Vance Joseph – September 27, 2016
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Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(On if LB Jelani Jenkins is a starter or if there is some competition there with LB Donald Butler and LB Neville Hewitt) – “Well, we’ve got (Donald) Butler ready to be the starter at Sam (line)backer if we don’t get Koa (Misi), and at Will (line)backer, we’ve got Neville (Hewitt) ready to be the starter for Jelani, if he doesn’t go. So we’ve got two guys ready to go. That’s why they’re here, especially Butler. He’s here to play linebacker. It’s his chance. It’s his turn to show us what he can do.”
(On if LB Jelani Jenkins would have some competition for his starting position if he was healthy) – “No. He’s played well all summer. He’s played well all fall so far. I’m pleased with Jelani. Obviously he has to stay healthy. That’s been an issue over the years. When he’s healthy, he’s played well for us. I’ve been pleased with Jelani.”
(On if his background with the Bengals helps him in a short week) – “Absolutely. Even playing the Browns last week with Hue Jackson, it’s going to be similar offensive philosophies, the run game and pass game alike. For us, it’s kind of fitting that we’re playing the Browns and playing the Bengals in back-to-back weeks. It helps us.”
(On if DE Cameron Wake’s snap count this past week was where he’d like it to be throughout the year) – “Absolutely. We had, I think, 15 or 16 third downs. We had more passing opportunities in this game. If Cam gets about 25 to 30 snaps a game, that’s perfect for us, because you can see if he is fresh at the end of the game, he can close the game out.”
(On if his defense is super hard to learn) – “I don’t think it’s super hard, but you have to be detailed. We’ve had a lot of errors. We’ve practiced very well each week, but in the game there have been a lot of errors. It’s been probably eight to nine plays a game (where there’s) been critical errors that have caused explosive plays. Outside of those eight to 10 plays, it’s been pretty good. I think it’s a case of a new system. It’s a case of having some young guys playing out there. That’s what I’ve got to attribute it to because it’s a system where it’s almost the same job even when there’s pressure or zone. So I’m not sure why there’s a lot of error right now, but it’s got to be fixed quickly. Again, it’s been eight to 10 snaps (with) errors and the other 60 snaps have been pretty good.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase saying there was some freelancing in the front four and what was going on there) – “That happens when guys are pass rushing every snap. We’ve got to play blocks better. Every snap can’t be a pass rush. When you’re pass rushing, it forces you to be softer in your gaps. So you can be in your gap, but it’s soft, so it gets moved. For the linebacker, instead of it being a smaller gap, it becomes a big gap. We’ve got to recognize run/pass better and play blocks better up front. That’s an issue when you’re an attack front, because we’ve preached attack, attack, attack. But in the same aspect, they’ve got to play blocks better.”
(On if he is saying that guys were acting like it was a pass but it was a run) – “No. I think our guys are just getting off the ball and attacking gaps without realizing it could be run or pass. We have to do a better job of playing gaps up front so we can keep those gaps tighter. Obviously, rushing the passer won’t be our problem. Every game we’ve played this year. we’re hitting the quarterback and we’re getting sacks. But teams are going to counter you when you’re an attack front with reverses, screens and draws, and those things work if you’re constantly up the field. So we’ve got to realize how teams are going to play us. I like being an attack front. It’s great when it’s pass, but when it’s run, you have to field a block and fight the pressure off the block.”
(On if he has any emotion going back to Cincinnati and if he thinks he has any advantage in terms of knowing the personnel) – “It’s no emotion, really. It’s the next game for us. We’ve got to go 2-2. That’s our goal this week. As far as the personnel, it does help. I’ve watched A.J. (Green) in practice for two years. A.J. is a special, special player. The Jeremy Hill kid is a special (running back. Gio Bernard is a special player. I watched the o-line for two years and it’s a good group. Being in that building for two years, you understand why they’ve been good for a long time.”
(On how the defensive tackle play has been from guys other than DT Ndamukong Suh) – “It’s been okay to inconsistent. Last week it was the edge, this week it was down the middle. We’ve got to do a better job of filling blocks, fitting our gaps, the (line)backers coming downhill. There were five explosive runs and I would bet two popped because of gap responsibilities and the other three because of missed tackles. There were five explosive passes in the game and nothing thrown over 8 yards. Most of our explosive passes this year have been thrown inside of 5 years. That’s tackling; that’s being in position to make a play. I’m not concerned about the explosive passes because it’s been tackling for the most part, on explosive passes. The run game we have to fix. It’s been an issue.”
(On how the team can really work on tackling when they are limited in padded practices) – “Most of our (practices are in) shoulder pads (or) shells. We still tackle. We still tackle those dummies and tackle bodies the best we can, even if you don’t have on pads. But everyone has the same rules. If one defense tackles well and one does not, it’s not because of the rules. We’ve got to do a better job of tackling each week in practice and it will transfer into the game.”
Clyde Christensen – September 27, 2016
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Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(On the challenges of having a short week) – “It’s extremely tough, especially a road (game on) Thursday. The biggest thing is physically getting them rested. You can emphasize it, but you’ve got to get extra sleep, you’ve got to get home, you can’t celebrate a win – some of those things. So, the biggest thing is the physical part (and) getting yourself back fresh and going. It was a little stressful getting the game plan in and then today, we’ll get one good day of walkthroughs (and) you have to put in regular, red zone, third down (installs), and then tomorrow you’ve got to come with short yardage, goal line and 4-minute (installs) and (then) you’re on a plane. It’s hard for it to go in. The really good teams are the ones that have a good system, and they’ve been in it for a long time, and that’s really important. (When) you do have these short weeks, you’ve got to rely on the system and let it take care of itself.”
(On whether RB Jay Ajayi was a new man after his game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Browns) – “I would think so. It has been an up and down three or four weeks for him, so it’s a great way for him to get a lift. These guys are emotional guys. It’s tough, so I do think in a big way, that gives you a lift. It gives everyone a lift. I think it was great for him. (I was) glad to see it happen. He’s a hard-working guy. He has worked hard. In a lot of ways, for a lot of guys, some things haven’t gone the way maybe you had planned. That’s what this game does. That’s how this game rolls. This game throws you curve balls and sinkers and fastballs and off-speed pitches. That’s part of this thing, and he’s no exception. The franchise is no exception. And then all of a sudden, one play and you feel … It probably is more significant than one play, but it’s big. I thought it was great for him; it was great for us. I was happy for him personally, too.”
(On what T Ja’Wuan James does well and whether he is still the starting right tackle) – “Yes, I think he still is our starting right tackle. He’s no different than anyone. We’re looking for the right combination and some guys who can do it day in and day out. I do think – probably like a baseball pitcher – that he’s a starter, and there are times you’ve got to give some guys some relief, and sometimes it’s short term. That doesn’t change that you’re a starter. I think the biggest thing … The first part of your question was … He’s really a good player. He’s a good athlete. I think probably the thing that everyone wants out of him is for him to establish himself as an elite right tackle, and to be a leader. We’re dying for guys who are going to be owners in this thing (and say), ‘This is my unit. This is my franchise. This is my team. Follow me. Do what I’m doing.’ Those are the guys we’re looking for right now, and I think that’s probably what everyone wants out of him. That comes in a lot of different forms or passions, but the good teams have some veteran, good players who take ownership of the thing and say, ‘This is the way we do things. This is the standard we live up to, and we’re going to do it every week, every practice and every walkthrough.’ I think that’s what we all would love to see out of him. I would hope that’s what he wants to see out of himself.”
(On what T Ja’Wuan James does well) – “He does a lot really well. I think he can be a premier right tackle in this league. I think we all think that. I think that probably is … The expectations are high on him. I think we talked in here that our strength is having a deep number of tackles, an unusual number of tackles that can play both sides and can be really good players. I think he has done an awful lot very well, but there are certain positions in football – defensive line, receiver – where you play 75 snaps and you may get five catches, but you don’t know which five they’re coming on you – you rush the passer 55 times in a game – but you don’t know which one the sack is coming on. That’s the same thing with the offensive line. You can play 75 good snaps, but if two of them are sacks or sack-fumbles or worse, then you get measured by that. It’s a unique position. You’ve got to keep doing it. A couple plays can swing it for you, and I think that happened to him Sunday. That’s one of the unique things in this game – you don’t know when those plays are popping.”
(On C Mike Pouncey) – “I’m happy to see him moving around, whether it’s in the end zone (during practice) … I’ve been teasing (him that) I’ve been watching him at Club Med there down in the end zone. The truth of the matter is I think everyone has got one eye down there during practice and seeing how he’s moving and how it’s coming. But I think the encouraging thing – the take of the thing – is that he’s moving around. I think that’s a good sign.”
(On whether it is asking too much for C Mike Pouncey to play in a short week) – “Probably. Sure, probably. Although there are certain guys – and he’d be one – you’d never bet against. There are some guys I just wouldn’t bet against that I’ve seen them rehab and I’ve seen them heal, and he would probably be in that category. Though I don’t have a history with him, but it would be hard to bet against him, because he’s such a pro in everything he does. But yes, it would be on the miraculous side, certainly, on a short week to get him ready, especially because there’s really no practice so to speak. It’ll be the same thing with Arian (Foster) that maybe, maybe not. When there’s no practice, it’s hard to know if they’re … How do you find out if they’re ready? You can’t put on pads. You can’t … There’s no practice to evaluate them off of. So, it’ll be difficult.”
(On what he likes about C/G Kraig Urbik) – “I think probably the No. 1 thing is he’s a veteran guy. He has got some years and snaps under his belt. He comes into that game (against Cleveland) … That’s an interesting position. He came in at an interesting time that ball game. I think probably the thing you like the most about him is that he is a veteran guy and that he did come into a game in a critical situation where everything wasn’t going right, and he functioned. I think that’s what you do like about him: that he does have some deposits in there from a lot of years.”
(On whether RB Kenyan Drake did some things well in his first career start against Cleveland) – “I think he did. He got his first pro start, and he did some nice things. One of the interesting things is he’s playing quite a few snaps on special teams also. The big thing for him is getting the conditioning up where … The only way to do it is by doing it and playing in game conditioning. I think we’ll keep using him a bunch. He has showed us enough stuff. He got a little tired. He had a couple missed assignments there in the fourth quarter that I think he would say wouldn’t be characteristic. I don’t know if it’s from playing too much or not. But he’s going to keep getting reps. I said last week when we talked, someone is going to jump up. Those reps are out there and you better grab them. I don’t know that there will ever be a 50-play guy, because all these guys are so multidimensional and they are all playing special teams. But you’ve got X number of snaps, and they’re up for grabs. He started the game, so he gets the first crack at it.”
(On what the offense can do in single tight end sets with TE Dion Sims) – “It would probably be more … (To) put it in a different perspective, having two of them … We really feel like we still have two, but the thing now is you probably have to prepare a tackle. If you lose a tight end, now you go into a game with two tight ends, and (ask), ‘Are you out of the ace package? Do you get a tackle ready?’ We’ve got our own issues at offensive line. We’ve got a lot of scenarios for a short week that are a little bit difficult to deal with. I think Dion (Sims) is playing really, really good football right now. He played very well in that game. He got a game ball. I don’t foresee there being a drop off. They’re not that much different. He’s probably a little bit more in line, grind it out, but he’s showing he can catch balls and do those things. I don’t think there will be much change. A) We don’t have time to change much game-plan wise. B) I think everyone has confidence in him that he’ll come out and play really well as a starter in the thing. I think he had a really good camp, and I really don’t think there’ll be a drop off when we have our two tight ends in there. Now we’ve got to keep them both healthy and make it through this game and get to a long weekend where we can recoup and recover here and get some guys back.”
(On whether TE Thomas Duarte is an option for the 53-man roster or if he’s not ready) – “A little bit of both. I wouldn’t say he’s not ready but he’s probably not ready. He probably does need some more seasoning. But the other thing, it’s not quite as easy because of the roster spots. To get him up, you got to cut somebody, now you’re shorthanded. Defensively and offensively, we’re a little bit shorthanded. So it’s a little bigger than, ‘Is he ready?’ Who do you do without? Do you do without a special teams guy? So, it is a little bit bigger than, ‘Is he ready or not?’ He’s developing. I think everyone is really pleased with him. I would not rule out that there will be a time in this season where he does get pulled up. One of the hard things is when guys are injured, but they’re not IR (Injured Reserve) injured – they’re injured, but they’re coming back and they’re coming back in the short term – it’s hard to free up a roster spot. Everyone has got the same problem: when you have guys dinged up, it’s hard to find those guys you can activate. It’s as much a roster spot as it is Duarte.”
(On how close the offense is to big plays and frequent chunk yardage) – “Some of our numbers on big plays and average per play and some of those things are fine. Those numbers are healthy. The number that’s sick is the third down. I think if you said, ‘Multiple those numbers out at 75 snaps a game,’ a lot of things are going to look a lot better. We’ve been anemic on third down. Those are crushers, because all of a sudden you look up and there’s not enough carries for a running back, there’s not enough balls to go around, there’s not enough time of possession, there’s not enough anything. I do think some of those isolated numbers like yards per play, yards per rush – some of those big plays – those things are okay. The biggest thing now is staying on the field on third down and multiple those out into a 75-play game and 85-play game, which we’d look to have in the style of play that we have.”
(On who has been the best offensive lineman through three weeks) – “I think they’ve all … (Anthony) Steen has been a pleasant surprise. He has played really steady. He went down; hopefully (it is) short-term. But they’ve done a good job. I think the same thing, they’ve done a good job, it’s just the third down has been a crusher. I think, as a unit, we’ve all taken our turns screwing things up, starting with me. The first interception was probably on me and the play design. That wasn’t (Ryan Tannehill’s) fault. The corner cheated inside and made a nice play. I think it has been one of those things where everyone is taking their turn. Everyone is taking their turn. We all have to play better. It’s not good enough. It’s not near good enough. It’s not close to what we want to this thing to be. I think everyone is in agreement on that from the head coach all the way through the practice squad guys. We know we have to eliminate the errors. We have to eliminate the turnovers. We have to convert third downs to get to where we want to go. I answered your question in reverse.”
(On whether he is happy with the offense’s tempo) – “(It’s the) same thing. One of the benefits of doing what we’re doing is to stay on the field and gut a defense and, hopefully in the second half, slow down the pass rush because they’ve played so many snaps and they’ve played at such a fast pace. (It’s the) same thing (with) the third downs. We haven’t gotten the tempo to where we want, as long as we want. That’s part of it: to make people stay out there for 13 plays at that tempo. That has got to be to our advantage. We’re going to get there. We’re not there yet, but we’re going to get there. That’s when you got something. That’s when you got something when you look over there and you go, ‘Gosh, they’re shot,’ and there’s still a quarter and a half to play, and they’re not rushing the passer. Now you’ve got time to throw the ball up field and make some big plays and do some different things. We haven’t gotten there. We’ve had little, tiny windows where we’ve done it well, and you catch a glimpse of all of a sudden that ball went 60 yards in four plays. That’s when you’re humming, when you cover that field and all of a sudden you’re back in the red zone again and trying to score a touchdown.”
(On whether the offense uses back-shoulder throws as much as other teams) – “I think we do. I think we’ve practiced it more than it has come up in a game. You can’t script it. It has to come up at the right time. It’s an absolutely … Nowadays, you cannot be an explosive offense if you can’t throw back shoulder, over-the-top and back shoulder throws. It’s too physical. There are too many people playing so much press coverage, so you have to. We’ve worked hard on it. We work hard on it every single week. We stress it. I’d say this: we haven’t missed them, it just hasn’t come up. They’re not overly high percentage, but one thing I think we have done is Ryan (Tannehill) is throwing the ball deep well. We’ve been pleased with how he’s throwing the ball deep. Part of that element will have to be back shoulders. I don’t know which week it’ll show up, but we haven’t had many opportunities. It hasn’t come up, but it’s a huge part of this thing. You almost have to be able to do it. We picked up a (pass) interference on the double move this week that was a big first down. All of that is part of it – the double moves, the back shoulders, being able to run by people. That all has to … It’s hard to get people off of you in this league. The truth of the matter is you can’t get them off of you all the time. Now all of a sudden you have to trust your receivers, throw a couple up for grabs – not literally up for grabs – but on the back shoulder and different places. We talk about the free hand, (and ask), ‘Where’s the free hand?’ and say, ‘Let’s give them a chance to make a big play for us.’ We do have some guys that can do that.”
(On if QB Ryan Tannehill’s best three over-the-top deep throws this season were the one-handed catch to DeVante Parker against New England, one-handed catch to Jarvis Landry against New England and the double move last week vs. Cleveland) – “The first two I think. The double move (against Cleveland), we got thrown off by the contact, which we got the penalty on. You’d love to hit that one, too. I want to hit them all.”
(On QB Ryan Tannehill’s 32-yard pass to WR Jarvis Landry against Cleveland in overtime) – “I thought that was a gigantic throw. I thought that was a huge throw. That was really encouraging. (Tannehill) got hit low, high and in the middle and made a clutch throw in an overtime situation. That’s really encouraging to a coach. That was a big throw, not an easy throw. You knew you were going to get hit. There’s a third of the league that’s going to brace for the hit and not worry about the throw and get it on the next throw. I don’t think anyone has ever questioned his courage sitting in there. That was extremely encouraging to throw an accurate ball that had a chance to turn up and get inside the 10(-yard line) there was … I thought that was really encouraging.”
(On whether he hopes C/G Anthony Steen can play Thursday) – “I do. I hold out hope. It’s such a short week, but I always hold out hope. I’d give them my credit card (and call) those 1-800-Healing numbers. We’ll try anything. (laughter) We’re not above trying anything to get well there. I always tease. I say, ‘Oral Roberts – are they still up and running over there?’ We will look for it all the way until game time. But the truth of the matter is it is a short week. It’s hard. The hardest thing is who you give the reps to. The hardest thing is … You can’t count on them. The hard thing is (deciding) do you put them up and then all of a sudden the first quarter they can’t go? Those are the complicated questions (like). If you put Steen and ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert) up and then all of a sudden the first drive they go, ‘I tried, and I can’t go,’ you’re stuck, because those other guys are inactive. That’s the tricky part. That’s where (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase and the front office will have to make some tough decisions. Those are hard, because of the same thing, it’s a night game, you’ve got all day to get treatment, etc. But you still, at some point, have to make a decision (and say), ‘This guy can make it through,’ or, ‘He can’t. We better get a healthy body up.’ Having two starters in the same predicament is extremely complicated and extremely sensitive. That’s what makes it really tough. But the answer is yes, I hold out hope. I hold out hope for both of them and hope that all of a sudden … They do, they get so much treatment. They do such a good job nowadays with the treatment, and we do have all the way to the night. We’ve got some time tomorrow to get treatment all the way through the day again. So, I hold out hope.”
Adam Gase – September 27, 2016
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Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On if the way Kenyan Drake and Jay Ajayi played Sunday inclined him to go with two backs this week or are Damien Williams and Isaiah Pead going to see time there too) – “I think it’s going to be a four-man rotation. We’ll see. I think the biggest thing for us is we have to figure out who we actually have healthy. Who can go? If something changes where we can’t go (with) four (running) backs, then it would be a three-man rotation. So hopefully – if we have enough healthy bodies for the inactives – if we have to make that decision as far as one of those guys being down, then we’ll make it. But right now we’ve got quite a few guys that we’re kind of trying to figure out if they can go or not.”
(On if he’s ever had a four-man rotation at running back as a play caller) – “I think so. At some point, I probably have.”
(On what makes a four-man running back rotation a challenge) – “Just knowing who is in the game. The good thing is we try to let them go for the whole series. The one thing that is a little unfair to them is when they have the series and it might not be their fault, and they get a three-and-out and then we’re kind of rotating. But we try to, if there’s a three-and-out, we try to keep them in the next series just so they can try to get into a rhythm and see if we can get something going with that guy.”
(On if he expects to have T Branden Albert in the game) – “I mean he looks better today than he did yesterday. That’s encouraging to us. When you’ve got a veteran guy like that, that knows how to get his body right fast … He’s a very, very tough guy. We’ll just see how it plays out. I don’t know. I probably won’t know until right before the game.”
(On his contingency plans if T Branden Albert is out) – “We have an idea of what we need to do, if it goes down to that. I don’t really want to make that (known now) because it’s probably going to have to be some moves we make on the offensive line, maybe through our roster. We just have to figure out who we have available. It’s going to be last minute for us. We’re just going to take it up as far as we can.”
(On S Reshad Jones and how important is open-field tackling to the defense) – “I don’t know if it’s his greatest strength. I’m glad that he’s able to do it as well as he does because it seems like he’s been the last guy, the last line of defense. He does what every good defensive back does, is figure out a way for us to get another down. He does a good job of making sure that, that guy doesn’t break his tackle or he doesn’t miss. It’s one of those things where it’s nice when he’s back there doing that; but at the same time, it kind of takes him out of some of the other things we’d like him to do. We’d rather him not have to make those tackles. If we can use that front seven to really … that’s where you want all the action to be. When it gets back to him, it’s usually not a good thing.”
(On the tackle he had on Browns RB Isaiah Crowell towards the end of the game) – “Anytime … I feel like anytime it gets like five yards (past the line of scrimmage), you just never know what’s going to happen in this league. Once you kind of see any kind of daylight and the backs that are around the NFL, you just never know when it’s going to be an explosive play. When they get to the secondary and you just see one-on-one with a lot of green grass, that’s not a good feeling.”
(On using a lot of stack formations and if this is a new trend and how does it impact these defenses) – “I don’t think it’s a new trend. I think just some teams … I think we’ve run into a couple of teams that obviously … we are a little bit similar to what New England does because of my background with (Patriots Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach) Josh (McDaniels). That was just something that I’ve learned a lot from him as far as it makes it tough on the defense. They have to make a lot of decisions as far as how they want to play it. It’s the same thing for us when we get bunches and stacks. You have to figure out what your call is going to be, how are you going to play man that week, how are you going to play zone that week, is it a three-man bunch, is the back involved in the stack with the two wide receivers? There’s a lot that goes into it and there’s a lot of decision making. There’s a lot of coverage adjustments. So anytime you can get guys to have to talk like this all the time within the play, that’s really to your advantage as an offense. We try to make it as hard as we can on the defense to make them have to think quick (and) go execute without having any kind of bust. And it’s the same thing that we’re going through on defense when you play a team and they’re doing all that stuff. You have to think quick and you have to make some adjustments. Some teams lean on it a lot. Some teams don’t. For us, when you’re going through a game and you just stay stagnant the entire game, by play 60, you’re asking Jarvis (Landry) ‘Hey, win versus man one more time.’ That’s fatiguing after a while. If you can help him free up to where he doesn’t have to be pressed every time, both of those guys the same thing, it kind of at least helps them. It’s almost like that breather release of, ‘I don’t have to win every time versus man to man by staying on the ball. I get a little rub here from the guy in front of me or I can set something up.’”
(On how the system challenges cornerbacks like CB Byron Maxwell) – “That’s the tough part is you’d love guys to be able to say, ‘Go press them. Who cares if they’re stacked?’ All of a sudden they start doing some different releases, and they twist it and all of a sudden it’s straight release and it becomes a problem, because you start getting picked. Now all of a sudden you have an explosive play on your hands and you have a problem. There are things that you have to do. Sometimes it’s off; sometimes you combo the two guys. Sometimes you have to … We use a term to where the point guy ends up taking the guy off the ball. You just keep trying to mix your things up and try to put your guys in the best position possible. The problem is, when you’re on defense, you don’t know what they’re going to call or when they’re going to get into it. You have to have these contingency plans all the time and it makes it really tough on the defense.”
(On the adjustment from college to the NFL with motion in offenses for a guy like CB Xavien Howard) – “The good this is, at the end of the day, it becomes football. A lot of these guys have seen … The majority of what NFL runs – and college – it looks a little different. The field is wider. There are some things that you can get away with there, where everything is in the middle of the field in the NFL. It’s not that they haven’t done it before, it’s just some of the things it’s probably not as often. Sometimes when you’re a younger guy, it’s maybe the first time you’re working with somebody else, and that’s why you have to practice it as much as you do. The communication level has to pick up, and you have to talk. If you don’t say anything, then there’s going to be some bad things (that) will happen. Somebody gets dropped, and all of a sudden you get an easy touchdown. I think the more that our younger players keep doing it and keep working together, the better they’ll get. Obviously, when you see the really good defensive backfields, usually a lot of time they’re experienced guys that have been through it together and understand exactly what their adjustments are (and) they can do everything really quickly.”
(On whether WR Jarvis Landry practiced today) – “Yes.”
(On WR Jarvis Landry’s shoulder) – “I think what happened was in the game, he was hurting a little bit. I’m trying to remember when it happened. But he was taking … He took a couple shots. He played so hard. It’s probably going to happen to him throughout the year when he has those games where he’s making contact with guys. I know that last punt return, he didn’t turn anything down. He went up there, and he was trying to get every yard. He plays so physical even when he doesn’t have the ball. When he’s run blocking – when somebody else catches the ball – he’s trying to throw a block for somebody else. When you play that way, he’s probably going to be sore Monday, Tuesday, probably even Wednesday. Obviously, for us in the short week, we’re not in pads, so we’re able to do more walk through. It helps him heal up a little quicker.”
(On WR Jarvis Landry’s durability and not recalling the last time he missed a practice) – “It just shows a guy that does a good job of taking care of his body. He does a good job as far as what they do in the weight room of the constant activation-type things that we do, making sure that their body is right. These younger guys are trying to do a better job as far as their eating, hydration. All those things come into play, especially here with the weather and how hot it is. You’re losing fluids all the time. The way he takes care of his body – the way he has been going about his operation – I know that whole group has been making an emphasis of, ‘Let’s make sure we’re going to bed early. Let’s make sure we’re getting sleep,’ so they can recover. If you got guys that are trying to really invest in themselves and their body, so they’re available every week … That’s the hardest thing in the NFL. How can you be available for 16-plus weeks?”
(On how he would evaluate G/T Laremy Tunsil the past few weeks) – “I think he’s done a good job. He looks a lot more comfortable than he did when we first started. I feel very comfortable with him in there as far as his guy being taken care of for the most part. I know there has been a couple of times where he has made slight mistakes to where he’s been taken advantage of by some of the veteran players that kind of set some things up and get past him. It’s just one thing that goes into his brain of, ‘Okay, I have to be ready for this now.’ ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert) has done such a good job as far as mentoring him. You don’t see those guys far apart hardly ever. You can tell that ‘B.A.’ is really trying to teach him, ‘Here is how you watch film, here is how you take notes, here is how you go about your day, here is how you practice, here is how you do individual.’ ‘B.A.’ doesn’t have to do that. He’s really gone out of his way to make sure that’s his guy. He’s trying to make sure he’s good to go.”
(On does it mean more when it comes from a player and not a coach) – “Absolutely, 100 percent. I mean coaches can scream and yell until you’re blue in the face. It doesn’t matter. When other players say stuff to you and try to take a guy under their wing and that guy accepts that, it makes a big difference. It helps their growth. It accelerates everything.”
(On what WR DeVante Parker and WR Kenny Stills can do to increase their catch percentages) – “I feel that DeVante (Parker) probably has more targets than Kenny (Stills). I know there have been a couple of times where Kenny has been in good positon and we haven’t finished making the play. There have been a couple of times where maybe it was a poor throw or there was some kind of miscommunication. I think that’s going to go up, because we’ve had success from OTAs until basically the season, starting in practice. They’re hooking up all the time. DeVante, I feel like a lot of times when he’s catching the ball, it’s more down the field. Your percentages are going to go down a little bit. Obviously when you’re catching things under 10 yards, they should go up. I know with Kenny, it’s the same thing; we’ve gone after him a couple of times down the field, so your percentage will go down. If we can get those guys involved in the underneath passing game a little more, that will help our percentages as far as completions go with those two guys. I feel really good about that entire group right now as far as what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. I know it’s a lot on their plate – between those guys and the quarterback –there are a lot of things going on. Those guys are really working at it and trying to make sure they’re on the same page all the time.”
(On the biggest area of growth he’s seen from QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I’d say the way that he’s taken control of the offense. There were a couple of times in this last game that he went to some plays, where I was kind of like, ‘What’s going on right now?’ And he made the right decision. He got us out of a couple of bad plays and did a couple of things protection-wise that, if he doesn’t do it, we have no chance. We didn’t execute it as far as getting to the right protection, the right Mike (middle linebacker) point. We didn’t execute the protection, but he put us in position to where if we executed the protection, we’re going to have a good play, whether it be a completion for a first down or a bigger play than that. Anytime you can get a guy that keeps – knowledge-wise – ascending, that’s what we’re looking for. I think that everything will start coming together as far as hooking up with the wide outs and tight ends and running backs, everybody being on the same page. It’s kind of like that first year of an offense where you have these minor glitches that are critical to get them fixed fast, because it can cost you a game.”
(On LB Kiko Alonso putting the blame on himself for not communicating) – “It’s hard to blame one guy. When you’re playing defense, all 11 have to be on the same page. Like I said the other day, (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) and I have talked about this a lot, it’s both sides of the ball. It’s one guy. We’re not doing it on purpose, it’s just we’re not doing our job on that particular play; it just kind of shuffles around. When that happens, sometimes you don’t know exactly whose fault it is, and all of a sudden when you’re a linebacker or in the secondary, you get exposed quick because you’re kind of the next line of defense. Between the d-line, linebackers and secondary, we’ve all taken our turns. If we can just clean a few things up, it’s going to make each level better. I know each group is taking a lot of pride as far as trying to get this thing fixed as fast as possible, and execute what we’re trying to do just a little bit better than what we did the week before. Hopefully we’re going to go in there Thursday and we need to see if we got this thing cleaned up.”
(On it being a short week and how many walkthroughs he will have this week) – “We’ll do some things with our meetings. You have to install quite a bit, fast, as far as situationally. It’s not really the volume of plays, it’s trying to introduce, ‘Here is what they do. Here is what we’re going to do.’ Now all of a sudden you’re cramming all of these situations into a short period of time. You get a chance to do that pre-practice and walkthrough. We kind of stayed on our same routine where it’s almost like a practice, but it’s not. We’re not wearing helmets; we’re not necessarily running around. Guys have done a really good job of just getting loose and getting a little bit of a sweat in there, which is good for them. It’s kind of like a practice, we’re just separate, we can get a lot of reps in the walkthrough. So we cover more in this than we actually do in a normal day’s work. If you look at it in practice, you have to be careful how many reps you are taking because it is 93 degrees out and as practice goes on, you’re getting crushed, so if you get 40 snaps, you’re lucky, plus individual. Here you end up getting 70-plus snaps, maybe more than that, just through a walkthrough, just because you’re not dead. You’re able to keep coming back and keep repping and repping and repping.”
(On whether the team will have a walkthrough on Wednesday before leaving for Cincinnati) – “Correct. When we get to the hotel, we’ll find a room. We’ll do a walkthrough there – both sides of the ball – (and) find some rooms to go in. We’ll talk through things. It’s the constant (of) keep preparing all the way up to the game.”
(On whether the turnaround from playing on Sunday to Thursday is too short) – “That’s not … I just show up when they tell me to show up. I’m going with that answer.”
(On not using a fourth wide receiver against Cleveland) – “I think if we would’ve had more plays – if we wouldn’t have had the 25 three-and-outs it felt like – we probably would’ve been able to put (Leonte) Carroo in there. We weren’t playing enough snaps of offense. Those three guys are in pretty good shape, especially Kenny (Stills) and Jarvis (Landry), because they’ve been practicing the entire time. They come back to the sideline, it’s like they sit down for a minute, and they’re good to go. It’s hard … I like those three guys being on the field. That’s nothing against Carroo. That’s our group. Carroo has done a great job as far as being ready when his number is called. If something happens to one of those guys, I feel confident with him going in. He has done a great job as far as when he gets on special teams, he does what he’s exactly asked to do. I feel like he’s in a room that’s, probably, one of the strengths of our team.”
(On the third down struggles) – “It’s tough. You want to give your guys the best opportunity possible for them to execute. There are a good amount of plays you want back. You want to make sure that you call the right plays to give them a chance. This last game, it was frustrating, because you felt good on certain times. You feel like you have a good play call, we have a false start, and then we have to go to something else, then we don’t get it, then you call it again, and they dial up the perfect defense for that play, and then it’s a pick-six. It’s frustrating sometimes when those types of things happen; but the thing is, the next time you get it, you’re trying to figure out, ‘What’s the best thing for this situation?’ You’ve got to let that call go. And then the next day you can beat yourself up about it. I think we’ve got to keep trying to put our guys in the right position, keep studying what we’re doing and figure out where we’re making mistakes, where we’re falling short and make some adjustments. The good thing is, we get a chance to line up on Thursday and do it all over again.”
Adam Gase – September 26, 2016
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Monday, September 26, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On whether he has any injury updates) – “Jordan (Cameron) will be out this week. He does have a concussion, so he’s in the protocol. ‘B.A.’ (Branden Albert), he had an ankle sprain in the game. We’ll have to evaluate throughout the week. Jelani (Jenkins) had a groin, so we’ll see where that goes. Koa (Misi) had like a neck sprain, and we’re evaluating that. (Anthony) Steen came out of the game with an ankle sprain. He was trying to get back in the game. We kind of held him out and thought it was best, as far as where we were at – at that time – to go with (Kraig) Urbik and finish the game out.”
(On whether C Mike Pouncey will play this week) – “We’ll see. It’s one of those things where you have to really think about and talk about what’s the smartest thing for us to do. If we threw him out there with no practice time, is that really the smartest thing for us to do? We will evaluate that with him. Obviously, I know what Mike is going to say. Mike is going to say, ‘I’m going.’ But we just need to make sure we talk to everybody – the doctors, the trainers, coaching staff – to make sure if we end up saying yes to it that we’re all on the same page.”
(On whether the next three days are more mentally or physically tough) – “You’re really trying to recover. It’s so short. If you really think about it, we come in on Mondays, guys go out, they lift, they run, they kind of flush out their system. They’ve got Tuesday completely off, and then we start back on Wednesday. And a lot of times, a lot of guys aren’t really feeling that great on Wednesday. Now, Wednesday this week, it’s the night before the game. It’s really (about) who can recover the fastest, who can feel the best they possibly can for Thursday night. You do everything you can to mentally engage yourself for two days. It’s a lot of information in a short period of time. You have to be very smart about how much you put in and what you’re doing.”
(On TE Jordan Cameron’s concussion history) – “I guess I want to say the one, it was in Cleveland, correct? And he went through last year, and he was concussion-free. I think if anybody had any concerns in this organization then that would have been brought to me. I know I’ve been around a few guys that – over time – that it has gone up. I know Wes (Welker) had quite a few before there I was with him in Denver, and then we had too many when I was with him in those last couple years. A lot of times, (you) keep gathering information, and you run tests, and you try to figure out ways (to see) how can you help the player, whether it be strengthening his neck muscles. Is there anything we can do to his body to help him? Is it helmet tightening? We’re always trying to look for things to help our players, safety-wise, with concussions. I know we’ll always have those discussions to make sure that we do whatever’s best for him (Jordan Cameron), so he’s not in harm’s way.”
(On whether T Ja’Wuan James will continue to play at right tackle) – “We’ll see where it goes. We’ve got a couple of moving pieces, obviously, with our injury situation, and (we will) see what happens. It’s one of those things (where) you’re trying to move quick, because you’re trying to evaluate the game. You’re trying to move on to the next game, and you’re try to figure out, ‘Who do we have available for this game?’ We still, obviously, have some time. We got to get through today and then figure out, tonight, what we want to do as far as who’s available and what can we do.”
(On T Ja’Wuan James’ play against Cleveland) – “There was good. I think there was just a couple that were bad. It was just, … Obviously, sometimes, emotionally in a game, you get a certain way and you pull the trigger on a decision. I guess my standards for him are very high. The reason why is I think he could be a guy that is a difference-maker on our offensive line. I think that’s what probably bothers me more than anything is we haven’t done a good job of pulling everything we can out of him yet.”
(On his discussion with T Ja’Wuan James about the decision) – “I didn’t have any discussion (with him). I’m over discussing any of this stuff with players. We’re either going to start getting the job done, or we’re going to make changes.”
(On his philosophy on replacing players in a game) – “We just want guys to do it right. Whoever wants to do it right, those are the guys that we’re going to put out there. Talent is irrelevant at this point.”
(On QB Ryan Tannehill’s play against Cleveland) – “I think he had some mistakes that I know he’d want back. I know there was a couple times where he was in the right position and somebody else broke down. We had way too many mental errors. It’s the same stuff over and over again, so we’ve got to get some things cleaned up. If we can’t get it cleaned up, then we need to find somebody else to put in those positions.”
(On the root of his frustration) – “The third-down stuff, the problem with that is if we could just stay on our blocks. We got exactly what we want as far as guys coming open. It’s hard to throw a ball with any kind of timing where they pressure, and we get it picked up, but we get beat so fast that the quarterback, he doesn’t even have a chance. There has been a couple times we’re getting pressure (and) he just knows that where he’s throwing it should be wide open, and he just throws it up knowing … There was one to Jarvis (where) he threw it in that area knowing, ‘There’s nobody there if I could get a second to get it there.’ That’s the frustrating part about playing quarterback. It’s like I told you guys last week: you need 10 other guys to do their job before you have a chance to do your job. Sometimes when we have these minor errors as far as (you) don’t sustain your block for one second, all of a sudden there’s an issue.”
(On playing four running backs against Cleveland and whether it prevents one of them from getting in a groove) – “I always debate this. You’d always love to be able to say, ‘Let’s get a guy in there and get 15, 20 touches and see how it goes.’ I think the issue that we have with our group is they’re all playing special teams and offense. I think (Kenyan) Drake played 20-some snaps of special teams and started at running back. When we started having those injuries at linebacker, it’s hard to start removing guys off special teams. We kind of got a little low in numbers yesterday. It was all hands on deck at one point. Would I like to get a guy in rhythm? Yes. But at the same, it’s like, who are our guys? I need somebody to step up and be consistent and do their job throughout the entire game, not just one good play here and then we screw up and then (have) another good play. We’re too up-and-down.”
(On starting RB Kenyan Drake) – “I think he had a good week of practice. I know we’ve gone with Jay (Ajayi) before. I thought giving Drake a shot to see how he would react to it. Sometimes you find out about how a guy as far as how he’s going to react to everything when you throw him in the starting position. You can tell with a guy if it’s a little too big for him. You didn’t see that look for him. He was really the same guy he has always been – very confident, steady. We’ve just got to clean up some stuff with him.”
(On the positives from the Cleveland game) – “We had some good spurts to where … I know that second drive we had where we scored on offense, in my head I’m going, ‘That’s what we needed – just consistently build off of this.’ Then it was like step back, step back, and then we do something good again. Defensively, it’s the same thing. You’d feel like we’d have two or three really good plays in a row, and then we’d let one loose. It takes one guy. On defense, that’s what makes defense so tough, it’s one guy slides out of his gap – one missed tackle, one guy doesn’t fill fast enough – and all of a sudden it’s a 10-yard gain, especially in this league, because running backs are so good as far as they see something and they’re running to daylight, and they’re fast and physical. It causes you an issue. Special teams, I will say this: Our special teams did a great job yesterday. Matt Darr, he saved us. He saved the entire team. The way he does his job … I’ve really enjoyed being around all those specialists, because they don’t say much and they just consistently come out and work and you saw it. They take exactly the way they prepare every day to the game. He did that, and he really put us in the best position possible for us to win the game.”
(On what makes P Matt Darr consistently good) – “If you would see him in practice – as far as when we do our special teams drills when we do punt – how serious he takes every rep he gets, and there’s never a lax moment with him. For a young guy to be as professional as he is … And I’ve got to say, John Denney is probably one of the main reasons why these guys are the way they are. I mean their personalities are a little bit like that, but you see a guy like that work it like he does, it rubs off. That’s why when you have veteran players, and they do it right, younger guys see that, and they understand, That’s how I have to be to be successful in this league.’ And that’s what he does: he goes out there, and he does his job every day in practice, and he does it right and it translates to the game. Nothing changes for him.”
(On his comfort level with the run game) – “I felt like we had some chances. There were still a couple of plays out there. That’s why the running game sometimes, for me, I have to stay with it, because it’s there. It’s just I want more sooner. I’m 38; I want 12 yards, not 4. So, I have to be patient with it, because it’s there. We’re making traction. The fits are starting to come for us, and then I go away from it too fast. I have to stay with it, and that’s on me. (Offensive Line Coach) Chris (Foerster) is doing a great job as far as when we develop the run game – and the way that we practice it – we’re really emphasizing it in practice and guys are trying to do it exactly the way that they’re coached to do it. I have to do a better job of sticking with it and understanding, ‘Stay ahead of the stakes. Get us in third-and-short, ‘because when we’re in third-and-short, we’re converting. When we’re in third-and-long, that’s where we’re having our issues. I just have to keep staying with this and stick with it and make sure we’re in third-and-manageable and then get the first down and then stay with the run.”
(On RB Kenyan Drake’s performance against Cleveland ) – “He did well at times. We have to clean up some of these little minor mental errors we’re having, whether it be in the passing game or if we do something not smart as far as where we’re running the football. There are little tiny things that pop up that sometimes you don’t notice unless you know exactly what scheme we’re running, and that’s sometimes experience.”
(On how the team makes adjustments during a short week) – “You’d be surprised. When you’ve done this long enough as far as the Thursday night games … Now, everybody plays on Thursday. It used to not be like that to where certain teams played and some guys didn’t, but we’re all so used to playing these games. You can get creative, and you can figure out what to do in a short period of time and guys adjust and you walk through it and you roll.”
(On whether or not he watched Cincinnati on film before today) – “I didn’t. The good thing is I feel like I’ve played them enough over the last 3, 4 years.”
(On Browns WR Terrelle Pryor) – “He’s a big man that has a lot of athletic ability and, obviously, can catch the ball well. He can run the ball well. He can still throw the ball. Anytime you put a player that has played quarterback at a different position, it’s a problem, because that player understands what the quarterback is thinking and is always going to be friendly to the quarterback. You look at some of these guys … Look at (Julian) Edelman. Why is he able to do what he does? He understands why the quarterback is doing certain things. It’s the same thing with Terrelle. He understands where he needs to be and why he needs to be there. He understands the why of what’s going on with the receiver position, and that becomes an issue on defense, because he’s always in the right spot at the right time, and he’s making plays. He’s making plays at the end of the day.”
(On whether he would have kicked off in overtime after winning the coin toss) – “I don’t know if I’m there yet. (Cleveland Browns Head Coach) Hue (Jackson has) got some more pelts on the wall than I do.” (laughter)
(On the run defense) – “We need to be on the details. Sitting there with (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) last night, we were watching it and understanding. We keep talking … It’s almost like mirror images of each other as far as offense and defense on certain things on offense compared to defense. When we talk about stuff, I feel like we’re both saying the same things on different sides of the ball. If we can clean up so little detailed things of doing your assignments, staying in your gap, making sure that we’re fitting everything right. Give us a chance to actually evaluate the scheme before we say, ‘We’ve got to do something different.’ If we do things right to start with, that’s going to give us our best chance to evaluate it and understand if we’re good or if we’re not good. Right now, I would say we’re not doing it well enough to say, ‘We need to move away from the scheme,’ or, ‘We need to do something different.’ If we can clean up some of these little tiny details, it would stop all these bigger runs that are happening. Instead of having 9-yard runs, it would probably be a 2- or a 1-yard run if we would get our fits a little better.”
(On his assessment of the team) – “I think we’ve got a lot of improvement to make. The good thing is we get to line up and do it again on Thursday. That’s why you keep pressing and you keep trying to figure out ways to get better and you keep coming to work every Monday and then getting ready to practice on Wednesday. It’s such a long season. There are so many things that happen. If you keep pressing through the season and the injuries go your way and you got a chance to stay healthy and you keep yourself in this thing, when you hit that Thanksgiving Day area and you have a chance, that’s all you need to be. You need to just be in the mix there at the end and then see what happens. And if you’re healthy enough and you’re improving, that gives you an opportunity.”
(On whether the team will look to add another tight end) – “We’ll probably have a plan as far as what we want to do if we’ve got some kind of situation. We always have somebody ready to go as far as an o-lineman to play those spots. That’s kind of been consistent – at least through my history – as far as what we’d do. Right now, it’s like, who do you replace? Who can you bring on board and then get him caught up in three days? And then who do you take off the roster? Right now, we’re kind of in a weird spot.”
(On TE Dion Sims) – “He did a very good job yesterday. A couple of minor mistakes, but he is very effective, obviously, in the run game. I think we all know that. The thing that he keeps surprising me on is the way that he plays as far as in the passing game, he’s in the right spot. He plays way faster than what you would anticipate for a guy that size. He has made some big plays for us. He has made some good catches. There have been a couple of catches way outside of his frame that he’s seemed to come down with. It’s almost like we probably need to play him more. We probably need to get him and Jordan (Cameron) on the field more. It’s tough, because it’s like a fine line between balancing the three wideouts we have and those two (tight ends). We probably need to figure out a way to balance that up a little more between the wideouts and the tight ends.”
(On RB Arian Foster) – “It would be tough for us to get him back, probably, this week without practicing. I’d rather be more cautious with him and get him for the duration than rush him back and lose him again. We’re going to make sure that he is at the right place for us before we put him back out there.”
(On whether WR Jarvis Landry’s performance thus far is what he expected) – “He’s everything you want, and he has not disappointed. He is as advertised. When I got here, I didn’t watch a whole bunch since he has been in the league, but he is exactly what everybody said he was, and he’s actually … He has made some strides, too, as far as getting better. I’ve seen him try to do some things different. His knowledge of the offense … He has realized, ‘If I know exactly where to be, that’s going to give me my best chance to be really effective.’ You can tell when things get tight, I know who’s going to make a play. He did a great job finishing that one off yesterday. That was a really good route. That one hasn’t been called in a long time, and he did a good job on that.”
(On whether he said anything about WR Jarvis Landry’s touchdown celebration) – “No. (laughter) I saw him start running toward (the goalpost), (and) I was like, ‘Oh no, this is not good.’” (laughter)
(On whether he kept a memento from his first victory as a head coach) – “No.”
Byron Maxwell – September 26, 2016
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Monday, September 26, 2016
Cornerback Byron Maxwell
(On Terrelle Pryor Sr. and what made it difficult to cover him yesterday) – ”I mean, he’s 6-6, 240 (pounds) and runs a 4.4. Anytime he gets the ball in his hands with just a little bit of space (or) separation, he can take it the distance. He’s fast; he’s big. He’s a problem. He can be a problem in this league, if he stays consistent. He was their offense. He made a lot of plays.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase mentioning that former quarterbacks that play wide receiver know how the quarterback thinks and where they need to be) – “I don’t know. He hasn’t said much about that. I know Terrelle (Pryor Sr.). I was a teammate with him (in Seattle) and I know he was a great athlete. He is a great athlete.”
(On if it’s incredible for Terrelle to be the odd man out last year, but to make the impact he’s making right now) – “It’s incredible, but at the same time, he’s always had his skill set. He’s always had the ability. He’s probably one of the more athletic guys on the field. It probably came real easy for him. He’s an athlete. Put the ball in his hands.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase saying that everybody’s job is at risk going forward) – “I don’t know anything. I just got in the building. I don’t feel anything.”
(On if he has ever gone against Bengals WR A.J. Green and what makes him a great receiver) – “He has good ball skills. I think that’s the thing that separates him. He comes in and out of his breaks like a little guy. He’s good. I went against A.J. Green in high school.”
(On if he has faced Bengals WR A.J. Green since high school) – “Not since (high school). He’s younger than me. I came out two or three years before him.”
(On how good Bengals WR A.J. Green was in high school) – “He was a beast in high school.”
(On the challenges of playing a Thursday night game) – “Recovery and just game study, ; being able to get enough information so you feel like you know the team you’re about to play. We’ll definitely be familiar with their personnel because of ‘V.J.’ (Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph) and (Linebackers Coach) Matt (Burke). Besides that, I’ve got to figure them out myself at the same time.”
(On if it motivates you to hear a coach say he is going to take you out of a game if you’re not playing well) – “This is my first time hearing about it, so I don’t know how to take that. But, that’s just the NFL. You have to do your job. If you don’t do your job, they’re going to find a replacement. And there’s a lot of guys that want to do your job and are willing to do the right things.”
(On the Bengals wide receiver WR Tyler Boyd) – “I’m just starting to get on the Bengals now.”
(On how much time he puts in film work for a regular Sunday game) – “It’s a lot. I just go home and watch it. I watch it like I watch TV. That’s really it. I go home, I watch it.”
(On how much time he can commit to watching film this week) – “I’ll watch it today, tomorrow and then you have time before the game too, and you have the plane ride there. It’s a lot of time. You can get it in.”
(On what was good and bad during yesterday’s game for him personally) – “I gave up some passes, (that’s) the bad. But I made the plays when they counted. That’s all that matters. And we got the W.
(On Head Coach Adam Gase’s statement firing him up) – “No, I don’t think it fires you up; but the sense of urgency and you know you could lose your job. If that’s not motivating to anybody, I don’t know what to tell them. It definitely raises the sense of urgency around here. You’ve got to win. You’ve got to win now.”
(On not much celebrating after Sunday’s game) – “To be honest with you, I think we were like ‘Alright, we got the win.’ It’s our first win. We really needed that for us, for our confidence. I think everybody was like, ‘Alright we got the Bengals now. It’s Thursday. It’s a short week.’ We didn’t play well, but we got something else we’ve got to get to.”
Jarvis Landry – September 26, 2016
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Monday, September 26, 2016
Wide Receiver Jarvis Landry
(On if he gets the impression that Head Coach Adam Gase is fed up by all of the mistakes or is there still more patience and tolerance in him) — “Just his thing is that he wants us to be as detailed and fundamentally sound as possible. That’s his decision – what happens with the lineup. But for him, nothing aggravates him the most than guys who fall off the details. It’s our job to get it fixed and if we don’t, it’s his job to make the right decision.”
(On how he knows when Head Coach Adam Gase is aggravated with the team) – “It’s not even that. Our coach, he holds us to a higher standard. He expects a lot out of us. He works with us, as much as he can. But at the same time, again, it comes back down to those little details, those little things that can help the play and create more positive plays than negative.”
(On what he thinks some of those details are that the players need to fix) — “A lot of times it’s … for some positions it may be a step. For receivers, I know for me personally, just being able to chop at the top of my routes instead of speed cutting. (It’s) a few of those (things), just little details like that. On some plays we have routes that we can speed cut and then we also have routes that we have to chop. (We’re) just trying to find a way to implement those little details into our game. It makes our offense that much better.”
(On if it is a good thing that there wasn’t that much of a celebration after yesterday’s game and it meaning they weren’t satisfied with the way they’re playing) – “For us, a win is a win, no matter how you get it. But obviously it wasn’t the way that we wanted it go. This team fought well and we made it happen when we needed to.”
(On working on his releases a lot and if that’s working for him) – “That and also just concepts. The concepts and a lot of other guys doing their job is definitely the key. Having DeVante (Parker) come in on that second drive after the turnover and score, having Kenny (Stills) make catches, get the running game going a little bit. It kind of opens it up for everybody. And to have the opportunity for Ryan (Tannehill) to sit back there and have time and just deliver the ball. This offense can be that explosive all the time.”
(On if it has been upbeat this morning in the locker room) — “It has been for the most part. But we understand that we have a short week. We’re just trying to get in here and recover as fast as possible, understand that we travel in a day or two. So we’ve got to hydrate. The staff has been on us on about that. So (we’re) just trying to find ways to let (the Cleveland game) be behind us and looking forward to the next one.”
(On how challenging he finds Thursday night games) – “It’s a little different, just being that most of our games have been at 1 o’clock, so you get a little more time. For us, we can use all of the time that we need to prepare and get ready for a road game.”
Adam Gase – September 26, 2016 (Conference Call)
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Monday, September 26, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with Cincinnati Media
(On the challenges of dealing with a short week) – “For us, it’s about trying to get recovered as quickly as possible from the last game. Make sure we’re sharp as far as what we are putting in game plan wise and then being able to cover as large amount as possible. (There’s) a lot of meeting time, you’ve got to do a lot of walk-throughs. The toughest part is jumping on the plane (and) getting to the hotel. Playing a night game, at least it gives you a chance that next morning, that Thursday morning, to clean anything up or answer any questions that guys have.”
(On do you handle game prep with Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict coming off of suspension) – “For him especially, already knowing the system that is being run and when things don’t change too much for you, it’s really going to be about conditioning level for that player. It is tough because you can’t really simulate it just by running. It’s kind of getting into that football shape. I’m sure for him it would be tough for him to come in there and play 75, 70 snaps or something like that. But I’m sure whatever amount of snaps he plays, he’s a max-effort guy and he’s going to sell out. Having his former coach (Linebackers Coach Matt Burke) on our staff, he’s told stories before of ‘Hey, we thought he was going to play 25 snaps one game, the guy goes in there and plays 60.’ He gets very high praise from Matt Burke.”
(On what was the biggest thing he liked from Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph to hire him as the defensive coordinator) – “Any time that you get a chance to bring in somebody that you’ve competed against and that you’ve worked with and that you know very well. His ability to be multiple … I’m getting interviewed for a couple of jobs and there was a 4-3, 3-4 in his flexibility in both of those defenses always makes it really easy for a guy that’s interviewing because you’d love to be able to go into a place and not have wholesale changes of you flipping around the whole personnel group. If you can go in there and say, ‘Hey, they were a 4-3. We’d like to build around that instead of starting over.’ With Vance’s flexibility, that was such a big deal for me. Just knowing his personality and knowing the kind of presence he has around players and knowing how hard he was to compete against myself, that just really was an easy decision for me, as far as somebody that I wanted to be with me, as far as my defensive coordinator.”
(On liking the idea of bringing in a defensive coordinator that was in his first year at that position and if it was a nice fit) – “I think so. For me, it was about finding the person that I trusted because I knew that I wanted to stay heavily involved with the offense. I wanted to call the plays. I wanted somebody that I knew when I turned that side of the ball over, it was almost like he’s the head coach of the defense. My trust level with (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) is extremely high and I know whatever message we want to deliver as an entire team, it’s going to be carried out through him as well. I guess I’ve just been in a couple of experiences where I’ve seen things not go so well, because a first-time head coach goes and tries to hire somebody he doesn’t really know, not really sure how that’s going to work out and there becomes some conflict as far as philosophy. In our discussions before this went down, I just felt like we were on the same page.”
(On the development of QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I think right now, the stage we’re at is really getting comfortable with the offense. There are some moving parts that occur from week to week. It’s easy to say, ‘Should development occur quicker?’ But when you’re counting on 10 other guys to do their job in a first-year system, we’re going to have our bumps, and we’re going to have our missteps just like (in) this last game. Everybody was taking their turn. But as far as him coming along as a passer, making decisions – things like that – I feel like I’ve seen a guy that has gotten better from the time I’ve gotten here in the spring. I see a guy that really wants to work at it and make sure that he’s part of the solution. We’re going to keep developing. That’s what we have to do. We’ve come out of the gate and out of our (first) four opponents, three of them were in the playoffs last year. It’s a good measuring stick for us to at least see where we’re really at.”
(On whether he is content with the running back by committee formula with RB Arian Foster out) – “We’re going to have to see how our injury status plays out. Having four guys right now in that spot, I think it’s probably a little bit of a luxury for us. We’re going to have to see how it plays out. We’re trying to see who’s going to be our guy to really step up. It seems like … (Kenyan) Drake missed most of the preseason and training camp. He got to play that last one. Damien (Williams) was in and out and was pretty steady for us. (Isaiah) Pead did some good stuff when he was playing with the second unit and the third unit. Jay (Ajayi) was our starter for the entire spring and training camp. We’re looking for that guy to emerge as a guy that we can really count on. We’d really love to get it to where we use multiple backs. In this system, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re not looking for one guy to carry the load. I’ve always liked to have two, three backs that can go in there and take two series and keep those guys fresh and play all three downs. I’d rather have guys that can go seven to 10 plays than a guy that goes two or three, comes out and then we keep subbing back and forth. I like staying on the ball. I like keeping it moving. If a guy can stay on the field, that’s really ideal for me.”
(On the RB Isaiah Pead signing) – “When we worked him out, he had a pretty good workout. He’s always said that he didn’t think he had a very good workout but he did enough for us to impress us. Obviously he had some issues before. We basically just told him, ‘Hey man, this is day-to-day. Let’s have one good day at a time.’ He’s done a good job of that. The thing for him is I don’t think there were a lot of questions whether or not he was a good player coming out. Some of the things that we had heard that he had done in the past, as far as what he did with (Rams Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher and those guys, it’s just kind of keeping it focused on football and not letting any outside distractions be an issue for him. Once we kind of let him get going and he started getting an opportunity in preseason games, he really flashed. He’d always do a good job in training camp. He had a little bit of a setback there where he had a little bit of a soft tissue injury, which he missed some time in training camp. He keeps doing things right. We’re just going to keep trying to figure out how much he can actually help us from a game-to-game basis.”
(On what opportunities do his wide receivers have to make plays against a Bengals defense that struggled last week) – “Just watching the tape, it’s easy to say statistically where you feel like there were a lot of negative things going on (with the Bengals defense last week). Really, it was just those two plays; you get those big plays and it just kind of skews everything. For the most part they did do a good job of holding down a lot of their receivers, it’s just two big plays can kind of change the narrative for them. My experience playing against this group, I’ve had a little bit of a rough go against them. Obviously (Dolphins Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) was the DBs coach (for the Bengals) so he reminds me about it quite a bit. I know the challenge these guys bring to us. The good thing is we’ve got three guys that are very competitive and they love going against guys that are established guys, that are veterans, that are savvy, that understand how to play football as well as these guys do. I think they’re looking forward to the challenge because for them, it’s another way to see where they stand in the league.”
(On how concerned he is about the rushing defense at this point) – “We had a rough go this last game, for sure. We’ve got to clean a lot of things up. It just seems like one person is taking their turn. It’s a new guy every play and we just have to kind of get back to basics and we have to get back to some of our fundamentals of being very gap sound (and) making sure everybody’s doing their job. We can’t have anybody freelancing. That’s a bad mix for a defense as far as if one guy is off in his zone, it kind of throws the linebackers off. Now all of a sudden our fits are wrong and that’s when you’re getting these 8-, 10-, 12-yard runs. The biggest thing, at least in my experience, is when you play a defense that is tough to run the ball against – they’re very sound, they tackle well – and really it’s that group, that seven or eight guys that are working together to make sure that everybody is doing their job correctly.”
(On how much of an emotional boost it was to get an overtime win last week and how much that carries over as far as confidence of the players) – “However it ends up happening, as far as winning a game, you’re always happy that you win. Obviously that wasn’t exactly the way we wanted it to go down. We had a lead, lost a lead, everybody kind of … we didn’t really finish the way we wanted to. But we had an opportunity to figure out a way to get the win at the end of the day. Any time you can close one out and you win a game, that’s a step in the right direction. We have to try to figure out a way not to put ourselves in a position of having a lead, losing a lead, putting ourselves in position to where possibly we could have lost the game. Those are a few things that we have to clean up and what we have to do is we have to fall back on some of the basic fundamentals that we work on every day in practice, and that’s guys just doing their job. That was our biggest Achilles heel. We had way too many mental errors and little tiny details that occurred to us at the end of the game that almost cost us the game.”
Jay Ajayi – September 25, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 25, 2016
Postgame – vs. Cleveland
Miami Dolphins Running Back Jay Ajayi (transcribed by David Norwood II)
(What went through your mind as you crossed the end zone?) – “We did it. We pulled it off. A deep sigh of relief. We definitely didn’t want to be in that situation, of course finish the game in regular time. That’s just how the game ended up in my hands and I just wanted to make sure I got in the end zone.”
(Were you hoping for a moment like this as you said you gone through a tough couple of weeks?) – “Absolutely. I have a lot of pride in myself and the kind of player I want to be and I felt like I was able to get a little redemption today and it was a great feeling.”
(What went through your mind because coach used four different running backs today? What went through your mind when coach tapped your shoulder in overtime during a critical situation?) – “I mean all game I commend all of us. This whole week we knew we’re all going to have to ball today. From Damien (Williams), P (Isaeh Pead), (Kenyan) Drake and me, we all did our thing out there. When it came down to OT, we had some guys come in. When it came down to the last drive, I got my number called and it was about being consistent, holding onto the football and when I got the chance to get in the end zone, it was about making that play and that’s what I was able to do.”
