| December 16, 2020 Opening Statement: “We’re going to be practicing inside today, so I know with the protocols that you guys won’t be able to be out there, so I’ll give you a little bit of the information that I have right now. As far as practice goes, we’ll be missing a few guys that won’t be practicing today. So, Darryl Roberts will not practice today, Kenny Golladay will not practice today, Tyrell Crosby, Jason Cabinda, Da’Shawn Hand are the guys that won’t be practicing, as well as Matthew Stafford. I left him for the end just to comment on him because I know those are going to be the big questions. So, for Matthew, basically staying with the same deal that we talked about – I think it was yesterday – going to really take Matthew all the way to the end of the week. You guys know as well as I do the toughness of this guy and how he’s been able to come back from some pretty serious injuries and still play in games. So, we’re going to take it to the end of the week. We’re going to see how he does, and I’m totally comfortable with him not practicing and playing in the game. I’ve seen him do it. So, like I said, we’ll just take that to the end of the week.” On how explosive Tennessee’s offense is: “Yeah, they have some really talented players, obviously, on the offensive side of the ball. Derrick Henry is the leader and that’s how they want to build the thing, and kind of the same thing that I’ve been preaching here is, when you have a solid run game in the way that they’re able to use him, it really opens up the explosions in the pass game in terms of play action and that kind of thing. Ryan Tannehill has done a great job for them. I know I said it, but Comeback Player of the Year and he’s still playing like that. A lot of weapons over there, and they can be explosive. Some of those explosives also come in the run game with those big, long runs by Henry as well.” On the consistency of P Jack Fox: “He’s done a nice job, and to be honest with you, I still think there’s more in there. He’s a young player, and there’s still more consistency that he can have, even as well as he’s doing. We get to watch him here every day, we watch him practice, and he’s a super talented kid. Really like what he’s doing but want him to continue to improve.” On his relationship with Special Assistant to Chairman and President & CEO Chris Spielman and if they’ve spoken since Chris’ hiring: “I have not talked to him since he was hired. We actually had him – I don’t even know which game it was on the broadcast – so I spoke to him from that point of view just in terms of the production meeting, that thing. I also know Rick Spielman from my time at Minnesota, so I’ve crossed over with Chris as well. Just know him in terms of really the business, haven’t had tons of extensive conversation with him or anything like that, but really like him. He always is energetic. He’s always got a little bit of juice about him as well, so that’s something that’s positive.” On what he likes about having a mobile quarterback as a backup: “It just opens up different areas of the gameplan for you. Some things can be a little bit, I guess, simplified when you have a little bit more of a mobile quarterback. You can do different things and you can simplify the game in certain ways for him, because you can obviously always save the play with your feet. That doesn’t take anything away from Matthew (Stafford), he does a phenomenal job and he does everything that we would ever want him to do. But just at that position, you’re going to get minimal reps, so you’re not going to be able to be as dialed in on some of the progressions and reads, and being mobile enables you to kind of give you that second chance opportunity on a play.” On what he needs to hear from QB Matthew Stafford to feel confident that he could play on Sunday: “Obviously he’s going to have to make sure that he can handle whatever the level of pain that he’s in. I mean, that’s going to be a big factor, and then, can he function with that pain level, are really going to be the two things. We have great lines of communications. He’s not going to do something that he’s not able to do. So like I said, there will be other things that are in there, but right now, I’m going to be trusting him.” On why delay placing CB Jeff Okudah on Reserve/Injured: “There’s no need to right now. We’re always in conversations with the roster and who to bring up, there’s a little bit of (a) juggling act there on exactly how we need to get ourselves to the game. So we talk about that, really, every day, and then by the end of the week we’ll have it nailed down.” On an update on WR Kenny Golladay’s recovery process: “I don’t have any update right now, in terms of anything different than what he’s been doing. He’s still continuing to rehab to try to get himself back to play. He’s just not quite all the way there yet.” On the traits he looks for in a young quarterback: “I wish you could be in the quarterback room. I really wish you could hang around these three guys and the way that they work, the way that they communicate. David Blough is about as confident as a kid as they come. He’s confident in his abilities. He knows our gameplan inside and out. He works tirelessly at it, like I’ve told you that he stays after at practice. He’s in everything, he asks tons of questions. He’s really become a great resource for both (of) the quarterbacks. They listen when he sees things on tape as well. So just those intangible things, the way he goes about his business, the way he works, and how important it is to him, is something that I definitely look for.” On the difficulty of stopping an elite runner compared to a quarterback: “It’s really two different situations here, right? Obviously last week, going against Aaron Rodgers – one of the best in the game, if not the best in the game – and then coming to Derrick Henry. Obviously we know that the game is going to go through him. So we have to do a great job in our run fits, in our communication. But if you’re able to stop that guy, then you can make them a little bit more one dimensional, where it’s a little bit harder to do that with a quarterback because with the quarterback, you can still have all that other stuff. You can run the ball and do different things. Just basically settling down the run, gang tackling, being in our gaps, (are) the things we need to do against the run.” |
