Robby Brown – October 20, 2020
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Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown
(Even though it was only five snaps, did anything stand out to you about what you saw from QB Tua Tagovailoa against the Jets on Sunday?) – “Not really. Like you said, it was five snaps. It’s not that you can’t evaluate those five snaps. We obviously do. I thought the communication was good. The coach-to-quarterback communication was good. I thought his demeanor was good, which that’s all stuff that we expected to be good. I thought it was a positive experience, but I don’t want to over-evaluate five snaps. I did think it was positive.”
(Obviously you guys felt good enough about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s health to make him the backup going into the year, but did seeing him actually play give you any extra confidence that yeah, we’re sure this guy is ready physically to do it?) – “Like I said earlier on the physical part, that’s not my area of expertise; but I think any time – look, this is the highest level – so I think any time a guy gets into an NFL football game, it’s a big deal. Whether he’s had an injury, whether he has not, whether it’s Tua, whether it’s any kind of rookie – first-rounder, seventh-rounder, free agent – I think it’s a big deal when they get into a game. So I do think it’s a big deal that he got in, but as far as a medical perspective, I wouldn’t know. I’m glad to see him get out there.”
(What do you think is the next step in the development of QB Tua Tagovailoa and what does he have to do to take that step?) – “I think the next step really is just the bye week and then the next day that he comes in, in terms of getting prepped for L.A. (Rams). The bye week will be a focus on what the rest of the team is focusing on – getting better. His focus will be learning and then he’ll come in on Monday and do the same thing he did last week – start with personnel like ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) always does and I think really it’s just taking that next step of what do you got to do next? What’s right in front of you and not trying to focus too far out into the future and then when your number gets called again, you try to be as ready as possible. I think if you go too far out, then you get blinded by all the stuff. So I think the very next step is to come in on Wednesday and try to have a good practice. I know that sounds coaching cliché, but that’s just what he has to do, and that’s what we all have to do as coaches. That’s what every guy on this football team has to do, really.”
(I wanted to ask you about the bye week and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. A lot of the other coaches have said that it’s a good time to evaluate yourself, kind of self-scout. What does a 16-year veteran have to gain from the bye week and what does it look like for him getting ready for a game two weeks out?) – “I think – and no different from a rookie, but very different rookie – you have 16 years of experience to build upon and look at, ‘hey, here’s what I did good, here’s what I’m not doing so good. Why am I not doing this good? Why am I doing this really well?’ And he’s really good at that. I know earlier in training camp I said most quarterbacks in the NFL are highly competitive people and if they go 99-for-100, they’re worried about the one. I think you try to focus on the good things you did and understand why you did it well and then figure out how you can improve in certain areas of your game; but there’s a reason he’s been around for 16 years and that’s because he evaluates everything and what he’s doing well, what he’s not doing well and that kind of thing. So I think he’ll do that and that’s how all the players should be, but a 16-year vet probably is more seasoned at doing that.”
(Kind of continuing with that bye thought, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick does a lot of things well. He’s won games for you last year and this year, but the picks kind of stand out. What about the interceptions – some, obviously his arm’s been hit – but what have you told him about the picks?) – “Well, and I think that’s part of being a 16-year vet. When he comes off the field, he doesn’t say ‘what happened?’ That doesn’t happen with him. He knows exactly what happened. He knows where the coverage was and how it affected the play, that kind of thing. So from a coaching standpoint, we’ll look at, hey, how can we help him whether this particular route got us and they were in this coverage and it fooled us or whatever it may be. Whatever the circumstances were behind the bad play, whether it’s a protection or whatever we can do as a coaching staff to help; he comes over and we talk about the play, but he really never – he knows what happened when bad plays happen and when good plays happen. That’s the good thing about him is he can tell you, ‘hey, let’s go back to this, this is working and here’s why’ and that kind of stuff. So it’s just a continuous conversation between the quarterbacks on the field, the coordinator, the run game guys, the o-line. And that’s the great thing about him is he’s communicating constantly with coaches, players, everybody involved in the plan.”
(You probably didn’t see it, but I don’t know if you heard that after the game QB Tua Tagovailoa went back to the field and talked to his parents, tried to soak up the moment. I guess for you to have seen him behind the scenes and maybe the work he’s done, what do you think that means that a guy is sort of appreciating the moment that kind of led up to his first snaps?) – “I think for anybody involved in this game – you guys – it’s a privilege to get to do these things. You guys cover a game you love or a sport you love. I’m incredibly fortunate to get to coach and do something I love every day, so I think it’s really neat that he was soaking that up and we’ve all been there where you get that first chance. I think it’s easy to get caught up in ‘first-rounder, whatever.’ But like I said before, it doesn’t matter who it is – first-rounder, seventh-rounder, free-agent guy – it’s a big deal when you get to play at the highest level, and he did get to do that. I think it’s just a tribute to him as a person that he understood that.”
