Jakeem Grant – September 28, 2020
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Monday, September 28, 2020
WR Jakeem Grant
(I wanted to take it back to the end-around call. When Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and QB ‘Fitz’ Ryan Fitzpatrick – when you hear that number is being called, do you get excited? And obviously that is something I don’t think we’ve seen in the first three weeks. Just knowing that if they call that, you’re able to use your speed and agility to pick up almost 30 yards on that play?) – “Yeah, there was a sense of rush going through my body because I knew that the ball was coming to me, and the only thing I had to do was use my ability to make a play for the team, and that’s exactly what I did.”
(I was going to ask you something very similar to that. If you can describe the opportunity you get when you have an end-around like that, it seems you can really use your speed in the open field, maybe that much more than a typical reception? How do you feel?) – “To be honest, I really wasn’t running at full speed. I was just doing enough to get around the edge and as soon I saw the players overplay it, I was instantly looking for a cutback. I know coach always talks about this is a one-yard game. Every inch, every yard counts. I was just like ‘I’m not going out of bounds. I’m going to try my best to get into the end zone.’ That’s what I want to do. I didn’t end up getting in there, but I got us down to the goal line, so that was great.”
(Last year you were a part of the team and it took eight games and nine weeks for you guys to get your first win, and you were able to get one last week in Jacksonville. What can a win so early in the season really do for you guys going forward?) – “I would say it was a big motivation to the team. I always think of it as blood in the water as a shark. As soon as you smell that blood in the water from miles and miles away, all you want to do is go find, go hunt and go eat. I think that’s what it is for the team. We got that first win, that blood in the water and we smell it from a mile away. Now we’re just chasing down and trying to figure out what’s dying in the water and what prey we’re going to eat.”
(We asked you about the end-around. I wanted to get your thoughts on the reception you had. I’m curious to hear what that route is called. It looked like some kind of wheel or stop comeback route. What did you see on that play because it looked like you motioned over to where they really didn’t have anybody over there besides the one corner. Does your speed in that situation make you kind of w of a threat on that comeback? Also, the ability to get up after the catch on a player who is a rookie who didn’t touch you down. Just talk us through that play.) – “It’s an out and up, stop or whatever you want to call it. I knew that a lot of DBs – any time that I’m going on any type of vertical route, they’re basically going to haul ass and try to stay over the top of me. I just made it look like I was running as fast as I could and I just put on the breaks. The dude kept running for about probably three yards and I made the diving catch. I definitely couldn’t see the ball coming out of the break because of the lights. Then I was like ‘okay, there it is,’ so I dove for it. When he didn’t touch me and I fell on the ground, I was like – I didn’t feel him touch me so I got up. He probably thought – on film, when I watched it, he thought I dropped the ball. He started clapping like ‘yeah, he didn’t catch it.’ So I just got up and ran because I didn’t feel him touch me. I was like this can’t be right, he didn’t want to touch me. So I got up and ran for a couple more yards.”
(I want to get your thoughts on the season WR DeVante Parker is having. He’s obviously played through some pain with that hamstring injury and he’s shown up in a big way for this team. Have you seen a jump from him from even last year to this year?) – “Yeah. I just think that he’s going to continue to progress from last year. Yes, he’s been battling some things; but I feel like he’s one of the leaders in our receiver room and he’s going to continue to show guys that he’s unmatched and that he can go out there and have a big game at any moment.”
(I feel like WR DeVante Parker might owe you a check for that cartoon. Are you the inspiration for the other character in that?) – “He told me he was making a cartoon and it was based off of me and his relationship. No check. I don’t need it; but I appreciate him for just doing something based off of our friendship and our brotherhood.”
(I wanted to change the conversation to special teams and you as a returner. How do you feel like you’ve progressed this season? We were talking to Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman and he was saying that it’s tough for kick returners because a lot of them end up as touchbacks. How would you assess the few that you’ve been able to have this season?) – “I only got one kickoff return this season, which I took it out on my own. Yeah, a lot of teams have been kicking it over my head and not really giving me a chance. I understand. I get it. Definitely I’d say on the punt return note, I’m doing good at tracking the ball and setting up the team with good field position; but I still have a lot of room to go and I could do a lot of corrections and a lot of good things getting vertical a lot faster and setting the team up with good field position.”
(You said you understand why kickers are doing what they are doing. Do you want to send a message to them? Do you want to challenge them to give you a shot?) – “I’m always taunting them. Every kickoff return you probably see me back there. I’m always waving my hand and telling them to kick it to me. A lot of guys always run down and say ‘come on man, bring it out of the end zone.’ I’m like you’re kicking it nine (yards) deep. There’s only 10 yards in the end zone and you’re kicking it nine deep, there is no way I’m bringing it out. If you give me a chance, I’ll bring it out. Like I always tell them, if you kick it to me then you’ll see what happens.”
(You and TE Mike Gesicki are operating with a completely different set of tools. How do you rate him as a receiver? What’s your impression in the way he’s developed?) – “Oh man, Gesicki is an absolute beast. I never think of him as a tight end. I always tell him he’s an attached receiver. He’s been balling out of control. His route running and the way he can beat man coverage has been extraordinary. I just think his game is going to continue to elevate. He had a career high, not this week, but the week before. I just think that he’s hungry. He smells blood in the water and he’s ready to eat.”
Zach Sieler – September 28, 2020
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Monday, September 28, 2020
DT Zach Sieler
(I wanted to ask you about your good play the other day; but first I wanted to ask you about something that’s even more interesting. I noticed that you are the founder of Clay Gully Outfitters, Central Florida’s premier hunting facility for hogs and gators. I’ve seen some crazy photos. How do you catch an alligator?) – “(laughter) It’s a big process. We have guys that have hunted for 20-plus years now. They’ve got over 35 years of experience together, so we kind of met up – I’ve been hunting down here for a long, long time. (I have) family in the Central Florida area my whole life, so with that we kind of, between my first and second year, started this outfitters business and it’s been good for us. It’s a huge passion of mine, yeah.”
(So obviously you hunted the quarterback last week in the fourth quarter I think it was. How does hunting animals compare to hunting quarterbacks?) – “(laughter) I guess you get just as much of a thrill, I guess. It’s an experience for sure.”
(I kind of just wanted to ask a follow-up on the last question on the pass rush and hunting the quarterback. It felt like this past game was kind of the most complete performance in that regard and just how would you – looking at the tape – assess how the group did as a whole?) – “I think we definitely made a focus on it. We want to work to get to him and keep fresh guys in there and play the hot hand and really work as a whole, as a unit. You can’t just have a one-man show, so I think that was our real focus on the game coming in last week.”
(Just a quick follow-up, what kind of challenge does Seahawks QB Russell Wilson present this week?) – “Obviously he’s a great quarterback. It’s a great team and we’ve kind of got to take the same mindset where we play as a unit, know our passing lanes and try to get back to him without him running around too much.”
(Can I ask you what’s it like to be a young player – you came in and your first game here you had a tremendous amount of success. Then it’s kind of been weaned in terms how much you’ve played. What’s it like to be trying to earn playing time and trust with this coaching staff?) – “I went through this in college. I was a walk-on at a Division II (school). So my whole career – my whole life – has been kind of earn the trust and get those snaps. So for me, it’s just another day. I’m going to do my job every day, play to my full effort all the time and just when the opportunity comes, make the most of it.”
(My question kind of piggy backs off of the previous one. You didn’t get that many snaps in the first two games, so I wanted to ask you how difficult was it to not play that much those first two games and did you know coming into the game against Jacksonville that you would get a lot more playing time?) – “Obviously everyone wants to play – you want to play as many snaps as you can – but it’s going to be what’s best for the team. And this last game, same game plan we’ve had. We changed some things, whatever; but really it came down to just in the second half was just playing the hot hand and playing the players that were playing well kind of thing.”
(I noticed that they had you on the field with five minutes left. I don’t think the game was technically over at that point when you and DE Emmanuel Ogbah got together for the sack, if I remember correctly. With all those first-rounders in the room – the Lawsons, the Ogbahs, the Wilkinses – guys who have a different journey and a different path; did you think to yourself, “man, I’m on the field here in a critical spot in the game?” Was that something you processed?) – “My mindset since the beginning – since Day 1 playing football – has been I’m going to play my game, do what I can do and give full effort every single play. So I don’t like to look at ‘oh this guy or this guy’ kind of thing. I just do what I can control.”
(I wanted to talk about just you guys’ just collective team pass rush work. It seems like a lot of the effectiveness you guys get comes out of running games and you guys up front creating opportunities for second-level players and rushers. I’m just curious how that mindset works when it comes to like, “I’m going to the one that creates an opportunity for this player.” Is that something you see collectively throughout the course of the defensive room?) – “Oh, absolutely. We celebrate that kind of stuff. We want to be able to create opportunities for other players. It’s not what I did; it’s a team. Team. We just – we were able to set something up for him or like with ‘X’s’ (Xavien Howard) pick in the end. Stuff like that. We thoroughly enjoy watching everyone else succeed as well.”
(I’m back following up on the first question because you got me interested in hunting and alligator chasing. If my first time – maybe I don’t shoot rifles well – what do you recommend to somebody who wants to go catch something wild?) – “We do everything. It really depends on what you’re feeling. We’ve gotten multiple players out there coming to hunt with us. A lot of them have never shot a gun before. We really take you hands-on, show you how to shoot, all that kind of stuff. Our guys make sure of that. If you’re looking for a real thrill, alligators are pretty intense. It’s season right now, so we actually just killed two 10-footers and almost an 11-footer, one of them, this morning. So it’s a good time.”
(So I’ve got some gators out in my lake here in Parkland. I live right next to the Everglades. There’s a lot of gators next to the Everglades over here, but I know you have some up in Central Florida, too. If you were to bring two teammates with you to my house here in Parkland to snag some gators out of the lake who would you choose?) – “You know, a lot of guys ask me – they want to come out and they want to come and they want to try it. I know Kavon Frazier’s been interested. Byron Jones. I’m trying to get Christian (Wilkins) and (Davon) Godchaux out there, too. Honestly I love just taking whoever can because some guys have never been able to experience that kind of stuff and I love to bring them into that world a little bit.”
(Who are some of the players that have you already gone out there with? We see there’s a picture of S Minkah Fitzpatrick with a big smile holding a gator. Was he scared? Was he scared or was the smile a little fake there? But also who are some people that you’ve brought out there with you already?) – “Michael Deiter came out for some turkey and hogs. Minkah Fitzpatrick – he actually is good friends with my girlfriend who is at Alabama at well, so she kind of coerced him into coming out. He was able to come on out and do that. He had an absolute blast. Michael Pierce – I’ve had him come down. We did some hogs with him. And it’s been thrilling. It’s fun seeing those guys get out there and seeing them do stuff they not usually have done. It’s nice.”
(So what’s the most frightened you’ve ever been around an animal? Any close calls or any time that your hands got sweaty from anything?) – “That’s definitely, if you’re going out at night with the hogs and you can’t see anything and all you can hear is just stuff all around you, or when we brought in a the 14-foot alligator. That’s been kind of thrilling to say the least.”
Austin Jackson – September 28, 2020
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Monday, September 28, 2020
T Austin Jackson
(I’m going to throw it back here a little bit to the USC days. How did Coach Drevno help you develop during your time there and prepare you for your first NFL camp? You’ve done pretty well from what we’ve seen these first few weeks.) – “Yeah, Coach Drevno helped me a lot. Coming from Michigan and also coming from coaching in the league previously before that, he had a lot of fundamentals down of what it takes to be an NFL offensive lineman. Luckily he was able to pass some of that knowledge on to me. He definitely helped me a lot while I was at USC.”
(There was one rep that I really liked where you kind of slapped a guy down to the ground. Do you remember the one I was talking about? I don’t know what it was called – a chop or a slap. But what did that feel like to do and what’s the technique involved in that action?) – “It’s a secret. Nah, I’m just kidding. (laughter) It’s just like a technique that offensive linemen use because oftentimes, defensive linemen can get kind of leaning all of their weight on you; so it’s just kind of a leverage battle. If you see they’re out of leverage, it’s easy to swipe them down.”
(I wanted to do another callback; I’m curious, whose pregame ice cream is better – the Miami Dolphins or the USC Trojans?) – “I’ve gotta go with the USC Trojan. I’ve got to. The ice cream bar was undefeated. I’m just calling it how it is.”
(What are some guys like G/T Jesse Davis and G Ereck Flowers, how are these leaders kind of helping you as you go game-by-game, kind of just stacking on your performances from the first three games? How have they helped you with advice or little tidbits here and there?) – “They help me with a lot of advice, whether it’s situationally – situations during the game or what we need to get done or what to look out for, just because they’ve been playing in the league for such a good amount of time and they just have a lot of knowledge on them. It just kind of falls off and they help me in a lot of areas.”
(Earlier today we spoke to a guy named DT Zach Sieler – one of the defensive linemen – and we had a long conversation about how he owns this ranch in Central Florida where people hunt alligators, turkeys, hogs, and he’s trying to find some teammates to go with him to catch alligators and things like this. What’s your level of interest?) – “(laughter) It’s not my cup of tea but I’ll go look at some alligators. I don’t know about hunting them. Yeah, not my cup of tea. (laughter)”
(What’s it like when you see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out there diving head first and scrambling and giving it his all? We asked a few teammates this question but what does it mean to see your quarterback do that?) – “First and foremost, that’s your quarterback. I’m always running down after him just to make sure he doesn’t get any other hits. It just goes to show the type of guy he is. He’s a leader, he’s strong, he loves the game and he loves to play ball. He’s not scared of anything. It’s kind of fun to play with a guy like that. It’s real fun. Real important too.”
(What’s the biggest area of growth you think you’ve made from your time at USC to where you are right now?) – “The biggest growth I’ve seen, I probably would say just being consistent. In college football, you’ve got school, you’ve got class but making it your job and your everyday thing, I think there’s just a lot more things that I was able to become more consistent with and become better at more often. I think that was a big thing for me coming into the league was to be able to do the right thing over and over again like hundreds of times. I think that’s probably my biggest jump.”
(I just wanted to follow up on that. I looked at your film at USC and there was some consistency issues but I wanted to ask you how much did the bone marrow transplant that you gave to your sister, do you feel like that impacted your performance last season?) – “It definitely took away from most of my offseason. Yeah, a procedure like that takes away from your personal game. I wouldn’t blame my performance on that though; but if you take a month of training (away) from anything you’re supposed to do, there’s going to be stuff you missed.”
Brian Flores – September 28, 2020
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Monday, September 28, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(First of all, great hat. Love that hat.) – “Congrats to Derek Jeter, Mike Hill, Don Mattingly. It’s a great accomplishment by those guys. Same thing for the Heat. Great accomplishment. They played well last night. So congrats to both organizations – the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins. Happy for them and supportive.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Byron Jones. Did you get a chance to get him doing rehab over the weekend and how does he look?) – “Byron’s working extremely hard to try to get back as soon as he can. It’s very important to him, so he’s in here, he’s working (and) he’s making a lot of improvement. We’ll see how this goes this week.”
(I wanted to ask you your thoughts on what you saw not just yesterday but the first three weeks out of Seahawks QB Russell Wilson?) – “This is a spectacular player. This guy is tough to defend. He makes really good decisions. He can extend plays. He’s accurate with the football. He pretty much knows what you’re in from a coverage standpoint because he’s seen a lot of exotic defenses. He’s one of the best players in the league, if not the best, so this will be an extremely challenging game for us. It’s not just him. They’ve got receivers. They’ve got backs. They’ve got good o-line. They’ve got tight ends. They play really good defense. They play well in the kicking game. They’re well-coached. They’ve played together for a long time. This will be a tough challenge for us, so we’ve got to have a good week of preparation. We’ve got to play well.”
(I guess we ask this every week, but the offensive line and just your thoughts overall on how they’ve performed and then also if I could specifically hone in on T Austin Jackson. It seems like he’s really held it together these first three weeks.) – “I think they’re coming together. They work hard to all get on the same page. I think individually, they’re a hard-working group; but collectively as a unit, they understand that communication is important, that playing as a unit is very important. I think (Offensive Line Coach) Steve (Marshall) has done a really good job of just staying on top of them about the fundamentals, the techniques, working with one another. They spend a lot of time together. That’s what you need. There is still a lot of improvement to make. It hasn’t been all perfect, but I think as a group, we’ve got leadership from the more veteran guys – Jesse (Davis), Ted Karras, Ereck (Flowers) – and then our young players – Robert Hunt, Austin Jackson and Solomon (Kindley) – they’re just following their lead, which I feel like we talk about that every week. But if we just continue to do that, I think we have a chance to get better and improve. Specific to Austin (Jackson) – I know you asked about him – I think being a rookie, there’s things that he’s learning every time he goes out there. Every different situation, whether it’s third down, in a five-man protection, whether it’s goal line and how different that snap is than a normal snap in the field, how big, strong – and this isn’t specific to Austin, but all those rookies – how big, strong, fast the defensive linemen in this league are. I think he’s getting acclimated to that, but every week it’s a different challenge and this week, it’s certainly a big challenge against this group that we’re going to see and this team that we’re going to see. But I think if we just continue to try to improve every day, hopefully we continue to get better.”
(How would you describe TE Mike Gesicki’s development in the time that you’ve been here and what do you see as far as untapped potential for him and the way you might use him?) – “I think Mike’s definitely – we’ve seen a lot of improvement from him since I’ve been here and really since his rookie year. I think that’s just time spent in the league – understanding different defenses, understanding different leverages of defenders, understanding coverages. He’s got an obviously good rapport with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) and you’re starting to see some of his – he’s talented. And when you put all of it together, you can see kind of the talent show up on game day. He’s still got a long way to go as far as there’s things in his game that he can improve on – top of the route, releases, things of that nature, blocking; but he’s definitely made a lot of improvement. He’s made plays for us this season so far, but there’s still a lot. He’s left a few plays out there also and I think the tight end room with Durham (Smythe) and Adam (Shaheen), it’s a good group. They work well together. They complement each other well. Chandler Cox also at fullback, tight end. They complement each other well and they’re making some improvements; but again, consistency is the big thing in this league and that’s what we need. I think you build consistency through practice and walkthroughs and continuing to work the way that they’ve worked to have the little bit of success they’ve had so far. Again, as an overall team, we’ve got a long way to go and we’ve got a great challenge this week against a really good team. We’re going to have to really prepare and play well to give ourselves a chance to win.”
(What are some of the things that first-year Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and some of the new defensive coaches need to do to reach their full potential as a staff? Obviously we’re very early in the season.) – “I think it’s similar to what we’re looking for within the team – getting games under our belt, the communication in game, the communication in practice, the communication postgame – all those things, we’re working through. I think we’ve got a good young staff, and I’m excited about each one of these guys, whether it’s obviously Josh (Boyer), (Anthony) Campanile and Gerald Alexander and Austin Clark and (Marion) Hobby. It’s a good group. They work well together and hopefully we grow over the course of the season like you want your team to grow over the course of the season – offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I’m happy with those guys and hopefully we just continue to get better and improve as a unit, because that’s what we’re asking the players to do.”
(Defensively, what do you tell your players about Seattle QB Russell Wilson’s scramble ability and how to try to contain him as much as you can when he’s out there on the field?) – “Well, he’s a great player. We’re going to have to do everything at a high level to limit this offense so from a communication standpoint, from a tackling standpoint, from a pass rush standpoint, we have to play very well to keep this offense limited and contained. I think they’re going to make some plays. They’ve got a good quarterback and they’ve got good players, so they’re going to make a few plays. We just need to try to keep – we’ve got to continue to try to have good communication, have good technique and fundamentals, tackle well, defend the deep part of the field, get a good rush and play well. It’s a good offense. It’s a good team led by Russell Wilson, led by Pete Carroll. It will definitely be a big challenge.”
(I wanted to ask you about consistency on the roster. Obviously last year it seemed like you had a lot of challenges as a head coach with so many changes on the roster. This year, how comforting must it be to have that stability that you are enjoying right now?) – “It’s always good to be working with a group of guys consistently so you can build some continuity. I think the guys work extremely hard. They try to build that continuity, that camaraderie. But this league, things happen within the league and one week is different from the other. Right now as we sit, we haven’t made a lot of moves. That could very easily change next week. Hopefully you didn’t just jinx us. (laughter) But yeah, you want to build continuity and consistency. I think the easiest way to do that is to have the same guys kind of doing the same thing, seeing the same – or having communication with the same guys – so that eventually you get to the point where you pretty much know what the guy next to you is going to say; and eventually you get to the point where you don’t have to say anything. That takes time, obviously. It’s time on the job with the same guys, so hopefully we can continue working with the same players in the same positions. But again, this league, as we’ve seen, things change on rosters week to week. We’ve got to be able to adjust and be flexible also.”
(How do you feel that S Bobby McCain’s adjustment to safety – I know this is his second year playing the position – is going and how important is he to helping the communication back there in the defense?) – “I think Bobby is a very important part to our defense. I think safety, linebacker – but specifically safety – you are the quarterback of the defense. A lot of what he does is getting guys lined up pre-snap so that we can have a good, let’s call it post-snap, play. I think he’s done a good job of that. I think in some instances, we’ve been aligned correctly, we’ve been in the right places, but we either haven’t made the play or had a bad post-snap read. I think Bobby, he’s played well so far this year. His leadership and his communication, I think he’s tackled well so far, so I think he’s played well. We need him to continue to play well and we need other guys to kind of play the way that he’s been playing. His leadership definitely shows up on our team and I’ve been very pleased with him.”
(Last season it took eight weeks for you guys to get your first win. This season, it was three weeks in. What can that do for your psyche as a coach, your assistants and your players to have a win under their belts this early in the season?) – “It’s always good to win. No one likes losing. Obviously winning builds confidence. The guys have worked extremely hard so it’s always nice to get a win so all that hard work, it’s for a reason; but it’s for a reason whether you win or lose. I think guys need to understand that. There’s a maturity that comes with – there’s a maturity that you have to have to understand that. The way you work and the way you prepare, eventually you’ll see results from it. That’s kind of the message that we as a staff try to give to the players. I think they take it to heart and they understand it. I think we’ve seen improvement over the first three weeks and hopefully we continue to improve. Again, hopefully we’re a better team down the road or a week from now or two weeks from now or 10 weeks from now than we are right now. That’s always the message; but yes, winning builds confidence and it just reinforces a lot of the things that we’re already saying as coaches – that if you tackle well, you block well, you defeat blocks, you break tackles, you hit explosive plays, you limit explosive plays, you play well in the kicking game and kick coverage, you block on kickoff return and punt return and we can create first downs in that area as well – when you talk about it and then you watch it happen in a game, it just reinforces a lot of the things you’re saying and it builds confidence. It’s always good to win. Again, we’ve got a tough, tough challenge this week against a very good team, so we’re going to have to really play well and really prepare well to give ourselves a chance.”
Xavien Howard – September 25, 2020
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Friday, September 25, 2020
CB Xavien Howard
(I wanted to ask you how good did it feel to get that first pick of the year last night?) – “It felt great, man, to get the first one on the team. Me and the guys had a little competition going on to see who would get the first interception. It was great, though.”
(If I can follow, you looked like you grab the back of your knee after the pick. Can you tell us what happened there?) – “I was just cramping. Just a little cramp.”
(How close do you feel you are now to where you were in 2018 when you had become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL?) – “I feel like I’m just improving each game and just focused on just staying healthy and trying to get better each year.”
(I wanted to ask you, what did you think defensively that you guys did better compared to the first two weeks?) – “I feel like everybody – I’d say we’re just getting better and buying into the defense, and just really understanding what’s going on on the defense. I feel like we just play out there. I’d say we just – like before the game starts, I told everybody, ‘just play. Let your nuts drop.’ And that’s what we did. (laughter)”
(Do you feel physically like you did when you were playing at an All-Pro level in 2018? Are you totally back to that or do you think there’s still a little more ways would you need to get to with the knee or physically?) – “I feel great. I’ve played three games so far, so I feel good.”
(CB Noah Igbinoghene had a bit of a rough game against Buffalo but really bounced back in a nice way. What did you see from him last night?) – “We just really – Noah is doing great things and really just learning. This is probably his third game playing and we didn’t really have a preseason, so really just like I said, just getting better and knowing what quarterbacks want to do to us and just really understanding the game.”
(I know it’s early, but what do you know about the Seahawks and have you had a chance to watch Seahawks QB Russell Wilson in action this season?) – “Not really. I did watch the (Seattle Seahawks) game against the Patriots. Russell (Wilson) is being Russell, man. He’s a great quarterback – a lot of movement with the ball. Guys have to just stay in coverage playing against Russell Wilson, because he makes some perfect passes.”
(How much of a boost was it for the secondary to get the pass rush that y’all got last night?) – “It was great. Everything was working together, I’d say. So we’ve just got to keep that going, everybody being on the same page.”
(I noticed that you played every single play. What have you spoken to the coaches about in that regard in terms of being on the field for every play?) – “I want to be on the field every play. I won’t say – I don’t have to speak to the coaches about nothing. I’m healthy. I’m out there if I’m healthy.”
(How great is it going to be getting CB Noah Igbinoghene this experience for when CB Byron Jones comes back? So not only do you have two Pro Bowl corners but a young guy who will have gotten some playing time under his wings. How helpful will that be?) – “It’ll be great, man. If anything happens, we have the next-man-up mentality. No matter if it’s Noah (Igbinoghene), Nik (Needham), Jamal (Perry), Tae Hayes; there’s a couple of guys that we’ve got if anything happens to go wrong.”
Ted Karras – September 25, 2020
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Friday, September 25, 2020
C Ted Karras
(I have many questions about the QB Ryan Fitzpatrick touchdown run, but I guess I want to start with your pancake block where you wound up on the ground in the end zone and then Fitzpatrick almost looks like he just became possessed by whatever it was that gets over him. Can you just talk us through that moment real quick?) – “He definitely brings the energy and that was a big play in the game. We had to punch it in and (it was a) pretty fun play call, and we executed it. The celebration – we brought a lot of energy. We had that all week and I think that’s what this team needs to build on and keep improving that and keep stringing good games together.”
(What message does it send to the entire team when you have a quarterback that is sacrificing his life on every play?) – “It’s the best message. That was a gutsy performance, obviously 18 of 20, I believe, and then a rushing touchdown, throwing blocks, getting fourth downs. That was an amazing performance and it’s an honor to go into a football game with a guy like that. It’s a lot of fun to be his friend and work towards a goal together.”
(What’d you see on tape when you watched that first series?) – “A lot of good execution. Guys doing their jobs. The running backs really running hard. Myles (Gaskin) had a great game – running hard, finding the open lane – and just good execution. We went down there – I think it was 12 plays – that’s pretty good to do, a way to set the tone for the game, and we’ve got to keep building off execution like that.”
(How would you assess the state of the running game?) – “Pretty solid. Good enough to win, I guess right now, but always can get better. It’s a lot easier to make some corrections after a win and after some success; but obviously keep striving to improve. (It was) good enough to put us in a position to control the game last night.”
(I noticed a lot of times when the opposing defensive line tries to get up and swat the ball down, some of you guys are out there burying those guys and punishing the jumpers. Is that a mindset you guys have that the coaching staff kind of teaches or what goes into that?) – “Yes. (Offensive Line) Coach (Steve) Marshall always talks about play style and that’s kind of been over the last – I guess since I’ve been in the league, a lot of people have been batting balls down. So it’s a good defensive play and it’s something that we have to be aware of if a defender stops his rush and starts to rise. You’ve got to either bring him down or make sure that he doesn’t want to do that again.”
(Obviously two rookies starting on the offensive line, four newcomers on the line and no preseason. Can you give us more insight as to how you guys have been able to come together and put forth the kind of performance you did last night?) – “I think everyone’s working extremely hard to get their specific job executed. We have a great coach – Coach Marshall – and our scheme is set up to put us in the best position to succeed, and I think guys are really taking things to heart. We have great men. I am very close personal friends with all of them now. It’s been fun, and we’re just going to keep grinding every day to keep getting better. We’ve got a long season ahead, but it was nice to get a win on Thursday night going into a long weekend.”
(It’s fine if you want to lump them together or answer this separately, but I was wondering the thing that’s most impressed you about T Austin Jackson and the thing that’s most impressed you about G Solomon Kindley?) – “Well lumping them together, they both work extremely hard and want to do the right things. I think they have great attitudes and just really a willingness to try to get better every day. I think Solomon (Kindley) is a mauler. It’s fun to play next to a guy like that – a guy that can come in and really move bodies and clean out the pocket on certain things. And then Austin Jackson, 21 years old playing left tackle in the league, that’s very, very impressive and I told those guys last night that I am very impressed with them, proud of them and they’re doing just a lot of great things. We’ve got to keep moving forward going into Week 4 now and we’ve just got to keep getting better.”
Preston Williams – September 25, 2020
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Friday, September 25, 2020
WR Preston Williams
(Can you take us through the touchdown last night?) – “We called a play where I had the back of the end zone. The dude was outside of me. I just knew I had to cross his face. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) threw a good catchable ball. I caught it. Touchdown.”
(How about the celebration afterwards? We saw a gif of it on Twitter this morning. What was that all about?) – “We’re just trying to be more together. We want to celebrate and enjoy those little victories. The dance, I got it from one of the artists that passed away, Pop Smoke. It was one of his dances called the Woo. I did it for Brooklyn, New York.”
(There was a fairly unusual occurrence last night with an awful lot of pass interference calls that led to touchdowns. As a receiver, can you sense when a guy is about to interfere with you? Is there anything that you do as a receiver to try to draw that contact?) – “Yeah. When the ball is coming and the DB doesn’t turn his head around or get his eyes around, you can jump into him to get that pass interference. There are a lot of little things that we can do to draw (those).”
(About a month ago or so, like maybe three weeks, you told us that injury – when you feel like you’ll fully be over it. So week to week, do you feel like you’re physically and mentally improving?) – “Yeah, I feel like my knee is getting better with more time. It will be a year in November, so I’m getting close to that year mark. It’s definitely feeling better every game.”
(What does a victory mean to this team and how does it change what this weekend will be like and next week as you prepare for the Seahawks to come in?) – “Winning is hard in the league. So when we get us a win, we really like winning, as everybody does. We are going to use this motivation going into next week. We’ve got a good opponent coming up so we just want to play a good executed game like we did, and see what we’re going to do. We’re going to work hard this week and see what the outcome is going to be next week.”
(All four of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s touchdowns this year has gone to you, WR DeVante Parker, and TE Mike Gesicki, guys who are 6-3, 6-5 and 6-6. From a player’s perspective, what does that length down in the red zone do as far as scoring touchdowns? How much does that help you to produce touchdowns when you get down there close to the goal line?) – “Us being big targets and DBs being smaller, it’s more of a 60/40 game at that point. I know ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) likes to have big receiver and people that can catch the ball. We’re all dependable, so he trusts us and we trust him, that we’re going to be at the spot we’re supposed to be at when he throws it.”
(I haven’t seen the exact schedule yet, but I’m assuming you guys will get a little bit of time over the weekend, which is rare for you guys. How do you expect to spend that free time?) – “Just everybody get their bodies back right. We had a quick turnaround – two games within like (four days). We just want to get our bodies back right, come in and be professionals. Stick to the game plan when they send it out. It isn’t really different, just a day off.”
Brian Flores – September 25, 2020
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Friday, September 25, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(How encouraging was it to see CB Noah Igbinoghene come back from obviously a tough game last Sunday to how he played last night? What does that say about him? And your other boundary corner – CB Xavien Howard – just how encouraged are you by how he looked last night? Obviously coming back from knee surgery is not easy.) – “Encouraged – I’m not sure if that’s the word. I expected both guys to bounce back. ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is a mentally tough guy; so is Noah. We’ve got a lot of mentally tough guys on our team. They practice hard. They prepare for the game. They play with great energy. They played as a team. I wasn’t surprised that they bounced back. They’re prideful guys. We have a lot of prideful guys on this team, especially at that position. Look, you’ve got to have a short memory to play really any position in this league. There’s a lot of good players. Occasionally they make plays on us and we make plays on them. You’ve got to be able to just move on to the next play, next game, and try to be better, which they were last night.”
(You addressed this a little bit last night but that now that you’ve had 12 hours or so for it to sink in, what does it mean to this team to get in the win column?) – “I was just checking to see the time. Yeah, it’s been about 12 hours. (laughter) Look, that’s why we practice, that’s why we prepare. We do all of those things – we put all of the time in – to win ballgames. I’m excited for the players, our players, our coaches, to see the fruits of their labor. They’ve worked extremely hard and now the goal is to try to string them together and continue to do the things we’ve been doing. We can do them even better so that we can play better. Again, after watching the tape, there were a lot good things. There were also a lot of things we can correct. We didn’t play a perfect game. There’s never been a perfect game played. You try to make the corrections and try to play as well as you can. While there were a lot of good plays, there were a lot of things that we can get fixed so we can play better, play more consistent and make it harder on our opponents. Those are things that we’ll focus on this afternoon when we get to the players and watch the film with them. While there was a lot of good, there definitely is an opportunity for us to get better. I think if we can improve – good or bad, there’s always improvement that can be made.”
(I asked QB Ryan Fitzpatrick about this last night after the game but just that first drive, completing four passes to four different guys and kind of setting the tone to get a lot of people integrated early, how important is that and how does that kind of change maybe the start of a game?) – “I think it’s very important to get contributions from different guys that can’t lock in and key on one person and say ‘Hey, this is a guy we have to take away.’ I think we did a good job of spreading the ball around, getting the run game going a little bit. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) ran it a little bit, so you just create issues for the defense – or our opponent – and force them to guard everyone. Force them to defend every inch of the field. That’s what you want to do offensively. We were ready to do that early. I wish we would’ve sustained it a little bit better in the second half but it’s always good to get off to a fast start and integrate everyone, and spread the ball around and get the running game going. Those are all good things. They led to a fast start and then we played well in the kicking game and made some stops defensively, and we were able to string some points together and build a lead. That’s how we want to play. ‘Fitz’ knows that and understands that. He made some good decisions last night and hopefully we continue to play that way.”
(You talked about the bounce back from CB Xavien Howard and CB Noah Igbinoghene on the first question of this presser. During the broadcast, Troy Aikman kept talking about the shift of the defense kind of playing more off-coverage. I’m curious if that’s something you can confirm for us and if that was more based on what the defense did in Week 2 or based more upon what the Jaguars presented on offense for you guys?) – “Every week we’re going to try to do whatever we can or what we feel is best to win the game. I thought (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) and our defensive staff came up with a good game plan for this particular team this particular week. It was a mix of zone calls, man calls, blitzes. I thought we mixed it well and kept them off balance. You never want to do just one thing or do just a couple of things. You want to be able to mix the calls, mix the fronts offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. So to keep our opponent off balance, that’s what we always try to do; and I thought Josh did a great job of that defensively, (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) offensively and (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny (Crossman) in the kicking game. Credit to those guys and credit to the players for executing the game plan.”
(What has impressed you most about what RB Myles Gaskin has done?) – “He’s been productive. He goes in there and runs it effectively, catches the ball, blocks in pass protection, plays some in the kicking game. He’s tough, he’s competitive and he’s been productive. If you’re productive in this league, you get more opportunities and that’s been the case for him.”
(I just wanted to follow up on DE Jason Strowbridge. Are you able to provide any detail about why he was unable to make the trip and if you would expect him to be ready to practice next week?) – “Yeah, we expect him to practice. He was inactive and we left him and decided not to travel him. That’s just a week-to-week – who we’re going to travel and who we’re not. But ‘Strow’ (Jason Strowbridge) has worked hard. He’s done a good job. He’s developing. We expect him to be part of the future here. He just has to continue to work hard and improve. I wouldn’t make too much of whether he traveled or not. He’s doing a very good job and when his opportunity presents itself, hopefully he’s ready.”
(Do you have any updates for us on any players who may have gotten banged up in last night’s game? I saw TE Adam Shaheen for example go down. And secondly, the main thing I wanted to ask you about, clearly QB Gardner Minshew II is a different kind of quarterback from what you faced before; but what have you seen defensively that you can build upon because QB Russell Wilson is your next guy up.) – “To the injuries, we had a few guys who were banged up. All are getting treatment. All are rehabbing. You mentioned Shaheen. Shaheen actually went back into the game last night so he’s just getting treatment and rehab from some nicks and bruises here. We’ve got a handful of guys from that standpoint but we’ll see what that looks like. We’ve got a couple of extra days to improve and get better. We’ll see what that looks like next week. As far as some of the things that we’ve done over the last couple of weeks, in respect to Russell Wilson, this is obviously one of the best players in the league. We’ll do our due diligence as far as scouting it and evaluating him and the rest of their team, and try to put ourselves in the best positions to contain him and contain that offense. But it will be a total team effort. Just defensively, it will be the d-line, the (line)backers, the secondary we want to play a cohesive game filled with really good communication and good tackling and a good pass rush. Look, this is one of the best players in the league. Again, I haven’t watched all of the film yet. That’s kind of the next step in my routine here after I get done doing media the day after a game, but we know this is going to be a great challenge. I think we’ve seen some good quarterbacks and some guys who are mobile over the last few weeks; but this is one of the best guys in the league. It will be a challenge.”
(I wanted to ask about the defense. You mentioned the game plan that they had. What specifically did they do after watching the film that you were happy with? Or that you thought they did better in comparison to the first two weeks?) – “I think there was better communication, better awareness. I think we just had overall better energy. It was just better overall. I would say the communication was at the forefront. We rushed the passer better. We had better situations to rush the passer, I would say. Having a lead and rushing the passer is different than rushing the passer when you don’t have a lead. I think defensively, when you think about it, there’s a lot of other things that go into it: how you play in the kicking game, how you play offensively, do you have a lead, do you not have a lead, is it two-minute. There are a lot of things that go into it defensively. We’ve put ourselves in a position where we played well early, we got a lead, and that kind of changed their game plan and made it more of a passing game so we were able to put pressure on the quarterback and create a couple of turnovers. That’s how we want to play.”
(Last night on your defensive line, DT Davon Godchaux’s snaps were down and DT Zach Sieler actually played more than him. Was Godchaux banged up or was that just a lineup decision? And what has led you to play Sieler more the last couple of weeks?) – “Well Sieler has gone in there and been productive. He’s been productive in practice. He went in there and had production in the game yesterday. Again, like we’ve always said, it’s no different than the Myles Gaskin conversation; if a player goes into a game and has a good rush or has a good pass rush or a good run or a good catch or a good play in the kicking game or a good punt or a good hold, to me, that warrants another opportunity to see if they can have another successful play, and that’s what happened with Sieler. That’s no knock on Godchaux. He’s had many good plays himself. That’s why he’s played a lot in this league. But last night, we called Sieler’s number. We’ve got a locker room full of team players there. They’re happy for each other and happy for each other’s success. They pick each other up when we have failures. That’s what I like about the locker room. I don’t like pitting whose numbers against somebody else’s numbers. I think we’re all in here just trying to win ballgames. The guys don’t care about who gets what reps. They just want to do what they can to help us win. Now they’re all competitors and they all want to play, but they also understand that we’re all trying to just go out there and put the best group out there and try to win ballgames. Sometimes you go with the hot hand. When Godchaux is the hot hand, we’ll leave him in there and he knows that too.”
