Christian Wilkins – December 26, 2019
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Thursday, December 26, 2019
DT Christian Wilkins
(We see that you’re leading all rookies in tackles at the d-tackle position. Is that something you’re aware of? Is it something that you’re kind of proud of hearing through your rookie season?) – “It’s cool. I’m really just focused on playing my game and doing what I need to do for this team. In today’s day and age, you can’t help but hear things. People are always talking or social media or whatever; so yeah, I was aware of that, but it wasn’t something I was chasing. I just try to do what I can for my team and play my best each week.”
(Running onto the field after the offense scores, after K Jason Sanders scores – why is that so important to you?) – “It’s very important to me just because that’s always how I’ve played the game. I play with the same excitement, the same fun, the same energy as I did when I first started playing football in the second grade. I feel like seeing my teammates have success not just when touchdowns are scored, but even on defense – guys make a big play, I’m running over there. I’m trying to be there for them like, ‘yeah, keep it going.’ Just try to be there for them just to celebrate the good plays. It’s just always something I’ve done and I know it’s something I’ll continue to do.”
(That’s just you being you, right?) – “That’s right.”
(What was the reaction like when the offensive players, they kind of just see you running to the field at first? I’m pretty sure they aren’t sure what you’re doing out there and then you’re just congratulating them, right?) – “Well luckily I’m on the PAT and field goal units so I kind of have more of an excuse to run out there. So they kind of see that, too; but they realize I’m there before really a lot of other guys on the offense who’ve been on the field are there, so they kind of have fun with it. I think they enjoy it. I don’t know. Probably not because I usually hit them too hard or celebrate too hard. (laughter)”
(So that’s something they have to get used to. They have to get used to you, you celebrating how you do?) – “Yeah definitely, because it’s going to happen as long as I’m their teammate. It’s going to be a thing I do.”
(What’s that process like when you see the team about to score? You go run and get your helmet…?) – “Yeah, so as we’re moving the ball, moving the chains and we’re getting into field goal range, I get ready to go. I take my coaching points first from the coaches or whatever and then that excitement slowly builds up. Then if we don’t score or something happens, then I’m like, ‘oh…’ When we do score, I’m definitely very excited and happy.”
(How do you think your teammates have taken to that?) – “I feel like they kind of just accept it. That’s just who he is, what he does. They make fun of me here and there just like, ‘you don’t know how to celebrate. You celebrate too much.’ But I feel like it’s all just in good fun and they just take it for what it is.”
(Another guy who QB Ryan Fitzpatrick highlighted today who is happy for teammates as he is for himself is WR Albert Wilson. You guys are cut from the same cloth, do you think?) – “Oh, yeah. Definitely. I like Albert a lot. That’s a good dude, a really great guy. Just to see the fun and excitement he plays with, I feel like it’s infectious for sure.”
(How important is an attitude like the one that you guys have? Do you think on any team…?) – “I feel like you definitely need that because this game can get so serious and feel like such a job at times. For me, it doesn’t feel like a job because I try to approach it with the same fun-loving mindset I’ve had all my life playing this before it was a job and before I was getting paid for this. I still try to bring that and help guys realize like, ‘this is what we’re doing. This is fun.’ This is our job but it’s like, we’re playing a game. I always try to keep perspective.”
(How much have you learned this year?) – “How much have I learned? More than I learned earning two degrees at a top-20 public institution in college in four years. (laughter) This year’s been so big for me just learning everything on the field, off the field, just how to manage things, learning different techniques and just learning so much about the game and just trying to process so much information. It’s a lot. I’m definitely finding a lot out about myself through this year, through the good times, the bad times, the things happening on the field, off the field. I’m just learning a lot.”
(What are some of those things you’re learning about yourself?) – “Again, there are just a lot of things I’m learning. Just a lot of life lessons, a lot of just different experiences, things I’ve never been exposed to or accustomed to, and now I’m learning how to deal with those things.”
(You mentioned after the last game that you took more pride and joy in the sack than even the touchdown. Expand upon that a little bit.) – “Touchdowns are cool and all. Everyone’s going to pat you on the back for a touchdown. They see that, they think it’s like, so cool, so great; but there’s nothing like the grind of a sack, especially being a d-lineman. You just take a lot more pride in that. Touchdowns are pretty, but once you get a sack, the work you’ve got to put in to get one – it’s ugly. It’s an ugly grind. (There is) nothing like getting a sack. Just the pure emotion that comes out and everything. There’s nothing like it.”
(Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham talks about destructive blocks…) – “Block destruction.”
(You’ve had an improvement in that area. How much confidence does that give you about what you might able to do in the future?) – “Definitely. Again, just as I alluded to earlier, I’m just learning a lot and just figuring things out from a technique standpoint. There’s just so much I’m learning, so just building that confidence, knowing that I can do it and that it can be done; again, moving forward I just know what I need to work on to continue to prove and just be more consistent with things.”
(The touchdown and the sack – JJ Watt did it and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw the touchdown to him, too. Did you know that?) – “Oh, I did not know that. Oh wow.”
(Only three players in the last 10 years…) – “That’s a pretty cool stat…”
(Vita Vea, you and JJ Watt have had a sack and a touchdown in the same game and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick did it with JJ Watt.) – “Oh wow, I did not know that; but I think I get more style points because it was a one-handed catch, so… (laughter)”
(I don’t know. You dropped it, man.) – “Hey no, but it still counts the same, does it not? (laughter) I lost style points for the drop – for the fumble – but I did get a lot of style points for the one-handed catch.”
(How mad would you have been if TE Clive Walford recovered the fumble for a touchdown?) – “Oh. (laughter) It would’ve been one of those bittersweet moments. I would’ve been celebrating with him of course, but it’s like – I would’ve been like, ‘dang!’ As long as we got in, I would’ve been happy.”
(With all you’ve learned how much better are you now than you were before you got here?) – “Oh, a lot better. Just even watching tape of me from like Week 1, Week 2, it looked like playing Baltimore, playing the Patriots; I’m like, ‘who is that dude?’ Or like even in preseason, I’m like, ‘my goodness, that is just bad ball.’ Then seeing me the last three or four weeks, midseason, it’s like, ‘okay, I can recognize myself.’ It’s hard to (watch) seeing what I did in preseason and the first few weeks of the season. It’s like, man, I did some things some well but a lot of things not so well. You definitely see the strides I’ve made, so it’s definitely encouraging.”
(Does it have you excited for what’s ahead?) – “Oh, for sure. I’m always going to be hungry, always looking to get better each day, each time I get an opportunity to go out on the field.”
(When you think about how competitive the team has been despite adversity and all sorts of things, how excited are you about the future of the franchise, thinking about 14 draft picks – I know that’s not your business, but thinking about, “hey, there’s a wave of positivity coming.”) – “No, definitely. There was a lot that’s been going on this year on the field, off the field, just so many things. It’s encouraging still – the things we’ve been able to do and just the positive energy and the focus we’ve been able to keep in this building regardless of everything going on. I feel like guys have done a great job all year just coming each week whether a win, loss or draw; we came in every week with a positive energy, refocused, got after it. You couldn’t tell we only had four wins. We’re still preparing like we’ve got a chance to go to playoffs. That just definitely says a lot about the guys in the locker room and just the coaches, how tirelessly they work each week to get together a good game plan, so it’s just definitely encouraging and it’s great to see you’ve got those type of men in the building and in the locker room, for sure.”
Davon Godchaux – December 26, 2019
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Wednesday, December 26, 2019
DT Davon Godchaux
(You were nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award and now you’ve won the Nat Moore Community Service Award. How does that make you feel?) – “It’s big. It speaks volumes about you on and off the field – mostly off the field. It speaks about the things you do in the community, which I think is a big accomplishment. I think it’s a big award. I’m happy to have it.”
(Why are you giving back so much?) – “Because growing up, nobody ever really did anything for me. So when I got to this point in the NFL and got a little money in my pocket, I always wanted to give back to the community and let the kids know that I do appreciate them. That is our youth and I think our youth is very important. For me to give back to those kids, it’s very important.”
(How do you plan on continuing to do this in years to come?) – “Just continue to build the events I had with Funky Buddha, the events I had with the Miami Dolphins and back home. Just continue to build and do more things. Anything I can help do in the community, I’m always willing to do it, so I just want to continue to build off of it.”
Zach Sieler – December 26, 2019
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Thursday, December 26, 2019
DT Zach Sieler
(When did you start to see doors open in the NFL for you?) – “Probably my breakout year (as a junior). That year I had 19-and-a-half sacks. For me, that was always there. But when that happened it was kind of like, ‘Alright, now we can really start rolling and working on things’ after that.”
(Any team take you for a pre-draft visit?) – “Yeah, I think I had eight pre-draft visits.”
(Okay. Not here though?) – “No, sir.”
(I was going to ask you if the Patriots were one of the eight.) – “No.”
(How did you wind up at Ferris State?) – “For my degree. I went there – I was a walk on, so I went there for mechanical engineering. We had a family cabin up there, so I knew the area little bit. It’s about two-and-a-half hours away from home, so I could still be home on the weekends if I’d like to in the offseason. (It was a) good fit for me.”
(Are you thinking an NFL career as a possibility at that point?) – “It was always (on) my mind; but for me, I was a mechanical engineer and then football was my passion, so I was doing that and hoping to get as far as I can, but I was still doing my classes and graduating (with) my degree.”
(When did you start thinking that the NFL was realistic?) – “For me, it was always there. But when other people talked about that kind of stuff – if that’s what you’re asking – was the year I had my breakout year. (As a junior I had) 19-and-a-half sacks, 30-something TFLs and I think it was 70 or 80 tackles or something like that. After that year it was kind of like, ‘Let’s start getting into this and working for this.’”
(When you look back at the game Sunday, which I believe was your first NFL start, was it not?) – “Mhm.”
(And first career sack. I don’t know if I want to say it’s a culmination of all the hard work and all that and a dream becoming a reality.) – “Every day up until this point, even today at practice, it’s a culmination of everything I’ve done beforehand. You learn, you improve and you watch and you just keep working in your craft.”
(So what were you thinking as Sunday was going along? Because I remember I was like, you made a play and just I kept noticing you, which is always good for a defensive lineman. So what was it like inside for you?) – “For me, it’s just the next play. You don’t want to – If you have a bad play, you don’t want to keep honing in on a bad play and thinking that in the back of your head, so that’s how I treat them. You want to treat the good plays as, ‘Yeah that was great, but you’ve got to move onto the next one.’ That last play doesn’t affect the next play. Just like a bad play doesn’t affect the next play. You’ve just got to move on and keep playing each snap.”
(So you didn’t feel like, “Hey, I’m on a roll today,” or something like that?) – “You feel good, but I try not to think about that during the game at least. I want to just work on the next snap and keep working and read your keys and do your job. That’s ultimately all you can do. Yeah, you’re making great plays; but you can make a bad play and that’s going to make everything worse. It doesn’t matter what happened before, it’s what’s happening that snap. That’s the way I like to think of things and then after you can review and learn and go from there.”
(What happened on the snap where you got the sack?) – “It was a play-action, the guard fanned out and I hit the gap under him and got to (Andy) Dalton. It felt good.”
Brian Flores – December 26, 2019
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Thursday, December 26, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(In the season finale here two years ago when the Dolphins were out of playoff contention, Adam Gase started QB Jay Cutler, played him one series then had QB David Fales play the rest of the game. Could you see a scenario where you want to get QB Josh Rosen some work behind QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday or do you just want to stick with one guy?) – “Two years ago, what happened? I’m sorry. (laughter)”
(Adam Gase started Jay Cutler, played him a series and then David Fales played the rest of the game.) – “Oh, okay. Yeah, I don’t see a situation like that. We’re going to play the guys who we feel give us the best chance to win, like we’ve said all year. I know that was two years ago, but no. We’re just going to stick to what we’ve been doing all season.”
(Do you and General Manager Chris Grier talk about any guys you want to look at this Sunday from a personnel standpoint that maybe you’ve seen some but maybe want to see more? I don’t know if you can share that, but is that a discussion that you’ve had?) – “Yeah, it’s something we talk about daily. We’ve seen a lot of guys this season obviously; so yeah, those conversations are ongoing and a lot of it’s based on who played well last week (and) who didn’t play last week that we want to take a look at. Injuries play a role in that. Those conversations are ongoing between myself, our coaching staff and Chris is involved in those obviously. At the end of the day, we’re going to play the guys we feel give us the best chance to succeed.”
(You didn’t see a whole lot of RB Myles Gaskin in game action, but what was your takeaway from what you saw?) – “Not a whole lot of game action like you said, but we saw plenty in practice (and in the) preseason. This is a kid who’s really improved over the course of the season from a preparation standpoint, from a process standpoint, and he’s gotten a lot better from where he was in rookie minicamp to where he was last week. He’s made a lot of progress. Unfortunately he got the injury last week, but he’s a guy who will bounce back and get himself healthy as quickly as possible and hopefully build on some of the improvements he’s made over the course of the season.”
(How about RB De’Lance Turner? Again, brief appearances from scrimmage but your thoughts on what you’ve seen from him?) – “Another young guy who’s gotten some opportunities in the kicking game. He got to carry the ball a couple times last week. Again, he’s made a lot of improvement over the course of the season in the time that he’s been here, and he’s made some plays in the kicking game, blocking, tackling. I think there’s been some growth, some improvement, and hopefully that continues this weekend.”
(What did the club see in RB Samaje Perine who you guys added to the roster?) – “A guy who’s had some success in this league. (He’s a) good runner, plays in the kicking game and obviously having only two backs, we felt like we needed to add one, and it was an opportunity for us to add someone with some experience. He’s had some production in this league.”
(You’ve got a few obsessions. One I’ve identified is the kicking game. You are absolutely obsessed with the kicking game. Where did that come from?) – “It was the only way I got on the field early in my college career, so I guess it would start right there. I remember getting thrown into the game in high school on kickoff. Somebody – they broke a long run and (Head Coach) Dino (Mangiero) stuck me in there and said, ‘go make a tackle.’ It’s something that, it’s a phase of the game that I love. My time as an assistant under Scott O’Brien was invaluable to me. I think those six phases – field goal, field goal block, punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return – there’s plays to be made in all of those phases. We’re going up against an opponent who – they do a really good job in the kicking game. They try to apply pressure in all of those phases. It’s definitely a place where I feel like we can make a lot of improvement and if we play well in that phase, I think it’s a real advantage.”
(Is that where a guy first gains your attention? Is the kicking game where a young player can…?) – “Yeah. If you want to impress me, you do it in the kicking game. It’s something I’ve said since Day 1 here to anyone who sits in those meeting rooms. Quarterbacks who can hold, running backs who can cover kicks, receivers who can block in the return game, defensive players who can block on punt and then run down and make a tackle, guys who from a ball security standpoint can return kickoff and punt returns. All of it is very valuable. I think people take it for granted at times until it doesn’t work out in a game. It’s very important to me. I think it’s a phase in the game that we’ll continue to harp on and try to play well in that. We’ve got a great challenge this week. I would say this is one of the best kicking game units in the league. They’re well-coached. They’re tough. They’re physically. Schematically they do a lot of different things. They pose some issues. They try to apply pressure really in all phases, so it’ll be a big test.”
(On a personal level, what’s it going to be like returning to Gillette Stadium, a place you know very well. Have you ever been in the visitors’ locker room? Are you going to have to mentally say ‘I have to turn left, instead of turning right?’) – “I know my way around that place. I’ll be all right. I’ll figure it out. It’s a road game in a tough environment, against a good football team. It will be a great challenge for us. As far as the history, my personal history there, that’s one of those things that right now, I’m the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. That’s where my focus is going to be Sunday at one o’clock. Yes, there are a lot of relationships and friendships I have there. Again, those go far beyond football. I’ll be ready to compete on Sunday at one o’clock.”
(What does it say about a teammate like DT Christian Wilkins that he wants to run on the field and celebrate with teammates after a touchdown or even K Jason Sanders when he kicks a field goal?) – “It just says he’s a team guy, which we knew that when we drafted him. He selfless, he understands the different roles and how important each guy’s role is. He’s selfless. He’s a team guy, and I think we have a lot of guys like that on this team who really appreciate the hard work that everybody in that locker room puts into each week, into each practice, into each meeting, and I think he should celebrate it. I tell those guys that all the time, ‘we work hard.’ When we make a good play we should celebrate it. Nothing crazy, but as long as we don’t get a penalty I’m good. We should celebrate good plays.”
(You tell us a lot that tough, smart, physical is what you want from your players. I was curious that if there is a situation where a player is talented enough, but may not have one of those qualities. Would you still take on that player or if they don’t have those four, they’re out for you?) – “Talented but not tough?”
(One of those four. They’re talented but not tough, or talented and not physical, talented but not smart or talented and not disciplined. If they don’t have one of four, are they out for you?) – “It’s case by case. I think it’s really case by case. To me, a talented football player that is not tough – that’s almost an oxymoron to me. It’s case by case. That’s a tough question. A longer answer for me would probably be if you have a couple of for instances for me. I think it’s a longer conversation, but I do think it’s case by case. I’m looking for those qualities in every one of my players. Not everyone has each one, I realize that. Each player is their own individual person and has different qualities and probably are stronger in one area than in others. I understand that. In some instances, some guys are tougher, some guys are smarter, some guys are more physical etc., etc. But yeah, it’s case by case, and I’m not writing anybody off for being deficient in any one area. I need my guys to be tough though.”
(This is a year that you probably never experienced, and this is for us as well. But I’m sure there will be moments, stories from the season that you will look back on and smile about. Is there one or two moments during the season, maybe during a game or at practice that you’ll kind of cherish?) – “I’ll reflect on the season after the season. Right now we’ve got a major challenge ahead of us. It’s a very well-coached, tough, physical team in New England, really in all three phases – offense, defense and special teams. That’s where most of my – really all of my attention – is right now. I could sit and try to think about one, but then my mind goes to the four blocked punts they’ve got on the season, or (Julian) Edelman on third down or the variety of games they run on the front. Even when I try to go there, something else pops into my mind, which has something to do with a situation where they are doing something to pose problems for us. Maybe that’s a next week question. I’m sorry.”
(Did CB Tae Hayes show you something Sunday which intrigued you guys to want to see more? Do you feel good about – you’ve developed young corners. You, Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Josh Boyer, do you feel like you have some young guys that can be developed moving forward and might turn into something long-term?) – “I think Tae jumped right in and played a significant amount of snaps last week. He made a few plays and was competitive on most of the coverage. I thought he tackled well. It’s a good start. I think we need to build on that in practice, meetings and walkthroughs and hopefully duplicate that type of performance again. That will be hard against a good receiving corps and obviously a great quarterback. It’s not an easy thing, but he’s off to a good start. As far as the corner position, I think Patrick and Josh do a great job as far as developing young players. It takes time, but every play, every game is an experience for those guys. I think those guys do a good job.”
Brian Flores – December 24, 2019 (Conference Call)
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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call
(As a New England guy being down in South Florida now, what do you miss most about something up here in New England?) – “Well, it’s 80 degrees here, so… (laughter) I had a lot of winters growing up. It’s fun to have a different – well, one season – so it’s nice to have 80-degree weather during the Christmas season; but more than anything, I built a lot of great relationships in New England from players to coaches to you guys in the media to Stacey James and Anne Noland, equipment guys, IT – (Dan) Famosi. There’s a lot of people that I came to know and really built some good relationships with. Those people I miss, and I enjoyed my time with them; but things change and I’m really excited about what’s going on here in Miami. There’s a lot of great people here as well. I’m really enjoying myself and trying to help this organization grow and get better.”
(Just a follow-up on that. We caught you in Week 2 and now we get you at the end of the season. How would you describe what your first year in Miami has been like?) – “It’s been fun. I’ve really enjoyed working with this team. I think we’ve grown a lot. Obviously we’ve had a lot of players as you know – as everyone knows – but we’ve tried to coach them up as best we can, get them ready to go whether it’s new guys, whether it’s guys in different positions, obviously trying to build relationships with the players as coaches, as the head coach, as the coordinators and then obviously building that trust and camaraderie – trying to build it within the locker room and with the players on the field. That’s really what’s most important. It’s been fun. It’s been a great experience. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself and this team. Like anything, there’s things I wish I could have done better, and I try to always to improve and get better in my role and try to help guys do the same.”
(Do you like coming into Foxborough and being a possible spoiler in terms of the Patriots getting a second seed?) – “I don’t really think of it that way. I love to compete. I love to go in – I know that’s going to be a great environment. It’s going to be a huge challenge for us and a great test for us to go into an environment like that against a really good football team and try to compete and try to come out with a win. That’s what competition’s all about. I don’t really get into all the other seeding and all of that. I just like to compete and our team likes to compete, so that’s really what it’s all about for me.”
(The last couple of weeks, you guys have claimed DB Nate Brooks and LB Calvin Munson off the Patriots practice squad, and both of them pretty much slotted right into the lineup for you guys. What attracted you to those players, and how do you think they can help you moving forward?) – “We watched a lot of tape on both guys from preseason and obviously knew a little bit about – I knew a little bit about Calvin having spent some time with him. From a toughness – speaking about Calvin – from a toughness standpoint, from an intelligence standpoint, I knew he had a lot of the things that we covet, which is why he was down there. We learned those things about him down – up there. I’m used to saying ‘down there.’ (laughter) I thought he played well last week. I think he’s been a really good addition. He’ll have another opportunity to play again this week; but we’ve got to prepare, go through our process. It’s not easy to stop that offense or move the ball against that defense or protect from the punting game against the kicking game unit. It’ll be a big challenge – our biggest challenge of the year, I’d say.”
(Understanding – your offense is its own system and obviously you’ve got your own personnel down there, but where do you still see the greatest overlap between the system Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea is running and the offense that you saw for so many years on the practice fields up here?) – “That’s a tough question because of what you said at the beginning. It’s totally different personnel. To me, at the end of the day, that’s what it boils down to, is it is different personnel. Again, I know the guys there. They know us and I think on every coaching staff, the objective is to put your players in the best positions to do the things they do well. That’s really dependent on the skillset of each individual players – your offensive line, your tight end, your receiver, your running backs. Is he a receiving back? Is he more of a runner? Is he a receiving tight end? Is he more of a blocker? Et cetera, you go on and on. What groupings are you going to put out there? Heck, they’ve got ‘E. Rob’ (Elandon Roberts) in there at fullback. He’s a damn good fullback, too. I’ll tell you that right now. He’s a good fullback. I’ll leave it at that.”
(Knowing CB Stephon Gilmore pretty well, what can you say about the challenge of going up against him and what did you get to see just with his practice habits and how he is in that environment that makes him the player that he is?) – “We could talk about ‘Steph’ (Stephon Gilmore), but there’s again, there’s a lot of other players there. You need 11 guys out there. They do a great job with communication from ‘Steph’ to Jon Jones – I know he’s a little bit banged up, but Jon Jones to J.C. (Jackson) to the McCourty brothers to (Duron) Harmon, (Patrick) Chung; how that works with the linebacker corps and the d-line. I think they work in unison. They play together as a team, but specific to ‘Steph,’ I think he’s really grown over the last few years. This is one of the best corners in the league, one of the best defensive players in the league. I think from a coverage standpoint – big receiver, small receiver, quick receiver – he can really do it all. He can move inside if you need him. He can do a lot of different things. It’s going to be definitely a challenge. It’s a challenge for every team to get open against him in man coverage, and that’s why a lot of teams just stay away from him, to be honest. He’s a great player, but they’ve got a lot of great players on the defense, on the offense, in the kicking game. It’s a great coaching staff, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
(I know when you’re in the division, that can create a different dynamic with relations with Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick. How has that been for you in terms of your relations with him just because you guys are competing in the same division? I ask you in the context of Bill talking in the past about how strange – not how strange but how tough it was for him when Nick Saban was coaching down in Miami and they’re such close friends, but when the competition’s that close, what’s that been like for you guys?) – “You know what, I think – look, I was with Bill for 15 years. I know him very well. He knows me very well. At the end of the day, I have a lot of respect for him. I learned a lot from him. I’m fortunate to have worked with that organization for a long time; but I know this about him: he’s going to try to beat the heck out of us, and he knows this about me, that we’re going to do the same. That’s why I was in the building, because I’m competitive by nature. I think that’s something I try to impart on the players I was around. I know they’re competitive. I love those guys and they love me, and I know that. From McCourty to (Patrick) Chung to (Kyle) Van Noy to (Elandon) Roberts to (Dont’a) Hightower, I built relationships with these guys that go far beyond football. I know that; but on Sunday we’re going to be competing against each other and nobody’s going to care about any of that stuff. I think that’s the same with Bill and that coaching staff and all the guys there – Josh (McDaniels), Joe Judge. The friendships go far beyond football, so I know that and I think Bill knows that; but once 1 o’clock on Sunday (comes), they’re going to be on the other side and we’re competing and we’ll be friends after that, after those three or four hours. That’s kind of my take. I don’t know if that answers your question, but that’s kind of how I look at it.”
Patrick Graham – December 24, 2019
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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(Do you mind mentioning on your side of the ball two or three guys whose growth really made you happy this year?) – “It’s funny just thinking about the game last week, and moving into now getting ready for New England, just the growth from the second game of the season to preparing for the last game of the season. One of the players that stood out – and he didn’t even play last week – was Raekwon McMillan (and) his leadership. I think he’s improved as a leader. Again, I think he had those leadership qualitied before I ever met him but I think he’s improved there. I think in terms of some of the younger guys, Christian Wilkins in terms of how his play has improved over the year, and now we’re starting to see the fruits of his labor in terms of what he’s been working on in practice. That’s the thing that’s most telling for me. When you talk about somebody like Montre (Hartage) – we’re going to need his best because of who we are going against in terms of New England and all of the guys they have – in terms of how his tackling has improved. Those are the things you start to feel happy for all of those guys because they’ve worked so hard at it, and seeing how they work at it. There are other guys too. I can’t mention everybody but those are the things that stand out because as we game plan for New England, I know we’re going to need those things to happen because we’re going to have to tackle those guys, we’re going to have to cover those guys, we’re going to have to use our hands up front because they are so skilled and so physical. That’s the stuff that is going through my mind right now currently.”
(What would you say about LB Vince Biegel in the same sentence?) – “The same thing. I think Vince’s athletic ability, his work ethic – I knew him a little bit from when I was with Green Bay. I think that his improvement over the year has been good. What he’s going to be able to do this week, we’re going to need his length, because they have good guys on the edge there whether it’s the tackles or the tight ends. We’re going to need his physicality in the run game because (Sony) Michel is one of the best backs in the league. He’s seeing the field better than I’ve ever seen him do it just in terms of combined how his vision has grown and his ability to make people miss in the hole. I mean this guy has developed into a very dynamic back. I know he had a lot of success last year, but I’m just seeing improvement from a young player and how he’s improved – the vision is the thing that sticks out to me. I think he’s seeing everything. If you misfit, he’s going to find you. We’re definitely going to need Biegel and all of those guys in terms of helping us with that – setting the edge and making sure we play with patience on the edge.”
(What’s a coaching point maybe that DT Christian Wilkins has really embraced that has allowed him to – from my eyes – be more disruptive?) – “Well, I’ve told you all every week that when you all ask me about him, what I say to him every day until he gets sick of it – since I’ve met him – is your hands have to improve, and his hands have improved – getting his hands in front of his eyes. Once you’re able to do that, you’re able to control the blocker. To me, that’s what you’re looking for in terms of block destruction upfront. You have to be able to control the blocker by getting your hands on him. This week, if we try to play with our shoulders against New England, they’ll just run us out of there and we’ll be five yards down the field. We have to play with our hands, get our hands in front of our eyes, control the blockers, play with some good pad level in order to – you’ve got Shaq Mason, you’ve got all of those guys. If you don’t play with your hands in front of your eyes, you’re going to have trouble. You’re going to have trouble.”
(I want to ask you about defending Patriots WR Julian Edelman. You know he’s going to get his targets. You know he’s going to get the ball in crucial situations. Knowing all of that, what’s the challenge there?) – “The biggest challenge for me is – and it always has been since I’ve known him – is how tough this man is. He’s arguably one of the toughest players in the NFL pound for pound. However you want to look at it, I don’t care – he’s one of the toughest players in the NFL, period, point blank. It’s hard to prepare for him. He’s tough. He’s talented with his quickness, his speed, the ability to block in the run game. There is so much to prepare for. How many wide receivers do you talk about being a point-of-attack blocker in the run game? That’s what you’re dealing with. He’s a point-of-attack blocker as a wide receiver, and he’s their number one targeted guy. Yeah, it’s a challenge. That’s why I’m a little bit out of breath because I was running down here and I almost forgot about this because I was working. (laughter) We’re going to do everything in the game plan to limit him; but when you watch the tape, plenty of people double him, and he still catches the ball so it doesn’t matter. He’s a good player. You’re talking about one of the best receivers in the league over the past 10 or 11 years. I think this is his 11th year because he came in the same year as me. He’s tough, he’s talented and he’s going to keep coming at you, period. Whatever we do, we’ve got to be ready to do it for 60 minutes, or 70. Who knows?”
(I know it’s only one game and you’re not ready to anoint anyone; but do you look at what DT Zach Sieler did, and say ‘hmm, maybe we found something?’) – “The thing with him – and you saw it on the tape – is he plays with his hands in front of his eyes. I know it’s small stuff and this is coach speak, but this is how I talk. I’ll be talking like this at Christmas with my brother. It’s the same thing. (laughter) Hands in front of your eyes. I keep it simple. That’s what he does. Because he was able to get his hands on the blocker and use his length, he was able to make plays. And especially this time of year – December, when you’re months away from training camp – who is working on their fundamentals? Who is working on their pad level, hands in front of their eyes? That’s where you start to see the play in terms of guys getting better as the year progresses. It’s the guys that are able to focus on the fundamentals. That’s why we preach it so much. That’s why we focus on it every day.”
(What does DE Taco Charlton need to do?) – “Taco has been working. He’s been working hard. Taco has to just keep working hard. Keep working hard, keep working on his technique and fundamentals, just like everybody else. Just like me. That’s what I do. I mean thank God I’m not doing it on the field; but I work on my fundamentals in terms of coaching and just working hard every day. That’s what everybody has to do.”
(Why has DE Taco Charlton – I know he had the ankle injury last week but since the first time he was inactive until now, what has he done to show you guys that he deserves to play or maybe he doesn’t?) – “We base who plays and all of that stuff based on game plan. The thing is Taco is working hard. That’s what we’ve asked him to do. Then based on game plan, we make a decision on that.”
(What have you thought about this year for you as a play caller? What have you learned and what have you gathered throughout the year?) – “It’s hard for me in the moment right now. I’m really just worried about New England. I’ll tell you this – this is what I do in terms of coaching, being a father, being a husband – I just try to get better every day. I’m never satisfied. Thankfully I have people around me that challenge me to get better every day, so there is a laundry list of stuff. But right now, I’m trying to be better at preparing for New England, to take care of the run game, to see if we can help stop (Sony) Michel, to see if we can affect Tom (Brady) in the passing game, to see if we can limit Julian (Edelman) in the passing game and the other weapons they have. My whole goal is to always get better every day at everything I do. I learned that a long time ago and that’s helped me get to where I’m at now. I can’t think too far back, ahead, or whatever it is; but I try to get better every day, I can promise you that. I try. Whether it happens or not, I do try.”
(What are some things that you’ve done to try to get better?) – “I throw work at it, effort at it. I just watch more tape, talk to more people, get insight, listen. Let’s start there. I listen. I listen, and it was not always the case like that when I was younger as a coach. I can tell you that. I listen. I’ve learned that you learn a lot more by listening as opposed to waiting to talk. I used to be one of those guys. I used to wait to talk all the time. Now I listen, even if it’s uncomfortable. That’s the number one that has changed in my life – not necessarily this year, but over the last few years – is I’ve learned to listen more as opposed to wait to talk, so I’ve been able to grow and that helps me. Especially right now, going through this year and working through it. Learning how to listen.”
(Is that listening to other players, to other coaches?) – “You can learn from everybody. Listening to other coaches, listening to players. I’ve learned to listen, even listening to assistant coaches when we’re going through the game plan. If I had this job a few years ago, it wouldn’t have been this way. Being able to sit there and go through New England and talk about Julian (Edelman) and talk about Tom (Brady) and talk about all of the players they have – the offensive line – and I’m able to sit there and listen instead of waiting to talk, gathering information and make the right decision as a leader. That’s what I’ve learned.”
(Do you have a better idea of the type of players who are a fit for your scheme and what you want it to look like?) – “The beauty of it, the beauty of it is real simple – tough, smart, discipline, play with their hands, tackle and tough. That’s probably the same thing I said in April or whenever I started talking to you guys. So yeah, I have an idea.”
(That hasn’t changed at all?) – “No. If you have vision – that’s what we talk about – vision is long term, in my opinion. We have vision, so the vision is for us to accumulate players like that and then help players grow in those fields or grow in those characteristics, however you want to look at it. That’s the vision, and thankfully we have a head coach that has laid out the vision very clearly in terms of we need tough, smart football players who are disciplined and love to play the game. Then when you get into the physical traits, play with good knee bend, football position, hands in front of their eyes, tackle, toughness, contribute to the kicking game on the coverage units, stop the run when we need to stop the run. That’s what we are looking for.”
(On the last play in regulation, when the tight end boxed out four guys in the end zone. I don’t know the answer to this so you can help me learn. I know that on the last play, it’s usually chaos on a Hail Mary type play. Is there something that a player – not one player, just a player or those guys in that situation – could have done differently or better? Is one guy supposed to get in front of each player? What’s the coaching point there?) – “The coaching point, the main thing is I got to do a better job of coaching the situation and what we want to execute. That’s the main thing. That’s as simply as I can put it. There are different ways to skin a cat, how people want to play that play, but I can do a better job of coaching it. That’s what I’ll leave you with on that one.”
(I feel like they never call pass interference on that play, so maybe that’s an opportunity where a defensive back can be more aggressive in general?) – “So you do know more about the play than you’re letting on. (laughter) I can coach it better. I can coach it better. That’s my point. Sorry, I don’t know how to answer that. Well, I do know how to answer it and that’s how I’m going to answer it, sorry.”
(What did CB Tae Hayes show you in extended work on Sunday?) – “The effort, the ability to tackle. For a guy that hasn’t been here for a long time – just able to go out there and execute the game plan, which was key. It was good, it was good. Obviously we’ve got a lot more to go. We’ve got a big challenge this week, a big challenge this week based on the people, based on the scheme, based on everything. So we’re going to have to tackle, we’re going to have to be able to play our leverage in coverage and compete on special teams and hopefully we’ll give ourselves a chance for Sunday.”
(Regarding LB Calvin Munson, what did you see from him?) – “Calvin Munson, I hate to do it to you guys but he’s smart, tough, disciplined, he tackled and he competed on special teams. That’s what I saw. We’re going to need that this week because you’re dealing with one of the best special teams units in the league with the Patriots. They are disciplined, they attack your weaknesses, your strengths. They do a good job there. We’re going to need his tackling in the run game, his block destruction in the run game, his coverage. Tom (Brady) is one of the best at working guys, zone defenders, man defenders – so it’s a big challenge. Hopefully all of that stuff shows up again on Sunday.”
(You mentioned DT Christian Wilkins earlier. A lot of times, people who aren’t in the trenches, they only see the sacks and tackles for loss. How would you evaluate his rookie season and what you have seen from him?) – “I hate to do it to you, but the improvement with his hands. That’s the only thing I’ve been coaching him on. You can ask him: that’s all I talk to him about. ‘Get your hands right.’ Then that leads to being a more successful football player, especially up front. It carries over for every position: use your hands.”
(What do you think about DT Christian Wilkins running out on the field every time the team score a touchdown?) – “I like his excitement. I’m pretty stoic, I guess. I don’t know if the word is stoic. I’m just usually not in a good mood, no matter what happens. (laughter) It’s good. It’s good energy. That’s another thing – (I’ve learned to) listen and let people be who they are. That’s not me, which is fine. That’s him, and I love it. I’ve grown more comfortable with that. Probably once I got married and had kids, I realized that you can’t control everything. Relax. (laughter)”
Chad O’Shea – December 24, 2019
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Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(Would you mind spending a few minutes, if you could, just talking about some of the individual player developments that really pleased you this year? I know you’re proud of all your players, but there are probably a few that stand out if you could indulge us on that.) – “I’d have to say collectively I am proud of how the group has worked and has embraced what we asked them to do from Day 1, and certainly their improvement has been based off their efforts. There’s been some guys that have been very productive for us this year and played well in their roles. Obviously DeVante (Parker) statistically comes to mind, and I think a lot of his production on the field is a result of what he’s done behind the scenes; and what that is, is he’s been outstanding in preparation. He’s done everything possible he can do to put himself in the best position to be successful on the field, so he definitely comes to mind. Mike Gesicki comes to mind. Obviously statistically he has done well for us and been a productive player, and for the same reasons I believe DeVante has. He just really has embraced the coaching. (Tight Ends Coach) George Godsey’s done a really nice job with him as it relates to the details of pass receiving and ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) certainly has been a big part of his development. I think that in all the players that I mentioned that I’m proud of and their development, ‘Fitz’ is at the center of a lot of this because he’s done such a good job of I think instilling confidence in some of these guys. I think Mike and DeVante wouldn’t be in the position they’re in and have the success that they’ve had if it wasn’t for the quarterback having confidence in him – in both of them. I think there’s a lot of factors that go into the development of those players. Certainly there’s a lot of players on our offense that could be in this category that have improved. The statistics maybe don’t show that in certain positions because they’re just not measured by that at certain positions, but there has been a lot of development and improvement at different positions along the way and kind of for the same reasons, that they’ve embraced what we’ve done, they’ve worked hard and they’ve been available at practice and stayed healthy.”
(How has this year been for you as play-caller? Obviously this is your first year. Do you think about where you were when you first started to where you are now and how comfortable…) – “Yeah, I think the first thing is it’s a humbling experience and I’m very fortunate to be in this position. That hasn’t changed throughout the year. There hasn’t been a day I’ve walked in the building and haven’t been very fortunate and appreciative of the opportunity that I have to be in this position. Certainly I think that I’ve been blessed to have a very strong staff to help me along the way. It’s been a learning experience. There hasn’t been a day I haven’t walked off the field or left a meeting that I haven’t learned from and been better because of; and then in the end, I think what’s most important is the players have been coachable here. They’ve tried to do what we’ve asked them to do despite maybe good and bad. They’ve really embraced that part of it. They’ve been very coachable. They’ve been a pleasure to work with. Certainly ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has a lot to do with this. For me to have somebody in his role – a veteran player that brings such strong traits – was very valuable to me in the first year and was very helpful. It’s been a learning experience when I look back, and I look forward to the future. I look forward to learning from the past, but even more excited about the future and just excited of how our players have responded to this year.”
(You kept the same five offensive linemen in the game against the Bengals after rotating for a few weeks. What was it that led to that decision?) – “I think that again, that’s a position it seems like we’ve spoken about every week I’ve stood up here, and I understand there’s been a lot of moving parts. There’s been a lot of factors that have kind of led to those moving parts. When we were afforded the opportunity to leave a group in there, it always helps. Continuity at any position is helpful. So that was the case with the offensive line. It was good to have that group out there playing. I thought there were some plays in which there was consistency within the play and within the series, and it really helped us generate some production and score some points. It’s a position that we’ve had a lot of changes, and certainly I think that the players that have been involved in those changes have done a good job of just trying to adjust and do the best job they can within the roles we’ve asked them to do.”
(How would you evaluate the DT Christian Wilkins touchdown and how long have you been holding onto that play?) – “He’s certainly somebody that we were aware of in college who was able to catch the ball. It’s amazing how good of athletes a lot of these guys are that are at the non-skill positions. Some of the linemen, whether it’s defensive and offensive linemen, football players just enjoy throwing and catching the football. Before practice, it’s very common that these guys throw the ball around to each other just like they would growing up, so it was evident that he could catch the football and obviously we used him in there for his strength as a blocker also. I thought he did a good job of jumping in there and catching the ball. I wish he would have held onto it just a little bit longer, but (it was) long enough to score.”
(We’re finally seeing the skillset of WR Albert Wilson that we saw last year before you guys arrived. Do you finally feel like he has everything back from the hip and everything else he’s dealt with where he can maximize his skills?) – “Albert in the last couple weeks, I think we’ve really seen where Albert is when he’s fully healthy. I’ve been very excited about his opportunities he’s had on the field, and he’s made the most of them. I think he’s brought energy to the team. I think he’s made some plays with the ball in his hands which is what our expectation is of him. It’s been a year in which Albert has really worked very hard to get back to his health, and you can see how important that is in a player based off of where he his now and where he was at the beginning of this. I’m just excited that he has the opportunity to go out there and play the way he wants to and obviously his health has a lot to do with that.”
(WR Albert Wilson talked a little bit about wanting to come back next year. I know some of that’s out of your hands, but when you look at his do you take some of the recency of what he’s been able to do? Is that more of a weighted period rather than maybe before he was at the beginning of the season?) – “I think that with all the players it’s ‘what have you done for us lately?’ And what is your last outing and what that’s been, and a lot of that has to do with ‘have you improved over time and where are you currently?’ And I think where Albert is currently is what my expectation was of Albert. Some things you can’t control as a player, and one thing you can’t control is sometimes the health that you have. Albert has worked very hard. I think the strength and conditioning staff, I think our training staff – who I think is really good here – have done a great job of getting Albert back to being the player that he really wants to be, and I think confidence has a lot to do with this. A player goes out there and has full confidence in not only his health, but if the quarterback and the coaching staff have a confidence in you and know that, you play to that. And I think Albert has kind of showed that the last couple weeks, and I look forward to increased opportunities with him here in the future.”
(I wanted to ask you about Head Coach Brian Flores’ philosophy on making players inactive and using players to the best of their abilities for certain weeks? You kind of said something, too: “what have you done to me lately?” The team has made some players inactive – o-line and defensive line. What is the background in all of that? Because if I’m a player and I’m saying, “you don’t give me a chance to play to be good this week, to help you guys win,” I may find that discouraging and maybe ideally you want players who could play every single week. Maybe I’m rambling here…) – “No, you’re not and I understand your question, and to answer your question, it’s that we truly look at each week unique to itself, and it’s a week very different than maybe the one that we had prior or the one that’s coming up. So that being said, we really put a lot of time and efforts and discuss thoroughly what players are best suited to try to help us win that game, and sometimes that changes. It truly is a decision that’s always based on what’s going to be in the best interest of our team with those players available to win the game; and I think that’s where our motivation lies. ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) has done a great job of working hard in this area of giving us, offensively, the best players available for us to succeed. I truly believe that and that’s what we’ve tried to do with the inactives and actives. It’s a decision that’s based on that week and that week only, not necessarily looking to the future or looking in the past, but just living in the present of what’s best for our team on that week.”
(So ideally you would want a player who could help you be active and help you win every week, correct?) – “I think the goal again is to put players in position to win and then those players – and who they are – has a lot to do with our decisions on how we want to move forward in that game. There’s a lot of factors that are involved. It’s obviously the opponent. It’s our game plan, which – like yesterday and today are our game-planning days which we put a lot of thought into what players fit best within that scheme we’re going to play versus the team we’re playing. I just think there’s a lot of decisions based on that, and certainly we would love for all players to be active, but that’s not the case and we’re always going to do what’s best for the team.”
(When a certain player is inactive for maybe several games, should that be the notion that maybe that player can’t help you win or maybe that player needs to be coached more? What is…?) – “I think that a great example of all this is Isaiah Ford. Isaiah Ford wasn’t even on the roster for several weeks, so he could have taken the approach that he wasn’t part of this, but he didn’t. He embraced his role at the time. He tried to improve. He tried to learn what we were doing – the game plan – even though he wasn’t going to be active on game day, and what a great example it was to watch him in the game come through in the most critical time of the game. And I think a lot of that has to do with when he was in the role of being not on the roster and inactive, how he approached that; and I think it’s something that the NFL, we have. We have inactive players and we have active players, and I think that the approach of all those players that are involved is so important, and Isaiah was a good example of understanding that the role you’re in and really trying to improve and knowing that you’re going to have the opportunity at some time.”
(Has G Michael Deiter played better these last two games after the one game that he didn’t start?) – “There was definitely some improvement and again, what we’ve been searching for not only with Deiter but all positions here offensively, is consistency. I think that there’s certainly areas that he’s done well in. There’s been positives. There is improvement, but as is the case with all our offense, there’s got to be a consistency if we’re going to have success.”
(The most important part of your job is probably coaching up players and calling good ball plays, but I’m wondering if you like another part of your job which is probably to offer your input and opinion by studying film and watching players in practice and workouts and things like that for free agency and the draft. Do you like that part?) – “I think that it’s important obviously because evaluation of the players and the players you have out there are so critical to your success, so it’s something that we’re involved in as coaches and the evaluation of our own team is important. We talk about the inactives and actives and it’s an ongoing evaluation of where we are as a team, and what’s most important is the guys we’re coaching right now. I think that that’s something that’s an ongoing evaluation daily for us, is where do those players stand, have they improved and can we put them in position to win and are they in position to help us win?”
(Just one follow up: you guys have had 83 players play in a game this season. The Bills for example have had 57. That’s jarring to me, that it just is such a big discrepancy. I’m curious, you’ve added so many new guys to kind of just see what they can do. How often does the film line up with what you see right away in practice or in the game? I’m just curious how long does it take to maybe find out what you have or don’t have?) – “I think that it’s an ongoing process. I really do. I don’t think it happens overnight. Obviously there are players that we bring onto the roster and we bring them on for certain reasons because we think they have a chance to help us win, and they certainly have strengths which we’re going to try to utilize. Usually those are the strengths that you see early with the players – the ones you evaluate as being strengths that can help you. But there’s an acclimation period involved with learning the offense and doing those things, so there are some challenges along the way. I think that the players that have come onto our program here in recent weeks have done a really nice job of trying to jump in and work as hard as they can and be in position to help us.”
(We talk a lot about the quarterback position here. What have you learned about what you want from the quarterback position in your scheme this season and maybe what you look for going forward?) – “Ryan (Fitzpatrick) certainly has been somebody that we have a tremendous amount of respect for and the job that he’s done this year. When I think of Ryan, I think of his strong intangibles and traits that he has, and I can’t say enough about what he’s done and I think that what he’s done is he’s earned the respect of this football team and this coaching staff based off of those strong intangibles whether it’s his work ethic, the leadership he provides, his consistency and his energy as the leader. I think it’s important that obviously ‘Fitz’ has done a good job of this – he’s the flag bearer of our offense. He carries the flag, and I think that’s important that we’ve had a player in ‘Fitz’ that has provided great leadership for us this year.”
(Is it fair to say I guess the intangibles that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has is what you – the ideal for what you want in a quarterback?) – “I think intangibles are really important for all positions really. I do. I think that all of those things are obviously very important to the quarterback position because he’s the leader of your offense, but I really believe that the traits of a player are very important. The love of the game, the passion he has to play, the respect that you earn from your teammates based on those traits, I think are all really important.”
(Does QB Josh Rosen have some of those intangibles?) – “Josh has worked really hard. He’s got certainly a lot of strengths as a player and as a person. He really does. What I’ve been most impressed with with Josh is he’s been a player that has been in a backup role like some other players at other positions are, and he’s really embraced that and he’s worked very hard. I think it’s been great for him to be around a veteran quarterback in ‘Fitz’ that has exceptional traits in a lot areas that not only Josh, but some of our young players can look to and learn from ‘Fitz’ in those areas.”
(On RB De’Lance Turner’s performance on Sunday.) – “I thought he did a good job. He went in there and had a few snaps, got his hands on the football, and I thought he ran the ball hard and knew what he was doing in the game, so that’s the key of a guy just being able to go in there, know what to do and try to do it at a decent level of execution.”
(You mentioned being impressed about how QB Josh Rosen has been developing. What do you think the offseason and the future holds for him and what would you tell him to work on while he’s away?) – “I don’t want to get into the specifics of that. I will say that if Josh continues to do what he’s done and improve and work hard, I think that’s all we can ask of all players. That’s how he’s been. He’s been in the present. Josh has done a good job of not looking too far in the future and not looking back. He’s really stayed in the moment and tried to improve daily and learn the offense and work hard and try to be a really good teammate. I think those are the things he’s done and that’s encouraging for the future for him.”
Brian Flores – December 23, 2019
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Monday, December 23, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Of the guys who are injured – LB Vince Biegel, CB Jomal Wiltz, and RB Myles Gaskin – are any of those serious enough that you just know they’re out this week?) – “No. It’s still too early. (They’re) all still being evaluated, so it’s too early. I know Gaskin – none of those guys came back. I know Gaskin’s looked like a tough injury. If there was one guy who it looked like it would be hard for him to get back, it would be him. We’ll see. He’s a tough kid. If you asked him, he’ll say he’s playing. We’ll see.”
(Would you feel comfortable with just two backs, or would you probably have to add one?) – “Those are discussions we had this morning, but more than likely we probably would add one. Whether or not we can get that player ready on a week like this, it will be a challenge; but yeah, if that was the case, we’d probably add another one.”
(We ask you every week – probably much to your amusement or maybe not – about QB Ryan Fitzpatrick starting. I’m going to ask you a question: Is Fitzpatrick going to be a part of the team in 2020?) – “I don’t have a crystal ball here. I’ll tell you that I love ‘Fitz.’ I think he’s done a great job for us. Those are conversations that we’ll have at a later time, exit meeting conversations. Those are conversations for (General Manager) Chris (Grier), myself, (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore), and the coaching staff. He’s done a great job for us this year. I love that he’s our quarterback.”
(Is there anything that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has done that would prevent him from being back next year?) – “No.”
(DT Zach Sieler, he seemed to do some things that stood out. What did you notice when you reviewed his play?) – “He plays hard. He plays with good technique. He tackles well. He made some big tackles for us in the game. I’d say in overtime, they did a good job of blocking. There was some space there for (Joe) Mixon and if Zach doesn’t make that play, we probably don’t win the game to be honest with you. I thought he played well. He had production in a lot of areas – breakups, tackles, he had a sack early. I thought he played a really good game.”
(LB Vince Biegel was a guy that joined this team right at the beginning of the season. He’s probably been one of the most ambitious, outgoing players on your team. What has he been to you guys in this rebuild year?) – “He’s tough, he’s smart, he works hard and football is important to him. He just wants to improve and get better on a daily basis. He does everything that he can from a preparation standpoint, from a meeting standpoint, from a film study standpoint, to try to become the best player he can be. That’s really all you can ask from any player.”
(I noticed during the game when LB Vince Biegel got hurt, you came all the way on the field to see him. Is there more of a personal connection there with him or more of a concern that you had at the moment?) – “I’ve gone out there for multiple players over the course of the year. Any time a player goes down, I try to get out there and check on them. I didn’t think I was doing anything out of the ordinary there. I try to build a connection and build a relationship with all of our players. I feel like I’ve done that with Vince this year. It’s unfortunate that he had to go down, and wasn’t able to come back, but he’s a tough kid. I think he’ll do everything to play this week.”
(Can you talk a little bit about this week’s challenge? Going up there to play New England in December. They are obviously motivated, they need this game for playoff standings. Can you talk about the challenge facing your team?) – “It’s obviously a very good team. It will be a tough environment. (They have) a lot of good players, a good coaching staff, so it will be a major challenge for us. We have to do a great job from a preparation standpoint, from a practice standpoint, and we’ll have to play very well to give ourselves a chance. (It will be a) great challenge, it will be a great atmosphere. It will be a great challenge.”
(Is there a specific area where you say, ‘You know what? We as a team really made improvement since the first Patriots game?’) – “I think we’ve made a lot of improvement in a lot of different areas. Every team wants to do that. For me, it is preparation, the way we practice, the way we meet, the way we walkthrough. That’s the crux and the foundation of the things where I feel like we’ve gotten better. You can get into third down and red area but for me, all of that starts with the preparation and the process portion. I think we’ve done a better job from that standpoint and because of that, we’ve had a little bit more success on the field.”
(The outcome of the game was obviously what you wanted yesterday but probably not the process with how that last six or seven minutes went. When you went back and watched it today, what stood out to you?) – “We didn’t play well for the last, let’s call it six minutes of the fourth quarter, really in all three phases. The good thing is we won. Another good thing is we get to have a live look and we’ll always have this film to go back to and say ‘these are the things you have to get accomplished to finish off a game and here’s what can happen if you don’t do those things,’ really in all phases. So if we don’t stay inbounds, that stops the clock. If we get a penalty, that stops the clock. If we allow a run through on third-and-1, we can’t pick up the first down, which would keep the clock moving and bleed more clock. Then we kick a field goal and we miss the field goal and we give them good field position. Then we don’t tackle them in bounds. There were a myriad of things that happened there at the end of the game. I can go on and on and on for the four minutes after that. We didn’t do well enough but at the end of the day, we came out of there with a win. We can show that film and we should be able to learn from the mistakes that we made. I think we will.”
(DE Taco Charlton and DE Charles Harris were both inactive. Is there a chance that they can probably play this week?) – “Definitely a chance. We’re going through the game plan right now to see what we feel like gives us the best chance to win offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. If we feel like they give us a chance to play well and (give us) the style and temperament that we’re looking for, then they’ll be in there.”
(When you have certain players that may not give you the best chance to win, is it possibly something you have to address in the offseason that maybe it’s time to part ways with such player or is it time to continue coaching them?) – “I think that’s a week to week (thing). Player X may give you a good chance this week and that may not be the case next week. Look, we’re not looking to part ways with a guy because we don’t feel like he fits for this specific game plan. We wouldn’t do that. Those conversations are for guys we feel like aren’t a fit on the team or a situation like that.”
