Friday, December 27, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Encouraging to see WR Jaylen Waddle practice at least some yesterday. Is there optimism with him for Sunday?) – “I’m optimistic just because of the way he goes at it and I know he will play if he’s able to. So as of right now, I would say there’d be some ‘questionability’ to it, but we’ll see how it progresses. He’s done a great job doing everything he can.”
(And with S Jordan Poyer, if you’re able to say, if not, we understand. Is it more knee or finger and are you pessimistic with him since he hasn’t practiced this week?) – “I’m optimistic that he will practice today which gives me optimism towards the game, but we’ll see how that plays out with the old game of head, shoulders, knees and toes.”
(CB Kendall Fuller out?) – “Yes.”
(I don’t know if this is something you’ll want to share, but I’ll throw it out there. Was the OL Isaiah Wynn, OL Liam Eichenberg platoon so successful that you plan to continue with that?) – “It was a cool formula that it proved to provide dividends for this past game, and should we see it to provide the same dividends this game, we will be open-minded to doing the same thing, but maybe we won’t.”
(LB Jordyn Brooks, LB Anthony Walker, can you share with us the level of optimism on those two?) – “Very optimistic about Jordyn Brooks and I can rule ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) out. That was something that popped up this week.”
(A backup quarterback question. Who has been your best backup quarterback here and why? And what will you look for in the future from a backup quarterback?) – “I think you’re looking for – being a backup quarterback is one of the more difficult tasks that exist in football. So the baseline to me is that you have to have guys that are self-motivated to stay prepared without losing the edge of, you can have one, two, three, four games in a row, every single game you have to be ready. And that means you have to have additional reps on top of any reps you get in practice. That you have to be a self-starter in that regard or get guys together so to me, I think it’s supremely important that the backup quarterback is a leader that his teammates believe in. I think it’s one of the reasons why ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley) won the job during the season, and I think he exemplified the characteristics that were reminiscent of what we had the last couple years. Specifically, it reminded me of Teddy (Bridgewater) and how guys, the second you go in, they believe that you won’t miss a beat. And you’ve got to earn that trust, and you’ve got to earn that conviction and that’s something that you can’t fake. So in terms of rating all the backup quarterbacks, I’m not sure if I’m going to do that. I feel like that’s a recipe for disaster somewhere, but I think that the biggest thing is that you want to see growth within the season, which is very difficult to do from your backup quarterback because like everybody else, they need to be improving and gaining advantages at their game a lot of times without reps.”
(Does this team I guess have patience or room for a developmental backup as opposed to a veteran because this team wants to win, now, and I think that’s the case even next season. So can you develop a backup, or do you need a veteran who can come in and get the job done immediately?) – “It sounds like you’re trying to stay within my vision which is this season and obviously this game. I think overall, you need development from that position regardless of what stage of their career they are in. They need to evolve with your team and where your team goes and the type of things that your eligibles are finding successful and just all the things that you ask a quarterback to do which is operate the offense that’s ever evolving. I think even if a quarterback is developing, that they can still lead a team to victory and players have to believe that that player, they can get all the assignments from them, that they’re on their stuff and they can depend on him and that they’ll put him in positions to succeed, regardless of it’s run or pass. So I stay away from absolutes, not for any other reason but that I just think there’s a lot of ways to skin a cat. I think overall, it’s imperative that your team believes in whoever is calling the plays for you and I don’t think that will ever change.”
(Why did the organization choose to allow Shaq Barrett to pursue work elsewhere here at the end of the season?) – “I think it was Chris (Grier) and I talking, and I think overall, it didn’t present a competitive disadvantage for us, so it made sense in the timing of it.”
(How would you evaluate WR Tyreek Hill’s week of practice after his comments on Sunday about needing more reps with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “I thought he had a phenomenal week of practice. Not only from an execution of assignment perspective, but the way he attacked the ball. What I don’t like – drops happen in the game of football; pretty much 100 percent of the time people are trying to catch it, but there’s technique to catching the football that a lot of times you get weary of people getting passive when the ball’s in the air because of past experiences. And not only was he catching a ton of footballs this week, but he was doing so aggressively. There was on the move, coming back to the quarterback and down the field. He had a very aggressive week of practice which was very encouraging to see because he didn’t blink and that’s the only way to handle short comings in your game. If you’re mad about something, you have to aggressively attack it and that’s what I saw him do this week.”
(You guys have won five of your last seven, you could finish the season winning seven of your last nine. Does it feel that you’re on that type of a roll? Does it feel that way?) – “Well, I think it feels like the team that I had hoped we were when we were looking at the mirror at 2-6. I think the team is very hungry to go after this game against the Cleveland Browns to make us 6-2 from that juncture. I think it’s more, to me, watching people, how they handle adversity and how do they, what do they do with all the noise. Do you sit there and justify who, what, where and why and point fingers? Or do you get into the lab, get with your coaches and then get out on the field and technically address the issues that lead you to losses? And I think starting the season off unfavorably makes for a long season and I’ve seen it go different ways, so I think the team has an opportunity to really exemplify their internal fortitude and their belief in each other because it’s not easy to flip the script that way and I think there’s a lot of guys in the locker room that are very eager to have that. I think – I don’t know, it’s almost representative of just how we felt. You’re 2-6, flipping it to 6-2 would be something meaningful that we’re going after for sure.”
(Optimistic about T Terron Armstead?) – “Yeah, I’m optimistic because it’s (Terron) Armstead and we’re going to see him out there today and he’s coming off a very good game, so I know he’s going to do anything and everything. But I’m optimistic for today and for the game.”
(Do you already know that you would love to have him back next year?) – “Yeah, there are conversations that he has to have with his family and whatever, but what a huge piece of our team he is. Just in terms of where we started off and where our mindset is in tough times or in good times. He’s one of the guys that everyone looks to. You’re always hopeful for that. I’m not taking him for granted for any moment either. Just because there are some decisions he has to make that I know he’s not thinking of right now either.”
(DT Calais Campbell – a lot of people have showered him with praise for what he’s contributed to this team and just the career that he’s had, but what have you learned from him in particular?) – “You feel very fortunate to be around guys – I’d put him in the category in terms of not just longevity but high output, high production. You put him in the category of quarterbacks like Tom (Brady), Aaron (Rodgers) and those guys because he’s in just a rarified air. How does one do that? The formula seems to be the same. He is absolutely, positively someone that goes about the process of the week very diligently. What I’ve learned is that to be capable or to have players that are capable of doing that it takes a unique spirit that really loves football. He loves the process not just in successful times… he loves being the galvanizer for when things are tough. He loves the Mondays after a tough loss. He doesn’t blink. It’s hard not to take some of the residuals of his internal fortitude as a coach and really go after your job. But more than anything, to be exceptional I think he’s just another example for all players and coaches alike that there is no shortcut to those results. If you want to standout and produce – what is he 47 years old now – you could argue he’s putting better tape out there than when he was 36 and that isn’t by just sheer luck. That is taking care of his body so that he can be the same athlete, but as well as utilizing the wisdom that you gain each and every game every season. I think he’s a tremendous example of what it takes to have success – not just fleeting success but career success. He’s been doing it at the NFL level for three different decades, I think, right? That’s rarified air, but you learn and you double down that you don’t just luck into that. It’s equal part talent and equal part just mental fortitude and how he really is aggressive with his daily process like he was in Year 3. It’s pretty amazing. It’s really, really hard for teammates that align next to him and say, ‘hey, I’m tired’ or ‘hey, this season is hard.’ Like what? Try being 38, so very, very fortunate to have him.”
(The Chargers play at 1pm tomorrow, the Bengals play at 4:30 p.m. Will you given the opportunity watch any or either of those games?) – “No, I will prepare for the Cleveland Browns and do my normal Saturday routine for situational play calling, etc. I’m sure there will be several people that will inform me. I’m not too fixated at all. I know we have a game on Sunday that will be played. And my focus is that the team does the best in that opportunity and that’s where my focus has been, with the team and I think that is where their focus is.”
(Do you have score alerts for any teams on your phone? Yale football, Colorado Avalanche?) – “This was several iPhone models ago. I used to have – I don’t know, I think I was in San Fran at the time – but I had Nuggets and Avalanche as alerts. Those days have passed me. I’m more either doing my job or my other fulltime very important job which is dad. Right now that means a lot of Barbie playing. Barbies have no time for score alerts.”
(You guys have done a phenomenal job containing Raiders DE Max Crosby and obviously 49ers DE Nick Bosa last week. What have you learned from those experiences that will help you with Browns DE Myles Garret on Sunday?) – “I think the team has learned that it’s not just one person’s job. I think to affectively execute against some of the premier players in this league specifically at the edge position, it takes receivers’ contributions, tight ends. It takes technique and fundamentals in the pass game from the wide outs to be where they are going to be when they need to be there. It takes conviction from the quarterback to get the ball out to the voided zones. And you have to force all of those players that are really, really good at rushing the passer to defend the run. And I think it’s group effort that there has to be a group focus, a group conviction. You have to take pride in it. Overall it takes 60 minutes of attention and tonality. It only takes one rep for guys like that to wreck the game. I think more than anything I think our offense from all the skill to the offensive line have really, really learned live speed how important it is for everybody to contribute. You don’t just have a Maxx Crosby stopper or a Nick Bosa stopper or a Myles Garrett stopper. It takes a lot of people collectively working together.”
Friday, December 27, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(How are you feeling?) – “I feel solid. It’s always good to go back out there and get with the guys and practice. It’s always good to go out there.”
(Do you feel like you are healthy enough to play?) – “I feel good. They kind of limited me a little bit, but for the most part got through everything. They wanted me to hold back some parts. There is always a chance, always a chance.”
(Were you worried it was a little bit something serious when you initially suffered the injury?) – “I ain’t going to lie, I’ve never dealt with something like that. So I really didn’t know but (was) praying for the best.”
(Obviously you guys can only control what you can control. Will you guys be scoreboard watching or cheerleading at all this weekend?) – “No, I think we just take care of business. We got the Browns that we have to take care of. A good group so we’re definitely not looking over them. We’re just trying to go out there, play our ball and get the dub.”
(With that being said, knowing there is a couple of teams that you guys need help from, their games might be over and your playoff fate might be decided tomorrow night.) – “That’s something, but ultimately, we’ve got to go out there and play regardless. We’re just focused on the Browns.”
Friday, December 27, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(Obviously, with two games left you guys have to win and need a little bit of help. How do you guys go into this weekend knowing that your playoff fate could be sealed even possibly by tomorrow night?) – “You’ve got to just have the mindset of controlling what you can control. Obviously, we would have preferred to be in a situation where we didn’t need a lot of help, but that’s not how the season went and so we’ve just got to go through it. I don’t even really want guys watching those games, just focus on what we’ve got going on and make sure we go out there and we prepare and hopefully, the football gods bless us with an opportunity to stay alive. But when it’s all said and done, we just do our part and let the rest take care of itself.”
(With that being said, how hard is it not to cheerlead knowing what’s at stake?) – “It’s hard. It’s hard because you want to be in there, you want to be in the dance. And so you go through the whole process and you turn into a fan a little bit, you’re hoping, you’re wishing that the teams you need to lose, lose and I kind of feel like the biggest hater, man. I’m a hater out there right now because I be hating on the Broncos and Chargers and Colts. It’s not the ideal way of being a fan but it is what it is. I really want the Dolphins to be a playoff team, so for us to get that, we have to go out there and get some help. I grew up in Denver too, so I used to be the biggest Broncos fan and all my family still are Broncos fans, but I’m like, ‘Nah, we got to be haters now, right, everybody?’ But I’ll say this game is a beautiful game. I’ve seen crazy things happen. I’ve seen the Broncos actually lose out when the Chargers needed to win out to get to the playoffs, that was before I was even in the league, but you see it happen. I mean crazy things have happened, so it’s not like it can’t be done. Just hoping and wishing that it happens for us this year.”
Thursday, December 26, 2024
RB De’Von Achane
(Has anyone from other teams, other coaches said anything to you this season or last about how good you are at pass catching?) – “No, not really. They’ll just be like ‘Good game,’ stuff like that. Nobody has really said anything to me specifically about me catching the ball, no.”
(Have you caught from the Jugs machine earlier in your life to get so good at this?) – “Yeah, most definitely.”
(Going back to what age?) – “I’d say it started in high school.”
(I know wins have to mean the most to you, whether you win or lose a game, it has to be No. 1, but you’re setting so many records – the first Dolphin to do this, the first Dolphin to do that. Is there anything in that list that means more to you than any others?) – “Not really. I just go out there and play football. When you go out there and you play good, the records will come. It’s not like you’re out there thinking, ‘OK, I need this to get this.’ It just comes with great performance, that’s how I look at it.”
(But it has to feel good that those records are yours, right?) – “Most definitely, yeah. When you see everything you’re doing, the hard work paying off, it feels like you’re doing something.”
(There was something that was said earlier today that’s probably going blow you away a little bit. I asked Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver about what it’s like trying to cover a back who can do both. He mentioned – he wasn’t comparing you to him, but he did mention the name Marshall Faulk. When you hear that, what do you think?) – “I think my name being brought up with his is always a great thing. Many people have told me. I’ve heard that more than a few times, so I feel like that’s a good thing when your name is being brought up (with his).”
(You have heard that?) – “Yeah, I’ve heard it before.”
(There are players in the league – you, RB Alvin Kamara, RB Darren Sprouls in the old days – who probably could be a well above average running back and a well above average slot receiver. Was there ever a point in your life you’ve said I’d like to play receiver instead of running back? Or have you always been a running back?) – “I’ve always wanted to play running back, but I’ve played slot receiver in my life before. That’s why it’s not new.”
(What years in high school before transitioning to running back?) – “I’ve always been a running back my whole life. When I was a freshman, my ninth-grade year in high school I played running back. Then my sophomore year I moved to varsity, on varsity we had a running back. So I started at slot receiver and then came and got running back.”
(Was there a certain point in your life where you saw that your receiving skill had really taken a jump for the better?) – “I take pride in catching the ball. I feel like even though I play running back, when I go out there and catch the ball at receiver, I feel like people don’t see a running back do the things that I do. I take pride in catching the football especially lined up at receiver, because you don’t see many running backs. – especially the routes that we run in this offense, you don’t see a lot of running backs go out there and run the routes that I run.”
(How do you like when you’re lined up with a linebacker and they are trying to cover you?) – “Most linebackers or any DB think when I get out wide, I’m either running a go or something like that. They don’t know we’ve got in-breaks, out-breaks; that’s why I like this offense because we run all types of routes.”
(Wide Receivers/Pass Game Specialist Wes Welker told us that you’re never in their room. Do you and Wes have to communicate much ever on the practice field about stuff that will involve receiving?) – “No, it’s more when we do team offensive install and we’re going over plays. More of me and (Jaylen) Waddle telling me something or he’ll like put their routes of them running the same routes, and then me and my coach will go look at it and just go from there.”
(You’ve had a lot of runs between the tackles. You’ve always been a guy with strong lower body strength. How has your body held up with all of those inside runs this year going into Week 17?) – “I’m good. I feel like I’m healthy and that’s the best thing that you can think of. Last year I had a couple of injuries, so this year it was more of trying to get through the season.”
(How much did teams talk to you about your receiving skills before the draft? Was that often a conversation piece?) – “Some of them. Some did. After the combine was over, I stayed after and did receiver routes. So after my running back drills, I did some routes at receiver.”
(Was that your idea or was that by their request?) – “Coaches – some teams requested that, so I had to do that. Some knew.”
(You probably welcomed that opportunity, didn’t you?) – “Yeah. It’s good when you can be versatile and can be put in more than one position.”
(Being a dual threat like that, is that something which you find satisfying and get a kick out of?) – “Yeah, it’s fun to me. It makes it hard for a defense to key in when you’ve got two running backs on the field.”
(Would you rather score a touchdown receiving or rushing?) – “Now, I feel like a route like that – I feel like if I’m out at receiver and run a deep route or routes that technically receivers are supposed to run, I feel that is more impressive. Because I’m a running back and nobody expects that.”
Thursday, December 26, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I wanted to ask you about RB De’Von Achane. Did you know that he was as polished a receiver as he’s proven to be? At what point did you realize that and how does that help you?) – “I would say I wouldn’t have put him in that category as a polished receiver. I knew that he had great hands in practice and training camp. He’d shown that last year, but I would say you only really know until you have to go out and perform in a real scenario of a game, right? And he’s definitely surprised me in that aspect. We know how fast he is when he has the ball in his hands and we know what he can do, but I think that just adds another element to his game and it adds another element to who the matchup is out there with him and how defenses want to play him when we have him out there running routes.”
(We’ve heard a lot this season about the extra attention defenses give WR Tyreek Hill but I also think, hasn’t that always been the case? Is there something specific you need the defenses are doing more so this year?) – “I would say they sort of copy and paste what other teams have done to mitigate a lot of explosives going to Tyreek (Hill), but that’s to be considered because he’s been the No. 1 player, (No. 1) ranked player in the NFL last year, so why would you not want to do that? You force everything else to go on other people and if that’s how – I’m assuming this is how defensive coordinators are thinking – if ‘10’ (Tyreek Hill) doesn’t beat us, we can live with that; if other guys beat us, we’ll live with our chances.”
(After WR Tyreek Hill’s comments last week, have you and him made an extra point to get those reps in this week?) – “Yeah, we got some reps. I think at this time of the year as well, guys are banged up and it’s sort of toeing the fine line of what reps are the reps that we need and you go from there.”
(Seventy percent chance of rain at this time for the Cleveland 4:20-ish kickoff. And then also the temperature is in the 40s. Is the wetness actually more of a factor than the cold?) – “I would probably say the wind more than any other element when it’s a cold game. It’s more so the wind than anything else.”
(You haven’t had to be in that kind of – the cold rain – for a while now. What do you remember? I guess the Tennessee game? What do you remember were keys in preparation for that?) – “What I remember was I didn’t have a good game. Another thing I remember was we lost. And that’s never a good feeling, but I think with this being Year 5 for me, just what I know now that I didn’t then as far as preparation, just getting my mind right, getting wet ball drills in during practice; all of that is definitely going to be a good thing for us to prepare for this game.”
(This is going to be the first time you’re going to see a Jim Schwartz defense in your career. When you watch him on tape, what stands out about the way he structures things and how he attacks offenses?) – “I would say he does really good structurally with getting to different things and making those things look the same. You get to third down, I think that’s where everything starts to open up a lot. Like I said, a lot of things look very similar so you’ve got to be attentive to where guys are; if we have certain alignment with receivers, who those guys are covering those eligibles and then the alignment of the backers. So you’ve got to be really on it when it comes to protection and you’ve got to be really on it with making sure you see what the defense is giving.”
(Road environments can always be more challenging for an offense. How have you seen the operational aspects of the road game offense evolve throughout the season?) – “It’s continuing to work. I’m not proud to say that it’s not where we want it to be especially this far into the season, but that’s I think where we’re at right now. And that’s definitely going to be something we have to continue to get better at.”
(How’s the hip? It was something we didn’t know about until after last week’s press conference. Made it through the game obviously, but is it something that’s all right?) – “I mean it’s good. It’s just like anyone else on the team and anyone else around the league. You get banged up little bit towards the ending of the year so just got to take care of that.”
(What was it like to have T Terron Armstead, T Kendall Lamm and OL Isaiah Wynn all available to play last week?) – “It was unbelievable. It was unbelievable. It was fun, and I think all those guys being in at once helped with our run game as you guys could see.”
(Saw WR Jaylen Waddle back at practice today. How’d he look? Obviously we don’t know the status for Sunday, but how’d he look?) – “(Jaylen) Waddle looked good. He took some reps and then you just want to be cautious with the amount of reps that he’s taken as well, but for the most part he looked great. His spirits are high and hopefully he’ll be ready to go this Sunday.”
(With WR Jaylen Waddle, his numbers against man coverage this year on third down are all really good and obviously you guys have rapport going back to Alabama, but it seems like you really trust him. I’m curious what about his game makes him so trustworthy for a quarterback?) – “I think he gives really good indicators for me. If I’m able to see the indicator of you ‘left-righting,’ I know, ‘OK, I know where to throw ball’ just doing the fast math of A2 plus B2 is C2, then throw it over there to where I know he’s going to be. And then vice versa, if it’s an out route or an in-breaking route, a lot of the indicators that he gives really helps with the timing.”
(Not sure if you guys have TVs on your plane that you’ll take on Saturday. I’m not sure what time your flight is, but if it is available, would you watch any of the Chargers or Broncos games? The Dolphins need those teams to lose and they’re playing on Saturday.) – “I probably won’t be looking at that. On the plane I’m just looking over the plays for normal down and distances, just making sure that I’ve got everything queued for the game on Sunday, going over third downs. And then if I have anything to talk to any of the guys about on the plane, just go and see if they’re up. If they’re not up, I just let them sleep and then get with them at the hotel. So that’s sort of the process.”
(If both of those teams win, then this team is eliminated before it plays on Sunday, those two teams playing on Saturday. Would that alter anything in the way you approach a game, just knowing playoffs are out of the question?) – “No.”
(How do you view the opportunity that is presenting itself in the final two games?) – “I think that’s exactly what it is, is it’s an opportunity and I don’t think any of us on our team should take this for granted. This is something that we’ve worked extremely hard for to be in the positions that we’re in now, to be able to play in the NFL. That in itself has been a dream, so for you to short-circuit yourself and be like, ‘oh, no, we’ll get it next year.’ Well, how do you even know that there is going to be a next year for your career or there’s going to be a next game for you? You just never know when you’re weighing out those options. But to go back to your question, regardless of if we’re still in it or not, you get to see a lot about who a person is by the way they go about their business. You see guys laying down? That tells you a lot right there. You see guys fighting? I mean, that should tell you a lot as well, and you should know the guys that you want to – hopefully next year you should know by that time, the guys that were going when times were hard. You kind of want them on your team and you can kind of count on those guys.”
(You spend time on the airplane getting ready for the upcoming game, so it sounds like you’re preparing really all week long. I’m curious for a player that I’ve heard Kurt Warner for instance say that your preparation, your processing is all some of the best in the league – how do you balance spending enough time on it versus maybe doing too much to where you have too much going on from a processing standpoint? Does that make sense?) – “I don’t think there’s ever enough time to be spending trying to focus on your craft and honing in on your craft. This is our job. This is what we’re supposed to do. Like I’m supposed to do that and I would expect the next guy to do that, too, if they were preparing to help this team win. So it’s just the variables of on each play, this is where I’m going to go with the coverages we know, but if they don’t run these coverages, what are the coverages that gave us problems on these plays. So I’d go through that in that my head and I think that helps speed up the process, but it’s also one of those where my footwork, it has to be right if I know I’m know I’m not working this on a certain look.”
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(I know Head Coach Mike McDaniel has told us that CB Kendall Fuller is unlikely to play this week. You obviously have options with DB Elijah Campbell in a three-safety look, you have CB Siran Neal. But it’s primarily since CB Cam Smith… it’s obviously been CB Storm Duck primarily. What has made you guys want to invest more time in him as opposed to say, someone else on the roster or finding a veteran on the street?) – “I think it’s just a testament to the kid and his consistency. He has continued to develop all throughout camp and throughout the season and he’s just a guy that I think his teammates and both teammates and coaches alike trust. That’s not to take away from some of the other guys that are on the roster, too. I have a tremendous amount of faith in Ethan Bonner, if he’s out there and he’s on the field. When Siran Neal is in there, I have confidence in him, but in terms of the outside corner position, I think Storm (Duck) has played his way into that role.”
(I’m going to name DT Zach Sieler the Palm Beach Post “Most Outstanding Dolphin of the Year” even though there’s two weeks left. That is just my personal choice. How would you describe Zach in one word?) – “That’s difficult. One word. He is determined. I think that’s the word just because he’s one of those guys you just think about his kind of path to the league, getting cut from Baltimore, had every opportunity to kind of go the other way and say, ‘you know what? Maybe this isn’t for me, this isn’t my path.’ But throughout all adversity he’s faced in this sport, he has shown just a resilience and a true determined attitude to persevere. So that’s why.”
(If you had a 16-year-old four-star defensive lineman at Christmas dinner there and what would you tell him about DT Zach Sieler? Like “hey, watch this” or “know this”…?) – “I would tell him – one, if he was at dinner, I would make sure he was around me every day so he could see more of the ins and outs of what Zach does, because I think it’s truly his day-to-day operation with how he approaches all aspects of work which is why he has the success he has on Sundays.”
(S Jordan Poyer, we saw the play with 49ers WR Deebo Samuel there toward the goal line. I think 49ers TE George Kittle also got him earlier in the game, but on both of those it looked to me like Poyer came in with bad form, head down. Is that the case and if it is, do you talk to him about that? Or do you just think “he’s a vet, he knows what he did wrong”?) – “I think to single out Jordan (Poyer) in those two particular instances, that’s rough to me. It’s not like the two guys you mentioned – Deebo Samuel and George Kittle – are like me and Brian Duker who’s going to be up here later. (laughter) Those two guys are obviously physical players and they make a lot of people miss tackles. I watched the game yesterday. I’m sure (Texans Head Coach) DeMeco (Ryans) on the other side is saying, ‘hey, we’ve got to contain Lamar Jackson. We’ve got to keep him in the pocket, guys.’ You go into it with those mindsets, but there’s some great players out there and they force you to sometimes, unfortunately, look bad on defense. So yeah, could ‘Po’ (Jordan Poyer) run his feet, could he go lower, could he make sure he wrap up; yeah, we can talk about that till we’re blue in the face. It’s a bunch of coach speak, but those guys are going to make plays, too, and we’ve got to make sure we get more people to the ball so we don’t have those one-on-one situations.”
(With a guy like Browns WR Jerry Jeudy who has not had the production early in his career, gets to Cleveland and takes off – we knew he was talented as a first-round pick, but now the production matches the talent. What’s changed for him in Cleveland to make him so productive, do you think?) – “That’s difficult to say. When I’ve seen him in the past – haven’t played against him a bunch – but you always saw the talent there in terms of short-area quickness, his speed, his ability to catch the ball, to go up and get it, his instincts. He has all that. So if anything has changed, I think it’s probably just more opportunities, if anything, for him. Just quarterbacks having willingness to throw to him and give him opportunities to make those plays because the skill set and talent has always been there.”
(Are you optimistic about having both LB Anthony Walker Jr. and LB Jordyn Brooks available on Sunday?) – “Yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see. I know those guys are certainly working through bumps and bruises. Probably feel – kind of guessing on both, but I’m betting on the warriors that they are in the hopes that they’ll both be out there.”
(And with backups, is there position versatility with LB Duke Riley and with LB Tyrel Dodson where we saw obviously Duke replaced Jordyn; could Tyrel have gone in there or do you like each guy backing up those two guys?) – “Since Tyrel (Dodson) has been here, he’s focused primarily on the Mike position, on playing middle backer. Now could he play Will, absolutely. The kid is incredibly smart, has high ‘FBI’ (football intelligence). Duke (Riley) has played them both, so we have a tremendous amount of confidence going out there and execute – really, he’s played some Sam backer for us, too, so you talk about just a multitude of skillsets for him. He’s played all over so we trust him in whatever backer role he happens to be in.”
(I’d like to get a defensive coordinator’s perspective on this. RB De’Von Achane is setting all kinds of records now, not just running the ball, but as a receiver. I know there aren’t a lot of players who can do what he can do in this league, but when you go against someone like that, what sort of headaches does it cause for a defensive coordinator that other plays would not?) – “He’s an absolute nightmare and I imagine – again, I’m not trying to put this tag on him and he has a long way to go to reach this – but I imagine coordinators were having the same conversation when they were facing Marshall Faulk. A guy who from the backfield could definitely hurt you, could run with physicality, could hit you on the edge but then when you split him out, particularly if you’re matched up against the backer, you have no chance. So when you’re facing guys like him, you’ve got to be cognizant of where he’s at every play and it’s probably going to force you to play more zone than you want to.”
(What are your memories of Head Coach Mike McDaniel 10 years ago when you guys were together in Cleveland where you return this week?) – “Oh man, we were a lot colder than we are now, but Mike (McDaniel) was as hard a worker from a coaching standpoint as I’ve ever seen. Even now, he still gets here super early, stays super late, probably doesn’t stay as late as he once did because he now has a daughter. It’s important that he gets home to spend time with her, but even back then – I don’t want to say younger coach at that point, he was probably 10 years into his NFL career – but I saw very early like when we talked football, he saw it differently. I would always leave every conversation with him thinking, ‘oh man, he gets it. He gets the big picture wise.’ And then when he would talk to his players in the wide receiver room, you could just tell they had a genuine appreciation and love for who he was and how he taught. So yeah man, I love him and even back then I kind of knew this was coming.”
(The decision with LB Chop Robinson to have him play, it’s obviously been substantial playing time. You’ve gotten great production. Less than LB Emmanuel Ogbah each week, is that because of a desire to have LB Quinton Bell in on run-heavy downs? Is it you need to see more from Chop? What goes into that?) – “I think it’s just making sure all those guys see the field because we think they can impact the game in a multitude of ways. Chop (Robinson), I think again, the more you play him, he’s going to be efficient at everything – run game, pass game, all of it. I think he’s really gotten to the point where he can do that now. But (Emmanuel) Ogbah is a bigger body and sometimes you want those bigger bodies out there to set a more firm edge and do things of that nature. You have ‘Q Bell’ (Quinton Bell) who’s probably a little bit more proficient in some of the things we do from a pass coverage standpoint when he’s out there. So they all have a multitude of skill sets and we just kind of try to blend them in based on what we think we’re going to get schematically from the offense in that particular time.”
(And with LB Cam Goode, how do you make a decision on how much to incorporate him defensively? Obviously he hasn’t played in a year, doesn’t have a ton of defensive snaps on film, body of work.) – “I tell you what; obviously I didn’t know much about Cam (Goode) coming in, and I knew he was battling through the injury. You watch some limited snaps from a year ago and you saw something there, but you knew he was still a fairly young player, particularly as an edge defender. But man, he has a skill set and he works so hard that you can easily see how that will translate to success in this league. I think particularly once he gets a full offseason of just training his body and getting bigger, he can be even more impactful. But when he’s out there right now, we have all the faith in him to go out there and execute the jobs we need him to.”
(How has LB Bradly Chubb responded to the unfortunate reality that he will not be able to participate this season?) – “I think we were all cautiously optimistic that he’d get out there and play this year, particularly with the severity of the injury he had. It was incredibly encouraging to see him go out there these past three weeks and play, and I hope that provides confidence in what he can be when he does come back. He’s probably disappointed just because he has put in the work, but again, I hope that he feels confident that when he does return, he’ll be everything he was and more.”
(I wanted to ask you about your defense. Obviously, we talk to you all year. You always say points is the No. 1 barometer. You’re No. 8 in yards allowed, you’re No. 10 in points allowed; but yet, you guys don’t get many sacks and you don’t get much turnovers. Why do you think you’re having this level of success you’re having as a unit without the big play production?) – “I think it’s just that. I think whatever group of 11 you see out there, you’re doing everything possible to play with effort and energy and play together. And when you have that, yeah, sometimes you don’t make the big plays and you don’t have sacks and some things of that nature. I think the sack stats are a little bit overrated personally, but turnovers we certainly have to increase and some of that sometimes I think is just the way the ball bounces. Even last game, I think we probably had like, four or five pick opportunities that if the ball is a foot either way, we get those. So I think it’s a credit both to the players and the coaching staff of buying into both culturally what we’re trying to instill and then schematically going out there and playing with again the effort, the energy, the physicality, the tenacity, which is why those numbers are where they are. We certainly need to increase the turnovers, for sure.”
(The 12 men on the field – I thought you guys were off but maybe not, but my question is should that be a literal interpretation of the rule? Like you guys weren’t going to get an advantage. Should it be a literal interpretation or should there be some leeway?) – “I think it should be as literal as when the clock hits zero and it’s not a delay of game. So to me, those fall under the same barometer.”
(Should that be a reviewable play because I mean…?) – “He should have to look. (laughter) I hear that all the time.”
(It was mentioned covering Browns WR Jerry Jeudy. What do you think of Browns TE David Njoku especially given the struggles this defense has had covering good tight ends?) – “I think he’s banged up a little bit, so he can take a week off. I’d understand. I get it. (laughter) But I’ve faced ‘Dave’ (David Njoku) now for a number of years, having to go against him twice a year in Baltimore and he’s a dynamic player. When the gets the ball in his hand, tremendous YAC – yards after catch, he can run through people and he’s a huge target down in the red zone. So for us in particular, is he going to have his catches in normal field, yeah, and we have to be cognizant of that, but particularly when they’re down in the red zone, we’ve got to make sure we try to take him away.”
(Earlier you mentioned LB Quinton Bell, I was curious because I’m looking at his snap counts. He played about 10 reps in October and since then has played almost 200 snaps. What has he done to earn that elevation of playing time?) – “Again, I think it’s just his development. He’s shown through work on the practice field that he can be trusted, not only to go out there and execute his job but execute at a high level and make plays. So he’s one of those guys that really early on when I got here, you could kind of see he’s another one of those guys you could see that just wasn’t going to be denied, and regards to where he fell on the depth chart, who was in front of him, he was going to earn his way onto that field whether that be on special teams or on defense. So that’s truly a testament to the kid and the work he’s put in.”
(What’s your role in the red challenge flag process? DT Benito Jones had the challenge last week, the play. Do they ask you what do you think or do you contribute a thought? How does that work?) – “I don’t have much contribution into it at all. That’s truly a decision that comes from Mike (McDaniel) and whoever he listens to on the other headset. So obviously in that situation as a defensive guy, I want to throw the flag, but in that moment, I’m not taking into account the big picture repercussions of losing a timeout.”
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(On the right guard thing, was the thinking with you and Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry and Head Coach Mike McDaniel that you’d eventually like to settle on one guy? Or do you like the idea of potentially the rest of the way of the platoon?) – “I think that it was a solution towards getting Isaiah (Wynn) involved. Liam (Eichenberg) has been working through some stuff, so the ability to get guys fresher through the course of the game. We think it boded pretty well, and each week, we’ll evaluate what’s best for the opponent to put our guys in the best position possible. Yeah, we were very pleased with how it worked out last week.”
(On the pass that QB Tua Tagovailoa throws to WR Tyreek Hill in the end zone and it’s tipped, Tua took a hit on that. Are you at the stage where you still will notice that and wonder and cross your fingers? Or are you kind of past that as far as Tua and a possible injury?) – “I think it’s more of when you’re going into any game, you’re always trying to minimize contact to the quarterback through your pass protection systems. So I think ultimately, we’re always evaluating how the pockets going, how we’re able to protect and trying to choose the right schemes to attack through that approach. I think the line did a great job pass protecting and Tua (Tagovailoa) delivering the ball and the skills being in the right spots. I think ultimately our goal is to make sure that we protect the quarterback and use our skill to understand concepts, launch points and everything so we make sure we can keep it successful.”
(Should WR Tyreek Hill have caught that pass?) – “Well, it’s one of those things where it got tipped at the last second so when those things happen, it’s like your vision gets changed. So I know the competitor in him wants the op again and I know the stuff he’s going to be working on this week to get better at.”
(Staying with WR Tyreek Hill, we know he’s a great troll. Is there any chance at the end of the season that the left wrist thing – he tweets, ‘ah, got y’all again’ – or is this legit, and I know he’s been treated for it, he’s been on the injury report, but is this a troll job? Someone who seeks attention, social media, messes with people on social media.) – “Tyreek (Hill) has been awesome working through the pain that it involves, and it’s hard when you’re trying to catch the ball and do all the things. So I think him working through it and making sure we’re connecting on the same page with timing and all that is going to be, obviously, the utmost importance this week.”
(It’s always harder for an offense to operate on the road for various reasons. How has the road operation been overall throughout the season?) – “Well, I think earlier in the year it was something that we wanted to improve on. In the short week, it was an area that we knew we could have improved on. I think that’s just always your goal when you’re moving like we do to try and create leverage on the defense is to make sure that we’re operating together, having the balance of things where you’re trying to get a premier look and making sure you have plays that you can get lined up fast and be able to attack. So I think there’s times this seasons that we think that we could have been better, and the good thing is we got this chance this week to go up there and really improve upon things that we would like to be able to do over again, and that’s what each game provides.”
(There might be some cold rain over there. Do you have to prepare wet ball drills and things like that?) – “Yeah, we go through the process to get ready for that. It’s one thing – I’ve been up to Cleveland three times and each three times it was different weather. With it being right on the lake, I think in COVID in 2020 when I was with the Raiders, it was sunny, it snowed, it sleeted and it rained all in the same game. But yes, we work all of our preparations for the weather, depending on what it is but it’s Cleveland, you never know.”
(I know that General Manager Chris Grier and Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Eric and the scouts and everyone had an appreciation for RB De’Von Achane’s hands and receiving ability coming in. But was there a moment with you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel and Eric in meetings the last couple of years, or even on the practice field, where you said to yourselves, “this guy’s ability as a receiver, his hands are special. We want to utilize that even more?” Any perspective on how good he is on that, that you could share?) – “I think it started with his college tape, like at (Texas) A&M, you could see his ability to play the ball in the air. Necessarily sometimes in college, there’s different things they’re trying to do and they use their backs different ways, but you could see it on his college tape – ball is in the air and his ability to track it, running vertical routes, and that’s not easy, especially coming out of the backfield with the different things they had him do. So we knew that coming in that was going to be something that he could do well, and credit to him working his tail off to make sure he’s been ready on the multitude of things we could ask him to do. I think it just plays to how dynamic of a back he is and all the different things he can do.”
(How much sleep have you lost this week trying to think of protections for Myles Garrett?) – “Well, the gauntlet of the last couple weeks hasn’t been necessarily easy for us with all the rushers we’ve had to do. I think he’s a special player, a high-end guy that you always have to be mindful of and it’ll be a good challenge for us. I would say the last month has been kind of tiring from that standpoint and that’s on the whole season. But yeah, we have respect for his game, and we’ll have to be ready for him.”
(Might he get the Maxx Crosby treatment?) – “There’s a multitude of things that we’ll have to do because with him, he’s very talented guy. I think that the different variables that we’ll have to do – when you have an elite guy to that level, you can’t just do one thing. You have to do a multitude of things. So he gets high level treatment like (Nick) Bosa and like Maxx (Crosby) did and like other guys we’ve faced this last month.”
(How would you describe the matchup of going up against a Jim Schwartz coached defense?) – “Well coached, do a bunch of schematic overlaps. They try and have a lot of disguise to what they do. They play hard, physical. You can tell it’s a well-coached group, and it’ll be a good opportunity for us to go on the road and to be ready to be on our details because they are going to be aggressive to the ball and play hard to the end.”
(How did OL Isaiah Wynn do?) – “Did well. I mean the run we had at the end; he was able to really block the three(-technique) and shut it down. I think he did a great job in his first opportunity back, and he’s an energy guy. I mean he loves ball, so to have him back was awesome. It’s just another element to the room of a guy that just is all ball and loves playing hard.”
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The process for determining how far K Jason Sanders can kick pregame, can you walk me through that? Is it after he kicks, you talk to him and you decide which direction and how far he can go each way?) – “Well, he’s got his pregame sequence that we worked through and established years ago and there’s going to be some games based on elements that we may tweak that slightly, but it’s going to be just a lot of communication on what we’re doing, what we’re thinking. Whether it be wind, whether it be cold, whether it be field conditions – there’s some stadiums where one end may be better than the other. So we’ll talk through all of that pregame and then again right before the game starts because even some of those games where you think it’s ‘A,’ and then you come out 45 minutes later and some things can change, whether it be, especially, with wind and/or rain, and then you tweak it. It’s just having a great line of open communication.”
(How does rain affect a kick? Obviously, the ball is going to be wet, but does it not carry as far?) – “Very minimal. Unless it’s a downpour, very minimal. But then you tie that into the operation of the snap and the hold, that’s where it gets a little bit – not as much as the kick, but the snap and the hold with the wet ball is a little bit more of an issue.”
(Can you just detail the run that K Jason Sanders has been on making all of these consecutive field goals and having the performance he just had for AFC Special Teams Player of the Week?) – “Just in a good spot, both physically and mentally. And like we’ve talked about in here, when he hits a bad ball, he doesn’t let it affect him. We talk about the mental aspect in a lot of different ways; the mental aspect can be if you miss one, you start overanalyzing technique. You start overthinking what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. So there’s a lot of – when we say mental – there’s more to it than just where your space is. But Jason (Sanders) doesn’t let things bother him, which I think is one of his strongest traits that if he doesn’t hit a good ball, he doesn’t think about it, doesn’t dwell on it, he’s not going to overreact to that. So again, he’s in a good spot right now. The operation has been good; Jake (Bailey) has been outstanding holding with our multitude of snappers. So really good space, but we’ve got a lot more work to do.”
(TE Julian Hill had a tackle on a punt return where he gets the guy’s shoulder and brings him down. How has he done on special teams? He seems like a – we know he’s physical – very athletic, he runs well. How has he done on special teams?) – “He’s done very well. That’s one of our great finds here with our personnel department and our development. As coaches, they’ve done a really good job with Julian (Hill), and he just keeps getting better and better. The more that he keeps playing on offense, it’s hard, but he keeps grinding and he wants to be involved in the kicking game and does a very good job for us.”
(It looks like kickoff return touchdowns have gone from two to four to six this year. What have we learned now that the season is almost over about the new rule and how that’s impacted the number of returns, the average and the touchdown rate?) – “I think the biggest thing with this set up is one error can really lead to a big play for the return team and a really negative play for the coverage team, because based on where the intent of that return goes, there’s a portion of the field where some players are that they get lost. Where regardless of what happens, they really have a hard time being impactful in the play because there’s no time. Whereas with the space of covering down the field, there was more time and availability and vision for some guys on i.e. the back side maybe of coverage where they can find themselves involved in the play. Now, it happens so quickly that you get one guy fits outside, one guy fits inside on a vertical return where that guy doesn’t have to make any kind of movement, your backside players are really having a hard time getting there to be a factor in the play. So I think there’s some things maybe that can be tweaked, but I think it’s going to be, when it does, I think it’s going to be really good for the game going forward.”
(Speaking of return touchdowns, I think the Browns have given up one on kickoff and on punt. What have you seen on those plays?) – “Again, the kickoff return was a fit deal – one guy stuck, guy tried to get over the top and sort of got passed off on a double team and Cincinnati made a good play. But they’re a good group. They were really, really good a year ago; they’re still good this year. Again, one or two plays, that’s where things get tilted. You give up a play or two and your numbers get skewed, but they’re a good group. They’re well coached and they’re playing well, but those plays obviously, are monster plays. You’re looking for them, you can’t give them up but you can play very, very well for 80 plays and you give up one of those and it’s a back breaker.”
(I want to ask you just about K Jason Sanders’ headspace and mentality. Just getting to know him over the last five or six years here, it seems like nothing really bothers him. We’ve seen him have some highs and lows, but it seems like he’s always in that same plane. So I’m curious if you could help describe how valuable that is as a kicker and also, when did you recognize that in him with kind of that steady mentality that he has?) – “As we said, he does a great job of moving on. It’s the next, it’s not the past and you could see that for me, right when I started working with him six years ago. He wouldn’t – he’s willing to trying anything. You talk technique and ‘tweak this’ and ‘what about this’ and ‘why don’t we try this?’ He’s willing to try everything and exhaust it, and then very concise and clear on what he likes and what he doesn’t like. But as I said most importantly whether he hits a great ball or hits a poor ball, he’s able to move onto the next one. If anything ever gets into a rhythm where it is a consistent maybe fade or draw, understands from jump street, don’t tweak what I’m doing. There’s other ways we can help that as an operation. So he’s not going to miss one right and pull the next one left because he’s going to overreact.”
(Who would be your special teams MVP this season and why? And if it’s K Jason Sanders, who would be No. 2?) – “Yeah, I’m worried about today’s practice and getting some guys ready and then playing a game this week. The cumulation of the season, I’m not even close to that yet.”
(Another quick K Jason Sanders question. In 2020 he was just about the best kicker in the entire NFL, do you see him being back at that point?) – “I’ve always felt that he was in that group. Sometimes the results don’t equal that and that’s the nature of this beast, it’s all about the results. But I’ve felt and – I don’t know, you guys probably understand it – I’m his biggest supporter. I think he’s outstanding and I’m just very, very thankful and glad that he’s back having the success that we think he’s capable of.”
