Vance Joseph – January 5, 2017
Download PDF version
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(Two things on cornerback. One: Do you expect to have CB Byron Maxwell this week? And also on CB Xavien Howard, obviously you are very high on his skill set. But that aside … Obviously he was very good in the N.Y. Jets game, but how do you think overall he’s played in the seven or eight games he has played this year and where he needs to improve?) – “First with Maxwell, he’s day-to-day. He’s rehabbing hard. He wants to be out there. He’s trying. We’re not sure; but he is trying to play this week. Xavien, he’s a young corner. He missed training camp. He’s missed most of the season. As a young corner, every week is different for him. He’s kind of figuring it out as he goes. He’s made some errors but from a skill-set perspective, he’s what you want. He’s going to make some errors but physically he’s what you want. I’m okay with ‘X’ (Xavien Howard). The more he plays, the better he will play.”
(CB Xavien Howard seemed to struggle a bit with Bills WR Sammy Watkins and the speed. Is that a consideration with Steelers WR Antonio Brown?) – “It wasn’t speed with Watkins. It was more leverage, it was more eye placement, it was more assignments. It was not speed. The one he beat him on vertically, he was in a bad spot with his eyes and kind of got back in the play with his speed versus Sammy’s speed; so that wasn’t an issue. His issue is experience. His issue is ‘know-how.’ Once he gets that, he’s going to be a fine player.”
(So if CB Byron Maxwell can’t go – we saw him a lot on Steelers WR Antonio Brown last time – would it be CB Xavien Howard who would get the bulk of the looks?) – “Well, no. We didn’t match corners last time versus the Steelers. We played left and right. Whoever plays, it’s going to be left and right, whether it’s ‘Max’ (Byron Maxwell) or ‘X’ (Xavien Howard).”
(Your name has been mentioned in association with a couple of jobs. Do you find that flattering? Do you find that distracting? How do you handle that and what do you think?) – “It’s flattering. It’s flattering when teams have interest in you; but for me, I’ve got one focus this week and that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s my sole focus. My thought process has not gone there. It won’t go there. My job now is to beat Pittsburgh, so that’s my focus.”
(Would you like to be a head coach some day in the NFL?) – “Would I like to be? Absolutely. But right now, again, I’m focused on Pittsburgh. That’s my mindset; that’s my time right now. I haven’t spent one moment on the future. The future for me is Sunday at 1(p.m.)”
(You have not scheduled any interviews with any teams?) – “I have not. I have not. I can’t.”
(Do any of the three – Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Antonio Brown and RB Le’Veon Bell – scare you the most, concern you the most? Or is it equal opportunity) – “It’s kind of like this: all three guys together, it’s a task. But it starts with Bell, because if you can’t contain Bell, you can’t contain ‘AB’ (Antonio Brown). Obviously Ben is the trigger-puller, and that’s important also, but Bell is getting the average of like 27 opportunities a game – in the run and pass game alike – so that’s where it starts. If you can’t contain Bell, you can’t contain ‘AB,’ so it’s a matter of having a game plan where you can kind of bend, don’t break, in some areas; but also having enough scheme to keep ‘84’ (Antonio Brown) in front of you. It’s a tough task, but I’ve played these guys seven times in three years, so I’ve seen their good and bad.”
(How did you do against RB Le’Veon Bell last game? I think he had 108 total from scrimmage – 53 rushing and 55 receiving.) – “You can live with that. When you’re defending great players, sometimes you have to just bend, don’t break a little bit; but keep the big plays to a minimum. We have to make them earn (it) and not give up big plays. That’s the key with playing Pittsburgh. They want the big play, obviously. That’s ‘Big Ben’s’ (Ben Roethlisberger) mindset. So we’ve got to make them earn (it). Obviously Bell is a halfback, so they can give them the ball anytime they want. We can’t deter that, but we have to adjust as we go.”
(How is S Bacarri Rambo? Do you anticipate having him this week?) – “He’s sore, but he should go (practice) today and he should be fine to play in the game. He’s definitely sore.”
(From a standpoint of linebacker play, you looked at LB Mike Hull for eight snaps with LB Kiko Alonso. Was that something you liked? Might you do it again? And snap distribution at linebacker, obviously you’ll only have two linebackers on the field some of the time, but who has been the best of that group beyond Alonso?) – “Beyond Kiko, it’s probably two-fold. It’s base and sub. In base, Neville Hewitt has been really good at the Will ‘backer spot. He’s been consistent. He’s been productive, so he’s been really good at that spot. Donald Butler has been our Sam (linebacker) for the last two months and he’s been solid. In sub downs, it’s been a work in progress, obviously, with (Jelani) Jenkins being hurt most of the time. (Spencer) Paysinger has played at a high level some and not some. Mike Hull is a guy that hadn’t repped a bunch of sub downs until last week’s game. He’ll be in the mix also, but it’s a work in progress. It’s a committee job right now and we’re working through it.”
(You mentioned LB Jelani Jenkins. Are you anticipating having him on Sunday? And what difference does he make?) – “Hopefully, yes. He practiced yesterday and he practiced well. In the last ball game against (Le’Veon) Bell, he was the guy that covered Bell. He did a fine job. Obviously that’s a big role this week, getting Bell covered in the pass game, because he is also potent in the pass game as a check-down guy and as a called option-route guy out of the back field, split out as an ‘X’ or a ‘Z’ (wide out). He’s a chore to cover in the pass game, so you have to have a ‘backer who can do it.”
(Are you optimistic about the chances of getting to QB Ben Roethlisberger this week as opposed to Patriots QB Tom Brady who gets rid of it quickly. Are you optimistic on the pass rush?) – “Yes, we are. We are because Ben does hold the ball longer than Tom. It’s a different offense. Obviously we have to make him hold it with coverage. It’s always about coverage first. If the coverage is not there, he won’t hold it. But if we can cover up early and make him hold the ball, that allows (Ndamukong) Suh and Cam (Wake) to rush and hopefully get home. But it starts with the coverage being effective first.”
(I have to ask one more question on the coaching search, if that’s all right. There have been reports that you are linked to Denver closely. Are those reports at all true? Is that something that you’ve heard as well? I just want to get to the bottom of that.) – “Well, I interviewed there two years ago. That’s all I can say about that. I can’t talk to Denver. I haven’t talked to Denver. Again, my focus is on Pittsburgh. I can’t say if it’s true or not. I haven’t read anything about that; but I interviewed there two years ago and that may be where it’s coming from. But right now, I’m solely on Pittsburgh. I’m sorry.”
(I want to say something nice about DT Jordan Phillips. I noticed him for nine snaps at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter. I’m wondering what you noticed there.) – “Jordan played really well last week, first of all. Jordan is a player that, if you can take his explosive or flash plays, you can make a tape and it’s special. But you can take his bad plays also and make a lowlight tape. So he’s a young player that’s inconsistent. He’s obviously a big man with talent. If he’s on and doing it right, he can be a special help to us this weekend; but he’s got to put the bad plays to rest. That’s Jordan’s call of duty this week.”
(Earlier in the season, we talked about CB Xavien Howard and t-stepping, and how it’s not necessarily a negative, but is there any concern with Steelers WR Antonio Brown and how quickly he gets in and out of breaks and DBs t-stepping?) – “Absolutely. Absolutely, you’re concerned about that; but that’s versus every NFL corner. ‘AB’ (Antonio Brown) is a special player. It won’t be one man’s job to stop ‘AB.’ It’s going to be the team’s job, it’s going to be the coverage package’s job to contain ‘AB,’ so that won’t be one man’s job. Now obviously it’s going to be (Tony) Lippett and ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) or ‘Max’ (Byron Maxwell) – if he plays – one-on-one from time to time. But overall, it’s going to be a team concept to get ‘AB’ stopped.”
(I think last game you guys had a goal line defense with no cornerbacks. Was that the one TE Martellus Bennett might have scored the touchdown? I might have asked you this before, refresh my memory if I have, what is the thinking on not having cornerbacks out there?) – “It’s goal line with no receivers. You want a safety to fit the run game. Obviously we put a safety out there. He’s called the ‘Z’ corner. Obviously he’s a safety by position, but a ‘Z’ corner. His job is pass game and if it’s a certain blocking scheme, he has to fit in the C-gap. Nobody really plays with corners unless it’s a big, physical corner, on goal line, because (there are) big people out there and it’s mostly run. That’s a personal preference of mine. I’ve played with corners before on goal line, but here it was safeties.”
(What kind of sense have you gotten from DE Cameron Wake this week since this is the first time he’s going to have a chance to do this [play in a playoff game]?) – “He’s excited, obviously. It’s his first playoff game. Cam is a natural underdog, in his mind. Being the underdog as a team, that kind of motivates Cam; and Cam could be a difference in this game because he can rush. Defensively, if we rush the passer, we can force takeaways, and that’s the key to our game. So Cam is going to be a big part of that. But he is awfully excited. This is his first time out, so I’m expecting some big things from Cam.”
(As you look back at these 16 games and try to determine why you are 30th against the run, have you just not set the edge well enough with the ends? Has it been defensive tackle play aside from DT Ndamukong Suh, obviously? Has it been linebacker play? What has been the biggest culprit?) – “I think a combination of a lot of things. I think playing a lot of snaps early on in the season. I think the defensive end play. It was inconsistent early on. I think part of it is me. I’ve got to go into spring and kind of reboot some things that we’re doing. There were a couple of things that I didn’t think were going to happen, as far as the scheme up front. So that’s partly my issue that I’ve got to fix in the spring. Again, numbers are sometimes misleading. Our yards per game wasn’t very good but yards per play was okay. It was good enough to win 10 games so far. Numbers are misleading and again, we track four or five major stats. Rushing yards per game wasn’t one of them. That’s a stat that it can come from a lot of different places – plays per game, matchups or whatever. Again, that being said, in the spring I’ve got to fix some things that will make us better in the run game. No excuses.”
(For those who haven’t watched as closely this season, where has been the most progress?) – “The most progress is probably (Tony) Lippett. That kid was a receiver two years ago and he’s playing NFL corner, he has four interceptions and he’s been really solid. He has had some up and down moments, but for the most part, he’s growing as an NFL corner. I would say Kiko Alonso, being a guy who hadn’t played well or consistent for two years, had a hell of a year for us. (Byron) Maxwell came back and had a hell of a year. He was playing at a high level before he got hurt. There are a lot of bright spots I think, in the past season. I think (Ndamukong) Suh getting back to the Pro Bowl, Cam (Wake) coming back to being Cam. There are a lot of spots that we are proud of with this defense. Just being resilient. Having Reshad (Jones) out, having Koa (Misi) out, losing ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) for most of the season, it’s been a group that has stepped up when it has been tough moments. So that has been a treat.”
(DE Mario Williams has never played a playoff game. How seriously do you think you all would consider playing him and if he were to play, what might he be able to offer?) – “It’s in consideration. We want all healthy bodies up. You’re in Week 18. Lots of guys are beat up. The healthier bodies that have been ready to go, they have to go and help us win. Obviously Mario has never been in a playoff game. I was in Houston with Mario and he was hurt for that game, but obviously he’s like Cam. You get one shot at this thing. It may not happen again. So Mario has to, if he’s up, play well and play hard for us; and he wants to.”
(As you guys have patched a bunch of things in the linebacker corps and secondary, your defensive line has been mostly healthy all year and effective, and that’s where you guys have made a big financial commitment. Has that group kind of covered for and made it easier for all of the different pieces you’re moving around behind him?) – “Absolutely. When those guys played well, we won games. When the offense did a great job of kind of – not putting them out of the game plan but just throwing the ball quickly and certain running schemes – those guys … If they can’t affect the game, we don’t play well on defense, so you’re absolutely right. That front four, that guides our success on defense. If they’re playing well, we’re playing well. If they don’t play well, it’s a bad day for our defense. But absolutely, that’s where the money is and that’s where our veteran, great players were all year; and they were healthy for most of the year, so you’re right about that. When they played well, we played well. When they didn’t play well or the offense did a great job of game planning versus those guys, we didn’t play well. That’s the bottom line.”
