Brian Flores – December 19, 2019
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Thursday, December 19, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted your big picture thoughts on something that has been sort of debated among some media people in the last week. We’re not going to talk about any particular player; but if there is an exceptional defensive player available to you via the draft, via free agency, price isn’t an issue, off-field behavior isn’t an issue – if he’s not the ideal scheme fit, would you say ‘No, that player is not for us?’ Or in your mind, if there is an excellent player available, do you accommodate your scheme for that player?) – “(laughter)”
(That player is one that remains unnamed.) – “Oh, you’re talking about a specific player?”
(No I don’t want to talk about specific players. Your thoughts generally on that issue.) – “I’m just talking generally. Generally if there’s a good player – I like good players.”
(If a guy is not an ideal scheme fit but he’s an excellent player – he’s the best player available to you – do you say ‘I’m going to fit my scheme around him,’ rather than bypassing the player.) – “I don’t – ideal scheme fit for who? For us?”
(Let’s say a front seven player for you.) – “If it’s a good player – the scheme is very – it’s a scheme versatile defense I believe. So yeah, if we’ve got a good player, we’ll make it work for said player. That goes at any position. I think we’ve got a good coaching staff. There are a lot of creative minds here. We try to put our players in position to make plays. If there was an exceptional – I think we have some good players. Yeah, if Lawrence Taylor was available and we had to fit the scheme for him, we would do it. So yeah, no problem.”
(You do use three different types of defensive ends or edge setters or pass rushers – I don’t know how you define them – in LB Vince Biegel, DE Avery Moss and DE Taco Charlton. What is your ideal vision for you in terms of who sets that edge or players that you use as pass rushers?) – “The first thing I’d ask you is who are we playing against? If we’re playing against a run-heavy team that likes to run to the tight end side, then we might put a bigger guy there. If we are playing a read-zone team where we need a little bit more athletic player to play the quarterback and the dive, then we put Biegel in there. So you’ve got to tell me who we are playing and I’ll tell you who is going to be setting the edge. I guess that’s what we mean when we say it is scheme versatile. It’s really dependent on what they’re doing. I think if you just sit in one (look) or if you have one particular type of player – let’s say you have a big end, then Lamar Jackson and (you’re) playing against (him) in zone read, that’s not really a good matchup. It just depends. I think every team deals with this and every team kind of goes through that progression when they’re dealing with opponents or going through their defensive scheme per week. We do the same. Players need to be versatile. But at the same time, there’s 11 guys on the field. So if it’s a big strong guy, we’ll try to put him in positions to where he can do what he does well. If it’s a more athletic player, then we’ll try to put that player in position to do what he does well.”
(On a similar subject, you’ve brought a lot of cornerbacks through here. What do you look for in a cornerback? Other than talent, is there anything specifically that you look for?) – “Communication, tackling, ball skills, the ability to play multiple positions potentially inside (and) outside. It’s a hard position to play in this league. We’ve had a few guys. We’ve obviously had injuries at the position and had some new guys in those positions, and I think they’ve come in and played fairly well. I think (Defensive Pass Game/Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) and (Defensive Coordinator) Pat (Graham) – Josh, with the corners does a good job of getting those guys ready to go. Pat does a good job of putting them in good positions. But yeah, ball skills, tackling, man-to-man coverage, off-coverage, press, all of those things.”
(Does height matter at all to you? Or it depends on how the guy plays?) – “My favorite DB is Antoine Winfield. He wasn’t all that tall but he was a great player. No. I would say no. If you’re a good player, you’re a good player.”
(Why was Antoine Winfield your favorite player?) – “He tackled, he blitzed. I just thought he was a really solid, tough, physical (corner). (He) could cover. He could cover kicks. He was a really good player.”
(CB Xavien Howard posted a photo on social media and it looks rather alarming, I guess, with a large knee brace. What can you tell us about his situation? Did he have his knee scoped? Is he okay?) – “He had surgery on his knee. I’m not going to go into details on exactly what type of surgery he had, but he had surgery on his knee as you can see.”
(Do you expect CB Xavien Howard to be ready for the offseason program?) – “It’s very early in the process. We’re still – he just recently had surgery so he’s going through the recovery process. It’s way too early. It’s a couple of days in. We’ve got to get him in here and get him rehabbed. We’ll see how it goes.”
(Is that something you anticipated or did something new happen while CB Xavien Howard has been on IR with the knee? He went on IR with the knee, but is that something new that’s happened since he’s been on IR that led to surgery? Or was that planned?) – “I don’t like to go into detail about specific injuries and what happened, so I’ll just stay away from that one. He had surgery. He’s recovering. Surgery went well and he’s recovering. He’s going to do everything possible to get himself back and ready to go as quickly as possible.”
(How do you evaluate the rookies and the young players in the last two regular season games – who you want to see?) – “I think we evaluate them the way we have the entire year. Improvement in all areas. I think at this point in the year, you just want to see the consistency from a preparation standpoint and just really focus on one day at a time getting better. Today’s a third-down day. Tomorrow is red area. Yesterday was early down. Continuing to go through that process and knowing who we’re playing against, which the Bengals have some good players and guys who pose some issues, so we have to know who those players are, know their strengths, know their weaknesses, have an understanding of what we’re trying to do schematically; and if we just string good days together, then we’ll give ourselves a chance to play well on Sunday.”
(I know stopping the run is an everybody issue, but how would you say the linebackers and the defensive tackles have performed this season in terms of that role and responsibility?) – “I think there’s been instances where it’s been good. We’ve had a lot of let’s call it second-and-8-plus situations because we’ve had some good spurts of stopping the run I would say early in games, in the middle of games. It just hasn’t been consistent. From a run-fit standpoint, from a setting-the-edge standpoint, from a tackling standpoint; it just hasn’t been consistent enough. We need to try to play more consistently in the run game. It’s something we talk about. It’s something we practice. We’ve got to make it happen in the games.”
(How do you get to that consistent part? Is it different players? Is it better edge setting? Is it better tackling?) – “I think it’s a combination of all those things. I think it is edge setting, it’s tackling. If we play well and stop them, they’re probably going to come back to something else. So we need to play with good technique, good fundamentals, read our keys and just understand that they’ve got – there’s 100 different runs that a team could run – and we don’t necessarily know exactly what they are, but good teams, they make adjustments. ‘Hey, we’re doing this.’ ‘All right, what would you do?’ ‘What do we do to beat that?’ There’s something to beat everything, so they make adjustments and we have to be able to make our own adjustments. That’s players, that’s coaches, it starts with me. We just need to do it more consistently, and I would say we’ve tried to make those adjustments in-game and we talk about it and we actually make the adjustment and we’re ready to go and then there’s a missed tackle or no edge or whatever it is. There’s a myriad of issues. We need to get it cleaned up. It starts with me and I’ll try to do a better job.”
(With LB Raekwon McMillan being down, does that mean LB Sam Eguavoen has to be the guy who elevated and plays more in run downs, or is there another linebacker like LB Andrew Van Ginkel, or LB Vince Biegel who can move back a little bit?) – “I think Sam definitely has to step up and he’ll play more obviously. But Van Ginkel, Biegel – Jerome (Baker) will have to take on more of a leadership from a communications standpoint. The next guy just has to step up, like it’s been the entire year at all positions. We’ve had a litany of injuries. The next guys just have to step up and we have to get them ready. (Joe) Mixon is a good back. They’ve done a good job in the run game. This is a tough test for us. We need all hands on deck; we have to be ready to go.”
(Do you have players that you think can be core players for you for multiple years in the future?) – “I think that’s something that’s ongoing. Yeah, I think we have a number of players here who have the traits, have the talent, have the preparation process, that they have the ability to be here long-term. That’s up to them. We have to continue to work, continue to go through the process, continue to be consistent and every day counts. We’ve got to have a good day today, a good day tomorrow, a good week next week, a good offseason, and it’s on and on and on. This is ongoing. Yeah, there are guys here who could be here for a long time. Quite honestly, there are guys here who maybe we don’t think will be here for a long time, and then the light bulb goes off and then they are here for a long time. It goes both ways; but at the end of the day, it’s up to each individual. That’s the case for everybody in the organization. Player, coach, scout, equipment, security, it’s all the same. We just have to continue to get better every day and that’s the consistency we need.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick – December 18, 2019
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Are you going to be able to spend any of Christmas with your family? Are they coming in?) – “Yeah, I’ll be able to spend Christmas with the family.”
(What’s it like in the Fitzpatrick home?) – “Craziness. It’s awesome. It lasts all day and the kids are psyched, and there’s plenty of breaks in between; but yeah, it really is the whole month leading up to it. Just the excitement is a lot of fun in our household and Santa spoils them rotten.”
(Does everybody open their presents all at once or is it one at a time?) – “No, no, no. We’re a big one-at-a-time family. I think we go oldest to youngest.”
(So it really does take all day?) – “God, it takes all day. It just keeps getting longer and longer, but that’s okay.”
(During your career you’ve had games where you’ve thrown four touchdown passes. You’ve had games where you’ve thrown four interceptions…) – “Six. Six and six.”
(You haven’t done that this year. Why? Why do you think you’ve been more consistent?) – “I think I’ve definitely tried to play within myself. I think I’ve tried to give this team stability, and I think that’s kind of what we needed and need; so I haven’t had some of those off-the-wall, crazy good games or bad games because I’m trying to be as consistent as I can and just making sure that I’m making the right decisions. We’ve had some good games and some bad games. They just haven’t been as high and as low as maybe I have historically.”
(When you signed a two-year deal here, was it in mind for that 2020 year coming into fruition?) – “You never know. You never know how things are going to work out. Every time you sign a contract, I guess you’re ready for the duration of the contract, and sometimes you get cut and that gets cut short. Sometimes you get extended. Sometimes you just play through it, and I’ve kind of done it every which-way. Those things, the contracts at least for me and historically throughout my career, they sometimes don’t mean a whole lot.”
(Was the hit you took against the Eagles the hardest you’ve taken this year?) – “The Eagles hit?”
(I’m sorry. The Giants. I apologize.) – “Oh, okay. I was going to say, you’re testing me right now.”
(I’m a few weeks off.) – “I think that one might have looked the worst. That wasn’t the one that felt the worst, but in terms of just unexpected – like I don’t know why I didn’t expect him to hit me like that, but I don’t think he expected me to turn back into him. But yeah, that was a pretty good one. It made a pretty loud pop.”
(You mentioned the stability part of the season and how important it was for this team. Is there a little bit of gunslinger in you that’s kind of missing that part of the action?) – “I still really enjoy running around and throwing the ball around and all that. I think I’ve done plenty of that this year. I think I’ve tried to tone down the crazy a little bit, and part of it for me, too, is also getting older and knowing that sometimes earlier in my career when we were down a few touchdowns, still believing that there was a 21-point throw that existed in the NFL. (laughter) I’ve learned some of that stuff as well as I’ve gotten older.”
(I know you mentioned early in the year that the main reason you came here was to play. Can you foresee a situation where you would come back if you weren’t in a position to play?) – “That’s something we can address probably at a later date, but I’m excited to be out there on Sunday.”
(The Pro Bowl teams were announced last night. WR DeVante Parker was not one of the four AFC receivers. Thoughts on that? Do you think he deserves be in?) – “I think it’s difficult to make the Pro Bowl. Especially at receiver, it’s very difficult. There’s so much talent out there. DeVante has definitely made a late surge as the season has gone on. He’s gotten better and better as the year has gone on, so I don’t know that that played in his favor at all; but we’re really happy that he’s on our team. I’m really happy I get to throw the ball to him, and I think he knows that based on being rewarded with a contract and just the way that we all feel about him in this building. Those things are great – Pro Bowls and all of the individual stuff – but I know he just wants to get this thing moving in the right direction and I think he’s been a great player for us this year.”
(There’s been a lot of calls for QB Josh Rosen throughout the year and even this week. I want to know how much you’ve heard that and what you think about Head Coach Brian Flores’ decision to stick with you despite all of that?) – “That part of it is out of my control. I just like to play. I’m happy he made the decision he made just to continue to have me go out there. I’ve tried to be consistent and tried to be the best version of myself each and every week. Again, I’m happy to be out there on Sunday. I’m looking forward to it. The other stuff, I can’t really think about or worry about. Just based on what he says, I go and do.”
(You said you’ve been in a lot of these rooms throughout your career where a young guy, old guy, all the different things. What do you think about the idea that you’ve got to see somebody’s potential before they make a rule upon them?) – “I just think quarterback’s a very difficult position to play, and I know everybody thinks the solution is to throw somebody out there on the field, and that’s the only way you can learn; but I know just throughout my career and watching different guys and even personally, there’s a lot of different things that you can learn about being a quarterback that don’t necessarily have to happen on the field on Sunday. I think whatever role you’re in, to be able to soak all that up as best you can and to keep taking little tidbits, whether it’s during a game on Sunday or throughout the week in preparation, you can continue to get better. I’m 15 years in and still trying to figure out, but I continue to try to work hard and try to take little things that I’ll either see from somebody else or just kind of pick up as I’m out there or rely on things I’ve seen guys do in the past. I think you can constantly learn no matter what setting or environment you’re in.”
(Do you think that leadership and teammates playing for a guy, for the quarterback, is inbred innate or can that be learned?) – “I think a lot of it is innate. I think it has to be genuine. Can you learn how to become a better leader? Yes. But if it’s not genuine, if it comes across as phony, if it comes across as rehearsed, then everyone in the locker room – we’re all grown men and interact with each other every day so it has to be genuine. It has to come from the right place. A lot of it is organic. It’s not ‘These are the three steps to leadership.’ ‘Okay, I’m going to follow that and become a better leader.’ There are things certainly that I’ve learned throughout my career that have helped me a lot and watching different guys, but I think a lot of it is innate.”
(We see I guess the finished version, or maybe you’d say not the finished version but the finished version of you as a leader and what you’re able to do on the field. Do you remember when you were starting to show those signs?) – “I think with me, throughout my career, a lot of it has been confidence. Just as soon as I figured out or convinced myself that I belonged, that I belonged in that huddle, that I belonged on the field, that I belonged in this league, that was like the final hurdle I kind of had to get over in order to release myself or be the version of myself that people wanted to follow. That confidence that I might not have necessarily had from being a seventh-round pick and scraping by to try to make the team every year, once I convinced myself that I belonged and that I was a starter in this league, I think that went a long way for me in terms of my confidence and the way that I carried myself.”
(Who is somebody that you would have fallen over the cliff?) – “Carson Palmer is one of the – I would say he’s one of the more unbelievable quarterbacks I’ve been around in terms of leadership. A lot of it with him – I mean Heisman winner, No. 1 pick – was humility. It was the fact that he was just one of the guys and he didn’t think he was better than anybody else. I think for a quarterback, toughness goes a long way too. He was tough as can be. So that was a guy that when I was young, I looked at. I revered (him). I thought this is the kind of guy that I want to be; this is the way I want to be looked at by the linemen, by whoever it was. I think that carried with him throughout his career. That was something that was natural for him, just kind of the guy that he is.”
(That ‘one of the guys’ aspect is really interesting because guys have said that about you all season. They feel like you’re one of the guys. At quarterback, it seems like that’s more of an outlier position where you have a lot of other stuff to focus on. How do you make that a prime focus to be one of the guys despite having more on your plate than maybe another position does?) – “I think it’s different for everyone and everybody has different things pulling at them off the field. I just think simple things like sitting in the meal room and eating lunch with guys and getting to know guys, something as simple and as silly as that goes such a long way. In my mind, I’m not like ‘Oh, I’m going to sit with Dan Kilgore today because I want him to block better for me.’ That’s not it. I think a lot of it is understanding that you’re part of a team and understanding that no one position is better than any other, that we’re all important and we all have to work together, and it’s such a great team sport to get on the same page to succeed. I think knowing guys personally and getting to know them on that level goes a long way towards chemistry and transferring it onto the field. That’s something I’ve just always placed an importance on.”
DeVante Parker – December 18, 2019
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Wednesday, December 18, 2019
WR DeVante Parker
(You don’t feel like you got snubbed for the Pro Bowl or didn’t receive enough consideration for the season that you’re having?) – “No. I don’t care too much about the Pro Bowl. If I was in it, I probably wouldn’t go.”
(Really?) – “I don’t care about it.”
(Why is that? Why wouldn’t you not go?) – “It’s something I’m not interested in really. I don’t care about that. It’s all about politics. It’s all about who you are, so I really don’t care for the Pro Bowl.”
(At some point, would winning All Pro be more important because it’s voted on by people who are actually watching the games?) – “I don’t care about none of that. I just go out there and play.”
(Tell us about the things that are more important to you.) – “Winning games. That’s what’s more important.”
(Has this season been rough for you on that standpoint despite having such a good individual year?) – “Yeah, it has.”
(We know you were upset after the game on Sunday so you didn’t want to talk about your contract; but I was curious, a few days have passed now. What are your thoughts on being here long term?) – “It’s a good feeling. They still want me here and I still want to be here, too. We just connected on that.”
(When did you get an idea that this might happen?) – “When I was starting to have a good year this year.”
(A lot of times when players bet on themselves, and you did obviously with coming back here and all that, it doesn’t work out. How rewarding is it for you that you bet on yourself and you won?) – “It’s very important. I just showed what I can do consistently and the coaches, I guess they liked that (to) give me a long-term deal, a longer deal.”
(You obviously made progress this year. What’s the next step for DeVante Parker?) – “Just keep doing what I’ve been doing and we’ll see what happens.”
(Is this something you think you can build on this season that you had here?) – “Yeah, of course.”
(I know there’s fewer games in college football. Do you remember did you get to 1,000 yards in any of your college seasons?) – “No. The most I had was like 855.”
(What about high school? Did you play enough games to get to 1,000 yards?) – “Oh, yeah. The most I had was like 1,700. (laughter)”
(You probably had 1,000 in five weeks in high school.) – “(laughter) 1,700.”
(So when it happens, it will be special?) – “Yeah.”
(When we spoke earlier this season, you said that was a big goal for you. Now that it’s within reach, how do you feel about it?) – “If I get it, I do. If I don’t, it’s alright. I’ve still got other years, too.”
(It’ll just be alright for the season you had, the career highs you’ve been getting, you’ve been healthy on the field, it would be okay if you didn’t get it?) – “Yeah. People see what I can do now. I’ve got everybody on my side now.”
(Do you at all, because the team has been around for almost 60 years now, there are some great wide receivers that have played here. With where you are right now if you didn’t play another down you’d be 25th on the all-time list. You can get as high as the top 10 with two good games. Is that something – history – at all matter to you?) – “No, not really.”
(What are you most proud about your season?) – “Playing all the games so far.”
(The Dolphins were one of only two teams in the NFL – not just about you but in the whole locker room, nobody from the Pro Bowl is … What is your reaction to that? Is it surprising?) – “Like I said before, it’s all politics. It’s about who you are. That’s how I see it.”
(If you were picked as an alternate and they wanted you to play would you consider it?) – “No.”
(Your teammates, some of them we spoke with said that you’re the one guy that should be going. When you hear that from your teammates, what does that say to you, going to the Pro Bowl?) – “My teammates, they see and believed I would have a good year. I had ups and downs my whole career here. I just appreciate them for having my back.”
Nik Needham – December 18, 2019
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Wednesday, December 18, 2019
CB Nik Needham
(Obviously the team has had its struggles this year, but for you, this is the high point of your career. How have you balanced that? What has that felt like for you?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say this is the high point of my career. Like you said, the team’s had struggles and I’ve also had a lot of struggles this year. I definitely feel it’s a learning experience but I’m just trying to take full advantage of everything and embrace it all, and just try to go out there and do my best, and do whatever I can in order to help the team win. That’s the main goal.”
(I take it it doesn’t take much to get you motivated for another game as you head towards Cincinnati this week?) – “No. I’m ready to go, just like every other week. I’m ready to roll.”
(Is it a little difficult over the holidays with all of this stuff going on?) – “No. With football, like last year we played around the holidays. We play on Thanksgiving. It’s not really Christmas. I haven’t spent Christmas with my family the past two years. It’s going to be the same thing. It’s nothing new to me. I’m ready for football. I’m not a big holiday guy either, only for presents (laughter).”
(It’s a different vibe in the locker room. Some fans are focused on whether QB Josh Rosen should start or not. Some are focused on draft position. Give me an idea of what the locker room is focused on and just what the motivation is.) – “Yeah, we’re all focused on the next practice and really the Bengals. That’s who we are playing this week. (Head Coach Brian) Flores just said that after practice today. He said there’s going to be a lot of talk about that stuff – like you said, the holidays, a lot of distractions with family coming in. Just make sure we’re locked in on the Bengals and locked in on the task at hand and we’ll be fine. We’re focused on the win for sure.”
(What have you learned about yourself this year? Just your saga coming in from training camp and being where you are now.) – “I think it’s all about mental toughness. It’s about mental toughness, just believing in yourself and not listening to outside noise. Just know that you’re young and you have to learn and you have to grow; but you have to learn quick because you’re out there competing for an NFL team. They expect for you to do your job and do it well. I think I’ve learned that. Not try to get to high on myself, not try to get to low. Stay away from Twitter. I’ve definitely done that because they will love you one day and hate you one day. Just don’t even worry about that stuff – social media – and just focus on who we play every week, who is my matchup, what do I need to do, what do they do, what they like to do and how I can make a play on the ball.”
(Do you have any family members or friends that do the social media and fill you in on what they say?) – “Yeah, my mom. She is big on social media, especially these past two or three years. I’ve been trying to tell her to slow down and chill. (laughter) She’s definitely gotten a lot better. She is really on that a lot. My dad is on it but not so much telling me about myself or anything. Every once in a while my friends will send me something, like when Saquon (Barkley) shook me. They’ll be like ‘How is your ankle?’ (laughter)”
(Did you phone blow up after that happened?) – “Yeah. I mean not bad; but I have people asking me (about it). What about the two tackles when I tackled him? Nobody talks about that. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – December 18, 2019
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Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Are there guys on the roster right now who with a good showing in the next two games could earn a spot on the offseason roster, the 90-man roster? Is anybody in that category do you think right now?) – “I think every guy who plays and practices is every day working to compete, get better and prove themselves in this league or to this team. Yeah, I think every day guys are trying to compete and make a roster, make a team, continue playing. You want them to have all of that type of attitude. So yes, I think that’s the case every week and I don’t think that will change.”
(How much evaluation – I know every game and every week is an evaluation – but in terms of evaluation towards the offseason, how much of that is going on versus trying to win on Sunday?) – “Well, we’re always trying to win but part of winning is obviously playing well, practicing well, preparation, and all of those things are being evaluated. That’s for every player, every coach. Everything we do is being evaluated. Each guy has to go out there and play well individually and play well as a group – offense, defense, special teams – whatever your role is. If you do that, then things normally take care of themselves.”
(What have you seen from CB Nik Needham in terms of dealing with the inevitable ups and downs that come with playing cornerback in the NFL?) – “At that position and really all positions, you have to have a short memory. There will be some good plays, some bad plays, and you just have to be able to move on from both. Again, I’ve said this many times: you can’t get too high, you can’t get too low, you have to stay even. You just have to continue to prepare and go through your process and do things the way you’ve done them. Don’t try to do anything outside of what we’re teaching. If we do those things then we’ll be okay.”
(What have you seen from CB Nik Needham in that respect?) – “I think Nik has played well overall. He’s a young player. He’s smart. He tackles. He’s tough. He’s made – I’d say he’s made a lot of plays over the course of the season and he’s really improved. He’s given some up (as well); but he’s gotten better, and that’s really what you are looking for. I think where he was from that first preseason game to where he is now, I think there’s been substantial development from him. There’s some ups and downs with that but I think at the end of the day, he’s made a lot of improvements and we’re happy to see that. I know I am. I’ve expressed that to him. At the same time, there’s still room for improvement, room for growth. He’s got to work towards that. We’ll always try to keep the foot on the gas as far as helping these players, helping them improve and get better.”
(You said you are going to pick the best guys that give you the best chance to win games. At the quarterback position, what does the backup – QB Josh Rosen – need to do to close the gap with the starter, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick?) – “I understand the question with Josh and ‘Fitz.’ I think Josh has done a lot of good things in practice. He really has. He’s throwing the ball well, he’s making good decisions, he’s throwing with more accuracy. At the end of the day, ‘Fitz’ has played well also and he has a rapport with the team. Not that Josh doesn’t – Josh does as well and he’s building from that standpoint. Whether it’s with the scout team or when he gets his team reps in practice, they’ve been good. You can see the improvement. But we just feel like going with ‘Fitz’ is the best thing for us to win the game or to try to win the game on Sunday. From meetings to walkthroughs to all of the preparation, as a coaching staff we’re with them on a daily basis and I think we have a good feel for what that is. To answer your question, for Josh and the steps he’s got to take, I think he’s taken those steps. I think in due time, he’ll get his opportunity.”
(If you had to give QB Josh Rosen a list of three things – improve on these three things Josh – what’s on that list?) – “I’ve given him that list, for sure.”
(You’re not giving me that list.) – “I’m not giving you that list. Again, like I’ve said all year, those conversations between me and the players and me and (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and me and ownership, those are internal conversations and we’re not going to share that with – I think it’s common courtesy to not share that with anyone else. Those are private conversations that Josh and I have had. It’s not just Josh but really multiple players on this team, because they all want to compete and play, and they all ask, ‘What can I do to get in there, to get better?’ I have a lot of those conversations. I don’t think it’s the right thing to share them with everybody.”
(Everyone admires and respect QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Some fans, some media members, me – I wonder and maybe you can help me understand, how, if at all, is it in the best long-term interest of this franchise to start a 37-year-old over a 22-year-old – if there’s an answer, I really want to hear it – starting a 37-year-old over a 22-year-old when the record is 3-11 and there’s two games left?) – “Well, I guess my first thought is if we feel like that’s the best thing for us – and we do for us to win on Sunday – I think that is in the best interest of this team. I think – and this is philosophically, I think people will feel differently about it – I think that any time – you always want to give yourself the best opportunity to win. I think it’s easy for people to sit and say ‘you should do this or that, or this or that.’ I don’t think those same people will stand in front of that group and say ‘this is in the best interest of the team, for us to win this week.’ That’s no knock on Josh. Maybe you think that’s in the best interest, but you’re not in front of this team every day. You’re not in the trenches and a lot of people aren’t. Those are decisions I have to make, and we as a coaching staff, we go through this diligently and we come out of it with that decision, and we feel like that’s the best thing to do.”
(Do you think QB Josh Rosen has a future with this team?) – “Josh Rosen is a very talented player. I think we all know that. I think he’s making a lot of improvement like I’ve been saying for the last few weeks. Yeah, I do. We’ll see where it goes. But right now, for this team and this week, we’re going to play ‘Fitz.’”
(I remember talking to C Daniel Kilgore a few weeks ago and he mentioned that the decision to go back to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, that’s something that gained you a lot of respect in the locker room. Did you think about that when you made that decision, just keeping the locker room trusting you?) – “I always try to do what I feel is best for this team. I’m always going to try to do that really on a day-to-day basis.”
(Now that LB Raekwon McMillan was placed on IR, how would you assess his development this season?) – “I think Raekwon has done a good job specifically from a leadership standpoint. He’s a guy who is very vocal, he gets his teammates going, he meets extra with the linebacker position and the defensive front. He’s made a lot of progress that way. It’s unfortunate that he went down last week and we’re not going to have him for the rest of the season but I thought he made a lot of progress over the course of the year.”
(Yesterday the Pro Bowl rosters were announced. The Dolphins do not have a selection. I wanted to get your reaction to that, and particularly in the case of WR DeVante Parker, who the numbers say he had a good case to be considered. What are your thoughts?) – “I think making a Pro Bowl is a great accomplishment. Congrats to all of the players who made it. DeVante, I thought he’s had a good season; but there are a lot of other players who had good seasons as well. Not everybody makes it. My thoughts on the Pro Bowl are very minimal to be honest with you. I’m focused on the Bengals and helping this team improve this week, build and get better. Hopefully we’re prepared to try to win a football game next Sunday. But yeah, congrats to all of the guys who made the Pro Bowl.”
(T Laremy Tunsil and S Minkah Fitzpatrick both made the Pro Bowl. QB Ryan Tannehill was an alternate. These are all guys that were on your roster at the beginning of the year. Do you kind of wish you had those guys back?) – “No. I just worry about the guys we’ve got on our team. I don’t really worry about anyone else. Those guys are deserving and congrats to them, but I’ve got a group that I enjoy coaching and that’s where my thoughts are. They’re not on ‘what ifs,’ or ‘what could have beens.’ I personally don’t think you get much out of that.”
(Your running game has been struggling all season. Have you seen improvement over the last week or two?) – “I thought there were instances last week where we ran a little bit better. It could always be better, especially early in games. We’ll keep working on it and keep trying to stick the runs in there and hopefully block it better, run better and break more tackles. There’s a lot that goes into it. I think we talk about it every week. I would say it was a little bit better last week, and hopefully we see some more improvement this week and in the future.”
Patrick Graham – December 17, 2019
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(You played a couple of new guys in the secondary. How do you think they held up?) – “They competed. Obviously we didn’t do anything good enough coaching-wise, and playing-wise we could have done better, but they competed. They’ll just continue to keep growing and we’ll get back to it tomorrow.”
(I think one had one week, one had two weeks of time within the system. How much were you able to do with them, and is it a matter of just saying, “okay, go play Cover 2 and we’ll we handle the front end?” How does that work?) – “(laughter) The beauty of the game to me, to me, is it’s pretty simple. If you can tackle, that’s one. It’s not like wherever they were before that, they weren’t asking them to tackle, so that’s one thing. Two, can you cover your guy and play the right leverage? That’s the same thing that others team were preaching to them so that’s what we try to do, and then from there just be tough, be disciplined. That’s really what we’re asking them to do. It’s nothing different than what they’ve been asked to do in different places. The call might have been called something differently. Maybe there’s a few technique things here and there, but to get guys ready, our coaches do a great job of getting guys ready to go within a short period of time. This is still football. It’s still tackling, defeating blocks, covering, using your leverage; so that stuff is stuff that they’ve been doing for a majority of their adult life.”
(From our perspective it seemed like – your defense is obviously multiple and you use guys at a bunch of positions – it seems like it would be harder to pick up than if they…) – “I get that, but I think the beauty of what we try to do is we try to – especially this time of year – we try to keep it focused on the fundamentals. Again, it comes down to tackling, block destruction, playing your leverage; so if we can keep it within that vein right there, that’s what we try to do with the guys. Yeah, it might have a different name and the call might call for something different, and it might seem more complicated, but it really gets down to the reason why we’re going to win games is because we’re going to be good at fundamentals. This week when we’re playing Cincinnati, we’ve got to play our leverage, we’ve got to set the edge in the run game, we’ve got to tackle, we’ve got to get off blocks. It all comes back to the same thing.”
(Last week DE Charles Harris was inactive. What does he have to do to get on the active roster and to improve in terms of creating pressure?) – “I think just in terms of the game plan, that’s how we determine who’s going to play. Charles will just continue to keep working hard and whether it’s pressure – it depends on how you define what that pressure is, but I think that’s a collective thing whether it’s the call, whether it’s the group in terms of making sure the setup is right. Very seldom is it a one-person show. That’s not how we’re set up. He’s just got to keep working hard and keep grinding.”
(With this season you guys have 18 sacks in 14 games. Obviously that’s not a favorable number because you’re last in the league in sack production. Is it talent? Is it play-calling? Is it poor execution? What has been the issue with that?) – “The measure – I’m not a big stat guy in terms of that – but in terms of sacks, we look to see how we’re affecting the quarterback, so there’s different ways to do that whether you drop eight, you rush six, whatever it may be – pressures, hurries, whatever it may be or just having people in coverage. Again, whether we need more sacks or less sacks, I don’t know. I would prefer more wins. That’s the main thing I’m focused on. The thing is, obviously I could coach it better. That’s where I’ll start and that’s where I’ll end it with. Obviously I’ve got to do a better job coaching it.”
(How would you say you’ve done this year?) – “In terms of?”
(Job performance. Coaching the defense. You, how would you say…?) – “We don’t have enough wins right now, so not good enough.”
(What’s one thing this offseason you’re like, “man, this is one thing I really need to focus in on and get better on?”) – “I’m not worried about – the offseason coming up, you’re talking about?”
(Yeah.) – “I can’t – I’m worried about Cincinnati.”
(What’s one thing so far this season – I imagine getting pressure on the quarterback you wish you had more?) – “The thing I’m focused on right now honestly – and I don’t look too far in advance – is how to limit the running game for Cincinnati, how to take away (Tyler) Boyd in the passing game. That’s what I’m focused on. Anything down the road in terms of my personal development and all of that stuff, I’m trying to get better every day. That’s continual, so it doesn’t matter what (season). I’m not even thinking about that. Right now my focus is on Cincinnati and putting our guys in the right spots to be successful against them on Sunday. That’s my focus.”
(Regarding Cincinnati, you’re once again facing a veteran quarterback in Andy Dalton. Are there similarities – Eli Manning one week, Andy Dalton the next, or is it a start-over type thing?) – “Every week is different. He’s a veteran. He’s seen a bunch of stuff, so you obviously take that into consideration whether it be disguise or just what you want to throw at him and what our guys can handle and things of that nature. Every week is so different in the NFL, so the carryover – they both are good. (laughter) I’ll give you that one. They both know how to get the ball to the playmakers. That’s what I look for. They’re doing a good job of that and getting them in the right calls in terms of the run game. You know you see the ‘check with me’ at the line of scrimmage. They’re getting into the right calls. (Joe) Mixon has run for over 125 yards the last two weeks, so obviously he’s doing something right there because when you’re dealing with a veteran quarterback in my opinion, where they really gain the edge is when they’re able to check the run game against favorable looks. When they do that, that’s pretty good by those guys.”
(LB Vince Biegel had the pick against the Giants on Sunday. What have you seen from him in terms of consistency week-in and week-out?) – “I think he comes into work. He’s a diligent worker. I think he works at it. He’s open to coaching. He works hard on the practice field. I don’t know if he takes any reps off, not that any of our guys do, but he understands – I think he’s really bought into that practice is the most important thing we do during the week leading into the game, so he does a good job of maximizing that out there on the practice field because it’s the closest we get to game reality, so the better you do there – if you make your mistakes there and you get them corrected, the more confidence you’ll have going into the game. So I think he’s done a good job with that along the with the other guys on the team.”
(Has LB Vince Biegel’s production surprised you at all or are you pretty much getting…?) – “No. He’s a hard worker. When you put in the work – and it doesn’t always work out, I understand that – but he’s put in the work and you love to see guys get rewarded for their hard work. Am I surprised? There’s very little stuff that surprises me. I’ve seen production from guys nobody thought we were going to get production (from) and guys who were supposed to be productive not get production. It’s just about putting the work in and hopefully everything falls in place.”
(Do you feel like you have a defensive lineman or edge player that can disengage from an offensive tackle and get pressure on the quarterback?) – “Yes. Yep.”
(Who?) – “We’ve got several guys. Starting with (Andrew) Van Ginkel, (Vince) Biegel, Charles (Harris), Taco (Charlton). All these guys have shown the ability to do it – Sam (Eguavoen), he’s been able to do it. (Jerome) Baker’s gotten plays. So yeah, I feel like we’ve got guys that can make plays against the offensive tackles. As long as we play with our hands, play with good pad level, you’ve got a chance against any of these guys. As long as we do that, we’ll have a chance against any of these guys.”
(I guess the question is why don’t we see more of it then?) – “Why haven’t we seen more of it? I don’t know how you want me to answer that. I’ve got to do a better job. I think I’ve made that clear. I’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to be more consistent with our pad level. We’ve got to be more consistent using our hands, so that starts with me.”
Chad O’Shea – December 17, 2019
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(With the offensive line, what goes into the decision to rotate those guards in the game?) – “I think there’s a lot of factors that go into having the five guys that are out there. In the particular – like last week for example, the rotation of the offensive line was based off of giving an opportunity to some of those guys to play from our perspective, and the idea of just obviously giving them an opportunity to play. That was the biggest thing. It wasn’t that it was a particular matchup reason defensively. It was just really an opportunity for all those guys to play because they deserve the opportunity to go out there and play.”
(So this is just an evaluation process for you?) – “I think the process for us is always trying to get the best guys out there, and in doing so, one of the things is there is an evaluation process of how those players play when they’re in there. If that requires rotating different guys in to see who are the best five, that’s what the process is for us. It’s always about putting the best guys out there to give us the best chance to win, and if that requires giving each guy an opportunity to go out there and do it and not just be in set with a certain five guys during the game, that’s what we’re going to do.”
(Isn’t there a statement to be made that you’re in Game 14 and you’re still not sure who the best five are?) – “I think it’s ongoing. Certainly in a perfect world, everybody would like to have continuity at different positions; but again, what we’re trying to do is get the best five out there. If it requires us to keep doing that, we’re going to do that.”
(How did G Shaq Calhoun and G Michael Deiter perform in returning to the starting role?) – “I think there were some things – I think the one word at all positions is ‘consistency’ – so there were some things that were real positive, and I think there were some things when we looked at the film that we would’ve liked them to do better. I think that’s probably true of the way we played offensively in general, that there was lack of consistency at all positions and certainly there were some things that they did that were very positive, and there were some things that looking back that we need to improve on from last week and going into this week.”
(We’ve spoken a lot about QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s running ability. We haven’t spoken a lot about his arm strength. The first touchdown pass to WR DeVante Parker, the 20-yarder, looked like everything he had on it. He’s got pretty good arm strength doesn’t he? That’s an important piece in his repertoire, isn’t it?) – “I think there’s a lot that goes into that – the anticipation and the coverage recognition is something that helps Ryan. He had enough arm to get it to DeVante on that play. That’s a play that was repped in practice, and we always stress the importance of our preparation and practice really equals what happens in the game; and that was true of that play. We had repped that play in practice and he had thrown to DeVante and had good anticipation and recognition of what the coverage was, and DeVante ran a good route. There’s a lot that goes into it, but one of the things that’s important is the quarterback’s got to be able to physically make that throw, and he was able to do that.”
(I know there are two weeks left, but how would you evaluate the job you have done this season?) – “I think it’s something that I have certainly learned every week. It’s been a process that each week is different, and when I look back it’s something that there’s always areas to improve, just like we talk about with the players. Certainly my job has been to try to give the offense the best chance to win every week. I’ve certainly tried to do that on a weekly basis. I appreciate the way our players have embraced what we’ve tried to do here. They’ve worked extremely hard, and I just think that the efforts of the players have really helped me do my job this year and certainly there’s areas in hindsight and looking forward that we would all like to be better in. I think that’s true of all players and coaches, but I think that just as the players have done, I’ve tried to give the best effort I can to put the offense in the best position to win.”
(Would you say this offseason that figuring out the run game is one of your highest priorities?) – “I think there’s going to be a lot. We’re going into the game this week and there’s a lot that we need to improve on. The run game is one area, one facet, of a lot of areas that we need to improve on, and I think that all areas will be evaluated. We still have two games left, and we’re going to try to improve in those areas even with two games left, and it’s just not the run game. There are other areas certainly. That’s always the one statistically that’s the most glaring for us right now, but there’s a lot of areas that we can improve on offensively.”
(With the run game, you guys got over 100 rushing yards, and a lot of that production came from backs. What was different about last week?) – “I think the backs did a good job of running well. I thought on those plays that we did have some production the offensive line was good in their assignment, good in their technique, fundamentally they were good. I think that all those things as I’ve said all year, it takes all 11, and on those plays that we were successful, there were 11 guys doing their job correctly. Certainly the disappointment in the game for us was our inability to get one yard when we needed a yard, so obviously we’re going to put a lot of focus and a lot of our energies into that area of being better in situational football; but on the runs that we did have productivity, I think it’s a tribute to all 11 guys doing their job better.”
(There’s been a lot of attention focused on RB Patrick Laird, but RB Myles Gaskin also had himself a pretty nice game on Sunday. What did you like about what he showed?) – “I think that the one thing that’s been good about Myles is he’s continued to learn the offense and know what to do when he’s out there. He’s made the most of his opportunities at practice and certainly I think that’s really kind of transferred into the game. He ran the ball and was decisive with some of his run reads. I think he had some production in the screen game as well. We’ve got to do a better job catching the ball, but that’s as a unit. I just think that he’s continued to develop and grow in his role.”
(What do you see as RB Myles Gaskin’s skillset? More quick than fast maybe?) – “I think we’re still learning a lot about him. He’s certainly done some things that would say that he’s got attributes in both of those areas, so I think it’s still something we’re evaluating and giving him opportunities kind of to show what he can do physically.”
(We’ve asked about G Michael Deiter and G Shaq Calhoun. What about C/G Evan Brown? What did you see from him on Sunday?) – “He had a chance to go in there. I think he had 37 plays in the game, so it was a good start for him to get in there and again, there’s a lot of moving parts inside and a lot of communication that’s required of different guys at different positions, so it’s a work in progress. But there was enough positives that he’ll continue to have opportunities and we’ll continue to try to put the best five out there.”
(What do you want from your guards? What do you want your guards to look like?) – “I think it’s something that is based on a lot of what you’re doing offensively and what you’re facing obviously, but ideally you want to have some guards with some size and some athleticism. I think the athleticism is something that’s very important for that position because we do pull our guards quite a bit in this offense and we do utilize them in the screen game and some of those (things). So I think athleticism and mobility (are) something that come to mind first for us as far as our guards, but there’s obviously a lot of physical characteristics that you would like also. You just can’t have them all. But that’s one that comes to mind, is just the athletic (trait). I think there’s also – you need to be big and stout enough to stand up to have a firm pocket inside also.”
(Joe Burrow won the Heisman last week. I know your focus isn’t on the college game, but you as an observer of sports have to have seen some of what he’s done this year. Were you kind of surprised, encouraged?) – “I’ll be honest, out of all respect to the Heisman Trophy and college football, so much of our energy here has been on us and the focus on our team and what we need to do the next two weeks to improve. Certainly we have a great challenge this week in Cincinnati, so yeah, I am a sports fan and I respect the Heisman Trophy and am aware of who won it; just all of the focus for us truly has been on us.”
Brian Flores – December 16, 2019
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Monday, December 16, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Obviously you addressed yesterday that you think QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will start on Sunday and you’ve always said you want to start the guy who you think gives you the best chance to win. One thing with regards to QB Josh Rosen, is there any more critical information that you and General Manager Chris Grier and Vice President of Football Administration Brandon Shore think you need to know from seeing him in a game this year or do you already know everything that you feel like you need to know about the player at this point?) – “You can always get more information and gather more information; but we have what we have, which is the practice reps and the game reps that he’s had along with his play from a year ago. I think the most important thing we get is what we see in practice on a weekly basis. That’s kind of my thoughts on that.”
(So how much temptation, if any, is there to get a look at QB Josh Rosen in the last two games?) – “We’re always going to do what we feel is in the best interest of this team. We’re going to play the guys who give us the best chance to win. I think we feel that’s Ryan (Fitzpatrick). It’s been that way for the last – I don’t know – eight to 10 weeks. We’ll continue to go that way.”
(With S Walt Aikens, is the issue that left him home Sunday resolved in terms of will he be available to you next Sunday?) – “Yeah, it’s been resolved.”
(We saw LB Raekwon McMillan leave yesterday. Was that anything that you determined was serious or was there anybody else out of yesterday that you think might be in jeopardy the rest of the season?) – “It’s early in the week. Guys are – everyone is a little bit sore from the game. It was a tough game so we’re still evaluating a few guys. I think if you feel a little bit better tomorrow and see what Wednesday looks like – those guys, it’s a tough group. They’ll try to battle back and get out there and play Raekwon is definitely part of that.”
(What is your message this week?) – “The same as it always is. Let’s get better in practice, let’s improve in practice, meetings, walkthrough, and try to go out and play a good, solid football game next week. But that starts with our process on Tuesday, preparing for our next opponent – Cincinnati in this case – and building throughout the course of the week. Getting your rest, getting your hydration, doing all of the things you have to do from a preparation standpoint to give yourself the best chance to play at an optimum level next Sunday.”
(The narrative around this team is the team that loses the game Sunday is better off. Have you ever gone into a game feeling that way and if not, as a competitor and seeing that and hearing that and probably the way they feel in the front office, how do you deal with all of that and handle all of that?) – “I mean I don’t know whose narrative that is. I’ve said this all year: we’re going to try to win every game. That’s kind of my thought process.”
(You guys are favored for the first time this week. Where does that equate in your mind? Obviously I know you don’t pay attention to lines but they believe you are the superior team to the Bengals.) – “I think every week is hard in this league. I think the Bengals have played well the last few weeks. It’ll be a tough game, just like every game in this league. We’ve got to do a good job with our preparation, going through our process – Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – and try to build over the course of the week. We’re going to play a tough, competitive team, and we’re going to have to play well if we want to win, just like any other week.”
(What have you seen in the red zone the last two weeks?) – “From us? Not enough. Not enough production. We’ve got to punch it in. We’ve gotten stalled out too often, and you’re not going to win games if – I think we moved the ball efficiently at times, and we just haven’t been able to finish off those drives. It’s hard to win with field goals in this league.”
(I wanted to ask you about the run game. Obviously you had a pretty much resurgent game – one of the three times you’ve run for over 100 yards. What was the difference this week against the Giants?) – “I thought we could’ve ran the ball better, to be honest with you. There’s still a lot of things we need to improve on. I’d say the first thing that comes to mind is we need to be able to pick up one yard when we need one yard. I know there were some good runs in there, but I think we need to do it more consistently really at the start of a game and really throughout. We’ve still got a lot of work to do there.”
(And how would you assess the way G Michael Deiter and G Shaq Calhoun performed?) – “Good plays, bad plays. I think it was a good front. They’ve got some good players, so I think we again, had some good plays, had some not-so-good plays; but I thought those guys battled every week. The competitiveness, the effort, the toughness – that was never in question, but they had some good players, and it was tough to block them one-on-one at times. We’ve got to do a better job of just playing with fundamentals and technique and giving ourselves the best chance to get those guys blocked, especially when you’re playing against good players.”
(Do those comments about the guards also apply to C/G Evan Brown? I guess he was the third guard.) – “Yeah. Evan went in there and played a little bit yesterday. He got some live action for the first time with us this year. Again, this is no different. (Evan) had some good plays, had some bad plays, showed some quickness and some change of direction. Again, (there were) some instances where he didn’t play as well. He lost a couple one-on-one matchups, I would say; but we had that at some other positions, as well. It was good to get him out there, him to get his feet wet and hopefully we can build on that over the last couple games this season.”
(How has T Julién Davenport played the last couple weeks?) – “Better. You’re seeing some steady improvement. We’ve just got to build on that week-to-week, practice-to-practice and try to string some good play together.”
(Do you notice anything that’s correlating to that improvement for T Julién Davenport?) – “I think he’s just playing – we’ve harped on him about just consistency with his technique. The kid’s athletic, but he’s got to play with good footwork, hand placement, tight hands, a low base in the run game. He’s starting to do those things a little bit more consistently. Again, this is someone who was out for a good chunk of the year early and then came back. It takes a little while to kind of get back into the groove of things as far as fundamentals and techniques from that standpoint. We just need him to continue to play consistently and improve over these next couple weeks. Hopefully that’ll lead into a good offseason and so-on and so-forth, but right now the focus is on getting better this week.”
(We’ve seen I think 10 players signed over the last two weeks. One of the 10 – RB Zach Zenner – is no longer here. A couple were inactive yesterday. Among those who played yesterday – DT Zach Sieler, DB Nate Brooks, CB Linden Stephens – did anyone flash to you?) – “I thought they all flashed. Some good plays; some plays they could’ve been better on. Sieler plays with great effort, had some good technique plays and I thought he played strong inside. Brooks had a couple good tackles, same with Linden. Again, they’ve got to get in the game. It’s good to get them in the game, see them run, see them move around. Then we had some plays we could be better on, and we’ll coach them up and make those corrections. Hopefully we’ll learn from them. We’ll have a quick turnaround – not this week from a playing standpoint, but for them individually, playing their first games of the season and then turning around and playing another game next week will be good for them.”
(How surprised were you to see so many dropped passes?) – “It’s disappointing. It’s something we work on really a daily basis and something we haven’t had as many issues with over the last – let’s call it five to six weeks – but you play in a little bit different environment. There’s wind – not to make excuses, but – they’re not excuses, they can’t be excuses, is really what I’m getting at. We had too many, really at all positions – receivers, backs, tight ends. We had them everywhere. It wasn’t just one guy. It was a collective problem, I would say, and it cost us some big plays. It really did. Those plays would have helped us, specifically in the first half. Maybe we put up a couple more points, maybe we break a tackle, maybe this, maybe that, if, if, if. But we have to make those plays.”
(Eighteen sacks in 14 games. Obviously that’s an issue that this team needs to improve on. Is there anything that you guys can do from a coaching standpoint or a scheme standpoint, play-calling standpoint to get the sack production up or pressure production?) – “I think it’s something that, we always want to get pressure on the quarterback. Every team’s trying to do that. We’re trying to do it as well. We’ve got to coach it better. We’ve got to play better. There’s a few different ways you could do it. We could all-out blitz them. We could fire-zone them. We could five-man pressure them. We could bring a corner, bring a star, bring a safety. I think at points in the season we’ve done all those things, and we’ll continue to do the things we feel we need to do to create some pressure and hopefully we play better, coach it better and hopefully we’ll see some improvement there.”
