a lot of other players, not just his assignment, but how offensive linemen are able to execute their stuff. So I firmly believe in that. I guess – you know what, I’m just, I’m feeling in a great mood. My feeling is that Alec (Ingold) will get some time here Saturday, for that very reason. Boom, there we go. (laughter) But it is an asset that not just – that position in particular, ultimately affects really all the positions with how to do their job when you’re schematically setting up a play. So it’ll be exciting to see him get some joint work without a red jersey which is, by the way, one of the more confusing things – fullbacks and red jerseys (laughter) – but nothing we haven’t been able to handle. It’s just another obstacle we’ve had to climb this this offseason. But yeah, I think it will be cool to have him out on the field this week and hopefully everything goes well so that we can see a little bit of him on the game.
(We saw TE Hunter long get some pretty good run in the game on Saturday, how would you kind of measure his progress since you’ve been here?) – “Hunter Long had a very good week of practice in particular. He started off really, really good in OTAs and then I think if you even asked him himself, there was a little bit of time where he just kind of was out there and he wasn’t making that many plays in the run and pass game. And specifically, his position coach Jon Embree, had a heart-to-heart with him about a week ago just checking on him, and he really turned it up. So those are the things that I really, really look for, as a coach when you’re looking at players, is how do they handle any sort of adversity. So that being a light adversity, he had his best week of practice last week, and I thought he played very, very good in the game. One of the reasons that you call in the redzone, you go for it on fourth-and-7, is not because that’s your philosophy in the preseason, or just your philosophy in football. I was excited for a fourth-and-7 play to be called because I wanted to see what players would do what in a big moment. Alright, it’s fourth-and-7. Do they all of a sudden make stuff up and go rogue? Or do you see their best version of whatever route they’re running on the field and Hunter was in on that play, and he ran one of my favorite routes on the concept we ran that he’s ever run. That told me a lot. That was cool to see. And I’m excited for him joint practices to build upon specifically his last week of work, which I thought was outstanding.”
