Head Coach Brian Flores Conference Call with Pittsburgh Media
(It looks like it’s been a lot more competitive the last couple of weeks since you guys came out of the bye. What’s been the key to that?) – “I think guys are just starting to gel. We had a lot of movement early in the season, a lot of new players. I would say the first three or four games of the season, we were in almost like training camp in a lot of ways where guys are trying to get to know each other. We had the bye week. We tried to put some things in order. I think we’re just starting to come together as a team and we just played a little bit better the last couple weeks. We’ve still got a long way to go. That’s very clear and evident.”
(What has QB Ryan Fitzpatrick given you since you made the move to him?) – “He’s given us what he’s really always given us. This guy has experience, leadership. He’s got great rapport with his teammates. I think he gives us the best chance to compete.”
(You’re obviously a first-year head coach in this league and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is one of the longest-tenured. Just how much have you followed his career and what are your impressions of what he’s done with Pittsburgh from the outside?) – “I think he’s done a great job. He’s one of the top coaches in the league. His teams are tough and they’re smart and they’re disciplined. They play with a freedom and a toughness that I’ve always admired from afar. I think they embody a lot of the things that – they play like their coach. In coaching, that’s what you kind of want. You want your team to reflect who you are, and his teams are tough, disciplined and they work hard and they don’t make excuses. He does a great job.”
(With Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick, what do you see on tape from watching in Pittsburgh versus what you guys were trying to do? Is Pittsburgh using him any differently? Has his role been asked to change at all from your viewpoint?) – “Minkah is a very versatile player. He can play multiple positions. It looks like they’re doing that with him in the deep part of the field, in the box, man coverage. He does a good job tackling. I think he’s done a good job. They’ve got a good defense over there – a good offense, good defense, good special teams. When I watch it, I’m watching Minkah, but I’m watching Minkah to (Terrell) Edmunds to (Joe) Haden to (Bud) Dupree to obviously T.J. Watt and (Cameron) Heyward and Devin Bush is playing great and (Mark) Barron. They’ve got a lot of good players there. Minkah is just another piece…”
(I’m sorry to cut you off. Were you not surprised to see S Minkah Fitzpatrick sort of come in and make an instant impact?) – “No, not at all. I think he’s a really good player. He’s a young player, and I think he’s smart, he’s hard-working (and) football is important to him. I’m not surprised that he’s doing a good job there.”
(How challenging is it when you’re trying to set a foundation your first year and you’ve got a player in S Minkah Fitzpatrick that comes out and says he wants to be traded?) – “I think it’s something that it happened and we’ve moved on. As a team, we’ve worked on ourselves and building and improving on a day-to-day basis and that’s really where the focus is. I think if you start to think about anything other than that or this happened or why this happened or why that happened – we need to put our energy in other places.”
(In your years in New England, you guys had a lot of success often against the Steelers. Has it been a challenge for you to start over new somewhere where you have to motivate maybe more and get a team that has had a lot of early struggles like you have in Miami so far?) – “I mean it’s – I love coming to work every day. I think it’s a challenge. It’s exciting. I love coaching and I love the challenges of coaching. It’s really – every day I come in here and this group of guys work hard and want to get better and improve. I’m fortunate to be around a group of guys who want to do that, so I’ll keep coaching them. Hopefully they keep getting better and improving.”
(Were you guys aware as a staff or was the team aware that there would be so much turnover coming right at the start there?) – “Every year is different. I think there’s turnover on every team every year. That’s the case. That’s the National Football League. In some years, there’s more than others. You deal with it as a team, as an organization and I’m going to coach the guys who are here. I’m going to coach them hard and try to get the most out of them. It’s my job and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
(The Steelers offensive line is ranked at the top of the league in terms of fewest sacks allowed. What makes that unit so good other than just being experienced and obviously this year as healthy as any line in the league?) – “I think experience is part of it. When I think of experience, I think you’ve got guys there who have played together for a long, long time. They know the strengths and weaknesses of the guy next to them. I’m sure, or it looks like, they don’t even have to make a call in (certain) situations or even communicate. They can almost communicate without saying anything. I’ve been around teams where you’re able to do that, and that’s – it takes a while to get to that point, but when you do, it’s a beautiful thing, to be honest with you. It takes time. The experience, I don’t want to take that – let’s not take that for granted. That’s a key ingredient to their success and they’ve done a good job with that, so it’s going to be a tough test for us. They’ve got a really good line.”
(Your team seemed pretty competitive/aggressive against Buffalo. Are you satisfied with their ability to rise through the tough streak here and keep competing?) – “Yeah. These guys compete. They have a lot of pride. We’re just going to keep playing, keep improving, just keep getting better and no, I’m not surprised. We’ve got a good group here. They work hard, and it’s important to them, so no, I’m not surprised at all.”
(Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin – to go back to him for a second – he was outspoken this offseason about being disappointed in the lack of minority hires in the hiring process. Is he a guy that’s reached out to you or vice versa sort of about just the challenges that you guys have faced in this league?) – “I’ve talked to (Steelers Head Coach) Mike (Tomlin) at the owners meetings, at the Combine and on the field a couple times in recent years. He’s someone I have a lot of respect for. I call him a mentor in a lot of ways in (him) having had as much experience as he’s had. In my process, he was not one of the people I reached out to; but I’m sure if I did, he would’ve had a wealth of knowledge for me to help me out with (the process). I have a lot of respect for him; but no, during my process he wasn’t somebody I talked to.”
C/G Evan Boehm
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick says you talk a lot?) – “I do talk a lot.”
(Maybe a little too much.) – “Is that what he said?”
(Yeah.) – “As a center, I like to have everybody on the same page. I love having fun. Football ultimately, it’s a job, but ultimately it’s a game. You have fun. You grew up having fun playing this game, so I love having fun playing this game and doing the things that we need to do. I think everybody’s seeing we’re getting better. We’re playing and we’ve got a tough, tough task ahead of us on Monday night. We’re just starting to get there and get going. Apparently ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), I’ve got to shut my mouth around him. (laughter)”
(QB Ryan Fitzpatrick said at least you aren’t a nervous center. He says he doesn’t like nervous centers?) – “You have fun with it. Have fun, be confident. Just listen to ‘Fitz.’ If you do what ‘Fitz’ tells you to do, you’ll be successful.”
(What is helping this line stabilize?) – “I think we’re getting more familiarized with each other. Myself, you have Julién (Davenport) who’s on IR, you have (Danny) Isidora who’s on IR, you have three rookies, you have Chris (Reed) who’s new, you have J’Marcus (Webb) who’s new – that’s a lot of new guys. Plus Andrew Donnal, you have Keaton (Sutherland), you have all those guys. That’s a lot of new people in an offensive line room. And then you have five guys trying to do one job. That’s tough to do as an offensive lineman. I think we’re getting more comfortable with each other, understanding how each other play and how to feed off of one another. You go in there and if this is Shaq’s (Calhoun) weakness and this is my strength, I can go and help Shaq with that. If this is my weakness and this is Shaq’s strength, he can help me with that. We’re just playing off of each other, feeding of each other and buying into what ‘Guge’ (Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo) is teaching us and it’s starting to get successful.”
(This team you’re going up against, they like to be physical.) – “They are physical. Like I said, it’s going to be a tough task this Monday. I’m ready to go to war with these guys. We’ve got to put a good week of practice together like we did last week and we’ve got to take an extra step even to what we did last week to try to go out there and get this win. It’s going to be a fun game. It’s going to be a great atmosphere on Monday Night Football. Like I said, we put a good week together and we’ll see what happens.”
(You’re a young guy. Has Monday Night Football apparently lost a bit of luster?) – “I think this is my first Monday night game I’ve ever played in. It’s going to be fun. I feel like Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh always has a crowd. They’re always rowdy, they’re always ready to go. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a fun atmosphere against a really good team. We’re starting to turn around ourselves, so it’s time to go.”
(This franchise has played in the most Monday Night Football games of any franchise.) – “This one?”
(Yeah. This is going to be the 85th, the Dolphins franchise. They’re 42-42. You can put them back in the win column back over .500. What does it feel like to be part of such a storied Monday night tradition with the Dolphins?) – “I didn’t even know that until just now. It’s pretty cool. This being my first Monday night game and possibly getting back into the win column. But you really can’t worry about that. You’ve got to worry about the guy who’s across from you. Their front line and their linebackers and their defense all together, they’re pretty damn good. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us and we’ve got to get better and better each and every week like we have been and continue to do what we’ve been doing and hopefully we can put some stuff together.”
(You talked about some of the rookies on the line. T Isaiah Prince over here, what does he bring?) – “His technique is unbelievable. He’s got great technique. He’s got great fundamentals. He’s starting to learn the professionalism that it takes to play in this league and what it takes to be a successful football player in this league. He has been doing a great job. You can see his maturity level from Week 1 when I got here to right now and he’s going up that mountain and getting better each and every time.”
RB Kenyan Drake
(On how he’s approaching this week with all of the trade rumors and Monday Night Football.) – “The same way I approach every week: do the things I need to do to prep myself to get ready for the game.”
(What have your conversations been like with Head Coach Brian Flores this week?) – “The same thing, just getting ready for the game. That’s where my focus is. My focus has been on this team. I control what I can control and be where my feet are – whatever cliché you can insert to represent that.”
(Playing on Monday night in a big-time game, this will be the Dolphins’ 85th appearance as a franchise which is the most in the league. What does it mean to play in a game like that and do you have a favorite Monday night memory?) – “Monday night – prime time – you’re the only game on the entire day. So to represent the league and go out there and put on a performance in a nationally-televised game is very important to this team. To go out there and make the most of it, especially against a historic team such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, as we are too. I don’t really necessarily have like a favorite Monday night memory but I guess my favorite memory is trying to stay up as long as I could to watch any Monday Night Football game when you’re a kid. To be able to play – I think this might be my first time playing in a Monday night game. The Patriots was a Monday night game? It was. I was thinking that was Sunday night. Well, I guess that (game) was my favorite memory – my only Monday Night Football game. (laughter)”
(Do you keep in touch with S Minkah Fitzpatrick and what’s it going to be like facing him on Monday night?) – “I hit him up after he had that big game against whoever it was. He had like a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. I told him I was proud. I guess when I see him on Monday – that was the last time I had talked to him. I just look forward to him going out there to compete like I know he will and continue to represent himself and now, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the way that he does. I look forward to him going out there and doing what he always does.”
(Earlier today we asked Head Coach Brian Flores if he expects you to be with the team for the rest of the season. He said ‘yeah, unless some other situation arises.’ I want to ask you that question. Do you expect to be with the team for the rest of the season?) – “My expectations are as good as anybody else’s. The thing that I can control is being here when I’m asked to be here, which is right now until whenever. That’s what my focus is, is to continue to prep myself for Pittsburgh this week and do the best I can to show up and be the player I know I can be.”
(What’s it like to have your name kind of thrown out there as a possible trade piece?) – “I don’t know. It’s not like anything. I continue to approach every day – as I continue to tell you all – as a professional, as a player for this Miami Dolphins team, and to be able to go out there and make plays to help this team win games no matter what’s possible or no matter what my role is. That’s the thing that I continue to harp on and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
S Bobby McCain
(Do you have a favorite Monday Night Football memory either as a player or a kid growing up?) – “My first Monday Night Football game was against the Giants. I was in Miami. It was pretty fun, a lot of fun actually. The lights were on, they had the fire going. It was actually a lot of fun. We ended up losing. That was actually my first start of my career. It was a pretty big moment for me.”
(Have you talked to Head coach Brian Flores about any kind of discipline with the fan incident in Buffalo?) – “Yeah, we have. We talked internally, and we’re handling it internally.”
(I know you like to chirp a little bit. Is it any extra fun when you have a guy like S Minkah Fitzpatrick on the other side that you can chirp with?) – “Oh yeah, man. It’s definitely going to be fun, just seeing Minkah again, getting to see him and see him play, I’m excited to see him play. As bad as it sounds because he’s on the other team, I want to kick his ass; but I’m excited to see him play. Even though he’s on the other team, he’s still my brother.”
(Do you still talk to S Minkah Fitzpatrick?) – “Yeah. Oh yeah, for sure, for sure. I just got off the phone with him two days ago maybe.”
(With some of the struggles on offense – we’re familiar with the season. But last game, TE Mike Gesicki with some catches, some big plays. Does that spark you guys on the sideline knowing that they are taking those strides?) – “It’s big. We have playmakers on both sides of the ball. Just seeing those guys make tough catches like Gesicki, he made a couple of tough catches in the third and fourth quarter that were big for us. We’ve just got to capitalize on it. We have to understand that when you have plays like that, when you have playmakers making plays, those are the times and drives that you’ve got to capitalize and put them away.”
(There is a perception of you guys as a team throughout the year. Do you kind of look at this Monday night game as a chance to show the world?) – “Definitely, definitely. It’s always a good opportunity. That’s the good thing about the National Football League, there is always next Sunday. You’ve got to put whatever is behind you and put it in the past, and just go out there a perform. It’s a big stage. If we can go out and get a win on a big stage on a Monday Night Football game, that will definitely change the perception around here.”
(You guys have struggled in the second half. You and I were talking in the Dolphins locker room last week about how it’s just mental. Did you talk about it in practice this week? How do you guys try to make sure that lackluster…?) – “Just focusing on the details, focusing on the little things and understanding that everybody has a role and everybody has a job to do. Within that job, within that role, you have responsibilities. Just getting down on really the minute things, the things that are going to matter at the end of the game like that extra yard or I could’ve got that first down and kept the drive going or I could’ve gotten a stop and stopped a drive from going. Just those little things, just not having those ‘uh-ohs, my bad.’ If you can come out of the game and not have any ‘my bads’ or ‘uh-ohs,’ then you should be all right.”
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Do you have any good Monday Night Football memories?) – “Not many. No. I’ve played on Monday night a few times, but not many good memories.”
(A lot of your teammates have never played in a Monday night game. What kind of advice would you give them as far as the atmosphere and the stage and how they should approach it mentally?) – “It’s shifted a little bit from the last 10 or 15 years, I guess with the Thursday night games. Now I think Thursday night, all eyes are definitely on you – around the league – with your peers watching you. Monday is sort of like that. It used to definitely be like that where all eyes are on you, and I think Thursday has overtaken that a little bit in some ways. It’s a chance for you to go out there with everybody having the opportunity to watch you and to go play, so I think it’s cool. It’s fun to be on the national stage like that and to be showcased in a game for a night. Once you start playing, everything’s the same. It’s just a game, but it’s going to be a great atmosphere. It’s a fun place to play. Those fans are as rowdy as any when the Steelers are going and we’re looking forward to it.”
(How about growing up? Any Monday Night Football moments that kind of stick out?) – “Was the Brett Favre game Monday night? Like after his dad passed away?”
(Yeah.) – “Yeah, so to me, that’s the one that I think about. I remember watching that one feeling tingly the whole game. That’s the one that pops into my mind, I guess.”
(What are some of the ways in which you or any quarterback is best able to limit sacks? Because you’ve done it pretty well so far this year.) – “There’s a lot of different things. I think playing on time is a big thing in terms of knowing when to get the ball out and where the ball needs to go. I think our guys up front have done a really nice job. (They) just continue to work. I think you obviously vary in the protection schemes a little bit and then just knowing your opponent and their strengths and weaknesses and how you’re going to attack them every week. Every week it’s different. You come up with a different plan every week depending on what their strengths are, and I’ll tell you that the Steelers – people can say what they want about their record and everything else – but this is a very good defense. This is a top five – top 10, top five defense in the NFL. Just watching them on tape – when you put on the tape – the speed that they have at all positions, how physical they are up front. They’re very talented. It goes along with the history of the Steelers, and since 2007 when I was a Bengal and started playing them, they play a certain brand of football and this year is no different.”
(I’ve got a question about a quarterback’s relationship with his offensive linemen. We know that the quarterback and the center work closely together, but if a left tackle is changed or a right tackle, does that change things for you? Do you actually kind of have a relationship with those guys? Are you tied to them in that sense?) – “I think there’s always awareness of who’s in the huddle and just like we’re trying to attack and know a team’s strengths and weaknesses, I think we know what’s going on up front with our strengths and weaknesses. I think as a player, I know my strengths and weaknesses. You obviously try to accentuate the good and the positive. I think certain guys on our team have different skillsets. Once we start playing, there’s certain things you can’t think about maybe as a scheme throughout the week – things you try to do to put guys in good situations – but once you start playing, we’ve just got to go out there and play and react to it.”
(When C/G Evan Boehm was acquired, it was kind of like a roll-in week because all those transactions were being made; but two months now or a month now into your time with him, what are your thoughts on how he’s played and what was your first memory of meeting him?) – “He’s done a great job. Boehm and Chris Reed always get confused. (laughter) We were walking through the TSA screening the other day and they had the wrong guy. (laughter) He’s been really impressive, just coming in and (Evan Boehm) had some familiarity with ‘Guge’ (Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo) in the past; but coming in, really he’s got an infectious attitude. He likes to talk a lot, maybe too much sometimes, (laughter) but the thing that I was most impressed with was when he played center last game, you never want a nervous center. You never want somebody – that’s the last thing I want to have to worry about when I’ve got a million other things on my mind and he did a great job. He stepped right in there, was confident the whole game with his calls, played really well, and so that was a huge, huge plus coming out of last game for us with him.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores said that the team is lacking in recognizing critical situations whether that’s in the red zone. How do you assess that and is that something that is just in a game or can you practice that in practice?) – “I think maybe more so than recognizing them, it’s just rising to the occasion maybe. The significance of those two plays that we had in Buffalo to go up a couple scores and to have the interception, for them to take it 98 (yards) and score. In the NFL, that’s the difference between good teams and bad teams. I think it’s good to point out those moments after they happen. I think we knew we needed to score there; but to point out those moments and realize what a big part that had in the game – the outcome of the game – it really shifted the momentum of the game; and just making sure that when those happen, we highlight them, we talk about them maybe in the huddle as they’re going on just to make sure everybody’s on alert.”
(How do you teach a team to play at a higher level in those critical moments?) – “I think a lot of it is just working together. A lot of is experience. So some of that, there’s going to be growing pains a little bit. You have to have guys that rise to the occasion. We’ll just continue to try to do that. A lot of that is through repetition in practice but then going out there and doing it in a game. We just have to continue to try to get better on game day with some of that stuff.”
(When you take a 14-9 lead against the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, do you think that they’re surprised by a team that was supposedly winless and easy to beat?) – “You’d have to ask them if they were surprised or not. I think we’ve hit on it: we’re a different team than we were the first few weeks in terms of settling in and being more competitive. I think at this point, everybody that’s been in the NFL for a while, you understand that this is a competitive league and you’ve got to bring it every week. Sometimes – they were coming off a bye and whatever else, and sometimes some of that stuff plays into it. They stepped up and we didn’t at the end of the game in the fourth quarter there.”
(I was thinking about the N.Y. Jets QB Sam Darnold “seeing ghosts” thing. I’m wondering in your whole career, have you ever been mic’d and realized you said something and been like “Oh, I hope they don’t use that?”) – “I’ve been mic’d a few times but now when they ask me, I always say no. (laughter) I don’t like to be mic’d. I think a lot of times they have to pass it through. I’ve been on Hard Knocks before and there’s certainly been a few things in the meetings and elsewhere that I’ve said where I’ve looked up at the camera and … (laughter). So there’s some buried footage somewhere. (laughter) I think a lot of times they have to pass that through the proper channels. Whenever they ask me, I avoid it if I can.”
(Can you share any of those stories now?) – “No. (laughter)”
(You mentioned this team looks different from what it was the first few weeks. You look different as a quarterback than the first couple of weeks. Is there anything you can point to that’s changed your game?) – “No. I just think familiarity. I’m just a little more comfortable with the guys in the huddle and everyone is playing together a little bit better. I think the coaching staff is understanding the guys that we have and the talents that we have and again, the positives and the negatives and really trying to bring up those positives. So learning the players as we go. I really think it’s just we all kind of know each other now so we’re coming together a little bit more.”
(I’ve wanted to ask you this for a couple of weeks now. You have such a settling presence and a coach-like mentality. I’m not trying to rush you into retirement but what do you want to do when you’re done?) – “I don’t know yet. I want to be a full-time dad for a little bit and then I know after that, I’ll try to figure it out from there. I know I owe my wife a lot of emptying of the dishwasher and other little chores that I have neglected to do during the season. I’m not sure yet. I get that question a lot and I just try to say I’m going to wait and put everything I have into playing and then when I’m done, I’ll see what comes up.”
(What has this season been like for you away from your family? Is this the first time that you’ve been away?) – “Yeah, the first time. It’s been very difficult in that regard and the rollercoaster of playing and not playing and playing. It makes it a lot easier when I’m playing because I’m so busy and focused and into it; but it’s not the easiest thing in the world.”
(What’s the thing you miss the most about your kids being around?) – “Going home and eating dinner or going home and being able to watch a soccer practice or a football practice or help with math homework. Those are the little things that they start to add up a little bit after a while. It’s things that I’m not able to do with some of my younger ones that I was able to do with my older ones because I’m not around as much right now. But going into this season, I knew there were certain sacrifices that had to be made and they’re my biggest fans, so they enjoy it when I’m out there playing.”
(Do you feel like you’re playing as long as you produce?) – “You’re talking about in the present right now or for years?”
(Right now.) – “I think I just look at it as a week-to-week proposition. I’m pouring everything I have into the Steelers right now. I know and have experienced a lot just how quickly things change in this league, so I’m giving everything I have to perform well on Monday night this week.”
(I know we talked about it after the game but that hit you had on Bills S Micah Hyde – did you feel that afterwards or the next day?) – “I feel good right now. It makes me feel more like a football player sometimes to do stuff like that.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(RB Kenyan Drake is a guy who has had his name out there in trade rumors. I was wondering if you’ve been able to talk to him about that and if it’s a potential distraction.) – “I try to talk to most of our players on a daily basis. Right now, our focus is on the Steelers and that’s kind of where all of my conversations and messaging to the team is. Really, that’s where we’re at. Then again, any conversations from that standpoint – I know the (trade) deadline is next week and it’s what a lot of people want to talk about – but those conversations, if they’re even had, will be internal for us as an organization between myself, (General Manager) Chris (Grier), (Vice President of Football Administration) Brandon (Shore) and our staff. No, from a distraction standpoint I don’t even mention that. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think Kenyan is going to be at practice today and he’s excited to play, just as the rest of the group is.”
(Do you anticipate RB Kenyan Drake being on the team for the rest of the season?) – “I mean, yeah, I do – unless there’s some other situation that presents itself. Look, I can’t sit here and predict the future; but yeah, I do. He’s been productive for us. He’s a good player. That’s what I expect.”
(Do you have an update on T J’Marcus Webb?) – “He’s doing everything he can to get back out there. He’s a tough kid. He wants to play, wants to practice. He’s doing everything he can. Hopefully we get him out there today.”
(What’s the plan if T J’Marcus Webb can’t go?) – “We’d have to move some things around. Obviously Isaiah Prince has started games for us earlier in the year, so he’d be the next guy in; but we’ll see how J’Marcus is feeling. Again, he’s a tough guy so he’ll do everything he can to get out there.”
(A phrase that came up a couple of times and I think you used it after the game on Sunday was referring to learning how to win. How does a team go about doing that? Is it something where you know you’ve done it once you’ve actually won? What’s the process? You’ve been on teams that have won a lot.) – “I think there’s a lot that goes into it. I think the one thing that – well, really every play counts. I think that’s the first piece to it. From the first play to the last play and every play in between, they all count. So you want to have high execution really on every play, and good communication, because you don’t know which one it’s going to be that is the difference between winning and losing. I think that mentality, that every play counts and if you dwell on previous plays – good or bad – that will affect the next play. So just having a next-play mentality and an every-play-counts mentality. That’s where I would start. To me, the next part is there are critical moments in the game. Let’s call it critical red-zone possession or a critical third down or a defensive possession after a score. There’s kind of critical points in the game. Again, every play counts and every play is critical; but there are critical moments and junctures in a game where as a team, we need to kind of recognize that and play our best football right then. So the best execution, the best communication, the best calls from a play-call standpoint. There’s an entire series of – look, a lot of people are involved in that, myself included. That’s kind of what we’ve talked about as a team, as a staff, and those are things you have to recognize those situations in the game.”
(Is there any aspect of what you just described where you think the team is doing particularly well at this point or needs to really focus on that’s been lacking up until this point?) – “Yeah, we’re lacking in a lot of those areas – recognizing those critical situations, execution in those critical situations. I think all of it plays a role and we need to get better at that. It starts with me.”
(Sacks are easy for us to see. DE Taco Charlton has three in four games. What’s not so obvious in terms of how he’s doing?) – “I think he’s doing well. I think he’s still learning. I think from a consistency standpoint, rush to rush, there are some things he could be doing a lot better. He’s had some production. There could be more. That just comes with knowing your opponent, knowing the scheme and putting yourself in a good position. I think he’s doing a lot of good things and I think if he continues to improve and gets more comfortable within the defense, he’ll continue to have the production that he’s had and hopefully even more.”
(What has been at the root of the issue in terms of the team’s inability to stop the run?) – “Communication, setting the edge (and) tackling I would say, at the end of the day. I think if we tackle better, and that’s going to be a big thing this week against this group. They’re tops in the league as far as yards after contact. So tackling I would say is at the forefront. But again, there’s a lot of things that go into it from a communication, alignment, setting the edge (standpoint). At the end of the day, we have to do a better job of tackling.”
(Your back end has seem to hung in there pretty good without CB Xavien Howard the last two weeks. What has shown up to you that has impressed you?) – “I think between Ken (Webster) and (Nik) Needham and Ryan Lewis, I think those guys play hard. They work the techniques, they try to be physical at the line of scrimmage. All three guys can run pretty well. We’re trying to develop everyone on the team. I think you can kind of see some progress in the back end with those guys. Look, they’re all hardworking kids. It’s very important to each one of them. They listen, they’re attentive and they’ve had a little bit of production.”
(How demanding are you on them to learn a bunch of different things and then play on Sunday? We’ve talked about obviously CB Eric Rowe playing some safety, but you’ve been moving a bunch of guys around.) – “We try to put a lot on that group and try to put them all in positions to play well. I think they’ve responded, that entire group, and I would say that about the entire team. We’ve ask multiple guys to play different roles and defensively they’ve all responded. It’s not all perfect. I’d be the first to say that. I think this is a hardworking group. We’ll continue to put more on them, ask them to do more and hopefully they’re productive out there.”
(You’ve obviously seen all the games. Do you think there have been times where the opponent has underestimated your team?) – “No. That’s not really something I think about. I think in this league, I don’t think there’s a coach out there that’s underestimating another team. I don’t think that’s how – I don’t think that happens a lot in this league. I think every week it’s another test for every team, just like it is for us. I think teams, hopefully they see that we’re going to compete and fight. I can’t speak for other teams, to be honest with you.”
(The reason I’m asking is if you watch the New England game, the Dallas game, last week’s Buffalo game, it’s almost like they’re not all that into it and then all of a sudden they turn it on and things game in the game. That’s why – You notice that, right?) – “I just think you go out, you start the game, teams make adjustments (and) we try to make adjustments. I think that’s how every game goes. There’s ebbs and flows in each game. I can’t speak to whether or not another team underestimates us or didn’t underestimate. There’s no way for me to actually know that. My opinion is that they’re not. I think every team, every coach, they’re trying to go out there and move the ball offensively and stop them defensively and win the field position battle in the kicking game. I don’t think anyone is not trying to do that or thinks that the other team is going to not go out there and play. I don’t think that’s the case. That’s my thought process there.”
(You have such a young team. What advice would you give to all those players that who have never played on Monday Night Football before?) – “Take it one play at a time. Look, it’s a road game on Monday night. It will be our first night game of the season. (There will be) a lot of attention paid to the game, but just take it one play at a time. That’s going to be my message really the entire week. Let’s try to execute, let’s try to communicate, execute on a play-to-play basis and let’s see how that works out for us. Let’s not think about it being Monday night or who’s watching or the outcome of the game or anything like that. Let’s just take it one play at a time.”
(What’s your assessment of T Andrew Donnal and C/G Keaton Sutherland since you’ve gotten them here and have you been able to implement them into the offensive line?) – “Donnal’s had some experience in the league and that shows up on the field as far as communication, having seen different looks. (He’s) tough, he’s physical, he’s a hard-working guy. Keaton is young, a young player in the league. (He’s) got some athletic ability. He’s a smart kid. He kind of understands things almost like a veteran in a lot of ways. That’s been good. I think I like having both guys. I know (they) haven’t gotten much time for either one of them, specifically Keaton; but I think they’re developing and that’s really what we’re looking for.”
(You’re very familiar with Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick and obviously you play him this week on the other side. How do you evaluate how the deal has affected both teams short-term and long-term?) – “That’s not really – I just kind of evaluate their defense and him as a cog in their defense, as well as their offense and their special teams. They’ve got a lot of good players. Minkah happens to be one of them. I’m not thinking about the deal. I’m thinking about the Steelers and T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree over here and (Javon) Hargrave in the middle and (Cameron) Heyward and Devin Bush and Minkah and (Terrell) Edumunds and (Steven) Nelson over here, (Joe) Haden – (laughter) They’ve got a lot of guys. You can’t focus on one guy. Then offensively, we can go into all of that. The deal was the deal. That happened, but it’s in the past and it’s not really – I’ve got a lot of other things on my mind. I understand the question.”
(What have you noticed of how they’ve used Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick and how he’s kind of delved into their defense?) – “I think he’s had some production. He’s playing safety. He’s playing some in the box, in the deep part of the field. I think they’re using him well, and he’s been productive. I have a lot of respect for Minkah, as do a lot of our players; but I have a lot of respect for that entire team. He’s a good piece for them.”
(How would you assess WR DeVante Parker’s development through the season?) – “I think he’s made a lot of improvement over the course of the year. Every week he seems to kind of come up with a catch – a big catch for us – deep down the field, across the middle. He’s made some tough catches as well. The way he’s practiced, the way he performs – the way he practices has shown up in games. I think he’s really done a good job along with the rest of the receiver group. I think we’re starting to get some guys back. Preston (Williams), Albert (Wilson) – Albert had a catch last week and I think we’re starting to get him back going and (Allen) Hurns. I like what I’m seeing from that group and hopefully, we continue to improve.”
