Friday, December 20, 2024
WR Malik Washington
(Where has the most improvement come in your game as a receiver from August to now?) – “I think just being able to process really what’s going on, the full field. Getting a chance to understand what defenses are throwing at us, what our offensive plan is and where I fit in in the offensive plan.”
(How has your chemistry with QB Tua Tagovailoa grown as the season has progressed?) – “I think back to the first time I ever threw with the guy, just trying to see the left-handed spin. I was trying to figure that out and now it’s just let’s make the completion, let’s make a play. I think the growth over the time I’ve been here has been huge.”
(With the success that the 49ers have had, do you see this as a measuring stick game so to speak?) – “I hate to go into a game measuring up teams and stuff like that. We’ve got to bring our best self; we’ve got to bring Miami Dolphin football on Sunday and we’ve got to go out there and win.”
(Was there anything you were curious about, about a particular skill that helped you succeed in college whether it would translate as well in the NFL? What skill might that have been and has it translated?) – “In college, I think breaking tackles was kind of my thing, and getting to the NFL everybody is bigger, faster, stronger. You kind of want to know, ‘Man, am I going to be able to break those same tackles when I get to the NFL?’ I think I still have a lot of growth to go, and I still have a lot of time, but I think just seeing some of that happen on Sundays as we continue on my year, I think we’ll see some more of it.”
(For yourself and all of the young players, how important are these last three games whether you guys are still competing for a playoff spot or not just to carry some momentum to the end of your rookie season into Year Two?) – “I think first and foremost we want to give our best effort. We want to put everything forward to be able to go to the postseason, that’s our main goal. But beyond that, it’s the growth and development we’re looking forward to. I think these last three games will give us a good chance to see where we are at going into the offseason. being able to know what we need to work on, what we need to get better at so we come into Year Two running.”
(What’s the area that Wide Receivers Coach/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker has helped you maybe the most in terms of polishing and developing?) – “He’s really smart. He knows football inside and out. I think he’s been able to teach me, ‘Man if you see this, expect this.’ So being able to process the game a little bit, make it a little bit slower when I’m out there.”
(What did you know about Wide Receivers Coach/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker as a player? Did you watch him much in his playing days?) – “I think everybody watched Wes Welker. He was an awesome player everywhere he was at. Seeing him, taking his game and trying take bits and pieces of it and add it to my game as well.”
(What are some of the things you’ve learned from WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle? You’re a rookie under guys like that in Year One.) – “Just taking it all in – not thinking that you understand something or that you know too much. Just taking the coaching and understanding it’s your rookie year; you’re going to grow and you’re going to get so much better over the years, so take every piece of information and use it.”
Friday, December 20, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(I know you always do everything you can to try to play. Was how you felt today – did it leave you optimistic about Sunday?) – “Yeah.”
(How tough has the process been the last – I know it’s been weeks and weeks, two months you’ve been dealing with this, you’ve been a sport about it – how difficult has it been?) – “It’s been a challenge for sure. It’s been a challenge just trying to navigate everything, but at the same time trying to prepare and keep my technique and all that good stuff right, but excited for Sunday.”
(What’s the film showing you regarding the 49ers front?) – “That defense has been really, really good for a number of years. They’ve got some guys over there, some individuals that are highly recognized and for good reason. Definitely got to pay attention to those guys, be prepared for those guys; but as a unit, it’s a very well-orchestrated defense. They know exactly where they need to be. A lot of guys have been in that scheme for some years now so they’re comfortable. It’ll be a challenge for us.”
(What were you experiencing the last time you did go out there, that game against the Jets? We kind of saw the look on your face as you were sitting there on the bench. What was going through your head in that moment?) – “It was to a point where it was a loss of function so not a pain thing. It was shutting down my knee so I couldn’t be in there and put anybody else in harm’s way.”
(The success that the Niners have had, I’m just curious on your perspective of not just you but the guys in the locker room – do players kind of see this as like a measuring stick game just with all the success that they’ve had, the Niners?) – “We really prepare for the other team, but we focus on us. Like our execution, our preparation, the way we go about our business. That’s really it. Like there’s no team that we feel like it’s a measuring stick. It’s all about what the Miami Dolphins can go out and execute.”
(What makes 49ers DE Nick Bosa the player he is?) – “He can win all three ways – outside, inside, down the middle. So a lot of times when you’re breaking down pass rushers, you want to take something away. If it’s a guy that has a really good speed rush, all right, now let me challenge him outside and make him bull rush me. But with him, it’s like all three phases, he’s elite at getting to the quarterback so you’ve got to go after him really. Be aggressive, be physical, take the fight to him.”
(Now he’s on the injury report, but I assume you have to operate as if you think he’s going to play, right?) – “You would be crazy not to prepare for Nick (Bosa). Like I said, they’ve got some guys over there that have been highly successful in this league and they’ve got a lot of notoriety that they’ve earned and Nick is one of those guys.”
Friday, December 20, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(WR Jaylen Waddle and WR Dee Eskridge, are they both out?) – “Since we’ve had practice, I can consider (Dee) Eskridge and (Jaylen) Waddle to be doubtful because they didn’t participate.”
(What about the two tackles? T Terron Armstead, we saw him out there stretching. Did he go through drills?) – “They will be listed, both Terron (Armstead) and Kendall (Lamm) as questionable. It was a positive experience out there on the field, so now you’re just taking it up to game time and making sure that all your ducks are in a row for both of them – feeling up to what it takes to play and then facilitating all the residuals if they don’t because we have a lot of moving parts that we’re excited to be able to adjust based upon our experience at several positions.”
(Can you give us an update on WR Grant DuBose?) – “My update is that I’ve talked to him in person and he’s in good spirits. Beyond that, I’m just totally focused on him being able to attack the day-to-day process and be healthy for himself and his family and everybody involved. I think really that’s where it stands; I don’t foresee seeing him playing football this season but I see him as part of the program so I’m just invested in him on the daily.”
(With LB Bradley Chubb and LB Cam Goode, is next week more likely for Chubb? Is there a real chance of Cam Goode on Sunday?) – “I’ll meet with Chris (Grier) and talk to both those two individuals. It was good stuff out there. I would say that during the process we had felt that Cam (Goode) was a little ahead, but I would be remiss if I would rule anybody anything for this game. But optimistic we’ll see one or both here when they’re ready and that’s what we’re making sure that we’re communicative and they’re empowered and feel ready to play football.”
(Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith told us QB Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury is not concerning, is that right? Is he all good?) – “Yes, Frank was not wrong. It’s something that in December football, there’s a lot of those things where players across the board are getting dinged and you have to be able to executive with those things. He’s certainly not made an issue for this week’s prep.”
(There’s an argument to be made that a couple years when the Dolphins had a head coach opening, Chairman of the Board/Managing General Partner Stephen Ross looked across the league and looked at the 49ers and said, “I like that.” Talked with you, obviously you all came to an agreement. My question is do you see this game as like a measuring stick to see where you guys are at considering the similarities between the teams? Obviously, the offense but then both teams kind of had their seasons derailed by injuries a little bit.) – “I mean as much as I see – you can argue that that’s the case for every single game you play. I do think that you love opportunities to compete against the guys – that team we’ve watched play either in the Championship game or the Super Bowl the last two years and a lot of those players that will be on the field in this game were a part of those teams. So as competitors, you’re excited to go against a litany of All-Pros at different positions, but I think the biggest thing is we’re trying to get our football to the standard we feel good about playing. I think from a team perspective, having three phases execute and play off of each other has been our formula for when we’ve been successful and we haven’t been successful enough to our standard and to everybody else’s. So this gives us an opportunity to go and have to do so with a team that is not going to give us anything, that will bring a physical style of football to Hard Rock, and I think that it fits perfectly with some of the things that during the course of the season, whatever has occurred, do you make it purposeful or not? I think this is an opportunity to take some of our frustrations out in terms of execution and playing team football and knowing that we’re going to get their best shot and seeing how we matchup in that way. But every week is a test; this league is too good and a lot of people make it a bigger deal with, ‘All right, this good team, bad team,’ you better show up and play your best football every week or whoever you’re playing will humble you. So we know that to be the case with the San Francisco 49ers, so I think we’ll have a fully convicted team and that’s what I’m expecting to see.”
(Two years ago, I mean you guys essentially got the first look at QB Brock Purdy when he came in in place of Jimmy Garoppolo. I’m kind of curious, what was the internal reaction here after something that had never really been done in NFL history of Mr. Irrelevant coming in and finding success happened against you guys?) – “There was some tape on him from the preseason, but you also know that it’s a tough hill to climb as a rookie, just in those moments at the beginning of your first opportunity, really, in a regular season game. You could tell that the game wasn’t too big for him just by his reaction that game, regardless of – you always know that it’s not a final product when you first see somebody play, but you can really feel whether or not the game is swallowing them up or not. I think he proved in that game that some of the stuff that, really, he’s showcased in big time football since then, you can see glimmers of that then. So it was kind of ironic that we saw the first sight of him, but I think the whole team knew when he was playing that this is a guy that’s a starter in this league and not a backup. I think his play speaks for himself and just trying to minimize those plays on Sunday.”
(My follow up was going to be if the past couple years have been any sort of vindication for you guys, considering his success, but it kind of sounds like right away, you guys knew that –) – “Yeah, no. You always know the expectation, maybe the scouting report on somebody that doesn’t have a bunch of tape, but football players know on the field when they’re in front of somebody that can operate and really perform at a high level on that stage. I think it was pretty obvious that he was super composed and there were some plays that he was able to make that we felt like we would possibly have been better suited to go against the high-level starter that had just gotten injured. He, right out the gate, was able to execute and didn’t do too much but extended plays in critical times that kept them on the field, and I think kept us to about 45, 46 plays offensively because of the way they were able to execute and control the ball and convert on some third downs and that was the biggest thing. So I think we kind of knew on the field that this is a standout rookie, just based upon your experience and what you expect to shake or rattle a rookie, it wasn’t rattling him. So I think we probably had the first eyes on something that the rest of the league had to find out the hard way.”
(So with three healthy receivers on the 53, you’re going to need at least one, if not two, among WR Erik Ezukanma, WR Isaiah McKenzie, WR Tarik Black. Do you feel confidence all three can help you? Especially McKenzie having been here only 72 hours.) – “The good news is we’ve felt pretty fortunate between Erik (Ezukanma) and Tarik (Black) that we were getting really – basically, we had the support of NFL receiver play on the practice squad should the opportunity or the injury bug hit us and they need to play. I think those two offer some experience with the playbook, specifically. And then with Isaiah (McKenzie) having been here just a minute, that is a challenge, but he does offer a supreme level of experience at the position within the league and those are usually quicker studies. There’s some overlap between some of the ways his previous offenses have been taught, so he’s been a quick study and he’s been super professional. It was part of the reason we targeted him, was we felt like he would be able to contribute in a short amount of time if necessary. We feel comfortable with the way we’re going into that game and the only reason we feel comfortable is because of those individuals and their readiness to contribute.”
Thursday, December 19, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(The tweet, “Time for me to go coach…”) – “Y’all know what’s crazy? I just be looking at stuff and then I tweet. Like no grammar – I be needing some grammar corrections and everything else. But what I meant was, like when I say ‘it’s time for me to go coach’ meaning that when you see guys like Teddy Bridgewater, when you see guys like Michael Vick getting these head coaching jobs; it’s like bro, I want to be a coach also when I’m done playing. So that’s all I meant by it. I ain’t meant by like ‘I want to get traded’ or ‘I want to leave Miami.’ Like I’m in a great situation here, I love the guys here. I love this organization. They obviously changed me and my family’s life forever, so I’m in a great spot. I’m happy. I wish we were playing better ball, but at the end of the day, I feel like when I tweet something, it’s not always about football. It’s about seeing these other guys succeed in other areas like Deion Sanders and stuff like that. I was just shooting my shot really at Michael Vick, like hey, it’s time for me to go coach with Vick maybe, you know what I’m saying?”
(You going to take a pay cut to go to Norfolk State?) – “I wouldn’t mind. Like shoot, I feel like I set myself up. Like me and my family have set ourselves up well enough, taking care of our money, done a great job with it that whatever happens, happens.”
(So you’re surprised at how it blew up?) – “I’m really surprised. Like I had my grandmother call me. I’m like, ‘you’re not even on Twitter.’ Like how are you getting this information? She’s like ‘all these people are sending it to me.’ And I’m like, ‘bro, you have nothing to worry about.’ I’m happy, everybody’s happy. We just had our baby girl.”
(Speaking on behalf of a contingent of fans, we know that you’re a troll. You have fun with it. You’re an expert troll. Some fans are upset because they just lost – you just lost 20-12 to Houston. They’re hurting and you’re still trolling and so people are saying, “shouldn’t there be a limit to the trolling?”) – “I get it, I get it. I get it. I want to win. We want to win just as bad as everybody else. We’re out here busting our tail each and every day like just to get over the hump. At the end of the day, I’m going to be me. I’m going to have fun, I’m going to laugh, I’m going to have a good time. That’s just my personality because I feel like I can’t dwell or be mad because at the end of the day I’ve got to go home to my wife and my daughter, so I’ve got to be able to switch hats. So when I’m at home, I’m in a good mood. I’m around my family. But obviously we all wish things were different. We should’ve won games; we should’ve did this.”
(Do you feel any sympathy for the fans who think “I’m hurt right now”?) – “Obviously, obviously you do, man. Like you think about all that. Like right now is the time when you think about all that, like when the season isn’t going your way. It’s easy for guys to be able to sit out and just say they don’t want to play or do this or that, but you’ve got to think about all the people who literally invest their time, invest their money into us, paying our bills at the end of the day. So it kind of sucks for the fans, I’m really hoping we can continue to fight on as a team, continue to build what we’ve built in the previous years. I think we can build off the two great seasons that we had. Like we made it to the playoffs – that’s great. It’s hard to make it to the playoffs in the NFL. People won’t tell you that, but it is. So at the end of the day, it sucks. As a fan, it sucks because I’ve been there. I was a kid once. I was a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. We never made it to the playoffs; you know what I’m saying? Never won a playoff game so it sucked.”
(Did you consider shutting it down now that the playoffs are all but eliminated?) – “No, I never shut it down. I never shut it down. You only get so many opportunities to play this game and I feel like I’ve got to be able to take advantage of every opportunity that I get because football is not for long and you never know how situations unfold at the end of the year, so I want to be able to play with all of these guys on this team one last time so we can try to put together a special run here toward the end of the year.”
(Can you think of any plays without naming specifically where the wrist injury has hurt your ability to do things you like to do this year? Has that happened much in games?) – “Not for real. I’m the type of dude, I don’t make excuses because I’m on the field at the end of the day. I’ve got to make plays. Obviously, you know it’s going to hurt, but still got to make plays. I can’t sit up here and say, ‘oh, X, Y, Z. X, Y, Z. My wrist this play…’ That would be – I don’t want to say the word – but that would be soft to me, to sit up here and make excuses with you guys. I feel like at the end of the day I’m a leader, I’m a man, and if I’m out there on the field, I’m 100%. I’m ready. I’m locked in, I’m ready to play.”
(What would you say to people who are watching the season unfold and point to saying your play is declining?) – “If it’s declining, then it is what it is. A lot of people have their opinions. I’m here to do my job. If that’s to not touch the ball, or touch the ball, I’m here for my teammates. I’m here just to be the best version of myself. I’m comfortable with that, my teammates know who I am. I’m going to continue to bust my tail every day at practice because that’s just my mindset. I’ve always been an underdog. Fifth-round draft pick, people said I wasn’t this, people said I wasn’t that. Then when I became, then it was like, ‘Oh, he can be,’ but now it’s ‘I’m declining.’ People are always going to have something to say whether you’re doing good or bad. I’m just grateful to be in the limelight right now.”
(Where do you stand with the wrist in terms of after the season? Is it likely you’ll have surgery?) – “I don’t know yet. I don’t know. It’s a lot to unpack right now. I just know right now in my head I’m not doing it. But if I continue to have conversations and continue to educate myself on it, then obviously I may end up doing it. But right now I’m going to say no because that’s something I don’t want to do.”
(With this offense, when you were heavily targeted, you were sixth and No. 1 offensively. Not heavily targeted, now y’all are 20th. I know a lot of factors go into it like the run game, but what do you say to people to explain what’s happened to this offense?) – “To me, I think it’s a lot of things. When you truly understand football and you watch the Miami Dolphins this year from previous years, it’s all about execution, it’s all about pre-snap operations, it’s all about not shooting yourself in the foot. I feel like a lot of drives that we’ve had, big plays that we’ve had, they’ve been called back or even when we’re starting a drive, we get a false start, or we get a holding flag, stuff like that. It’s small things that equate to bigger things down the stretch which puts us in a third-and-14 which is not manageable. That’s hard. We got some of the best playmakers on this team. We got the most accurate quarterback in the NFL, but that’s hard. To try to get a third-and-14 or third-and-long, that’s hard. We’re not putting ourselves in manageable situations, putting us in like second-and-3 so that way we can be able to capitalize and get to third-and-1 and stuff like that. It’s a lot of things we are not doing. We’re not doing a lot of the smaller things, and I feel like we just got to get better at that. We got to be able to chase the ball. You never know, guys may fumble. If you don’t got the ball, everybody get to the ball. Everybody block for the guy who’s – if you’re not carrying the ball, go block somebody. Go put a body on somebody. We just got to do those small things, get back to doing those things. And I feel like this year, we’ve kind of like fell off doing that as a team, including myself, myself, myself. Once we get back to doing that, we’ll be alright.”
(On accountability, Head Coach Mike McDaniel praised you and QB Tua Tagovailoa for taking responsibility for Sunday. What does that process look like? Is it just, “My bad,” or how does that look? Second one, Soul Runner, I know you guys are having a pop-up shop in Aventura on Saturday. Can you talk to me about why that is important to you?) – “First thing is first, about the accountability part; I feel like at the end of the day, it comes down to just manning up. A lot of people aren’t man enough to say, ‘Hey, I was in the wrong spot,’ or ‘I thought you were here and there.’ Me being me, I’m all about trying to get better. I’m all about trying to make this team better. I know the only way that that can happen is if both of us are able to express that, ‘I was in the wrong spot, Tua.’ Sunday, I was in the wrong spot. He thought I was going to be in a spot, I wasn’t in the spot. Moving forward we watch film, we break it down, we talk about the coverage – exactly what he’s seeing and then I tell him what I’m seeing. Then we kind of argue back and forth, and then we meet in a middle point which is he probably was right. That’s how we really talk about it. On the pop-up, me and my wife are doing a Soul Runner store again. This time it’s going to be featuring Korean ice cream, so you guys come try it out. I’ll give you guys some free samples I guess since I like y’all. So we’re doing my clothing brand featuring Korean ice cream. This Saturday, it’s going to be open around 1:30 (p.m.), so make sure you guys pull up. Merch, clothing, and we’re also doing a toy giveaway with some kids to pop everything off. It’s kind of a soft launch.”
(Where is it at?) – “Aventura Mall – the store is right beside Bloomingdales. We’re also having an NCAA tournament inside.”
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I know he was limited yesterday, but does QB Tua Tagovailoa’s hip look like it’s going to at all impact him or your game planning this week?) – “December football, everyone’s working through stuff going to the game. If you’re feeling completely healthy in December, you probably haven’t played a whole lot. We’re just working through with the process to the game and I’m confident we’ll be ready to go when Sunday comes.”
(So not a big concern with QB Tua Tagovailoa specifically?) – “I mean, no, there’s no concern for us. We’re just working through all the little things that come out of each game with everyone.”
(The final interception of the game where WR Tyreek Hill is fighting for the ball – is that one that he should come down with? Is that one that he usually comes down with?) – “It’s hard to say, that specific moment. That play kind of goes into a lot of the culmination of the game of our execution was not where we felt where we needed to be for a multitude of reasons, so overall, a lot of learning that we did from that game of how we could’ve been putting ourselves in a better position especially the way our defense played to give us a shot. It’ll be a good week for us this week to learn from the stuff we did because it’ll be a similar system of defense.”
(How ready do you feel that WR Malik Washington is to have an elevated role and obviously WR River Cracraft seems to be the next man up if you’re forced to play without WR Jaylen Waddle?) – “Very confident. The way he goes about his business, the way he learns and grows each week from things that happen, the way he responds. Especially after the Green Bay game, the way he responded after that, I think it’s a credit to him and how mature he is. That was the first thing that stuck out to us. You would’ve thought he was in the NFL for six years when he first showed up, just how focused he was. So we’re very confident in all the guys that we’re going to field and we’ll make sure that we use everyone appropriately.”
(With WR Tyreek Hill obviously WR Jaylen Waddle’s presence, they have always have a safety over them but now teams get to pay extra attention to Tyreek. Do you think that at some point this year, he’s getting frustrated or has been frustrated just by the limited role that he’s had or the extra attention that he’s gotten?) – “No, he’s such a competitor and he’s such a good teammate. I think ultimately the goal is to win the games, not the production you get. And if some years you can have mass production, do you get what you want? Other years you’re fighting for the stuff and I think just the way he’s handled himself this year is really why he’s here. He’s just a great teammate and great pro and his ultimate goal is to win.”
(What was your assessment of T Jackson Carman at right tackle and was there any thought given to OL Liam Eichenberg who has played that position before, kicking him out there or OL Isaiah Wynn?) – “I think we weighed all variables to the situation. Jackson (Carman) competed and played hard. There’s obviously some plays that he would want back, but the goal is we’re just trying to make sure we have the versatility so that all the variables that come up, we can put ourselves in the best position with the group to win.”
(How did T Patrick Paul do?) – “You can see with him the growth. It’s coming. Things that he’s learning from, putting himself in better position, the physicality. So really excited for him this week especially from a lot of the things we saw positive from the Houston game.”
(And where is OL Isaiah Wynn right now in terms of his return, rehab, physical contribution, able to contribute?) – “I think he’s trending the right way, preparing the right way, and who’s going to play on Sunday obviously will be part of the process for this week as we weigh all the things.”
(In saying you’re really excited about T Patrick Paul this week, do you mean practice or the game Sunday?) – “Maybe both? Excited for practice today and the game? Excited just in general. He’s an enjoyable person to be around. Just excited to see him all phases of his life. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s accountability. Head Coach Mike McDaniel praised both him and WR Tyreek Hill’s just ability to take accountability for the interceptions on Sunday. What does that process look like for Tua? Is it simple as just “my bad” or what does that look like?) – “It’s just when things don’t go the way you hope, it’s how do you learn from it and do you own the mistake and stuff like that. I think that’s where we’re very lucky where two of our captains both are very accountable to each other and that’s how we get better from things and making sure that we can grow to the next week and not have the same repeated mistakes. So I think it’s not just them but all the guys are very accountable to each other.”
(What like about WR Isaiah McKenzie, a guy who’s now around?) – “I think that for him, he brings obviously his experience and speed. I think for us ultimately it’s making sure that we have guys who can obviously run and separate and those are the vital positions to the receiver position. We thought that was the best option for us at this time, to get him.”
(When you watch offensive line play and know it’s not good on replay, are you a guy who like, pounds the table? Do you get very angry? I’m just curious behind the scenes what is it like when you watch bad film?) – “I’m up here, I’m kind of trying to keep it – but when you’re watching stuff, the intensity of the moment, making sure that we’re performing. But what’s ultimately where if you get result-driven and you’re going like, ‘Hey, why….’ – it’s more why did that happen? Where were we off? Where are we getting connected? Is it one thing or is it a deeper thing? Why did we lose on that block – was our track wrong at back? Were we too tight, were we too wide? Like there’s normally a multitude of factors and it’s like, you have that initial reaction to things of a result that you don’t like; now it’s immediately, OK what’s possible of what really happened? OK, where’s the deeper issue of how you get the correction tool? So I think the easy thing to do is you sit there and go like, ‘Oh, we didn’t block’ or ‘We missed that’ or did that; you realize oh, OK, were we too tight at back, were we too wide? Were we late off the ball? Those are the things that now lead to what you’re looking for and that’s the increase in production. I think that’s ultimately where I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older of it’s controlling emotion and focusing on the process to improve.”
(I feel like teams like the 49ers can be like measuring sticks just because of the success that they’ve had recently. Obviously they haven’t been as good this year, kind of banged up similar to what happened here. Am I right in that regard? I’m sure the preparation doesn’t necessarily change, right, but just knowing that this is a great team who’s had a lot of success, is the approach the same or is it like, “OK, I want to see where we are at the end of this game”? I’m kind of butchering this question.) – “I think I know what you’re getting at, but ultimately this time of year is that you want to make sure every opponent we face, we’re at our best. And you want to face the best to bring out your best. A lot of usage of the word ‘best’ there, but ultimately for us right now, it’s learning from Houston, getting our improvement in this week so we can execute versus the 49ers on Sunday. So whenever you face an opponent that’s had a lot of success, it’s a great challenge and I think that’s what you look forward to as a competitor.”
(Do you see similarities or is that even something that you think about with the trajectory of their season versus you guys? I know there were high expectations on both ends. What are your thoughts on where both teams are I guess at this point in the season?) – “I don’t know if I necessarily have an opinion towards them just because the sole focus – reality is as a coach, questions like that, that may seem simple, we get so tunnel visioned in our process and what we’re trying to get and how we’re trying to improve and manage all our variables; it’s hard to say you have enough time to ‘OK, how are they doing and what’s going on with that?’ As opposed to I’m just trying to make sure that my kids show up on time and don’t freaking drive everyone crazy around them whenever I have time off. (laughter) My focus goes from work, family. The rest of the NFL is you kind of pick it up on Monday a little bit when you’re walking around, but I really haven’t. I think a lot of that is each team, you just worry about your own as much as you can.”
(We don’t have Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Eric Studesville on the list of available coaches this week so I want to ask you this – when Head Coach Mike McDaniel obviously has been asked a lot this week about the run game and the struggles over the last month, he did say last Sunday was more a case of blocking, but I wanted to ask you with RB De’Von Achane, is he finding holes and creases as quickly, as alertly this year as he did last year?) – “Yes, I think there’s a lot of times that when you look at – like look at the Jets game – we had a 40-yarder called back. The issue is a lot of the runs, we had another one that got down in the red zone that got called back that would’ve been a double-digit game. I think there’s a lot of things where when we’ve had success in the last recent weeks, we do something to bring it back and that’s what we have to improve. And the schemes we’re using, the people we’re using and it being connected as unit is the most important thing. But when it comes to the run game, it’s just not one thing; it’s a multitude of things and that’s what will be our goal this week, to make sure we fix it.”
(But is he making people miss the way he did last year?) – “Yes, he is, but it’s the opportunities to get in those same spots, the space that we had last year where several times runs where it’s a lot of space, where this year it’s making sure that we have those moments. Because he’s had runs called back and so have the other guys and that’s where right now is where our sole focus goes to, is how do we make sure that we’re getting connected as blocking so our running backs can get in the same areas that we were able to get in the past. That’s the ultimate goal, I think when you really look at it.”
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(With yesterday, LB Cam Goode, a full participant, LB Bradley Chubb still limited – is that purely a medical issue of where they are or is more a conditioning issue? Why is one ahead of the other?) – “Yeah, that is a question better served for the head coach and our medical staff. When they’re out there, like I said, they’re both competing and the few full speed reps they have, they look great and I’m sure it’s just a confidence, timing issue for them to be ready to go.”
(Does LB Bradley Chubb look to you like someone who’s able to help this week? I know it’s ultimately a group decision but from your eyes.) – “Yeah, I think he looks like a guy who’s trying to work himself back to where he’s used to being. He flashes, but again, having been there, you don’t want to touch that field as a competitor unless you know you’re your best self; otherwise you’re going to put yourself at risk. So I know when he does play, he’ll be ready to go, and again, from what I’ve seen so far, he’s out there making plays and looks good, like he’s getting to that point.”
(What’s your takeaway from your unit’s performance at Houston?) – “I was extremely proud of the group and their effort. Like I said, for us, we knew the playoffs started a month ago and the two prior weeks against Green Bay and the Jets, we didn’t think like we played up to par. So we knew we had to go out there and play our best game to date and I thought we did that, so extremely proud of the group.”
(Your name has come up for head coaching jobs, last offseason and I think probably again this offseason. Is that something important to you that you want to aspire to one day achieve?) – “Is it important to me? Eh, I’m so focused right now on the Miami Dolphins and these players. From the beginning, since I’ve started coaching, I had never sought that out. If the opportunity presented itself, I think I’d be good in the role, but is it something that I seek and go after? No. I’m truly working in service for these guys and focused on the now and just trying to pour into these guys and give them every ounce of wisdom that I have.”
(Is there something you feel you’ve added to your resume to what makes you a viable candidate this year in Miami?) – “I mean shoot, I think I’ve been ready for the job for a few years now. I’ve served under a bunch of incredible mentors. I think the last three years I spent with Coach (John) Harbaugh was a masterclass in just how to operate, move throughout the building and push your players in the right direction without being demeaning or demonstrative, but yet, still being demanding. And then you get another experience here with Mike (McDaniel), who’s very different but still very effective and good at his role. So, so many guys that I think – I’m obviously going to be my truest self if given that opportunity, but I certainly feel like I’m ready, yeah.”
(I wanted to ask about the first touchdown where C.J. Stroud I think found Nico Collins in the back of the endzone. Can you kind of go through what happened or what was supposed to happen there?) – “So we were in Red 2, so we were playing a zone coverage which essentially like when the routes declare, they become more matchy. Jordan Poyer didn’t see the release of one really once he released inside, if he becomes an in-breaker, he should buy that and then he should plaster essentially what happened. It doesn’t all fall on that. It’s a three-man rush, because we drop our nose, there’s a little bit of a void there in the middle which you don’t want him to throw the check down and just walk into the end zone. But we’ve still got to be calculated in how we rush and trying to keep the guy in the pocket or at least make him escape out of the back. I think from a rush standpoint, we got a little high, opened a window for him to step up there when you’re trying to really cage that guy down there. So certainly wasn’t our best effort, and we’ve tried to – when I took this job, our red zone defense and improving upon that was a primary focus, so to fall short in that particular instance was disappointing.”
(I remember your comment when S Jordan Poyer missed a game earlier, saying, “don’t sleep on Elijah Campbell.” We’ve seen a small package, certainly these last three games have had 20 snaps with him starting against Houston. What about the skill set has intrigued you to use him with your other two safeties at times?) – “I think it’s a combination of both Elijah’s (Campbell) skill set and the range and physicality he shows back there at safety, and then Jevón’s (Holland) ability to play some nickel as well. I think we’ve showed on multiple occasions obviously, that we’re willing to play Jalen (Ramsey) there and it puts a bigger body and presence there on the slot, and I think you can do the same thing with Jevón. Kader (Kohou), I thought he played an outstanding game and showed a willingness, particularly on some of those perimeter screens, to stick his face in the fan and stop those which have been hurting us for a couple weeks. Again, just trying to mix those guys back and forth and put bigger bodies there so when teams do want to sling that ball out there, we have a bigger presence.”
(What do you think about facing TE George Kittle, considering some of the struggles this defense has had guarding tight ends?) – “Excited, excited for the challenge. He’s arguably – I don’t think it’s arguably at this point – but he’s one of the best tight ends in the league. So whenever we face those guys, I think from a secondary standpoint, safety, linebacker position, these guys; they get excited for those opportunities and those challenges. So this is another good one. He’s outstanding, strong at the catch point, physical blocker, he can run all day, so just excited to see the matchup and I think we got a good plan to contain him.”
(I know you don’t want to ignore the rest of this season, but LB Chop Robinson’s development and the potential next year of Chop, LB Jaelan Phillips and LB Bradley Chubb, talk about that. How exciting is that?) – “You see the smile on my face as soon as you mentioned those three. But I think we all have seen, from all three players, what they’re capable of so the idea of having all three of them available and on the field on the same time, I mean you completely opened up Pandora’s box for me and you just start thinking of ways you can use them in multiple positions and really scare and intimidate offenses. So it would certainly be an awesome, I want to say problem, it’s certainly not a problem, but it’d just be a lot of fun to see what we can do with all those three guys.”
(More with LB Chop Robinson. When you guys run those overload looks where he’s the only guy on one side of the line, it seems like he’s so adept at forcing that tackle to widen and create gaps for other guys. I’m curious, did you guys see that in his game coming out of college? Has he grown into that ability to be a guy that can be the one rusher on that side of the line?) – “No, we certainly saw that ability in college. Like I said, from a skill set and physical attribute standpoint, we saw that off the tape. We knew there was some refinement and teaching that needed to occur, and development in terms of just his pass rush acumen. I think Coach (Ryan) Crow and Sean Ryan have done a tremendous job with him to this point and his confidence is high right now. It’s important for us to keep him there and put him in as many advantageous opportunities to get one-on-ones.”
(With LB Jordyn Brooks, I don’t think many of us expected him to be up here challenging Zach Thomas for the tackles lead. Did you expect that type of production from him coming out of Seattle?) – “Yeah, we were fortunate where we kind of had some inside information with DeShawn Shead who’s on staff and works with the defensive backs. So he had spent time with Jordyn (Brooks) recently in Seattle and told us the type of player he was. So once he got in the building, it certainly wasn’t a surprise that he’s had the success he’s had. He’s a guy that approaches every day the same, gives the same effort regardless of whether he’s dinged, how he feels, it doesn’t matter. He’s the same guy each and every day and that’s why he’s had the success he has. So I’m not surprised by it. The consistency, the physicality, the temperament – usually those things equate.”
(With inside linebackers, I know the game of college football is kind of evolving. How do you think that that’s impacting that position because if you look at the draft, it’s like inside linebackers are probably one of those positions where they’re very sparsely found.) – “It’s just changed so much throughout the years because really, positionally, from an attribute standpoint, that guy has gotten a little bit smaller, right? You have to be faster. It’s become so much more of a space game. The days of like Levon Kirkland and those big Mikes being back there and plugging on a lead play; you don’t need those bodies anymore. So you’re always trying to figure out ways, like is there a safety that can move inside and play backer and things of that nature, some big body type guys, but the position has become so much more athletic than it used to be. You used to have to have a cross of both that and then shear physicality. Not that you lack that now, but you’ve got to be able to run nowadays.”
(You could probably do this just about any given week given all the coaches that have come off the Kyle Shanahan tree, or Shanahan tree, I guess. This week, do you spend more time maybe picking Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s brain about what the Niners offense might do compared to other weeks?) – “I don’t know. I mean shoot, it’s like every team you face nowadays is this scheme. Me and Mike (McDaniel) spend an awful lot of time, talking all the time about ball, about life, about a number of things. So I think we’re all very familiar with this system. We faced it all offseason and now it’s just a matter of going out there and executing, trying to take away what they do best.”
(Where is LB Chop Robinson against the run at this point as we get to Week 16?) – “I think he’s been doing a great job. I think he’s doing a good job on the edges. When he’s out there, we certainly don’t see him as a liability in the run game, so I’m pleased with where he’s at. There’s sometimes where there’s some new things schematically that he hasn’t seen, where you get these kind of missile blocks and moving blocks. Offenses, they try to create chaos for these defensive ends because they make the most money and they want to slow them down in pass rush, too. So there’s some of those things we try to protect him from, I guess to say, but I’m certainly pleased and we don’t hesitate at all or think that we’re at a disadvantage when he’s out there in run situations.”
(As you look at this defense, then looking ahead, does it need overall help? Does it need situational help, like run stuffers? Different attitude? What do you think?) – “I certainly don’t think it’s an attitude thing. Like I said, I’m incredibly proud of the guys that are here and the way we’ve played to date. I’m sure there isn’t a coach in the National Football League that doesn’t think they could use some help. And there’s certainly aspects that we can, but the guys that are here, I am so proud of and have a tremendous amount of confidence in us being able to go out there and do what we need to do to win.”
(I wanted to ask you a general football question. I guess going back to your playing days, how important is it for a player to have that one coach that makes a difference in their life and trajectory and who was that for you?) – “I think it’s enormous. I used to always say this when I was younger, in my younger days – pre-wife, love you, baby (laughter) – I used to always say, when you went out to the night club, you needed some of these ugly guys, so you look better. (laughter) I think in coaching, it’s the same way. You hope that you are blessed as a player to be around a great coach; one who cares, one who’s knowledgeable, one who’s in it for the right reasons. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. I was blessed that for the majority of my football life, I was around that, and it started early in high school with Blase Iuliano was my high school coach, who was a tremendous influence. And then when I got to this level, it was Rex Ryan. Rex Ryan, he’s a guy – I’m an army brat, so this was not unusual for me, but the football space is always very militant, very regimented – and then I got around Rex and Rex did all that but kept the game the game and kept it fun. So probably just from a coaching standpoint and the two guys that probably had the biggest influence on me, both as a player and now as a coach are Blase Iuliano and Rex Ryan.”
(I wanted to ask about the mentality when you’re at this point in the season and even though there’s a slim margin of chance that you guys can make the playoffs, what do you tell players in terms of, “Hey, these three games matter because of ‘this?’”) – “Shoot, every time you step on the field matters. The second you disrespect the game, or you try to short cut it, it disrespects you. So for us, again I know the margin is slim at this point and things look bleak, but we have things to prove, right? This is our last home game, and our fans deserve our best effort. We’ve got to go out there and defend the rock. Next week, we’ve got to win in the cold and put that narrative to sleep. And then that last game against the Jets, they hung up 400 (offensive yards) on us the last time we played. So we have something to play in every single game, and I know our guys are going to answer the challenge.”
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(With K Jason Sanders and PATs, is it a technique thing, do you think? Was there a common thing between the two?) – “No. The timing was a little bit off, got a little bit too tight and wrapped it. Something that you don’t want to see and you hope doesn’t happen but it did. As soon as he hit it, he knew exactly what happened so we’ll get that cleaned up.”
(The snap and hold were fine on that play?) – “Yeah. Not perfect, but had nothing to do with the result.”
(Nine weeks ago, I raised you the zany idea of going through an entire season alternating long snappers, and by George, by golly it’s turned out that way. This is long snapper number five, what has left you in this position and has it been a palatable scenario?) – “Just how this season has played out from a roster standpoint, it just turned out that continually things evolving and changing positionally on the club that that was what was best for the club and the organization and the team at this time. It’s not something I recommend; it’ll probably be a record that will sit for a while. Fortunately Jason (Sanders) and Jake (Bailey) have done a really good job of working with each guy we’ve brought in. The guys that we’ve brought in have been outstanding and dove into what we’ve asked them to do. It’s not easy; I don’t know if anybody thinks it is, but it’s not. They’ve done a great job and we’ll see where we’re at this week. We’re happy that Jake McQuaide was available and we’ll go from there.”
(One last thing on this topic. Obviously while not indulging anything at all personal about LS Blake Ferguson, fans are concerned. Is he going to be OK?) – “Again, not to put anybody’s business out there, No. 1 illegal, but yeah. Right now for where the club is, the best decision was to let him know and inform him that he is not going to be snapping in a game for the rest of the season. Hopefully that puts at rest his mind and where he is, where he’s working and what he’s working on. It also lets everybody else know where we’re going and what we’re doing so there is not the constant question of what, where, when, how and why.”
(What are those conversations like with those long snappers that keep coming in? Do you tell them, “Hey, you’re here for three weeks tops?”) – “You don’t know. Ideally, I think when this started there was maybe a desire or a hope that one of them would be able to. It had nothing to do with any of those individuals as we went through this. But as those weeks, as those guys were here, as we ate through those flexes that you’re allowed three of them, there were a lot of other things going on around the team at the same time that the best maneuver for the organization was keep using the flex and use the 53 on other things, whether it be injury, whether it was a player available that we didn’t feel like we could pass up. So there was a lot of things to go into it.”
(The fake punt, Head Coach Mike McDaniel said you guys were prepared for it. Were you prepared? What happened there?) – “It’s like anything, preparation is execution. It was something we were aware for; we were in a call based on their history in that situation we felt good about. The execution is where we fell off. You can talk to every coach and regardless of position, there’s good calls, there’s bad calls, but it doesn’t matter what the call is, it’s got to be executed. Whether it’s technique, or eyes, or communication, when something gets missed, you give up a play or you make a play conversely. We felt good about it before the ball was snapped, but it was a big play in the game.”
(I remember your words at the start of this long snapper rotation, you used the phrase “very risky.” Given that you haven’t had a disaster along the way, do you feel fortunate? Were you holding your breath?) – “It’s work. Yeah, it’s hard but again, I give the credit to the players. The guys that we brought in and obviously the rest of the group. It’s hard on other players, it’s hard on the guards, the guys on punt team when you get to a new guy – his sequence, his tendencies, his body style. The guys on field goal, the same thing – the tempo, the timing. There’s so many more moving parts in it than you should probably think about. I have to think about it. They’ve done a good job, but again, we’ve still got games to play. It’s going to be something I continually work on and monitor and spend time on. Hopefully we continue to be able to execute.”
(How deep is this list of potential…) – “As they say, we’re into the desert. (laughter)”
(How would you grade this season for the special teams unit as a whole and your job leading it?) – “We’re not even close to even thinking about that. I’ve got a practice today I got to get ready for and prepare for and work on. And then we’ve got another one tomorrow and a game, and then we’ve got two more weeks. That’s you guys, that’s not on my radar.”
(Who takes the lead in contacting long snappers? Is it General Manager Chris Grier, someone else in personnel, or you?) – “In the personnel department. Regardless of – there’s ready lists. The personnel department has ready lists. I have ready lists; you’re always tracking what’s going on. Now with some of these new spring leagues, that’s added more bodies. You’re able to get more tape, but there’s a constant readiness availability because you never know when stuff is going to happen. Sadly, you saw what happened in Houston last week and they weren’t able to do anything about it, but the night before the game, a player has to have emergency appendix surgery. There’s so many things that happen – car accidents, sickness, so you have to have that list ready to go and you better have them stacked and be able to execute and hopefully get one in and move forward.”
(When you get to this part of the season, when playoff hopes are very dim in mid-December, do you have to motivate players? Do you rely on their professionalism? What’s kind of the process of keeping them motivated?) – “It’s some of both of those things. Every individual is different. Everybody’s individual is motivated by different things; certain guys, how you approach them. It’s all different. I look at it strictly like we are all professionals. I am paid to coach and teach, and I’m going to coach and I’m going to teach every single day the same way I have my entire career when I was coaching at Division III colleges. Every single day I’m trying to get players better, more knowledgeable to extend their career and win games. So it doesn’t matter, I’m just trying to go 1-0 every week, it doesn’t matter what our record is, I’m just trying to win the current game.”
(Can I ask you a question just as a football guy? WR Tyreek Hill, he has this kind of cryptic tweet that says, “It’s time for me to go coach,” after the loss to Houston – he did it yesterday. Do you find that distracting, is that – there’s what’s called a troll, somebody who just likes to stir stuff up. Is he the perfect troll? Is this a distraction? What do you think about that?) – “I have no idea what you’re talking about. (laughter)”
(I just wanted to ask because you’re a veteran football coach.) – “I don’t look, I don’t read anything. I’m buried, I don’t pay any attention to anything. (laughter)”
(Is there a decent chance you use WR Isaiah McKenzie this week?) – “Again, we have a couple guys injured and hopefully we get some guys back. If not, he’s a guy that we signed that has a decent history in this league, so we’re looking – a possibility, but again, we’re still a couple days away. Obviously, we’re always hopeful about the guys on the 53 (-man roster). If we have to, just as we have all year, we’ll use those flexes on where we deem necessary. But he’s a good player, fortunately he was available at this point in the season.”
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(I was going to ask you about the two guys involved in roster moves on the 53 – with WR Grant DuBose, is he doing better? Has he flown home from Houston? And then less importantly but on the other move, the long snapper move, is LS Blake Ferguson simply not ready to return yet from a physical standpoint, from a mental standpoint, from some standpoint?) – “Grant (DuBose), expecting him to travel home today. Haven’t seen him (but) talked to him, and we’re all just very, very excited to get to see him. He’s been on the constant mind of a lot of people. He’s doing well, taking it a day at a time with that. And then I don’t think we’ll be seeing Blake (Ferguson) this season. His focus will be the 2025 season and that’s why we did the move.”
(What does WR Tyreek Hill mean when he says [on] on social media platform X, “It’s time for me to go coach” or “time for me to go, coach” – one of those?) – “I know that he tweeted something because of my outstanding prep but otherwise I wouldn’t. I guess I read it as he’s talking about coaching. There’s not a comma, but probably when he was typing, it was a comma. I don’t know. He was in great spirits in walkthrough. So maybe he just wanted you to ask me in my press conference, but you’ll have to ask him exactly what he meant. But I think it would’ve made more sense if he would’ve said ‘sir’ because that’s what he usually calls me. (laughter)”
(I know you’ve got a game coming up. With things not going the way you planned this season, have you thought about your future? Have you thought about General Manager Chris Grier’s future, whether you’ll be here next season? Does that concern you at all right now?) – “I’m very comfortable with the realities within the profession that I chose. I think the alternative would be to feel entitled, and I think it’s very much – I don’t take for granted getting a team prepared for this week’s opponent and this day and those opportunities, and I think ultimately you know what it is when you sign up for it and I’m not worried about that in the slightest. I think that would be absolutely selfish and something that if I’m worried about that, I’m definitely not worried about the things that I have to offer the players that are playing in a professional football game. I think this season hasn’t gone the way anybody necessarily wanted, but I mean how often do we say that in life in general? I think my job is not to predict and expect; my job is to adjust and ultimately if you’re going to fall short in certain ways, then what you do is you make those reasons for improvement as you move forward. But we have enough to worry about with the San Francisco 49ers and I don’t take that lightly, and neither does our team which is what I expected to walk into today. You never know, but I certainly was met with that type of focus and energy from the football team which means the guys are who I thought they were and that’s where our sole focus is.”
(What’s your take on the 49ers this year? Obviously won the NFC last year. This year they’re fighting for a playoff spot.) – “The NFL is hard. The success breeds tough times ahead because when you’re a good team especially for as long as the San Francisco 49ers have been good, there’s not one team that lines up on Sunday taking them lightly. It’s a litmus test of sorts for every team that plays. Every team has different sorts of injuries and you have different sorts of consequences because of those injuries based on where your strengths and weaknesses are on your team. I know one thing about the San Francisco 49ers having worked there for five years, and knowing the coaching staff and a good amount of the core players there, is very, very prideful team in playing good football. So I think as you go through, sometimes you have success, sometimes you have failures in this league, but it’s the consistency with which you attack things and do you let things define you or do you take from things so that you can further define the future. I think they’re certainly frustrated as we are, it’s been a trying year, but in no way, shape or form do I expect anything but their best. Ultimately, just knowing the quality of people, they’ll get through it and find a way to make their best versions of themselves moving forward. So that’s about it, I don’t make more of it than I think it is. You lose some games that you have the capability of winning and your record can flip like that. And a lot of those games there’s a three-point margin of victory and you have one or two plays in each one of them and the record is very different.”
(They got LB Dre Greenlaw back last week and it looked like it made a big difference in their defense. How do him and LB Fred Warner challenge what you do offensively?) – “I think they challenge every offense. Both being drafted there and watching them mature, they’re at the top of their class in their respective positions. Fred Warner will be one of the best players that you play during the NFL season, regardless of who’s on your schedule, if the 49ers come up, and the way Dre (Greenlaw) complements his game, both very locked in from a cerebral perspective. Both very talented for the features of their position, both have a chip on their shoulder as they were told by many a team that they weren’t first or second, or in Dre Greenlaw’s case, third or fourth round draft picks. So they’re made up of the right stuff and they present a very quality, competitive scenario for us to have to attack. And what they put on tape is that if you’re not on your Ps and Qs or your technique and fundamentals aren’t on it, they’ll expose that, and so it will be a great challenge for us.”
(How did you and Kyle Shanahan become friends or associates? And were you guys ball boys together, or how did that friendship strike up?) – “It was – I guess that’s a good question because unbeknownst to most, it was like an arranged marriage, I would say, because I got a job. Coach (Gary) Kubiak hired me independently of Kyle Shanahan – giving Kyle Shanahan his first position job; me, my first professional, paying, full-time NFL coaching gig. He thought that we would work well together and be able to complement each other, so he threw me in the receiver room and we started working. I mean he was – the staff previous, the youngest coach I think was Troy Calhoun, the head coach at Air Force, and there wasn’t a lot of time to train me, so I just had to fill in the gaps as it happened. Kyle was the first guy that – I had aspects to my job that he had directly done just the previous two years, so he knew the ins and outs of what the position was. He, early, onset, put high expectations on me and held me very accountable and I’m very grateful to him for that and I wouldn’t be here today without him but it wasn’t – I think we grew to like each other, but we were kind of thrust together and I was definitely fortunate that Gary Kubiak had that foresight.”
(So you didn’t know him in Denver?) – “I knew of him, but he was a busy guy. He was the head football coach’s son. ‘Who’s this guy?’ was me. We would talk from time to time, but we didn’t develop a relationship until we started coaching together.”
(I know it’s too early to know T Terron Armstead’s status for the game. Do you have a general feeling about Terron and some of your older veterans? Are you going to play them, or would you kind of take a look at youngsters such as T Patrick Paul?) – “The compass with which will set my decision-making without fail this week is whatever gives us the best chance to win. I think that’s very important to everyone involved and that’s what’s owed to the team. I think within that, if there’s opportunities for some of our younger guys, there has been the last couple weeks for sure, not just at the tackle position but across the board. I think it’s very beneficial for guys and their career, but it’s based upon their merit and whether or not they’ve proven to their teammates that they’re ready to go out there. I’m optimistic about seeing both Terron (Armstead) and Kendall Lamm in practice this week and when I do that, I’ll confer with the coaches and Chris (Grier) and make the decision solely upon what gives our team the best chance to win on Sunday.”
(When it comes to LB Bradley Chubb, is there a point in which you would consider withholding him from coming back this season? Like if playoffs are mathematically out of the question.) – “I think that’s complicated; I think the most important thing is to allow guys opportunity in their career to play football, and you do that by taking it a day at a time and making sure that you’re being responsible in those efforts. There’s always an inherent risk when you play football, but remember it’s their careers, not ours or yours or anybody’s. So I have a tough time just telling people ‘no’ without reason, but it’s important in this business to have very good relationships so that you can have those conversations to not do something ignorant either. Bradley Chubb is a football player; he wants to play football and so he’s going to take this week a day at a time. We’re going to be in steady conversation and we’ll do what’s best for both him and the team because those should be parallel. We’ll see how that progresses, but his main focus is just getting more and more confident in his body each and every day, and that comes with continuing to press and then evaluating after the fact.”
(If you don’t have WR Jaylen Waddle this week, or WR Dee Eskridge, I don’t know if you have any updates on there, what was appealing about WR Isaiah McKenzie to add him as an elevation option possibly this week?) – “I think I would be pessimistic about Dee Eskridge this week. I think that Isaiah (McKenzie) is a guy that I’ve known since coming out of the draft process and then watching him specifically in Buffalo. I think he has a lot of value and skill set that we like. I like the way he plays football as a fearless competitor and so I’m excited to see him practice once, which will be today, in a Dolphins uniform because I haven’t seen that yet.”
(With WR Jaylen Waddle, do you think we’ll see him practice this week or hard to say?) – “Won’t see him today. For him, that will be a day-to-day situation. It’s hard to forecast what it’ll be tomorrow with that fresh injury, but again there is at least optimism for that. So I’ll be hopeful that we’ll see him but I don’t really know.”
(QB Teddy Bridgewater said that he is looking to get back into playing after leading Miami Northwestern to a high school football state championship.) – “His first year coaching – they win the championship every year, right? I mean, when he’s there, right? All of his teammates were watching from a far. I knew probably five minutes after the game was over that they’d won. We’ve been following it all season, so it’s really cool. Shoot, he’s a young spry at 32 – he has years in him. We’ll see if the come down stays consistent from his championship win, but I would support him doing whatever. He’s one of my favorites.”
(Any conversations with him coming here?) – “I’ve been preparing for the San Fransisco 49ers. Outside of shooting a text of congratulations to him, it’s not his style to even enter into those conversations until the season would be over anyway just because he those other guys are trying to do their jobs as well. I’m sure we’ll connect when this season is over, and I’ll be very interested to see if he’s still in the same mindset.”
(I wanted to ask you about the run game. I know we’ve been obsessed with this for quite a while, but how do you go from the highest yards per carry one season to second lowest the next season with pretty much relatively the same line and the same backs?) – “If you take it on surface value, it can be pretty confusing. I can understand the question for sure. I think just like anything that’s worth anything, it’s a little more complicated than that with regard to you’re playing opponents that are preparing for you and where is your game at, where is the collective game of the offensive line, how tied in are the runners to the offensive line. The numbers had been down; there’s been times throughout the season where you could argue that – I think empirically you can argue that we ran the ball better than we ever have against the Patriots. There’s different matchups that you felt pretty good about, but overall I thought this past game, it really bit us in our ability to execute technique and fundamentals. I’m very hesitant to just saying ‘It’s this.’ So I go and look through schematically just as we were doing earlier in the season when we knew we had to get the run game going, when Tua (Tagovailoa) got hurt and we weren’t happy with the Tennessee game and et cetera, et cetera, you go schematics. It’s an easy formula of just holding people accountable and asking what are we coaching them, what are they saying, motivating guys to focus on certain details that you think are the most important, and then overall, we have to do our jobs better. But when your line of scrimmage is violated to the point you have some turnover football, that you have some hits on the quarterback and you’re not able to stay on the field as long as you want, you have to figure out a way to reestablish the line of scrimmage and that problem is not going anywhere until we solve it. I think it’s very convoluted; there’s a lot of variables when you just flatline say, ‘It’s the same guys, what’s the difference?’ I think you have to look at the independent plays where the failures are and what are the consistent failures. Last game I thought we weren’t nearly where we needed to be at the point of attack, how to engage blocks, our leverages and staying attached to players. I think we have pressing so that when we do have an advantage on the defense, we’re getting holding calls left and right – probably threefold to what we had last year. It’d be interesting if guys choose to have their hands inside and fit the blocks well so they are not getting called for holdings and those holdings don’t occur, what is our yards per carry then. I think that that has something to do with it as well. I think that you can be understated – we haven’t done a good enough job executing in the run game, I think, since Austin Jackson left, and that’s been a focus of ours because he’s a very good player at the point of attack, but we have other good players too and how do we get that consistent. I think, like anything in football, it’s a group effort and it starts with focusing on the right thing, not just the result but more of what does it look like and where are the failures at the point of attack.”
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I guess first how do you mentally bounce back from a game that I’m sure you weren’t pleased with just last Sunday?) – “That’s the thing about this league. That’s sort of the mindset you have to take on for players, coaches alike. Whether it was the best game you had, whether it was the worst game you had; you’ve got to learn how to move on from that because the next team doesn’t care whether you won or not. They’re focused on how they can stop you. We’re focused on how we can get points on the board, focused on things that we can get better on, all of that. So I wouldn’t say anyone’s necessarily worried too much about things that lost us the game as much as what we’re trying to do to focus on winning the next game which is the Niners.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel praised you and WR Tyreek Hill’s ability to take accountability for the turnovers on Sunday. I’m just curious what does that process look like? Is it as simple as just “my bad” or do you talk about it a little more with the guys. How do you fully express to your team that “it’s on me”?) – “That’s just it. It’s just letting the guys know that this is why we weren’t as successful as we were in these past games. Me and Tyreek being on the same page, us not being on the same page; that’s something that we take accountability for, but there’s no excuses as to why that had happened and why it kept reoccurring. No excuses for that and that’s not the ball that we play here and so that’s not going to happen again. We’ve got to move forward from that and it’s a new challenge that we have.”
(So I guess he was supposed to be in front on the first interception, in front of the safety. Watching it, once he’s running behind the linebacker, it seems like a tough angle to get in front of the safety. Was he supposed to be in front of both linebacker and safety?) – “You’ve got to ask Tyreek (Hill) about that one. That would’ve been a tough ask for him to have wrapped that linebacker and with the timing and anticipation that we play with, that’s what ended up happening, was just basically threw it right to the guy, right to the defender because it just progressed on that play. I was trying to make something happen that wasn’t there and that’s what it was.”
(On the return were you making sure to stay away from contact? I’m not asking to be critical, but is that something you were instructed to do on a return after the one in L.A.?) – “No, no. There were some other factors that played in that, but no.”
(What do you think of 49ers DE Nick Bosa?) – “Beast. There’s a lot of good things to say about him. There’s a lot of good things to say about Fred (Warner), about Leonard (Floyd) on the other side of Nick. They have a lot of good guys on their team – a lot of playmakers, a lot of guys that you can see they’ve played in the league for some time. They’ve seen a lot of looks and they know what their issues are defensively and they know how to counteract what the offenses that have found success against them are trying to do and try to get to. So I think it’s going to be a tough challenge for us going against those guys with Fred leading the charge. In my opinion probably one of the best linebackers that I’ve gotten to play against when we played them in ’22. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and got a lot of respect for those guys on that side. It’s going to be a tough challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”
(Is finishing the season with a winning record on your radar? It’s still possible to have a winning record.) – “Finishing with a winning record for me, for sure is always something that I want to do, but it’s also something that we’re trying to do collectively as a team to try to finish the season out the way we said we wanted to where we’re not rolling over, we’re not laying down and we’re going to put our best football out there and that’s what it’s going to be.”
(What have you seen from I guess other guys in the locker room that shows you that guys are not going to roll over, that they still have a lot to play for? Or do you feel like you even have to step up with this group and say, “hey, we still have games to play”?) – “I think it’s conversations that you overhear and conversations that you have with certain guys, but I think what’s so cool is there’s so many guys that have played in the league for some time in this locker room to where they also understand the magnitude of ‘if I lay down,’ what that looks like. We all make a living playing this game and so for the guys that decide ‘okay, maybe I’ll lay down’ – you look at guys like Jeff Wilson getting opportunities. You can look at guys like Kendall Lamm, just throughout the history of when things haven’t been going right for them and then they get called upon late in the season regardless of whatever the team’s record was, you see they’re still on teams. They’re able to find ways to make money that way and so I would say just the conversations that you have with guys in there and the amount of experience with the veterans as well.”
(WR Malik Washington led the team in receiving last week. What is it about his skillset that is so appealing?) – “He’s smart. Malik (Washington) is smart. He understands where he needs to be in the timing of the play. He understands what he needs to do in terms of the run game. There’s really not much you need to tell him, and that’s saying a lot especially in this offense with the verbiage being a lot. And him being able to process – I mean, really, really smart guy.”
(With TE Jonnu Smith, your connection with him – it reminds me a little bit of how you threw to Irv Smith back at Alabama? Is there something about the tight end position or the routes that they run that make it a nice outlet for you as a passer?) – “I think it’s just finding the way of being comfortable with that person – throws that, okay, you know how you’ve got to throw it to them, certain throws where they’re more of a body type or they can catch both ways. I would say with Jonnu (Smith), it’s sort of endless if you look at it. If he needs to big body the ball, he can do that. If he needs to use his hands, he can do that as well and it’s not just plays down the field in the short game but also screen with him. If you just allow him to get the ball into his hands, he’s super dangerous with the ball.”
(I wanted to ask about your scramble run for the first down, you dove forward. Is that a play that you’re still willing to do that if the defenders are coming from the side and not in front of you or how do you kind of play that out?) – “Probably should’ve just threw it out to Jonnu (Smith), see if Jonnu could’ve got something from that to just mitigate the hits and whatnot that I take in that sense, but in the heat of the moment, just competitive greatness, trying to see if I could get it. That was it.”
(You’ve mentioned and Head Coach Mike McDaniel as well how big the short passing game has been as far as an extension of the run game that hasn’t been able to get going the past few weeks. How tough was it specifically on Sunday to not have a run game going?) – “It was tough and I would say it was also tough for us to complete our short passes as well with the way they played their defense, and so I give props to Houston for the game plan that they had. But that’s also a good learning lesson for us if teams want to go that route in how they want to defend us and stop us. We’ve got to have answers for that.”
(I’m sure you’ve been made aware of WR Tyreek Hill’s Tweet. He said “It’s time for me to go coach” – not sure if there was a comma there or not. What do you think he means by that? Have you seen him? What interactions have you had…?) – “What does it say?”
(“It’s time for me to go coach” with no comma. Some might think it means “it’s time for me to go, coach.”) – “I have no idea. I don’t want to speculate on what Tyreek (Hill) Tweets or what he does. I mean, you guys should probably know better than me, Tyreek embraces all of that. He loves that. So if you guys give him a foot, he’s going to take 10 feet.”
