T Terron Armstead
(It was just incredible to see the holes created by the line. Obviously, your two backs did a great job as well. Why was the running game so effective on Saturday?) – “The run game is always a combination of things, and really a combination of everybody being on the same page – o-line, timing, running backs, landmarks, reads by receivers, blocking perimeter, all those things. I think we did a great job of just locking in really and trying to emphasize on the importance of the run game and how it directly relates to the passing game.”
(Was there any new wrinkle added that the average fan wouldn’t see?) – “No, not really. I think we kind of found the groove, the rhythm, the standard that we are kind of looking for in that run game. It won’t always be as explosive as it was Saturday night, but the consistency to make Mike (McDaniel) want to keep calling them, and then Mike keep calling them after we have a negative run or a short gain. It’s’s a collection of things and not getting too far behind in the score of the game. All those things go into a successful run game.”
(What’s going to feel like to play at home after three straight road games and a lot of travel was involved in that?) – “It will be great. We’ll be back in front of our home crowd. ‘The Rock’ (Hard Rock Stadium) will be rocking for sure. It’ll be Christmas. It’ll be a beautiful football Sunday.”
(I know a lot of players like to say, you treat every game the same. But as you get down to late December, and basically if you win two of the last three, you’re in the playoffs. Does the excitement grow? Is there a buzz in the locker room? Is there more energy in practice? How do you handle that? How do you channel that?) – “I think the treat every game the same will apply more late in the season. I think you have to completely lock in, sacrifice, use all resources, empty the tank every one of these games towards the end of the season, and then you get into the playoffs. You don’t want to just get into the playoffs and try to flip a switch, especially without the experience. The time is now to treat every game the same for sure.”
(How much talk, if at all, is there within your teammates about the playoffs?) – “None of that from what I’m experiencing. I feel like the team, the only thing we’re focused on is the Green Bay Packers. That’s all that matters. All that matters is taking care of this game, and then we’ll talk about next week the next week. But there’s no playoff talk. It shouldn’t be any playoff talk. It’s the Packers.”
(How did you come out of last game physically?) – “I’m alright. I’ve got my bumps and bruises like everybody else. It’s late in the season. A lot of games on me. But no, we’re moving forward.”
(Three different body parts on the injury report – is it 1/3 the knee, 1/3 the toe, 1/3 the pec?) – “(laughter) If I could allocate percentages to body parts, I would spread it out a little more. But no, it’s just part of the game. It’s part of the game. And I take it all into consideration as I plan and prepare to get ready. But everybody’s dealing with something.”
(Is this the first time you’ve had that many injuries at this point in the season?) – “I’ll have to probably go back – I’ve dealt with some stuff for real. I have. But it’s nothing to really talk about or write about. I got to go and get ready to play and do everything I can to be out there to play. And if I’m playing, I’m 100 percent.”
(When you say it’s nothing to talk about or write about, but among us, and among fans, your health is a big deal to this team. I mean, you understand our interest and the fan’s interest in your health, right?) – “Yeah, and I appreciate it. I appreciate you asking. It’s been a challenge, man. It’s been a challenge for sure. Don’t get me wrong. Playing without feeling great or doing things different, changing techniques and changing technique in a week of prep is tough, but unfortunately I’ve had to do these things throughout my career. So I got some experience finding different ways to win and using different techniques, being real good with my eyes and stuff pre-snap. Just finding a different way.”
(I’m doing something on DT Christian Wilkins and the outstanding season that he’s having. What do you notice about Christian on and off the field? You know off the field, in college, I think he won the academic Heisman. He’s a very intelligent player, very emotional guy on the field. A beast against the run and the pass. What are your observations of him as a player and as a person?) – “Elite technique. Elite effort. He has a great feel for the game. He’s tough to deal with. He’s relentless. I think his biggest attribute may be the plays he doesn’t make initially, like when he’s chasing the ball down the field. I think that is an extreme asset to the team. Other teams have to keep that in mind when they’re trying to get extra yards, so you see guys slow down and ball up before the guy in front of them gets to them and that’s because they feel that pressure from behind from Christian and JP (Jaelan Phillips). That’s a really big advantage for us.”
(It’s unusual to add a player off the street in September and have him become a really helpful starter for you. What have you learned about Brandon Shell? What have you admired about what he’s given you on the opposite end?) – “B-Shell (Brandon Shell) has been a blessing, for sure. He’s been a blessing to us. He’s a great professional, the way he goes about his business, the way he orchestrates a plan and goes out and executes. Even when everything isn’t great or going well, you know what you’re going to get from B-Shell. You’re going to get a dawg that’s going to fight, and I’m rocking with him every day of the week.”
(You know how you felt on like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday a lot of these weeks, and yet, hopefully, you’re on pace to play 15 games a season, which is high, considering what you’ve been through over the past several years. How much pride you take in that?) – “I just want to be there for my teammates. That’s it. Be there for my teammates. Be there for my coaches. I control what I can control. I do a lot off the field to prepare and get my body in a position to play. But I really don’t get into counting the games or counting reps. I’m trying to play every game, every snap. That’s the goal. And this year, I didn’t play every game. But anytime I can be out there for my team, I’m in there. No questions.”
(For you all, with this three-game losing streak, have you identified some of the bad habits and good habits that you had compared to the first losing streak?) – “That’s a great question. They’re different, but they’re similar in a lot of ways. I’d say our shortcomings have come from self-infliction, and some things that I feel like we got better at Saturday night. The attention to detail, the standard that we want to play. I think we got a really good start of where we want to be Saturday night. Now the thing is, and the challenging part about this league, is consistency. So going out to do it every week, week after week, I think that is the hard part. But us being so young in this system, especially offensively, when you see things work, and it’s this exactly how it’s supposed to work, you have to experience it first. All right, that’s exactly what it needs to be and that’s how – so when you get those moments, it carries over.”
(Do you have any like holiday giveaways coming up personally or anything for you?) – “We just did a huge one. Back in my hometown, Illinois, at the Team Armstead Community Center, almost 500 kids. We bought clothes, toys, you name it. So I’m trying to set up a quick giveaway here in Miami. I don’t have a spot yet. North Miami Beach Police Department might be my landing spot one day this week.”
(The snowballs last game – have you ever been through anything like that? Did you laugh at it? Did you worry if there were batteries in the snowballs? What was the situation?) – “You definitely don’t want anybody to get injured or affected by it. It was funny. Like that game was one of the best games that I’ve ever been a part of, just from its totality really, what was at stake, the back and forth, great players making great plays, all those things. The crowd was into it. They’re playing The Temptations song. It was a great environment. I enjoyed it. I would have loved to have won and did some snow angels. I would’ve threw some snowballs back in the crowd. (laughter)”
S Jevon Holland
(So the neck, you went back into the game with a neck roll right?) – “Yeah, I went into the locker room, got that Bobby Boucher out there and then come back out and help the team.”
(How was it playing with that neck roll or with the injury?) – “Playing with the neck roll was kind of difficult. I couldn’t look left or right. I had to turn my shoulders and whatnot. It’s just something you’ve got to do though. The times call for what the time is called for and I had to do what I had to do to get back on the field.”
(How are you feeling now?) – “I’m feeling straight.”
(What were you feeling when it first happened and will you continue to wear the neck roll?) – “I had come down and hit somebody and then just happened to get a stinger and my arm was on fire. That’s why you saw me running off the field pulling my arm sleeve down because my arm sleeve was on fire. Then I had the neck roll on. When they first told me in the training room that I had to put a neck roll on, I was obviously against it. I was like, ‘Nah, I’m not trying to do that. I’m not trying to look like Brock Osweiler.’ (laughter) But then I was like nah, forget it. I might as well, if that’s what I got to do. So I came out there in a neck roll and it just is what it is. Man coverage was kind of hard because I couldn’t really turn my head or anything like that. But other than that, it’s part of the game. More equipment. It is what it is.”
(What is it like to play behind DT Christian Wilkins and is there a difference this year and in previous years? Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer said his snap percentage went up from about 60 percent in previous years to 80 percent now because he plays the run and pass so well. What do you notice about Christian as a player and as a person?) – “I’d say as a player first, Christian is probably the most schedule-based and process-based individual we have on the team. You see him doing the same thing day in and day out, week in and week out. He continues to organize himself accordingly so he’s always ready for game day. And even on game day, he does the same thing over and over again. So I always know he’s going to be locked in. I always know he’s going to be prepared to go out there and play at 100 percent, at 110 percent. As a person, Christian is by far one of my favorite people in the building. He’s always bringing you a positive attitude. He’s always ready to attack the day and joke around when you need to joke around. He’s a hell of a competitor but a better person.”
(You’ve called out the fans on Instagram live about them switching up. What is it about the difficulty of pleasing this fan base and when you win, you win, and when you lose, they’re hard on you.) – “It’s not so much for me personally, because people don’t waver regardless. I was on Instagram live on my other account but I was mainly talking about people on Tua (Tagovailoa). Tua has been balling all year. We’re in the NFL, which everyone is getting paid for a reason because everybody is an elite competitor. So there are going to be games where sometimes the other guy getting paid on the other side of the ball is going to have an advantage and gets the best of an individual. So when Tua is out there balling and doing his thing, he’s getting all the love but he has one (rough) game and now he’s the worst quarterback in the league. That’s just something that irritated me. You’ve got to have faith in somebody. You’ve got to believe in somebody. Because like we have throughout his whole time here, we’ve believed in him. We know what he can do and you guys see what he can do, because he is a hell of a player. He leads us on the field and off the field. That was basically that. It wasn’t anything for myself personally or nothing like that. Somebody asked me if I was going to cry or something. I was not going to cry. I was just laying down because I was laying down and laying on the floor, kind of side chilling or whatever … Tua is our guy. It is what it is.”
(You’ve never had the full defensive backfield this year. Huge losses with CB Byron Jones and CB Nik Needham and S Brandon Jones. Have you ever wondered, in a quiet moment this year, if we had everybody, how good of a group we could be in the defensive backfield?) – “Yeah, sure. You can play if games. You think about it all the time. You see those guys around the facility and of course I miss Nik, Byron and B-Jones (Brandon Jones). But we’re playing with who we got and I believe in those guys who we got and who have stepped up. You see them going out there and giving their all. So definitely.”
(I know this isn’t why you play the game but I remember back in training camp this year when you made the statement that you wanted to be feared, which to me, sort of correlates with respect. In that vein, you wound up in No. 2 in fan voting at safety for the Pro Bowl. Does that mean anything to you? Does that tell you that you’re starting to get that level of respect in your young career?) – “Yeah, I would think so. I think it’s pretty cool that people respect me. I respect them. If they give me respect, I’ll give them respect. (laughter) But yeah, I think that’s cool. I think for me, personally, recognition is dope, especially from peers and people that are elite competitors that compete at such a high level and you watch them throughout your whole life, even as a young kid. Like after the game, I’m looking around looking to say what’s up to players that I’ve seen and like (Stefon) Diggs came up to me and said ‘Yo, great game.’ So me, going to find them and them walking up to me, at the same time, that’s always something that I’m like, ‘Damn, that guy is sweet.’ Jordan Poyer, the same thing. Taron Johnson, the same thing. Seeing that kind of stuff and people coming up to me kind of gives me like, ‘Damn. Cool.’ I respect them but they also respect me and they say me as a good player in the league. That’s what I want. I want to be respected and I want to be recognized; and if I’m recognized and I’m respected, that means I’m playing well. And I’m going to continue to try to play the best I can because I want to be the best. If you’re competing at this level and you don’t want to be the best, then you’re just floating. I’ve got a direction and I know what I want to be. But that is definitely cool, for sure. That is definitely cool.”
(You’ve known S Verone McKinley III for a long time. How have you seen him grow just since the time he got here as an undrafted rookie to now?) – “Confidence and maturity, for sure. Definitely. He’s back there having to kind of control the helm now. He’s back deep at free safety and I see a lot of what I did last year in what he’s doing now. It’s funny being in the position that I’m in watching him go through what I went through last year, trying to give him the little pieces, ins and outs of how he can improve himself and how he can help me improve myself along with him, playing together. It’s kind of weird because usually in college we were free safety and nickel but now we’re like free safety and strong safety, so we’ve got to be even more in-sync than we were before. I love that he’s out there and he’s doing what I was doing and doing what everybody else is doing on their field, which is living their dream playing in the NFL. There’s nothing better than being able to say that you were going to do something as a kid and then going out there and doing it. And he’s doing exactly that, at a high level too.”
(So to clarify, the neck is fine? But the neck roll was worn because an arm injury?) – “My neck is fine. Spinal cord looks all good and everything is straight like that. It was just preventative and you want to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself and being protective. I might rock the Bobby Boucher. (laughter) I might have to do it. I don’t know. We’ll see.”
(You have the nickname Snowman. I’m just kind of curious where did that come from?) – “It’s actually very simple. So on the iPhone, the emoji of the snowman looks like a No. 8. I wear No. 8. Plus, I’m from Canada. So like in special teams meetings last year, Coach (Danny) Crossman was like ‘Snowman!’ Then Mack Hollins called me Snowman in a podium interview like this and I just ran with it. I was looking up who was the Snowman and I think it’s like a UFC fighter or something like that. Isn’t Brock Lesnar the snowman? And Jeezy too. Shout out Jeezy.”
(Some players talk about one game at a time and focus solely on that game but the playoffs are looming. I’m wondering how do you balance that excitement of the playoffs with focus on Green Bay. Is there room to think about playoffs or is it solely Green Bay right now?) – “I mean we’re about to go play Aaron Rodgers. I played Tom Brady last year. We’re about to play Aaron Rodgers, who has been in the league for years and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. So what more do you have to focus on? This is a huge challenge, especially for me. This is Aaron Rodgers that we’re talking about. It’s AR-12. He’s the guy. I’m excited. Definitely. It’s Aaron Rodgers, bro. Discount double-check. The whole cheese head thing. Playoffs are playoffs. I’ve never been to the playoffs so I wouldn’t know. But it’s going to be what it is. That’s my mindset. I’ve just got to focus on what I can focus on and what I can control, and what I can control is today, right now, and focusing on how to slow down Aaron Rodgers. That’s all we can do. Playoffs is going to be what they are.”
(How much do you focus or get hyped about matchups with a quarterback? QB Lamar Jackson is a former MVP. QB Josh Allen, QB Aaron Rodgers, QB Tom Brady. As a player, do you really get fired up? And then as a football fan, do you also get fired up?) – “Yeah, absolutely. I mean these are people that I’ve been watching for (a long time). I’m a football fan. I love football, both watching it and playing it. So playing against guys that are elite competitors is fun and being able to try to break down and slow them down and things like that. Like game-planning against them is even more fun. Playing Josh Allen is probably some of the best fun I have because he’s such an elite competitor and he’s a physical matchup on all levels. He’s a runner. He’s a passer. Lamar Jackson, too. He’s electric, so how do you stop somebody like that? That’s the mindset that I have and I try to approach that still as a fan but also as a competitor. I try to take advantage of their flaws but also realize that these guys are paid at a high level too and it’s going to be a challenge. I’m excited for that challenge.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(I see you have a throwback logo on today. What are the odds that you’ll play in throwback jerseys this week? I know it’s after a three-game losing streak.) – “What are the odds? I mean I just wear what I wear on game day. I don’t know the odds. I don’t know what it’s looking like or what goes into that. I just show up and play on Sundays. It’s cool when you get to wear the throwbacks because of what they mean. It’s cool to have a little switch up and things like that, and the history that we have as an organization and stuff. It’s cool and fun to wear the throwbacks, but I just show up on Sunday. What we’re wearing is what we’re wearing. That’s how I roll.”
(Do you value the throwback uniforms when it is a switch up? Because a lot of fans want it to be permanent.) – “I think it’s a treat and those games are a little more special. It’s a little more exciting. I know the fans enjoy it. I know the players on the team enjoy it a little bit more. I think it’s nicer when it’s more of a treat than when it’s a permanent thing.”
(T Terron Armstead mentioned your technique is the first thing that stands out about your game and watching you play through players and play around them, whatever the case may be – one gap, two gap – it seems like it’s all kind of coming together for you. Now that you’re in Year 4, do you feel it slowing down for you? Do you feel that technique take hold stronger?) – “Well, it never really fully slows down. It’s a fast game. And the way offenses try to attack defenses and specific players nowadays, it’s never really slow. But I just try to work hard to slow the game down as much as I possibly can and make sure my technique is as sharp as it can be. It really just starts in practice. Players holding each other accountable in our d-line room – (Defensive Line Coach Austin) Clark and (Assistant Defensive Line Coach) Derek (LeBlanc) holding us to the highest standard and really on us and coaching us hard. That’s where it starts and then to be able to do it on Sunday. I hold myself to a high standard to try to get things right because I know that’s what I need to do not only for myself but for the team.”
(Kind of along those lines, S Jevon Holland was saying that you’re the most scheduled-based and process-based player on the team. Tell me about that. You’ve found a process that works and things? Tell me about that.) – “Yeah, I’ve always been a very routine-oriented person, but I’ve kind of taken it to another level each year, just as I learn my body, understand what works for me, what doesn’t for me, my sleep schedule, my workout schedule, things like that. You pretty much know where to find me any day at any point based off my routine, because it doesn’t really change. There’s times where you might need a little wrinkle if there’s burnout or if it’s getting too tedious. But for the most part, just so I know that I’m a sharp as I need to be and everything all the work gets done that I need to get done week-in and week-out, the schedule, the routine pretty much remains the same.”
(What degree do you take that? Are there times that you’re doing something and you’re almost laughing like, “Well, I’m doing this because I’ve always done it?”) – “No, I’m pretty intentional and, a Mike (McDaniel) word, deliberate with my routine It’s not just a checking the box thing. I’m really intentional about it. I’m that way too so nothing throws me off from getting my work done – not family coming in town for our holiday, not, ‘Hey, Christian, we’re doing this. Come hang.’ No, I need to do my work. That’s what it is.”
(How do you describe the season that you’re having? When I say the season, I mean, individually, because it looks to us like, would you say it’s your best year?) – “I guess, but you’re just never really satisfied as a player. It’s just funny, because people might say it’s my best year, but there’s a lot I feel like I leave out there. I always feel like a play I can make or something I can do, win lose draw, if it’s the best game of my career or the worst game, I always look at myself and I’m a pretty harsh judge trying to figure out what I can do. But also with that having a little bit of perspective. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten better each year and understanding that. But yeah, I don’t really try to think about stats. I don’t try to think about things. I just try to worry about getting better each time I touch the field, whether it’s in practice, a walkthrough or a game.”
(I know that you said before, you’re a guy who treats every game the same. You guys are getting down to some games that could get you into the playoffs and excitement is building among the fans. How do you balance that?) – “Playoffs? Playoffs? (laughter) Well, no – we’re just trying to try to win the game. No, we just take it week by week and go from there. I try to – again, because of my routine and how I am in my process, I try to treat every game like it’s the Super Bowl so that way when you’re playing a random game in October, to people it might not matter but they all matter, you know what I mean? Because when you lose games, you figure out how important they are. You might not think things are important or December has more meaningful football, but to me, they’re all important. They’re all meaningful, because they all help you in the end, in the long run, to get to your ultimate goal and get better each week. So that’s how I look at it.”
(This is the second three-game losing streak that you guys have had this season. What are some good habits that you all learned from the first one that you can compare to this one? And the bad habits, have you identified those?) – “Well, the biggest thing is I feel like the first time, there was like a decision amongst leaders in the locker room, the team, the coaches like, ‘Alright, we’re going to get out of this.’ And it was just like, this happens. There’s ebb and flows throughout the course of a season, but we all just kind of looked at each other, like, ‘Alright, well, we’re just going to practice harder. We’re going to do things better. We’re going to try to do things in a better way,’ to where that we can kind of shake the losses off or get out of the losing streak. And right now, it’s no different. You always want to be on a trajectory where you’re rising and going in the right direction, but now it’s like just finding ways to strain a little bit, more sacrifice a little bit more for yourself and each other.”
(What are your feelings right now toward coming back home after these three road losses?) – “It’s definitely good to always get back home in front of the home crowd, in front of the home fans. I love playing in that stadium. I think we’ve got the best stadium in all of the league. It’s just fun to play there and everything like that, so it’ll be good to switch it back up and be back home. It’ll be nice, especially it being the holiday and everything, just to hopefully take care of business and then enjoy the holiday at home.”
(Will it mean something to you to play on Christmas Day? I know that’s a big thing in the NBA.) – “Absolutely. Absolutely, it means a lot because I grew up watching NFL football. When I was younger, too, that was it – it would be snowing outside. You go outside, you play like a football game with the neighborhood kids on Christmas kind of thing like that. So to me, I’m kind of having that kid excitement a little bit, getting to play a game on the holiday and everything like that. So I’m looking forward to it. I try to take most things like – I always try to have good perspective, and it’s definitely a blessing to be able to play at the highest level and on Christmas Day with everyone watching.”
(I know you’re looking ahead to Green Bay, but now that the sting of the loss Saturday has passed, you have good perspective on things. You’ve been here obviously, for lopsided losses against the Bills. Do you feel good about collectively where your team is now where you can go toe to toe with a team that’s been the leader in the division?) – “I mean, there’s no moral victories or anything like that. We did beat that team before, and to your point, we were close to doing it again up at their place. We know we’re a good team. We approach things the right way around here, but there are no moral victories. You want to win every game you play in and that’s as simple as that goes. It’s not like – at least to me, I don’t look at it as like, ‘Oh, we were so close guys.’ It’s just like be our best, do the most you can each week to make sure we get the result that we want to get.”
(Two-parter for you on LB Jaelan Phillips. You mentioned your routine and your process, it seems like he’s pretty on that same track as well. Is that something you’d agree with? And then he’s made a big jump in kind of the second half of the season? What has kind of attributed to that for him do you think?) – “Yeah, Jaelan (Phillips), he’s like me in a lot of ways. He has his process down, he has his routine, and he has a way of going about his business that works for him. It’s good to see because he’s always looking to me or asking me questions on how to improve things and whatnot, and I’ll help him in any way I can. But I think that’s part of it, just his progress as a player and just him doing the things he’s been able to do this year. It’s just that he loves the game. He cares about the game a lot and puts a lot into it and that’s pretty evident – just how emotional he plays and how much he buys in each week to try to be the best that he can be.”
(What did you think of the shirtless warmups that LB Jaelan Phillips went through?) – “Hey, I mess with it. I feel like because of that, he was nice and warm and ready for the game. The weather didn’t affect him too much, but more power to him.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Just to get the intricate housekeeping stuff out of the way first, LB Jerome Baker left with an ankle. How is he? Where is OL Liam Eichenberg in his recovery? I don’t even think I should ask you about CB Byron Jones, because you sort of left it as not counting on it for this season, but if you want to add anything. So LB Jerome Baker, OL Liam Eichenberg, CB Byron Jones and anyone else you can think of?) – “Hm, I don’t know. I’m not sure if I feel as inviting about information today. (laughter) We’ll see. You’re just trying to do your job, so I’ll help you. (laughter) No news on the last, so we can stand pat on that one. What was the first one?”
(LB Jerome Baker left with an ankle.) – “Oh yes, he had a lower extremity, but he seemed pretty solid today. Unless anything comes across my plate unforeseen, I think we should feel very comfortable with him. Then the next, I don’t know when it’s going to be, just because you don’t – with Liam, I don’t know when it’s going to be. There’s been no setbacks at all, but I’m not sure if you’ve written about or if anyone noticed he was playing by far his best ball that he’s – I think PFF noticed actually, which is neither here nor there. (laughter) He was playing his best ball when he got hurt which is kind of frustrating. Our grades matched PFF’s, I guess. (laughter) So what I don’t want to do is rush the process with him and not build upon the good ball that he was playing. So as it stands right now, I feel pretty good about him getting a good week of practice in. I’m not sure what that’s going to mean, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, what that’s going to mean for the game. But I know it’s not if but when. So I’m feeling good about how he’s progressing, not taking a step back and I want his confidence to be the same as when he left. Was there another one?”
(I think that’s it unless there’s anyone you can think of that we forgot.) – “You would never. You would never forget. (laughter)”
(We spoke to S Jevon Holland about the neck roll and the stinger he got, and WR Jaylen Waddle seems fine. So you seem to be in pretty good shape. I guess S Eric Rowe and RB Jeff Wilson Jr., obviously, couldn’t go. Too early to tell with them or were they close?) – “Both of them were fairly close. I had to rely on my past experiences with Jeff Wilson to protect him from himself. As you could see, we have some capable depth at that position. I think that was a little bit on display this past game. He’s looking solid, hoping – he’s such a tough guy that I have to be proactive with him so he doesn’t do some negative stuff to himself or the team in that way, because he’s an important part of this team. So we’ll take it day by day, both of those guys, but it was definitely – I wouldn’t have been betting on whether they both would’ve played last game because I would have left myself vulnerable to some losses. I don’t like losing bets, that’s why I don’t bet that much. (laughter)”
(Is it a relief to be coming back to play at home after three-straight road games, including a lot of travel, elements and even a hostile environment last game?) – “I kind of knew what it was. I guess yeah, I love the home stadium. I feel like I’ve lived in Miami my whole life at this point, I don’t know why. Going to the west coast, I was like, ‘What is this dry stuff?’ I hate lotion now. (laughter) I wouldn’t say it’s a relief though. The point of that – we knew exactly what that trip was going to be like. We knew what those three games against good opponents, we knew it was a challenge and we were kind of excited for that challenge. We know exactly what we ended up doing in those three games. That definitely wasn’t the desired outcome, but at the same time, what I’m talking to the team about and what I think is very important that I really, really truly believe deep down to my core, is that if you’re going to lose football games, you should get something out of it. I do think – just moving forward, to make yourself better and to make that purposeful. I was very, very proud of the effort. I was very proud of the lack of excuses that were made by the locker room, the players, the coaches, in general, because now that I can talk about it in the open, yes, that is difficult – for sure. Time zone switches. But everybody has to go through their own stuff. I thought they approached it with a severity enough to get something out of it, because if you go half in or utilize excuses and you lose, it doesn’t really – you can just say, ‘OK, we’ll turn it up,’ and then you don’t really get anything out of it. I don’t see – that’s not to say that I see it as, I don’t know. I said something about asterisks last week about there’s no asterisks in the win-loss column about inclement weather. There’s also no asterisks for moral victories. So I’m not necessarily saying that as much as I’m saying that I think we allowed ourselves to utilize every experience because of our intent and our commitment moving forward, and if we choose to do it and if we execute all the things that we haven’t and utilize those experiences, we’ll look back and say, ‘Those were very beneficial, and that’s the point. Because when you go all in and guys really put forth their best effort under some challenging circumstances, human nature is to kind of, ‘(sighs) Here we go again.’ But I’m very confident in the human beings on the coaching staff, in the human beings in the locker room, that we’ll be happy to play another game. We love our home venue, but it’s not exactly like, ‘Oh, finally. We’re home.’ It’s more that we need another opportunity to play football because it’s a bad taste that you want to try to get rid of. You need some Scope (mouthwash). (laughter)”
(There’s no asterisks for snowballs. However, of the numerous entities that could have done something, I know the PA Announcer said it, but stadium security, police, referees, what could have and should have been done? And moving forward, where you’re possibly in the playoffs, what do you think could happen?) – “Oh, if I would take the bait. (laughter) I do not want to – I appreciate the question and I do not want to insinuate that I do not hold your question in any sort of low regard or anything. I don’t want to dismiss it, I should say. However, it is what it is. Like I said, the only concern I had was with players’ safety, specifically with the ice balls going at people’s heads. I know the NFL is concerned with player safety as well. So however it’s handled, it’s not for me to worry about. I should probably worry about coaching a little bit more.”
(There are different philosophies on what I’m about to ask you. I know earlier in the year, when the team was on a win streak, QB Tua Tagovailoa made a reference, “Hey, we’re not afraid to talk about the Super Bowl. We’re not afraid to use those words around here.” Now that you’re a couple of wins away from getting your foot in the playoff door, is it just Green Bay this week? Or is it Green Bay as a step toward the playoffs? How do you want the players to look at this?) – “I think the players have gotten reps at what I was concerned about that I really knew we need, which was football in playoff atmospheres. There’s a lot of young guys that it’s different when you have – I mean, that crowd in Buffalo was awesome. It was rocking. It felt legitimate. That’s the type of environment that you get when you build upon a season and there’s a lot on the line. I think specifically at the end of the season, you look less big picture, because in terms of the only way that you can really do the things that you want to accomplish, you have to give full intent to the next opponent. So I want them to see one team and one team only – the Green Bay Packers. What I do know is that game matters more than any other game. I think when you’re down the stretch, it’s almost like you do reverse. You can talk big picture and talk about the goals when things are far away. When stuff gets closer, it’s almost like you’re challenging yourself to be more locked into the moment than other teams, players, individuals, because a lot of games are won and lost that way. When you start worrying about things that aren’t right in front of you, which happens. A lot of people can start talking of what type of this game is this and you got to do this to this. No, I think you have to learn how it’s one game at a time or you are severely punished in this league. Down late in the season, you have to learn how to fully attack an opponent, because every single team that you play in these months have things to play for in one way shape or form, whether it’s seating, whether it’s getting into the tournament, or whether it’s taking out aggression on their lack of involvement in the tournament. It’s all – players really are motivated, and you don’t want to have self-inflicted wounds because you’re thinking about some games after the next. I believe there’s two games after Green Bay; they may or may not be in our division. But I don’t know. You guys would have to tell me. All I think of is I’m like a, I don’t know. I’m like one of your children and this time of year, all I think about as Christmas. Except this Christmas, there’s a football game. (laughter)”
(I wanted to ask you about your two rookie receivers. With WR Braylon Sanders, was there anything you’d seen in the opportunities you are able to see him work on the practice squad that intrigued you enough to throw to him Saturday? What was that that made you want to do something that you would have done with WR River Cracraft had he been in that slot? What skillset with WR Braylon Sanders? Also with WR Erik Ezukanma, has it entirely been a result of obviously veterans who are reliable ahead of him or has there been maybe more of a learning curve than you had hoped for? So on those two, WR Braylon Sanders and WR Erik Ezukanma?) – “So with Braylon (Sanders), he was – well, it just so happened that the first time, I believe it was the Detroit game, where he was activated, it was so late in the week and an injury came up, and he had prepared exclusively at the position that was injured. So he was able to get some live bullet experience, and although he did have a point of attack fumble, I look way deeper into the players’ experiences than that, and what I did see was a guy that the game wasn’t too big for him. In this specific – so he kind of got a leg up there. I also think that I’ve really seen Erik (Ezukanma) progress during the course of the season, tremendously. From a starting point perspective, it was interesting. He was probably as physically ready for the professional game as any young receiver we had on the roster. But it was probably the biggest jump in terms of schematically, hearing a huddle called and all that stuff. You learned a lot about guys with how their teammates respond to them, and I’ve noticed a lot of people gravitate towards him. He’s been doing a good job and progressing. So it hasn’t been anything negative in that regard, or we had to do X, Y, or Z. It was more that both of those guys had been really progressing, and then one guy got some game experience. And when he saw the opportunity, he had an injury in the meantime. But we felt comfortable with (Ezukanma. That’s a tough atmosphere, talking about at Buffalo, to have your first varsity experience since playing with some of the guys in August. I guess that would have been against the Philadelphia Eagles in preseason, which feels like a millennia ago. So really, they’ve done a good job. I’m very, very happy with them and what they’ve done with their opportunities, because Erik has practiced very well in his opportunities as well.”
(Kind of a two-parter for you. How do you assess QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance now that you’ve had a chance to watch the tape? And if you did like it, how did you like his ability? Or what does it say about him to kind of bounce back from a west coast swing that maybe you didn’t have the offensive production you guys are used to? How did you feel he bounced back from those two games?) – “This game was really cool for me, because I had complete faith in where he was going to go. I think it took a couple games; he identified exactly what was kind of holding him back to a degree. Again, it wasn’t by a longshot, him, that was the reason for losing. That’s a collective thing. Or offensive efficiency, that’s a collective thing and all the skill positions know where they played a part in it. But what to me, that I see that is so unique about Tua, what he was able to do is identify something that he could control. And in this particular game, I saw him completely correct the things that I thought were really holding him back in the two previous (games). It’s a very rare thing to do in sports is to have control. Really just the strength, the mental strength, it takes to harbor all the pressure, all of, really, how people just will undress every single play or really hold you incredibly responsible or have a narrative flip in two games after playing however many – it’s a lot. And I think not too many people are built for that. I think we’re seeing a young player that is exhibiting – that game against Buffalo, he was exhibiting some of the things that I think make him so unique and why I feel so fortunate to coach him because he learned from the two previous games and was able, in live speed, to directly attack those. I think, case in point, there was a sack in the, I think it was the first quarter, down by the 12-yard line, that he, in-game, recognized that he hung on, No. 1, a little too long, and then because of that kind of missed two and three; which in the two previous games, it would have really, really affected how he played moving forward. It kind of reminded me of the Baltimore moment, to be honest, where he identified, ‘Oh, I’m forcing something,’ and then immediately has the mental fortitude to go back and persevere. There was another one in the third quarter, I believe the first drive of the third quarter, where he’s dropping back and he’s hanging on (Jaylen) Waddle for a quick route, and they’re not on the same page, which, in the heat of the moment, you could either do one or two things – you can get down on yourself because you didn’t anticipate what he was doing, or you can get down on Waddle, or you can move on to the next play. It was a throw that got batted down directly, like a Dikembe Mutombo swat. The very next play, he threw a 67-yard touchdown.”
