Christian Wilkins – November 3, 2021
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
DT Christian Wilkins
(We spoke to Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer yesterday about preparing for Houston QB Davis Mills and QB Tyrod Taylor. Just curious how much have you been watching both and what are the differences in the scheme they may be running if Tyrod can come back?) – “Both quarterbacks are good players and can get it done. Obviously, Tyrod has played a long time in this league and he has a good, productive resume. He’s dual threat, can do a lot of things with his feet, passing the ball and just a real smart guy. Like I said, he’s played a long time in this league. Mills, he’s a rookie obviously but he shows some good potential and everything like that. He does some good things as well. We’ve just got to prepare for both guys and be ready for whatever and just follow the gameplan to the best of our abilities. They both present challenges, different challenges a little bit. Both are good, solid players.”
(I know you played with Houston QB Deshaun Watson at Clemson and I think you are still close with him. I’m curious how this process has been for you hearing all the rumblings of this and knowing both the quarterbacks pretty well?) – “You definitely hear kind of everything. I just try to focus on what I need to focus on and getting my job done. That really doesn’t affect me until it affects me, I guess. I just try to focus on everything, focus on my job and making sure this team has the right mindset each week. Focusing on being a leader for the team regardless of what type of rumors or things are being talked about, whatever mumbles you hear.”
(Are you happy though with the deadline passing and no major movement and your teammates are still around here?) – “I don’t make those decisions. If any of the decisions are made, I still try to be the same guy in the locker room, same presence on the team regardless of who’s here or who’s not.”
(Have you adopted the Head Coach Brian Flores’ mentality of taking things day by day?) – “Absolutely. That’s been drilled into me for three years. I mean drilled into me. (laughter) I definitely take that mindset not just in football but in life too. I think that’s just a great way to approach things. Focus on the task at hand, be great where your feet are and just take everything one step at a time and then you can look up at the end and see the result you have.”
(We heard LB Jerome Baker say that something that stood out about the Texans offense was the team’s speed especially coming out the backfield. Is that something that you notice?) – “Yeah, they have a lot of really good players, a lot of fast guys. They got some solid players over there so we are going to have to prepare well. To his point, yeah, they definitely got a lot of good speed guys and a lot of speedy skill guys, offensive linemen who can run side to side and things like that. Their speed can definitely pose a threat so we definitely have to try to prepare well for that.”
(You were talking about the day by day but I’m curious do you have a favorite coaching cliché in all your days of what you’ve heard?) – “Man, golly. You put me on the spot right now. I don’t want to just give you an answer just to give you one but there is a lot that I’ve heard and a lot that I know. I’m sure later on in the locker room I’ll be joking with somebody and say something like, ‘Oh, that’s what this coach used to say to me.’ I’m going to have to think about that one to definitely give you my favorites.”
(Alignment, assignment?) – “Yeah, there’s a bunch of the clichés and corny sayings and stuff. It’s just funny with those things because they’re engrained. Like you’ll hear them forever. I’m sure I’ll be 40 or 50 and still hear X coach saying this, you know what I’m saying? A lot of those are so cliché, so corny. But they’re true and they stick with you. I guess they’re that way so you can remember them.”
(When someone does something that doesn’t show a lot of sportsmanship – that’s my words not yours – like Buffalo QB Josh Allen waving bye-bye to you during the game. Do you hold a grudge? Or are you able to say, ‘I don’t care, it’s all part of competition. It doesn’t matter. I don’t dislike the guy?’) – “No, it’s really all part of the game. Honestly, I love when things get a little chippy or things get a little whether it’s a little gamesmanship or little battles within the game. I’m sure if, and you can ask a lot of other guys around the league, they would have a lot to say about me. (laughter) I said if you ask other guys around the league, not if you ask me. (laughter) That’s just part of it and that’s when competition is at it’s best. Honestly, if it ain’t like that, I don’t want it. To a degree, I sometimes try to create that. It’s fun. I honestly laugh at it all. It’s funny to me and it’s funny to think about it the next day like, ‘Dang, you really said that.’ Or ‘he really did this.’ It’s nothing personal. It’s all love. We’re all brothers in arms in this league but when we’re against each other, we’re competing our butts off and it doesn’t matter if you’re my best friend in the world or if I don’t know you at all, we’re competing. You probably get it worse if you’re my best friend in the world because I got some dirt on you. I know what buttons to press. (laughter)”
(So if the game is going on, just a normal game and you’re in the third or fourth quarter, and now all of the sudden things get chippy and someone say something or makes a gesture to you, what goes on inside of you? How much more do you turn it up at that point?) – “It depends. I don’t know. I try to create it early in the game or like if it happens or whatever, I just try to go with it. Not that what other people say affects you to that point to where now I’m going to play angry or now I’m going to compete harder. You should be competing hard the whole time. But it definitely makes it more fun and just the whole element of everything kind of just gets heightened. You’re just like, ‘Alright, like okay now we playing,’ or like now there is another element to the game besides just the physical part or whatever else.”
(I’ve always heard about corners and how sometimes they’ll do research on the receiver. Like they’ll find out their mom’s name or something embarrassing about his childhood. Does that ever happen with offensive linemen? Do offensive linemen do research?) – “I haven’t gotten too much of that but I’m sure it does. I know there’s guys who do that. Any competitive edge you can get, guys will use it.”
(Have you ever done research?) – “I try to stay away from that. I’m just more of a mosquito, like an annoying kind of trash talker. I don’t try to get too personal but I’m definitely not going to stop, that’s for sure.”
(Do you know whose idea it was to tell Buffalo LS Reid Ferguson last week that LS Blake Ferguson was better than him?) – “I don’t know. I can’t tell you. Somebody, somebody. A funny guy made that up, I guess. I don’t know whose idea that was. Probably a pretty handsome guy’s idea. (laughter)”
(I don’t know if it’s affected you but the new taunting rule. The new taunting penalties that’s being a point of emphasis. How has that impacted those interactions?) – “You definitely have it in the back of your mind now. You definitely saw it in the preseason a lot. Just even small instances and you never want to cost your team any yards or you don’t ever want a flag against you or anything like that. It’s in the back of your mind a little bit. If you make a play or do this or do that, you celebrate but celebrate with your teammates or turn away or whatever. It’s on your mind but I hope you’re not jinxing me or I’m not jinxing myself but I’ve been pretty good with it so far, so I hope to continue on the path I am right now.”
Austin Jackson – November 3, 2021
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
G/T Austin Jackson
(You played well last week. Head Coach Brian Flores said to us, without even us asking on Monday, that he’s happy with the move of you to guard and it’s going well. Do you feel happy you moved there? Do you feel that’s your best position?) – “I’m happy to be on the field. I’ve learned a lot of things about left guard. The biggest thing for me was – I don’t really know. Yeah, I’m happy to be playing left guard. I like to be on the field with my teammates and help them out. I’m glad I can get better at it. Just learning a new position, you never really know how it’s going to go, especially never playing it before. I’m just glad I’ve got my foot in, my confidence, I’m doing well and I just look to keep getting better.”
(Players who I know who have played the guard position over many years, they seem to be very aggressive. It seems like you’ve taken to that. I’ve seen you be very aggressive. Describe the approach that you’ve tried to take at the guard position relative to aggressiveness?) – “I think one of my better traits is that I’m very physical and strong at the point of attack. I was talking to my college coach from USC actually, and he was telling me that one of the things, especially at tackle, that I have always been good at is the point of attack. So I think that translated over to guard and it probably translates over to any position on the line, really. I think playing both guard and tackle work hand in hand. Playing guard helps me with some things playing at tackle. Things like patience. There’s a lot less space when you play guard, so you have to be more confident in your point of attack.”
(If somebody worked at an advertising agency and they said to him or her, we’re taking you off this account but we’re giving you this account instead. The human reaction might be disappointment. So when you were told you’re not going to play tackle at this point moving forward and we’re moving you to guard, was there disappointment? Were you let down at all emotionally?) – “Nah, not really. I mean it’s just different. Everybody handles change in their own ways. At the end of the day, when I went from tackle to guard, I still had to play guard the next play in that game. And I’m blocking Vita Vea. There’s not really much time to sulk about (expletive) – or stuff (laughter). Yeah, that’s that. I’m just happy to be on the field and still have the opportunity to play and compete and show what I can do, and help my team try to win some games here, which we really want to do. We believe in each other. As long as I get to be a part of that, I’m good.”
(I’ve noticed that you’ve tried to show some positive energy and emotion in the last few weeks.) – “Every week.”
(Has that been a point of emphasis for you to show your emotions on the field?) – “Nah. I show my emotions every week. Every week. Honestly, there are a lot of things you guys don’t see. If you go back, you’ll still see the same type of emotion and passion for the game. Obviously the season didn’t start out how we wanted, so kind of getting through that was a little bit of a learning experience, I would say – as a line anyways. I would say that’s every week and that’s just an emphasis to keep getting better. We all love to play.”
(I always thought it was kind of fun when a guard buries sort of an unsuspecting defensive player, maybe later in the development of the play. Are there actually more opportunities to bury guys at the guard position than the tackle position?) – “No. Well there are some, but think about this. At tackle, I’m 310, 315, 320 pounds, blocking a guy that’s 250 pounds. Versus playing guard, you are moving people that are like 330-350 pounds. It’s really just about your technique and being disciplined. You can’t just try to outmuscle a guy because they’re big too. They’re strong too. I’d say there’s probably like equal opportunities for that stuff.”
(Putting aside the playing time aspect that you addressed earlier, if you were to look back at how things went for you at tackle this season and how things are going at guard now, do you kind of take a step back and say, ‘Yeah, that move really was the best thing for me?’) – “I don’t know. That’s a loaded question. I definitely think that although I made some mistakes at tackle, I still think I’m a great tackle. I think that moving in to play guard, seeing what I can do at guard, it’s like ‘Wow, I can really play guard too.’ It’s just a matter of – the guys who make those decisions like ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) and Chris (Grier), that’s up to them. I know inside for me and my confidence level, I know I can play both and I can do both well. Even though I did make some mistakes at tackle and me moving to guard makes it look like ‘Oh, he’s a crappy tackle.’ But it’s ball. It is what it is. You do what’s best for the team. The decision-makers thought this was best and I’m with the team all the time.”
(Laremy Tunsil was a very good left guard as a rookie. I don’t know if you know that. He was drafted as a tackle but played guard and played it well. I’m just curious, have you ever looked at Tunsil from that year?) – “Yeah, ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) actually told me about that. About him playing guard. I haven’t watched too much of the film from that year. There’s not a whole lot in the archives. But there are guys like Zack Martin and Connor Williams, both the guards for the Cowboys. They were both tackles for a super long time. They’re doing well at guard being former tackles. There are a lot of people. It’s kind of just part of the game, I’ve come to learn. A lot of tackles end up playing guard in this league. Whatever happens, happens.”
(You mentioned the difference in size of players that you block at the two positions. Do you prefer that more physical style of blocking when you’re inside as opposed to the more speed rush guys playing more physically?) – “I think at tackle, it doesn’t feel as rewarding getting a knock down against someone who is smaller than you because it’s like you’re supposed to do that. But playing guard is definitely more rewarding when you’re getting good movement inside. That’s where the business is at. It’s definitely more rewarding inside.”
(You said you’ve spoken to your coach at USC about being strong at the point of attack. Was that recently or was that when you were in school?) – “No, it was actually – I was catching up with my old USC coach, Coach (Tim) Drevno. It was ‘How are you doing?’ We check in with each other like that, just kind of how like my school was. He was checking in with me and we just talked about the switch. He had some good advice and good words for me.”
(He said you weren’t strong enough at the point of attack at tackle?) – “No. You completely misread that. He said ‘I can see you playing guard because you’ve always been very strong at the point of attack.’ It wasn’t like you weren’t strong enough. If I wasn’t strong enough at tackle, they definitely wouldn’t move me to guard.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 3, 2021
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers just tested positive for COVID-19 and he’s unvaccinated so he’s going to be out for 10 days. I’m just curious – I don’t think we’ve ever asked you – but are you vaccinated?) – “Yeah, I am vaccinated.”
(I know you said that you didn’t know when the trade deadline is, but it was yesterday.) – “(laughter) Yeah.”
(Is there any sense of relief? Not that you were expecting something major to happen but just a relief that you can focus on the season now?) – “Not necessarily. I mean my focus has really only been on the team that we’ve been playing and then obviously our team. My focus has been just what we can do better each and every day, and then throughout the week to hopefully get us a win.”
(What was your reaction when you heard – if you haven’t heard – that the team was so interested in trading for a quarterback that they requested to talk to him on Monday night? Obviously that’s a step that we haven’t seen before with this team. Was that kind of eye-opening to you?) – “I never heard of that so I don’t know.”
(I guess that is the case. Your reaction when you do hear something like that is what?) – “I mean you’re the first person that’s told me that. The trade deadline was yesterday so I don’t know.”
(I wanted to ask your thoughts about – I don’t know if you’ve heard but Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III was in an accident. Before, you had played with him in college. What are your thoughts about the whole situation?) – “I mean that’s tough. Obviously my heart goes out to the families that have been affected by what had happened – the choices and the decisions. My heart goes out to Henry too and his family. Obviously it wasn’t the right choice or decision that he made at that time. I know he wished he could have had it back. But when I heard the news, that was tough for me to hear, just knowing the kind of person that Henry is. You never think this guy could hurt a soul, so when you see something like that – I’m still kind of in disbelief. Obviously, like I said, my heart goes out to the family that has been affected by it. But yeah, my heart also goes out to Henry, as my ex-teammate.”
(I know a lot of your Alabama teammates are really close and still now. Do you guys talk as a group when something affects a guy in the community like this? You don’t have to tell me what’s said but what is that like?) – “Yeah, obviously me and Henry (Ruggs) came in in the same recruiting class at Alabama. Then we also came out in the same draft class. Yeah, we’re all so close. That’s just tough. He knows he has our support. That’s just a tough situation to be in right now for him.”
(Now that the cloud of this potential trade is behind you – the trade deadline – how do you approach these nine starts that you now have?) – “I think I continue to approach it the same way that I’ve been approaching it – day-to-day, the things that we can get better with every day and then obviously look back at the film and see what we can get corrected to help get us a win.”
(On an unrelated note, how often on a day-to-day or week-to-week basis do you talk with your brother, Taulia, and check in on him and how he’s doing at Maryland? Obviously you guys are going through your ups and downs and whatnot.) – “Yeah, I try to get on the phone with my brother at least once a week. I try to call, he’s busy. He tries to call, I’m busy. It’s like we’re playing phone tag at times. But more than likely, it’s Fridays where I can get his availability and he can also get mine if he’s not playing. But yeah, he has a lot of questions every time he calls. I try to help him the best that I can.”
(Obviously nine games left. What do you feel like you want to or need to show over these nine games for yourself and for the team?) – “I think the first thing is we want to get a win. We’ll start with that this week – try to get a win and obviously build off of that. I don’t think there is – it’s not really much to prove. It’s always what can I do better and knowing my expectation for myself and kind of how I want to go out there and play. Not really to anyone else’s expectations.”
(Do you view criticism as a fuel? Some players do. Is that something that is motivation for you?) – “Not necessarily. Really, I guess my biggest critic would be my dad. That would be kind of the biggest person that I would kind of think of every time I go out and play. It’s been like that my entire life. Good is never good enough. It’s always what can you continue to do to get better at.”
(How is managing that during this period? Because obviously it hasn’t gone well. How is that with your dad and some of those conversations postgame and during the week?) – “Well, my dad is a coach at heart. He’s been coaching me all my life. He knows things I can do, he knows thing I can’t do. So if I try to make up an excuse, his line is ‘I know you better than anyone else, so don’t tell me that.’ But yeah, high expectations from dad.”
(How do you keep it fun and light when you guys are going through what you’re going through? How do you make the game fun? That’s an important part of the game, I guess.) – “I think winning. That’s what we strive to do. That’s why we practice, that’s why we work so hard, that’s why we come in early – to prepare to hopefully get us a win.”
(How are you feeling physically? We haven’t asked you about that in a while. It’s been a few weeks now that you’ve returned to the field. How are you feeling?) – “Yeah, I feel good. Obviously some nicks and bruises after games but other than that, it’s good. Thank you.”
(You were wearing, I believe it was like a flak jacket or something for the ribs after the injury. Is that right?) – “Yeah, some kind of rib padding. I think it’s carbon fiber. I don’t know. It’s some high-tech stuff. (laughter)”
(Do you still need to use that or have you gotten past the point of needing it? Or is it just part of your routine now?) – “It’s just part of my routine. I don’t ever want to feel that again, so I’m just going to keep wearing it.”
(How does it affect you in terms of throwing motion, mobility and all of that? Or does it affect you at all when you’re playing?) – “It doesn’t affect me at all. I’m glad it’s there to help protect me. If I had to get hit – I guess the science behind it is if you get hit there again, the carbon fiber is supposed to disperse the energy. I’m not no scientist, guys. I don’t know. (laughter)”
(Is it cumbersome? Are you able to maneuver with it?) – “Yeah. I’m able to move with it well, so it’s good.”
(I wanted to ask you a little bit about your relationship with Head Coach Brian Flores just because you mentioned a few weeks ago that you appreciated the conversations that you had throughout the rumors. So I was wondering if you believe the relationship is any better now than it was. Not that I’m saying that it was bad, but is it better now?) – “I don’t know if I’d say that it’s better or if it’s worse. ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) is a very open guy. For players, his door is open for any of us to come in and have free conversation with him whether it’s about football or trade talks or whatever it may be. I think he does a really good job of communicating that to us and being very transparent.”
(When we talked to Head Coach Brian Flores earlier, one thing that he mentioned he knows you would want to improve is your downfield throwing. Obviously there’s a lot of factors in that including opponents’ coverage. What are some of the things you can do to make strides in that area?) – “I think it’s giving guys chances, first off. But obviously I think you just never want to force anything down the field. You still want to take what they’re giving you and then obviously make some adjustments to make use of those downfield throws. It’s not just plays, but it includes everything. It includes action-fake, if it requires an action-fake, a good pocket, protection, everyone knowing where to lineup. It requires a lot of things.”
(When Head Coach Brian Flores was talking about your development as a young player earlier today, he said ‘we have more time.’ Do you feel like there’s plenty of time?) – “I’m not much of a patient guy. I kind of want things to happen quick. The saying is nothing happens overnight and Rome wasn’t built in a day. For me, I’ve just got to continue to trust the process and what we’re trying to get done here. Hopefully we’ll start winning some games, starting with this week.”
Brian Flores – November 3, 2021
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Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know there are obviously cap considerations with roster moves and I know you’re just thinking about today’s practice, of course. But in 2019, you all switched out 14 players before the start of the season. If you all don’t turn it around in these next two games over the next 10 days, have you and General Manager Chris Grier considered the possibility or could a case be made to just dramatically change parts of the roster, bring in guys on minimum, take a fresh look at guys or replace guys that are not performing well if things don’t turn around in these next two games over 10 days.) – “Well the focus is on today’s practice but I will answer your question. I think there’s always conversations about the roster, where we’re at, who is playing well and always evaluations. If we feel like – or I should say this, we’re always going to try to do what’s in the best interest of the team. That’s – I don’t want to say everchanging but that’s a moving target, I would say. We’re always going to do what’s in the best interest of the team. I think those conversations I have between myself, Chris, our coaching staff, our scouting staff – we look at the waiver wire really every night and see if there’s anyone that’s a potential claim or a potential practice squad poach. We’ve had a couple of those in the last couple of weeks. There’s always conversations there from a roster standpoint. I don’t think that will change. If we feel like it’s in the best interest of the team to make a move, then we will make a move.”
(Have you ever been tempted – I know one thing your predecessor did, not saying it’s right or wrong. But Adam Gase essentially fired three players after a loss. Have you been tempted at all during this process to just make a statement by releasing any guys who are not performing? Or is that something you just don’t believe in?) – “I would say it’s case by case. I try to think through every decision. If that’s what’s best for the team then I think that’s something that we would consider but that wouldn’t be a decision made just by me. Obviously those conversations would be had by myself, Chris (Grier) and our coaching staff. There’s a lot that goes into that. How does that affect the team? How does that affect the coaching staff? How does that affect the locker room? There’d be a lot that goes into that. Again, a hypothetical that I guess it could come up and if we felt like it was in the best interest of the team, I suppose a situation like that could occur.”
(On Sunday, the broadcast team said that in meetings with you during the week, you asked if you would be relieved once the trade deadline comes and goes and they said you say ‘yes.’ Are you, now that it’s passed, relieved that all of this is kind of over? Especially the whole QB Tua Tagovailoa stuff that has been going on for months.) – “I don’t know if that’s the right choice of words or the context, but I think I try to take things one day at a time. My focus right now is on today’s practice. I’m trying to prepare our team for what’s going to be a tough game against Houston this weekend. That’s really it. I try to compartmentalize really on a daily basis and focus on what is in front of me. I’m focused on this team, the players on this team, the support staff in this building and trying to help guys improve and get better and have success on the field.”
(With the cloud that has been hanging over, you will admit that there’s been kind of this cloud of lingering doubt about QB Tua Tagovailoa and the questions. Do you think that there’s a relief there from a team perspective that that’s at least, for now, gone?) – “I think our group – I think part of playing in this league and coaching in this league is blocking out and ignoring noise, distractions and things of that nature. If you can’t do that, then your energy is on something that it shouldn’t be. If you can do that, then your energy is on something that it should be on. The message is always to – let’s put our energy in the right places, so that’s our meetings, our walkthroughs and our practice. Look, I understand that there’s always things going on in these guys’ lives, but we try to limit those as much as we can and talk about limiting those when they arise. We just try to talk about it a little more and hope that they take that message and put their energy where it needs to be.”
(You’ve steadfastly said that you’re a day-to-day, what’s in front of me today guy.) – “Yes.”
(When a team is 1-7 and when your team inevitably hears a 1-7 team can’t do this and a 1-7 team can’t do that, how much more difficult does that make the challenge of keeping them to just worry about today’s practice and getting better today and tomorrow and Friday, and showing up on Sunday and all of those things? Does it get tougher as the losses pile up?) – “I don’t think so. I think it’s about – I think I’ve been consistent. I try to be consistent. I shouldn’t say I’ve been consistent. I try to be consistent with these guys on a daily basis about the way we have to prepare, the way we have to practice, the way we have to do things. If you continue to do those things and if we limit the mistakes, I think things will turn. I believe that. I’m unwavering in that belief. That’s not going to change. It doesn’t matter what the record is. Those are things that are just kind of embedded in my fabric. I think they know that. They know they’re going to hear kind of the same talking points on a weekly basis. But they also know it’s not just coach-speak either. They know that I believe it so in turn, hopefully they believe it and come out here and prepare the right way, practice the right away and put themselves in position to have success this week.”
(Even good teams make mistakes, make penalties, have turnovers. But oftentimes they have the talent to overcome them. Do you feel like this team has enough talent to overcome mistakes, considering what the record is right now and the product that’s been put on the field?) – “I do. I think games in this league come down to a handful of plays. Like I’ve said too many times this year, we’ve been on the wrong side of those mistakes whether it’s a punt hitting somebody or a penalty here or a dropped ball here. We’ve been on the wrong side of them. We’ve got to do a better job as a coaching staff – that starts with me – of putting them in better positions to make some of those plays. But I do. I think we’ve got – I like our players. I like our team. And I love coaching this team so I’ll continue to coach them. I’ll continue to try to help them improve and get better. Just keep taking it one day at a time.”
(If I could follow up, why do you like this team? I’m being dead serious because the results are not matching what the expectations were. You talked to Peter King and you said that – and I didn’t necessarily agree with you – this was the year that you guys were going to hit it and kind of move away from the rebuilding. And here we are 1-7, which is where you were at the beginning of 2019.) – “I like the people in this building. I love the people in this building. I think we have the right types of players. I think we have a talented group. I think we have a young group. I think we have a developing group. I think we have guys who give great effort, prepare the right way and I enjoy coaching this group. I think there’s a lot of the right ingredients here and we’ve got to find the right formula to help us get over the hump. A lot of people may disagree but that’s my belief. I believe in this team. I believe in the people in this building and I’m really unwavering on that.”
(You were the defensive play caller on the Super Bowl-winning team. The day after you won that Super Bowl, Stephen Ross was hiring you and said that performance made me feel good about what we just did. My question is, in a year where your defense collapses against Jacksonville for the game-winning drive and against Atlanta for the game-winning drive, struggles in the second half against Buffalo – why haven’t you taken over the defensive play calling?) – “There’s a lot that goes into that question. Obviously, I’m involved defensively but as far as the play calling, I have a lot of trust in (Defensive Coordinator) Josh Boyer and our defensive staff. I think he’s done a good job. We just have to continue to get better. We have to put the players in better positions to make plays and I think we are moving in that direction. I thought we did a lot of good things against Buffalo and we’ve got to execute better. As far as calling the defense, obviously I have some input on that. But I think Josh has done a good job calling defenses in this league and I have a lot of trust in my staff and I will continue to do that.”
(Some have wondered and have wondered if QB Tua Tagovailoa has wondered if the organization’s decision to explore acquiring another quarterback is an indicator that the organization has already concluded that he is not the answer as the long-term franchise quarterback. What would you or have you said to Tua and to us about that?) – “Well to you guys, I’ve said he’s definitely – and to him – he’s gotten better. He’s gotten a lot better and he’s had some good performances this season. He just needs to take it one day at a time and continue to improve and get better. That’s where his focus should be. Not on anything outside of that. It should be on his meeting, his practice, his craft, his techniques, his fundamentals and not really worry about what anyone else is saying or writing, and just worry about the way he goes about his day on a daily basis.”
(In the last nine games, is it important to you to see QB Tua Tagovailoa show that he can complete more down-the-field balls, deeper passes? No touchdowns in his career of 30 yards or more. I know it’s only been less than 16 games but what about that?) – “That’s one area of the game that is a goal of his to improve on. There’s areas in his game and really all of our games that we are looking to improve on. What I don’t want him to do, or any player to do, is try to force things because the expectation from somebody else is to do this, that or the other thing. I think he needs to play within the system, I think he needs to take what the defense gives him, I think he needs to take those shots down the field when they’re appropriate, which I think he’s done that. To me, playing any position, you don’t want to go try to do too much. You want to – I don’t want to say let the game come but when you try to force action, oftentimes that’s when mistakes happen. I think he has had some downfield throws. I don’t know if they’re touchdowns but he has had some downfield throws. We’ve got to put him in position to create more downfield throws. We’ve got to do it in practice and once we get that done in practice, we’ll feel better about executing it in the game.”
(Certainty throwing the ball downfield would be easier if WR Will Fuller was available. Is there any fear that he might not play at all for the rest of the season or are you confident he’ll be back?) – “Confident he’ll be back but kind of week to week. With nine weeks left, confident he’ll be back, yes.”
(Do you feel like you’ve had enough time to evaluate what QB Tua Tagovailoa is and what he’ll be?) – “Look, everyone develops at a different pace. I see him getting better really on a weekly basis. I think there’s still some things that he needs to improve on, like all of us. We have more time. He does everything he needs to do to get better, improve and I think he’ll continue to improve.”
(I asked QB Tua Tagovailoa this last week but do you feel like the circumstances he’s dealt with from the injuries to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick last year to now this have been a fair or positive way to start his NFL development or career?) – “I think everyone’s journey is a little bit different. This is his. I think he’s done a good job. I know a lot of people may not feel that way but I think he’s done a lot of good things as a young quarterback in this league. I think he’s made a lot of improvement as far as his understanding of what the defense is trying to do to him, our offensive concepts, his command of the huddle. There’s some things he certainly needs to improve on. I think we all have things we need to improve on. I’m anxious to see him continue to improve.”
(Has this been the hardest time in your career with the losing record, all the rumors of trading for Houston QB Deshaun Watson and the QB Tua Tagovailoa situation with all the media attention? Has this been the hardest personally on you and your NFL career?) – “I guess I don’t think about things as hard or challenging. Adversity is adversity is adversity. I think, and I’ve said this before, it either breaks you or makes you stronger and I’ve always taken the approach that adversity, and it has, made me stronger. I think this is what we’re going through as a team. Hopefully it makes our team stronger. That’s kind of the approach I’ve always taken. It’s not going to change. And that’s the message I send to the team and to everyone in this building.”
(On a broader scale, how much influence do you have with General Manager Chris Grier on roster moves?) – “I’ve said this before, Chris and I talk pretty much every day. My focus is on the team in season. I would say kind of the personnel part is probably one percent of my job right now. To me, it’s the team. Offense, defense, special teams.”
(What about the Senior Bowl, coaching the Senior Bowl and the draft process?) – “That’s a different time of the year. In season, I’m focused on our team and really that’s it. Obviously, there’s daily conversations but even in those, I’m thinking about third down or red zone or run defense or something like that.”
Chris Grier – November 3, 2021
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
General Manager Chris Grier
(Why did the team pursue QB Deshaun Watson, which obviously was widely reported? Why did Steve Ross ask for permission to speak with him and why ultimately did you not make the trade?) – “I would say it’s my job as general manager to always investigate every avenue of players that potentially may or may not be available. First of all, it’s no different. We’ve done that from Day 1. That is no mandate from anyone. It’s just how we operate and I think that’s how every team in the NFL operates. In terms of what discussions were had and what people asked for permission and all of that stuff, at the end of the day, no trade was made. As an organization, we decided not to make a deal. Basically at the end of the day, you go through these processes and you talk through things, no decision was made and we’re moving forward with the team that we have.”
(What does that interest say about how you feel about QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “I don’t think it’s any different than any player on the roster, honestly. Because if a player is available around the league that is viewed as being one of the top players in the league at any position, I think you look at it and go for it or try to go for it. Investigating a player at any position, whether it’s wide receiver, d-line, o-line, linebacker – if it’s a good player, we’re going to investigate it and look at it and do it. We’re very happy with Tua. We think he’s developing well. Brian (Flores) has been very consistent in his message and we have been as well. He’s working hard, he’s showing a lot of improvement and we think he’ll continue to develop and be the player we think he can be.”
(Why did you think it was a plausible path to pursue a guy who has 22 pending civil lawsuits and an ongoing criminal investigation?) – “Again, we’re doing background work and investigating everything. Just because you do that doesn’t mean we’re going to do a deal. Again, we’re investigating good players and again, every situation is unique. This was a unique situation. We did our due diligence and decided not to pursue a trade.”
(Did the team or representatives of the team request for the women to sign non-disclosure agreements?) – “I think any suggestion that this organization would be dealing behind the scenes and try to influence decisions is absolutely ridiculous and categorically false. To say that we would be involved in that is just flat wrong. It pisses me off. I’m sorry.”
(QB Deshaun Watson is still available. He’s going to be available after the season and there will be other quarterbacks available after the season. Do the rules apply after the season as well? Are you going to be looking for quarterbacks after the season?) – “I think again, you always evaluate the roster. You go through it once the season is done. Right now our focus is trying to win as many games as we can in the second half of the season, and we’ll evaluate it and go through it and then we’ll deal with free agency and the draft once the season is over.”
(If you could, this whole situation, have dealt with it differently – if you could go back given all the cloud that’s been hanging over QB Tua Tagovailoa and the team for the last six months or so with these rumors, would you do this differently? Would you handle some of the things differently?) – “I think the one thing, as Brian (Flores) and Tua have mentioned, that has been very consistent, is communication with Tua as well. I’ve had talks with his agent behind the scenes. Again, a lot of the stories that came out about how all of this stuff has gone are false. I would say 90 percent of the stuff. We spent time. We believe in Tua. Brian has been consistent in the messaging. At the end of the day, we feel good about the communication and where it’s been. But again, how all of this stuff has transpired, a lot of it has been false.”
(How often were you in contact with Houston?) – “Again, I’m not going to get into how often, who and when. But a lot of the stories that have come out about it, about as many times as people have reported we’ve been talking to it, are false.”
(Why would you let another team use you guys as maybe leverage or put out other statements that may not be true?) – “Because I can’t come out here every week and start denying and saying this is false, false, false. It doesn’t do any good to keep coming out. So for us, I’ve never commented on anything. I don’t deal publicly in the media with stuff. You guys know that. This is rare for me to speak during the season because I always like to talk to you guys after the season when we have the total picture of everything. But at the end of the day, for us to keep making statements every time someone makes a comment or stuff, because we’ve been involved in a lot of trades, talking with people and looking at stuff. I’ve had agents say every trade that’s involved, they seem to say, ‘are you guys involved in it?’ Our name is involved and some of it is true and some of it is not true. You can’t just come out every week and just keep denying and denying because people won’t believe you anyway.”
(How can you say you believe in QB Tua Tagovailoa but you spent time looking to potentially replace Tua with somebody else?) – “Because as I told you, if there was a player there that is considered a top player in the National Football League, I think you always have to do your homework. It has nothing to do with not believing in Tua.”
(Are you worried about your relationship with QB Tua Tagovailoa because of this pursuit?) – “No. Tua is a great kid, strong-minded. He understands. I’ve been in communication, as I’ve told you, with his agent. We’ve been clear. We’re investigating and looking at all avenues and players. It was just kind of a unique situation.”
(QB Deshaun Watson isn’t just another player. We all know the allegations that are surrounding him. How concerned were you and the organization over pursuing a player with those kind of allegations? How concerned are you with how that looked to the community and your fan base?) – “Again, I respect the question. We did our due diligence behind the scenes, trying to figure out – to gather as much information as we can. At the end of the day, we decided not to pursue a trade. We’re just investigating and going through our process like we do. We decided as an organization not to pursue a trade.”
(There’s no concern that he would get charged criminally?) – “There’s a lot of unknowns with it and that’s all a part of it. But at the end of the day again, we decided not to pursue a trade.”
(Do you expect in the offseason to revisit this whole thing?) – “I would say you get through the season, like we do. We’ve got to finish up here and we’ll keep evaluating the entire roster. It’s not just Tua (Tagovailoa). We want to see improvement from everybody across the roster and keep developing. Then once the offseason comes, we’ll approach it and make decisions then.”
(You made a very important decision on your starting quarterback last year with the fifth pick. With the sixth pick, the Chargers picked QB Justin Herbert, who seems to be a better player. Did you miss on that pick?) – “I would leave that for you to judge. At the end of the day, we went through our process with everyone and it was a process and we felt good about Tua (Tagovailoa). There were a lot of things we liked about Tua. We liked Justin too. He was a good player. We spent time with both players and at the end of the day, we chose Tua and we feel he’ll be a good player in the league. He’s developing and we’re happy with where he’s at right now.”
(How much of a factor was what the inevitable outcry would have been, particularly from women, who like this team, in not pursuing this trade?) – “There were a lot of factors as you go through all of that. We talked through all of those things as an organization. Like I said, we came to a conclusion as we got to it that we ultimately decided not to pursue a trade.”
(Amid the allegations, did you ever address the rumors of the trade with the women in this building, just to make sure that they knew that work was always going to be a safe place for them?) – “No because we never got to a point where anything was going to be realistic in terms of happening. It was still us just doing our due diligence, just talking through things. Again, we never got to a point where anything was that close to happening and of course, if that was happening, we definitely would have thought about that and done something.”
(How much influence does Head Coach Brian Flores have on the roster with you in decisions like this?) – “It’s important that you have communication and that we talk through things and make sure there’s alignment on things. In this case, as we’re just doing due diligence, Brian is focused on coaching the team and working through it. He was aware, but limited. We would update him as things were going on. But his focus was coaching the football team as we were doing our background work and trying to decide where we were on any potential deal that may or may not have been done.”
(The move from three to 12 to six, did you ever ask Philadelphia to take the 49ers first-round pick next year instead of your own? Was that something that you asked them to do or were you confident that your pick would end up lower than San Francisco’s?) – “The conversations we have with other teams on stuff, I’ll keep private because I don’t know if they’re comfortable with me sharing information. We had conversations about it when we did it. I would say those conversations were good conversations. Howie (Roseman) was good as we worked through it. But those conversations I will keep internal between he and I.”
(Why not just stay at three, pick the best player and keep your own first-rounder next year? Is that a regret you have right now? It looks like right now it might end up being hurtful.) – “For us, when we made the decision at the time, we thought it was the best decision for us as we went through it and talked through it. At the time when we made the decision, we felt good about it and doing it. I’m not going to sit here and – it’s easy to go hindsight and second-guess right now. But we made the decision at the time, felt good about it, and Jaylen (Waddle) has been a good player for us. We’re happy with him and we think he’ll continue to be a very good player. We’re happy with where he is so we’re excited for his future.”
(How would you assess how the team has done in the draft in recent years?) – “We’ve added some good young players. I think last year we won 10 games and this year has been not where we’re happy. Being 1-7, no one’s happy. We’re all frustrated. We’re trying to turn this thing around in the second half of the season. But we’ve added good young players. We’re happy with where they are and we think they’ll keep developing and look forward to them all being good contributors in the future.”
(There was a report from CBS a few weeks ago that said that when the Dolphins made a decision on their quarterback at No. 5, that Head Coach Brian Flores wanted QB Justin Herbert and you picked QB Tua Tagovailoa. Is that accurate?) – “That is not accurate. I’m just saying all of our decisions we make as a team, but I’m not going into who wanted what. That’s speculation that people are just trying to give. When I see things come out that are basically wrong, that is one of them.”
Nik Needham – November 1, 2021
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Monday, November 1, 2021
CB Nik Needham
(Obviously you’ve been down this road before with the seven-game losing streak. There’s the stay the course mantra, which we’ve heard week after week, but how do you get this thing headed in the right direction?) – “At this point I know, like you said, I’m tired of hearing that but that’s all we can tell each other to do. We went out there and competed hard with that team. That’s a real good team on that side. I feel like everybody saw like a couple more plays and things would turn around in that game and we could win. But yeah, we got to just stick together and just keep working and working and hoping and knowing that it’s about to pay off sooner than later.”
(It’s a lot of room to work with the slot receiver but how difficult was that matchup last Sunday?) – “I played him pretty well in the first half going into the third quarter. He kind of got hot a little bit. I gave him too much space on one play on third down. I should have just trusted my technique rather than backing up, so I kind of feel like I just gave him that one. I think we were battling hard. It wasn’t just domination. That’s a good receiver but we got some good DBs, so we just need to go out there and execute. It don’t matter who it is.”
(What’s it been like playing with S Jevon Holland? He’s played every snap at safety the last couple weeks. What have you seen from him?) – “You can definitely see the growth in Jevon. He’s becoming a more vocal leader trying to keep guys, really getting on guys, taking that role. Even though he’s young, we listen to him and we know he’ll go out there and execute. He wants to win just like us. It doesn’t really matter how old he is now, he’s out there starting like you said. He’s one of the leaders of the defense back there because he sees everything and has to make the calls. I think he’s been playing well. For a rookie I mean yeah, that’s all you can do. Just keep growing week by week and learning new stuff and new situations that you learn in the league.”
Duke Riley – November 1, 2021
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Monday, November 1, 2021
LB Duke Riley
(I imagine it’s not easy to play as many snaps as you did yesterday after not playing for weeks, even though obviously you’re in great condition. Was there a little bit of an adjustment to doing that yesterday and how did it go? It seemed like you were around the ball a lot.) – “I’m always prepared, regardless of if it’s 100 snaps or it’s five. I feel like I do a good job with my conditioning. I always make sure that I am ready. I stay ready so I don’t have to get ready, that’s kind of like a saying that I use.”
(What’s it been like to have this special teams reputation and try to work your way out of it?) – “I was in Philadelphia and I went there as a special teams guy and worked my way in to being a guy who was involved in the defense. I kind of knew what to expect coming into this role. I knew I was going to come and be the same guy every day. I was just controlling what I can control and letting the coaches do their job and put me in the best position regardless of if it’s special teams or on defense.”
(I wanted to ask you about the run defense. You guys seemed to be making progress the past couple of weeks. What do you attribute that to in terms of the execution of the run defense excluding the one run from Bills QB Josh Allen?) – “The way we practice. I think we practice at it and we have a good understanding of where guys are going to fit in on the defense. With timing, you build trust and you know guys are going to be where they’re supposed to be at. I think that’s what’s happening and being better and stuff like that.”
Liam Eichenberg – November 1, 2021
Monday, November 1, 2021
T Liam Eichenberg
(You always give us such substantive and thoughtful answers, which we appreciate. I know you mentioned several days before you moved to left tackle that when I asked if you’d be better at left or right long termed, you said ‘right’ at that point. Now that you’ve played left tackle for a month, as you did at college, how would you answer that question now? Do you feel like your future would be better at NFL left tackle or do you still think right is the better spot for you?) – “It’s wherever the team wants me. Obviously I bounced around a bunch, played a bunch of different positions, but I honestly couldn’t tell you. I’m focusing on this week and hopefully I’m at left tackle this week. I‘m just taking it week by week, day by day. Just trying to improve, trying to help this team get better and win.”
(Has your play at left tackle met your own expectations?) – “No, I think I can play a lot better. I think that it goes to my fundamentals and technique, and moving a lot more efficient in regards to pass pro and run game.”
(How difficult has this season been? I’m assuming you didn’t have a seven-game losing streak at Notre Dame and what are the challenges to getting prepared each week?) – “I would say for me it’s one week at a time, one game at a time. I don’t look to the future. I just try to take it day-by-day, work to get better, work to improve. I go out there every single day at practice trying to work on my technique and my fundamentals to improve and become the best player I possibly can. Obviously this season hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, but there is still time to turn it around. It’s one game at a time and we’re attacking it every single day. I think guys believe too. That’s the biggest point.”
(What about the NFL have you learned that maybe caught you by surprise?) – “I would say that at the most important moment, you need your fundamentals and technique to be at it’s best. In college you can kind of get away with certain things, but in the NFL, you have to be at your best every single play.”
(In terms of studying on tape the plays where maybe you’ve been beaten for a sack or a pressure, has there been a theme of whether you’ve been beaten by power moves, spin moves elusiveness? Obviously this didn’t happen to you much at all at Notre Dame. No sacks the last two-and-a-half years. What’s been the theme to what has beaten you to this point that you want to correct?) – “I think it’s a handful of everything, I guess you could say. My hands being in the wrong spots, my feet not being underneath me. It’s just kind of a mixture of everything. It’s not one specific thing. At practice, you’ve got to review the film, break down what you need to focus on and work on that every single day.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said today that he thinks that guard is G/T Austin’s Jackson best position. Where are you in terms of chemistry on the left side. Obviously it can’t be totally where you want it because you’ve been together less than a month at those two positions. Where is it now in terms of the growth of that chemistry with you two?) – “Austin is a great player and a great guy as well. I think the biggest thing for us that’s improved since we first started playing next to each other is communication. On my part, communicating to him and then him communicating to me, and then the other guys on the offensive line. I think he’s done a great job with that and then also it’s awesome playing next to him. He plays hard, he plays physical and he cares about this team and this offensive line. It’s been great”
(Are you personally excited about what the duo of you and him can do, because it’s obvious from Head Coach Brian Flores’ comments that you guys are going to get a extended look at those two spots?) – “Yeah, I’m excited. I want to help this team win. So wherever they need me and wherever they need Austin, he is the same way. It just comes to us doing our job.”
