Dominique Jones – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins Tight End Dominique Jones (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(How did it feel to get the first career touchdown? – “It was nerve-wracking a little bit because they went to review again so I was like, ‘Man, they’re going to review it again.’ But it happened. It was a good feeling to get a touchdown finally.”
(Did you get to keep the ball?) – “I did. I think one of the equipment managers got it for me.”
(How would you describe the rollercoaster of emotions in this game?) – “That’s NFL football for you. You never know what’s going to happen. You just have to keep grinding, grinding, grinding. It’s not always perfect but we got the job done in the end. Now we’re 4-4 and on to Cali.”
Kenyan Drake – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins Running Back Kenyan Drake (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(How you’re feeling now?) – “I’m just a little sick after that. Kind of had to run back and forth like from kickoff return, then kickoff, then punt. Just a little winded still, but hey that win makes it a lot better I guess.”
(Take us through the return, what happened when you caught the ball?) – “Jakeem [Grant] did a great job with the return beforehand. The return got called back because they were offsides and basically so it was like we got to make a play, have to run down the field again. They’re a little tired, come back down and they kicked off to me again, the little border kick. I couldn’t get around the edge. This time it was a better return. I tried to hit the seam as fast as possible. Front line did a good job double teaming. I didn’t get touched until I got to the kicker and I couldn’t let him tackle me so it was a great team win honestly.”
(What point did you feel like you had it?) – “When I get into the end zone honestly, because I was trying to remember what my track coach told me – just pick those knees up and keep your form. I was kind of losing at the end but by the grace of God I was able to get into the end zone.”
Jay Ajayi – November 6, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, November 6, 2016
Postgame – vs. N.Y. Jets
Miami Dolphins Running Back Jay Ajayi (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(What was that sideline like when RB Kenyan Drake hit that hole and was gone?) – “Everyone was running down the sideline. I think I was trying to beat him to the end zone. I was so excited for him. That was huge for him to come up (and) make a big play for the team when we needed a crucial play, and he stepped up. So, kudos to Drake for that.”
(How difficult was it out there getting those yards against this Jets defense that came into the league number one against the run?) – “They showcased why they’re the number one rush defense today. (They) did a lot of good things and kind of getting good penetration here and there. But what we did on the sideline and talking with the o-line, we just kept it steady. We knew we were going against a good challenge today. All credit to what they were able to do – not letting us get to 200 (yards) and all that, but I still think we had a good game on the ground, still tried to create creases. The o-line still did a good job of pushing penetration, and we were able to finish the game strong with a good four minute and seal the game.”
Cameron Wake – November 4, 2016
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Friday, November 4, 2016
Defensive End Cameron Wake
(Where do you think you’re at [with your weight]?) – “Heavy. Heavy enough to get my job done.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph has told us basically that you are back to being like the Cam that we all know and love. Do you feel that way yourself?) – “I hope so. I haven’t felt any different from the day I started playing back out here in August or whatever day that was. So to me it’s the same old. It’s just another day.”
(Was there anything … when you have the Achilles and you have scar tissue, did you break through anything like that or is it pretty much all just clicking like it used to be?) – “I feel good.”
(I mean, earlier this season was there anything you had to deal with?) – “Last year, maybe; but physically, I feel good. It’s just again, situational football is more what I’m dealing with than a physical situation.”
(There are people, obviously, who watch you play, that were surprised that you still have the burst after the Achilles at your age. Were you at all surprised at the level you’re playing?) – “No.”
(Why so?) – “Because I’m me. It’s not … confidence has never been an issue for me. I’ve always known what I’m capable of and that hasn’t changed since the first time I put on a helmet.”
(There have been some that have been trying to send you to the rocking chair for a while. But with the way you’re playing right now, is another five years possible?) – “Anything is possible. ‘They,’ ‘some’… those people I don’t really concern myself with. I’m a guy who, I look in the mirror and that’s the guy who determines how I am, what I do and what my goals are. So the ‘they,’ the ‘those’ and the ‘some,’ and all those people, I couldn’t be less concerned honestly.”
(With the level you’re playing at this year, there’s no doubt going forward that you want to keep doing this, obviously?) – “As long as I can get my job done, as long as I can help the team win and I don’t feel like I am doing any kind of long-term damage or anything like that, I mean barring any crazy circumstances, I feel good. So as long as that continues, I would assume … and as long as they still want me around, then why not?”
(How much of significance was there for you to be put back in the starting lineup a couple of games ago?) – “It wasn’t a big deal to me. Winning football games has always been my goal. I have to go over my resume, I’ve had a lot of individual success. Starting or not starting, it’s about what helps the team win. What’s the most … the best thing to do for everybody. Situational football is kind of where we were in the beginning and making sure that I was trying to make the most the times I was in there, that was my goal. And it hasn’t changed – to make the most of the time I’m in there. Whether it’s the first snap of the football game or not, to me that’s kind of trivial. But getting in there and doing your job, that’s the most important.”
(Just to make sure, you’re saying you feel physically exactly the same now as you did early in the season? You don’t feel any better or…) – “I might feel worse now. If you feel the same now as you did in August, what have you been doing? I don’t know if you guys watch football, it’s a very violent sport. It wears and tears on your body, so I probably feel worse than I did in August, if anything.”
(How much working in concert with you and DE Andre Branch?) – “A lot.”
(So how does that work exactly? Do you guys sometimes try to push things to each other or…?) – “We work as a whole. It’s not only him and I, but you (have to) understand that for football terminology, we just have to work together. Not just us, but all of the front four or five or whatever the call may be. We (have to) fit together. He can’t be going left and I’m going right, it doesn’t make sense. So he’s going top, I’m going down. It all kind of comes together. Of course we have a lot of different communications and calls. You’re talking about him and I, we’re together but even more so, maybe the guy next to me – (Ndamukong) Suh, ‘J.J’ (Jason Jones), Jordan Phillip – whoever it may be, we’re always working together for sure.”
(Is it a far assumption that you’ve never played with anybody like DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “Is there anybody like Suh?”
(I don’t think there is… does that change things? Have you noticed that the job is different when you’re working next to somebody like DT Ndamukong Suh? For you?) – “Well, if you’re an offensive coordinator or guard and you have Suh in front of you, would your job be different?”
(Yes…) – “So that would make my job different too. ”
(Is it easier?) – “Success is a gift and a curse because, you have more success, but you also draw more attention. Maybe it evens out, I don’t know. If everybody is looking at where you are and where he is, and he is drawing all of the attention, maybe that’s a good thing, maybe it’s not. It just depends on the situation.”
(You’ve been in the situation a lot where you get into mid-season and things kind of fall apart down the stretch. What can you do different, what can the team do different to make sure that, that doesn’t happen?) – “We’ve just got to be consistent. We started off the season with some inconsistency and things that didn’t necessarily gel together – whether it’s defensively together or offense playing off the defense and the defense playing off the offense. Just continuing to keep that going, not being complacent, not … Realizing that listen, nobody cares about what happened the last two or three weeks. It’s only about what’s going to happen on Sunday. Whether you’ve been successful or not, we have to eliminate that past few games, or past few weeks from your mind, and focus on the task at hand. To me, I hope, and I think I speak for everybody here, that nobody is thinking about the last game. It’s over and done with. The great play you made or the bad play you had, it’s over and done with. Now you have to focus on the New York Jets and going out there and doing your best. If we do that this week and the next week after that, and the next week after that, I feel like it should be good for everybody involved.”
(Do you feel like right now you are playing as good as you ever have?) – “I’m an old man. That’s a long time. I don’t know. I’m not a stat watcher, I have no idea. I just go out there and do my best when I’m out there. You probably have more access to stats and numbers and percentages and all of that.”
(Yes, but there’s also pass rushing that’s not just stats. There’s also getting off the ball and disrupting things. It seems like you’re having an impact a lot. Does it feel like you’re playing at a consistently high level?) – “I would hope that hasn’t changed. I’d like to think that. As good as I ever have? I hope I play well and have always played well. That’s always been my goal. Compared to the other seasons, I don’t know. That’s for February when I can look back and sit in my rocking chair and look at all my stats.”
(We are not putting you in the chair yet.) – “I’m not in there, I’m good.”
(Does it mean something to you guys that the Jets are a traditional rival? Or is it just another divisional game to you?) – “It’s another football game on Sunday. That’s another thing for later on in the season when you look back and hopefully all the guys with the playoffs and all that stuff, that’s for later on. But for now, it’s a game where there’s a team coming down to your home stadium that’s going to try to come in and win a game. I’ve never been a guy where you’re going to give more effort now because it’s the Jets. If you’re giving more effort, that kind of means you weren’t giving as much effort the last game or the next game after that. If we’re playing a non-rival, then you’re going to give 50 percent effort? You should give 110 percent every play, every down, no matter if it’s a rival or not. You have to win the game.”
Adam Gase – November 4, 2016
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Friday, November 4, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(Have you made a decision on which players might be activated off PUP or NFI?) – “No. We’re just going to go through … we’ll figure it out here this afternoon. We’ll use the full allotted time.”
(With RB Arian Foster gone, has anybody emerged, from what you’ve seen, as maybe taking on a leadership role in that room?) – “I think Jay’s (Ajayi) trying to establish himself obviously. When you’re a younger guy and you start having success you just have to really … He’s trying to make sure he does everything right himself first, and then you’re able to establish yourself as a leader. I think Damien’s (Williams) a guy that’s been here for a minute and guys do look at him as a guy that does a lot of things right, especially here with football. He does both phases as far as offense and special teams. He’s one of our better players and he does do a good job in meetings and on the practice field.”
(I think we may have discussed this informally, but in the past this team has won a couple of back-to-back, looked really good and then backslid. What needs to happen for that not to?) – “I think it’s our preparation. It’s the way we practice. All of those things just need to stay the same. That at least gives you the best chance on Sunday. You have to bring the same energy that we brought the last two weeks. Obviously we’re playing a team that is very physical. They have a lot of talented players. They’re well coached. If we go out there and just flop around this team, they’ll wipe you out.”
(Are there any motivational metrics or mind games or anything for the players?) – “I think it’s just about just constantly talking the same language – both players and coaches – as far as making sure that you’re prepared, making sure that you are going out to practice with a purpose. As far as what I at least can see through the week, and what we do in meetings, I see a group of guys that are trying to stay focused on winning one game, one week at a time.”
(So you didn’t put Wide Receivers Coach Shawn Jefferson back in pads or anything?) – “No. Absolutely not.”
(Do you guys know if you’ll have TE Dion Sims?) – “He’ll be out. He’ll be out.”
(So TE Dion Sims will be not playing?) – “Nope.”
(So TE Dion Sims is not out of the concussion…) – “He’s not out of concussion protocol.”
(A lot of times you sign a guy like Benwikeré, for example, came in and needed a lot of time to acclimate and it sounds like Rambo maybe doesn’t?) – “I think sometimes when you’re dealing with a guy that’s been around for a minute and has played in and has good experience being in a few different systems, it happens a little quicker sometimes. When you start changing techniques and things, especially out in the position that (Benwikeré) plays, just as far as corner and nickel and things like that, some of the techniques that we do are a little different, and I think he’s trying to change really some of the things that he’s been taught in the past. When you’re playing safety, it’s more about alignment, assignment, things like that (and) less about technique.”
(Obviously losing S Reshad Jones is a tough challenge, but how do you get that secondary unit to basically close up the seams and play a little bit better as group?) – “I think the first step you always have to just realize is you have to be who you are and not try to replace what that guy’s skill set was. Reshad is a special player as far as his ability to do things a certain way and he has a lot of experience. He knows a little bit of the tricks of the trade to make sure that he doesn’t put himself in bad position. Sometimes when you’re a younger guy, you may try to do the same things that he does; but you don’t always understand all the little nuances of one: what the other team’s trying to do you, and two: what you’re doing within the defense. I think for us right now, it’s more about alignment, assignment – doing those little details right (and) making sure you’re in the right spots to give yourself the best chance to make plays instead of trying to do too much. That’s kind of the learning curve a little bit. That’s where we’re at right now as far as let’s just make sure that we’re doing our job right first and then you can evolve from there.”
(The unbalanced line, was that something that was already in your playbook or something you came across recently? Because we hadn’t seen it…) – “No. That’s something that’s like, we install it in the spring and you go through training camp and you throw it in there, for one: just so it’s not new to us. You just never know when you’re really going to break it out. It fit what we were trying to do last week and something that’s in there. You just never know when we’re going to put it in.”
(Why T Sam Young as opposed to another guy. Why does he work with that?) – “Well when you have a guy that’s playing tackle, and it’s just kind of fitting for him as far as coming in as like the big tight end. That was always kind of my thought process going into a situation like that where, like last year we used (G/T Jermon) Bushrod in Chicago, and the year before we had couple of guys that were tackles that were always up that we could use them in those situations.”
(Your three wins have come against 3-4 [scheme] teams. You’re playing a 3-4 team. Is there any correlation to that?) – “It’s interesting that that has actually been the case considering we go against a four-down front in practice and training camp. Usually it’s the other way around, that you have more success against teams that are four-down fronts, because you see it more. I don’t know if it has really had anything to do with the front. I think it has more to do with the fact that we actually executed a lot better, especially the last two games, compared to the games before.”
(Were you at all given a crash course on Dolphins-Jets rivalry?)– “Matt hasn’t really caught me up to speed. (laughter) I know it’s there though. I know it’s there, for sure.”
(I don’t even think your players know before it used to be a big, big, big deal – like Heat and Knicks now. Is it…) – “I guess the one thing I always think of is Dan’s (Marino) play – the fake spike. I know it’s there. I have a little bit of knowledge just (through) NFL football, but I haven’t really studied up on it as much as probably I need to.”
(Do you kind of have to start winning to get that back? Is that something … that rivalries are divisional opponents?) – “Yes. It’s not a rivalry if it’s one-sided deal. We need to keep pushing forward and keep building on what we’re trying to build right now as far as our process and try to take care of business on Sundays.”
(What do you guys get from the miles per hour gauge that you use on the players for practice?) – “I think it’s more to really push our guys to give them goals to hit as far as their play speed, because we want to try to get it as close to game speed as possible. The guys, really, they use it themselves more than any of us do. Our big emphasis is that’s how … We think that’s an injury prevention-type deal because if you don’t practice hard and then all of a sudden you ramp it up on game day, that’s usually when you have some soft-tissue injury. Your body is not used to going at those type of speeds. We really encourage our guys to push themselves in practice and try to max out, so their bodies are used to when you hit Sundays, you get as close to it as you possibly can, because even with a little bit of an adrenaline rush there on Sundays, now all of a sudden your body is even going harder than what it did in practice. We want our guys to really try to use that to their advantage. They do. We have so many young guys, and they used this in college. So, it’s like we’re getting these guys that are used to the GPS and gauging these types of things, and they use it to help themselves.”
(So, it measures their movement throughout the entire practice?) – “Correct.”
(It sounds like you’re saying if a guy was coming back and seeing that his number was too low, he didn’t go hard enough that day?) – “Maybe it might be he didn’t have a chance to really burst in that practice or be down the field. It just depends on what routes your running, if you’re a receiver or a DB, who you’re covering, how are you flying across the field if you’re a safety. It’s a good measuring tool for them to feel where their bodies were that day and if they were maxing out. They know. It’s not something that I’m sitting there checking all the time. It’s really more for them.”
(Does it ever factor into your decisions? Do you look and say a guy was only at this number this week, so we’re not…) – “I haven’t. When I say they use it for themselves, those guys are really adamant. They check it, and they’re always bugging those sports science guys and the strength staff, ‘Where was I today? How did I do?’”
(Have you ever had to tell a guy to take it down a notch after that?) – “We do get some red flags as far as if a guy did get overworked a little bit. It happens sometimes, especially with the lineman, when we move guys in and out, because we’re trying to get guys reps. Obviously, with a couple of older guys on the offensive line and between scout team and taking first team reps, and then you can get up there. We measure the volume just to make sure that we’re not overworking somebody.”
(We haven’t asked about CB Xavien Howard in a few weeks. Where is he right now in his rehab?)– “He’s doing good. It probably shouldn’t surprise anybody, because it’s the same thing as last time. He’s doing everything he can to try to stay ahead of schedule. We’re trying to be cautious with him. Obviously, we feel like he is a guy that’s going to be here for a long period of time, and we want to make sure we do him right and if he has that opportunity to come back, that he’s as close to 100 percent as we can possibly get him. Obviously, we’d love to have him out there. We feel like he’s a really good player, but we don’t want to make a mistake long term by bringing him back too early.”
(With T Branden Albert, I know you talked about the mentoring aspect of him earlier this week. Where is the play level for a guy who’s 32?) – “He has played really well. I feel like what I saw on tape last year, he’s really made even a bigger jump than where he was last year. He was a Pro Bowl player last year. Just seeing him, in the run game, he has really impressed me. I don’t think you see a lot of left tackles grind it out like he has been doing and being able to really move the line of scrimmage and then get into the second level. It really starts with his grit, will, that ‘want to,’ to be a successful offense. He has really been one of the guys (that) we’ve been running the ball behind him quite a bit, and he has done a great job. He brings that mentality, that work ethic day-in, day-out, and it’s transferring to games on Sunday.”
Darren Rizzi – November 3, 2016
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(Opening statement) – “One thing I just want to start with, obviously having had some time here – and the week off and the bye week – it’s just a great time to kind of reflect back (on) what we’ve done so far this season. Obviously, you evaluate all our different phases. The one thing I think that sometimes we get – and I’m the victim of this as well – sometimes we get kind of lost in using special teams, one broad stroke and you just kind of say, ‘Specials teams this, special teams that.’ I think the one thing we do in this bye week is kind of break … There are six major phases of special teams. Obviously, punt, punt return, kick, kick return, field goal, field goal block and then there’s obviously the situational stuff – your hands and onside and that kind of stuff. (You) really break it down – each phase – and then look at those throughout this last 10 days or so. It has been interesting what we’ve done so far this year. We played winning football in a lot phases. Our kickoff team has done real well. Our punt return game, we played winning football in those phases. Our punt team has had some peaks and valleys here and there. We’ve got to get better on our kick return phase. Our field goal block has been real good. We’re only one of four teams in the NFL right now to have blocked multiple kicks. I think when you look at it, our field goal team certainly has left a couple of plays on the field. Our kick return team has left a couple of plays on the field. But when you go back and you watch the midyear point – watch the season so far – I’m very pleased in a lot of things we’ve done. I wasn’t really pleased with the last game that we played, but overall – just from a broad sense, from the general sense – so far at this halfway point, I’m very pleased with a lot the efforts we’ve gotten out of a lot of the phases. (We are) obviously looking to improve on some of the stuff we haven’t done well, but certainly there are some positives. I think sometimes you get – and like I said, I’m the biggest offender of this – you get wrapped up into the last game and not look at the entire picture. We’ve got some great efforts from people, guys like Mike Thomas, Mike Hull, Neville Hewitt. Those three guys in particular have been really, really strong core players for us this year. We’ve obviously had some good specialists play from Jakeem Grant, Matt Darr (and) obviously John Denney – guys that go unnoticed. I know (Andrew) Franks, people talk about the couple of field goals that he missed, but so far on the year, he has done a great job of kicking the ball off situationally, directionally and things like that. So, I’m very, very pleased with the direction we’re going, and this was a good week to reflect back on that.”
(How much does getting LB Zach Vigil back help your core special teams unit?) – “The thing about Zach is he got a lot of experience last year. Obviously, he has only had a little bit of practice time so far. So what I’ve seen so far, he has kind of picked up from where he left off, hopefully. The one downside, unfortunately (with) guys in situations like Zach’s is they never got the preseason games and things like that. The guys that go on PUP and all that, they don’t get preseason games. So, this will be the first live action he has played in since last year. But getting a guy back like that certainly is a boost for the special teams, no question. He’s a guy that played a lot of plays last year for sure.”
(What have the numbers from kickoff returns told you about you guys through the first seven games – field position as opposed to bringing it out as opposed to taking the knee – and will you change anything for the last nine games?) – “Our kickoff return team has been the peak-and-valley unit as well. There have been a couple of times early in the season where we made some bad decisions. (We) had a couple of young guys back there, obviously with Jakeem (Grant) and Kenyan (Drake). There are a couple of times we probably shouldn’t have brought the ball out there (and) we did. So, I’m just speaking specifically about us. We have had some positive plays here. We were really, really close in this last game – when you really look (and) go back and break it down – we’re one guy away from having two huge plays in the last game against the Bills. We get out there, and we’re one block away from really springing a huge one. And we’ve been really, really close, and that has been the rallying cry for me to our team and our units is, ‘It takes every guy.’ We call it one-11th. It takes every guy doing their job and getting their blocks. Now overall, so far from what I’ve seen in the NFL, is a lot of teams are purposely kicking the ball short. One thing I might have mentioned in one of these press conferences before is a lot of teams are kicking the ball right to the goal line and making it hard and making those decisions hard on the return team. You’re seeing a lot of that. You’re seeing a lot of teams doing that. I think as we move forward here, you’re going to see that touchback percentage – as the weather starts to get cold in the north and things like that – then it’s going to start even going lower and lower and lower. Teams are going to start even playing with this rule (with) even more high and short kicks.”
(Is there anything else that WR Jakeem Grant can help you with other than returning on special teams?) – “When Jakeem first got here, we worked a lot of different things. Obviously, he can return. He can do punt. He can do kick. So, when he first got here, we worked him as a gunner – so to speak – around kickoff. When you’re going to have a guy active like that, he has got be able to play multiple spots. Now again, it’s one of those double-edged swords. Do you throw him out there as a gunner? Do you run him down on kickoff and risk injury or things like that? Then you lose a returner. But he’s ready to do those jobs, because as we know on game day, guys start getting hurt or things like that. You only have so many people that can do those things. So, he can do those jobs, and there’s stuff that he has been trained to do. He hasn’t done them in games yet, but on the coverage teams, we do have him mentally prepared to go out there and do those jobs if need be.”
(CB Chris Culliver, I don’t think that he plays special teams. If that’s the case there, you don’t try to get him ready for special … You don’t coach him up to get him on the 46 (active game day roster) do you? He’s a veteran. Is there anything you can do in this stage of his career?) – “The first thing I’ll say is I loved him coming out of college as a special teams player. I’ll start off by saying that. I remember watching his college tape and being really impressed with him. But he’s like everybody else. He’s in our meetings, and if he’s going to be on the 46 – if and when that happens, and that’s not up to me – but if he ends up being on the 53 (or) at the 46, he has got to be ready to play certain things. All those defensive backs are trained to be jammers and on the punt return team they’re all trained to be kickoff cover guys, whether it be a contained spotter, safety spot. Again, you only have so many guys at the game and you know everybody going to have some type of role. If and when Chris comes back, there’ll be something that he does. It might be just one or two things. (It) could be the field goal block unit, but all those guys are prepared to do certain jobs, for sure.”
(K Andrew Franks only has 12 field goals attempts this year. Is it tough for you to evaluate him since it’s not like a large sample or a large body of work there?) – “It is. It is and it isn’t. I think the one thing that has been different now the last couple of years is this new PAT rule. The way that I’m looking at it – and most special team’s coaches are looking at it – it’s opportunities now. It’s not just … So far, we look at the field goal stats (and) he only has 12 field goals, but overall, he has got – whatever it is – 25 kicks, because sometimes those field goals are going to be shorter than the PATs. Overall – I was actually just looking at the stats earlier this morning – there are only three guys in the league that have made every kick so far between PATs and field goal. There are only three guys, only three kickers. (Ravens K) Justin Tucker, (Colts K) Adam Vinatieri, and (Rams K) Greg Zuerlein are the only three kickers right now in the NFL that have made every field goal and every PAT. 20 teams have missed PATs. 20 out of 32 teams have missed PATs. So, my point is it’s not just the field goals to me anymore. You see all these PATs and all these kicks getting missed every week. It’s like three or four every week. To me at least – as his coach and a special teams coach – I’m clumping all those kicks together – all the field goals, all the PATs – and alright, we got 25 opportunities. If I’m not mistaken, he has made 22-of-25. That’s how I’m looking at it. Now, if it was the old rule, totally different. You know how they separate it. Obviously, you’re going to separate it statistically. So to answer your question, he’s getting evaluated on every kick. So really in my mind, he has had 25 opportunities not just 12, because some of those field goals have been shorter – like I said – then even PATs.”
(With RB Arian Foster now gone and you also have an injury to S Reshad Jones, that’s more reps, potentially, on RB Kenyan Drake on offense and then also S Michael Thomas on the defensive side of the ball. Have you taken the bye week to kind of reevaluate things and see what you want to do or develop a contingency plan? What do you want to do when these guys play counts get up there more than you’d like?) – “No question. Getting a guy back like Zach Vigil helps and a guy like Jordan Lucas has played more in the last couple of weeks. Players like that … Getting the new guy ready like Bacarri Rambo – all those things. If guys come off the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform list) and come back to the 53 (-man roster) (we are) really getting every single body ready so no matter what, whatever we end up having at the 46, whether it’s a running back – Drake or (Damien) Williams or any of those guys – really just getting the whole team ready, and that’s what I’m charged with. My job is to get every single guy ready to go and find the right formula week to week to make sure we’re playing winning football on specials teams, for sure.”
Clyde Christensen – November 3, 2016
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(This game, we know how well you’ve been running the ball. How much of this game comes down to your run game versus their run defense?) – “Probably the same as every week. I always laugh, because every staff meeting to start the week, the offensive guys go, ‘We got to run the ball this week.’ It doesn’t matter who you’re playing; you got to run the ball. And every defensive coordinator if you’re playing Brett Favre – or whoever you’re playing – starts off with, ‘We have to stop the run.’ It almost in a weird way … But that’s the case. It always starts with that. It always starts with the offensive line. Same thing. Third week in a row we’re playing a really, really good run defense. (Jets Head Coach) Todd Bowles is a defensive head coach. He’s a tough-minded guy, super guy. Here’s a little-known fact: I coached him at Temple. (I have a) long history with him. (He is) really a smart, bright guy. He’s going to be physical. He’s going to have them ready to go. I think the other thing, too, is if you want to play big games and you want to be relevant – as we head toward the second half of the year – you’re going to get people’s best shot. We’ve had a little bit of success running the ball. This league has a way of turning the tide on you when you think you’re doing something well. So, it’ll take a great effort for us to run the ball at all. It’ll be a battle of wills again just like every week. We’ll have to commit to it. We’ll have to keep pounding it up in there and have to be okay with a couple 0-, 1-yard runs and hopefully land some body blows as we go.”
(What makes that rush defense so stout? 74 yards a game.) – “In an oversimplification, they’re big, girthy guys. They’re big guys. They’re committed to stopping the run. That’s kind of the (Bill) Parcells, that whole fraternity … They’re big stout guys who are going to try and build a big ol’ wall across the line of scrimmage, and they’re good at it. They take pride in being a good leverage team. I think this fraternity of defensive guys, they play with great leverage. They get underneath you and stop you. They’re not as much in your backfield and flying up field, et cetera, et cetera; but they’re really good at stopping the run, because they get ahold of you, they stand you up and they play with leverage, and they get off blocks and they’re big, physical guys.”
(T Ja’Wuan James obviously played a lot better in the last few weeks. What spurred his turnaround in your mind?) – “I don’t know. I don’t know what it is, but he really has (played better). He’s improving. He hasn’t been earth shaking, but all we want is for him to keep improving, and he has really done that. I think, probably, he would … Being a part of the whole group that everyone’s buying in, you have a little more success – all those things are good. I think he’s part of it, a large part of it. I think that line being together, I think there’s some pride. I think they’re starting to have some fun blocking and playing together. I think he has probably jumped on board, got caught in that wave of momentum as far as, ‘We can be good. We can be a good offensive line before this year is out.’ We said from last offseason all the way through last week, ‘This can be a good offensive line. We’ve got to stay healthy. We’ve just got to keep going. We’ve got to keep doing the same things over and over and over again.’ All of a sudden, you do get a little bit of confidence – some success – and you breed a little confidence and then your practices get better and your meetings get better and everyone is buying in a little bit more, and you keep improving by inches. It’s still about us. It’s still about how we do things. It’s still about worrying about the Dolphins more than it is the opponent. That’s what we’ve tried to stress, and he has been improving. He has been making good, solid improvement the last two, three weeks, which has really been great. I think I’ve said it all along: we think he can be a top right tackle in this league. That’s what we believe he can be. Maybe he’s buying into that, too. But he is playing better. He’s playing better and improving and working. It’s all about those workdays during the week. The games are the games, but you get better in practice. You win games during the week in practice and how you do things there. Then the game is just a reflection of what you’ve been doing in practice (and) how you practiced. That’s improvement. We’ve stressed it, and that’s improving some.”
(How did the unbalanced line come about, because I don’t remember seeing that earlier in the season?) – “It was just a little bit of a changeup. It was a little way for us to get a little bit … You give them a little bit (of a) different formation. It’s just a way of getting bigger people at the point of attack. Sometimes it’s a way to set up a play-action pass. It’s a fourth or fifth pitch, if you will. It’s something they have to prepare for. It’s something that maybe you get an extra 40 pounds at the point of attack. We had the tight end situation where we were down a couple bodies, so that’s another way of getting a little bit of girth grouped together on one side of the line. It wasn’t any gigantic thing as much as it’s something, a little bit of an adjustment with the tight end situation the way it was. It’s always a good changeup to have people prepare for.”
(The Jets have been first against the run. They’re 32nd against the pass. I think they’ve given up 14 passes of 30 yards or more. How much do you balance when you’re doing a game plan of attacking a team that other teams have attacked, against the past two weeks you’ve run the ball?) – “Less than think, right? Really, it is more about us. It’s more about, ‘What can we do? What can we be good at? What is our personality? What is our deal?’ It’s much more that than it is, ‘They’re 32nd, so let’s go become something we’re not,’ and try and do this or that. You’re always looking at matchups. This league is a game of matchups. I think you get off track if all of a sudden you read those statistics and you go, ‘Look what so and so did to them. Let’s put that in.’ All of a sudden, next thing you know, you got a little designer offense going, and that’s not what we want to be. We want to be what we – what the Dolphins – are and do it well and do it better and better every week, do it faster and faster, do it harder, then it doesn’t matter what other people do. We try not to fall into the trap of that. It’s hard sometimes, but you really don’t want to do that.”
(I guess within your formula then, you’ll have shots, maybe?) – “Sure. We’ve been taking our shots. We’ve been really good on first and second down, on yards per first and second down. We want to continue on that. We want to … You do want to build it off of … We’ve had some success running the ball. You want your counters off of them. You want you nakeds (bootlegs), you want your play action, you want a couple shots as extra guys come into the box, sure. But that, again, is more by philosophy than it is we’re playing this team or that team. It’s more about us. It’s more about, ‘Here’s how we’re building this thing. We’re going to pound the ball. We’re going to play action off of that. We’re going to get a shot when they get their safeties too involved.’ It’s offense by the numbers, if you will. That’s when you have a system. That’s when you have a chance. That’s when you can be unpredictable. That’s when you got something going. We’re a long ways from that. We’re a long ways from being where we want to get to. I think everyone is encouraged that we’re improving and that we’re practicing better, and we’re doing some of those things better.”
(You have a lot of versatility on your offense, a lot of players that can do a lot of different things. Personnel-wise, are there things that you can do to keep defenses honest by putting different guys in the lineup?) – “I think keeping balance keeps them off balance. I was looking out there today, and you really do … All of a sudden, you’ve got three talented receivers. Jarvis (Landry), it has to start with Jarvis. He’s kind of the energizer, the battery of this thing. You do have three guys. Kenny Stills all of a sudden runs past you. Now you’ve got the running back running. Now we’ll get our healthy tight ends back, hopefully. It has happened from a lot of different positions, different places. It’s a quarterback run here, it’s a drop-back pass and then it’s a naked (bootleg). So, all those things should be to our advantage. We do feel like we have some skill guys who the ball can get spread around (to), and it’s not a, ‘Here’s our bell cow. If he doesn’t go …’ There are a lot of people that can make some plays. That’s important. That’s really good. That’s when you are a good unit instead of just ‘a guy’, featuring ‘a guy’ or this or that. That’s what we would like to be.”
(Where is WR DeVante Parker in his development? I know he’s been slowed by the hamstring injury. Do you feel like you’re getting the most out of him right now?) – “I don’t think he’s been healthy. I don’t think he’s been 100 percent. There’s something about just not feeling great. It’s hard to play that position when you don’t feel great. Your body just isn’t 100 percent, but I told you last week, I think he’s really improving. I think he’s practicing better. I really do think his number hasn’t come up quite as much but he’s made a couple big plays and I’m encouraged by him. I think he has a chance to be a great player and (he’s) very talented. I do think it’s one of those where you don’t feel good for a couple days early in the week and that’s no fun. You’re in the training room, you’re getting treatment, you have to watch you reps at practice. Some of it is just learning to play like that. Everyone feels that way. For the next eight weeks, the whole NFL feels that way. No one wakes up feeling very good or physically fresh or any of those things. I think he’ll grind through it and he’ll have some big games. We’re encouraged with him, we think he’s improving, we know what kind of talent he has and he’s been excellent. He’s really been excellent.”
(What does he have to do to get his number called more?) – “Yes. I don’t know that it happens quite like that. I think you guys … where does the ball end up going? Right now it’s been going to the running back. Who knows what this Sunday will be? They’re all different. They’re all different, but we are conscious of it. We took a shot last week and we lost it in the air. That has the chance to be another 50-yarder that was a good ball and he just never picked it up. Sometimes his number is called more than you think and it just doesn’t hit. I would say this: I think we’re comfortable with how he’s playing and his role and stuff and you’d love to … He’s going to have some breakout games. Last week it was Kenny (Stills). This week, who knows who it’ll be? Does that make sense? Does that answer your question? So I think we just (have to) keep doing what we’re doing. We don’t see any big changes there or any panic or we’re lacking ways to get the ball to him or he’s not … He’s fighting through this thing injury-wise and that’s no fun. But I think he’s going to be fine. I really do think he’s going to be fine and have some big, big days in this second half of the season.”
(Has it been his hamstring that’s still bothering him or does he have some inflammation?) – “I wouldn’t speak on injuries. But yes, he’s recovering from that and sometimes when you’re nursing that, then other things don’t feel quite right. So yes, I think it is all back from when he did have the hamstring; but just an overall feeling good and just feeling fresh and fast and those things, I don’t think he’s fully there quite yet, but he’s getting there.”
(Going back to you and Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles at Temple, was he like a coach on the field?) – “Yes, he was. He was. Kevin Ross was in that secondary. That was really a good secondary back there. Bruce Arians was the head coach and that was really a fun … those were fun years and those were good guys. Kevin Ross and Todd Bowles were working for ‘B.A.’ (Bruce Arians) out there in Arizona, and then Todd got his head job. So that ended up being kind of a special group of guys. Some coaches came out of that and still kind of a tight bond. Arians is extremely loyal to those guys from those years. We were all just a bunch of young guys. I think Coach Arians was 27 or something and we’re working down in the inner city of Philadelphia and it was special stuff. We’ll still text when the Owls have a big … when they beat Penn State, that was something that will always … all those things are special things. So Todd … that was kind of a little special fraternity from back in the ‘80s there. We all had a special bunch of guys and great relationships from it, and (I) have an unbelievable respect and fondness for (Jets Head Coach) Todd Bowles as a man and as a coach.”
(Regarding your offensive line, we’ve seen what they can do, those five when they’re healthy the last couple of weeks. Are you at the stage where you’re believing that they’re going to be healthy every week or are you still kind of crossing your fingers and hoping that they’re going to be healthy?) – “I have believed in them from the very beginning. Now the health, I would say this: I never fully get comfortable that someone’s going to stay healthy, right? We talk all the time, there’s no guarantees, right? The percentages say that someone’s going to have to stay up, right? We talked a lot about ‘Q’ (MarQueis Gray) last week. MarQueis at tight end, right? That’s huge. That he comes in there as your third tight end, he has to go in and start a game. Who would’ve known that was going to happen? He comes in and plays extremely well. (He) played extremely well. So that’s part of our emphasis that the chance of those five staying healthy, I hope it happens. But probably the percentages would say, ‘Hey. sooner or later (Anthony) Steen’s going to have to come back in there and deliver.’ Some of those other guys are going to have to play some … come out of the bullpen and give us some relief help. That’s just more … it is more like those baseball games we’ve been watching. It’s the whole unit. It’s all 53 guys and they’re going to have to step up at their time and deliver, and you hope it goes as you script it, but very seldom does it – that everyone stays healthy, everyone’s 100 percent. But it just doesn’t work that way very often.”
(Do you see a different, maybe not different is the right word but a different view or shade of QB Ryan Tannehill when he’s not getting hit?) – “Yes. Yes, I do. Sure. I always laugh because … I’m just telling you when you stand in that pocket and you get hit – and he’s amazing because he’s a tough guy. I’ve always … coming here I was impressed with him that he kept standing in there. A lot guys don’t. A lot have fallen by the way-side along the way in this league. Then all of a sudden you get hit and you just can’t do it. Someone raises their hand and gosh, you cower and it’s hard to keep looking up the field and those things. The guys like Tannehill, who are tough guys – one thing that I don’t think anyone has ever questioned about him is his toughness and that he hangs in there and keeps looking up the field even knowing he’s going to get hit and been hit. There’s nobody, nobody, that isn’t affected by just getting hit early in games and that all of sudden, you’re not sure how long you have. You’re not sure … you know you’re going to get hit but you’re not sure when or where or by whom. And that’s a bad feeling for playing the position. So I do think that, and I do think that’s really a foundational thing to him becoming really a good player is that he’s really an extremely tough guy. That, his worth ethic, those things are things you can build on. Those are things you can build on that maybe you can’t teach. Some guys after they get hit a few times for a couple years, or their rookie year, never make it back. (They) never can come out of that thing or come back from an injury or something. So I think that really is one of the traits that’s something to build on with him.”
(Do you expect a full workload from TE Dion Sims this week? This game?) – “It wasn’t a full workload, but we’re still being careful with him. Even early in the week, we had to limit his snaps a little bit. So he hasn’t had the full week but we do feel like each day it’s gotten more and more. Sunday, hopefully he should be darn close to 100 percent, but he didn’t get the full work week as far as just a green light on everything. It was limited, build it up, a little more reps, four snaps per team period, five snaps per team period, (and) all of sudden … I do think by Sunday and then certainly past Sunday, he should be back to full speed. (We’re) hoping again, obviously, that we wouldn’t have a setback of any kind, and he hasn’t had one. So we have been able to increase his reps as the week has gone on. So he’s getting back into the flow, but he’s not been just 100 percent where he takes every rep, like he was doing before the injury.”
(I noticed in the Bills game, QB Ryan Tannehill ran for a first down.) – “Yes.”
(You’ve told QB Ryan Tannehill to do that, to run for first downs.) – “We’ve certainly told him that teams that convert third downs in this league are teams where the quarterback runs for one or two a game. That’s a fact.”
(There was also a critical play late in the fourth quarter where QB Ryan Tannehill sensed DE Shaq Lawson behind him…) – “A huge play in the game.”
(QB Ryan Tannehill ran to his right, made an accurate off-balance throw. My question is about Tannehill’s enthusiasm about running, feeling pressure vacating the pocket more quickly. How have you seen that evolve?) – “Yes. I think … it’s a hard teach. It’s a hard teach; but I think (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase has done a good job of just encouraging him. ‘Hey, you’re a good athlete. Don’t be afraid. One, two (seconds), pull that thing down and … you don’t understand how valuable your legs are in this whole thing.’ Stuff doesn’t go like it’s set up very often in this thing and off-schedule plays are critical. We have to make off-schedule plays. So he runs … those two plays were huge. We were trying to burn some time and ice that game and he slides out of there on a third-and-12 or something, third-and-long, and he hits Jarvis (Landry) on a huge play, so that’s really, really important. I think he’s getting more and more comfortable. It’s a fine line. It was always a fine line with (Colts QB Andrew) Luck. When do you protect yourself? When do you not protect yourself? When do you put yourself out there? When do you sit in there and hang and see if your third read comes open? When do you pull it down and go run for a first down? That’s the hardest teach, in my opinion, with quarterbacks, is how do you teach that? How do you teach that? I think I shared with you that first year, I went out to where we train our fighter pilots because I was looking to, ‘Hey, how do you teach when to engage? When not to engage? When to sell out? When to put yourself at risk? When do you …’ Those things are hard questions and I think as he gets more and more comfortable with this offense, that’s again where I think continuity and being in the same offense, doing some of the same things over and over and over again, that’s where you develop. It’s not on a chalkboard and you just teach, because you can’t give them every scenario. I don’t know which guy is going to spin free or which twist is going to come clean or which edge is going to get tightened up and which guy is going to come open in the progressions. ‘And I got flushed to my left, but the guy on the right comes open.’ You can’t hit all of those so some of it is just a school. I think (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase is really doing a good job with him of just giving him some parameters, just continuing teaching and emphasizing it, and I think we saw some results from it. I think we saw some benefits, some profits from those deposits. I think that’ll be an ongoing thing. It’ll just keep getting better and better and better, and a feel for ‘Hey, when? When?’ Those are tough questions and you (have to) learn the hard way. Those aren’t taught on a chalk board.”
Vance Joseph – November 3, 2016
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(You guys are ranked No. 1 in third-down efficiency. It kind of spiked the last three weeks. What has led to that level of success?) – “Well, I think that stopping the run game helps, because now the third downs are longer. With our pass rush, if we can get them into third-and-long downs, we can rush the passer and play coverage. So that helps, stopping the run on first and second down, forcing long third downs helps.”
(What have you guys done to improve the run stopping?) – “I think just gap integrity, guys staying in their gaps, tackling better has helped. The linebackers fitting the run game at the second level helps. The overall focus on the run game, that’s helped. Upfront playing blocks better, not rushing the passer every down, but rushing the passer when it’s pass and playing the run when its run. It’s as simple as that.”
(With LB Neville Hewitt, we’ve seen you now insert him into the base package, which basically makes him a starter. What kind of growth have you seen from that young player?) – “Well, he’s a guy that can run and hit. Obviously, he’s a young player. With Jelani (Jenkins) being out from time to time, he’s stepped up in the base package and played well for us. Jelani’s back now so he may not play as much, but he’s a guy that we can count on, on base downs to play at a high level for us. That’s been good to see.”
(Jets WR Brandon Marshall had some words to say about CB Byron Maxwell, I don’t know if you are aware of it or not. Do you talk to Byron? Do you talk to the team about that? Do you want Byron to pay attention to use it? What’s your approach in general on something like that?) – “No. We don’t talk about singular players at all. We have a game plan to defend the offensive philosophies or route concepts. But, we don’t talk about one guy that much. Obviously, he’s a great player. We can’t ignore him, but we are going to play team defense and that’s what it’s going to come down to. We don’t talk about stopping one guy, but obviously have calls to help us win the game. Again, he’s a great player. He’s an explosive, big receiver that we can’t ignore; but we can’t focus our entire week on one guy.”
(What do you remember most about your one year as a cornerback with the Jets?)– “(Laughter) What do I remember most? That I wasn’t ready to play. I probably should’ve been on the practice squad for a whole year, but I was pushed into a starting role early on, and my first start was against (former Raiders WR) Tim Brown. That was … I got baptized pretty good. It was the old TNT Sunday Night Football, so everyone saw it. So, that’s my memory about being an NFL corner with the Jets. Not good. (laughter) I’m a better coach than I was a player, I must admit that.”
(How will you utilize S Bacarri Rambo?) – “Well, he’s in the same boat as Donald Butler’s been for us. He’s a veteran player that’s played. He’s going to play some safety for us obviously in some sub packages. It allows us to play Michael (Thomas) at some nickel and dime this week. He’s a guy that’s played at a high level. He’s smart; he’s tough. He’s got some range in high zone, so losing Reshad (Jones), it kind of gives us a guy who has showed range in high thirds and high halves and quarters. It helps to have a guy like that.”
(You had mentioned earlier in the year that DE Camerom Wake was ‘your specialty pass rusher.’ In the past couple of weeks, that role had evolved a little bit as the defense has improved so much. What can we expect moving forward in regards to how you are going to use Cam?) – “Cam’s a starter now, but his play count won’t go beyond probably 40 snaps a game. I think Cam and Andre (Branch) has given us great energy as starters, and it’s allowed Mario (Williams) to play less snaps and to play harder. It’s allowed Jason Jones to play less snaps and to play harder. I think the flip of those two guys has given us more energy, but the play counts should not be out of whack. Even though Cam’s a starter, he shouldn’t play 60 snaps a game. He can still play his 35 snaps, but from a starting role. I don’t see it any different from him being a starter or a pass rush specialist. He’s still playing about 30 snaps a game, which we kind of targeted early on.”
(Has DE Cameron Wake proved something as far as his run stop ability?) – “He proves he’s back to being Cam. When he’s healthy, he’s a special player in the run and pass game alike. He’s proved to be healthy and he’s playing well for us.”
(If you keep DE Cameron Wake around that 40 snaps or whatever, do you try to shade it towards pass rush situations later in the game?) – “No, he’s just going to play. He’s going to play. He wants to be out there first, second and third down. He’s just going to play. It’s a new NFL. It’s always pass. it’s always pass. Cam’s playing well in the run and pass game alike, so he wants to be out there. It helps our defense when Cam’s out there more often.”
(What has CB Chris Culliver shown at practice thus far and where can he help if activated?) – “Chris had worked hard. He’s had a couple of leg injuries that were serious injuries, but he’s worked hard to get back to this point. In my opinion, he’s not totally ready to play an NFL game yet. Maybe it’s a week, maybe its two weeks away, but he’s not ready yet. When Chris is ready, I’ll definitely put him out there. But he’s not ready right now. He’s working hard, he’s in every meeting, he’s upbeat, he focused, he’s engaged. But he’s not physically ready to play an NFL game at NFL corner yet.”
(It can be very tough for an interior defensive lineman and with DE Mario Williams’ limited snaps on the inside, do you feel like that is something he can handle?) – “Yes. He’s a defensive end. That was a move (inside) we made in the fourth quarter to get our four best guys on the field. If he’s playing inside for 10 rushes, that’s fine for Mario. He can handle that. He’s a big enough man to handle that. That was not the plan going into the game, but if it happens, it happens. He can go inside and rush. It’s just rushing right? So, he can go rush inside.”
(Sometimes there’s a difference between a hot defense and a good defense. Are you guys a good defense right now, do you feel?) – “I think we can be a good defense. We’ve got to obviously play more consistent each week. The Buffalo Bills game was a nice win, but how we finished the, I wasn’t happy about that – the penalties, the big plays. I’m never satisfied. Obviously the win was fine, but we can always play better. If you’re not striving to play better every week, you get worse. I think we can be a good defense. Are we there yet? We’ve shown signs of being a good defense, but I’ve been a part of a lot of good defenses, and you don’t give up big plays toward the end of the game. You don’t leak yardage. You don’t give up a big play a week. The Pittsburgh game we played solid, right? The reverse went for 62 yards on four missed tackles. The Bills game we played solid. We gave up a 65-yard touchdown in a Cover 2. Until we rectify those things, I can’t say we are a good defense yet.”
(We’ve touched on CB Chris Culliver and S Bacarri Rambo. The third new guy would be Bene’ Benwikere. What’s your view on if he’s ready to go?” – “He’s working. He’s working to be a good player for us. He’s a nickel player. As a nickel player, it’s like being a linebacker sometimes but being a defensive back sometimes. It’s a lot more learning for him, so he’s not there yet. He’s working towards being ready. Hopefully in a couple of weeks he can get up and show us what he can do.”
