Dave DeGuglielmo – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo
(How fascinating and challenging was last week in terms of putting guys in different spots?) – “Like every other week. You put them out there. I’ve got to put five out there. I thought they did a good job of working hard all week long and preparing for the roles that they were going to be in. We had some success and then we had some things that were not too pretty, but that’s going to be the case every week as we’re building it. Our guys are going to stay focused and keep working. They don’t know any better.”
(We were kind of curious – T Isaiah Prince went from being inactive the first three games to not only playing, but being a starter. What was it that you saw from him in practice that made you confident that he could handle the assignment?) – “He’s got skills. As opposed to me playing right tackle? (laughter)”
(You could have had G Michael Deiter obviously play left tackle and T J’Marcus Webb on the right side…) – “I could’ve. I could have put (Evan) Boehm out there. I could have put (Daniel) Kilgore out there at right tackle. (laughter) There’s a lot of things you could do…”
(But had T Isaiah Prince shown progress to you that made you think maybe he can handle this?) – “I would be willing to bet that (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores wouldn’t have put him out there if he didn’t have some ability to do the job. We weren’t going to just throw him to the wolves, but with younger players – with rookies – sometimes it takes a couple weeks before they understand the speed of the game on game day and the level of – preseason is preseason. The regular season is something different. You don’t just throw those guys out there if you think that there might be a confidence issue. It was really the same with Shaq Calhoun. He played all preseason, but when it came time for the season, you don’t want to put him out there and put him in a situation where he may have to adapt to something and then lose confidence in his ability. You try to bring those guys along. Deiter’s case is a little different. (He is a) different level player with a different experience level. He was drafted for that purpose and that’s where he’s going to play. We had to use him at left tackle because he’s had experience there, but (J’Marcus) Webb has played left tackle in the National Football League. He has started inside. He has started outside. It’s not crazy to say we just found a guy that played tackle before and put him out there.”
(How did T Isaiah Prince play Sunday do you think?) – “He did some good things. He did some things that need to be worked on, like all of them. I don’t think he had the best game that he’ll have in his time in the NFL, but I think for the first time out there, he did an admirable job and he’s got a bright future. He’s an extremely talented young man. He’s just got to keep working like all the rest of the guys. When I say we have a long way to go, that’s an understatement, but we’ve got a long way to go. He’s part of that process. He’s part of the youth here and the more we can get him in there, the better.”
(And G Michael Deiter’s work at guard through four games – aside from the time he had to fill in at tackle – how has he done as a guard through four games?) – “Honestly, I really think he’s done a good job. He’s an experienced guy. He played a lot at Wisconsin, obviously in multiple spots. If we ever needed an emergency center, he’s going there, too. That’s great to have that on game day – to have a third center, if you will, at the ballgame. I think he’s making good progress. We just had a personnel meeting and we were talking about those young guys today. I think he’s got a bright future. He’s going to continue to work. One thing that (Michael) Deiter has – he has incredible field-savvy because he’s played a lot of games, so he can see some things. Now, he still has some of those rookie tendencies. He had one the other day when he set to (Chargers DE Joey) Bosa as a three-technique and Bosa gave him a one-two and ran right by him. The thing about being a rookie and having some talent is he’ll make the adjustments. He’ll understand not to overset a guy and know your opponent. It was odd to see Bosa in that spot. They did it deliberately to get the rookie to jump outside. Bravo to them. The ball got off, so that wasn’t the end of the world, but it’s part of the growth process and the experience. Until that happens, he’s never going to adjust to it. Now, he understands what has to happen in those situations, so I think he’s doing good.”
(How would you assess G/T Jesse Davis’ progress at left tackle?) – “He’s working really hard. I think he’s making progress. The transition whether it’s inside to outside, right to left, left to right; anytime you move a guy – even the smallest move to one position left or right – it takes an adjustment. I think he’s adjusted well. The thing about him is he’s a conceptual thinker. In terms of knowing what to do, I think he grasps that really easily to be able to flip from side to side. There is some change in being able to change your feet from a right to left-handed position because you’re used to powering down on your inside with a particular foot. Now you’ve got to change it around and do it in reverse. But he’s a good athlete and he’s very, very, very detailed in his work, so he continues to work on that. That’s all you can ask at this point. Nothing’s going to come easy in this game – not at the offensive line. Unless you’re an extremely, extremely gifted guy – and those guys come around once every few years at the most. He’s done a good job in adjusting. We’ll be excited to get him back at some point.”
Jerry Schuplinski – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski
(I’m doing a story on first-round picks. You and Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea, you’re going to have QB Josh Rosen’s career in your hands a little bit. He was a first-round pick, former No. 10 guy. How do you have to help him manage any kind of expectations being a franchise quarterback kind of thing while you’re really just trying to win some games here and have him develop at a pace where he’s comfortable?) – “I think you take every player and tell them – like we do for every positon – it’s really no different. For Josh, specifically, his whole – we’re still working hard to teach him everything we can on a daily basis from protections to run game to routes to reads to footwork to timing to all that stuff. It’s really the same and we’re going to continue to do that throughout. I don’t think you ever get done growing and learning in that phase. In terms of expectations and everyone else’s expectations on him, I think ultimately, we control what we can control with him and that’s to try to work and get better every day and not worry about anything else. Each week, each day, each week, dive into the game plan, understand what the game plan is, what we want to do, how we want to get the ball out to the different players and the protections associated with that, where we think guys will be open and what we want to do with that. It’s literally week by week and day by day and then the game in itself and trying to grow each week and each game. But really not looking much further ahead than that.”
(QB Josh Rosen has said he’s made leaps and bounds improvement since he got here in the offseason, since OTAs, preseason. Where would you say he’s made his biggest strides and do you agree with that assessment?) – “I think he’s done a really nice job since he’s gotten here. I mentioned this before that he’s a little bit behind the eight-ball when he did arrive, because I think we were four weeks out already into learning the offense and starting from the basics. So he was playing a lot of catchup in the spring, which that’s just the way it goes. I feel like over the summer, he did some stuff on his own to prepare. And then when he got back to training camp, you could tell he was ahead of where he left off at, which was great and then he just continued to grow in training camp. His recognition continues to build each week. For young players in general, that’s what it’s going to be and he has made good progress in a lot of different areas. There’s still a long way to go, he knows that. We talk about it all the time. But he has grown in his understanding of our protection schemes and certain details on routes and things of that nature. He’s grown in that area. Like I said, we’re always going to have a long way to go, because every team we play is different and everybody is going to give us a little bit of a different look at things. Being able to take that from week to week – the different challenges that they present and understanding those – will continue to be a good learning experience for him.”
(Outside of the day to day and the week to week things that are very, very important to you guys, where are some areas QB Josh Rosen needs to make the next jump in his progression during the season?) – “There are a few things that I’ve talked to him about – getting the ball out on time, stepping up in the pocket, his footwork that’s related to things such as accuracy and stuff. I think he’s done a really nice job embracing those challenges that we’ve all given him and working hard at those. Again, it’s not always perfect and there’s going to be some things that he can do better; but for the most part, I think those are the areas, the continuous ball out on time, stepping up in the pocket, playing comfortable from the pocket, especially under pressure, are areas that he can continue to improve on that’ll help him.”
(I wanted to ask you one thing about being a coach on this staff. A lot of coaches in the NFL they don’t want to have anything – they don’t try to concern themselves with anything outside the building. It always seeps in a little bit. How do you coach on a staff like this, on a team like this where things are not going your way early?) – “It’s really fun. I’m privileged to be here. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to work in this organization. I’m excited to work directly for (Head Coach) Brian Flores. I respect him and I like him. That’s probably where it starts and the same could go for (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) and the rest of the guys on our staff. There’s challenges. I think what you need to do and what I’ve always tried to do and I think what we’re trying to do is just put one foot in front of the other, one step forward at a time, one meeting at a time, one day at a time, one game at a time and continue to strive for improvement. That’s the biggest thing that we’re trying to do right now. There’s a lot of mistakes that I think we can fix from a coaching end to a player end that we’re going to try to do. I think if we can get that taken care of, then the results will eventually come. But right now it’s just the focus on one foot in front of the other and keep going forward.”
(What’s the best thing you’ve seen QB Josh Rosen improve on since he’s been taking over as the starting quarterback?) – “There are a couple things that Josh has done that are good. I think once you become the starter and you get named the starter and you get the chance to work with the first group as a starter, your leadership has to grow in that area. A little bit more of the urgency, a little bit more command. He’s developed his relationship skills with a lot of players – the center especially, the receivers – and the little things he’s looking for. That has grown a lot. I think his ability to continue to – There’s no substitute for repetitions, whether it’s practice reps or game reps, he’s really taken a lot of those in the last couple weeks and that’s really helped him. It’s the same thing I was saying earlier: his ability to diagnose the coverage, understand what he’s seeing, get the ball out on time in the passing game, playing more comfortable in the pocket is an area he’s growing at, that he needs to continue to grow at and get better at. He’s improving.”
(How important is it to have a veteran like QB Ryan Fitzpatrick helping QB Josh Rosen along the way? How has that relationship been?) – “First of all, personally, I really like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). He’s a smart guy. He’s a football guy. He really understands a lot of stuff and he’s a great asset to have for all of us in this organization. His ability to bring a veteran perspective in our whole entire room is really good. He’s seen a lot of things. He’s a guy that I rely a lot on too to communicate with, and he’s also been really good with Josh. I think he’s handled this whole situation awesome. He’s been there for Josh. He’s been a good voice in his ear helping him with some additional things. He’s really been a true professional this whole matter and he’s done a great job.”
(The third quarterback, QB Jake Rudock, young guy, showed a lot during camp and preseason. What did you like about Jake to keep him around for the practice squad?) – “I’m really glad he’s back. I really like Jake a lot. I think the best thing that I could say for Jake is he does his best every day to do things the way you ask him to do it. He’ll do it that way. He’ll do exactly what he’s asked to do and he’s really improved. I think he’s got good mechanics. I think he’s developed and progressed a lot. He’s smart, he’s tough, he understands defense, he understands where to go with the ball and he’s doing a really good job in the areas that he can in practice right now. We’re really glad to have him here. He’s certainly a guy we want to continue to develop.”
(How would you like to see the guys improve over their bye week here moving forward to the later part of the season?) – “I think right now the thing is with everybody, the bye week is what it is. We really have only one practice with these guys. I think first of all, through four weeks, we have to evaluate where we are and we have to try to – I think everyone at the quarterback position is relatively healthy, but I think that’s a big part of it is getting their bodies back together for these last 12 weeks. And just improvement overall. It doesn’t stop. It really doesn’t change for us and what we’re trying to improve on and get better at. It’s understanding our system. We still haven’t completed a full year in what we’re doing here with our system, so it’s still better understanding our system, understanding the defenses, understanding our opponents and a true understanding of what we’re trying to get accomplished on each play and get the ball in the right spot and whether it’s the run game, get the blocking situated properly and things of that nature.”
(Was going to ask you what QB Josh Rosen has done well in his two starts?) – “There’s a couple things we’ve tried to focus on outside of the schematical things and that’s really with him is – I gave him a couple of goals and that’s stepping up in the pocket and playing on time in the passing game – those are two critical ones – and doing his best to take care of the ball and make good decisions. I think he’s really tried to do those three things really well. I know we had the interception last week that got away a little bit from him; but he’s really done a nice job of trying to do those three things good. Playing on time is an area he’s improved on and he has to continue to improve on. But those three things, really.”
(What’s the one area that you think there’s still room for the most growth? I know QB Josh Rosen’s metrics under pressure aren’t great. Obviously, he’s taken a couple sacks. But your view on where specifically he has to be better?) – “I think sacks fall on everybody, including the quarterback. That’s certainly an area that we can improve on: No. 1, have a better understanding of where the issue is coming from and what we need to do to get the ball out of our hands a little quicker there is an area of improvement I’m sure we’re looking for.”
(What area has most impressed you? What would that be?) – “He’s just got a really strong arm and his ability to start putting that together with some reads I think has led to a few big plays for us and that’s been really good to see and hopefully we continue to see more of it.”
(What conversations do you have with QB Josh Rosen when it comes to the dropped balls with the receivers and how he balances out where the ball is supposed to be and where some need to be caught and moving on and helping massage there?) – “Not much to be honest with you. I think it’s really important, and I’ve always said this in our room, is we need to do our job really well before we need to worry about anybody else’s. So, until we perfect that, we need to keep working on what we can do. If we get a dropped pass or something, we need to put the next one on the money and give it another chance. He’s been really great with that, too. There hasn’t bene any dropped heads or bad body language. It hasn’t really been an issue from our standpoint. We just need to keep trying to do the best to give them good balls every chance we’ve got.”
(How has QB Josh Rosen been in the huddle with the guys when that happens. Is it ‘Hey, I’m coming right back to you?’) – “I feel that he is. Honestly, it’s not an issue. Certainly, we all want to make the plays, but there’s plenty of times where we make a mistake too. I think it’s just trying to keep the guys confidence up and stuff. But it’s been fine to me and I know he has some sidebar conversations with some guys trying to maybe build them back up. But it’s been really a non-issue. We just need to keep doing our job.”
Eric Studesville – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville
(With RB Kalen Ballage, do you have any sense of what might be going on with him, because obviously, we know he’s better than what he’s shown? Do you think at this point it’s a confidence thing, is it a technique thing? What’s the issue in terms of Kalen’s lack of performance to the level I know everybody thinks he can perform?) – “I think there’s a lot of things in there. He’s dependent on other people too to perform and produce. He’s got to do a better job, all of them have got to do a better job in all the little areas and details that we talk about all of the time. But our room is unique in that we’re dependent on a lot of other people to do things, too. I’m not taking responsibility off of him by any stretch. He’s an intensely competitive, focused, prepared player and I have great confidence in him.”
(I don’t think we saw RB Kalen Ballage again after the dropped pass on offense. Obviously, you went to RB Mark Walton. What was the thinking in that decision collectively as a coaching staff?) – “We do a lot of different things like that. We have different personnel groups that we put people in. It was just at that point and time in the game we move forward with – Kenyan (Drake) was playing well at the time, running the ball effectively, so we stayed with that. Mark went in. We wanted to look at Mark in the game to get him in to see what – because we don’t know – we feel like we have three really good backs, but how do you look at all of them? So you have to – someone has got to sit out for – two of them have to sit out for one of the other ones to play.”
(Things you want to learn about RB Mark Walton, or things that have intrigued you that you want to learn more about? Is it running style? I think one thing we know he can do is he can catch the ball out of the backfield well. We saw that going back to OTAs. What things do you want to see?) – “I just think seeing (him) play in a game and see the game adjustments and what he does in the game, because I don’t know him like that in a game. We just got him in the offseason, so I’m still learning him and what we’re finding out is that he takes advantage of opportunities. He’s gone in and played well the times he’s gone in.”
(Do you think RB Kalen Ballage will get another chance?) – “Absolutely. We haven’t written any of them off. I feel like we have three talented running backs that can all give us a chance to win and be productive. I just believe that. I think they’re all three different in their own ways but I’m not disappointed in any of them or down on any of them. I think we have to do more. We’ve got to take the responsibility to do more and not wait on something. We’ve got to find ways to make a difference. I challenge them with that and I believe that’s one of the things that because they are three talented backs, that they can do that. We have to find a way to affect the game in a positive way more. Some kind of way we have to do that.”
(I know you obviously think highly of RB Patrick Laird and RB Myles Gaskin to have them on the roster. Has there been any serious talk of inserting them for carries or is the feeling right now there’s a distance between the top three and those two?) – “I think the three that we have on game day give us the best chance right now.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake, are you pleased with how he was doing? He was running hard Sunday.) – “I thought he ran the ball really effectively. I thought he played well, probably the best game, certainly this year, with the things that he did and what we were asking him to do. Again, I think the three of those guys are all talented guys. It’s just figuring out how each of them can do more to put us in position to be more successful and ultimately win games.”
(One last thing on RB Kalen Ballage, have you or Head Coach Brian Flores tried tough love, encouragement with him to try to get more out of a player who you know is capable of more? And I know you said others are responsible too, it’s not only him by any means. But what sort of approach have you tried?) – “I think it depends on the day and what’s needed. We coach based on what’s needed. It’s like raising kids, right? (laughter) Some days you’ve got to love them; some days you got to fuss at them. It’s okay.”
Danny Crossman – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(With K Jason Sanders, he seems like a diligent guy. Do you take the tough love approach and get mad at him or do you stay encouraging at this stage?) – “Neither. He’s going to be fine. We’ve got no issues. He’s a worker. He’s done a great job. We have all of the confidence in the world in him. I treat him no different than if he had made every kick. Nothing’s changed.”
(Any technique thing you’ve seen without getting into state secrets?) – “Small things, but he’ll be fine. We’re not concerned at all.”
Patrick Graham – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(I wanted to ask you about blitzing. After this last game in the press conference Head Coach Brian Flores said ‘we can blitz more’ when asked about not getting more pressure. In the middle of September when asked about lack of pressure, coach also said ‘I think we can blitz more.’ I know you guys are in alignment obviously, but what is your general blitz philosophy?) – “In game, what you try to do on defense is defend that situation and whatever they put out there. I think like what coach said, blitzing more is something that we need to do or we can do, like you said. That’s something we’ll go about trying to get done.”
(Obviously every choice has pros and cons. This might seem self-evident but for the fans and media especially who aren’t coaches per se, can you kind of in general outline some of the pros and some of the cons anytime you bring pressure?) – “I think you’ve got to weigh what you think is going to give the quarterback or the offense, in general, the most issues. If you bring more than your standard four rushers, obviously you’re taking somebody out of coverage. Is it going to be beneficial for you to do that? Will it keep somebody in for them? That’s one way to look at it. Or, now that you’re bringing extra people, are you isolating somebody to have to block a certain player, so now you’re getting a chance to isolate one of your better rushers, if it is a passing situation. Then you have to take it into the whole situation with the run game. Are you bringing it off the edge to help set a firmer edge or to surprise them off the edge? Those are the different things when you’re weighing it. There is always a risk and reward so that’s really what you’re trying to weigh and trying to have some anticipation based on tendencies and the people in the game.”
(In your career, have you been a guy who enjoys – There would seem to be an adrenaline thing there. Like, ‘I’m going to dial it up.’ Are you a dial it up guy in general?) – “In general, I’m a ‘try to do my best to win the situation’ guy to be honest with you. I like the pressure. I like it all. It’s all fascinating to me, just to figure out ways to stop these offenses that are so dynamic. Blitzing is definitely somthing that I’m accustomed to doing. I enjoy doing all aspects of the defense to be honest with you.”
(Is it fair for us to say, this is the youngest team in the NFL, they have a lot of youngsters and you got new guys every week. Every week you’re putting guys in positions they’ve never done before. Is it fair to say, you know what, maybe because of that, we’re going to be a little more base?) – “No. Not in my opinion. I get paid to coach. We’re going to do what we think is best for the situation. That’s what I get paid to do. I’ve got to get them – regardless if they are here from a day, or three days, or five years – we’ve got to get them to do what we’re asking them to do. I don’t think that’s the answer.”
(A guy that has brought some pressure in the last two games is a guy who just got here. DE Taco Charlton to me seems to be playing with who is playing with motivation, and maybe it has something to do with how he was criticized in Dallas. What have you seen from Taco?) – “For me, I’ve always wanted to coach Taco, from when I met him at the combine. I told him, I say to him probably every day, I say, ‘I’ve been waiting to coach you. I’m happy to see you and get to coach you.’ I think he’s really bought in so far in terms of what we’re asking him to do, and then obviously his skillset. The motivation thing I think you’ll have to ask him. I think from what I knew of him and from what I know of him now, he’s a competitor. He’s been blessed with a skillset that – again, any time you’re having success, you’re going to want to push that anyway. He’s a competitor and he has a skillset. That’s probably the motivation, but you’ll have to ask him specifically.”
(What went into giving DE Taco Charlton a big opportunity? He had a lot of chances in that last game. What is the staff’s philosophy?) – “I think it’s practice. To me, practice is the closest thing to a game. Practice execution is game reality. Guys, if you’re seeing it in practice consistently, you get rewarded.”
(A lot of coaches really try to keep what’s in the building inside, and any noise that’s kind of outside or around the team, and expectations and performance, you don’t want any of that noise to creep in; but it kind of does. How have you guys taken it as a coaching staff, the 0-4 start, what people are saying about what this team is trying to do in the future instead of right now – how do you guys handle those things as a coach?) – “I handle it, and I would say our players in terms of, in my opinion, are handling it because the vision that’s been set forth by our head coach is a vision. It’s not a Polaroid picture; it’s not a glimpse at it. It’s a vision of where we’re going in terms of getting better every day, improving on our fundamentals, and that’s what we’re working towards. I think any time you have a vision and any time your leader lays out the vision and guys that buy in and we see it and we listen, what we’re seeing might be different from what everybody else is seeing. I can’t speak for everybody else; but the vision that our head coach has, (General Manager) Chris Grier – the vision that we have and the vision that we explain to the players – I think that’s important, so I don’t hear it. It’s not me (using) coach-speak. I don’t hear it. I don’t hear it, period.”
(Does it get a little clouded when the results don’t show up on the field?) – “No. That’s why it’s our vision. It’s not a Polaroid; it’s a vision. It’s deeper than that. It doesn’t sway at all. Obviously we want better results (and) we can coach better, and we can play better. I know I can – I’m speaking for myself; but the vision is there.”
(How much progress have you made towards that vision?) – “Like coach said yesterday, if we can play one good half – or coach said the day before, ‘if we can play one good half, we can play two good halves.’ That’s what we’ve got to do. That’s what we’re going to work on.”
(So baby steps?) – “I don’t know about baby steps. We’ve got to put together two good halves of football.”
(When you say, ‘I can coach better,’ which is a thing that coaches sometimes say; but as it relates to the first four weeks, what do you mean?) – “You’re always in the process of self-evaluating and trying to improve. I ask the players to get better every day. I make it a point on myself to get better every day. If I’m never thinking about how I can improve for the next week or the next day, then I think you get complacent, and then when complacency sets in, in this league, you’re not going to be here very long. That’s how I approach it. There’s a bunch of stuff – I don’t feel the need to get into exactly all of the stuff that I know that I need to improve upon, but I’m constantly evaluating myself and trying to figure out how I can become a better coach, a better husband, a better brother, a better son. That’s just how I’m built.”
(I saw DT Christian Wilkins a couple of time over the past few games, move a man – a guard or a center – five or six yards back. I was thinking, ‘that’s what he was brought here to do.’ I was trying to think about guards and center in this league. He’s just a rookie, but from a physical standpoint, his power, strength, his leverage ability, his footwork, his mobility, do you think it’s fair to say he should have a physical advantage over a good majority of men he’s facing in the league?) – “He’s a rookie, and I’d say a majority of the people he’s facing has some experience in the NFL. Four games compared to whatever, I don’t know. You hope you have a good matchup in terms of the physical, but there’s so much that goes into it. The physical, the mental makeup of it, the experience. There’s no substitute for experience. I think he’s making progress, just like some of our other guys are making progress. Eventually when the mental catches up with the physical, then it all ties together, then it becomes a beautiful thing.”
(I saw DT Christian Wilkins I think take a right guard, disengage and make an aggressive physical tackle, I think for maybe no gain on that particular play. Playing the position that he’s often at, left defensive end in a 3-4 formation, some folks wonder how destructive can he be in that spot. How much of the responsibility for his job is to wreak havoc in destruction, and how much is it to hold up his point of attack?) – “I think the point of the front is to – we ask those guys, we call it block destruction. That’s the No. 1 thing, that’s what we ask them to do: destroy blocks. In terms of violence and destruction and things like that, that’s in their job description. I would say that’s high on the priority list. As he improves and uses his hands and gets off of blocks and is able to find the ball, I would say that any time you’re a part of the front or just the defender, we’re trying to be destructive.”
(Do you agree that DT Christian Wilkins is showing improvement?) – “He’s improving. He’s definitely improving. Again, experience – there’s no substitute. That comes with time.”
(What’s been the most surprising thing to you about the first four games defensively as a whole?) – “The most surprising thing? I can’t – the most surprising thing? I don’t know how to answer that right now, to be honest with you. Obviously we would want to finish off the games a little bit better obviously, but I can’t say anything surprising per se.”
(What is something that is happening that actually pleases you, and provides you some encouragement going into the bye?) – “Again, from the first time I talked to you guys until now, I just really want the guys to buy into getting better every day. There is definitely evidence of that, and I just know if we get better every day, we’ll be okay. That’s the thing that’s been most important to me. The guys – their work ethic, trying to get better every day, working on something to get better every day, that’s been pretty good for me.”
(Going into last week’s game, you guys were allowing 208 rushing yards per game. Held the Chargers, which was averaging 5.2 to less than 100 yards. What was the difference?) – “I think as always with the run game, it starts with setting the edge and just trying to be more consistent setting the edge. Then from there, playing with power inside and tackling. I think there was glimpses of that during the game and then part of it too is mentality, just trying to get that established. It really starts from the film room in the meetings, them having a better understanding of it and us coaching it better, to practicing and being better. That’s where the emphasis – the emphasis always comes back to practice.”
(Has it been an edge-setting issue or what?) – “I would say it’s multiple things. It’s really just trying to improve the fundamentals of it. It always comes back in the run game to is the edge set, are you playing with power inside, and are you tackling? Then on top of that, eye discipline. You can get into all of that stuff but once you start dealing with all of the misdirection or pullers and things of that nature; but I think the most important (thing is), and we always talk about it, you’ve got to set the edge, play with power inside, building a wall and then you’ve got to tackle. You’ve got to tackle. That’s the main thing.”
(With LB Raekwon McMillan, has there been a moment where – ‘oh wow, this guy, we’ve got something here that we obviously we didn’t see a lot of in the spring?’) – “People want to talk about the plays and the big tackle here but to me, Raekwon ‘wow’s’ me by how he handles himself in the meeting room. He’s talkative in a good way. He understands what’s going on. He asks good questions. To me, when that starts to grow and you start to see it and he sees the correction before I do, now I know we’re starting to build something, especially at that position where they’re seeing it, they’re understanding it and then they’ll be able to correct it throughout the series on their own. That’s when I get the ‘wow’ moments. A lot of times it’s not the stuff that happens on Sunday, it’s the stuff that happens on the field, in practice or in the meeting rooms before that time.”
Chad O’Shea – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(You’re at the quarter-mile pole now. Obviously not the start that you probably wanted to get off to. Specifically with the second halves, 81-0 outscored – how do you approach the last 12 games and trying to fix that?) – “The positive thing in regards to the lack of success in the second half is that we were able to do it for one half of football. We’re going to go and closely evaluate what we do in all areas of the second half – the approach, the scheme we use, defensively study what they’ve done (against) us in the second half. I think it’s a combination of factors that we’re really going to look closely at and determine what’s best for us moving forward. Again, I think the positive thing for us is that we know we’re capable of playing a consistent brand of football that we’ve displayed in the first half. There were some really positive things for us in the first half of the game. We’re making improvements. We’re making progress. It’s just a matter of getting that to the second half, and that’s something we’re going to work really hard on moving forward.”
(How much thought is given by you and Head Coach Brian Flores in terms of the approach to the coin toss and whether you’re going to take the ball coming out in the second half or whether you’re going to take it on the opening kickoff?) – “I think that there’s a number of things that we have to make decisions on or try to think through prior to the game. Certainly, the coin toss is always one of those that is discussed as a staff. (Head Coach) Brian (Flores) does a great job of being very thorough in some of the discussions that we have; not only on the coin toss, but other things that may come up in the game – situational football or certain situations that come up during the game that we really look closely at, we talk about and I think that the coin toss is one of them.”
(When it comes to the progress of the running game and the passing game, you obviously have a lot of moving pieces in there with the running backs and then quarterback-wise, now that you’re developing QB Josh Rosen, how do you manage that game plan of needing to establish the run but also needing to get Josh into a rhythm?) – “I think there’s definitely a balance with where we are on offense right now of trying to establish the run and maintain a good balance of doing the things that Josh (Rosen) does well. Certainly, he’s done some things really well, and he’s making progress. To play quarterback in this league, you have to rely on the run game and it has to be something that you have to do well in order to open up some of the other things.”
(Have you identified where the improvement needs to come from individually – RB Kalen Ballage, RB Kenyan Drake, RB Mark Walton…?) – “That’s something that we’re still – this week is a great week for us because we really are going back and trying to really study our first quarter of the season and how we can improve. I know that the running back position is like other positions right now in that there’s plenty of things that we can improve on. I don’t want to narrow it down to one specific thing; but it’s just overall, I think that there’s a lot of areas to improve. I think it’s all positions right now. Obviously, we’ve had some drops at all positions. We need to improve that. Some of the basic fundamentals of football, we need to really make improvements on, and that’s something we’re going to spend this week really trying to focus in on.”
(You brought up the drops – receivers, running backs – is it to a point where you need to create specific drills in practice?) – “I think that one of the things on catching the football is it’s something that we have as part of our everyday drills. We think that throwing, catching, blocking, tackling are things that we try to work every day, and we’re going to continue to do those, but we’re going to – as a coaching staff – again, we’re evaluating all aspects of our program right now. One of the things we’re evaluating is the teaching progression and what we do on the field and the drills that we have and those things. At the end of the day, it just comes down to the basic fundamentals of catching the football. Certainly, we’ve had enough drops at all positions that we need to make some improvements in this area.”
(How about the mental aspect? I know when I talked to the receivers about that a couple weeks ago, there are different approaches. There’s the short memory – “get back in the huddle, throw me the ball again.” Sometimes the drops kind of stick with you sometimes. Are there mental exercises they can do to calm down?) – “I think that catching the football is obviously a lot mental as much as it is physical. We try to emphasize the players having positive thoughts of catching the football. We’re never going to talk about any negativity and never try to associate dropping the ball with the act of catching the ball fundamentally. They certainly know that they need to work on it. This is a good week to work our fundamentals. I look forward to getting out on the field this week and really working those fundamentals, and obviously the catching fundamental is something we need to work on.”
(With RB Kalen Ballage, how have you handled his psyche right now? I know he had a strong training camp and preseason.) – “I’ve continued to tell Kalen how much confidence we have in him because I truly do have confidence in Kalen. I know his teammates do. I look forward to having him out there again to have another opportunity whether it’s catching or running the ball. I have a great deal of respect for his work ethic, how he approaches the game. He’s certainly not in the position that he wants to be in right now because of the drops that he’s had, but he’s done a lot of other things well for our offense. He has the drops, which is what jumps out at most people because it’s so glaring in what happened and those things, but he’s done so many things well within our offense that we can’t lose sight of that and we have a tremendous amount of confidence in him.”
(Have you ever been part of an offense that had four different starting tackles in the first four weeks of the season?) – “I think that one of the challenges we all have is just those moving parts and positions. Certainly, when it’s at the offensive line position – I have such great respect for that position and what that means to a successful offense to have a good offensive line. Stability and continuity are things that really, are very helpful to the offensive line. What we’re doing here is we’ve had some different combinations here in the first part of the season, and we’re still looking for those guys. They haven’t worked together for a long period of time. I think this is a work in progress, one of which I think they made progress. I would say it’s a good type of challenge in the way in which that’s our job as coaches to find the right combination and to make it work.”
(T Isaiah Prince – obviously it was a surprise for us to see him out there. How do you think he held up?) – “I think he did well. Obviously, anytime you’re a first-time offensive lineman playing in the NFL, it’s challenging, especially going against what we were (going against). We have a lot of respect for the outside rushers for them (Los Angeles Chargers), so I thought he did well for his first time out there. Certainly, (there are) a lot of things that we need to improve on – not only with him personally, but as an offense. I think it was a good start for him, but we have a lot of way to go here.”
(I know the coaches really try not to let any outside noise seep into the building, but how have you guys handled this 0-4 start? How have you guys handled the noise surrounding this team during the season?) – “I think the team has been focused really on improving. They have embraced kind of our adverse circumstances that we’re in right now. They’re really – I have a lot of respect for the mental toughness of this team right now and how they’ve responded to the way the season has gone for us so far. They’ve come out with a positive attitude. They’ve continued to work hard, and I think they’ve continued to work on just the process of improving and that’s been a real positive for us through tough times here.”
(What have been the adverse circumstances you are referring to? I could name a few, but I want to know what you think.) – “I think that whenever you go out – the adverse circumstances I’m referring to is just the lack of success on the field. I think that the easiest thing for people to do in all areas of life is when things are going well, it’s just okay. I think that really, this team has been resilient through lack of success on the field. Obviously, we’re not pleased with the outcome at all, and we’re striving for something opposite of what has been the case, but I’ve been pleased with the way the team has responded and with the attitude that they’ve had. The circumstances as far as us having lack of success on the field is what it is right now. We’re 0-4, and we want better; but I think that everybody understands that we need to just focus in on the process of improving.”
(For lack of a better term, have you guys seen the light at the end of the tunnel here with what you’re trying to do?) – “I think that whenever there’s progress made, it’s encouraging to look at the film with the guys the next day and say, ‘hey, here are some positives. Here’s some progress that we’ve made. If we can build on this, we can continue to trend in the right direction.’ I think that that’s something that to the players was very evident after looking at the last game. If we did have some success, we played more consistently in this game in stretches of time than we did before. I think that’s encouraging and that’s a positive.”
(How about you personally? I don’t think you’ve been part of a four-game losing streak in a decade obviously.) – “It’s something that again, you’ve just got to remind yourself to focus in on the things you can control, and that is to improve daily. We can certainly – we’re taking this week as a great opportunity for us to look back at what we’ve done and how we can improve and how we can be better. I think that our vision for the team right now is all moving forward. It’s how we can be and not where we were. Certainly, we’re looking back and trying to learn from the past here in the last four games to how we can improve, but there’s kind of a vision that the team has I think in a positive way. I think they’ve approached it that way and it’s been good.”
(Who are a couple of guys on offense that have really kind of taken a step forward for you?) – “I think that we continue to trend the right way as the offensive line position. I certainly think the receiver group had a good game this past week. DeVante Parker continues to go out and make plays. Preston Williams showed up. Isaiah Ford came off the practice squad and came in and made a third down conversion that was a real nice play. I’m pleased with that group. I think that the tight end position – they might not get as many catches or touches as the other guys, but certainly Nick O’Leary and Durham Smythe – they played well in the run game for us, so they come to mind. The running back position – I thought (Kenyan) Drake made some plays in space and was able to finally get some space for him and did well there. I think a lot of guys are trending in the right direction, only to mention a few of those, but I think they’re trending in the right direction, making some improvements. Certainly, there was a number of positives out of this game despite the final score.”
(And QB Josh Rosen?) – “I think that Josh has really made progress. I said in the first week – I thought his communication was good and his overall operation of the offense was good. I think despite the one turnover he had, for the most part, he made good decisions with the football and tried to play the game the way we wanted him to play it. The overall operation again was good for the second week in a row, and we didn’t have any issues there. His communication was good with the offensive line and some of the things that go unforeseen – the line calls and communication that occurs before the snap, he was good on. I think that we’re definitely headed in the right direction. I think he made improvement. I think he’s embracing the challenge of continuing to improve, and I think it’s a positive thing.”
(How’s it going for you as a coach?) – “I think that I’m like everybody else. I’m like the players right in that I’ve got to keep improving. There’s certainly a lot of areas that I need to improve on. I don’t look at it as, ‘hey, we’re 0-4.’ I look at it as moving forward. I really do and kind of having forward thinking. The vision has got to be positive and that’s the way it is for me. I’m going to continue to work as hard as I can to put this offense in a position to be successful. I’m very fortunate to have a really good staff, so that makes it easy to come to work and have support around you. I certainly have a lot of confidence in our leader – in (Head Coach) Brian (Flores). I think that we’re all in this together. We all know how important it is for us to continue to work and to continue to improve, and the same message we have for the players is the same message that we have for ourselves as a coaching staff. We’ve just got to continue on the process of improving here day-to-day and control the things we can control.”
(Is there a call or two that you wish you had back, and if so, what lessons have you drawn from those?) – “I think there hasn’t been a game that I haven’t left from and said that I would maybe do something differently. I think that what I’ve learned about the position that I’m in is when you do make decisions throughout the course of the game, there are going to be decisions that you maybe wish you would have done something different; but again, we have a great coaching staff and a number of players who try to do exactly what we’re asking them to do, and that’s a positive thing. But yeah, there are certainly times that I look back and say, ‘hey, I learned from this. I would have done something differently.’ It’s been a learning experience for myself.”
Raekwon McMillan – September 30, 2019
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Monday, September 30, 2019
LB Raekwon McMillan
(In terms of your use, how different is it now compared to when you started the season?) – “At the beginning of the season, they didn’t know what I could do because I was out with the injury. I just had to work my way back from the injury and get my body right and I’m out there playing now.”
(How comfortable do you feel now in the scheme?) – “Real comfortable. I can do anything they want me to do. Anything they ask me to do out there on the field, I feel like I can get it done.”
(Pro Football Focus has you as one of the highest-rated linebackers in the entire league. How do you feel you’re playing and what do you feel about that grade?) – “It really doesn’t matter. I don’t really pay attention to stuff like that. We’re 0-4. We’re looking into going into the second quarter of the season trying to get a win and get better.”
(How can this defense improve?) – “We’ve just got to play together as an entire defense. Everybody’s got to be on one core, and if we get on one core we’ll play fast.”
(Was it a matter of getting a season under your belt and coming off the injury just getting that year’s worth of recovery? How much did all that help you do you think?) – “It helped a lot. People were saying I was this, that or I wasn’t this. Everybody was telling me what I’m not, but I don’t care about that. It’s all about what I can go out there and do on the field and make it happen throughout the week and my product. What I put out there on film on Sundays is what it’s all about.”
(When did you really start to feel like 100 percent like yourself?) – “When I got back – like I said, we always talk about it’s in the past now, but probably about Week 5 or 6 last year. I feel like after the injury I was all the way back where I needed to be and I could play ball.”
(What do you feel you’re doing well to get involved in so many plays?) – “Just effort. Running to the ball. (It’s) nothing special – just playing linebacker. Big props to my guy Kiko (Alonso). He’s gone now, but he really taught me how to watch film, how to diagnose plays and really taught me a lot about playing linebacker in this league. I’m just taking it one step at a time.”
(Do you feel like that’s what the difference is? You’re diagnosing plays faster?) – “Yeah, I’m diagnosing plays faster. I just know what I’m looking at and I’m able to trigger and go make the play.”
(Are you still in touch with LB Kiko Alonso?) – “Yeah, that’s my guy. That’s my dude. I’m going to always keep in contact with Kiko. We played beside each other for two years, and we’ll do it for a lifetime.”
(What do you think about where the bye week lands, and is it a good time or…?) – “Ohio State vs. Michigan State. (laughter)”
Brian Flores – September 30, 2019
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Monday, September 30, 2019
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Now you’ve got two weeks here. What do you want the mood of your team to be this week?) – “Always positive and upbeat. I think there’s obviously some disappointment with the way we started, but I always want our team to move on and really look towards the next day and the next challenge. I think they’ll do that, but obviously there’s some disappointment in that locker room kind of reflecting on the first four weeks of the season and really the last couple weeks where I think we can all feel some improvement and feel some opportunity and feel some possibility of things going a different way and when they don’t turn out the way you want them, there’s some disappointment; but always upbeat and always positive. That’s what I’m looking for out of this group. To go the other way, it helps no one.”
(Do you think things are trending in the right direction for you?) – “I would say there’s some improvement. ‘Trending the right way’ – I don’t know if that’s the phrase I would use. At the end of the day, this is a production business. It’s about wins and losses, and we’re not doing very well in that department. I think there’s some individual improvement, some improvement within groups, improvement for a half, good play for a half; but it’s a 60-minute ballgame, and we’ve got to find a way to put a 60-minute game together – not a 30-minute game, not a 40-minute game, not a 10-minute game. A 60-minute game. That’s where our focus will be.”
(Do you split the season into quarters, and if so, how would you evaluate the first quarter?) – “Yeah, it’s easy to do that with 16 games where you split it into quarters. The first quarter I would say not so good. I would say we made a lot of changes to the roster, (we were) kind of building the team on the fly in a lot of ways, but we’re not going to make excuses about that. We try to put the guys in the best positions to play well, but at the same time trying to build a team and build some camaraderie and build some communication and build some rapport. I think that’s been a big part of these first four weeks. I think that’s trending in the right direction as far as the team coming together, getting to know each other and building relationships in the locker room, off the field, on the field. That to me is very, very important on a team. I think from that standpoint, there have been some positives, but on the field, we’ve got a long way to go. I think they know that. I think specifically over the last two weeks, there have been some positives or more positives than there were the first two weeks but still not good enough. The first quarter of the season is over and we just move onto the next part of the season.”
(I guess that being said, what would be your No. 1 goal for your team and what you want to see in the second quarter of the season?) – “Putting a full game together. That would be my No. 1 goal. You’ve always got to do that one play at a time, one practice at a time, but we’ve got to string more plays together more consistently. That’s everybody. That’s players, coaches – it’s everyone. We’ve got to string the whole thing together. I would start right there. There’s a lot that goes into that – coaching, execution, fundamentals, conditioning. There’s a lot that goes into that. I think that’s my No. 1 goal.”
(Aside from effort and attitude, what do you see as the positives from the first quarter of the season?) – “I would say communication has definitely improved offensively, defensively and in the kicking game over the first four games. I would say offensively, our execution – obviously, we were better on third down yesterday than we’ve been, which allowed us to sustain some drives, put the ball in the end zone. We had another opportunity to put it in the end zone. We didn’t. Defensively, I think we didn’t tackle well, then we did tackle well and yesterday we didn’t tackle well. There’s some inconsistency there, so we need to continue to just focus on that. We didn’t defend the deep part of the field well early. Then we did. Yesterday it was a little bit of the intermediate pass game that kind of got us. We’ve just got to play a little bit more consistently. Our opponents – there’s a lot of good coaching in this league, and they do a good job of trying to attack your weaknesses. If you’re taking something away, they’ll try to – we took away a lot of over-outs. They checked it down, and then we couldn’t tackle. There’s just a myriad of things that go on within the game. We’ve got to be able to handle it all. You’re not going to take everything away, but you want to kind of play the way you want to play. If you’re giving something up, or if they catch you in the area where you’re a little bit weak, you need to understand that and do everything you can to limit the bad plays.”
(You had a bunch of guys that were questionable on Friday and didn’t end up being up – S Bobby McCain, WR Albert Wilson and G/T Jesse Davis. The thinking on those three and now you have two weeks. Do you anticipate CB Jomal Wiltz, WR Jakeem Grant, all these guys who are dealing with these little things…) – “I would say those guys – they wanted to play, each one of them. They fought their way into getting into practice and trying to go, and at the end of the day, we just felt like it was the best decision for them individually and us as a team not to play them.”
(And you’re optimistic that a lot of these are doing well?) – “I am. I would say yeah, I’m optimistic that those guys will be out there next time out.”
(When you look at these past four games, how would you assess the performance of the running backs, and do you have some clarity as to where you want to go from here with those four guys?) – “I think we’ve got three guys – four including (Patrick) Laird – who are all different, all have had moments of production. I thought we ran it better than we have yesterday. The offensive line played well. They were tough. They were physical. They did a good job moving a good defensive line. We had some opportunities in the run game. We had a big run early that got brought back because of a penalty. Again, that’s one of those things where if we just get lined up right, we’ve got a 30-yard play. If we don’t, we don’t (have a 30-yard) play, so we lose that. I think (Kenyan) Drake – I think he’s been productive. He ran hard yesterday. We’ve got to do a better job of ball security. That’s two weeks in a row where we’ve lost one. I think (Kalen) Ballage – he runs hard. He had a run called back as well yesterday with a holding penalty. Mark (Walton) – I thought he went in there and ran well yesterday. He’s caught the ball well and done some good things. I think Patrick has done a good job in the kicking game. I like our backs. Again, we’ll do a lot of evaluating. We’ll evaluate the entire team and try to find a way to get them all out there but get the guys we want out there in specific situations.”
(How would you evaluate DE Taco Charlton’s first two games?) – “I think he’s still learning the defense for sure. There were some instances there where he was a little bit out of position. He’s a hard-working kid. I like him. I think he brings energy. He’s got length. He’s got toughness. He’s got a long way to go from a pass-rush standpoint as far as using his length, using his speed, using his ability and putting it all together; but I think there’s a lot of potential here and we’ll just keep working him. He had a couple of good rushes yesterday and a couple of not-so-good rushes. We’ll just keep working. I think he’ll help us.”
(You had some other guys in that mix, too – DE Avery Moss, DT John Jenkins, LB Vince Biegel, LB Trent Harris – what are some things you’re liking from those other guys?) – “(Avery) Moss – I think he’s really shown up the last couple weeks in a positive way. From a run standpoint, he’s playing with the right techniques. I’m thinking of a play last week against Dallas. They’ve obviously got the big offensive line. He had a couple good plays against (them). They’ve got two good tackles. He played well there. (John) Jenkins does a good job holding the point in the run game. Trent (Harris) has done a good job on the edge and does a good job with communication. (Vince) Biegel – he’s a ball of energy. I think all of them are still finding their way within the scheme, and they’re really finding the way within the building to be honest with you. I think that group’s starting to come together. They’re working to come together, and you see flashes and spurts of a unit playing well together, and hopefully we can just continue to improve, get better and build that rapport and we can start to play more consistently.”
(Going back and watching the game today, it looked like you were fired up with DT Christian Wilkins after the penalty?) – “Yeah, I mean – Look, it’s 10-10. I think we just missed a field goal. We were right in it. We don’t need those. He knows that. I think everybody on the team knows that. I thought it was a bad penalty. We show plays like that on a weekly basis: ‘This is what we’re not going to do,’ and we do it. I love Christian. He knows that. I’m going to coach him hard, especially a kid like this who has so much ability and leadership potential. I think he’s going to be here a long time and be the face of what we want to be about, and that’s not it. He knows that. Everybody on the team knows that. I was upset and I’m still upset, but it’s football. You kind of get over things quickly.”
(K Jason Sanders is 1-of-3 on field goal attempts of 50-plus. How do you view that? That’s a tough distance but maybe a makeable distance.) – “He’s a good kicker. He can make these kicks. I have a lot of confidence in him. I still do. I just said that in front of the entire team. We’ll keep kicking them and he’ll make them. I have a lot of confidence in him. He makes them in practice day after day after day after day. I think he’ll be just fine.”
(It’s your bye week. How much rest will you take away from this place and kind of de-compress?) – “Me personally or the team?”
(You personally.) – “I think my wife has something planned, so whatever she says we’ll do. (laughter) But if it’s up to me, I’ll be in here. It probably won’t be up to me. (laughter)”
(Earlier you were talking about improvement, especially after these past couple of games. I’ll put you on the spot here: when you think of guys who are most improved since training camp began, who are a couple of guys who come to mind for you?) – “Training camp?”
(Training camp or the beginning of the season.) – “Well, the first guy that came to mind was Avery Moss. He’s a guy who has improved since he’s gotten here. Obviously he wasn’t here during training camp. For a guy from training camp, a guy like (Michael) Deiter. He’s a guy who has really made a lot of improvements over the course of – really, since he got here. The guy ended up playing tackle last week and played guard, played well yesterday. If you go back to the first preseason game when the lights came on and there was some movement, he looked like a deer in headlights. Now he’s out here playing tackle against the Dallas Cowboys in a hostile environment and he didn’t bat an eye. I think we’ve got a lot of guys who have made a lot of improvement. It’s a young team. We’ve got a long way to go. I think there is a – you have to learn how to be a professional as a young player. That’s something that we talk about on a daily basis. These guys are doing that. I think he’d be at the forefront. Christian (Wilkins) as well. I think I would say I’ve definitely seen improvement from guys like that – Avery Moss, etc.”
