CB Ken Crawley
(Tell me about coming into a new situation like this and you don’t know your teammates, you don’t know the defense, the calls – how tough is that?) – “I feel like it’s kind of a little easy transition to me. They play a lot of man, so I’m kind of used to it. The verbiage is kind of different plus learning these new guys and stuff, relationship-wise. I kind of know a couple people here. I’m a fun guy to be around. I’m not that type of dude that comes in with a big attitude. I’m just trying to fit in. That’s it. And I’m just trying to help these guys. That’s it.”
(We hear a lot when we talk about continuity and familiarity. It’s usually with the offensive line. How does it work for the secondary? Do you guys have to be together or can your individual abilities kind of carry you forward?) – “To me, I feel like if you can cover, you can cover; but at a point in time, you need that rush. That rush complements the coverage. It complements the coverage. It works hand-in-hand. These guys, you work together, but sometimes the corners have got to bail the d-line out or the d-line has to bail us out. I feel like it’s not that far off. There’s a little stuff we’ve got to get fixed up, but it’s moving in the right direction to me.”
(Are you glad the Dolphins claimed you because they have – and not just having a job – but also the fact there might be opportunity for playing time on defense?) – “Yeah, it’s kind of crazy because I was talking to my agent and I was saying the ideal place for me to play right now and just help out and try to grow with the guys, is Miami. It’s crazy how God works and it came through for us, so I’m excited to be here. I’m trying to play whatever they try to put me at whether it’s special teams, nickel, corner, safety or whatever. I’m just trying to play and help these guys win.”
(How tough was it going to the guy who started 20-plus NFL games to not playing much this year?) – “It was tough, but my mindset is different. I’ve been through much (more) rough stuff than that. I’ve got a good head on my shoulders and I didn’t let that put me down. I would just come to work every day as (if) I’ve been the starter. Working, working my tail off, helping those guys get better, so I kind of transitioned to a leader role with those guys – helping them out (with) extra film study and just me getting better (with) scout team or whatever I can plug in just to help those guys.”
(When you say you’ve been through rougher stuff than that, what do you consider the biggest hurdle you’ve had to go through either in football or in life?) – “Just in life. I said life. I’m from D.C. I’m from the trenches. That and just growing up without a father, my situation with college and just being the only person in my family to go to college. I went to the University of Colorado and when I was there, we had two coaches and we didn’t win at all when I was there. It was kind of like a rough time and I wanted to leave, but I’m not that type of player to leave on my guys. Most of the guys when I left, they got drafted; so I was with a great group of guys. Chidobe (Awuzie) – he plays for the Cowboys. We’ve got Ahkello Witherspoon – plays with the 49ers. ‘P-Rich’ – Paul Richardson with the Redskins. We’ve got a couple of dudes. Just a great group of guys and just tough times. I went from D.C. to Colorado with one of my best friends, and it was kind of a different vibe. I had to adjust with those guys so it was kind of different. With me, I can get through anything, so it’s not new.”
(So by the time you were finishing up in Colorado, you had started to win, right?) – “No, I wasn’t there when they won. They won the season after I left. They won. They went to the Pac-12 (championship game).”
(So now you’re coming to a team that hasn’t won also. Is there something you can tell these in terms of sticking with it?) – “Just stick with it. Just come to work and get better every day. If it’s something that I learned with the Saints because I learned a lot – ‘Coach AG’ (Saints Defensive Backs Coach Aaron Glenn) – I learned a lot with him. If anything, I can just tell these guys route recognition, noticing formations and what’s coming on, third-and-short, first down, key plays and stuff like that. I’m willing to tell these guys and help these guys.”
(Two years ago you had an interception against the Dolphins. Is there anything that stands out today about that?) – “It kind of – when I got on the field in practice, it kind of brought back memories of going against them and then my last game before I played last week was against (the Dolphins) in preseason. I’m fortunate to be here. I’m just excited. I’m ready to get to work.”
(Do you ever have to sit with the d-line in the locker room in here?) – “At the Saints when I was there, the d-line was kind of like family so I’m kind of used to those guys. They’re pretty cool. (laughter)”
(Did you have a final conversation with Saints Head Coach Sean Payton when they released you after being around them for four years? What was that like?) – “I didn’t, but me and him are kind of close. We were kind of close. I talked to the whole d(efensive) staff and those guys. Those guys are still texting me. It’s just a business. We’re in a business, so I don’t fault those guys. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do.”
WR Albert Wilson
(Take us to the Pittsburgh game. What were the emotions like, you guys up 14-0, you guys are grooving, everything going right. What was it like on the sideline for you guys?) – “It was a good moment. Everybody was feeling it. (There was a) positive mindset (and) just felt like everything was cooking for us. It felt like everything we’ve been putting on the practice field was finally coming to light and we kind of just stepped back from doing that and it kind of got away from us and it just shows how talented everyone in this league is. In just the blink of an eye, you go from winning 14-0 to now you’re down. I feel like it was a good thing, a good first half for the team, and for the team to go through this, I felt like it was something we needed to do. Now we’re planning for the Jets. (We’ve got to) come at it. We had a pretty good practice and we’re looking forward to moving on.”
(For you, how do you feel personally now coming back here? You dealt with some injuries. How do you feel from kind of a health standpoint and getting back in the flow?) – “I feel really good, just going out there day after day of just continuing to get better, continuing to get out there and run my routes and get more comfortable after these injuries; but yeah, I’m feeling really good right now.”
(You had the celebration after the touchdown with your teammates. How much fun is that for you to enjoy where you get those guys involved?) – “It’s great. It’s great. Like you said, get everybody involved and get everybody’s emotions in and just jumping around and just getting them hyped up. I feel like it did us justice. The defense started it off with an interception. They did it and I feel like when I did it – when I scored and (Allen) Hurns kept it going – I felt like that’s the energy we need and I’m going to just try to bring it every time I’m on the field.”
(You jumped up 14-0 in the first quarter. What positives are you taking away from that part of the game where you really jumped out in the first quarter?) – “Just the obvious that we’re able to do this. We’re good enough to be up in the first half 14-0 and the first quarter 14-0, just knowing the things that we are (capable) of doing. So we just need to continue to build on that, go out here and continue to have good weeks of practice and go out there and try to put on game film.”
(How do you feel about seeing your old coach on the other sideline on Sunday?) – “It’s a good challenge. We kind of know each other, so like I said, it’ll be a good challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys. I wish them success, but I’m looking forward to playing them on Sunday.”
(Was that kind of a relief getting in the end zone because it’s been a little while for you?) – “Yeah, it has. Definitely. It’s always good to get in the end zone. That’s what they’re paying us to do, so to finally get in there, it was a great feeling. I’m looking forward to being there more.”
(Maybe the atmosphere on Sunday – we all know how Jets and Dolphins can be a rivalry game – but add the bonus of Jets Head Coach Adam Gase coming back and this team needing a win, what are you expecting on Sunday, just from the stadium and the crowd?) – “A lot of energy. I feel like they’re definitely going to come down here and just want to get a win because they were here. I feel like the fans want to see it. I feel like the players, we want the matchup. We’re looking forward to it. We knew this week was going to come since the day he signed (with them), so it’s nothing new to us. It’s another week. We’re looking forward to it and we’re excited to play.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(I know of course once a guy starts practicing he’s designated as a guy to return in one of the two slots which you have to use, so we saw yesterday LB Andrew Van Ginkel and T Julién Devenport walking around the locker room. They seemed fine obviously, just in terms of their gait. Are any of those guys – or DE Jonathan Ledbetter – are they physical able to practice yet where you just don’t want to make a decision yet on which two guys you’re going to activate or none of them physically able to practice yet?) – “I guess my first thought is their gait in the locker room. (laughter) That’s not the barometer we’re looking for. (laughter) That’s not really something I’m pinpointing as far as whether or not they’re going to get back to practice. (laughter) All of those guys you mentioned, they’re working well. We’re actually going to bring Davenport – he’s going to practice today and that’ll just start the clock. We’ll just see how this works. Obviously, like you said, we only have two guys we can bring back. Julién will be out there today. We’re excited to get him back out there. He’s been working as hard as anyone from a rehab standpoint, from a training standpoint (and) wants to get out there. We know that there will be some rust from not being in practice for a long period of time. We’ll try to knock some of that off and get him going. As far as the other guys, they’re still working their way back. Maybe if you see them jogging in the locker room, that’ll give you a little better barometer. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you about CB Xavien Howard as well and the thinking in that decision to shut him down for the year?) – “We just felt like that was the best decision for ‘X.’ He’s been dealing with the knee for some time. It’s something that, thinking long-term and his career and his future with this team, we just felt like that was the best move. Obviously, there was a lot of thought, a lot of conversation and we just felt like that was the best thing for him and for this team.”
(I know CB Xavien Howard is eligible, I think, for the last game or two of the season.) – “We’ll see how that goes. Look, any time you can play, that helps the team, that helps your confidence, that helps getting back into a football environment, that’s always good. But we’re obviously going to take a long-term approach and a long-term thought and vision on it. I’m not ruling anything out, but we’re going to do what’s best for ‘X’ and this team, this organization.”
(CB Xavien Howard has had some knee injuries in the past and some surgeries. Did you guys talk in-house about that and his long-term viability?) – “Yeah, we talk about past injuries. That’s just a small part of the evaluation of each player. Again, obviously whether it be performance on the field, production, injury history, the way they communicate, there’s a litany of things we talk about when we evaluate each player. Injury history is obviously a part of that. Yeah, that’s part of the evaluation and part of what goes into our decision making. In this case, to put a player on IR, to bring a player back, to sign a player, not sign a player, it’s all part of that process. We try to take a thorough approach. We do that in all cases.”
(Staying on the corners, how is CB Ken Webster? How’s his outlook for this week?) – “Ken, he’s dealing with an injury. He’s doing everything he can to get back. I think in a lot of ways with him along with some other guys, we’ve got to hold them back from themselves in some cases. We’ll see. It’ll be close. It’ll be close with Ken; but he’s doing everything possible to get out there.”
(Will CB Xavien Howard require surgery at some point and do you think by shutting him down now eases any concern in the future about his knees?) – “We’re not going to divulge any medical information on our guys. I think everything’s on the table. These things we discuss as an organization. I’ve had conversations with him, but those are internal discussions I should say. We’ll do what’s best for ‘X;’ ‘X’ will do what’s best for himself. We’re all kind of a part of that. There’s a few different routes we can go. At the end of the day, his long-term – there’s a long-term vision in place on really him and really all players.”
(You brought TE Clive Walford back yesterday. What sort of role do you see him having this weekend against the Jets?) – “Clive, I thought he had a really good preseason. (I was) really happy with how he played then and practiced and what type of player he was, the type of – what he brought to this team. Then he got injured, so that was unfortunate. His role is going to be what he makes of it. That’s the case for every player. He’s got a couple days here of practice. We had a walkthrough yesterday, so we’ll practice today. If he goes out there and has a good practice, then we’ll talk more about his role. If he doesn’t, then we’ll talk more about his role then, too. (laughter)”
(What are TE Clive Walford’s biggest assets that he brings?) – “He’s a tough kid. Football is very important to him. He’s obviously got length and speed and catches the ball well. He’s a good player.”
(You had mentioned a minute ago CB Xavien Howard will do what’s best for himself, which is what you would expect I think of any player really. But philosophically speaking not just about ‘X,’ how do you feel about players getting a second opinion away from team doctors?) – “I think that’s the right thing to do. The first thing that comes to mind is I’ve got family members who’ve been sick. Yeah, you get a second opinion, that’s what you do. I think it’s the right approach to make sure you’re doing everything, taking every step to make the right decision for yourself, your family and your personal well-being. I have no issue with that. I think players should take advantage of that. I think that’s the smart thing to do. It’s not just in this instance because it’s an injury. Any sickness, any illness, any situation where you can get a second opinion, a second set of eyes on it, I think you should do that. I know I do that from a football standpoint. Am I looking at this correctly? If somebody sees something else that I’m not seeing, I think that’s how you should approach really any decision, specifically any big decision. That’s just my personal opinion on that.”
(In terms of NFL starts, CB Ken Crawley is suddenly your most experienced healthy corner. Did you all sign him purely for depth or did you sign him thinking if he practices well, he could play a lot for us?) – “Experienced in that he’s been in this league, but to go into a new system it’s almost, it’s brand new. From that standpoint, yeah, he’s played games. We like what we’ve seen from him. That’s why we claimed him. But like anyone else going into a new environment, I’m sure he doesn’t even know where the practice field is. Someone’s going to have to walk him out there. He’s got experience, but in this system (and) in this building, he’s going to have to find his way. I have confidence that he’ll be able to do that, but this isn’t a – we’ll see what it looks like in practice today. Obviously we brought him here because we feel like he can help this team. I know and understand that it takes a little bit of time.”
(How important is it for you to have players in your secondary stay with the team and learn your system at least one season, two season, three seasons to really hone the defense?) – “In a perfect world, that’s the way it is. Unfortunately this isn’t a perfect world and people get injured. Moves are made. It’s our jobs as coaches to coach the guys we have here, and if we get new guys, we’ve got to get them on board and get them up to speed as quickly as possible; but yeah, in a perfect world, there’s continuity. You have guys who have been on a team for four or five years and they know what you’re going to say before you say it. That would be great. That’s not the case in this league because there’s so much movement. There’s so much transition year-to-year, but that’s part of the challenge and it’s part of the challenge of coaching. I enjoy that.”
(With guys like CB Jomal Wiltz, CB Chris Lammons and S Steven Parker, CB Ryan Lewis – these guys that you brought on this season – have you seen anything in there…?) – “You don’t know these guys by heart yet? (laughter)”
(I’m just trying to name everybody. Do you know them by heart? There’s been a lot of them.) – “(laughter) I mean, I’m pretty good. I can get them all.”
(With some of those guys in your secondary, have you seen some play and some signs there that these guys could be a part of the team in the future?) – “Yeah. I think it takes time. You can see things that we said in Week 1 or in the preseason that you felt like you weren’t sure if they fully understood it. They understand some of those things now. Those lightbulb moments that you have in Week 2 (and) Week 3, you’re starting to see it show up in games – not as much as we want obviously – but I think over time that continuity, it’ll show itself more consistently than it has; but it takes time and it’s one of those things where I think the guys you mentioned – (Jomal) Wiltz, (Chris) Lammons, Ryan Lewis – guys like that who have only been here a couple weeks, couple months, however long it’s been; I think they grow within the system. They help each other with the communication and they start to see how everything kind of fits. I’ve seen improvement for sure.”
(I was going to ask you about RB Patrick Laird and how would you assess his progress this season and are you getting close to the point where you might want to see what he can do on offense?) – “I think Patrick (Laird) has done a good job. I come in Tuesday mornings; it’s their day off and he’s in there getting a workout, getting a lift, watching film. He’s doing a lot of the things – a lot of right things I would say – from a preparation standpoint. From a preparation standpoint, he’s doing a lot of good things and he’s shown up in the kicking game for us. He did a good job out of the backfield in the preseason and I think he’ll be ready if we call his number. He’s always ready. Again, as the season progresses, if he does get an opportunity on offense, then he’s just got to take advantage of it, and I think he’s doing everything possible to take advantage of it. To me that process is very important.”
