Mack Hollins – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
WR Mack Hollins
Q: Why White Chocolate?
MACK HOLLINS: Why not? I’m kind of like white and chocolate because I’m mixed so, bam, perfect mix.
Q: Describe the locker room to us right now.
MACK HOLLINS: It’s definitely better than the last six, seven weeks. I think it’s good to get a win. Kind of remind guys how good it feels no matter how sloppy a game is, no matter what happened in it. Coming out with a win is levels above coming out with a close loss.
Q: Especially on a short week.
MACK HOLLINS: Definitely helps going into a short week to have that confidence boos, your body doesn’t hurt as much after a win and you are kind of ready to hit the ground running.
Q: When did you realize it was going to be QB Jacoby Brissett out there with you instead of Tua?
MACK HOLLINS: Honestly, when I’m out there, sometimes I don’t know who is out there. I didn’t realize Myles (Gaskin) was in at quarterback until I turned around and it’s him doing the huddle and the play call. Sometimes I just kind of get in my own zone. It’s a testament to Jacoby and really just always being ready to go play and being a professional.
Q: How much does a win just need to be celebrated for your psyche as a team?
MACK HOLLINS: I think it’s good that we have a short week because you can’t celebrate it for long. It allows guys to just put it behind you because I think sometimes on a long week you get a win and you forget to put in the work. You don’t come in in the off day and do as much as you usually do. I think it’s good to have a short week and be able to still celebrate it but make sure we’re off Houston and on to Baltimore.
Q: What was the key to the touchdown catch?
MACK HOLLINS: Getting open and Jacoby (Brissett) putting a good ball on me. It seemed like it’s a bad ball when it’s low, but that’s really the only place he could have put it where the DB could not have got it so it was good.
Q: When you see TE Mike Gesicki make catches the way he does, does that surprise you at all? Is that something that’s just routine that you see all the time in practice?
MACK HOLLINS: I mean, it’s obviously a great catch, but that’s something that Mike (Gesicki) has always worked on. I don’t think anybody is ever surprised when he does it because he works on it after practice. He catches 150 balls after practice on the juggs whether it’s one hand or two-hand or whatever it may be. When guys are prepared to do stuff, it usually turns over into the game.
Q: Were you surprised TE Mike Gesicki could sky like that the way he does and hauls it in?
MACK HOLLINS: Mike (Gesicki) can do a lot of great stuff. Young Superman. I’m just ready to throw some first down signals when the ball goes in the air and Mike throws one hand up because I think he had more one-handed catches today than two-handed.
Emmanuel Ogbah – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
DE Emmanuel Ogbah
Q: How did it feel to see all those near-sacks that you’ve had all season turn into real sacks, materialize this time around?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: Relief. Just trying to get back there and trying to do whatever I can to help this team win, but it’s finally starting to come around, so I’m happy about that.
Q: What’s the mood in the locker room right now, you guys finally get a win after it’s been so long?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: It’s a win, but we’ve got a quick turnaround now. We’ve got the Ravens coming up. I’m just proud of those guys the way we fought out there.
Q: I know the second half of the Bills game didn’t go the way you guys would’ve wanted. Do you feel that you guys are starting to get back to that 2020 form?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: Yeah, I feel like we’re doing some things right and we’re just getting better as a unit.
Q: When do you get Drew Rosenhaus to start pestering to lock you up next season and beyond?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: Like I said before, my job is to go out there and help this team win and I’m going to let him handle the rest.
Q: Obviously quick turnaround this week, obviously, and you think about facing Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson. How much do you take from defending Houston QB Tyrod Taylor to defending Lamar Jackson?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: I haven’t watched the film so I’ll let you know after I watch the film.
Q: What was the key to getting as much pressure you guys got on Tyrod Taylor this game?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: We always get pressure, but just keep going, just keep rushing. You never know when he is going to hold to the ball and you got to rush every play like you’re going to get there. Eventually it will come.
Q: Have you felt any shift over the last couple of games defensively where you guys are feeling like you’re doing what you want to do?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: Like I said; just the work, practice, and just getting better every week. Even though the wins didn’t come back then, I felt like we were getting better as a unit.
What’s it like to have a young safety like S Brandon Jones who you know is somehow managing to come and bring pressure?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: I always call him a ball hawk. He is always around the ball and he goes full speed every time. He hits hard for his size, so I like his development.
What can you build upon that’s going to help you guys on Thursday?
EMMANUEL OGBAH: Just keep playing together. Like I said we’ve got a short week. Everybody take care of your body. Just get ready to go against a good team – Ravens – coming in.
Christian Wilkins – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
DT Christian Wilkins
Q: How long have you had that suit?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: This old thing? I’ve had it for a while (Laughter). No big deal. This thing, it’s no big deal really (Laughter).
Q: What does a win do for this group?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Wins are nice. It’s been a little while since we got to experience one. It’s just good. The fact that we just stuck together, kept working hard. It’s easy in situations like that to just keep your head down or just lose hope, but you know, we just stuck together and it’s good to experience one together because we all worked so hard. We’ll enjoy this one. We got a quick turnaround, so we’ll enjoy it for another hour or so and get back to work.
Q: No 24-hour rule today?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: No 24 hour rule. At least cut in half, if that.
Q: How do you celebrate this one personally?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: I don’t know. Like just good energy right away in the locker room. It’s just nice to experience a win together with this group. Like I said, with this team that works so hard, so that’s always exciting. We’ll enjoy it for a few more hours, and like I said, get back to work.
Q: Now that the streak of losing is over, what was that like when you guys were going through that week by week?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: You know, it’s the challenges of the NFL. What kind of comes with it. Each week is a new challenge, it’s a new team and it’s tough. Like I said, it’s easy to lose hope in those situations, but we never really did. We always just kept good energy around the building, good energy in the locker room. Just guys stuck together. It’s just new is to experience a win.
Q: We heard S Eric Rowe say earlier that.
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: Death Rowe, that’s my guy (Laughter).
Q: We heard S Eric Rowe say earlier that wins like this kind of confirms the work that you guys put in. That sometimes when you don’t see the result after working so hard, it can be a little disheartening. Is it tough to stay positive when the results aren’t there?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: It can be, but, like I even hit on last week, we have a lot of good guys in the locker room. A lot of good leaders who in those situations where it’s easy to just lose hope, just guys who stayed positive, guys who came to work every day, had a smile on their face, great energy and like I said last week, I refuse to be miserable in those situations because it’s such a blessing to be in the NFL and be a part of this organization. A lot, even in the negative, there’s still a lot of positive.
Christian, what part of today’s defensive performance reminded you of some of the stuff from the 2020 defense?
CHRISTIAN WILKINS: We just did a good job of attacking the football. Had a lot of turnovers today, and timely turnovers too, like the one by Death Rowe (Eric Rowe) at the end there. We just stayed through all the adversity; short fields, turnovers. We were able to go outs and just hold them to three on a few different occasions, so that was big. We were able to step up and do our part as a defense.
Jacoby Brissett – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
QB Jacoby Brissett
Q: What does it mean to you to lead this team to a win for the first time in a long time?
JACOBY BRISSETT: Yeah it’s awesome, we definitely needed one. I think we did a good job in all three phases of the game. Came out and played well in certain spots of the game. Hats off to us. They came out and played well, too, and really made it a 60-minute game like we knew it would be, and we just made a couple more plays than they did.
Q: Jacoby, when did you have an idea it was going to be your week?
JACOBY BRISSETT: We knew going into Wednesday that it was a possibility that I might play. Just preparing, obviously, like I’m the starter no matter what, and then got the call. Or call — he just told me. He didn’t call me. (laughter)
Q: The plays from Mike Gesicki, when you were throwing that and he hauls in that one-handed catch, is it just confidence that he’s going to sky like that and bring it down?
JACOBY BRISSETT: For sure. Me coming here I knew that we had a tight end that can make plays like that. And it’s no surprise because when you watch him in practice and on the side every time when the defense is going, he is practicing those catches, and he is making those plays. It’s no surprise. Obviously, it’s crazy when he does it in the game, but not to say that we expect those plays from Mike (Gesicki), but it’s the reason why his hard work is paying off in those times.
Q: So the confidence is there when you are throwing it like that, that more than likely he’s going to haul it in.
JACOBY BRISSETT: Yes, for sure.
Q: When you do get that – not the call but you do get the confirmation from Coach Flores that you are starting, what are the immediate thoughts that go through your head?
JACOBY BRISSETT: This is what I worked for. Pretty much that’s it. Then just go do what I do.
Q: Is there sort of a feeling as much as you want to celebrate this with the game coming up in just four days, is there a bit of a feeling of, hey, we can’t do this five-turnover thing against Baltimore?
JACOBY BRISSETT: Oh no. Hell no. For sure. You can answer that question. Obviously, but it’s still a win in the NFL, which is hard to do, so we should be happy about that. Obviously, it’s a short week and then we just got to find a way to bounce back tomorrow. Watch the film and get better from there.
Q: Do you expect then to start Thursday versus the Ravens?
JACOBY BRISSETT: I’ll three-way you in if I get the call. (laughter)
Q: What did Brian tell you guys after the win?
JACOBY BRISSETT: Who is Brian?
Q: Coach Flores.
JACOBY BRISSETT: … (laughter) Coach Flo. He said, good job on the win. Short week. Get ready to turn the page tomorrow.
Q: What was it like to watch the defense step up time and time again?
JACOBY BRISSETT: It was awesome and the thing is they’ve been doing it a lot this year. It was good that we were able to make another play to help reward those guys. I thought they did a great job getting us the ball with short fields. At the end of the second quarter was big. That was pretty much –not saying it’s the game, but it was the swing in the game to springboard us into being comfortable and – not comfortable, but being able to play football in the second half.
Q: What have you learned about this team personally that helped get the win today and is going to help you on Thursday?
JACOBY BRISSETT: That we’re together. There’s no quit in this team no matter what. You know, we got a bunch of guys that want to go out there and win and want to play their best, and as hard as it is to say, obviously, turning the ball over and some of the other mistakes, but guys are straining to do the right thing and make those plays, and at some point they’re going to start a flow, which they did today. Obviously, we got a win, so they flowed enough over the cup for us to win. We’re going to start to clean up a lot of those errors and mistakes, and then more plays will be made.
Mike Gesicki – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
TE Mike Gesicki
Q: On those two catches – one-handed – some of your defensive teammates say you do that in practice all the time. Is that something you work on?
MIKE GESICKI: Yeah, I work on that a lot. The catches – everybody sees them on Sunday, but they happen behind the scenes and things like that. One of our strength coaches, Jimmy Mangiero, he throws me so many damn footballs, you would think he is a JUGS machine. We do a ton of drills together on off days, before practice, after practice. All that kind of stuff. You do it so many repetitions. This way when it happens on Sunday, it just happens naturally.
Q: To sky like that one-handed – you actually work on that?
MIKE GESICKI: Yes. Yes.
Q: Does your volleyball background help you?
MIKE GESICKI: I don’t know. You guys will probably write about it that it does, but I’m not sure if it does, but maybe. If it does, appreciate playing volleyball back in the day.
Q: Mike, how much does a win do for this group’s confidence especially on a short week?
MIKE GESICKI: A ton. It means a ton. Especially when we still didn’t play our best football. You guys saw the game. We played in it, and there’s still a lot to correct, but that’s the beauty of this game. Finally get a win. Finally something to build on, something to be positive about. Locker room, some smiles, but I think we got to be professionals and be ready to roll on Thursday. So get back to work. If you want to watch the film and get better from it, great. If not, you better be watching Baltimore.
Q: Can you describe the mood of the locker room for us?
MIKE GESICKI: It’s a lot of fun. It’s cool. It’s something that we’ve been working for, and like I said, for many weeks we’ve been close. Today maybe that’s the stepping stone we need regardless of the scoreboard, regardless of the turnovers, the whatever, a win is a win in this league, and it’s not easy.
Q: The one-handed catches obviously are great for the highlight reel, but I’m thinking that you probably only have other reasons for doing it just to increase your catch radius or whatever. Can you explain the advantages it gives you?
MIKE GESICKI: I just do it because you never know when the ball is going to be stretched out or it’s going to be behind you or the guy is going to be holding your arm and sometimes they don’t call it. You got to be ready to make those plays. I say week in, week out, you got to be – when you have an opportunity to make a play, you have to make the most of it, so those are opportunities, and you don’t want to come back and say, ‘oh, man, like, that would have been a great catch.’ Honestly, the one after that would have been a great catch, but you’ve got to make those plays. So maybe I got to work on the left too. I do work on the left, so I don’t even know why I said that. (laughter) Maybe I got to do even more on the left because that’s not my dominant hand.
Q: Do you need someone to sketch up like a Jordan-type logo for you?
MIKE GESICKI: If you guys do it and we sell merch off it and we get some money, we’ll talk about it. (laughter)
Q: It seems like you and Mack Hollins are two guys who try to bring positive energy and juice which can be hard when the team is losing. How have you or have you matured in that area – the leadership and the rallying other guys? How have you evolved in that?
MIKE GESICKI: I think as a young guy, you sit back and watch how things evolve and you watch how guys react when things go poorly. Now here in year four, I think the team needs it, so I’m not normally a guy that’s going to yell and scream or, you know, honestly, say a whole lot of anything, but if that’s the role and somebody needs to do it, I think I’ll step up and do it, and I think I have. I think Mack does a great job. We got a lot of leaders on our team, and a lot of them stepped up today.
Q: What do you think this team learned from the previous two times you’ve had a multiple score lead?
MIKE GESICKI: I think we just played 60 minutes of football today, so whether it was we turned the ball over, our defense goes out and helps us out. You know, we just kind of kept pushing, kept going out there and not letting this one slip away. Like I said, you know, a win is a win. It’s something to build on for us. We got a short week, and we should all probably be going home and watching some Baltimore film tonight.
Brian Flores – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
Head Coach Brian Flores
Q: What’s the mood and the emotions for you personally just knowing what the team had to go through these past seven games and to be on the right side of things time?
BRIAN FLORES: It’s good to get a win. Always good to get a win. It’s good to get a win.
Q: Obviously, Tua was limited throughout the week, and he was active but backed up. Can you kind of walk us through what happened? Obviously if he’s – can you just walk us through why he was active but backing up Jacoby Brissett?
BRIAN FLORES: He got hurt or banged it last week. Finished the game in Buffalo. He was limited all week. Look, he is tough. He tried to go. It really just became more of how far could he throw? Would he be able to kind of make all the throws we needed him to make? We thought it was enough to put him in a backup role, and we felt like that was the best thing for the team, so we would have had to change some things offensively if he went in, if he had to go in, but Jacoby was able to finish the game.
Q: Was there any thought to doing a practice squad elevation given Tua’s limited status throughout the week?
BRIAN FLORES: We just felt like Tua at where he was at was better than making the elevation. He’s close, I would say, but it really was just more of how far can we make the throws we need to make – all of the throws we need to make.
Q: When was the final decision made that Jacoby would start instead of Tua, and do you think he has a shot for Thursday?
BRIAN FLORES: Well, for Thursday it’s still day-to-day. We just have to see how he is doing. It’s a quick turnaround, so tomorrow, Tuesday, you know, and in the ensuing days. I mean, we knew he was limited. He was trying to go. He was trying to go. We were basically testing it every day to include today, and we just felt like couldn’t do it or couldn’t do it and make all the throws that we needed to make, but he is close.
Q: Did you come into the game today with the idea that it was going to be Jacoby, or was it really up in the air?
BRIAN FLORES: Like I said, it was really every day it was, all right, let’s test it, let’s test it, let’s test it. A little bit better, a little bit better, a little bit better, and we just felt like we were better off going the route of going with Jacoby.
Q: What does a win do for the group’s confidence, especially on a short week?
BRIAN FLORES: Winning is always good. You know, that’s why these guys prepare. They work hard. They give great effort. It’s always good to win. It’s hard to win in this league. Small margin for error, as we’ve talked about. Obviously, definitely some things that we need to do a better job of, but it’s good to win.
Q: What did you learn about the guys in the locker room throughout the drop that allows you to coach them better?
BRIAN FLORES: It’s a resilient group and they’ve stuck together which that’s a testament to the types of guys we have in that locker room. The unity that’s in the locker room. I think that’s important on a team.
Q: Coach, have you ever won a game where you have turned it over five times?
BRIAN FLORES: You never want to turn it over. One is one too many, so five is just — we’re not going to win very many games doing that. I bet if statistically you look at it, I mean, I bet it’s low. You may have it. Very low, but you know, you don’t win in this league turning it over. I think it’s the number one stat. We got to do a better job of protecting it. Thankfully we got it off of them. Kind of evened it out to a degree, and we’ve got to do a better job from a ball security standpoint.
Q: What’s it like to see the young guys like Jevon and Brandon step up and play big in a game that helps deliver a win to you guys?
BRIAN FLORES: It’s good. We’ve got a lot of young developing players getting playing time, getting a lot of experience, and I think those two guys are probably two of the hardest working guys we have, and it’s nice to see them have some production, and yeah, it’s nice to see that.
Q: What were the keys to your defense – forcing the turnovers and also getting those stops in the Red Zone?
BRIAN FLORES: It’s always communication, tackling, limiting big plays. We work on getting the ball off really every day and we were able to do that. Got some decent pressure on the quarterback. Then when you get in the red zone, those plays are — they’re so critical. Especially at the end of the game. One of those is a touchdown instead of a field goal, and it’s a whole different game. We work on it a lot, and they executed today, so it helped us.
Q: I know you are probably going to have to watch the film before you have a full assessment, but just knee-jerk reaction to Jacoby’s game today?
BRIAN FLORES: Did enough to win, but I think there’s a lot of things we’ve got to do that we didn’t get done offensively. We didn’t run it efficiently. Just without watching it, I think there’s a lot of things we’ve got to correct, but like we always say, it’s always good to make corrections after you win a game, but we’ve definitely got to get a lot of things corrected offensively.
Q: You mentioned Tua as far as he could throw the ball – how far could he throw it if you’re able to kind of tell us that at this point?
BRIAN FLORES: I’m not going to get into that. It wasn’t enough that we felt like we could make all the throws he needed to make. There’s a lot that goes into that – amount of practice, the type of game that normally normal games get into if you get into a whatever situation. We just felt like it wasn’t – look, we’re always going to do what’s in the best interest of the team, and we felt like he just wasn’t physically ready.
Jevon Holland – November 7, 2021 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 7, 2021
Postgame – Houston
S Jevon Holland
Q: Jevon, how are you guys feeling and you personally after a home win like that ending the streak and personally for you getting that first interception? How’d that feel?
JEVON HOLLAND: It felt great, man. Felt great. We’re really feeling good. I’m going to enjoy this. I know we have a short week, but I’m going to enjoy this tonight for real. We needed that.
Q: How are you going to celebrate this one?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s not for the public. I’m going to keep that to myself. (laughter) Good question, though.
Q: What was the key to the interception in the end zone?
JEVON HOLLAND: Just reading Tyrod, and he is a great quarterback, so all week I’ve been preparing trying to get the next step, and I read my keys and just executed, and so Coach G.A. (Gerald Alexander) always says when splash plays happen, opportunity meets execution. So that’s what happened. Yes, sir.
Q: You looked like you were waiting for the fans to grab you in the stands and they didn’t have your back?
JEVON HOLLAND: No, man. I told my homeboy on the sideline. I told Brandon Jones, when I get that first pick, I’m going to try that electric slide. I was trying to, but everybody was right there. Then I just seen the fans, and somebody was, like, ‘come on,’ so I just — forget it, I’m going to just jump. I thought they were going to grab me, but unfortunately… I think somebody spilled beer on me, honestly. I’m not going to lie. It was fun.
Q: I think you had a third down pressure that forced an incompletion, where you kind of lined up on the edge there. How would you describe the aggressiveness approach that the team had today?
JEVON HOLLAND: We’re going to go at them. That’s basically what the mentality was. The Bills game we were bringing a lot of pressure, and that’s what our game plan was basically this game, and it worked out for us. Yeah, that’s what it was.
Q: How big is getting a win in this environment on a short week, especially with the short turnaround just for the confidence in the locker room?
JEVON HOLLAND: It’s huge. It really is. It’s huge. It’s added fuel to us, for real. We really needed that like I said before. It’s a lot of positivity in the locker room. And we were sticking together throughout that entire streak, but right now energy is high, positivity is high, and so it really feels good. It really does.
What was the key to having the success in the red zone that you guys had as a defense?
JEVON HOLLAND: Just executing what our coaches planned for us during the week. It’s as simple as that. Really is. Just execute.
Now that it’s over, what was this last two months like for the team not getting that win and then…?
JEVON HOLLAND: It was a grind. It was a grind, but it did bring us together. You know, you really have to look to each other when you are trying to fight through a losing streak like that, and I think because of it, you know, we’re closer. We understand that we’re trying to do something here, and everybody has bought in, definitely.
Brian Flores – November 5, 2021
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Friday, November 5, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(As you know on the injury list, QB Tua Tagovailoa has been listed as limited with a finger. Will he play Sunday?) – “So, yeah he banged in the game. Obviously he was able to finish the game. Some swelling, a little sore. He’s limited at practice, so we’ll see how he does today. We’ll just monitor it over the next couple of days.”
(Are you optimistic he’ll play?) – “Yeah.”
(How has it impacted his practice week?) – “Obviously it’s on the throwing hand, so some discomfort. It’s affected him a little bit. Look, he’s a tough kid. He’s worked through some discomfort before. We’ll see how it goes today and just kind of monitor it over the next 48 hours.”
(I don’t know much can you get into it because I don’t know what the rules are. I freely admit that. But General Manager Chris Grier told us Wednesday that when a player becomes available, you do your due diligence. There is a prominent player getting released today. Do you anticipate due diligence being applied again in that case?) – “I do, yes. I do. We check the waiver wire every day. We look at it, we go through it. Yeah, I expect due diligence on any player that’s on the wire. We will always try to do what we feel is best for the organization – for the team and the organization. I think we’ve said that time and time again. Yeah, I expect due diligence.”
(When you have a Thursday night game on the schedule – I know it’s one week at a time, one game at a time – but at what point do you start adjusting schedules and meetings to look a little bit ahead in terms of getting everyone ready for a short week?) – “That’s pretty much done already. The focus right now is on Houston. But we’re going to have to turn the page quickly. With that from a planning standpoint, we have an idea of what we’re going to do. But plan that, know what we’re going to do, then center all of our focus on the Texans this weekend.”
(Over the course of the year, QB Tyrod Taylor only played six quarters for them before he got hurt. How much does that change things when you find out midstream that they’re going back to a quarterback that hasn’t played in almost two months versus what you’ve been prepping for and seeing on film of late?) – “It doesn’t change too much. Obviously Tyrod is a very different quarterback than Davis Mills. But our fundamentals, our technique, our communication – we don’t really change our calls all that much. Just understanding that we may see more QB runs or zone-read type of plays. Who has the quarterback, who has the dive player – those things we spend a little bit more time on. But those are kind of already embedded in the call, I would say – the defensive call. They may not apply with a different type of quarterback, but when they do apply, they apply.”
(I wanted to ask you about LB Jerome Baker. Obviously last week he you decided to sit him. How has he looked in practice this week and considering the nature of his position, where there is a lot of running involved from a coverage standpoint, do you feel comfortable putting a player who has a knee injury in those roles? Or do you have to shift his roles?) – “Any player we put out there, we feel comfortable playing. Obviously we didn’t feel comfortable last week, which is why he didn’t play. He’s looked good in practice – better in practice, I would say. He is itching to get out there. He wants to get out there. He wants to help this team. We’ll see what today looks like. That will tell us a lot about what his status will be for the game. We’ve still got some time – 48 hours. But today will tell us a lot.”
(With LB Duke Riley, you had some plays where you felt his presence there. How comfortable are you with him knowing and understanding the playbook and his roles and not creating busted plays?) – “I thought Duke went in there and did a nice job last week. He was ready to go. I thought he did a good job of communication. He had the green dot and handled that for us. We’re hopeful that ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) can play, but if he can’t then Duke will step in and I’m confident that he’ll play well.”
(Whether it’s QB Tua Tagovailoa with the finger, LB Jerome Baker with the knee or anybody else, the player is always going to say ‘I’m good, I can go.’ How trusting are you – when it’s time to actually make the decision, how much does the player input weigh in that process? Or because the player is always going to say I’m good, do you not take that into account?) – “I think our guys are honest with us. They are always going to want to play. But we tell them to be honest with us. Obviously we’re dealing with something. You might be good on one thing, but is there something that you’re not. Whether it’s planting to the left or whatever the situation may be. We try to get them to be honest with us with at least that, so that we can make a true assessment. I think they all understand that we’ve got to always do what’s best for the team and I don’t think they would want to put the team in any jeopardy or any situation that wouldn’t be helpful to the team. All of these guys want to play – whether it’s Jerome, whether it’s Tua. They are going to do everything they can to get out there. I do listen to them. I try to take myself, (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston), (General Manager) Chris (Grier), offensive, defensive coaches based on what player it is. We try to make a collective decision on what the best thing is for the team.”
(Do you expect S Brandon Jones to be able to play with the ankle and if he can’t, has S Sheldrick Redwine, in light of being left back home last Sunday, shown he could make a case if you need him behind S Eric Rowe and S Jevon Holland?) – “I expect Brandon – he’s obviously been dealing with the ankle really all year. I’m optimistic he’ll be out there. Sheldrick has had a couple good days so we’ll continue to work with him and if we need him, I think he’ll be ready.”
(How is WR DeVante Parker doing?) – “DeVante with the hamstring, I would say he had a setback the other day so he will probably be listed as doubtful for the game.”
(What’s your message to the fans, especially those that are thinking about buying a ticket to come over on Sunday? Obviously not on a good start, why should they decide to get the ticket and come?) – “I think we’ve got a team that works hard, gives great effort, that believes in each other, that wants to win and wants to win for their fans. That’s why.”
(For clarification purposes, did WR DeVante Parker get hurt in the game or in practice this week?) – “Probably a combination of soreness from the game but probably call it reaggravated in practice.”
(With that in mind, is this a good time for WR Preston Williams to get back in the lineup and show some things?) – “Potentially. Potentially.”
(Obviously we would never ask you and you wouldn’t tell us what WR Preston Williams did to be disciplined. Was it so egregious that he can’t move past it or was it something that you are able to look past, give him a fresh start and has he seized on that at all by practicing well this week?) – “I mean look, players make mistakes. Coaches make mistakes. I’ve said this before. I’m not one to hold grudges. I think you have to move past things. Preston has done a good job this week. He’s practiced well. We’ll take it one day at a time and see how it goes. If he gets an opportunity, I’m hopeful he’ll take advantage of it.”
(I wanted to ask you about the center position with C Greg Mancz and C Austin Reiter. Greg was active last week and Austin continued to start. Is that just health-based or performance-based in terms of you guys like what you’ve seen from Austin?) – “We like what we’ve seen from both guys. Greg is still coming off of the injury. Just felt like it was best to go with Austin and use Greg in a backup role if we needed him. Still kind of working through that situation for this week as well and today will tell us a lot.”
(So it has been a competition this week, I’m assuming?) – “Yeah, yes.”
(Do you feel a little snake bitten at receiver? You all made the effort to upgrade with WR William Fuller V and WR DeVante Parker, who had been mostly healthy the previous two years. Do you feel snake bitten at the position at all?) – “I don’t think that’s a word I would ever use. This is the National Football League. Guys go down at all positions. We just have to move forward and do the best we can with the guys we have. We have a lot of confidence in the guys we have and yeah, we just move forward.”
(With WR Albert Wilson, obviously we all saw the start to camp but there hasn’t really been much there this season or since that first week. What do you hope to get from him for the rest of this season?) – “Good communication, good fundamentals, good techniques, good route-running, good blocking downfield and just the straightforward, standard, this is what we’re looking for at the receiver position. I think he has done a lot of those things. I just think we need to take advantage of our opportunities and I think he’ll do that.”
