Adam Gase – September 28, 2017
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Thursday, September 28, 2017
Head Coach Adam Gase
(What did you see from LB Lawrence Timmons? Anything stand out yesterday?) – “He looked good. Running around. He looked excited to be out there. Great energy, which he always brings. Put him on the football field, he’s happy to be out there.”
(Your run defense – I think I’ve asked you about it before – but do you trust what you’ve seen with it so far as far as the numbers? Are they reflecting what you’re seeing on the field?) – “I try to stay away from getting too caught up in any numbers right now. It’s early in the season. When we watch the film together – when I watch it with the defense – I’m listening more to the details of what we’re doing and where we may need to clean some things up. I think those guys have a great sense of urgency to continue making this about team defense and making sure everybody’s doing their job, to where we don’t have those long runs, where we don’t have a game where we slip up and a team can run the ball on us. We want to be the type of team that every week, the opponent is going, ‘We’re going to try to run the ball; but it’s probably going to be really tough for us.’ That’s really my biggest thought process week in and week out is hearing (Defensive Coordinator) Matt (Burke) talk about the things that they want to correct and how they want to clean things up.”
(I’m sure, obviously, you think about everything this week about how to jump start your offense – every possible option. Have you given much thought – without compromising any game plan stuff, obviously – have you given much thought (to) your second-year, talented players you have in WR Jakeem Grant and RB Kenyan Drake. You have quality veterans ahead of them but in terms of incorporating them more, has that been a thought) – “The first two games, we’ve had some … We’ve put some packages in where we’re trying to get guys involved in the game. Like the first game, when you get crunched down to – I think we had eight possessions – then you see how the game is going. You’re kind of like, ‘Okay, if I do that and it doesn’t work, is that going to throw us off?’ You start thinking of the next step. The last game, it’s kind of the same thing. We’re not really going anywhere and we’re not feeling it. We didn’t have a great rhythm, so it’s like do we put different guys in there and see if that jump-starts us or is that going to hurt us? You’re trying to think through everything, and it’s happening … You can’t predict what’s going to happen two series down the road. Sometimes you’ve just got to say, ‘Alright, pull the trigger and we’re going to do this.’ You’re hoping guys will execute the plan correctly. It is hard sometimes to pull ‘23’ (Jay Ajayi) off the field, ‘14’ (Jarvis Landry), ‘11’ (DeVante Parker), ‘10’ (Kenny Stills). That’s a tough pill to swallow, because you know those are talented players. The fact that we do have some guys that are behind all these guys that have the ability to make explosive plays, that’s really a benefit to us. We’ve just got to figure out a way … What’s the best way for us to get them involved?”
(Do you sense from your players this week, an anxiousness to right all the wrongs from last week?) – “Yesterday, what I saw was a group of guys that were ready to come out to practice and do what they’ve been doing all year. Yesterday I saw great intensity. I saw guys moving fast. I saw guys trying to execute things the right way. Really, at the end of the day, if we do that, that gives us our best chance to win the game.”
(Along those lines, you come in Monday and yesterday and from what I read, frustration, anger. Do players take a cue from their coach? Did you sense anything like that from your team?) – “They got a good feel for me, especially the offensive guys who are around me a lot. I know the defensive guys know that I want the offense to be stronger than what we’ve been the last however many games going back to last year, because I feel like I owe that to them. I watch these guys play. I watch the effort that they play with – guys like Cam Wake, (Ndamukong) Suh, Kiko (Alonso), guys like Reshad (Jones). I feel like I owe them a, ‘I want to get you guys a lead, so you guys can go rush the passer.’ I feel like I haven’t come through for them yet to where they get a lead and are able to have a 10-, 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to where they can really go to work. They know that’s how I feel about that. Sometimes where my frustration comes from on Monday, if I don’t feel like we played well enough on offense (is) because I feel like (the) offensive side of the ball – which I’m in charge of – isn’t performing to the team’s expectations. That’s really why we’ve got to go back to work. We can put a good plan together Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and come out and coach as hard as we can and make sure that we do everything we can to get ready for the next one.”
(Are you anticipating using the two guys at left guard again Sunday?) – “We’ll see how it goes. We’re going to see how today goes. Usually we don’t make it that big of a deal. (Offensive Line Coach) Chris (Foerster) does a great job. He reps so many guys in practice because he has got to have contingency plans. If somebody goes down, we might have to shuffle some pieces around. By the end of the week, we usually have a great idea of, ‘Alright, here’s what we’re going to do,’ and then we’ll see, play off of that. If one guy is playing really well, we’re not going to take him out.”
(Regarding RB Jay Ajayi, he’s going back to London, nursing a knee – however big a deal that is – getting his brand launched, he said he thinking about kneeling during the national anthem. Any concern that he’s got too much on his plate or have you talked to him about time management?) – “The one thing I know about Jay is that when the ball’s kicked off, he’s going to be ready to go. When I look at the way that he’s performed since I’ve been around him, he hasn’t let any of his teammates down yet. I just know when it’s go-time, he’s ready to go.”
(The Saints defense looked much improved last week. They had a good showing against Carolina. What do you see in those guys?) – “Sometimes when you play a division game, it’s what you want to do. You know them, you’re familiar, you’re not scheming them so much as ‘Hey, this is how we’re playing.’ They played fast and they played well and they did a lot of things that disrupted what Carolina was trying to do, and that’s probably what they needed. Obviously, we’re coming off the game we did and they’re coming off the game they had and it’s probably one of those things where they’re looking at us saying, ‘Okay, how are they going to play us?’ And our guys are looking at them the same way. Really, it’s going to be about emotion, attitude, really who wants it more in this game, because we’re both taking long trips and we’re playing on neutral ground, so it’s going to be what each team is going to bring to the table.”
(Managing this trip, the front end you guys practice today, leave tonight, fly, you get there, you’re going to practice when you land, I believe. How do you manage the back end of the trip? Do you get back on a regular schedule next week?) – “Our thought process was, ‘We’re playing the next week.’ Right now, we feel like we’ve got a good schedule for the rest of the week and then next week. Our guys are just focused on this stuff right now. If you ask one of our players, ‘Hey what are you going to do on Monday?’ they’re trying to make sure, ‘When we land (in London), where do we go now?’ They’re not thinking too far ahead.”
(What’s your overall message to the players in terms of logistics and time management for Friday and Saturday, leading into Sunday’s game?) – “Really, we have a pretty tight schedule with what we’re doing with when we land and getting to the hotel and moving on and going to practice. We have some things that we’re going to do with the guys to make sure their bodies good and hydration and all those types of things. The biggest thing is getting sleep and making sure that when Sunday comes, we make them feel as normal as possible. Our guys have been doing a good job, especially these first two weeks. We’ve been talking about it. This is going to be an interesting little bit of a run for us. It started with that first week in LA of making sure you do all these little detailed things right because it’s going to carry over week after week after week. I feel like our guys have done a good job of hearing what we’re saying and trying to do what we’re asking them to do. When we get to this game, we’ll see. We’ll see how much that’s paid off for us.”
(When Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke was in here, he was talking about how he was preaching to the cornerbacks, ‘One step closer, one step closer’ in order to get more pass breakups. What are you seeing as far as the cornerbacks as far as getting a little bit closer to receivers and being able to influence plays a little bit more?) – “It’s one of those things that’s easy to say, tough to do, because you’re on an island a lot. You’re exposed. (When) you get beat, there’s no doubt who got beat. It takes some – you know what I want to say – but to go up and challenge a guy and play one-on-one and be aggressive and challenge balls, you have to be right in your technique. You have to understand what the scheme is, you have to understand what you’re doing on defense. There’s a lot of variables that go into that, but really the guys that are the best ones I’ve ever been around, they are aggressive and they don’t have a conscience about anything. If they get beat, they don’t care. ‘Hey, I got beat, I’ll fix it,’ and they go on to the next one. I mean they care at the fact that they just got beat, but they’re not going to hang on it and they’ll learn from the experience. The best ones I’ve been around have done that. That’s what we’re encouraging our guys (to do), ‘Hey, be aggressive.’ I like that. That’s one of the qualities I really like about Matt is he’s trying to instill that in our defense of if we want to be a great defense, we’ve got to be aggressive.”
(With the cornerbacks, how much does it go into being confident in what you’re seeing on film, recognizing splits and formations?) – “I think a lot of this profession is confidence, and when you think you’re good, that’s sometimes all you need. Then you add that extra element of understanding the game, understanding what you’re doing, understanding what they’re doing, what they’re trying to do, what their philosophy is. If you put those two things together, that’s going to give you your best chance.”
Matt Burke – September 28, 2017
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Thursday, September 21, 2017
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
(What’s it like having LB Lawrence Timmons back in the mix this week?) – “It’s been good. He’s been happy to be here. (laughter) No, he’s been positive. He’s had good energy. I think any time something gets taken away from you like that, he was excited and grateful to be back and have a good opportunity to get back on the field. He’s been excellent. His energy has been great. He’s been engaged. I’ve been happy to have him around.”
(Nothing against LB Chase Allen but what can LB Lawrence Timmons bring that maybe has been missing?) – “Well, he’s played a lot of football in his time. He can run (and) hit. He can do everything. He’s an important part of our defense and has been, and how we planned that out. He’s a guy that’s played 100-and-something games and had 100-and-something tackles every year. He’s a physical presence. He’s a great football player so he’s going to help us out.”
(When the linebackers are asked to drop back and play more of a vision defense, so to speak, LB Lawrence Timmons been pretty experienced in doing that. He does a good job of doing that. Has that been something that has been missing? Something he can add to the table?) – “Again, I think in general, he’s a really good football player that we were counting on to play a lot of football for us, so (he can add to the table) in all areas; but yes, again, part of being a veteran player is that he’s seen a lot of football. He’s seen all those routes that people have to match up and break on certain throws. He’s seen it all – 100 times or 200 times. He does have a good feel when he’s dropping in space and where the patterns are coming from and how to match things up and how to break on certain throws. Again, he’s probably one of the better tackling players on our team so then obviously getting guys down on the ground. He does bring that element to us.”
(Have you given any thought at all this week – any serious thought – to any personnel changes in the defensive backfield? Or do you feel like there just aren’t options because your backups there, except for S Michael Thomas, are primarily young guys who might not be ready?) – “I give serious thought every week on personnel lineups. It is part of what we do. After every game, we evaluate obviously schematic issues and personnel issues, and not just in the secondary – up front and everywhere on the field. Every week, that’s going to be an ongoing discussion. ‘How do we have a better chance to win? Does this player give us a better chance to win? Does this call give us a better chance to win? Does moving this guy somewhere else give us a better chance to win?’ That’s part of what we do every week and that’s part of our postgame evaluation process. There’s always going to be those conversations and if we come to the determination that a different player is a better fit for us or a different way we’re playing something or a different technique, then that’s our job to find that out and to do it. There’s always those discussions, for sure.”
(With this group specifically this week, do you still feel like CB Byron Maxwell, CB Xavien Howard, obviously S Reshad Jones and S Nate Allen give you the best chance to win as a starting group?) – “Maybe? (laughter) Like I said, that’s still part of the process. Part of also our week is the same thing. Nothing is set in stone. I think, again, (Head Coach) Adam (Gase)’s history has proven that here. I think the way we’ve done things has proven that out, has beared that out. We’re mixing guys around a little bit and week to week. If this week we say this is still the best way for us to win, then that’s how we’re going to play ball. If we feel there’s a better way to do things, then we’ll do that.”
(I know the Saints come at you a lot of different ways.) – “They sure do.”
(What’s the first thing you need to take away out of that offense?) – “The quarterback? Take him away and we’ll be alright. (laughter)”
(Just get in Saints QB Drew Brees’ face?) – “Listen, he’s a great, great quarterback. Obviously he’s done it for a long time. He’s obviously controlling everything. Him and (Saints Head Coach) Sean Payton, they’ve been together for a long time so they’ve got a good feel in what they’re calling and how they’re setting things up. They’ve got some good running backs. They’ve got some good receivers. It’s a talented offense, obviously; but everything starts with No. 9 (Brees). We’ve got to do our best. With a guy like that, you’re not going to make a living fooling him. Again, he’s seen it all. He’s played a lot of football in his time. We’ve just got to do our best, really at every level, to just try to make him a little bit more uncomfortable. To me, he’s at his best when he gets in his rhythm and when you look up, he’s 30-for-32 and he’s just grooving, whether it’s because he’s not getting pressure, he’s got easy completions, or whether he’s moving things around. He’s probably one of the better quarterbacks in the league at tempo, in terms of quick-snapping, really getting up on the ball and moving. Not even being in no-huddle, but just breaking the huddle, getting up, knowing what he wants and going. We’ve got to try to break that rhythm a little bit; and again, at all levels, whether it’s getting him in the rush, batting a ball down, disrupting some routes, maybe showing a disguise and trying to give him just a one-second pause. He’s going to decipher it. That’s what he does. But just finding ways to not let him get in that rhythm where he just – we’ve all seen him – start grooving and get going. We’ve just got to find ways to just mix it up at all levels of defense to try to get him to pause a second.”
(Do you trust your run defense is as good as the numbers indicate?) – “What do the numbers indicate?”
(Fourth or fifth in rushing yards per game?) – “I don’t know. I try to avoid numbers. Numbers lie to you. (laughter) I feel good about where we’ve been in the run game. Obviously so far, I feel like we’ve had success. As you guys know, it’s been a point of emphasis for us from January or whenever it was. The guys are buying into it. We’ve done a pretty good job. I feel like, again, some of the players we’ve brought in – between Will Hayes and some of the guys up front that we drafted – and hopefully now we get Lawrence (Timmons) back. That’s another element we feel is a physical player in the run game. I feel like they’ve taken that to heart and they’ve done a pretty solid job.”
(Do you feel like it might be another week away for LB Rey Maualuga? Obviously he’s been limited in practice so far this week.) – “Again, we don’t make those determinations yet; but he’s working back. It was good to see him out (at practice). You guys know he was out a little bit yesterday and moving around. He’s progressing. I think he’s getting close. I’m not going to put a timetable on it. Between health-wise and preparation-wise, if he’s ready to go, we’ll play Rey when he’s ready to go. If it’s this week, next week or three weeks, at some point we’re going to hopefully get him back.”
(On LB Stephone Anthony, you had told us last week you hope to settle on one spot. By the end of last week, that spot is what?) – “I don’t know yet. (laughter).”
(You do.) – “I might. (laughter) Again, with Lawrence (Timmons) coming back and still Rey (Maualuga), there’s still some moving pieces. What we’re trying to do is just project … Say we have a healthy lineup – a full complement of all of those guys – where they best slot out. Stephone (Anthony) has played Mike and Will and Sam, really. He’s played everywhere. We haven’t 100 percent settled in on it with him yet but I don’t know. That’s where I’ll leave it at. I would say by next week, maybe I’ll give you a solid answer. How’s that? Is that a deal? (laughter)”
(A two-part question regarding the secondary and pass coverage. I know last week a point of emphasis was on being more physical with the receivers. We talked about that. I wanted to get your assessment on how that went in the Jets game. And also, a stat that I noticed is pass breakups. According to the stat sheet, you only have one pass breakup and your opponents have 11. How much do you read into that?) – “Well, I can’t control what other defenses are doing, so I don’t really read into that part of it at all. Some of that is tied together. Probably one of the more disappointing stats – if you guys want to talk numbers – I don’t know the exact number is but we’re close to giving up like 80 percent completions. So obviously if you’re completing 80 percent of your passes, you’re not getting a lot of pass breakups. I do think that’s tied in a little bit into being more physical on the receivers. Obviously if you’re in tighter coverage and you’re being more physical and you’re draped on guys, the incompletions are going to come and the breakups are going to come. I do think it’s a cohesive … I don’t know if issue is the right word, but it kind of ties in together like that. The thing I always tell those guys, even in practice, I just tell them give me one more step. Let’s get one step closer and if you keep doing that – one step closer, one step closer – they probably hate me. I keep saying that on repeat out there. Again, whether it’s putting hands on them or just one step quicker out of your breaks – all of those things – that’s all I preach to these guys. Just give me one more step. You’re in the right spot. Last week, I probably put (Alterraun) Verner in a tough spot on that long touchdown. I made a bad call to put him out there like that. But other than that, we didn’t give up anything over our heads. We were there. We weren’t cutting guys loose necessarily, except for the long touchdown. We’re there. Now just give me that one more step and let’s get there and get the ball out. Even ‘X,’ (Xavien Howard), his two completions that he gave up, he’s draped all over the guy. The one, I don’t even know if it was questionable, that maybe hit the ground and then the tight end is a big guy – (Austin) Seferian-Jenkins. (Howard) is on his back and the guy just bodies him out. He’s on him. ‘X’ is draped all over the guy. So for him, now that next step is to get the ball out now. He’s covering guys. One more step for him might be getting the ball out. One more step for ‘Max’ (Byron Maxwell) might be getting his hands on a little bit tighter. One more step for Nate Allen, whoever it is – all of those guys – I always preach just give me one more step then what you’re giving me right now and if we keep doing that, then we’re going to get to where we want to get to.”
(How much of it is just being confident in what you see as far as the route anticipation and things of that nature?) – “That’s part of it. That’s part of being a DB. Part of what we do all week in the film study is understanding ‘Here is this guy’s split. Here’s the stem he’s coming off on the route. What am I expecting off that? Or I’ve seen this before?’ Again, that’s part of what those guys have to do in terms of studying their opponents and the receivers they’re going to line up across and those sort of things. That’s absolutely part of all of it, for sure.”
(You were with DE William Hayes years ago. How has he evolved since then?) – “I was with Will as a rookie. We drafted him my last year in Tennessee. I don’t know if evolved is the right word. (laughter) He’s probably about the same. We drafted him out of Winston-Salem State. He was a small school kid. He came into the NFL and literally, sort of like he is now, it wasn’t too big for him. I know you guys probably get the off-beat side of him but he’s a tough SOB. He’s a hardcore dude. He was like that from the start. Again, sometimes you get those small school players and it’s too big. He never blinked. He played for us as a rookie in Tennessee and kind of had the connection. I had a lot of ties to those players and that sort of lineage of coaches and people down there. So to follow Will’s career, I left the next year up to Detroit; but I would always watch those defenses and keep track of what’s going on. I honestly don’t know that he’s changed much. It’s probably more of a testament that he’s 10 or whatever years in and that he’s still playing the same way. He’s a hard man to block in the run game. He’s a hard guy to block. He takes pride in it. He’s a tempo setter for us. He’s who he is. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn’t hide behind anything and goes out there and plays some football. I’ve been seeing it for 10-plus years now. It really hasn’t changed much.”
(From the limited number of snaps that your young defensive backs can get during a normal regular season work week now. I’m speaking of CB Torry McTyer, CB Cordrea Tankersley and S Maurice Smith. Have any of those three done anything in the last few weeks to make you think maybe you should consider them?) – “We work all of those guys in. We don’t, especially in the secondary … In the front, in practice, those guys get reps. A little side note, but last week, one of the points that I made in one of my meetings … We go through a week of preparation – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – and Friday morning was one of our last meetings, a wrap-up meeting. I called ‘Mo’ (Maurice) Smith down to the front of the room. I basically asked him five questions about the game plan, just specific stuff that those guys should know. He nailed all five of them. My point was, just to everybody, last week Chase Allen had to start a football game unexpectedly. On a Saturday we said, ‘Bro, you’re starting tomorrow,’ and he went out there and performed. My point is that everybody in that room – that sits in our defensive room – is on call. We saw it last year with injuries and stuff like that, guys that got called up, even the practice squad guys. Our message always to those guys is ‘Hey man, you’re in here. You’re listening to these meetings. You may only get two reps in practice but you’ve got to be responsible and know this stuff because you’re one step away from going into the game and you owe it to the rest of this defense, the rest of the people in this room, to be prepared and know what’s going on and be ready to step in when you’re called upon. That’s the message that we preach day-in and day-out. I believe that all three of those players, if they’re called upon, will be ready to go. ‘Mo’ (Smith) has been active and playing for us anyways. Those two young corners, they’re competitive dudes. One of the things that I love about the way (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) runs practice is when they’re on scout team, taking some of those reps, we don’t card practice necessarily for those guys. We put it into our terms. So as close as we can, we try to get those guys to play our techniques. Even though they’re on the scout team, we’re calling it in our language. We try to script it out in our language and say this is similar to the way we play this. Those guys take pride in that. I think (they take) pride, more so than some of the other guys I’ve been around, for young corners. They compete in those. They go up and they’re trying to make Jarvis (Landry) better and DeVante (Parker) and Kenny (Stills) and all of those guys. Those two players – McTyer and ‘Tank’ (Tankersley) – they’re competitive dudes and they work in practice. They get a couple of reps every period for our stuff too and they go out. Whoever’s number is called, they’ve got to go out and play, no matter what.”
(As a follow up that, do you do that often? Bring players to the front of the room and ask them …?) – “I’ll tell you, that was an old (Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator) Jim Schwartz move. He started that. He did that a lot when I was in Tennessee on defense and did it. (He) actually (did it) in Detroit too. He was the head coach and he would do it with the whole team. We’d be in a team meeting on Friday. The funny thing is too, it’s easy, right? Like this (media) stuff even. It’s easy. Everyone sits up in the stands, up in their seats, up in the auditorium and yells out answers, and then it’s different when you walk down in front of the room and the room is slanted and there’s 60 guys and they’re all heckling you and stuff. That’s a little bit different too. We would like call them down and you’re standing in front of your team or your defense. I always thought that was a cool way to just kind of make those points that everyone in this room is responsible. He was … I’m spilling beans here … (Schwartz) was like extreme. Anybody that was in the room was responsible to know what they had to know. So if there was an equipment guy in the room for the meeting, he’d call him down; or he’d call a security director down and ask him about gun concealment laws, or he’d call a trainer down and ask about insertion points of this muscle. (laughter) It was literally like ‘Hey man, we’re all counting on each other in this room and so you have to be able to prove to the rest of these guys in this room that I’m doing my job, and I know what I’m supposed to know and be there for you guys when I’m called upon.’ I always took that message to heart. I thought it was a good deal and I thought last week was a good time in light of – I don’t do it every week – but in light of sort of what had happened the week before with Chase (Allen) and kind of try to make a point of ‘Everyone’s on this. We’re in this together and I don’t care if you’re a practice squad guy or an inactive guy or a rookie or a coach or whatever in this room, we’ve got to be ready at the drop of a dime to step up and fill in some shoes.’”
(Have you called on an equipment guy?) – “No. That was the first time I did it. He called on me once when I was ‘QC’ (quality control coach). I’m getting carried away here. (laughter) Back when I was doing it too, QC, I was the only one and breaking down film. I’m working two weeks ahead sometimes trying to work on the next opponent, getting my film broken down and stuff. I was like three opponents ahead and he called me up in front of the defense and I’m like ‘I don’t even remember who we’re playing week,’ and he put me on a spot. I remember that lesson too. It was good. I just had to dial it back like ‘Who are we playing this week again? Alright. This is what they’re doing.’ So I’ve been called upon but I haven’t drug anybody else into it yet.”
Clyde Christensen – September 28, 2017
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Thursday, September 28, 2017
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(Players spoke this week about mental errors, how Head Coach Adam Gase has mentioned mental errors. What have those been primarily? Has it been not lining up in the right spots? Not reacting to QB Jay Cutler changing plays at the line? What have they been?) – “Probably all the above. We’ve had all of the above. We’ve had some alignment issues. We’ve had some assignment issues. We do ask a lot of them. We play them in a lot of different positions and the thing that I think was disappointing is I thought we really had a good week of practice. That’s kind of been the theme. Somewhere from Friday until Sunday, we lost our edge and we weren’t as sharp. We really had a sharp week of practice. There weren’t a bunch of mental errors in practice and we had three really good practices that we thought were really quality practices, and it didn’t translate, which is perplexing to a coach, because the basis would be that you’re going to play how you practice, and that didn’t happen this week, which is very rare. It was a good week of practice.”
(These mental errors are happening at what positions primarily?) – “They were wide spread. They were wide spread. Everyone’s were up a little bit. Everyone’s (mental errors) were up a little bit and give the Jets credit too. They also whipped us. We didn’t lose the game because of … They also physically got after us and so it was a total woodshed, woodshedding if you will. The critical errors were up. Some were mental, some were physical, some were drops, some were misses, some were … They come in different forms there, so it wasn’t all just mental errors.”
(What do you expect to see on Sunday?) – “I expect to see a team rebound and, having been embarrassed last week, come out with a vengeance, just like the Jets did. They were sitting there at 0-2 and they came out and got after their opponent, which happened to be us. I would expect the same thing (from us) and I don’t think anyone’s pleased with how we played. We didn’t have a bunch of people play winning football and I think you’ll see some guys with some pride come back out and be real disappointed if we don’t come out and play extremely hard and extremely competitive, compete extremely hard in the ball game. That would be the first thing I’d look at, and then fixing some of those errors, and then also just figuring out what took place from Friday to Sunday. It’s a seven-day work week, if you will. The preparation is all week and so we have to find a way for that to go all the way to the football game. It’s been rare that I felt like the opponent had more juice than we did and that the opponent was more ready to play and there was more energy; but that was the case last Sunday. We’ve got to reverse that. We’ve got to play with our energy. We’ve got to play hard and that’s the chance we have. This game isn’t a game of out-ability-ing somebody. It still comes down to energy and effort and hitting.”
(Obviously in preseason and for what it’s worth it is preseason, we saw WR Jakeem Grant as a factor in the offense. How long before you think we might see him lining up more in the offense along the way?) – “I do. I do and I have and I probably thought we … even going back to last year, there were some packages up for him. I know you guys are tired of hearing me say it and I’m tired of saying it but just number of snaps again. You can’t go six percent on third down and there’s not enough snaps to get him in and get some of the other things called. I think you have seen him a little bit more. His catches in games are a couple of hundred percent up, so he is getting a little something; but I think our intention is to keep playing him. He had a good camp. He’s practiced extremely well. He’s playing well and he’s a good football player. The intention is to get him in there. He is behind three really good receivers who also had good camps, so it’s not quite as easy as ‘Hey, who do we take out for those plays?’ But I think the goal was to play more people, especially during this stretch, just to keep people fresh, and we have the advantage of doing that because we’re a little deep at that position. So we do want to get him into the game more and get him involved, and he is a playmaker. He is playing well.”
(Can the downfield passing game just emerge as a factor or does it depend on say the running game or maybe an underneath passing game to set it up?) – “D: All of the above. We are much better if we’re running the ball and our play-actions can come off those runs. That’s where we’re better. We’re better when that’s happening. Can it? Sure, I mean Jay Cutler can get into the gun and throw the ball and he’s had some big years. He can throw the football. We feel like we have good receivers and stuff, so I think both. Both of the above. But again, the ideal for us would be running the ball better, which we failed at this last weekend and for the naked (bootlegs) and the play-actions to come off of that as a starting point.”
(What are some of the things that are kind of precluding you guys from running the football a little bit better?) – “I think we’re getting the eight-man front. We’re getting people loading the box, which is no surprise for us, and then we just didn’t block them very well. We didn’t block them very well and didn’t run the ball well, and they kind of out-physicaled us. They did out-physical us. We have to reverse that and then we have to be efficient throwing the ball on first and second down also, to help the run game. It’s hard to block. It’s hard if they say whatever happens, you’re not running the ball. Those are hard carries. Those are hard blocks. You’re out-leveraged, there’s too many guys, there’s an extra guy, they’re downhill, they’re heavy in there, and that is a hard call run-wise. You can’t just say we’re going to knock all eight of them back 5 yards and run the football. They’re all tied together and so certainly they build off of each other, and we really broke down Sunday on both of them. We didn’t run it. We didn’t set up the play-action. We didn’t throw the ball well enough to soften them up where we could run it. They kind of fed off of each other and it’s really a combination of both things. It wasn’t one thing over the other.”
(How would assess the overall performance of the offensive line for these two games?) – “This week, I think the overall performance of the offense was dismal. We were poor in every … I wouldn’t even just say the offensive line; but the whole unit, we didn’t play very well. We played poorly and it showed and for all intents and purposes, we got shut out in the football game. I think it’s hard to assess it for … We have some guys playing well up there. (Mike) Pouncey’s played extremely well. (Anthony) Steen’s playing extremely well up front. So those guys did, even though … It’s not everybody but it’s … Fortunately, it’s a team game. Fortunately, it is a unit and everyone has to do their part and it’s hard to yank down and say this guy or that guy.”
(Can you assess what you’ve gotten at tight end and do you need more of the same?) – “I think it’s a good room. I think we’ve got some veteran guys. I think they would tell you that they can play better than that. I think that’s what they would say and I’d agree with them. We can play better at the tight end position. We could play better at every positon in this past game, but we have to play better and we have to get some big plays out of those guys. They’re huge. They’re the hybrid. They have to be able to pass protect defensive ends and block defensive ends and get open on safeties and make big plays and do all those things, so it’s a hard position; but it’s really a key one for us, because we have so many things that are kind of dependent on it with the outside zone and then all of the play-actions off of it.”
(On third downs, what determines whether you or Head Coach Adam Gase opt for RB Damien Williams or for RB Jay Ajayi and where does that decision stand at this point?) – “Yes, that game was kind of out of hand. We want to get … Jay is our horse. That’s a good time to rest him because we have two guys that can really catch the ball and make big plays catching the ball. Jay can also, but third down, especially later in that game, especially with Jay nursing the knee and soreness and stuff, it was a good chance for us to get those other guys in. A lot of it depends on if it’s a zone game, if it’s a man game, the matchups. We want to play them all on third down. Our intention is to put Damien and Kenyan in the game on some of those third-down passing yards, 2-minute (offense), and that’s two-fold because they are good players and they make some big plays and they’re natural receivers, and it gives us a chance to breathe Jay. Hopefully you’re still running the ball in the fourth quarter, which wasn’t the case; but, you’re still running the ball and it’s still a game in the balance where you can stay balanced and you want Jay fresh on that first and second down.”
(After this game, how much emphasis and after watching the film, how much emphasis has been placed on everybody winning their individual battles, everybody winning their one-on-ones?) – “Tons. The better ingredients, better sandwich, right? The better everyone is playing individually, the better unit. We need people to play winning football. That was the emphasis of the week. If we don’t play winning football individually, it’s not going to add up to a winning effort. So, I think a lot. A lot. That’s where you have to fix it on an individual basis. If you didn’t play winning football, find out what happened. Why didn’t you? Let’s fix it and play winning football. Obviously the more guys we have playing winning football, the better chance that unit is at being pretty good. It’s a big emphasis. If you do break it down that way, then it still comes down to one-on-ones, 11 one-on-ones. If eight of the guys are losing their one-on-ones, it’s going to be a tough day out there. We’ve got to have more guys playing winning football.”
Darren Rizzi – September 28, 2017
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Thursday, September 28, 2017
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(Any concerns about the missed extra point by K Cody Parkey at the end of the Jets game? How do you view that? It was almost extenuating circumstances.) – “Yes, obviously you’re always concerned with that play. It seems to be a common theme across the league now. The last couple of years, you’ve seen more and more. I think it’s already like nine teams have missed one (this year). Yes, I am concerned. He actually hit a good ball, it wasn’t like it was an operational thing. It was just a little technique flaw. He had a really good day in practice yesterday, so I’m certainly not overly concerned about it. It was a little bit of a crazy deal because Cody played two plays – the first play of the game and the last play of the game. That’s certainly a very extenuating circumstance, if you will, but I am very positive he’ll get it fixed.”
(I know we ask about WR/PR Jakeem Grant all of the time. He did have the fumble against the Jets. What’s your level of concern there?) – “Yes, he’s got to finish that play. I think he relaxed a little bit. It was a fair catch deal and I thought he just relaxed. He’s been really, really cognizant of finishing the plays. It’s something that we reviewed watching the game film and he’s just got to make sure he finishes the play. Like I said, I think he relaxed a little bit. I think I showed the team the last couple of weeks – that’s been another common theme throughout the league – I’ve shown like four or five muffs (by) a lot of sure-handed guys around the league. Without naming names, you go through and you look at a lot of guys throughout the league have fumbled fair catches inside the 10. You see that a lot of times in the beginning of the season. A lot of these marquee returners or guys that are starting returners don’t actually get a lot of game reps in the preseason. Now Jakeem is a guy that did, but a lot of these veteran guys (don’t) so you see a lot of balls on the ground. Again, the biggest thing there, the biggest factor is you’ve just got to finish that play. Just finish with the ball.”
(On the flip side with WR/PR Jakeem Grant, he fielded a punt inside the 5- or 10-yard line, whereas last year, under those circumstances, it would have been WR Jarvis Landry who was back there. Obviously it’s a statement in the increased confidence in Jakeem?) – “Yes. It continues to be a situational thing. There was going to be a couple of times where had they punted, Jarvis would have been up there as well; but we’re going to continue to rotate those guys. Jarvis had been in the week before on the one that we got a hand on – the one Senorise (Perry) got a hand on. They’re both ready to go, both practicing. They’re both part of the game plan. It’s really a situational thing. But as far as my confidence in Jakeem, certainly from last year, it’s certainly better.”
(Who’s been your best punt coverage guy so far through two games?) – “Best punt coverage guy is probably Mike Thomas so far. We’ve had a mix of guys get people on the ground. Mike Hull had a tackle last week in punt coverage and we’ve had a bunch of different guys. I feel like overall, in that phase right now, we’re getting good effort. We’re a little bit sloppy, I thought, with just some of the things we teach – our technique stuff. So that’s one of the things we’ve really harped on this week.”
(And for kick coverage?) – “Kick coverage, well obviously we only had the one last week, and it was a touchback. So really going back to the first game, obviously (Kenyan) Drake, Senorise (Perry), Mike Thomas, those are the guys that kind of stick out.”
(This London thing, you’ve done it already before. Do you think you’ve got a pretty good formula on how to deal with it, even though it’s been a little crazy this year leading up to it?) – “Yes, I think the way we’re doing it in terms of the timing, leaving tonight and doing it that way, I really thought that that was good the last couple of times. I’ve talked to other coaches and players that have been out there for the whole week and everything, and there’s pros and cons to both. We’ve given our guys a plan of action. I think (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) has really laid out a great plan. We went through it yesterday morning – it seemed like it was about three days ago, but yes, yesterday morning – he kind of laid out a plan for our guys and how exactly we’re going to do it, the itinerary. I really think we’re doing it the right way. The rest obviously is a huge thing. The sleep is obviously a big thing – the time difference – but from having gone over there a couple of times, we obviously talked about a bunch of stuff and consulted a little bit. I really like our plan going into it.”
(If you could talk in general about CB Bobby McCain coming off the edge on field goal and extra point blocks. Is there a certain angle? Does he have to avoid a reach block from this guy? Is he going for the ball or a point?) – “It’s definitely a knack that you have to have. The one thing we harp on the most with that deal is that most kickers are getting that ball of between 1.25 and 1.3 seconds. That’s pretty quick. So in order for an outside edge guy to get home and block or affect a kick, he’s got to have really, really good technique, to a point where if you have one wasted step, you’re not going to get there. Literally, if you have one false step or a slow get off. It starts with your get off, off the ball, coming off the edge. It starts really with your alignment and then your get off. Those two things have to be precise, and then the footwork. Bobby’s really worked at that and we have a technique we call the drive-and-crank – not to get too technical on you – and he’s really become really good at that and he enjoys doing it. It’s a thing that he’s really been accountable for and he’s really accepted that role. Like I said, he’s been a factor here doing that role. I really like the way he’s been playing on that.”
(Do you know the success rate of that under yourself or league wide over any amount of time?) – “Success rate in terms of?”
(Of getting a tip on the ball?) – “To me, it’s not even always about getting your hand on it. It’s about just being a presence there for the kicker. We talked about the first game, I think (Bobby McCain) affected that one. I think a couple of times, the kicker feels that edge pressure, there’s no doubt about it. You talk to kickers and they go out there and practice with their tees and everything, and they don’t like a lot of noise around them – kickers and punters. They don’t like a lot of noise. They like to be comfortable and so we try put them in an uncomfortable position. In talking to plenty of kickers throughout the years, they’ll be the first ones to tell you, they can feel that edge pressure sometimes. Even if you don’t block it, you can still affect the kick for sure.”
(Getting back to kickoff coverage, if I’m reading the stats right, K Cody Parkey’s distance is really good on kickoffs and yet there haven’t been as many touchbacks, is that right? You’re okay with all of those stats?) – “With only two games so far, they hand me the stats and I don’t even look at them until we get a little bit more of a body of work. I will say this, Cody Parkey’s kickoffs, when we ask him to drive the ball, he’s been really good so far. He had a really good day at practice yesterday. He can drive the ball out of the end zone. he can drive it deep into the end zone. There’s other times – like in the (Los Angeles Chargers) game – we had multiple kickoffs, where we actually asked him, we’re not driving the ball deep every time, we’re asking him to lay it up a little bit and try to get coverage and get tackled inside the 25. The thing I would say about him is he does both well. He’s a guy that can do both. I think sometimes when you look at that distance stuff, his drive ball is good and his average might be good, but it’s a little bit skewed because we’re asking him to lay it up sometimes as opposed to driving it in the end zone. We’ve done both. So it can be a little bit skewed, the numbers. Like all numbers. (Laughter).”
(How do you evaluate P Matt Haack’s play so far?) – “I’d just like him to be a little bit more consistent. Last week (against the Jets), there were a couple of low snaps that he got out of there pretty quickly. He flipped the field twice for us though, in that game. (He’s a) very, very talented guy. One of the punts he hit last week was a 5.25 hang time. He really allowed our coverage to get down there, and the gunners and ‘Mike T’ (Michael Thomas) got him on the ground. Really the same so far, (I’d) just like to see him … Obviously with game experience, he’s going to get better and better and better; but (he’s a) very level-headed guy, a very, very talented player; and again, like all rookies, you’re just looking for that consistency at every position. He’s no different. ”
(What’s a great hang time?) – “If you get a 5-second hang time, that’s a really good hang time. If you keep the ball in the air for five seconds. Anything over five is outstanding.”
(So Hall of Fame punter Ray Guy did that regularly, you think?) – “I don’t know. If you look, overall, your average punt in the NFL, probably for the year, is going to be about 4.5 (second hang time), on average. For every single punt from last season, in 2016, you’re probably going to be somewhere around 4.5. So if you get the ball up around 5.0 and all that, (it’s good). I didn’t time Ray Guy or Reggie Roby and all that. (laughter)“
(So a hang time of 5.0 seconds or greater is great?) – “A 5-second hang time is real good. A 5.25 is elite.”
(You’ll take that every time?) – “Yes. A 5.25 (second hang time) is elite. A 5-second hang time is outstanding. If you get the ball over 5.2 (seconds), you’re really allowing your coverage to do a lot of work. It’s amazing what two-tenths of a second will do. The difference between a 4.6 punt and 4.8 punt is amazing. When those guys are running full speed, two-tenths will allow them how much more distance to gain on the return? When you really break it down, it’s really incredible. When you watch it on film and live action, it’s pretty impressive.”
Jarvis Landry – September 27, 2017
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
WR Jarvis Landry
(There are a lot of gifted playmakers on this offense and it’s struggled so much – one touchdown in each of the first two games. Does that surprise you? Is it frustrating? How do you feel?) – “It’s definitely frustrating when you can’t put points on the board. I think the biggest thing for us, and we talked about it – Coach (Adam) Gase talked about it, we talked about it as an offense – is just finding a way to put points on the board, even if it’s 3 points. Eventually those add up and before you know it, we score a touchdown or two, and then that 3-point lead turns into 12, 15, and that’s the plan. So for us, just getting to the red zone is one step closer to getting points on the board.”
(How surprised were you that your offense was so off? It hasn’t been like that for a while.) – “I think there’s just things that we need to correct. I think there’s things we need to fix. We’re in the process of continuing to get guys in the right spot to make the plays that we need to make to allow this offense to go. It’s taken a little longer than expected, but I know that it’s on the way.”
(As crazy as the season’s been, with everything that’s happened, now you’ve got to go all the way to London. What’s it been like and mentally, has it been taxing?) – “Yes. One thing about us, we’re going to embrace whatever it is. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t control the weather and we were able to have a bye in the first week of the season, and the last three weeks have been on the road. It’s just something that we’ve got to do and we understand. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
(Every position group obviously makes their own corrections. For you, WR Kenny Stills and WR DeVante Parker, what’s been the emphasis on where you guys need to be better than Sunday? In what areas?) – “Just continue to make plays. When the ball’s thrown our way, regardless (of anything else), make plays. (We’ve got to) find a way to continue to try to get open for Jay (Cutler) and win our 1-on-1 matchups.”
(How about extending drives? You were 1-for-12 on third down? It’s bad for the offense but also the defense, having to get back on the field very early.) – “It doesn’t help when we’re in third-and-long on a lot of those possessions. I think eight out of the 12, we were in third-and-long. That’s tough (for) any team, any offense. It’s tough, but we’ve got to find a way to get better plays on first and second down to allow us to be in the position to convert on third (down).”
(How long does it take a quarterback and receivers to get familiar with each other, because we know QB Jay Cutler hasn’t been here for that long.) – “We’ve probably thrown about 50,000 balls now together. He’s a guy that anticipates well, so that helps us both and the (whole) receiving corps. Not only that, but he’s been making plays with his feet, scrambling. It’s definitely an adjustment, but he’s done a great job, thus far, finding a way to connect with all of us.”
(Obviously the goal is to win but how excited are the players to get RB Jay Ajayi going in this particular game?) – “It’s huge. I think our biggest thing is sometimes it may be the run game first. Sometimes it may be the pass game first. So understanding that it’s going to take a balance to do the things that we need to do to be a special offense (is important), but just as much as we need to throw the ball, we definitely have got to get Jay going.”
(It’s been only two games of course, but it’s been a 12 points per game offense so far. With the talent in this group, should it be a 20 points per game, 25 points per game offense do you think?) – “I don’t want to put a number on it. I think we’re capable of scoring a lot of points and we haven’t lived up to that so far. For us, we just want to score more points than the opponent, even if it’s 2 points. You know, 2-0, we’ll take it. A win is a win, and for us, that’s our goal.”
(I know Head Coach Adam Gase likes to get input from you guys during games. What are some of the things that you’ve been expressing when you talk to him. What do you prefer in certain situations?) – “It just depends on the team. The first week, we got a lot of zone coverage. Then we ended up playing the Jets this week and they did a good job of playing zone, making their zone look like man, so it was tough to get a beat on what they were really going to do. First and second down, they played pretty much zone, so we were trying to find ways to get the ball in our hands as fast as possible somewhere in between the holes, and make plays from there. We just weren’t able to do it fast enough.”
(As a player, do you like that kind of communication because you can probably see things that the coaches can’t from the sidelines?) – “Absolutely. It helps when you have a coach that’s that transparent, that’s willing to be open to suggestions, willing to be open to the things that we see out there. It is very good to have (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) being so transparent and all of the other coaches as well.”
(I know the players are frustrated so far about the offensive production. How frustrated does Head Coach Adam Gase seem to you?) – “I wouldn’t say that we’re frustrated. I think we’re just in a position that we know where we have to go. This is our floor and we haven’t really been playing up to our potential, and that’s not just on Adam, it’s on us as well, going out there and trying to execute these plays. For us, we’ve got a find a way to do a better job, to do our job.”
Jay Ajayi – September 27, 2017
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Running Back Jay Ajayi
(Why did you decide to a knee on Sunday?) – “I think it was something that was on my heart. I’ve been thinking about it for a little bit and I think it was just … First, what the President said kind of sparked it a little bit and then, I think, I thought it was the right time for me personally. That’s what I want to say.”
(You’re coming from a unique perspective on this. You are not a U.S. citizen, correct?) – “Yes.”
(So as part your decision process, how does that play into it) – “One I’m not into the whole citizen thing. It is what it is.”
(So you’re not into it?) – “No. I’m saying I’m not into the whole ‘You’re not American but you’re kneeling for the flag’ or whatever; but my thing was that … I think it was … I wanted to send a message for my brothers and sisters, to be honest. They live here. They were all three born here and I kind of wanted to be an example to them – being the oldest in my family as well – being an example for my brothers and sisters to show them that even though you have skies and people that are portraying hatred and division, I kind of wanted to be an example for my family, and be a symbol that we’re unified and I’m for unity, and I’m for people being respected. I felt like our respect was taken a little bit and I wanted to be an example to my family that you can be a symbol of unity, and that’s what I wanted to do.”
(Did you have any interest in becoming an U.S. Citizen at some point?) – “That’s something for down the road, maybe; but just on that Sunday, last Sunday – and looking to the future I’m going to decide – but I definitely, for that Sunday, wanted to be an example for my brothers and sisters and be that symbol for them.”
(And do you plan to kneel again Sunday?) – “I’m not sure yet, but I think I will. I’m not sure yet.”
(A couple of football questions. When you looked at the tape of the Jets game, it had to frustrating. What did you see?) – “They were stumping us. Physicality. They brought it and we didn’t.”
(And what can you do this week? What’s the motivation? What’s the mindset heading into this week?) – “The mindset is to scrap what we did last week. That was last game. We’re moving forward now. We’ve got the Saints. We need to come back and be more physical, have a nice tone starting off the game, and we need to execute better. Third downs, we were not good. We didn’t execute. We kept the defense out on the field too long. Across the board offensively, we didn’t do what we needed to and so coming back this week, I think we need to get back on track.”
(As a follow up, does it need to start with you? Do you look at that as ‘If I could establish that physical presence, if I can gain some yards, early it opens things up for everyone else?’) – “I think that for sure, the run game helps everything. I think that when we are on schedule and moving people off the ball and running hard, that we’re able to set a lot of things up in our offense. I think that also, sometimes, it’s not going to go that way. You are going to get stopped on the ground and that’s when we need our other guys to step up, and I think that we just all need to make plays for each other, so that on offense they can’t stop … If they stop one thing, the other thing is clicking and then they have to try and stop that, and then we go back to the run. So I think we all just need to be able to work together better and execute.”
(Two years ago you were an injured rookie and spectator in this London game. How special is it for you to actually be on the field and how unique is this opportunity?) – “It’s exciting. I’m getting to go home. My whole family is flying out. It’s a special thing and I think it will be even more special when I get there and it’s about to kickoff and all of that. I think that will be a great moment for me and for my family as well because I’m bringing everyone. So I think everyone is excited for it.”
(How many tickets have you had to come up with?) – “I’m at like 30 to 40 right now. It’s going to be a good support system at the game.”
(Can you give us a sense for how big your name is out there – especially after last year’s breakout year – maybe compared to before?) – “It’s all about the play on the field. I was able to do good and I was able to do well last year and have some success. Obviously, my name was able to grow more. Being featured and being a good player and being from London, being the only skill player right now as well, has kind of made me the face, almost, a little bit of NFL UK. So that has been a blessing in itself. I’m just trying to further the game over there. I’ve done some things (like) go back, work with the kids and try to use my platform as well to inspire. I’m doing some things there. I’ve got a little event I’m doing on Friday as well, for my own little platform and brand. I’m just trying to continue to build my brand and build my name over there as well as over here.”
(You didn’t go to the Seattle game last year. At some point you had to face those teammates. How tough was that for you? How tough do you think that was for LB Lawrence Timmons to do also?) – “It’s always tough not being with the team. When it’s something that almost is in your control, it’s even worse. But at that time, it’s about moving past it, and that’s what I was able to do. I know that know we’ve got ‘L.T.’ (Lawrence Timmons) back with us and he’s here practicing. When he’s here, he’s here. That’s our teammate. We’ve accepted him back and know he’s going to ball for us on Sundays.”
(Have you heard an explanation either from him or anybody else as to what exactly happened?) – “No. Don’t need one.”
(Can you give more details about what that event is on Friday?) – “I have my lifestyle brand that I’m launching in London. It’s called YURP. It stands for Your Unlocked Raw Power. Basically it’s my platform that I’ve been working on – myself and my YURP team – for over a year and a half now. It’s going to be exciting to launch in London. That’s where the roots are from; that’s where my roots are from. It all made sense (with) this whole weekend, getting to come back and being able to set it up. I’m excited for it to finally come to fruition on Friday.”
(I know it’s a quick business trip, but will you be able to catch a soccer game while you’re over there?) – “I think they had a game for us on Saturday to go watch; but it’s not Arsenal, so I’m not going to go. I’m not going to go. (laughter)”
(Head Coach Adam Gase was very frustrated when he talked to the media on Monday referring to the offense. This year and last year, the word he used was ‘garbage.’ You guys have scored one touchdown in each of the first two games. How frustrating is that? How surprising is that?) – “It’s very frustrating for myself, the running back room and the offense itself. One touchdown (in each game), I don’t think tells the story about what kind of offense we believe we are. I think that that’s a very talented offense that’s got a lot of weapons. For us to not put it in the end zone at this point in time is frustrating, but we know that it’s time. If there’s a time to get it done, it’s now. We got knocked on our asses last week, basically. (We) played (an) okay game the first week, got knocked on our asses (last) week. Now it’s Week 3, what are we going to do? It’s about stepping up and showcasing what we really can do this Sunday, executing all of the details and coming out and playing ball like we know how to.”
(I saw you working on the side. Any concerns?) – “No. I’m just going through the same protocol that me and (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and the trainers have for the season.”
(You mentioned being the first skill player from London. I know former NFL DE Osi Umenyiora and a few other guys have made it to the NFL. Do you hope to inspire the next generation of getting more players over?) – “Definitely. Just from my perspective of going back this summer, I got to go meet the London Blitz football team and see everything that they’ve got going on over there. (It) was exciting for me. It was almost like gratifying because I remember growing up not too far from the park they were practicing at and thinking, ‘Wow, they’re really out here now and they’re working at their craft.’ They’re chasing their dream and looking at me as a role model almost. It’s inspiring and it’s also exciting to know that they’re taking American football serious and some of them really are striving to work their way up there, maybe fly over to the states and work their way through high school or college and make it to the NFL.”
(What are your thoughts on a potential NFL team in London?) – “I think it’s definitely possible. The infrastructure I think is there for London. I think it’s going to be interesting to see how they set it up with an American team and Americans having to go over there and be on a London team and all of that stuff. I definitely think the city of London, they’re all ready for it, and they’re excited for American football. You can tell. All the games sold out. I think it’ll be interesting to see what happens down the line.”
Ndamukong Suh – September 27, 2017
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
DT Ndamukong Suh
(I added it up and you guys are traveling more in these three weeks than half the teams in the NFL for the entire season.) – “Correct.”
(Are you road weary?) – “No, I love it. I love being on the road. It’s fun. Honestly, it’s a great situation to be in, something to embrace. Just like coming into the league; embrace it, enjoy it, have fun with it and make the most of it. And to make the most of it, we need to go out there and win.”
(Is it hard to put the Jets game behind you?) – “It’s already behind us. We had to get over it on Sunday night, and really Monday morning as well. I watched the film. I was fortunate enough to watch it on the plane, so I’m over and done with it.”
(Did you have any conversations with LB Lawrence Timmons today, and if so how did they go?) – “I did, but (it was a) normal day – nothing special, more or less, to answer your question.”
(Is LB Lawrence Timmons welcomed back fully?) – “Yes, without question. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be. He’s part of this team. He works hard, plays hard and that’s what we expect from him.”
(Did LB Lawrence Timmons apologize to the group today about missing the game?) – “I think, like we said, it just went back to normal business. I don’t think there’s necessarily an apology needed, at this particular point in time, in my personal opinion. Like I said, we just expect for him to continue to play hard and practice hard like he does. He was out there flying around like he normally is, making plays and being a big part of this defense.”
Jay Cutler – September 27, 2017
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
QB Jay Cutler
(Does the team feel more complete now that LB Lawrence Timmons is back?) – “Yes, I guess so. He’s well liked in the locker room, so guys are happy to see him back out there.”
(Did LB Lawrence Timmons talk to you guys after coming back?) – “We haven’t had any formal talks yet, no.”
(How is it welcoming a guy back that did what LB Lawrence Timmons did? What’s it going to take? Is there a certain level of trust that needs to be rebuilt?) – “I think he’s got to come back in and do his job. It’s not hard. I think (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) said it a couple of weeks ago, there’s not a lot of rules here: play hard and be on time. ‘L.T.’ knows that and he’s going to come in and he’s going to do everything we ask him to do.”
(Do you think the team is convinced that this LB Lawrence Timmons situation is a one-time thing that won’t be repeated?) – “I mean if it’s not, it’s going to be dealt with. I don’t think it’s anything that we’re going to worry about or concern ourselves with. He’s back, we’re happy to have him back and I think we expect him to fall in line like everybody else.”
(When you broke down the Jets game, what stood out?) – “It was all around. Myself, we had a few breakdowns up front, we had some stuff outside, everyone kind of took their turn (making mistakes). As a whole, offensively, we’ve just got to play better. That starts with me, so I’ve got to get back to work and help everyone stay on time and be efficient offensively.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase, when he talked to us on Monday and again today, he had some pretty pointed words about how the offense played, I think he used the word garbage…) – “Strong word. (laughter)”
(Did he use those same words with you?) – “I think he probably went a little stronger for us, which is fine. He’s a passionate guy. He believes in this offense and so do we. There’s a lot of talent in that room and we feel like we should do better and hopefully we will.”
(One-for-twelve on third down, how do you fix that?) – “Well, we’ve got to get more yards and move the chains. There’s a lot of different things that go into it, so we’ve just got to fix a lot of things.”
(When you first came aboard here, Head Coach Adam Gase talked about how he had a plan for keeping you fresh and keeping your arm fresh. How are you feeling at this point in time after going through preseason and the first couple of games?) – “I feel like I’ve only played two games. I feel good. I took a few shots this past game, but my body feels fresh. Being off for OTAs and stuff, I feel good.”
(Do you even think about the shoulder anymore?) – “No.”
(How important is it for this team to be able to set up the run with the pass, as opposed to only setting up the pass with the run?) – “(For) anybody in the league, I think it’s hard to set up the run with the pass, or whichever way you said it, I forget. (laughter) But it’s hard to start passing a bunch and then say, ‘Hey, now we’re going to run it.’ That’s just an uphill battle to do that, especially in this league with defensive lines and safeties and really good athletes out there. You’ve got to be able to run the ball and have some play action and try to soften some things up a little bit. We’ve had success doing that, but that game (against the Jets), I think things got out of hand a little bit for us. We got into a one-dimensional (offense) and then when it was late third quarter, late fourth quarter, we had to throw the ball. If we do our jobs in that first quarter, early second quarter, hopefully we can stay out of those situations.”
(I added up the numbers and you guys are flying more in these three weeks than half the teams in the league are doing this entire this season?) – “That’s fun. Frequent flyer miles will add up, huh? (Laughter).”
(Are you road weary?) – “No. I feel good, I think the guys feel good. (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) does a good job of taking care of us, giving us off days, keeping pads off, cutting down practices, and this team’s just got to be smart. On our flight over, we’ve got to get some rest. We’ve got to go to sleep because when we get there it’s eight or nine in the morning. We’re going to have a walk-through and we’re going to get going. We’ve just got to be professionals about it and make sure that we’re doing everything that we need to do so that Sunday we are fresh, because they’re not changing the schedule. We’re not playing this one at home, they’re not moving the site, so it is what it is.
(I know that offensively, you want to play your best every week, but realistically, you haven’t been here for very long. How long do you think it will take this offense to hit its stride?) – “It could be this week. It could be next week. I don’t know. We’ve got the guys in the room. We’ve just got to make sure that everybody’s doing their job each and every play. Offense is a little bit tricky, because it’s going to take eight, nine or 10 guys each play for the offense to really go off, and that’s consistently throughout the whole game. We’ve got some young guys and we’ve just got to make sure we get everybody on board and everybody understanding that.”
