Patrick Graham – November 5, 2019
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Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(Head Coach Brian Flores said the team needs to learn how to win and you guys got a win, but it may not mean you guys learn completely or know how to win completely. What can a win do for you guys?) – “I think, and I can’t speak for Coach (Flores); but the discipline of winning, I think, of finishing out games in terms of, ‘Can we stay penalty free for four quarters? Can we stop the run for four quarters? Can we play our leverage in the pass coverage for four quarters?’ That’s part of the discipline of winning in terms of what usually gets games done, whether it’s the third quarter, fourth quarter. Again, that’s stuff done there. So when you finally get a win like we did last week, it was because of the hard work the guys put in – practice (and the) meeting room. It’s also because guys were disciplined enough to be able to execute when it was most critical. That’s where I’m the most proud in terms of when guys are able to execute when it’s most critical, the third and fourth quarter, whether it’s third down, two-minute, whatever it may be. I think all that stuff builds chemistry with the team, trust with the system and how we’re trying to go about things. But ultimately, what does it have to do with this week against the Colts? I don’t know. It’s a totally different week. It’s a new game. You’re dealing with an offense that regardless of which quarterback is back there, they’ve got enough dynamic skill players and I think, in my opinion, arguably the best o-line in the league. These guys play well together. Their backs are playing strong. Does it really have anything to do with the game this week? I don’t know, but we have to prepare for the Colts and what they do.”
(I thought after a win you’d try to relish it a little bit.) – “No, absolutely not. (laughter) If you do that in this league, any type of complacency, you won’t be here for very long. You’re not going to be here very long if you do that. We’ve got to get ready for the Colts.”
(Do you think that after eight games, seven losses and the first win, there is an opportunity for complacency with this team?) – “I think any – I don’t even know if it’s just football, it’s just in life. Anytime you have success, you’re fighting – like my kids, I don’t want them getting complacent. Just because your mom and dad can afford this stuff that we couldn’t afford when we were kids, I don’t want you to get complacent. I make sure I check them every week. (laughter) I think that’s just a life thing. I think the beauty of the NFL (is) there’s only 16 opportunities you’re guaranteed and the people that stick around the longest – the players, the coaches that stick around the longest – they realize once that game is over, you’ve got to move onto the next one, because there’s only 16 opportunities. We do all this work all year, all this time, this commitment, away from our families, for 16 opportunities. And if you harp on one too long, you’ll miss the chance to get the next one. For me, last week is over. I’m on the Colts and the o-line, the quarterback, getting ready for both quarterbacks – you don’t know who’s playing – the receivers. (Zach) Pascal, this guy is a go-to guy for them right now. (Eric) Ebron, these guys are guys we got to get ready for. They’re dynamic all over, across the field. And their scheme is pretty strong.”
(What can you say about the win last week that shows the players that if they trust in the process and trust in the vision that you guys have, that winning could be the ultimate…?) – “I just think that how last week will help us for this week is hard work. So let’s just keep working hard, keep doing the things we’re doing, harping on the fundamentals. Let’s tackle. If we minimize the missed tackles against these team, against the Colts this week, we’ll win – or we’ll have a chance to win, let’s put it that way. If we play our leverage this week against the Colts, we’ll have a chance to win. If we defeat blocks and play square at the line of scrimmage, stuff that we’ve been harping on for the last whatever many months, if we do that, we’ll have a chance to win. I think that’s really the thing that the guys have to look at. That’s what I’m going to try to guide their eyes or their vision for that in terms of, ‘Listen, if we keep doing the stuff we’re – harping on the fundamentals, harping on techniques that we’ve got to improve, harping on situational awareness and do a little bit more each week, get a little bit better each day, then we’ll be okay.’”
(Everybody gets caught up in the sacks and tackles for loss, everything like that; but can you talk about how disciplined your team has been on your side of the ball, obviously, being least penalized or one of the best teams at not drawing penalties?) – “I think right there, you have to go to the leadership. ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores), he made that known from the beginning. He said, ‘We are not going to beat ourselves.’ And the beating ourselves part of that is not being penalized. We harp on it in practice, we’ve harped on it since OTAs. It’s something that we believe at the core of us. I would think that’s one of our core values in terms of not beating ourselves and trying to be the least penalized team on the field. I think it’s a great accomplishment. It’s a great stat. It doesn’t matter if we don’t do that this week. We’ve got to make sure we do that this week going into a hostile environment like Indianapolis where snap count can be an issue, hard counts. So can we be disciplined enough to execute in that type of environment come this week? That’s where it’s going to pay off. But of course we would like to be the least penalized team. I just hope that it all carries over for this week against the Colts.”
(When you say it’s about leadership, that’s a testament then for a lot of the young players. Can you talk about how, for as young as they are, that they are able to be mature and disciplined and to step up and be able to be that composed?) – “I always tell them, the young guys, if you don’t know, you’ve got to ask; and if you don’t know, watch some of the older guys and if the leadership needs to come – the leadership comes from our head coach, the position coaches, the coordinators, whoever it may be. I just think our young guys, they’re doing a good job so far –obviously, everything could be better – of coming into work every day, being diligent, learn from their mistakes and try to correct them. That’s all we can ask them to do and try to get better every day. I know it’s cliché and I’ve got a bunch of them in my pocket, but that’s how I live my life. I try to get better every day. Whatever I’m trying to do, I think that’s what they need to do.”
(It seems like you guys are on an ascent. What have you seen with this defense the last few games and overall in eight games?) – “I think one thing that we’ve really focused on and I think it’s important that especially this time of the year has been the fundamentals. What we’ve focused on has been tackling. No. 1, tackling and making sure that if they catch the ball, they get down on the ground. So now you’re minimizing the yards after contact, yards after catch. Playing our leverage in coverage, that’s something we’ve harped on it. Again, if we’re going to lose on a pass play, let’s not lose where we’re not using our help. That was a focus there. Run game, we’ve got to set the edge, we’ve got to play more square, more stout inside. And then of course, being physical at the line of scrimmage. I’ve talked to you guys about that for a long time. As you look at it from – I want to be able to watch the sideline copy of the film and see that we’re being physical. I don’t need to see the end zone. I want to see the sideline copy of the film and see that we’re being physical, meaning we’re getting hands on receivers, we’re playing with extension, our pad level is low and we’re reestablishing a new line of scrimmage. That’s what I’m looking for. Those are the things we’ve harping on and then we told the guys, ‘What we’re looking for is for you to get better every day mentally, physically, get better every day. And if you just keep doing that over a course of time, a certain period of time, the improvement is going to come. Don’t try to jump from A to D. Let’s go A to B, B to C, C to D.’ That’s really what we’re seeing right now. Again, all that doesn’t mean anything if we don’t play well against the Colts. But that starts with practice tomorrow. The guys come in tomorrow, understand that we’ve got to get better today in the meeting room, we’ve got to get better on the practice field and make sure we definitely get on these guys. We’ve got to know – because it’s a different opponent – we’ve got to know who we’re playing. We don’t know these guys.”
(Your secondary, you guys have seen a lot of turnover I think in the last month. CB Ryan Lewis and CB Ken Crawley and CB Xavier Crawford have all come aboard. Why was it good? Let me rephrase that. How were they able to play together? And CB Xavien Howard is not out there.) – “I think, again – players, good players – you want them to play well. I think that (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach) Josh (Boyer) does a good job, Josh and ‘T.O.,’ (Safeties Coach Tony Oden) they do a good job working with those guys to get them on the same page. When they get out on the field, it’s really up to them. They’ve got to – We can teach them all the stuff and go over everything with them, but they’ve got to be able to execute and they’ve been able to do that because of their willingness to put in the extra time, to get familiar with one another, to get familiar with the playbook even, and then to go out on the field and execute. That’s a testament to their skillset. That’s why we wanted them here.”
(CB Eric Rowe is able to move from corner to safety. Is that being in the system up in New England?) – “He’s the definition to me of being selfless, of what we’re looking for: guys who put the team first, who increase team belief. He’s an example of a guy like, ‘Okay, you’re playing corner this week. You’re covering a tight end this week. You might cover a back some other week,’ but not complaining, doing his job. If it requires him to make an in-line tackle, he’ll make the in-line tackle. If it requires him to make a space tackle, he’ll make the space tackle. If it requires him to take on a tight end in the run game, he’ll do that. If it requires him to take on a tackle in the run game, he’ll do that. Selfless, team first, increased team belief – all the stuff the ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) wants from our players – that’s the epitome of that to me. Again, we’re going to need all that this week against the Colts, because they’re an offensive team that’s playing well together. The offensive line is stellar in my opinion. The backs are running hard and finding holes. We’re going to need that from everybody, the selfless, do-your-job type of mentality. That’s what we’re going to need against the Colts this week.”
(DE Taco Charlton and DT Robert Nkemdiche, a couple of former first-round picks. I know Taco leads the team in sacks. Nkemdiche just came aboard, or was just activated. What have you seen from each of those guys?) – “To me, Taco has a skillset that lends to being a good edge player and somebody that can transition in the pass rush. Obviously, we can all improve on certain things. I can improve with my play calling, coaching. He can improve on edge-setting possibly. I see the tools there to do it and he’s done it, set the edge, the ability to transition in the rush. For Robert, Robert has been a guy who is rusty right now but he’s coming along and we’ll see how that goes.”
