Head Coach Brian Flores
(That CB Xavien Howard interception seemed to have been the huge turning point. Can you take us through that play, his significance to this team, and significance to this game that that play made?) – “Yeah, that was a big play in the game. There was a lot of big plays. I think it was a total team effort. I thought we started fast, played well in the kicking game, offense punched it in, so got a defensive stop, got the block on special teams and then the offense punched it in after that. And then we got off to a fast start. I think defensively we played, … We made it hard for them early in the game, getting off the field on third down. A lot of guys played well. I thought there was good communication, really across the board defensively, the kicking game, offensively. Like you said, ‘X’s’ (Xavien Howard) play was a big play in the game. I wish we would have turned it around and made a little bit more out of that next offensive series. A lot of things we can correct in the game. It’s nice to make those corrections in a win.”
(You guys have won five straight now. Is this sort of the style of play, the style of winning that you want for your team going forward?) – “However we … If it’s a win, I’m not sure it’s the style. I’m not really into style, fashion, as we talked to Armando about earlier in the week, but playing team football – offense, defense, special teams – if that’s what you mean, everyone involved, everyone’s role is important, good fundamentals, good technique, and just trying to grind out wins in a tough league, every game’s hard. That’s, again, like I said all week, their record is misleading. That’s a good football team. (Justin) Herbert is a good player. They’ve got a lot of good players over there. It’s tough to move the ball. It was tough to stop them. It was tough to make plays in the kicking game, but we executed a little bit better than they did and came out with the win.”
(Just wondering at what point during the week maybe you gave RB Salvon Ahmed the heads up that he was going to have an increased role in this offense? And what you thought of his game today?) – “It’s like everybody else on the team, the way you perform in practice will go a long way with how much playing time you get. So at what point in the week, it’s not like we walked in Wednesday and said, ‘It’s yours.’ He had to practice well. He practiced well Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I think we talked to all the backs and really everyone at every position and, ‘Hey, this is what the plan is, the initial plan is, or here are our thoughts and we’ll see how well you practice and if you practice well, then we…’ He went in there and performed well. I thought he ran the ball effectively. Again, we could have … We left some yards out there also, so I mean it wasn’t perfect, but we’ll make the corrections and hopefully be better next week.”
(With RB Salvon Ahmed, what went into your decision to start him? And can you talk about the speed that he brings and how that adds a dimension to this offense?) – “I think that he practiced well. Like I said earlier, he practiced well, made a couple plays last week. He’s been practicing well. And we gave him an opportunity and I thought he ran the ball effectively today. It wasn’t perfect, but again it’s not a one-man show, he had a lot of blocking up front from the o-line, the receivers and the tight ends. If nobody blocks, it doesn’t matter how fast you are. I know you probably have some speed there, but if nobody blocks for you, you’re not going to be able to get around the edge. So again, it’s a team effort and his runs are a … He had a lot of guys blocking for him.”
(How would you assess QB Tua Tagovailoa’s performance today? And do you leave this game feeling like you guys made the right decision drafting Tua?) – “It’s still early to … I haven’t watched the tape. Again, there’s … I got to watch the tape. It looked like he made two pretty good decisions. It looked like there were some throws there that he got into some tight windows. I’ll watch the tape as far as … We’ve talked about this. We have a lot of confidence in all our draft picks, that they’re going to develop and improve. He’s no different. That’s what we’re trying to do, develop and improve, and take it week-to-week and not make grand, ‘Hey, this is, you know’ … We’re not going to make any grand … We’re not going to talk about any player and say, ‘Hey, you’ve arrived and you’ve done it.’ Everyone has got to improve and get better. The players, coaches, everybody. So nobody has all the answers. I certainly don’t. It starts with me, and hopefully we just improve really at every position, including with the quarterback.”
(Earlier you mentioned the success in the kicking game. I wanted to see if you could walk us through the blocked punt and what happened there. Looked like some late shifting caused the pressure. Is that what happened, and if not, can you just tell us what happened on the blocked punt?) – “Danny comes up with different … Danny Crossman, our special teams coordinator, comes up with some schemes every week and we don’t get to run it all the time, but we had an opportunity to get that run early, do our best with it. And like you said, we had some a little bit of shift in motion, moving guys around, and we felt like it was an opportunity to maybe get a rush. We got it. But the big thing is executing it. Oftentimes you draw something up and it hits the way you want it to hit, whether it’s a run play, a pass play, a defense, but then you got to make the play. So it was a great block and a recovery and we were able to punch it in.”
(It’s been said that when you’re trying to turn around a franchise the only thing tougher than attaining success is managing success and for you guys to come off such an emotional big win last week, and to come out and get this victory, how significant is that and what does it say?) – “I think we have a mentally tough team. I think that this team they know that it’s important, it’s a week-to-week league, how we prepare, how we practice, how we walk through is a direct correlation to how we play. I think they understand that. This is a hungry group, they fight for each other, it’s important to them, they’re competitive, so they work at it and we’re seeing the fruits of that have labor out on the field. It wasn’t perfect. We know we got a long way to go, we know it’s hard to win in this league and we just take it one game at a time. We’re not looking down the road, we’re looking at the next day, the next meeting, the next practice, and just trying to take it one day at a time. I think that’s the approach that … That’s my message to the team on a daily basis and hopefully they’re kind of listening to it and I think that’s probably the best approach. That way we’re not thinking about everything else that’s going on, we’re just focused on right now.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(I wanted to ask you: This offense in terms of the RPOs, in terms of the running out of shotgun, how is it evolving as the season progresses?) – “To be honest, I think (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey) is just finding ways to put guys in certain areas or certain positions to become successful. We’re trying to put guys defensively in a bind to where we can take advantage of them. I think up to this point, we got to continue to execute on those things, but it’s still a work in progress, so we’ll continue to look at the film when it comes time tomorrow and continue to grow from there.”
(I just want to ask you about your tackle. Did anyone on the sidelines, when you came back say, “Please don’t do that again?”) – “No, no one said that. Really, I was just trying to strip the guy from the opposite side. It was probably best to try to just get him down next time, so I’ll take that into consideration.”
(You talked about Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey a little bit earlier. I wanted to ask: How are you kind of evolved with him in your comfort together over the last three weeks as far as knowing what you like, what he likes, and that flow when it’s a game day?) – “I feel like I’ve always been comfortable with Chan. The only thing is me and him getting on the same page as to why he’s calling a certain play and just the chemistry that we have. It’s just a continuous talk leading up to the game. And even with our starters, our drive starters, plays that we want to go out with to start the game, too, it’s a continuous talk. Just me and him getting on the same page and being comfortable with the plays that we’re going into the game with, I think that’s very key.”
(I do want to talk to you about your comfort level out there. It seems three games in you are feeling a lot more comfortable, taking some chances even though the defense has not been able to take advantage of those when you do have some miscues. How comfortable are you out there and just how do you feel overall?) – “I would say I’m comfortable, but a lot of that starts from practice, just being able to talk with our center, Ted (Karras), on Thursdays, going over our protections, just being able to talk to the o-line about what I’m thinking and then hearing from them what they’re thinking, talking to the receivers, what we’re thinking, and just kind of a combined thought process for all of us together to all kind of be on the same page. I think that’s where, you know, probably not just me, but everyone feels most comfortable is, it starts from practice and then it translates to the game.”
(3-0 now since you took over. I know it’s kind of a simple question, but how much fun are you having? How much fun is this team having now having won five in a row with three with you as a starter?) – “I think it’s fun winning in general, whether we do good offensively or the defense does good and special teams does good, just being able to come out with the win. I’m sure you guys have seen that video with Ted kind of helping me put things into perspective. But I think today was a great team win. We ran the ball really well. Big shout out to our o-line and big shout out to Salvon Ahmed for stepping up when his number was called. We have had a lot of opportunities that the defense has given us, as well, and I think the special teams did a really great job as well, too. It was a great team effort.”
(Curious, did you get a chance to talk to QB Justin Herbert after the game and if so, what was that conversation like?) – “I actually didn’t get an opportunity to talk to Justin after the game. Someone came up to me and, it was just a lot of people coming up to me and then when I tried to find Justin, someone told me he had already gone into the locker room. I don’t think that was ever personal on his part. He was probably trying to look for me too, but just there’s just a lot of people. But I have much respect for him and his game, and I know he’ll continue to grow and continue to get better.”
(So much of your success throughout your career has been your ability to make good decisions, like on the run, under pressure. I wanted to ask about that first pass you had to TE Mike Gesicki. In that moment, what goes through your mind in those last-second decisions on the run, just knowing where you’re going to put the ball and be successful with it?) – “Well, knowing I got out free and there wasn’t a rusher in my face, I was able to decipher what that corner was going to do, if he was going to stay back, take Mike on the flag, or if he was going to step up and take Salvon on the flat. I kept going out, he made his decision, and just stuck to my rules and gave Mike a chance.”
RB Salvon Ahmed
(Could you talk about the week and when you knew you were going to be playing a featured role, when you were going to be starting the game? And then your reaction as it got closer and you knew that was going to be your role.) – “Yeah, we just treat it like a regular week. That’s what it is. It’s another game for us, and just be ready for anything and that’s how we attack every week – just being ready. Every running back in that room, knowing that we got to step up, so getting closer to the week it was just do what I’ve been coached to do this whole week and let’s go get a W.”
(Head Coach Brian Flores was just talking about how you just had a great week of practice and that’s kind of what allowed you to have kind of an increased role today. What does that say about him as a head coach in the, it doesn’t matter who you are, you got to earn it and you’ll be out there?) – “I think that just speaks for our team. I think we go out there and we earn it every single week. We go out there and put it all out there and leave it all there. So I think that just speaks for our whole team. We’re very proud of ourselves and just keep it going. Keep taking it week-by-week and that’s just kind of our motto, I think.”
(What are some things that are working for you personally that are allowing you to have some success like you’ve seen today?) – “Just practicing hard and asking questions. Not being too proud to ask questions. There’s a lot of older guys in that room and a lot of guys on this team that want to help, especially guys, young guys like me, first year. This team is a family, so I just ask a lot of questions and go out there and attack practice the best I can.”
(Can you talk about how this offense has evolved in the past couple of weeks? I know you’ve been here from I guess the end of training camp. What have you seen in terms of the evolution of the offense?) – “I think that week-by-week it’s just more and more confidence. We see what we’re able to do as a team and when we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. So I think as the weeks go on, just more and more confidence for sure.”
(I wanted to you ask you about CB Xavien Howard’s interception. It seems like that was one of the biggest plays of the game, the turnaround. Can you take me through what it was like on the sidelines when that happened and just do you just marvel at the job he does at cornerback?) – “Yeah, it’s always exciting when ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) makes a play. It’s just kind of like, ‘all right, now we got to go punch it in.’ They got us the ball back and we got to go capitalize on it. I think that was what we were thinking as the offense. But ‘X,’ he’s a guy that goes after practice and does what he does, so it’s not surprising once he does it on game day.”
WR Jakeem Grant
(I know you’ve talked a lot about wanting to prove that you’re more than a returner, that you can be a receiver too, that you could step up with WR Preston Williams injured. What do you think your performance today said about that and your chances to prove that?) – “Like I’ve been saying, I’m a receiver before a returner, and my number was called today. That’s what I did. I went out there and showed them that I’m not just a returner, I’m a receiver too. I’m a total package.”
(What can you say about this team, what direction are you headed, and is this, in your mind, a team that can make a playoff run?) – “We’re not looking that far ahead. We’re a one-week team. We play it like it’s a one-week season. I think this team is a phenomenal team. We got all kind of talent on every side of the ball and I think we do a good job of playing together and playing for four quarters.”
(That’s two straight weeks where you got a season-high four catches. What do you think about the chemistry that you’re building here with QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “I like it a lot. We had a lot of chemistry going into camp and I caught some balls from him, some deep balls, short balls. And it’s just chemistry. We’re just going to continue to be chemistry week after week.”
(I noticed you’re wearing a basketball jersey there and one of the comparisons I thought of during the game for QB Tua Tagovailoa was a point guard. When I watch him play, I kind of feel like I’m watching a point guard. What do you think of that comparison and how does he kind of compare to a point guard?) – “Point guard is the leader of the team on the basketball court, and that’s exactly what Tua is. He’s a quarterback and he’s the leader of our team whenever we’re out there. And guess what? He gave me a couple assists. He even gave a couple assists to DeVante (Parker), so he’s a point guard on the field, too.”
(Wanted to you ask about that touchdown reception you had. A 3-yard hookup route there. Not usually how you score. Could you walk us through that play and tell us how it felt to get a red zone chance and convert like that?) – “All week coach has been telling me sit in that zone, it’s going to be wide open. All you got to do is just sit there and Tua is going to find you and that’s exactly what I did.”
CB Xavien Howard
(Can you tell us about your interception and how important it was after the Chargers had moved down the field on you guys, and then you had the pick and it kind of it seemed like it turned things around for the whole team.) – “It was a great call from the coaches, made a great play on the ball. It changed the momentum and the offense ended up scoring.”
(Five interceptions now leads the NFL. Is this the best you’ve been playing in your career, do you think?) – “I feel like I’m just getting better. I want to say, put myself by saying that this is the best football I’ve been playing also. I think it’s probably two years with seven, so I’m (going to) just keep on going, just trying to strive for the best.”
(We hadn’t talked to you since I guess last month when it was all, like, a trade deadline and all that, so I wanted to get your view of how that was for you, and now that it’s all behind you, what does that make it easier?) – “I knew somebody was going to ask me that question, though, but, man, we got a W today. That’s what I’m proud about. We’re just going to keep on going and keep fighting that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
(I wanted to ask you about the interception again. You guys talk about how the coverage and pass rush kind of marry up together. How much does pass rush performance this year give you extra confidence to play that aggressive style that gets you so many interceptions?) – “That’s the way the coaches – (Head Coach) Brian Flores and the guys – that’s how they want us to play and be aggressive no matter what. With everything working together and everybody making plays, that’s what it’s all about on the defense.”
C Ted Karras
(111 rushing yards, no sacks. Obviously one of the better performances from this line. How much was the challenges that you guys faced this week with just kind of the shuffling of the line a catalyst for?) – “I think that everyone’s been working really hard. We’ve placed an emphasis on the run game. We’ve been not where we want to be throughout the start of this year; but heading into the second half of the year, we really want to emphasize it and I think everyone had their best game in the run game. Salvon (Ahmed) had a great game and everyone did their job, and it was a great unit effort and team effort to win this game.”
(I have no idea if you’ve heard this, but a few minutes ago the Cardinals won on a Hail Mary with two seconds left. That means that you are now a half game out of first place. Your reaction?) “I’m glad the NFC West could do us a favor there. I was waiting on one of them. (laughter) But those are good games. Obviously we’re in the hunt and we got to keep executing and winning games and doing what we’re doing.”
(I got to ask you about the snap that went awry. What happened there?) – “I was waiting for that. Two questions before that…“
(I’m the jerk. I apologize.) – “No, no, not at all.”
(What happened there and what did you say to QB Tua Tagovailoa after he saved the touchdown?) – “It’s the privilege of a lifetime to play with guys that play with effort like that. And it slipped out of my hand on the third down a couple plays before. I take a lot of precautions with kind of moisture management. It was a long drive and it slipped out of my hand again. And when something like that happens, it’s devastating and you look at guys in the eye that count on you and it hurts you in the deepest part of your being that you let people down. And I’m really glad we rallied. I thought it was an otherwise good performance by everyone, but it’s a lonely feeling at center and that’s my job and that was 100 percent on me. I took the arm sleeves off. I was just pretty wet and it slipped out of my hand and kind of a nightmare play at center, and I’m really glad the team rallied. I thanked everyone. That was a tough one and that’s your No. 1 priority and job and I take it very seriously and that was a tough one.”
(We all saw the video of you encouraging QB Tua Tagovailoa after the first start and it seemed like he was there to help you out with that tackle there. Just playing for each other and your relationship with Tua, what did you think about him making the tackle and what do you think about his play today overall?) – “Well, that’s a gutsy play and one of the plays of the game and something that is just great team football and not on my part, on that play, and that hurts. You want to always be the guy to be old reliable, but this team is so fun to play with and there’s a brotherhood here and I think that’s why it hurt me so much. But we rallied, and you have to make a decision there whether you’re going to let it bother you and we didn’t, so I didn’t, at least I tried not to. So we won the game and we’re going to keep rolling.”
(You mentioned RB Salvon Ahmed before. Talk about the impact he made and how happy you are for a guy making his, starting his first start and making such a contribution in a game like this helping you win a game?) – “Just taking advantage of his opportunities, that’s something that in this league, they’re rare and usually only come around once. And he’s been doing such a great job and a huge impact player for us today and really hit the hole nice a lot, and we had some big runs and something that we’ve been working towards for weeks now and it feels good to have some of our hard work pay off there with a guy like that coming in and making an impact.”
(Kind of on that same topic, I wanted to ask you, we talk all the time about quarterbacks and receivers and the timing and the comfortability of the passing game. How much does it change your approach with a different running back in there multiple weeks in a row having to block for different guys, how much does that change the way you guys kind of approach things?) – “Well, I think Coach Gailey (Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey) and Coach Marshall (Offensive Line Coach Steve Marshall) do an outstanding job scheming up runs that will be successful for the personnel we’re playing against and the personnel we have. And then when it comes down to game time, the onus is on us to execute and I thought we did a decent job today, obviously better than we have and good enough to win. Obviously there’s a lot still to improve on, but getting coached up after a win like that is always nice.”
(I feel like I ask you guys this every week, but complementary football just appears to be the key to getting these wins, and I just am curious when special teams makes a play like that so early on in the game, what’s kind of said amongst the offense to be like, “all right, this is our turn, like, let’s go?”) – “Our defense and our special teams have spotted us points early in games here for a couple weeks in a row now and it’s an outstanding, it’s fantastic, and as an offensive player to go out there and start the game on the 1-yard line is very rare and something that was important to the game. We’re just going to have to keep continue working hard. We’ve got great specialists and great special teams and a great defense and offense. We’re continuing to improve and putting up points on the board and going to roll these last seven games.”
LB Andrew Van Ginkel
(So blocked punt or a touchdown, which one felt better?) – “Man, they both felt good. But touchdown is unbeatable. You’re putting points on the board, so that’s hard to beat, so I’ll definitely say touchdown.”
(I got to admit I didn’t watch enough of you in college to know the answer, but did you have a blocked punt in college or high school?) – “I had a couple in high school, but no, I never got one in college.”
(Can you just kind of explain what was the key to putting, to being in position to make that play and what had to happen for it to work?) – “There’s a lot of different parts to it. (Special Teams Coordinator) Coach (Danny) Crossman does a good job of putting us in a position where we can make plays and then all 11 guys have to execute. And it’s one of those things that we have had in there since training camp and we finally got an opportunity to call it and it came home. So just want to give props to Coach Crossman on dialing that up.”
(I’ll ask the first non-special teams question: What is it about Head Coach Brian Flores and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer, these five straight victories, it seems like you guys are applying a lot of pressure on quarterbacks, forcing them into bad decisions, and it’s multiple guys getting the job done?) – “Right. That’s what we take pride in is being aggressive and getting to the quarterback. When you have DBs back there that can cover, it makes it a lot easier to do that. That’s what this defense has taken its pride in and it’s something that we’re going to continue to do.”
(They came out and had a nice drive they put together to open the second half. What was going wrong for your defense at that point? And then how big of a lift was it when you came back out again right after that and CB Xavien Howard had that big interception?) – “(Kalen) Ballage was just hitting it downhill hard and he was hitting the hole hard so props to him. He really came out to play. It’s just something that they got us, but it’s something that we need to fix and to continue to improve on. When they’re gaining 8 yards on first down that’s going to be tough to stop, especially when it’s second-and-short and they have the playbook open. It’s something that we need to do a better job on first down, stopping the runs, for sure.”
(Last year this team only won five games. Now this team is on a five-win, five-game winning streak and very much in the playoff hunt. What does it mean to be a part of this team this season? What can you say about the turnaround and just what’s the feeling in the locker room after weeks like this?) – “Just knowing all the hard work that we put in, that this was bound to happen, and this doesn’t just happen by chance. You see all of us, all 53 guys on the roster, and then even the practice squad players who are coming into work each and every day and I think that’s gotten us to this point and it’s something that we need to continue to do to really take it to the next step because we’re not perfect at all and there’s a lot to improve on. Just taking it day by day.”
(DT Christian Wilkins is obviously a big part of this defense. What were you guys able to do to overcome the loss of him being in the lineup this week?) – “Man, he’s the heart of the defense right there in the middle, but I think that we had a couple young guys like Benito (Jones) and (Jason) Strowbridge and Raekwon (Davis) step up and accept their role this week and come in and do the best that they could do and fill his role. Obviously, when you lose a star player like that, it’s tough, but it’s next-man-up mentality.”
