Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Asst. Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Since the WR Jakeem Grant Sr. trade, we’ve seen a few different guys it the return game. You started with WR Jaylen Waddle, last game we saw RB Myles Gaskin on kickoffs and S Jevon Holland on punts. Can you take us through what you do or don’t like about each of those in those spots and also with a healthy CB Noah Igbinoghene, would he be involved last Sunday as well?) – “Not to get into the goods and the bads, but we like all those players. As the game evolves, how certain guys are being used and roles, a lot times that a little bit to do with it. But again, we feel comfortable with those players. Obviously, we have to get more production when we get opportunities out of those phases.”
(Was S Jevon Holland used on returns last week entirely because WR Jaylen Waddle was a little banged up or do you intend to get him involved in returns regardless of that?) – “We intended to get him involved. He’s been working hard, he’s been doing a good job and he’s a player that we really like, that’s why he’s here. We wanted to get him some opportunities.”
(I was going to ask you to teach me about blocking for field goals. Obviously, you had the blocked kick this week. Just curious what happened there and what the goal was that didn’t get accomplished that you were trying to get accomplished on that field goal?) – ”I’ll answer it in two parts. No. 1, the goal is to score. The way we teach it, that’s the one play in football where its sole purpose is to score points. Every other play, whether it’s on offense or defense, there’s strengths and weaknesses to it. That play is to score points and we didn’t get that done. It was strictly a matter or poor technique. We have to make sure that we are sound with our technique and fundamentals on every play. We didn’t get it done there and we paid the consequence.”
(Wanted to get your assessment and evaluation on how P Michael Palardy is doing. I know he had a better game last week but overall, what have you seen from him this season?) – “I’m going to take it one step further and put it in with the whole kicking game. We have not been consistent enough. We haven’t taken advantage of certain opportunities when we’ve gotten them. Whether it’s in the return game, whether it’s in the kicking phase where we’re trying to pin somebody deep. Whatever it is, we’ve got to be more consistent across the board and you can put a lot of people in that bucket. Obviously, it always starts with coaching and what we are asking them to do and how we are asking them to do it. We need to be better across the board.”
(I wanted to ask a question that I didn’t know too much about relative to the way you choose which players go into what position on field goal block. I think I saw that T Liam Eichenberg and G/T Austin Jackson are on the right side of field goal block even though they play the left side on the offensive snaps. Please explain to me, is it a thing where you just try to leave guys in the same position as often as possible throughout the year and not move them around even if they move around on offense?) – “There’s a lot of things that go into it. From a simplicity standpoint, I’m not going to get into a lot of it, but just think about stances. If you think about stances and where guys spend most of the time in their stances, that ties into a little but about where they end up. Then, it’s a matter of we’ve had several guys playing the right guard position (on field goal) because of injuries. When that happens, you have the possibility of multiple moves, single moves and that’s across the board. Obviously for us in the kicking game, that’s probably a bigger transition thing than some other spots. But you deal with that week in and week out on all three phases, offense, defense and in the kicking game.”
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(Has there been more instances of zone coverage from your calls lately? I know you can’t give away too much on scheme, but what generally goes into the decisions on zone versus man?) – “I don’t think you want to be the same thing over and over against people, so you try to change the picture – whether that’s changing the front or changing the coverage, especially against a lot of the good quarterbacks that we face. We always try to apply pressure to them and apply pressure to the offensive line. I think a good mix of calls is always kind of what you’re looking for. Hopefully that answers your question.”
(Does having corners going in banged up also factor in? Limiting how often you want them running stride for stride with a receiver?) – “I think you always take into consideration matchups. I know offensive coordinators do the same thing. The NFL is basically a matchup league. You’re always trying to put guys in a position to succeed. There’s definitely certain plays that you want to get into certain coverages and certain plays that may help other coverages that you try to run too as well.”
(Was the fact that LB Jaelen Phillips only played 15 snaps entirely a byproduct of him being limited last week with the ankle or did you feel like other players gave you a better chance to win against Atlanta or was it both?) – “I think you always take into consideration when you go into a week of practice of what guys have repped, what they haven’t repped and then at the forefront, always, is player safety. We can only be as good as the health of our team. You don’t want to put players in situations that may not be great for them. I think always gameplan kind of dictates where guys go, players health dictates where guys go and then the amount of reps or comfortability that they have with the scheme of a given week. I think all those things go into consideration.”
(I know every year is different but last year you guys were at the top of the league in terms of blitz percentage, about 40 percent. That number has dropped a bit. I know talking to Head Coach Brian Flores he said his mindset is that you need to impact the quarterback. Given that, what do you think has played a factor in not blitzing as much and where would you assess the pass rush at this point in the season?) – “Again, I think every week we are trying to put pressure on the offensive line, we are trying to put pressure on the quarterback. There’s a number of different ways that you can do it. Obviously, I don’t think at any phase is exactly where we want with the consistency that we want – whether you are talking run defense, pass rush or pass coverage. Again, I think that goes into we have to coach it better and keep a variety of things to try to put our players in a better position to succeed. The other thing is when you do something over and over again, teams prepare for it and they have a lot of plans for it. It’s not one of those things that you can consistently year after year do the same thing over and over again.”
(Over the past couple years, it’s been shown that teams are blitzing a lot less because the rules are favored to the offense. Do you, big picture, see that as well? That a lot of NFL defenses are leaning away from blitzing and favoring the coverage and putting more people in coverage as opposed to sacrificing guys in coverage?) – “I think the offenses, they do a good job of IDing what you’re in – whether it’s formation or shift, motion. Again, they have plans that they can go to. Week in and week out, obviously we’ve brought a good amount of pressure over the years. We’ve seen a lot of different things but teams have different plans to it. Sometimes you’re comfortable with it, sometimes you’re not. All those factors based on, again, matchups and how they may handle it go into account whether you want to do it a lot or not as much.”
(This league has so many guys that can matchup across the board. A guy like Atlanta TE Kyle Pitts for instance. I was curious to get your take as far as how the adjustments go whether it’s the pregame planning or in-game adjustments for how you shuffle who you might cover a guy like that who can play out wide, who can condense inside and just do so many things? How does that in-game adjustment process work for you guys?) – “I think we’re very aware of matchups going in. We always have contingency plans if it’s not going in our favor. Again, Atlanta – like Arthur Smith does a great job with his scheme and has 10-12 different personnel groupings where they can move guys all around, so it makes it a little bit hard saying, ‘Okay, we are going to put this guy here in this set or this guy in here,’ because then it can give you a bad matchup somewhere else that you’re not really fired up about. Obviously, Pitts is a good player. He’s improving and I think he has a bright future in this league.”
(The past two weeks you guys have limited opponents to less than 100 yards rushing which I’m sure a goal each week. I know DT Raekwon Davis returned I believe three games ago but what do you think has been the difference in the run defense?) – “I think that we are playing with better fundamentals, better techniques. I think (Linebackers Coach) Anthony Campanile and (Defensive Line Coach) Austin Clark, those guys are doing a good job of making sure that we understand the run fits, the run schemes, the things that we are trying to do and I think our guys are executing it at a little bit more consistent level. You’re always stiving for perfection. I know football is an imperfect game and nobody has ever called a perfect game and nobody has ever played a perfect game, but you’re always striving for that. I think we are just seeing a little more consistency. We’re trying to build off that and hopefully that will continue.”
(I wanted to ask you about DT Christian Wilkins. Obviously, he’s been a good player for you guys for three years but it seems like the production is really starting to show up in terms of the counting stats. I just wanted to get your take as far as what he’s done this year to really take his game to the next level?) – “I think Christian has always played with great effort. I think it starts with that and I think he’s doing a good job of working on his fundamentals and his techniques to put himself in a position to make plays and then when he does and when he has opportunities, he’s been able to make those plays. I think that’s a byproduct of him knowing and understanding the system a little bit better, him knowing and understanding his techniques and fundamentals a little bit better and also, when you know those things, you know when you can take chances that are probably going to be in your favor and I think he’s done that very well.”
(I wanted to ask you about your rookie safety Jevon Holland. He had the big sack in the game. He’s all over the place in coverage. That one deep ball kind of got behind him. Just wanted to get your evaluation of how he’s playing so far.) – “Again, I think it starts with Jevon from day one he’s come in, he’s worked extremely hard. He loves football. He loves the process,. He’s working at better understanding how he fits in the scheme and the multiple things he can do. I think we’re seeing that growth. Hopefully that will continue for us and he definitely has some playmaking ability. Again, it’s our job to try to put him in spots where he can make those plays.”
(Your reaction to losing DB Jason McCourty for some time now? Head Coach Brian Flores told us he’ll be on injured reserve and what you can get out of a guy like a S Sheldrick Redwine during the interim?) – “Again, obviously I’ve known Jason McCourty for a while and personally it’s heartbreaking for him because I know the work that he puts in and how important the team is to him. Obviously my heart goes out to him and I know how much he puts into football in general, the Miami Dolphins, this team. I feel for him. When we bring new guys in, obviously we are excited about them but you just try to catch him up to speed, see what they can do and try to work them in the best you can. When they’re given opportunities, hopefully they make the most of them.”
Co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs Eric Studesville
(Who do you think has blocked particularly well pass-blocking wise on the line? Who stands out to you? And from a run-blocking perspective, who has stood out to you in that area?) – “I think in the big picture of it, we all need to do a better job in that area. We’ve been good at times, we’ve had some success in pass pro. It was a little bit better last week than it’s been, but it’s a group effort. Pass protection involves the offensive line, it involves the backs, it involves the tight ends at times, it involves getting the ball out on time, it involves the receivers running routes. We’re all involved in it and I think the better we’re all combined in executing an individual play is going to tie into how much better we are run or pass in those things. I think the guys are working hard at it. It’s important to them. They are continually trying to do things, but it’s an area we’re still working on.”
(We’ve seen success last week in terms of running the ball. I don’t know if it was the amount of attempts or just the opponent. But what do you think led to your second 100-yard rushing performance?) – “For me, we’re always trying to run the ball efficiently and effectively. Up front I think they did a nice job against Atlanta. I think the tight ends did some things good there. I thought the backs ran well at times, but too inconsistent. I think we left some yards out there on the field, there were some more out there for us. We’ve got to go back and look at those things. We’ve got to work on our angles and some of the things that we’re doing up front. We’ve got to see things better in the running back room so that when there are run lanes, we get in the right spots and put the ball there. The wide receivers have to block. There is more out there for us in the run game. We’re continually talking about it, working on it, pushing it because we know it’s an important component for our offense, and that helps everything out. When we can run the ball, it helps us. We’ve got to be able to do that. You’d love to have some of these big plays down the field, but the reality is we just need to stay on track and help the offense be efficient and move down the field. When we’ve done that, we’ve helped our offense on a given series be successful.”
(Against Atlanta, you were 20 for 132 on the ground. When I looked it up, those were more carries against Atlanta than you’ve had the previous two weeks combined. I’m wondering if there was a moment where you guys as a coaching staff sat down, and just re-dedicated yourself towards putting together a running attack?) – “We put together the running attack with the intentions of trying to run the ball every week. We know that’s an important component to our offense. We want to do that. But again, as games change and situations change in the game, if we don’t run it as much because we’re throwing it better or situations dictate that, then we may not run it as many times. Against Atlanta, we were running the ball better perhaps then we had, so we tried to get some more runs in there, and it was going. I think the guys did a good job with some of the things we were seeing out there. But every week, we’re trying to put a run game in. We don’t just go in and say ‘this week, no run game meetings because we’re going to throw it the whole time.’ Because we’re going to need that at some point in time. You never know how a game plays out. We have multiple personnel groupings that we’re working in, we have multiple plays and things that we’re studying and working on, trying to make sure that we have a plan that gives us the best chance to run the ball every week.”
(How does all of that work out now that you’re down to two running backs with RB Malcolm Brown out?) – “With the guys that are in there, that’s a great opportunity for them. So whoever that is. I think Malcolm started out the other day and we lost him after I believe it was nine plays. Then Myles (Gaskin) came in, and Salvon (Ahmed) played more than he has and he did a nice job when he was in there and had to be ready to go. That’s what this is. There is going to be an opportunity for somebody. You hate that it’s injury related, but it’s an opportunity for the next person.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa has shown the ability to lead this offense on 75-yard touchdown drives, 80-yard touchdown drives. But do you think that some of the explosive plays in this offense is missing and do you think that it’s required or necessary for this offense given sometimes the offense’s inability to maintain drives back to back?) – “We’re constantly talking about how to develop and create explosive plays. We want those explosive plays. We’ll attempt to get those. Sometimes those come with the distance that a ball is thrown or somebody breaking a tackle and making a play, how those plays happen. We can’t always control that, but we want those explosive plays. Those plays make the drive better. They change things that the defense has to do. So we want to get those explosive plays. We’ve got to continue to work harder to get them done and accomplish and execute them.”
(In the last two weeks, your third-down percentage has nearly doubled from 35.4 percent the previous games to 64.3 percent. I was just curious why you think that might be, why you guys are having success in the money down?) – “I hope it’s the increased emphasis in it, which we are talking about all the time. Coach (Brian Flores) talks about that with the team, that that’s an important situational football parameter for us to address. We constantly talk about that. He talks about it, he addresses it and we spend a lot of time on third down talking about what we want to execute, how we want to do things on third down. I think then it becomes a credit to the players where they are studying and buying in and they are executing when we call those things. I think it’s a whole philosophy that starts with ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) all the way down to everybody that we understand the importance of that third down situation and we have to be better, to stay on the field and get more plays to continue drives.”
(I wanted to ask you about the RPO. I know that’s a major element to this offense. When it comes to the run game, the fact that there are limitations on the offensive line, does that prevent them from teeing off on guys and resetting the line of scrimmage?) – “Yeah, that’s an interesting question. I think there are different plays and different things – there are techniques that go into each individual concept, kind of run play that we put in and things that we’re doing. Different plays have different techniques, have different things that we need to adjust within them. The RPOs are no different. What we try to do is we try to have a mix of things so we’re not living strictly in one world, in that the players do have the ability to come off and get the ball moving at certain times. Then at other times, they may not be able to do that or it may be a different scheme that changes that a little bit. We don’t want to live in one world exclusively because again, we’re trying to find things that maximize what we can do best on offense.”
