De’Von Achane – October 8, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 8, 2023
Postgame – New York Giants
Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane
(You got to be amazed at what you’re doing right now in your first season at NFL.) – “Yeah man, I mean, you don’t really just expect that. Credit to the o-line. They make everything easy for me. But like you said, you don’t just expect that for the rookie to come up and perform the way I have been performing. So I just hope that I can keep it up.”
(Your confidence has to be at a sky-high right now. How do you explain it in your own words?) – “It’s always about confidence. Like even after the fumble that I had I still had confidence in myself. Everybody fumbles, but you don’t want to. But you’ve just got to get past that play and I was able to make up for it. If I didn’t, if I would have been still on the fumble, I probably would have even kept having more mistakes. But it’s football, man. So you’re going to make mistakes and it’s just how you come back from it.”
(I know you’re on the offensive side of the ball, but the way the defense had played today, you have to be impressed.) – “For sure. Always. The d-line, they’re amazing. I’ve seen it from when I first got in during training camp and OTAs, just them making plays and I’d hate to be on the other side of that, running against them. I’m glad that I’m on their team, but they make plays for us and they get the stops and we get on the field and we’re just trying to put up points.”
Jaylen Waddle – October 8, 2023 (Postgame)
Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023
Postgame – NY Giants
Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle
(Talk about the bounce back though after picking up your first L of the season and coming back today with a lot of firepower on the field.) – “Yeah, we always want to protect home. It was one that we wanted. We wanted to make last week a learning lesson for us coming into the game. So I think we learned from it. We still got a lot to grow from throughout the year and throughout this game, so we’re going to come back and just try to keep building.”
(You always hear that comment: “Iron sharpens iron.” The way your defense played today – the offense you guys have, you guys prepared them for things like this. How impressed were you with the defense the way they played today?) – “I’m very impressed. I wasn’t surprised at all. I know it was real big for them to get back on track and know the standard that they play at and just show it out to the world. We already know what they’re capable of, so coming out here on Sunday, they were playing free, making plays left and right. So we expect that from them.”
(Your touchdown. QB Tua Tagovailoa gave you a little extra time to get open and put it up high for you. What did you see on that play?) – “I saw him trying to escape, so just trying to mirror the quarterback. (Tua) came out, put it up high. He ended up falling on the escape, so he made a play. He put it up there for me and allowed me to go out there and come down with it.”
Mike McDaniel – October 8, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 8, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
Q. We just talked to QB Tua Tagovailoa a few minutes back, and he was telling us about Tyreek’s touchdown.
MIKE McDANIEL: Yeah, apparently he stole my thunder. I wanted to unveil that he’s now a play caller, as well. That’s one of the moments that in the story of his journey that is indicative of where he’s at. I just know the way that we were able to move the ball a little bit and then those turnovers and the picks, last year it would have been hard to get him out of that, just how mad he would be at himself and all the disciplined work that he’s done with mind, body and soul, to be in a moment like that and just take the game into his own hands, that’s what you’re trying to build. It was a really cool moment that when you’re watching the formation set up, I am not composed because I’m like, what the – you just don’t know. You have no idea. It’s hard to visualize what play he actually called because you’re just thinking that nine people are messed up. Then that’s the type of stuff that you can’t manufacture, to be able to have the wherewithal to say, you know what, let’s put it in mine and Tyreek’s hands. I’m just very, very proud of him. Sometimes the messy games are my favorite with regard to that stuff. You turn the ball over, that’s hard. But the best way to separate yourself is to be able to come back from that and progress forward and not let other plays linger, and there’s very few guys that could pull it off.
Q. As you’re watching this formation that you did not call for, how close were you to calling time-out and getting guys back to the sideline?
MIKE McDANIEL: Well, if people – like typically, I was processing it at live speed, and since other guys weren’t looking around, they were convicted in whatever they were doing. A lot of times that’s the most important play that you can have is people that believe in whatever is going on. To me, the thought crossed my mind immediately when they broke the huddle and people were on the wrong side, and then once I saw people moving with conviction, I was like, hey, let’s see what play caller Tua has for us. (laughter) And I would advise him to be very choice with his selections because right now his percentage as a play caller is outstanding.
Q. He said that he told you he didn’t hear the call. Is that just his story to be able to get this play in?
MIKE McDANIEL: The story is kind of whatever we say it is, huh? I mean, whatever. (laughter) The whole idea is a bunch of people working together, and it’s all of the players, coaches, the team. It’s all our offense. The players will always be the ones that make it come to life. Shoot, if he thinks he’s got a better thought than I do, I would prefer him to do that. Whether he heard or not, he knows for a fact that regardless of what happens, if he’s able to execute out there that I’m not going to be mad at it. I definitely was not upset while I watched Tyreek run down the sidelines.
Q. Moving forward, will you maybe give him a little bit more latitude as far as doing this again?
MIKE McDANIEL: I mean, if you guys are worried about the play caller and you guys are asking for a new one, he’s probably the best one to do it. I think everything is about evolution and growing. We do give him liberties within the offense from a progression standpoint. I think he prefers to just kind of go and let it play or let it play out, but if you can – sure. He can double down as – he can call all the plays for all I care. (laughter) I think that’s the type of mindset that everyone has is we’re not really trying to sit here and talk about credit. This is a group that is achieving certain things collectively. The players in the locker room were talking about how we should get better, and that is kind of the sole focus as we progress. It’s not about opponents. It’s about what we’re doing, where we’re at with our game. It was a tremendous job by our defense to handle a three-turnover output by the offense, as well. There’s a lot of good stuff coming from it.
Q. You guys have now gained more yards through five games than any team in NFL history. The record you broke belonged to the ’99 Rams. Certainly that’s hallowed ground in the National Football League. When you hear something like that, what is your reaction?
MIKE McDANIEL: Mission accomplished. We had the whole time, the whole off-season, that was our goal was output after five games. (laughter) I mean, I think it speaks to what the group is capable of and you’re honored to be in the same breath for any statistical reason. But when push comes to shove, I think it speaks to a lot of deliberate hard work from a lot of human beings, players, coaches, everyone. But I think all that means is that people are going to give you their best shot, and you’d better continue to work and progress in your game if you’re going to be satisfied because you’re going to have a bull’s-eye on your back, and that’s kind of what you want in general because you want people’s best shot because you want to be your best and you want to play your best to do that. It’s cool, but it’s like literally, whatever, like five weeks. It’s not that exciting.
Q. After Tua’s second pick, you called seven run plays on the eight-play scoring drive. How intentional was that, and regardless how valuable has the run game been for the Dolphins offense in Year 2?
MIKE McDANIEL: I think it was the time in the game. It was definitely intentional. It was the time of the game that I felt like, shame on me if I didn’t put it in the ball carrier and the o-line’s hands because I felt like they had a nice competitive advantage at that moment. That’s huge for what we’re trying to build, to try to be able to win games handing the ball off for the type of respect that our pass game really gets. It’s monumental, and that’s something I can tell that the team, really got them going. You’re hoping that you can continue that whole process. But shoot, I’m just happy for the guys that got to execute that stuff because if you guys had it your way, they all would have been ran out of town. Just kidding, guys. C’mon, too soon? What’s going on here? (laughter)
Q. Regarding the run game, I walked up late on RB Raheem Mostert in the locker room, but I think he said his grandfather passed recently. Did you notice any extra emotion in him today or this week?
MIKE McDANIEL: No, I knew exactly what we’d get out of Raheem today. He was a hard guy to tackle because he was playing not just for what he usually plays for, but with a heavy heart, as well. So yeah, Raheem is a wonderful human being, inside and out, and I’ve learned to have expectation. I told him earlier – I told really the offense on Friday that there’s a part of me when Raheem fumbles, I get kind of excited in a weird way. Over time, learning Raheem, yeah, the fumble sucks. But I know what we’re going to get next week. On top of that, when he had a heavy heart, he knows one way to try to at least make the best of football situations, and that’s putting forth his best effort, and I thought his – we didn’t have the ball long enough to get him the ball enough, and there were a lot of guys that were getting touches, but he did phenomenal with his reps for sure.
Q. This game was a bit of a statistical anomaly in that you lost the turnover battle 3-0, 11 minutes less of possession than the Giants, and you won by double digits. Will that be sort of indicative because you score so quickly, time of possession isn’t necessarily a stat that reflects your team as it would other teams?
MIKE McDANIEL: Well, you know, there is a lot – I think there’s a lot that goes into it. I think it speaks to what the defense was doing. The Giants had a lot of opportunities to make plays, and even if they were converting 1st downs, there was no quit. There was absolutely no quit. I thought in the later part of the game, too, you’re worried about guys being tired, and I thought that specifically the pass rush and then the coverage in terms of what a lot of people call plastering, which is matching your eligibles when the quarterback breaks the pocket, that’s what allowed for that to happen. They didn’t let the guys get in the end zone, so we had more points. It’s definitely not the formula you want to really live by because more often than not, that’s why it’s an anomaly, but that’s why as a team we can’t overreact to anything negative that crosses our path. When you have people playing together, you can overcome a lot, like a pick six and a minus-three day.
Q. I assume you’re the primary play caller on opening drives and you’ve now scored on all of them but the one where there was a turnover at the 2-yard line. I think Tua is completing 85 percent of his passes on those drives. How much work goes into just that, just the opener in terms of what you script, what you don’t script, because obviously that’s been very effective this year?
MIKE McDANIEL: It’s a bunch – it’s so much work accumulated by players. Like all the things that are happening, they’re executing. They’re prepared to do it against multiple looks. That speaks to their preparation and their ownership of when we go through it, go through the openers, they’re the ones that are executing it. Sometimes we get what we’re practicing against. Like today we saw absolutely positively an extreme version of an antithesis of the defense that we prepared for. They came out in a different personnel package and played coverages they’ve never played before. To be able to do that and to have players not even blink means that they’re super prepared, on top of the fact that their coaches have taught them the appropriate way to digest the defense so when there is a defense that you haven’t prepared for, they’re able to still execute their job. It’s a group effort. I can promise you whatever plays that I call, if the players don’t really, really invest into what we’re doing and execute at a high level, those plays suck.
Q. How satisfying is it to get a successful challenge especially…
MIKE McDANIEL: I almost went in the locker room. I did it. (laughter) No, I don’t really – I really don’t care about losing challenges in terms of – like it’s all situational. There’s sometimes I kind of lend myself – I’m a little aggressive when I know it’s a big play because I don’t really worry about the percentages of failure. It’s more about, like, is it appropriate for the team? If my reputation is that I have terrible judgment towards challenging officials’ calls, I’m cool with that. It was good that – I was pumped about the communication from Danny Crossman, the special teams coach, who was absolutely on it, and on game day when you look another coach in the eye, and you’re like, are you sure, because I’m going to throw this and I will be a moron if you’re not right, and he didn’t blink, which helped me execute that. I did laugh. There was a couple guys that gave me crap on the sidelines, so people let me know that my ratio is terrible. That’s fine.
Q. You said something about WR Tyreek Hill, if you want to get the best out of Tyreek you have to make it a competition. This week he took offense that RB De’Von Achane was the fastest player in the NFL. Today he posted his 22 speed. Are you surprised by that?
MIKE McDANIEL: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. He’s different, man. He is different. When he harnesses a competitive situation, there’s not many like it. I know for a fact that he’s just a prideful individual, prideful of everything he does and very glad that we have him on our team because I definitely notice his competitive issues, and I poke and prod them a lot. The guys know that they’re going to get his best effort.
Q. Of course this was the return of Connor Williams to the offensive line after missing out against Buffalo. Talk about his impact on the o-line, specifically when it comes to protecting Tua.
MIKE McDANIEL: He did a phenomenal job. He willed himself to play in this game. If you go by standard measurement of injury and timeline, he exceeded that, and it’s very impactful. It was very impactful for our whole group in general because he’s really taken a step in his game. One of the things that he does very well that we’re kind of spoiled with is his ability to anchor the pocket. That’s huge. I think our interior line has done a really good job with that relative to any season that I’ve had, and I think that Connor’s frustration at not being able to play with his teammates last week, it was so evident. I think it also charged up a lot of his teammates because he was – I mean, viscerally just angry that we lost a game that he didn’t play in. So he was going to make sure that there was no way he was going to stay off the field. Shoot, that’s the type of guy that teammates love.
Tua Tagovailoa – October 8, 2023 (Postgame)
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Sunday, October 8, 2023
Postgame – N.Y. Giants
QB Tua Tagovailoa
Q. Obviously it’s important to take care of business especially at home, but you guys had I think it was 10 yards per play offensively today; what did you have going right for you?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think a lot of things were going right for us. If we just stuck with our plan and we stuck with our rules for each play, I think things were going really smooth. There were just times where we were misaligned, things didn’t play within the structure of our offense and things just got out of hand with some plays. But outside of that, I would say that’s how the game went.
Q. Would you touch on the resolve following the pick six, scoring right before the half and then the big touchdown coming back after halftime.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, things happen. Obviously poor decision on my part when we already have points given the time that’s also on the clock. Two-minute drive, you either want to end the ball with points or you just want to end the half with the ball. That was a poor decision on my part. But it’s football. You’re going to make mistakes. It’s really how you come back and how you continue to play. That’s really how I took that. That’s really how our guys took that, as well.
Q. You’re completing more than 80 percent of your passes on your first drive this year. How comfortable have you been with the plan going into each game?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I’m very comfortable, regardless of what Mike (McDaniel) has, whether it’s on-script, off-script of plays that we like or plays that are, okay, we’re calling this play. I didn’t really like this play throughout the week, but play callers sort of – put myself in the play caller’s mind frame – and as I go out there, that’s really how it ends up happening with how I see the field.
Q. No team has gained more yards through the first five games than the Dolphins. You broke the record today. You scored 31, 500 yards despite three turnovers. How do you view that dynamic, the fact that you were able to have that performance despite not playing a clean game?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I think that says a lot about the guys that we have on both sides of the ball. In order for us to do that offensively, we’ve got to get the ball back, and in order for us to be able to do that, we’ve really got to all play together. In order for me to pass the ball, the guys got to block, and in order for the runners to run the ball, our guys got to block. I think they’ve done a tremendous job up front today and turnovers happen regardless of what the game is, and I don’t think any of the guys blinked. There was no swing of emotion. I felt throughout the locker room and throughout the guys when we would come to the sideline, it was just, hey, we’ve got your back, we’ve got your back, and we’re going to go and continue to play.
Q. Obviously late in the week the team traded for WR Chase Claypool. I know he wasn’t playing today, but on the sideline did you get to have any sort of interactions with him? What was he like there?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I didn’t have much interaction. Chase (Claypool) did say good luck out there, and I told him thank you. But I got to say what’s up to him at the team hotel last night, got to chop it up a little bit and things like that. But it’s an ever-growing thing with why things happen to certain people. The media has a way of how they portray certain individuals. I think this is an opportunity for guys in our locker room to see who he is and for him to express himself to the guys in the locker room. We’re going to base our opinions and things about Chase or any other person that we end up acquiring off of really our own opinions.
Q. There’s an ongoing feud between who’s the fastest Dolphin. I’m sure you’re quite aware of it. Today WR Tyreek Hill actually got to the No. 1 spot. He’s at 22 now. He’s at 22 miles per hour. Obviously RB De’Von Achane had another nice run, elevated himself, as well. You guys have seven of the fastest times this season. How much does that help you offensively?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: That helps us a lot. That helps us a lot. It’s a big play and it’s more. It’s not where you reach the second level and okay, he’s probably going to get tackled. You’re really thinking, once you see it one time, it’s hard for you to un-see it. When those guys get the ball in space, you’re really thinking they’re going to go and score with that. That’s what that is.
Q. How much do they talk about the times and the speeds and the miles per hour?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I would say for those guys, it’s weird because fast guys don’t really – they don’t necessarily talk about how fast they are; they’re just fast. But then when you bring it up in conversation, then that’ll get those guys boiled up.
Q. You touched on this earlier, after both interceptions you came back and you scored a field goal and then a touchdown after the half and then a touchdown. When you go back out after that, after making a mistake, is there a little bit of a different mindset to make sure it’s something that you kind of atone for, I guess?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I would say when I came into the league, it was a lot different when I would throw an interception, the mindset I’d have. I’d throw an interception, and I’d feel the need to press and think that I need to make a play for our guys. Really that’s not how I sort of take it into games, and that’s really how I do it in practice, as well. If I throw an interception in practice, those are game reps that I can use. So if it does end up happening in a game, I know how to move forward from that. It happens, and then it’s move on, and then what does this play entail for you to do to get your job done for all these guys.
Q. Can you kind of take us through what you did see on that second interception there?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah. It was just poor ball placement, really tips and overthrows when it’s in between the hashes, inside the numbers, those are – you’re really asking for trouble. So that was just a poor decision, poor ball on my part and I’ve just got to be better.
Q. Did your arm get hit on that? It looked like you somehow got short-armed on the throw.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: No, no.
Q. The touchdown pass to Tyreek, it looked like single-high, man-to-man, looked like a beater right away. Is that something you recognize as soon as you see the look?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Did it look like single-high like from the beginning of it? It did?
Q. Single-high and then two other safeties below. I don’t really know what to make of it. You’re the pro, not me.
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Well, that was the wrong play call. That was the wrong play call, and you can ask Mike (McDaniel) about that. I don’t think I should be saying that was the wrong play call. I called the wrong play. I called my own play. You guys might want to ask Mike about that one, but it was the wrong play call.
Q. You called your own play on a touchdown play?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yeah, I guess. I don’t know how – that sounds weird just taking the credit for that one.
Q. Was it a check?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: No, he said a play, and I told him I misheard him as I was looking at it. I was like, let’s just run this play.
Q. Did you mishear him or you just went on to what you wanted?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I did mishear him.
Q. That’s the official version?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Yes. I misheard him. (laughter)
Q. On the first touchdown of the game to WR Jaylen Waddle, how important was it to get him back involved in the swing of things, too?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: Oh, it’s always important to get someone like that involved in the swing of things. We wanted to get him more involved in a couple other games. Just so happens the coverage didn’t allow for us to give Waddle the ball. But I’m really happy that we were able to distribute the ball to more than just one guy and get guys open. But I was really happy for him. I think everyone was excited or waiting to see Waddle. I was hoping he was going to do it right away, but everyone came and celebrated with him.
Q. Another very solid performance by RB De’Von Achane. Can you talk a bit about his exponential growth these past few games and his utilization in the play calling?
TUA TAGOVAILOA: I think the coolest thing about someone like him being a rookie is just who he is as a person, how you see him on the sideline, just chill, relaxed, that’s who he is, and that’s how he is in the huddle. To be able to go in the huddle and see someone like that, it’s very promising to know that, okay, he’s going to line up – he knows where he’s going to line up, and then basically if he’s getting the ball, you know it’s going to be a big play more often than not. I’ve got a lot of respect for that guy, and I think a lot of guys around the league have a lot of respect for him, as well, but the cool thing about it is like he doesn’t take heed to listening to any of that. Just a humble guy, just coming into work, doing what he needs to help the team win. I’m very proud of him and very proud of basically all the guys.
Mike McDaniel – October 6, 2023
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Friday, October 6, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(What were the specific skills that you and General Manager Chris Grier liked about WR Chase Claypool that made you want to pursue that? And did the WR Erik Ezukanma and WR River Cracraft injuries contribute towards the choice?) – “I think that’s an exciting opportunity. It’s kind of like Christmas in terms of, I don’t know anything. When Chris comes to me about something that he has on the docket, we have good discussions. For us, it felt like a situation where there might be a role to carve out for him. Then I think important for the player, you have a guy that wants to take things into his own hands and have an opportunity to be on a team. To me, beyond that, it was an opportunity to take advantage of. We definitely weren’t looking for receiver help. It wasn’t in that nature at all. Very, very happy with our receiving corps. But I think one thing that Chris and I have always agreed upon in how we operate and do business is you have to stay steadfast to the commitment of making your team as good as it can be. Sometimes things come across your radar that you weren’t even looking for. But when you assess it, if it falls under the category of this has a chance to make us better, then you jump on that. That’s been the case. There’s been several instances now that are starting to accumulate where things – when the opportunity presents itself, you jump on it. Really happy about practice today. I don’t think he’ll be there. But beyond that, it’s just business as usual, trying to get better one press conference at a time.”
(His skillset besides size, what else about WR Chase Claypool stood out to you and General Manager Chris Grier?) – “You guys want me to say it, don’t you? Yeah, he’s fast. (laughter) That’s cool. But really, you’re very open-minded to the unique attributes of a guy that comes into the league and generally, you don’t see that often, receivers gain a reputation through special teams and then develop as a receiver. There’s a multitude of ways that he’s contributed. I think this team, we have a lot of players that are moving in the right and same direction. There’s guys that, really, across the board, I wouldn’t say one player is satisfied with their role. Everybody wants more of the pie in one way, shape or form, whatever that looks like for them. But we have a team that really respects each other and really has love for each other. So you’re competing with people not against them. I think that’s a good situation for any player to come in to. Like every player that comes here, they get the opportunity to earn their place within the locker room. That will be very important for him and kind of dictate the terms on what that looks like. But not really getting over the top envisioning this, that or the other. More that we have an opportunity to upgrade our team. A talented guy that’s not easily accessible all the time. Now it’ll be up to him to see what that looks like. One thing I do know is he’ll get the support from his teammates. The locker room here is pretty, pretty cool. Really our locker room loves people that help us win.”
(There’s been rumblings other places about WR Chase Claypool and maybe his work ethic question marks. I’m curious how much you and General Manager Chris Grier talked about that before deciding to bring him in and how you manage that?) – “There’s a balance with that. Everybody hears things. I think it’s very, very important that you let people tell you who they are. I see better than I hear. There’s so many things that can go on, certain circumstances. From my vantage point, I looked at it like this, I’m not going to make myself wrong with something that I don’t know by judging X, Y or Z. We give you the opportunity to define who you are in the most honest, organic, real way possible. That’s an open mind, clean slate, let’s go. To me, then we as an organization, myself as coach, you don’t have to play the end all be all predictor. You let people – that’s the way it should be. They should be able to decide who they are and whatever that is. You hear stuff left and right. I’ve been in the league long enough to know that circumstances can be all sorts of different things. I don’t downplay what he’s gone through. He went through it. You give an opportunity and you allow someone to follow their dream, put the control in their own hands and show teammates each and every day what you’re really about. That is an opportunity that we’re happy to afford him. It’s less about ‘oh, I know this is not true.’ That’s literally irrelevant. He’ll start as a Dolphin and be able to earn whatever place he wants within the locker room based upon his actions on a daily basis. I think our standard of commitment and work ethic, it’ll be very clear what that is. You have to really deep dive into the whole program to keep up and I think he’s a competitor that sounds like he’s up for the challenge. It’s fun. Chris gets to come into my office and tell me cool prospects and blow my mind while we’re game planning. Then we talked through it. I’m excited. It’s always a nice litmus test for your locker room when guys come in. You can see where they’re at and I know I’m very confident that our guys will embrace him and will move forward with a new teammate.”
(You’re also placing T Terron Armstead on IR, is that correct?) – “Yeah, and he will return. This is something that it’s a scenario where Terron, he really doesn’t waste a week without just totally captaining our team. He’s fighting the urges to just be like, ‘No, I want to go do this.’ He understands the long game with it. He understands what not being available for a certain amount of time (means). He’s embracing something that he’s not excited about, but he’s excited to do right by the team and he’s excited to get himself back healthy. I can’t talk about it enough. He’s such a big part of what we’re trying to develop within the locker room and I think guys really see his commitment to the team, especially when he’s battling through stuff like that.”
(We know with T Terron Armstead, you guys had expected weeks already. Is it the four weeks minimum obviously for IR, is that a situation where he would be close at that four-week mark given what you know?) – “That was very well phrased because you know that I’m not about the business of timelines, because it undercuts what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to not get healthy by a certain thing and compromise that process. We’re trying to get healthy. But I don’t think you’re far off. I guess that’s what I mean. It was a decision that shows the investment that Terron has in this team by that being something that it’s a no-brainer for him. But it will be pretty, pretty close. And I think that’s probably – if it’s pretty close at this point in time, I’m not going to be putting him at risk anyway. And I’m not going to defend against myself. I really like watching him play.”
(I get what you’re saying about the clean slate. I can appreciate that. At the same time, for example, this morning I saw some clips of WR Chase Claypool, and it seemed to show him not giving full effort out on the field at all times. Have you and General Manager Chris Grier talked to him about things like that as far as what’s expected of him in terms of commitment to this team?) – “Yeah, it’s very clear. And honestly, he’s very understanding of his opportunity, and what the stakes are for him. And really, I’m pretty sure he’s aware of the narratives out there. And you can do one of two things with those things. You can say, ‘Woe is me that that’s there, it is what it is.’ And then if you’re not that, don’t be that. Expectations are crystal clear and that’s not even something that I would say Chris and I generally have to overly worry about, because the locker room kind of indirectly handles that. Okay, so you have 11 guys on the field. If 10 of them are straining, you know what players hate is watching film of the one guy that’s not. And so the collective standard that no one’s above that. And for that reason, I’m not really worried. I think that will play itself out.”
(What are LB Jaelan Phillips and OL Connor Williams’ prospects for playing on Sunday?) – “Yeah, I feel like every time I bump into either one of those two, they’re like eyeballing me like, ‘Don’t you dare.’ But I will dare if I have to. They’re both doing well. I think particularly with the vibe that Connor Williams keeps giving off to me, I might need a bodyguard. But I’ll do whatever it takes for the team. We’re seeing what he can do today and we’re seeing what Jaelan can do today without keeping them from setbacks. It’s so much easier to assess after that, that’s kind of complete. So that’ll be a big day for those guys. I can tell you one thing, they are trying hard.”
Tyreek Hill – October 5, 2023
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Thursday, October 5, 2023
WR Tyreek Hill
(Other teams are trying to stop this offense. Two safeties deep from Buffalo, that wasn’t new. Is there an answer for everything defense can give you when you guys are executing correctly like two safeties deep, etc.?) – “I feel like nobody in this league can stop us except for ourselves. If we come out and don’t execute pre-snap, and we get penalties pre-snap, then we’re going to put ourselves behind the eight ball. Teams can run two-shell, play man-to-man, do whatever they want to, but I feel like we have a good enough unit to make plays. It doesn’t matter who’s getting the ball or what coach is calling. We have the dynamic playmakers to do anything that we need to do.”
(What’s it like around this week coming back from your first loss? How have guys responded?) – “Guys have been attacking it. Guys are working hard and competing against each other. It’s been fun. Nobody is panicking, nobody is doing anything crazy. Nothing different. I feel like the same is the same. I mean obviously you’re going to have a few guys in the building with a tight butthole, but they’ll be alright.”
(What have you guys learned from the Bills loss?) – “Well, I can’t speak on anybody else, I can only speak on myself. But I feel like as a leader, I have to be better for this team. Vocally better. I feel like as a young team going into a tough environment, it can be hard for young guys because they’ve never experienced a playoff kind of atmosphere. So yeah, just sharing that knowledge and giving them all the confidence I can and just helping them out along the way.”
(As far as pre-snap motions, noise wasn’t a factor the first two weeks. Was it you think last week? And how can that be countered by you guys in loud environments in the future?) – “It was definitely a factor. I’m not scared to say that. The Buffalo Bills, Bills Mafia, they definitely brought that 12th man energy. Ways that we can counter it is just create situations at practice. I feel like we’ve been doing that throughout training camp, throughout OTAs, and even now when we have crowd noises at practice. So it’s been very effective.”
(We heard crowd noise today, even though it’s a home game. Was that surprising to you that the crowd noise was out before a home game?) – “Nah, it’s not. You just never know what to expect.”
(When you’re watching RB De’Von Achane, have you ever watched him and said, ‘boy he might just be a little bit faster than me?’) – “I’ll never say that. Why would I say that?”
(RB De’Von Achane has the fastest time, the fastest clocked time right now.) – “What is it?”
(I don’t remember what it is.) – “His is 21.-what? And mine is 22.-what?”
(Okay.) – “There you go. Now we’re talking. Men lie, woman lie, but numbers don’t lie, do they? I’m just saying though. I’ve been doing this since what, 2016, baby. I’m the cheetah. I’m the fastest in the game and I’m the fastest in real life too though. I don’t be talking my – excuse my language – I don’t be talking my (expletive). But I’ll never let anybody take that crown from me. I’m going to hold onto that forever. De’Von Achane, he’s fast. But I’m 9.98 fast. I’m Triple Crown high school fast. Junior Olympic fast. I’m Mr. Us– no let me stop. (laughter) Don’t let me keep going. But De’Von’s fast though. I would say he’s like the third-fastest on this team, though. We’ve got another kid on the practice squad that’s pretty fast. Ethan Bonner.”
(CB Ethan Bonner?) – “He ran 22 (miles per hour) in camp. He had me like, ‘okay, this dude, okay.’ I may not call him out in a race.”
Danny Crossman – October 5, 2023
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(You guys seemed to have your best all-around performance on Sunday. Is that true and if so, why? Was that just meeting the expectations?) – “Everybody views things differently. I thought we played a sound, solid game. I thought (we had) some opportunities in the return game, which we really hadn’t had. So that was good to get Braxton (Berrios) started there. I thought Jake (Bailey) did a great job of punting the football – hangtime, direction, location. I thought that was good. The coverage teams did a good job on kickoff. There’s always things that we want to be better at. It is the result, okay, because it’s a result-oriented business. But there’s a lot of things that we as coaches look at and maybe critique and evaluate differently. But I thought they played a sound, solid game and I like the trajectory that we’re headed.”
(WR Braxton Berrios took a few more kickoffs out. What did you think of those?) – “I thought it was a great example of we’ve got to clean some stuff up. I thought we were one or two blocks (away) on two of them from having an opportunity for a much better result. But again, that’s going to come with – as much as we emphasize it and you practice it, it’s always going to be a little bit different in the game. It is what it is. But having those opportunities to be able to coach and teach off of game reps as opposed to teaching off of practice reps, I think is great, especially for the young guys.”
(Has the mindset around kickoff returns changed? I mean, obviously it’s changed in the last few years. But in terms of, is it you better get back to the 25? Or is it, are we trying to hit the big play? What’s kind of the mindset when you do bring the ball out on a kick return?) – “You’re trying to make a play. Now what that play is, I don’t know what that result is. We’re trying to get as much yardage as we possibly can. To us, with Braxton (Berrios), I think we feel confident that if we do our job in the blocking scheme, that yes, we would be able to get beyond the 25-yard line for field position.”
(You made some changes on the extra-point blocking two weeks ago when DT Christian Wilkins had that edge position. Then I saw TE Durham Smythe I think took it over at one point. I think Christian switched. But anyway, the changes that were made, have you seen positive results? Have you gotten what you wanted out of those results?) – “It’s a lot of the same guys playing and sometimes we do switch sides, sometimes we don’t. But it’s the same guys playing. I like where they’re at. I go back, and I’m sure in your mind you’re referencing the New England play. I just keep giving them credit. That was an outstanding play. We had a lot of guys doing exactly what we were asking them to do, and they gave us something that we hadn’t covered, we hadn’t gone over. They made a great play. All the credit in the world to them. So I’m happy with where that group is. There’s obviously always things that we have to clean up from a technique standpoint, from a timing standpoint. But that group, and we always talk about Jason (Sanders), we feel very confident in that group when we send them out on the field.”
(DE Chase Winovich, I think this would be his third elevation. He’s progressed satisfactory?) – “Yeah, he’s done a good job. We’ve talked about this and that’s how Mike (McDaniel) approaches it. That’s how the players approach it and that’s how we as coaches have to approach it. We’re working with a 69-man roster. You don’t know sometimes it’s going to be early in the week where you have an idea that a guy is going to be elevated. Sometimes it’s not until late in the week. The key is when your time comes and you have those opportunities, to take advantage of it and be productive and Chase has done that in the games he’s been elevated.”
(K Jason Sanders hasn’t had a field goal attempt, if I’m not mistaken, in the last two games. Can that get weird for a kicker the next time he trots out because it’s been so long?) – “No, not at all. That’s part of the mindset. Ten extra points, that’s 10 33-yard field goals. That’s a lot of kicks. He’s been out on the field and he’s had to kick so that’s not an issue at all.”
(I wanted to ask about CB Cam Smith in terms of his role on special teams. I know he’s been out there as a gunner. Obviously, when you’re a star college player, it’s a different process for you, but where is he in that development?) – “Continuing to grow. Very talented individual, tough, fast, good understanding of football. I think he’s just going to do nothing but keep getting better and better both in the kicking game and on defense. So very, very fortunate, very happy to have him.”
Vic Fangio – October 5, 2023
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Thursday, October 5, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(Has the group of DT Christian Wilkins, DT Zach Sieler and DT Raekwon Davis been as productive as you would like?) – “Well, I just think our whole defense overall hasn’t been as productive. I think overall, speaking specifically about last week, it affects everybody. When the unit as a whole is not playing up to snuff, both coaching and playing, I think it affects everybody.”
(When you look back at the decision to not shadow Bills WR Stefon Diggs, it was obvious that the Bills were kid of exploiting that and putting Diggs on CB Kader Kohou. Looking back, would you have done anything differently?) – “We gave Diggs a lot of attention. Obviously, not enough as far as schematically. Yeah, in hindsight maybe. But I don’t really feel bad about that decision. I have confidence in Kader, and it didn’t work out. But the second guessing is justified.”
(Do you have confidence in CB Xavien Howard in terms of what he’s capable of and what he’s done throughout his career? Last year was an issue with injuries, but performance, do you feel like he can shadow elite receivers?) – “Yeah, I think he’s definitely a candidate for that.”
(How ready, I know I ask you this a lot because I’m a CB Cam Smith guy, but how ready do you think Cam Smith is now?) – “He has to keep improving in practice. We’ve been giving him a fair amount of reps relative to his position. We just need to keep seeing consistent progress.”
(Is the plan to keep CB Kader Kohou outside? I know late in the game moved him inside. I think CB Kelvin Joseph went outside. Is the plan for Kader to stay on the outside full time?) – “We’re still looking at all the different combinations. Obviously, we’ve had a few of them here early in the season, and we’re looking for the right one. So, we’ve been practicing it a couple of ways.”
(The tackling issues on Sunday, is that something that needs to be coached better?) – “Yeah, it definitely needs to be coached better. And I think we need to focus on the tackling more, especially in certain situations. I think sometimes we were too ball conscious and not tackle conscious.”
(There was a drive, I think it was the Bills third scoring drive, where LB Jerome Baker wasn’t in at all. I think LB Duke Riley went in. What was the reason for that?) – “Yeah, we had planned to give Duke some reps during the game, and that was the series we did it to begin with.”
(And then in terms of S Brandon Jones and his first start, he played exclusively deep it felt like, and S Jevon Holland played a lot in the box. It seemed like a reversal of what we’ve seen over the years with those two. What was kind of the reason for exclusively keeping Brandon deep?) – “It’s more so the particular defenses we were in versus certain formations and how it worked out. It’s not totally by design.”
(I have sort of big picture question for you, and I had a similar question for LB Jaelan Phillips yesterday. How far along the defensive players are towards grasping what you want out of them and the scheme you’ve applied? He said he couldn’t give a percentage, but it’s still in progress. It’s not quite there. What would you say?) – “Well, I think it should be there. Obviously, we’ve been up and down with our performances. Two good, two not good. But it should be there. I don’t think that’s a reason for the two games that we didn’t play as well as we needed to.”
(In that aspect, what would you attribute some of the communications issues to? Do you think that’s been a major issue?) – “No, I don’t think communication has been a problem.”
(Now that we’re four games into the season, does scouting change? You have video of this season, as opposed to maybe preconceived notions from training camp. You know what works for you opponent, they know what works for you. Is scouting a little more advanced now at this point of the season? The video review of your opponent and what their tendencies are.) – “I mean it’s still kind of early. The coaching staff there in New York in this instance, we’ve gone against in the past, so there’s a history there to a certain degree. So, I mean you look at everything you can in preparation for the game.”
(Are you at the point now where you’re considering any personnel changes? Obviously, you played Duke Riley a little more last week. Just in general, are you considering any others?) – “No, nothing earth shattering.”
(With the frontline in terms of you use kind of a light box where it’s mostly pass rushers and two defensive tackles. I don’t know if you’re a 3-4 front or not just because of how little you use three defensive linemen down. Is there any concern regarding stopping the run when you go that light?) – “One of the reasons we are in so much nickel is what you’re saying. That’s the way the game has been played a lot. Teams are putting three wideouts there, so you’re playing a lot of nickel which is no different for all teams that are a 3-4 base. You end up playing more nickel. I know that doesn’t answer your question, but it’s more what the offense is doing more so than what we’re doing.”
(What has surprised you looking at the overall body of work through the first four games?) – “We’ve just been inconsistent. And not at one position per se. Just inconsistent across the board. We need to a better job of coaching.”
(I know it’s only been one practice for CB Nik Needham, but have you thought at all what he can provide once he is ready?) – “Not yet. Yesterday was the first time he’s been on the field since I’ve been here. So, I mean he’s got some work to do coming off that injury, coming off a full year of inactivity. I mean, hopefully he tells me he feels good. We’ll see how he does the rest of this week and into next week.”
(What was the players’ reaction and response to the performance on Sunday? Have you seen them bounce back and kind of prepare for improving things and making corrections?) – “I think the reaction was what you expect. A combination of disappointment, pride is hurt, upset, everything all rolled up into one.”
(When you have a game such as CB Kader Kohou last week, do you have a general rule on how you address it? Or is it case by case. Would you talk to Kader? Or would you have a position coach talk to him? Or does it kind of depend on the player?) – “Well, the position coach, they always communicate. But we review every play, every team period, and every game rep we watch as an entire unit and we make our corrections there and talk to them then.”
(One more DT Christian Wilkins, DT Raekwon Davis, DT Zach Sieler question. Obviously, stopping the run is paramount with defensive linemen, defensive tackles. How important is generating more pass rush from that group to you?) – “It’s important. Everybody that’s rushing the passer, that’s part of your job description. They need to do a better job of that. We need to do a better job of getting them in those positions.”
(Last time the defense had a poor performance in Week 1 against the Chargers, they had a nice bounce back Week 2 against the Patriots. Are you looking for a similar sort of rebound in that way? And do you hope you can get some more consistency and control?) – “That’s the plan. But there’s 11 guys on the other side of the ball competing, but hopefully we’ll bounce back and play better.”
(What can the linebackers as a group do better?) – “Just be consistent. Be where you’re needed, where you’re supposed to be and be more consistent.”
(Twice, HC Mike McDaniel has said he though the defense, some players have tried to do more then their 1/11. How do you convince players to stay within the scheme and trust the scheme?) – “Just show them the examples of when you do it right what happens and when you do it wrong what happens.”
