Head Coach Mike McDaniel – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS HEAD COACH MIKE MCDANIEL
What would be your explanation as to the difficulties getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in this game?
“Compounding. I think they were phenomenal all game. They’ve really looked at their role in an expansive way. They’ve been trying to do whatever we can to win the football game. When you run the ball 40 times, it does minimize your opportunities and then if you’re trying to take advantage of a defense over playing and doubling them and getting the ball to the tight end, then they have less opps (opportunities). I always look at that as part of my job, to find ways anyway. So, it was frustrating this game. Didn’t anticipate some of the game shaping out that way. I have to find a way, specifically when they are doing their jobs at a high level. They were very involved in the run game in blocking. And contrary to popular belief, they do play every play. They’re one of 11 in terms of not just passes. Sometimes they’re limited to requiring a lot of attention and emphasis from the defense, which gives other guys opportunities. But we have to take advantage of those opportunities, and I need to find ways to get them involved.”
It felt like, over the past couple weeks or past couple games that defenses have specifically tried to take away Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and make you use your other guys. Have there been opportunities to get them involved?
“I think every team goes with that objective, because they know how good they are. I think that there have been games in the past that maybe as they reviewed the tape and where they’re at in their careers, where they’re trying to be great. They’ve acknowledged sometimes that they’ve minimized their involvement by certain things that they can do in their game. However, this game, I didn’t see that. Teams always do. So, you have to continue to problem solve. Sometimes you think that you have solved the problem, and then you find out you haven’t. That will always be the case with them. So, I can’t look at it like – I have to keep them involved. But they were very active in the game without the ball. So that was a good thing.”
The turnovers. The big one that leads to a touchdown, and then one on the 14 or 15-yard line, where it takes you out of scoring position, and derailed where you were going. It looked like both sides of the ball were playing at a pretty good level. And that kind of just flipped the script a little bit?
“Absolutely. They were tough ones. Raheem (Mostert) has had 400-plus carries since he’s been here with us. That’s what’s tough about it. He has his fourth fumble out of those 400 touches. The timing of that was, was rough. And then Alec Ingold is a captain, because he’s one of the best players, people and really a playmaker for us a lot of times without the ball and with the ball. I thought that was unfortunate in that situation, because I think there was an opportunity for him to not be strung out sideways and have the ball. If we would have executed like I anticipated, it would have gone a different spot. But it’s also a game of accountability and at the same time, they know they can’t do that. Some players from the team didn’t know where my head was at, so they came and made sure that they were given an opportunity, and that they all still believed in them, which I already knew. So that’s why they continue to get opps (opportunities). But they can’t do that. Just like the game of accountability – it doesn’t matter. If there are good calls, it doesn’t matter. Collectively as a team, we just have to play smarter football – it’s crazy. So that starts with me. It’s always rough for me when guys that are very ball secure do have fumbles. They get picked too and things happen. I’m very frustrated because you think you emphasize things correctly, and you think you have certain things fixed, and when they’re not, it’s not going to be anybody else’s fault but me. I was definitely wrong. And you have to approach it that way. We have retooled stuff to clean up our game with the penalties and it’s still killing us. I need to figure out something better, which is what I’ll be doing starting the second this press conference ends.”
Would you be able to say that Tua Tagovailoa will begin his practices this week?
“I think tonight, when we’re talking about a game that people played in, I think talking about guys on IR I don’t think is appropriate and doesn’t hit me right. So, I’ll be more than happy to address that tomorrow. But tonight, I’ll try to keep it about guys tonight.”
What were the conversations that led to De’Von Achane wearing the Guarding Cap?
“I think you on the front end, embrace player safety with your team. So, if you are very open about, this is a tool that, if you’re comfortable for your professional career and playing football and regular season games and whatever – absolutely, if you want to do that, we support it. So, I do think that’s important to support it – allowing players to have those types of decisions to make for themselves. But I support all that. That’s why if anybody wants to wear thicker elbow pads or a thicker helmet, I have no problem with that. We support that.”
Would you recommend Tua Tagovailoa wear it?
“I do the same thing that I do for every player. You don’t skirt information. I force guys to have knowledge of what they would be turning down on what they would be doing. I just support any of that for all players, with no exception to be Tua (Tagovailoa).”
What did you think of how Tyler Huntley played today? Do you have an update on his status?
“I don’t have an update. He’s a tough dude. Coming off the field, he was trying to say he was going to be good. When the paid professionals that are on our medical team talk to him about the things that he’d have to do, and put him through some strength testing stuff, I think he wasn’t. I don’t really know the extent of it, but I know it was going to take a lot to keep him out. I thought he did a good job with command. I thought he gave the offense a chance to win. I will have to look at the tape. There were a couple things that I thought were there that maybe we didn’t execute, but it’s short sighted to place blame on any one individual. But I think he had us in a position to win this, which is all you can ask for. And I thought he made a couple plays that were report, both with his throws and with his feet. So, he’s continued his progression, which was good.”
Tim Boyle – October 20, 2024 (Postgame)
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2024 | POSTGAME QUOTES
DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK TIM BOYLE
How much work did you get with the offense this week in order to get thrown into the game in the situation you were in?
“Most of the time, the backup quarterbacks don’t really get any reps during the week. Snoop (Tyler Huntley) took the good majority of them. Being pros, making sure you are getting mental reps. Coach (Darrell) Bevell will make sure that we all have enough good reps with drill work, but from the bulk of the work standpoint, not a lot of reps.”
What was your mindset as you did ultimately end up going in?
“You’ve got to go in and step in and not skip a beat. I think Snoop (Tyler Huntley) did a really good job the first half and beginning of the third quarter. He was playing a really good game, and it’s unfortunate what happened to him. I hope he’s okay. I haven’t seen him yet, but you have to step in and run the offense like nothing happened. We did a good job driving the ball, we just got to hang on to the ball in certain situations, and we got to tighten up the end of the game situation.”
Can you take me through the final fourth down play?
“It was a play call with the coverage they gave me. I tried to put it in a spot where only (Malik Washington) could get it, but we all got to be better at the end of the game. Players and coaches. We win and lose as a team.”
Why do you think there were so many issues getting the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle for a majority of this game?
“I think defenses do a really good job of taking those guys away, and we have to be creative with the ways we get them the ball. But when you have really good players like that, the defense is game planning them too. So, a lot of the game they were, they were (inaudible) Tyreek (Hill). We see a lot of that. This defense was primarily going into the game a one high structure defense, and they played us a majority two high, and that’s to take away our guys outside. So, we took what the defense gave us, but we got to find ways to get those guys the ball, because they’re really good players.”
What have you been seeing lately out of Tua Tagovailoa internally as now his window could potentially open up on the other side of this?
“He is hungry to get back. He’s been around every meeting (and) every practice. He’s a bright light for this team right now, and I know he’s excited to get back and hopefully he can do that here soon.”
De’Von Achane – October 18, 2024
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Friday, October 18, 2024
RB De’Von Achane
(How are you feeling? Have you had any symptoms at all, concussion symptoms through the process?) – “No, I’m good. I haven’t had any symptoms really since Day 2, for real. Ever since it happened, I hadn’t had no symptoms then. I’ve been feeling good, feeling great, feeling back to normal.”
(Are you going to play on Sunday?) – “I’m hoping so. I should. I just, like you said, cleared protocol so I’m good to go.”
(You did? You cleared protocol officially?) – “Yeah.”
(What is that process like? Being able to practice but still not being back until the doctors say so?) – “Yeah, basically. You do a lot of brain stuff, so it’s basically like you’re back in school going through steps and a lot of memorization stuff. But it isn’t too intense, it’s just regular.”
(It’s not like you got wires and stuff…) – “Yeah, it ain’t all that. (laughter)”
(Are you going to miss at all the heavy workload you had against Buffalo now that RB Raheem Mostert is back? It’s going to be more of a split-carry thing I would guess.) – “I wouldn’t say I would miss it, I mean, it doesn’t matter who’s out there. I feel like whoever goes out there can do for this team, so like you said, it’s good to have him back. It’s just more bodies and more talent on the field.”
(What would it mean to have a full stable of running backs, all healthy for the first time since Week 1?) – “It’s good. So that means a defense can’t just kill one of us because like you said, all of us are healthy now. So any one of us can go in there and make plays and do what’s best for the team.”
(Has RB Jaylen Wright ever picked your brain about, “you were able to do this as a rookie, what are some tips on how to make an impact in Year 1?”) – “I feel like we all do that. Even though we’re not a rookie like him, I feel like we all still ask each other questions about what you’ve seen or what I could do. Everybody’s different, everybody sees different things. So I feel like just because he’s a rookie, I ask him stuff, he asks me stuff, we ask ‘Heem’ (Raheem Mostert), ‘Heem’ asks us. It’s not like, ‘oh, he’s a rookie so he’s just the one that asks us,’ I feel like as a group, we ask each other.”
(What was your impression on how they played after you left the New England game?) – “I feel like they played great, him (Jaylen Wright) and ‘Heem’ (Raheem Mostert). Like you said, we ran the ball 40-something times, so that tells you a lot that we are able to run the ball and even get our fullback (Alec Ingold) involved because he was out there doing a lot. So for him to score the touchdown, that meant a lot for us.”
Terron Armstead – October 18, 2024
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Friday, October 18, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(I know as you’ve said every offseason you’ve been thinking about whether to continue playing. You’re obviously…) – “Where are you going with this? Where are we going with this? (laughter)”
(I was going to ask you this – you’re playing at the same high level that you’ve always played at, the same elite level. Is it important to you late in your career to continue to play at an elite level, to want to continue playing?) – “I just try to put my best foot forward every day, every game do what I can as far as my assignment to help my teammates, so I really don’t look at like where I’m viewed across the league or whatever. I try to execute my assignment, don’t let my guy make the tackle, don’t let my guy touch the quarterback. That’s just, seriously, like I try to take that small viewpoint of an approach.”
(With RB Raheem Mostert obviously having him back, what is it about his running style that makes him fun to block for?) – “He’s physical, he’s violent. The defenders know that they’ve got to bring it when they come in to try to tackle ’31.’ (Raheem Mostert) Like you look at him and you see him and he’s not the biggest guy, but he’s crazy strong and his mentality that he runs with – and he’s always a home run threat, too, so they know they can’t be late and you can’t mess around and play with him with you see ’31’ coming through that hole.”
(You said last week that the run game has to be the staple going forward. Why is that? Why do you believe that?) – “I believe it’s a part of what we do in order for us to be as successful as we want to be. Like it has to exist, it has to be the foundation of our offense because it opens up everything in the passing game and the other plays and gadget plays that Mike (McDaniel) wants to install, but you don’t really get the defense’s eyes or they don’t really respect a lot of their fakes unless you’re running the ball effectively. So in order to bring linebackers up, get the safety eyes and Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle to get behind them, got to run the ball effectively.”
(Throughout your career have you found that teams coming off of a bye – your team – usually performs well and benefits from the bye?) – “Honestly I’ve never seen a study on the record of teams coming off a bye, but I would assume it’s probably pretty well. You’ve got extra time to scout a team and prepare the game plan, but then you’re also getting that rest to get your body back. It’s a physical sport we play so week to week it’s a grind. Nobody’s going in 100 percent. A team coming off the bye is a little better situation than the other in my opinion.”
(With all the adversity that you guys have faced in the first quarter of the season, how important is it to leave Indianapolis at .500 approaching the return of QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “Man, let’s go No. 1, 2 and 3. For sure, like it’s serious, man. We want nothing more than this one. It’ll be huge for us moving forward, but not even thinking about moving forward. When we get this win, we’ll be right where we want to be.”
(Where is this offensive line in terms of the chemistry, the comfort? Obviously you got a little bit of teasing what you can do against New England, but how do you get that out of them consistently?) – “We’re progressing, we’re progressing. I think the thing that we need to do more as an offensive line and as far as our consistency is eliminate the negatives, the penalties, the ‘MEs’ (mental errors). As long as we can eliminate those or minimize those, our production has been there on film, but a lot of our best games have come back from penalties and the negatives so if we can eliminate those and continue to progress with our technique, I like where we are.”
(What have you seen from OL Robert Jones, in the guy playing next to you?) – “He’s a dawg. He’s a dawg. Like I said before, I love playing next to him. He’s physical, I know what I’m getting from him – somebody that’s going to fight no matter what the situation is. He’s about it, I’m about it with him so I love going to war with Rob (Jones).”
Mike McDaniel – October 18, 2024
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Friday, October 18, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So I know you have a game Sunday, but since it’s a high interest topic, can you share if QB Tua Tagovailoa will practice next week?) – “So everything has been the same. There’s been no negative; everything has been positive each and every day. And then yeah, you’d be right in that I am focused on the Indianapolis Colts who we play in 48 hours.”
(The IR decision with QB Tua Tagovailoa is one that obviously had to be made well in advance before you could see how he recovers from this particular concussion. At any point has it felt like it has either delayed his progress through protocol or limited him? Or would you feel justified in it regardless based on the obvious health benefits of Tua not having to worry about it?) – “No, it was like you almost nailed my quote, but with a little caveat. So when you have a timeline that you do know you have like on that week you have to make a decision, you wait all the time you can and then that decision is driven by medical experts. And then with conjunction of the communication of the whole team and obviously Tua, yeah when medical experts in a timeline that’s not ideal for anyone say the best thing would be, with the information they had at the moment, to do X, I’m happy with X because the idea is that people – especially in the business of having expertise, I don’t ask the doctors for play calling advice and so I’m not going supersede a medical expert, that wouldn’t be very smart. So once that’s determined, when you make that decision that is based upon the information and driven by medical experts, it’s easy to – there’s no really second guessing or even evaluation of should we or shouldn’t we have. We should have because of medical expertise. So then you take the time to utilize the time, and I think Tua has done a great job of getting something out of a situation that is obviously not ideal. I think you don’t get to choose what you go through but you get to choose how you handle things, and he’s been unbelievably diligent, he’s been a leader while doing it. The right thing for the Dolphins with regard to medical things regarding players is based upon the medical expertise, for sure.”
(What is RB De’Von Achane’s status entering Sunday? Has he cleared protocol? Will he play versus the Colts?) – “So the clearance of protocol is based upon a forecast of today’s – it’s based upon the final stamp of a medical expert after today’s activity is completed. Would I say I’m optimistic? Absolutely. I do not have a crystal ball. Something could happen today but barring an event that you can’t forecast, I feel pretty good about it.”
(With S Jevón Holland, how much have you been able to see him operate with that hand and where would you say he is from a usage standpoint?) – “I’ve seen him – it’s a little tricky because you’re trying to get work without making a vulnerable situation worse with having and determining whether or not trying it out with it at the point of attack is appropriate or if you’re vulnerable to regression. So in the process, the work has been good all week. I do think he’s day-to-day, and that one is a little more evaluation up in the air for me, because I think you’re kind of acknowledging that you’re trying to not overcook the testing process too early as well. I’ve seen him do a lot of things – engaging in shedding is the last on the list that you try to do, and you try to do it appropriately so that we’re doing right by him and not setting him up for a longer situation. So he’s been very good all week about being a responsible professional to the team, which means he has to do right by – doing right by himself is doing right by the team because he’s a very valuable asset that we depend on, and I think he’s very eager to continue his development within this defense because he’s a cool part of it. So we’ll be very responsible with that, with the long-term vision, but also be responsible to the player’s opportunity to play in a National Football League game – which for all players, those opportunities are finite. You don’t trivialize that and you take everyone serious.”
(There’s been a lot of talk on obviously QB Tyler Huntley getting more comfortable with the offense, but along that parallel track, how more comfortable are you calling games for him in this offense?) – “It’s night and day because you have reasons and expectations for each and every thing that you’re doing. You do that every play that you put in, acknowledging the unknown, trying to bridge the gap and seeing what your forecasted strengths and weaknesses are within what we’re doing and what in actuality it is and being able to adjust. We’ve always been able to tailor and tool our offense to the assets and you do that by knowing the players inside and out. The way he’s gone about it, his consistency of getting better at things has made that easier because I’m not guessing as much and I think there’s been some overlapping themes of things that he’s been successful with that we try to lean into. Not necessarily a route or certain action or anything; more all-encompassing types of plays that he’s feeling comfortable with – the areas of the field, the tempo of the play, the timing of it, the launch points – all the little intricacies that make the offense go and tie to the run game and all those things. So it’s been very, very beneficial simply because of how he’s attacked it, and I think he’s done a very, very good job being at the helm of the ship. That’s a very tough thing to do in a foreign language and he’s already fluent in our vernacular and had a very, very good two-thirds of the practice week. We’ll see today, I’m expecting a continued trend because every day he’s got a little bit better and that’s all we ask players to do.”
(T Terron Armstead said that the run game has to be a staple going forward. How true is that considering the Colts’ issues defending the run but then also the potential of having a fully healthy running back room for the first time since I think Week 1?) – “We’re in lockstep, ‘T. Stead’ (Terron Armstead) and I, in terms of understanding that football teams, if you’re wanting the end results that you talk about, that the fanbase talks about, that everyone is working towards; you have to be a team that can win any type of game, because at one point in time, you’re going to be in an elimination game. Whether it’s eliminating yourself from the playoffs or elimination in the playoffs, everything is going to come to a head and in those moments where your season is defined, you don’t determine the matchups. You don’t determine where you play. You don’t get to dictate those terms, so you have to be fully tooled to be able to win a game any way necessary that always, always in playoff football – always – equals run game. For sure, and stopping the run. You can probably list on one hand in the last 24 years or whatever number you want to pick of how many teams won the Super Bowl being just pass-game dominant on both sides of the ball. And I got I think 1999 was – what were they called, the St. Louis squad? ‘Greatest Show on Turf.’ You have to be able to take advantage of where the other team is vulnerable. From an offense perspective, you have to take advantage of what they’re giving up when they’re taking something else away. From a defensive perspective, that means you have to be good against teams that are good against the pass, you have to be good against teams that are good against the run, because you have to put people in non-normal down risky situations and create turnovers and do all those things. I think when Terron says moving forward the run game has to be something, he’s meaning if we want to win games, we have to be tooled to win games however we need to win games. And I do think the only positive of rough starts with some adversity and turmoil is early in the season based upon all the buildup from the offseason and what guys’ expectations are going in; the best way you can get everyone to only worry about winning is when they’re only worried about winning. And when you feel the results of early season losing streaks, those 24 days couldn’t feel like three months and that perspective of what is most important is very clear and ever-present right in front of the football team, and so you can make sure each and every thing that you’re doing and every motivation each coach has and every player has is what can we do to contribute to the ‘W’ column and not the ‘L.’”
(Kind of piggybacking off of that, something Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry said yesterday was that the offensive line needed to be in full concert to be effective. You’ve had those guys on the field for a lot of reps together this year with pretty good injury luck. How would you describe the value of those banked reps through five games so far for those front five guys?) – “I would say it’s always important in the National Football League to be prepared for your opportunity, not worry about your opportunity. I think the offensive line, we’ve benefited from the consistency. In that, there is an opportunity to have for the first time since I’ve been here, a 40-run game that was a one-score game the entire time. That’s an opportunity to – in those situations, good football is winning time of possession and when your defense is playing well, being able to control the clock and control the line of scrimmage is everything. And I think for this team, it was obvious – there’s nowhere to hide in the National Football League. The offensive line had the opportunity to take the game in their hands, particularly on the final drive with however many runs to end the game or to get the touchdown, and fortunately for the team, they were ready for their opportunity. And that is across the board on football teams – some days we might ask (Jalen) Ramsey and the boys to play man 70 percent of the time. Some days we’re four-man rush and you’ve got to play zone because of the issues the opponent presents. Whatever those things are, when your moment to have the hard – when the moment of truth comes where you have the opportunity as a unit to do something, the team gets the residuals of if you’re ready, and I think they’d been working tirelessly at receiving the results that were close to expectation. It was a frustrating couple weeks for that group in particular, and to go and not wish and hope for better results, but to attack and earn those results through investment and daily diligence, that’s what football in the National Football League is and that’s where teams are made or broken, is in adverse times can you come through for your teammates. So I was happy with that effort and if we want to win football games, I think they have to be ready to do that at any time as well as any other phases, stepping up when their moment is.”
(What do you think on S Jordan Poyer and LB Emmanuel Ogbah?) – “(Jordan) Poyer, I’m very optimistic. I feel really good about it. (Emmanuel) Ogbah is a little day-to-day, a little more in the Jevón (Holland) category of I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying he will or won’t, just based upon the time before the game and how they’ve been in the past and how bad they want to be a reason for our success this weekend and contribute to the team as much as possible. So I’d put both in the day-to-day category and we’ll see how today progresses.”
Raheem Mostert – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(Is it just important to re-establish the running game this weekend?) – “Yeah, it’s very important, especially after what we did against the Patriots. Just trying to get back in the rhythm of the run game and it’s showing how important it is still. I’m always going to be a big advocate within the run game, so if we can come out here right out of the jump, put our foot down and establish the line of scrimmage and carry the ball and ease everything up for ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley), it’ll go a long way. I’m excited about this week. I’m excited about what we got going on.”
(I was going to ask you about that because QB Tyler Huntley said he’s feeling more comfortable learning the playbook, but just to help him so you balance it out?) – “Yeah, it’s all about a balance. You can’t do one thing without the other. You need the pass game to complement the run game and the run game to complement the pass game, and that’s something we tried to focus on this week in particular, because we see a lot of stuff on the offensive side of the ball that we can attack and exploit in the run game.”
(Getting you going, RB Jaylen Wright and maybe if RB De’Von Achane can come back at some point, could you put out a three-headed monster if all you guys are—) – “I mean yeah, we definitely could, but we got to focus on our individual game, of course. We’re just excited about the opportunity to go out here and try to run against the Colts. They got a good defense though. They got (Zaire) Franklin at the linebacker position and (E.J.) Speed, they both are great linebackers that are running down, and they’re pretty fast and they’re making plays for themselves so. And then that d-line, I was told that maybe ‘Buck’ is coming back, DeForest Buckner. I’m very familiar with him, back in my San Francisco time with him, and he’s just a playmaker. He’s a stud and he’s a guy that is going to do everything in his power to make sure he plays a good game. So it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
(There’s a lot to be said for having a bye at the end of the year leading into the playoffs and all, but given that you guys have had a rough patch with those three games, did the bye coming early sort of become a blessing for you guys?) – “I would say that it came at the right time, just because we came off of a three-game losing streak and then we ended up winning against the Patriots. It just feels like – I’m happy that it happened early. Yeah, it’s going to be tough because we have a long stretch, but we’re not the only team in the league that had a bye week that week. So we’re just excited to move on and our focus right now is the Colts.”
(Does it feel like a fresh start in a way?) – “In a way it does. When you’re able to win against a division opponent, against the Patriots, and then have the bye week, it almost feels like a reset in a way. But we’re getting guys back, guys are feeling good and that’s the most important thing. We we’re able to utilize our bye week.”
(Obviously you were off a couple of weeks, but have you guys noticed on film how teams are defending the outside zone differently? Or is it the same as last year?) – “Not necessarily. I think it’s just been cumulative of the entire offense and how we’ve been rolling thus far with the injuries and everything like that. But in the grand scheme of things, in particular, I know me coming back just felt like – I felt like it was a bit of a weight. I felt like I was able to come back and produce at a good pace, a good level given my injury that I had with my chest. So I felt like it was just a kickstart for the offense a little bit. Hopefully ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) is feeling the same way. I had a conversation with him as soon as I got back and he was like, ‘Hey Heem, you really do make a little bit of a difference back here when you’re back,’ and I’m looking at him like, ‘Hey man, I just play this game. I’m just trying to help you out.’ So we just had those conversations and honestly, it’s been good. You can tell he’s just feeling a little more relaxed in this offense and that’s what we needed.”
(So you came away completely healthy with that chest after the bye week?) – “Yeah, oh yeah. I’m good now, so chest is doing good. I feel like my back is still tight, but other than that – I don’t know if it’s the age or not but just one of those things. (laughter) It’s all good.”
Frank Smith – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(It’s been pretty consistent with TE Julian Hill getting the most snaps for tight ends pretty much most every game. What’s led to that this year, that shift in playing time toward him?) – “I think a lot of it was in training camp, a lot of things he was doing really well and he’s a young player still, as we see it, ascending. I know with him right now, he’s very conscious of certain areas he needs to improve on and those are things last week that we really worked on and we saw improvement. The big thing that we love about Julian (Hill) is his focus, how important this is to him and being an in-line blocker isn’t easy in the NFL. So just with us, it’s goes as a culmination of things and we’re looking to build upon what we did well last week and continue it this week versus Indy.”
(What was the difference that you saw in the run game efficiency against the Patriots? Was it opponent-based or was it more execution?) – “It was a little bit of both. We saw with the attack that we were able to do some things that would allow us collectively to really focus on a couple areas of our fundamentals and really attack that part of the game plan. A credit to the guys, they really worked on it during the week with their fundamentals and how they were going to do it. Especially a division opponent on the road and where we were at, it was an area that we thought, ‘Hey, if we do this, we can really shift the attack into all things with the run game.’ You always want as an offense to be balanced in your attack and then the way the game goes, you might run a little bit more or throw a little more the way it goes back and forth, so really everything went into what we kind of thought they were going to play, how we were going to focus between the core blockers, the backs, the receivers, how it was all going to be connected and I think it was really a credit to the guys of their execution (which) allowed us to be really effective in the run game versus New England.”
(How big was it to get TE Jonnu Smith more involved?) – “It was great because once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s very, very much effective down the field. So I think this is something as we were looking at ourselves, and especially over the bye week, areas that we can really improve and help ourselves and it’s just making sure that overall, utilizing all of our guys to be involved in the passing game and utilizing all of our guys in different areas of the run game as well in different capacities.”
(A question about WR Odell Beckham Jr. We hear different players, quarterbacks and receivers talk about how intricate this offense is – the shifts, the motions, the timing. Is it realistic that a veteran such as OBJ can be an immediate impact guy or do you kind of phase him in a little bit?) – “It’s kind of what are you looking to do and then when you’re looking at the defense, what areas can your personnel lead you to advantages in matchups and advantages in run games. I don’t think you necessarily go, OK, you assume he’s going to be able to take it all in at once. That’s not fair to anyone. So I think ultimately, we look at it of, all right, who’s the defense? How are we going to attack them? All right, with our deployment of the people, what’s the best way to work matchups? And I think that’s kind of overall, what we always try to go with so like, each week is different; but the more you’re here, the more you get involved, the more things you can pick up on, all the things that guys who have been here for three years know. But I think each week we look at ways to attack the defense and we use our people so we’re excited to continue his growth in this next week.”
(We saw what an improvement it could be for QB Tyler Huntley going from start No. 1 to start No. 2 with a week. How much did this bye week and two weeks now before the next start help all you guys get him prepared?) – “I think it was really good for everyone, not alone him. Yeah, it does – the familiarity with certain things, with how guys play live and the communication he’s having as he’s working with the guys – but I think when the season doesn’t start out the way you were anticipating, what do you do? You can either go into panic or disarray, or you really focus on OK, what have we done well and how do we really build upon that and then work and utilize our guys to get better? So I think that was really what last week allowed us to do, is to really focus on ourselves, ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) included. But I think really for us, it was getting back to some basic principles and making sure we execute them better. And then that’s the challenge now this week – what did we learn from last week? Areas we’ve grown and now being able to do it again on the road up in Indianapolis.”
(Provided that RB De’Von Achane can play on Sunday, I believe it would be the first time you have him, RB Raheem Mostert and RB Jaylen Wright active since the opener when Raheem got hurt and exited that game. What would the impact be on the offense playing all three of those backs for you guys?) – “It’d be great. Guys are going their process to return to the game so we follow medical for all of that, but ultimately when we get back to full health Sunday with our guys, it would be a fun opportunity to really use our personnel to attack the defense in different ways.”
(A question about Indy. Colts G Quenton Nelson, impactful player. What can a guard do for a team and what does he do for that offense?) – “Guards in general, they help you control the front edge of the pocket obviously in the passing game, obviously they’re point-of-attack blockers in the run game. Whatever scheme you utilize, obviously there’s a different emphasis to the way they impact the blocking. Like my time in New Orleans we had Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans who at the time were about as good as it gets, and we were heavy inside zone in gaps schemes because of the way they could splice the line of scrimmage and the way they could set the front edge of the pocket for Drew (Brees), kind of we built from there. So I think it’s ultimately who do you have, what do they do well and how are you going to utilize your people, so with what they do, obviously he’s a very good player for their system – ultimately, I think when you’re building a line, you’re always looking at the matchups and how you can do different schemes. For us, we do a bunch variations to different things that allow our guys to be in positions to be successful.”
(Colts own the second-worst run defense in the league. Without giving up too much of the game plan, how important will that running back room be for Sunday?) – “I think when you look at all defenses whether statistically they’re doing something – like statistically it says they’re poor or they’re doing something well – I think it ultimately comes down to the backs being connected to the linemen and understanding how we’re trying to attack the defense through different schemes, being connected to the blocking allows them to be able to know where they can anticipate through their aiming points, where the reads will be. So I think just whenever you’re facing any defense in the league, because every week is challenging in its own right, even if someone statistically isn’t doing well, it’s the challenge of the execution to make sure we’re all connected. Because ultimately you don’t want the running backs to have to do it all on their own where it’s like guys are unblocked, they’re just making people miss. It’s like you want to make sure that everyone’s in phase so that way we’re able to connect and hit the pockets of the defense that we’re anticipating.”
(To that point, has the thought of incorporating QB Tyler Huntley into designed runs been brought up at all over the bye week, having an extra week for this game?) – “We’ve weighed it each week and it’s just going – for us, it’s more of what is the defense, how are they trying to defend the run, what are the areas you can create advantages for yourself. So it’s like normally each week it’s all right, what are the areas that we think we can get a matchup or we can get an angle or something to that extent. Each week we evaluate it and it basically always comes down to what does the defense present and how can we challenge them when we’re deciding which stuff to do.”
(With QB Skylar Thompson, how comfortable are you guys with him now throwing the football and moving around in the pocket based on what you’ve seen from practice recently?) – “He’s still working himself all the way back to feeling comfortable, so ultimately with Skylar (Thompson) being here for so long, once he’s returned and everything and feeling completely ready to go, obviously we know what he brings. I think ultimately for us it’s just making sure that when guys go through their process to return to play, it’s making sure that we’re all clear, everything’s good and then we can get him back to doing what we do. Because ultimately for us offensively, it’s you want to do what guys do best and you play to their play strengths and then ultimately we have our way – our offensive system when we go – so each quarterback really provides a… like ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) has a different skill set that he provides than Skylar, but I think ultimately his ability to throw the football and play in the pocket and also move his feet, we feel very confident that when we need him to play, he’ll be ready to go.”
(So is QB Tim Boyle – he’ll be the backup this week?) – “Today we’re still with the process for the rest of the week. We just make sure we’re figuring that out before we set everything in stone for Sunday.”
(Well QB Tua Tagovailoa still has to become eligible to return to practice and go through the final stages of the protocol. How quickly do you feel that could happen for him just to get back into the offense and back into the swing of things to be able to start again if he were to be cleared quickly once he’s eligible?) – “I think whenever he’s cleared to return to play, we’ll just see how that process plays out. But the way he is, I’m sure it’ll be nose to the grindstone, here we go, and making sure that he can be ready to go for whatever the timeline is. He’s been great in the process and is trying to play, just his energy so whenever that happens we’ll make sure that we do the right things and his return to play is all handled appropriately.”
(I know you guys don’t want to make excuses, I’m not asking you to, but from a coaching challenge standpoint you’ve gone from QB Tua Tagovailoa to QB Skylar Thompson to QB Tyler Huntley, QB Tim Boyle in there; how difficult has that been on this coaching staff, like this staff, has this been the biggest offensive challenge that you’ve faced?) – “I don’t know. For me, no, I mean, I remember back in 2016 Chicago when Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley; I mean, we went through a whole – that was a very much challenge in itself, and that was a very tough year. This one, when you’re dealing with the variance of guys at the quarterback position, it’s just making sure that we have a plan built that they understand and can execute and communicate. So it’s weird, like as a coach, you embrace the challenges and you love the challenges because it’s all problem solving. So sometimes you enjoy the challenge of each week and the variables that it plays out, and other weeks you wish that they didn’t occur. So it’s kind of that, you’re like, ‘Yes, here comes the challenge,’ then like ‘Oh gosh, I wish it wasn’t as hard this week.’ But I think it all comes down to the guys we’ve had and the way they go about their process, and that’s what makes it easier for us because we know how diligent they are and how ready to go they are.”
Anthony Weaver – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(Do you think S Jevón Holland is going to be able to play with a club on Sunday? Or is it just expecting too much at that position to play with that limitation?) – “Yeah, we’re certainly hopeful as a staff. I think with that kid, I’m not saying he can’t do anything. So if I was going to count on anybody to get out there and play, it would be him – but we’re preparing for both situations.”
(In regards to when you have a safety with something on their hand, do you look at them as “Hey, the opposition might go after them because they have some limitations?”) – “Well unfortunately, we’ve had three. So I think our safeties are taking boxing classes in their off-time or something like that. We had a situation with (Jordan) Poyer, he did something to his hand in training camp, as well as Marcus Maye and both those guys at this point have played excellent when they’ve been out there. So regardless of if he has something on his hand or not, I think he’ll be able to go out there and do his job.”
(A question about your defensive success – you’ve got nine sacks, and you’ve allowed teams to rush for 100 yards each game, but you’re No. 5 in the league in defense. Why are you No. 5? Why have you had success?) – “The run defense numbers, obviously we got to improve there. That’s certainly a thorn in our side at this point. It’s particularly the explosive plays that have hurt us in the run game. In terms of our success, I think a lot of that has been our pass defense and then just guys collectively starting to grasp big picture wise what we’re trying to accomplish. I think as long as we don’t give up those explosives and let the ball go over our head in the pass game, we have the guys that are going to make plays if we force offenses to try to matriculate the ball down the field, which nobody wants to do, particularly this team we’re going to play this week.”
(What about red zone defense? Those numbers aren’t that flattering. Is that just a byproduct of the run struggles?) – “I don’t think so. Some of those numbers, just situations we’ve been put in bad spots. We’ve had a couple of pass interferences where they’ve gotten the ball on the one – those obviously kill your red zone numbers. We had a couple long third downs that were converted where, I mean good throw, good catch, hats off to them. I was encouraged by the last game where we went 0 for two and that’ll help. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come, and like I said, I think it’s just a matter of finishing particularly when they get down there.”
(What challenges does QB Anthony Richardson pose?) – “I mean you’ve seen him. He’s back there, when he pulls the ball down to run, he looks like John Riggins. He’s enormous, he’s big, he runs through people and then he has a hose for an arm. The throw he made against Houston, which was like 70 yards in the air falling backwards was incredible. So just his skill set, his physical attributes, he is certainly still maturing as a player, but I think his ceiling is incredibly high.”
(The splits in the red zone for the Colts are much better with QB Anthony Richardson in the game. I’m curious what a quarterback with his running ability does to make the challenge even more difficult in the red area.) – “It’s a nightmare because essentially, they always have another hat for you when you use him as a runner. I’ve lived through that, have got to watch that from my own sideline with Lamar (Jackson) for the last three years. So the thing we try to stress to the guys is that even when it’s empty, you got to play it like wildcat because he can certainly pull the ball down and they can do a bunch of scheme runs in that situation. So it certainly provides issues for our defense; you find certain ways to try to attack them and not leave your defensive backs vulnerable and we’ll try to do just that.”
(What difference does RB Jonathan Taylor’s presence make to their offense and to your defense?) – “Yeah, I think that kid is an absolute stud. When I watch him, he reminds me a little bit of Fred Taylor in the sense that he has some patience and vision. He’s a guy that’s going to dip in an out of holes – Le’Veon Bell type back – and then still has the speed to get away from guys. So if he doesn’t play, it certainly doesn’t hurt us. If he does play, you always want to play against the best and I consider him one of those.”
(You’ve been getting some good playing, some good minutes and snaps from DT Da’Shawn Hand. What has he shown you – probably since the beginning of when you got here to where he is now?) – “Yeah, I mean Da’Shawn – you look at him, he’s as strong as an ox. And every day he’s in this building, he just works. He’s not an excuse maker, he’s not a guy that goes out and makes the same mistake multiple times. He’s just constantly trying to get a little bit better each day, which is all we ask of every single player on the team. So I’m happy with where he’s at, I’m happy he’s stayed healthy throughout and knock on wood, he’s out there for all 17 for us.”
(How much more can you get out of LB Tyus Bowser now that he’s been with the team for a bit as opposed to just arriving on Thursday morning and going and playing 30 snaps on Sunday?) – “Yeah, a lot. Tyus (Bowser) is obviously a guy I have history with, and unfortunately, he missed last season with dealing with some things with his knee. I think Tyus is a tremendous football player. I still think he’s kind of working himself into where he was prior to injury, but he’s extremely knowledgeable from a scheme standpoint. He can play multiple positions, so just when you’re able to acquire somebody that’s that familiar with what you’re doing, particularly at this point in the season, it’s huge for a defense because you don’t have to limit yourself when he’s in the game. So I think the sky is the limit for him as he gets more confident in where he’s at with his body, I think you’re just going to see more production from him.”
(Was his name one that came up? Did General Manager Chris Grier ask you about him earlier this offseason, obviously with your background with him? And what physical skill does he have that makes him effective?) – “Yeah, I’ve been keeping an eye on Tyus (Bowser) for a while because when I first got here, he still wasn’t cleared to play. So we were just keeping an eye on him where he was from a health standpoint, just because I knew he would be a seamless add to the defense. And another thing that happens, and I saw it – you saw way back in 2008, 2009 when Rex Ryan went to the Jets and he brought Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him to the Jets, that you have guys that are scheme familiar that are able now to help you teach the other guys some of the intricacies of what you’re trying to get done. So in terms of his ability and his flexibility, he can play SAM backer, he’s a guy that’s had 9.5, almost 10 sacks I believe when I was with him in 2021. You can rush him from multiple spots – on the edge, inside, he can drop and knows every drop with detail, so just adds tremendous value for us.”
(Going back to RB Jonathan Taylor and QB Anthony Richardson, what kind of added layer of stress is there late in the game having to account for a running back and a running quarterback? I know the Ravens come to mind with how they use RB Derrick Henry late in the game where they’re able to just take over a game late in those situations.) – “Yeah, always an issue, particularly in close games. And the things where they really stress you is when they’re particularly in plus territory, it’s four downs for them. So that normal situation where it’s third-and-5, third-and-6 where typically thinking, ‘All right, let’s go hunt and get after the passer,’ you’re playing those more 50-50 situations now. So to me, that’s probably the biggest stress in it all is that your typical, predictable pass downs don’t play like that when you have those guys.”
(Have you found any noticeable growth in LB Chop Robinson through his first five games?) – “Yeah, I thought his last game was his best game to date. You talk about setting the edge, falling back, playing gap and a half, impacting the passer – which we obviously expected and know that he can do. I’m pleased with his trajectory and how he’s grown so far this season. I know the sack hasn’t been there yet, but he’s close. And like I tell all rushers, they come in bunches. As soon as you get that first one, you usually get a bunch of them back-to-back. So just looking forward to that kid’s career as he pushes forward.”
(What stands out in the self-scouting that you did during the bye week for your defense?) – “Yeah, the biggest one I think was just the explosive run numbers. If you take the biggest explosive run out of each game, we’re like top five in run defense and yards per carry. Now, unfortunately you can’t do that. (laughter) We have to get that fixed, but I don’t think it’s going to require wholesale changes. Pleased obviously with what we’re doing on third down but knowing that you got to continue to spin the dial and keep offenses unbalanced. So just trying to make sure we’re not doing anything that’s going to come off as predictable when somebody is studying us.”
(Are you optimistic about having LB Emmanuel Ogbah on Sunday?) – “I am, I am. I mean you see the guy – he’s tough, he was out there through individuals yesterday. I know he’s nursing an injury, but just like I said about Jevón (Holland), I’m not counting that kid out.”
(A question about G Quenton Nelson. We look at QB Anthony Richardson, QB Joe Flacco, RB Jonathan Taylor, WR Michael Pittman Jr. – he might be the best player on their team, G Quenton Nelson. What can a guard do for them? What can he do for Anthony Richardson? What can he do for Jonathan Taylor?) – “Well first off, he went to an excellent university. Let’s start there, I mean arguably the best in the country. (laughter) No, I think the kid is an absolute stud. Me, particularly as a defensive line guy by nature, I don’t have the most love for offensive linemen; he is one that I do because he plays the game from the offensive perspective like a defensive lineman. He plays nasty, he’s trying to finish everything and to me, he’s kind of the tone setter for their offense. So when you have that guy, particularly when he’s big, right in the middle, he’s kind of your enforcer and your intimidator and guys tend to follow that guy.”
(When we first talked with you back in February or whenever that was, you raved about CB Jalen Ramsey’s flexibility. I’m curious, five games in, six weeks into the season, how you’ve seen that play out?) – “As expected – I don’t think there’s a position on the football field he hasn’t played. You blitz him sometimes like a SAM backer. We’ve put him all over the place, we’ve blitzed him from the corner position. I’m almost ready to put him at inside backer just to try to mess with these offensive guys. (laughter) But just love the kid and the intensity he brings to the game. His competitiveness and then just his overall football IQ allows him to play all of those spots seamlessly. To me, it’s incredibly admirable what he, and Kader Kohou as well – I don’t want him to get lost in all of this because when Jalen (Ramsey) does move, that requires somebody else to know the job too and Kader has been great. Just seamlessly moving those guys around and offenses trotting like the same people out there and when they don’t know where they’re going to be, that’s a problem.”
(Obviously you guys are having tremendous success on third downs, credit to you, but where would you want to have success on defense? I know sack production, turnovers, red zone defense, third down defense, obviously, those are all factors that connect to the outcome, but where would you put the most stock in terms of this defense helps teams win?) – “Scoring defense. That’s it. I’m pretty sure that you win 100 percent of the games where you score more points than the other team, pretty sure about that. (laughter) So we’re trying to hold offenses to as little points as possible. All the other stuff is incredibly important but ultimately, I think that’s all. All those measurables are to justify not allowing offenses to score, so that’s what’s most important to me. I love the stats, and it’s incredibly important. Obviously, you want to be great on defense but most importantly, we want to win games. That’s the most important stat and there’s going to be certain games that are required to win a certain way, and whatever way that is, we’ll try to play that way and get it done.”
(I know that takeaways are always emphasized, and you’ve got a quarterback like Anthony Richardson who’s tied for the second most interceptions, what do you tell your defensive backfield?) – “Nothing different than how we approach any other week where we’re always striving for takeaways. Coach (Joe) Barry just had a great meeting about takeaways and turnovers, both trying to preach to the offense of holding the ball and for us, punching it, strip-sacking, doing everything we can to try to get that ball away because when we win that differential, your percentages of winning go way up. And just like I said, ultimately that is goal – win the football game.”
(We saw that LB Jaelan Phillips posted that he had a successful surgery. What’s the approach he has taken through all of this where a lot of guys could be down over it but it seems like he’s positive?) – “Yeah, just what an incredible individual, right? The adversity that he was hit with, a lesser man, lesser person, you could see crumbling or going through a state of depression. He has not done that. He’s faced it head on, which you would hope particularly in this profession that we’re in, that’s what you do. After a storm comes the rain and this is a storm for him. I know he’s going to push through this and be the guy we expect him to be.”
