Tony Lippett – August 8, 2016
Download PDF version
Monday, August 8, 2016
Cornerback Tony Lippett
(On how training camp has gone for him so far) – “It’s been good. (I) come out here every day trying to get better (and) compete against some of the best guys. Basically, every day (I) try not to take a step back (and) always move forward and make plays.”
(On whether he is still learning the cornerback position after playing wide receiver in college) – “Every day, you always learn. Everybody is out here learning. At the end of the day, I’ll never know too much about the position, and every day, I’m still learning. I’m learning from some great guys around here. Every day (I) just try to take their knowledge that they give me and get better.”
(On what he wants to accomplish in the first preseason game) – “(I want to) go out there and compete, make plays, and show them that when it’s time, I’m ready.”
(On competing with CB Chimdi Chekwa for a starting role) – “I can’t control any of that. I can control how I approach the game and approach practice every day. That’s what I try to focus on. (I) try to come out here and get better, compete and at the end of that day, show them that I’m making strides to become a better cornerback and a better person every day.”
(On what he does well as a cornerback) – “I’d probably say I’m better at the line of scrimmage. I’m better (at) understanding what the offense is trying to do.”
(On whether his length helps him at the line of scrimmage) – “Yes. (Defensive Coordinator) Coach Vance (Joseph) tries to instill in me every day (to) use my size, use my length. At the end of the day, everybody doesn’t have that size and that length, so I have to use it to the best of my ability and make it something that I use all the time.”
(On whether he dissects his play on film) – “Yes, I’m that guy. I watch a lot of film. I watch a lot of film of myself. I like watching all the time, so I go back and say, ‘OK, you got to have better technique on this play,’ or, ‘That was a good play right there,’ and analyze everything. I try to do that as much as I can, because I feel like at the end of the day, that’s going to make me a better player.”
(On how much film he watches a day) – “I watch a lot of film. I don’t know how much. I watch hours of it.”
Branden Albert – August 8, 2016
Download PDF version
Monday, August 8, 2016
Tackle Branden Albert
(On how he feels the offensive line is doing) – “It’s still Week 1 right? It’s been one week of training camp. The defense is going good. I don’t think we are doing that bad. We are still trying to grasp everything. Things aren’t going to be perfect. Everybody wants to get on the offensive line, but we will get it done.”
(On his thought about putting a foot to someone’s backside to get them going) – “That’s not my thing. My thing is to lead by example. Right now, I’m trying to get myself together and once I get myself together, I can talk. Right now, we are all trying to get it done and we will.”
(On who he thinks is the vocal leader on the o-line) – “Probably Mike (Pouncey). Mike is a vocal leader. He is more outspoken and if I need to say something, I’ll say something. When it’s genuine, it’s on my heart to say something.”
(On if C Mike Pouncey said anything to the o-line) – “Not yet. Like I said, it’s only Week 1. We’re going into our first preseason game. That’s going to be the true test that our defense is good. They are doing (well) against us (and) we got to figure out a way to keep competing and keep trying to figure it out.”
(On what he thinks the biggest challenge is practicing against the Wide 9 defense) – “Our defense is good. We have good defensive linemen. They are doing a good job, they’re rotating and every guy that is in there is competing. The technique they are using is good.”
(On what he has learned about DE Jason Jones) – “Jason (Jones) is an experienced veteran that has a lot of tools in his tool bag. He is a very smart guy and the guy is going to compete every play and is going to push it.”
(On how it feels to play against another team this Friday) – “If we don’t do (well) on Friday, then you will have something to talk about.”
(On the key to get the running backs on the outside to the perimeter) – “There’s a lot of things that goes into it. Sometimes it’s if I don’t reach my guys, sometimes if the running back doesn’t read it, sometimes it’s if somebody leaks into the back field. There’s a lot of things that happen during each play. Each play is different. We got to eliminate all the little things. We are going to get it done. We got time, that’s the good thing about it.”
(On if the offensive line needs more time to gel) – “I think so – just learning the new techniques. We got to find our identity. That’s our problem right now – what we’re going to be on offense and what we are going to be on the offensive line.”
(On his thoughts on when the starting five offensive linemen should be set) “That’s not my call. That’s up to the coaches. My call is to play left tackle and help this team. I don’t make those decisions.”
(On what he saw on the film of Saturday night’s scrimmage) – “We didn’t watch Saturday night. Saturday night was a scrimmage and the defense came out and played well. I don’t know why everybody is getting their panties in a bunch. We will see when the time is right. I’m not one to hold myself until (the season) starts, but things start really going when you go against somebody else. Like I said, our defense is good/ They know what we are going to be doing and they are doing a good job.”
(On what he is looking to accomplish on the offensive line Friday night) – “Just build some more continuity, gel together and make sure we play physical when it’s time. It’s not as bad as everybody thinks, it’s one play here and) one play there. Everybody just has to be on the same page.”
(On if he feels the team is in game form with a preseason game coming Friday night) – “I think guys are. I think guys are itching to play. I’m itching to play Week 1. That’s what I’m worried about.”
(On how he feels right now) – “I feel like I’m off a little bit. This is a schedule I’m getting used to. I’m used to hurting right now. I’m kind of feeling fresh, (Head) Coach (Adam Gase) is looking out for me. I’m learning how to say I’ve got to do extra right now to keep my mind and body right, because I’m not beat up right now. I need to figure out ways to do extra to keep my mind and keep my body going, it’s getting there.”
(On has he been able to help G/T Laremy Tunsil during camp) – “Of course, the best I can. I haven’t played guard since college but I can at least try to tell him some things that I know. As a left tackle, I think that comes natural to him. Right now, he is really starting to get his plays down, which is good. He is in his play book. That’s the one thing I told him was, get in your play book and listen. I asked him when we came off the last day off, ‘What did you do on your day off?’ He said ‘I got in my playbook.’ That the most important thing with him, is to get into his playbook. Once he gets into his playbook and knows everything down cold, he is going to be a good player for us.”
(On what he has told G/T Laremy Tunsil about the guard position being faster than tackle) – “Because of his athleticism, he’s going to make (the adjustment) easier. Once he learns the game, it slows down. He’s so athletic. Once he realizes it’s going to hit faster than playing tackle, once he gets that speed down, I think he will be fine.”
Adam Gase – August 8, 2016
Download PDF version
Monday, August 8, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On how meaningful the first depth chart is that came out today) – “Probably not much. It’s a starting point. We have to put it out. That’s the best answer I can give you. Seattle is the only one that really matters.”
(On what his message was to the team this morning) – “Well, we come right in and those guys do a thing in the weight room and then we go out to practice. I went around to some of the offensive players and we talked about a few things from the other night. Really, at the end of the day, for us on offense it came down to guys just doing their job and having 11 of them on the same page, which we didn’t have. We had a lot of guys … it was like somebody screwed something up every play. And it was always a different guy. So you can’t just point to one thing. Looking back at it, there were some play calls there that didn’t put our guys in the best position. It’s a good thing that something like that happens because, for me, as a play-caller, it lets me go back and be like ‘Okay, I need to re-evaluate what I’m going to do because I’m not putting our guys in the best position possible.’ And then defensively, just talking to those guys, I just kept telling them just keep bringing that energy because even when we did mess up on defense, those guys, because of effort and because of the entire group really running to the ball, they made plays. And that’s what you have to do on defense.”
(On at what point does he say this isn’t working) – “It’s probably closer to the season than right now. We have a lot of practice time. Really the preseason games are a great indication for us, especially for the guys that aren’t really well established, that you have some questions on. The preseason games give you that best indication because you’re going against somebody else. It’s a different environment. It’s not practice and if something bad happens out here, it’s easier. Some guys will just shrug it off, ‘Aw, it’s just practice.’ If it happens in a game, there’s consequences as far as what goes on with your teammates and the coaching staff and things like that.”
(On how he would evaluate G/T Jermon Bushrod’s transition to guard) – “I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for him. Just being around him for the last year and some change, I’ve never heard him complain about anything. So I wouldn’t know. But I know being a left tackle for as long as he was, and then moving to the right side in that guard position, that’s got to be tough; because that’s a big change for him. But I can tell he’s working at it. He’s really focusing in those individual periods because that’s how he’s going to get kind of that rhythm and get used to doing to what he needs to do within team periods. The great thing about him is I try to give him like a day, being an older guy and be like ‘Hey, tomorrow maybe you don’t practice,’ and he’s like ‘Yeah, that’s not happening.’ So I appreciate the fact that he’s out here. He’s working every day and he’s trying to make sure that he’s going to put his best foot forward going into the preseason.”
(On what he’s seen from S Isa Abdul-Quddus in the first two weeks of practice) – “The thing that I love that he does, I feel like it’s a very high percentage that he’s in the right spot. It takes so much pressure off of No. 20 (Reshad Jones) back there because he doesn’t have to do everything. He’s got a guy that can kind of help him out. I mean the intelligence part back there is big because there’s so much communication going on between the corners, between the linebackers and you’ve got to be able to talk. The more guys we have kind of in that back end that can communicate and make sure that if a team does bunch us up or stacks us, the call is quick and we can get going and they can go play their coverage. I think he’s done a good job of that. He’s been around the ball. I know we haven’t had a ton of turnovers and some of it has been good decision making by the quarterback. Then a couple of times where those guys were in position, the wide-outs might have broken it up or something like that. I think he’s in the right spot so much that he’s going to make those plays when we get in those, whether it be a preseason game or a regular season game.”
(On who makes the calls in the defensive backfield) – “It depends what it is. All those guys have to work together. It can’t just be one guy. It would be so hard to do because all of a sudden a group – a bunch – gets really wide and he’s on the other side, then Reshad (Jones) has to take control of that; and the same thing with the linebackers. You’ve got to communicate with the linebackers so much that it just can’t be one guy back there doing it all.”
(On when he is a play-caller and how often interchangeable safeties on defense are really interchangeable) – “It makes it tough because you can’t predict where everybody’s going to be. Maybe if No. 20 was always the down guy, at least I could say ‘Hey, I’m always going to run away from him.’ Or I know at least if he’s on that side, maybe in the passing game, I’d stay away from him. But when those guys can either go down, in the middle, it makes it tough as a play-caller. Now you don’t have that advantage to stay away from somebody.”
(On his vision for DE Jason Jones) – “That’s going to be like a ‘time will tell’ as far as what his role is actually going to be. It will be interesting to see when we get ‘Cam’ (Cameron Wake) rolling there on all cylinders when we get closer to the season. Obviously we’re still kind of holding him back a little bit. I love the fact that we’ve got some depth up there because, right now, it’s a tough front for us to go against. But how long he is (Jones) and how physical he is and how he sets the edge and being able to go inside; I think it’s a rare guy to get (as late as) we got him (in the offseason). He wasn’t able to go in the spring but what he’s done in training camp so far has been very impressive. I love what he brings to that group – being a veteran, being around, being in the system. He’s able to help those guys out as far as teaching them the right techniques.”
(On T Branden Albert saying the offensive line needs to form an identity) – “I think it’s one of those things that’s easier said than done. We’ve got to keep rolling through practice and as we get going in these preseason games, figuring out what is going to be our identity. What are we going to call when it’s third-and-1? When we’re really rolling running the ball, what’s that play going to be? Right now, we’re working on some things. I think we still have some time here to figure out what’s exactly going to be our best stuff. I don’t think anything has poked its head to say, ‘This is what we’re best at.’ But right now, we have an idea what we think it’s going to be, but we’ll see as we move through the rest of the preseason.”
(On whether the team can establish the run game’s identity in the preseason) – “For us, we’re at a starting point and as we go through the preseason, I think you’ll be able to tell what we’re trying to lean on. We think we’re going to be good at a certain thing, and it’s going to be if it doesn’t work out for us, ‘OK, where do we go from there?’ Maybe something else pops for us where we say, ‘Maybe we become a gap-scheme team, and we weren’t as good as we thought in the spring and now we are in training camp and the preseason.’ Time will tell. I know that’s kind of a weak answer, but we got to get through some of these preseason games and figure out what that is.”
(On how the offense practiced today) – “I loved the energy level that they brought today. They worked hard. We’re trying to do a better job of executing. I thought that the entire team came out and was refocused. After a day off, they came out here and worked. Sometimes you don’t always get that. I’ve been impressed with this group as far as either the day before a day off or the day after a day off, besides the little speed bump we had there with the offense the other night in the scrimmage. Defense – every day they’ve come out here (with) full energy, attitude (and) speed. Every day they’ve done it. We had one little hiccup there with the offense; but, for the most part, they’ve been doing the same thing.”
(On how the preseason helps him from a play-calling standpoint) – “I always enjoy it, because it gets you back in the flow of things. With the ones – for this group – they’ve never really experienced how a game is going to go with me calling plays. I’m trying to figure out these guys as well. It’s a two-way street. It’s not, ‘Here’s what I want to do.’ It doesn’t work that way. We saw the other night (that) I’m reverting back to things that I’m used to doing, and that’s not the right thing to do. I got to do what we do best as far as an offense, not what I like. It’s irrelevant what I like. I got to do what our guys do well. This preseason, it’s good for the ones, but it’s really fun to call (plays) when Matt (Moore) will get in there, (and) the twos and the threes get in there. When those guys get in there, it’s fun, because you’re trying to help those guys (and) put them in the best position possible so they can put good tape out there. I’m excited to watch our guys go out there and compete.”
(On the tackles’ ability to go out wide and reach the defensive ends) – “It’s so hard to do. It really is, especially the way our guys play. They’re so aggressive and you start working out there and it’s like getting hit with a brick in the chest. Those guys, they do a good job. It’s one of those things (where) it’s a … For me, I’m sitting there (and), it’s frustrating, but at the same time I’m like, ‘Alright, I love the way our defense is practicing. I love the way they play.’ I enjoy practicing against this defense, because it’s hard. I’ll be interested to see how good these guys can get as we move forward throughout the season.”
(On this year’s group of receivers compared to last season’s receivers) – “It’s hard, because I didn’t evaluate like that. I really came in here with a clean slate. (I) kind of went off of some of the things I knew about these guys coming out of college. Kenny Stills is a good example. I know I’ve said it before, (but) we tried to trade for him in Chicago, so I had watched enough film of him in New Orleans. Last year, I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I wanted to see these guys practice live. Sometimes when you watch tape, you can’t get the best feel for things. I like seeing things live, and we’ve moved off of that.”
(On RB Daniel Thomas) – “When he was in Chicago, he was a guy that was a hard downhill runner for me in the preseason. He was doing well and then (he) took a shot on the knee, and that was it for him and he ran out of time. That’s kind of what happened to him there. But he had been practicing well. He had shown a lot in practice both in the passing game, pass protection and in the run game. He was on the street at the time (when) we were looking for guys to come in here and compete. I knew if there was one thing I was going to get out of him (it) was he’s going to come to work every day, give it everything he has and look to get better.”
(On whether RB Daniel Thomas would have made Chicago’s roster last season if he had not sustained a knee injury) – “I think he had a shot. He really was playing well, and we were fairly deep there. If that would’ve happened … I don’t know what would’ve happened exactly. Some other guys ended up stepping up there after he went down and made the roster. Where we started at before training camp (and) where we ended up were completely two different things than what we thought. That’s why injuries do play a big role in this and things change from the start to the end.”
(On where RB Daniel Thomas fell on Chicago’s depth chart) – “It was him and two other guys. They were competing for that third spot. He was right in the mix. He was a different body type from the other guys we had. He was the biggest guy we had, and (Chicago Bears Head) Coach (John) Fox always loved having big backs that could get downhill and lower the pads and try to move the pile.”
(On whether he is looking for consistency from WR Jakeem Grant) – “With him, once again, we got to slow him down somehow, which is hard to do. The guy is fast. This’ll be a great test for him – whether it be the return game or at receiver – of consistently doing the right thing and being in the right spot. One thing I noticed today was when things break down, he seems to pop free. That guy in space is dangerous, and it’ll be fun to watch him play.”
(On the return position being about more than a player’s speed) – “It’s something you have to learn. Some guys do it naturally. I’ve been around some guys (where) it takes a couple years to understand that your body language is the most important thing. The guy that taught me a lot of things – Mike Martz – they did it better than anybody. He always felt like they were running as fast as they could, and they’d laugh at you when you would say that, because they were like, ‘I really wasn’t running that fast, but you felt like I was,’ because of their stride length.’ It’s one of those things (where) if you can figure out that little trick, it’s a helpful tool.”
Mario Williams – August 6, 2016
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Defensive End Mario Williams
(On how he interprets what he saw from the defense) – “It’s just the mentality. Whenever the lights come on, we got to train ourselves to just go out and attack and not worry about anything, not worry about mistakes or messing up (and) just flying around.”
(On what he has seen from the defensive ends throughout training camp) – “(We are) getting better day by day. Our coaches, they really focus on fundamentals. They focus on working and going out every day and trying to execute to get better at what we know is our weakness in the defense. If you know your weakness, you have to play to that, so it won’t be a weakness anymore. I think the biggest thing for us is going out and working on those things and trying to make sure we take care of those little things – (the) fundamentals of it – and get better.”
(On whether the defense made a statement during the scrimmage) – “No. I think the biggest thing is that you make a statement to yourself day by day. We’re out here competing; that’s it. At the end of the day, you’ll win, you’ll lose. That’s part of competing. That’s part of being a competitor. I think the biggest thing for us is (to) keep building on top of that and trying to get better (and) push ourselves to get to where we want to go.”
(On whether the players were disappointed about practicing indoors) – “Yes. Unfortunately, the biggest thing is for the fans. People were trying to come out and see us practice. This is two days straight. I don’t know what’s going on with the weather, but it seems like every night (it rains). (This is) the second practice at night (where) it just wants to storm. That’s the biggest thing, because we know the fans really want to see us out there. We definitely want to be out there on the grass as opposed to being on the turf, because it’s better on your joints and things.”
(On whether he was surprised with the defense’s dominance during the scrimmage) – “It doesn’t surprise me, because I know the guys that we have on our side of the ball just as well as on their side of the ball. Any given night, that’s why you play the game. You don’t go out here and say, ‘It’s going to be a stalemate. This is going to happen. You’re going to get blown out. You’re going to dominate.’ That’s why you compete. That’s why we play. Fortunately for us, on our side of the ball, we came out and we executed what we needed to. It might not have been perfect technique, but the intensity was where it needed to be at.”
(On the defense enjoying themselves after practice) – “That’s what it’s all about. I think the biggest thing for us is at the end of the day, we’re all (Miami) Dolphins in there, so we all won.”
Mike Pouncey – August 6, 2016
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Center Mike Pouncey
(On graduating today from the University of Florida) – “It was an exciting day. I was excited to go back up (to Gainesville) and walk with my class. It meant the world to my parents for me to graduate from college. It’s another accomplishment I can say that I earned.”
(On his motivation to return to school) – “My mom. It was something she was really big on (when) we left off for school. I promised her before I left out of school (early that) I was going to be a college graduate. I was one class away, and this was the first semester that they offered it online in the summer, and I took advantage of it and ultimately got a degree from the University of Florida.”
(On what he earned his degree in) – “Sociology. That’s the easy way out, you know that! (laughter) I’m a football player!” (laughter)
(On taking his last final exam) – “Actually, yesterday I took my final exam. (I) ended up passing my final exam. I called the University of Florida and told them that I wanted to walk with my class, so they were very accepting of it. (I am) very appreciative they let me walk with my class. It was a fun time being up there with my family.”
(On when his brother Pittsburgh Steelers C Maurkice Pouncey will graduate from Florida) – “My Brother? He has a full year. He has a long way to go.” (laughter)
(On how the offense played in tonight’s scrimmage) – “It’s one day out of training camp. Obviously, it doesn’t affect our mindset going into the season, how we feel (about) the (type of) offense we can be. Obviously, today, we didn’t come out with the right mindset to compete against these guys, and it showed. The defense played really well today and they deserve all the credit.”
(On how he hopes to use his degree) “We’ll see. Right now, (I am) focusing on my career in the NFL. (I will) see how long it takes me (and) see how long I can play. After that, we’ll see how it goes. I haven’t put too much thought into it. I haven’t even gotten the degree yet. All I did was shake a few hands and walk across a stage.” (laughter)
(On studying for a final exam during training camp) – “It was kind of tough, but I got through it. I had the advantage of taking (the class) a few weeks before training camp started. It was just the last couple weeks into training camp (where there were) a few assignments and then my final exam. It was pretty easy to get through it.”
(On whether he thinks it will take a while for the offense to grow) – “I don’t think so. I think our offense is going to be okay. I think this is just one day. You guys have been out at training camp all training camp and seen the progress our offense has had. Obviously, we only ran 10 plays today, and I hate to judge our offense off 10 plays.”
(On QB Ryan Tannehill having the ability to audible at the line of scrimmage) – “It means we have a lot of trust in him. Obviously, he’s going to put us in the right play. (It is) something that Ryan (Tannehill) has wanted to do his whole career, and he’s finally got the opportunity to do it. I think he has been doing really well at it.”
(On when he plans to start his wrestling career after talking with WWE wrestler Big Show following practice) – “When I get as big as the Big Show.” (laughter)
(On whether he was a fan of Big Show growing up) – “I was a big fan. Like I said, we watched (wrestling) my whole childhood growing up. We used to always look up those guys. Wrestling was like the biggest deal when we were kids. To see these guys – and finally meet them – he’s everything I expected to be.”
(On Big Show being bigger than an offensive lineman) – “He’s probably one of the three dudes I’ve ever met in my life that’s bigger than me. I was happy to meet him. Like I said, I was a big fan my whole life. He’s a very kind guy. You can tell why he was very successful in the sport.”
Adam Gase – August 6, 2016
Download PDF version
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Head Coach Adam Gase
(On if he can get a good read on the offense or the defense inside the practice bubble) – “The first thing you notice is the intensity level. I think the last time we were in it, we had probably the best practice that I had seen in a while as far as intensity, just the way the guys were flying around (and) the hitting. This (practice), the defense went to another level. They took it even more than what they did last time. And then offensively, there was just no juice whatsoever. It was almost just like a walkthrough.”
(On how he explains the offense tonight) – “It will be interesting when I go back and watch it. (I’ll) just kind of take a peek at it tonight and see assignment-wise first, but there just was no juice.”
(On if he was frustrated by what he saw tonight) – “It irritates me. You get to practice one time a day and you get a limited amount of practices and how many times you get to be in pads. I think it’s like 22 (padded practices) for the whole year. To not take advantage of that, that’s bothersome.”
(On how he changes the attitude of the offense) – “I think when you get smacked in the mouth, you got to have guys step up. Not all the time is it going to be vocally, but somebody’s got to either make a play or we’ve got to stop the defensive line from penetrating, we’ve got to pop a run, we’ve got to complete a ball – something.”
(On his thoughts on the defensive ends tonight) – “It seemed like all four of them were (getting pressure). I don’t even know if (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph) needed to pressure if he didn’t want to. Those guys were coming off the ball – they have been all camp. That’s why ‘T’ (Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams) and ‘Wash’ (Senior Defensive Assistant/Pass Rush Specialist Jim Washburn) do a great job with those guys and they work on getting off the ball all the time. Obviously all that time in individual pays off because we go out there today and they’re playing at basically a different speed than anybody else on the entire field.”
(On DT Chris Jones) – “The guy flies around. The way he comes off the ball, whether he’s just basically striking a guard or having to penetrate a gap, the guy is 100 percent effort all the time. His ability to run sideline-to-sideline is pretty impressive for a guy that’s in the interior defensive line.”
(On S A.J. Hendy having an interception tonight) – “He was making a lot of plays in OTAs and in the minicamp and he was a guy (whose) his name was being talked about in the spring. In training camp, he’s been around the ball a little bit but I think today, that’s good for him. For him to be in the right position, he did his job properly and then made a play.”
(On if he could tell if any other young players did well today without watching the film) – “It’s hard. It’s hard to see from where we’re standing on the sideline – everybody is kind of creeping in a little bit. Being in (the practice bubble), it changes the whole environment as far as where everybody is at. We had the whole Green Bay setup there, trying to let all the people that came be able to see. It was hard to keep everybody back and then see what’s going on at the same time.”
(On if CB Tony Lippett has done anything to improve) – “I think Tony (Lippett)’s just working to get better every day, as far as, whether it’s in press or when he’s playing off. He’s seeing a lot of different routes. Between going against Kenny (Stills) and Jarvis (Landry) quite a bit – because every day he gets a different guy, which is good for him because he’s seeing different routes because we’re starting to get to that point where we’re trying to use Kenny and say, ‘Hey, these are the routes we really like with him.’ (It’s) the same thing with Jarvis. (Lippett’s) getting a different sample size every day. I think he’s really heading upward, as far as improvement. I know that for himself, he’s not going to stop at wherever he’s at right now. He’s going to keep working to get better. He knows that with ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) being out right now, he’s got a really good chance of taking these reps and seeing where he’s at. After the preseason it’s going to be a lot more telling for us.”
(On where WR Jarvis Landry ranks among the receivers he’s coached) – “He’s rare because he is a guy that can play outside and inside. Normally, the guys that I’ve been around have been either strictly an inside guy or strictly an outside guy. His ability to do both and the variety of routes he can run is very impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever been around a guy that has as much grit as him. There’s something about him where he wills himself to be … he’s at a different level when he’s going against that secondary. There’s something inside him that’s different than anybody that I’ve really been around. He’s a fun guy to coach. He’s a fun guy to watch compete. I know he’s really hard on himself; he’s a perfectionist. I love how he just keeps striving to get better every day. I think (Wide Receivers Coach) Shawn Jefferson, he’s like the perfect guy for him. That intensity between those two guys is a fun thing to be around all the time.
(On if anyone is pulling away in the kicker competition) – “I think we’re just going to keep evaluating. The preseason games are your best indication. We can (practice) all you want, but the environment completely changes for those guys when you get into a real game. You would love to get into a situation where it comes down to the end of a half or end of a game – even though it’s not as big of a moment. But just when you’ve got that kind of pressure and everybody is watching you and you know you’re basically at the last play of the half. That’s really a great indication of how a guy is going to be.”
(On RB Damien Williams in the scrimmage) – “He’s been doing a great job since he got back. I appreciate you pointing out that there wasn’t a lot of positive plays. That makes me feel better. (laughter) But he’s done a great job. He’s been the one guy when he’s been back, he brings that juice you want. When he gets a rep, he makes every one count. That was something when he was on PUP and when he got back, (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren) Rizzi told me, ‘I promise you this, if you give him two reps, you’ll get everything he has.’ He’s proven ‘Riz’ right 100 percent.”
(On when he talks about the offense not being ready if he meant across the board) – “I think it was just the whole group. It just seemed like everybody was just sleepwalking a little bit. It was a little surprising to me. That was something I did not expect from our offensive players.”
(On if the offense was as frustrated as he was) – “It seemed like it – just talking with a couple guys afterwards. They knew something did not go like what we thought, for sure.”
(On if he chalks up the offensive struggles to going inside the bubble) – “I don’t think so. If that’s what we’re going to try to blame something on then that’s terrible.”
Terrell Williams – August 5, 2016
Download PDF version
Friday, August 5, 2016
Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams
(On the defensive line) – “It’s early. We have a lot of work to do. We’re only six practices in. It’s just about gelling and getting guys playing together. Right now, I can say that we’re doing okay, but we have a lot of room for improvement.”
(On whether he has seen this kind of depth at defensive line) – “No, not at least in my experience. We got some guys (that are) experienced guys. Cam (Wake and) Mario (Williams have) played a lot of football. Andre Branch with Jacksonville played a lot of football. ‘J.J.’, Jason Jones, has played a lot of football. Then we got some young guys – (Terrence) Fede and Chris McCain is having a good camp. It’s going to be interesting when we start playing these preseason games.”
(On how Senior Defensive Assistant/Pass Rush Specialist Jim Washburn has been with the defensive line) – “Excellent. ‘Wash’ (Jim Washburn) and I are friends. We were friends before he got here. We got two good d-line coaches, and we’re excited to work together. But it was an easy transition because him and I were close before we even started working together.”
(On DT Earl Mitchell and DT Jordan Phillips competing for a starting role) – “Every guy has got to come out here and compete. They’re both going to play. Earl, (Ndamukong) Suh and Jordan – we’re going to rely heavily on those guys along with some other guys. On the defensive line, I think sometimes you look and see who goes out with the starters. It doesn’t really matter because when we were in Oakland, we had guys that didn’t start that played more than the starters. At the end of the day, it’s finding the right guys and how many snaps they can play.”
(On DE Terrence Fede and DE Jason Jones having the ability to play inside) – “Any time you have guys that have position flexibility – which those guys do – the more positions you can play, the more valuable you are to the team. ‘J.J.’ (Jason Jones) has played for ‘Wash’ (Jim Washburn) in Tennessee and in Detroit, and he has played (defensive) end and tackle. Both of those guys can do it. Then we’ve got some big guys that can go outside if we need to. The better and the more depth you have – the more position flexibility – I think it gives you some opportunities to do some things.”
(On whether DE Andre Branch will rotate with the other defensive ends) – “What is it, August 6, or something like that? Right now, the plan is get to the first preseason game and play these games (and) see where guys fit in. Again, ‘Dre’ (Andre Branch) is a guy that’s a speed guy. He’s got some edge rush ability. Right now, we’re still in … It’s early. I know for some of the players it may feel like we’ve been at camp a long time; but we haven’t been at camp a long time, so we’re trying to figure out where all these guys fit in. He’ll be a part of the plan somewhere.”
(On there being a gap in the middle of the Wide 9 defense) “There is no big gap. Here’s something – and listen, you can report it or write it, whatever you guys want – I think sometimes when people watch football, especially on TV, they see things that aren’t necessarily true. We know exactly what we’re seeing, and there is no big gaps in the middle. The only difference between playing a 9-technique and a 6-technique – which means you’re head up on a tight end – is one guy is a little bit wider, and now they just switched gaps. The off-the-ball linebacker now has the inside gap; the other guy has the outside gap. The Wide 9, there’s no big deal about it. We just want our guys to play fast. You look at ‘Wash’s’ (Jim Washburn’s) history playing this defense – which he has done a good job (with) – they’ve played great run defense. It’s not what people think. It’s kind of an illusion a little bit. I hear about the Wide 9 and stopping the run. In (Ndamukong) Suh’s last year in Detroit, they were in the top five in the history of pro football in run defense. You can stop the run, it’s just about attitude. I don’t care if it’s 3-4 (defense), Wide 9, 6-2, whatever it is, it’s just about who’s lining up and kicking the guy’s butt in front of them.”
(On if the advantage of having depth on the defensive line comes in the fourth quarter) “It comes early if you can rotate guys early. And we know in this league, most of the games are won in the fourth quarter. If we can score some points and get up on some people, then we can roll them in, in waves and see. Again, it’s so early in the process that we have no idea who’s going to be out there. You can pretty much bank on (Ndamukong) Suh being out there and a couple other guys, but we’re still trying to mesh all these guys together.”
(On who has made the biggest strides since the end of last season) – “It’s hard to say, to be honest with you, because I’ve tried to put … I’m retained (as the defensive line coach), but it’s a new staff. We got new players. I’ve moved on from last season. But I’ll say that from the end of the spring until now, I think as a group we’ve all made some pretty big improvements. As far as last year, it’s over. We’ve moved on. But as far as from OTAs to now, I would say if you told me to give you one person I’d say the defensive line, because everybody has made some improvement.”
(On stopping the run) – “I think we’re good. It’s funny because we’re not tackling, we’re not hitting the quarterback, so sometimes what you see – (like) a guy break across the line of scrimmage – we got to do better. There’s so much we got to get better at. But I don’t think we’re going to have any problems stopping the outside runs. We’re out there playing with guys that are big, physical guys, so they’re forcing everything inside. We shouldn’t have any problems stopping outside runs.”
(On whether an advantage of the Wide 9 defense is better angling for players) – “It does. It gives them some angles as far as pass rushing, but it also gives them some angles in the run game as far as coming off and being physical with tight ends and tackles. We have the personnel to run that defense, and it’s smart for us to do what our personnel is capable of doing.”
(On whether athletic defensive ends are preferable for the Wide 9 defense) – “Big, athletic DEs. If you’re going to have big, athletic guys across the board, you got a chance to be good upfront.”
Matt Burke – August 5, 2016
Download PDF version
Friday, August 5, 2016
Linebackers Coach Matt Burke
(On the advantages of having a veteran linebacker corps) – “Anytime you’ve got guys that have played football in the league – conceptually and stuff like that, that can pick up things easier – it just helps. Obviously (we have) guys that have seen plays and seen reps and played some of the defenses that we’re playing so it’s a pleasure to work with those guys.”
(On if he is seeing the rookie version of LB Kiko Alonso) – “Absolutely. He’s been great. He’s really taken to what we’re trying to do. I was telling somebody earlier, to me he’s a modern-day Mike (linebacker). He’s a long, rangy, instinctive kid. He’s got a great feel in space for us and getting in throwing lanes. He covers a lot of ground. He’s really picked up on what we’re trying to do. It’s a new scheme for him. He’s never really played this style of football so that’s kind of one thing about … but he’s picked up on it. He’s been really great to work with.”
(On LB Kiko Alonso being a three-down linebacker and how common that is in today’s NFL) – “To me, that’s ideal. It’s ideal, especially with little things like having the guy that has the headset (being) a guy you can keep on the field for all three downs and can play and you’re not worried about it. So that’s why we feel, again like I said, (he’s) kind of a modern-day Mike (linebacker) where he’s not a two-down thumper and you’re worried about his matchups in space. We feel just as comfortable with him playing on third-and-10 as we do on first-and-10 so that will be helpful for us to keep him going like that.”
(On the depth at linebacker and LB James-Michael Johnson taking first team reps today with LB Kiko Alonso getting a rest day) – “He (James-Michael Johnson) has been (taking first team reps with Kiko Alonso missing today’s practice). ‘JMJ’ has done a great job. Honestly, he probably prepares better than anybody in the room. It’s important to him. He’s in asking questions every day. He comes in the morning first thing and literally has a list of ‘Alright, here’s the five things I saw last night that I need you to tell me about.’ He’s done a great job of preparing and filling in there. Like I said, the rest of the guys are just working. We’re just trying to mix them up, mix some groups up and put some guys in different spots. Ideally in terms of depth-wise, it helps to have guys that can play multiple positions for you so we’re trying to mix and match some guys in that sense. So as you move forward into the season, you have some versatility there where you’re not stuck with just one guy can only play one position because that hamstrings you a little bit as you move forward.”
(On LB Koa Misi playing the run well thus far during training camp) – “Oh yes, he’s a man child. That’s a big 6-3, 255 pound linebacker that can run and with his history of what he’s done… It’s funny, I coached Koa in the Senior Bowl. We were with the (Detroit) Lions when he was coming out and that was his first experience playing stack linebacker, so I started training him a long time ago. We feel in the run-game specifically, I really feel there are not a lot of tight ends that can match up with him in the run game – strength-wise, explosion. He’s obviously played on the ball as a 3-4 guy and some rush stuff. He’s got a versatile skill set that we’re trying to take advantage of but he’s showing a lot.”
(On if the starting linebackers should be above-average in the NFL) – “I can’t speak for any other teams in the league but I always have high expectations for everybody in the room. They’ve been playing well, like I said they’ve been buying in. So yes, I don’t know about a ranking, but I have high expectations for them to perform. And they do too. That’s part of the way we run our group. That’s the way I run my room. We have high expectations for all of them so when we’re in there watching practice film, we’re coaching up the little things and the details. If it’s not good enough, they’re going to hear about it and they know it. It raises their bar and everyone (else’s). I think we have high expectations as a group. That’s the only way to do it here.”
(On if any of the undrafted college free agent linebackers have caught his eye) – “They’re all working – I’ll give them that. It’s a tough spot to be in; probably very typical as a rookie. They’re all inconsistent. They flash some things where you’re going, ‘Okay, he’s kind of turned the corner,’ and then they have an error. With those guys, it’s consistency of getting everything down and doing it play-in and play-out and it’s not good enough to make one flash play. All of them have had their moments and all of them have had times where I’ve wanted to (knock) them to the ground sometimes.” (laughter)
(On if he feels obligated to give his backups snaps during the season so starters can rest) – “I think it’s situational. Ideally, yes, you’d like to be able to… Two-fold: To me, I’ve always felt that you keep guys involved. If you’ve got a guy like Spencer Paysinger and you can give him a role and keep him involved and give him some plays, not only giving the other guys maybe three or four plays off in a game but keeping him into the game plan. I think it’s hard when you have three guys that just take every rep the whole year and then something happens, now a guy hasn’t played much (is on the field). So yes, ideally you’d like that, but you can talk to (Defensive Coordinator) Vance (Joseph). His philosophy has always been since Day 1 when we got here, this defense is going to be about players, not about scheme. We’re going to utilize the skill sets of the guys that we have and if we feel comfortable with someone fitting a role or taking 10 reps a game or 12 reps, then we’ll do that. If not, then we’re going to go with what we go (with). Obviously we’ll make those decisions as we move forward once the roster is set and (once we know) what the talent level and skill set is that we have at the position. There’s a lot of ways to handle it and again, you have guys like Koa (Misi) who has a different skill set than Jelani (Jenkins) and Kiko (Alonso). So there may be different spots where we can roll those guys through.”
(On if he keeps his linebackers at specific positions or if he cross-trains them) – “We cross-train them. To be honest with you, in our scheme, the two outside guys are fairly interchangeable. And again, depending on some of the schematic stuff that we’re doing, a guy like Koa (Misi), who has a skill set of sort of an on-the-ball guy, maybe we move him up there (to the line of scrimmage) and we move some guys around. But ideally they’re interchangeable, especially with the way the league is going offensively and what you have to defend. You need three guys with fairly similar skill sets – guys that can all play in space, move and cover and come downhill and whatnot. We’re trying to cross-train some guys just to have position versatility.”
