DeVante Parker – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
WR DeVante Parker
(We haven’t talked to you since the last game. Take me through your emotions of what happened in that fourth quarter skirmish and what you were trying to do standing up for WR Jakeem Grant?) – “I saw the same guy hit him twice. I saw ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) go out there, so I just went out there. Then some guys started swinging. I was just trying to have my teammates’ back. That’s it. That’s all it is. We’re a brotherhood; we’re a family. You have to look out for your teammates.”
(I saw the Adam Schefter tweet with the kid wearing the Uncle Vante hospital gown. I wanted to ask you how did that come about and how you got involved with the Starlight Children’s Foundation?) – “We wanted to try to do something with them this year. So I was able to do that. I wasn’t able to talk to the kids but I was able to waive at them through the window. It was a good experience, giving back to the community. I’m looking forward to doing more of that with them.”
(Do you anticipate any repercussions coming down for you? Have you heard about a fine or anything?) – “Yeah, I’ve heard I’ll probably get a fine for it. It’s probably in the locker room waiting for me but I haven’t been in the locker room yet, so I’m not sure.”
(The Chiefs, everybody knows how much of a high-scoring offense they are. How confident are you that this team can put up the points that they need to keep pace?) – “We just have to execute our plays. Just take one play at a time. We don’t need to go for the big play all at once, if we can keep the driving moving. We take it one play at a time, that’s all.”
(It seems like your timing and chemistry with QB Tua Tagovaoloa has improved over the last few weeks. What do you attribute that to, and how do you anticipate that going from here on out?) – “I would attribute that to staying after practice and getting throws with him, getting catches in with him after practice. It’s just something that we have to continue doing.”
(You talk about the Chiefs. Obviously it’s no secret that they are the champs. Is there any extra motivation to prove you guys are for real with this type of opponent?) – “We don’t need any extra motivation. We just go out there and take it one play at a time. Just go out there and execute what we have to do.”
Brian Flores – December 9, 2020 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Kansas City Media
(I want to take you back to your time in New England in 2018. Obviously you got a chance to see Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in his MVP season; but I’m curious, now that you look at the tape two years later after the fact, what are some of the small things that you see that he’s doing differently compared to 2018?) – “Obviously that was an MVP season for him, so he was doing a lot of good things, a lot of things very well that year; but I think you see a lot of growth from him, even more command of the offense, more confidence, more – to say he’s more accurate is – but he is. I think that’s in part due to even a raised level of confidence. You see a more mature player, which makes sense as well. He’s very well-coached and he does a great job. (Offensive Coordinator) Eric Bieniemy does a great job and he’s got a lot of skill players and he does a good job of spreading the ball around and making sure – taking what the defense gives him, going after big plays, hitting them and just running that offense at a very, very high level.”
(As somebody who has come from the Patriots, you’re used to the job of defending a Super Bowl championship. What are some of the things – the challenges – for a team in that situation like the Chiefs are in this year?) – “I’m not sure if that’s kind of the mindset for those guys, as far as defending last year. I think they take a one-game-at-a-time approach. I think they deal with what’s right in front of them. I think that’s the approach. I think it’s about executing in practice and in meetings and walkthrough and executing at practice. They play as if that’s how they go about their business from an execution standpoint. I think they just deal with what’s in front of them and take it one day at a time and one game at a time. I believe that that’s how they’re handling their business. It certainly looks that way.”
(You’ve been around and seen some high-quality tight ends in your time. With the level that Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is playing at right now, what’s the approach? How do you handle a guy like that who seems to be playing at the best level of his career right now?) – “Yeah, this is an elite-level player in this league. Good in the pass game, good in the run game. They move him around and he goes up and makes very good catches, very good (yards) after the catch. Again, this is an elite player in the league and it’ll be a tough challenge for us from a matchup standpoint, from do you man (coverage) it, do you zone (coverage) it? Very good players, well-coached and obviously he has a great rapport with the quarterback, so it’ll be a tough challenge for us.”
(You’ve got a pretty good tight end down there in Miami as well with TE Mike Gesicki. How much film does he watch of Chiefs TE Travis Kelce or even some of the other tight ends in the league to help his growth?) – “Yeah, Mike (Gesicki) watches – I think he watches a lot of the tight ends – the good tight ends in the league, Kelce being one of them. Mike is improving, getting better on a weekly basis and I’ve watched him develop a lot over the last couple years and hopefully he continues to develop. Obviously he’s got a great challenge with the Chiefs defense this week. I think there are some guys on there – Daniel Sorensen, obviously (Tyrann) Mathieu, (Frank) Clark, (Chris) Jones – I think they’ve got a very good defense. They’re well-coached with ‘Spags’ (Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) there. My guy (Chiefs Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line) Brendan Daly, who is probably one of my closest friends in the coaching business, is there, and he does a great job. They’re a great staff from that standpoint. I’m sure I’ll certainly be saying my hellos to Andy (Reid) and Eric Bieniemy and Brendan and ‘Spags’ and Merritt (Chiefs Defensive Backs Coach Dave Merritt). So they’ve got a good staff and you can see kind of the tenacity and the toughness and the competitiveness that I know a lot of the guys on that staff, you see that kind of manifest itself through the way they play. It’ll definitely be a challenge for us.”
(Here in Kansas City, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes got to sit for a whole year and kind of watch and learn before he had to start and now your guy, QB Tua Tagovailoa, got to sit for about a half a year. What’s his growth been like? Have you seen him – he’s taken a few lumps here and there – but has he continued to show you what you want as the season has gone along?) – “Yeah, I think Tua has improved on a weekly basis, like all over our rookies have. We’re playing a good amount of rookies this year; but to me, every experience you get on the field is a good one. I think he’s kind of learning on the fly how to be a professional in this league (and) the things you’ve got to do in meetings and walkthrough and practice, to have success in games. I think he’s improving every day, getting better and hopefully we just continue to get better. We are about developing players here – not just at the quarterback position, but we’ve got a handful of rookies that are playing a good amount of snaps. Tua is just one of that group and I know the quarterback position is a big one that everyone talks about, but I think he’s doing a good job.”
(Following up on that last question, have you learned anything about QB Tua Tagovailoa in the five, six games, whatever it’s been since he’s been your starter?) – “Yeah, I’ve learned a lot about him and I think it just reinforces a lot of things we thought about him when we selected him. He’s tough, he’s resilient, he’s accurate throwing the football, and I think he’s an improving player. We’ll just continue to coach him, help him grow.”
(From your point of view, obviously there’s a lot going on with the 2020 year and also the 2020 season. What’s been the biggest challenge for you as we get near the end of the regular season, to keep your players diligent and not get complacent with COVID protocols?) – “The biggest challenge, I think every team deals with adversity in some form or fashion. I think we’re all – the entire league is under the same protocol – so it’s hard to call it a ‘challenge.’ I think these are just things we deal with. I think you deal with injuries every year. I think you deal with matchups every year – offensively, defensively. If I had to point to one thing – it’s hard to point to one thing, to be honest with you. Hopefully our team doesn’t sit there and say ‘this is the biggest challenge.’ It’s just, another challenge and we try to do our best to deal with it and overcome it. And that’s been the case this year given the pandemic, given trying to play football through it and I think our guys have really worked hard to give ourselves a chance to work through it and hopefully we continue to do so. That starts definitely this week.”
(How’s the confidence level of your team grown? You lost three of the first four and you kind of got on that roll. Have you seen that grow as the entire team – even with a quarterback change kind of back and forth in the middle of it? Have you guys really kind of gotten that confidence going as the season has gone along and how do you feel as you push towards the playoffs?) – “I think we’ve got a group of guys that enjoy playing with one another, that support each other, that fight for each other and football is important to them. They’re all tough, competitive guys. This is a scrappy team and it’s really important to them. I think as you grow, I think they’re confident in one another and they know that we’re going to go out there and compete. It’s a tough group.”
(You go back to the Chiefs game on Sunday night against Denver and the one touchdown they got came on a free play where the Broncos jumped offsides and QB Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass. He looks like he’s got a knack for those kind of situations. He’s done that thing a few times. Is he about as good as you’ve seen in that area? Have you seen guys who are better than him and what’s your advice to your guys as you prepare to play for him in those situations?) – “Look, this is a great quarterback. You put him up there with the other guys you’ve seen do something similar – the Aaron Rodgers, the Mannings, the Bradys. He’s an elite quarterback. I think that goes without saying. So it’ll be an incredible challenge for us. If you make a mistake, he’s going to make you pay for it; and he’s got a lot of guys on his side of the ball that help him make you pay for it. We’ve got to do a great job across the board and I think if you watch enough of this group. teams try basically everything and at the end of the day, you’ve just got to play smart, disciplined football (with) good fundamentals and let the chips fall where they fall.”
Brian Flores – December 9, 2020
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Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I’m sure the Chiefs are no different than any other team in how they like to move around their receiving pieces on the line. How critical is it for you guys on the back end and the secondary to have that communication and make sure you have the matchups you want, whenever those guys…) – “Yeah, I think like every week, communication is vital, especially against a team like this with so many explosive weapons. (They have) a great quarterback and a great play-caller, so we’re going to have to do a good job on the back end, but also really across the board defensively. This will take a total team effort. Everyone has to handle their responsibility and communicate just to give ourselves a chance. This is as explosive a team as there is in the league, as you all know. We’re going to have to do a good job across the board.”
(Over the years, there’s a lot more great receivers than tight ends. When you have a great tight end, it seems like there’s a lot of things you can do with that. A guy like TE Travis Kelce, what does having a guy who can do the things he can do at the tight end position, specifically what challenges does that create?) – “Well, when you have an elite player like that, you have to pay close attention to him. When he’s in the tight end position and he’s in the middle of the field – they do a good job of flexing him out, they move him around a lot, so you have to pay close attention to him. You have to try not to have a bad matchup with him because if you do, obviously (Patrick) Mahomes is going to get it to him. It creates a lot of issues and oftentimes, you’ve got to double the guy. But when you double him and they’ve got guys on the perimeter, then those guys get singled. So it presents a lot of issues. I think oftentimes you’re looking at him and then they stick a run in there, and they get yardage in the run game because of that as well. He’s a dynamic player. He’s one of many on their offense and defense. Let’s not forget about this defense either. They’ve got some explosive players there too – guys who can ruin a game. They’ve got a good team.”
(You guys have been aggressive this year attacking offenses and having some success. Is that something you can continue against QB Patrick Mahomes? Or how much does he change what you do as far as your blitz packages and whatnot?) – “Look, they’ve got a lot of explosive players. We always want to be aggressive. The game is aggressive. It’s an aggressive game. We want to call it aggressively. We want to call it aggressively in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams – and they’re no different. They try to apply pressure really in all three phases, as well. I think (Head Coach) Andy (Reid), (Offensive Coordinator) Eric (Bieniemy) – I would say these are two of the best guys in the league. They do a great job. ‘Spags’ (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) does a great job on defense. (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Toub does a great job in the kicking game. They’ve got a great staff and very good players. Like every game plan, there’s a mix of things you want to do. Every team’s got it. Every team’s got blitzes, every team’s got pressures, every team’s got coverages. So we’ll see how the game unfolds. We’ll have a plan going in. Oftentimes that plan has to be adjusted. That’s another thing about this group. Andy and ‘Spags’ do a great job – and Eric – they do a great job of making adjustments in-game, so it will be a great challenge.”
(With G Solomon Kindley, being able to move him from right to left guard there when G Ereck Flowers got injured this past game, how does that interchangeability help you and just engaging the assessment and performance of specifically the three rookies, making history and being able to play there. Just revisit that one more time.) – “It’s always nice to have – you need position versatility, really across the board and specifically at the offensive line (positions). We can only bring eight to the game, so if you want to play the top guys, a guy that can go from right to left or guard to center or right tackle to left tackle, as Jesse (Davis) has done, right tackle to guard, or tackle to guard, that flexibility is very important. It gives us a few options. But yeah, those three young guys, I think they’ve improved on a weekly basis. They’re a very challenging opponent this week against this group. Again, Frank Clark and (Chris) Jones, they’ve got a very good group here. It will be a tough challenge. We’ve got to prepare well this week.”
(What are the challenges and potential benefits of going no-huddle with a young quarterback?) – “Again, every week is different. The challenges – look, this is a very good defense. They do a good job of disguising. They do a good job with the rush. They do a good job in the run game. No-huddle, that’s kind of the big thing that everyone’s talking about right now but I think we’ve just got to do a good job of executing. You can no-huddle, you can huddle, you can do whatever you want but if you don’t execute, none of it works. I think this idea of no-huddle is kind of a fancy word right now for us but you can no-huddle and you have to execute. I don’t have much more to add to that except if we don’t execute, we can no-huddle and not execute and we’re off the field quicker. We just have to execute – no-huddle and when we go in the huddle.”
(I’m curious your thoughts on how QB Tua Tagovailoa responded over the past week or week and a half to the benching, to the injury. At what point last week did you have a good sense that he’d be able to play and did he show you something with his resiliency of how he bounced back after a rough couple of weeks?) – “I’ve been talking about his resiliency for weeks. Nobody’s listening. (laughter) Look, this is a tough kid. He knows how to deal with adversity. I’ve said this for multiple weeks. He’s like any player. He’ll have ups and downs in this league. Anybody who is involved in this league, that’s how it is. It’s not surprising that he can deal with adversity or has a resilient attitude. That’s kind of how he is, who he is. I think he’s done a good job from that standpoint.”
(In 2018, you faced the Chiefs and had two pretty epic games. The 43-40 regular-season game and then the AFC Championship game where you held them scoreless for a half. What have you seen in QB Patrick Mahomes and just kind of the team, in general, evolve since then? And what do you remember about those games?) – “I remember it was hard to stop them. It’s still hard to stop them. It’s probably harder to stop them now. I think this is a – I think Andy (Reid) and (General Manager Brett) Veach, they’ve done a really good job of building this team. My buddy (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) Ryan Poles is in the scouting department, my B.C. (Boston College) guy. Ryan Poles is in the scouting department there, so I’ll give him a shout out. They’ve got a lot of great guys over there. (Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line) Brendan Daly, I would say is one of my closest friends in the coaching business. He’s their run game coordinator and a fantastic coach. (Eric) Bieniemy. When you talk about kind of seeing a team evolve, they’ve got a little bit of a killer instinct. (Patrick) Mahomes has got it. (Travis) Kelce has got it. (Tyrann) Mathieu defensively. (Chris) Jones. When they smell blood in the water, they go after you. I think that’s – I see Bieniemy there, I see Andy (Reid) there, I see B.D. (Brendan Daly) as part of that. ‘Spags’ (Steve Spagnuolo) obviously. They’ve got a really good staff. I know they’re coaching those guys hard and their players respond. Yeah, you’ve seen a lot of growth obviously since the last time I was on the field coaching against this group. They’re better. They’re confident. They play hard. They execute. They’ve got good coaches. If E.B. (Eric Bieniemy) is not a head coach here soon, something is wrong. It’s a good team. It’s a great challenge for us and we’re going to have to prepare and practice well this week, and play a competitive ballgame.”
(Do you have any kind of update on WR Preston Williams you can share with us?) – “Preston is obviously dealing with a foot (injury), and we’re coming towards the end of the season here. We’ll see. We’ll see if we can get him back. He’s doing everything he can from a rehab standpoint. We’ll see.”
(Us outside of the building have fun with this matchup, figuring out whose on WR Tyreek Hill, whose on TE Travis Kelce. I’m sure you guys have those conversations. Maybe not as fun. I don’t want your game plan, but what goes into that decision of which corner to have on this guy or how to handle Kelce? How do you go about that in a particular week?) – “Hill or Kelce? Because you said both guys?”
(I guess both, but maybe WR Tyreek Hill since we talked about TE Travis Kelce earlier.) – “Who are you going to put on (Sammy) Watkins? Who are you going to put on Mecole (Hardman)? Who are you going to put on (Demarcus) Robinson. We’ve got to handle the backs too. (Clyde) Edwards-Helaire is a good back. Le’Veon Bell isn’t a slouch either. I wish we could have 14 defenders. That would be nice. They are hard conversations. Do we man them? Do we zone them? Do we blitz them? Andy (Reid) has every play in the history of the National Football League. They run option, they run RPOs (run-pass options), they missile motion you. It’s not going to be easy. You guys can have fun with that. We’ll do our best to try to get them covered and get them matched up. I know that doesn’t answer your question; but I think ultimately, we have to do a good job of communication, we’ve got to get lined up, we’ve got to play a disciplined football game, defend the deep part of the field and force them to execute, which they do a good job of executing. Not give up anything easy.”
Anthony Campanile – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile
(Yesterday, S Eric Rowe talked a little about the calming presence of having LB Kyle Van Noy on the defense because he can effectively and confidently make the checks pre-snap. I was just hoping to get your thoughts on that and maybe talk about kind of the hidden value that presence provides.) – “I think that’s always extremely valuable when you have somebody who knows the system as well as Kyle (Van Noy) does and is as conscientious and works that hard at it throughout the week, based on what we’re trying to do with checks and stuff like that within the system. I think he does a great job with that and I would agree with Eric (Rowe), I think he’s a big help for everybody when he’s on the field.”
(One of your boys was saying that I messed up, that I didn’t ask you about your hair gel.) – “Ah, you know what, I’m more of a spray guy, though. (laughter) I’m more of a spray guy. I’ve got massive amounts of spray in my hair every day. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you – I’m asking all the defensive coaches – obviously the Chiefs are very, very talented as we all know, but what are some things that let you know that your guys on the defense have a chance to slow them down on Sunday?) – “I think we just have to do our part and focus on ourselves and play our best game like we talk about doing every week. That’s always been ‘Coach Flo’s’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) message, and I think he’s done a great job with that with our guys, just trying to get better and better every week. Each week, when you have a new challenge and every team has different personnel, you try to get the best plan together and the players have got to do their best to execute that plan. That’s honestly what we’re working on right now and what we’re excited to get working on with the players when they get back to the facility. It certainly presents a big challenge.”
(There were a couple games recently where we asked you about when LB Jerome Baker’s snaps were in the 20s. That changed last week. It was back to where he typically is. Did you and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Head Coach Brian Flores have any discussion about we need to make sure he’s on the field a lot? Was that any talk you had, and do you feel like he needs to be on the field a lot more with what he brings?) – “I think any time he’s out on the field like I’ve said to you before, I feel great. I think he’s done a great job for us – all the snaps that he’s been in and I talked about this a couple weeks ago, each game plan is different and then you just try to match up the personnel that’s out on the field. I think they did a really good job the other day. I thought the same thing in the game up in Jersey when we played the Jets. That’s really just – it’s basically the same answer I gave you two weeks ago, but he’s done a great job with the reps we give him and it’s usually just always based on what we’re seeing in that game.”
(I’m curious, obviously you spent a lot of time coaching in the collegiate ranks. Is there anything that you’ve seen from coaching in college that could maybe be implemented more, in your opinion, in the NFL?) – “I just think offensively, a lot of the college concepts are trickling into the NFL and they have been for years now. I think guys are always bringing ideas and you’re always kind of talking about those things because what you see on Saturday – like I said – is starting to creep into everybody’s game plan offensively on Sunday. And the more – we have so many great minds in this room, this defensive room – guys have some great ideas and guys have been a bunch of different places whether it’s (Defensive Backs Coach) Gerald Alexander or (Defensive Line Coach) Marion Hobby or (Outside Linebackers Coach) Austin Clark. You go down the list – Coach Boyer, Coach Flores; so we’re always kind of discussing ideas and every week, like I said, people have some great offensive game plans – certainly in this league – and they’re implementing some of the college stuff and it makes you work. It makes you gather ideas and discuss all that stuff.”
Gerald Alexander – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander
(I’m curious, do you guys have like a trophy or something waiting for CB Xavien Howard if he breaks the team record in interceptions?) – “I don’t know about all that, but I would love for him to just continue to do the special things that he’s been doing this season as far as getting his hands on the football. One of the things that he does so well is put himself in position to give himself that opportunity when they try him. We always talk about when technique and opportunity meet, that’s when splash plays happen. He’s having a special year and we need him to continue to play at this high level that he’s been playing all season.”
(You might have heard the end, but I asked Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark and Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile about being collegiate coaches going into the NFL. I’m curious from your perspective, as you see maybe the offenses evolve more to collegiate, how does your experience in the college level maybe help you teach some of these players how to stop these offenses?) – “To be honest with you, I think that my path – and I can’t be thankful enough for the people that have kind of helped me into this coaching profession. Going through the college ranks and being with some of the individuals that I got a chance to work with, I believe gave me a great foundation to be prepared to have the opportunity to do what I’m doing here now. That’s kind of the way the game has really kind of filtered up. Seeing some of these pre-snap across motions, missile motions, orbit motions and the things that Kansas City is doing and the things we saw against the Rams and just the way that football is right now, it’s kind of reflecting the collegiate game. It’s giving me a great understanding and a foundation to be able to do what I need to do now and that’s teaching these guys how to defend these particular attacks and putting our players in the best positions possible to have success on Sunday. I can’t thank the people enough to put me in this position.”
(Kind of continuing that theme of I guess learning as a coach, I wanted to ask about CB Byron Jones because every time we get him on, he’s so articulate and well-thought-out in his responses. I know you’re very in-tune to the process of learning and finetuning your craft. I’m wondering how Byron’s ability to both process and communicate has helped you grow as a coach and then obviously the ultimate impact that has on the defensive back room as a whole.) – “Byron (Jones) is a very, very smart player. I think that from myself to Byron to (Coaching Assistant) Charles Burks, who works with the corners as well, all of us in the secondary really kind of challenge one another and being able to, especially for us as coaches, to be great teachers and give these guys the valuable information and the useful information that they can apply on a game day or a specific rep to put themselves in positions to make plays. I think that that’s kind of led to the success that we’ve had as a secondary and as a defense, and that work is only going to continue to ramp itself up, starting with this week and really when you get into the month of December. They remember December and we’re just doing everything we can as coaches, as a secondary, as a crew, to put ourselves in the best positions possible for Sundays.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Noah Igbinoghene. What are some things that he has improved on since he got a chance to play earlier in the season and how did you see that translate to the field in the second half?) – “Noah (Igbinoghene) has done a really good job. Noah is in a very unique situation; he’s a high-round draft guy playing behind two of the more elite corners that are in the National Football League, that are playing at a high level. So he’s able to really kind of lock in and get valuable practice reps. I think the things that he’s improved on over the course of the season is, especially as a corner, is just his foot work. This is still a guy who was a very athletic prospect coming in, but doesn’t really have a lot of the banked reps as a corner as a guy that’s asked to play at this level right now. Something as small fundamentally as his patience and his footwork at the line of scrimmage, which he works diligently on every single day and being able to take practice reps against DeVante (Parker) and Jakeem (Grant) and all that stuff. So when he gets thrust into action like he was on Sunday, those are the things that he’s been working on. It’s been a long time since that Buffalo Bills game, but now he’s kind of worked himself into continuing to develop as we had planned for him all along. This guy was always going to be a developing prospect with great skill.”
(Obviously the Chiefs bring what they bring to the table on an offensive standpoint. I wanted to ask you, what are some things that you’re confident about on the defense that lets you know you guys have a chance to slow them down on Sunday?) – “For us, we’ve just got to play our brand of football and obviously this is a very talented offense, really on all levels, whether you start with the quarterback, the tight end, the elite speed of the receivers. We understand the challenge that is being presented when you have the reigning Super Bowl champions coming into town; but we love the fact that we have the guys that we have. We like our matchups. We like our secondary and what our defense has done throughout the course of the season, which doesn’t guarantee any success on Sunday, so we know that this week is a great week to work and get familiar with these guys and know what they’re trying to do and how they’re going to attack us; and on the flip side, how we can attack them and how we can take advantage of maybe some things that we feel like that are strengths on our part, and we like our matchups there. So we know we have a lot of work to do between now and Sunday when we kick off, and I think that everybody in the building is very excited for the challenge that this Sunday presents.”
(I wanted to ask you about Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill. When you have a guy that moves around so much pre-snap and in the formation and you definitely have to give him extra attention, probably double cover, how difficult is it and can it lead to breakdowns when he’s just everywhere?) – “I think really to be honest with you, with a guy like that who’s an explosive target who moves all around, I think it really challenges your communication and where guys need to be and having an understanding of where he is. Maybe one movement in and out of motion across the formation can maybe change a matchup or change a call or change a rotation or something like that. I think that’s where you could really – you’ve really got to lock in throughout the week and that’s where the hard work of figuring out where he’s going to be, how is he going to line up, how are they going to move him and how does that directly affect us? And making sure that regardless of where he’s going to be located pre- or post-snap, that all 11 individuals on defense have an understanding of where they’re supposed to be and how this puzzle is supposed to fit. Again, it’s just another challenging thing that we have as a secondary, we have as a defense, and obviously there’s other guys that move around. There’s (Mecole) Hardman who also presents the same elite speed that Tyreek presents, and we know that blade of grass will be attacked with ‘15’ (Patrick Mahomes) at the point of the engine that drives the car, so we look forward to it.”
Austin Clark – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Outside Linebackers Coach Austin Clark
(We know how great the Chiefs and their personnel are, but what are some things that make you believe that you guys and your personnel have a chance to slow them down on Sunday?) – “The Chiefs are a great team, obviously. The quarterback, receivers, running back – you look all over the place and they’ve got great players. We’re looking forward to the challenge but we’re just focused on getting better today. I think the guys are doing a heck of a job playing hard, trusting the process, believing in the game plan, and playing for each other, and I’m excited about getting on the field tomorrow with them.”
(You’ve obviously spent a lot of time coaching in the college ranks. When you see the offense evolving to more collegiate stuff in the NFL, how does what you bring from the college ranks kind of influence what your teaching style is for these NFL players?) – “I would say there is a lot of different – I actually caught the tail end of ‘Camp’s’ (Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile) answer, so I know you’re going to be like, ‘man, he’s saying the same stuff’ – but I’ll tell you what, I’ve picked up personally a lot of stuff from some of the other college coaches that are on our staff, which is pretty cool. Also, I think there is an element of us as college coaches in what ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) have done for so long on defense, being able to learn from. The other thing is having young players that have come in and we’re asking them to do maybe some things similar to what they did in college, which I think is awesome. We’re looking forward to the challenge this week.”
(One of the things I really enjoy about watching this Dolphins defense is kind of playing like ‘Where is Waldo,’ when you guess line up pre-snap. I’m curious, the value of having guys like a LB Kyle Van Noy or LB Jerome Baker, that can both line up in those A gaps or rush from the outside. What does that do for you guys as a defense to have that versatility at that position?) – “I think that kind of goes across the whole defense, to be honest with you, in terms of guys that are selfless. It may be their week to make the play, or maybe the scheme calls for them to take on a double team. I think it’s a credit to those guys and how selfless they are within the scheme. It allows Josh (Boyer) to call different things and be multiple and versatile. Like I said, I’m excited for Sunday.”
(With LB Kyle Van Noy specifically, how much of a luxury is it to have a linebacker of that quality who can rush the passer, go out in coverage, and is it fun for you Linebackers Coach Anthony Campanile and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer to decide how he’s going to be used that week because of his diverse skillset?) – “I would say that the guy is a hell of a player. I think he’s getting better each week. I think his experience within the scheme is a huge benefit. I would say as coaches, the guy does stuff sometimes where you’re like, ‘man!’ The way he plays, his instincts are just as much of an asset as where he’s aligned. The guy makes big time plays in games and we’re lucky to have him, that’s for sure.”
Marion Hobby – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(We were talking to somebody earlier this week and they were talking about just the impact that DT Christian Wilkins has had since he’s come back. Oftentimes we, and outside people, look at stats and that sort of defines everything; but can you maybe take us into the impact he is making that may not be visibly seen in the stats for your defense?) – “One thing is if you’ve ever been around Christian before, you know his energy level is contagious. His personality is contagious. He leads by example on the field. He’s an unselfish football player. He doesn’t mind doing the dirty work inside. We’re just happy to have him back – we say meeting room, but on Zoom. We have him at practice. He brings a lot to the table.”
(I wanted to ask you about the combination of DT Raekwon Davis and DT Christian Wilkins. Obviously two young, talented players. From a standpoint of having defensive tackles with that skillset, is there anything you feel is unique about that combo that not every team has in terms of the skills those two former high-end college players bring?) – “I think them working to play together, trying to play as one. We always talk about everything starts inside out. If you’re not good inside, it’s hard to be good outside. I think those guys have taken a big-time pride in developing inside (and) working together. It’s been good to watch.”
(Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer was telling us a lot about WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce, obviously of course because of how talented they are. I wanted to ask you, what are some thine that you know about your defense and personnel that lets you know you guys definitely have a chance to slow them down a little bit on Sunday?) – “I think we have a confident group of men that we work with every day. I think they understand who they are going against this week, and I think they accept the challenge each week. I think we have some talent on our defense, as well. We always talk about playing as a team – offense, defense, and special teams. I think we’ve got some right pieces to the puzzle as well.”
(I also wanted to ask you about DE Jason Strowbridge. What does he do well at this point early in his career?) – “The times that he’s gotten into the game, he’s done good stuff in the run game. He hadn’t had that many opportunities in the pass game yet but, he’s very contentious. He comes to work every day. I think he’s got a little bit of both. He shows he can rush. He shows he can play the run. I think he’s excited about his opportunity. Getting more than two words out of him is probably the hardest thing, but he’ll work. (laughter)”
Danny Crossman – December 8, 2020
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Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(We always ask you about special teams plays that go right. I guess one didn’t go right the other day with the fake field goal touchdown negated by penalty. Can you explain to us what should’ve happened and what didn’t go right?) – “I think it’s quite simple. There is an emphasis since about the middle of last year on some broken formation reports and eligible. It’s a long list but the bottom line is we didn’t get done what we needed to get done. As always, that starts with me. We need to get better. When you get those opportunities, they don’t come along often and you’ve got to make sure you’re not beating yourself.”
(After that game, Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor had a pretty interesting quote I thought. He said ‘that is the No. 1 punt return unit in the league. He does not fare catch the ball,’ – referring to WR Jakeem Grant – ‘so you’ve got to put pressure on him.’ I’m wondering, obviously when two incidents like that happen to Jakeem, what was the message yesterday in film review and do you continue to push aggressiveness with him moving forward in terms of fielding the ball and utilizing that speed?) – “I think there is always a fine line. Yeah, we’re going to be aggressive; but we’re also trying to be smart and understand and manage the situation. Every punt is a different opportunity based on our look, their look, the punt. There are a lot of things that are involved in those decisions. The bottom line as a punt returner, the No. 1 job of that guy is making good decisions. We’ll just continue with our rules and how we want to play it, and make the right decisions hopefully each time.”
(Going back to that special teams play, you mentioned sort of a rule there. Is that a thing that’s sort of arbitrary where they call it or don’t call it? Or is that something where just the o-lineman made a mistake? I’m curious how that works?) – “It’s a little bit of a combination of a lot of things. Each crew is a little bit different in what they are looking for and what they feel they need. But if we’re doing everything like we should, it shouldn’t matter. We’ve just got to make sure we drill down and don’t out ourselves in a position where we are leaving it up to somebody else’s view of what’s happening.”
(Going back to WR Jakeem Grant and his punt return duties, don’t get me wrong, I totally find Jakeem blameless on what happened the other day, but do you think that he should fair catch more, for the sake of him staying alive? Would you like to see him fair catch more? What do you tell him about judging when to do it and when not to do it?) – “I think to answer your question, we have things that we tell them, and there are rules and different things that you give every player. At the end of the day, that’s why they are called players. It doesn’t happen on paper; it doesn’t happen in the meeting. It happens at full speed with live things coming at you, and the training of making those decisions. As I said, you want to be right on all of those decisions. Sometimes we may be wrong on some of those decisions. But we’ve just got to keep emphasizing what we are looking for and why. Then like anything, I don’t care what player it is – the punt returner, the quarterback, the left guard, the defensive end – on each play you have responsibilities and progressions, and our job as coaches is to give them all of the information and hopefully we make the right decisions in game time and game speed.”
(I know the league has gone through great lengths to make special teams safer, and kind of water it down in my opinion, for the players. But the two-yard window that these punt returners have, I don’t feel like it’s being honored this year. It especially wasn’t honored last week. Are they overlooking that? What happened to WR Jakeem Grant, that should kind of be an ejection, shouldn’t it?) – “Those things are way above my pay grade up in New York City, in terms of that stuff. It’s a bang, bang play. I think even those two plays were, to me, quite different. They were similar, but they were quite different in the timing and the spacing of it. It’s a tough deal. I don’t have a great answer for you. Yeah, I think the player’s safety should always be No. 1 at the top of anything – any rule and more importantly, how it’s judged on the field. But again, that’s not necessarily my department. We coach our guys on both sides of it of what the rules are and again, at game speed, everybody has to make those decisions.”
