Chop Robinson – November 8, 2024
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Friday, November 8, 2024
LB Chop Robinson
(How much was relief the feeling, what was the emotion you had most after the sack?) – “I was excited in the moment and then as soon as I finished, I knew I had to line back up because they were going hurry-up offense. It was the last two minutes of the game, so I had to get back into it.”
(Is there pressure where you feel some relief for a first-round edge player to get their first NFL sack? Was that something you felt at all? Just to get it out of the way?) – “No, I wouldn’t put pressure on myself about it because I know a lot of people on the outside don’t really understand what it takes. They can’t really come out here and try to do what I do, so it’s different. So I don’t really pay attention to it, I just go out there and play football.”
(Most surprising text you got congratulating you for your first NFL sack? Somebody at Penn State? Who was the most surprising person you heard from?) – “I wouldn’t say surprised, but my defensive line coach at Penn State, he was like, ‘Congratulations, but you got more work to do.’ He’s always been on me about every little thing, so he knew once I got it, he knew I was going to be excited but he was trying to keep me level-headed and just keep going.”
(What’s his name?) – “Deion Barnes.”
(So what happened with the celebration after your sack?) – “It was too quick. It was too quick to do it because I had to hurry up and get back on the line of scrimmage because the clock was still running. I hit it quick but the TV didn’t show it, but you’re going to see it again.”
(So they didn’t stop the game or anything?) – “I know right? (laughter) They should’ve.”
(What do you think this week, going against the Rams, getting pressure on QB Matthew Stafford would be big against that receiving corps that he has to throw to?) – “It’s going to be big, we just got to get after them. Main thing – stop the run, of course. We stop the run, I feel like we could just do what we did against the Bills – rush, getting to the quarterback and everything like that.”
(How are you feeling in that regard? Stopping the run, because obviously it’s an important part of your position on top of affecting the pass rush?) – “I feel good. I feel like once I stop the run, pass rush is what I love to do and that’s everything. So I earned it, I earned the right to pass rush and when that happens, I can just go out there and be free.”
(Can you speak to the mentorship that you’ve gotten from, even if LB Jaelan Phillips isn’t out there, LB Bradley Chubb not out there yet – the mentorship that they provide?) – “I watch film with (Bradley) Chubb every week on the tackles or myself. We talk basically every day about something that I could do better since I first got in here. He put me under his wing, him, ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips), (Terron) Armstead, they’re just guys that see something in me. I’m just listening to the guys who have been in the game for a long time, who’ve been doing it good, so I’m just learning from the best.”
(What are some of the things that you’re picking up from T Terron Armstead? I mean offensive tackle, he’s giving away secrets I guess, right?) – “Yeah, I can’t give those up. (laughter) But he’s been helping me out a lot though.”
Danny Crossman – November 8, 2024
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Friday, November 8, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Does everybody sit in the same seat in your meeting room every day, pretty much? Like LB Duke Riley has a chair?) – “For the most part, yes. Yes. And if they don’t, it screws me up. Because to me, that’s almost roll call to me. Like when I want to ask somebody a question – ‘boom.’”
(We learned yesterday that the decision was made to designate S Patrick McMorris to return. I was curious how he did on special teams for you in preseason.) – “He was obviously trending in the right direction, was doing a good job. Unfortunately, had the injury up in Tampa and has missed a significant amount of time, but good young player. Smart physical, tough. He’s got all the attributes you want. Now we’ve just got to get him back into the swing of things and getting some work.”
(Do you know the new snapper LS Tucker Addington? Like do you have any previous connection?) – “No, no true connection. Obviously with the games that he had snapped when he was with the Patriots, a couple of those games were against us. So the combination of studying him before those games and then obviously, in the games playing against us and being able to talk to him pregame, but other than that, no.”
(Is there anything we might not know about joining a team and being asked to snap? Is there an element to that that might be a little harder than anyone realizes?) – “It’s very similar to a lot of other positions. You got to understand and learn the terminology. Some of the techniques; certain teams do certain things differently with the snappers. Whenever you bring anybody in, especially in those positions – if you bring in a punter, a kicker, a snapper – initially you’re not going to change a lot of stuff. Their comfort level, first and foremost, has got to be where they are successful doing the job. If you don’t get the snap, the rest of the play is irrelevant. But having some history of playing in games and being in the league – Matt (Overton) did a great job and hopefully we bring Tucker (Addington) in and things continue to trend in that same direction.”
(I want to be careful how I phrase this because I’m not asking you the merits of bringing LS Blake Ferguson off injured reserve and using one of the eight spots that teams have, but I’m asking in general, do you think a team could get away with alternating long snappers all season? Having them on the practice squad, elevating them three times, get rid of them, bring in a new one and go through a cycle of six of them over a season or is it too risky because of what’s required as far as chemistry at that position?) – “Way too risky. First of all, you’ve got to – I don’t care what position you’re talking about, there’s not …. The number of qualified – the pool is shallow.”
(Are you hopeful that LS Blake Ferguson might snap again for the team this season?) – “Absolutely.”
(When you have DT Calais Campbell, you have his height, but you kind of want to limit his snaps. Is it automatic that he’s going to be on field goal block, extra-point block, that you stick him in the middle or do you ask him? How does that work?) – “Obviously, that length and the experience, he’s had a lot of success doing it over the years. That’s not a physically taxing play, so that’s one of the things that’s a benefit of that. It’s a play, it’s tough, it’s hard – it’s a lot harder on the protection team than it is on the rush team, but it’s not a taxing play.”
(TE Durham Smythe, how did he do in there for DT Zach Sieler for I guess, a couple games?) – “Good. It’s like anything else, when you have to play – any time you go to the next guys, you got to understand, you’re not doing the exact same things in the same techniques and you’re not playing the same calls. It’s part of the game planning and the personnel aspect of it. It all ties together. Whether it’s us game planning for ourselves or game planning against the opponent, you’ve got to make sure you have matchups. If you don’t have good matchups, you can’t be upset if you’re not winning those matchups. That’s part of coaching.”
(K Jason Sanders, he kind of got rolled into on one of the field goal attempts. I talked to him about it, is there anything a kicker can do? Because he was telling me he’s looking at the ball, and then this guy comes… It’s just part of the game, right?) – “No, there’s nothing and They’ve done a good job in identifying all specialists as defenseless players, but then the next progression of what is considered a foul or not foul, you put that in the same bucket of officiating. It’s decisions that are made by individuals in the split second of time and it’s not a call that they want to make, so it’s got to be, in my opinion, usually has to be egregious for them to make that call.”
(Would you like to see that called? Or should that play be reviewed?) – “No, I don’t think it should be reviewed and I think they do a pretty good job of when it is egregious, but there’s always plays that – and I always look at every penalty the same: Would I want that call? Would I expect that call? And if it is, whether it’s us committing the penalty or the opposition committing the penalty, I view it all the same. I change the uniforms and would I have wanted that call if that would have been us? Probably not, so it doesn’t bother me.”
(It looks like the Rams lead the NFL with 95 percent kickoff touchback percentage, is there any reason to believe that they have any intention to have anyone return any kicks this season? In other words, is there any reason for you guys to think otherwise on Monday?) – “There is and you just go back to the last game. (Ethan) Evans has an illness right now, the punter who is traditionally their kickoff specialist did not kick off last week. They went with (Joshua) Karty, their field goal kicker and they were a couple of the kickoffs that were not touchbacks. So again, it ties a little bit more of personnel, but you never know. There’s mishits, there’s – you work for the opportunity. If the opportunity doesn’t come, you can’t control that, but you’ve got to be ready when the opportunity presents itself.”
(Going back to long snapping, what goes into scouting a long snapper? Because from the uneducated eye, it seems like their job is to long snap – but how big are these margins when you’re scouting them? Is it just as simple as “well, he took 100 snaps and 99 of them were good”?) – “No, there’s a lot of things you look at – what’s the tempo, what’s the location, what’s the placement, the laces, on the hip, left, right, can he snap to an offset punter? Can he protect left? Can he protect right? Can he handle a big body? Does he stay square? There’s a lot that goes into it. Fortunately, if everything goes according to plan, it’s not something that you should hopefully spend a lot of time with, but when things go wrong, then it is, ‘well, why did that happen?’ Those are the things that evolve into a negative play.”
(I was curious about it when you said, “the pool is shallow,” so as a team that’s had the same long snapper for six or seven years (five), how often do you guys check the pool to see exactly?) – “It’s the progression of the year. Every year I evaluate every snapper that’s coming out of college, look at him, you track him because you never know when things are going to happen when you are going to need that next guy – and that’s every position. That’s every kicker, every punter. So for me, it’s every specialist and then you keep the file on that guy and you track him throughout his career, i.e., Matt Overton was a guy who you track him for his entire career. You know a little bit of what he is, where he’s progressed in his career, whether he’s on the up, whether he’s on the down, whether he’s on the even. So that’s just the ongoing process of being ready when something happened when you need the next guy.”
(We talk about plays where you guys just missed – WR Dee Eskridge’s kickoff return, that qualifies, right?) – “Yeah.”
(LB Quinton Bell has a great block, I think No. 44 for Buffalo just got off that block, right?) – “Yeah, does a good job. Got a little bit crossed over with a small technique thing, but that’s the difference between being able to have the proper leverage and losing the leverage on an inside out block with the crossover and the guy was able to come over the top and make a play.”
(K Tyler Bass, the game-winning kick – I talked to K Jason Sanders about this, and he (Bass) misses the extra point on that open end. I guess the garage door opened for a lack of a better term. And Jason was saying maybe as a kicker, you can say, “well, I missed it at that end, now I’m kicking at this end, it’s completely different.” How much does mentality and that go into it? Can you tell yourself that was the open end? Is that a factor?) – “What’s funny is in that stadium, that was the wind that you maybe get once a season. Traditionally, the wind towards the closed end is the tough end, but we got a nice day, and the wind help was actually to the closed end as opposed to the tunnel end. The mentality of a kicker is, ‘I’m going to make every kick.’ If you are worrying about a miss, bad stuff is going to happen. But you give them credit, he had missed the PAT, he had banged one off the upright that went in, so they didn’t blink and went for the win, and he did a great job, made a heck of a kick.”
(In light of your comment with the risk involved with going through rotating long snapper, were there conversations about maybe giving LS Matt Overton a spot on the 53?) – “There’s all kinds of conversations. And that conversation about…that’s every position. Do you want to play a new quarterback every three weeks? Do you want a new snapper? Do you want a new defensive end every three weeks? There’s a lot that goes into those transitions and most importantly, every player is different and how you scheme and how you gameplan; all that stuff would continually be changed regardless of position. Any time you can get continuity, it’s a good thing.”
(I wonder what long snapper do in life as they’re waiting for long snapping jobs. We can’t talk to guys on the practice squad, but I’m curious, the two guys who you brought into audition this week, do you know what they were doing? The one that you signed and the one that you didn’t sign in real life these last few weeks – working at Walmart, something else?) – “Yeah, you know a lot about what guys are doing. That’s part of the process.”
(And the guy you signed [LS Tucker Addington], what had he been doing since we can’t talk to him?) – “Maybe someday you’ll get an opportunity to and that’s his business. I’m from Philadelphia, I don’t put people’s business in the street.”
(If you could have every kickoff to the opponent five-yard line, would you sign up for that? Is that pretty good? Is that perfect? Every kickoff for the rest of the year will be kicked to the five, would you be cool with that? Is that a good set up?) – “Are we kicking off? Are they kicking off? Who is the returner?”
(The Dolphins kickoff to the opponent five. Every kick, you’ve got to sign off.) – “No.”
(Really, why? That’s so interesting.) – “The average return right now is almost 28 yards.”
(So 28 plus five is 33.) – “So fudge your numbers a little bit and I may be signing up for something.”
(So what you’re saying is the rules are not generous enough to the return team to incentivize…) – “The number of over 40-yards returns are up. So there’s so much differentiation in terms of what goes into it based on who you’re playing, where you’re playing, who’s the returner, what are they trying to do? Last week, we played a team that a couple balls minus-two, were touchbacks. Three weeks leading up to our game, those were return balls. You can’t control what they’re going to do and there’s a lot more that goes into it.”
(For instance, like last week, how deep is too deep? Because you might think having a kickoff return is a better chance of scoriang a touchdown than a 17-lateral, last play of the game situation. How deep…) – “Again, that goes into you look at them; they kicked the ball into the fourth row and that’s a little bit of the coaching. You got a defensive head coach who’s been a defensive coordinator. That’s a play that you work every week, last play of the game for a must win situation. He felt much better playing defense on the last play as opposed to, how often are we working covering a desperado situation with our kickoff cover team? But head coaches are different. Some may play it to maybe try and end the play with a kickoff, but you get a defensive head coach, he knows exactly what they’re going to play on the last play to defend whatever we may have in store, so they’re going to play to the defense. Other people may play to the kicking game, and that can change week-to-week. You keep files on coaches, you know how they want to play certain situations and what you expect.”
(Did you have a return on?) – “We did, but we knew – and knowing Sean (McDermott) you knew it was going to be – we had talked about it on the sideline, ‘yeah, here’s what we have on,’ but this thing is going to be out of the back of the end zone because you know how Sean is going to play that.”
Frank Smith – November 8, 2024
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Friday, November 8, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(The volume of plays 20+, 40+ obviously has plummeted. QB Tua Tagovailoa’s absence for a time obviously is a huge factor in that. Can you score and win to the level you want to win without higher volume of those chunk plays?) – “Yeah, I think it’s about just your overall efficiency as an offense. So if you’re not having 40 and 20 massively explosive plays, then you’re looking at your overall efficiency of how you’re moving the football. This last game especially when you look at our efficiency obviously we’re continuing to improve is just making sure we do the little things. This is the first game we were able to overcome some penalties we’ve had that in last couple of games before that set us back. Overall when you’re looking at a offense it’s about efficiency in what you’re doing, maximizing the situation and if you do have setbacks, making sure you’re able to get back on track whatever play is necessary in the situation.”
(Anecdotally it seemed like there were less shifts and pre-snap motion on Sunday. Is that true and if so what was the affect of it?) – “I think like everything you’re trying to do is intentional. Just with the environment up there and just making sure that for us we want to make sure that when it’s a loud environment that we were able to come off the line of scrimmage together. We felt that with a division opponent we were thinking, this is how they’re going to play and this is how we can take advantage of it. So yeah, that was part of the plan. Each week is a little different. With Buffalo you kind of know them a little bit better. This week for LA we’ll base our attack on what defenses they are going to play and what they present.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa said that it wasn’t necessarily the game plan to spread the ball out so much, but how impressive was it to see him get the ball to TE Jonnu Smith, get the ball to RB De’Von Achane and even to WR Odell Beckham Jr. when so much attention went to WR Tyreek Hill, and WR Jaylen Waddle?) – “I think it’s a good sign of growth for us. It’s like when coverage gets pushed are we able to maximize one-on-ones or different parts of the space. And I think that’s what we were able to see this last game was when coverage gets pushed, are you able to get back to the other guys, like Raheem (Mostert) on the sideline for 15. They pushed coverage all the way to the slot and they had one-on-one on the backside. That’s just areas where you can see our growth. If they are trying to take away a part of the field, it means they are light somewhere else and it was great to see Tua with the distribution with the guys being in the right spot at the right time to take advantage of what they were giving us.”
(We saw OL Austin Jackson pop up on the injury report. Are you at a point where you could play T Patrick Paul at right tackle or is that a T Kendall Lamm type of situation?) – “I think it just plays to the nature for us. We always try to cross train the line so guys are versatile to play both sides if necessary. Like with all things, you guys know, as we go through the week we’ll try and make sure that we take all the variables in play and we put the guys out there that give us the best chance to be successful.”
(How would you evaluate, certainly since QB Tua Tagovailoa’s been back, but all season, how your offensive line has played?) – “I think overall you can see in the last month, you can see the continuity and the growth showing in areas of things that we wanted to improve, especially after the Tennessee game. So I think that the guys really understanding how to play together and how to work together, our communication has been outstanding as far as them getting connected, so yeah, the last couple of weeks we’ve been very pleased with how they’ve been playing.”
(With T Kendall Lamm, there’s a big body of work with him at left tackle. Where’s the comfort level with him at right tackle? I know he’s been a swing tackle most of his career but primarily the left side.) – “Yeah, here he’s played left, but he would tell you when he says personally, ‘I love playing right, but I like playing left, too.’ So he’s one of those guys that when you have a career kind of like him, you get used to playing both sides and that’s a luxury especially when you have a veteran with that kind of experience. So ultimately, you just never know the way a season’s going to play out, so when you ask a guy to do one side, one side only, and then he switches, sometimes it gets a little harder, but that’s the way our guys train.”
(Kind of going back to the balance thing, what kind of discussion did you guys have as a staff this offseason to incorporate a more balanced approach this season? I feel like we heard from WR Tyreek Hill earlier this season that we need to be able to sustain drives more, I think he said it wasn’t his personal goal anymore to just get 2,000 yards. How did you guys come together as a staff to make sure it would be a more diversified approach this year?) – “Ultimately that’s what we’re trying to achieve every week is the balance where you can’t overplay a part of your defense to defend an area. And as guys try to overplay an area, that allows us to attack with different guys. I think it’s just basically for us of when a defense tries to overplay an area, we’ve got to be able to attack the matchups that are presented from it and I think that’s an area that we wanted to focus on for growth because when they’re trying to defend or isolate an area and you can maximize with, maybe it’s not a 20 or a 40-yard gain, but you get 10, 16, 12, you’re right at that threshold where maybe just a hair more and you get the 20 (yard gain). So I think overall, that’s what we’re striving to achieve and especially at the end of the season when we started seeing those coverages where they’re trying to man up and do all that. Well, what happens? You get isolation of one-on-ones on the backs and the tight ends and that’s last week. So you’re going, ‘hey, there’s only so many yards and so many possessions that you get, and so that way, how are you maximizing the opportunities?’ Well, if they’re trying to play forward or take away two, the math is one-on-one in other spots, so how do we do that? You get out of that coverage, hit a tight end for 12 yards. Hit a back for 15 on a flat route. And now all of a sudden, it’s going, ‘I can’t push the coverage,’ so now you change it up, you get single-high and then you hit Tyreek (Hill) for 30. So that’s the variables that went on of how does it work out? Well, drive them out of a coverage that can’t defend a certain area, now guys get one-on-ones. We ran the ball one play to the right, we ran the ball for eight yards. Next play, we come back, hit Tyreek (hill) on the double move for 30 because we drove them out form two-shell, four man, single high, one-on-one. So that’s the game that we have to play because when you have to defend the whole field, where’s the ball going?”
(If FB Alec Ingold is limited in any way, what does that do in terms of changing up the offense if you have to play without him or have him limited?) – “I think it shows like all season, just trying to make sure we’re versatile with what we’re doing. Obviously he’s a big component of why we’ve been successful running the football but ultimately, as we go through any guy that’s down one week, we have to complement another in a certain area and another has to offset it. So like always, we’re trying make sure that we cover all variables for all potential things that can happen and those solutions.”
(What haven’t you said, what can you say to WR Jaylen Waddle? I know he’s frustrated because the team isn’t winning but I also sense that less than five catches per game, one total touchdown, in my opinion, might be getting to him a little bit. What have you said or could you say or do you want to make sure he’s thinking about in this time?) – “The great thing about it is you play a whole game and the way it’s going, maybe when you’re the primary and the targeting and the coverage pushed, like whatever happens, but you’re executing, you’re doing your job for your teammates. And then in a critical moment at a critical time, where we needed a critical reception, he makes it. I mean that third down was huge and then comes back, touchdown – huge. For us, we look at it as, talk about a guy who’s leading by example of executing when the plays come and then all of a sudden at the end. It’s easy to get frustrated in a game and then at the end, how do you perform? Executed his job, critical moments, making plays to help us win and he’s the guy on the sideline at the end, cheering on his teammates as the defense is fighting to get us the win. So keep doing what you’re doing because you’re being a fantastic teammate and helping this football team, and like all things, when you stay the course and you keep working at that level, it will come.”
(You’re rarely a team that gets blitzed a lot. You were the least blitzed team last year. This year, you’re by far the least blitzed team in the league. I think you’ve been blitzed 30 times. The stats said the next closest was 45. You can’t never account to say they’re not going to blitz us, but knowing that there’s a 90 percent chance that you’re not getting blitzed, does that totally change how you would approach protection schemes, using your backs, all that?) – “No, you prepare for the worst and what could happen because when you underprepare, what happens when that happens? So we always have to prepare in a manner of, ‘Okay, they want to bring that kind of day? Okay, what are we going to do. If they don’t bring that kind of day, what are we going to do?’ Because the worst thing you can have is – was it a couple years ago on Thursday night with Lamar Jackson and the Dolphins zeroed (blitzed) him all those times? You have to work all variables and assume if they do this, this is their plan; what is our answer? So we always make sure that if there is going to be a pressure day, here’s what we’re going to do. Alright, it’s a coverage day, here’s what we’re going to do. And you’re going, ‘how do you carry all that volume in plays?’ Well, it’s how it’s packaged and what you’re asking people to do is how you get it done. So no, we always have to prepare that the 10 percent could be the 100 percent. Otherwise, you’ll be sitting here next week going, ‘why didn’t you guys plan for that pressure?’ (laughter) ‘Yeah, well 90 percent of the time they said they weren’t going to do it, and I was playing the percentages.’ No, if it’s two percent, five percent, 10 percent, you got to assume that it could be 50 percent any day, so you always prepare for it.”
Anthony Weaver – November 8, 2024
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Friday, November 8, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(I know it’s a week-to-week league, but are you going to move forward this week again with LB Anthony Walker Jr. starting alongside LB Jordyn Brooks?) – “Yeah, that’s certainly the plan. I thought ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) went out there and did a good job of both executing not only his assignment but communicating to the defense overall and trying to help guys out. So yeah, that’s the plan right now.”
(And as far as weaving in LB David Long Jr. at all? Something that had been done in reverse for a couple weeks earlier this season, is that a consideration or do you want the continuity of LB Anthony Walker Jr. and LB Jordyn Brooks playing every snap together?) – “Yeah, I certainly think that’ll be a decision based week-to-week. Love ‘Dave’ (David Long Jr.). He’s a captain. He’s an outstanding teammate. At this particular time, we just think ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) gives us the best chance to go out there and execute from a defensive standpoint.”
(What were some of the things you were seeing going into that decision before executing?) – “Yeah, again, I think ‘Dave’ (David Long Jr.) was doing a heck of a job out there, but I think he’ll be the first one to admit to you that he had left some plays out there. So I’ve said this to you guys before – we see that linebacker room as a position of strength and ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) was a good player waiting in the wings and we wanted to give him the opportunity to go out there and make those same plays.”
(Regarding CB Cam Smith it looked like he was targeted a couple of times especially with Bills WR Mack Hollins. How did he do and what are the teaching points moving forward?) – “Cam is a young player. We know he is Year 2, but in a lot of ways you can still say he is kind of a rookie out there. So the fact that he was targeted certainly wasn’t a surprise to us. When he did have his mistakes, they were lapses in technique and fundamentals, so from a coaching standpoint, that’s what you try to focus on. Now to his credit, I think it says something about him where he did get in some instances where he gives up a couple passes, gets a holding penalty and a PI, I believe, but then that most critical play late, he was there and made the play. And I think that just says something about the kid and who he is, just that even though he was targeted at the most critical time, he showed up and was there to break that pass up.”
(And it looked like he kept I guess at least one player in bounds late in the game?) – “Yeah, for sure. For sure. So again, I think you’re going to go through some young growing pains with any young player and we’re just going to have to continue to work our way through those.”
(Your pass defense in general, these last three games, what’s gone wrong in the second half?) – “I don’t know that – there have been lapses particularly in communication and we’ve given up big plays like the 61-, 63-yarder in this last game. That’s when those instances come up, particularly when we’re in man coverage. We’ve had some lapses there. I think you’ve also got to give credit to the two quarterbacks that we’ve played. There have been instances where we had them dead to rights and they’ve been able to make some things happen. That’s why they make the money they do, so ultimately I think we’re just trying to chase, as a defense, competitive greatness. You go back to old John Wooden where we’ve got to be at our best when our best is needed and right now we’ve fallen short really two games in a row.”
(I think there was a viral clip of you challenging – maybe last year or the year before – the Ravens defensive line, you have to dig deep… how do you translate that into the second half because you guys have had leads the last three weeks? How do you instill, hey, this is the time to do it?) – “I think we can talk about it till we’re blue in the face. What we have to do is you have to go out there and work for it. You have to make sure that you prepare each and every day so that when you’re in that situation, nothing is surprising to you. People always say you rise to the occasion. I don’t think you rise to the occasion; I think you drop to the threshold that you’ve been working at all week. So let’s make sure in everything we do whether it’s a walkthrough, a live speed period in practice that we’re taking all those reps like it’s fourth down and five to go in the Super Bowl.”
(It’s approaching moot point here, but since this is the first time we’ve been able to talk to you since Sunday, S Jordan Poyer’s unnecessary roughness penalty, those are such bang-bang situations. What can he do differently in that scenario? Like realistically what could he have done differently in that scenario and how do you coach him to get to that?) – “It’s unfortunate. It’s like you said. It’s a bang-bang play. It’s certainly up to interpretation from the official at that point. All you try to do with Jordan is say, one, try to go get the ball, right? And hopefully in doing that, you don’t make helmet-to-helmet contact. And at this particular time unfortunately in the league, you’ve really got to lower your target and make sure you’re in the strike zone which is easier said than done when you’re when you’re going at those speeds. So I hate that it happened. I hate that it happened to him in particular in that place because obviously you know the importance of that game, particularly to him being an old Bill. But the last thing you ever want to do as a coach is take away his aggressiveness. So you just continue to try to talk about the strike zone and then just go get the ball.”
(I know when S Jordan Poyer was out earlier this year where I mentioned S Marcus Maye, your line was “don’t sleep on Elijah Campbell.” Where is he now in your thought process? If S Jevón Holland is out again on Monday, is the best approach you think sticking entirely with Marcus and Jordan or has Elijah done something to change that thought process?) – “I have the utmost confidence in Elijah and I think he’s earned the right to go out there and play for us. So we’ll see how it all shakes out during the week with Jevón and some of these other guys, but I would not be shocked at all to see Elijah come Sunday.”
(Sometimes we worry about players trying to do too much when they face their former team. CB Jalen Ramsey gets a chance to go back to the Hollywood, California, area. Inglewood is probably kind of far from Hollywood, but how do you think Jalen is built for this moment where he’s going to face a team that he won a Super Bowl with?) – “This is, to me, like these prime time games, that’s when players like your Jalen Ramseys, your Jevón Hollands, all your guys who are supposed to be prime time guys; that’s when they show up. So there’s no situation, there’s no game, there’s no areas, no ex-team that I think is too big for him. He is going to go out there and play like he has all year and try to be impactful.”
(How would you describe that DT Zach Sieler being back could make for the defense?) – “Yeah, I think it’s huge. He should be a Pro Bowl and All-Pro player. The impact he has for us obviously off the field is tremendous and then on the field he’s showed up consistently and has been impactful all year. And then the connectivity he has with Calais in terms of their communication – both to talk nonverbally and verbally and what they’re hearing from the offensive line and being able to use that to their advantage; you miss that a little bit with him out. So if he can get out there and play, man, like I told you guys last week, I am a much better coach and it certainly enhances our pass rush, too.”
(Is the feeling any different in the locker room before a prime time game compared to 1 o’clock on a Sunday?) – “Yeah, for sure. Any time you know that you’re in the only game in town and all your peers and all your family are going to have eyes on it, there’s certainly a heightened sense of urgency there where you want to go and put your best foot forward. So the short answer – that was long-winded – is yes. Yes, there is a very big difference.”
(You talked a little bit about CB Cam Smith. Can you speak to the importance of having CB Kader Kohou in the lineup, what he does for the defense?) – “I mean you guys saw really the way we were able to move in and out of Jalen (Ramsey) being at nickel, putting Kader outside and just being able to do that seamlessly in one personnel group. The ability to do that, it surprises offenses because you really don’t know. When Kader is not out there, right now we don’t have the flexibility to do that. At some point you hope we can grow into that, but some of the guys that we have playing in Kader’s spot, like they’re very specific in their jobs and what they can do. So to have him back, particularly he was playing at such a high level prior to his injury, obviously is huge for us.”
(You’re always going to try to get pressure on the quarterback of course, but the trouble you’re having and getting it with consistently the front four getting home to the quarterback, is it almost better off, hey, you might be better with seven guys in coverage and take our chances? Is that kind of the way you look at it or will you always be aggressive even if you don’t get the results?) – “Again, I think whether or not we’re rushing four or being aggressive is truly based on an opponent. I don’t go in with any preconceived notions about ‘this is how we have to do it.’ I have faith in our four-man rush and our ability to get there. Sometimes, again, based on opponent, you want to bring some pressure and put that guy under some heat. I thought we were selective in when we chose to do that against Josh Allen where some of those younger quarterbacks like an Anthony Richardson, you’re probably going to be a little bit more aggressive because he probably will be more prone to make a mistake. So this week there is nothing that Matt Stafford hasn’t seen, so we’re probably going to be in that mode where we’re going to be selective when we decide to apply pressure and our four-man rush will have to come alive.”
(I’m trying to understand what I saw with LB Chop Robinson. I thought the first possession, he got that pressure just off his first step and I thought his sack – I don’t know if Dion Dawkins’ technique was off or it was a bull rush – can you…?) – “Let’s not take anything away from the kid’s sack and blame it on the lack of technique by Dawkins. He got chopped up is what happened. (laughter)”
(No, no, I’m not. I’m trying to understand what I saw. What did I see on that? That’s what I was getting to…) – “No, I just think Chop (Robinson) is continuing to grow. And I’ve said this from Day 1, it’s unfortunate he hasn’t had the sack numbers, but the thing I love most about the kid is like I said, his approach to work. Like he is out there every single day just trying to listen to all the wisdom that he’s getting from both coaches and players alike. Bradley Chubb is out there working with him. I know Coach (Ryan) Crow and Coach (Sean) Ryan do a tremendous job. I think even Terron Armstead has talked to him a little bit about some stuff, so he’s taking all that in. Trying to figure out what he can use particularly with his specific skillset and we’re starting to see some of the benefits of that on Sunday.”
(Did we see a combination of speed and strength, I guess would have been a better way to ask that originally?) – “I think he possesses both those traits, yes.”
(What’s unique about the Rams receiver trio of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and now Demarcus Robinson?) – “I was with Demarcus (Robinson) in Baltimore, so I think the thing he adds for them is he’s kind of a big target and obviously he can get down the field and he’s one of those guys where if you throw him the ball he can go up and get it. Puka (Nacua) and Cooper Kupp are two of the toughest receivers I believe in the National Football League. They’re asked to do things that not only receivers do in terms of blocking but tight ends do as blockers. And then as receivers their short-area quickness and ability to get open in that intermediate window in coverage is outstanding. I mean you certainly have to account for all three of them. Fortunately I think we have the secondary and the guys on the roster do that, but it’ll certainly be a challenge for sure.”
(LB Jordyn Brooks took the blame for the long touchdown that went to the running back, Ray Davis. Was it just a miscommunication in man coverage as far as where…?) – “Yeah, in really the last two games, the majority of our communication breakdowns have happened in man. So it’s unfortunate that it happened in that particular instance. It was certainly two backers that are communicating and then at the end of the day we’ve got to get them down with a post safety in Marcus (Maye). So Jordyn is a man, right, so he’s certainly going to take blame, but ultimately we’re all responsible for that.”
(I know how much time you spend obviously training camp and other times in terms of chopping the ball out. Turnover creation bottom five in the league. How bothersome is that to you and has that been a factor in higher point totals these last two games?) – “Certainly disappointing because it has been a point of emphasis from the very moment I stepped foot here in Miami, so certainly something we’ve got to continue to work on. I think you’ve got to make sure you’re constantly have that as a point of focus in practice, particularly when you’re not wearing pads a whole lot. And I think that’s where some of the drop off has been. So we’ll continue to chase that, continue to attack that and hopefully the ball starts to fall our way a little bit.”
Emmanuel Ogbah – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
LB Emmanuel Ogbah
(I know you’re fighting through injury. A lot of guys are fighting through injury, but when you look across the field, you see a lot of guys coming back now, playing through it even though the record isn’t where you want it to be. What does it say about this team that you guys haven’t given up, still want to keep fighting?) – “It’s just the brotherhood we have here. The will to fight and the will to fight for your brothers. I’m not the only fighting through injuries, a lot of people, and we’re happy to have those guys coming back this week. They were definitely needed and it’s going to boost our whole team up.”
(You guys have been so close the past couple of weeks, even going really back three weeks – 10 points has been the difference between these last three games. What is the thing that needs to happen for you guys to finish?) – “Just keep chopping wood. Obviously it’s not going our way right now, but we’ve just got to keep playing, got to keep going hard. The sky’s the limit.”
(What is the message from Head Coach Mike McDaniel after these practices when you’re gearing up for another primetime game on the West Coast in the situation you’re in?) – “We control our destiny. The world’s watching now, you got to go out there and prove that you can do it.”
(I was just curious, I think it was DT Calais Campbell who mentioned if you guys play the way you did against Buffalo, you’re going to beat almost every team. But when the margin of error is so thin, what’s the line there between playing guarded so you don’t make a mistake but also playing all out so you can win?) – “Just do your job. Trust the man next to you is going to do his. So like I said, just keep on fighting, keep on playing for the man next to you. And the sky’s the limit, but we have to study more and just do your job, don’t mess up, don’t be the reason why.”
(DT Zach Sieler was back out there today, what was it like having him back out on there? I can see you smiling immediately.) – “Everybody loves when Zach (Sieler) is out there. He makes stuff go and we’re glad to have him back out there.”
(Speaking of DT Calais Campbell, what was it like watching him chase down QB Josh Allen last week? He ran like 30 yards to go get that tackle.) – “Man, that guy can run. But it just speaks of how his work ethic and how he works. Year 17 and he’s still doing that, you just look at that and draw inspiration from that.”
(What’s noticeably missing out there when DT Zach Sieler isn’t there? What has it been like the last few games? What did you notice was missing?) – “Just a lot, him bringing the team together, bringing the defense together, making big plays, giving us that spark that we were missing. We’re just glad to have him back.”
(DT Calais Campbell is 38 years old, are you going to be playing until you’re 38, 39, 40 or what?) – “We’ll see man. (laughter) I’m just taking it one year at a time.”
Zach Sieler – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
DT Zach Sieler
(How worried were you when the injury first happened?) – “It definitely was not an injury I ever expected to have to forego with football. I was very fortunate; God looked out and my actual physical eyesight and everything ended up being all right, the biggest thing was the swelling. So once that started to calm down, it really was able to work through kind of what happened, how to go from there and how to recover.”
(What can you tell us about how it occurred?) – “I’ll be honest, I don’t even know. I just remember just on a block, all of sudden (my) head went back and something hit my face or hand, I don’t know what it was, but yeah.”
(And you’re going to wear a visor?) – “Yeah, I’ll have a visor on for my wife the rest of my career. (laughter) And she’s right though. I’ll be honest, I don’t want to go through something like that again. As frustrating as a visor is – I remember in COVID we had the visor and the faceguards and getting in your stance, you start sweating on them and everything and it gets tough. But without the lower face – the COVID guard or whatever that crap was – it’s a lot better, just the visor.”
(What can you tell us about the incident? About getting hit?) – “I remember just coming on the edge and I don’t know what it was, but something got up in my mask and I just remember my head going back and I just had to put my hand – kind of just dark, no other way to say that. Like I said, it’s nothing that I really expected to work through. And then once that swelling got under control and I was able to work through what happened and everything, it was better. So I’m glad to be back, it sucked missing two games. It’s never happened to me. Thankfully I’ve been fortunate enough and blessed to where I didn’t have to go through something like that. I’ve played through a lot and could play through a lot, but this was something that kind of had to be worked through separately.”
(What did you experience along the way? Was it blurry vision for X number of days or how did it go?) – “It was the swelling that kind of messed with me I think, as in that was the biggest hurdle to work through. I don’t think I said this – I was fortunate enough to where my actual retina and cornea didn’t get damaged, but the swelling made it hard to kind of decipher what was going on. So once that did calm down after a few days, I was able to get a plan of attack and kind of work through it.”
(You mentioned that it sucked missing two games, obviously knowing how tough you are, what was it like for you to just not be able to help your team out, knowing the guy you are?) – “It kills me. It sucks to be in the trenches working with these guys day-in and day-out and then just on a Thursday just kind of not be able to – all of a sudden it’s, ‘Hey look you guys, it’s on y’all this week.’ And it happens, it’s football. It happens to everybody. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen again probably, it’s just what it is. Don’t know how long it’s going to go or what’s going to happen, but just get through this injury and then go from there.”
(Anything that you notice with the defense that you feel like you can obviously add?) – “I’d like to think I bring some energy to it. (laughter) I think those guys did a great job these last couple of weeks. I think they held them under 100 yards rushing both teams and hopefully I can come back in and make that even better.”
(Where do you see the position that this team is in and the sense of urgency?) – “Urgency is a good word. We have no more time to mess around. I think 2-6, but I think we still could achieve what we want to achieve. We’ve just got to clean some things up and come together as a unit and hopefully this is the week we can do that.”
(Obviously, facing RB Kyren Williams this week, definitely one of the best running backs in the league. What do you guys hope to do to kind of try and stop him? Especially considering the past two weeks under 100 yards rushing.) – “I think the biggest thing for us this week is gap sound, play our style of defense which is do your job. You’re one piece of 11, and focus on our part and each play what we’re going to do and work from there. It’s not trying to be an all-star or make these huge plays, it’s ‘Hey, this play dictates what I can do,’ and play within the scheme. I think we’ll have a great shot if we do that.”
Tua Tagovailoa – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(How do you build on a performance where you had just three incompletions?) – “We just continue to find ways. We build on the things that we did good in that game and we continue to find ways to grow. In that sense, find other ways to run maybe similar routes or how I’m sitting in the pocket and how I’m trying to read through progressions and whatnot. So I would say that’s something I’ve been working on.”
(I think it was like nine different players touched the ball on Sunday. How much of a point of emphasis was it to implement that level of balance into this offense after two years where it seemed like just the game plan was WR Tyreek Hill?) – “I would say we didn’t go into the game saying, ‘hey, we’re going to need you to spread the ball around.’ We just went into the game with the mindset that this is the call, play the call out. If this is what you see, throw it; if not, then go through your progression. That was basically it and I’m glad it worked out that way that we got to spread the ball around to different guys.”
(I wanted to ask about the short pass game. I know a lot is always made about the big play with this offense, but how effective has that been for you guys and how big will that be on Monday against another really good pass rush?) – “That’s been really effective these past couple weeks for us offensively, and I think what helps with that is the run game. We’ve been doing really well in our run game, and I think going into this week, it’ll definitely help with the front that they have. They’ve got some good guys on the front end and in the back end and we’ll see how they come out and play us and then we’ll adjust from there.”
(With that RB De’Von Achane has been so big in both the pass and run game. What have you seen from him and his growth and I guess versatility that he’s brought?) – “I would say the same thing that we all got to witness his first year with his versatility and playing in a backfield and going out wide has shown itself evident. And then it really helps when he’s in the backfield and can run routes from the backfield as well and you get the matchups that you like.”
(I think it was DT Calais Campbell who said if you guys play the way you did against Buffalo, you can pretty much beat any NFL team but that the margin of error is so thin now. So where is that fine line between, dare I say, playing guarded, not wanting to make a mistake but also going all out because you’ve got to win the way you know how to win?) – “I think it starts in practice and how we prepare with conversations you have as a leader of the defense, as a leader of the offense, as a leader of the team. Having those conversations with the guys of what the expectation is and continuing to harp on the guys to stay in it, stay in it. We could be one game away from going on a streak and hopefully turning this whole thing around. So I would say that’s sort of the process.”
(Speaking of staying in it, everybody’s banged up in the NFL. You were banged up a little bit. Guys have been out. What does it say about your team, about these guys – like FB Alec Ingold or WR Jaylen Waddle who are battling, LB Emmanuel Ogbah – that they want to be in this despite what the record says right now?) – “Tough guys, tough guys. You can tell that they love football. They want to be out there for their teammates. They want to be out there to be able to help our team win games and you really can’t say anything negative about guys like that. They’re just football guys. They want to be out there regardless of what they are going through whether they’re playing at 60 percent or not; you just have nothing but respect for guys like that.”
(You talk about conversations. What would you say you get from your teammates when you’re having those conversations with them about this tough stretch that you’re going through right now? I imagine they are tough. It’s a tough moment in the season.) – “I would say a lot of guys that are on our team, they’ve got some experience in this league and some guys have actually gone through what we’re going through now and have been able to turn it around, myself included. We all have different stories of what that looks like and the outcome of what can happen if you go on a streak. All these external things, but really regardless of the experience and things that we share and whatnot; we’ve got to put the product out there on the field and win games. At the end of the day, that’s what matters.”
(Do you believe that the success in the run game and the high completion percentage on the short-range passes will at some point open up some of the more explosive 25-plus-yard opportunities?) – “I would say with the plays that have been given, we just run whatever is called. If Mike (McDaniel) calls for a shot play and we check it down, that’s just what the play entails for us to do. So it’s not like we haven’t been trying to stretch the ball down the field. That’s just what the defenses have been showing us and then there are some things on film that look like, ‘man, I could’ve hit this person,’ but sometimes it’s not within our progression with what we talked about with how we would read it.”
(You mentioned postgame in Buffalo about your dive forward for the first down and not to make a big deal out of every time you scramble and protect yourself, but you successfully slid the week before but – a different way to protect yourself, similar play to the one you got hurt on where you dived to the ground though instead…) – “Just knowing the situation of the game, knowing the time that if we didn’t get that first down, that could potentially be the game if Buffalo played their cards right with the plays and allowed us to use all our timeouts and whatnot. So to me it was important – obviously wouldn’t have wanted to try to run somebody over or try to do that to get a first down, so as you can see I sort of, as I’m scrambling to the right, I’m looking at the sticks so that I know where to dive. So that’s sort of what ended up happening on that play and luckily we got it.”
(With WR Tyreek Hill I think he’s on pace for either a career low or just lowest yards since his rookie year. Feels like the first time we haven’t been talking about the 2k race, but when we talked to Head Coach Mike McDaniel and Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith and Pass Game Specialist/Wide Receivers Wes Welker, they say he’s doing XYZ well, he’s doing this, this. From your perspective, what does a guy like Tyreek do? Like how does he positively impact the game even when he’s not getting these 180-yard, three-touchdown games we’ve seen in the past?) – “I think what’s so cool is you turn that film on, you get to watch what him and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle) do with the blocking game or with the run game and how they do blocking. They allow our runners some pretty big holes outside of the o-linemen, but those guys are getting to the second level quick and I really think that it translates to the way that they play in the pass game as well and that was something that we’ve been trying to find for those guys and there were also some things where if ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) was out, ‘17’ was in. The DC (defensive coordinator) could play the chances of it being more run than pass and vice versa. If ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill) is in, okay, maybe it’s more pass than it is run. But those guys staying in the game, staying in the run, staying in the passes; it forces the DC to, ‘okay, I’m going to play my cards here and just stay in a two-shell and if these guys want to go 15-play drives to go score, we’ll be fine with that.’ So it’s sort of pick your poison.”
(How much is different in terms of the two-shell that you’re seeing now? Because I mean, I would think that WR Tyreek Hill has been double covered his whole life, but why does it look so different now?) – “I would say because it’s variations of two-high coverages with what guys want to do into the boundary or if ‘Reek’ is into the boundary, what they want to do to ‘Reek’ versus what they do to (Jaylen) Waddle. And then back side looks, some teams play two-man while they’re playing zone on the front. So it’s just different ways they try to get to their two-high against us.”
(Kind of following up on the blocking, what you’re saying about them blocking, was there any moment over the past three years and maybe even this year, any specific block that you remember where you’re like, “oh damn, he’s pretty efficient at this” for somebody who’s 5’9, 5’10, like he can actually get this done?) – “I think it was throughout the five-week stretch that I was out that I’ve heard conversations with ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) and ‘17’ (Jaylen Waddle) talking about like a mindset that like, okay, if we can’t get the ball down the field or if we’re not getting the ball, how can we help the team with what we have right now? And so I would say it was more so of a mindset that when we came back or when I came back for the Cardinals game that it just felt different with those guys. They were in more, the efficiency went up with the run game. The efficiency went up with the passing game as well and it’s due to everyone, but those guys definitely played a big role in that.”
(With the offensive line, obviously they had a lot of criticism coming into the season. What kind of growth have you seen from that unit as a whole?) – “I would say those guys have never blinked and never really wavered from what they said they wanted to do this season. Obviously it’s different when your quarterback goes out, hearing cadences, hearing different guys in the huddle. Things can get a little dicey especially in loud environments so it’s, ‘wait, did I hear this run or did I hear that run?’ Like all right, communication, ‘oh, the snap is going.’ So I would say they haven’t wavered. They’ve been in their playbook. They’ve been doing their thing and I’m super excited for them. I think they’ve done a great job up to this point and they’re only going to get better.”
Mike McDaniel – November 7, 2024
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Thursday, November 7, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(There were a couple of players who were dealt before the trade deadline who could’ve filled maybe some need-positions, pass rusher etc. From talking to General Manager Chris Grier, was your sense that he just didn’t want to give up future draft picks for players who were available at this point?) – “There was a couple of conversations we had, both about people reaching out to us and different possibilities inward and outward. I think the action was that there was no action. That in itself, I think we believe in the roster and want to see guys come through a tough time. I think that’s really what was executed and nothing more than that.”
(Where do things stand with S Jevón Holland and CB Kader Kohou?) – “They are working. I pretty much think that Jevón (Holland) won’t be practicing today, Kader (Kohou) will be involved and we’ll see how it goes through the week.”
(You versus Head Coach Sean McVay. What comes to mind? You had time together in Washington and so many years competing in the NFC West while you were in San Francisco.) – “I think what comes to mind is I know Coach McVay and his team are always consistently a straining outfit, that they do a good job in all three phases. I know he’s going to make sure his group is very detailed, that they’ll compete, they’ll be challenging. And they’ll be complementary in how they play and they’ll be unified in their collective groups. I think it’s a good team who’s had some resolve themselves and is on a winning streak that you’re going to have to beat them for them to lose and they’re not going to give you anything.”
(You guys have a new practice squad quarterback?) – “No, we do not. We’ve been discussing that. We’re also pretty hopeful about Snoop’s (Tyler Huntley) recovery. But as it stands, it will be Tua (Tagovailoa) and Skylar (Thompson) this week.”
(Regarding RB Raheem Mostert, I know he’s a heart and soul player, Pro Bowler, he’s had a couple of fumbles. Is there a question whether he continues and you bring RB Jaylen Wright in? Or he’s still the man there?) – “That group, we try to give opportunities to each guy because they deserve it each and every game. I think based upon his performance, Raheem (Mostert) got more attempts. It might’ve been his first touch was on a third-and-11 that he inflicted force on the defense, and you earn more touches that way. That being said, he knows he has to hold on to the ball. We’ve learned how vital those turnovers can be especially in a one-score game. I think he himself would be the first to tell you that at this time, we’ve learned two hard lessons. You can’t really be in the whole scope of all right, well there’s another lesson that needs to be had when there’s other guys that aren’t turning the ball over. That’s the nature of football, and when you have a group that’s talented like they are and competitive, you have to give reason and keep that for all of your touches. There’s been about 400 touches that he hasn’t fumbled on, but that being said what only matters is this next game and is putting full focus on making sure that that ball stays with him.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa threw three incompletions last week. What’s the message to your quarterback after you lose, but he played very well, enough for you guys to win? What is the focus in terms of improvement for him?) – “I’m careful not to have overarching, ‘that was good’ or ‘that was bad.’ For me, my job is to coach and to detail each and every snap, so whether or not his handoff, his first step was at three o’clock and not four o’clock. Whether or not your progression was too fast, or you handled inappropriate or appropriate protection, all those things. The first thing Tua (Tagovailoa) did the day after the game was come to my office and say, ‘What could I have done to win this game?’ And then of those snaps, you go through his plays and what if you put the ball here or you did this. He’s trying to be great; he’s not trying to relieve himself of burden or stress. As the quarterback, he looks at it like the stat that is next to his name is the win or loss, so when you lose, what could I have done better. As the franchise quarterback, you need him to be that way if you’re going to expect others to be that way. I think the message is coaching, just like some of his best games, some of the most valuable coaching moments come up and there’s positives when he has an overall statistically poor performance sometimes as well. It’s just important that you stay even keel and attack each and every rep so that guys truly get value out of a coach.”
(With FB Alec Ingold, another heart and soul guy, it seemed to me after the CB Jalen Ramsey interception, he starts limping on that calf. He plays the rest of the game, blocks excellently. What can you say about the effort that he gave and how is his availability this week?) – “I think no coincidence that a fullback has a ‘C’ on his chest. And I think he’s earned that through daily investment into the team and his play, and I think it says the world about who he is, and everyone knows that. Every teammate is responsible to protect Alec from himself when it comes to sacrifice for the team, and I think he’s an unbelievably valuable player on our team. So we’ll always be aggressive with him in terms of our management because he would be – if his leg didn’t work, he would be hopping, you know what I mean? So I think that’s important to know your personnel and cater to that, and he’s in a situation where he will do anything and everything, which is why he’s the captain and a leader of this team.”
(Last year, QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill combined for 30 catches of 25 yards or more. This year, so far, it’s only been five, obviously Tua missed four games. In addition to the return of Tua and Tua’s availability, what are some other reasons for optimism in the second half of the season that we’ll see more big gaining plays?) – “Before the statistical result, from my vantage point, I’m coaching guys on technique and fundamentals and how they’re playing the position. I’m not addressing what coverage people are running or what they’re trying to take away or anything, I’m watching their game and I can honestly say that the two of them, in terms of route running and timing and connectivity, there’s been growth over the entire season and there’s been different challenges presented based upon – what is it, three full games that they’ve had – and I think the biggest thing is that you haven’t seen Tyreek Hill wide open and Tua (Tagovailoa) missing him and or missing a throw – their timing and their fundamentals are what will produce the results when the defense is giving us the opportunity. I think it’s important in football, defenses have really taken notice of those explosive plays and they’ve tried to prevent him by basically doubling him. I think as a result, it’s forced a lot of the offense to get better, it’s forced Tua to get on the same page with a lot of the other eligibles, and it’s forced our offensive line to block and our runners to run and Tyreek to run block a little bit. You do that and you have to understand in team football, if you’re getting double-teamed, there’s a teammate of yours that stands for a lot of reason for success. I think their game, from technique and fundamentals, has seen growth this year. They did execute on two opportunities this past game and that’s what I’m most concerned with is that their game is developing within whatever trials and tribulations they’re going through. I thought Tyreek had his best game releasing off of press coverage, and little things like that is what I prioritize.”
(I wanted to ask you, this team is seemingly running out of track in terms of to achieve the ultimate goal for what you guys began the season with or the expectations. What should make Dolphins fans confident that this franchise is headed in the right direction based on what they’ve seen so far in the early portion of the season?) – “I understand the question, it’s very valid. I think from my vantage point, I’m responsible for all things. I’m also the guy that the players lean on for football expertise, and in talking to them about their game and staying true to the most vital thing that I know to be true in any season is that there’s sometimes there’s false hope where you’re saying you’re close or you’re saying things will get better – I live in real hope which is how are people’s games getting better? Are we getting better? Does that mean it’s up to standard or that losses are acceptable? Absolutely not. But vital to football teams having success in any NFL season, is that they master the art of getting better in the noise, and don’t confuse noise with just losing. Noise is also very loud when you’re winning, and sometimes you can have that – you could be sitting at 6-2 and if the ball isn’t getting better through all the noise, I don’t have real hope. My hope is real is because the football that I’m watching and detailing is improving, and I think the team is focused on trying to have a game where they feel like their brand of football was mastered. I think the football team knows that when that occurs, things will take care of themselves in the win column. But more than anything – I’ve said it before – it’s not easy having no control but full investment, and if you’re a fan, today is miserable like the day before, like the day before until you have a win, right? Today is the most important day of our season, of our lives because we have work that can dictate the terms of what everybody wants. And as long as I see guys, in whatever noise, continue to embrace and take their individual efforts and their collective efforts to another level to get it right, I think that’s what gives me absolute hope and vigor with this team because that is real, too. I think guys are determined, and I think they know that while each individual can’t control whether or not it’s a win or loss, they can control how they are working individually and collectively. Today will be the first day on the field with that as we progress through the week and hopefully dictate what happens on Monday a little bit on Thursday.”
(At what point – I understand what you’re saying about improving and it needs to happen obviously week to week – but at what point does merely improving not become enough? At what point do you have to get the results in order to get where you want to go and make the playoffs?) – “Ultimately the game is about winning, so I’m not saying – that is ultimately how you’re judged and I think that’s fair. You tirelessly work at not obsessing about the idea or the false sense of ‘hey, we’re going to win this week.’ No, what are you going to do about it? And how are you going to affect the change? We’ve had a lot of hard conversations that ultimately have been very necessary, and in that process, you ultimately have to win in this league, but you have to take care of your business through the entirety of the preparation – coaches and players included – and then ultimately you do have win football games. That’s the whole idea so we’re working to improve that.”
(LB David Long Jr., a team captain, lost his starting job. How tough of a decision was that? What went into it and what kind of message does that send to the rest of the team?) – “I have the upmost respect for David Long as a man, as a player; and I think the important piece of it was that it was less about David Long not doing something and more about we felt like ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) needed and deserved the opportunity and has skills of his own in his own right that were the best man for the job. But that’s never easy, especially when you care for a human being and we’ve gone to battle a lot together. So those are things that in the position it’s not necessarily fun, but the whole team and organization are depending on you to try to do what you see as very best. And I think David (Long Jr.) respects that and regards that. I’m sure he disagrees, but it’s about understanding intent and I think the whole team loves David. That’s why they voted him captain, but also you have to – I think it was the football team was excited for ‘Walk’s’ opportunity which he made the most of, for sure.”
(Do we have a possibility that LB Bradley Chubb could practice this week or is that window not open yet?) – “I wasn’t seeing it this week, but I’ll be sure to convey it the week that I’m seeing it because I appreciate your guys’ patience. He’s doing good. We’re just trying to be prudent to his body and he’s working his way.”
(And LB Cameron Goode and OL Isaiah Wynn, not close?) – “I think both Isaiah (Wynn) and Cam (Goode) are getting closer, for sure. I don’t know the timelines the usually use but week-to-week or kind of that issue.”
