Mike Gesicki – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
TE Mike Gesicki
(Are you looking forward to seeing your former college teammate, RB Saquon Barkley?) – “Yeah, absolutely. It will be cool. I’m sure we’ll catch up after the game. He’s had a ton of success there, and I’m happy for him. Ultimately we’re going up there to try to get a win and then we’ll catch up afterwards.”
(How much fun was playing in that offense when you were catching touchdown passes and RB Saquon Barkley was rushing for 100 yards a game?) – “Yeah. It was fun. We had a lot of success together as a team throughout those couple of years. We won some big games, did some fun stuff, but that’s all behind us now.”
(Do you keep tabs on what RB Saquon Barkley does?) – “Yeah. It’s hard not to. Every time you turn on a TV, you see him on commercials and all of that stuff. I know he’s doing well. I’m happy for him.”
(This is your first time playing against the Giants right?) – “Yeah.”
(Do you remember watching Eli Manning in the Super Bowl, and watching the football stuck to the head?) – ‘Yeah (that was) 2007. I was a big Giants fan growing up. That was my team. I remember that one, and then I remember the one a couple of years after that. It will be cool to go up and play against them, kind of relive some of those memories. Yeah, I’m excited about it. It will be cool.”
(You said you grew up a Giants fan. Is it special to go up and play there against the Giants this weekend?) – “Yeah, absolutely. It will be a cool experience. I grew up a big Giants fan. I watched every single game. Me and my dad on Sundays, we’d sit there on the couch and watch all of the games. It was cool. It was fun, and now to kind of have that opportunity to go against them, it will be fun.”
(When the Jets played at Giants stadium it was kind of lame because it was called Giants Stadium. I don’t know if you noticed but all of the lights that were green last week will be changed to blue.) – “Yeah, they will change it up. It will be cool. It will be fun.”
(Is it sort of cool too that – it hasn’t been announced if QB Eli Manning is going to be the starter or not but you grew up watching him, and here you are on the other side of the field. Just to watch him.) – “Yeah. He obviously has a ton of respect around the league for all of the accomplishments that he’s had throughout his career. Like I said, I grew up watching him. It will be cool to kind of be on the other side and to watch it first-hand. But ultimately like I said earlier, we have one goal: it’s to go up there and get a win.”
Jason Sanders – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
K Jason Sanders
(I know you lost the game but on the other hand, you did something that no one has ever done for this team, making seven field goals on Sunday.) – “Yeah, you have to look at the positives. I did a lot of good things; but at the end of the day, you’re trying to win a game. That eighth field goal we could have had would have been, to me, the deciding factor. But you have to look at a lot of the positives too. I kicked a lot of good balls in some cold weather.”
(Did you think there would be a game like this – I don’t know if you could envision it – where you were responsible for all of the points?) – “No. To me, I’m just going to get what I’m going to get. Ultimately, I want touchdowns. That’s what a team player is going to say. If we have to kick eight times, I’m going to kick eight times; but we want to punch it in the end zone. That’s the ultimate goal.”
(I know you can’t speak for all kickers but maybe just you, do you mentally prepare for that? That could happen some day?) – “You’ve got to take each kick the same, whether it’s one with one minute left or it’s in the first quarter. Each kick to me is going to be the same amount of points. It’s going to be three points at the end of the day. So I’m going to take my same routine, my same process, to approach the field.”
(Is there any extra pressure knowing the game you just came off of that this team could depend on you again for situations like this? Maybe not as dramatic as this.) – “Yeah, like I said: whatever kick I get, I’m going to take my same routine and my same mindset that I’m going onto the field that I’m going to make this kick.”
(Were you asked about the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week snub?) – “I was not but to me, I don’t think I was snubbed. If I would have gone 8-for-8, maybe it would have been a different story; but I understand that the losing team usually doesn’t get it. To me, I don’t really care. I’ve got three games left and that’s all I’m really worried about.”
(How do you feel your season as a whole has been this year?) – “I think my overall percentage can’t be great. I’m not sure what it is. But I know that I’ve done a lot of good things and that’s what’s going to carry me through the next three games, looking back at all of the good things that I’ve done.”
(Do you feel like you’ve kicked well this year?) – “I do. I feel like I’ve kicked a lot of pressure kicks, a lot of big kicks that we’ve needed.”
(I assume you’ve never had seven field goals before on any level?) – “No. The most was four last year against the Packers.”
(Are you looking at it like you made seven or you missed one?) – “I mean I left one kick out there. It could have been the difference at the end of the day. But I have to look at the positives. I did a lot of good things after I missed that kick. (Making) 7-of-8 is still a good day for me.”
Brian Flores – December 11, 2019
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Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I think after the moves yesterday with CB Ryan Lewis and CB Ken Webster, I think you’re down to four corners who have played in NFL games with CB Nik Needham, CB Eric Rowe, CB Jomal Wiltz and CB Marcus Sherels. Do you think you have enough at that position this week and might we see Rowe switch back to corner this week?) – “Yeah, we’ll have enough. We brought in Linden Stephens and Nate Brooks, and obviously we have Eric who has played corner in the past. We’ll have 11 out there, that’s for sure.”
(You’ve had a lot of lineup changes, whether it’s guys being inactive or demoted. When you tell these guys that, do they take it and understand or is there some back and forth and guys say ‘Why is this happening?’) – “I think it’s case by case. Every situation is a little different. We’ve got a team of competitive guys in there so when we tell a guy he’s going to be down, yeah there’s some disappointment, which I expect that. That’s a good thing. It’s never an easy thing to hear that when you practice hard and you prepare and you’re ready to go; but look, we’ve got to put seven guys down each week and that’s just part of playing in the National Football League. Those are tough decisions for us as a staff – myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), our coaching staff. We talk about it really on a daily basis: what’s the best group of players we can put out there offensively, defensively and in the kicking game? It all counts. If you don’t have a role in the kicking game and you don’t have a big enough role offensively or defensively, then it’s hard to have guys at the game – or that particular player at the game – I would say. If you’re a major contributor and you make plays every week, you’re going to be out there. It’s case by case and week by week. We spend a lot of time on it but every week we’re trying to put the best group out there to help us win the game.”
(Measuring the best group out there to help you win the game versus continuity, how tough of a distinction is that?) – “I mean all of those things play into it. That’s a great question. Continuity, that obviously helps as far as putting the best group out there. So they go kind of – I don’t want to say hand in hand but again, each week is a little bit different. It’s really dependent on your opponent, the different groups from week to week that we’re going to put out there, injuries play a part in this, the amount of communication we may have in the game plan may play a part in it. The definition of continuity – your definition and my definition, our coaches’ definition, people’s definition, players – of continuity, they could be very different. Continuity from a communication standpoint, continuity from just an overall speed and athleticism standpoint – let’s say for instance it’s a third down situation and we need to get speed on the field. Your definition of continuity from that standpoint and my definition of continuity from that standpoint may be a little bit different. It’s speed, communication, tackling – we could go on and on for hours talking about different groupings, different sets of people, different sets of communicators offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. So continuity, it’s a term a lot of people use in this game but the different groupings – nickel to dime to 11 personnel to 12 personnel to goal line groupings to kickoff return to hands team to injuries and then you have to get a backup in there – you have to be able to adjust in this league, I would say.”
(Have you found that this system or this process is keeping players motivated in a positive way or does it maybe put them on edge in a negative way?) – “I think competition is always – I think it is very positive. I think we’ve got a group of guys in there who understand that every day counts – every practice, every meeting, every walkthrough. There’s competition in every area of the building, specifically with the players but coaches, personnel, which lunch is better Tuesday or Wednesday. It’s kind of how we want the building. It’s a good thing. I think we’re trying to build a group of competitive guys who understand that they’ve got to work and there’s a process and if they continue with that and they work hard and they prepare the right way, then good things will happen for them.”
(It seems like there is more specialization where you may have a player that only plays 30 or 40 percent of the snaps and you want that because that’s his role. Have you seen the way you coach differ based on maybe a speedy running back you have to match him up with a linebacker that specializes in that skillset?) – “I think every team is dealing with that. There’s different strengths and weaknesses to every team, players that cause specific issues where if you leave a certain group or a certain player out there, you’re basically asking for trouble, and you want to kind of keep yourself out of those situations – let’s call it defensively or in the kicking game. Offensively, you want to try to create those situations. Again, we go back to continuity and we could keep the same guys out there on every snap but then you may not have the best matchup. Yeah, there is some specialization obviously in this league. In some instances, you can just leave a group out there and the flip side of that is the players should and in a lot of cases, really know, where the weaknesses are and they defend them. They understand them and they defend them. I think the smart, good players in this league understand that. Not every situation is going to be perfect. We can’t get the best matchup every time. They go no huddle, they get a guy in there and you have a bad matchup and you’ve got to hold on for a play, for a snap. That’s where you get your help because there’s 10 other guys on the field to help you. If I’m matched up on a speedy running back and hopefully my post-safety sees it and just leans over there a little bit. That’s just one instance but it shows up really on a play-to-play basis.”
(Do you find yourself drafting or bringing in players that may have a specific role in mind, like that’s the only thing you want them to do?) – “We’re going to bring in good players and we’ll figure it out. I would say we find the strengths and weaknesses in each player; but if it’s speed, if it’s strength, if it’s run-stuffing ability, if it’s pass-rush ability, if it’s blocking – if we get an opportunity to get a good player, then that’s my vision and I know it’s the same vision (General Manager) Chris (Grier) has, is getting as many good players as possible.”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Aqib Talib. Any conversations – I know you probably want to keep private – but I was just curious if you’ve gotten any sense about if he wants to and thinks he can continue to play next year and if this might be a possible place for him?) – “Again, like you said it: those conversations are between myself and Aqib. There have been some conversations, but I’m going to keep them between us. I think that’s just common courtesy of a conversation I have with somebody that’s a private conversation. I’m not going to talk about it with anyone.”
(Is CB Aqib Talib a player that you might want to have around here for a few years?) – “Aqib has been a great player in this league for a long time. He’s played a lot of good football, so he’s definitely a guy who would be in the conversation; but again, those are between myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), (General Manager) Chris (Grier), our coaching staff. Those will always stay internal.”
(I know obviously your main focus has to be wins and losses over individual achievements, but K Jason Sanders was not named Special Teams Player of the Week for the AFC. What do you think about that? Do you find that odd?) – “I didn’t know that. It’s not – again, my focus is on the Giants right now. They’ve got plenty of guys to worry about offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. I think Jason had a great week last week, and sometimes – I don’t know who won it, but I’m sure that player had a great week and was deserving as well. I don’t know exactly who that was or what that player did, but he must’ve done something because Jason had a good week, as well. But whoever it was, I’m sure is very deserving. Jason’s done a good job. I’m sure he’s not up in arms over it. He’s locked in on our next opponent, which again, the Giants are a good opponent. This is a talented bunch. They play hard, and they’ve got from (Saquon) Barkley to (Darius) Slayton to Golden Tate, they’ve got Eli (Manning) in there. He played well the other day. (Dexter) Lawrence – they’ve got guys everywhere. They do a good job and we’ve got a tough test ahead of us. I think the individual awards, when they’re deserving, it’s great. It’s a great accomplishment. I know Jason’s gotten a couple of those this year, but I think we’re focused on the Giants.”
(Have you had any contact with the league this week about the DPI and were you satisfied with the answer you got?) – “No, I have not had any contact with the league. I have not had any contact with the league. I’ve moved on. We can sit and talk about last week; but that’s again, I just spent two seconds talking about that, five seconds now, 10 seconds now and less time on the Giants.”
(Do you enter this week knowing who your starting guards will be? Do you want to see how they practice this week?) – “Yeah, we know who they’re going to be; but we’ll see how it goes in practice. If they play well, they’ll be out there. If they don’t, we’ll re-assess and make the best decision for the team.”
(Can you say if it’s the same as Sunday with C/G Evan Boehm and C/G Keaton Sutherland or do you not want to say yet?) – “I could say it, but I’m not going to. (laughter)”
(How is defending Giants QB Eli Manning different than defending Giants QB Daniel Jones?) – “Eli has had a lot of success in this league. He gets the ball out quickly. He still throws a very good ball. He is still very accurate. I would say he’s got very good command of their offense. He can get them in and out of good plays. He knows where to go with the football, he knows where his playmakers are. He knows – he’s got a few of them: (Darius) Slayton, (Saquan) Barkley, I think Evan Engram is going to be back this week, so that’s another problem. He’ll find a way to get them the football, and (Daniel) Jones did the same thing. That’s another good young quarterback who’s made some progress over the course of the year. I know he’s dealing with an ankle (injury). We may get him, we may not. I don’t know, we’ll see. We’ll be prepared for both of them.”
(You made a comment on Monday that I thought was interesting and I wanted to ask if you could expand upon it. It was when you said, ‘I’m all about serving those players.’ I thought that was an interesting comment. Can you tell me more about that?) – “I think that’s what coaching is: it’s about service. I want to help those guys become better football players, better citizens to the world. I feel like I have to try to be an example of that, and our coaching staff has to try to do the same thing. That’s what this is. That’s what coaching is, in my opinion. We’re teachers, educators and we’re here to serve the players. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s all rosy. We’ve got to be demanding, and it’s good for them I think. I think that hopefully helps them become better versions of themselves off the field. Maybe I’m on a soapbox, but that’s just my thought process.”
(I saw you met with a lot of fans before the game in New York. I don’t know if it was the New York City Dolfan Club, but why was that important to you? Why did you do that?) – “We think we’ve got a lot of Dolphin fans, and to say hello, to shake hands, to sign a hat or shoe. I think that’s a nice gesture. To go up to that environment and support our team, that’s incredible. I just wanted to show my appreciation.”
(Was that your idea or were you guided?) – “Yeah. It was a pretty genuine gesture. I’m not being told to do that.”
Patrick Graham – December 10, 2019
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(I don’t know if you want to talk about this, but you seemed to have an emotional moment with LB Raekwon McMillan after he came off after that fourth =0down stop in the third quarter, which was a great play. Can you share that?) – “I think Raekwon, I’m just really proud of how his play has steadily improved throughout the season and for him to have the two back-to-back plays – the third-and-1 where he did a good job there, and then the fourth down – I was just telling him how that’s the way to step up when we needed you the most. Whether it was emotional or not, I just thought it was a great play by him. I just wanted to let him know. I spend most of my time screaming and yelling, so I wanted to give him some positive feedback there.”
(What differently could CB Nik Needham have done on that pass interference call?) – “I’m not going to get into that stuff. It’s a competitive play. We were trying to make a play on the ball. Whatever the refs do, they do and then they review it – whatever it is – but he’s trying to play football the way we’re going to ask him to; so I’ll leave it to them on that.”
(Have you had to alter your instructions to your defensive backs because of this pass interference rule?) – “We coach to the rule. We get clarity from the guys in in terms of that’s how we coach. We coach so that we can abide by the rules. I don’t think anything changes there.”
(LB Andrew Van Ginkel had his first career sack on Sunday. What have you seen from him in terms of his development?) – “I think just the thing that we’re looking for at this time of year – improvement. He gets in there a few weeks ago, looked rusty and now you’re starting to see he still has a ways to go, but (we’re) seeing some improvement. I always think any time you get some production, you reap the reward of all the hard work whether it was coming back from injury, being a rookie, and all that stuff like that. Once you get that reward right there – which again, it’s not always about the stats and sacks and all that stuff like that, but he’s worked hard and he made a big play when we needed it. Hopefully that leads to more plays (and) production this week against the Giants because we’re definitely going to need it whether it’s holding point in the run game, being sound on the cut-back in the run game and not just necessarily sacks or TFLs and things like that, but hopefully build some confidence.”
(With DE Taco Charlton, I know one thing that’s consistent about your coaches is, if you practice well, you’ll play on Sunday. What did Taco not do or what do you hope to see him do in this coming week that will get him to be on the active roster?) – “Taco had again, a solid week of practice last week. Really, decisions like that, that’s based on game plan really. Whatever we think for the game plan this week, that’s what’s going to play out. Whether it’s him or other players, we’re going to do what’s best for the team and what we think is best for the defense in this week against the Giants.”
(How humbling do you think that is for a guy like DE Taco Charlton, who’s leading the team in sacks that their coaches say, “hey, we’re not playing you this week?”) – “You’d have to ask him. We’re all in this together. Taco is a team player, so you’d have to ask him specifically about the emotional part of it, but we’re all in this together.”
(The longest run you gave up against the Jets I believe was 11 yards. Now you’ve got Giants RB Saquon Barkley this week. Are you losing sleep over him already?) – “You’re dealing with a guy that’s arguably one of the more talented players in the league in terms of skill-wise. To be a young player, to have the vision he has, the balance he has, the combination of strength, the ability to give him the ball in the pass game, the run game; he presents several challenges on top of him being one of the more dynamic athletes in the league. So am I losing sleep? I don’t sleep that much during the season anyway. (laughter) Am I getting grayer? I mean, probably. That’s why I’ve got the hat on to disguise it a little bit. (laughter) But yes, he’s a good player and we’ve got to prepare for him. We’ve got to prepare for whoever is at quarterback, whether it’s (Daniel) Jones or Eli (Manning), the receivers. They’ve got a lot of good skill guys out there and on the offensive line, they’re veterans. Aside from No. 71 (Will Hernandez) – he’s a second-year guy – but they’re veterans, they’re working together and they’ve been together all year. We’ve got a big challenge for us.”
(How do you approach a week where there’s uncertainty at the starting quarterback position?) – “We’ve got to prepare for both of them – all of them – just like we normally do because you never know. It’s a physical league, so you never know who’s going to get injured or what have you; but we always take our notes on everybody and make sure that we go over that with the players.”
(Did their offense look any different last night with Giants QB Eli Manning operating?) – “Eli is a vet, so maybe that just a little bit more. I don’t know like play-wise how different it looked, but Eli (is) just a really comfortable vet, seen everything, put them in the right play, make the right throw. The throw that he threw to – that first touchdown – when it was like third-and-16 – it was a little slant or hitch – he threw it to the outside shoulder to lead him back away from the defender and that’s what – it’s the small details right there. It wasn’t just a throw on third-and-16. He threw it to the outside shoulder, so the guy could turn and then he ran way from the defense right there. It was a pretty good play.”
(Did you watch the game live?) – “Yeah, while I was working. (laughter) It was on while I was working.”
(How much do you glean from TV copy live?) – “You can get some stuff just watching it, just getting an idea like, ‘okay what’s the personnel,’ and stuff like that. But I’m working on the other stuff for the game while that’s on. It’s just on in the background and stuff like that.”
(How would you describe your two years coaching with the Giants and is there anybody on that defense you particularly enjoyed coaching?) – “Guys – “Jackrabbit” (Janoris Jenkins) was there, Dalvin Tomlinson was there my second year; but my time there, I enjoyed it. The Mara family was really good to me. I have some good relationships with people there, but I’m not really worried about that (this week). I had good relationships there and enjoyed my time there.”
(DT John Jenkins is a guy that’s quietly had a solid season. What do you expect from him and how often does he deliver on what you expect?) – “What I expect for him is to be a physical presence inside, play with his hands, paly with good knee bend and win the one-on-one blocks whether it’s run or pass, whether it’s push in the pass game, getting to the edge – because he does have athleticism – or just winning the one-on-one blocks in the run game. I think he’s done a good job of that this year. Again, I’m sure there’s some plays he would like back, just like there’s some calls I would like back and he just keeps grinding and comes to work every day. (He’s a) diligent worker and a great personality. Great to be around. He’s even-keel, never too up, never too down, and I just think that has a calming effect on a young group like we have.”
(I wanted to ask you – I’ve been obsessed about the run game and edge setting all season – now you guys are on pace for 2,000 rushing yards allowed. How does this get fixed and where do you hope that somebody steps up to contain this edge?) – “I think the edge setting again is a combination of good fundamentals, good technique, stuff that we were harping on during the practice. We’ve got to get better there. We’ve got to do a good job of understanding the situation. Again, sometimes a bounce-out run here and there, and the leaky yards that come up; but just in terms being more firm inside, setting a sure edge and just having some patience in the run game. And then as usual, what it comes down to is getting off of blocks – block destruction – so being violent there, getting off the blocks and find the ball carrier. We’ve got a lot to work on, including myself, just getting that right, but we’re going to keep working toward it.”
(You’ve spent years and years working alongside Head Coach Brian Flores. Did you ever see him as upset as he was on Sunday?) – “(laughter) I don’t know. I was getting ready for the next call, so I don’t even know.”
(It was a pretty emotional exchange though for that moment.) – “I’ll leave that to you all. I was getting ready for the next call.”
(How tough is that for CB Nik Needham? There was two plays that initially went his way and then they didn’t go his way. How does he mentally handle that?) – “Again, I’m onto the Giants right now, but any time – and this is just my opinion again, I don’t know anything – but in my opinion, the experiences you have in the past, they help you grow as a person in whatever profession you’re in for the next challenge, and the next challenge is the Giants. So I don’t know specifically, but I know this – any human being that I’ve been around that’s trying to be the best and trying to be good at what they want to do, you take the past, you learn from those experiences and you apply it for that week. That’s what we have to do. Regardless of what happened whether it’s the run game, the pass game, whatever – we’ve got to apply it for this week, focus all our energy on the Giants and that’s where my focus is. I can’t even – last week was so far, it was two days ago, but it was so long ago. I’m focused on the Giants, trying to figure out how (Saquon) Barkley, Eli (Manning), (Daniel) Jones, whoever they put back there, these receivers, the offensive line. That’s where I’m at.”
(I was curious about your assessment of DT Christian Wilkins in his rookie season. How has he performed in what you’re asking him to do?) – “He has improved and where the improvement has come is really with his hands, and that’s the one thing I told him. I said, ‘naturally my eyes go to d-line. That’s the position I’ve coached most of my career – that and linebackers. Naturally (my eyes) go there. Unfortunately for you and fortunately for you, you’ve got to be a d-lineman and my eyes are going to be there.’ (laughter) I’ll say, “Here’s what I’m going to tell you. I’m going to coach you in using your hands.’ And that’s where we’ve seen the improvement, so it’s been positive and I give him a lot of credit for working at it.”
Chad O’Shea – December 10, 2019
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(Okay, it’s time to get down to this. Is he a running back in a quarterback’s body – Ryan Fitzpatrick?) – “I’ve been really impressed with what he’s done. Again, I think it shows the trait of the player and the person, just his desire to try to make the play and athletically, too. He’s really done a good job of playing off-schedule and being able to scramble. I’ve been really impressed with that.”
(Is QB Ryan Fitzpatrick just quick? Is he fast? How would you describe his running style?) – “I think a lot of it has to do with he’s very instinctive. I think he’s got great pocket awareness. He knows exactly the right time to do it, and I think that has a lot to do with it. Obviously he’s probably more physically gifted than people give him credit for, but I think that a lot of it has to do with just his overall awareness and being a very instinctive player at the position.”
(You would never create a running play for QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, call a running play for him, would you?) – “At this point, he’s doing it himself so why waste the time? (laughter) He does such a good job in that area and again, I think it’s another area that the team really gravitates towards and it brings energy to the team when he does make a run like that, and it’s great to have.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is 15 yards off the team lead. Did you know that?) – “I’m aware of the rushing statistics, I am. (laughter)”
(Obviously it’s not something you’d prefer having the quarterback as your leading rusher on the season.) – “Obviously when you look at the run game at the end of the game, it’s the total that you look at and regardless of who it is, that’s not – things don’t go as planned, which that’s the case in a lot of areas offensively and in all phases of the game. I’m certainly glad he’s capable of doing what he can do to create some yards – much needed yards for us – and that’s been a positive.”
(Have you ever had a season where you haven’t had a clear-cut No. 1 running back emerge at this point in the season? It’s been five different guys over the course of the season.) – “I think the one thing that I have had a season in is that all seasons are different, and it just so happens this season that the running game statistically is where it is and we have to rely on other areas. There’s been other years I’ve been involved in – obviously not in this role but in another role, as an assistant coach – where it’s gone the other way; and I just think the most important thing is once you identify what your strengths and weaknesses are, is that you’ve got to play to them. I think that’s what we try to do on a weekly basis, is identify, ‘this is how we’re going to try to win the game,’ which we’re going to try to do every week, and this is how we’re going to have to do it. If it’s running the ball, it’s running the ball; and if it’s throwing the ball, then we’re going to throw it.”
(You all are flirting with some pretty troubling records in terms of least rushing yards in franchise history and possibly least rushing yards in modern history of the NFL. Is that something that would scare you or concern you or it’s just a byproduct…) – “I don’t even – really, the statistics right now where we are, we’ve really looked at as we’re week-to-week. We’re trying to be better in all areas. Obviously we know that’s an area that we need a lot of improvement in. We’re late in the year. I think it’s important again, to identify what we’ve done well and play to that, and also understand and have some self-awareness of where we are in other areas. As far as statistically, it’s not something that I even look at this point in the year as far as what the result is and where we would end up (in franchise history). Truly, we’re day-to-day, week-to-week and I’m just trying to do a good job in our preparation this week versus a team that’s pretty talented in the Giants.”
(We’ve seen G Michael Deiter all season as the starting left guard and then you guys make the shift this week – I know it’s game plan-specific – but what was his week of practice like last week and what would you hope to see from him this week?) – “I think that at all positions right now – and this is something we stressed yesterday as a group – is that we need consistency out of all positions. Certainly the offensive line position is one position group within our offense, but there’s all positions that need to try to strive for consistency and that’s what we’re trying to do. Michael is certainly somebody that has taken the approach of going to the practice field and trying to get better and improve every day, and he just needs to work to try to be as consistent as he can be, just like our other positions right now.”
(How would you assess RB Myles Gaskin’s development through the season?) – “The biggest thing is we’re giving him the opportunity to play now, so I think that we’re going to know a lot here moving forward because he’s in the eye of the storm, I would say. He’s going to have opportunities out there with where we are right now on our roster at the running back position, and I think certainly right now it’s been positive; but I think that there’s several games to play here and we’ll see in the end and evaluate it in the end how he’s done. He certainly has done some real positive things right now and has deserved the opportunity to go out there and do it again.”
(What happened in the red zone on Sunday?) – “I think a lot of factors were involved in that. Obviously that was an area that we’ve been strong in, and my credit goes to (the Jets). They did a nice job of defending us in the red zone, and I think there’s other factors involved in that during the game. There’s unforeseen circumstances and stuff that comes up during the game, whether it’s personnel – obviously we had some issues with our personnel in the game. I thought the guys did a pretty good job of trying to adjust and play other positions that they had not been used to playing, and that’s a credit to them and their preparation and we were able to move the ball. In the red zone, (it was) a combination of factors. My hat goes off to those guys. They just did a really good job stopping us. It wasn’t all on the quarterback. It wasn’t all on one position. It was just, I would say several factors that led us to not being able to put the ball in the end zone.”
(The numbers entering the game were very encouraging. Is it kind of remarkable – it is to us – that you can’t run the ball very well, but you’re very good in the red zone? Usually you have to be running the ball well to…) – “I think one that of the most important things of red zone success is running the ball, at least that’s our philosophy. We’re always going to try to do that regardless; and that was one of the biggest differences in this game, is that we had some negative runs in the red zone that really, once you have a negative run it gets you behind the down-and-distance and now you’re not in a manageable third down. So when we say a ‘four-point play,’ we like those four-point plays to be third down and five or less, and that’s what we consider manageable where we really have a realistic shot at the end zone. We were in third down and too long in the game, and a lot of that has to do with your lack of success on early downs, so we’ll have to do a better job on early downs to put us in a better position to score.”
(What did you see from “The Intern” – RB Patrick Laird – in his first NFL start?) – “Yeah, I thought he did a good job again. The area that was kind of unforeseen to a lot of people that he did a real good job is the protection end of it. He really stood up in protection physically. There’s a lot of variables in protection, especially when you look at the third down multiples that we get defensively and some of those things; and I thought he really did a good job in that area of sorting things out. He does an unbelievable job in preparation, and he’s a very smart player that knows where to go. You have to know where to go, but then you have to stand up physically, and I thought he did a good job of that.”
(With this receiving corps, obviously you don’t know about WR Albert Wilson and WR DeVante Parker, but with a guy like WR Mack Hollins – how quick can you get somebody up to speed on this offense? I know he played last week, but…) – “I think it’s our responsibility as coaches to make sure that we give them the right amount of volume in the game plan that they can handle. With the players that we have on our roster right now, I’m confident because of their work ethic and their preparation right now that they can handle a good volume of offense for us to win; so that’s been a real positive with the players that haven’t been here very long, is that I see a couple guys that really work hard and are able to handle a lot of things offensively. I think it’s a balance that’s a responsibility of our coaching staff to put them in a position to where we don’t overload them, but enough for us to be successful.”
(How many different ways did you use WR Isaiah Ford on Sunday? Obviously he got an opportunity when the guys went down.) – “This is a guy – it’s ironic I spoke of him last week in here and talked about some of his strengths – and his biggest strength is his ability to play multiple positions and be a very smart player. He’s a guy that has done a great job of despite not being on the active roster, has really prepared like he is and he’s stayed ready at all positions. He’s a conceptual learner, so he can line up anywhere and that happened in the game. He basically lined up at several different spots in the game. He did a good job of getting some other guys lined up, helping ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) in the huddle. I thought ‘Fitz’ in the game did as good of a job as I’ve ever been around when we had to adjust in the game – having a couple receivers out – of managing the game well, getting guys lined up. There was a lot of communication in the huddle, so he’s trying to do his job, but at the same time he’s trying to get some guys lined up – both alignment and assignment and those things, and Isaiah was right in the middle of that. He was kind of our second quarterback on the field. Another guy that comes to mind was Allen Hurns. Awesome. This guy played through injury. Not only did he play through injury physically, but he was able to handle some things mentally, line up in some places and execute some things that he didn’t do prior to the game. There were a lot of guys that really I thought stepped up, and that’s a tribute to them and their preparation, is what it is.”
(What is a conceptual learner?) – “A conceptual learner means that if I’m looking at the play on the screen when we install it, he’s just not looking at his route. He doesn’t have blinders on. He sees the big picture of the route, and he looks right and left to understand what everybody has on the pass route because I’ve been around some guys that truly just study their route, and then what happens is when they have to adjust and play the position next to them, they don’t see it because they didn’t learn it from a conceptual standpoint. That’s something that when we came in here as a coaching staff from Day 1 in the spring, we said we want to be conceptual learners. We want to learn the big picture and understand that you might play another position out of necessity in the future. That definitely showed up in this game. Again, I can’t say enough about the players and our assistant coaches doing just an outstanding job of adjusting on the sidelines. It’s a tribute to them and their efforts during the game. Obviously we didn’t win the game and that was – we want to win every game and we want to score as many points in the red zone as we can, but there were a lot of things and a lot of positives that got us down to the red zone during the course of the game that some people probably didn’t even see.”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick told us on Sunday that he’ll even go to WR Isaiah Ford when he has questions. For a second-year player, how rare is that?) – “It is rare and he’s got a unique ability to not only study the game hard, but he’s got a good feel for the game and really understands the game of football. I think there has been a lot of communication between him and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), and he’s done a great job in the receiver room of being a leader in that room again, despite being not a guy that’s out there on game day earlier in the year. He’s been a great leader for us. He studies extra with the guys, and I can’t say enough about what he brings from a preparation standpoint to the room and to the offense.”
Brian Flores – December 9, 2019
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Monday, December 9, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I wanted to ask you about the decision not to play DE Taco Charlton. What led to that?) – “A little bit more game plan than anything. We felt like we just needed to go with some other guys just from a game-plan standpoint. He was healthy and hopefully we’ll get him going this week.”
(Had there been things in practice that had concerned you in terms of effort or any red flags?) – “Nope. No, Taco’s been great. (It was) really more game plan than anything. He’s done a good job really across the board. He’s had some production from a sack standpoint. We just felt like – this past week, I would say, or yesterday – we were better off going with the other guys.”
(With the two receivers who left yesterday with head injuries, are both WR Albert Wilson and WR DeVante Parker in the concussion protocol or is only Albert in protocol?) – “Yeah, both guys are in (concussion) protocol.”
(Sorry we probably have to ask you this every week from this point forward; but is QB Ryan Fitzpatrick starting Sunday, do you think?) – “Yeah.”
(Now that you’ve had some time to think about it, what are your thoughts on the reversal on the call at the end?) – “There’s always calls that don’t go your way. I think as a team, we’ve got to deal with that adversity and be able to move past it; and I thought we did that in a lot of areas yesterday. Obviously we had two receivers go down. Other guys stepped up. It was kind of a back-and-forth game there at the end. You can say what you want about the call. We still had an opportunity to get them stopped; we didn’t get it done, and we didn’t play well enough. We didn’t make enough plays to win the game, and it wasn’t just that – that call. There were a lot of things we could’ve done better in the game in all three phases. We talked about that today already. We’ve just got to come back, go back to practice Wednesday and get ready to play the Giants.”
(In general, how do you think the new rule on reviewing pass interference is working?) – “I think every week, I think the officials do a really good job. It’s not an easy job for them. I think every week there’s good calls, calls that some people don’t think are very good; but in this game, it’s about overcoming adversity. It’s about dealing with those good plays, bad plays and then moving on and doing the things you need to do to help your team win. As far as how that’s gone this year, I think it’s been fine.”
(Leaving out whether that was a good call or a bad call, the randomness of them deciding to review those kind of plays – is there an answer to why that one was reviewed and maybe some others that were maybe equally as close weren’t reviewed?) – “We can go on and on about this. I think there’s really no benefit to us to kind of rehash it and go through it. There were other plays in the game that we could have made that (if we did) maybe it doesn’t come down to that. At the end of the day, at the end of games, the plays that are made there – those are the winning the plays in the game. There really aren’t enough snaps left to – in some instances – overcome whatever the situation is. I thought our guys fought hard. I’m always going to advocate for our team. That’s not going to change. Our guys work extremely hard. I think not everybody’s in the trenches with us, but this is a hard-working team. It’s important to them. We wanted the win, we weren’t able to get it and we’ve got to just work harder and really kind of put ourselves in the situation where it’s not up to anyone else and we make a few more plays or we punch one of the touchdowns or make one more kick or make one more block and bleed the clock a little bit more. There’s eight different things that could have happened that we could have done better to not get to that situation; but yeah, at the end, those are the winning plays and we weren’t able to make them.”
(Was the quality of play you got at left guard better yesterday with C/G Keaton Sutherland playing most of the snaps instead of G Michael Deiter?) – “I don’t like to look at it as one position. The o-line is a group of guys, and the offense is 11 guys playing together. I thought Sutherland had some good plays, some bad plays. I think that’s the case for everybody on offense, defense and special teams. I haven’t looked at it. You always want it to look where we’re going to strive for perfection, and obviously we all fell short of that; but there were some mistakes there, there were some good plays, there were some bad plays. We’ve just got to make the corrections and try to play better next week.”
(Any additional reasons of what the problems were in the red zone…?) – “They played well defensively. We had a lot going on offensively and a couple guys down. We just had to – I thought our guys did a really good job. I thought our tight ends stepped in and really played some different positions. We had guys directing traffic out there and getting guys lined up. I thought Isaiah Ford really did a great job. I thought Allen Hurns, he was dinged a little bit and fought through it. I thought ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) got people in the right position, and say what you want – I know we didn’t play well in the red zone, but the offense moved the ball efficiently. We got ourselves into scoring position, we kicked the field goals and we were in it at the end and if we had one more maybe – obviously that would have helped us – but I liked the way we – look, it could always be better. I want to score touchdowns, but at the end of the day we were – you want to give yourself a chance to win at the end. At the end of the day, some games you’ve got to score 40. Some games it’s – I’m a defensive guy – I like a field goal game. That’s kind of how I’m wired. To play a game where you kick seven field goals and you’ve got a chance to win – yeah, do you want to score and punch it in the red zone? Always. But not every game is that way. I think we, as a team, that was a great learning experience to see that you can find different ways to win. In this case we didn’t get it done, but I think everybody can see that we had a chance there and I like that.”
(Two players in particular I want to ask you about from the tape. You mentioned WR Isaiah Ford briefly. Could you elaborate a little bit on him and RB Patrick Laird also?) – “I thought Isaiah just – he stepped in, played every position from a receiver standpoint, got some guys lined up, made some big catches and made a nice run after catch there in the third quarter. I thought he really played solid overall. Patrick, he had some good runs there in the second half, caught a big pass on the slant-go late in the game. He made some good blocks for us. I thought he played a solid game. Young guys stepping in, getting an opportunity, stepping up, making plays and that’s always good and hopefully we can build on that.”
(We saw 35 defensive snaps for LB Andrew Van Ginkel – his most work and he had the sack late in the game. What led to more playing time and how do you think he played?) – “I think he’s improved really each week. This is his third game; so yeah, he’s improved every week. This is a guy who works extremely hard and really earned those snaps over the last few weeks. He’s doing the kicking game as well. He had two tackles there. He’s a guy who’s getting better week after week and taking advantage of his opportunities and hopefully we can see more improvement over the rest of the season.”
(Your impression of how G Michael Deiter handled not starting and then getting into the game the second half?) – “Deiter, he’s a team guy, so whatever we feel is best for the team, he’ll jump in there and do if – so if it’s field goal, if it’s right guard, left guard, left tackle. He’s played a lot of different positions this year. I’m sure – I know he was disappointed; but at the same time, he wanted to see us do well and he was ready to go, and he stepped in there late in the game as well.”
(Before that call at the end, the Jets aren’t in position if not for the big play that S Steven Parker kind of gambled on – the deflection and the receiver got loose. Is that a teaching moment? What’d you tell him in that situation?) – “A lot of plays come down to this much. That’s the National Football League. When we talk about details, when we talk about alignments and we talk about reading your keys and we talk about those things, we don’t say that for no reason. It’s a great example not only for Parker, but for really everyone – everyone on the team. That’s the margin of error in this league. Most times, that what it is between what’s a sack and a 40-yard play or in that case, that’s an interception or a breakup, catch, no catch – that’s your margin. When we talk about being detailed, when we talk about using the right technique, fundamentals and communication, that’s why we do that, because at the end of the day it’s that much.”
(You were pretty angry at the end of the game there. How did you process that? How long did it take for that to subside?) – “I get over things pretty quickly. I was – it’s an emotional game. It’s not really my anger. It is my anger, but it’s for the players. I’m upset for them because I watch them work on a day-to-day basis. I watch them meet and walkthrough, I see how important it is to them. I watch them lay it on the line for each other. That’s where that emotion comes from. It’s not for me. This is not about me. I’m all about serving those players. That’s what that is. This isn’t about me at all. It’s about those players, the coaches, the cafeteria people and the equipment staff and everybody in this organization. We all put a lot into this and winning is important to us.”
(Quick thing – you had a bunch of midweek additions this week – Tuesday, Wednesday guys. Some played on Sunday like WR Mack Hollins yesterday. What generally has been your message to them when they arrive? Is it just, “learn as much as you can quickly?” What do you tell those guys generally?) – “I try to talk to them about the culture we’re trying to establish, so let’s be on-time, let’s obviously get into the playbook, get with some of the younger guys and I would say the younger coaching assistants. Our quality control guys do a really good job of getting guys up to speed and meeting with them extra. Early on, we tell them, ‘look, it’s going to be a small role and your role will grow. The opportunities you get will be the ones you create for yourself.’ That’s my normal message or something in that realm. I think Mack went in and made a (play), was productive in the kicking game. Obviously he caused a DPI and that was a big play for us. We’ve had a lot of guys. (Zach) Zenner went in there and played okay in the kicking game. It’s not easy to get those guys ready, but I know the coaching staff does a good job of getting guys up to speed quickly and I would say, it’s never perfect, but guys have gone in there and we tried to give them as much as they can do.”
Isaiah Ford – December 9, 2019
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Monday, December 9, 2019
WR Isaiah Ford
(Just the fact you’re getting the opportunity to get some run and you’re playing so well, head Coach Brian Flores said he was very impressed with what you did.) – “Any time you get the opportunity, you want to make the most of it. I think that I’ve prided myself on preparing and studying and practicing as if I was the starter, so when that time came that I would be prepared. So, I think that was a reflection of that. Other than that, there’s no moral victories. We lost the game, got the corrections from it and now it’s time to move on.”
(Speaking of losing the game, just the fashion you guys lost. Without getting yourself in trouble, just that PI call and how that all went down and to lose the way you guys lost.) – “I think it’s part of the game. The call was made and after that, they got in field goal range to kick the field goal and they won the game. So, you’ve got to tip your hats to them. There were things done in between the game prior to that, that we probably could’ve done a little better that would’ve prevented us from being in that situation.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned he got real emotional. I’m not sure if you saw it but I’ve never seen him that jacked up, really pissed off per se. He said he was pissed off for you guys – not only the players, but the people that work in the cafeteria and whatnot – and that’s where the passion came from. When you hear a head coach say that what does that mean when you hear a head coach say he’s pissed off for the organization?) – “It means a lot to us for our head guy to put it all on the line and go out there and to vouch for us when he feels like something was right or wrong or however he portrayed it to be. It just means a lot for us and that’s how we reflect on Sundays is we go out there and we put it all on the line for him as well.”
Raekwon McMillan – December 9, 2019
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Monday, December 9, 2019
LB Raekwon McMillan
(I’ve never seen Head Coach Brian Flores that fired up in my life, but he mentioned that he was pissed off for you guys – the players, the organization, the guys in the kitchen. When a head coach says that, what does that mean when you hear a head coach say that he’s pissed off for the organization not just the call itself?) – “You like to see that in your coach. That’s the head of our organization coaching-wise. He’s passionate about everything he does. He’s passionate about his team, he’s passionate about his players, he’s passionate about everybody in this building. So when you see that in your head coach, it just pours out into the rest of the organization. We feel how he feels the same way, and we’re passionate about winning. We just want to keep it rolling for him.”
(How important is it that one loss, that one call, doesn’t reflect the rest of the season? Like you said, kind of move on and start thinking about the Giants now.) – “It’s just one call. It didn’t go our way. If it went the other way, we’d be happy about it; but it is what it is. It’s gone. If we let it dwell for the rest of the season, it could be a long stretch for these next three weeks. We’ve got to do what we got to do to get on the right path.”
(Very rarely do you play two games on the road in the same stadium.) – “Yeah. I’ve never done anything like it; but I guess they’ll have Giants stuff in the stadium now, so it should be a little different.”
