Brian Flores – December 11, 2020
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Friday, December 11, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Can you provide an update on LB Kyle Van Noy and LB Elandon Roberts’ status for Sunday’s game?) – “Yeah, they’ll be – I’ll just give you everybody. They’ll be questionable. It was good to get both guys out there (at practice) today and get some reps. It was good. It was good to get both of them out there. They’ll be questionable. E. Flowers (Ereck Flowers) is out and (Salvon) Ahmed didn’t practice. He’ll be out, as well.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Jakeem Grant turning up on the injury report with a back injury. Was that related to those two punt returns where penalties were called, and is he going to be able to return punts this weekend?) – “Jakeem, like everyone on this team that’s playing, has bumps and bruises from really just playing. He’s got a big part in our offense and in out kicking game. Everyone’s got bumps and bruises. The back was a little bit of an issue but he’s worked through it. He practiced full today and we expect him to do everything. We’ll need him, especially against this group.”
(G Solomon Kindley moving to left guard was what you went to last week. What was the approach or thinking behind that? Is it because he played it at Georgia? Or is that where G/T Jesse Davis feels more comfortable? Just wanted to get the thought process.) – “We just want to get the best five guys out there – the best 11 guys out there, like we always try to do, and put the team in the best position to have some success. Moving him over to left, like you mentioned he has some familiarity over there. He’s played both positions really throughout. We felt like that was the best thing for the team.”
(Of the 10 guys who could only participate in part of practice yesterday, like RB DeAndre Washington, will all of them play I presume, because you didn’t mention those? Also, I was going to ask about any more elevations beyond S Nate Holley. Is that something you, General Manager Chris Grier and Vice President of Football Administration Brandon Shore still need to talk about? Are you pretty sure at this point that you’re fine with what you have, even if it’s just four corners? I know obviously CB Jamal Perry is on the COVID-19 list.) – “The first question on the injury report, everyone else was full minus the four guys I mentioned, with Kyle (Van Noy) and Elandon (Roberts) being limited and questionable and the other guys being out. What was after that? Nate Holley I believe?”
(Yeah, just anybody else being brought up? Are you okay with only four corners if CB Jamal Perry stays on the COVID-19 list?) – “We’ll talk to the staff this afternoon and watch the film. Those obviously are conversations we’ve had. The kicking game is a big part of that as well. We can only get 48 to the game with the eight (offensive) linemen, so there are a lot of variables there. Myself, Chris, our offensive and defensive (coaches) and (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny (Crossman) is obviously a big part of that as well. We’ll have those conversations here right when I’m done and try to finalize those decisions.”
Lynn Bowden Jr. – December 10, 2020
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Thursday, December 10, 2020
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
(I wanted to ask you about last Sunday. What did that performance that you had mean to you?) – “It meant a lot. Just getting the ball and stuff like that. It felt good. That’s what they brought me here for.”
(I wanted to ask you, how would you put your rookie season in your own words and what has this process and journey to become a receiver – I don’t know if that’s what you consider yourself – what’s it been like?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s a process. I played three years of receiver at Kentucky, so I’m bettering myself. I’m bettering the guys around me … My rookie season, I could describe it as a lesson. A lesson for life.”
(Earlier this season, Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey had talked about getting you more involved with just the basic install that you missed by not being here in August. I was curious how your progression in the offense has gone from the time you got here in September and kind of playing catch up throughout the course of the season?) – “That’s a Coach Chan question, for real. That’s not really a question for me. I don’t really like to talk about myself. I’m here, I’m learning. I’m just trying to contribute the best I can and as much as they let me.”
(Obviously you’re a player that once you get the ball in your hands, you can obviously make some plays and make some magic happen. What excites you about having the ball in your hands? What excites you about making plays and being a playmaker?) – “Sometimes it comes natural. It’s a God-given ability with the ball in my hands and it just feels good to have the ball in my hands and being able to make plays.”
(What’s that like in terms of – that ability that you have, I would say it’s a rare trait where you generally can make the first guy miss. I know you say it’s instinctive, but what goes through your mind when a defender is coming to you?) – “To be honest, I really don’t know. Sometimes I look at the film and ask myself how I did it, so it’s just instinct.”
(A minute ago, you mentioned that you would describe this season as “a lesson. A lesson for life.” What did you mean by that? What have you learned through this season?) – “Things will change fast.”
(Can you take us back to a little bit of when you first started playing football? What was that like and what kind of joy does playing football bring to you?) – “I started at the age of 5 in my grandma’s yard with my cousins and my brothers and them, and it just really developed me into who I am today.”
(Earlier you mentioned that you were at Kentucky initially then you had that year as a quarterback. I’m curious, what does seeing the game from that quarterback position do to help you gain more perspective as a receiver?) – “Moving from quarterback to receiver and then receiver to quarterback, you get the best of both worlds because now as a receiver, you’re seeing how the quarterback looks at it and as a quarterback, you’re seeing how the receiver is seeing it. So I have the best of both worlds of being able to read coverages and seeing the different disguises and stuff like that.”
Bobby McCain – December 10, 2020
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Thursday, December 10, 2020
S Bobby McCain
(What goes through your mind when WR Tyreek Hill motions and shifts like he usually does in Kansas City’s offense? How many calls do you have to make to make sure that everybody is on the same page?) – “Depending on the game plan. That’s just my role being on the defense – getting guys in the right place, understanding where we’re at and understanding the things that beat us is something that comes with it. I’d love to tell you how many checks I’d have to make, but I’m not. We definitely do a great job as a defense and as a secondary understanding that when things move, things can change.”
(You’re going to have to make decisions on the back end with guys like WR Tyreek Hill coming up the seam or other players like WR Sammy Watkins and WR Mecole Hardman. When you have to make the decision between two guys and what side of the field you’re going to defend, how difficult is that in general?) – “You just have to play football. You have to play good football, rely on your fundamentals, you know the ball is going to be in the air. As a defender, as a free, as a corner, as a safety, you know the ball is going to be in the air, so you have to do what you know and attack the football.”
(How much as a defense are you guys looking forward to seeing how you matchup and measure up against this KC offense that so few teams have been able to slow down?) – “I know everybody outside of the building is excited about the game, and we’re excited about the game too – it’s a good challenge for us, and a good challenge for them as well – but you’ve got to take it week to week. This is our week’s preparation. We know they are a good team, we know they’ve got really good players, and so do we. At the end of the day, I’m not looking at matchups. I’m looking at we have a job to do. Everybody knows we have to play well and the goal is to come out with a ‘W.’
(Head Coach Brian Flores talked about you guys being in position to be in some meaningful games here. What does that mean to you at this age of your time being with the Dolphins to be in this position right now?) – “It’s big. It’s a really good chance for teams to recognize that it’s serious and these are big games. Every game is a big game. This week is a big game, next week – each week is a big game, especially at this point with everything being so tight. We are taking it week-to-week, understanding that these games are going to be tighter, these games are going to get harder – it’s going to get harder to win these games – and that’s December football. We’re happy to be a part of it.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Byron Jones’ role, not just on the team football-wise but his palce in the locker room and kind of that community of the locker room. I know that he is the head of the Dolphins’ social impact committee and today he was announced as the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Can you talk about Byron’s role and that aspect of the game and of this team?) – “Byron does a great job in the community, putting forth his best effort. Even if it’s not getting the entire thing done, just taking small steps, we appreciate that. As a teammate, he’s a great teammate. He’s smart, he’s a good player and we all appreciate it, and he knows that.”
(What do you remember about the 2016 playoff run and what it took to get there?) – “The one thing I remember – the big thing is being in and finishing the close games. We had so many tight games that year that finished like the last play or the last two or three plays. It’s not like you’re sitting on the sideline with three minutes left and you’re holding a two-possession lead. These games were 3-yard line, it’s fourth down and you have to get a win. That’s what I remember the most about it and understanding that it’s a fun time to go through with your brothers, with your teammates and with your family because it means something. These games, when you win them in December, it means something.”
Byron Jones – December 10, 2020
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Thursday, December 10, 2020
CB Byron Jones
(Congratulations on the nomination. Can you put into words for us what it means to you?) – “Thank you. It’s just, when I came to Miami, the support staff that we have here and kind of how they help us, we reached out to community leaders and really made a difference. I think that’s what made the biggest difference. I know that when I come to work, I have a group of people that is really helping me pursue things that are important off the field and the Miami Dolphins since Day 1 have been doing a good job at putting me in contact, and my other teammates in contact, with people that can really make a difference in this community.”
(I know obviously this has been a year with a lot of social justice, and you’ve been part of the social justice impact committee. What about your background do you … to be active in that respect?) – “I think in – it’s really early 2020, where I looked myself in the mirror and asked myself, ‘am I doing enough?’ And that answer was no. And I never wanted to get back to that point. I just made a commitment to myself that I’m going to be a part of positive change instead of just being on the sideline and really waiting for someone else to do it. I often think everyone kind of knows what to do, but everyone kind of expects someone else to do it and I’m just taking the responsibility and holding myself accountable to really help. I’ve been blessed my entire life, so it’s really time to give back to people who are not as fortunate as me.”
(Congrats on the nomination. I do have a football question. Obviously the defense has played such a critical role here this season. What are your thoughts on the Chiefs and the threat they possess with all their weapons?) – “They have one of the best offenses I’ve seen in a long time – really weapons across the board. It’s just for us defensively, it’s really just sticking to our fundamentals – cover, rush, tackle. Just cover, rush, tackle; it’ll be okay.”
(If I could ask you about your part of that whole equation, there’s been a lot of conversation about you and CB Xavien Howard being the best cornerback duo in the NFL. You’re the highest-paid cornerback duo in the NFL. Is a game like this an opportunity to prove all that, to pay dividends on all that?) – “’X’ (Xavien Howard) and I, our main goal is to just play good, solid football every single game. We want turnovers, we want to put hands on receivers, we want to stay patient at the line of scrimmage. Regardless of who we’re playing against, our goal is always the same thing and that’s what we wish to accomplish and we’ve done a pretty good job to this point. But December football is where it really counts, and this is where teams really separate themselves, so we both have to step up and really perform these next couple of weeks, especially this week.”
(How would you say the level of community engagement by players in the NFL and professional athletes in general has changed over your time in the league and why do you think it has changed?) – “Truthfully when I came in, I didn’t have a really good pulse because I wasn’t really doing much in my community back in Dallas. But just to see coordinated efforts across different teams and different sports is – that’s what I think is really impactful, is when people organize and really push and pressure officials to make changes. And I think that’s where it’s most important, is getting everyone on board and really pushing them to step up to the plate essentially. I think that’s what has changed a lot in the past year, so that’s exciting. That’s definitely exciting. We know that it’s not a perfect country. There’s things that we can fix, so let’s fix them.”
(I know on the field in Dallas, you guys played a lot of national TV games, marquee games. This one feels like maybe the bigger game for the year for you guys. I know probably the talk is it’s just another game, but I’m sure as players you guys got to feel the levity of maybe an opponent like this. What do you maybe tell the guys about how to keep their cool but still show up to the moment?) – “We haven’t had a single conversation about that, to be honest. We’re just here to play football; so we practice at the same time every day, we meet at the same time every day. We know what the challenge is, but it’s nothing to get yourself overworked at. Just do what we’re coached to do, stay on our X’s and O’s and then we’ll be okay. That’s how football – if you get yourself all riled up, you start doing things that are outside of your character, so we haven’t had discussions like that to be honest.”
(How does one go about competing and contending with the speed of a Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill?) – “He’s got a special gear and they’ve got a couple guys on that offense who can really run. You’ve got to understand how he’s used on a weekly basis and truly try your best to limit his impact on the game. He’s going to get some – there’s no question about that – but our job defensively is to limit that as much as we can. So that’s the challenge. That’s the fun challenge for us. We probably haven’t seen speed like this in a while, so just play good ball and chips will fall our way.”
Brian Flores – December 10, 2020
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Thursday, December 10, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you about the barbecue care package Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid sent you after the season last year. He spoke a little bit about it with us on a conference call. Just what was that like to get that gift from them and what were some things in it?) – “It was good barbecue. It went fast. I had my brothers over. I’m not sure – we had a ton of people over and we enjoyed it, so I was very thankful to Andy (Reid) for that and it went very quickly. Kansas City barbecue is very good.”
(First, I wanted to tell you I was running yesterday and I listened to a song from 2 Chainz called One Day At A Time and I thought about you. I thought that would be a good song for you to put on your playlist because of the title.) – “I’ll write that down.”
(I actually do have a real question. We saw that QB Tua Tagovailoa shed that splint or the tape that he was wearing over the last week or so. How is he progressing and I guess it’s a good sign that he doesn’t need to wear that in practice anymore?) – “I think he’s feeling better from that standpoint. I think he’s got, like everyone else, bumps and bruises that he’s handled over the last few games that he’s been playing. But yeah, I think he’s feeling a little bit better as far as that particular – the hand – and I think he, like everyone else, is trying to prepare as best he can for a very, very, very strong opponent and a very good defense. They really do a lot of things from a disguise standpoint, from a front standpoint, from a coverage standpoint. He shed the whatever he had on his hand, but he’s got other issues as far as dealing with the Chiefs, so that’s kind of where his focus is and our focus is.”
(I was curious, you guys have a lot of championship pedigree on your roster. You have players that won championships in college, certainly in the NFL How do you look for that sort of personality? Do they have to be a winner in the past for you to even consider them a champion or can you sense those things going in? And how much can that pay off in huge games like you have now?) – “I don’t think really any of that – anything that’s happened in the past – really matters right now. Those are different teams, different years, people change over time for a myriad of reasons – on the field, off the field. Every team, every year is a little bit different, so college, pros, different teams; I guess I don’t look too much into that. I’m just focused on this particular team, this particular week against this particular opponent. I don’t think really much of that is – I don’t think it has much to do with this week. So I like the guys we have here. They’re tough, they’re competitive, they’re smart. Football is really important to them. They’re team-first. If you want to take those qualities and put a label on that, then to me that’s just what we’re looking for in a Dolphin.”
(I know we talked a lot about the pressure that you guys bring on the defense, but I guess I was looking and the Chiefs bring a lot of pressure as well. How do you prep the o-line and QB Tua Tagovailoa for that, knowing they’ll probably bring more against a young o-line and a young quarterback?) – “I know people talk extensively about the offense, but this defense and special teams is – they’re for real. I don’t think they get enough credit. This is a, I would say, top-level defense from my standpoint. I think ‘Spags’ (Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) does a great job. I think those two safeties are very good – really three safeties including (Juan) Thornhill. The corners are very good in press and man coverage, and obviously we know about Frank Clark and Chris Jones and (Anthony) Hitchens makes a lot of tackles. This is a good team, so this will be a tough – and they bring pressure. They bring pressure from a lot of areas like you mentioned. I didn’t mean to kind of go off on a tangent there, but the corners blitz, the backers blitz, the ends drop; they’ve got guys coming from all over the place. They do a good job of disguising. Yeah, this is a good group. This is a very good group.”
(Back in August, we talked about the offensive line makeup – how there was so much turnover. To be able to go back to that topic, what’s it been like having an G Ereck Flowers, a G/T Jesse Davis, a C Teddy Karras in the room to be able to kind of limit that rookie curve with those three primarily hoping to be options for you guys moving forward, in terms of the three rookies?) – “I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) did a really nice job – Chris, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), the personnel staff – as far as having a feeling that we were going to have some young players and then bringing in some veteran players to help those young players along. So we had Jesse (Davis), we brought in Ted (Karras) and Ereck (Flowers) and I think those guys have really brought some leadership and good play to our offensive line and really helped these young guys along. We feel good about the entire group and hopefully we just continue to improve and get better. This week is challenging as a week as we’ve had all year, just from an opponent standpoint specific to players – individual players, but also an overall team defense that really communicates well, really disguises well, really gives you different looks in the back end but also different looks in the front. There’s a lot of, let’s call it … movement up front, so they really make you work from a communication standpoint across the board. That’s what good defenses do, and ‘Spags’ (Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) has done a great job. ‘B.D.’ (Chiefs Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line) Brendan Daly has done a really nice job. This will be definitely a tough test for our o-line, but really our entire offense.”
(I saw something on social media about a relief effort in Honduras with the Honduran Consulate. How’d that come about and can you give us a little bit more detail on that?) – “I think we talked about this a couple weeks ago as far as some hurricane relief for the people down in Honduras, so we just worked with (Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs) Jason Jenkins and our community relations (staff) and got in touch with the consulate from Honduras and put some – with help from Publix – put some packages together and with Spirit Airlines, we a flew a plane down there and just gave them some support, some things that they needed – a variety of things. They needed some support and we were happy to help and I just think about the family I have down there – aunts, uncles, my Tía Chola, my Tío Bocho, Tío Paulito – all my family down there. So I just think about them and to them, I just tell them I love them and I’m praying for them. Te quiero mucho (I love you so much) and we just try to keep supporting them.”
(I wanted to ask you a question about WR Lynn Bowden Jr. Obviously you guys have had him for a while and developed him for a while and he’s been behind in your stuff because he got here after the trade. What’s kind of holding him back from contributing more, especially since I know you generally give guys who perform well in practice that opportunity?) – “I think he contributed quite a bit last week. I think he had a run for a good chunk and a few passes. I thought he played well last week. I don’t think he’s really being held back. Maybe you see it differently. He had four or five catches last week, he had a run, made some blocks in the running game, so I think he’s really improving and getting better. His progress over the past three or four weeks has been good. Hopefully he continues to be productive and help us. I don’t think he’s being held back. I don’t really see that. If anything, he’s going the other way. Maybe you see it a little bit differently.”
(We saw on the wire that WR Isaiah Ford begun the COVID testing process with you guys. What was the thinking in bringing him back? Also, we saw Tight Ends Coach George Godsey working with QB Tua Tagovailoa again last week. Have you changed responsibilities at all for Godsey and Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown? I know Godsey was needed with the quarterbacks when Brown was out.) – “I wouldn’t go too deep into it. The game day process, I think we wanted to keep that the same after Robby’s situation. As a staff, we all work together. Robby is still with the quarterbacks, George works with the tight ends, George works with the – we all kind of work together. The quarterbacks coach really works with the quarterbacks specifically, but there is so much conversation between the backs, the quarterbacks, the receivers. It’s really pretty much intertwined. From a game day standpoint, we just wanted to keep that where it was. You mentioned Isaiah Ford. That’s really more of a Chris (Grier), (Assistant General Manager) Marvin (Allen), Brandon (Shore) question. I know we brought him in for a visit. We’ll just see where it goes. There are COVID protocols that we have to go through and then we’ll take it from there.”
Robert Hunt – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
G/T Robert Hunt
(Earlier before the season started, we talked to you a lot about coming in as a rookie class with T Austin Jackson and G Solomon Kindley. You guys were all on the field together as starters for the first time Sunday. What was that like kind of having your class all kind of reach the lineup at the same time?) – “We didn’t really talk about it, honestly. We just were fitting to play when our numbers were called and I think we were ready to step up to the challenge and try to execute the game plan. It wasn’t really too much thought or talked about. We just tried to execute the game plan once we learned that we were starting together.”
(I was wondering, did you know that was the first time – this past Sunday – that three rookie linemen had started together for the Dolphins? And knowing that, what did that mean and more so what did it mean for you guys to keep QB Tua Tagovailoa up, especially after two games where QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tagovailoa were hit a lot in the past two weeks?) – “I didn’t know about it until I saw it on Twitter of course, but I think it’s pretty cool. It’s an accomplishment that we can say that we accomplished in our career when we get on, so that will be fun to talk about. We’re just trying to do our jobs, no matter what week it is. We kind of did a little bit better, but we’ve got a lot of progress to make and got a lot of things to work on still. It felt good, I would say.”
(At the start of the third quarter in the last game, things seemed to really change. Everything got clicking and moving in the right direction. What were your observations? What did you sort of see and hear from QB Tua Tagovailoa heading into that good spurt there?) – “I wouldn’t say much, if anything. We all knew what we had to do, so we all were talking. We were like, ‘Let’s go!’ Picking each other up and just knowing that this was a game we had to win. We wanted to win and we all just picked each other up and had each other’s backs, and we started to execute a little bit.”
(I wanted to ask – is it Robert or Rob?) – “I go by Rob.”
(What is it going to be like to compensate for the loss of G Ereck Flowers this week and is this just yet another challenge for you guys?) – “I mean honestly, I think we’re all just ready to play. Whoever – we’ve got a lot of good guys in that room and I think we’ve got a lot of guys that can compete and if given the chance to step up, I think that’s been happening all year for guys to step up and get a chance to go in. Once we go in, I think we’re all on the same page and we’re all seeing the same things. That’s just a credit to the whole unit and the coaching staff.”
(I know it’s early in the week for Chiefs preparations but I wanted to get your initial take on the front line of the Chiefs with DE Tanoh Kpassagnon and DT Derrick Nnadi and DE Frank Clark and DT Chris Jones. What do they present as far as challenges to your offensive line?) – “They’re really good. They’re really good pass rushers. A lot of those guys are highly paid guys, guys that have been in the league for a while and very respected. We know that we have to prepare well and be on the same page. I think we’ll be just fine.”
(You guys ran a lot of that tempo in the second half. What do you like about that maybe as an offensive lineman and what does that do for you guys as an offense?) – “Honestly, it’s just the play call. I don’t mean no – it was kind of tempo but it was just the play call and we were trying to execute it. I feel like whatever play we get and whatever they call and tell us to do, if we can execute it in a high fashion, I think we’ll enjoy it because it’s fun to score points and it’s fun to move the ball and stuff like that.”
(What is QB Tua Tagovailoa driving and what kind of review do you give it?) – “He’s drive – I don’t know if I can tell this. Can I tell this? I don’t know if I can tell it. (laughter) He’s definitely driving a nice car. I’ll give it a – I mean I’m not really into cars, so I’m not really a big car guy. But I think a lot of guys would call the car a 10. Me? I wouldn’t care if I had it or not, but I think it’s a 10. (laughter)”
(More important question, can you fit into QB Tua Tagovailoa’s car?) – “I can fit into his car, yep. One of them. He’s got a couple, man. (laughter) I can fit into this one that I just saw him driving. I can definitely fit into that one.”
Tua Tagovailoa – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I wanted to give you an opportunity to shout out the offensive linemen, particularly the three rookies there. What did you think of the job they did and keeping you up this past Sunday, and I guess your thoughts on having three rookie offensive linemen there?) – “I think they were all chosen for a reason. I think the Miami Dolphins coaches, the GM (Chris Grier) and (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores, they made those decisions for a reason and I think they did a great job. Any time that you can come out of a game not getting sacked, I think that’s a really great job from the line up front. I think they’re all individually different. They’re all wired differently. They’re good at different things, but I think things are starting to come together for those guys up front. They’re starting to communicate a lot better, but it’s a day-to-day process with us offensively. We’ve just got to continue to work at what we need to to get the job the done and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(What comes to mind when you think of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes?) – “Same agent. (laughter) We’ve got the same agent. (laughter) But when you think of Patrick, you just think of someone who’s very explosive, a generational talent. He can do it all – on the run, in the pocket, look right, throw it behind his head (laughter) – whatever you want, that guy’s got it. So all the respect in the world from me to him.”
(You had a rough couple weeks between the Broncos game and then your injury and when we talked to you last week, you seemed a little down. Maybe you were just focused on the task at hand. How are you doing? How is your confidence? How is your outlook and what did you learn from the adversity you overcame the last couple of weeks?) – “Adversity has always been in my life from high school, college, the injuries and then also in the NFL. I think that’s just life. I think last week I was a little ‘down’ because of the way I practiced and it just wasn’t to the standard that I wanted to practice. You just learn from those things and like I said before, it’s a continuous learning process in the NFL. You learn day-to-day and week-to-week. There’s always something new to learn because defenses are not going to stay the same. They’re going to be different and then you also can expect some nuances coming into this game, too.”
(Do you enter this game kind of feeling the need to keep pace with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and I wanted to ask you about the red zone. Do you think some hurry-up or lining up quickly in the red zone could probably help you guys a little bit moving forward as well?) – “I think we’re going to need to execute every time we go out there offensively. I don’t think we need to do anything new. We’ve just got to go out there and have all 11 guys playing together and being on the same page, really. We’ve just got to be able to go out there and execute, do that and in the red area, I know (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) has something really good for us. But we’ve got to execute offensively. I believe we have the plays, just not executed the way we had done it in practice. It’s all about execution and you can only take it a play at a time and just don’t worry about anything else.”
(How much easier is your defense making your life with the way they’ve been playing?) – “I think the defense has a big part of our success as a team, too. They’ve done a tremendous job getting turnovers for us, putting us in great situations and then you also talk about our special teams. Our special teams does a great job of putting us in great situations and really it’s complementary football we’re playing out there. We’re just trying to play as a team and yeah, I’d say they definitely make it a lot easier for us.”
(I really appreciated that moment you had with G/T Robert Hunt earlier. It was good to see some laughter, some joy. It kind of reminded me of the locker room. I miss that. We’re not able to see a lot of those moments between the players that happen behind the scenes and I was thinking about how QB Ryan Fitzpatrick feels so comfortable in his assignment and his skin that he makes everyone around him feel comfortable. So my question is, in what ways are you feeling more comfortable? In what ways are you feeling more comfortable with your tasks and everything around you, having some starts under your belt and being near the end of your rookie season now?) – “I’d say I’m comfortable with what I’m given. Whatever plays that I’m given, I’m comfortable with them. Mind you, we talk about these things – me and (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) – we talk about what I like, talk about what I don’t like. I have as much input as anyone else does in our quarterback room and that’s what makes me that much comfortable to tell Chan, ‘hey, can we run this or can we not run this?’ So yeah, I would say I’m pretty comfortable with what I’m given.”
(A few minutes ago, we were talking with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and he was talking about some of the unconventional throws that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is able to pull off and he said something interesting about that. He saw it as something that would inspire other quarterbacks to try that and I’m wondering how confident are you in your ability to throw those sidearm throws and some of those others, and how would you feel about throwing passes with your right hand?) – “I’m not too sure. I don’t practice like any of those really. (laughter) So really, if I have to make a throw sidearm, then I guess that’s how it’ll happen in the game. Things just happen so fast in the game. You almost have no time to think; you’ve just got to react a lot of the times. But yeah, that’s what I have to say about that.”
(We talked I guess after the game about tempo and what you guys said there. I watched the game back and saw you guys did more empty formations as well. I’m curious what about those two packages make you comfortable as a quarterback – the tempo and the empty?) – “I think it helps just to kind of see the defense a little bit and see what the defense is going to give us – if they want to blitz or if they’re checking out of a blitz into coverage. I think that helps. I think that’s the biggest thing, really indicator formations.”
Jerome Baker – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
LB Jerome Baker
(I wanted to ask you about WR Tyreek Hill and the crossing routes that he often runs. How much are you going to have to keep an eye on him or keep an eye on whoever is on the slot, to slow them down as they are running across the field and maybe in your path?) – “It’s a constant communication thing as far as we just have to communicate it throughout the whole defense of whose where, do they have the potential to do a crossing route or whatever it is. It’s on a lot of us. We all have to alert each other and really hear each other and communicate well, and go from there really.”
(What was it like in the second half when CB Noah Igbinoghene got in the huddle more, filling in for CB Xavien Howard, and how happy were you of a teammate to see that he was able to pretty much hold it down, especially considering that he had some early struggles earlier in the season.) – “Yeah, we were definitely happy. At practice, he makes plays. He does the right things. He finally got his shot and we don’t expect a drop off. We definitely was all happy for him and we know he definitely can get the job done. We’re definitely happy that he got in and did what he had to do.”
(I don’t know if you can be a fan of players, but are you a fan of anything that Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes does?) – “Yeah, I’m definitely a fan. One thing that I’m a fan of is he’s unorthodox. He throws the ball different ways and he gets it out however he has to get it out. There’s no set way with him. He just gets the job done. He’s definitely fun to watch and I’m definitely excited for this Sunday to go up against him and basically have that challenge of slowing him down and slowing all the guys they have down. I’m definitely excited.”
(You guys have been successful being aggressive all year with your blitzes and whatnot. Can you still be that sort of defense against a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, and with all the skill guys they have on the other side?) – “I think that’s the challenge we’re going up against. You still want to be aggressive, but you can’t be too aggressive. That’s just the main challenge we have. We’re definitely going to see how everything shakes out. Ultimately, our defense is built on being aggressive, so we’re just going to wait until Sunday and see how it works out.”
(Looking back over some recent weeks, you guys have done a good job of limiting the opposing team’s leading receiver pretty much every week going back for several weeks now. What’s the key to taking away the offense’s best option?) –“Are you talking about in general or this week?”
(Let’s go with this week.) – “This week it’s all about playing team defense. We can’t rely on one person or two guys or whatever it is. You can’t just double somebody or do things like that. You also have to play together. You have to alert guys across the field. You have to communicate and play together as a defense. The d-Line has to go along with the coverage. It truly has to be a team defensive game. That’s the challenge we have and the one thing about us is we’re always excited for the challenge. We’re definitely excited to go out there and play together, and everything should work out.”
(What gives you that confidence knowing that your defense can go out and perform this Sunday? Where does it come from?) – “The work we put in this whole year. Whatever it is, if it’s Zoom meetings, if it’s on the field – if we put the work in, we truly believe in the guys we have. I think that’s the confidence we have. Our preparation and how we go about doing things, it gives us the confidence. We definitely should be fine. We just have to play together and it all should work out.”
(Going up against QB Tua Tagovailoa, whenever you guys have the hurry-up offense in practice, how do you think that’s going to help you guys prepare for the Chiefs? They have that as a big aspect of their game as well.) – “It’s definitely going to help. We’ve been practicing that quite a few times throughout the year. It’s definitely going to help us; but the main thing is we have to communicate, get ready, get set fast. You can’t just mosey around and just think everything is going to happen. You really have be intentional with what you have to do, communicate fast and ultimately get the job done. We’ve been doing it all year. We have a little experience doing it, so we should be all right.”
(You get a little bit of tight end work too – not a lot, but a little bit. How confident are you guys in what S Eric Rowe has done and contributed this year in terms of tight end coverage?) – “We’re very confident. He’s been proving it week in and week out. We’re definitely confident in him. We’re going to ask him to do a number of things. We’re definitely excited. We definitely believe in him. Ultimately it’s going to be a great challenge for him Sunday.”
(You mentioned challenge. I guess since Week 5, the Chiefs have had the No. 1 scoring offense, and you guys have had the No. 1 scoring defense. It’s sort of good against good. Do you guys look at this as some sort of respect game? A way to show that you guys are for real against the reigning champs?) – “I think the one thing unique about us is this game is a great challenge in the sense of we’re going to see – we’re going to play our best football and they are going to play their best football. Two good teams are going to go at it and truly just go at it with each other. They are coming down to us. We pride ourselves on protecting our home. Ultimately, it’s going to be a great, great game. The atmosphere is going to be there. It’s just a chance for us to go out and play some meaningful football. I think that’s the main thing for us. We’re just excited to go out there and play some games that truly mean something and go out there and have fun with each other.”
