Austin Jackson – September 29, 2021
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Wednesday, September 29, 2021
T Austin Jackson
(As you look back at the tape last week, what were your takeaways as far as how you did? Where do you go from here as far as improvements go?) – “Yeah as a team, we started out fast. We didn’t take advantage of our defer, so we got the ball back at halftime and we didn’t capitalize on some points in the middle. I think playing the whole game – executing the whole game, not just playing. Executing the whole game is probably my biggest takeaway from the film.”
(As far as your play, just thoughts on how you did and where you would like to get better.) – “I did some things as well. I definitely was more consistent in my pass pro, technique-wise, in terms of just doing the right thing.”
(Where do you think this offensive line is in relation to being able to hold your blocks long enough to allow either QB Tua Tagovailoa or QB Jacoby Brissett to look downfield and push the ball downfield, rather than just dump ups and short passes?) – “I think it’s there. We have some plays where we throw the ball short and some plays where we throw the ball long. Some plays we’re throwing the ball short and it turns into throwing the ball long. That’s just kind of football. I definitely think this offensive line can do that – can do both.”
(I think it was on the RB Malcolm Brown touchdown run where you sort of buried a guy. How did that particular play … how did that feel for you?) – “It felt good. It’s part of what we do day in and day out. We work to do stuff like that. It felt good. Looking to get a lot more.”
(One week removed from your absence, did you feel a bit stronger overall and a little bit better stamina?) – “Yeah, definitely. I’m not making any excuses or anything but I definitely felt the difference having a couple of weeks under my belt going into this last game.”
(It felt like – and I’m not an offensive line expert – but it felt like at times, for you, and you can tell me if I’m wrong, there was a little bit of hesitation off the snap, perhaps wanting to ensure that there wasn’t a false start. Tell me about that. Were there times where you felt maybe you were slightly hesitant on Sunday?) – “No, especially because being away, I can’t hear the quarterback a majority of the time. I’m already looking at the ball so whenever the ball goes, I go. Kind of like the receivers. Sometimes you have to hesitate coming off the ball if you’re reading like a stunt or a blitz. You’ve got to abort your first mission and go to your second gameplan, so that’s probably where you see that.”
Brian Flores – September 29, 2021
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Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Head Coach Brian Flores
(With regards to two guards who were here earlier this year – Ereck Flowers and Jermaine Eluemunor – both have played well this year and neither has given up a sack. I’ve never asked this but I’m sort of puzzled – what was the incentive in moving from Flowers and paying him $6 million even though the cap savings wasn’t very big and with Jermaine as well, what was the thinking in moving on from both of those when perhaps they could have helped?) – “I’m really more worried about the guys on our team and the Indianapolis Colts, so that’s kind of where my thought process is – not really any other players on any other team. I’m worried about the guys on our team, getting us better and helping us and helping our guys improve. I’m worried about our team, not so much those players. That’s really my answer to that. I haven’t really given that much thought – really any thought – and I’m kind of worried about our guys.”
(Has the evaluation, do you think, been good enough on the offensive line? Not in terms of coaching, but in terms of evaluating players you bring in and the ones you keep? Or looking back, do you think things should have been done differently in some regards?) – “I’m not one to look back. I’m more in the moment, in the present, and focus on the guys on our team – our coaches, the people in our building – and what’s in front of me. Not necessarily what’s gone on in the past. I think that’s the way I’ve handled really everything – football, life – and that’s how I will continue to do it.”
(Yesterday in an interview, Trent Dilfer, who has worked with QB Tua Tagovailoa, stated that Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye is the Dolphins play-caller. So the question is, how Charlie been selecting the plays?) – “I mean we’ve talked about this. Charlie talks to the quarterback. We’ve talked about why he’s the one who gives him Play 13, Play 33. We’ve had that discussion. It’s a collaborative effort offensively. George (Godsey) and Eric (Studesville) are the co-offensive coordinators. They have a process that we feel very comfortable with. Charlie is part of that process, as we’ve talked about in the past. We’ll continue to go that way.”
(Is there any change this week to the offensive play-calling operation?) – “No.”
(On Saturday, they’re going to honor Coach Shula and finally do a celebration of his life. I know it has nothing to do with the game but, when you work here, how much – he’s everywhere. Pictures are everywhere, a statue and everything. Is he always just kind of in mind on some level, when you work for this team? Isn’t he always in the psyche somewhere?) – “Yeah, I mean he’s one of the greatest coaches of all-time. I think he’s made an incredible impact on a lot of players. A lot of players, a lot of coaches and this league. It’s obviously a rich history here with the Dolphins. We have a great alumni base or alumni group that’s around the facility and at games. I think that’s a great thing, from Nat Moore to Dan (Marino) to (Bob) Baumhower. We’ve got a lot of great players who are around and I think it’s great. I think Coach Shula, I think it’s great that we get to honor him. I know we tried to do this last year but with COVID, it wasn’t to the level that it should be and that it will be this weekend. I’m glad the fans get to be at the game and honor him then, and I know we’re doing something Saturday night. It’s obviously a very rich history. He’s a great coach. It was an honor and privilege for me to get to speak to him and get some insight from him about coaching and about helping guys become the best version of themselves from a preparation standpoint, and then take the things that they learned from football on the field and use it outside of football when they’re done, to help them attain success in other areas, which has certainly been the case with a lot of players he’s had.”
(What more can you tell us about any advice Don Shula might have shared with you or more about that wisdom of just how to help players develop as players and men?) – “I think it was always – some of his conversations or our conversations were about being demanding of the players. It’s something that they need – that discipline, toughness and hard work and guys who are competitive and guys who love to play. Those are the guys you want to have on your team. If you have enough of those types of guys – you don’t really worry about anybody else. You just worry about the guys on your team. If you have enough of those types of guys and they all kind of band together and work together, you’ll get the results you want. It doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of time and preparation. Those are kind of the conversations we had.”
(When you play a team this early in the year that’s winless, in your history does that team with an 0-3 record play with a certain aspect of desperation knowing that their season is salvageable but they can’t afford many more losses? And would you put yourselves at 1-2 in that category too?) – “This is a good team. I would say it’s a very good team. I know they’ve played some tough opponents. They’ve been in every game. They’ve got good players, they’ve got good coaches. They’re skilled. Every game is a meaningful game in this league. They’re looking for a win and we’re looking for a win. I think that’s what the preparation is about this week, really in all three phases. Today is a big day for us from a preparation standpoint, getting to know this team and then trying to execute in practice the way we want to execute in the game. All of them are important. I think it’s important to them, it’s important to us and I know they’ve got a good team. I know it will be a tough 60-minute ball game.”
(Considering Indianapolis has pretty intimate knowledge of QB Jacoby Brissett, what can you as a staff do to help mitigate that effect on Sunday?) – “That’s a great vocabulary. (laughter) I had to kind of go through that. (laughter) Obviously yeah, they’ve got a history with Jacoby. They know him. He’s got knowledge of some of their players as well. At the end of the day, there are some things that they could take from that, but it comes down to execution. It’s a team game. It’s not Jacoby against one other person or that one player against Jacoby. It’s a team game. It takes 11 guys offensively, 11 guys defensively, 11 guys in whatever kicking game or phase or unit we’re dealing with to gel, get on the same page, have good communication and execute as 11 guys turned into one team on a given play. There are some things that may help that unit, but those get integrated over the course of the week. I’m sure they’re having conversations about Jacoby and Jacoby is having conversations with our team about some of the things that they do well and some things that we probably want to stay away from. I know the knowledge and the history that they have with him and he has with them will have some bearing, but I think at the end of the day, it’s about the 11 guys on the field.”
(How do you assess where WR Jaylen Waddle is at through his first few games?) – “I think he’s – look, he’s a young player. Every time he goes out there and sees a new defense, a different style of corner that plays maybe some off-technique or maybe some press, we get into stacks and bunches and see how teams play them. Sometimes they zone it, sometimes they man it, sometimes they do something 4-on-3 or 3-on-2, so I think it’s a learning experience for him every week. I think he’s – he works, he’s got the right routine, he’s doing a lot of the right things, he’s asking the right questions. I think over time, if he continues to do what he’s been doing, he’ll be just fine. I think that’s the case not only for Jaylen but for a lot of our rookies and young players. I think developing in this league – every game, every practice is an experience. I think everyone is a little bit different – the amount of reps, a timetable – but I think our guys are working in the right direction.”
(A phrase that keeps coming up in relation to the offense is taking what the defense gives us. Given that though, the Raiders the other day had 10 plays of 23 yards or more. I’m sure that’s not what you intended to “give them.” So with that going on, what do you do offensively to create more of those kind of big plays and at what point is it a matter of not just taking what they give you but imposing your will and taking what you need?) – “I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is execution. I think if you execute, then offensively – really across the board, your operation, in and out of the huddle, fundamentals, technique, throwing, catching – you’ll move the ball. I think in some instances, you’ve got to make plays against what’s going to be good defense. Making throws into tight windows, giving receivers a chance to make some plays or breaking a tackle in the run game if we’re one-on-one, I think that’s how you create bigger plays. We need to do a better job of that. We need to put them in – as coaches, we need to put them in better positions to take those shots. We’ve talked about it but you also don’t want to force things and create negative plays the other way. There’s a balance there as far as being aggressive and being smart. We’ve got to find that balance.”
(Everyone wants more explosive plays on gameday. What can you emphasize in the week of practice?) – “I think everybody wants to see more explosive plays. I’m that way as well. But I want us to play smart, tough and disciplined and give ourselves a chance to win at the end. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re looking for. Every game is a little bit different. They just are. There is no one formula for having the results you want. But explosive plays definitely help. Every team wins a little bit differently and every game is a little bit different. Sometimes you need more explosive plays, sometimes you need more explosive plays in the kicking game, sometimes you need a better running attack, better run defense. I mean every game is a little different. We need to execute in all phases, in all areas, better.”
(How do you balance what you’re talking about there, you wanting an offense and a team that can win in different ways, versus the concept of identity? They seem to conflict, the notion that we want to win in different ways versus this is who we are, this is what we do best. How do you juxtapose those?) – “I don’t think they conflict. I really don’t. I don’t think they conflict at all. I think we want to be a balanced team. We want to be able to be productive offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think those are three different areas. I don’t think your identity can be just one thing, otherwise you don’t have a – I think every team wants to be good in all areas. I think that’s what we want to be. I think that’s the identity, in a perfect world, we can have success in a variety of ways. We don’t work on everything so we can be good at one thing and have that one thing be our identity and not be good at anything else. I don’t think anybody is trying to do that. We may have a difference in opinion as far as that’s concerned, as far as identity of a team. I think every team wants to be good in all areas. I think some people’s identity is probably more of what the masses think than the actual team.”
(Last year, the defense gave up the lowest percentage of third-down conversions. Right now the defense is allowing the highest rate of third down conversions. When you look at the film, what hasn’t been working. Or what’s stood out to you that’s been allowing the defense to not get off the field?) – “I’ve taken a hard look at this myself and at the end of the day, our opponents are making more plays than we are. It’s just as simple as that. Good throws, good catches, contested catches. The rush is probably a half second late, so we need a half second more coverage. The difference between winning and losing those plays, it’s small. The margin for error is small on those, and right now we’re not – as far as the contested plays, the contested catches, getting the ball out, getting the extra half-second or quarter of a second to get to the quarterback, we’re not getting there. We’ve got to do a better job and that starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys in position to make those plays, to keep leverage, to get the ball off of them. I would say some credit to our opponents. As a coach, when you sit there, I think sometimes it’s a good throw and a good catch, and that’s happened a few times already this season. But we’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to do a better job defensively getting us off the field and putting our offense back on the field.”
Eric Studesville – September 28, 2021
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Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Eric Studesville
(You’ve been part of some pretty successful running games going back through your career in Denver and also here in 2016 – the RB Jay Ajayi years. What does it take to have one of those forceful rushing attacks?) – “It takes the whole group. It’s not just – there’s one person that gets credit for it a lot of times with the yardage but it’s everybody. It’s the offensive line, it’s the tight ends, it’s the wide receivers blocking force, it’s the quarterbacks making great decisions a lot of times getting us in and out of the right looks and the right plays. It takes everybody on the field for a successful running game.”
(Do you feel like you have the talent and the personnel to get something sustainable where you can average over 100 yards per game?) – “I think the stats are always a nice thing to have but at the end of the day, we are tying to win and if that means that we have to run it and have one of those kind of running days, then we want to do that. But if we need to pass protect to win the game and that sacrifices some of the run possibilities, then that’s what is most important to us. What do we have to do to win the game? We’d love to certainly have a run game that we set a precedent that we are going to run the ball and that we can run it effectively. But at the end of the day, we want to do whatever we have to do to win the game.”
(I wanted to ask about WR Jaylen Waddle and the overall thoughts of the passing game. He had 12 catches for 58 yards. What do you attribute to not seeing so much success downfield? Do you think he needs more diversity in the route running? Just as a whole, what do you see from the passing game and why haven’t you been able to connect on some of those deep plays?) – “We are talking a lot about that, trying to find explosive plays and ways to get explosive plays. Not just to Jaylen but to other people on the team also, whether we are talking about Will Fuller or Mike (Gesicki). We did take some shots at the end of that game the other day in Las Vegas. We’re always trying to find explosive plays. We’re constantly talking about it, we’re trying to put them in, we are trying to get them, but we are limited at times because of what the defense gives us. We have to call them at the right time and we have to be prepared and we have to dial those up when we think we have the best chance to execute those.”
(I know after the game, QB Jacoby Brissett said that the Raiders and Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley will play a lot of Cover 3 so you are going to get a lot more guys in coverage. Were you pleased, generally, with the way Jacoby handled the looks that he was getting and would you describe it as that give and take of taking what the defense gives you but also trying to force their hand?) – “I think that’s a concept that we go to every week. We game plan and try to come up with things that we think are going to give us the best chance to be successful. We are watching the defense and we are trying to make sure that what we planned for is what we are getting so now we can use our things. We always have to be ready to adjust too because they can do something different, so there is a give and take at all times in every game in different situations, what’s going on and what they feel like our strengths are that they are going to try to take away and what we feel like we want to do to attack their defense. There’s always a give and take in everything that you do and we have to just make sure that we are communicating and that we have things going on in there that give us the chance to adjust and then to execute when we do call our plays.”
(The play call in the end zone that resulted in a safety – could you educate us on how something like that is decided upon? And QB Jacoby Brissett shouldered the blame postgame. Should he have gone elsewhere with the same play call and route patterns?) – “I think what happens is when you’re in the heat of a game, you’re calling plays and that position, especially Jacoby (Brissett), he made a decision. I read what he said about it and I think that’s what happens. He made a decision and right, wrong – if we all went back would we do different things? Probably we would do something different or we could do something different. But we didn’t. That’s what we did in that play so we have to learn and grow from that experience of what happened on that particular play. That’s what happened on that play and that’s what happened.”
(Just to follow up to make sure we’re clear. Did QB Jacoby Brissett make that play call? Or did that come from the coaching staff?) – “No, we called that play into him. That wasn’t an audible or anything of that nature, no.”
(And just to close the loop on that one particular play – was WR Jaylen Waddle in fact an eligible target on that play or was he supposed to just be a decoy that does not get the ball?) – “No, that was an empty formation and we had five eligible receivers in that particular formation.”
(There’s been a lot of talk about taking what the defense gives. What is your opinion on taking what the defense gives versus trying to take what you want?) – “There’s a whole process in there. When we game plan and we put things together that we want to call in the game, we are calling those things based on what we’ve studied and looked at as what we anticipate the defense giving us a certain look for. What we are calling is what we think would be best against those looks. We have to have adjustments and we have to have rules because if they don’t give us the specific look that we want, then we have to have rules and adjustments to be able to execute a play that we call. We can’t just call timeout all the time because they don’t line up exactly how we want. We’re planning our plays to what we think we can do best against a defense. I think to answer the question, what I’m saying is we want to dictate what we think is best for us against what the defense has shown us to do.”
(It seems like you guys have a lot of success when you are up against the clock and area little more urgent on offense. What do you see differently that makes you successful in those situations on offense when you have to go a little bit up-tempo and fight against the clock as well?) – “That may be what is happening in the game but we want to have urgency at all times. We want to be productive, not just at the beginning or at the end of the game. We want to be productive the entire game. We want to have tempo, we want to have urgency the entire game. We are working for that. We have got to get better at it. Obviously that’s something for us to work on going forward. We are talking about that. But we want to have urgency the entire game for 60 minutes. We don’t want to let down and then ramp it up at the end. We don’t want to do that. We want to be consistent throughout and that’s something that we can work on and get better on.”
(I wanted to ask about T Austin Jackson. He had a few moments where he showed some good aggressiveness in the run game but there were still some tough moments in pass protection. What is the coaching staff stressing to Austin right now?) – “To keep working and to continue to buy into what we are doing and our coaching and what we are talking about. He’s a competitive young man, it’s important to him and we feel like he played better. But we are still continually working and he’s going to continue to work and we are going to continue to work with him to get better and improve so that we do get the level of play that not only he expects from himself but that we want from him also.”
(With regards to passing, opening it up and trying to take shots downfield, how much was WR Will Fuller’s first game kind of a feel-it-out game for him early and how much can you add on his plate as he becomes more comfortable in the offense?) – “First of all, I think it was good to have him out there and see him make some plays. We threw the ball to him, tried to take some shots to him. He made a great catch on a two-point play, the route that he had there. It’s just good to have him out there and get him into the offense. The more that he’s in the offense, the more things we will try to do as he gets more and more comfortable with it. We are just going to keep working on that but as long as he’s able to be out there, we are glad to have him out there and we are going to find things to try and do with him.”
(Obviously we have history with RB Myles Gaskin and RB Salvon Ahmed. We know what they bring to the table but RB Malcolm Brown has been a guy that is contributing more than most of us expected. He started last week. What went into that decision not only to start him but to give him an equal share of this backfield?) – “I think Malcolm has done a great job since he’s been here. He’s a very focused, serious and mature-type person – intensely competitive. What we’ve seen is that his preparation and how he does everything, we wanted to create a little bit more of a role for him rather than a couple plays here and there. We wanted to change that up and see what it looked like. We feel like he had some production for us. We will continually evaluate that each week like we do. It’s what we think gives us the best chance to run the ball as well as with protection and things. He did a nice job this past week. He played more than he has but I thought he did a really nice job.”
Josh Boyer – September 28, 2021
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Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(LB Jaelan Phillips, he started, he got more playing time. What did he show last week in order to get that start and extra snaps, and if you can assess how he did?) – “I think it’s like all of our guys. Week to week, we go into the game plan and obviously we’re going to have probably a different line up in guys based on their week of practice, their improvement over time and what they do with their opportunities with their snaps, we’ll increase their snaps or if the gameplan presents it. Jaelan has been doing a good job of coming in the building, working hard on the things he needs to improve. Some of the things he’s doing well, we’re expounding upon that. That’s a result a little bit of gameplan and a little bit of Jaelen’s work that you’re seeing a little bit more opportunities there. And then obviously with all of our players, when they get more opportunities, if they make the most of them, those usually continue.”
(Last year you guys were the top-ranked defense on third down conversions, not letting drives continue. But as of now ,your team is worst in the league giving up the most third-down conversions. When you look at the film, what would you assess is the biggest point and what’s changed in why you’re allowing so many conversions?) – “I think we can coach it better. I think we can execute better. Obviously when you give up third downs, you extend drives, you extend plays. You give them more opportunities. We need to do a better job in that and that starts with me, making sure we coach it better, put them in a better opportunity to succeed and then when we have opportunities, make sure we go out there and execute.”
(Last summer when Bill Arnsparger passed and won his lifetime achievement award, we talked to you a bit about the football historian in you and how much you really respected what he did here in Miami. With Coach Shula’s celebration of life coming up on Saturday, I was curious asking the football historian in yourself, just your memories of Coach Shula and if you can recall studying what he did as a coach and reading books? I just wanted to hear your thoughts on Coach Shula.) – “It’s kind of interesting, my introduction to Coach Shula. It really started with my sister, who is two years younger with me. She shares the same birthday as Coach Shula, who was born on January 4th, 1930. My sister was obviously born a little bit later – January 4th, 1979. She actually grew up a Dolphins fan because she shared the same birthday as Don Shula. When we were kids, you guys have heard me talk before about my father – he’s a high school football and baseball coach and he’s been coaching football for over 40 years. I had a Ken Anderson poster on my door and my sister had a Bob Griese poster on her door. It just so happened, growing up in Ohio, Don Shula was an Ohio guy – went to Harvey High School in Painesville, which is just a suburb of Cleveland. He went to John Carroll University, which was in the same conference as Muskingum College, where I went to school. Every time we’d travel to John Carroll, you’d see the Don Shula athletic facility there at John Carroll. I think the historian part of me really loves Coach Shula’s story. Obviously, he was drafted in the ninth round by the Cleveland Browns. He played halfback at John Carroll and then Paul Brown ended up moving him to defensive back. Then obviously Coach Shula had a defensive background from there on out. But when you look at Paul Brown’s legacy and the number of people he’s had a hand on, obviously Chuck Noll was there too, which Coach Shula coached with Chuck Noll as well. Those are two Hall of Fame coaches. And interestingly, Coach Shula was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. That’s the same year my sister graduated. There were a little bit of characteristics there. I would just say that Coach Shula’s ability to maintain winning seasons – I believe in his coaching career he only had two losing seasons. I know he was very successful with the Colts. He was very successful here in Miami and then obviously he really spent, even when he was done coaching, he spent about 50 years in the Miami organization. I think it’s awesome that they will celebrate his life and his legacy to pro football, his legacy to the Miami Dolphins, and honestly there’s not enough good things you can say about him. It’s just kind of an interesting fact that my introduction with him basically started with my sister having the same birthday.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene was active for the first time this past game. Obviously he didn’t play any defensive snaps. What have you seen from him in practice, I guess? What is the plan for him? Obviously he’s a former first round pick and has had ups and downs. Is there kind of a plan for him? Do you want to see him on the outside, on the boundary, in the slot?) – “The plan is pretty much universal for all of our guys. They get reps and opportunities at practice, you make the most of those opportunities and obviously when things go into game planning, we try to put guys in the position not succeed. Obviously I need to do a better job with that. Then when those guys get opportunities in game situations, hopefully they make the most of them. Then you re-assess from week to week. The idea is to give opportunities and to progress on a daily basis.”
(I know you go into every week determining the allocation of playing time based on whose practicing well, based on matchups and all sorts of factors you’ve talked about. One big difference from a year ago, speaking of the secondary specifically, last year you had two safeties that played either every snap or most snaps with S Bobby McCain and S Eric Rowe. You decided by Week 4 that CB Nik Needham was your primary nickel. He played all the snaps after experimenting early in the season. Your sharing snaps at safety amongst multiple players. You’re sharing nickel snaps with CB Justin Coleman and Needham. I would imagine in your view, tell me if I’m wrong, they are all compatible talents who can give you different things. My question would be, have you given serious thoughts on just settling on two guys at safety … be your primary players at those spots. Could that be helpful or do you need to see week to week more this rotation of six players at those spots?) – “I think there are a lot of variables that go into that. I do think that when you have multiple players that you feel comfortable with, it gives you a little more flexibility on certain things you can do to try to highlight their talents with what we’re trying to do schematically. At the end of the day, what guys are doing with those opportunities, you go back and see if one, we’re putting them in the best positions to succeed. And two, are they making the most of the opportunities. As the season goes on, guys that are doing better with their opportunities, you will probably see them more. Then guys that are a little erratic with those, you’ll see them less. That’s just kind of how it goes. Having the opportunity to have multiple guys that you feel confident in I think gives you more flexibility schematically.”
(We saw some interesting matchups with CB Byron Jones on TE Darren Waller a lot and even one time when CB Xavien Howard was on WR Hunter Renfrow in the slot. In terms of kind of coming to those decisions, obviously you have a week of game planning but how much of that is in the heat of the moment during the game, you deciding to go with different matchups? And how much of the require other guys to be mindful and be ready to play different positions as well, and switching that up in the middle of the game?) – “I think you set a game plan and guys are well aware that their matchups can change or shift within the gameplan. Once you go to the game, they may know this might be a certain matchup here, this might be a certain matchup here. When you get to the game, that could change too based on how we are doing, what they are doing. I think it’s really a credit to our guys and we try to put them in the position in practice, so when we get to games, it’s not a surprise or something foreign to them. We always set a game plan going in, we set contingencies going in and as usual, when you get into the game, those things can change too as well.”
(We’ve seen DE Emmanuel Ogbah get a lot of pressures consistently this year. We saw DT Christian Wilkins with a sack. Do you think you need more pressures and sacks from your edge guys beyond Ogbah? In terms of LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Andrew Van Ginkel, has there been enough? Does there need to be more? Even DT Adam Butler has a history of being a good pass rusher.) – “I think each week we go into it trying to put those guys in positions where they can affect the quarterback. Sometimes, it’s not just the sacks, it’s the pressure in the quarterback’s face. I think you’re always trying to do that from a week-to-week basis. It’s very similar to what you’re talking about with the DBs. You try to put those guys on good matchups and ultimately what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to affect the quarterback, we’re trying to affect the offensive line. A lot of that starts with me. I can do a better job of putting these guys in better spots. We’re constantly evaluating that and obviously we need to be better in third-down situations. We need to be better on all situations. I think that’s what we’re striving to do. Unfortunately I talk to you guys on Tuesdays and by that time, the last game to me is a distant memory and we’re all on the upcoming opponent. But I think the idea is the same. We’re trying to put the guys in the best spots here. Obviously we want to get as must pressure as we possibly can. Whether it’s moving guys around or bringing pressure, that’s a week-to-week decision.”
(There has been an onus on coaches doing a better job so that the execution can improve. You mentioned third downs but where do you feel like this team is in regards to stopping the run?) – “I think at times we do it very well. And at times, it’s a little bit of – whether it’s schematically the call, myself trying to make a play or schematically it’s a player trying to make a play and gets out of a gap and not trusting – or just trying to make a play. Usually in general when you do that, we just need 11 guys doing their job and when that happens, our results are pretty good. I think that’s a process of us coaching it better, playing it better and everybody being on the same page and just doing their responsibility. Then consistently, it will be what it needs to be. It’s been good in spurts and it’s been bad a handful of times. All of those come down to guys trying to make plays or we’re trying to make plays with the call. The results haven’t been what we wanted. We’re really just striving for consistency in that phase.”
(You guys had so much success with guys buying in last year in terms of playing team ball and you clearly saw the benefits of it. I know this is a new team with new personnel, but you’ve got so much carryover. How do they not buy in?) – ‘I don’t think it’s a matter of them not buying in. I think their intentions are good. I think it’s just a matter of us – again, to your first question, really coaching the fundamentals, coaching the techniques and getting the guys to do it on a more consistent basis. I think when everybody understands that and does that, the results will be better. I don’t think guys are not buying in or they are not trying to do what we’re asking them to do. It’s they are trying to do more. That’s – sometimes when you try to do more, it yields less results. We got a great group of guys. They work hard. They do what we ask them to do. We’ve just got to get it coached consistently better.”
Danny Crossman – September 28, 2021
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Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(We saw a moment in the Raiders game when it looked like the Raiders were downing the ball at the 1-yard line and CB Byron Jones grabbed the player. It looked like maybe he was trying to bring him into the endzone for a touchback. What were you seeing from that play and did you get any explanation from Byron on what he was trying to do there?) – “That’s exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to get the player and the ball into the end zone to get the touchback. If that player is not working towards that, you can’t help him get in the end zone like that. That’s why the penalty was called. It was a good call.”
(Is that something that is a teaching point? Did CB Byron Jones know that they weren’t going to call that?) – “Yes, it’s a teaching point. It’s something that you try and do but there is a line of when that player is no longer working his momentum in certain directions that you cannot force them in certain directions.”
(Yourself, Head Coach Brian Flores and the entire staff basically have praised the way K Jason Sanders has goes about his craft. Last year he didn’t really have many misses to experience this so I was curious, when he comes off the field after a miss like he had on Sunday, what is his mindset to get himself back to where he was last year making every single kick?) – “I think any time you miss, you just take yourself back through the process. Most importantly, it was a good ball. He struck the ball well. Obviously he hit the upright and it didn’t work out in our favor. As long as you are striking the ball well, I don’t think that’s something when you consistently put in good work during the week, in pregame and you’re not having any issues, you don’t delve too far into it. You just get ready for the next opportunity.”
(How would you assess P Michael Palardy any the punting game?) – “I think any time you look at it, it’s not just numbers. A lot of our opportunities in this past game were in that plus territory. People want to look at numbers and talk about numbers. My big thing there is what’s the drive start after we get done? If we are downing them inside the five or inside the 10, I think in those situations those balls are good balls. We ended up with three inside the 20. We want more than that and I think there are some possibilities of getting more than that. Like any other phase that we are working through right now, and every other player, there’s things that we can do better and we are going to keep striving to get better.”
(I wondered if you ever say anything to K Jason Sanders before he kicks with as much pressure as he had on Sunday in overtime, or do you just leave him alone and go through his routine?) – “Usually not right before kicks. The talking we do is separate from when it’s an inevitable opportunity, for lack of a better analogy. When it’s going to come and present itself, by that point he’s in his mind getting his focus, taking himself through his progressions that he would go on before he gets on to the field and that’s not a time where I ever want to get in that space.”
(After his rare misses like the one earlier on Sunday, do you talk to him immediately after or do you save that for during the week?) – “No, we talk about it after of what he felt. Obviously, the visual, you’re not getting visuals on game day. But a lot of it is how he felt, whether it be how it was off his foot, where his plant foot was or how he felt about his operation. There’s a lot of things to be gained that way. When you do something as often and as well as a lot of these guys do in their profession and their specific position, they get a great feel on the muscle memory of what it should feel like. There’s always the ability to have some discissions about something.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Jaylen Waddle. I know he had the muffed punt experience a game ago previously. When you have those kind of moments, how to you get a player to get that stuff out of their brain to cleanse it?) – “I think a lot of it is individual. A lot of the guys at this level, a lot of the reason they are at this level is because they are very quick to push those negative things out of their mind and move forward for the next opportunity. Jaylen is one of those players. He’ll get plenty more opportunities and we expect big things from him when he is out there.”
Brandon Jones – September 27, 2021
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Monday, September 27, 2021
S Brandon Jones
(When we talked to you when you first got drafted, one of the things that stood out about your game was preparation going into it and how it allowed you to play fast. I’m wondering now that you’re getting more playing time, more production, how you feel you’ve grown in terms of seeing things and reacting more than having to have to sit back and wait and let it play out before you can make that reactionary play?) – “I would say my overall mindset has stayed the same and obviously enhanced in a way. I’m really big on routine, so I like to stick to the same stuff that works for me. A big thing that works for me is meeting with my coach every morning before practice and get an idea of the game plan and overall knowing the defensive scheme. I think with those meetings, I’m not only able to get to know my position but get to know a lot of other positions. I think that’s what’s helped me slow the game down and be able to play fast.”
(You had the two big sacks yesterday. What is it about playing forward in those pressures packages that really suits what you do well? How do you think that brings out the best in your game to get two big sacks in a game like that?) – “It’s all scheme based. I wouldn’t necessarily give myself all the credit for that. The d-line did a great job of the stunt games and all of the stuff we did inside to free me up. My mindset it to play fast, trust my keys and continue with the process and kind of go from there. Obviously those were good plays, but the bad plays and the plays I should’ve made, especially at the end of the game is the stuff that sticks to me more than necessarily the good plays.”
(We talked to S Eric Rowe and DB Jason McCourty last week and they talked about the challenges of being an assignment-based safety unit. What’s it like to have roles and everybody do their roles and be subbed in and out of the game the way that you guys have so far?) – “I think overall it’s just a scheme that we do. Each week it could easily change with people in different positions and stuff like that. I would say the biggest thing, it obviously gives you a better idea – overall it kind of builds your IQ of knowing multiple different positions. I think it really benefits you and your game to be able to do multiple things. For me, I think I get so stuck on learning new stuff and this and that, and I kind of let the old stuff, the stuff that I should know, especially playing strong safety, I kind of let that stuff fall off the plate in tough situations. You saw it kind of showed up yesterday with that catch to (Bryan) Edwards. I understand the scheme. It’s what we do and makes us different from a lot of different teams. Kind of like our coach always preaches, at the end of the day you can’t let any food fall off the plate. No matter how many different roles you have, you just have to be able to execute at all times.”
(I wanted to follow up and ask you about that play to WR Bryan Edwards. To me, you can tell me if I’m wrong, it looks like one of those perfect pass situations, where there is not much you can do about it. Is that the case on that kind of throw? Are there passes in the NFL that you can’t do anything about?) – “There definitely is. Obviously they get paid like we get paid, at the end of the day. But I feel like I was in position, so I could’ve made the play. That’s kind of my mindset of it. I’m not really too big on excuses. At the end of the day, I didn’t make a play and he did. That’s something I’ve got to live with and learn from. If we get into similar situations down the line, hopefully be able to fix that and have a different outcome.”
(I just want to follow up on “can’t let any food fall off the plate,” the first time I heard that. Is that just about the constant installation and not forgetting about what you did in Week 3 even though you’re in Week 6? What is that about?) – “It goes from play calls, from your job description, cover three, or the curl flat player or hook dropper. Just how versatile we are and how much we change it. We could easily – like we did, we ran some stuff early in training camp and then stopped running it for a little bit, and then bring it back in whatever week. The weeks are kind of short, so you don’t always have time to re-teach something and start from the beginning. Even though we don’t run everything all at once, you have to, like I said, like our coach says, ‘not let anything fall off the plate.’ Even though we are not getting the practice reps at it, sometimes you have to be mentally prepared, and always ready.”
(There is so much talk about execution from the first three games. What is falling flat in terms of the play call to the execution?) – “I think it comes down to preparation and how we attack it. Obviously (Defensive Coordinator Josh) Boyer does a great job of putting us in very good situations when it comes to play calling. We just got to do a better job executing. At the end of the day it’s 11 on 11 and the guys that play better and play harder are going to be the ones that win the play. We’ve just got to dial in and take it play by play and just learn fast. We can’t let the negative plays haunt us and stay with us that long, and get things corrected when we can.”
Malcolm Brown – September 27, 2021
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Monday, September 27, 2021
RB Malcolm Brown
(You guys had some periodic success in the run game yesterday, I was just curious what you think went into some of the moments where you did have some successful runs? Most notably, the 24-yard touchdown run.) – “I think it was just a collective thing. The offensive line was doing a great job. Obviously, I had a touchdown run and a couple runs at the beginning of the game as well. Myles (Gaskin) had some really good tough runs too. It was just a collective effort throughout practice, just trying to hone in on the techniques and the details of a daily routine. To be able to apply that from practice to game day. Just showing up, us practicing well and being able to do that in practice throughout the week helps us out.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the emotions of the game. It was such a roller coaster game. You guys get the early lead then fall behind then come back then you have a chance in overtime. What was that like in terms of the emotional roller coaster?) – “That’s just what the game is about. Definitely having those fans back in the stadium definitely brings some more energy to it. It was just up and down. We just have to be able to stay level-headed and stay balanced throughout those types of situations when games are going like that. Locking in on you, especially with an away game like that, to be able to lock in with those guys that are on the field with you and the guys that are in between the lines. Locking in with those players and locking in on the techniques and details of everything to drown the crowd out. I think when we are out there, we hear it but we don’t hear it at the same time. The energy was great. I just wish we would have come out with the win.”
(Nobody ever thinks that they are practicing poorly, but when you guys perform like you have in the last three games, that includes the victory against the Patriots and execution is brought up so much, how do you fix that?) – “It takes some time. I think this team, we see that we can get things done and it just takes some consistency throughout practice. Sometimes it doesn’t always come together right away. Sometimes it does. It’s a long season and I’m definitely still very confident in this team. I feel like you guys that really watched that game, you saw the fight that we had, you saw that this offense does have some juice to it and I think it has some fight to it as well. That really gave me some confidence last night. That game, obviously not getting the win but that type of game definitely gave me some confidence. I’m definitely excited to move forward and improve on what we have. I know even from preseason game to preseason game, from Week 1, we’ve made some steps. Like I said, I’m very confidant in this team and I feel like we can get things rolling because we’ve got some juice on this offense.”
Jesse Davis – September 27, 2021
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Monday, September 27, 2021
G/T Jesse Davis
(The move to left guard is not something that is uncommon for you. How do you feel like you performed and the unit performed?) – “I think moving from one side to the other is difficult. I wouldn’t say I played very well, but we fought hard. I think the unit showed some grit that we didn’t show in the Buffalo game. I think we gave ourselves a chance to win that game. I’m proud of the guys of how we responded, bouncing back after that week.”
(When you rush for over 100 yards, that’s a good milestone that a team often makes as a goal. How do you keep that going? This is the first time you guys have done it this season.) – “Just keying into the game plan. When we get those opportunities, we’ve got to make sure that we’re hitting the right spots. I think the backs did a great job. I think their communication was a lot better, considering the environment that we were in. It’s just day to day. Doing our walkthroughs and doing our preparation.”
(I’m not big on the notion of must win games, but you certainly don’t want to fall to 1-3 after four games. How would you describe the level of urgency amongst you and your teammates?) – “Every week we are thinking we’ve got to win this one. Definitely this would be a good week to get a win back, to put us back on the right track and build the confidence even more. But we’re day to day. We’re focusing on the Colts and how we’re going to win this game.”
(Is losing the game the way you guys lost, where you seemed out of it, you make the late comeback, you convert a fourth-and-20 to keep your hopes alive, is that almost more frustrating than if you’d lost 25-14?) – “Every loss, it hurts. The way we fought and how the game was going and the momentum I felt we were building, that one definitely hurt. But watching the film, looking back, there were opportunities that we missed. A loss is a loss. It all sucks.”
(I know you played guard yesterday, but you played so much tackle I thought it was good to ask you. It seems like a lot of pressure comes off the edge when they send extra rushers off the edge and you guys squeeze in to pick up some of the inside rush, and then the rush comes off the outside. I’m curious what kind of challenge does that present to an offensive line when you get that pressure off the edge where they show pressure inside to get you to squeeze then bring guys off the outside? How difficult is that to deal with?) – “Depending on the protection, it can be difficult, especially at the tackle spot. It’s all about communication is what it boils down to. Each pressure that we see, some can be multiple blitzers or maybe one. They all have their challenges and our rules. It all depends on what protection it is.”
(We’ve talked about this many times, but how much of it – obviously offensive linemen want to run the ball because they are on the aggressive, as opposed to the counter. How much of running the ball is a mindset?) – “I think every offensive line wants to have a good run game going. That sets up the pass game, but it also gives us better opportunities as well. Instead of being in second-and-long, you’re second-and-five or second-and-manageable. Our mindset, yeah, we always want to run the ball. We want to be the aggressor. We want to show our force. You’ve just got to run the game plan called.”
