Isaiah Ford – August 29, 2020
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Saturday, August 29, 2020
WR Isaiah Ford
(It seems in the last year or so, you’ve really connected with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. What can you say about just kind of what he’s going through and how you feel for him as a teammate?) – “It’s tough. Any time somebody’s dealing with a loss – specifically a mother – a mother and a son’s bond is something like no other. I couldn’t imagine if it was me, and I just want him to know that whatever we can do as an extended family to support him and help him mourn his loss, that we’ll be here for him, you know and just that I love him like a brother.”
(Obviously with WR Albert Wilson opting out, WR Allen Hurns opting out, the slot job is open. You came on last December. Do you like what you’ve put on tape in the competition for that job through 10 practices?) – “Yes, each day I’m just kind of focusing on the little things and the details and just trying to get a little bit better each day. And whether that’s not focusing on what I’ve done the day before or two days or whatever that case may be, but just focusing on the current day and doing everything that I can to put one foot in front of the other.”
Josh Rosen – August 29, 2020
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Saturday, August 29, 2020
QB Josh Rosen
(Obviously we saw the team gather before the scrimmage in prayer for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. How difficult was that? I know you and Ryan have shared a lot of moments together. How difficult was it to see Ryan going through what he’s going through right now?) – “It’s a brutal situation. And I just tried to support him like any way I could these last couple days, weeks and months; but I mean, Ryan’s mom raised a hell of a kid – really strong, awesome, independent kind dude. And I’ve been fortunate enough to be around him these last couple months, almost a year now, probably. And yeah, it’s a tough situation, but kind of puts everything into perspective and reminds you that we all are still human and human things happen.”
(The touchdown pass you had to WR Ricardo Louis and just kind of have you walk us through that. It looked from our vantage point like you had some tight coverage there and were able to find that tight window. Can you tell us when you saw in that play?) – “It wasn’t wide open it. It was more of kind of an opportunity ball. He was running a corner route, and corner kind of fell off into it a little bit underthrown and Ricardo (Louis) made a hell of a play. They were a little bit scrambling there, so I just kind of snapped it quick. I didn’t get a crystal clear view of the coverage, but I knew where I wanted to throw it and who I wanted to throw it and Ricardo made a hell of a play.”
(You had what I guess in my view what looked like the throw of the day to RB Malcolm Perry down that right sideline – what looked like a go route. Can you tell me what you saw and trying to get it to him on the money with tight coverage?) – “So that’s not really a part of our read, but the first two guys I was going to kind of got trapped inside on some out-breaking routes and in my vision through them, I kind of see the go behind it and kind of just notice that Malcolm had a step on it and just thought I would chuck it. There was only one safety in the field. I didn’t think he was going to track it down, but it really wasn’t kind of a plan. It was more of a reaction because my first couple guys got stuck inside.”
(At the same time, only really red zone attack of the day – the score of the day – was you and WR Ricardo Louis. Can you break down what happened on that play? Was that your first read? Looked like you looked a couple times around?) – “No, I knew I wanted to go there. As I said earlier, the defense was kind of scrambling a little bit. They weren’t really necessarily lined up. We had a motion and a lot of guys that were crossing, so we knew there was going to be some communication issues. The deepest developing route was the one I was planning on throwing to, so I just kind of slid over to it, tried to let everyone get confused and then put it up in the back pylon for Ricardo (Louis) to make a play.”
(At the end of the day the scoreboard read Rosen 10 and Tua 6. What does that mean to you, if anything and what was your reaction when Head Coach Brian Flores asked you to get on the field with about three minutes left pulling Tua?) – “I don’t really think there’s much to look into. We manufactured some situations throughout the game for the sake of practice. So like we had some two-minute drills that weren’t necessarily two-minute. We had a fumble on my drive that we didn’t rule a fumble just for the sake of we wanted to keep it going. There were a couple of first downs. We just moved it along, so I wouldn’t really look anything into that. But it was definitely a sloppy day, I would say on offense overall. I carried a good amount of the burden with that. I was a little slow calling plays. I think I could have – I think I was just a little bit sort of slow overall, and I think I tried to get everyone on the same page moving a little quicker in the second half and near the end of it, I think we put a really good drive together. But I think we have a lot of things to learn and – or a lot to learn from now – and I think there’s some good film to watch and get better.”
(I know last time we talked to you, you had mentioned that you weren’t really worried about the quarterback job. Obviously things have become a little more complicated with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s absence. What do you think it would mean if for whatever reason you were the guy that got the point if ‘Fitz’ has to be gone for a bit?) – “It would be awesome. I would be ecstatic. It’s 2020. Anything can happen. Quarterbacks can get sick. When coaches, coordinators go down – who knows. So I’m going to stay ready. I hope I can one day play here, and I’m ready to seize my opportunity; but I’m not really focusing on all that much right now. I’m just trying to not throw picks in a scrimmage. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – August 29, 2020
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Saturday, August 29, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Obviously we didn’t see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out there today. Are you able to provide an update on what his status is and why he didn’t participate?) – “’Fitz,’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) – we’ve talked about him having a personal situation. His mom passed away this morning. So yeah, there’s no quarterback controversy. There’s no – he’s not opting out. He’s not retiring. There was a lot written the last time he had some personal situations, but his mom passed away. ‘Fitz’ has tried to work through this. He always wanted to practice. He tried to go out there today, but you know, and I’ve had multiple conversations with him having dealt with this also. And it’s a tough situation and our hearts go out to him as a team, as an organization. This is a competitive guy – tried to go out there, but some things are more important than football. So he left to be with his family. So yeah, there’s no quarterback controversy. There’s no – he’s not retiring. He’s not opting out. Just wanted to – just so you guys know.”
(We saw you have a personal moment with him as he was walking off the field. As a coach, how difficult a situation was that for you and do you think what you said may have helped him a little bit?) – “As a coach, as a friend, as a man, as a – I mean, they’re all kind of intertwined in this game. Obviously our conversations are going to stay private, but I went through this a year ago. Our moms were about the same age. We’re about the same age. We’re both – I’m a former athlete; he’s an athlete, but we’re both competitive guys and leaders; and you know, you want to be strong, but there are moments where you can’t. You’re not able to be and so I understand that, and it’s – I just try to support him. This team is supporting him and that was – essentially, that was my message to him.”
(I guess it may be indefinite. Will it be indefinite how long Ryan misses any time with the team coming up in the next week or so?) – “He’s going to take as much time as he needs, and I think me, as an organization; we’re going to give him this time to grieve, and my thought on this is he’s going to try to get back as quickly as he can because that’s the competitive nature in him. And like a lot of us, football is our sanctuary, and it’s our place to get away from the tough times, the pain, the anguish in our lives. I know he’ll probably try to get back as soon as he can, but we’re going to give him as much time as he wants or needs.”
(Without QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out there, what did you think of the atmosphere? Obviously it was the first time you guys… competed for a scrimmage. What did you think of how basically everyone looked out there?) – “There’s a lot – without preseason games – that’s our first real look in a stadium, sideline operation, headsets, officials; so there’s a lot to clean up I would say just from a coaching standpoint. So we got a little bit of that cleaned up from first half to second half – making adjustments on the sideline with the tablets. That’s something we haven’t been able to do, so to incorporate that going from series to series, that was good. On the field, I think we had some penalties out there. It’s good to feel that defensively, offensively how they extend drives or kill drives in some instances; so the importance of trying to play penalty-free but also being aggressive and playing with good fundamentals, technique and discipline. So I think overall any time you get a live look or as close to the game as possible, it’s good.”
(Obviously you QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has bigger things than football going on right now, but obviously you as the coach you have to prepare going forward. I know you haven’t made a final decision as quarterback, but how does this change for how you prepare for Week 1 given the uncertainty of what could be your starting quarterback?) – “I mean, especially given this time in a pandemic, we’ve got contingency plan after contingency plan after contingency plan. I think myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), our coaching staff; if I go down, if a player goes down, we’ve kind of gone through this multiple times. We have an idea of what we would do. Obviously there’s a competition going on and that plays a role in it, which that’s not – we still have a week left of training camp or a few days left of training camp. I know we’re two weeks away, but nothing’s set in stone offensively, defensively, on the kicking game. But obviously as a staff, we go through those different scenarios. Whether a guy has a situation like this or doesn’t, you know, could be – obviously this is a death in the family, but we treat it no differently than an injury, so the next guy would have to step up. I know the next question is, ‘hey, is it this guy or this guy?’ I would say that that’s yet to be determined.”
(Maybe I missed this, but as we write this, I’m trying to be as accurate as possible. Is there a chance Fitz would miss the opener?) – “It’s hard to say. We’re going to give him as much time as he needs. If that extends into the season, then that’s what it is, but I can’t put a time frame on it. I mean I won’t call it insensitive, but I’m not going to put a time frame on someone who just lost a parent.”
(I wanted to ask you about the decision to trade LB Raekwon McMillan, what went into that and how do you see the depth of your linebacker position now?) – “Obviously Raekwon (McMillan) is someone I have a lot of respect for. He’s a talented player. I think people are going to say that, you know — people are going to say what they want to say. He’s somebody I respect a lot. He’s a good football player. I think he’s going to have a long career but there’s a lot of depth in that room. There’s, again, like a lot of decisions we make as an organization, there’s a lot of things that go into it that you’re not going to know about, and we’re not going to tell you. But in every decision we make, it’s in the best interests of the Miami Dolphins. I have a lot of respect for him. I wish him all the best. He’s a good kid.”
(What went into your decision to pull Tua in the final drive and put Rosen back in in the final three minutes there?) – “We pulled the whole offense and the defense. Yeah, we pulled both teams. So we only have two quarterbacks, so he was in on that group, so we pulled him. We pulled the entire offense. (Josh) Rosen, you know, yeah, so we put Rosen back in.”
(Obviously we don’t have the view that you guys have or the film to look at, but seemed like it was a rougher day for the quarterbacks as a whole. I don’t know if that’s what you saw, how could you grade maybe how QB Tua Tagovailoa did in his first game action since the injury and QB Josh Rosen, as well?) – “I think it’s hard to really — every game is a little bit different. So I think if you don’t see a bunch of touchdowns scored, you feel like the quarterback is not playing well. That’s not necessarily the case – my view, as well. Although, not in my – not in my opinion, I should say. So I have to go back and look at the film. I saw some good throws. I saw some good decisions to – could have thrown it in some tighter windows. Potential turnovers that guys didn’t make the throw; but I’ve got to go watch the film, to be honest with you. I think when you don’t see a bunch of touchdowns scored or big passes, you start to think the quarterback’s not playing well. That’s just not the case. Honestly, I thought those guys – I thought there was good communication. I thought we were in and out of the huddle. You know, turnovers were down; so those are the things that are important – give us a chance to keep the game tight. But I’ve got to watch the film.”
Brian Flores – August 28, 2020
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Friday, August 28, 2020
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I’m sure you’ve been aware of what’s been happening around the world, particularly the sports world over the past 48 hours. In light of that, what should we expect to see from the Dolphins today and/or tomorrow and has there been any discussion about making any sort of statement?) – “We talked about this the other day and I addressed the Jacob Blake situation with you guys and talked to you about how upsetting it was, how frustrating it is when these situations occur time after time after time and how we need more unity. So we spoke as a team. Look, we understand there’s a lot of things – they’re not where they need to be right now. It pains us. We spoke. We decided to practice, but we all know and understand that things aren’t where they need to be right now and we’re going to meet later today and just talk about some things we can put into action so that we can try to create some – make a difference – create some change. But we are going to practice. Look, this is – you guys know this – I’ve lived this. I grew up in this era. I’ve had guns pointed at me by police officers. This is not something I take lightly or this team takes lightly. I’ve had multiple conversations. They’ve spoken to you. I know Kavon (Frazier) talked to you about his situation. There’s other experiences that guys on our team have had that are unfortunate. We need change. That’s where I’m at on this situation.”
(What went into the thinking of activating CB Xavien Howard off both the COVID and PUP lists and should we expect to see him at practice today?) – “Yeah, ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) is ready to get out on the field. He’s progressing with obviously the COVID, the knee; so we felt like he was ready to get out there and participate in practice. And again, he’s got a long way to go as far from a conditioning standpoint, drill work, communication with his teammates; so this is the first step.”
(Earlier this week, you talked about RB Malcolm Perry and what you liked in him. Can I ask you this – I know it’s early on – but do you see a comparison with the player you were once around Patriots WR Julian Edelman as far as a kid who was a college quarterback, converted to a slot back and the things that he did? Do you see the early stages of that in Malcolm?) – “Yeah, I was with Julian – I was a special teams assistant when he came in. Julian is a great player. That’s just what it boils down to, and I really don’t like making comparisons really in any area. I think Malcolm has got to focus on being the best version of Malcolm that he can be; so to compare him to Julian or any other player in the league, I think it’s unfair. I think he’s just got to continue to do what he’s doing, which is stack good days together, learn the offense, learn the kicking game and do everything and anything he can to help this team have some success, which is what he’s done. I would say all the good players I’ve been around have taken that approach. When you start making comparisons, it doesn’t really work out for anyone in any area. Am I as good as this guy? Am I better than that? Let’s just focus on and worry about today, getting better and let the chips fall where they fall after that. That’s my message to him. I wouldn’t compare him to really anyone. He’s got to compete with himself. Any good player I’ve been around has taken that approach.”
(You guys this week have brought back LB Trent Harris and DE Avery Moss. Given the circumstances and everything going around with COVID, is familiarity even more important when you’re looking to add to your roster than maybe in years past?) – “No, not necessarily. I think need played a big part in that and we had a couple guys banged up. Yeah, we know Trent. We know Avery. But we also worked out a few other players. So again, we’re always going to try to bring in guys who we think can help this team from a practice standpoint, from a playing standpoint. So it doesn’t hurt. I’ll tell you that. It doesn’t hurt at all that we know the player, we know what type of people they are, we know how important the game is; it doesn’t hurt them at all, but we’re always going to try to bring in players who we think can help us.”
(I wanted to ask what we might expect to see in terms of today’s practice and tomorrow and what you hope to get out of each day.) – “Good fundamentals, good technique, good communication. We’ll have the officials there, so we’ll get a good look as far as playing the right way, no holding offensively or defensively, getting up to the line of scrimmage quickly to get the ball snapped, just overall improvement in every area – throwing, catching, blocking, defeating blocks, tackling, breaking tackles – all those fundamentals and basic, basic football. Basic football. Basic overall football. I’m looking for just improvement from that standpoint. Again we’re a young team, so we’re just kind of trying to build the continuity. A lot of these guys haven’t played together. We’re still in the beginning stages from that standpoint, so we’ve got a long way to go. It’s a young team and it’s an inexperienced team, so we’re just taking this one day at a time.”
(I wanted to get to get your impressions of Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander and the job he’s doing so far and especially we’ve got some insight on this game that he has the secondary playing. It seems like a college coach – former college coach – trying to make an impact here. What can you say about the early strides that he’s making as a coach?) – “Well, he keeps a fresh bald head, so I know you like him. (laughter) But yeah, ‘G.A.’ (Gerald Alexander) is a good young coach. Obviously he played in the league. Smart, energetic for sure. I think he does a great job with communication. He’s a good teacher – good young coach – and I’m excited to work with him. He and I have had a lot of conversations. He’s over there coaching secondary, so we have a lot of – safeties was the first position I coached – so we have a lot of conversations about that group, some of the adjustments, some of the improvements they need to make. But my conversations are with ‘G.A’ and then all the other coaches. I think we’ve got a good young staff with (Linebackers Coach Anthony) Campanile and (Outside Linebackers Coach) Austin (Clark) and (Defensive Line Coach Marion) Hobby. (Coaching Assistant) Charles Burks is coming along. It’s the same thing offensively and in the kicking game, so I’m excited about all those guys. I try to keep my head shaved like he (G.A.) does and you do. (laughter)”
(I want to keep the focus in the secondary real quick. I was hoping you could speak on the value of having two safeties in S Eric Rowe and S Bobby McCain, who have so much experience playing cornerback at the pro and how that can help you keep your defense multiple on the back end?) – “It’s important. When guys have played multiple positions and they – especially at the safety position – to be able to relive some of their corner days and some of the issues they may have had at that position and then communicate it and understand it from that perspective; I think that goes a long way. It’s one thing to try to put yourself in those shoes. It’s another thing to have actually been in them; but the flip side of that is not a lot of corners have gone down in the box and played – had to fit the run game either – so there’s a learning curve and a learning process for guys who move from corner to safety or safety to linebacker or linebacker to d-line. There’s always a little bit of a learning curve. I think both guys have accepted the challenge to move positions. I think helps the communication to have been in those other spots going from corner to safety, but there’s some challenges as well. I would say fitting the run and dealing with run fits is a little bit different for both guys – obviously Rowe more than Bobby – but at the end of the day I think both guys are working to improve. They’re working to get better and I’m pleased with both guys.”
Danny Crossman – August 27, 2020
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Thursday, August 27, 2020
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(What kind of goes into the nature of having the conversation with WR Preston Williams about returning again, the season after the injury?) – “When it comes – injuries can happen anywhere at any time. Number one, you have a guy that has a skillset. Number two, you have a guy that wants to do it. Then we have to decide how it best fits and what the situations are in the game. There are so many layers to it and it involves everybody.”
(I was going to ask about the decision not to bring in competition for K Jason Sanders and P Matt Haack. Did you guys, as you evaluated draft prospects, you and the scouts, had you concluded that none were as good as Jason and Matt or did you conclude that both are young players and should get another season?) – “It’s a combination really and I think it goes back to an understanding of the lay of the land with not being able to conduct on-field offseason work. There are a lot of reps where you maybe would’ve had some other legs, and then with the numbers going from 90 to 80. So there are a lot of things that goes into it. But it’s a production business. Guys have to perform. We like where those guys are at and the training camp that those two individuals are having. It’s a constant conversation.”
(A follow up on WR Preston Williams real quick. I know you mentioned that injuries happen everywhere; but I guess as far as his role on offense, how do you balance a player who is a full-time offensive player and using him as a returner or even on special team as a whole?) – “Again, every team, every organization has their own philosophies. For us, that’s one of the things we talk about and making sure that we’re making smart, informed decisions; but when you look around we wouldn’t be the only team if Preston ends up back there. There are a lot of teams that put a lot of really talented players – offensive players and defensive players – back in that role. The bottom line every decision we make is in the best interest of the team to put us in position to win a football game.”
(I always find it fascinating to watch guys break from whatever previous drill they were doing to come to your unit, and bust their ass downfield as gunner and jammers. I have a lot of respect for the conditioning that goes into that. Specifically, I wanted to ask you about a guy that I think stands out in that way in S Clayton Fejedelem, and just your initial impression on how he works in the kicking game?) – “I think what you have with Clayton is a guy that as we bring in an established veteran, number one is understanding what’s been his role in the past, and just being able to translate that to us and set the tone for what we’re trying to develop and where we want everybody to be in those drills. Yes, Clayton is doing a great job. As you said, when we are doing those drills, we have every guy working to play to that same level. Those that are, are encouraging and bringing those other guys with them because especially with this type of offseason – preseason – you have to be able to manipulate and try to get those high-intensity looks in the kicking game without having preseason games.”
(The guys at the bottom of the roster, they are not having the opportunities that they typically would to standout or show you guys what they can do. How has navigating that been so far?) – “It’s been fine. All it comes down to is putting them into some of those situations that you would think they would find themselves in in a preseason game. You just have to do it in practice and as much as we can in controlled areas, controlled situations. That’s the thing about it. We can manipulate that. We can get done in practice. We’ve done that in the past based on what’s happened in preseason games. We’ve all been there where, as I’ve said in the past, you have an idea of what you want to get looked at in a preseason game. It doesn’t always play out that way based on how the game goes. You’re always having to tweak what you do in practice to get those looks. It’s just a little bit more self-evident this year because you know you don’t have those live reps in preseason games. You have to be able to try to simulate those in practice.”
(Obviously you have two good returners with WR Jakeem Grant and WR Preston Williams. Do you any idea what you have with RB Malcolm Perry as a returner? Is he in your thoughts at all in that process? How tough is it to know what you have without preseason games?) – “It’s tough. The beauty of it is there are other guys too; but I think everybody around the league – obviously including us – there are going to be some young guys that you don’t know exactly what you have, and you’re not going to know until you put them out there. But that’s the beauty of it. You feel good about guys, put them out there and let’s see what you’ve got.”
(I guess maybe not the beauty but the ugly part of it is that some guys may slip through the cracks here. What are your fears in that situation where a guy might not get an opportunity and he probably stands out somewhere else after you’ve had him in camp?) – “You don’t ever worry about it. You only worry about the ones we have. That’s just the nature of the beast on a yearly calendar in the National Football League. You can’t worry about the guys you maybe don’t get in free agency, the guys you don’t get in the draft. You don’t worry about that. You work with the guys that you have and you try to make the guys that you have the best that they can be and then you go put your best foot forward.”
Marion Hobby – August 27, 2020
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Thursday, August 27, 2020
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(DT Christian Wilkins, how do you keep him encouraged with the new role that he kind of has in a certain package for you on defense; whereas he’s not in every package like he was last season?) – “I think it’s still early – early in the process – and I think he’s a worker. He’s still getting plenty of reps in practice and I think how we do things around here, people kind of like keeping them inside guys fresh and they’re rolling. I think if he has a problem, he would have come to me or ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) or ‘Coach Boyer’ (Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer). He’s just got his head down working and it’s still an early process.”
(I wanted to ask you about the other day, the defensive line had a bunch of batted passes down at the line scrimmage. Obviously the length and those big powerful hands can go a long way to help those guys detach and get their hands on the football; but I was curious if you could explain the value of length and heavy hands in your system specifically as it pertains to kind of holding the point against the run but also as a pass rusher?) – “I think that’s big-time important. When you look at the offensive tackles and the offensive linemen even in this league, they’re pretty big guys. So being able to attack them at the point of attack with strong hands, being able to separate off guys and then batting down passes is a lot of timing. The guys are what, getting separation, getting their eyes, seeing the quarterback’s hands come off and being able to get their hands up. Being able to – them taller guys, them bigger guys – being able to separate from these big offensive linemen and being able to get their hands up is huge.”
(Just how DT Raekwon Davis has looked and is there a substantial gap between DT Christian Wilkins, DT Davon Godchaux and DT Raekwon Davis or is Davis pushing those two veterans?) – “Well, I’ll you what. He’s looked impressive. He can get in there. He’s a big man. He’s powerful and he kind of sticks out a little bit sometimes, especially in the run game. I think all three of those guys are competing at a high level and with a 16-game season and planning on winning a lot of games, I think all three of them are very important to what we’re doing. That’s a position where if you can keep guys fresh in there, you’re really in good shape.”
(I know that DE Jason Strowbridge is a rookie and he’s got a million things to learn, but what are your two things that you really harp on him about that you want him to get better at?) – “Probably about his natural get-off. He’s kind of thinking a little bit. You can tell he’s a young guy. He wants to please and sometimes – a guy told me a long time ago, ‘a confused player and a non-motivated player look the same’ – and I think sometimes he’s a little bit confused and wants to please, wants to be correct and sometimes, just man, just turn it loose and go. But I’ll tell you what, he does flash at you a lot. He does a lot of good things that catch your eye that keeps you on his trail. You push him a little bit, but he does a lot of good stuff. I always tell him, ‘hey man, react,’ rather than thinking this thing through.”
(Obviously you coached at Clemson. You have a bunch of guys in your room from Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, another one from Clemson as well. I’ll add DE Jason Strowbridge in the mix because he’s a South Florida kid. What is it about that Southeastern kind of football that lends to what you’re looking for from your defensive players?) – “You always get a little partial. (laughter) I played in the SEC, I’ve coached in the ACC and dealt with a lot of these guys. Just not necessarily the conference aspect of it, but more or less of we’re looking for them (to be) physical, tough, smart guys who – they’re coming from those conferences and they’re used to that type of play on a consistent basis. The SEC is a big run league. The ACC is kind of a run and pass league, so those guys come out of systems where they’re used to playing the way they play in this league.”
(I hate to bring it back to DE Jason Strowbridge again, but you mentioned the things that flash and that he does a lot of good things. Like what?) – “I would say sometimes in the run game – he’s a 275-pound guy. He can hole-point, get separation on the offensive linemen; but I’ll tell you, in the pass game sometimes he – you’d think he would just be a power guy and then sometimes he gets on the edge on an offensive lineman and you can really see his natural quickness, too. So when he’s going, he’s going now. Now did I think he was going to be just more of just a hands-on power guy? I did, but then sometimes you’ll see him get on the edge of linemen and see him work his hips and that finesse aspect of him and you’ll go, ‘okay, I see you, Strowbridge.’ So I think he’s got a little bit of a variety to his game and it’s just a matter of when it’s starting to come out. I think he can rush a little bit. He can play the run. That’s what you want to see – a guy who can hopefully develop into a three-down player over time.”
Gerald Alexander – August 27, 2020
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Thursday, August 27, 2020
Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander
(We’ve seen seven or eight young corners really competing. Beyond CB Noah Igbinoghene, if you take him out of the equation, who else from that group has flashed to you if you’re willing to share names? We’ve obviously seen CB Tae Hayes and CB Breon Borders make some plays, CB Nik Needham obviously. Who has stood out to you from that group of seven young corners?) – “I think all of them are competing very well. You mentioned a lot of guys like Breon, and Nik and Noah. Obviously we’ve got our veteran guys like Byron (Jones). I think throughout the course of camp, those guys have done a good job competing, being in a good position, challenging the football, getting their hands on the football. Everybody for the most part are doing exactly what we want them to do in these practices, and that’s competing their butts off out there on the field. Generally speaking as a group, they’ve all done what we want them to do.”
(The word on the street is that you brought a point system to town to try to get more turnovers and hands on the ball. I wanted to get a little bit more insight on what that looks like and what the goal is for the guys with that?) – “The point system is really just trying to enforce what we’re trying to get done and that’s our job description – getting the ball for our offense or scoring ourselves. It really just got categorized and whether it be scoops off the ground or trying to strip the ball or obviously being able to get pass breakups and interceptions. At the end of the day, it’s getting those guys in a competitive environment. It’s a corners versus safeties competition as well as another competition that we have. It’s getting them mindful of – it’s all about the ball. Everything we do, every technique, every detailed coaching point that we give them and every defensive scheme, is all about – at the end of the day – getting the ball. You start to see that energy, that competitiveness amongst those guys at practice doing the little thing that reward points. At the same time, I’m trying to build culture. I’m trying to build a way of behaving in the defensive back room. Doing certain things at practice and always being conscious of the ball hopefully is generating a way of behavior where that’s just the way that we operate out there on the practice field. It’s been fun, it’s been competitive; but at the end of the day, there is some method to the madness about how we operate out there in the secondary in particular.”
(Who is leading the race in your point system, and since a turnover chain is already taken, what does the winner get as his glory?) – “We’ll keep the rewards in house. There is a lot at stake. I’m not sure exactly who the leader is right now individually; but it could really be anybody. There are a lot of different categories – not just PBUs (pass breakups) and interceptions; but like I mentioned earlier, there are scoops on incomplete passes, there is special effort, there is explosive eliminators. There’s so many different points and as of right now, as of yesterday, the corners are leading the competition through I want to say the last four practices or so. I think individually, I think Bobby (McCain), with the interceptions that he’s had – and in the red zone, points are doubled. It’s a real big deal when we get in that part of the field as it is when we get in the game time, that plays on the ball or turnovers in the red zone that benefit us on defense, especially when our backs are against the wall, they are valued double in the competition. It’s been fun. It’s been one of those things that kind of broke up the monotony of training camp a little bit, even though it’s probably shorter than it ever has been. The guys love it, and it’s a good deal out there at practice.”
(What have you seen from CB Byron Jones and how do you see he’s adjusting to his role in this defense and learning the scheme?) – “You see a guy who is continuing over the course of camp, getting more comfortable with the terminology and the techniques and all of the things that are different than where he previously played. With that, this is a great time for him to continue to get back to the basics and fundamentals and retool and reshape his craft, as he’s been doing. You see that he’s the ultimate professional, he’s a great influence on some of our young guys and how he approaches really everything that he does, whether he’s on the field, off the field or in the classroom. You start to see a guy who handles himself like a professional, who is doing some good things out there on the field, who is learning and developing as he continues to go. Then he’s out there really competing out there on the football field.”
(I got two questions just to follow up on the point system deal: is there a name for the game, and does it go past camp? Is it just a camp deal?) – “It’s a camp deal right now. There are two different competitions. I’ll kind of give you guys some information here. The corners versus safeties competition is really just a ball disruption deal. It’s categorized, it’s valued at a certain things for ball disruption or something on the field. Then we have our Hood vs. ‘Burbs’ competition, which is solely based on interceptions. Those guys got a chance to draft different members. That is settled on the field. Once practice is over, if both teams don’t have interceptions, both teams do 25 pushups. If one team wins, the loser does 25 pushups. If both teams tie with one or more interceptions in practice, then the coaches got 25 pushups. It’s just getting those guys conscious of always thinking about the ball, always attacking the football; and hopefully at the end of the day, those behaviors that we execute and believe in and take action in at practice, that will lead to just something we do in games because we understand that’s going to help our team win.”
(You touched on your cornerback play a little bit earlier, the first question of this presser. I’m curious about your safeties. You guys have a history here of converting cornerbacks into safety with S Eric Rowe out wide, or S Bobby McCain or S Brandon Jones, who played in the slot before. What is it about guys that can come down and cover that make for good safeties in your defense?) – “I think you see how the game is now. Offenses are trying to do everything they can to attack space, especially in the passing game. You need guys who have the athleticism to be able to cover in space and be tough enough to be able to support on the run. Those guys are much valued now in today’s NFL than maybe in years past or in the history of the NFL, when things were kind of a little bit more condensed and heavy run-oriented. So when you have guys like Bobby, when you have guys like Eric and you have guys like Brandon, who are really good in space but also are smart, great communicators and tough enough to support the run, those guys are valued in today’s game.”
(One more on the points thing. I think it’s really great. It’s something you hear more from, from college teams. How do you think that helps apply to a pro team, it keeps them engaged and helps them come together as teammates as well?) – “I think in ways, my responsibility is to create different ways of operating here. Fortunately enough, I did come from college, so it gives a fresh new feel for maybe the guys who are at this level who haven’t had the chance to have that same amount of competition or energy or whatever these guys are taking from this competition and this points system. At the same time that this is happening, they are having fun with it and they are competing with one another; but what I’m trying to do is inadvertently trying to create change in behavior. Now, hopefully when these guys are competing like this in practice and doing the necessary things that warrant the value of the point system, they are also starting to create behavior in how each other operates and how we try to hold ourselves accountable, so it gets to the point where those are just the things that these guys do as a secondary. Now when you’re not behaving in that way, when you’re not living up to the cultural standard that this point system has provided, you know you’ve got something where now the players are now policing each other and saying ‘hey, we don’t operate like this at practice. We scoop up incomplete passes. We try to strip for the ball every single play. Or we run to the ball at practice every single rep.’ That’s what it’s really trying to create. That’s really the foundation, that’s the method to the madness. At the end of the day, what we do out there is a grind and there is fun in it and it gives just a fresh new feel when we get out there and practice and compete day to day.”
Josh Boyer – August 27, 2020
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Thursday, August 27, 2020
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(I wanted to ask about DE Shaq Lawson and DE Emmanuel Ogbah. There’s been a lot of sacks, some tipped passes at the line – what are you seeing from those two guys to let you know that your pass rush may be in a better place this season than it was last season?) – “I think specific to Emmanuel and Shaq, both of these guys are very diligent workers. They’ve come in. They’ve done a lot of things that we’ve asked them to do. I think they’re both talented players and I think they’ve made the most of their opportunities in practice. Improvement is a constant theme for us, and that’s something that we strive for on a daily basis and I think these guys work hard at that. They’re not satisfied with one good play. They’re looking for consistent play over time, and then there are some plays that they’d like to have back. They keep working and you keep seeing productive plays from them, and hopefully – with all of our defensive ends – hopefully we’re improving.”
(I have a question for you now that we’re about halfway through padded practices. I’m just curious about the evaluation mindset. Has it started to change towards how you’re going to round out each sub-package and if it has, how do you evaluate this defense’s ability to be multiple and have all the parts for each sub-package you want to call on game day?) – “It starts with kind of an individual approach. You see what guys can do. I think there’s some things that we’ll practice. You put guys in certain situations to see how they handle it. Obviously practice is the closest thing that we have to game simulation and we work different combinations. I think over time, some of that starts to settle in; but there is also still a competition between players, and I think that brings out the best in players, which as coaches is ultimately what we’re trying to do, is to get the best version of the player on and off the field.”
(What is your vision for DE Jason Strowbridge and how has he been doing?) – “Again – you guys are going to be like, ‘man, this guy is really redundant’ – but my vision for him is to see improvement on a daily basis and to build consistency over time. And I think with not just Jason but a lot of rookies, they come in and you see some good things and then you see some things that need some work, and really what we’re trying to do is build upon the good things. The things that aren’t so good, we try to correct that, and really what we’re looking for is consistency and to string good days together. And that’s kind of our goal, is just the day at hand and to constantly improve.”
(What’s your impression of how CB Byron Jones has competed in training camp so far?) – “I think again, Byron has had some good matchups in camp. I think he’s been competitive in coverage. I think he’s working very hard to improve on some things that he can put himself in a little bit better position to make plays. And by that I mean he’s right there; some of these, we’ve got a chance to get our hands on and turn the ball over. He’s a very diligent worker – works at his craft – and again, it’s the reoccurring theme of we’re not satisfied with where we’re at and we are trying to get constant and consistent improvement.”
(Sort of following up on that, you guys obviously as a franchise made a big investment at the cornerback position in the offseason with CB Byron Jones, CB Xavien Howard and then also drafting CB Noah Igbinoghene in the first round. Just what makes that position right now in the league such an important position to make a big investment like that at?) – “I think again, it goes really back to situational football – third down, red area, two-minute. Those are, call it, ‘winning football.’ You really need to have guys that can cover and you can never have too many of them, especially the way offenses are constructed. Sometimes it’s three receivers, one tight end and a receiving back; and all of them are skilled receivers. Or it could be two tight ends, two receivers and a receiving back; and they could run the ball at you or they could spread you out and throw it, and I think as many guys that you have on your team that can cover, it puts you in a more beneficial state as a defense.”
(A little bit of a curveball question for you here. Your defense obviously has to go against your offense every day in practice and your offensive line has undergone a lot of change. I’m wondering what are you seeing in that offensive line – how it attacks your defense? What are maybe your defensive linemen telling you about how that offensive line is to go against and especially with that size that they’ve added? They’re massive.) – “I think obviously (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) and (Offensive Line Coach) Steve (Marshall) – they’re going a good job, and I think it’s the same process for them as it is for us. They’re looking for constant improvement with their players. I think the scheme and I think the personnel at times presents you some problems defensively; but it’s one of those things – it’s competition. They’re trying to get better; we’re trying to get better. Sometimes we get them; sometimes they get us. And I would say for all the players and for all the coaches, it’s try to get the best version of the player that you possibly can; so when we put them out there on Sunday, we’re putting them in a position to succeed.”
(From what you’ve seen from CB Noah Igbinoghene does it look like he’s ready to play major snaps and contribute as an NFL player right away if needed?) – “Again, I think Noah, he’s had a productive camp for us and we’re going to hope that continues, and we’re going to strive for improvement on that. I think when he gets the opportunity, hopefully he’ll make the most of it. Everything’s kind of like, you’ve got to earn your right to get out there and play; and then once you get out there and play, you’ve got to earn your right to keep more snaps. That’s kind of the way we’ve always approached things and he’s working hard towards that. Time will tell.”
(DT Christian Wilkins seems to be a centerpiece in a certain package you guys have. What makes him kind of unique and perfect for that role versus DT Raekwon Davis, who has taken a little bit more of an opportunity there when you do a four-man front?) – “I would say for both of those guys, I think there’s some multiplicity with all of our guys on the defensive line. Sometimes in practice, you work one guy at one thing and you work another at another, and then you try to balance out the reps as it goes whether it’s (Davon) Godchaux, (Christian) Wilkins, Raekwon (Davis), (Zach) Sieler, Benito (Jones) – any of those guys. We try to balance out the reps, balance out the different packages that we have as we go, and we try to at all positions kind of create some multiplicity so that we’re not just lining up in the same thing over and over again for the offense.”
(You guys brought a lot of new players in on that side of the ball and some obviously had preexisting relationships with both you and Head Coach Brian Flores. I’m curious how are the new guys on the defense kind of acclimating and does that preexisting relationship with those players kind of help accelerate the learning curve for the rest of the guys?) – “I do. I firmly believe like every year, you kind of start over. The current relationships – some things may click a little bit quicker for guys if the terminology is the same. For other guys that are coming from different programs, they may have done the same things, but maybe it’s just the terminology is different. So I think it’s a case-by-case basis, but there’s a lot of things that when you have a history with certain guys over years; there’s things that as a coach, you’re quicker to know, ‘okay, this is probably what we’re going to get on this.’ But like I said, I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) did a good job of putting as many competitive players on defense as they possibly could and we’ve had some competitive practices. We’ve had some competitive work in individual periods and again, we’re just going to try to improve on a daily basis.”
(We’ve heard a lot of the players talk about sort of the emphasis on turnovers and getting hands on the ball this offseason. I know every team wants that. That’s sort of a goal for a defense, but how easily do you see, I guess, that emphasis being able to translate to turnovers on Sunday?) – “I think practice execution becomes game reality; so if we’re not practicing something and it’s not a point of emphasis, you’re probably not going to get the results that you want. We spend a lot of time on trying to get the ball, and I would say historically if you look through the league, the turnover margin is probably closest-related to wins and losses as anything else there is. And to get turnovers, you’ve got to get a lot of guys to the football and they’ve got to know what they’re doing when they get there; or you’ve got to get guys ready to read the quarterback, ready to break on throws and get hands up in the passing lane. These are all things that we spend a good amount of time on and again, we’ll see if our work bears fruit here, but it’s definitely something we put a good amount of time on of trying to get our guys to the ball, trying to get our guys to get the ball.”
