Transcripts

Brian Flores – August 22, 2019 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Postgame – Jacksonville

Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores

(What was your assessment of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick?) – “I thought offensively – (Jacksonville is) a good defense. It was a tough start. The first half – running the ball, moving the ball – I think we had three or four three-and-outs. It was a tough start. It’s a good defense. I think our defense and special teams kind of kept us in the game early. We got us a couple of field goals and went into halftime 7-6. I thought they fought and played well. We had a drive to start the second half. Ryan (Fitzpatrick) went out, and Josh (Rosen) came in and had a couple of good drives himself.”

(What is your assessment on the second half – how they handled both of those scoring drives?) – “We were backed up on the 1-yard line, and put together a nice drive there. Josh (Rosen) played with his feet, kept a couple of plays alive, made a couple of throws. (Patrick) Laird, I think he had a run in there as well. They were able to keep the drive alive.”

(Are you able to – where do you stand on the quarterback battle here?) – “It’s still an evaluation. I think we saw a lot from both guys today. ‘Fitzy’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) did a good job, Josh (Rosen) did a good job. I think that as a staff, we’ll get together and really talk it over, and we’ll make a decision. We’ll make the decision we feel is best for this organization, for this team.”

(When do you want to make this decision?) – “Well, we’ve got – we’re, what, two and a half weeks away from opening day? We’re going to get started on Baltimore fairly soon, and we’ll make that decision hopefully or definitely by then, by the time we get started for Baltimore.”

(S Bobby McCain got hurt in the first half. What do you do in that back safety position? You’ve got S Montre Hartage there. How do you kind of evaluate where you want to go moving forward if you have to lose Bobby for an extended amount of time?) – “The next guy’s got to go in. Look, it happens in this league. Guys go down. We’ve got a backup for that position. If somebody goes down, Hartage is ready to go. He went in there and played well. That’s what we need at every position. Things happen. It’s a violent sport. There are injuries, and we need our backups to go in and play well.”

(When you evaluate the quarterback situation, do you take into account who played against the starters and who played against the reserves, or is this just results oriented from that standpoint? – ”It’s results oriented always. It’s a production business. I don’t care who you’re in there against. You want them to produce. That’s what we see, and that’s how we kind of evaluate it. We want to see good decision-making really at all positions, but definitely the quarterback position. When it’s time to check it down, we check it down. We don’t want to make throws into traffic. We’ve got to have good ball security. I thought from that standpoint, we were good. So I think all of it kind of goes into it.”

(And QB Josh Rosen, has he satisfied you as far as his decision-making?) – “Yeah, I thought he did a good job today. I really did.”

(Did going up against that defense give you a good read on what you may have wanted to see from QB Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first quarter?) – “Yeah, absolutely. Look, when you’re up against a defense like that, the big thing is ball security. I think we did a good job from that standpoint. We didn’t move the ball the way we would have liked, but we didn’t give them the ball either. The defense played well. We made a couple plays in the kicking game. Look, it’s all three phases. If you put them together, you get what we had out there tonight, which is the other units picking up for the offense until the offense got rolling in the second half. That’s kind of the way this game’s played. So I thought, from that standpoint, it was a good team effort.”

(As you look back at the film, what did you learn from your offensive line?) – “I thought it was a tough opponent this week. We’re going to have tough opponents every week in this league, but they battled. I thought they fought. We had a couple of penalties there in the second half, but I thought they battled. I did. I thought we were ready to go. I mean, I asked those guys for great effort, intensity, and they brought that.”

(Do you foresee QB Ryan Fitzpatrick or QB Josh Rosen playing next Thursday?) – “That’s something we’ll discuss as a staff. They may both play. They may both not. We’ll see. That’s something that – we’re still evaluating both guys. If we feel like we need to see a little bit more, we’ll do that. If we don’t, then you’ll see more of one or the other.”

(Has Jerome Baker taken over the reins of this defense? It seems like he’s pretty much in control out there.) – “I think he’s made a lot of progress over the course of training camp. He’s a guy that’s taken on a leadership role. I really appreciate the work he’s put in and the leadership role he’s taken. He’s playing well too. Hopefully, we’ll continue that and we’ll continue to progress.”

(As far as the offensive line, is there still time to make changes among the starters, or at this point, do you figure out strengths and weaknesses and kind of go in that direction?) – “Yeah, there’s always time to change. That’s always something we could do. I think the guys who are in there right now, I think they’ve started to – the communication is better with the group that’s in there. They’re starting to understand how to play together, their strengths, their weaknesses, like you said, and I think they are starting to gel a little bit. Hopefully, we’ll continue to do that.”

(Is there anything QB Josh Rosen did today to make your decision harder?) – “He played well, and that makes the decision harder. I think that’s pretty clear, clear and evident. But there’s – again, there’s other things at play here. ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) played well, I thought, and there’s some things – when you’ve got a young quarterback, again, I’m a proponent of not rushing that, not rushing the process for young players. So we’ll make the decision for what we think is best for Josh, ‘Fitz,’ and this team.”

(CB Eric Rowe had an interception and also had a pass interference penalty. Where’s your comfort level with him? And is it to the point where that’s his spot?) – “There’s still competition all over this team. He did have the PI (pass interference). We want him to turn and look at that situation. It’s something we harp on in practice and talk about constantly. I would have liked him to make that, just turn and look and not get the PI (pass interference) penalty. He came back and made an interception, which is good; but that’s kind of the ebbs and flows of the game. What he does a good job of is never getting too high, never getting too low, staying right, staying even. But I would have liked to see him turn and look for that ball. There was another one to start the second half that I think he could have turned and looked and made a play on that one as well. But, hey, it’s a learning experience. He’ll probably get tested on that moving forward and hopefully he learns from it.”

(Totally unrelated issue, was it like a coincidence that it was eight consecutive Jay-Z songs at practice?) – “Yeah, I figured I would get this question. (laughter) So after the playlist was done, what you guys don’t know is I walked up to Kenny in front of the entire group and said, this is a challenge to you to get open, catch the football and make plays for this team regardless of what’s going on outside of this building. The next day – because there was a lot more attention paid to this than I ever would have imagined – I got up in front of the team and I told them that I support Kenny. I support Kenny. I support the player protests. I mean, quite honestly, they’re bringing attention to my story. So let’s talk about that. I’m the son of immigrants. I’m black. I grew up poor. I grew up in New York during the stop and frisk era, so I’ve been stopped because I fit a description before. So everything that these guys protest, I’ve lived it. I’ve experienced it. So, yeah, I applaud those guys who protest. So whether it’s (Colin) Kaepernick or Eric Reid or Kenny (Stills), I applaud those guys. I told Kenny that in our meeting, in front of the entire team. So that’s where I stand on this thing, and I think it got – it got way more press than it needed to. I’m trying to challenge one of my players, and I’m going to do that how I see fit. Look, what these guys protest about is important. I lived it. I experienced it. I don’t know how many people have, but I lived it. So I understand why guys protest, and it’s important. But you know what else is important to me? That guys perform. There’s 89 guys in that locker room who are counting on Kenny to get open, catch the football, and perform for this team, and that’s important to me. If anybody’s got a problem with that, then we’ve just got a problem. We’re going to agree to disagree. I feel like that’s important, and that’s where I stand on this thing. Whatever scrutiny or media or whatever I get, then that’s what I get. I believe, and that’s it. Look, the player protest, I lived it. I mean, I don’t know how many people in here have, but I lived it. So that’s where I’m at on that. It was a challenge to Kenny to perform regardless of whatever’s going on outside. I would say – and I’ve said this to him – he hasn’t performed to that level over the course of this training camp as I’ve seen him. So that was a challenge.”

(So if you support what they’re doing, how come you stand?) – “Why do I stand? I stand because I want to stand. I feel like it’s important to stand. I do. I feel like it’s important to stand. I feel like it’s – I don’t know what you want me to say on this one. I think it’s important to stand.

(When did you have the meeting with WR Kenny Stills?) – “When did I have the meeting with Kenny?”

(Yeah, was it before? Was it after the comments on Monday? Was it before practice on Tuesday? When did you guys have that meeting where you issued him that challenge?) – “I talked to him right on the field.”

(On Tuesday, before Tuesday’s practice?) – “I talked to him on the field. You guys weren’t there. I talked to him on the field and issued the challenge to him: ‘Hey, let’s get up here, and let’s make some plays regardless of what’s going on, and I talked to him after practice.”

Kenny Stills – August 22, 2019 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Postgame – Jacksonville

WR Kenny Stills (transcribed by Ken Mendonça)

(What do you think this performance says about your team today?) – “We played well for four quarters and we came out with the victory. (Head) Coach (Brian Flores) has been staying on top of us about fundamentals and technique, creating turnovers, and I think he’s seen little bit of that out there on the field today.”

(We’ll probably know pretty soon who the starter’s going to be to start this season. Your thoughts on how this quarterback competition has played out?) – “Both guys look good. We’ll let the coaches make those decisions, but as receivers we just go out there and make plays, regardless of who’s in there.”

(Obviously you’re trying not to be a distraction to the team, but it seems like the team created a distraction when they played eight straight Jay-Z songs the practice before this game. What was your reaction when that happened, and did you know it was going to happen before it happened?) – “It was just music, was my reaction. We play music at practice every day, and Coach (Flores) kind of came up to me during practice, and was like ‘we’re going to be playing Jay-Z today,’ and that was it.”

(Did Head Coach Brian Flores give any reason why? Eight or nine straight is interesting.) – “No. We talked about it in house and he handled it in house, but for the most part I think it was just him trying to see if I could handle if someone was going to heckle me, or play Jay-Z music in another stadium, if I was going to be mentally strong enough to withstand that type of treatment I guess. I’ve been dealing with this since 2016 – music, boo’s, racial slurs, so I don’t think a little bit Jay-Z is going to really ruffle my feathers that bad.”

(Did you hear from your teammates a little bit?) – “Oh yeah, that’s part of the locker room. Guys talk trash, but it was just music.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick – August 22, 2019 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Postgame – Jacksonville

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

(Was tonight’s performance more than meets the eye?) – “You want me to comment on that? (laughter) We had talked about what we want to see out of this game. It was obviously very sloppy in the first half, had some third down throws that I think I could have made better plays on. There was communication issues that we kind of worked through. So in terms of … Thank goodness it was a practice game I think is how we look at it, but I think we got better. I think we got a lot better. Some of the communication stuff we had to deal with no matter who it was against and who was in the huddle, we go out there and put a nice drive together in the second half. But maybe in terms of did we do what we wanted to? No. We didn’t establish a good rhythm early, a lot of three-and-outs. I’m glad it was a practice game.”

(The defense caused some problems there up front. Do you think you gave Head Coach Brian Flores and the team kind of the look that you wanted to give going up against those guys in the first half?) – “Like as an offense?”

(Yeah.) – “I think there were some … In every game, there’s going to be stuff that comes up, whether it’s unscouted stuff or stuff maybe that is new that they haven’t shown. There’s one or two things that just hadn’t shown up yet in the preseason, and we had to get on the sidelines and talk about. So I thought, in taking positives out of the game, that was a positive one, and having to make some adjustments on the sideline and go out there and fix them.”

(What are some things that helped you out on that drive, that touchdown drive that you had?) – “I think, obviously, just getting some completions going and third-down conversion to Kenny (Sills). That was probably, at least for me, that was my favorite play of the day, just to get that with Kenny and keep that drive going a little bit because we needed that. Nice to see other guys, Nick O’Leary take one up the sideline, and (Mike) Gesicki get up and make a nice catch on that one, Mark Walton in the end zone. There was a lot of guys that made nice plays on that drive.”

(Is that something that has to happen for this offense to do well this season is for guys to make plays at every position?) – “Yeah and I think part of what this offense is, is you distribute the ball all around. There’s not one or two guys that you’re going to key in on because we’ve got a lot of different guys that we can put in advantageous situations and have them make plays.”

(Head Coach Brian Flores said he wasn’t sure that it was possible if you and/or QB Josh Rosen could play in the final preseason game. I’m not sure how often you’ve played in the final preseason game?) – “Lots. Most of my career.”

(How would you feel if you that did occur if you didn’t play in the final preseason game?) – “There really haven’t been a lot of final preseason games I haven’t played in throughout my career, but whatever Coach says goes. There’s not really back and forth or argument. It’s what he wants to do. I know he always has the best interests of the team up front and first. So I’m fine with whatever he decides.”

(Do you feel like your work against – in the second half against Jacksonville’s second teamers – kind of mitigates what happened in the first half or not really?) – “Every year there’s the same narrative of preseason. Everybody’s panicking, and things are good or they’re bad. It’s preseason. So, yes, I would have liked to have gone out there and played better the first half for sure, but I think what you do is you try to learn from what happened. You try to grow, whether it’s throughout the game or the next week, and build up to that first game. I take positives out of this game because I think we got better because of it.”

(Do you feel like you’re on schedule for what you ultimately want to do to which start in the first game?) – “I think for me – and I’ve said this before – I think preseason kind of is a necessary evil, especially for quarterbacks, just getting out there and running around a little bit, getting hit a little bit. That stuff, you go a whole year without it happening. I feel very comfortable with where I’m at right now and am happy to have played and gotten the time that I did the first three games. I feel like I needed it, and I feel good with where I’m at right now.”

Jerome Baker – August 22, 2019 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Postgame – Jacksonville

LB Jerome Baker (transcribed by Paola Argueta)

(Is this defense ready for the season?) – “Not yet. We still have a long way to go but we definitely took a step in the right direction today.”

(What was going well for you guys tonight?) – “Just communication. Communication, playing hard, playing together. We set the tone.”

(Do you think there’s been some big improvements so far?) – “It’s just a whole different defense, to be honest with you. Last year, we were more experienced. This year, we are just young … We just have to establish our identity as the defense.”

(With the way you guys have performed, do you feel like you can consistently hold teams to less than 21 points, considering you’ve done it quite well during the exhibition season?) – “If we play together and play hard, the sky is the limit. It’s preseason, but it’s a step in the right direction. Ultimately, the regular season, that’s where we accomplish (things).”

(How many different ways did they use you? It seemed like you were all over the place.) – “It’s really a lot. I am definitely grateful. I definitely appreciate ‘P.G.’ (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores). Any way they can use me, I am all ears and I’ll do whatever they say.”

Eric Rowe – August 22, 2019 (Postgame) Download PDF version

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Postgame – Jacksonville

CB Eric Rowe (transcribed by Anthony Gutierrez)

(Can you take us through the interception, a pretty athletic play there?) – “I mean, I was reading his body language. Obviously it came from film study. I knew what kind of routes they like to run, especially on third down. With the play we had called, I had inside help, so I was like I’m just going to stay on his outside and I know he likes to run the out on third down. I mean, they did it twice and I could’ve had the first one, but I’m surprised he threw the second one too.”

(Third preseason game, obviously typically the dress rehearsal game. You’ve been through a number of these. Did you feel that added sense of importance tonight on solidifying your role opposite CB Xavien Howard?) – “I mean, I take every preseason game, regular season game, postseason game with the same mindset out there. I’m locked in, whoever the opponent is, whoever the receiver is, I’m all in. I don’t really treat it as, ‘Oh, it’s just a preseason game.’ I use this to get in game shape, get my mind right. It doesn’t matter. It could be the fourth preseason game and If they play me in it then I’m going to have the same mindset.”

(Is there extra pressure playing opposite of a guy like CB Xavien Howard or do you look at it as an increase of opportunities because chances are the other teams are going to avoid him?) – “I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve played opposite of a great corner. I think my second year it was Malcom Butler, third year it was Stephon Gilmore, now its ‘X.’ I look at it as, alright well quarterbacks are not going to really want to throw their way, come my way and bring it to me and I want to take advantage of every opportunity I get.”

Brian Flores – August 22, 2019 (Halftime) Download PDF version

Thursday, August 22, 2019
Halftime – Jacksonville

Head Coach Brian Flores (Transcribed by Vira Halim)

(On the first half.) – “We would’ve liked to start faster. That’s a good defense we’re playing against. They’ve got some speed that we had to deal with on the d-line, at the linebacker level. They made some plays defensively. Our goal right now is to move on to the next play. It’s a 60-minute ball game, and that’s what I preached to them, so hopefully we put some drives together here in the second half and punch one of these in.”

(There were a couple of big plays on defense – what are your thoughts on that side of the ball?) – “I think the kicking game and defensively, I love the energy. The effort was good, and the execution was good. A couple penalties hurt us, but we’re right in the game. We’re down one, and (it’s a) 60-minute ball game.”

(What do you expect from QB Josh Rosen out of here in the second half?) – “I want him to get in and out of the huddle. I want him to make good decisions with the football. I want ball security, and I want him to lead the offense.”

Christian Wilkins – August 20, 2019 Download PDF version

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

DT Christian Wilkins

(A couple preseason games now – how has that been for you and are you making adjustments now that you’re a pro?) – “It’s been good because the biggest thing right now as a young guy and as a rookie, and just even as I’m getting my feet wet, is repetition. Everyone else at this level has more years of experience and repetition, so that’s how I’m going to catch up. Getting as many reps in practice and in the game is all huge and is all really important, so I just try to make the most of all those reps and make them all count – work on not just doing things just to do them, but being intentional with them and working on things to improve my overall craft so I could put my best performance out there when it comes Sunday.”

(How do you feel coming from a championship program like Clemson has helped you adapt to the NFL in knowing where you’re coming from?) – “Yeah, I definitely feel like Clemson has helped me tremendously, just the way we ran things there. There’s a reason why we were such a successful program at Clemson because we ran it like a pro team. Just the demand from the coaches, the level of competition I’ve been going against. Obviously, guys are better here in the NFL. Everyone’s great here in the NFL, but I feel like Clemson definitely prepared me – just having the right mindset every day and bringing that. That definitely helped me tremendously getting ready for this level.”

(In that same breadth, how has that prepared you to be a leader? We were talking to DT Davon Godchaux yesterday. He was like, “it doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or a veteran. Anybody can be a leader.” He looked for you yesterday to get some juice. He was like, “Christian, I need some juice right now.” You’re the guy that generated that.) – “No, definitely. Like you said, I feel like leadership is universal. It doesn’t matter what’s the circumstance – how old you are, how young you are, whatever. I feel like if you can be a spark and be a bright light, then that can be you. Yesterday was one of those days, and hopefully I can begin and continue to take on more of a leadership role because I want that. I feel like I try to do the right thing so that I can be respected and looked at as a leader so I that’s how I try to carry myself.”

(How does that help build your confidence knowing that veterans are leaning on you sometimes for some things?) – “That’s definitely big. That’s definitely big for my confidence and knowing that and just learning that they’re respecting me enough to look to me as a leader – a guy to bring some juice, bring a little bit of energy because that’s what I’m all about. It’s just all genuine for me. I just love playing the game, loving being out there, so I always try to have fun with it, and that’s how I approach each and every day. So that’s good that a lot of those older guys, a lot of those veterans are starting to look at me like that because that’s what I want.”

(The third preseason game is the one with the biggest spotlight on it. Do you feel coming into this game a little more intensity?) – “Well, I try to – well, this is my third game in the NFL, period. So they’ve all been pretty intense for me. The way I’m approaching those games, I try to approach every game the same, I try to approach every practice the same so that the game’s easy. Just bring that intensity, bring that focus, bring that mindset every day just to improve, be the best and be the most dominant out on the field. Whether that happens or not, we’ll see what happens; but that’s my mindset, and how I try approach each and every day, each and every week, each and every game. I have that mindset each and every week. It doesn’t matter if it’s the third preseason game, which is like the big ‘dress rehearsal’ usually (or not). I just try to bring it every day.”

(I know it’s preseason, but how sweet was it to get that first sack?) – “Oh yeah, that was pretty cool. Hopefully there’s many more to come. I keep working hard, so if I can get a few more of those, it felt good and I like that feeling. I just love – the biggest thing is not just for my own gratification or anything like that, but I just love being able to help with the team as much as I can. If I’m doing that, then I’m helping the team win. Even if I’m not doing that, if I’m just doing the right things – playing my gaps, staying on blocks so the linebackers can make plays, whatever – I’m just always happy to do things that help the team ultimately.”

(Did you see Clemson’s preseason No. 1 for the first time in school history?) – “I did see that, actually. I just saw that yesterday. Then again, what’s preseason rankings? The season hasn’t been played. You can’t win a championship in the preseason. You can’t lose it, either. Nothing like that – well, maybe you can lose it. You’ve just got to bring it every day and have that right mindset. Just like anything at any level, all the preseason hype – none of that really matters. It’s all about performance come the games and preparing each week and going up against different teams and different opponents, who can be the most consistent throughout the year, so that’s always the most important.”

(How much do you stay in touch with those guys back there – your teammates, your former coaches?) – “Oh, I’m very in touch with them. I talk to at least a couple of my former teammates, a couple of the coaches every week or so. I definitely talk to a lot of my young guys there. I just actually caught up with some of the coaches throughout the last week or so. They’re always checking in on me. I’m always checking in on them because I take pride – I’m a proud Clemson alum. I hold those guys to a high standard, too, because I feel like we left it off in such a good place. They’ve got to do their own thing their own way; but we set the bar so high. So it’s not any pressure on them to live up to it or do it how we did it. (They can) do their own thing their own way, but there’s a lot of weight, there’s a lot of good pressure now at Clemson. So I always try to make sure those guys, whenever I can, are doing the right things; but also still focusing here and making sure I keep the main thing the main thing.”

(Are you watching HBO’s Hard Knocks to keep up on Oakland Raiders DT Clelin Ferrell a little bit?) – “Of course. Yeah, of course. Watching Hard Knocks – ‘Cle,’ (Clelin Ferrell), (Oakland Raiders WR Hunter) Renfrow, (Oakland Raiders CB) Trayvon Mullen, all my guys – I’m just sitting back dying laughing because, I mean, they’re getting ‘Cle’ at his finest. I’m sure there’s a lot of other stuff going on where they can’t put it on TV or they definitely should not. I’ll definitely be watching tonight. I don’t have any cable at my house right now or any WiFi, but I’ve been watching on my phone. I got the HBO GO app or whatever, so I’ve been able to watch that way which is good, so I’ve been able to keep up with my guys. ‘Cle’ obviously was my brother on the D-line, one of my best friends. Renfrow, again, one of my best friends. Mullen was a great teammate of mine. I always just like to keep up with them and check on them when I can. They actually don’t get enough TV time. I want it just to be strictly them, so I can just watch my guys and keep up with them. (laughter)”

(Did he ever ride horses around you before – Clelin?) – “No, I never did that. I don’t know how I’d handle that. One, I’m a little heavy, so pray for the horse. (laughter) Two, I’m not the best with animals either. Whether or not I like them, I’m just not the best around them. It gets a little hairy in there with me and animals. It’s like, ‘hey, what’s up? How we feelin’ about each other?’ So that’s how it goes, usually.”

(I wanted to ask you about your relationship with Head Coach Brian Flores because after the Atlanta game, you said he was nervous, and then in Tampa, he sent you the message, “he needs to play with his pad level – Christian, if you’re listening,” so what is this relationship between you and him?) – “Well, he’s from Brooklyn. Isn’t the saying in Brooklyn, ‘spread love. It’s the Brooklyn way?’ With me and ‘Flo,’ there’s no love. (laughter) All hate – that’s all it is. (laughter) No, I feel like we have a really good relationship actually. We have a good relationship. He has such a demand for me, holds a high standard for me and has such a expectation for me, and I try to match that with just my energy, my play and just who I am every day on and off the field. I feel like we’ve got a good relationship because – just like, we’ve kind of got that thing like we’re both rookies right now. I was his first-ever first pick or whatever and all that stuff. I think he likes me. I don’t know, (laughter) but I just definitely feel like we have a good strong relationship. He loves to coach me. I like to just try and buy into his beliefs, his thoughts. He’s been around a lot of success, so definitely try to buy into what he does and says. Every time I see him, I’ve got to mess with him. All day, every day.”

(See, that’s what I was getting at. Why do you and Head Coach Brian Flores have it?) – “Again, I just feel like because my natural personality is more laid-back, loose, fun, playful, and he’s a coach so he’s always serious, focused, locked in. He sets the tone. So whenever I see him, I’ve just got to poke fun at him or say something that’ll make him laugh. I’m like, ‘Coach, lighten up. Can I get a smile or something?’”

(Does Head Coach Brian Flores always smile?) – “Yeah, whenever I see him, I just kind of give him that look.Then we just laugh and keep it moving. That’s kind of our relationship.”

(Is anybody else able to mess with Head Coach Brian Flores like that?) – “I mean, I don’t know. I really don’t pay attention to everybody else when it comes to that; but every chance I get, I definitely make sure I poke some fun at him or try to make him laugh or something.”

(Is Head Coach Brian Flores funny at all? Like is he funnier than you think?) – “He tries his best, (laughter) but his best isn’t good enough. We’ve got a tough crowd in the meeting room. He always tries to get the team laughing in the meeting rooms, but we’re a tough crowd. We’re just kind of just like straight-faced the whole time.”

(Do you laugh to make Head Coach Brian Flores feel good?) – “Right. Yeah, yeah, right. We’re all trying to make the team right now, so maybe we should laugh a little harder. (laughter)”

(You obviously were a very good pass rusher at Clemson. We saw one of your pass rush moves on Friday. Did you and Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby have a discussion about just how many of your pass rush moves have you guys thought could work at this level, as opposed to how much had to be refined, changed, added to as a pass rusher?) – “Not really a conversation necessarily about – and it’s not about how many pass rush moves you have. Number one, it’s more so how effective the moves you have can be and just learning how to rush at this level. It’s a little different. I feel like, well one, obviously guys are more talented, better technicians, more savvy and things like that, so it’s about how you rush guys, not just moves that’ll work. He coaches me up every day like, ‘oh, you can’t do this. Oh, yeah do this. I know you like this move,’ or whatever. Just little tools here and there that I’m trying to learn and improve on. It’s tough because when you get used to doing something for four years, it’s hard to kind of work out of it, so I’m still battling that a little bit. Just all of my bad habits, I’m really just trying to work and grind to get out of those as fast as I can, so I can be more successful at this level.”

(Are there moves you had at Clemson as a pass rusher where Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby said, ‘this is just not going to work at this level. Let’s not try this. Let’s focus on these two or three other things?’) – “Not per se – I mean, you can’t just run down the middle of the people. Just little stuff like that. Guys are grown men at this level. You can’t bull-rush everybody. Yeah, there’s certain guys you can; but that’s probably like the most where it’s like – he tries to just give me little tools and a little tutelage here, so it helps my overall game.”

Josh Rosen – August 20, 2019 Download PDF version

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

QB Josh Rosen

(Have you been given any update by Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea and Head Coach Brian Flores about where things stand with the competition whether you feel like you’re still very much in the race?) – “No. They just tell me to run plays and I run them.”

(Do you have any sense of where you stand obviously knowing that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick – Head Coach Brian Flores told us – is likely to be starting Thursday?) – “I don’t know. It’s not my job. I’m trying to be the best quarterback that I can be and it’s up to them to decide where that goes.”

(How have you been running those plays?) – “Better. Better every day. That’s the goal.”

(What’s one thing that you think you’ve done better?) – “Just command of the huddle. I think my Mike (linebacker) points, understanding. I think I’m getting more fluid and more efficient with everything.”

(Do you feel like if there was – a hypothetical, another two, three, four weeks of preseason you might be all the way there? Is that something is it just a matter of time for you because you got the late start?) – “I don’t want to really deal in hypotheticals; but yeah, the more time, the more reps you get, the better you’ll get with anything – the more you get to do it. Whether we had 100 preseason games or one, the next day will hopefully be better than the previous and that’ll lead to improvement.”

(Head Coach Brian Flores mentioned Patriots QB Tom Brady and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes among the guys who benefited from watching and learning and not necessarily being on the field. How can you compare and contrast learning on the field experience versus when you can actually capitalize on from watching from the sideline?) – “I don’t know. I think that it’s really just trying to learn from any opportunity that you can. I’m still on the field taking reps in practice, it’s just not in a game. Everything is pretty much the same versus not getting hit. A lot of things aren’t the same – I don’t want to take that out of context. I sat for a couple games in Arizona, but I haven’t really sat much in my career, so there are opportunities to learn from whether you just took a sack and you’re on your back or whether you just threw a touchdown or you’re sitting on the bench with an ear piece dialed into every single play. Tomorrow will be a new day and we’ll see what comes. With regards to what happens, I don’t know what you’re going to get out of me. I got nothing to give you. It’s sort of all out of my control. I’m just trying to, like I said, make today better than yesterday.”

(Head Coach Brian Flores said that when players have to sit down behind a starter they gain a hunger to play, they feel more privileged to play and they understand how important the opportunity is when they do get a chance to play. Where is your hunger level? How much do you want to play? How much do you want to start and perform for this team?) – “I don’t need any additional drive or hunger. I’ve got plenty chips on my shoulder. I’m just trying to be the best player that I can be. I’ve sort of reshaped my focus and how I approach the game a lot, basically since the end of last year. I’ve tried to reign in the focus more on me and what I do every day and how I can help the team and becoming the best quarterback that I can be. Because a lot of the, ‘This guy played right away. This guy sat. This guy won a Super Bowl. This guy didn’t. This guy busted,’ it’s sort of extra information that I don’t really need in my life right now. Really, my goal is to perform the best that I can this preseason game and the next game perform the best that I can that preseason game, let the cards fall as they may and let the important people make the decisions that they have to.”

(Did someone suggest that to you or is that something you came up with on your own?) – “I’ve always been told since I’ve been a young kid – I don’t know if it’s a cliché or whatever – but control what you can control. I just insert a lot of the … that was going around, grab that from my memory and clung to it and I’m going to control what I can control.”

(It’s got to be a crazy six years for you from the time you were recruited, you got to UCLA, first-year starter and all that. Did you have to recalibrate how you approach the game after all that – chaos isn’t the right word?) – “Yeah. That’s what I’m saying. That changed – I didn’t change how I approached the game. I changed how I approached my day-to-day and tried to focus more day-to-day, day-by-day, as opposed to month-to-month, year-to-year. I think you can get caught up in not worrying enough about the little things if you’re constantly looking so far ahead, and it’s worked very well for me so far. I think I’ve made some pretty good progress since I’ve gotten here and I’m going to continue to progress and once coach thinks that I’m good enough to go, I’ll be ready to go.

(Are there certain techniques you’ve used or continued to use that help you refocus and stay centered on the micro rather than the macro?) – “There’s kind of temptation. Just resist it once you’re – I wouldn’t say it’s temptation. I don’t know. Just discipline. The second you feel your mind wandering a little bit, you’re like, ’I’m watching this film. I’m doing this set of plays,’ and whatnot and to not – You’re always going to hear noise. It’s almost impossible to not hear noise in today’s generation. If you’re not online, your family is and they’ll give you a call and slip it in there on accident or something. A lot of if it is just discipline to stay on the straight and steady and keep working.”

(How close do you feel to being ready to be an effective NFL starter?) – “Effective? I think I’d be effective right now. I think I was – in Arizona, understand the situation, we got three wins that we didn’t have while we were there, so I think I’m effective to a degree. It’s just about getting more effective.”

(What are you looking for Thursday to make this competition harder for the coaches to make that decision?) – “I think that’s – I’m not focusing on the competition at all. Anything ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) does well, I’m trying figure out why he did it well and how I can replicate that because we will run the same plays inevitably. Anything that he does poorly, I try to find out why he did it poorly. He’s humble and generous enough to help me out as to why that went well or why it didn’t do well. I’m trying to go out and execute my next play the best that I can. I obviously care about playing and all this; but in terms of where I stand, I really couldn’t care less about the whole competition. I’m really just trying to be the best that I can be. ‘Fitz’ is trying to be the best that he can be. We’re trying to help each other. A rising tide raises all ships, so either one of us that proves worthy to rise the tide the most I guess will be the guy. It’s about becoming the best quarterback that you can be. It’s not about one-upping the guy next to you, because that defeats the purpose of being a teammate in the first place.”

(What do you use are your own barometer? You said you feel like you can be an effective quarterback now. What do you say, “Okay I can be an uber-effective quarterback. I feel like I can be an elite quarterback.” How do you measure that?) – “Mental errors. On a per-practice basis, mental errors, physical errors and the overall general feel of practice and how effective our team periods were, move the ball, 2-minute (drills). And then on a plus-minus basis, how many mental errors I had, how many physical errors I had, and try to make those as small as possible. As your reps go up, you have more opportunities to mess it up. (laughter) So as reps go up, try to keep those MEs (mental errors) and physical errors down.”

(Do certain mental errors weigh more than others? Obviously we see interceptions, but is there something you look at, “That’s the ultimate mental error I want to avoid?”) – “Yeah. I mean it’s tough for you guys as journalists and all that to grade – you guys were all ripping our offensive line and stuff, but I had a couple of those mistakes by miss Mike’ing things and not throwing the right hot (routes) and stuff like that. It’s a tough job for you guys, because you weren’t really raised or taught about the Xs and Os in such detail. There’s a whole understory to the understory to the understory on why all things went wrong. It could be as simple as this sounded like this, he stepped with the wrong foot and I did this. It’s on everyone. There are MEs that look like someone else’s physical errors but were actually my mine. So there’s a lot going on.”

(How many sacks are you taking responsibility for specifically in the last game?) – “I’d probably give you a better answer right after the game. I couldn’t tell you right now.”

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