Clyde Christensen – September 15, 2016
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Thursday, September 15, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(On why he didn’t go with a quarterback sneak on the fourth-and-1 play in Seattle and how much time he spends with Head Coach Adam Gase on fourth-and-1 play possibilities) – “(Gase) has been the same with the team ever since the beginning. He was going to be aggressive and every chance he had to go for it, he was going for it. We treat it like any other situation. We have a game plan for it. (As for the reason we ran the play we did) over the sneak, sometimes we would sneak it and sometimes we wouldn’t there. We just didn’t get it blocked. We needed to secure the edges a little bit and we didn’t. That would probably be the only thing we change – that they come hard off those edges. Good defense. We’ve got to make it.”
(On why it is so tough to win at New England) – “I think it’s a lot of things. We were laughing today, this is the first time I’ve gone up there in September. The sun checks out on November 1st and never comes back. I’ve been up (there) in December and January mostly, so I’m looking forward to hopefully (seeing) the sun out there. A) They are a good football team. B) It’s hard to win any game on the road, and they’re really good. All of a sudden you go up there and a lot of times it’s the elements. They’re just a good team. They’re hard to beat. It’s hard to beat any team on the road and especially one of the upper-echelon teams. I haven’t felt there has been anything mystical or anything. If you go up there and you take care of business, you have a chance and the ball moves. If you don’t, it doesn’t. Nothing special.”
(On Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph commenting that you play the Patriots four times and you see four different teams and if they’re the same way on offense) – “(It’s the) same thing (on offense). They’re a game-plan defense. They’re going to game plan you. If their game plan is to play Cover 2, they’ll play it, and it doesn’t matter what you’re doing, and they’re going to go with it. They do a great job that way that you go into the game and you better have a good system, because you don’t know exactly what you’re going to get. They have some themes. They like to cover you man. They like to do those things. They like to get those ‘backers on your backs, but where they come from and which of those two big ‘backers are coming, you don’t know. You have to play ball and the system has to take care of some things and you have to be able to adjust, which I think is their game plan. You’re not 100 percent sure you’re preparing for what they’re going to do, because you don’t know what they’re going to do. You just prepare to play football – play a good football team – and now you have to adjust on the sideline and your system has to take care of some of those things.”
(On the team being 30th in the NFL in yards and 29th in points and how to improve that) – “You play better. You catch the ball. You convert some third downs. We were horrendous on third down and all of a sudden that game gets shorter. It was a good one-score game for most of the game, so you play a little bit close to the vest. We all know how hard it is to go in there and play (at Seattle). They’re a darn good defense and a darn hard place to play. I think all of those things … I don’t know if the statistics mean a whole bunch after Week 1. I wish we had won the game. If we had won the game, we’d still be 30th in offense, but we would have had a win under our belt also. I don’t put a ton of weight on statistics at this point, but the bottom line is we didn’t play well enough to win offensively. We didn’t convert third downs. We didn’t get our defense off the field. We can’t wait to go on a drive with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter and not get it done before then. We had our opportunities, and we just didn’t take advantage of them.”
(On what the issues were on third down) – “One: they are a good team. Two: First and second down wasn’t good enough to keep the third down shorter. And a couple we just screwed up. A couple we just messed up and didn’t make a catch (or) didn’t make a throw. And then some of it is a credit to them that they’re a darn good third-down defense.”
(On what he thought about C/G Anthony Steen in his first NFL action) – “I thought Anthony Steen was really, really impressive. I would say that the best compliment I could tell you about him was that I didn’t notice him. I didn’t think of him as any factor in the game and then all of a sudden you watch the game and you go, ‘Gosh, the kid played really, really well.’ But during the game, the best compliment was that (he) was never a factor. There was a lot of ID. That was a lot of pressure on him. That was about as hard of a first start as you could have (with) good players, hard place, new offense – all those things – not getting all of the first-team starters snaps in the offseason, etc. And the kid played extremely well. He was really a bright spot for the day.”
(On what WR Leonte Carroo did last week to give him confidence and how he did at Seattle in place of injured WR DeVante Parker) – “To answer the first question, he (Leonte Carroo) kind of got in there by default. We didn’t have much choice. You’re only going to dress four, and he was our guy. Jakeem (Grant) is really a specialist right now. He’s learning, and he wasn’t really an option offensively, yet. I think he will be down the road. We felt like (Carroo) had gotten the most deposits in throughout the camp, so we stuck him in there. The second part of the question is he played really well. It was not too big for him. He makes a big catch on the drive that we did score. He physically mixed it up with a physical team. They take pride in having energy and hitting and all 11 guys hitting, and (Carroo) mixed it up in there with some awful good players. It may have worked to his advantage that he didn’t know how good they were. He just went in, and it was another football game to him. He was another guy that was extremely impressive. He didn’t do everything right, but he did play hard and the game was not too big for him.”
(On if he feels the offense is maximizing yardage in the run game and if not, what they can do to improve that) – “It’s the same thing. To make a big statement after one game is hard to do. But it’s the same thing – we had our chances. We had our chances a couple of times. They had that extra guy in the box. The biggest thing we can do for our run game is to throw the ball a little bit better too and complete some of those early. (That would) give us a chance to call some of those runs against less men in the box. That would be the best thing that we could do for them. Everyone kind of took a turn, but we were okay. The first half we ran the ball pretty darn well. I think it was just a combination of things. I don’t think anything jumped out as being the one factor that hurt us running the football. I thought the first half we ran the ball efficiently at times, and the best thing we could have done was to be a little more efficient in the passing game and help the running game. The passing game is where we really broke down. We didn’t throw the ball efficiently like we set out to do, and that puts a ton of pressure on our run game, especially with that bunch. That’s a hard bunch to block. We all know that they play the run; they stack the box. If you can’t complete some balls, it’s a long day running the football. I thought they did a decent job in the run game.”
(On if it is important to throw the football at times to open up the running game) – “Sure. I think we would all be unanimous on that. Absolutely. I think the drive that you saw that the ball did move, we hit a couple of play-action passes and then all of a sudden the ball … This league is hard to go 3 yards and a cloud of dust. It’s hard to do it for 15-straight snaps, especially there against those guys. You need a couple of 20-yard plays, and all of a sudden there we threw two play-action passes and the ball moved 40 yards. Then all of a sudden you get a little momentum, and maybe you get them on their heels a little bit and that opens up some other things also. So, sure, absolutely. We’ve all seen teams where you struggle throwing the football and then all of a sudden that’s hard sledding. Now you’re in third-and-longs all the time, and you’re having to bang up in against extra men in the box, so no. We’ll be more efficient throwing the ball. We have to be more efficient throwing the ball.”
(On how going to Seattle without RB Jay Ajayi changed things for him) – “It really wasn’t much of a factor. It probably sounds like coach talk, but whoever’s up there we’re going to coach them up and play. That’s kind of that next man up mentality. Whatever happened, happened, and he wasn’t there. We didn’t worry about who wasn’t there. We worried about who was there. We took plenty enough guys to win that football game, and we didn’t get it done.”
(On if RB Jay Ajayi is fully involved this week) – “Yes. Yes, he is. He practiced well yesterday. We’ll get some guys back, hopefully. We’ve got a couple of guys still on the bubble, and hopefully we catch a break with some of them and get back towards full strength. Again, we just have to have a mentality that whoever gets off the plane up there and puts on a uniform has to go win a game.”
(On if RB Arian Foster’s play count was where he wanted) – “I wish we had more snaps, and we could have counted his plays a little closer. We didn’t have enough offensive snaps and get our defense off the field, so he did play quite a few (of our offensive) snaps. He didn’t want to come out. The biggest thing was sometimes these guys are warriors, and he certainly is one, and he did not want to come out. (There were) even a couple times where we tried to rest him a little bit, and he just felt like he was in the flow and wanted to be in there and wanted to be playing. That was the biggest factor – that he didn’t want to come out. We gave him a little rest yesterday, which will be probably throughout the year that we’ll have to take good care of him. He’s a veteran guy. He doesn’t need 50 snaps every single practice. We just have to keep him fine-tuned. The biggest thing is to keep him healthy and fresh.”
(On if RB Jay Ajayi is his next guy up after RB Arian Foster not practicing yesterday) – “He was not. Those guys will compete. (Isaiah) Pead got some snaps yesterday, so they all kind of got some snaps yesterday. I don’t know what it will shake out at the end of this week. A lot of it will depend on health and some of it will depend on performance.”
(On how much of an emphasis has been placed on playing better complementary football this week) – “A ton. I think that (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase … We felt like the defense really played well. We have to get that thing started (on offense) before the fourth quarter. Absolutely. There was a huge amount of emphasis. When you’re as dismal as we were on third down, that’s stress on everybody. That’s stress on your run game; that’s stress on everybody. That’s stress on the defense. That’s stress on the kicking game; that’s stress on everybody. We always want to get our job done efficiently.”
Ryan Tannehill – September 14, 2016 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 14, 2016
QB Ryan Tannehill Conference Call with New England Media
(On how the process has been working with Head Coach Adam Gase) – “It’s been great. Ever since he came in the spring, I think it’s been a learning experience, just getting to know him personally, getting to know the offense and just how each other works. Every day we learn something about each other, and we learn something about the offense and we’re just constantly building on that. Moving forward, (we’re just trying to) open lines of communication and trying to be clear with what we see (and) what we’re thinking. That way, we can be on the same page come game day.”
(On coaching staff continuity and how much of a challenge that has been for him when it comes to his overall development) – “Well, it’s always tough. Anytime there’s a shakeup, there’s change. There’s a learning curve and an adaptation periods. Obviously you’d love to play for the same guy for your whole career but that’s the cards we were dealt and the situation we’re in. We’re just trying to make the best of it and hopefully we can build this relationship and both be here for a long time.”
(On if there are any commonalities in the games when the team plays in Foxborough) – “Yes. I think it just comes down to taking care of the football and playing for a full 60 minutes. I think we’ve had a couple of games up there where we’ve played a good first half and been in the lead and then come out in the second half and not execute, turn the ball over and given up points. I think it just comes down to executing for a full 60 minutes. You’re going to get a well-coached team, a disciplined team up there. They’re not going to make too many mistakes and give you points. So you have to take care of the football and not give them any cheap ones and make the plays that are there and play for a full 60 minutes.”
(On some of his initial thoughts on the Patriots defense) – “They’re pretty consistent; year in and year out it just seems like they are consistent. (They are) primarily a man coverage team. They’re going to play their man and be good at it. They’re going to try to mix up their pressures up front with the ‘backers. They have two really stout linebackers that create mismatch problems for a lot of teams and protection. You get those guys on a back and it’s tough for backs to hold up against them. They’re just so big, physical and talented. They do a good job of creating those mismatches and forcing the quarterback to get the ball out. It makes it tough to get open guys down the field. They’re always going to do that and there’s always something that they haven’t shown on tape that they’re going to try to take away from you. Whatever they think you do best, they’re going to try to take it away and really shake you up with certain looks and catch you off guard with certain looks when they drop out or play maybe a coverage that they don’t play a whole lot of. You game plan for a certain coverage, you call plays for a certain coverage, then they come out and play something else. You just always have to be on your toes as a quarterback (and) as an offense (and) be able to adapt to what’s going on in the game and just take care of the football.”
(On working with former NFL QB Jeff Christensen and if he has crossed paths with Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo) – “No. I haven’t met Jimmy (Garoppolo). Not yet anyways. I just starting working with Jeff (Christensen) this offseason. So I spent the offseason kind of working with him and his style of coaching, his style of footwork and throwing the football. I had a great time working with him and learning from him. I know Jimmy (Garoppolo) has been working with him for a while now. But no, I haven’t had the opportunity to meet (Garappolo) yet.”
(On former NFL QB Jeff Christensen following the same elements of Tom Brady’s game and if he’s picked up on that or if he has talked about it with him and if has tried to incorporate any of that in his own game) – “I think one of the things Jeff (Christensen) teaches is a quick release (and) getting the ball out fast. And that’s one of Tom’s (Brady) greatest attributes – he does a good job of always being ready to throw and then when he does decide to throw it, he gets it out fast and accurately. I think that’s one reason that he’s been able to play so long at such a high level is he gets the ball out fast and obviously he’s put it in the right spot, as well. (There are) definitely things you can learn from that.”
(On his thoughts on what has happened to QB Tom Brady off the field) – “It’s a tough situation; but, honestly, I’m just focused on what we’re doing here and trying to find a way to beat the Patriots.”
Adam Gase – September 14, 2016
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Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On how much work did WR DeVante Parker do today at practice) – “A good amount. We got him out there quite a bit in team periods. Individual, he went through that whole thing. For every two reps somebody takes he might take one. We’re trying to just make sure we’re good. We’re going to have a progression through this week to make sure everything’s going to be alright. The biggest thing for us is to just make sure if he feels anything, we know as soon as it happens. We really don’t want to mess around with having any setbacks. We’re constantly communicating with him as far as how he feels.”
(On what WR DeVante Parker brings to the offense) – “Obviously he’s a three-level guy. Like I said earlier, I think after the Dallas game, he kind of surprised me as far as you throw a slip screen to him, and he really went through there and didn’t seem like he minded contact. He was aggressive underneath and then seeing him at that intermediate level, and then down the field, obviously he’s a threat. When you got a guy like that, that can really cover the whole field, it just adds another dimension and another guy that you have to account for. Obviously, we’d love it if we could get all those guys up there together just to see how it looks.”
(On the DT Earl Mitchell roster move) – “Any time that you have a veteran player like Earl (Mitchell), where you lose him at this point, so early in the season, I’m more frustrated for him than anybody because you worked really hard to get back and for that to happen right out the gate. We’ll see how this whole thing plays out. I’m just frustrated for him. Just seeing the amount of time he put in there, I felt for him.”
(On RB Arian Foster not being out at practice today) – “Yes. It’s probably going to be a weekly thing with him. (We’re) going to be smart as far as how we handle him from, as far as a practice standpoint, going full pads. I don’t think he really is a guy that needs contact more than what he’s going to get on Sunday. There’ll be certain things that we want to make sure that we cover between a Thursday, Friday (and) Saturday standpoint. A lot of the stuff that we do on Wednesdays, since we’re in full pads, it’s a lot of running the football. He knows our scheme well enough. If there’s something that we needed to practice with him on a Thursday or Friday, we can get that in.”
(On not seeing LB Jelani Jenkins at practice today) – “There are a couple of guys that are still a little sore from the game and a couple of guys that, right at the end, got banged up a little bit. We just have to be smart. When guys can go, they’re going. If it’s to the point where it can affect them for the entire week, or we can have some kind of setback from their recovery that we’ve had on Monday and Tuesday … Plus, I’m sure the (long) trip (to Seattle) didn’t help us as far as speeding up the recovery factor, getting on the plane and getting back here so late in a limited time. So we’re just trying to make sure. The biggest thing for us is getting him back by Sunday.”
(On facing LB Donald Butler quite a bit in during his time Denver and what can he bring to the defense) – “Well, he was always a guy that seemed to be reliable for them and was in the right spot a lot of the times. I know that he was a problem for us, especially the times that we faced them really early in his career. He would fly around and make a lot of plays against us. It was interesting just to have him in the building, just having a guy that’s been around for a minute. That’s always comforting as a coach. You always love experience coming into the building that’s played in a lot of games, been in playoff-type atmospheres and been in a division that was very competitive. For him to come here and have an opportunity to help us out, that was very intriguing for us.”
(On if it was encouraging to have DE Mario Williams outside) – “Yes. It’s the concussion protocol as far as he’s going through those steps. As coaches, it’s just one of those things where we back away. There’s a process in place that the NFL has and we just follow those. If he makes it to the game, that means he’s been cleared through all those processes. If it takes longer than that, then that’s what it is.”
(On if he held his breath when he saw the hit QB Ryan Tannehill took from Seattle S Earl Thomas) – “A little bit. When you see how he got hit … He’ll tell you if he felt something pretty violent; but sometimes it looks worse than what it is. He didn’t seem to be bothered by it. I know there was one shot he got where he took under the chin. That was probably one that he felt a little more than that one.”
(On was he pleased with the number of hits the Seahawks had on QB Ryan Tannehill) – “Yes, we got caught on a couple of things as far as we had some actual schematic break-downs. That’s the part we need to clean up more than anything, to where we either misidentified somebody or we didn’t get to the right guy. Those are the things where, if we clean those up, I can live with the fact that if we get beat because that was a good defense we were playing, they had very good defensive linemen, they had a very good scheme as far as how their ‘backers blitz and how they play off of each other. I can live with that. But when we just flat out bust, that’s when it becomes concerning as far as a coach, because you’re going, ‘This is what we’ve been doing sense basically OTAs. We should at least be able to get to the right guy.’ We had a few of those that we busted on and we’ve got to clean that stuff up. The more that happens, the more he’s going to get hit. If we can clean those up, he will get hit less.”
(On the offensive issues on third down) – “I think a lot of it has to do with it being one of those games where it seemed like I was one-off on some of those calls. (Seattle Defensive Coordinator) Kris (Richard) did a great job as far as mixing up some of his calls and coming up with some new blitz schemes that caught us a couple of times. We had a couple of busts and at the same time, it was just a flat out bad call. As a guy calling the plays, I’ve got to do a better job of putting our guys in position to where he at least has an opportunity to get the ball to an open receiver. There were a couple of times where he just didn’t have time and he tried to put it out there and give our guys a chance to catch the ball. It seemed like, if it wasn’t the play call, then we would have a bust and we didn’t quite get the ball off on time or in the right location; or somebody didn’t run the right route or we didn’t have a sense of urgency on something. We were all taking turns on that one. The hardest thing to go against those guys is that you have to be perfect, as far as the details in every little thing that you do. If you’re not, you’re going to get burned by it because they are going to take advantage of it.”
(On if there are things QB Ryan Tannehill can see that a coach doesn’t see during the course of a game) – “Absolutely. When you’re out there and you can feel how everybody’s moving around, and you have a situation like we did in that game where things weren’t going real smooth for us, and he is telling me to get to something and I’m trying to think through some things. I was probably a couple of series off as far as what we ended up going to on that last drive. That was comforting for me because, I’m like, ‘Next time he says something, I’m going with it.’ Because, he had a good feel for what was going on and he was telling me the right information. I just have to go with it. That’s kind of that relationship you develop as you play games. It’s trying to get used to everybody as a play caller and they’re trying to get used to how I do it. It takes a second sometimes. Obviously with that happening in the first game, that was good for me because I know the next time he suggests something, there’s not going to be a hesitation. We are just going to go do it.”
(On what QB Ryan Tannehill suggested during the game) – “Just basically what we ended up going to that last series. He said it two series before that. I did a poor job as far as just listening to what he was saying and going to it.”
(On how much responsibility goes to T Branden Albert and T Ja’Wuan James with C Mike Pouncey out) – “I think all of those guys have done a good job as far as trying to step up as far as what’s going on. (With) communication, (Anthony) Steen has done a great job with that aspect of it. But those guys, keeping that huddle together and keep pushing forward. That d-line, that was … You talk about out of the gate playing a good d-line, that was it right there. For those guys to keep plugging away at that thing, you saw the excitement when we did get a chance, when we did go ahead late in the game. Those guys were fired up, because they knew they were a part of that. They helped change the momentum of the game by putting a drive together there. Those guys – especially those two guys at tackle – they’ve been around here for a little bit and they’re trying to make those (other) guys (Jermon Bushrod and Laremy Tunsil) feel at home, because they’re playing new positions – right guard and left guard. They’ve never done that before, and they’re keeping that confidence going of, ‘We’re going to get into this thing. We’re going to figure out a way to make sure we’re in this thing at the end.’”
(On whether it was an easy decision to call DT Chris Jones and sign him) – “I think so. For us, that was a tough one to begin with as far as letting him go in the first place. He was a guy that constantly does right. You never hear any of the coaches ever say, ‘He had this many mental errors,’ or, ‘He didn’t know what to do here. He wasn’t hustling.’ You never have to worry about anything. The thing was, (Julius) Warmsley, it was obvious to everybody, he played really well in the preseason. He legitimately earned his spot. Being able to bring Chris back, it worked out for us. The biggest thing for us is we lose Earl (Mitchell). But Chris is a guy that I think a lot of us have faith in, and we feel good about him coming back here and being able to contribute.”
(On whether QB Brandon Doughty is a practice squad candidate) – “We’ll see how it goes. Obviously, with the whole (waiver wire system), who knows what happens after that comes out on the waiver wire and stuff like that. It’s a wait-and-see deal right now.”
(On whether the defense will scout Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo or their offensive tendencies) – “I think you try to do the best you can as far as the information you have. The thing that makes it tough playing this team is (Patriots Offensive Coordinator) Josh (McDaniels). He’ll do a great job. He’ll figure out a way that’s best for them this week. He’s not going to do something that either the quarterback or somebody else can’t do. That’s what makes them so tough to go against, no matter who is playing on Sunday. They’re going to adjust to their personnel and figure out what’s best for that team and for that opponent they’re playing.”
(On how different the Patriots offense is without TE Rob Gronkowski) – “It’s hard, because it takes a different shape. They’ve figured out when they have him, there are certain things they really focus on doing and when they don’t, then they go to something else. To me, they don’t look at it like, ‘This is one guy, and we have to focus everything on this.’ They try to make it tough on you, because they’ll say, ‘You’re trying to take ‘Gronk’ (Rob Gronkowski) away, so we’re going to do this.’ When he’s not there, now they can play around with some other things. That’s what makes playing these guys as tough as it is. You never know how they’re going to approach you in the game. They’re very good at adjusting in game, too. That’s another thing: you think you’ve taken something away, and they figure out a way to free that guy up. That’s the biggest challenge we have is, once we get into this game, we have to be ready to adjust with them. They start making moves, we have to make moves. It’s a constant 60-minute cat-and-mouse game.”
(On how he explains New England’s successful run that nobody has been able to duplicate) – “I think they do a great job as far as every guy they seem to bring in, they maximize what that guy has. They adjust to who’s on their roster. There’s not really a, ‘Here’s our scheme and you guys, if you don’t fit in, we’re going to get rid of you.’ They figure out … They get their guys in the building. They make their roster adjustments, and they do what’s best for them for that week. When you have a team that is that chameleon, where you’re not really sure what you’re going to get, it makes it tough. I’ve been in a few games against these guys where all of a sudden, you show up and a completely different front or coverage (happens), and something pops in there and you didn’t expect it. You have to be on your toes and ready to go. (It’s the) same thing on their offensive side. We played them in 2011 and all of a sudden, they have a tight end back there running outside zone. I remember we didn’t do that in scout team. (Laughter) It’s one of those things where when you get to the game, you better be on your toes, because they’re going to find a weakness. They’re going to expose it, and they’re going to go after it if you don’t crack it.”
(On where Gillette Stadium ranks in terms of being a tough place to play after playing at Seattle last week) – “It’s pretty close. They’re both tough places to play. When you go up (to New England), you bring your A game. Both of those teams, I don’t think there’s a lot of losses in Seattle in the past six years, and in New England the last 15 or 16 years, or whatever it’s been. You just have to go in there and the one way you can put yourself in a good position is you have to execute what your game plan is. You can’t get caught up in what’s going on outside of the field. You have to focus on the details of what your job is and you have to push through. When there are rough spots, you can’t worry about what happened. You have to keep pushing forward.”
(On if his experiences working with Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban help him face a Bill Belichick team) – “I’m not sure. When I was with Nick, I was so young. When he was with Coach Belichick, that was like in ’94. So I was with (Saban) in 2000. I’m sure Coach Saban evolved from his time with Coach Belichick and I don’t know how much that really would help me. I just know for us, we’ll put our game plan together and we’ve got to go up there and execute the best we can.”
(On if his time with New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Josh McDaniels will help him this week) – “It’s hard. I wish I could go in there and say, ‘Hey, this is what he’s going to do,’ but Josh, that’s what he does. He evolves. One time you look up and there’s three or four wide receivers on the field. One time you look up and there’s a fullback and two tight ends. He’s going to find out what the weakness is. What can he do to you and what can he take advantage of? That’s what he has done so well over his career and that’s why, as a young guy, he elevated, because he could figure out the matchups and expose them.”
(On DE Mario Williams’ status being a mystery and what that puts on the rest of the defensive ends and the depth for this week’s game) – “Obviously, him playing (would be) nice. You hope for the best but at the same time, that’s what this league is. If you get shorthanded in one area because you lose a couple guys to injuries, you’ve got to make adjustments and you have to have some plans put in place to where if something else happens in the game, you better be able to go forward because I know nobody is going to stop the game and be like, ‘Well, you guys are short on people.’ You’ve got to have something figured out and you better have a plan. That’s what our guys have to do. They’ve got to make sure that if something comes up, we’ve got to have a plan for it.”
(On what he would like to see RB Jay Ajayi do) – “Just what he is doing right now. Just what I’m seeing since we’ve been back. He’s been engaged in meetings. The thing about him that I know is really good is that he knows exactly what to do. He came out here today and he practiced hard. He’s trying to get the little details of things right. That’s all we’re asking from our players. Let’s come out here and let’s work and let’s find a way to get better for this day.”
Ryan Tannehill – September 14, 2016
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Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill
(On how important this game is) – “Division games are huge. You always want to start out strong and really play strong the whole year against your division so (it’s) a big game for us, on the road, against a tough team. It will be fun.”
(On what the team needs to do to get a win in Gillette Stadium) – “You have to play well for 60 minutes. I think that’s the biggest key for us and probably the part where we’ve failed in the past. We’ve had good halves there but just haven’t put a full game together up there. I think that’s the biggest key for us – playing strong for 60 minutes straight.”
(On the different challenge of playing New England’s defense opposed to Seattle’s) – “I think that’s what you get when you face New England, you really never know. They like to play their man coverage but they’re always going to throw something at you that they haven’t shown much of on tape and try to make you stumble a little bit – whether it’s in protection, a stunt up front, a blitz or a coverage that they haven’t shown. You never really know until the game gets going and it could be a couple of different things throughout the game. That’s one thing they do a good job of and we just have to stay on our toes and be ready and make the adjustment when it happens.”
(On how he feels when Head Coach Adam Gase says that Gase should listen to him more during a game) – “That’s the NFL. That’s football. You’re trying to make adjustments throughout the game. He sees things; I see things. We just have to be open with each other and communicate and get to those things that hopefully can work. He saw some things that worked as well, so it wasn’t like he was swinging and missing up there. He had a lot of good thoughts and good things that we went to, as well.”
(On if it makes him feel good that Head Coach Adam Gase said that Gase should listen to him more in a game) – “Of course it is nice. I didn’t know that he said that, but it’s nice. The more that we can communicate and be on the same page – not just myself but the other guys that are out there, (we can) communicate what we are seeing and what we are facing from the defense – we can make the adjustments on the sideline and get the ball in the right spot.”
(On what he was pushing for when he was talking to Head Coach Adam Gase during the game about that go-ahead drive in Seattle) – “Just concepts and things that I thought would be good, and they ended up working out.”
(On how much of a challenge it is to learn how to win games at the end consistently) – “It takes everyone. I think that (it’s about) finding a way to make plays when it counts. We saw some good things last week. I think the offense really hurt the defense in the fact that we couldn’t get them off the field enough throughout the game so (the defense) was tired at the end. That’s on the offense. (We have to) increase our play count, decrease their play count and keep our defense fresh so that way if we do get a situation where the defense is on the field at the end of the game, they’re fresh and they can get their pass rush and have the energy they need to stop the offense.”
(On if they can expect him to run more this year) – “I don’t know. I think it’s a week-by-week thing for us. If it can help us, I’m more than willing to do it and we’ll have it in the game plan. I can’t say that it will be every week but we’ll definitely evaluate it week by week if we think it can help us.”
(On the reaction to Head Coach Adam Gase saying that the team is going for it on fourth downs and to get used to it) – “It’s great. He’s had that mindset since he came here. He’s said, ‘Hey, early in games especially, if we’re inside the 50 and it’s fourth-and-short, we’re probably going to go for it.’ Just that mindset that we’re going to have another shot and four downs to make 10 yards is huge for a quarterback, knowing we can check it down and have another shot at it. Or if we run it on third-and-short and don’t get it, we’re going to have another shot, whether it’s a run or a pass. As an offense, we just have to come through. When we get into those situations, when it is fourth-and-1, when it is fourth-and-2, when it is fourth-and-3, and he gives us another opportunity to go out and have a shot at it, we just have to come through and make that play.”
(On how much of a building block that go-ahead score in Seattle was) – “It was big. We didn’t have much going all day; we had a lot of tough drives. But it came down to it at the end of the game, we needed a score. As an offense, we came together and marched the ball down the field and got it into the end zone. I saw a lot of things from guys that … You know, Kenny Stills and the receivers on the screen to Damien (Williams), they ran off full speed just like it was a pass. Kenny ended up taking two guys – the corner ended up chasing him from Damien’s side of the field across to get (Stills). That opened up the space for Damien to make that big play. Just the details like that – at a key situation in the game when (Stills) had no chance to get the ball and is not going to get much credit for it; but he’s a guy who really made that play go. That’s just one example of guys fighting for ways to make us go and get in the end zone. It was encouraging to see that happen at the end of the game when we really needed it.”
(On if playing complementary football between the offense and the defense is a point of emphasis this week) – “Yes. The defense played great last week. I think the offense really has to step it up. We have to stay on the field and keep ourselves in third and manageable. We got into too many third-and-long situations. We knew going in that if you get into a third-and-long against that team, your chance of converting is slim to none. That’s going to be every week. It’s tough to convert third-and-15s in the NFL. We have to keep ourselves in third and manageable and when we get into those situations, be clean in our communication, be able to get the ball off and complete the ball for a first down.”
(On what it meant to him to be elected a team captain by his teammates) – “It’s huge. I don’t overlook it; I don’t take it lightly. It’s an honor to represent these guys and the men that are in this locker room and the belief that they have in me as a leader of this team. It’s definitely an honor and now it’s a responsibility to lead this team and find ways to win.”
(On why it is challenging to put two halves together at New England) – “They’re a good team. They’re going to come out and they’re going to make second-half adjustments. I think there’s been a couple of times where we’ve been up at half and they’ve come out and made a few adjustments and we just haven’t hung in there like we should have. We haven’t made plays. We’ve turned the ball over and let them get back into the game and eventually take the lead. We have to take care of the football up there. They’re going to take care of the football. They’re not going to give you any cheap ones so as an offense, we have to take care of the football, and then make the plays when they are there. We’re going to have opportunities and we have to hit them when they count.”
Ndamukong Suh – September 14, 2016
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Tuesday, September 14, 2016
Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh
(On the difference between Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson) – “It’s a little bit different. Obviously the height is a big difference. (The Patriots have a) different scheme, as we start to break down their run game as we typically do on Wednesdays. At the end of the day, we played against Russell Wilson last week and we go against a new quarterback this week. We’re just getting focused for that.”
(On DT Jordan Phillips’ growth as a defensive lineman) – “I think Jordan has been progressing each and every year and really each and every week. (As we) continue to work with each other and play next to each other, we had a lot of time to do that last year. He is growing, as he should, coming from his rookie year to his sophomore year. I think he is on pace for a good year, but he has a lot of room to improve, as I do myself.”
(On if he thinks the defensive line fulfilled its potential last week at Seattle) – “I think it is way too early to predict anything. In my opinion, we did a lot of good things. I think we didn’t close out the game like we wanted to, especially up front when we had the opportunity to (do so) in the 2-minute, 4-minute drive. At the end of the day, it’s a long, long season. We have a lot more things to prove and get done. Going back and looking at the statistics, 112 yards rushing is way too many, in my opinion. (In) the passing game, (it’s) the same thing. At the end of the day, we still got work to do.”
(On how to approach an early divisional game against a rival like New England) – “It’s a huge game; a huge week. (It’s) very important for us to obviously get this first win in our division and kind of set the tone in that regard. For me, I look at all games (as) important, but divisional games are that much more.”
(On if he likes to get after pretty boy quarterbacks) – “I don’t really know how to answer that question. I really don’t like them any other way than being a quarterback, solely.”
(On if quarterbacks tend to be the nicer looking guys on the team, even on his team) – “Next question.”
(On his thoughts on Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s performance last week) – “(He’s a) very poised young man. Obviously he has had a lot of work underneath that system and he understands what he needs to get done. In my opinion, he doesn’t want to go out there and make any mistakes and he went out there and accomplished that, in my opinion. I think that’s one of the reasons why they came out with a win. At the end of the day, we have to make sure we go in there and get him rattled, get him moving around, get him off his spot and make him uncomfortable.”
(On if the Patriots offense is any different with QB Jimmy Garoppolo in there) – “In my opinion, I don’t think it’s too much different. I think they are focusing on the run game. I think that’s something that is important for us to notice. At the same time, I think LeGarrette Blount is doing a great job and playing well at a high level, which is obviously good for them. (I’m) not saying he hasn’t done that in the past. I’ve gone against him many times and I’m obviously looking forward to going against him again.”
(On how the loss of DT Earl Mitchell affects the defensive line) – “I would say it’s the next man up. It’s unfortunate that Earl won’t be with us, hopefully for a short period of time. We look forward to his return. But Jordan (Phillips) is very capable, as well as Chris Jones, who is coming back, as well as (Julius) Warmsley.”
(On DE Mario Williams’s debut with the Dolphins) – “Mario played very, very well when he was in the game with us. I enjoyed playing next to him. He obviously helped me out on cleaning up a sack on one particular play in the game. I enjoyed playing with Mario so hopefully he gets back soon and we have many more opportunities to play next to each other.”
Adam Gase – September 14 (Conference Call)
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Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase Conference Call with New England Media
(On how long it takes for players to get acclimated in a new system) – “(With it) being the third time that we’ve had to implement the offense – at least – it has been a little different each time, because (of) the players and a lot of times how much experience they have in the league. I think this has been probably a little bit of a slower transition as far as we do have a lot of younger players that haven’t been exposed to as many offenses, and we haven’t really picked up the tempo as far as how much we actually go with as far as volume in the previous spots that I’ve been in. There were so many guys that have been playing for a while – played in multiple systems – so it makes it a little easier as far as how much volume they can actually handle. Sometimes when you got some younger players, you’re trying to be a little smarter (about) how much you actually give them.”
(On Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s Week 1 performance) – “Getting that win under his belt was probably very good for him as far as the team they played – that’s a tough defense to go and play at their place – and handling that first game of having the reigns to himself. It’s different for a quarterback the first time when it’s an actual, full, real game with the coordinator and trying to get used to that. He handled it well. He looked very poised. Obviously, he played very well, and he helped put those guys in position to win. The guys, obviously, rallied around him. There were so many guys playing well (and) that takes a lot off the quarterback.”
(On whether he looked at potentially drafting Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo while serving as Denver’s Offensive Coordinator) – “I didn’t spend any time with him, but we looked at some guys in … We were always prepared to make sure if somebody accidentally slipped that we were always prepared as far as we can have a conversation on it. He was in a group and after a lot of guys in our building watched him – myself, Greg Knapp the quarterback coach and a lot of the personnel guys – as we got deeper in the process, he became a guy that we felt like he was going to be taken before we could even discuss anything with him. We actually did look at him just to make sure that we had that covered if something happened. But we figured once we watched him, we were really impressed and figured that he wouldn’t be there at a position for us to take him.”
(On what he saw from QB Jimmy Garappolo coming out of college) – “From my past, I was always around … The guy I learned quarterbacks from was Mike Martz. (Jimmy Garoppolo) looked similar to a lot of the guys were Mike Bulger-, Kurt Warner-type throwing motions as far as the ball coming out so quick. That stood out to me right away. It seemed like any time he played a school that was a higher level or a tough opponent, he always seemed to step up and play really well. He made some great throws down the field. It seemed like he always was finding the open receiver. He was really good anytime a team played zone defense; he seemed to find the holes. It seemed like he was such a good decision maker, he’s calm. There was something about him (and) the way he carried himself on the field (that) even watching him on film was impressive.”
(On what he has seen from QB Ryan Tannehill) – “So far, (with) that first game, that was a tough one for us to go up there and play that defense. He did a good job of managing the crowd there and being in that environment. The fact that we only had the one false start was very impressive. He was doing a great job of communicating with our offensive lineman. His communication was outstanding not only (with) the lineman, (but also with) the backs and the receivers. It made everything go a lot smoother. It gave us an opportunity. We need to figure out a way to … Obviously, he’s a little disappointed as far as we weren’t very good on third down. We had a couple shots in the red zone that we didn’t really quite finish the way that we needed to. As far as him growing in this system, he has really taken it over, which obviously, when you’re the play caller (and) a quarterback can do that, it makes your life a little easier.”
(On whether there are any commonalities in game planning against Patriots Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia) – “That there is no commonalities. He’s really tough for me, because I feel like every time we go in to play him, there’s always something that’s different. You think one thing and then something switches up. He does such a good job of keeping you off balance, and you’re constantly working on the sideline. There’s never a time when you’re sitting on the sideline and you can’t look at the pictures or there’s not a discussion going on. It’s a very tough defense to plan against, because schematically, they’re always going to have some things to where they’re preparing for you. That’s the thing about what goes on in that building is they get ready for this game, and if they have to make some kind of switch or they have to run a different type of defense, they’re going to do it. They’re not afraid to do that. They’re going to take away your best players and when you’re on the other side, you have to figure it out quick and you got to have a plan to get to something else.
(On the type of player Patriots LB Jamie Collins has developed into) – “Every year that I keep seeing him on tape … I think last year was the first time in a long time that I hadn’t been on the other sideline against New England. Seeing him develop from the time that he came in the league and now, he can do more things, whether it be coverage, pressures, rushing the passer. It seems like he keeps growing and growing. He’s such a tough matchup. Obviously, it’s a terrible matchup anytime he gets a (running) back (and) he pressures, there’s not a lot of times you see the running back winning. Even versus offensive lineman, he seems to come free quite a bit. The more I see him working in coverage, it seems like he has a better feel for this as time has gone on. He has developed into a complete player. It happened quick for him. It seemed like he wasn’t playing and then he played more and then he kept getting better and better.”
(On working with Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels and Tight Ends Coach Brian Daboll at Michigan State) – “I think the fact that seeing those two guys, how they worked and how they went about being a ‘GA’ (graduate assistant), and I was underneath those guys. For me to be able to see those guys consistently (work), the amount of hours they put in, in the office and how they interacted with the coaching staff and players, that was good for me to see at such a young age, because it wasn’t necessarily (like) they were taking me under their wing, but by leading by example (and) watching how they operated day in and day out, it was easy for me to grow as a GA when I went to LSU. Seeing how those guys did it right all the time, that was probably great for me to see in the fact that, ‘Alright, if I do it the way these guys do it, it gives me my best opportunity to improve in the coaching realm.’”
(On how close he is today with Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels and Tight Ends Coach Brian Daboll) – “I think it has changed a little bit since now I’m in the (AFC East) division. (laughter) But I know when I was in the NFC, I was able to keep in touch with those guys quite a bit. It’s one of those things where in the offseason, you text each other every once in a while. When you’re on different teams now, it changes. It seems like whatever organization you’re involved in, those are the guys that usually you’re around more, you hang out with. And then when you go to a different team, you lose a little bit of that relationship that you had, but there’s still communication every once in a while in the offseason.”
(On the Dolphins defeating the Patriots in the last game of the 2015 regular season) – “I think the fact that we had to watch a lot of our … We tried to watch as much as possible as far as over the last three years of when we were going through our evaluation stage, not just against the Patriots. But that game seems to come up quite a bit as far as they had a lot of their younger players playing as far as some guys on defense, some guys on offense. You look back at that game, and I know it was a tough game for New England, a couple of things didn’t go their way and you never know how one or two plays here and there it changes, but the fact that these guys did a good job in that game on the offensive side of the ball as far as taking care of the ball and not laying it on the ground and throwing interceptions, it keeps that game tight and then (you) try to figure out a way to shake free. I know that for them, at that time, that was a big game for them, because it was Dan (Campbell) is, obviously, fighting for the head coach job. I think a lot of those players were fighting for him, because they wanted to play well for him. I know anytime these two teams match up, I feel like a lot of times there’s – at least from what I’ve seen over the years – it seems to always be fairly tight.”
(On the Patriots’ running game against the Cardinals in Week 1) – “Sometimes even though the so-called stats show not an ideal average as far as what everybody wants to look at, a lot of people want to say, ‘Is it a 4.0 or better?’ and things like that. A lot of times, the little hidden successes happen to be run efficiency. If it is second-and-2 and you get three yards on average, it’s not impressive, but that’s a good play, because you got a first down. That’s what (Patriots Offensive Coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) does so well is being able to stay on the field and get first downs and not necessarily worry about, ‘Out average is this.’ It’s more about, ‘What’s our efficiency? How well are we doing as far as staying ahead of the sticks, giving our quarterback third-and-manageable?’ That’s really the key. Even though there might not be a great average, really they’re having success in little hidden categories that a lot of people won’t look at.”
(On the importance of winning in Week 2 to avoid going 0-2) – “It’s hard for me to look at anything like that. I guess in my experience in the NFL, every week you have to go in, and it’s going to be a tough opponent, whether it be division, whether it’s out of conference. Every game is big. That’s how it is for 16 weeks. You’re going through your process, and your job is to get your players better every week and then you get a chance to go out on Sunday and make sure that you’re trying to stay on your details and put yourself in position to when you get to that fourth quarter that you give yourself an opportunity. And if it doesn’t shake out your way, you better get those things corrected quickly and then move on the next week. You don’t have any time to feel sorry for yourself about the previous game. That’s the biggest key that we need to emphasize here is we constantly need to keep getting better. And then when we go and we have to go on the road or we’re at home, we have to make sure we do a good job of being in that game at the end with two minutes left and one side of the ball is going to have to make a play.”
(On C Mike Pouncey, WR DeVante Parker and DE Mario Williams) – “Right now, (Mike) Pouncey has been week-to-week. DeVante (Parker) – we just need to see him practice this week. We’ll see how that goes. It’s one of those things where until we practice, you never know. We get out there, and he’s not feeling right, and all of a sudden things change during the week. (Mario Williams) is in the concussion protocol. Right there, obviously, that removes basically the coaching staff and it removes the trainers having any say in anything. Everything is done through the league. So, whenever they tell us he’s good to go, then we’ll know more then.”
Adam Gase – September 12, 2016
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Monday, September 12, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On DE Mario Williams playing this week and DT Earl Mitchell’s calf) – “So with Mario (Williams), he’s in the (concussion) protocol. I have no clue after that. It’s all off us now and they have a system in place and they handle it. When the trainers come back us to us and say all these things are passed, they’re at this stage and then you can figure out where you’re at, at that point. Obviously there’s no timetable for these. Earl (Mitchell), right now we’re going to be week to week. I don’t know the exact issue. I mean I know it’s (his) calf but as far as if it is the same, I haven’t gotten all the updates, as far as that. They were going to get back with me as far as the details and all that stuff.”
(On C Mike Pouncey) – “So right now, it’s the same thing. It’s just week to week. I don’t know the details of exactly what he has. I didn’t really get into it. I’m just like tell me when he’s going to play and myself and Mike (Pouncey) have had numerous conversations of … I’m trying to make sure that we do what’s right for him and try to put the fact that we want him to be out there so bad because he is a great player and obviously he’s a great leader for us. But at the same time, I don’t want to put him at risk to where it’s longer than what it should be or it does something to where it affects us for the rest of the season. So we’re trying to be smart with it. I’m going to keep getting updated with the trainers. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be my decision when he should play.”
(On where RB Jay Ajayi’s currently stands) – “(Where does he) currently stand? I mean we’re back to basically … He’s back in meetings. He’s back in the building. We left him back. That was my decision and we’ve cleaned that up. We’ll move past that and basically this is a new day for him today.”
(On how restless he was on the flight last night and this morning) — “I think it took me a minute. Sometimes when you have that much time on the flight, you don’t try to, at least I didn’t, I didn’t jump into it right away. I kind of was walking around a lot. When you’re the play caller, let alone the head coach, you’re thinking about a lot of things that happened. You’re kind of trying to calm down a little bit. I mean it’s very, it’s like a mental chess (match). I mean you are really wired into the game and it takes a second to shut off. It takes, for myself, it takes me about an hour, two hours to just kind of settle down and then once we got going on the flight, I started watching the film and then just getting back here; I think it was like 4:15 (a.m.) we got back. I think I got home around 4:45-5:00 (a.m.) and then we jump right back into here and now we’re on to the next game.”
(On what the last touchdown drive told him about QB Ryan Tannehill) – “See I look at everything different. I’ve seen enough film to where I’ve seen him have drives at the end of the game. I think the Atlanta game in what, 2013? New England, 20… I’ve seen him do it before. I don’t know, I guess I see things different than what everybody else says. So I wasn’t surprised by it. I was mad at myself because I felt like I should have went, to what we ended up going to (on that drive), earlier in the game. But I kept talking myself out of it. And he kept pressing me to get to that, basically what set up that drive was some of those plays, he kept pressing me to get to that stuff and I kept talking myself out it and then finally, once I listened to him, then we marched the ball down the field. I mean it was a great lesson for me as far as, when he says to go to something, we’re going to go to it.”
(On what were some of the factors that contributed to Seattle having 29 more offensive plays than the Dolphins offense) – “Third down on offense. We left those guys out there way too much. Offensively, we put them in a bad position. Our defense did a great job. I mean, (our) third-down percentage was really high. (Our defense) did a good job of getting them off the field. We just gave them too many possessions. We really put our defense in a bad spot and the thing was they answered the bell. They did a great job. They held them to 12 points. I don’t know what else you could ask a defense to do than what they did. It was a tough situation we put them in at the end because they held on for so long and it was like, you lose Mario (Williams), Earl’s (Mitchell) out and now all of a sudden we’ve got limited guys chasing Russell (Wilson) around. It makes it tough. You get a 2-minute drive, that’s why you …. Look, 10, it really ended up being nine points on two 2-minute drives. That’s what makes him hard to defend. It’s because once he gets going and then he starts moving around, you get exhausted but you can’t come off the field. That’s why he has success in 2-minute drives.”
(On S Isa Abdul-Quddus’s performance) – “He did a great job. Obviously, the pick was huge. He made a lot of really good tackles. I thought the tackling overall was outstanding. We did not have … I don’t even know how many (missed tackles) we had. I know it was like one or two, maybe, tops. But the way our defense was running to the ball and just gang tackling. That needs to be our standard. That’s where our starting point is. We cannot go below what we did the other night because that was exactly what (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) has been preaching since we started. Now that we finally actually have all of our starters out there … At least that’s why you don’t get too frustrated with the preseason. That’s what it’s supposed to be.”
(On the status of DT Jordan Phillips and his thoughts on his play) – “It was an ankle; but he just kept going out there and battling. Obviously he’ll have to stay on it as far as treating it. Wednesday will be really telling for us to see how he feels, whether he can go and practice. I don’t see him missing time but we’re just going to be smart with him. He did an outstanding job. He really came to play. Obviously he showed, a couple of times, how powerful he is by taking the center back, running him into the quarterback, then hitting the running back and the ball comes out. When you got a guy that can do that, that just shows you, ‘Hey, we need this as many times as possible.’”
(On going for it on fourth down) – “We got kind of caught in something that we had planned on doing. Ryan (Tannehill) saw something else but it’s one of those things that we’re trying to grow as an offense where you’re kind of sure or not sure. He had the right thought and then it was just kind of one of those things where he wasn’t sure how our guys would react and I put a lot of that on myself because I had a terrible formation for putting our tight ends in there. The (defensive) ends were able to crash down. We were just a little bit late off the snap and they got the angles and then Kam (Chancellor) made a good hit on Arian (Foster) to where he didn’t really see him, so instead of being able to go forward he got shot to the side.”
(On the message it sends going for it on fourth down) – “They just know we’re playing to win. That’s what we’re going to do. They’ll just get used to it. We’re going for it on fourth down. What did they do, go three-and-out in that next series? We got the ball back.”
(On CB Xavien Howard’s performance) – “He did well in a lot of areas. I know there were a couple of times that he probably wanted to be a little tighter on the coverage. I would say this, I was very impressed with the way he tackled and the way that he tried to deliver hits on guys. I think that was something that, I remember seeing him doing it fairly well in college but I don’t remember him being that aggressive. I mean he was really aggressive yesterday and there were a couple of hits that he had on some wide outs and running backs that was good for us to see. I mean that mentality of having a corner that does that, that’s great.”
(On if CB Xavien Howard needs to trust himself more on staying tighter) – “No. Sometimes what happens is formation dictates sometimes. And there were a few times I know he got caught, where they had a tighter split and there’s a lot of things that you have to make sure that you’re aware of, and it kind of softens you up and it’s really been dictated by the offense. I think if a guy splits out and he’s able to just get right over the top of the guy, that’s ideal for him. If he tightens down, then sometimes you got to do some different stuff. That’s why we keep looking into different techniques. How can we change things up? Different coverages. So we’re trying to put him in the best position possible, it’s just sometimes we might hit something that maybe we don’t have a great answer for at that time and develop from there.”
(On when things don’t go his way, how he regenerates that same excitement for next week) – “I don’t think this one’s going to be hard for us to get up for. We’ll be alright.”
(On if it was hard to gauge where he stands as far as pass blocking and running the ball) – “Well I think that’s the least I’ve ever had my quarterback hit against these guys. I know they only have eight starters back from the time I played them in the Super Bowl, but, they’ve only gotten better. I think we did a pretty good job. There were a couple of busts we had protection-wise that I’m sure all of us would like to clean up. But I thought Ryan (Tannehill) did a good job of getting the ball out. There were a couple of times where he knew we were trying to push the ball down the field a little bit. We were trying to get them off us a little bit. They took away some of our underneath stuff and we were trying to go down the field.”
(On how he keeps protesting from becoming a distraction) – “Our guys, whether they’re together as a group, individuals, I mean everybody believes in different stuff. That’s the great thing about this building. Once we do this, we’re after one thing. Winning. So all of the other stuff goes away. We’re worried about winning.”
(On if that was the LB Kiko Alonso he hoped he was getting when he made the deal) – “Yes. That was great to see. I mean he was. (Linebackers Coach Matt) Burke and myself were talking about that this morning, the fact that how he plays, he’s so fast sideline to sideline. He covers so much ground. He did a really good job too as far as the communication. We had a couple of times where they went really fast and tried to catch us off guard and he did a good job of saving the day on that. But when you have a guy like that, that runs as well as he does, but really he you never stops, it gets those other guys doing the same thing. You see one do it, then two do it and then the next thing you know, the whole group is doing it. You saw it yesterday. All it takes is one guy to really stir that thing up and then now you’ve got 11 guys chasing the ball all the time. I know that’s been a point of emphasis for us and he’s one of the guys leading the charge in that.”
(On if WR DeVante Parker was close to playing) – “Yes. He was. He was close. But just at the end of the day, if he goes out there and something happens and we lose him for four more weeks or something then (it’s not worth it) for one game. So we just want to make sure we get him as close to possible to where we just feel like we’re not going to have another setback. Is it going to be this week? I would love it. We need him to practice. We need him to go through. We need him to push himself. I know he’s trying to do that. I see how he’s rehabbing. I see how he’s working out when he’s running. It’s just kind of how everybody feels right before that game next week.”
Cameron Wake – September 11, 2016 (Postgame)
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Sunday, September 11, 2016
Postgame – at Seattle
Miami Dolphins DE Cameron Wake (transcribed by the Seattle Seahawks)
(On the final drive…) “I speak for most of the guys on that side of the ball, that’s the way you want it. You want to be on the field. You want to be in position to take control. We just got to get a stop and we didn’t get it done. I’ll have to look at the tape, but I am sure there are some things we could have done better to make sure that happened. Tough way to go out.”
(On the way they played before the final drive…) “Well, it’s not a 49 minute game, it’s not a 52 minute game. You have to play the entire 60 minutes. No matter, what it is, no matter what the situation, we were right there, we had an opportunity to win. On defense it doesn’t work that way. You can play great every play but two. But two touchdowns can change the game. It’s not a pat on the back to say you did good for so long. You got to play the entire game.”
(On if he lobbied to play more on that final drive…) “I am a guy that wants to be on the field no matter what especially situations where it is a key situation. At the same time, with the group that we have I am 100 percent confident in whoever comes in. We have a great group of guys. We have guys that have been in the fire. Jordan [Cameron] might be the youngest guy and he’s seen his fair share of football. Other than that, whatever guys are out there you got to go out there and play to the level. Every one of us has that mentality. we want to get there on the field. When it’s your time, your button is pressed, your number is called, you got to get in there and get the job done.”
(On his playing time…) “It’s always tough whether it’s now or five years ago. You got to see the big picture and be smart. Coaching staff and I and we are doing the best to ensure myself and the other guys on the team or used to the best of our ability.”
(On the most encouraging thing he saw in the defense…) “We just never say die. Just going out there and fighting is the way it’s going to be. This league is not a situation where you are going to go out and get 40, 50 point blowouts. Every game is going to come down to a drive or a play to win a game. That’s just the way the NFL is, a small margin an error can change the entire course of the game. If you play three quarter of great that’s not good enough. You got to play the entire 60 minutes, whistle to whistle until it’s over. I am not a guy who takes pats on the back. Ws are the only things that matter.”
(On what he learned about the team today…) “There’s nothing surprising. Going out there and playing, fighting, scratching that’s the way I have seen since guys have come together so It wasn’t new to me. I knew that we were going to go out there. I knew that we were going to do everything that we needed to do. It’s just if anything it’s just that we didn’t make the plays that we should have made to close this thing out. Maybe some other people might have been surprised about us. That’s not the way we feel.”
(On what they need to do to close out games…) “It’s not one specific area. There is a lot of places we had opportunities to win. More games are lost than won. I feel like we lost this game. It was on our backs, in our hands right in our grasp. We had opportunities to go there and put it away. What we have to do to fix is a hard call. I know we got to get back to work. Its short term. Another game is right in front of us. We have to get back to work starting tomorrow make sure we fix things that need to be fix. Put us in situations where we have those kinds of situations where one play can change a game or whatever it may be.”
(On the decision to take a knee prior to kickoff…) “As far as I am concerned, I support anybody who chose to exercise their right to have an opinion. Everybody on this team is grown man, everybody has a way they think. They have experiences of their own. Football is very unique that you have a lot of guys coming from all different kinds of backgrounds race, religion, socio-economic, all that. We come together and we play. I feel like it’s always something that has been created and blown out of proportion to be honest. You can be aware of things that are going on around your and also be in love with your country and love the military and also speak out against injustices. Whoever exercises their right to protest in whatever way they do that’s the nature of this country. that’s supposed to be the nature of this country.”
