Vance Joseph – May 7, 2016
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Saturday, May 7, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(On CB Xavien Howard, how he sees him fitting in and if he will be a starter) “He’s a guy we liked in the draft. We liked his size. His movement stuff was really good. He’s a press corner on tape. As far as him being a starter, I can’t guarantee that. He’s going to compete with (CB Tony) Lippett and (CB Byron) Maxwell and those guys and the best guy will play.”
(On if he hopes CB Xavien Howard emerges since he was a second-round pick) – “Absolutely, He’s a second-round pick for a reason so he’s going to be in the mix. He fits our prototype, as far as corners. He’s long. He’s got good, long speed. As an off corner, he’s got good movement stuff. He’s a second-round pick so we hope he becomes a guy that can help us win.”
(On why lengthy, press corners are his prototype) – “The receivers in the league are getting much bigger now. Obviously, you look for good players first and if they have the size you want, its prototype. But you want guys who can cover first (and have) quickness, ball skills, good lateral movement stuff and the size is extra.”
(On guys with good size generally not having good hips) – “(CB Xavien Howard) is a second-round pick. When you are drafting guys in the first and second round, you’re hoping (they) have size and the movement stuff. And (Howard) does. Most guys, when you draft them later on, they may have one redeeming quality. It could be size but not movement, but (Howard) does have both. He’s a 6-foot guy with a 5-foot-10 corner’s movement skills. That’s special.”
(On if he pled his case to draft more defensive players) – “To be fair, our draft on defense started with the trade from Philly. We got (LB) Kiko (Alonso) and we got (CB Byron) Maxwell. That’s two penciled in starters. So for me, those were our first two draft picks, along with (CB Xavien) Howard and (CB Jordan) Lucas from Penn State. We’re fine. We signed (DE) Mario (Williams) in the offseason. That was huge for us. So we’re fine. It was a great team draft. That’s what the draft is about – improving your team, not really one side of the ball. Once you go to the draft, it’s hard to guarantee who is going to be there and what is going to happen. It’s a wild card. But our team got better last weekend so that was a plus.”
(On DE Cameron Wake and whether he will be ready for the season) – “Cam looks fine. He has been here every day working hard. Cam is a worker. He’s a great leader. He’s a great worker. He has been here every day. He looks fine. We won’t know (if he will be ready for the season) until training camp starts. But if I’m guessing, he’ll be ready to go Week 1.”
(On CB Xavien Howard and working on his t-step and backpedaling) – “That’s a small part of his game. Some guys t-step; some guys don’t. That’s a personal preference. That’s really small. He’s more of a press corner. When you’re a press corner, it’s more about lateral footwork and having long arms. He has those things.”
(On early impressions of the rookies) – “(CB Jordan) Lucas, he’s a very mature guy. He has played safety. He has played nickel. He has played corner. So, he’s going to fit well for us just being a defensive back for us. I think (CB Xavien) Howard is a guy who’s also a mature kid. It won’t be too big for those two kids. They want to come in and play. Most guys come in, and they’re wide eyed. These two kids are not. They’re ready for the primetime.”
(On his scheme and how it will fit DE Ndamukong Suh) – “Our scheme is going to be an attacking scheme. We’re going to play on our terms. With his size and quickness, (there) shouldn’t be any reason why he shouldn’t be successful inside. Obviously, he’s a three technique, so he’s going to face a bunch of double teams. It’s our job to free him up, and that’s schematically; that’s weekly. We’re going to be an attack front, so that should benefit him.”
(On whether the team has enough cornerbacks) – “Absolutely. Most teams have, probably, three capable corners who they can play and trust. They have, obviously, a one or two and the nickel player. We have three or four guys who can play. It’s really more about the entire scheme and entire defense. Corner is one position (where) if they do their job and play great leverage and stay on top of deep balls, that’s their job. I think we’ve got three or four guys – guys that we know can play – and hopefully three or four more that can help us.”
(On what he has seen from LB Kiko Alonso and whether he can return to his 2013 play) – “Last year’s film was tough. It was a different scheme. They were in a 3-4 defense. But what I’ve seen– in our minicamp, the last couple of weeks – is he has got great instincts. He’s a long, tall, Mike-backer that has great instincts. He covers a bunch of ground with his movement. He has great eyes. He has been a great leader in the huddle, and that has been surprising. He has been very vocal. He has been assertive in the huddle. That was good to see from him.”
(On whether the safeties are athletic enough to get off the hash mark and makes plays on the ball) – “Absolutely we do. Walt Aikens, he has corner movement. He’s going to be a guy who’s going to grow into a pretty good free safety or strong safety. Obviously, Reshad (Jones) is a great player. Mike Thomas is very, very efficient (and) a very sold, smart player. Isa (Abdul-Quddus), he can really run. He’s a low 4.4 (seconds in the 40-meter dash) guy. We’ve got four guys who are very capable.”
(On whether he interchanges free and strong safeties) – “We want those guys to be twins. We don’t want a strong safety who is a bigger body in the box. We want two guys who can play halves, two guys who can cover and two guys who can tackle. If you have that, you play them left and right. If you don’t, you play them strong and free. Hopefully, eventually, we can work to just being left and right safeties.”
(On S Reshad Jones’ participation in voluntary offseason conditioning) – “Right now it is voluntary. It has not really affected us a lot. Because for him, he has played a bunch of ball. It’s really terminology more than it is a difference in scheme. He’ll be fine. He’ll be back in time to have his assignments in writing. He’ll be ready to go.”
(On whether the age of the pass rushers concerns him) – “We’re fine. (DE) Cam (Wake) is a proven pass rusher, and so is (DE) Mario (Williams). I’m fine with those guys. Cam is going to be alright. Mario, in my opinion, he’s motivated. When he’s motivated, he’s pretty good.”
(On how he feels about the linebacker unit’s playmaking ability) – “Between Kiko (Alonso), Jelani (Jenkins) and Koa (Misi), that’s three pretty good athletes. That’s more scheme than it is a personal gift. We have to move those guys around and we have to blitz those guys and allow them to make negative plays.”
(On if he is encouraged by the social media activity surrounding DE Dion Jordan and if he is counting on Jordan in 2016) – “That’s a league issue. Obviously, he was the third pick of the draft for a reason. So if he’s here then I would be excited to have him; but, right now, I can’t speak on it because that’s a league issue.”
