Danny Crossman – October 17, 2024
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Thursday, October 17, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The punt that was blocked, was that – it looked like they had overloaded that side and the blocking got off. Was that them or was that you guys?) – “It was a combination. It’s the same rush they worked later in the game. Just slightly off on technique and you can’t be slightly off on technique versus good players. That’s probably their best player and he did a hell of a job with effort and lean and bend the corner and was able to get a hand on the football. But again, your technique is off a little bit some bad things can happen. Especially against good players.”
(LB Quinton Bell looked like he got in on a couple of field goal attempts on the kicker’s left side. What have you seen from him and what did you see – without getting too specific on those plays, what did you guys do right?) – “I think we’re doing a good job with that unit overall. It’s the old adage; you’re close but it doesn’t matter. We’ve done a good job on that team. We’ve had a couple of guys get close and I think as that happens the emphasis goes in certain directions which creates maybe some opportunities for some other players. I think ‘Q’ (Quinton Bell) did a good job and was ready to answer the bell, and when those opportunities came for him did a good job. We just got to, again, clean up the little bitty things which could be the difference between getting a hand on it and not getting a hand on it.”
(Kicking in domes, obviously no wind but kicking off turf, is that better than kicking off of natural grass? How do you view that?) – “It can vary based on the stadium, what type of turf it is. Some turfs – I was in Buffalo for six years and now have played there for six more years, that turf has a tendency to get slippery because it’s built into the ground with cement. So that gets a little bit slippery, other ones not as much so. The good thing for us is the kicker spends a lot of time in our indoor. They kick off turf, they warm up on turf, so it won’t be that big of a transition.”
(After a week where you had so many special teams mistakes, the botched snap, the blocked punt, missed field goal, what are special teams meetings like with Danny Crossman with those guys?) – “They’re the same. There is always going to be issues. Some of those things can’t – that snap issue is something that, I’ve been around this thing a long time, that’s the third time that a group that I’ve been involved with has had that happen. You’re going back to when I’m 12 years old. So those things can’t happen, but they do. You see it around the league, it doesn’t happen a lot, but those things can’t happen. We miss a field goal; we bang it off the upright which is our nemesis, as you guys know, and then we have a little breakdown with the technique. Those things we got to get cleaned up and they can get cleaned up. We also steal a possession by quick counting them and getting 12 guys on the field so it’s a turnover. We get a possession we do a good job on punt return twice. Doing a good job with the returner and the vice players on their gunners to get touchbacks against good players. There’s good things – I like a lot of things we are doing in the play; we’re just doing too many things that we have to do better before the play or at the end of the play. We had another penalty last week; we’ve got to eliminate the penalties. We’ve talked about that in here. The things that in my opinion we can control, that’s what we’ve got to do a better job of. They’re good players, we’re going to play good players. There’s going to be plays made. I can live with some of those things. The hard thing is living with the pre-snap, the post-snap things and the things that you can control. If you can control it, we’ve got to do a better job of it.”
(All of those things I mentioned occurred in the first half. Was there anything mentioned at halftime to get guys right?) – “To answer your previous – I’m harder during the week. On game day, game day is game day. They know when the mess up those things. There’s technique stuff that we’ll talk about, schematic stuff that we will spend a lot of time talking about, but when guys mess up, they know they mess up. They don’t need me reminding them; they know that. Blake (Ferguson) knows he had a poor snap. Jason (Sanders) knows he missed a field goal. What did we see technique standpoint that we can correct and let’s move on from that. Now when stuff happens in practice, then I get a little bit more upset because it’s private, it’s inhouse and nobody needs to see and hear about it. On game day, they don’t need to hear about it from me. They know. I mean you guys know – when you guys mess something up, you mess something up. When you mess something up, you don’t need somebody reminding you. Sadly, we all get reminded then you get even more mad. (laughter) But that’s part of life.”
(Are there certain calls in the punt return game where it’s an automatic fair catch for the return man?) – “Not necessarily when you’re going into – situationally yes, but overall no. It may be a case of based on score, time, time on the clock, trying to not use time, try to save time, try to take time off, no matter what if you can’t return – there’s a lot of those situations, but we don’t ever go into the game like, ‘Hey, we are going to fair catch.’ No.”
(There has been a couple of incidents where guys have jumped over the center on the line to block kicks. Take me through that from both sides. Do you coach your guys to do that, and what are your interior guys supposed to do?) – “It’s going to be an interesting thing because technically when that’s happening, there’s holding. In those situations that it’s happening, guys are grabbing the guard and grabbing the center and pulling them in a direction enable that player to jump through. By rule, it is legal if you’re at the line of scrimmage and leap over as long as no part of your body touches any of the offensive players. You can’t touch them on the way over, you can’t land on them – legal. The process of that, using hands to grab and pull people is something that you’ll see the league is looking into because that goes outside of what is viewed on paper as legal. That’s something that’s in everybody’s gameplan and a lot of times it’s based on the technique you see the field goal team. There are some things that the field goal team can do to help themselves, but I think that is something you’ll see being talked about here in the near future.”
(On the blocked punt, LB Duke Riley was on that side and the week before he almost had the touch. He’s one of your more reliable guys generally. Is there any conversation you feel needs to be had with him?) – “Believe me, we have conversations all the time. Again, a little bit off on your technique against a very good player and that’s the kind of stuff happens. If you guys want to go back and look at it, it’s the exact same alignment, outside, wide 1, 2, 3, that they run later in the game and you get it protected. Again, the technique is a little bit better and it doesn’t happen. I don’t care what it is; when you play good players and you’re off a little bit, I don’t care what position. If you’re off a little bit, there is a chance of something negative happening and it happened to us. Credit to them and more importantly credit to the player. He makes a hell of an effort, leans around the edge and still it’s almost like, how the heck did he get a piece of that.”
(To move things forward, what do you see in Indy? K Rigoberto Sanchez, what do you see about their special teams?) – “They’re a good group. Matt Gay was a good pick up for them. They’re playing the game aggressively. They have a really good group of core players. They have that 200- or 230-pound group, they’ve got about six or seven guys that all run very well and then they add the big guys into it, so they’ve got a couple of big bodies that cause you some problems also. It’s a well-coached group. They made a switch at returner with (Josh) Downs and he’s done a good job of getting the ball up the field. They’ll be ready to play.”
Tyler Huntley – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
QB Tyler Huntley
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said today that there’s been a night and day difference since you first arrived. What would you say is working for you now and continue to help you play well?) – “Just continue those reps. We keep going through reps, and the more you get more reps, the better you feel.”
(Did you spend the bye week just throwing yourself into the playbook?) – “Yeah, just honing in on the footwork and all the various calls. I’m just trying to recite them to myself and get a great feeling for them.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle mentioned that you called guys back early from the bye week to throw passes to, was that last Thursday or Friday? And how many guys had you called to come back early and how many showed up?) – “I didn’t really want to bother too many guys, you know what I mean? The guys that were able to come back early and had a chance to catch a few passes, it was good.”
(Was it WR Jaylen Waddle? Who else in that group?) – “It was a couple guys. You got ‘Nu,’ (Jonnu Smith). It was a couple guys there, it was good.”
(And was this like Friday?) – “No, it was Saturday, Sunday.”
(It’s weird as a backup quarterback because you obviously want to play as long as you can, but the team certainly wants to see QB Tua Tagovailoa back as soon as possible. Does it go through your mind that, “Hey, this may be the last time I get to play for a while?”) – “Man, I’m just looking at the opportunities. Just working to win this game this week and that’s all I can control.”
(How do you feel like this has gone for you – this Miami experience?) – “It’s been going great and it’s only going to get better as much time as I’m here. We’re just going to continue to build off of that.”
(How familiar are you with the Colts defense? Have you faced them in recent years?) – “Yeah, we played them a couple times in Baltimore. They’re a good defense, fly sideline to sideline.”
(Is it more about the comfort level for you? What I mean by that is you’ve doubled your passing yards in the last game compared to the first game you started.) – “Yeah definitely, that’s all it is. Repping plays like I said, repping plays gives us a better chance of feeling more comfortable doing it.”
(Last game the run game really got going, what does that do for you?) – “That opens up a lot of the pass lanes. The defense has got to stay honest and be able to get some passes downfield.”
(And with that said, do you think there’s possibilities of you getting incorporated more into running the ball?) – “I’m here to play quarterback, so no. I make runs when I need to.”
(Is anybody local – friends or family, or coaches, high school football friends, anybody new going to come to this one that hasn’t been out yet?) – “I don’t know. If so, they all got their tickets on their own. I wouldn’t know. (laughter)”
(Are you itching at that first touchdown pass because it’s been almost a year since you’ve thrown a touchdown pass? You did that with the Ravens against Seattle last November.) – “I had one in the Steelers game too, that was a little later in the year. But whatever it takes for this team to win, that’s what we’re going to do, and I hope to come out with a lot of passing touchdowns.”
(How beneficial did you feel like the bye week was? Do you feel like you have a deeper understanding of the offense after this week?) – “Yeah, definitely. It was great to have the bye week when we did, it gave us time to get a break. I got time to move into my house, got settled in and able to get into my playbook.”
(It was an earlier bye week than we’re used to, but in this case, do you think it was ideal for this team to kind of be rejuvenated and sort of get the cobwebs out and sort of put everything, all the negative stuff behind them as far as what’s happened on the field?) – “Yeah, definitely. It was good to go into the bye week with a win and we’re going to build off of that. We got some days to rest up and be ready for this week coming up.”
(Do you know anything about their young QB Anthony Richardson from the University of Florida? Have you seen any highlights or anything?) – “Yeah, I watched him when he played at Florida. He’s a great quarterback, made a lot of plays. Yeah, he’s a baller.”
(So you said you got newly settled in, it had been a long time since you’ve been a South Florida resident, right? So what was that like?) – “It was good. Being able to have your own place and not being in the hotel and living out the suitcase.”
(What is your confidence level at right now? Being able to have a break like this, but being able to grow the chemistry as well.) – “It’s great. I’ve got great confidence in my team and especially our coaches. They’ve been prepping me, getting me ready every week, and it’s only going to get better.”
(Are you a Taylor Swift fan?) – “I like Taylor Swift, the person that she is. That’s really not my cup of tea, but I can tell from a distance she’s a great person.”
Tyreek Hill – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(How have you seen QB Tyler Huntley kind of grow in the short time he’s been here?) – “He’s been doing a great job. He’s been doing a fantastic job overcommunicating with clarity amongst the guys. I can see the confidence each and every week from playcalling, from getting guys in line and just understanding the playbook. He’s been doing a great job.”
(Is one of his key attributes is that he’s always smiling. He’s always very positive?) – “Yes, that is one of the great things about ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley). You can see him in this building walking wherever – I seen him leaving out of the bathroom earlier, he was smiling at me. He’s always smiling. ‘Snoop’ is a great guy, he’s always smiling.”
(It has to be a disappointing offensive showing the first couple of weeks. With this bye week were you able to put it aside and it’s almost like a fresh start here?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. The great thing about the NFL is it’s going to continue on going, and obviously we get a chance to learn form our mistakes from the past and get better from it. We’ve got a great head coach who does a great job of holding himself accountable, holding his players accountable. Today we had a great day of practice. Things aren’t going to go perfect but I believe our operation was great, guys were getting out of the huddle good. No pre-snap penalties as far as false starts from the wideouts, the running backs, the linemen, so I think today was a good start to where we used to be.”
(Has Head Coach Mike McDaniel come up with different ways to get you the ball? Do you think that’s been needed?) – “No, no, I don’t think it’s needed. Like I said our head coach, he does a great job. He understands situations, and there is so many guys to get the ball to there man. Not only me, you got (Jaylen) Waddle, (De’Von) Achane, Odell (Beckham Jr.), ‘Heem’ (Raheem Mostert), Jonnu (Smith). My job is my job. Whenever he calls my play to get open, I’m going to do my thing. He doesn’t have to try to force it or anything.”
(Do you feel like you’ve been playing at the same level as years past? The number aren’t there, but you lost your quarterback obviously.) – “I’m going to do my thing regardless. ‘Cheetah’ going to be ‘Cheetah.’ I’m not going to make no excuses; I’m not going to point anybody out because that’s not what I do, man. But I will say, I’m ‘Cheetah’ baby. I’m going to deal with any circumstance that I’ve got. I’m here for this team, I’m here for my brothers all day long. If I’m open, I’m not going to go to the sideline and point it out. We’re going to fix it whenever we watch film as an offense the next day. As long as I continue to put it on film, I’m good.”
(If you guys win, you get to 3-3. Considering some of the struggles, are you – I don’t want to say happy with that record, but knowing there’s still 10 games ahead – confident in where you are moving forward?) – “We’re always happy about winning. I think that’s the most positive thing any team would want. Obviously the first few games didn’t start the way we wanted it to. You said it we’re 2-3, but it’s all about how you finish. Hopefully down this long stretch that we’ve got, we can put together some wins.”
(You mean to tell me that when you come back to the sideline you don’t say anything to the quarterback?) – “No, I don’t. I just tell him, ‘Hey man, let’s go. Keep going. Keep going.’ That’s my mentality, I’ve always been like that. My parents raised me in a different shape of form. I know people try to compare me to ‘AB’ (Antonio Brown) all the time, but I’ll never run off the field and ruin my paycheck like that. I’m smart at the end of the day, I got kids to take care of. I’m never going to do that. I love ‘AB’ to death, but I just feel like at the end of the day – my dad always told me if you put it on tape, the eye in the sky won’t lie. So if you’re open, they’ll see it. Keep doing it over and over again. That’s the mentality.”
(Not in a bad way. You can have a constructive conversation.) – “You can. You can, but I feel like at the end of the day a quarterback is almost like a kicker. If you say something to him then, you’re in his head. I don’t have to do that – when it’s time, it time baby.”
(It’s hard to know this without QB Tua Tagovailoa, but have you sensed the pre-snap motion have been as effective as getting the defense off balanced this year as they were for you guys the last two years?) – “Yeah, they have. I feel like the pre-snap motions have been helping us a lot, whether that’s getting bump coverage off me and (Jaylen) Waddle so we can have those free releases. Whether that’s trying to figure out what kind of defense they are playing, are they running shell, are they running cover four – pre-snap motions have been helping us out a lot.”
(What’s your reaction to WR Davante Adams, and WR Amari Cooper going into the AFC East? Do you feel like a trendsetter – a Pro Bowl receiver getting traded to the AFC East like that?) – “They’re still not the best receiver in the league, because I am and I stand on that. I want my momma to send me this and say, ‘You’re talking your trash today,’ because I am. (laughter) No, I’m definitely happy for Davante (Adams) teaming back up with his old quarterback – I know that’s obviously where he wanted to be. And for Amari (Cooper), I think him and Josh Allen those two guys will play very well together, because Amari is still one of those guys that can get open. It’s going to be a good test for our DBs when we play them, but got Jalen Ramsey on our team – we straight.”
Jevón Holland – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
S Jevón Holland
(It must be hard to play with a broken bone in a hand. Do you think you’re going to be able to with some sort of protection on it this Sunday?) – “Definitely going to be day-to-day. So yeah, just keep it at day-to-day.”
(How did you feel today?) – “Felt good. It’s just my hand so the rest of my limbs feel good. (laughter)”
(Is it hard to play with a cast on or something like a cast, some sort of protective covering in your position, is it difficult to play safety position – you specifically – to play with a protective thing on your hand? Is it difficult?) – “Presumably. Yeah, I’ve never really done it before so it’s my first time. But yeah, I’m going to assume it’s going to be a little difficult. If I have to club it, I’m not really sure yet, but yeah, I’m going to assume it’s going to be a little hard to catch the ball and whatnot because it’s kind of in the way.”
(If you put some kind of cast or club on it, do you plan on using it to try to draw the ball loose like you did that Week 1 game?) – “I mean, probably, and it probably won’t that hurt bad since it’s casted and everything. So yeah, I’ll probably end up doing that.”
(What is the feeling when you’re running around, do you feel it or is just like when you make contact?) – “Honestly this is my first broken bone for real, so it kind of just feels like a bad jam almost. That’s as best as I can explain it.”
(Do you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel and the trainers want to go through the week before deciding your status for Sunday?) – “Yeah, yeah and the doctors.”
(What do you think about facing Colts QB Anthony Richardson?) – “It’s going to be fun. He’s got a strong arm. He can make plays with his feet. They’ve got a good offense and I’m looking forward to it.”
(When you face a quarterback with that kind of athleticism, what kind of challenges does it present to the secondary?) – “Just extending the plays, that’s really kind of the difficult part. A lot of the time like in zones or whatnot, if we’re in a big zone and they spread the field, it opens up the middle for him to run so that makes it difficult. Obviously, we’ve got to come off coverage and make the tackle. If he can extend plays and keep his eyes downfield, we’ve got to cover for longer, so just that and even in the front, they’ve got to keep their run lanes and that’s hard for them because a lot of the time, there are gaps where they can go make plays on the quarterback but because he’s so athletic it’s easy for him to evade and get into open lanes.”
(Do you feel like the bye week is kind of like a reset?) – “I would hope so. I hope everybody decided to reset this week. You’ve got like four days off, kick it, chill, come back with a fresh mindset. Everybody’s like, body’s fresh, so I would hope they use it as a reset.”
(Besides the athleticism, did you get a chance to see that throw he made, I think it was in Week 1?) – “Yeah, it was a bomb. It was to (Alec) Pierce, I think? Cannon.”
(When a quarterback can do that, how does it impact how deep you have to play as a safety? Is it something you have to just be constantly mindful of throughout the play?) – “Yeah, I think it’s just continuing to play through the whistle because a lot of the times deep balls like that, you kind of just kick it. Like it gets to point where you’re already back there covering him and the receiver keeps running and you’re kind of like, ‘all right, the quarterback is not going to throw it, he’s too far.’ But with a quarterback like that with a cannon like that, you’ve got to just keep on going back.”
(What would are a couple of things that have led some of the success the defense have had on third down?) – “On third down, I think it’s just trusting our keys and fundamentals honestly. For defense if you just play the call, do your job as a one-eleventh of the defense, then you’re going to eventually come out successful especially because our coaches are putting us in position to be successful. So if you don’t try to do too much and force plays and you just work your technique, you’ll be all right.”
(Besides dealing with your hand was there anything specific that you did during the bye week to kind of help you reset mentally?) – “No, I was kicking it. There was a tornado and (expletive) and hurricane so I was just really trying to kick it. Oregon whooped on Ohio State so Jerome Baker, that’s my guy, but y’all took an L. I knew it was going to happen, but anyway, we’ve got Purdue next on Friday so y’all tap in. But other than that, nothing else.”
Mike McDaniel – October 16, 2024
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Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(We did not spot LB Emmanuel Ogbah at Monday’s practice. Is he injured, and will he play this weekend?) – “He is day to day but doing well.”
(Is RB De’Von Achane still in the protocol?) – “He is progressing through the protocol with all things positive. The last protocol piece is based upon activity that he should be doing. Hopefully he’ll get some clarity on that, but we feel good where he’s at, for sure.”
(Is QB Tua Tagovailoa still on pace to practice the first day that he’s eligible and when will he be getting out of protocol if you can tell us that?) – “Nothing has changed from Monday with Tua. The process will go as – you have to allow days to progress for evaluation of where you’re at and have a proper assessment. I feel good about him; the experts and family and everybody that’s been involved has been very diligent. When the next step occurs, the next step occurs. Don’t really know what time is.”
(The last time you played a game, your three rivals in the AFC East looked markedly different from how they look today. I’m wondering, how much are you monitoring that and what do you make of the division now with all of the changes that have taken place?) – “First of all, I’ve always looked at it like it helps your team the better the teams are in your division ultimately if you’re trying to succeed at something. It makes your team have to be better, and really I caught wind of it but I’ve had plenty of focus on how to get our team better, like pretty much every team is doing. The two teams that added a player, it will be pretty cool to see how they involve themselves in the team and where their teams go and what type of challenge that will present. I know the players very well and they are very good players. I’m not the guy that’s like, ‘Oh man, somebody got somebody.’ If you are trying to do what you say you want to do you have to beat whatever team, whatever day in whatever stadium. We just need to get better, as I’m sure every team in our division is saying that, because if you don’t you will be at the bottom part of that division if you don’t get better.”
(QB Tyler Huntley has been here for about a month, I think. Is he at the point now that I’m not going to say the training wheels are off, but whatever you want to call, you’re able to call?) – “I think it’s a cool point because there are things you learn that he learns about, what we’re doing, why we are doing it. He absolutely knows he knows things, but then there’s extra variables that you learn. As well as from a coaching perspective, I like to make decisions based upon concrete information and whatever that information is I can adjust. It’s more difficult when you know a player from a far, but you don’t know the daily of how – his first week of practice, we found out his Thursday was going to be an improvement over Wednesday and Friday was going to be an improvement over Thursday, as you want quarterbacks to do with weekly gameplans – didn’t know that was the case. Certain things that I can tell he has conviction on throwing or running or doing whatever, you go into it thinking you know, you get a lot of clarity. For all parties involved, it is a night and day difference because we’re working together to improve results day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out. I think ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) has really done a fantastic job becoming a part of our team in a way where teammates needed him to continue to develop and he has. I look forward to seeing what he does today, because what I’ve learned from him is that tomorrow he’ll have an even better day and continue to stack through the week. Very, very valuable information that there was a lot in the previous games that you learned more and more each game, but you feel more convicted in what you’re doing play-in, play-out when you have the nuanced information. I’ve always tried to tailor offense to player’s skill sets, and you get a little bit better idea so you can be a little bit more detailed in what you can do.”
(What’s the status of WR River Cracraft? Is he possibly having his practice window open?) – “I don’t see it this week. It’s a week-to-week deal. I don’t see it this week, but I am encouraged by his progress for sure.”
(Is someone getting a practice window open? You mentioned on Monday there were some possibilities.) – “We won’t today. I was kind of looking at it like through the progress of the week because I need specifically Wednesday and Thursday to really know where everyone is at. You get used to in the job of all sorts of issues, but they clear up on Wednesday and Thursday whether that’s other players or whether that’s players opening a window. It’s those two workdays in particular where most of the information comes, so I’m confident I’ll have more information which might be the same information on Friday.”
(Is S Jevón Holland open to trying to see if he can play?) – “Yeah. He’s – don’t get it twisted – football players got into football to play football. He is going to be smart with the team and not be irresponsible with forcing a round peg into a square hole, but he also knows that he’s a very good player that we’re better off with when he’s playing. So I’m very comfortable with all parties involved making an appropriate decision for the right reasons and (he is) definitely spending a lot of time in the training room to try to make that come to life.”
(Do you anticipate a little extra pep in the step of your players coming off the rest and getting away from the facility during the bye?) – “Yes and no. When your team collectively is trying to battle through some adversity, that doesn’t go away with one week. You kind of have a hunger to… it’s one of the rare times players get – it’s a lot of wear and tear on the body for all the players, the sleep and rest and seeing your family as coaches. But generally when you’re trying to get something right, these are the rare times you’re like, ‘Yeah, I do not want the bye week right now.’ So I do think there will be pep just because of the eagerness. It was a highly motivated post-bye Monday practice more so more spirited, more focused, as it should be because you don’t get into this profession – anybody involved – to have things happen and to hope for better circumstances. You’ve got to put the work in and I think the work has matched the vigor to get our ball better and that’s what we’ll be sweating through today.”
(A question about the run game. According to my numbers, when you guys have 25 or more carries, you’re 16-7. When you have 27 or more carries, you’re 11-4. But you have RB Raheem Mostert who has missed some games, RB De’Von Achane in concussion protocol, RB Jeff Wilson Jr. has had a knee problem, RB Jaylen Wright is a rookie – how do you balance that? Is it keep going and it’s next man up? Or are you mindful of what the workload could do to your guys?) – “So I think that’s – going into the season, specifically the work that Chris (Grier) and his staff did, we felt very good about the running back room and felt in a way that you feel that all guys are capable starters for you and that you can play winning football and do all the things you want to do with running backs, whether that’s handing it to them or having them run routes. So we knew that had the potential of being a strength, but what you need is a group that when you’re competitive like that, they have to be the right people where they aren’t worried about what someone else just did on the play previous or how many reps they’re getting right then. They are worried about getting themselves better and supporting their teammates as a very close, tight room and as a result, I think you’ve seen situations where guys have been able to rise to the occasion and do some certain things. We had a ton of injuries at the receiver position; De’Von (Achane) stepped in and had been working on stuff in the offseason and played a lot of receiver. Jaylen Wright, as a product of the entire room, was ready when he was called upon. And that’s the key that you’re talking to the team all the time about because regardless, the absolute non-negotiable in a player’s mind is ‘Oh, when my number is called, I’m ready,’ but you have to proactively do that and they’ve done that as a group. As a result, there’s plays that are made week-in and week-out by that room. It’s exciting because you go to a game with competitors like that, you don’t know who it’s going to be necessarily but you’re very confident somebody is going to give you reason to give them the ball more. I think that room has done a great job; the team expects a lot of them and we rely a lot upon them.”
(Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley has been doing this a long time, calling defenses. When you watched the Colts on tape, what stands out about how he structures that defense and how they play?) – “It stands out that I’m old. I’m lowkey old because I’ve played against Gus Bradley, a Gus Bradley coordinated defense since 2012, I think was the first time, in Washington in a playoff game. And then played against him with the Chargers, Raiders just over the last decade, and one thing that is – it’s cool to see over time like that, you can tell what coaches prioritize, what they value and since you get such a cross sectional of all sorts of different players, different draft classes on different teams, you get an idea of ‘OK, this is a guy that players play for,’ and you can see it on the tape and it’s a consistency over 12 or however many years I’ve gone against him. That’s pretty obvious, especially as seasons go, when you can just tell how groups play together and how consistent their fundamentals and technique are. Where so much of NFL defense, defending pass games now, are people being coordinated in various spots on the field, not being able to communicate to each other because it’s loud so you can’t hide the connectivity, or lack thereof, in a unit. I’ve been very impresses with the Colts football team in general, in all three phases, but in particular you can see how Gus Bradley has always wanted to play football. They are fervently vibrant on defense in Indianapolis and have some pretty good players doing it. I’ve had to play ‘Buck’ (DeForest Buckner) in practice two-a-days forever, so it’s not fun watching him again, like ‘You are so tall.’ (laughter) But I think just in general, it speaks to the program, the health of it, and they’re playing some ball that if you slip up at all, you will have negative plays, turnovers, just bad football situations that you have to proactively execute to prevent. I think getting the ball back is something that’s always been a staple of his defense and it’s definitely stayed consistent over my 12 years or however old I am.”
(What did you think of QB Anthony Richardson coming out of the University of Florida?) – “I was like, ‘Wow, I haven’t seen that,’ really big, fast and has a cannon. He’s a cool player to watch, very confident and a problem for defenses. You have to play team defense – any time you have to play team defense to minimize the impact of a player, that speaks to the player. Pass rush has to be connected to coverage, run fits have to be on point and he can do a lot of things if you allow him to. I think you saw him throw it 65 yards today going backwards – I couldn’t do that going forward. (laughter) So a good player that – I think their team in general has done a great job in playing football with both quarterbacks, and I think you have to be prepared for that situation because they are very productive NFL players that present their own problems.”
Jonnu Smith – October 14, 2024
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Monday, October 14, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(Your family made it out of the storm OK?) – “Yeah, we’re good, man. We’re good, made it out safe, thank God. Some people didn’t though out west, so definitely our thoughts and our prayers with those people, for sure man.”
(Your participation last game, I think it was five catches for 62 yards – whatever it was, are you encouraged that that’s going to keep going? Or do you think that was just specific to the opponent? What do you think about that?) – “You got to continue to build on certain things as an offense and every week that may require more or maybe different roles from some guys, you know what I mean? This is a team game; it’s not about filling up the stat sheet. I’ve said that before, I’ll continue to say it. It doesn’t matter what the stat sheet does if you don’t win – that’s the most important thing, so we’re just focused on winning games and contributing as much as we can. Sometimes you may see that on the stat sheet, sometimes you may not; a lot of guys showed up last game and probably didn’t light up the stat sheet but was a huge part of that win, for sure. So it’s just about winning games in this league, man, and that’s what we’re focused on doing.”
(What have you noticed about how QB Tyler Huntley has picked this offense up and really just found his voice in it over the past couple of weeks?) – “I’ve definitely seen – I think we’ve all seen a big jump from the first week he was with us to the second one, and he’s gotten a lot more comfortable. (He’s) gotten a much better, comfortable spot leading from that position. We were able to go in there and win with him and we’ve showed that we can do that and that’s just the expectation. He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal player but a better person, so I’m glad to have that guy back there leading us.”
(We heard Head Coach Mike McDaniel earlier today say that he expects QB Tua Tagovailoa to come back and play football again in 2024. How much are you looking forward to catching balls from Tua?) – “Man, I think that’ll be very encouraging. Obviously, we have to do business as business is being done and focus on things week to week. Tua is a warrior, he’s a fighter. We already know what kind of player he is; we don’t have to speak on that, but he’s an amazing leader. He’s been here for a while – this is his home; this is his team. Obviously, this organization has committed a lot to Tua. We all have committed a lot to Tua – and not just Tua, but to one another. Obviously, that’ll be an encouraging thing for not us, but Tua – I know how much that could mean to him. Again man, like I said, we’re just kind of focused on what we’re doing now and focusing on Indy and we’re kind of letting the pieces play out how they may.”
(I know you guys don’t want to make excuses and you’re professionals, but it occurs to me over the last couple of months that you’ve caught passes from QB Tua Tagovailoa, from QB Skylar Thompson, from QB Mike White, from QB Tim Boyle and from QB Tyler Huntley. Does that make a difference for the offense?) – “I mean you always want some consistency in the NFL, obviously, but it’s the NFL – you’ve got to adapt. That’s the kind of league that it is, man. It’s 100% injury rate and guys are – we’re all guaranteed to get hurt, it’s just a matter of timing of how long that injury may be. That’s the kind of cards we’ve been dealt with, it is what it is and nobody’s crying about it. Nobody is pouting their faces and nobody is giving up. We’ve still got every expectation right in front of us. Everything is just kind of zeroed in onto this week, so that’s the main focus and that’s what we want to get to so we can get a win in Indy.”
(You’re a great athlete. If you had to do it all over again as a good athlete, would you choose this sport again?) – “(laughter) Man, I think it didn’t even have much to do with me, God blessed me with – I wasn’t 6’8”, you know what I mean? I wasn’t 6’8”. If anything, I grew up in Philly, so boxing was something – I’m a huge boxing fan, I love it. After football, that’s my favorite sport, and that’s something that was kind of there in me growing up in Philly, you know what I mean? Obviously, every kid in the neighborhood boxed, so that was something that I kind of daydream about still. But I mean, I ain’t blessed with a Mike Tyson hook either, so this is where I’m at. Although I think I could have developed into a nice, solid heavyweight, but this is where I’m at and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
(Do you ever talk to T Terron Armstead about boxing? You ever talk boxing with him?) – “T-Stead? No, I haven’t, man. What, is T-Stead a boxer, a big boxing fan?”
(Yeah.) – “Me and T-Stead have talked about a lot, but we haven’t talked about boxing thought. But yeah, I think T-Stead, where’s he from, D.C.?”
(Illinois.) – “Illinois? OK, because I know D.C. is another big boxing town. That’s why I was saying that, but I haven’t yet. You might have sparked something there.”
(I don’t know how much of a fan he is; I know he boxes.) – “Oh, T-Stead box? A lot of guys do. Like in the offseason, especially offensive linemen, defensive linemen because you got to use your hands. There’s a lot of carry over with that, definitely a lot of carry over with that. And surprisingly, that’s something I haven’t implemented yet into my offseason plans, just because it’s more kind of offensive line, defensive line related with the hand use, as much as you use the hands. It would be more beneficial for them. For guys that just do it to kind of stay in shape in the offseason, it’s just more of a stamina thing. But after I’m done playing, might try to hop on a card and fight Jake Paul or something. Everybody’s doing it man. Everybody doing it. (laughter)”
(How’s the chin?) – “The chin is good – it’s all in the neck, you know what I mean? It’s all in there and I got a strong neck so it’s all in there. I got a pretty strong chin so I’m going to see what’s up, may check something out after that, man.”
(First game back for WR Odell Beckham Jr. a couple weeks ago, what did you see from him? What was it like to have him back?) – “It was big to have him back. It was big to have him back – he’s going to be a big piece of this offense, man. Not worried about one game, obviously. We just got to continue to be ready when our number is called, and that guy right there is going to give us a big lift. So excited to have him back, excited to see him going and excited where we’re headed.”
(What do you think of your alma mater having its stadium renamed Pitbull Stadium?) – “Yeah, that was crazy right there. Shoutout to Pitbull. I don’t know what to tell you on that, but shoutout to Pitbull. I was actually just there the other day watching the St. Thomas-Chaminade game and it’s funny looking up, because I practice in that stadium – man, I practiced on turf for four years straight. We weren’t Alabama or Oklahoma; we didn’t have that money, so at the time – they got a grass field now. But when I practiced there, it was just straight turf. Obviously I was in that stadium every day, so when I went back there Friday night, seeing Pitbull Stadium, it was a little bit different but shoutout to Pitbull, man.”
Calais Campbell – October 14, 2024
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Monday, October 14, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(What’s the team’s mindset right now? You guys are coming off of a victory that you didn’t play that well, but you played good enough to win and kind of get things turned around. How are you guys feeling about your last game and looking ahead?) – “Yeah, I think everybody’s mindset is staying in the moment and looking forward to just this week. I don’t think – everything up to this point, kind of put it behind us. The bye week, that’s what that was for, to kind of steady ourselves, figure out what we did well, what we did bad and now it’s time, just looking forward.”
(What could getting back to 3-3 do for the locker room?) – “I think that’s good. Big. I think just stacking wins, too. I think just having two wins back-to-back is huge, but at the end of the day, you’re never worried about the actual record or anything else, you just try to be 1-0 for this week, that’s it.”
(You’ve been around Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver before in Baltimore, what’s impressed you about how he’s handled his first year here as a defensive coordinator and what stands out about him in general?) – “Yeah, ‘Coach Weave’ (Anthony Weaver), he’s very process-driven, and he really just has an excellence to him that he demands from all of us. I think sometimes when you’re in a new situation it kind of takes a while to get your processes established and how you want to do things, but I think we’re starting to get to that level where now we kind of can anticipate things, how players, everybody – the team we have – how we interact with each other, how we do things. So I think we should start seeing an uptick on everything, but I think he’s been great. He’s been a great coach as I expected, and I think he’s going to continue to help us be in a position to win ball games.”
(QB Tyler Huntley is another guy that you know from Baltimore. He gets thrust into this leadership role as a new guy on the team just because of the position he plays, quarterback. Did you do anything for him when he came in just to help him along that path?) – “Yeah, I mean we have conversations all the time. I think he’s a great guy. I wouldn’t say I did anything to help him; I think he has all the tools, that’s why he’s been around, and he’s played in games and he consistently does what he’s supposed to do. But I mean I have a lot of respect for him. I think he’s the type of player you want – like I’ve told other guys around – I’ve won games with him before. I know we can win games with him and hopefully we win another one with him this week, but I just think he’s a special kind of talent. It’s hard to be a quarterback in this league, but then to be a backup for so long and have to have the mindset of preparing as a starter even when you might not play or not, he’s had to do that most of his career. And then every time his number is called, to show up and make the plays, it just says a lot about him as a person and hope to win another football game with him.”
(What have you seen from him in terms of earning that trust from this team?) – “He has a similar mindset as me; just go in there and connect with guys and just be the best version of himself. And I think he has natural leadership qualities, but the main thing is just being himself, he’s authentic.”
(RB Jonathan Taylor has been a little banged up, but he may play this week. Have you faced him before? I haven’t gone back and looked at your…) – “Yeah, I’ve faced him before. He’s arguably one of the best backs in all of football, especially in the last few years. But he’s one of the best I’ve ever faced – different level of speed, great vision, jump cut, acceleration, break tackle, he has it all. With the ball in his hands, he’s a threat to take it to the house every time. I’ve had some good games against him and some bad games against him and I don’t know what happens, I don’t know what his injury is. We just started to break the tape down on them, but if he plays, he’s probably the most talented back we’ll face all year.”
(Probably the ultimate test for the run defense that you guys think you’re better than what the stats might say right now, right?) – “We definitely think so, that’s for sure. And this will be a great test and their coach is committed to running the ball. We have to be prepared for a lot of runs, that’s just how it goes and it’s going to be definitely a big challenge for us, but we know that if we play together where we’re capable of playing it, it’s a challenge that we can live up to.”
(You played with LB Tyus Bowser in Baltimore, what do the Dolphins get in adding him?) – “He probably knows the defense better than anybody, better than everybody, honestly. He’s a real cerebral guy, very dependable. A lot of ball games, time shared on the field with him, and he’s probably been one of the most dependable teammates that I’ve had in my career.”
(Regarding CB Jalen Ramsey, potential gold jacket guy and somebody who has been used in a lot of different ways this season, what’s been his effect on the defense on the field and off the field?) – “Yeah, I think he’s a coach’s Swiss Army knife. ‘Coach Weave’ (Anthony Weaver) can do a lot of things with him, and he’s been pretty impactful everywhere, but I think when he gets in that nickel and we blitz him a little bit, sometimes I think that really messes with teams. But can do it all and he likes to do it all, and so obviously, he’s a gold jacket guy for a reason. Great player and great teammate.”
(As a Division II waiver claim, really no one has made more out of their skills what they were considered than DT Zach Sieler. What have you learned about Sieler being his teammate? What have you grown to appreciate about him and his skillset?) – “Sieler is a great player. It’s kind of funny because I see him as this great player; I’d never seen him as a Division II, guy that just barely made it. That’s kind of funny. Perspective is important, but he’s one of the reasons why I came here, right? I think he’s a great ball player. He’s a natural-born leader and he loves the game of football, plays it passionately with everything he has. I think some of the best things about a guy like him who had to – there’s a football term we like – ‘to get it from the mud,’ is undrafted, grind it out, work his way to being a starter after being a backup for a few years; is that you realize that it’s the small things done well that allow you that success. And so a lot of times, it’s just going back to the basics and doing it well versus when you have the guys like superstars early on and sometimes you think you can win on talent and not the work, so it’s good for a guy like him to understand that it’s always the work.”
(Can you just detail the difference in preparation for QB Anthony Richardson as opposed to QB Joe Flacco?) – “We’ve got to prepare for both. That’s just more work for all of us, right? They both kind of played a few games this year, so at least there’s tape on both of them. But (Anthony) Richardson is probably the ultimate athlete and probably from a pass rusher standpoint, the biggest challenge we’ll have so far this season. And then you have Joe Flacco, who from the secondary stuff is different, but for us up front, he’s probably as close as you’re going to get to a statue in the NFL. I did see the game, he kind of actually scrambled for a few yards and was moving around pretty good, but now in this day and age and in this business, he’s the ideal guy you want to go after from a pass rusher standpoint, but he also has a brilliant mind and can make every throw and he has weapons and he knows how to use them and he’s been playing some good football, which I expected. So preparing for both of them is a challenge, but that’s just how it goes. But Joe Flacco is one of the few guys older than me out there, so we got drafted the same year and I got a lot of respect for him, but I’m looking forward to whoever plays, just going out there and competing.”
Austin Jackson – October 14, 2024
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Monday, October 14, 2024
OL Austin Jackson
(I’ve been asking everybody about the team’s mindset. You guys are coming off a victory, maybe not necessarily a pretty victory, but a victory nonetheless. Where are you guys as far as your game? Do you feel like you’re about to turn a corner, are you taking it day by day? How do you feel about this?) – “Our mentality is we’re always turning the corner, we’re always ready. Our mentality really though is just going 1-0 in the week, one day at a time that way you can be present doing everything you need to do without inviting extra clutter to your brain.”
(The offense, have you seen things that you guys are consistently doing well? I know obviously last week the run game went pretty well. You’ve had a lot of turnover, but are there things you guys are consistently doing well do you think?) – “Yeah, definitely. We’re definitely doing a good job of playing withing the means of our technique on offense, meaning we’re executing the technique. We have some issues here and there that are really unfortunate, but at least our technique has been pretty consistent, that’s one thing you can hang your hat on.”
(Have you seen parallels to this season compared to what you guys went through in 2021 when you started 1-7?) – “Kind of, literally Tua (Tagovailoa) went on IR both seasons in the second week, that’s really the biggest one. That’s really the biggest parallel (that’s) glaring.”
(What was it like for you guys upfront just to have the rushing output that you did in New England?) – “That’s what you live for, especially against the New England Patriot system. They kind of their own way of defending. They have their own techniques and that’s kind of what they hang their hat on, so it’s rewarding to get that against a good team like that.”
(We don’t know when OL Isaiah Wynn will be back, but when he does come back, what will he add to the offensive line unit?) – “He loves ball. He loves ball. His energy, his excitement and focus translates through his play. I think that will be great whenever he comes back.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned today that QB Tua Tagovailoa will be on the field at some point in 2024. What’s your reaction?) – “My reaction, I’m happy for him. Happy for the guy, great guy, we love him. We love him over here.”
(Can you detail maybe us some recent interactions you’ve had with him?) – “He’s in his own kind of schedule being hurt, so I talk to him here and there but he’s in good spirits. He’s in good spirits, really good spirits. He’s focused, talks a lot about staying focused and that’s good.”
(How have you seen QB Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley grow within this offense and the way he leads the team in the huddle during this stretch of games where he’s the quarterbacking team?) – “Shoot, just being extremely vulnerable in terms of like understanding that he’s taking in a new offense halfway through the season and he’s just gotten better at everything that he thinks he can get better at. He’s very confident leading the offense which is great. I think he’s just the type of guy that’s gets better every day, and in this league, that will be good for you.”
(How pleased have you been with your year so far? Are you happy with your play?) – “Yeah, definitely some things I can get better at, but that’s the league. I was taught once that if you’re not getting better in this league, you’re getting worse and I think that’s true. Everyone is working to get better every single day. So I think as long as I stay true to that, I’ll be pretty happy with how the season ended when it gets there. But for now, we’re still working.”
