TE Mike Gesicki
(How was the bye week?) – “The bye week was great. A nice little mental and physical reset and now we’re back to work but it was good.”
(Do you feel like guys were juiced up, ready to go?) – “Oh yeah. Everybody is in the right frame of mind, everybody is happy to be back and excited for another opportunity.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa says he doesn’t pay attention to social media and I’m sure there are a lot of guys like that. Are you aware of the analysts who praise Tua, those who are critical? If you hear something critical, does it bother you as a loyal teammate or are you completely oblivious about everything being said about him?) – “You obviously hear it. I watch SportsCenter every day. You see it, you hear it but the thing that’s not a big deal, it is what it is – it’s just how sports fans and the people that talk about it are – the thing that’s frustrating – that’s probably the wrong word – are the people that are negative and then positive and then negative and then positive. That’s when, in the past I’ve said uneducated and whatever I said in the past that (Dolphins staff) is getting ready to jump on the stage and tell me to stop talking, (laughter) but that’s what I’m talking about when I say that kind of stuff. It’s the people that are negative and then positive and then, ‘Oh he’s so great,’ and then ‘Oh he’s not.’ Just pick a side and then roll with it.”
(You said you watched SportsCenter every day, who’s your favorite all-time anchor?) – “That’s a great question. I don’t know and now you’re putting me on the spot with names. I kind of just watch it, some highlights here and there, it’s on in the background. I literally don’t watch anything else besides sports so I go home, watch some NBA, Steph Curry last night and all that kind of stuff. That’s pretty much all I watch.”
(Scott Van Pelt is the GOAT by the way in my opinion.) – “Yeah absolutely. I did watch SVP last night for sure. He had Steph on, so it was cool.”
(RB Duke Johnson might be getting an opportunity on Sunday. When you see a guy come from the practice squad, do you have words of encouragement? Of course he’s a veteran, but I’m just wondering if you get to talk to him?) – “Duke is a professional. He handles himself in a really professional way. From the day he got here, he’s got experience on a couple different teams and many, many seasons in this league. He knows how to go about his business and I’m excited for his opportunity.”
(Have things changed for you and the offense, if at all, with all of these running backs potentially out?) – “Yeah, I think Durham (Smythe) has been getting some snaps at running back. He’s already taken snaps at quarterback. I said this in the past, his price tag is going to continue to go up now. Now he’s getting snaps at running back so make sure you get that news out up to New York. (laughter)”
(Pick him up on your fantasy team?) – “Yes. Yes.”
(This will be your eighth game against the Jets in your career. Obviously, staffs and personnel change, but is there one thing you can always expect going into a Jets game?) – “They’re always going to be ready to play. Like you said, staffs change and all that kind of stuff but this team, they’re always going to be ready to play. I think it’s going to be a good matchup and a great challenge for us and something that we are excited about.”
(Do you worry about the COVID cases not only in the NFL but in all sports, the NBA, soccer, etc. Do you worry about that?) – “Yeah. I think it’s definitely something that you have to be aware about and be smart about. There’s only so much that you can control but you can control leaving here, being safe and all that kind of stuff and then following all the protocols that the NFL sets inside of these doors.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(What are your thoughts on facing QB Zach Wilson for the first time? You guys didn’t see him the last time.) – “I’m obviously excited to play a game every Sunday and do what we do for a living. The Jets present a good challenge for us. They are a division opponent. It’s always tough. Like you said, we didn’t get to see Zach last time. I’m excited for that challenge and what he brings to the game and seeing something a little different. We’ll take it one day at a time and try to take care of business each and every day so we get a good result on Sunday.”
(Do you still believe in rivalries? You mentioned that the Jets are a division rival, but do you still believe that those games are important because of the history?) – “Yeah, absolutely. They are always tough games and they are always important games and they are always big games just because of the familiarity and you see them twice a year and things like that. It’s always a good challenge and the later it gets in the year, the tougher those games get as well, so we definitely need a good week of preparation and that started today. We’ll need to finish out really well.”
(With COVID spreading like wildfire even for vaccinated people, have you and your teammates talked about even being more cautious? You obviously are because you went three months without a COVID positive, but even more cautious? Is that a discussion you and your teammates have had?) – “Yeah, like you said, you definitely see things ramping up now. We’ve definitely been pretty cautious this whole time and we try to do all we can to make sure everybody is healthy and safe. There is nothing more important than the health and safety of this team. It’s something that we mention, we hear and we see around, so maybe guys are a little more cautious and things like that.”
(Does the chance to get back to .500 mean anything to you after your 1-7 start?) – “I’m not really focused on the number or the record. I’m just focused on getting to 1-0 this week. That starts by good meetings, good workouts, taking it one by one, one at a time.”
(How many times a day does Head Coach Brian Flores instill that message, impart that message to you guys?) – “One day at a time, one game at a time, one meeting at a time.”
(How many times a day do you hear that?) – “That’s what it is. That’s a great way to approach it each and every week, and each and every day. Just one at a time. You can’t move on to the next thing until you finish. You can’t move on to dessert until you finish your vegetables.”
(Did you interact much with UM Athletic Director Dan Radakovich at Clemson?) – “D-Rad. Yeah, me and D-Rad were cool. Me and him were pretty cool. I’m happy for him. I know he’s been down here – well he went to school here or worked here or something before. I’m definitely excited for everything that he’s got going on. I thought he was a great guy. We were able to be around each other some at Clemson.”
(He seems like an approachable, friendly guy, which is needed in that role for fundraising and many other reasons.) – “Absolutely. A very solid guy. They are getting someone good down here. He’s a great guy.”
(You got to see G Alijah Vera-Tucker last time and you get to see him again now. What have you seen from him on tape and the first time you guys played the Jets?) – “He’s a pretty good player, especially for a young guy, especially for a rookie. Very solid, very strong, athletic, can move well and things like that. He’s a good player and I think he’ll have a chance to be pretty good in this league. I try to focus on everything I need to do in order to be the best I can be on Sunday.”
(Do you feel like the guys are coming back after the bye week juiced up and everyone is itching to get back on the field and play some games?) – “Yeah. We still got the same mindset and everything as we did before we left. Just being our best, focusing in, honing in on our craft, our skillset and trying to be the best. Get the gameplan down pat and execute to the best of our abilities. We’ve got a lot of great guys on our team and a lot of guys who have the desire and hunger to be better every day, and a lot of good energy and a lot of good character. It’s always fun coming into work, so nothing has changed from that standpoint.”
(You mentioned vegetables before dessert. What’s your favorite dessert?) – “Dessert? Ooo. I would say my mom’s peach cobbler. She does a good job with that. (laughter)”
RB Duke Johnson
(How excited are you about this opportunity to potentially carry a heavy workload on Sunday?) – “I’m excited just to be back out there. Last time I played was against the Jets so for me, I’m just excited to be out there, period, after not playing for most of the season. Just happy to be back.”
(Has this been a tough adjustment for you for somebody who’s been in the league for a while, with what’s gone on this year?) – “As far as me not playing?”
(Practice squad and not playing?) – “No. I’ve kind of always been a team guy and for me it’s whatever it takes to win. No matter whether it was high school, college. No matter what kind of sport it was, I do my job and that’s all I can do. Control what I can control.”
(Were you worried this week seeing three running backs land on the COVID list? You’ve made it through but were you worried going through tests? “Could I have been…?”) – “No because if I was positive, there’s nothing I can do either way, so I don’t really worry myself about something I really can’t control. I live by that. So whether I had it or not, there was nothing I can do at that point but stay home and get healthy.”
(I know you’re not living in a glass container. But are you being extra cautious this week knowing you’re almost all the Dolphins have at running back if those three guys aren’t active Sunday?) – “No, I think I’m doing what I’d typically do. Live my day-to-day doing as much as I can to stay clean and stay healthy.”
(So the Jets game was up there. So this would be your first time putting on the Dolphins uniform at Hard Rock Stadium. What do you think it’ll be like?) – “No idea. (laughter) No idea. I think it really won’t hit me until the game. Right now I’m just taking it all in and just enjoying the moment, but I really won’t know until the game so you’ll have to ask me after the game.”
(Have you had – it’s cliché but I am interested – have you had a lot of friends and family hit you up for tickets?) – “No, because the last couple of weeks I wasn’t active, so I really wasn’t playing. As of now, no, not yet. It’s possible. It’s possible, but not at this moment.”
(So how often when you were in high school or at The U did you dream about that moment that maybe like wearing a Dolphins jersey at Hard Rock Stadium?) – “I would say middle school. Middle school was probably the last time I thought about that. I was a big Dolphins fan growing up, but as a kid you always want to play home, stay home. I was fortunate to go to Miami and stay home for my college career so now I’m back.”
(I would imagine the answer is yes to this, but if you have to carry a 20-25 carry workload Sunday, you’re healthy and able to do it I’m sure, right?) – “For me, it’s whatever the team needs. Literally. Running, catching, blocking, special teams. For me, the goal is always to help my win in any capacity.”
(Your position is one in the league where a lot of talented guys – you, Todd Gurley, Lamar Miller – it’s a very, very long list of guys who are highly productive early to mid-20s and then teams look for younger guys and it’s harder to sustain being in the league. Is that difficult to deal with? Is it just something about running back which you think that might happen more than other positions?) – “For me, I really have no idea. For me, I don’t – again – I can’t control anything. I can only put my best foot forward when I’m with the team and do what I can to help the team win and produce and do my job. But as far as why the drop-off or why the dip, I can’t really answer that. I can just only tell you that I’m going to do my job until I can’t.”
(A lot of wear and tear I guess at the position…) – “That’s football. I think that’s football, period. No matter what position you play, there’s wear and tear. It’s a part of the game.”
(What has QB Tua Tagovailoa been like to work with… [inaudible]?) – “He’s been the same guy since I got here from practice squad, active (roster). He’s been the same guy treating me with the utmost respect, helping me get acclimated to the playbook and just being who he is. I think that’s one of the best things I can say, is he was him regardless of whether I was helping him or not.”
(Going back to your playing days in either high school or college, what stands out as far as if I were to ask you about it a day when you really had to carry a workload and maybe were just worn out by the end of the day? Anything like that stand out?) – “Worn out? Probably in high school.”
(How many carries are we talking?) – “Definitely can’t remember the exact carries, but it was probably my last high school game – state game – was probably one of the ones that I was just worn out, exhausted.”
(That’s a good time to get worn out.) – “Yeah, great time. (laughter)”
(How has RB Malcolm Brown looked today I guess? How did Malcolm Brown look?) – “How did he look? Not sure – like I wasn’t here before so it’s hard for me to tell what he looked like. I really can’t compare because I wasn’t here before, but I came out with Malcolm. I know Malcolm. I know him as a person. I really can’t tell you how he looked before injury compared to post-injury.”
(So when you know there’s a chance, like an increased chance that you could end up getting 10, 15 or more carries – I looked it up, last year there were games in November where you had like 14, 16 in back-to-back games. So if that is the case clearly this week, is there anything at all that you’ll do differently relative to film study, massage, acupuncture, rest, anything at all you’ll do different?) – “No, sir. I kind of go by my day-to-day like I’m playing every week so it’s a routine that I have whether I’m on practice squad or not. Just kind of the same routine so when you do get called up, you don’t change nothing. You don’t try anything different that would throw you off so you do everything the same.”
(The practice squad list is so long. It never used to be like this and there’s guys on here who have had success in the league. The practice squad has changed. Have you and any of these other guys on the list ever talked about like, “Hey man, this isn’t like regular practice squad in this COVID era?” You know what I’m saying? What are your thoughts on how the practice squad is different with the COVID era and the way they change the rules up with some veterans and things like that?) – “I think the biggest thing is the veterans. Coming in, showing, giving looks and kind of mentoring in a way and just talking to the guys and helping them see what we see or what we’ve seen throughout the years and just do whatever we can to help them get as prepared as they can be for the game.”
S Eric Rowe
(Obviously S Jevon Holland landed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list a couple days ago. There is potential he might not play, which could again put you in a starting role. Have you seen your role change a bit starting for S Brandon Jones the past couple weeks compared to when you were in more of a part-time role? Has your role changed in any way?) – “Are you asking me if my role has changed right now?”
(No I mean the past two games when you started for S Brandon Jones. Has your role been any different than when you were in a part time duty in the weeks prior?) – “No. It’s been the same role even with Brandon going down the past two games. I just stay in the strong safety role and then I still have my role whenever third down comes around. If they want me to man on tight end or play zone, I still have that role. It’s been the same. It’s just people change.”
(The Jets give a lot of targets to their running backs and tight ends. Do you see that as a possible big role for you this week, taking on the tight ends and running backs?) – “Yeah, we know they like to use their backs. They love their backs and their tight ends. I’ve been seeing a little more balls going to them. But essentially, I can’t say we know what they like to do but we have an idea of what they like to do – get the ball out quick. It doesn’t matter who’s back there, whether it’s (Zach) Wilson or (Joe) Flacco. Backs and tight ends each week, you can’t sleep on them because if you let them go off, it’s the NFL and they’ll produce.”
(I saw on social media that you were hosting to host a holiday toy event. Did you have a specific interaction with a kid or kids that was memorable to you?) – “Yeah, I had two families and what I did was just help them to their table of the gifts that they had. I met, it was like five – I had two families, it was like five kids. What was kind of memorable was they would ask for your picture or autograph and I’m pretty sure they didn’t know football like that but their eyes would just light up. They’re like, ‘Oh, wow!’ I don’t know if they thought I personally gave them the gift. They were like, ‘Thank you for the gifts!’ and I was like, I can’t take the credit because I didn’t give the gifts, I didn’t buy them. But just to see how much they appreciated it, it just lights me up.”
(Are you comfortable at both free and strong safety?) – “Yeah. You’ve got to know both. You can’t be one sided and I played free in college back then.”
(How much would you say you split between the two in practice?) – “What, today?”
(Either today or in general?) – “Ah, no. Can’t give that info out there. (laughter)”
(What has changed as the league has been more of a passing league, where you have to know both spots, you can’t just play in the box? Or is that something that has always been the case for safeties, do you think?) – “I personally feel like, I don’t know how other teams do it but I know being here under (Brian Flores) ‘Flo’s’ defense, you’ve got to be versatile. You can’t just be one and done unless you’re All-Pro at it. You’ve got to be able to flip between free, strong, get in the box, go out there and cover on the slot or whoever is out there out wide. You’ve got to be able to do it all.”
(What are your thoughts on QB Zach Wilson? You didn’t get to face him the first time you played Jets and now you’re getting a chance to go against him.) – “We’re excited because he’s a good, young quarterback. He has a rocket arm, he’s accurate and he can run. Those three things are obviously all threats. We’re excited to go against him. We wanted to go against him the first week because a rookie quarterback, high draft pick, good guy. We like the challenges.”
(There have been an awful lot of players testing positive across the league in the past few days. I think it’s up to seven teams in the enhanced protocol. How much thought have you given to any of that? Are you being extra careful now or has it changed anything for you?) – “The numbers are crazy. The numbers are crazy. I’ve been on my own same routine I’ve been doing all year. I wear a mask when I’m out in public or if I’m in a crowded – I know in that one video I didn’t have a mask on, they just wanted me to do a quick shoutout but that whole event I had my mask on, being extra cautious. It’s not just for me. It’s for me, my teammates, my family at home, my wife. I just keep with the same routine though.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores sounded like he was not going to order you guys not to go out for the next month but have you guys as players collectively talked about maybe not going out as much because there are so many positives now in society?) – “Yeah, there’s a lot. We haven’t really had too many discussions as players just going out because obviously, we don’t go out. It’s the season, right? We go to practice, we go home, study and get ready for the next day. There’s been a couple talks of like – we’ve talked about how many positives are going on and how things are really starting to go on the other side. I think guys are more aware of if they go out, just put a mask on at least and just be cautious.”
(Do you worry about high-profile athletes who have suffered from COVID and are now living with the consequences, like Lewis Hamilton has talked today. One of the best strikers in the world in soccer retired because of the effects of when he had COVID. What do you think about that and does that worry you that COVID could affect your game?) – “Yeah, it doesn’t matter if you’re a high-profile athlete or somebody working in an office job, COVID does not discriminate. It does not matter. Whether like, to your question, whether it’s high profile or you’re just the average person working, you should be cautious. Right now with COVID, you can be selfish thinking I have to go out there and play, which we all want to compete but we have to think about the greater good. If I spread it to a teammate and maybe he spreads it to his wife then spreads it to their little child, you don’t know how that child will be affected, right? It’s more than just sports.”
CB Xavien Howard
(So I know every opponent is supposed to be treated the same. But I’m just curious, do you have good memories of some of your games against the N.Y. Jets? Do you like playing the Jets?) – “Yeah, it’s a big game. I really don’t remember – well, I do remember some stuff but it’s a new team, new players and new receivers so I just can’t think of what I did in the past.”
(What do you think of QB Zach Wilson and getting your first look at him after you didn’t see him the first time?) – “It’s good. It’s always good to have a quarterback – a fresh quarterback – coming in. Just ready to execute, really.”
(Would you be able to play some running back if called upon? Right now, RB Duke Johnson is kind of the only guy you’ve got.) – “He’s enough. We’ve got Duke. He can handle that. (laughter)”
(Do you feel like guys are coming in after the bye week refreshed, ready to go, hungry for these last four games?) – “Yeah, most definitely. A lot of guys are fresh coming back. We’re really just excited to just get back on the field.”
(How does it change things potentially if S Jevon Holland can’t go?) – “Next man up mentality. Due to this COVID, there’s a lot of stuff going on with the COVID. It’s just the next man up mentality.”
(Did you catch any of the games on Sunday? And if so, what moments caught your attention?) – “The Buffalo Tampa game. That was a big game. Just watching football and just learning from mistakes they make on defense.”
(How do you feel about the fact that the team is sort of back in the mix and that these games could play a role in maybe even making the playoffs? Is that exciting to you? Do you appreciate the opportunity? What are your thoughts on that?) – “I treat it like one game at a time. It’s always the next game is important. I’m going to focus on the Jets right now and that’s really all I’m worried about right now. We’ve just got to take care of what’s in front of us right now.”
(How often does Head Coach Brian Flores drill that message into you guys, just worry about the game right now?) – “Every day.”
(How many times a day?) – “(Expletive), I don’t know. A lot. A lot. (laughter)”
LB Jerome Baker
(We asked DE Emmanuel Ogbah this week about the contributions Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and the defensive coaching staff have made in this win streak. He mentioned that you’re going back to how you used to play in terms of disguising things, giving teams even more looks. Not that you weren’t doing that some before, but it seems to have ratcheted it up. Do you agree with that? Is that something the players pushed for with Josh Flores about a month or six weeks ago?) – “I agree with that statement, I guess. Josh, he is doing a great job of coming in and having a great gameplan and just putting us in position to win. It’s a credit to him and the whole coaching staff.”
(You get a quarterback this week that’s obviously fleet of foot. Does that ever put a moment of doubt in your mind in terms of how you approach him or are you playing downhill? Do you have to change the way you approach a more mobile quarterback like that?) – “I wouldn’t say it’s a doubt or anything. It’s just being mindful of who’s back there. You want to play technique. You can’t just rush off the edge and have no contain, you want to squeeze the pocket and things like that. I wouldn’t say it’s a doubt. It’s more of being aware of who is back there.”
(What’s your level of concern given the number of positive tests that have occurred in the past couple of days league-wide? What’s your level of concern about that?) – “I’m not concerned. I guess you can say it’s kind of a little expected. It’s long in the season. It’s a little harder to take care of your body and get more rest. You’ve got to just tighten up on that. I don’t think nobody is worried. The NFL, our medical staff do a great job taking care of us. I wouldn’t say it’s anything to worry about.”
(Is everyone excited to be back after the bye?) – “Yes, I’m excited. The bye week is definitely fun, but I love playing football. I’m happy to be back.”
(How is it different to be potentially playing without S Jevon Holland as opposed to playing without S Brandon Jones, who you have been without the last couple of games?) – “What’s the difference? I don’t know the difference just yet, but we’re definitely going to miss Jevon out there. He’s a young guy but he stepped up for us this year. We’re definitely going to miss him out on the field. I don‘t know the difference just yet. We’re going to see.”
(The Jets get RB Michael Carter back this week. He played against you guys the last time around. What does he do that kind of makes him stand out on tape?) – “He’s a dynamic back. He can do a lot of things coming out of the backfield and running downhill. It’s going to be exciting. It’s going to be a fun one. I’m happy to be down here and not up there in the cold. It’s going to be a good one.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You obviously played these guys four weeks ago and have that tape to go off of to prepare for this week. How much does having that recent familiarity with this Jets team help your preparation this week?) – “It helps but I think what we try to do week in and week out is try to prepare as if we don’t know the team. We’re going into this game as if we don’t know this team. Obviously there’s some familiarity but you have to prepare like this is a new team.”
(Obviously your top three running backs are currently sidelined due to COVID-19 protocol. Was having RB Duke Johnson, RB Gerrid Doaks and RB Dexter Williams coming in there, some guys who haven’t had as many practice reps, what are some things that you’re working on to try to make sure that you’re on the same page ahead of Sunday?) – “I would say the same things that we’ve been working on with Myles (Gaskin), Salvon (Ahmed) and also (Phillip) Lindsay. The same things with handoffs, run game, getting them some route opportunities, whether they’re in an empty formation or if they’re running a route from the backfield. Same old thing.”
(So the timing in the passing game and stuff like that is maybe even a little more difficult than just the normal RPOs and hand-off stuff?) – “I don’t think so. I would say it’s the same thing. The only thing with it is just understanding how they run their routes and basing it off how they do certain things.”
(How did you spend the bye week?) – “I got to golf. I got to go to some games. I tried to do as much as I could. I was itching. I couldn’t stay at home.”
(You participated last night in the holiday toy event. How important is it to you to get that community event in? It’s an important week because you’re playing the Jets here on Sunday but how important is it for you to get into the community and talk to kids and see what they think of you?) – “I think that’s something that’s very important to me. Giving back has always been something that’s been a part of my life and something that I’ve seen growing up from my parents. I would say it’s not more so the children being able to see me there or being able to hear me, but just the gift of giving back and seeing how it changes those families lives. Now I didn’t purchase the gifts and I wasn’t the person who bought the gifts for the kids and whatnot, so all credit goes to whoever did that. I was just very grateful to be there to support that organization in something like that. It was cool.”
(I have a quick two-part question. Against the Jets at Hard Rock Stadium is where you made your NFL debut last year. What do you remember most from that game and how much have things changed for you since that day?) – “From the first time I stepped on the field, it was exciting. I was a little nervous going out there for the first time. That was the loudest I’ve ever heard people cheer for a 1-yard pass ever in my life. (laughter) The loudest. To number two, I would say just going through the years, obviously this is my second year. Being able to experience game-time situations, game-time play, playing against different defenses, playing against different coaches, you learn a lot. I’m continuing to grow in that.”
(What would you say your chemistry is with RB Duke Johnson and RB Gerrid Doaks?) – “I would say it’s a continuation of us still trying to find our tune. I only played with Duke one game and it was against the Jets the first time we played them. I’ve never had the opportunity to play with ‘GD’ (Gerrid Doaks), so this will be my first time. It’s just like anything else. You just have to get reps in with them, with mesh points in the run game and then also route distribution for them in the pass game.”
(Yesterday I talked to Quarterbacks Coach Charlie Frye and he said the back foot is a mentality for the quarterback. I was curious what you think of that mantra and kind of how you think you’re progressing in regards to that confidence in the pocket and with that back foot.) – “It’s really based on the confidence part of that. The back foot plant and you’re getting ready to throw it knowing there’s someone in your face and you’re really getting ready to take a hit while throwing the ball. So just being able to stand in the pocket, stand firm and make the throws that you need to make for the team.”
(We don’t know how Sunday is going to play out but we know that the running back corps is going through what it’s going through, which could put more on your arm and the passing game to pull the offense through. In situations like that, do you welcome that? Is it pressure or is it opportunity? Players see it different ways.) – “I don’t see it any other way than the way we’ve been playing these past few weeks. If the defense allows us to throw the ball, then that’s what we’re going to do. If they allow us to run the ball, then that’s what we should be doing. We’re not going to change our gameplan unless it’s not something we game-plan for according to what the defense gives us.”
(Did guys come in after the bye week like juiced up, ready to go these last four games? Like let’s make something happen?) – “Yeah. Guys look like they’re fresh. Guys are running around. It looks like a lot of the guys were itchy too. A lot of the guys were happy to be back in. There’s a standard here that a lot of these guys are holding each other accountable to. I think that’s pretty cool to see after a bye week, especially.”
(How does RB Malcolm Brown look to you? A guy coming off an injury.) – “Yeah, Malcolm looks good. Obviously he’s still working his way into the lineup with us but he looks good at practice.”
(What do you think about defensive-minded coaches getting an opportunity in the NFL, like Head Coach Brian Flores and N.Y. Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh? What do you think about that?) – “I think you look at those teams and they’re defensive-minded coaches, so they’re going to spend a lot more of their time with the defensive side of the ball, game-planning how to stop our offense and whatnot. We’re going to have to go into the game and we’re going to have to execute, take whatever they give us and march down the field and put some points on the board.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(With positive COVID tests pretty rampant now around the league, have you considered telling your players or strongly encouraging your players to stay home when they’re not at the facility or when they’re not at games or do you feel like that’s not the place of a coach in sports to tell their players to stay home?) – “We tell them to be smart, be safe, understand that we are all living in a pandemic. There’s a lot of things about COVID that are, a lot of it is our of our control. It’s airborne. Really every decision they make or every place they go, we really all should walk into wherever that is, a supermarket or store, understanding that it’s out there and we have to take the correct precautions.”
(RB Malcolm Brown, is he trending in the right direction early this week?) – “Yeah, he’ll be out at practice today.”
(What’s your level of concern given what we are seeing this week regarding the test results around the league?) – “You never want to see people test positive. Obviously this is a serious situation as far as COVID and the amount of hospitalizations and deaths that have occurred because of the virus. I guess that’s where my initial thoughts are, just people’s overall health. Nothing is more important to me than the health of our team and that extends out to their families as well. We take it seriously. I take it seriously. I think the entire league takes it seriously and I think the entire country is taking it seriously. If the question is about football, yeah that’s one part of it but I think the overall health of the team and the people around the league is my initial concern or my No. 1 concern. I think we have to try to take as many precautions as possible so that it doesn’t spread throughout teams, the league, the community and etc.”
(With S Jevon Holland’s status uncertain for Sunday, do you feel good about S Brandon Jones in terms of the elbow healing enough for him to be able to return to play?) – “We’ll see Brandon at practice today. We’ll take this day-to-day and if he’s available, then he’ll be out there. If he’s not, then we’ll have the next guy step in and play. Brandon is eager to get out there and play. He’s doing everything he can from a rehab and training standpoint. We’ll see how this week goes.”
(Do you have any update on the four guys currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 list? Have any of them started the process of returning negative tests and are any on track to potentially return ahead of Sunday’s game?)- “There’s a protocol and a process. Again, I don’t get into people’s medical situations so I’m not going to sit here and say somebody is negative and somebody is positive. I don’t believe that’s the right way to approach someone else’s personal situation, I think that’s just common courtesy. We’ll just take it day-to-day.”
(On S Jevon Holland, how different is it replacing him and the safety he is as opposed to replacing S Brandon Jones the past couple games?) – “I think this is why we practice guys in multiple positions. If this situation occurs, the next guy will step in and play. That may be a variety of players but I know we feel good about the guys in that room. But it’s about preparation. It’s about how we practice. That starts today and obviously we’re gearing up to play a division rival, a team that played us well the last time we saw them a few weeks ago and it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
(Do you get the sense that, a year ago at this time, the vaccine was an idea. It hadn’t been in a whole lot of arms at that point. Now we’ve got 200 million people in this country fully vaccinated, a lot of them boosted. A lot of people testing positive but they’re still asymptomatic. Do you get any sense that there is a frustration level that if a player is fine, if he’s vaccinated, if he’s boosted and he’s done all the right things and yet he still has to sit out, is there a frustration in those situations?) – “I think that’s a question for people individually. I think our focus right now is obviously on the health of the team but then on the Jets. Any frustration that there may or not be, I think ultimately you’ve got to compartmentalize that and deal with that somewhere else. When we’re in here, we’re focused on getting better, improving and trying to prepare ourselves the best way to play against a Jets team that has played well, I would say, in spurts. I think they’ve played some good defense. I think they’ve played well offensively. I think they do a good job in the kicking game and it’s going to be a big challenge for us. Our players know that. We’ve got to prepare the right way to try to go out here and have a solid performance.”
(You tell us all the time that you are very much a one day at a time, what’s in front of me today, practice today, the Jets this week. We all understand that perspective of course. To that end, when a team has a chance to get to .500, this magical number that so much gets made about, does some of the focus just naturally go there? It’s not a goal to be .500 but it is a benchmark, it’s the best you can do this week. Is there something that is a little extra when you have a chance to get back to that plateau?) – “No. I think we’re playing the Jets and we’re trying to just win one game. That’s it. We’re not worried about what’s happened in the past, we’re not worried about the future. We’re just trying to win one game and that starts with today, obviously.”
(Can QB Tua Tagovailoa and the short passing game help counteract some potential losses on the ground?) – “I’m not sure if those go together as far as losses in the backfield. We’ll have a running back or running backs, so we’ll have an opportunity to run the football. I think we’ve got to execute and when we do do that. I think we’ve got to execute our short pass game. I think we have to execute our intermediate pass game. I think we have to execute our deep passing game as well as our play-actions and screens and RPOs and run game as well. At the end of the day, it’s all about execution. Tua is at the forefront of that because he touches the ball on every snap. I don’t really see much changing. I think the Jets have a really good front. I think they do a really good job whether it’s Quinnen Williams, whether it’s (Folorunso) Fatukasi, whether it’s Sheldon Rankins, whether it’s (John) Franklin-Myers, Shaq (Lawson), C.J. Mosley. They’ve got a good front. They’ve got good DBs as well and this is going to be a big challenge for us so we’ve got to get execution across the board.”
(What have you guys seen from RB Duke Johnson?) – “Duke played in the one game against the Jets. He’s done a good job in practice over the last – I don’t know exactly how many weeks it’s been but let’s call it six or seven weeks. He’s a professional. He’s had a lot of production in this league. He’s preparing and he always prepares as if he’s going to play. If he gets an opportunity, hopefully he’s put himself in position to take advantage of it but that happens over the course of the week.”
(With the running backs, obviously RB Duke Johnson has been here and RB Gerrid Doaks has been here. Those guys are probably going to get some more reps than they usually get in a game week in preparation. What are some things that you are looking for, whether it’s pass protection or the communication with the quarterback?) – “Good communication. Good fundamentals and technique. Ball security. Give us that and I think – just your fundamentals and techniques and whatever it is, pass protection, route technique. As a running back, there’s seeing the front, seeing the linebackers, understanding where the lanes should open up, things like that. I think it’s just, that’s what I’m looking for.”
(How is it preparing for the Jets and QB Zach Wilson after seeing QB Joe Flacco last time?) – “I think Zach Wilson is a very talented young player in this league. A big arm. Mobile. I think he’s getting better every week. I think this is a player who is ascending. Like any young player, there’s been some bumps. I know he was out for a little bit and came back. He’s played well. I think this will be a big challenge for us. That’s who we are preparing for and against.”
(After the byes, do you feel like today at practice you need to sort of ratchet it up? Like all right, back to business. Will it be that sort of mentality today?) – “Yeah, I’m expecting a good practice and good communication, high intensity, a high level of execution, that’s what I’m looking for. That’s what I look for every day. Whether it’s after a bye or after 12 games in a row, it’s the same to me.”
(You guys have been so efficient running play-action and running RPOs, particularly during the last five weeks, even without kind of a dominant run game. I’m curious, why is it that offenses are able to successfully run the play-action and successfully run RPOs even without that dominant run game?) – “I think it’s week-to-week. It’s case-by-case. It’s hard to say. I think at the end of the day, the only way to answer that is execution in whatever scheme or concept we’re trying to do offensively. That’s really the answer. It’s execution in whatever play-action or RPO versus not executing in something else.”
(Does the threat of a run suffice here? Even if you are not averaging five or six yards per carry, is the threat that they might run enough to open up those windows?) – “Again, it’s case-by-case. If I know what defense we’re talking about, then I could probably answer it more – or have a better answer for you. But based on what they’re doing, the threat of a run may not be enough. In some instances, a threat of a run might be enough. I think at the end of the day, we want to be able to – we need balance. So we want to be able to run it, we want to be able to throw it, we want to be able to play-action it. In some instances, the threat may open up more holes in the pass game. I think that’s probably what you’re alluding to. But the same thing is running it opens up some lanes in the passing game as well. That’s something that we’re constantly having conversations about. I think to get the efficiency that we’re really looking for, you need to kind of put all of those things together. And we’re still working towards that.”
(When you play a team at this time of year that is out of the race, do you find that there’s an unpredictability? Have you found in past situations that there’s an unpredictability to that team because they can maybe be a little more looser? They’re playing for or evaluating guys in different ways. They’re looking towards the future. Have you found that teams change a whole lot when they’re in that situation?) – “I think that Rob – Coach Salah – I think he’s going to have his guys ready to play. He’s intense. He’s a great motivator, a great teacher of fundamentals and techniques. I think he’s going to have his team ready to go. In this league, every week, everyone – every team has good players. When they step in between those white lines, everyone is competing. I don’t really take the approach that they’re out of it. It’s more – there’s a lot of competitive people in this league. Players, coaches, executives, medical staffs, the whole bit. They’ll be ready to play. That’s the case in really every game in this league and that’s really what I’m expecting from this group.”
(When a team is officially out of contention, I was wondering if you notice they tend to change what they do maybe more on a week-to-week basis than you would ordinarily see.) – “No. I think they’re trying to get a win. Whether it’s trick plays or onside kicks or things of that nature, I think they’re trying to get a win. Whether it’s looser – I guess you could call it that. Maybe they’re more apt to call a trick play or do something in the kicking game. Those are things that we’re always alert for. But they may be more likely to do something along those lines. To me, that could show up at any point. We got hit with a fake punt a couple of weeks ago with a team that was in it. I think we’ve got to be ready for all of those things. We’ve got to be alert for all of those things. We’re certainly going to coach the guys to be alert for those things. But we know this is going to be a tough, competitive game.”
