Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Did the information you got on WR Tyreek Hill regarding scans and swelling suggest to you that it’s week-to-week or day-to-day with him? And is OL Connor Williams out for the season?) – “Day to day for Tyreek (Hill), Connor Williams out for the season, ACL.”
(Torn?) – “Yeah.”
(How do you try to replace OL Connor Williams?) – “You don’t directly replace it necessarily, and I’d love to take the time right now to speak on the regard that this team has for Connor Williams and what he was doing this year, playing some excellent ball. His journey, position switching and really finding some good footing, you don’t necessarily replace that directly. However you also prepare a lot for contingencies for these types of scenarios. Typically, we’ve been as prepared – hats have gone off to the offensive line and (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Barry) and (Offensive Coordinator) Frank Smith, just everybody, for how we’ve been able to sustain multiple lineup changes. Then at some point, it gets a little challenging on everyone when you start talking about your double digits and people participating on your team, but along that journey, guys get much more equipped to do it, guys start playing better at those positions. I thought – Liam (Eichenberg) has had a really cool season to me, because he’s gone at a position, whether it’s right guard, left guard, center, and he’s played well enough for us to win, and then the next week, he comes back and plays even better. That momentum we’ll be counting on, along those lines. You might see us add somebody here in the near future at some point. We’ve been working Lester Cotton all year at center as well. Those are the types of things that teams all around the league are doing at some point during the season at various positions – it’s part of football. So you get tested in a multitude of ways, whether that’s mind, body or spirit. I’m confident in the way that we’ll progress with that in his loss.”
(You just mentioned that guys have done a good job this year piecing in when guys have been out on the o-line, but four guys at some point yesterday were not starters from the start of the season. Does it change how you can call an offensive game when it becomes maybe too much as far as turnover on that offensive line?) – “You just have to be realistic. It’s not just blind faith, it’s earned faith. So when guys are in positions that I’m used to them being in, as well as I know their matchups, and the defensive presentation and how they’re stressed, there’s a multitude of times it doesn’t change anything at all, just because of the inherent deliberate reps that we’ve observed. Then there’s also situations where this guy or that guy hasn’t been in the scenario or hasn’t worked with this person and the various defensive presentations, that can change things a little bit. Yesterday, there were probably a couple of directions that I felt would be most prudent and the most responsible as a result for this particular circumstance, not out of lack of faith but just out of being fair to you’re competing against an opponent that’s practiced what they’re doing and what strain does it put on your offense. So it does adjust things in certain situations, and I think yesterday it did to degree a little bit just because of the exact formula, but that’s part of football. You’re assessing matchups and deciding a multitude of things based upon those matchups. It makes it a little more challenging but nothing that that you shouldn’t be able to handle.”
(What is your outlook on the short week regarding OL Rob Hunt and T Terron Armstead, whether you might be able to have them back for the offensive line?) – “I think (Terron) Armstead is more conceivable. It will be day-to-day with him. It’s part of just knowing what type of game it’s going to be and then the games ahead, specifically one with a short week, I think it made it more difficult to play Armstead last night. I think Rob (Hunt) is proving to be a little more week to week. I would be very pleasantly surprised if Rob was available for the Jets, but again, I’m not going to say that he can’t. But that’d be more of a pleasant surprise.”
(Updated on S DeShon Elliott, S Brandon Jones and OL Liam Eichenberg health-wise?) – “DeShon Elliott cleared the UNC’s (unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant) assessment during the game, however later on in the game, in communication with our training staff, he reported some verbal symptoms, so he is now in concussion protocol, because once he verbalized some symptoms, we immediately took him out. Liam Eichenberg came out of the game with some – he got bumped and bruised along the journey of the game. He fought through it really well. I was very, very impressed with his toughness, but it’s just the football bumps and bruises is the best way to put it.”
(S Brandon Jones?) – “Yeah, Brandon Jones, he had some stitches on an open wound, but he should be good.”
(With WR Tyreek Hill, I wanted to get your thoughts on just the importance obviously he is to your offense, but do you have to kind of remind yourself at times to spread the ball around, get WR Jaylen Waddle involved? Obviously, we saw WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. last night get a bunch of targets as well.) – “I think that is kind of inherent, at least for me as a play-caller, is you’re trying to distribute the ball. There are times where there’s a glutton of opportunities that go Tyreek’s way – generally, that’s momentum based, but collectively we’re our strongest when you have to worry about everyone. So there’s always that type of mindset and wanting to involve people, and then you just don’t fight how the game presents a lot of times. When he’s a hot hand, just like when Jaylen (Waddle) is a hot hand, similar things happen. I know there was – I can’t remember which week it was, maybe it was three weeks ago against Vegas, but people attributed Tyreek being out to Waddle getting successive starts when it really wasn’t the case. It was that you’re paying attention as a play-caller to what’s happening on the field with a clear mind, with an idea of what you’re going to go to, but then when people noticeably – you can feel the momentum of a certain moment, or a drive, or whatever, you try to empower the offensive by getting the ball in those guys hands. But that’s always something that you’re trying to distribute the ball to various guys. When you’re one of the best players in the National Football League, regardless of positions, you’re always going to get your opportunities, but it’s important for us to always make sure players are involved in their strength, whatever that is. Sometimes a guy’s strength is being at the point of attack, removing defenders from the point of attack. Like Alec Ingold, for instance, is very involved in every game and doesn’t get a ton of targets, but he’s one of the reasons other people get successful targets, whether it be a clean pocket or identification on how to run a tricky route from the backfield or whatever. Same thing with Durham Smythe. But for the most part, we try to distribute the ball because that’s the best way to keep the defense on their heels.”
(Why no offensive snaps for a guy like WR Chase Claypool? Could he be a potential solution to some of the red zone issues?) – “Yeah, I think he provides – everybody has a different skillset. You’re letting the week progress and you have different opportunities. The way that guys play out during the week kind of dictates those terms. I think some of the opportunities that Chase (Claypool) would have gotten were kind of won during the week by Cedrick Wilson Jr. a little bit, but we have that up every week, and he’s in the conversation, for sure. But you’re also not predetermining, ‘Alright, well, the Gods have spoken to me, you will make the best play.’ You kind of put it in their hands. In our receiver room particularly, there are several guys that can make plays on top of Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle. So we try to be equitable during the week and let those guys earn those opportunities and see where they can have advantages. There were some – we didn’t get to them. There were some plays featured for Chase in the regular field and in the red zone, but we didn’t end up getting to those.”
(You referenced WR Tyreek Hill. Would you consider yourself optimistic of his chances to play Sunday?) – “I’m optimistic about Tyreek (Hill) in general. I know if there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s a little early to be that confident. Either way, that was a painful ankle (injury) that he took the time to warm up, work and get to a point where he could feel like he could provide what we need him to provide. He’s given me only reason to be confident in his ability, but until he flat out tells me that there’s no doubt that he’s going to play, you always have to plan for everything, and I haven’t talked to him today.”
(As far as Monday, we obviously don’t hear anything. But on the sideline, we see WR Tyreek Hill kind of standing there. Then he kind of runs in. Is there communication between you and him? Does he tell you he’s not okay? Do you tell him, wait? I’m curious kind of what that process was.) – “It’s all depending on the time of the game and what’s going on. But really, there’s a trifecta of communication between myself, (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) and (Wide Receivers Coach) Wes Welker. Wes Welker’s on the headset, so a lot of times I’m just pacing and he’ll be talking to me. There were points in the game – he doesn’t want to lead us astray. This particular injury, he was just trying to move it enough to get a feel for how it’d be like going full speed, but not aggravate it even more and was just kind of being cautious walking back and forth. It was pretty stiff on him and then he finally got it to a place where he could go. Sometimes those happen at the last second and generally that’s communicated to me right before the play when it is that last second. Other times it’s like alright, well, next series or don’t have him for this series. There’s just constant communication that goes on with a lot of players but specifically guys like that.”
(I wanted to ask you about the last drive. It seemed like twice that there was, I don’t know, clock issues. The first was the TE Durham Smythe catch, should the clock have stopped then when they figured out what was going on? And maybe I’m mistaken but certainly the RB De’Von Achane catch on the sideline, he was originally called out of bounds and the players had their back to the refs and someone came in and wound the clock.) – “There’s pros and cons for every type of invention that comes within our game. We have this, I think a very, very productive system of replay assist, that can happen live speed that can make sure calls are right. With that being a newer system and with stars having to align, like in those type of situations, it can be pretty tricky. I believe that’s what happened because you go off the signal of the referee or the linesman and so you’re thinking it’s a stopped clock. Then out of nowhere, oh, it’s a running clock. Oh, yeah, and it happens to be fourth down. Those can kind of be tricky, but that’s not because of anyone being shortsighted. I can totally understand the reason for the system. That is a little tricky that you’re just not totally used to, when something like that happens. I can promise you this, every time someone’s being tackled right around out of bounds in a two-minute situation, that’s a learned scenario that I won’t keep my eyes off that person, regardless of what the situation is, because that is tricky. But we also have systems where we can go on the line of scrimmage, immediately. It wasn’t ideal, but I can understand why it happened because when you look at the replay, De’Von’s knee was down in bounds.”
(At the expense of spoiling Hard Knocks tonight, what has been your overall message communicated to the team since the loss?) – “I haven’t spoken with them today. We’re on a short work week, and their main focus today was re-gen. The players kind of met on their own. But last night and today, kind of my message is and will be when I get in front of them again, is that especially games like that, there’s a tangible amount of emotion that is derived from that. The way the game happened, the 14-point deficit that’s closed in four minutes., all the different opportunities, that’s emotionally – it can really just take over. You go to bed with emotion, you wake up with emotion. I understand that and I think that’s very valid for a bunch of people that care. Just like I’m sure a lot of people were pretty irritated last night that are fans that woke up the same way. Having said that, the objective, the main point is that you have to take that emotion and at some point you have to put it over here. Then you have to look at what actually happened in the game. The point is to learn from it and get better. The point is to use it in some way, shape or form moving forward. We have to. Thus far the season. we have done a good job. Out of the 13 opportunities, we’ve won nine of them. Four we lost and the previous three, I felt like we got better from it. That will be 100 percent what we will be focusing on together as a team and just moving forward because this is what I see. Removing the emotion, there was, let’s call it 70 plays, arbitrarily. Maybe 50 of them, I was really, really happy about they were prepared and they were good team defense, offense, and special teams. Then 30 of those, people have to recognize that probably we aren’t making at the beginning of the season. That’s really good stuff. That being said, there was some really bad stuff, really bad stuff. You get in a situation where you’re the first team to lose a game up by 14 in the last three to four minutes since like, 2017. Yeah, that’s what it is, and you don’t run away from it. You don’t say, oh, everything’s all good. No, the point of this game, which you’re trying to accomplish things that are very hard that everyone else is trying to accomplish, is you have to be willing to look at the hard things and make sure they don’t define you. Make sure that you utilize that opportunity. That adversity is real and it either is what you are, or what is the reason you become something else. That I think is something that we’re used to, but there’s not a finer example. Especially like in the last month, we’ve said a ton, we want to play our best football in December. That game was in December, and that was not our best football. Well, we have two to three more games in December, then one in January promised to us. We better utilize all the things that we absolutely do not want to relive in the other games. Then it’s purposeful. Then you’re not defined as that, you’ve used it to define who you’re going to be. It’s not easy, but who said anything that any of our goals are easy. I’m very motivated for the team to work through undesirable circumstances to achieve their best selves and our best versions of the team. That takes work. That takes 100 percent commitment from everyone. It’s not for everybody, but what we’re trying to do isn’t anyway.”
(At risk of overstepping what’s my business, you sound fairly emotional today. You were just talking about emotion. Is that OL Connor Williams? Is that the loss? If that’s not my business, that’s fine.) – “I wouldn’t say emotional. I’m excited for the work in front of us. So I guess I’m convicted. If it’s coming across as emotion, I’m just generally an emotional guy. But there’s conviction in what I see from that tape from the game yesterday and I think that it’s as clear as day to me on what needs to be done with regard to handling a disappointment like that. The biggest thing is you have to work through all that stuff, get better from it, than focus on the Jets. It is that simple and easy, but very hard to do in practice and that’s kind of the direction I’m going. If you’re going to ask me not to be emotional, you’re going to have to ask me not to be me any day. You’ve been there. You say the right topic and I’ll go to half-tears in a heartbeat. It’s not a big deal. I’m pumped for the work week and the gains that our team can make.”
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
OL Austin Jackson
(You guys have done such a great job on the offensive line despite shuffling on the line and having a lot of guys in and out. Did last night feel like a lot of that caught up to you guys, with four starters being out at one time, with you being the one guy in?) – “That played a factor. There is a lot of things that went wrong. I’ll take accountability for myself. The offensive line, I’d say there were things we could’ve done better to put ourselves in better situations. In terms of who was in there, and who was up, we all practice, we all put in the same hours a day, and a little more. We’re just going to be accountable with whoever is in there that we got to do the job.”
(What can you guys do better in the red zone?) – “We got to execute and then score, first and foremost. Getting down there and not scoring is unacceptable. That’s just a clear-cut execution on our part. We got to execute and handle things. Even if it’s little things, just handle things we need to do to score.”
(I don’t think there is enough appreciation for the job OL Connor Williams have done this year, and what he’s meant to this offensive line. I’m not going to ask you about an injury update, it’s not your place to give one. Just your conversations with him have been what? And if you’re going to have to go forward without him, what does that mean for your line?) – “The conversations with him have been to get better. He’s a hell of a player. We definitely would love to have him with us playing. It would hurt if he wasn’t able to come back. Either way it goes, we all have to show up and do our jobs. He’s a hell of a player I agree, and I think he’s very, very important to our offense.”
(When you’ve got four backups on the offensive line, it’s not ideal. But right now, not knowing what the situation is like for this week, how are you guys moving forward and tightening up that unit, and get it back to where you guys were before last night’s loss?) – “First things first, we already came in and watched the film together. We have to dissect what we did wrong and make it right, first and foremost. The guys that were in there getting those reps, we get to see the things they did well, which is good for confidence, and we get to see the things they get to work on, which can be good for confidence if you look at it the right way. You get another opportunity to go into the next week and get better. That’s just where we’re at. We’re just regrouping, staying present and focusing on the stuff we need to do to execute this offense.”
(From a positive standpoint, you guys had 101 rushing yards in the first half. Is that something you can build on?) – “Definitely, definitely. I think we take pride in the run game and making sure our assignments are correct. I don’t think we executed very well in the run game from an offensive line standpoint, in terms of some assignments and coaching plans we had made throughout the week. There were things we wanted to attack in their defense that we didn’t fully get done. We’ll just take full responsibility of that and get better.”
(I was going to ask you about the run game. I am surprised you said that because I thought you guys did very well and were very effective with 158 yards. What did you see in the run game? I still think it was a good run night, 158 yards. What does that mean for the offense? What does that mean for December football? So your assessment of last night and then the overall run game in December, how crucial is that?) – “First things first, we didn’t win. If you don’t win, there’s a lot of stuff you can do to win. Not winning makes you look at the past to see what you did wrong. It makes you look at the runs, even if for the most part they did well. You still look back and see what plays, ok this could’ve put us over the top even though we were struggling maybe in this section. So we just go back and analyze everything and be really critical.”
(What’s the importance of the run game? December football, Baltimore is the only cold locale you’re going to soon. But just having that element, how significant is that to the offense?) – “It’s huge. I think most, if not all, offenses need to stay balanced to a certain degree. It makes it harder on the defense. It keeps them guessing, thinking about more things. So I think going into December football, the more versatile you can be – run, pass, play action, all that stuff. If you’re able to execute on the majority, if not everything, then you’re in a great spot for December football, where you have to execute on every opportunity.”
(There’s a huge difference between the overall operation of the offense and QB Tua Tagovailoa’s play when Tua is kept clean versus when he’s pressured and hit a lot and sacked. Can you speak on the significance of that from this line?) – “We have to keep him clean, first and foremost. Heavy is the crown, and we love to wear it. That’s us. We have to be better. We have to make sure we’re on point with where we need to be with our techniques to keep him safe and clean in the pocket as best as we can, and execute at the end of the day.”
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
(You saw WR Tyreek Hill go down last night. What was your reaction knowing you’d be taking on a larger role?) – “My immediate reaction is making sure my brother is ok and making sure he’s healthy and it’s not nothing serious. When you see guys get tackled like that, it usually ends up being very bad, so that was my first reaction. The second was just go in there and do my job, which is to go out there and catch the ball that is thrown to me and block my assignment.”
(This offense has been focused a lot on WR Tyreek Hill, but how do things change when he’s not in there, when he’s not on the field? How did that change for you guys in the game?) – “I just felt like we weren’t moving the ball. Whether it was run or pass, we just weren’t getting it done. There wasn’t much else to it.”
(Talk to me about the mentality of this team. You guys were good last year during the five-game losing streak. You seemed to bounce back very well this year. You haven’t had any back-to-back loses. What’s the locker room like today and what was it like last night, in your opinion?) – “I just feel like disappointment. A lot of anger just of what we left out there. Obviously we came out struggling a little bit and then we kind of got it together with the lead that we built up, and then we just didn’t finish it. The frustration of incompletion was what we had, and you could feel it throughout the guys. I wouldn’t say any guy strayed away from the overall goal but just frustration of incompletion.”
(I know missing personnel is part of the game. But the offensive line, you have all of that shuffling. You’re missing LB Jaelan Phillips, who won’t be back. S Jevon Holland and LB Jerome Baker are out. Is a legitimate explanation – not an excuse, but a legitimate explanation for what happened last night?) – “The explanation was not scoring enough points to win the game. That’s the overall explanation. When guys get hurt, the next guy has to come in and perform. I feel like the guys did that to the best of their abilities. I would say the only part that was difficult is the guys that were in obviously don’t get many reps in the game, so you got to get comfortable when you’re out there. That’s probably the only overall difference. Obviously the guys that you are naming are top guys in the league, and if you don’t have them in the game, there is going to be some different factors. But the guys that were in the game go out there, practice and try just as hard as those guys do. We just didn’t get the overall goal done.”
(When we saw QB Tua Tagovailoa kind of reload a lot, double clutch and then go through his second or third read, it would suggest that maybe sometimes they were doing a pretty good job not allowing separation. Is that what you saw today? Is separation something that could be improved upon, and if so, what did the Titans do to make that scenario?) – “I haven’t fully went over what Tua saw and what he didn’t see. That would have to be a question for him. I’m not going to answer for him. But knowing him, if he clutched, it couldn’t have been there because usually he hits people when they are open. You would have to ask him that question. They did their defensive scheme and they played it to the best of their ability. Just like we go out to practice, they go out to practice and they executed what they wanted to do.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel last night noted red zone inefficiencies. Missed opportunities in the red zone was the number one reason for the loss, along with several others. What wasn’t going well in the red zone, and in the same thought, could you speak to your fade on third-and-goal at the 2? Can you take us through that play too?) – “The red zone, we have to come out with points, where it’s field goals – most of the time we need touchdowns. That’s how you separate in the game. That’s definitely a failed opportunity. I feel like for us, our goal is always a touchdown. Three points or obviously zero are always a failure. You said third-and-2, that’s just a missed opportunity. Next time hopefully we get it done.”
(A lot of times we hear that teams when they are defending you guys, they try to make QB Tua Tagovailoa throw outside the numbers and take away the middle of the field. Was that part of Tennessee’s strategy last night? Is that what you saw?) – “Yeah. I definitely saw them have an alert player from inside the numbers just roaming around and trying to guess which in breakers we were running. But we definitely had some plays out there we wish we could have back. We just have to get the job done next time.”
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
DT Christian Wilkins
(After you got a chance to look at the tape, what do you think went wrong those last couple of drives in the fourth quarter?) – “The biggest thing is in those situations, we need to be a little more locked in and a little more focused, when we get into those situations where you gotta have it. I feel like other than maybe a drive or a few plays throughout the game, we were pretty solid. It’s just when those moments are a little bigger in the game, you need to be a little more locked in. That’s definitely important. You need to be ready to play your best ball in those situations.”
(I know LB Bradley Chubb mentioned in the locker room last night that he felt like maybe you guys took your foot off the gas a little bit up two scores. Did you feel that from that side of the ball?) – “Well obviously it’s a tough situation giving up that many points that late in the game. Like I said, we were pretty solid but we have to have a foot on the throat mentality and get the job done and finish it out. It’s never done. You have to be ready to play a full 60-minute ball game.”
(I wanted to get your thoughts on the pass rush. We saw that there was one sack. I know you guys are without LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Jerome Baker. What did you think? I think you had eight quarterback hits. Did you think the pass rush was effective all game? What did you think of the pass rush on Tennessee’s final two possessions?) – “Yeah, I thought we were doing a decent job. Watching the tape, there’s things you can obviously clean up and make better. It’s like that every game, whether you have one sack or five sacks. There’s always more opportunities out there and things you can clean up. But I thought we were active all game. We were getting back there and had pressure in his face and different things like that. They did a good job of mixing things up with a few play-actions or getting the ball out quick. A lot of different things. But I thought we were solid there. And again, like I talked earlier just when the moment’s get a little bigger in the game, you just have to be better. I don’t think it was necessarily bad or anything. Just continuing on the trend of when those moments are bigger, we have to be at our best.”
(The run defense was really, really strong. You guys were very effective against RB Derrick Henry. How do you view the run defense last night?) – “Yeah, it was solid. There are still some things that we can be better at. Every play wasn’t perfect, but definitely solid. Just continue to build on it and move forward.
(We saw on Hard Knocks that Head Coach Mike McDaniel made a big emphasis on not repeating last December where one loss cascaded into three, four or five. As a leader, what’s your role in making sure that doesn’t happen?) – “The biggest thing is the 24-hour rule in the NFL. We all have to look in the mirror and be grown men about this. What happened last night, take it on the chin. The most important thing is beating the Jets now. We have to turn the page really fast, and even faster now with a short week. The longer we sit and think about this one, even though it’s a tough loss, that’s not going to do anything for everybody. The most important thing now is today. Focus on getting better today, watching the tape, doing what we need to and learning from us so that we have a good week on a short week.”
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
LB Duke Riley
(How did the whole operation go for you guys with you as the Mike linebacker and the green dot, just can you tell us how that all went down?) – “It went pretty well. A couple of third down calls, it got really loud in there so we kind of had to, I guess you could say signal some of the calls in, but I think it went pretty well. We all got it communicated. they started to do a little hurry-up towards the end of the game and at the end of the second half, I believe. It went well. It’s something I do every day so it’s not like I’m not prepared for it.”
(You mentioned some of the hurry-up late in the game. What do you think went into some of the missed communications that went down in the secondary late?) – “I got to go back and watch the tape. I’ve got to re-watch it again and watch it with my coach and we’ll go from there, but things happen. We’ve just got to be more detailed and have more focus. That’s really it, starting with myself.”
(The thing so far this season has kind of been you guys have beaten yourselves. You haven’t really gotten beat. Do you agree that that was the case last night and is that any better than being outplayed by the opponent?) – “There’s a lot of things that we’ve done to put ourselves in some situations in that game yesterday, but it happens in the NFL. No one’s perfect. I can tell you one thing, there’s no one on this team that wants to make a mistake and everyone wants to play well and do well for each other and we come to work every single day and we work hard. We focus on the day, like we always speak of, focus on the day that’s in front of us and I feel like we do a really good job of that. It’s just sometimes things happen. That’s life. We’re human. We’re not perfect and people make mistakes starting with (me) – I make some as well.”
(Tell me about the mentality of this team because it’s always seemed good. Even last year during the five-game losing streak you guys seemed to keep your heads up. How has it been this season? How was it last night? How is it today?) – “We’ve got a lot of good-character guys on this team so I know one thing, we’re going to learn from this game and it’s just only going to make us better. That’s just like everything we do in life, especially with the guys that we have and the leaders that we have and the captains and leadership that we have on this team. I know that we’re going to look at this game and only get better from it and only make corrections. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. No one wants to lose. I know for a fact no one wants to lose in this building. I hate losing. Everyone does. But I know one thing – you learn from every time make a mistake. We have a lot of grown men in this building and a lot of people, like I said, with good character and are going to come back to the drawing board and not point the finger, look at themselves and see what they can do better and improve on, just like myself.”
(What’s the challenge with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense of having moving parts? You guys had a lot – you were one of them – of players that probably weren’t envisioned in the role that you maybe played last night. What’s it take to make it work when you have a bunch of guys that are the next man up?) – “I think a lot of guys have been playing ball their whole life, just like myself. And even when I’m not in that role of being an every-down guy like I was last night, I’m always prepared to be in it. I always look at myself like I’m in it. I don’t go to practice and be like, ‘hey, I’m not going to play this week.’ Something could happen at practice and we’ve seen it happen over and over on every team, so the last thing I do is prepare or go into a game thinking that I’m not going to play. I prepare like I’m a starter regardless of the situation and I think a lot of guys do that as well. At practice, we even rotate a lot of guys in just for moments like that. We always give guys reps. We always keep everyone involved and all of our meetings are pretty much – there’s a lot of communication going on, a lot of people make sure everybody’s on the same page. We always do call outs so everyone on the defense is on the same page. We do a lot of individual meetings with just the players and we all get together to make sure that we’re doing the right things and we’re all on the same page. So like I said, people make mistakes and I know one thing, we have the right group of men on this team that’s going to go back to the drawing board and make the corrections, including myself.”
(I’m wondering even when you’re not starting, how vocal of a guy are you with the team and then how much will you go at a time like this when your team maybe needs leaders stepping up and things like that?) – “I love the game so much that I’m probably one of the most – I mean, everyone can tell you I’m probably one of the most vocal guys on the team. I’m always speaking up and being loud and answering questions and standing in there every single day. At practice, I’m always – I learn plays that I see, things that I see. And yeah, it’s just ball, man. I love the game. It’s what I do and my favorite moment is being on the field so I have the most fun out there and communicating is something I’ve done really well throughout my life.”
(I know you guys don’t want to make any excuses for what happened last night, but is part of the explanation missing personnel – S Jevon Holland, LB Jaelan Phillips, LB Jerome Baker?) – “The building and the organization do a great job of selecting the guys that we get on the 53-man roster every year and it’s always next-man-up mentality. We know that. I feel like everyone on the team can make plays regardless. You just have to be out there. If you’re out there and you’re doing your job and you’re focused on the right and you’re detailed, the plays will come to you if you’re just doing your job. Everyone has to play fundamentally sound football and we didn’t do that as well on some plays yesterday and it came back, and as you can tell, we lost the game.”
(When you are missing personnel and the offensive line is probably the best example of this, how tough is it to adjust? You can speak to it on replacing LB Jerome Baker, but how tough is it? I know that’s part of your job, but there’s got to be a level of difficulty there, right?) – “Some guys play different, some guys see things different and they move different. Yeah, you get that. I can’t speak from an offensive perspective because o-line is a totally different thing that I’ve never done – but as a ‘backer, especially a Mike ‘backer, it’s just all about communication. The more you communicate, the better everyone plays and even if you make the wrong call or if you make a call that wasn’t called and everybody is on the right page, it still doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. If you make the wrong call and everybody is playing that play, then you’re not wrong. You just made a different call than you were supposed to. So I think that’s really all it’s about, just overcommunicating, especially when you don’t have the guys like Jevon Holland who is a great communicator in the back end, and (Jerome) Baker who is a great communicator like myself. Just stuff like that. In those situations, it’s all about overcommunicating, making sure that everyone is on the right page and the same page.”
(Last night, you guys for the most part, were able to keep them off the board until those last two drives and on those two drives, they were getting more than 10, 11 yards per play. Was fatigue a factor at that point, do you think?) – “I wouldn’t say fatigue. I would just say details and getting back to the fundamentals and doing what we do. Watching the tape, there’s a lot of things that we go over and talk about every single day. Like I said, it’s just during those moments, you just need to be more detailed and overcommunicate more than you’ve ever done. Starting with me, we have to get better with that.”
(And from the outside looking in, it seems like a kind of difficult loss to swallow. It was such a stunning fashion the way the game ended. Can you see how at least from the outside looking in how hard it might be for a team to get over a loss like this?) – “Yeah, I know from the outside looking in, but from the inside looking out, it’s tough. It was hard on everybody. We don’t expect to lose with the people we have on the field, regardless of who’s out there, to be honest with you. And in that game, it was like a surreal moment. It didn’t feel real, but it happened and at the end of the day, like I said, we have the right men. We’ve got grown men in this building who come to work and guys with great character who are going to get back to the drawing board and learn from everything that we’ve done wrong, and I know that for a fact. We’ve got another game, a division opponent, this weekend and we’re going to focus on each day and we’re going to get better as a team, like we always do.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(Upon reviewing the tape, were there things you noticed about the offense with and without WR Tyreek Hill?) – “Yeah, I think we got a little out of sorts with how we went about our drives. I think one of the biggest things that happened, that I think personally had something to do with the game, was when Connor (Williams) went down as well. But this is how the league works. You pray that you can have healthy seasons and you can stay healthy for as long as possible. But it’s a physical sport, and things like that happen. So, when those things do happen, how do we as a team come out and just not let our foot off the gas.”
(Obviously physically a short week like this is tough, but emotionally are there some advantages to it? There’s no choice, you’re getting out on that game field again. There’s not enough time to wallow about this stuff.) – “Yeah. I think for a lot of the guys that came in on Tuesday, we had our corrections. We understood we had the game right there in our hands and it was really a full team effort as to why we didn’t come out with a win. It’s something we talked about. We had a great team meeting about it as well. We’ll be better for it and we’ll learn from that and move forward to the Jets this week.”
(When you look back at your football playing career, not just here, when you think back to any defeats that really were crushing-type defeats, what do you see is the best recipe for overcoming that? Is it coming out and breathing fire next week or is it just forgetting what happened? How do you regroup and recover from such a loss?) – “Yeah, I think that the thing for us as a team to regroup from something like this is not to be emotional about it. We don’t want to come into the game thinking we need to this, we need to do that. We just need to play within the rules and principles of what that play entails for us to do. And we have to go out there and execute. That’s all we should be worried about. Literally taking it one play at a time and just playing each play within the merit of that. That’s how I think of it. That’s my approach to it. We’ll get better from that last game.”
(I don’t think any quarterback wants pressured. They want a clean pocket and all that. You as a quarterback, how can you be better when it’s kind of messy up front?) – “Well, I think the thing that I can do better is let each play stand on its own merit. That was a good rep for me last week because it took from Week 1 all the way to whatever week this is or whatever week last week was to get that rep. I’m actually really glad I got to get that. You can only get better from that.”
(Is pressure different when its coming from up the middle in the interior as opposed to off the edge for you as a quarterback?) – “Brother, pressure is pressure. Whether it comes inside, goes outside, you got to get the ball out. You have to make quicker decisions. You got to know where you’re hot from. You got to play. Just have to go out and play.”
(I know there were a lot of issues on the offensive line, but most people took that game as this is what the offense looked like without WR Tyreek Hill. Obviously we don’t know what his status is, but what’s the challenge to the rest of the unit in terms of having to step up if Tyreek isn’t available?) – “Yeah, if ‘Reek isn’t available, I think Jaylen (Waddle) understands his role with stepping up. I think everyone else understands their role as well. It’s tough not having someone like Tyreek out there when sort of the entirety of the offseason was built around him and also Jaylen, and now you take away one of those pieces and guys can double Jaylen and leave other guys one-on-one. It gives other guys opportunities that can really do something special for us.”
(OL Liam Eichenberg is also dealing with something too. The team brought in two centers. I was curious if you already started working with them? And maybe what are some of the intricacies of the timing of the snap that you’re going to have to fix?) – “Yeah, I’ve been able to work with the new guys. The thing with that is exactly what you said. Just hearing the cadence, understanding that a lot of the things we do is based on timing within the emotion and snap points of the offense. So, it’s been a little different for those guys with where they’ve been and the cadences that they’ve heard. Just like anything, you need reps with them.”
(Do you like being under center or in the gun more?) – “It doesn’t matter to me, honestly.”
(What opens up when you’re under center as far as what you guys can do that maybe you can do out of the gun?) – “Action game. Play-action. When you’re in the pistol, it also helps as well. Just with what the ‘backers are looking at with their read keys. You don’t know if he’s going right, if he’s going left. It’s basically being in the I (formation).”
(What are the things you picked up from the Jets from the first meeting?) – “Yeah, I mean they have a good defense. But what we got to do is we can’t be shooting ourselves in the foot this game. We have to go out there, take what they give us, and just play our game.”
(What’s been the difference in red zone execution? I think through the first six weeks of the season you guys were like 80 percent converting red zone trips into touchdowns. Now it’s dropped a little bit, especially the goal-to-go efficiency. What’s been the difference between maybe the first half of the season and now not being as efficient?) – “Yeah, I think that’s something that I have to take because when we were down in the red area, there were some calls that I made that didn’t help us. There were some decisions that I made as well that didn’t help us. We had opportunities down there and in games like that here in December, you have to execute those. I think we only had two field goals down there. We had one blocked and we came out with six points while we were in the red area. We had a fumble as well on the first drive. Can’t end it like that. Can’t do that.”
(It’s always a familiarity playing an opponent you play twice a year, but playing an opponent twice in four weeks, how is that different than like the Buffalo schedule, where it is Week 4 and Week 18, so far apart. How difficult is it to get ready for a team that you saw four weeks ago?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. You kind of still have in mind what they played. You still have your notes on what they did. That’s fresh in your mind when you played them however long ago, two, three weeks ago. But I think the tough thing about it is they kind of got a gist of things we run. We also got a gist of what they sort of like to run. It’s sort of like cat and mouse. Whoever calls the wrong play at the wrong time or at the right time, whatever that might look like, it could come down to something like that.”
(With some of the red zone stuff that you were talking about, what’s the communication like in the trial-and-error understanding something that is or isn’t successful and to apply that to another opponent?) – “Yeah, well, every week is different with how we prepare for teams. Last week, what the Titans did is different than what the Jets do defensively. I think the thing that I have to do better is help our team score down there within the passing game. I think we’ve done a really good job down there in the run game, but in the passing game, if things aren’t there, just try to extend plays down there in the red area.”
(Tyreek Hill says you should be the team’s MVP. I don’t think we’ve ever asked your opinion. Who do you think is the Dolphins MVP?) – “I would say Tyreek. But I could care less for myself to be any of that right now. I know a lot of the guys could care less. I’m sure they’d be happy if one of our guys had it, but we just want to win games, and we want to win a Super Bowl here.”
(In the deep red zone, you guys have thrown fade balls and I don’t think you’ve converted a successful fade ball since Week 1 on the game winner. Is that more so, the decision to throw a fade ball, a low percentage pass I guess, is that more so about the defense crowding the middle of the field or the matchup?) – “It’s more about the matchup. It’s moreso the matchup with who we like out there and the speed that we have off the line.”
(You slipped a couple times. Did you have a cleat issue?) – “No, I mean that’s just on me. It stinks. It’s just on me.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Two guys who finished the game Monday, but we saw them on the injury report yesterday that they wouldn’t have been able to practice, are RB De’Von Achane and CB Xavien Howard. Do you feel like they’re going to be able to play on Sunday or is that in question now?) – “Yeah, we’re setting a PR here for my tenure. It’s really just unknowns because for us, we’re orchestrating two walkthroughs today. That’s where my mind’s been wrapped up. I know there’s a lot of people really, really pushing themselves in terms of rehab. There’s a lot of people that really, really want to go work the taste out of their mouth this week. There are a lot of question marks. One thing I am not questioning is the gusto with which whoever is playing on Sunday will be providing. We have a very focused team on the New York Jets and there’s a lot of moving parts, but we’ll be able to handle it.”
(I guess another way to put it is who do you expect to practice that wouldn’t have yesterday?) – “I don’t know, honestly. You’re talking about, today was Monday, Wednesday and now Thursday in NFL terms, so it’s hard to say. On a short week, approaching a walk-through, there will be a good amount of guys that will be walking through that may not have been able to practice. If it would have been a full week, I probably would have done a walkthrough on Wednesday anyway. It’s kind of that stage of the season and when you play with effort and strain like our guys do, that comes at a cost, so you have to balance it out. But I’m hard-pressed to even say – literally I’m a terrible person to ask right now because I’ve been focused on getting guys who are possibly available for the game and that I know are available for the game, the resources necessary to be prepared to play this one.”
(OL Jonotthan Harrison has a lot of NFL experience at center but he hasn’t played in a game in I think four calendar years. How did you guys sort through that fact and what role did it play in considering whether to not to sign him?) – “There’s a lot of due diligence amongst our pro staff on top of that with the coaches. Just personnel and coaches working together. You come up with a list. You make sure that you resource all of your league-wide connections who have experience just to understand the human being that you’re dealing with. We have pro scouts that write reports on everyone and have opinions. Then you orchestrate a workout and then put your heads together. That’s not the first time I think in my career that that’s happened. Especially late in the season, this is kind of commonplace. It’s a unique position sort of. That’s what all of us get paid to do is handle scenarios like this. I’m focused on what needs to be done, not what’s happening, necessarily. It’s just another thing to try to – you get an opportunity to see how efficiently you can coach and get guys up to speed. It takes all the coaches. Tt takes the players that are going to have to spend some time working with the quarterbacks, for sure, and getting up to speed. It’s a diligent process. We just have to keep you on your toes. (laughter)”
(How is WR Tyreek Hill and was the tackle that injured him either a horse-collar which is illegal or a hip-drop, which is legal? Or was it both?) – “It wasn’t flagged. I think guys do anything they can to try to tackle Tyreek because he’s hard to tackle. And it was one of those unfortunate things that I didn’t even really – again, it’s opportunity cost. So if I’m assessing how he was tackled, and whether or not that was legal, even though it wasn’t flagged, so therefore, it was legal; then that’s time that I’m not combing the last five years of centers. (laughter) It was unfortunate. His mind is – he’s at such a great spot, that he’s doing everything he can, knowing that he’s going to take care of what’s in his hands. He’s such an important part of our team that we’re going to make sure that when he’s on the field, he’s not at risk of further injuring himself. If it’s a situation where he can get to a point where he doesn’t have to worry about making something worse, football is football, so anything can happen. But in terms of outside of the normal, if he gets tackled in whatever fair or unfair way that he was tackled, again, he knows he’s always at risk of that. But we’re just going to be prudent and smart with him. He’s a competitor and he’s a captain of this team and he very much wants to dictate the terms. But he’s in a good place where he’s not going to do it at the cost of further progression of injury. I’m happy where he’s at.”
(When WR Tyreek Hill is off the field, how much do defensive coverages change?) – “It just depends on the defense. But for the most part, if all 11 defenders are aware of where he’s at on every snap, that’s what happens. Whether or not the calls change or not, he just has a huge impact on the game when he has the ball and when he doesn’t. It’s very much like any one of the best players in the league. It has nothing to do with anybody else. We have a lot of capable playmakers, a lot of really talented people on the team. But everybody knows that there’s someone that you can’t exactly replicate anywhere, let alone on this team. So he’s a special player for us and he will always have an impact on the game, even when he’s not catching the ball or doing those things. Just by his presence out there, you have to account for him. He takes it personal when people don’t.”
(What did you see from LB Melvin Ingram in working him out and how close is he to that player that was on the active roster last year?) – “It was awesome just to be around the guy. He’s a magnetic personality that he had a lot of teammates that were pumped to see him. He is Melvin Ingram. It’s what I would expect. I wouldn’t shortchange him and go zero to 60. We’re going to take it day by day. But the workout was what we needed to see, which is why he’s here. But then a workout is far different from a game. It kind of puts it on our shoulders not to put him out there until he can represent the whole reason he is who he is. What timetable that is? We first have to have a practice. I’m pretty sure he won’t get overly exerted today in a walkthrough, at least we hope. But then we’ll get our first piece of information tomorrow. He’s excited to be here. We’re excited to have him. I think his style of play very much fits how we as a defense really approach that position. I feel fortunate to add him at this point.”
(Could you take us into your relationship with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio? Some coaches after what happened on Monday would really go after their DC. I imagine he doesn’t need that considering his resume and all that. What did you tell him after you saw him Monday night?) – “I’m not sure if it’s a silver lining or the positive part of going through stuff together as a team. Listen, any team that does anything worth anything goes through stuff together. It’s like a family. I would imagine siblings fight, and when you get through it, you’re stronger. Well, that was a fight for us, really for all three phases in terms of emotions. We put a lot into it and didn’t get the results at all. I very much am a person that looks at intent. I try to communicate as best as I can throughout the season. I’m very aware our defensive coordinator is one of, if not the best, defensive play callers that I’ve ever been around. You talk about timeliness of certain calls. Your job is to prepare players and put them in the best position to succeed. Within that, knowing the scheme and knowing the offense, each and every week, the last person I’m worried about doing everything they can for the team is Vic Fangio. With that, we’re teammates. There was no projection towards him. We talked through what we saw, why stuff happened, so that we can coach our players so that you learn from it. You have the choice however you handle anything. That can be a great experience for a team if approached the right way. So that’s where our mind has been at. When that happens, you approach your team and make sure you guys are all really taking in that pain the correct and appropriate way. We’ve moved on to the New York Jets because you can’t – on this day, if we would’ve won by 40 or lost by 40, what does that have to do with today? I know there’s a lot of feelings, as there should be, because people are invested, whether you’re on the team or a fan of it. But the bottom line is we are constantly looking at what we’re doing today for the next game. We can’t live in last game whether we won 70-20 or lost 28-27. Really, the same rep for us. I think the whole building feels the same and we are carpe diem on this (day).”
(The approach every day with energy that you have, how much this week is it more of the gas tank is here, I need you to dial it back so that gas tank is full on Sunday versus I need 100 percent today?) – “I just don’t like doing things half-hearted. Like I alluded to, we probably on a normal week would’ve walked through our first practice of the week. So what does that mean? What is a walkthrough to our team? A walkthrough to our team is a challenge because we have so many competitors that love competing. But then when you tell competitors that now the competition is focusing on the mundane details that go further than your opponent will, that’s kind of the idea. And collectively, guys hold each other accountable to that so you can walk through with purpose. There’s opportunities to communicate, to align, all the things that sound like coach speak but show up as the difference in winning and losing every week. So, you can save your body and get more prepared for the game. We had the same experience, the schedule is very much similar for us as the last time we played the Jets. No one cares on Sunday, absolutely no one cares if you’re tired, if work was hard. And I think our guys are clear on that. We’re very fortunate to have the opportunity to have a game to play each and every week, especially after things – there were some hard, hard lessons learned. That’s why you just focus on the Jets and it’s been really about the New York Football Jets all day.”
(Speaking of the Jets, the last time you guys played them, Black Friday, you had the electric S Jevon Holland pick-six. From reaction to walking through how the play was done, can you talk more about the play and your reaction?) – “If you look at the replays, I generally – you’re hard pressed and I think you guys have seen it even closer because I’m mic’d up every day of my life now, but I’m pretty composed generally. If you watch the replay of it, myself and Coach (Darren) Bevell were almost in the locker room after it, so I lost my mind. As a result of a team experience, where I’m looking at it the same way Coach Bevell is, the same way Tua (Tagovailoa) is. I’m thinking that I just called two consecutive interception plays that I know Tua is very capable of making unbelievable plays, so call a better play. Tua is thinking that. Coach Bevell is thinking that. So there was a lot of emotion there because of the timing of it. Now what was cool was on the sideline, the energy was, no one called it, but it was abnormally intent. You could feel the momentum, the player that caught the ball had purpose. You only get those types of plays when that happens and there’s no hesitation, no high-fiving. There was a mentality of specifically Christian Wilkins at the point of attack, I think Bradley Chubb and Jerome Baker, so all those things capture a moment that – it’s Jevon’s play, but it was all of our experience and it’s all of our play in that way. That was a cool momentum turn that I’m counting on every week. Not really. (laughter)”
(The last two possessions of the Tennessee game, if I’m not mistaken, you had DB Elijah Campbell and S Brandon Jones at safety. Not asking you to throw anybody under the bus, but that’s a big difference from S Jevon Holland and S DeShon Elliott. How does that affect strategy and what you do out there?) – “Well I think the difference is the reps. Those two have had a great season working together. So anytime you have those processes kind of interrupted, there’s communication. Don’t get it twisted. It was not their fault that we gave up a lot of yards. Really, from my vantage point, we’ve moved on because understand when you watch the tape, there was a lot of really good play in the course of the game by all those players and then there wasn’t. So we get down to why and we press forward to the New York Jets, which is where I’m at and where the rest of the team is at right now.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(When you have a guy who’s got four blocks in the last three years, is it just – obviously you have to identify him, but is it just making sure that he’s that focus player?) – “Our concepts and our techniques aren’t going to change, but you highlight guys that have special traits and are able to overcome a lot of the techniques that they’ve seen and still be able to get penetration. So he’s a guy who we were aware of, and we just didn’t do a good enough job. I didn’t get the guys in the right mindset and it cost us.”
(How good of a game did DB Elijah Campbell have? I saw the muffed punt recovery, but I think he also had a tackle on a punt right?) – “Yes, he had a tackle on a punt and had an assist on a kickoff. He played very well. He probably played one of his better games. He’s been a good player for us for a couple years and really was in a zone on Monday night. Really both he and Justin Bethel at the gunner and some of the other spots they played, they both played very well.”
(You guys had WR Tyreek Hill back deep even after he had sustained the ankle injury. What was the thinking there?) – “Well it was a package we were in based on some things that they could have done in that situation, and with the way our group is dispersed from a personnel standpoint, that’s his spot on that particular grouping.”
(So it would have taken a lot for him to return that is what you’re saying?) – “Correct.”
(The LS Blake Ferguson penalty, I talked to him about it, what did you think? He said that they’d hit him in the head a couple of times previously, he told the ref.) – “The only person – I’m old school. The only person that should speak to the referee during the game is the head football coach.”
(Really? So a player, you don’t…?) – “Nope.”
(The rain this week, does that – I know you always talk about wind as being, but does rain, if it’s wet ground, wet ball, does that make a difference punting or kicking or for LS Blake Ferguson snapping?) – “It does. It adds an element to it, whether it’s good or bad. Here in South Florida, we have a tendency to get those occasional rain showers, so working with wet balls is something that we are able to do fairly regularly. If not, we can simulate that. The biggest thing, and you mentioned it, is the wind. The wind is supposed to also be a possible factor, and that’s always a bigger issue than rain, snow, whatever the precipitation may be.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I guess I’ll start it off the question everyone is wondering. How are you guys handling the center situation? Obviously OL Liam Eichenberg is dealing with an injury, but with the two new guys that you’ve brought in, is there a possibility or a strong likelihood that one of them could be starting on Sunday?) – “As we’re working through it, we just have to have a plan for all the potential situations that occur. Just making sure that when we bring guys on, that guys fit what we’re trying to do. Basically when you come off a short week, you get home and it’s Tuesday. The whole part about this week is getting everyone back – players physically ready, mentally ready, coaches mentally ready. It’s such a quick turnaround for your next opponent so as we’re working through all positions on this week, the key would be just making sure that whoever is available to help us win, that we’re putting everyone in the best situation possible.”
(What is your confidence level in OL Lester Cotton snapping the ball if he has to?) – “You look at in the spring when Connor (Williams) was out, it forced us into working contingency plans and that’s the best part about spring, and it kind of even took us down a whole other level of cross-training guys and making sure that we had ‘hey, get him here, get him here’ so as far as Lester’s ability to snap the ball and play, him at guard, him at center; the versatility of the group is something that is a strength. I know Butch (Barry) and ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) make sure every day we’re always getting guys different things. So I think when it comes to Lester and all the guys, we feel the most confidence because also it’s not them by themselves. It’s all of us together and us as coaches making sure that everyone who plays is in the best position possible to succeed.”
(How do you prep the game plan with maybe only one starter available to you on the offensive line?) – “There are many variables like unfortunately this is not my first time going through this. It flashes me back to sometimes the other places I’ve been when you don’t have certainty and you’re working through the week and you’re working through the variables and anticipation of things. So when we’re looking at stuff, it’s not like it’s different, but it’s more of how we communicate about what we’re doing and we’re making sure that whatever we do is able to be versatile if we have to go through multiple scenarios. But ultimately, we look at the defense, we attack the defense for what we think it is and use our guys as best we can to attack the parts of the defense.”
(When going through that, are you of the ideology of having as few moving parts as possible or do you have to sort of prioritize you have to be good at center first and then figure other things out?) – “You can go ‘if this, then that’ and you have your plans for personnel variabilities, but you can’t – we factor in things, but it’s not like you’re just drastically going to shift everything you do. But it’s like you’re very conscious of the different elements that could be in play and we just try and make sure that like every week, we’re always trying to make sure we put the best plan together for our guys to be successful and that’s our driving force, is we look at defenses and attack them.”
(What’s your confidence level in two of your more explosive players – WR Tyreek Hill and RB De’Von Achane – being out on the field on Sunday and being effective out on the field?) – “For our guys to play on any game day, it’s the communication that they have with the training staff, coaches, everyone involved and making sure guys are ready to play. When we put the guys forward to play on any game day, we feel confident that they’re going to be able to execute and play the level that they feel comfortable with because it’s December in the NFL. If you feel completely great, then you probably haven’t done anything. Same thing for coaches. Like if I said I felt fresh and spry like I did in July, then I’m definitely full of it. But it’s that process of as you go through it and you just know, ‘what do I need to do to be at my best and perform to help my teammates and fulfill what we’re trying to do as a team?’ And everyone that plays on Sunday goes through their process and we feel good about it.”
(At the risk of sounding ridiculous, what changes when WR Tyreek Hill is not on the field for your offense?) – “That’s why we have all the guys that do what we do. It’s kind of like for me, I go, ‘well, this is why we practice the way we do in the offseason,’ where when you guys see different guys in there running routes with Tua, you see different guys – Tyreek running routes with Mike White and Skylar (Thompson). We do all this intentionally to make sure that we have cohesion and guys we’re developing that chemistry throughout the entire offseason because in-season, you just have to work different possibilities and we’re counting on our guys to be in the right spots at the right time and do the right things, and that’s where we as coaches help them through the plan and all that. We adjust throughout any game plan so when guys are in, guys are out, not every guy on the team –they come in and out. Like ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill) doesn’t play every play. We make sure we have plans for all that.”
(When a top offense is slowed down, people will say that’s the blueprint to stop that offense. I’m curious the converse of that. If you guys don’t play up to your usual production, is there value in that tape of how somebody else is able to slow you guys down based upon your average game?) – “When you go through history – this is me going full nerd – how many people go through – you learn from your failures. You learn more from areas where you can go, ‘oh, and this is why.’ So I always go to the story of Abraham Lincoln. There’s that quote with Michael Jordan about how many shots he missed and everything. We all remember one side, but he remembers the other. Whenever you have adversity, you can either run from it, hide from it, or you embrace it, learn from it, grow from it, become stronger from it. I think so many guys on this football team, that’s kind of who they were and how they got here. I think a lot of us when we go through games where we had our expectations not met, it’s time to go back to work. That hunger and that fire as a competitor, I mean for me, I know how I feel. I’m excited for every day, including today, as I know everyone else is in the building.”
(One more thing on the center. For a position that is demanding physically and mentally, having to make many ID’s, is it realistic, even for veterans as experienced as OL Jonotthan Harrison and OL Matt Skura, who haven’t played in a game this year, to come into a building mid-week and be able to, if needed, start at center with all that’s required? Is that realistic do you think?) – “I mean, we have to plan for all contingencies just in case what occurs. I think when we go through guys who are acquired and what’s going to happen on that weekend, it’s going to take a collective process to make sure everyone’s ready to execute, if necessary. They’re not on their own to learn everything on their own. It’s on us as a staff to make sure we’re communicating what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, on players collectively to have inclusion and making sure that they’re catching everyone up to speed. That’s when you have strong teams. Guys really work together and communicate together. But is it unheard of? No, it’s not unheard of. I remember I was in Chicago in 2016 and it was last cuts and we signed Logan Paulsen. He showed up on Monday and started that Sunday. He had no idea when he walked in what any one of our words meant. So that was actually very impressive. It’s a measure of being in the NFL, being a professional football player. If it’s easy and anyone can do it, that’s not really what this business is. It’s tough.”
(In the five sacks, where there any common themes? Coverage sacks, pressure up the middle, pressure off the edges, anything?) – “There’s variable of stuff. Like we were talking about, this tape is tough to watch because you expected to have something different to happen. But for where we want to go, for our goals, this was a good game for us to learn in many areas. We’re just ultimately looking forward to getting back to work and finishing the day, get tomorrow, and then get ready for Sunday because the greatest thing we can do is get back and play some more football.”
(On the snap, cause for concern? Or a one-off? What are your thoughts on that?) – “I mean, it’s clearly unfortunate. But it’s a thing that we’re aware of and there’s nothing that we’re sitting here going to express great concern over it. We understand what occurred. We know how to fix it. And we’re going to work the process together.”
(This offense, a lot of it is so predicated on the speed and your ability to stretch them vertically and horizontally. Does that change at all when WR Tyreek Hill is out of the game?) – “I mean, no. I think the basis of all offenses should be that. A lot of people don’t adhere to it. I think that’s where we try to make sure whoever’s in the game, we have a certain width of the field and length of the field that if you don’t make them defend it, compression, compression, compression; and that’s what they want. Defenses want you to play small, play in a close space. And our job as an offense is to challenge the space and make them defend it all. However we do it, with all the people we have at our disposable, that’s what our job is every week, to make sure all the guys on the field are executing concepts that do stretch defenses and challenge them to create space for us to maximize the space and score. So I think ultimately, a lot of times when you look at other teams that don’t move as much as us and do those things, they have different philosophical ways that they believe in attacking. I think we look to attack a defense in a certain way. However our personnel changes, our job is to adjust, but ultimately, all of our plan is derived from who are they? What do they do? And how do we use our pieces to challenge them and put them in conflict?
(Where is WR Chase Claypool in terms of his digestion of the offense and the motions? I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked about there’s a Claypool package, but is he well-versed in the entire offense now?) – “Yeah, I mean in practice, we have our packages of plays, and we go through them. It’s just what is the nature of the game and how is it going? Sometimes we reflect after we’re done and say, ‘Hey, maybe we should have gotten to these plays,’ or ‘Maybe we called too many of them.’ There’s stuff that we have to reflect on as coaches after the game and making sure that we’re putting guys in the right position. He’s doing a great job. I really enjoy talking to him. He’s got really just a great perspective of life and he’s really hungry to learn and get better every day. Because I mean ultimately, you want to surround yourself with likeminded people whose drive to be their best is just a daily, every day, and you can feel that out of him. So we just keep working every day, and his number is going to be called at some point, like everyone’s is. I’m sure he’ll be ready when that time comes.”
(What stood out to you about what the Jets did last week against QB CJ Stroud and the Texans?) – “Overall defensively, they have a very together system. You can tell they communicate very well, they play together well. They’re physical. There’s a lot of challenges they’re going to present. Whenever you have to travel on the road in the NFL, every game is tough. When you look at the challenges that they gave Houston, those are obviously challenges defensively that we’ll have to handle. I don’t really – it’s not like it’s one thing. Every game is just so many different components that are little things that can add up over time, so for us to be able to come out on Sunday and do what we want to do, it’s not really about whatever they’re doing, it’s about us and making sure we’re on our plan and on our communication so we can execute together.”
(How does preparation change when you just saw this team three or four games ago and they’ve only played two games in between your two meetings with them?) – “Well first, it feels like, ‘Wait, it was three weeks ago? It feels like a month ago or two months ago.’ It’s just funny how time, just you’re in a vortex and next thing you know, you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I guess that was Black Friday.’ But as far as our preparation, it gives you – you can reflect on what you did and why you did it, and then you can learn from that, the positives and the negatives. It just helps you in your next evolution of how to attack an opponent. Yeah, it helps, but there’s no guarantee to anything. So we’ll just make sure that we’re on what we need to do for Sunday and make sure we’re communicating and playing well together.”
(Your touchdowns came as a result of special teams and defensive turnovers, which was advantageous of the offense. Is that frustrating for you not to get in the end zone? Was Tennessee doing stuff? Did you guys limit yourselves? How do you view that?) – “It’s a combination of things, but you’ve got to give credit to them for making it a challenging day for us. But at the same time, we need to look at ourselves and make sure we’re operating the way we believe we’re capable of operating. Whenever we have setbacks or things don’t go our way, it’s why did it occur and how do we improve from it? I mean there’s a lot of things that we’re going to grow from that, because like we were talking about it earlier, if you can run and hide and you push it anywhere else, it’s like, no, absorb the reality of what occurred, handle it appropriately, communicate why, don’t shift – it’s just the hallmark of why it’s a joy to work here, because you have an entire building of accountable people who after failure occurs, everyone is going like (raises hand). Everyone everyone is accountable to each other, that’s how you can improve and we can get better, because you don’t hide from adversity. You embrace it and learn and grow. That’s the great part about December. We can get better together.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(I know obviously this year you’ve had a lot of success with four-man rushes and you were playing two backup safeties late in the game. I’m just wondering if that contributed to you not blitzing at all on Tennessee’s last two series. Was that something you regretted not doing at all in those final two touchdown drives?) – “No, they were kind of unusual drives in that they got some early big plays that turned into a red zone two-minute (drill) on both of them. Yeah, you always wish something different had happened. But no.”
(Can you explain what happened on the long WR DeAndre Hopkins pass on the first play of the game-winning drive that they had? It seemed like there was maybe a bust in coverage. But from your perspective, what happened there?) – “Yeah, I mean we just didn’t pick it up the way we usually do and had a problem with that.”
(How do you assess those last two drives? What went wrong for you guys in general?) – “Yeah, we gave up some early plays that got big yardage for them. That really kick started the drives for them.”
(How different is it calling defensive plays when you have S Brandon Jones and DB Elijah Campbell? I’m not asking you to throw anybody under the bus, but I know Elijah hadn’t played from scrimmage in a while?) – “Yeah, this is the time of year for every team in the league where more backups have to be ready and go in there and play. We have confidence in those guys, but obviously when you’re missing your two starters, it sets you back a little bit. But I have confidence in Elijah and Brandon.”
(When the team has a two-touchdown lead with about four minutes to go, how unlikely do you feel it is, what confluence of events would have to occur for the opponent to come away with a win?) – “Well, we saw it there. They got some big plays, which allowed them to score fairly quickly. On the first one, we weren’t able to execute the four-minute offensively and they got it back around the 36 or 37-yard line or whatever it was, and they scored on us. There was still time left for us to have a legitimate chance. So a lot of it happened very quickly.”
(I believe you previously called S Jevon Holland the quarterback of the secondary. How much was his absence specifically maybe attributed to some of the miscommunication that occurred?) – “There wasn’t a lot of miscommunication. That wasn’t an issue. But Jevon has been the quarterback, as I’ve said before, and it’s pretty obvious. Then DeShon (Elliott) has taken that role when Jevon has been out.”
(So just to follow up, you’re saying especially on the late two drives, it was more so about the execution rather than maybe the communication?) – “Yeah, I don’t think communication was the issue. I needed to call it better and we needed to play it better. We’re teammates in this operation, players and coaches, and we all just needed to be a little bit better.”
(On the TV broadcast, they mentioned that you guys could’ve done a better job of protecting the sideline. What goes into teaching those moments and what went wrong?) – “Yeah, we do teach that. On the one time, you alluded to the play that he (DeAndre Hopkins) caught coming across the middle. We didn’t have anybody there to keep him in bounds because of the pickup. But we do emphasize that.”
(If CB Xavien Howard is unable to play Sunday – I know he wasn’t able to go yesterday – would CB Eli Apple be the next option or is CB Cam Smith in your thinking? And CB Kader Kohou will obviously be out there.) – “Yeah, all three are possibilities.”
(Your play that you have been getting at inside linebacker since LB Jerome Baker left – LB Duke Riley was very active against Washington. How’d he play Monday night?) – “I thought he played well. I thought Duke played a good game. He handled being the signal-caller in the huddle and on the line signal-caller. I thought he played good. And I thought David (Long) played good too.”
(Did you get a glimpse of LB Melvin Ingram in his workout, and what did you see?) – “No, I didn’t. And today we’re not really moving around much, so I don’t have anything for you there.”
(What did you think of the pass rush last game? I think you had one sack and eight quarterback hits. Was it a good pass rush and you just didn’t get him to the ground? What did you think?) – “We had some opportunities that we didn’t capitalize on getting him to the ground. But I thought overall, the pass rush was pretty solid.”
(How tough will this game-plan become if you don’t know if you’ll have either safety?) – “It’s like I said. Those guys have been here all year, S Brandon (Jones) and DB Elijah (Campbell). We have other guys that are capable, and it’s time for them to step up.”
(Who else is an option at safety? You said you have other guys. Is CB Nik Needham an option?) – “Yeah. Nik knows it some.”
(Do you see maybe a bigger role for CB Nik Needham? Obviously the Achilles was a big rehab for him, but he’s 14 months removed now. Is that still a limitation for him?) – “No. He doesn’t have any limitations because of that.”
(What is your thinking of not playing CB Nik Needham more?) – “Well right now, we’ve had, for most of the season, Jevon (Holland) and DeShon (Elliott) at safety, and Kader (Kohou) at nickel, and Jalen (Ramsey) and Xavien (Howard) at corner. He’s been the sixth DB to come in when we go to six. But now with some of those guys out, there is definitely a possibility he could be playing more.”
(Is it different getting ready for an opponent you saw four weeks ago as opposed to having not seen a team all year long?) – “Not really because teams change during the course of the season. You have to go by what you see. They played a hell of a game last week against Houston. They have a different quarterback from the last time we played, and he played well. He got (AFC Offensive) Player of the Week in the league. I don’t see it as a big, big difference.”
(What was the change from the first half of that game where they got shut out and punted the ball five time, versus scoring 30 in the second half?) – “They just started really moving the ball, completing some passes. The quarterback played well. Things just clicked for them in the second half. They did a nice job.”
(As far as their passing game, I think RB Breece Hall had 86 yards in receptions, maybe eight receptions, and WR Garrett Wilson had 108 yards receiving. How much of that do you think the Jets will try to translate into this game?) – “I think they will try and do that in any game. Those are two of their best players, and they are going to try to get them the ball. That’s what most teams do, try to get their best players the ball. Certainly Wilson and Hall are great at their positions.”
(When you have a tough loss like this team just suffered, how do you get the team to flush that and move forward, especially on a short week?) – “You just have to do it. That’s part of playing in the NFL. I think the best thing to get it going is just to get out there and practice and prepare for the next opponent, and not sit around and just think about the last game.”
(For you personally? Are all losses the same at this point, or does what happened last week take a little longer to digest or process for you personally?) – “I’m pretty good at moving on to the next one. But I’m just disappointed in the way that it ended. We had been pretty good all year in two-minute situations, if you remember. We were out there with games on the line, and we just didn’t get it done this time.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
OL Jonotthan Harrison
(Are there any Florida Gators in the locker room that we know of?) – “I don’t even fully know. I just got here. I’m still trying to learn where the bathroom is right now. (laughter)
(Is there anybody in the locker room that you know, as a player or coach?) – “Yeah, I played with (Chosen) Anderson and Braxton Berrios up with the Jets. (Parry) Nickerson as well. And then, (Justin) Ellis, I was with on the Falcons this past training camp. So yeah, I know a couple of people, a couple of familiar faces.”
(What was meeting QB Tua Tagovailoa for the first time?) – “I expected kind of a more chill, like Islander vibe. That’s exactly what he is. It was a great conversation off the bat. We started working on some cadence.”
(What were you doing when you got the call?) – “The honest truth? I was sitting on the couch with my wife and we we’re about to eat some food and watch some Netflix. (laughter) I’m being completely honest. I enjoy training and staying in shape so I’ve been doing that regardless. It’s kind of ingrained in me just to always be ready. I was this close to being like alright, I guess I’m not getting my 10th year. I got the call and here I am.”
(How hard is it to just jump right in? I mean, you haven’t played football in what, four years?) – “I’ve been on teams. But like actually playing, yeah we’re talking about four years.”
(So you’ll have the opportunity now. What does that mean to you?) – “It means a lot and I’m going to do whatever it takes to help contribute, do whatever they need me to do. I’ve been getting some reps at center. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a team that’s allowed me to play some center. That’s my bread and butter so I’m really excited. The locker room is great. Everyone is very welcoming. Nice and warm. I’m just looking forward to getting to work.”
(So obviously the starter is out for the year, unfortunately, OL Connor Williams, who was playing very well. OL Liam Eichenberg has filled in capably at times this year. But what have you been told as far as coming in and trying to compete to start? What have you been told in that regard?) – “That’s the mentality regardless. No matter what your role is, whether you’re practice squad, whatever, your mentality is to compete to start. That’s all it is. Come in here, just get up to speed and we’ll go from there. So that’s all I’m focusing on, just learning the playbook, learning some names around the building and just getting up to speed. Whatever they need from me, I’m here.”
(Tell us about the surprise of getting the call, because it sounds like you were kind of resigned to, well, I won’t be active this season.) – “Everything was just a whirlwind at that point. And the funny thing is, today is Thursday. I got the call on Tuesday. Today, I was actually supposed to fly down here for a baby shower. So then I was like, alright, let me just get a bag together and get out of there. But it was very, very exciting to get that call. Very exciting to be active on an active roster again. Like I said, I’m just ready to do whatever, whatever they need me to do.”
(Were you in Lake County or where were you staying?) – “I was about an hour and a half northeast of Atlanta. I recently moved from Arizona to the Georgia area. I was transitioning to training, like strength training offensive and defensive linemen. Then yeah, I got the call and just had to set everything down and take off.”
(So that’s your future, training athletes?) – “Yes, yes it is. It’s something I’m very passionate about. I feel like I can offer mentorship as well as developmental skills.”
(Is there a point in the last four years where you considered just walking away from football entirely to focus on training or some other job?) – “My goal from day one was to get 10 years. I told everyone, all my family. I’m like, dig, scratch or claw, I’m going to get 10 years. I was really disappointed to get released after training camp. We’re in the middle of December right now and I was like, alright, well, maybe I’m not getting it. It’s a reality. It is what it is. They say that the NFL door closes fast, but it opens right back up as well, clearly.”
(So what’s the rule? If you get four rostered games, does that count as an accrued season?) – “I want to say it’s three.”
(So what was the plan if football didn’t happen to work out this year? What was the next move?) – “The next move was to train, to train offensive and defensive linemen. Obviously, I’m an offensive lineman so skill-wise, I can train offensive linemen. But I was partnering with a former teammate up in Georgia. We were kind of tag-teaming it, helping a lot with strength training kids to adults, working with a couple of USFL guys. So that’s what I’d like to do post-career. But clearly that’s on pause for right now.”
(Which of the teams that you’ve been on in recent years use the zone scheme that the Dolphins and of course we know the 49ers use?) – “Actually, there was a lot of carryover from the Falcons. A lot of carryover from the Falcons. The terminology might be a little bit different here, maybe the technique on how to get there. But schematically, there was a lot of carryover so picking up the playbook has been fairly. It’s been a lot easier than I expected.”
(How many snaps do you think you might get a chance to do with QB Tua Tagovailoa so that you can get comfortable with each other?) – “Practice wise?”
(Yeah, moving forward.) – “I think obviously, they signed myself and Matt Skura. So I feel like they’re going to just keep rotating us so we can get whatever work we need, just in case they need us.”
(Are you still going to make it to the baby shower?) – “No, I’m not. This is work. It’s actually on Sunday, so I’m not making it. (laughter) But yeah, all my friends and family, they’ll be watching cheering, supporting. This is my hometown team. I was born in Plantation.”
(And grew up in Lake County?) – “Yes, I grew up in Lake County. I moved up there for fifth grade and on. Just went like another hour and a half north to Gainesville.”
(Does that mean you’ve been a Dolphins fan up until fourth or fifth grade before you moved upstate?) – “Yeah, I was a Dolphins fan I’d say until the NFL. Then I kind of stopped being a fan of teams because it’s night and day when you’re in the locker room, in the business.”
(Mike Pouncey was a legend in this space.) – “I know. I know.”
(Do you know the Pouncey guys?) – “They were my mentors. They were my big brothers in college. I was just trying to resemble how they play, so that’s kind of all I know. A little nasty, twitchy. I definitely looked up to them in college. I still looked up to them in the NFL. They had phenomenal careers. Obviously, my career isn’t the same caliber as theirs, but hey, I’m here.”
Thursday, December 14, 2023
FB Alec Ingold
(I was talking to CB Jalen Ramsey after the game and he said that not having practice reps with some of the players out there affected the game. For you, how important are these practice reps to carry over to Sunday?) – “I love practice. I love practice reps. I’m a big body mechanic, I need to go through everything (guy). It’s a stress mentally to be able to put yourself in that practice field. You have to be so intentional and detailed oriented and it’s hard. It’s hard with long days, but choose your hard. Stress yourself out during the week, during practice, get the reps that you can and the body is going to heal up a little bit, and then you go out there on Sunday you get to cut it loose. You can either live with the stress in the meantime, or you can live with the regret later. I think a lot of us would rather prepare as hard as we possibly can, whether it’s mentally or physically and then spend Sunday with your brothers.”
(When you think back to some of the most difficult losses you’ve ever had to experience, what stands out in how you were able to overcome that?) – “I’ve been a part of some gut-wrenching losses in my time – five years in the league now. I think it’s just when you talk about process – and we talk about process all the time, being really high after a win or really low after a loss – throughout it, you never want to be conditioned to be ok with losing. That’s never in your DNA as a competitor. You can never let that slip in. But at the same time, you have to be able to take tough lessons. You have to take your medicine. You have to learn how to buy into the process that the coaches are talking about, that the players are talking about, and say win, lose or draw, we didn’t play our best game. When you’re in a results-based industry and it’s black and white, there is a whole lot of gray in that film. If you can continue to condition yourself to look towards improvement and not get sick of it, not get tired of it, I think that’s what gives you the best chance to win at the end of the day.”
(In some ways, is a short and tough week like this late in the season easier considering you played the Jets recently?) – “I wouldn’t say easier. A week like this with a lot more mental load than physical, is probably a lot more common. A lot more injuries happen throughout the season. So it’s a part of the year in December, the good December teams have to practice well. One of the first times we were watching practice, Coach (Mike) McDaniel was showing us how to practice without pads in training camp. He’s like winning teams have to learn how to do this. That’s the process that we’re learning right now is how to practice without pads, how to get your mental reps, turn them into physical reps, and then be able to execute when it comes to game time.”
(Obviously you guys have had success running the ball all season. Number two in yards to game, number one in yards per attempt. How much do you feel you have to convince Head Coach Mike McDaniel to lean on you now especially in these tough December games?) – “I think you inspire the play-caller by your play. I think everyone in the room fully has faith and trust in whatever game plan gets put out there, and you’re going to execute and make whatever play work. Good, bad or indifferent, that’s the way football works, and I think that’s where when we’ve got a guy like Raheem (Mostert), we’ve got a plethora of backs, we’ve got an offensive line that is rotating through what they are rotating through. Whatever we got on Sunday is inspiring the play caller, it’s inspiring each other, to be able to go out and execute that way. I think one of the best parts of this last Monday night’s game was the adjustments the offensive line was able to make, the players were able to make throughout the game. We got a lot of different looks and you saw a lot of runs that might have been similar in the first quarter versus the fourth. You can see guys hitting different lanes and being able to have those explosive runs. I think it’s all about showing up on game day with that good week of prep, and then inspiring one another in that run, that tenacity, that mindset, to say we’re going to run, we’re going to do it, we’re going to stick with it and succeed with it.”
