QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I wanted to first ask, there was an Inside the NFL clip from last Sunday’s game where it looked like you audibled to the game-winning touchdown to WR DeVante Parker. I’m curious, over the course of the season, over the course of the week, how much of that – audible options – are emphasized in practice and how much of it is trial and error and just getting a feel for what you see on the field on gameday?) – “I would say it’s a mixture of both. It’s a mixture of us having an audible already in the play and then a mixture of us going out there and us playing football, just how the game goes and how it’s been going, the matchups that we like out there. That was a screen play. It looked like they ran a Cover Zero. Everyone was to the right. We gave DeVante a signal with what we wanted him to run and he executed that with a catch and finishing it off with a touchdown.”
(I know you mentioned after the game that they were giving you a lot of man looks, especially on second-and-long, and you had some success throwing the ball deep. How much more comfortable are you in those situations and knowing that sometimes, whether it is WR DeVante Parker or WR Isaiah Ford, you gave them an opportunity to make a play on the ball in single coverage and they came through with it?) – “I’m very comfortable but I would say it starts with practice, throwing to our guys against man coverage. In seven-on-seven we go against our defense practicing man coverage because that’s what our defense runs a lot and then you get mixtures of zones. Guys just need to be in the right spots and I need to obviously hit them when they’re in the right spots.”
(You are going to be playing on Monday Night Football for the first time, so your thoughts on that. And also the environment in the Superdome and you visiting Louisiana when you played in college against LSU, I just wanted to get your thoughts on Louisiana football fans who can obviously get pretty rowdy out there.) – “It’s pretty cool. I grew up watching primetime football, whether it was Sunday night, Monday night, Thursday night. So being able to be a part of that and being able to play on Monday night, I think that’s super cool. Just being in the NFL, as it is, has always been a dream of mine and I know it’s been a dream of a lot of the guys that are playing in this league. To answer the second question, it’s tough when we went down there to play LSU. I got to play at the Saints field when we played Clemson. We all know what happened there – right Christian (Wilkins)? (laughter) It was loud but it was really 50/50. Their side and our side and it was still loud. I’m excited to see what a full stadium is going to sound like.”
(I know you couldn’t have been too happy with your interceptions on Sunday but when you come back from a game with a couple of turnovers, is there a greater emphasis on correcting what went wrong on those plays or do you just have to forget about it and prepare the same way?) – “Yeah, I think you prepare the same way but you always have to take into consideration those mistakes. Those were two costly mistakes because both of those led to points and if you add them all up, that’s 10 points. With the pick-six and then obviously the first interception that led to a field goal. That’s something that I need to be better with as far as the turnovers and that doesn’t help us stay on track in all three phases of the game. You can’t change field position the way you want to. You don’t give the defense a good opportunity to have their offense go three-and-out. That was bad football. I’ve got to obviously not make those same mistakes and move on from it.”
(I wanted to ask you, why do you think you guys have been so receptive to the one day at a time philosophy from Head Coach Brian Flores?) – “Yeah, I think that mentality just helps us keep into perspective what we’re trying to get accomplished now. That’s why. You don’t want to worry about third downs because if you’re too worried about third downs, you’re not going to get normal down and distance plays correct or you’re not going to understand what your job is on that. I would say that’s why it’s very important that we just focus on what we have to do today and take it one day at a time and then obviously one play and one snap.”
(People looking for Christmas gifts may want to consider Tua’s leis. It’s a project that I know you did. I’m just curious how it came about and hat it means to you personally to be able to raise money for a good cause but doing it by doing something that’s your heritage and so close to your heart?) – “I would say you really spoke on it. It really just embodies where I come from, my heritage and then it’s also giving back to a good cause. That’s really all it is.”
(I know you;ve played in a lot of big games and handled a lot of big moments. Are there any relaxation techniques that you have employed either before or during a game? Any meditation, breathing exercises, visualization? Are any of those things you incorporated into your approach?) – “I’ve never done any of those. I’ve never had meditation. I guess exercises for myself before a game, for me it’s just making sure that I’m prepared whether it’s looking over the gameplan again or really going over my third downs and making sure I’m good with that. For me, I feel that’s what brings confidence for me.”
(Do you feel like the experienced you’ve had in primetime NFL games, at least a few, that will some way be beneficial to you?) – “I think at the end of the day, you’ve got to go out and play football. It’s football whether it’s primetime or it’s not. You’ve got to go out there and perform at the best of your ability.”
(I know you have trust and confidence in all of your receivers, but having WR Jaylen Waddle back, how much more comfortable and confident does that make you heading into a game against a very good New Orleans defense?) – “I would say it helps having Jaylen back, being that threat he’s a vertically and just speed-wise. Whether it’s a juke route or whatever you want to call the routes that he runs, he gives us good opportunities for matchups with whether it’s a ‘backer or it’s their down safety. Then if they do switch it up, it opens up other guys out there on the field. It’s good but we’ll see how we go about using everyone else in the gameplan this week too.”
(The last time you guys were in a hostile environment was Buffalo and there were a lot of communication issues. I don’t know how much the crowd impacted your ability to communicate with the teammates. How are you guys certain that those issues are in the past?) – “I don’t think you’re ever certain that nothing is going to ever come back up again. I think one thing is for certain is that we’ve been working on it in practice – our communication with crowd noise. We do understand that this is going to be very hostile. It’s going to be very loud. We do understand that we got to get in the huddle, I’ve got to get things communicated whether it’s the personnel and we’ve got to give ourselves as much time as possible so we have that much more room for error, so you’re not always playing with the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 shot clock. That is something that we’ve been working on communication-wise and also with signals.”
(The last two games, you’ve kind of had after the game a sentiment of knowing you could’ve played better. Obviously the two interceptions is evident. But where do you feel the next step for the RPO? You talked about it after the game, you felt like you weren’t producing as much as you could in the RPO. What is missing? What do you feel like is the next step?) – “I think decision-making for me. I think there have been a lot of times where I could’ve handed the ball off where I didn’t. We could’ve went for a lot more bigger runs this year. For me, I’ve been giving up premier looks so I pull it and I throw it and we gain six or seven yards. I think for me, just being 100 percent within my decision-making in the RPO world and it not being 85 or 90 percent.”
(RPO or otherwise, you guys had your best rushing performance of the season Sunday. I just want to ask you how a consistent successful running game impacts the passing game and your job?) – “It helps a lot. Duke (Johnson) did really well. Myles (Gaskin) did really well. Those guys did well. They saw the holes that the line was opening up for them. I think hats and all credit goes to the line upfront. We’ve been talking about establishing our run game and coming off the bye week, that’s exactly what we did. Hats off to our o-line for that.”
WE DeVante Parker
(How did it feel to come through in the fourth quarter last game with the game-winning touchdown, connecting with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “He made a good play on that. Tua saw what the coverage was and we were on the same page and came up with the touchdown.”
(How significant is it going to be to get WR Jaylen Waddle back to team up with you against that really good Saints defense?) – “It’s going to be a good thing to have Jaylen back. It opens up things for everyone. Jaylen is going to attract a lot of attention. He’s that kind of player. It’s just good to have him back out on the field with us.”
(I’m assuming you watched the Saints on Sunday night and I was wondering what you thought of their defense against Tampa Bay.) – “Nah, I didn’t watch the game.”
(What do you know about their defense?) – “I know they’re a very good secondary, great corners. We just have to come out and stick to our technique and we’ll be fine.”
(Obviously, you’re still close to WR Jakeem Grant. What’s it like to see him become a Pro Bowler?) – “I’m happy for the things he’s done. It’s good to see that he’s doing good. But I’m just focused on this game coming up, really. That’s the main thing.”
DT Christian Wilkins
(WR Jaylen Waddle said that he gave you a 10/10 on your worm dance. He was watching from home. But he also mentioned that you rehearsed quite a bit. So I was curious what those rehearsals may have looked like and if that’s the case, what are you rehearsing now?) – “Definitely appreciate (Jaylen) Waddle’s stamp of approval. It doesn’t mean much because I had to teach him his celebration. (laughter) No, I’m just joking. But no, again, that wasn’t rehearsed. That was just all spur of the moment. But I’m a creative guy. I’m good on my feet so if I get another opportunity maybe I can find something pretty good to beat that or at least match it.”
(Talking about celebrations, I saw you when DT Adam Butler in his celebration of Dragon Ball Z and you wanted to do a fusion with him. Can you talk a little bit about that for our Dragon Ball Z fans and all young people that see you…?) – “Yeah so, first of all, that was probably one of the dopest, most exciting celebrations I’ve seen. That was a pretty good job. And it’s hard for me to give him so much praise with the Dragon Ball Z Kamehameha because I’m a big Power Rangers fan, but I’ve got to give him his flowers because that was pretty smooth. Just everything was dope there. It was pretty cool. And yeah, so we kind of did mention that like way earlier in the year. Like, ‘Adam, if you get a sack, we’re going to fuse.’ So I guess it was so far along earlier in the year because I guess he forgot, but we’ll work on it for next time. Now I’ll be really upset if he forgets to do it on his next sack.”
(Shifting to Monday night, the Saints have a pretty beefy interior offensive line with Saints C/G Cesar Ruiz and C/G Erik McCoy and a couple other guys. Just wanted to ask you what kind of challenges those guys present you for the game on Monday.) – “Yeah, this is a really good offensive line. I feel like in a lot of ways, it’s what makes their team go. They’ve got a lot of experience and like you said a lot of beef up there and they’re really good players across the board. Really good center, good guards, the tackles are two of the better ones in the league, so they present a good challenge for us. But we’ve got good guys on our side, too. We’re going to have to be at our best though in order to get a win. But it’s not going to be good enough to just be all right. We’re going to have to play pretty good to get the job done.”
(To that point, just as a whole, I wanted to ask just what’s the best way you would describe this Saints offense kind of powered by Saints QB Taysom Hill and it’s not the first time that you guys have faced like a QB run-powered offense whether it’s Ravens QB Lamar Jackson or Panthers QB Cam Newton. Can you kind of use those games as teaching points as well? Obviously it’s different teams, but are some of the same teaching points applying here?) – “Yeah, I would kind of just describe the offense as just very versatile, multiple. It’s tough. With Taysom (Hill) and the things he can do, it’s like you’re playing with 12 out there. You’re playing against 12 because he can throw the ball and run the ball. And (Alvin) Kamara – they’ve just got a lot of good skill guys and a good offensive line and obviously they’ve got a good play caller, too, and a good head coach. They present a great challenge for us, but you can definitely take parts of those other games I’m sure. Just even whether it’s little technical things, not necessarily schematic things – although you can probably take some there. But just even technical things – wrapping up, breaking down, how to make a tackle on such a mobile quarterback who has some thump to him, too. He’s not afraid to mix it up either.”
(Not quite to your extent, but the Saints have been like the Dolphins – pretty streaky this year and now you’re catching them on the upswing. Just curious whether you see any similarities between the two teams and the kind of seasons that you guys have had?) – “Really the biggest thing and the most important thing that matters is this week. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done leading up to this point or anything like that. It’s all about this game. This game is the biggest game of the year because it’s the next game. We’ve got to have that approach. We can’t – I’m sure neither team is looking at it like ‘all right, yeah, we’re hot’ or anything like that. You’ve just got to focus on the task at hand if you want to get the result you want. So we’ve just got to have that mindset over here that it’s the most important game of the year, it’s the biggest game of the year and take it one day at a time.”
(You’ve gone up of course against some of these young Dolphins offensive linemen in practice. Just the growth you’ve seen from August to now in T Liam Eichenberg, G/T Austin Jackson now at left guard obviously and G/T Robert Hunt with now nearly a full year under his belt at right guard.) – “Yeah, I like those guys a lot. Not only are they good teammates, but they work extremely hard. You see all the work they put in whether it’s during practice just grinding, getting after it in that hot-ass sun. And even after practice, they’re always working on their game, getting together, doing a bunch of things to improve. Just constantly talking, communicating, asking us, taking knowledge from us as d-linemen and I’m always willing to help them out. I’m going to give them as much knowledge as possible to help them on their games. But yeah, it‘s just been good to see the things they’ve been able to do and kind of their development and their growth. I’m happy for those guys because like I said they’re all good teammates and they all work extremely hard.”
LB Jerome Baker
(I wanted to ask you your thoughts on the new league COVID-19 policy where asymptomatic players don’t test unless they are randomly selected like a lottery almost. Is that a fair way of doing it in your opinion?) – “I honestly just follow the rules. I don’t really have input or anything. I’m just trying to stay healthy and be ready to play. This COVID thing is hard. It’s hard to control. It’s hard to dictate it. I’m just trying to do my part to stay healthy.”
(Have you been tested this week?) – “No, I haven’t.”
(As you watch the Saints on film, how would you best describe QB Taysom Hill and do some of the same principles apply from when you were game planning for QB Lamar Jackson or QB Cam Newton? Do some of those same teaching points apply with Taysom Hill and that offense?) – “Yeah. They are similar in the aspect as far as running quarterbacks, but I think they do a great job of keeping you on your toes. When you pop on the film, they can be in so many personnel (groups). They can give so many looks out of so many personnel (groups). I think that’s what really makes them hard is you have to be sound … you have to know who is in the game. You have to communicate. They do a great job of just putting you in situations where it’s going to be difficult. It’s going to be a good one Monday.”
(As a linebacker, do you personally like facing the more unorthodox quarterbacks like Taysom Hill, or would you prefer a more traditional drop-back quarterback?) – “I love the challenge, so I’d say I love the guys that can run and extend plays. I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s a little easier when a guy just stands back there and just makes throws. You don’t got to worry about if they run the ball, if you’re covering well, you can’t be in too much man because they can take off. That challenge for me, that’s what football is about. I love the challenge of football, so any chance I get to have a great challenge like Hill, I get excited. It’s going to be fun, especially Monday night, there. It’s going to be an electric atmosphere for sure.”
(An athletic quarterback sparks your move back to outside linebacker. What do you think you’ve learned from this transition? What has it brought to your game?) – “I think for me, when you’re down there with the d-line and outside linebacker, your technique has to be very, very sound. At linebacker I can get away sometimes with just my pure speed or just being off the ball in anticipation sometimes. With outside linebacker, if you’re not worried about who is in front of you sometimes, it can hurt. Down there, it taught me that technique is really, really important. Your hand placement, getting off the ball – those things I’m not going to say you take for granted as a linebacker, but sometimes you can shy away from it. At outside linebacker, just being down there really helped me appreciate my technique .”
(It’s only human nature to look forward, but it seems like going day by day is working for the Miami Dolphins. Why do you think this group is so receptive to the Head Coach Brian Flores philosophy?) – “It’s one thing. It’s all trust. We trust ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) with everything. Every guy trusts him. We know his system works. We believe what he is talking about. I think we just had to truly see it. I think once we believed in us and him, things started to turn around. It’s a credit to him and our coaching staff and it’s a credit to all of us. We’re really just doing a great job of taking it one day at a time and taking it one game at a time and just doing our thing.”
(Can you give your thoughts on how your front is playing? With DT Christian Wilkins playing really well, DT Raekwon Davis, DE Emmanuel Ogbah’s impact. Do you have even more respect for DT Zach Sieler because of what he made himself as a [seventh-round] guy. If you could just talk about that group of player in front of you.) – “I’m going to say this, I’m very grateful for those guys. They make my job a lot easier. All of those guys we got down there, from Christian to Ogbah all of them. They truly make my job easier. I think the one guy – ‘Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel), that is a smart guy. There have been plenty of times he got me right and he coached me up a little bit. When you see a guy like Zach, he comes in and he’s so consistent. He comes in and works and does what he has to do. He’s a great teammate, he’s a great guy and we’re all just happy for him. He deserves it. Everything he gets and accomplishment he’s making, he deserves it. You definitely have a lot of respect for a guy like that. He comes in and works and does his job and he’s consistent. Credit to him.”
WR Jaylen Waddle
(Obviously you had to miss last game. Can you tell us how you’re feeling – hope you’re feeling well – and what that was like with the first time in your NFL career having to miss a game, watch it, what you were doing and how happy you are to be back?) – “Yeah, I really wasn’t doing much. I was just at the house just chilling. I was in quarantine. I was at the house chilling, cheering from afar.”
(I wanted to ask you about the one game at a time mentality. Why are you personally so receptive to that message from Head Coach Brian Flores?) – “Because it’s true. Every week there is a new task at hand, a new team. That’s just how we look at it every week, just trying to take it one game at a time, one play at a time and do our job.”
(Did you have any symptoms with COVID and how disappointing was it to have to miss a game?) – “Nah, I was cool for real. What was the second question?”
(How disappointing was it when you had been on such a roll to have to slow it down and park it for a week basically?) – “Yeah, it was very disappointing. I watched enough games last year when I was in college. I was very anxious to come back and try to help out.”
(If you watched, I would imagine you watched the Sunday night game between the Saints and the Bucs. What did you come away thinking about the Saints defense and the challenge for you guys on offense?) – “Just always what I know. They’re a great group. They all play together. Veteran team. Veteran back end for sure. They’re a great group and it’s going to be a great challenge for us.”
(I wanted to ask you, did you ever match up with DB CJ Gardner-Johnson when he was at Florida?) – “No.”
(So I guess I’ll ask you then, what have you seen on tape from him? He’s one of their bigger playmakers. What have you seen from him on tape with the Saints?) – “He’s a fast, physical guy. They really depend on him to do a little bit of everything in the run game and then he does some covering as well. He’s a great player.”
(Your ‘Waddle’ celebration was the clubhouse leader for best celebration of the year and then this past Sunday, DT Christian Wilkins broke out the worm. I was just curious from your perspective, how would you rate the touchdown celebrations standings at the moment?) – “I feel like Christian rehearsed that. That definitely was like a routine he had planned for that. But I give it a 10/10 for sure. Watching that on TV was hilarious. He did his thing.”
(This is your first game after Christmas. How are you going to celebrate Christmas and does it interfere in your plans for the game on Monday?) –“Nah, I’m going to go Tua’s (Tagovailoa) house for Christmas. Hopefully he’s got some gifts for me. (laughter) He doesn’t even know I’m going over there. I’m just going to pop up out of the blue. I might just pop up at a whole bunch of people’s house. (laughter)”
(To get food again like in Thanksgiving?) – “Yeah, just to get food, show my face. You know. (laughter)”
(This Monday Night Football game – growing up, was Monday Night Football something that you tried to watch, enjoyed watching, any memories of that Monday night stuff?) – “Yeah, Monday night is a big game. Obviously, it’s a big game. Everybody is watching. Nothing really else is on TV so it’s a big primetime game. Always watch them. Same thing with Thursday nights. It’s a late game, a primetime game.”
(It’s crazy, now they got games on Tuesday and games on Saturday.) – “Yeah, they got games almost every night this week.”
(It’s fun to watch but in terms of your pregame routine, pregame ritual, when there is a big game, is there anything that you change up at all? What is your routine?) – “Nah, not for real. Just throw in lunch in there and it’s pretty much the same.”
(The Dolphins offense seemed a little out of sync early Sunday before getting it together mostly with the run game. Can you feel how important you are to this offense? Were the guys when you walked in saying, ‘Good to have you back,’ because it seemed like they were a little out of sync without you to start on Sunday?) – “Nah, not really. I think they played well actually. I think it’s always good when things aren’t going well and then you overcome it. I feel like that’s good for an overall offensive standpoint. Everything is not always going to be good and what we practiced and how we think it’s going to go. It’s always good to have things like that and overcome it. I think they played well and I’m just excited to be back.”
RB Phillip Lindsay
(You’re in kind of a unique situation here where you come back for one game and then you’re down for a few games and I think a lot of times when guys miss time they say there was an advantage to being on the sideline and kind of getting a chance to do the mental reps. Did you feel that this time around for the Dolphins?) – “Thank you guys for having me today. Definitely. I think it was a whirlwind for me. I came in real fast and had to learn on the fly and things happen for a reason, and I got to really just sit there and really get to observe and watch my teammates and understand the run schemes and just enjoy some football and understand what they’re looking for. It was definitely a good learning curve for me.”
(You haven’t been here for too long, but I wanted to ask you about the one day at a time mentality from Brian Flores. Why do you think this is working for this team?) – “It’s definitely working because we’re focusing on that one day. Pretty much like today. We just focus on Wednesday practice. Now we’re going to go into Zoom meetings here later on. We’re going to focus on that. We’re going to get better. We’re going to watch film and we’re going to understand what we did wrong and what we did right and we’re going to continue to move on from there. That’s the kind of focus and the mindset you have to have in this league because you can’t take days off because every day counts and every day matters leading up into Monday night. So that mentality that my teammates show every day, the coaches show every day, it’s a great mentality and you’re seeing it day-in and day-out and we’re seeing it on Sunday so we’ve just got to keep doing that.”
(Following up on a previous question – the flip side to being able to sit back and watch and learn while you were away. You come here, you were able to play a couple days after you get picked up and now it’s been November 28 since your last game. So how difficult has that been to deal with and how antsy are you to get back on the field?) – “Yeah, I’m very antsy. I’m very excited. I was brought here to just help the team and that’s in any way I can do so. And you can’t help the team by sitting there watching. But I definitely took a lot out of it. But yeah, I’m excited. I’m very excited to be back and do what I’m supposed to do, whatever that is at whatever time and go from there. I just want to help this team win and they deserve the wins – the Miami fans deserve this – so we need to go out there and we need to execute.”
(If I may follow up, what were you able to do while you were on the COVID list in terms of being able to stay physically ready?) – “Pushups, sit-ups, Zoom meetings. Mentally, it’s true, a lot of times – everybody’s physically gifted in this league – but a lot of times I would say 90 percent of it is mentally. Mentally, are you bought into it, are you dialed in, dialed up to what’s going on, seeing things? That’s very important. I think that even though you’re not physically out there, you’ve mentally got to take a mental sweat and mentally fatigue yourself with that so when it’s time for you to go out there, you can execute.”
(Obviously COVID-19 affects every person differently. How did it affect you?) – “Honestly, I didn’t have any symptoms. For me it was like everybody in the running back room was popping positive so I was like let me go and make sure I’m okay so I don’t bring it into anybody else, and sure enough I went in there and I popped positive for it. I did what the protocol asked me to do. I stuck to it and I’m just glad – I’ve had family members that actually had to be hospitalized because of this. I have a son that is 1-year-old. It was very scary just to know that even though nothing was wrong with me, how it was going to affect my family.”
(Answer this if you want – obviously we know you’re vaccinated because of the protocols. Would you recommend folks get vaccinated? Were the family members of yours who had problems, were they unvaccinated?) – “Everybody that got it before the vaccinations really started becoming a thing, that’s when they were really hospitalized. I am vaccinated. I do think that for me personally, I think it did help me with my symptoms, but that’s everybody’s choice and everybody – that’s their right. To me, it’s just like the flu shot or anything else. You can’t tell somebody to do it. I think that it helped me out. My fiancée is vaccinated, but our 1-year-old son is not because he’s so young. It’s one of those things where it’s just scary regardless.”
(I do have a football question, but I wanted to follow up. So you had no symptoms?) – “Yeah, so the only thing that I probably had was maybe get fatigued. Truly. Now my fiancée ended up getting it and at the beginning, she was the same as me and she thought she was tough and then two days later, she was sitting there and her muscles were hurting really, really bad. It just affects people differently. Even when I got the shots, people say that you kind of get something. I thought they gave me a placebo or something because I felt good. (laughter) My arm didn’t hurt or anything. But I definitely got (vaccinated) and I definitely think that’s one of the reasons why I didn’t have significant symptoms.”
(I appreciate you for your transparency because I’ve been asking everybody – not just football players – like what are their symptoms and what’s COVID like. But football question – you are known as an outside zone runner, which I think is a great compliment. What does it take to be an effective outside zone runner and a team that can run that outside zone?) – “Yeah, outside zone – you have to be cohesive with each other. Like that’s one thing I have learned over the times with a lot of my running back coaches. You guys have to mirror up with each other. One of the best outside zone runners or two that I’ve watched growing up were one, Jamaal Charles and two, Chris Johnson. Hands down some of the best outside zone runners there are. And that’s just about pressing. You’ve got to be able to be patient in press and be able to cut on dime. The faster you can do that and explode, the better off you’ll be with that and that’s all about just patience and being able to come 0 to 60 like that. I don’t know too many people that can do that outside zone like Jamaal Charles and Chris Johnson did.”
(So you’re talking about chemistry with the line?) – “Yeah, with the line. Everything has to match up. But you’ve got to help your offensive line by putting them on their blocks, by being patient, by setting it up with your eyes. There’s a lot that goes into it that you have to slow your mind down and then once you kind of get the hang of that, you can get the gist of it.”
(So it takes a minute to get that flow with the offensive line?) – “Yeah, it takes a minute to get the flow in anything you do, especially this all depends on the scheme set and what the offensive line is better at doing and what you’re good at doing at that time. So it’s just about being on the same page.”
(I have a football question, but first I’m glad things turned out okay for you with the COVID situation. I can’t imagine how that must have been weighing on your mind. Were you having to self-quarantine from relatives to keep them safe?) – “Yeah, yeah, so I stayed downstairs in my basement the whole time because at the beginning, my fiancée and my son didn’t have it so it was just me. And she ended up getting it and we kind of had no choice but to quarantine and keep our son away from us. It was one of those times where it was just like you just see how real this stuff is and you understand that it’s serious. It’s something serious that a lot of people are still dying from today.”
(On the football side I wanted to ask you about watching the team this past Sunday the running game really came alive. It was the best running performance this team has had all year. I wanted to get your views on how the running game is starting to come together and also RB Duke Johnson putting up 107. You must have been happy to see what Duke was able to do.) – “Definitely. Duke (Johnson) has been in the league for a long time. Actually me and Duke came from Houston so we had a lot of Houston stories to tell each other, but Duke has been – like I said – people look at Duke and I think that they see Duke can catch the ball well, but they don’t get to really see that he really is a hard-nose runner. Think about when he was at the University of Miami. That’s what he did best. And for us I think it’s just a mentality thing. I think that it’s breaking tackles, it’s offensive line moving down, getting on to the secondary. It’s about finishing blocks. It’s about finishing runs. That over time, if you do that enough, you can wear a defense down and you can get that momentum going, and I think that that’s what you’ve seen with the Jets and Duke did a hell of a job doing that, bringing some juice and breaking tackles. And as a running back, you have to be able to do that to move the chains. You’ve got to do that extra effort and that extra effort – that’s what you see out there and that’s how you get wins.”
(Seeing him in this past game, I’m a little perplexed on how the first thing you think of when you think of Duke is not for that determined running, that power running, that he does. Do people underestimate that?) – “I think for people – I don’t think people understand how big Duke really is. I think Duke is like 210 (pounds). He’s strong, he’s patient and he can catch. And I think that for people, Duke was hungry. Duke – coming from Cleveland and Houston, he did really well there and then he had to sit out for a little while and to get an opportunity to be in his home state – I know how it is to be able to play at your home state and get that juice flowing. It’s a great thing and I’m glad that Duke was able to have that experience at home. There’s no better feeling than that and I think that he took it, he ran with it and it was really good to see. I’m excited for Duke and you’re going to see it moving forward from him. He’s going to give you everything he’s got and that’s all you can ask for from any of us, especially Duke coming in, kind of like I did, where we just came out of nowhere and had to learn the system. It was good to see.”
(Kind of the converse of a previous question, the Saints are pretty loaded at all three levels in the middle of their defense with Saints DT David Onyemata and LB Demario Davis and S Malcolm Jenkins. The names go on and on. What kind of challenges do those guys present you on the interior in the running game?) – “The Saints are a physical team. They’re physical, they’re sound, they’re aggressive and they’ve been together for a very long time. The Saints have been through a lot of ups and downs. They’ve seen it all. They have gone through heartbroken times so as a team collectively they share that bond, which is very special and it’s hard to break. That’s why that defense is what they are today. For us, we’re going to have to go out there and we’re just going to have to play football. It’s going to be to be a hard-hitting game. Monday night. Everybody is going to be watching and at the end of the day, you’re going to have to bring your helmet and bring your pads and it’s going to be like one of those games where last man is going to be standing at the end of it … For me, I was unfortunate to play the Saints when we had no quarterbacks back in Denver, so it was very hard because they’re just an aggressive group and they’re a close-knit tight group that goes as one.”
CB Xavien Howard
(You’ve been targeted only three times the last couple of games. You’ve allowed like one completion for very few yards if any yards at all. Do you get bored out there at all? I know you’re always on your toes but what’s that like being targeted so infrequently?) – “I try to take it one play at a time. I feel like teams try to lull me to sleep, then come out of nowhere with exotic plays and stuff like that. I just take it one play at a time. Just try to do my job.”
(Clearly the one game at a time, one day at a time philosophy is working. Why do you think you guys have been so receptive to that message from Head Coach Brian Flores?) – “I feel like it’s really about what game is in front of us. That’s really the game we really worry about. We have to take care of our opponents in front of us first before we even worry about what’s after that.”
(I wanted to ask, you’re facing another quarterback in Taysom Hill who is kind of more known for his ability to run the ball. He will throw the ball but that is kind of a run-first offense that they use in New Orleans. As a cornerback, do you prefer to face the mobile guys or do you relish the opportunity to face the guys who are going to throw it 40 times a game?) – “It’s football man. They pass and they run the ball. I’m really just out there on an island just trying to do my job. That’s really it. “
(To that point, I know a lot of folks maybe don’t know about WR Marquez Callaway and WR Tre’Quan Smith around the league. I was hoping to get your take on some of the strengths they offer in their game?) – “Those are some guys that are targeted and that (the quarterback) looks at. I respect their game a lot. You’ve got to respect your opponent. It’s really just preparing for them guys and really just to face them is really it.”
(What are your thoughts on playing on primetime Monday Night Football? Do you really enjoy those moments being on the big stage?) – “Most definitely. You got to treat it like every game. Every game we play, it’s a big stage. Even more of a bigger stage on Monday night. Everybody is watching so we really got to be on our toes with everything.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(Just checking to see if WR Jaylen Waddle, S Jevon Holland and RB Phillip Lindsay will be able to practice today?) – “Yeah, so Jaylen (Waddle) and Phillip (Lindsay) came off of the COVID list the other day, so they’ll be available for practice. Jevon (Holland) has not, so we won’t see him today.”
(And anyone else beyond Jevon that you think will miss practice today?) – “Albert Wilson will be out for personal reasons and then injury-wise, I don’t have that in front of me. DeVante (Parker) will be – it’s just a rest day for him.”
(And one last thing on WR Albert Wilson, do you expect to have him available next Monday?) – “Yeah.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa is going into his first Monday Night Football game. How do you envision him responding to that and he had a couple of turnovers this past game – what he needs to do to get past that?) – “I think his approach has got to be like any other game. His preparation – it needs to stay the same as far as getting to know the Saints and what the players on their roster, their schemes, how they want to play situationally. We know it’s a tough opponent. Very good defense, well-coached. Dennis Allen is – I have a lot of respect for him and I think he’s done a great job with that defense for a number of years. We understand that. Tua has just got to prepare the right way but understand that this is going to be a tough test and he’s got to play well if we’re going to move the football.”
(And just on his turnovers, what he can do to correct that?) – “I think the best way to kind of answer that question is for him to just continue to prepare. We always want to be smart with the football, be accurate with the football and no one’s tougher on themselves than he is on those things and how important that stat is. So we’ve got to protect it and he understands that.”
(I wanted to ask you about Tua’s angry run in the last game. I don’t know what your thoughts on about whether you like that or not, but do you think there was some sort of message that was delivered to anybody watching, including his teammates, on that particular play?) – “I think it was a scramble and we got a positive gain. It was an 8-yard gain. We ended up second-and-2 on the plus-side of the field and he was excited about making a positive play on the field as he should be. And he got back in the huddle and moved on to the next play.”
(I get it. Separate topic. Motor and effort – I’ve noticed that a lot of defensive guys and a lot of guys in general are bringing motor and effort and I wanted to ask you about how you think the best way to identify in the draft and free agency players who are most likely to bring motor, effort, motivation, drive on a consistent basis?) – “I think you can see it on film. Guys who are running to the football, finishing blocks, playing in the kicking game. I think you can see on film guys who enjoy playing, play 100 miles an hour, 100 percent, great effort really on every snap. So that’s what you see on film and then you just kind of confirm it in a meeting setting where you kind of get a feel for how passionate they are about the game.”
(There was an Inside the NFL clip from last Sunday’s game where it showed Tua after his touchdown to WR DeVante Parker where he said “I audibled” I guess to that slant. I was just curious, I know we kind of asked you about this earlier in the season with Tua, but when it comes to audibles and making checks at the line, is that something where is that kind of a part of the practice reps as well or is some of it just kind of trial and error, just kind of trusting your gut with what you see on the field and on game day?) – “I think it’s something that we talk about if there’s an advantageous look or an opportunity to make a play. The stars align, then you choose to make that decision, but we’ve got to get everybody on the same page. He was able to do that on that particular play and that happens really throughout the game. I know you make a mention of that one, but that happens throughout the game in all phases and that’s about just overall awareness, understanding matchups, understanding what we’re doing, what they’re doing. And it’s not easy to do. You’ve got 40 seconds to make that decision – really less than that – so it was good. It was nice to see him do that and we’re going to need that thought process, that type of decision-making this week against a very, very good football team in New Orleans.”
(There are 10 teams in the AFC with either six or seven losses. What can you say about the parity within the conference right now with so many teams jumbled? Where do you see yourself in this playoff picture?) – “That’s the National Football League. I think it’s hard to win every week. That’s the beauty of coaching and playing in this league. There are a lot of great players, a lot of great coaches. It’s a slim, slim margin for error. I think we’ve made mention to that the entire year. You’ve got to prepare the right way, you’ve got to perform, but your preparation gives you an opportunity to perform. You’ve got to make good decisions, play good situationally and even then, because there is so much talent in this league from a coaching standpoint, from a playing standpoint, it’s not easy and every game is tough.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa bowled over a defender. What’s your opinion on that from your QB? Would you prefer he just slides in that case, avoiding injury risk and not trying to get two extra yards falling forward? What’s your take on your quarterback doing that?) – “I think when you’re in the moment – you want to see – most guys slide in that situation. I’m not sure if he thought he was going to get a first down. But when you’re in the moment, those guys have to make decisions. Obviously we want them to protect themselves and we want him to protect himself. I’d prefer that he slides and keeps himself out of harm’s way. But I’m not the one that’s out there and I’ll tell him that. He’s got to make decisions out there. But he got up and moved on to the next play.”
(I’m curious what the doctors and trainers are recommending relative to whether or not guys who are coming off the COVID-19 list – like WR Jaylen Waddle for example, need to be eased back into practice and participation and snaps. What are you learning about that?) – “I think it’s case by case. Myles (Gaskin) is a good example. He came right off of the list and was at practice Friday. We saw what that looked like – walkthrough Saturday and played on Sunday. But it’s case by case. That example, I’m not sure if that is easing someone in, playing in a game two days later. I certainly think it’s case by case and I think the individual, whoever that person, can tell us a lot about what they are feeling and what they can do. Obviously the health and safety of the players is priority No. 1. Those questions are really for the medical staff. I think (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle Johnston and our medical staff do a great job of going through that process with those players, whether it’s off of COVID or off of injury or whatever the situation is.”
(Throughout the losing streak, you always said and you always told us that you guys are going to keep doing your job, stick to the plan and get through this. But I was wondering if there is any additional pride or additional sentiment knowing that this team, this group of guys, believed and trusted in you enough to really pull through and really come out here and win six in a row like they have done?) – “I think it’s a hard-working team. I think it’s a competitive group. I think they enjoy playing together. I think they play for one another. I think they prepare the right way. I’m not really looking back. I’m not looking forward either. The one thing I’ve been consistent on is focusing on getting better today. We’ve got a great opponent coming in – well, we’re going there, into a hostile environment. It’s going to be a great atmosphere and that’s where my focus is. We need to have a good practice today and try to string some good practices and good days together amid a lot of things that are going on with Christmas and the holiday season. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
(I know you’re focused on what your team needs to do week to week, but especially this week since you play on Monday night, do you watch any of the other results on Sunday with regards to how they impact your playoff chances? There is one in particular that makes a huge difference this Sunday.) – “I’m just focused on today’s preparation. That’s where it is. I think we’re going to be on a plane when a lot of those games are going to be played. You only have so much energy. I want to put all of my energy into our team and this game, and we’re going to need all of it against this opponent in this environment. They are very talented. They’ve got great coaches, great players. You can go down the list. Defensively, (Cameron) Jordan, (David) Onyemata, (Marcus) Davenport, Kwon Alexander, (Marshon) Lattimore, Malcolm Jenkins, (C.J.) Gardner-Johnson, the rookie (Paulson) Adebo. Taysom Hill, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram. I’m going to put all of my energy on that group and not worry about anything else.”
