(Opening Statement) “It’s great to see everyone. I hope everyone is having a great day. It was a great team win for us. It was a weird game. Obviously we have to be better in the red zone then we were. It’s a weird game to have 300 yards at halftime and six points or whatever it was. I have never been a part of a game like that before. We moved the football well, but we need to do a better job in the red zone, and I need to do a better job of helping our guys get open. We need to do a better job executing and being more detailed and throwing the ball on time and all of those things. Again, all of that starts with me, and I will do a better job with that.”
(On if having a kicker changes the way he calls plays) “That is a great question. Yes. I do not want to say it changes play calling, but it gives you a solid piece of mind to know that when you get down there more than likely you are going to come out with points. The last place I was at, in my 13 games, we missed nine field goals and I think two extra points. You do the math on how many points that is. It is deflating to an offense and a team when you drive however long you have to drive and you come out of that with zero points. That is the offense’s job to go out there and score a touchdown. That is not an excuse for the special teams or for the kicker or whatever. It is the offense’s job to go down and score a touchdown. That is our goal, but to have a guy like Josh Lambo – and to know that there is a really good chance [he will make a field goal] … I do not want to say anything too out of the line because it’s like, do you talk to a pitcher when he is throwing a no hitter? That analogy. It gives you piece of mind as an offense, a team and as a play caller that you are going to come out of there with three. Like I said, the last place I was at we missed nine [field goals] in 13 games and that is an awful, awful feeling.”
(On the importance of getting Josh Oliver involved in the offense) “Sure. I talked about the unknown last week. I think some of the unknown was clarified for us. He held his own and did well and got knocked in the face a few times and knocked some people in the face a few times and came back. It was not perfect. It is never going to be perfect, but I think he is the type of athlete that has the skill set where the more playing time he gets, I think the better he is going to get. I think you will see more of Josh this week.”
(On if Josh Oliver will get more involved within the flow of the offense as opposed to forcing the ball to him) “Yes and yes. Like I said, you have a hard time as a coordinator to have too many plays when you are on the road in a must-win game to say, ‘Hey, we are going to put too much on a guy that we don’t know much about.’ Now, does that mean he was not in the second or third progression or first progression some plays? No, he was. The ball just did not go there. Like I said, it is a comfort level. The more he plays and shows us what he can do and separate and block and block at the point of attack and do those things, I think you will see him as more involved in the passing game.”
(On if Josh Oliver is a pass-catching tight end who has to learn how to block) “Right now from a technique standpoint, there is some work he has to do in the run game, but he is a willing participant. He is not going to shy away. His feet … He was late on the ball one time last week on the goal-line. He was not perfect with his run game footwork and those things. [Tight Ends Coach] Ron Middleton does a great job with those guys and making sure their run game footwork continues to get better. It is more technique with Josh than willingness. I would not say Josh is a wash in the run game at all.”
(On if he is pleased with all facets of the running game) “Yes. I am. I think that is a credit to our guys. Here is the thing with the run game – I think that we are going to try to run the football every game. It is just a philosophical thing. I equate the NFL to almost like a 16-chapter book. Each chapter is different. You attack each opponent different. Does that mean some games you are going to come out and run it against some teams more than others? Throw it against some other teams? Sure. But we are going to run the football because we have a very, very talented group of backs back there that are playing very good football right now. Leonard [Fournette] is doing a great job of seeing the hole and getting yards after contact, but overall when you are in the top five in the NFL in anything, with the exception of turnovers or something of that nature, that is a good thing and our goal is to stay there.”
(On what he thought of Keelan Cole’s performance on Sunday) “I thought Keelan did well. He made a great catch on that TD grab. Gardner [Minshew II] had to throw it early. They tried to pass it off down there inside the five-yard line. They were a little late passing it off and Keelan made a great play. The ball was in the air before he was looking for the football. That is not an easy catch to be running a corner route with the ball over your shoulder, locate and then have to know where you are on the sidelines as well. That degree of difficulty of catch was up there. I am proud of the way he stayed in it and even though he has not gotten the playing time. Everyone wants to play every snap. I’m sure he wants [more playing time]. He has done a great job staying in it.”
(On if his heart skipped a beat when Gardner Minshew II threw the pass to Keelan Cole) “My heart skips a beat on every play, but some more than others. That was one of those where you were like, ‘Look, look, look, Keelan!’ It was a great job executing by those two guys.”
(On the pros and cons of Leonard Fournette being in a three-point stance in the back field) “I think it is by play design. Sometimes when you are in a three-point stance you can get your legs into it a little bit more where you can get a little bit more speed going forward a little bit earlier and you can stay lower and come out of that. I think with that speed, you can kind of jump over the pile. It is play specific. You do not see it very often, but it is more play specific.”
