Jay Cutler – September 20, 2017 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 20, 2017
QB Jay Cutler (Conference Call with N.Y. Jets Media)
(How has the adjustment been to Head Coach Adam Gase’s system in Miami and what has that process been like for you coming in late?) – “It’s been good. I mean I was familiar with the system. The run game changed up a little bit, but it’s been kind of getting used to the guys, the schedule, just getting back into football.”
(How would you characterize the Jets interest in you in March?) – “I mean I think it’s … we were just feeling each other out. It wasn’t aggressive. It wasn’t super vague. It was just feeling each other out and it just didn’t work out.”
(How interested were you in perhaps coming to the Jets or not interested?) – “I’d just been cut from Chicago, where I’d spent eight years, so I wasn’t in a hurry to really go anywhere. I just kind of wanted to go through the process and if something really jumped out, I’d investigate a little bit more.”
(You had a visit scheduled, correct and then it got canceled?) – “Yes, we had a couple of visits and then they got changed; but for numerous reasons, and then they were able to sign Josh (McCown), and that was kind of the end of that. So it worked out for myself and for Josh.”
(From your time in Chicago with QB Josh McCown, what stands out to about him?) – “I love the guy. I mean we could sit here for an hour and I can tell you all the great things about him. He’s a heck of competitor, unbelievable guy in the locker room, unbelievable guy in the quarterback room, selfless. He’s one of those guys that you run across and you’re happy that you had him as a teammate because he’s one of a kind.”
(What are your impressions of watching the Jets defense on tape?) – “It’s a good defense. (Jets Head Coach) Todd (Boyles) is always going to put out a defense that’s going to give you fits. They’re going to cause some problems in the run and the pass game. They’re going to show you a lot of different looks. They’ve got talented guys at each level of the defense. It’s going to be a (tough) week for us. We have to be on it and we have to be ready to play on Sunday. ”
(How hard has it been on the team overall, just practicing in California and now you have another road game this weekend?) – “And then we go to London next week. This isn’t something that’s … We can’t look past New York. It is what it is. We had to go to Cali. We stepped up to that challenge. We had a good week of practice and got a win. We got to come back to Miami. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to come back here or not; but everyone’s home now. We’ve just got to lock in and get ready for this week.”
(This is kind of a Chicago Bears reunion thing because you also have RB Matt Forte here. What are your memories of him and your relationship with him?) – “Yes, and (Jets QBs Coach) Jeremy Bates is there as well. I’ve got a lot of fondness for him as a coach and a lot of respect. Both of those guys, they are great competitors. They are great guys. They’re awesome dudes to have on a team and guys that I’ve missed and look forward to seeing.”
(Have you kept in touch with Jets Quarterbacks Coach Jeremy Bates at all and during the course of this offseason, did he reach out to you with the possibility that you might come here?) – “Yes, I’ve always kept in touch with ‘J.B.’ (Jeremy Bates). He was instrumental early in my career, kind of getting me off to a good start. (He’s) one of the best play-callers and coaches I’ve ever been around to this day. So I talked to ‘J.B.’ throughout the process, talked to him afterwards. I saw him I think a month ago. He’s always somebody that will hopefully be in my life.”
(What specifically about Quarterbacks Coach Jeremy Bates that makes him good at developing younger quarterbacks?) – “He knows the game, he knows the game of quarterback. He does a really good job of teaching fundamentals, keeping your base. And then calling plays, I know he isn’t calling plays; but when I had him, he was calling plays and that’s an art for him. There’s an art to it. It’s not something you can just jump into and be good at it. He’s got the knack for it. It comes naturally to him.”
Adam Gase – September 20, 2017 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase (Conference Call with N.Y. Jets media)
(Maybe you can start off by making the LB Lawrence Timmons decision and how you arrived at that and how you replace him.) – “Really, we’re going to … We’re keeping everything in-house as far as the details of anything. Obviously, it’s public knowledge that he’s suspended indefinitely right now. We’re really going to leave it at that. We’ll make adjustments that we need to make and wait until Sunday to really show what we’re doing.”
(When you turn on the film and you look at the Jets, what are your early takeaways and assessment of their play thus far?) – “I coached Josh McCown and Matt Forte at different points of their career. Watching Josh over time, he has really developed an ability to really get rid of the ball quick and cause some issues. He can be aggressive down the field and he’s not afraid to take shots on third down and try to push it and take advantage of the coverage you’re in. Matt is still … When I watch him and see how patient he still is and able to hit the hole and get those chunk plays, – just looking at his average per carry – he just does such a good job. His vision is so good. He’s a tough guy to defend because you have to understand if you’re not sound in your defense, he’s going to cause you a lot of problems.”
(What have you noticed from QB Jay Cutler in the time that you’ve had him so far?) – “Things are going well at the time. We’re still evolving as much as we can as quick as we can. He came in late and (we are) trying to get him caught up to speed with everybody else as fast as possible. He has done a good job as of now. We’re just going keep – each week – keep trying to build on the week before.”
(How challenging is this stretch for your team where you’re practicing in Los Angeles last week and now you’re away again, and then in London next week?) – “I think our guys are used to things like this. Last year, we had back-to-back West Coast games. We went to Seattle the first week of the season, followed up with New England. This is just kind of what we do.”
(When QB Ryan Tannehill got hurt and you showed interest in QB Jay Cutler, did it take a sell job on your part to get him to come out of retirement?) – “Not really. I just asked him if he was interested. He said, ‘Yes.’ Really, I think his biggest (thing was) – kind of taking a step back at the time because everything happened so fast – was just to make sure he felt like he could really come back without a spring and a training camp. That was the one thing. He was like, ‘I’m not really sure how fast my pocket feel will come back. I haven’t done it since last October,’ I think it was. I didn’t feel like I was really selling anything. It was just more of how comfortable he felt coming in with a group of guys that had been together with me – that was our second year; but that skill group has been together for three or four years now. I think he was just trying to feel out if he’d fit that group well.”
(The first couple of games, the Jets run defense has been pretty bad. What are you seeing on film in terms of what their problems are?) – “Every game is different. When I see them, I see a division game that you’ve got a couple guys on the back end that are fairly young. I’ve played (Jets Head) Coach (Todd) Bowles quite a few times and I don’t remember really ever having an easy time running the football. He has always caused me a lot of problems. I just know that that’s a good coaching staff. When you’re going through this process of the season, it’s about getting better every week. I know their focus is going to be on making us one dimensional and trying to do a good job to put us in a position to where we can’t run the ball. Last year they were able to do that. Both games, really, they really hammered us pretty good, and it was really hard for us to run the ball that first game. I feel like the numbers really don’t tell the story of the game. We got two big runs at the end of the game. They held us at bay. It’s going to be a challenge for us, partially because the scheme he runs makes it very difficult. I just know those guys are going to get better every week.”
(When you see them on film, what do you think of their pass rush?) – “It depends what scheme they’re running. Sometimes they’re in a position to where they’re more focused on the coverage and it’s more about pushing the pocket. Then there will be sometimes where they’ll pressure you and find different ways to shake some guys free, which on third down can become problematic, because they do some different things that are tough for offenses to pick up. Sometimes they’ll let those guys go and they’ll rush the passer. The biggest problem for us is what they’re going to do against us and what’s their theme going to be? What are they going to try to do against us? Because every game has been a little bit different. I still feel like there are a few guys they’re still trying to get a feel for, that are young players. As time goes on, it’s going to evolve during the season. Us being their third game, we’re probably going to see some different things.”
Adam Gase – September 20, 2017
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Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Why did LB Lawrence Timmons go AWOL?) – “That’s one of those … Everything dealing with that, we’re just going to keep in-house. We’ve handled it the way we feel like we need to handle it. And really, I don’t have anything to add to that.”
(Will LB Lawrence Timmons have a chance to come back to the team?) – “It’s going to be something that I’m going to keep in-house and I’ll decide on that later.”
(LB Stephone Anthony, the thinking there? How did this come about? Did you have your eye on him for a bit? How did this go?) – “Yes, this has been going on for a while. It just finally happened and we’re excited that we had an opportunity to add somebody to our roster that we feel like can help us.”
(Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has stated that LB Stephone Anthony has explosiveness and speed but that he needs to improve his mental game. In general, when you have a player that has outstanding athleticism but might be prone to mental errors, what are some ways that you and your coaches can help?) – “It’s hard because for me, personally, I haven’t had a chance to meet him yet. We’ll just kind go through our process and determine what we feel he fits for us and the right way for us to coach him and teach him and kind of make our own assessment of how we want to use him. It’s hard for me to say anything right now when I really don’t know, because I haven’t been around him.”
(Do you even know so much as whether LB Stephone Anthony fits more in the inside or outside? Have you even gotten that far yet?) – “No.”
(So is it fair to say that LB Lawrence Timmons will not practice and play this week?) – “Yes.”
(Getting back to the trade, so that it pre-dates anything of what’s been going on in the last week then with LB Lawrence Timmons?) – “Correct.”
(Regarding LB Lawrence Timmons, do you guys have all the information on what happened?) – “I mean, we’ll keep everything in-house. I’m not going to get into all this.”
(You established a certain culture over the last two years as it applies to everybody. When guys step outside the bounds of that culture, can they be forgiven? Or is it a ‘You’ve been on your own, you’re not part of us.’) – “I think every situation’s different and I would say that you can be forgiven if the right steps are taken.”
(It’s the Jets week. What worries you about the New York team?) – “Well, they’ve got some new faces. Really, that’s going to be the No. 1 thing we’ve got to sort through is some of the guys that we haven’t really played before. There are still a lot of familiar faces and we’re going to have to get ready for a veteran quarterback and a veteran running back. Defensively, they got pretty young in the back end this year and they’ve got two guys that can really roam around and run at the safety positions. It’s going to be a challenge for us, especially with (Jets Head) Coach (Todd) Bowles. He stops the run and that’s one of the things that we really like to hang our hat on and he does a good job of stopping them and he did a good a job against us last year. I know statistically it looked good on paper; but the first game we played against them, that was not easy sledding. We popped two runs right at the end of the game that kind of made it look like we had a better day than what we did. When we play these guys, it’s a physical game. It’s a division game. It’s one of those games, this is a tough game. This is one of those ones where you throw everything out of the window because it’s going to be slug fest.”
(Are you optimistic at this point that LB Rey Maualuga will be ready on Sunday or is it still too early to tell?) – “It’s too early for me to know that right now.”
(I used a calculator to determine that after one game, RB Jay Ajayi is on pace for 448 carries.) – “That’s great. (laughter) I was happy that we were balanced. That was good. It was one of those games where it easily could have become … you start throwing the ball too much, especially towards that last six minutes. Our faith in (Ajayi) is obviously very high. The guys were doing a great job of getting guys covered up and he was really hitting them. Hopefully as the season goes on, we can kind of start moving some guys in and out. He’s a hard guy to take out of the game because every time he touches the ball, it seems like good things happen. But I am aware that that was a lot of carries. He played a lot of snaps but he was a hard guy to get out of the game because he wasn’t really willing to come out of the game. I think he felt like it was tight and we needed him in that first game. I feel like we have a good plan going forward. We’ve just got to … We’ll keep an eye on him. We’ll have some days where we rest him and just make sure that he’s getting back to full strength for the next week.”
(How did C Mike Pouncey come out of this game?) – “He played really well. It’s really amazing, the fact that he doesn’t practice very much and he goes out there and grades out the way that he does. It’s hard to put into words when you watch him play. He just knows the right angles. He has an unbelievable feel for the game. The way he gets guys covered up on the second level, it doesn’t matter where their locations is, he seems to get it done. It was great having him back out there, just seeing him play, the attitude he has, how excited he was to get back on the field. A lot of people doubted him. Just him stepping on the field, that was goal No. 1 for him. Now it’s … We talked about it before, nothing less than 16-plus (games). He’s got that mindset. I think he’s looking for people to doubt him.”
(Does T Laremy Tunsil need some time to re-adjust from all of those guard reps to the speed he faces at tackle?) – “That sack was on me. That was supposed to be a quick-game type play and nobody was open. He was setting for the ball to come out quick. They’re not going to put my name on the stat sheet and say that I gave it up; but that was my fault. He did a good job the whole game. He battled two pretty good guys. The same thing with Ja’Wuan (James). Ja’Wuan did a really good job. Those two guys, going against them snap after snap, is not an easy task.”
(We’re only getting this obviously third-hand but it seems like LB Stephone Anthony has been dealing with a high-ankle issue out in New Orleans. Did he have a physical? Are you worried?) – “Yes, he had a physical. He was good.”
(So you think LB Stephone Anthony will be available this week?) – “Mhm, possibly.”
(You said you have to do a better job with the game plan. The first half was pretty conservative. Does that include letting QB Jay Cutler be more aggressive or is that just a game-by-game basis?) – “I think it’s just really how we feel like a team is going to play us. I was definitely going to account for the pass rush (against the L.A. Chargers), especially because I didn’t know what the noise level would be. I didn’t know if we would have to go silent count. There were a lot of unknowns there. We took a couple of shots early. We just didn’t connect on them. Jay made a couple of good plays to kind of move the pocket a little bit on his own and push the ball down the field. It was more of me just kind of feeling out how we were going to fare against them with Melvin (Ingram) and Joey (Bosa) on the edges and just kind of getting those guys used to real-life game speed in a real game. Both of those guys haven’t played since the third week of the preseason. That was more really the reason for us kind of getting the ball out quicker and leaning on the run a little bit.”
(Calling plays for QB Jay Cutler, is it like riding a bike again or is there a process of just finding out what works well with him and this team?) – “I know I’ve said it before but the system that we’ve kind of come to at this point really fits him better than what we had in Chicago when I was there the first time, because I was coming from an offense that was predominantly drop back. We didn’t have the play-actions that we do now because we weren’t running outside zone. We were running more inside zone, gap-scheme type team. This system really kind of fits him better. Really, it’s a continuation of what we were already doing. The biggest thing for me is just kind of knowing when to shut up when I’m talking to him. He does a good job of tuning me out. (laughter) When you’re with a guy for a full year, it’s a little easier to jump right back into.”
(DT Davon Godchaux didn’t start but he wound up playing quite a few more snaps than DT Jordan Phillips did. Was that a result of what you were seeing on the field?) – “No. Jordan actually got an ankle (injury) last game. It really was a credit to him. He kept trying to go back in there and take some snaps off those guys but that was one of the reasons that happened. When Jordan went in, he played well. He did a good job. He did his job. It was good to see how he tried to fight through that.”
(What did you think of DT Davon Godchaux?) – “I thought that whole front did a really good job. Obviously when you (play) a team that wants to run the ball and basically force them out of it, and make them pass exclusively because they don’t want to run it anymore, that’s usually a big plus.”
(Staying on those tackles, Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn mentioned DT Ndamukong Suh and how he was blowing up running plays early. What did you see from Suh on film?) – “I saw a guy that was not going to be blocked. When they were trying to run the ball, it didn’t matter if there was two guys on him or one guy, he was penetrating, creating negative plays (and) causing chaos. Basically the same thing I’ve seen every week since I’ve been here.”
(Did the focus on the run game maybe affect the lack of pass rush?) – “No, the ball was coming out fast. (Chargers QB) Philip (Rivers) was not holding onto that thing. For us to allow our pass rush to really get going, we either need to get a lead earlier, so it makes them one-dimensional in the fashion where they have to push the ball down the field, and we’ve got to tighten up outside a little bit. We’ve got to understand, we have to cover them tight and make it hard for the quarterbacks. We’ve got to not allow them to throw the first progression, and that’s something that we keep talking about and we’ve been working on. That’s part of the growth of the season. You’re trying to get better every week and that’s one of the things we just need to get better at.”
(Your team seems to do well with that next-man-up mentality, adapting to that, buying into it. What can you say about that? How would you rate that skill? Is it above average, average for the NFL?) – “(It’s about) the kind of players we have. It’s each guy, whether they’re here or somewhere else. If that guy is built that way, where he feels like ‘If I become the starter, I’m going to do as good a job or do my job as well as I can,’ then it’s going to be good enough for what we need. I just think a lot of it has to do with the guys that we’ve got on this roster.”
(You mentioned outside zone in conjunction with play action. How does that lend itself to play action as opposed to inside zone?) – “It’s a tougher protection probably to defend, because the way that the outside zone run game is, when a guy sticks his foot in the ground and goes vertical, you’re closing down on the edge. You’re really unblocked. If you make that play in the run game, great; but if all of the sudden we’re booting out or we’re setting up and you’re doing that, then all of the sudden you’re blocked, there’s nothing in the quarterback’s face and he’s got a lot of time. I understand, the more I’ve been in this, why we saw Atlanta have the success they had last year. (Falcons QB) Matt Ryan really took advantage of that, him and (Falcons WR) Julio (Jones). Seeing a lot of these teams, like the old Denver teams, just watching a lot of these types of play actions, it makes sense to me why it’s worked.”
Adam Gase – September 18, 2017
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Monday, September 18, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Do you have any updates on LB Lawrence Timmons and his situation?) – “No, not currently.”
(Do you expect that LB Lawrence Timmons will play next Sunday or way too soon to know that?) – “I haven’t even gotten through Step 1 yet. We kind of got in a little late last night so I’m kind of dealing with the guys that played.”
(Have you talked to LB Lawrence Timmons?) – “No.”
(Is LB Lawrence Timmons in the building?) – “No idea.”
(One of the things you guys did very well yesterday was stop the run, which had been such a focus throughout the offseason. What pleased you most in terms of what you did to accomplish that?) – “I felt like we had very few missed tackles. I thought the entire defense did a good job playing off each other. We had one that kind of got us for a longer run; but for the most part, everybody was in the right gaps, playing fast, a lot of gang tackling, a lot of guys around the ball just collapsing everything. It was really good to see.”
(S Reshad Jones said after the game that he would’ve liked to do a better job of getting hands on receivers and not allowing them up the field as much. What is your assessment of the secondary and their performance in the game?) – “It’s a tough matchup. Philip (Rivers), these last – the Denver game and then our game – those are two of the better games that I’ve seen him play in the last couple years. He was really on it. He did an outstanding job with getting the ball out. It really took our rush away by the way he was finding guys open quick and letting guys make plays in shorter, intermediate areas. We keep trying to get tighter and tighter in coverage, and he does have playmakers. It’s tough. They’re going to win some battles and they’re going to get open. We just got to keep trying to find ways to get our hands on guys and be as tight as we can early so that rush can get home and make them get off the first progression. But yesterday, he was getting the ball out quick.”
(Play calling, obviously, offensively for you was more aggressive in the third quarter. Do you think that’s fair to say? Was that something that QB Jay Cutler good-naturedly encouraged you to do at halftime or entirely your thinking?) – “No. I thought the first drive was really … I called a wide receiver pass and end around in the first drive. (laughter) We just had those three-and-outs. I didn’t like … I felt a little lull – off rhythm – in that second quarter. I felt like I was holding our guys back and that third quarter really put it on getting Jay Ajayi the ball and finding ways to let the receivers win one-on-one opportunities. We didn’t really get the opportunities we wanted with Julius (Thomas) because of what they were playing. Then letting Jay (Cutler) make some plays with his feet, scrambling. Those guys really took over that game. We kept it fairly simple and they won their one-on-one matchups. That really changed a lot of it for us.”
(LB Mike Hull ended up playing every defensive snap, led the team in tackles. What’d you see from his performance?) – “(It is) what he has done since really we got here. Every time we put him in the game, he knows how to play football. He has a knack for finding the ball. He anticipates probably better than a lot of guys. I think he can see things different. Anytime anybody tries to run anything that just seems like a misdirection play, he never falls for it. He’s always going the way the ball carrier is going. He’s one step ahead of most guys when it comes to anticipating run plays or pass plays.”
(CB Bobby McCain played like three quarters of the game. I assume you guys were in nickel. Was that an adjustment because of…) – “They were playing three wide receivers, so that was … That’s really the NFL now. Last year I think Bobby had close to 700 snaps maybe out of 1,000. That’s just kind of what it is now.”
(Had you and Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke gone in with the thinking yesterday of letting CB Byron Maxwell play every play as opposed to letting CB Alterraun Verner come in for a couple series?) – “Yes, I don’t think we … He had a good week of practice. I think they both had a good week of practice. Byron was a good matchup for us. We felt like he matched up against those guys well. We liked him to get his hands on those guys and try to grapple with them a little bit. We’ll just keep working on getting better at certain aspects of how we want to play defense. That’s part of the process of the season. We’ll keep making adjustments and trying to find what this group of guys will do best.”
(Now that you’ve had the chance to look at the tape, LB Chase Allen’s performance, what did you think of it? And do you feel like you need to add some depth at linebacker?) – “I though he did a great job. I love the fact that the first play of defense (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) brings everybody, which I thought was aggressive. I love that. (Allen) gets in on the first play and made another play, just anticipating what was going on up front, shot to the sideline and knocked the guy out of bounds. Whoever we got here, we’ll get guys better and we’ll feel good about it entering Sunday.”
(I know you said you didn’t have an update on LB Lawrence Timmons, but how is that going into a game with just a handful of linebackers at your disposal?) – “We’ve had a lot worst situations at other positions before. We’re used to adjusting. It’s not a big deal for us.”
(I know you’re not in position or willing at this point to talk about specifics with LB Lawrence Timmons. Can you just say from a general standpoint or are you willing to say if you expect him to be on the team going forward? Is that something you’re willing to say at this point?) – “No. I have nothing to add for what I have right now. I’m really just gathering a lot of information. I’ve got a few other things I’ve got to deal with, with the guys that played yesterday.”
(I don’t know if it came out in the postgame since I wasn’t there but the timeout with 10 seconds left, what was the…?) – “Well, we were trying to leave enough time to where if he made (the kick), we could run another play. Philip (Rivers) was stopping all of those guys trying to run on the field. With a quarterback that has been doing it for about 15 years, stopped them and was going to clock it with 2 seconds left. That’s what was going on there. We tried to call it with 12 seconds left, but we got 10. So if he kicks it and makes it, at least we got a chance. Maybe you start running around and throwing the ball around and see if you could get something going.”
(Just overall thoughts on QB Jay Cutler?) – “Jay did a good job. He executed what we asked him to do. He was good in the run game. He threw the ball well and made some great plays off schedule. Those guys just seem to … They are learning each other. He keeps everything calm. He doesn’t get too high or too low. I know he wishes he had that one throw back to Jarvis (Landry) in the red zone. We were just a little bit off on that one. I know we were excited about having the opportunity to run that one and that was something we had been working on. I think we had that up in 2015 and I think that’s the first time I got to call it. We were close on that. That would’ve been a great one to have, but we still got points out of it. I thought he did well though. He made some … That throw he had to DeVante (Parker) was a really good play, just on that scramble drill. Those guys do a good job when things start breaking down. We’re finding guys now.”
(WR Kenny Stills gets that mismatch with the linebacker and QB Jay Cutler hit him for a touchdown. Is that a byproduct of going up-tempo and not allowing them to sub in and sub out?) – “No, that was really just the coverage they were playing. They played it a little different than we had actually thought. Kenny did a good job of staying on course and Jay got flushed and Kenny saw that matchup. That’s a tough one. It’s one of those deals where you’re hoping the rush gets there and he broke the pocket. It made it tough to where that linebacker has to try to at least shield that guy off. The extension of the play really helps that.”
(You guys have been focusing on the game so much. Now that you have the time to step back and be individuals and join your families, things of that nature, was anybody affected that you know of by the hurricane?) – “I’m sure guys … there are still a few guys (without) power and things like that. We were trying to gather as much information as we could. I’ll probably know more of everybody’s individual status by the end of the day. As of right now, really anything that I’ve been told has been guys without power. I know driving home last night, just the debris on the sides of the road was really, where I live, that’s what I saw. It was pretty late so I was just trying to get home.”
(Initial shock at all of what you saw?) — “I guess I didn’t know what to expect. So I was just more focused on just going to bed.”
(Did you and Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Chris Foerster go into yesterday planning to play G/T Jesse Davis at left guard or was that based on how C/G Anthony Steen was playing?) – “No, that was … We were going to play them both.”
(How do you think G/T Jesse Davis and C/G Anthony Steen did?) – “I thought both of them did well. They’re not making it real easy on us to make any kind of decision long term so that’s good. I think having competition like that and two guys that really want to be out there, I think that’s a good thing.”
(I don’t know … That Sunday morning after the roster was cut down – Labor Day weekend. I don’t know if you were sitting with Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum and General Manager Chris Grier that day, but when K Cody Parkey became available, this is no disrespect to K Andrew Franks, who did good things here; but was that a no-brainer for you guys sitting there when K Cody Parkey became available?) – “He was really the guy that we were going to target. We didn’t know how it would shake out. We had a list of guys that … ‘Rizz’ (Associate Head Coach/Special Team Coordinator Darren Rizzi) and ‘Moof’ (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf) did a good job of kind of building cases for where Andrew (Franks) was compared to other guys and where we could have gone. We felt like he was a guy that really would help us and they felt good about it. He helped us out yesterday, I know that.”
(I assume the prime thought in signing him was long kicks like that. Right? I mean he’s 6-for-6 in his career from 50-plus.) – “To me it was just make them. I don’t care where it is.”
(Did K Cody Parkey pop on your radar when the Browns drafted a kicker?) – “Yes, I think … ‘Rizz’ (Darren Rizzi) and ‘Moof’ (Marwan Maalouf) do a good job of just making sure they know the league and understand where competitions are going on and what the possibilities are. You just never know what anybody else is going to do. You just keep preparing and if a guy pops available that you like, you just have to be ready to make a move and make an adjustment.”
(How do you assess your linebacker position now going into the next game?) – “Well, right now those guys did a pretty good job. They did what they were asked to do and made a lot of tackles between the three of them. We’ll kind of figure that out over the next few days, what we’re going to do and kind of how we want to play. Possibly, if we have to make some adjustments to what we want to do versus certain personnel groups, we will. That’s what this game is all about. You just kind of figure out who you’ve got on the roster and make adjustments.”
(What did you think of tackle just before the half that WR DeVante Parker thought was a low hit?) – “Yes, I mean that’s how guys are going to hit. It was tough play on the sideline. (Parker) is trying to get his feet down. They guy is trying to prevent him from getting his feet down. It happened so fast. I guess I was more concerned of whether or not he was alright. I didn’t know if he was alright because he kind of stayed down for a second. It was hard for me to see exactly what happened until I watched film today, but that’s kind of … I don’t know. That’s football. You don’t want him to stay inbounds. They’re going to do what they have to do to keep him inbounds.”
(How from a TV standpoint, when you guys … How un-football like was the environment like? You’ve got 27,000 seat stadium that wasn’t full.) – “I mean I wasn’t paying attention. I was worried about what was going on on the field. I don’t know. I’m in a different world.”
(Do you consider yourself to be a coach who has a lot of rules or just a few pretty basic ones?) – “Be on time and play hard. I don’t know if that’s real hard.”
(With those being the rules, when those are violated in your mind, what’s your tolerance level generally?) – “What do you think? They’ve got two rules. It’s not hard.”
(Sorry if you addressed this in Oxnard, but when you found out that a few of your players had paid for the Miami Central Football team that was stranded in Vegas and helped them get back. I mean you’re the leader of these guys. What does that say to you about the group of guys that you lead in that locker room?) – “I think there is … That’s a great example of something that people found out about; but I do think those guys in particular, and other guys on the team, do a lot of things that kind of go under the radar. Our guys do a great job of always looking to reach out and help. I’ve noticed that it seems like we have more and more guys doing that, especially this last … since this spring on, since we really kind of restart up. It just shows you the kind of character our guys have. I think it shows kind of when you see them on Sunday, kind of that no quit attitude. Just kind of the toughness they have to fight throughout an entire game kind of translated off the field, to where it’s about more than just themselves. Those are the kind of guys we want.”
Cody Parkey – September 18, 2017
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Monday, September 18, 2017
K Cody Parkey
(Growing up as a Dolphins fan, would you ever watch games and see Uwe von Schamann or one of their other kickers kick a field goal and think, ‘That could be me someday’? Did that thought ever go through your mind?) – “At the time, no. Of course not. But yes, growing up and watching Olindo Mare and all of those guys, watching those guys kick, I always thought it would be pretty cool to do so. Now I’m here, so it’s awesome.”
(You’re 6-for-6 from 50 yards and beyond. I know it’s not a huge sample size, but how much confidence does that give you from that mark?) – “Yes. I’m very confident in all of my kicks in that range and in. I kind of treat them all the same. I’ve been very fortunate that they’re falling for me from that range, so I just continue to stick to my routine and go from there.”
(Being a relatively local person from Jupiter, what’s this like to kick a game-winning field goal for your home team?) – “It’s cool. It’s still sinking in a little bit; but at the same time, I’m a guy that’s like ‘Alright, let’s go to the next game now.’ It’s in the past now. It happened yesterday, so I’m already looking forward to going and getting a win vs. the Jets.”
(Did you used to go to Dolphins games?) – “Yes, we would go to like one per year. Nothing crazy, but Sunday when 1 p.m. hits, we were glued to the TV.”
(As a kid, were there times when you were envisioning kicking a game-winning field goal for the Dolphins one day?) – “I just remember watching a couple of scenarios like that, like that would be cool. I never pictured myself doing it, per se; but as I got better at kicking growing up, I was like ‘Yes, that would be pretty cool to play for the Dolphins.’ So yes, it was something I obviously never really thought would happen; but I’m here and it’s pretty cool.”
(How did you get interested in kicking and when did you start) – “I started in sixth grade. I played Pop Warner football. I played offensive line, linebacker, and kicker, and then in high school I just kicked, and then I got into kicking camps. My dad was really the one that showed a lot of dedication in me. He always motivated me, so I went out there and practiced really hard and I got to where I’m at today.”
(Did you find your teammates being nicer to you today than they were before yesterday?) – “Oh, yeah! (Laughter) No, they were cool. I think they all learned my name yesterday. (laughter) I still haven’t been here too long so it’s pretty cool. It was awesome. It was really awesome.”
(Anybody make the mistake and call you Parker?) – “I’ve had a lot of people do that, but nobody on the team, no. (laughter)”
(Your confidence in the 50 yarders, is a lot of that built just every day in practice?) – “Yes. You hit those kicks a couple of times in practice. I mostly focus on 50 and in, but there’s always a couple in practice where we hit those. You go in warmups and hit kicks like that and it gets you confident for the game.”
(In practicing from that distance, how often do you make them? What would you say your percentage is of making those kicks?) – “I mean pretty high. Anything that’s within my range that my leg can do, I feel like I’m a pretty accurate kicker. I go out there and try to kick it the same as I would an extra point, and not really try to emphasize it, and I think that’s maybe why I’ve had success. A little bit of luck here and there always helps, but I’m very blessed to be where I’m at.”
(Did Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi say anything to you before the kick?) – “Nope. I walked on the field and he kind of knew to let me do my routine and I think that’s the best way to do it. Don’t add any emphasis on it, just go out there and kick it.”
Ja’Wuan James – September 18, 2017
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Monday, September 18, 2017
T Ja’Wuan James
(How much pride does the offensive line have that the Chargers hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 17 straight games and you guys come in and RB Jay Ajayi comes in and blows through that mark with 122?) – “That’s just credit to Jay (Ajayi) and credit to the work we put in, and also our receivers. A lot of those big runs … I think we might have the best blocking receivers in the NFL. They’re committed to digging out safeties no matter where they’re at and also blocking 10 to 15 yards down field.”
(How does it feel to be back home?) – “Amazing. It feels good to be back in your own bed finally, get to see your family. A lot of stuff was going on and we were not really in control. It’s good to see everybody’s family safe and get back home to them.”
(You said a lot of down trees and stuff; but to get back here and now start a normal week. Here today, I’m sure you’re off tomorrow, and then get back to work. How satisfying is that going to be?) – “At this point, it’s whatever. Whatever is thrown at us, we’re ready for it. Another hurricane could come; it doesn’t matter. (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase really just changed the whole mindset of the team.”
(What was the huddle like when you did the victory formation after the missed field goal?) – “It was great. Jay (Cutler) said a little bit to us (like) he’s proud of us, how we fought the whole game and stuff like that. We’ve just got to build off of this.”
(Speaking of QB Jay Cutler, how did you think he played yesterday?) – “I love it. He’s a leader. That was our first … I really only played the Philly game with him; but as for a game with him, his leadership is crazy out there. His confidence and the confidence he instills in everybody else around him is pretty cool to see.”
(How about confidence in your kicker? It’s only six kicks, but K Cody Parkey has never missed a field goal beyond 50 yards.) – “I didn’t know that. He hasn’t missed since he has been here at practice, so we knew every time he kicked it, it’s probably going in. He’s a hometown hero right now. We’re happy for him and he definitely helped our team.”
(What’s QB Jay Cutler like in the huddle? He seems like a laid back guy to us, but does he get fired up in there? What’s he like?) – “Yes, a little bit. We didn’t huddle much; but when we did, he definitely – like I said – he displayed that leadership and that confidence that he can put into everyone on offense.”
(Did you like going no-huddle most of the game?) – “It was good for California weather. (laughter) It wasn’t as humid (like) down here. But it does a good job of also keeping the defense off balance. They’ve got to keep some personnel in the game sometimes or they can’t sub out linemen. It helps. I feel like we’ve just got to continue to build off it.”
Cameron Wake – September 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 17, 2017
Postgame – Los Angeles Chargers
Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by the Los Angeles Chargers)
On the devastation in South Florida:
“It has definitely been a crazy past few days. I was speaking to the team about how every so often something happens that puts everything in perspective. You want to make sure your family, friends, and loved one are safe. For people in South Florida affected by Hurricane Irma, football takes a backseat for a while. We were scrambling there for a minute. For the most part, most of the guys got out and their families. Trying to do everything you can to get everything back to normal. I know that people back in South Florida are trying to do the same thing. We’re trying to get back to the daily task and the normal routine. For us, football is a part of the normal routine and we would like to make winning a part of our routine. Today was a step in the right direction. Obviously, I hope everyone back home has the facility to watch the game and have just a moment of free time and pleasure to watch us bring the win back to South Florida.”
On how to focus on the game:
“The reality is, to be very blunt, nobody cares. I would assume that the Chargers didn’t care too much about what we had to deal with last week. They were prepared to beat us and they gave it their best shot. I am pretty sure that week 15 whoever we are playing does not care that we don’t have a bye-week and everybody else in the league does. They are not going to care. They are going to give us the best shot to beat us. We’re going to have to take our 30 seconds to cry and then shut up and man up. Do whatever you have to do your job. Your jobs don’t care, I don’t care, guys watching the game don’t care. The team trying to beat you does not care. The whining and the complaining ended a long time ago. No matter when no matter where, when the ball goes down, you have to play.”
On the team’s toughness:
“I think adversity shows character and here we are. The last few weeks we had a little adversity and opportunities that we could have thrown in the towel or cried about this. I don’t think that is the way we are built. It is another one of those things that in spite of we are still trying to find a way to win. Today was one of those situations. Who cares about what happened last week? Is your house damaged? I don’t know. Some guys haven’t been home in over a week and don’t know what is going on but they just have to go out there and play. That is what brings the guys together and all focus on the same task to get the win. It was a scratch and crawl type of game.”
Ndamukong Suh – September 17, 2017 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 17, 2017
Postgame – Los Angeles Chargers
Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh (transcribed by the Los Angeles Chargers)
On the win:
“We’ll take the win. It’s a terrible win, but we’ll take it. We need to finish strong, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think we gave them an opportunity with a minute and ten seconds left, so we need to do better at adjusting more quickly and understanding what they’re trying to do against us.”
On limiting the Chargers’ running game:
“We definitely understand that from that perspective that a big part of their running game was the draw. They were successful on some opportunities there and then moved to the screening game a little bit, but they got their confidence up when they knew that they could get those shadow passes and run it down the field.”
On inability to stop Philip Rivers’ pocket passes:
“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating. I think it’s part of life. I’ve been in that situation in plenty of times, understanding what they want to do with their centers, back, and tight ends tripping us. I think they realize that we can be aggressive and cause havoc and I think they wanted to stop that. And obviously the quarterback did a great job of calling things and moving the ball around, as well as getting the ball out.”
On team’s character:
“Unfortunately, we’ve been through this before, so we know how to react to them, how to understand it, take it in stride, learn how to move past certain things even if it is right before the game, no matter where it may be. Kudos to our teammates being able to be strong and resilient and continue to be that way. Unfortunately, we didn’t play the best game but came out with the win, so we could go home and figure things out and get ready for the next game.”
On how important it is to get a win and get off to a quick start:
“It’s always important to get off to quick start. No matter what we want to be successful and find a way to start fast.”
