LB Bradley Chubb
(Have you gone up against Aaron Rodgers before?) – “Yeah, my second year I went up against him. I got a chance to, honestly, see greatness. He’s one of the best and been the best for a while. It’s always fun when you get to play a legend and somebody you looked up to growing up and all that. So it’s a dope experience, for sure.”
(What changes when you have a player of his caliber with what Aaron Rodgers can do in so many different situations?) – “Nothing really changes, you just have to have – I mean, it’s like playoff football now. So everybody’s awareness is ramped up, everybody’s mood and all that is kind of ramped up right now. So when you got somebody like that, you really just can’t change what you’re doing. You just have to go out there and just play fundamental football, don’t let the moment get too big for what it is and just understand that, ‘OK, yeah – he is that dude, but we’ve got some guys on our side of the ball, too.’ So we’ve got to make sure we just understand that and play within the defense.”
(It seems like this is a pretty competent group despite the three-game skid, would you say that?) – “Yeah, for sure. It all starts from the top, man. Coach McDaniel never veered or wavered from anything. He sets the tone each and every day, each and every meeting. So when you’ve got a guy like that setting the tone, you can’t do anything but follow. Everybody has that same mindset, man. We know we dropped three games. We know it wasn’t our best football. We know we did great things in those games, but it just wasn’t enough. We know who we are, we know the team we are. Adversity makes the best out of everybody, so it’s been fun.”
(What do you think it will be like playing on Christmas Day?) – “To be honest, man, holidays don’t really do anything (for me). Ever since college, man, I haven’t been around my family too much and stuff like that. You’ll see them, but it’s not like Christmas as a kid, you know what I mean? But just for people at home to be able to sit down and watch some Dolphins football, I feel like it’s going to be dope man. Especially the great matchup that we’re about to have, it’s going to be fun.”
(How do you feel like the transition to a new defensive scheme, a new team, new coaches, how do you think all that has gone?) – “I think it’s going great, man. It’s been, what? Almost two months? That’s crazy when you think about it. It’s been good, man. I’m just learning each and every day still about my teammates, about my coaches, about the scheme, and just the different little nuances in it where I could get better just not throughout the play but just (say) ‘OK, they’re doing this on that side. OK, I can do this on this side.’ Just learning stuff like that and how I can take my game to the next level. But it’s been great. I’ve been enjoying it and ready to keep it moving.”
(As an edge player, there’s always that give and take between time to attack the quarterback and “Oh no, if I over-pursue, I lost my edge and hurt the team.” In this particular defense, what’s a key for that assignment for an edge?) – “The main key is just setting the edge of the defense. I feel like with the guys we’ve got around, it’s cool for me to make sure I set the edge in the run and then if it be a play-action pass, OK – I can convert late, because all the guys are around. It’s not like it’s, ‘Oh, if I don’t get off and do this, then it’s a 60-yard touchdown.’ So having talent around and understand within the defense, understanding where your help is at and all that, it makes it a lot easier, for sure.”
(How would you rate your first six games with Miami?) – “I was never good in school, man, so I’d give myself an A. (laughter) No, I’m just playing. But probably like a B. I’ve had good plays here and there, but I want to be more dominant. I want to be taking over games more, and that’s kind of the reason they brought me here is to do that – to help this defense take it to the next level. I feel like yeah, we took it up a notch, but there’s a whole ‘nother level we could take it to, and I want to be the catalyst for that.”
(Fun question, what do you want most for Christmas?) – “What do I want most for Christmas? If Christmas was in February, I’d want a Super Bowl ring, but it’s in December, so I just want a win against the Packers. (laughter)”
CB Xavien Howard
(You’re a family man, what do you think it’s going to be like waking up with your kids and then playing a football game on Christmas?) – “It’s going to be nice. It’s the first time I think I have played on Christmas. I have family coming in town, so it’s going to be a great experience. I’ll try to see the kids open the gifts before I head to the stadium.”
(What’s at stake this three-game stretch trying to make the playoffs? It’s a new situation for the Dolphins organization. What’s the mindset going into this final stretch?) – “Take it one game at a time. It’s all about Green Bay. We just got to take care of the things that’s in front of us. Like every week, the next game is the most important game for us.
(Your thoughts on WR Christian Watson, the first year receiver from Green Bay?) – “He’s been balling this year, yeah.”
(Is this your first time playing Aaron Rodgers?) – “(It’s the) second time.”
(Guys like Aaron Rodgers, who really excel off script. that are able to make things happen while on the run, how does that change how you play against him?) – “He can do it all. He still can run. He also can sling it. We got to be on our toes. We just got to stick to the gameplan, stay on our receivers and keep our eyes on our receivers.”
(How much do you feel like injuries have affected you throughout this season?) – “Everybody is injured. If you ask anybody in the league, nobody is 100 percent. I try to go out there and play to the best of my abilities.”
(CB Kader Kohou has played well for most of the season, especially as an undrafted rookie. What effect do you think CB Byron Jones’ absence has had on the defense?) – “Do you want to ask Byron Jones? I don’t know. (laughter)”
(I know groin injuries can linger. When was the last time you felt it? Do you still have to be a little cautious with it?) – “I’m good. I’m going to be playing this Sunday. I’m looking forward to the challenge and like I say, keep getting better and keep grinding.”
(Has it been a while since that has been a factor?) – “It is what it is. Like I said, nobody is going to be 100 percent, but I got to keep it going though.”
(The Packers have a Pro Bowl corner also. I wonder how familiar you are with Jaire Alexander?) – “I love his game. The dude is a baller. Much respect to him and I’ll see him this Sunday.”
Safeties Coach Steve Gregory
(In recent weeks, we’ve seen especially with S Verone McKinley III getting more time, we’ve seen S Jevon Holland kind of take on a different role and I was curious about where have you seen the most growth? Because we’re seeing him spend a lot more time close to the line of scrimmage.) – “There’s definitely that. Obviously with guys getting hurt and different guys being up and having to play, you kind of move those guys around a little bit. And it’s definitely expanded his game as playing down as a strong safety a little bit, down in the box, covering the tight ends, fitting the run and putting him in some of those roles. I think when you do that as a safety or as a player, when you play multiple positions and you get a lot of experience at playing those positions, it kind of helps you see the defense as a whole and it helps you understand where all the different moving parts are, how the linebackers are playing, what the d-line is really doing on a down-to-down basis. And that just helps him as a player understand what the whole picture looks like.”
(And in that, there’s also been a lot of growth from S Verone McKinley III. Just where have you seen him go from when he first came in as an undrafted rookie to now starting out of necessity, oftentimes?) – “Yeah, no doubt. I think one thing that it definitely does is build confidence for the player. Obviously there’s always the unknown. As a player, you want to play. But when you’re not playing, you’re just doing it in practice and you’re getting a few reps here and there in a game and now him having to go out and play an entire game and accumulate that many reps, it helps build his confidence and make him realize that he can play at this level. He can play an extensive amount of time and be productive and there’s still things that have to improve. There’s areas of his game that need to get better. There’s growth that he needs to make as a young player and those things will come with time, but I think he’s done a really good job of being a mature player, understanding the situation that he’s in and trying to go out and execute at a high level and communicate and do things that we need to do to try to win football games.”
(When CB Justin Bethel was brought onto the team or I guess right before Week 1, I mean, did he come in as cornerback or a safety because we’ve seen him play cornerback and then after some of the injuries, he was playing some safety.) – “Yeah, I’d say he came in as a DB. He’s a versatile player. He’s an experienced player in this league. He’s been around for a while. He can play corner, he can play in the slot, he can play as a safety as we utilized him a little bit last week. And he’s a smart football player so each week, as the season has gone on, we try to encourage those guys, especially guys like him that have the ability to play multiple positions, to make sure they understand the game plan from all the different positions across the group, in case something like that happens in a game where you’ve got to get a guy in. That’s what creates so much value for someone like him, to where he can step in and play a lot of different spots.”
(Have there been times this year where you and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer have thought, “Boy, I wish we could blitz Jevon more, but we just can’t afford to because we need him in the defensive backfield”?) – “I don’t necessarily know like you’re wishing you can blitz a certain guy. I mean, obviously, Jevon (Holland) has a certain skill set. He is a good blitzer. We try to cater a game plan towards what we think is going to be the best thing to execute to try to win the game. So if that’s a situation where we have to blitz Jevon, then then we’ll gear it up that way. I don’t think it’s something that we just shy away from. I think we are calculated in picking and choosing our spots on where we want to send certain people and all of that stuff is something that’s a process throughout the week. It’s not out of the realm to say that we just can’t blitz him because we need him here or there. I think it’s just something that we tie together throughout an entire game plan.”
(What have you liked most this season so far about S Jevon Holland?) – “Honestly, I just like the maturity that he’s shown. His growth as a player, as a leader, as somebody that holds guys accountable, somebody that communicates, somebody that’s continuing to grow and understand what offenses are trying to do conceptually to attack certain coverages, attack certain looks, how they try to attack certain fronts and different things that we do schematically, I think that has been really impressive behind the scenes at some of the stuff that he’s grown of as a player. Also I think some of the man coverage stuff that he didn’t get an opportunity to do a lot last year being more exclusively in the middle part of the field, I think you’ve seen some of that. He’s an athletic, big safety that can cover guys and we’ve utilized him a little bit that way. So just the overall, call it, collaboration of his game, being able to do different things on a down-to-down basis, I think has really shown up.”
(Quick follow up, if I may, based on what S Jevon Holland did last year, I think there might have been an expectation that he would have, like, really big, big numbers in terms of splash plays. Was that a little bit unfair in terms of basically the opportunities have to present themselves or have there been missed opportunities?) – “A lot of people get caught up in saying that you have to have so many picks or a certain number of sacks or a certain number of tackles. The game of football honestly, it just doesn’t go that way. Some of these guys that lead the league in picks, half of them might be just tipped balls and overthrows that just happen to fall into their lap. So if you really go back and you study the tape and you look at it schematically of what the player is doing is, is he executing his job? Is he doing the right thing within the defense? Is he a disciplined player? And is he doing exactly what we need him to do on a down-to-down basis to execute and win? And he does do that. He does play within the scheme. He doesn’t go outside the realm of trying to do too much because the perception is I have to have numbers. Those numbers will come if you do your job and you play within our scheme. The numbers will come if the plays come to you. You got to make the play. So don’t really try to get caught up in that too much. Obviously everybody wants to have 10 picks and lead the league and all that stuff. Yeah, I get that. But if you get too caught up in trying to chase that, you end up being a worse player.”
(What was your honest reaction in Buffalo, when already being down S Brandon Jones and you don’t have S Eric Rowe, DB Elijah Campbell and then S Jevon Holland has to come off to the sideline. What was your honest reaction in that moment?) – “My honest reaction? Where’s the next guy. Let’s go. Like we’ve got to get somebody out there on the field and you’re thinking like, hopefully we’ve prepared these guys enough to where they can go out and execute and you can put them in position to where they can go play and execute their job. And we do a lot of work throughout the week with all our guys making sure that they know the game plan and preparing them in case something like that happens. ‘Hey, there’s a chance you can go play this position, there’s a chance you might have to go play this position. So study, be ready.’ And when that moment comes, like it did in the game and (Justin) Bethel had to step in, he was ready to go and it’s a credit to him and the process that we go through throughout the week.”
(I was curious if you saw the interception in the Chargers and Titans game in the end zone when the guy tipped the ball back into the endzone? Did you see that? On Sunday a player caught a ball out of bounds yet threw it back in-bounds for the interception. I just was curious if you saw it, if you had a thought…?) – “No, I did not see that. But back when I was playing with the Patriots, we had a play like that to where we had a corner – he kind of jumped out of bounds and just batted it back in and I think (Devin) McCourty picked it off. Or McCourty was the one that did that. So I’ve seen something like that happen before, but those are incredible plays…”
(Is there a way to coach that or is just…?) – “No, I think that’s probably just a natural reaction by a player. I don’t think in individual we work on that. (laughter)”
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I asked you one process question last week. I just had one more for you. Head Coach Mike McDaniel was good on this topic this week about how helpful you’ve been. I was just curious just about the mechanics early in the week, as far as, obviously, you have a major role in game-planning. Do you and Mike normally have a set time where you all sit together and talk it through Monday or Tuesday? Or do you actually prepare something that you type up for him and share with him to look at first before you discuss it? I don’t know why I’m curious about this, but I am.) – “Well, sorry to let you down – it’s not that complex. It’s normally like Monday, you kind of start off just trying to figure out who the defense is, what makes them work schematically, the history of them, all just information of the defense – who they are and how they play as far as the front end, the back end, coverage principles through situational football, all that. Then on Tuesday, it’s normally in the morning, we’re starting to come together with ideas for concepts, overriding principles that we like. And then really, at some point in the morning, depending upon with Mike’s (McDaniel) schedule or when it is, just at some point in the morning, we get together and we start the process to build the gameplan through pretty much the morning into dinnertime, maybe sometimes a little later depending on which fun we’re having. But overall, I think it’s collective. I mean, I’ve been part of places where there were different elements to it. People start on Mondays, we just feel like for us that what we like to do is start on Monday, really getting to figure out who the defense is and how do they operate.”
(Is it all done face to face? Or does he like you to present to him something on a computer that’s typed up?) – “I just can’t look him in the eyes as I talk to him. (laughter) No, we’re normally together in his office.”
(I was curious, in the games where you guys have had success on the ground early, specifically the Browns game and last Saturday against the Bills, how have you seen that impact the way the defenses have played you guys? And how’s it opened up or just maybe impacted the overall execution of the offense?) – “I think that when you have positive execution early, one – it’s a collection of all things. When you have good execution, it’s all the players, coaching staff, everything, the whole week of work is really then just getting actualized on the field. When it’s not going well and you’re not having the execution, it just comes down to that all of us have to make sure that we’re communicating better, because I think ultimately, what we’re trying to do is all of us together. So when it starts off in the running game well, it allows us to have them focus on one part of their defensive front structure. It has maybe eyes looking at the line of scrimmage more. I mean, obviously with the way their defense played, when you can run the ball on them, that wasn’t something that I think necessarily they were really used to that season. I think there’s only a couple games for people that over 100 or 150 yards or something like that. So I think it allows for us to be able to set up some more things. I think it allows the linemen (with) their preparation for the week, how they want to set their blocks and how they’re going to play their combinations gets into that. Overall for us, when we can have one of those days, I think it just allows us to unlock other parts of our offense that we wanted to build upon in our marriage of trying to be complementary in what we do.”
(I should have made note of this a little more, but it seemed like they were playing a lot of nickel early. Did that play into your running game? Or do they always play nickel?) – “They always play nickel. They played nickel the whole game to us the first time. So they kind of do – sometimes they’ll play their base, which in their structure, it’s like one guy for No. 7 (Taron Johnson).”
(Does that play into you thinking, “OK, maybe we can run against them?”) – “Kind of. It’s the way their defense – it’s kind of like for us we look into, I think overriding like most offenses is that what are they trying to do on defense through their personnel groups? And then when they’re in one personnel group, is there an advantage over the other or is there somebody you can isolate? Is there a matchup that you could try and exploit? Different characteristics of that. I think for them, they play that defense so often, and that’s why they’re successful is that they know what their issues are. I think it’s a challenge then for us to make sure we are operating at a high level, that we’re executing together and making sure that our prep during the week allows us to be able to really play the way we want to on every Sunday or whenever we play.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel has pointed out that OL Liam Eichenberg had a good game or two, right before he got injured. What are a couple areas in which you were seeing improvement from Liam?) – “Pass protection, for one. I felt his sets – he was really improving on the way he wants to play fundamentally. I think overall, just the little parts of the execution to his operation and his run blocking, but really pass protection, we saw great growth for him. He was really seeing how some techniques would really help him. I think it was a shame because he was starting to really take that on. And that’s why we’re excited for whenever we can get him back to hopefully keep growing upon all that.”
(What have your conversations with TE Mike Gesicki been about since he’s a guy who’s used to contributing a lot and really hasn’t been involved in this offense?) – “Yeah, I think that’s the challenge. As (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) said, we’re trying to get him more involved and just trying to make sure that we communicate with him getting opportunities. I think, ultimately, as long as we have the communication we’re building between coaches and players, that’s ultimately where you don’t – frustration might show up on the field, but you can make sure during the week, if you’re communicating with the guys, same thing I’d like in all relationships, whether it’s your wife, girlfriend, kids – I mean, the minute communication lapses, it’s when all the freaking stuff starts going. But just ultimately, I think that’s the thing that we want to make sure that we’re always communicating with him and just understanding (we’re) trying to get opportunities and making sure we’re getting him on the field for those opportunities.”
(How have you seen QB Tua Tagovailoa develop over the course of the season when maybe his first read isn’t there and he has to go off-script and make something happen himself?) – “I think ultimately, we’re very pleased with how he’s played. The season is always full of just learning opportunities for him and for all people involved in the game. We’ve been very pleased with how he’s played. He’s always responded. He’s learned. He’s grown, which is – I mean, a 17-game season is a very long time, plus the preseason plus training camp. So really, there’s ebbs and flows, especially when you’re a younger player. Obviously, this is a new system for him. So I think ultimately overall, the way he’s played, the way he’s carried himself, the way he works with his teammates, we couldn’t be more happy to have him here and keep having him as our quarterback.”
(I asked Head Coach Mike McDaniel about this yesterday, and I was curious to get your perspective. In terms of third-and-short execution of conversion rate, the offense is last. You’ve thrown or dropped back about twice as many times as run. I was just curious, what has stuck out in terms of the situation that third-and-short represents or the execution where you guys just haven’t been as successful as third-and-medium or third-and-long, which you’re top half in the league?) – “I think that’s an area that we’ve really tried to emphasize and trying to get better at, because last week, we were able to convert running the ball. We felt that the opportunities presented with throwing the ball were obviously advantageous looks to throw it. We didn’t absolutely get exactly what we thought would play out on the play. But I think ultimately when it comes to execution areas you’re not doing as well as you want on, it starts with us as coaches. Are we making sure that we’re all on the same page with it? Are we making sure that we’re getting the right looks for the guys and making sure it all comes together? Because for us to grow in an area, we’ve all got to be connected (and) we’ve all got to be communicating. I think that for us to go where we want to go, it’s an area that we know we can improve, and we’re really trying to make sure we focus on it for the rest of the regular season.”
(Was Head Coach Mike McDaniel hard on himself at all with you? Obviously you explained the thinking as did he in throwing a lot in third-and-short. When he’s with you, is he hard on himself, second-guessing those types of calls?) – “(Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) doesn’t really ever normally second guess himself; it’s more of he’s very confident in the decisions he makes. It’s more of when we – if you ultimately are always driven by result, you’re going to just be miserable every day and you’re going to be constantly going like, ‘Ugh. Ugh,’ and you ride the roller coaster of what happens. But when you’re a process-driven organization as we try to be, you realize how do we get that result and how can we correct our process? That’s constantly the way that Mike and all of us feel is that when we have something not go the way we want it to go, we look at how we went through the process to get there and then we fix the process, because that’s how you get the results that you’re looking for. So I don’t think ultimately he ever is second-guessing what he’s doing. Him, like all great competitors, whether it’s coaches or players, you’re going to be reflecting on yourself, wishing you could have done more to help yourself, but ultimately, I don’t think it’s that; it’s that we’re always reflecting on how can we improve through our process through the week to make sure that we get the results we need. That’s how we fix the process as our continual thing, and that’s the challenge of an NFL season.”
(Sticking with Head Coach Mike McDaniel, I think QB Tua Tagovailoa a couple of months ago, or last month, said that he could tell who Mike really was when his demeanor didn’t change, like when his personality and character didn’t change despite a losing streak. But that’s from the player’s perspective. I’m curious from your perspective as somebody who works kind of alongside of him, what have you seen about his character, his demeanor, even when things are not going right, versus when you guys are on a five-game win streak?) – “Great leaders – again, it goes back to results and process. I mean, great leaders know that it’s a long season, and if you’re going to let a slump in the middle or success, because the other one is ultimately, too, is that you have the highs and lows and realizing that for one minute, you can be on top of the world. Another minute, everyone’s (saying), ‘What’s going on?’ I think that’s a credit to (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) and just his personality of he understands it’s a long road to go and that we have a lot of work to do. The good (and) the bad is going to come along the way. Our job is to make sure that we keep improving ourselves, whether it’s coaches and players or just really anyone in this organization. We’re trying to be our best, and if it wasn’t ‘OK, how can we improve?’ I think that’s just the way – he deliberately approaches his days that way, and I think that’s a credit to when he talks to the team, he talks to the offense, talks to any individual player, talks to us as a staff, is that he’s not looking necessarily at this happened now. It’s like, ‘Why did it happen now?’ Then that’s how we make the improvement. That’s why it’s ultimately awesome to work here for him, because the players can recognize it and we recognize it as a staff because there’s not a roller coaster of one moment, the next. It’s very much we’re on a process as we’re going through the season, and that’s the best part about working with him.”
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(Do you think you need to change usage of some of the players in terms of reducing playing time of some, increasing playing time of others? Or do you think you have the correct players being used the correct amount of time, depending on matchups, but just need those players need to play better?) – “I would say we look at everything when you go into games. Obviously you try to learn from whatever happened in the game before good, bad or indifferent. And then you try to make the best decisions you can moving forward based off of the information that you have in front of you. I think that’s something that we look at week in and week out. And I think it depends on the opponent you’re facing, the game plan that you’re putting in and the availability of players that you have to you.”
(A weekend like this where you’re playing a guy that’s as experienced and knowledgeable about the game as QB Aaron Rodgers is, do you have to be more cognizant of coverages and the looks that you’re throwing at him, because it seems like he’s probably seen just about everything?) – “Absolutely. I would say Aaron Rodgers, he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. There’s nothing he can’t do and there’s not much that he hasn’t seen. He’s able to diagnose very quickly. You see it over and over again, on film, like what teams are doing to him. And he diagnoses it very quickly, he goes where he’s supposed to go, he can make things happen off schedule. He’s very nimble in the pocket. He’s always got his eyes downfield, he has a rare ability, not only does he know what all 11, or all 10 of his guys are doing, but he knows what all 11 guys on defense are doing. I mean he sees the field extremely well. He’s a special talent and there’s nothing that he can’t do.”
(Along those lines, when you look back at the last two games, in the situations where the defense didn’t perform perfectly – for example, the long drives like at the end of the first half against the Chargers and against Buffalo as well – how much of that was things that were not done by the defense? And how much of that is you just tip your hat to a great performance by the quarterback on the other side?) – “I think there’s always opportunities. We stress – in the majority of those drives, there were third-down opportunities there for us to get off the field, to either give them no points or to give them an opportunity to kick a field goal. There are instances where guys make plays. Like the first touchdown that they threw the touchdown to the tight end (in the Bills game), Jevon (Holland) had pretty good coverage on it. That’s a good throw, that’s a good catch. It’s competitive. You kind of deal with those. You understand that their players are good and they get paid too. But I think the majority of the time, we go back and we look at things that we could do that would limit the offense in those situations? And again, I think that’s what you’re always striving to do is – is it the position that we’re putting them in? Is it that technique that we’re teaching them? Or is there another circumstance where the player actually makes a play? I think you take all those things into consideration. Obviously, we’ll continue to stress and we need to be better on third down. That limits drives. It limits points. And when we have opportunities, and to understand the critical nature of them – and again, you have to have all 11 guys operating on the same page to marry the coverage with the rush or the rush with the coverage, however you look at it.”
(I want to ask you about DT Christian Wilkins and the season he’s having. And not only just your assessment of the season, but as you know, last night the Pro Bowl came out and he was not selected. I wondered if part of that might have been that he was listed at end rather than tackle. That’s actually a decision of the club. Were you involved in where he was listed by any chance? Did they ask for your opinion?) – “I was not involved on that. I would say with the Pro Bowl, and I think this happens every year, I think a lot of the guys that get voted to the Pro Bowl are well deserving. I think there’s always, every year, there’s guys that are probably deserving. And I’m not probably the best guy to ask, ‘okay, should it be this guy, should it be this guy?’ I think sometimes stats get involved in that stuff. I think Christian, he’s been a huge part of our defense this year. I think he’s having a really good year. I think he’s improved each year he’s been here and I think he’s only getting better. I think he’s a phenomenal football player. He’s made big plays for us this year. I think he’s a great teammate. And he’s been a good captain. Nothing but good things about Christian Wilkins. When it comes down to, does this guy get nominated for this, does this guy get nominated for that? I think those are all great honors. I think you always have to take in the fact that it’s just somebody’s opinion. I think Christian, from the coaching staff, is highly thought of. From his teammates, he’s highly thought of. And we’re going to need him to continue to have the year that he’s been having. That’s how I look at that.”
(Whether it’s QB Josh Allen, QB Lamar Jackson or QB Justin Herbert to QB Aaron Rodgers, how do you prepare for quarterbacks who, they’re so good, they’re arguably at their best when things are off script?) – “A lot of that is you try to keep them where they can’t get off script. And then when they do, you have to have coverage rules that apply. If you’re in man coverage, you have to finish your coverage, even though it’s like, ‘okay, the timing should be off here.’ But it’s not. You have to finish. And then if you’re zone, you have to have rules where you plaster to receivers, and then you put a plan in place to where you try to limit those plays the best you can.”
(What’s been your take on the contributions you’ve gotten from LB Bradley Chubb since acquiring him?) – “I think Chubb’s done some good things for us from a rush standpoint. I think he’s done some good things for us in the run game. I think he’s given us the ability to utilize all three other guys, and we’ve been able to keep them a little bit fresh as we’re going. And again, it’s one of those things that each week, he’s just adding to the things that he’s already brought to us.”
(DT Christian Wilkins’ tackle numbers are outrageous for a player at that position – 89 last year and he has 81 this year. What makes him able to not just hold blocks, hold the point of attack, but get off and make the play? What’s so special about him that he has these high tackle numbers every year?) – “I think he’s doing a good job of defeating blocks, seeing the play, and then shedding at the correct time. There’s a lot of times you could defeat a block, especially at that position, and if you shed too early, the backs in this league, they’re too good. They’ll make you miss. I think Christian has timed that up very well. And I think the times that we’ve put him on the move, he’s been able to penetrate, get into gaps and make plays.”
(There have been several fourth quarter drives, unfortunately, against you guys, during this losing streak. Do you worry at all about high snap counts for DT Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins? Do you think that’s at all been a factor in terms of long drives against you, them getting tired? Is there any factor you can point to for that, these last three games?) – “Obviously, you’re trying to mitigate long drives in general. And I think it goes back to the focus on third down. And then obviously when you get into critical or crucial times, you want the best available to you, and you try to keep guys as fresh as you can. We’re at the point of the season now where it’s not like guys are ‘okay, they’re starting to get healthier and healthier and healthier.‘ There’s usually more and more wear and tear as we go. That’s a big point of emphasis for us in general is just the third down, get off the field, limit the drives, and give us an opportunity to be a little bit fresher at the end.”
(How would you describe CB Xavien Howard’s season?) – “I think it’s unfinished. I think that’s like us as a defense. I think if you’d asked a lot of us, some of the things that we’ve done, I would say, are below expectations. I’ll start with myself on that. But it’s unfinished. I think you learn from the things that we’re done. We’re looking forward to the opportunity this week. We get to face a Hall of Fame quarterback, a very good offensive scheme – Coach (Matt) LaFleur does an outstanding job of scheming things up – and we’re going to have a big challenge in front of us this week. I think, our guys, they take accountability. They keep working. And that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to finish things the way we need to finish them. And that’s how we look at it. I would say, you could – whether you use ‘X’ (Xavien Howard), Christian (Wilkins) or anybody, our season is unfinished. And we’ve got a big one in front of us. I think that’s the way we look at it.”
(The snap count was pretty even between DT Raekwon Davis and DT John Jenkins last week. Has John done something in particular the last couple of weeks that made you want to elevate his playing time?) – “I think it goes back to what you were asking earlier. I think both guys are performing at a good level. And when you have the opportunity to take some snaps off of particular players as you go and keep guys fresh, I think that’s always a great opportunity when those players are available to you.”
(We saw fairly comparable snaps for DB Keion Crossen and CB Noah Igbinoghene as your third corner. Obviously Crossen was injured for part of the game. How tough a decision has that been between those two? And I know special teams factors into it. Are they comparable in ability where it’s been a difficult decision?) – “I think both guys are working hard and both guys have done what we’ve asked them to do defensively. Like everybody else, there’s things that we can do better that we’re working on, and we’re all pushing in that direction. But there are things that they’re doing well, and I think each week, it’s a team decision – offense, defense and special teams – that all things are considered and the guys that are available to us. If they’re up, we’ll probably choose to use them.”
(This is a question we get from fans all the time. Why is LB Channing Tindall not getting snaps on defense?) – “I think he has veteran players in front of him that that know and understand the defense a little bit better than he does. We’re continuing to work with Channing as we go. When there’s a lot of multiples and variables that are in it, we just feel like the guys that we’re playing give us the best chance at this point.”
(What has LB Channing Tindall done well so far that you’ve seen?) – “He runs well. He’s a physical player. He tackles well. Those are things that obviously we like that he does. We’re encouraged by that.”
Offensive Line Coach Matt Applebaum
(We just asked Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith about where OL Liam Eichenberg had really shown growth before the injury and he mentioned pass protection. Where was he as a run blocker at the time of his injury? And does he have the skillset to be really good run blocker and your scheme?) – “I think Liam has the skillset to excel in all the things we’re asking him to do. He’s got to continue to get better every day but I don’t see anything he can’t accomplish for us within our scheme.”
(T Terron Armstead throughout the season has kind of played through some of the various injuries he’s had. He said he was changing up his technique and having to kind of compensate for whatever’s kind of ailing him. I was wondering throughout the week, is that something that he talks with you about? Do you work with him on that? And then can you kind of give us an example of what that change would be?) – “I wouldn’t want to give an example because that could be a competitive advantage, but those are things that are more like one-on-one conversations and less something that would be addressed in front of the group. But the guy’s played for a long time. He knows his body. He knows what he can do, what he can’t do, what some that might hinder him from being able to do and the adjustments that he’d have to make to get a guy blocked, which at the end of the day, is the only thing that really matters.”
(Working with T Terron Armstead this year, has it just amazed you the number of body parts he has had affected and he’s still playing through it and playing it at a high level?) – “For sure. Especially for myself coming from being in the college game for a while, you certainly aren’t dealing with a lot of guys that are in their 30s and the accumulation of injuries. But it’s certainly setting a standard in my mind for how an older player, a veteran, should approach his business. It’s been awesome.”
(There was a rep in the game where I think T Terron Armstead was in ISO pass protection. And he whipped back around and picked up an inside blitz. Just wanted to hear your reaction to that play.) – “He’s a funny guy, man. He’s so good at like re-hashing what happened out there because he’s seen everything and he was even laughing about it himself. That’s certainly not the way that protection is installed, perhaps. But that’s just a great player reacting in the moment and getting his job done in a way that not a lot of guys could do.”
(How much of his ability is purely physical and how much of it is just knowledge and feel?) – “I don’t know how to break that up into a percentage. He’s certainly a really talented guy. I mean, as we’ve already talked in here about his Combine stats and whatever. And he’s a really smart guy. But I think like any veteran player, as they get older, they start to be able to use all those reps they’ve accumulated and kind of be able to make adjustments at a more efficient level than a younger player. It’s really just simple as that. We got ‘Fish’ (Eric Fisher) in here now, and me and him have had the same conversations about certain things that he can see that when he was a younger player he never would have saw. I don’t know how to exactly break that down. But that dynamic certainly exists.”
(How has T Eric Fisher come along since you’ve had him here, and do you envision him getting to a point where he contributes? Or only if needed?) – “He’s coming along great. He’s a true vet. I mean he’s picked up our offense very quickly. I’m super impressed by his intellect and his ability to put in the extra time to get to where he needed to be. In terms of where he stands on playing or not playing, there’s a lot of factors that play into that. We’ll see how it goes.”
(Going back to day one, watching his tape, when you got hired here to what he put on the tape on Saturday in Buffalo, what’s the thing you see about OL Rob Hunt that has really demonstrated his growth and where he is as a player now?) – “Big Rob is obviously a talented guy. He’s really big and physical. And I think he’s taken that part of his game to another level, just the physicality play in and play out. And then I think he’s improved a lot on his footwork in pass protection and being comfortable in what we’re asking him to do from a technique perspective. I think his game is continuing to improve a lot.”
(What did you like about what the offensive line group did in the running plays last week?) – “I think we played really physical. I would say consistently play in and play out, possibly the most physical game we’ve played up to this point. And not only is that important, of course, just in general to run the ball, whatever. But later in the season, against a really good opponent in a prime time game, a group that is a relatively younger group, put it together and came out ready to play, ready to fight. So just the mentality of how they attacked the game and attacked a really good opponent, I was very pleased with.”
(Was there one guy in particular where you’d say, this is the best I’ve seen this guy run block?) – “I don’t know if there’s one guy in particular. I think all the guys are ready to go out there and play. I couldn’t single out one guy like that.”
(You guys ran between the guards especially early in that game. When you talk physicality, I assume you’re touching that on that?) – “In our system, especially when it’s more the zone runs and where the ball hits, so much of that’s predicated on how they’re aligned and how they react. So it’s not necessarily like this ball is going go right there. That’s just the nature of zone running without getting too deep into that. But there’s certain things about the structure, their defense, that led to the ball going to a certain spot, and us being able to leverage blocks a certain kind of way. So yeah, I think that’s a legitimate observation.”
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(I was curious, if you’re able to share this information, if you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel had a conversation earlier in the year where you basically established that WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Tyreek Hill would essentially not be used on returns? Was that a discussion you had and was that what came out of it?) – “That’s something I’m not going to go into. Mike (McDaniel) and I talk about a lot of things, just like he talks about a lot of things with the rest of the staff, and that’s something that we’re not going to touch on.”
(I guess we could follow with WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. and RB Raheem Mostert in their respective roles. Are you happy with what they’ve given you?) – “They’ve done a good job. Asking guys to do something that they haven’t done a lot of in the National Football League and both guys have gotten better along the way through the entirety of the season, which is really what you’re looking for. They’ve improved greatly from a decision-making standpoint, obviously a play standpoint. So yeah, two true pros right there.”
(K Jason Sanders now has [10] consecutive field goals, two in the game on Saturday night in the cold weather. How much does that do for his confidence to get on this roll and have a good game in really bad weather?) – “You guys have been around Jason. Jason is a very confident individual. He believes in his program and what we’ve done here over the years. So those are his expectations. So I don’t know if it’s a positive; he’s got great expectations of himself. He’s doing a good job. He’s in a good place right now. But again, that’s where he’s been throughout most of the season except for a couple of Sundays. Very happy and complete confidence in Jason. But it’s always good, especially the first time you play in a real cold weather game, there’s a lot of things that are different with the ball. So forget about wind, snow – just the cold ball is a little bit different and it’s not something you can simulate.”
(CB Justin Bethel seems like a guy who’s obviously had a good special teams season. He just seems to stand out. Can you talk about what makes him a good special teams player?) – “Well, I think No. 1, he knows his role and he excels at it. Everything on top of that, he’s done a great job when he’s had to fill in on defense, but he knows and he understands his role where he’s carved that niche in the league and has really had a really nice career. He’s in the kicking game. Complete buy in with everything we do and a good leader. So a really
Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker
(What was the thinking in going twice this season with WR Braylon Sanders over WR Erik Ezukanma? And is Erik having trouble grasping the playbook at all or doing what’s needed play-to-play in practice and the reps that he does have?) – “I think he’s getting a really good grasp of the offense. I think there’s a ton of details that go into all of that stuff that just takes a lot of reps and a lot of time and different things like that. With practice, the guys that are playing tend to get a lot of those reps. So a lot of his stuff is scout team and different things like that, but trying to work our techniques on that side. It’s one of those deals where it’s tough for him to get those reps in practice because the other guys need those reps. So the evaluation of it, yeah you see things on scout team and things but you do a lot of that during training camp, getting ready for the season and then as the season kind of goes on. But Erik is doing fine; Erik is doing great. We’ll keep on progressing with him. He’s going to be a good player for us.”
(And why WR Braylon Sanders over WR Erik Ezukanma and in Detroit? What was the thinking there?) – “The same deal on the positions and stuff. River (Cracraft) had been backing up (Jaylen) Waddle and then Braylon was the next guy up at that position. I don’t think it’s fair to Erik or anything to say ‘Hey, now you’re the X.’”
(So who is WR Erik Ezukanma the primary backup to? Is it WR Tyreek Hill?) – “Yeah, he’s mainly doing the Z, so Tyreek.”
(So through 15 weeks with WR Jaylen Waddle, what has impressed you about him?) – “I think how much better he’s gotten as the year has gone on. I think there were a lot of details and things early on in the year that weren’t quite there yet. He’s still doing really well just because of what a freak athlete he is and how fast he is and how he’s able to beat his one-on-one battles. But him just really progressing as a player, the details, over and over getting all of these different reps. Now it’s starting to hit. It’s been really cool to see the progress he’s made over the course of the season.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle has had a big jump in catches of 30 yards or more from last season. I know you weren’t here last year but I think the 67-yarder was the longest of the year. What stood out to you about that particular play?) – “I think just his burst. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s gone. He’s got the mindset once he gets the ball in his hands to take it to the house. It’s something you see quite a bit. He’s done an amazing job across the board and being on top of the details and really kind of honing in on his craft. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen with him this year of really jumping on that stuff.”
(You said early on in the year that WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle had changed sort of your thinking about smaller receivers playing physical. Now that you’ve seen them most of the year, can you talk about that? Do you still feel that way, that they changed some of your thinking on…) – “Absolutely, because you see how defenses have to play us. We’re getting two-man a lot on first and second down. Nobody does that. You don’t see that around the league. I think just the way defenses have to prepare for us and if you want to play single safety, go ahead. Those two guys are very, very hard matchups for anybody – the best corners in the league and all of them. We rely on those guys heavily whenever they want to take away any of our run game or play post-safety. They’ve got to make sure they’re bringing their A-game and most teams are going to have to play two-high and make sure they keep things in front of them, which opens up our whole offense.”
(With WR Erik Ezukanma, in your experience in the NFL, is this something you’ve found common, that rookie wide receivers need some time to pick up the NFL game?) – “Absolutely. You’re looking at a sideline your whole career looking at a picture of Bugs Bunny. And that’s your play. (laughter) To hear a play call in the NFL, we have some very long play calls. So you’ve got to hear what’s talking to you, where your alignment is, then getting into the coverages and the details. Is it man press? Is it a cloud? Is he off? Is it single high? Is it two high? There’s a lot that goes into all of that for receivers and if they’re not on point with the quarterback, there’s too much of a pass rush for us to be off even a little bit for the quarterback to be able to make that decision that he needs to make. It’s a huge learning (curve), especially coming from that offense. I mean I came from that offense. My rookie year, do you remember how many catches I had? Zero. That’s part of it. As a young receiver, there’s plenty of guys that – there’s just so much to learn. There’s a process to it and that’s why you see a lot of elite receivers start to become very good receivers in their second, third and fourth years, just getting all of those reps and understanding that the game is different at the NFL level.”
(Obviously you want every ball caught, but are you concerned with drops at all?) – “Yeah. I mean I think our guys take a lot of pride in catching the ball, getting open and catching the ball, doing what we need to do as far as that goes. Absolutely, it’s something that you emphasize. It’s part of their job and everything else. But it’s nothing that I sit there and harp on and yell at. It’s football. Bad things are going to happen and then how do we respond? How do we come back the next play? Do we make the play the next time? To me, that’s really all that matters after something like that happens.”
(More specifically, do you think it’s a problem for this receiving corps?) – “No, I don’t. I don’t sense that at all.”
(Going back to WR Erik Ezukanma for a second. It was hard not to notice him back in August. What did he show you in training camp that gives you hope that he’s going to develop into the kind of player that you drafted him to be?) – “Well, I think what he’s showing every single day. He obviously has the strength, the size, the hands, speed – all of those different things that we really like in our receivers. It’s always a learning curve for those guys and it’s always tough and all of those things. But Erik has been doing it day in and day out. I can see him getting better as far as studying his playbook and being on top of it, because there was a time there where it was just hard to even line up. Now we’re lining up right. So there’s a progression to it and everybody is a little bit different. Erik will get there. I look forward, whether it’s this year or this offseason, to really working with him and really dialing it in. It’s nothing that we’re really worried about. We’re just trying to make him better and be the best player that he can be.”
(It’s so odd to see WR Tyreek Hill to not come down with catchable balls. He was mad at himself for a couple last week. He tweeted, ‘Dolphins fans, you’re not going to see that again.’ How is he with you on those rare occasions where he doesn’t make catches? Does he come up to you and say, ‘I’m sorry, coach. I should have done better.’ What is it like?) – “No, he’s more upset with himself. Guys like him, I don’t sit there and – he’s already mad at himself. He knows. He expects to make those plays. It would have been a hell of a catch but that’s the standard that he holds for himself. It’s cool for myself and everybody else to be around.”
