Vance Joseph – November 9, 2016
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Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph
(CB Chris Culliver, what’s the plan?) “Well the plan is to continue to evaluate him. Hopefully … he’s getting closer and closer each week. When he’s ready, we’ll play him. He wasn’t quite ready last week. Hopefully he’s closer this week.”
(Is there a chance for Sunday?) – “Yes, if he’s ready to go, we’re going to put him out there. Obviously we need more capable corners out there. If he’s ready, he’s going to play.”
(CB Lafayette Pitts, just talk about him and the decision to bring him up.) – “Yes, he’s a young kid that’s done well for us during training camp and preseason. He can run. That’s one trait that he has, he can really run. He’s tough, he’s a smart kid and he’s been with us, so it’s fair. He should be the next guy to come up, because he’s been here and he’s work hard so it’s fair.”
(Why would you say, or why do you think that you need more cornerbacks?) – “Well, we’ve only got really … we’ve had four healthy guys, only. You need probably five to six to play a season. Obviously, having a corner like (Chris) Culliver come up – who’s played in games at a high level – helps you. It helps you play better in the secondary. Hopefully he’s ready to go, and when he is, he’s going to play.”
(With CB Chris Culliver, can he go inside to that nickel spot?) – “No. He’s never done that, but it allows us to have more flexibility with Michael (Thomas) obviously, with ‘Max’ (Byron Maxwell), and ‘Lip’ (Tony Lippett). Again, he’s a guy who’s played well at corner. That only can help us here. The same way (Donald) Butler came in and helped us, the same way (Bacarri) Rambo played last week and helped us. He can be the same kind of help to the corner group.”
(What is CB Chris Culliver? A playmaker?) – “He has been in the past. Obviously he hadn’t played here for us yet, but in the past he has been a playmaker. And at the corner spot, making plays – that’s critical.”
(Talking about you saying you need more corners, does that have something to do with the fact that you’re playing the Chargers, and QB Philip Rivers, and you know they like to air out the ball a little bit?) – “No, I think just having more cover corners on the roster helps you. It helps (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Coach (Darren) Rizzi, it helps me and it helps you play the game better. It helps you play the game with more comfort knowing you have four or five guys who can play. Having a guy like (Chris) Culliver again and having (Lafayette) Pitts up, it only helps.”
(With S Bacarri Rambo, you’ve rarely brought a guy in and within one week put him into your base defense. Is that just a point of desperation, or did he show you something at practice?) – “Well, I think in the past, he’s shown the ability to play in the high zones and have great range and instincts. He showed us that instantly in practice so we thought, ‘Hey, let’s put him out there and see what we’ve got.’ It also helps Michael Thomas concentrate on playing base safety and playing for (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator) Coach (Darren) Rizzi. That’s Michael’s actual role. I mean he’s a big-time (special) teams player. So to keep Michael with coach Rizzi and allow him to play less downs on subs (packages), it was natural to put Rambo in. He played very solid. It wasn’t perfect, but he did play very solid. It was fun to see.”
(Last week, Jets WR Brandon Marshall tried to portray CB Byron Maxwell as a guy that holds, or grabs on every play. Does he?) – “He does not. I would say last week he had a couple, and it’s the game. It’s the game of a press corner. It’s a fine line between having a corner who never touches people to a guy who grabs all the time. I don’t want a corner who never touches guys. I want a corner who is close, who’s competing (and) who is trying to make plays. He has probably gotten two or three (penalties) on the year? That’s not bad. That’s not bad compared to the league. Most guys who are bad probably have about 10 right now. He’s got three or four. I’m fine with ‘Max.’ ‘Max’ competed hard last week, and did a fine job.”
(Looking at the Chargers, other than QB Philip Rivers, what are some of the challenges you face with their offense?) – “The challenge again is the running back (Melvin Gordon). He had a big-time game last week, 196 yards. He’s got the most attempts in the rushing game, in the entire league. He’s a good young back. He’s fast to the hole; he breaks tackles. Our challenge again is stopping the run game. It’s been that way for the last month it seems like, but that’s where it starts. You stop the run game, and hopefully make them one dimensional, and we can rush. That’s our strength obviously with Cam (Wake), and Andre (Branch), Mario (Williams) and those guys. Having them in long third downs and having a chance to rush.”
(With the run defense, it’s usually not been plays popping out. It’s just a steady grind. But then last week, it was the plays that popped out. How do you get that addressed?) – “I’ll tell you this, in the last month it’s been better; but obviously we’ve given up big plays in the running game. It’s been good, good, good, good, bad. It’s been good, good, good, good, bad. We’ve got to stop the bad. Last week, the one run of 40 yards untouched? That can’t happen. We misfit the gap at the end position. The linebacker was soft, the three technique was soft, the safety was misaligned. We’ve got to stop those things. The third-and-1 play was a simple crack-replace by the nickel. They got outside and ran for 40 yards. Overall, I’m not down on the run game, but the big plays have to stop. It’s got to stop. If we can rectify those, you’ll feel better about the run defense. But right now, I don’t.”
(How much does getting DT Earl Mitchell back probably help you? Jordan (Phillips) playing less snaps…) – “Absolutely. It helps because Earl’s a really good player also. And it helps Jordan play less snaps, but Earl’s a really, really, good player. I was with him in Houston (Texans). He brings energy. He’s going to be in the right fit all the time. He’s tough on double teams. He’s going to bring an element of consistency, of hard playing, and obviously resting (Ndamukong) Suh and resting Jordan helps. That’s like getting a really good player back. It helps in the overall defensive scheme. It helps having him back.”
(How did DT Jordan Phillips play on Sunday aside from the play everybody remembers?) – “Jordan played very well. It was probably Jordan’s best week of practice and Jordan’s best game. Now on the long run, he was a little soft on his block; it started with Jordan. Obviously, he is a young player trying to find his way still, but he is a talented guy. If he does it right, he can be a real force for us; but he’s not totally right all the time yet.”
(Did you know his hands were that good?) – “He was a high school tight end. I’ve seen his film. He’s been our drop guy from Day 1 and it happened to work out. He caught the ball and almost scored. Nice hurdle move, right? Big athlete. It was fun to see.”
(You said that he practiced well all last week, so you kind of knew it was coming. How do you get him to practice at that level every week?) – “I think this with Jordan (Phillips), okay? Jordan’s in a room full of veterans. He’s kind of the baby amongst the d-line. I think when Earl (Mitchell) was here in the spring, Earl had a hell of a spring. I mean a big-time spring. And Jordan wouldn’t try to take Earl’s job. When Earl got injured, Jordan stepped up big time. Earl comes back last week and Jordan has a hell of a week at practice. I think just Earl being there (and) pushing him is going to help him. That’s what we want. We want in the room healthy competition; iron sharpens iron. If Earl being present helps Jordan practice well and play better, that’s what I want. I want those guys competing to be the starting guy next to (Ndamukong) Suh. I want everybody competing. I think Earl being back helps him.”
(DE Andre Branch playing good, is that because he’s starting? Why is he playing well?) – “I think Andre Branch is a talented guy. He was when we signed him. He’s been a guy over the years that hadn’t been consistent. Now he’s being more consistent. He’s playing with a tougher attitude. He’s not avoiding contact up the field. He’s working with the tackles. He’s playing the run game well. He’s in a contract year. He wants a long-term deal somewhere, so I don’t blame him. You play well and you get your long-term security. He’s a guy that’s a top-round pick. He should be a good player because he’s talented enough.”
