LB Jerome Baker
(G/T Robert Hunt just told us he went swimming with alligators during the mini bye week. Your thoughts?) – “I hope he had a great time. I go shark diving with my boy Ryan. Shout out Ryan. (laughter) So yeah. You can’t be in Florida and not do some adventurous stuff so I hope he had fun. (laughter)”
(You went shark diving?) – “Yeah, I went shark diving. Yeah.”
(On shark driving) – “So Ryan will take you on a boat. He does the little thing to get the sharks ready, put blood in the water. Then you go out there and he’s just observant of everything and he’s protecting you, but it’s a very nerve-wracking experience. I guess sharks are more scared of you unless you look like you’re dying. So I was out there trying not to look like I was dying. Had a great time. The only bad part was I got seasick, so the whole ride back I was pretty much throwing up the whole time. But it was fun.”
(You played well on your snaps on the edge last week. Was it good to see the package with you and LB Duke Riley and LB Elandon Roberts together? Do you think you would be a good edge player if you did it more? Is that something you ever thought about or do you think inside is your best position for the most part?) – “Honestly, I think running back is my best – no, I’m playing. (laughter) No, what’s cool about this defense is you can play anywhere. It’s fun for me that sometimes I can be inside linebacker and then next game I could line up outside and the offense is not even ready for that. I think that’s the cool thing, but my best position is whatever position I’m playing. I really take that to heart and I truly try to perform wherever they put me. Coach (Josh) Boyer and ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) – they all do a great job of putting me in different spots and it’s just my job to execute what they tell me to do.”
(I wanted to ask you – I’m writing about S Jevon Holland. As a rookie, what do you think is unique?) – “The guy – he really gets better every day. If you look at – well I know you guys can’t look but if you go back and watch the training camp tape, he was a step behind. And then every week it was like he got better and better. I remember the one practice he was a step behind – well at first he was a step behind and then he was deflecting the ball and then the next week he was actually catching the pick. And sure enough the following Sunday, he ended up actually catching a pick. He’s one of those guys that if he just keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s going to be one of the best safeties in this league. He’s young, but he truly just loves being out there with the guys and performing and just going hard. I’m just surprised his leadership back there. He really took that to heart. When guys went down, he stepped up and he knew that we were going to lean on him a lot and he definitely stepped up to the challenge and his ceiling is going to be so high. I’m definitely happy for him and honestly I’m glad he’s on our team.”
(Borrowing a term from basketball, when you miss a lot of shots sometimes you just need to see the ball go through the hoop. Do you guys feel like as a defense you’ve started to see the ball go through the hoop these past few weeks?) – “Yeah, I guess you could say it like that in basketball terms. I think it was just one of those we saw what executing can do and once we saw it, it was like, ‘all right, let’s do it, let’s keep doing it, let’s keep doing it.’ And now it’s just staying on that same process and that same pace. What we were doing was right. We just have to execute. We come in Wednesdays and Thursdays and we practice hard and we talk, communicate, do all of that. But Sunday is the day that really matters and now that we have a win or two under our belt, I think now we can just keep stringing those games along and Sunday is going to be a great test for us.”
(From watching film, what has got your attention about the Jets?) – “They are actually a great team. They’ve beat some great teams. They play very hard. They have some great backs. They’ve been banged up, but you can’t fall asleep on them. They’ve beat some great teams. They play physical, they play hard and that’s what we have to expect. We’re going up there and essentially going into their home and taking a win from them so you’ve got to expect they’re going to give us their all and we’ve got to go up there and be prepared for that. They are a physical team. They’re fast. They definitely have size and I think the one thing you can always say is they play hard and it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us.”
(I don’t remember if you’ve faced QB Joe Flacco in your NFL career. Any recollection of his skillset at all?) – “Yeah, we played him, what – last year? Was it last year?”
(24-0 shutout. He was starting for the Jets.) – “Yeah, so we played him last year. Veteran quarterback. He’s seen a lot so we’re definitely going to have to throw some disguises in there, but it’s going to be a good one Sunday.”
(Name one adventurous thing you haven’t done and you’re not sure you will ever get to do but you’d kind of like to do.) – “Skydiving. I haven’t been skydiving, but I’m definitely going to do it. Bungee jumping. I think those are the two things that I’m scared of, but I’m going to do it eventually. Anything else I’m down to do it. I’ve been cave diving. I did all the crazy stuff, I guess. Shark diving. Did all that. But bungee jumping and skydiving are on my list and I don’t know when I’m going to get to that one.”
(What’s it going to be like when you’re about to jump out of the plane?) – “I think Will Smith said it best: you’re scared as hell, but then when you jump out, you just feel at peace and effortless. You’re just falling. I think he had a little story on it or a book or whatever and I think I saw the interview. I’m going to get to it. But not right now.”
(I thought it was a lyric you were about to…) – “Oh no. I do got a few bars if you guys want to hear it. No, I’m playing. (laughter)”
(Were you in a cage or were you just in the ocean free diving?) – “I wasn’t in a cage. Yes, I was in a cage. (laughter) I think you do get that option. You can be in a cage, but I wasn’t in a cage. It was pretty scary. Not going to lie, but it was worth it. I would do it again. I don’t know when, but I will.”
(Dolphins can outswim sharks. That’s a real thing.) – “That’s a real thing. I like that. Yep. I can’t swim that fast, but I’m a Dolphin, so there you go. (laughter)”
DT Raekwon Davis
(During the game on Thursday, the broadcast caught you and DT Christian Wilkins dancing on the field and Troy Aikman was saying ‘that’s the worst thing you want to see as a quarterback is the defense having that much fun.’ Do you feel that fun carrying into this week and can you use that as some juice in preparation?) – “Yeah. We’re going to continue doing that. We’re going to continue playing good and you’re going to see more dancing.”
(G/T Robert Hunt told us he swam with alligators this weekend. LB Jerome Baker told us he dives with sharks. Are you down for any of this – sharks and alligator stuff?) – “Knowing me, yeah, I might. If ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) is doing it, yeah. That’s my linebacker. Yeah, I’m going to jump in there too. No, I’m not going to jump in there. (laughter) I don’[t know what they are on, but that’s definitely not me. I’m not swimming with no sharks or nothing like that. (laughter)”
(Have you ever done something very thrilling?) – “Yeah. Swimming with dolphins. That’s as far as I’m going to go. That’s it for me.”
(They said that if you are living in Florida and you are a Florida man, you have to try crazy stuff. What’s the craziest you’ve been willing to try here in Florida?) – “I want to skydive. I’ve been wanting to do that. That’s something on my bucket list. I want to skydive. But swimming with gators and sharks, I’m not down for none of that. They can have that.”
(You don’t believe that whole ‘they are more scared of you than you are of them’ theory?) – “I don’t know. I’m not trying to try. (laughter) I’m definitely not trying to try it, so nah.”
(We didn’t see DT Christian Wilkins at practice today. How big of a loss would that be having to line up without him potentially Sunday?) – “I don’t know what he’s got going on medically. I don’t know if he’s going to play or not, but whatever it is, it is. We’re going to continue dancing and making plays.”
(What have you noticed about the Jets running game?) – “They are good. They do a lot of gadgets. They do a whole bunch of schemes. They are all over the place, so you just got to play your keys.”
(The word out of Jets camp today is that QB Joe Flacco is going to be starting on Sunday. As a defense, can you appreciate when stuff like that comes out earlier in the week so you can focus on one guy or are you still preparing as usual?) – “Yeah. We don’t care. We’re going to keep doing the same thing we’re doing now. Keep preparing.”
(What do you know about QB Joe Flacco?) – “An older quarterback. Very accurate. Very good. He likes to get the ball out fast. He relies on his line for protection. A great quarterback.”
WR Jaylen Waddle
(We are talking about wildlife. I don’t know if you any of that. G/T Rob Hunt told us he went swimming with an alligator and LB Jerome Baker told us he’s been swimming with sharks. Have you ever had a crazy wildlife encounter?) – “Nah, I’m from Houston. We don’t have too much wildlife like that. (laughter) I’m from the city. We don’t do all that.”
(DT Zach Sieler has a ranch where you can hunt gators, hogs and all kinds of animals. Would you be down for a trip to his hunting grounds?) – “I think I’m going to stay where I’m comfortable at. I don’t mess with that at all. (laughter)”
(In recent weeks, the offense has really made more of an effort to get you the ball downfield past the sticks. Do you feel that’s been the case and it’s been working for you and the offense?) – “I think it’s just trying to put me in spots where I can help the team, ultimately. Honestly, I wouldn’t say it’s been an emphasis just to do that. Honestly, I’ve just been going out there lining up, alignment, assignment and trying to get the job done.”
(Along those lines, how good did it feel to get that 35-yarder? Again, you haven’t had as many deep completions to you but to get that 35-yarder in the middle of that zone, how did that feel and how did that play come together?) – “It felt good. It was kind of a big play in the game so it’s always good to put your team in scoring position. I think it was a play well-called, well-designed and executed well.”
(A lot of people were wondering if QB Tua Tagovailoa could get that ball out there because he’s been dealing with the finger. Head Coach Brian Flores said he was limited and could hardly throw a ball. Were you expecting it? Were you surprised?) – “Definitely not surprising. You always got to expect the ball. I don’t think we got too many routes where you’re just not an option. I think Tua did great. Confident throwing the ball and he put the ball there.”
(I think CB Marlon Humphrey said after the game that you’re going to be a top 10 receiver next year. I’m curious what your relationship is with Marlon since he’s a Bama guy as well and what it means to hear a compliment like that coming from a player of his caliber?) – “You know he’s like an Alabama great. One of the guys that you hear about before you come to the university. I got to know him. Actually I just got to meet him that first Alabama game. Obviously a great player and it’s a great compliment. You ultimately play the game for the respect of your peers, so just having that respect from someone of that caliber is always good.”
(You’re sixth in the league in receptions. Were you aware of that and is that meaningful to you?) – “Nah, I really wasn’t. I try not to look at all that stuff, to be honest. It’s pretty nice. Not bad. (laughter)”
(On that same level, I did a little bit of work on the calculator and at your current pace, you would finish the season with 102 receptions and 946 yards. Both would be rookie receiving records for this team. What would that mean to you?) – “I really don’t play for too much overall things. I really just try to go out there and just help the team win. If that comes with winning, then I’m all for it.”
(One of the guys who used to make a lot of catches for this team was WR Jarvis Landry, an LSU guy. I don’t know how familiar or not familiar you are with Jarvis’ NFL career but what did you think of his pro game?) – “Definitely he’s an exciting player. I’m a big fan. Definitely I know he played here and now he’s at Cleveland. He’s continuing to do great things for every team that he goes to. I’m definitely a fan of Jarvis.”
(Do you set personal goals or is it strictly how the team does for you?) – “You have some personal goals but all mine are along the lines of like getting better or doing one thing better. I try to set like daily goals and get better day-by-day. Realistic goals.”
(How would you assess your rookie season so far?) – “I think it’s just been a learning process for me. I’m learning so much every week, every gameplan and every new opponent. It’s just like learning, learning a lot.”
(What’s the No. 1 thing you would say you learned through the course of the season?) – “Communication. Just from how communication works from the o-line to the quarterback to the running back to the receivers to the tight ends and how it all works and how it’s so important to get on one accord.”
(How much better of a receiver do you think you are today compared to the first week of September when the season began?) – “I just think I’ve learned so much throughout these 10 games. Like weekly, you learn something new. Just going into the gameplan of how we are going to play, what we are going to do, how we are going to execute.”
(The coaches have said that they put a lot on the rookies plate. S Jevon Holland from the defensive perspective and you from an offensive perspective. How much more is on your plate? How much more is on an NFL plate – planning, playbook and all that stuff – compared to like what you had in college?) – “It’s a lot and it’s weekly. You could do something one week and do something totally different the next week. You’ve just got to take it, really study it, learn it and learn it to a T because when Sunday hit, everything is coming fast.”
S Eric Rowe
(You’re such an upbeat, good team guy. Has the transition as a third safety – not playing every down but still playing a lot – as the Dolphins have transitioned to a young starting tandem, has that been difficult for you? Or has it not been hard because you’re still playing a good deal?) – “Not going to lie, in the beginning it was difficult, it was difficult. But I understand the nature of the business of the NFL. Still at the end of the day, my mindset is like whenever you get an opportunity just to be out there, you’ve got to take advantage of it. It took me a while to come to fact with that but now when I’m out there, I’m still looking to help the defense, help the team. I just know when I’m out there, just got to make the best of it.”
(You have the two forced fumbles in two games. Has that always been a point of emphasis? I guess of course it always is, but what do you think is the key to you and your teammates creating as many turnovers as you guys did last year?) – “Just like you said, it’s always a point of emphasis. When I’m out there, it’s kind of like – well at least personally for me, when you make a tackle, if you have your hand around the ball, you have a feeling like, ‘Okay, it’s loose.’ Or, ‘Okay, he’s got a good hold of it.’ Just kind of lately, each tackle I make, I try to get my hand on and I can feel it, and if it’s like somewhat loose, then obviously you just do all you can to rake it out. The past two games, it’s been working. It’s always been an emphasis but it’s also a feeling too.”
(How much Charles Tillman film have you watched?) – “(laughter) Hopefully I can get that one day.”
(I’m writing about S Jevon Holland. What do you think is unique about Jevon?) – “Jevon, he’s playing really good ball right now and there’s times that I forget that he’s a rookie out there. He’s obviously from camp until now, he’s progressed a lot. What makes him unique is his work ethic, his confidence. He already has a voice on the defense. When it comes to rookies, that’s not – I wouldn’t say rare but there’s not too many rookies that come in and try to take over from day one. He obviously is making plays, sparking the defense up. He had that big hit on No. 13 that fired everybody up and from there on, everybody is ready to go. Just the confidence that he brings coming in each day, each practice, as a rookie.”
(Being as versed as you are in AFC East football rivalries, I remember you had a good quote on the Buffalo Bills fans when you went over there. How do Jets fans compare when you travel?) – “Lately, obviously they haven’t been doing too well but usually Jets fans are just as hostile. I had a couple instances again, driving on the bus, they’re sitting there flicking you off. Especially when I was back with New England, they hated us and they’d flick you off and try to throw stuff at you. It’s just as hostile. It may not be as many but when they get going, that fanbase – that J-E-T-S Jets (chant) – it gets loud. You’re just like, ‘wow, this is real.’ Each fan base comes with different things but they’re pretty hostile.”
G/T Robert Hunt
(Do you have t-shirts for all of us?) – “No. (laughter)”
(How tired are you of talking about that play?) – “That was a last week deal. It came and it’s gone, now we are worried about the Jets. Try to focus on keeping this train rolling. That’s the next focus right now.”
(Do you have the scepter and have you done the photos and everything with it?) – “No, I have not.”
(Speaking of the Jets, they’ve statistically been struggling pretty badly these past few weeks. It’s kind of a dangerous term to throw out there but is this an opportunity to continue to get right on the offensive side of the ball?) – “You say struggling, I don’t know if I see that. I see a big, talented, fast, physical team on the defensive side of the ball. The front seven is really good in my opinion. Everybody has their issues, I would say, but I think it’s going to be a good game. I think that team is very talented.”
(What does it take to get this run game going?) – “We just got to keep coming in and try to improve, man. I think we did some good things last week. Just steadily trying to improve is the goal. We came out today, had a fast, physical practice today and we worked on that. Hopefully we can display that this weekend. We are always going to try to come out and run the football. That will open up a lot of things you do for the offense. It’s a focal point that we are trying to do and trying to focus on.”
(You are still at guard, right?) – “I am at guard, yeah. That’s all…”
(Is there a way to make you eligible or that’s just not possible at guard?) – “Ah, I don’t know man. I doubt it. (laughter)”
(How has this mini-bye treated you?) – “It was good, man, to get a couple days away from the game. Not totally away from the game but a little bit from the game. That was a big win for our team so that’s that. I got away a little bit – went to the Everglades, did a little swimming. I had a couple good days.”
(You swam in the Everglades?) – “Yeah, man. I wanted to do it for my bucket list. (laughter).”
(Did you see any gators?) – “There was one like 30 feet away.”
(While you were in the water?) – “Yeah. Yeah and then so I saw it, we saw it and we got in. I got out and my girlfriend jumped back in. I wasn’t going back in. Once he ducked his head underwater, I was done. I let her and her friend have that one.”
(Was this on your ‘Florida Man’ bucket list?) – “Yeah, man. I just wanted to say I did it. Now I can say I did it, so when I do say I did it, you’ll say, ‘Damn, what did you do?’ People don’t expect that.”
(On the guard/tackle question, obviously we’ve asked about it before with you and G/T Jesse Davis. Head Coach Brian Flores said again this week, Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre said this week that a flipping of positions is something they’ve continued to talk about among other things. Obviously they’ve never done it yet this year. We saw it last December but not this season. Have they ever asked your opinion about whether you think you would be better at right guard or right tackle?) – “That’s a question for coach. I’m just here to play football wherever they need me, man. Right now, they need me at right guard so that’s where I’m at.”
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(The theme of the day: G/T Robert Hunt set the tone. He said that he went swimming in the Everglades this weekend and saw a gator.) – “He said what? (laughter) He said he went swimming?”
(In the Everglades.) – “Wow.”
(And there was a gator around. So we’re asking everybody what’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?) – “I haven’t done anything like that. I’ll tell you that. I haven’t done anything to put my life in – that’s tough. (laughter) He deserves it. He caught the screen that was supposed to be a throwaway to Myles (Gaskin) and he made the best of that.”
(How much better is the finger compared to Thursday night? Are you in much pain?) – “It feels good. Obviously there’s still healing that’s taking place. But other than that, it’s fine.”
(Do you have any limitations in terms of the throws you’re able to make on Sunday? I know that Head Coach Brian Flores said that when you have to come into the game kind of cold, they wanted …) – “I don’t think there are going to be any limitations for this Sunday with the finger. I think it feels good at this point. We should be good.”
(Are you going to wear a sleeve on your hand?) – “A sleeve? No. I’ll just do it as normal.”
(You have a history of coming into games and playing well in your career. What’s the difference between coming off the bench and coming into a game as opposed to preparing all week and starting the game?) – “Well, you don’t get the reps. That’s what I would say. You get all of the mental reps. You just don’t get to go in and rep it out. That’s just the biggest thing.”
(What’s the difference in your workload from last week to this week?) but I – “Yeah, full practice. Getting most of the reps out there today. We’re just trying to see what the gameplan is and that’s really all that is.”
(How are the ribs?) – “The ribs are good but not great. They’re still healing. I feel good with it.”
(How good did it feel – when you went back and you watched the film, how good did it feel not only for when you were in there but for most of the entire game, to be able to connect on some of those deep passes that may have been kind of missing from your guys’ offense?) – “It was good. Like I said, I had to take a lot of the mental reps. We’ve talked a lot throughout the week about where we want to attack the Ravens defense and how we were going to try to attack them. Those are just the plays given to us and that’s what I had to do to read it out. Those plays came to us because that’s kind of what we discussed in our meeting rooms.”
(I’m just curious, as a quarterback or as kind of a leader of the offense, there were some coverage breakdowns in the Ravens defense. How do you view that as an offense? Do you just say, ‘Hey, that’s one of the gimmes that we’ve got to take?’ Or do you kind of also view it in the sense of maybe you guys may have done something in terms of the motion or whatever to maybe influence that? How do you view that when you go back and you review that?) – “I think with a lot of the shifting that we did against the Ravens, it kind of put them in a bind if you will, just because it forces communication defensively with where the front is going to be, where the ‘backers need to be aligned now. That kind of helped open up a lot of the deeper routes.”
(When you take a look at the Jets, has anything stood out to you?) – “Yeah. I would say they’re good at what they do. Just regardless of the losses that they have, you look at the teams that they’ve beat and those are some really good teams – Cincinnati and the Titans. We look at those things that they do really well and we try to avoid those things happening in these games. We’re going to try to do our best to play a mistake-free game. Obviously that’s never the case in games, but the least mistakes as possible.”
(I noticed at the end of the game that there were a lot of fans that were chanting your name. Do you hear it? And how does it make you feel?) – “I hear it. It makes me feel good but the fans can’t go in there and play for me. I’ve got to go out there and I’ve got to execute what play is given to me. At the end of the day, I have to focus on what I can do to help the team win every time that I’m in there. It’s much appreciated but I can’t use that to help me win or help our team win.”
(WR Jaylen Waddle is on pace for someone in the neighborhood of 102 catches and about 950 yards, which would both be rookie records for the Dolphins. How do you see his development going along?) – “I think Jaylen is doing well. Jaylen communicates a lot out there with what he sees, things that he likes. But I would say everyone in this league knows on third downs who we like going to. With Jaylen, with however many receptions he has already on third down and then also normal downs too. But yeah, I think he’s done a great job for us getting open and we just have to continue getting him the ball.”
(Yesterday, Wide Receivers Coach Josh Grizzard said that WR Jaylen Waddle has been playing a little bit more inside and outside the last couple of weeks. How does having guys that can be flexible and play every position at the receiver spot help your job and kind of identify those matchups?) – “It helps my job a whole lot just because you have not just Jaylen but you have Mike (Gesicki), you have Albert (Wilson) – you have multiple guys that they need to put their players on. We take a look at that and we see the matchups that we like and that’s kind of what we do as far as talking on the sideline and getting plays for whoever the individual is that we want to work on.”
(With Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey having taken a central role and a process that was at some point streamlined this season, how are things going working closely with Coach Godsey?) – “They’re going good. A lot of communication between George and us in the quarterback room. A lot of what we like and, ‘hey, do you think we can change this protection to this because of that? Or the route –‘ there’s just a lot of communication going on right there. A lot of flexibility with that communication too.”
(Last Thursday, it looked like the Ravens were putting CB Marlon Humphrey on TE Mike Gesicki a lot and you guys kind of isolated him out wide. Have you seen any defense try to defend him like that and if so, were you able to deduce anything with their defense because they had to switch things up?) – “No. We obviously want to give Mike shots and opportunities but if the opportunity doesn’t present itself then you have to move on to your next read. Being in the back there, we don’t have a lot of time as quarterbacks to just sit there and pat the ball, waiting for our guys to get open. We have to move on and make quick decisions in the back there.”
(This game is supposed to be a rivalry. Do you sense anything different this week? Do you like rivalries at all?) – “Me personally, I don’t necessarily believe in rivalries. I think those are all made up for the hype. I know that every game in the NFL is a big game and that’s how we’re going to treat this game.”
(Do you feel like the mood in this locker room has really transformed over stringing together a couple of wins after a losing streak?) – “I think we’re getting into a good flow of things – no pun intended. (laughter) But yeah, I think that guys are starting to find their rhythm defensively, offensively and in special teams. We just have to continue to find ways to play complementary football. That’s really all it is.”
(The little dance that you hit after you scored. Who taught you that?) – “No one taught me that. My brother was doing it for a while and then also my roommate in college my freshman year, Najee (Harris) would do the dance a lot. He’s from the Bay Area and I think that’s a Bay Area thing, right? But man, I thought that thing was cool when I saw it so I learned how to do it, then started doing it. (laughter) It was good fun, good fun out these. Especially when you score and you’re with the guys, good fun.”
Head Coach Brian Flores
(We saw T Greg Little going on IR yesterday. How was he injured? Is it season ending and who is the backup left tackle moving forward?) – “He was injured in practice. He’ll be out for at least three weeks. He’s been inactive so we’ve had a backup tackle really the whole year. We’ll just move forward the way we’ve been moving forward.”
(I don’t know if this is a competitive thing and if it is, obviously you don’t have to talk about it. But G/T Jesse Davis, at this point would he be…) – “We have a plan for who the next guys would be really at all positions, without going into the gameplan, like you said.”
(One last thing on this topic with G/T Austin Jackson. I know you said you were comfortable with him at guard and I know everything in the league is fluid, but could you see a scenario where you consider him not as an injury replacement but as a left tackle again or do you and Offensive Line Coach Lemuel Jeanpierre and General Manager Chris Grier have a pretty strong conviction that guard is his home?) – “A lot of those guys have flexibility. If there is a need at a position, we’ll make the move. We like what he’s doing at guard but the flexibility is always a good thing.”
(Last week, QB Tua Tagovailoa told us that he took mostly mental reps and rested his hand. What’s the plan for this week relative to throwing as opposed to just mental reps?) – “He’ll take most of the reps, practice.”
(What is your perception of how QB Tua Tagovailoa is doing?) – “Again, he’s got a fracture in his finger. There’s discomfort. It takes a while for the bone to heal. I think we all understand that. He’s had some time since the injury. Took some time. Didn’t throw all that much last week, which was good from a healing standpoint. He played in the game and then we’ve had some time off since. More time equals more healing so he’s doing a little bit better. Still some discomfort but we expect him to practice this week.”
(The Jets reportedly will start QB Joe Flacco. Your reaction?) – “He’s been a good player in this league for a long time. Smart. Experienced. He’s going to try to get the ball to their go-to guys. It’ll be a challenge for us.”
(Where is the challenge between developing guys to play multiple positions versus letting them get comfortable at their natural position and learn their natural position?) – “There’s only 48 spots on gameday so everyone’s got to – there’s only 48 spots and three are in the kicking game. So 22 on offense, 23 on defense, 11 guys on the field, so if you want backups then some guys have to play different positions. I think we all understand that. Some left tackle has to play right tackle. A defensive tackle sometimes has to play defensive end. Corner has to play safety. That’s just kind of the nature of the game. If you can’t play multiple positions, that hurts your ability to help the team, so that’s why most guys play multiple positions.”
(You obviously have the three extra days because of the short week last week. What are some of the benefits to having this mini-bye to work off of going into the Jets game?) – “An opportunity to recharge the battery. More time to prepare for the next opponent. Hopefully we go out there and have a good practice.”
(CB Xavien Howard, I believe was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Obviously it’s the second time he had a critical game-changing type of forced turnover this season. Just in general, how do you feel like his season has gone?) – “’X’ (Xavien Howard) is obviously a big part of this team from a leadership standpoint and obviously as far as his play, I think he’s played well. But for me and for us, we’re just kind of focused on today. We celebrated his Player of the Week (award) in the meeting this morning. We announced that this morning, gave him a round of applause and the next thing he said was ‘let’s get ready for the Jets.’”
(While QB Jacoby Brissett obviously was cleared to return last week, has there been any regression to the point where there was a question of whether he would be available this Sunday that you might have to prepare your developmental guy on the practice squad to be QB Tua Tagovailoa’s backup?) – “No. I expect Jacoby to be ready.”
(One of the many great things about the defensive gameplan last week was obviously LB Jerome Baker, LB Duke Riley and LB Elandon Roberts together for a dozen, 14, 16 snaps. I know as explained yesterday by the assistants, Jerome’s speed chasing Lamar Jackson obviously was a help there. As far as Jerome playing on the outside more, is that something that you and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer have talked about? You have obviously plenty of good edge guys, but is that something that you think has potential for more of Jerome outside allowing you to play Duke and Elandon more inside or is that just a Baltimore thing?) – “It’s gameplan-specific every week. So the guys we feel like give us the best chance to give us success on the field, that’s who we put out there. So it’s game plan-specific.”
(Have you seen anything different in the last two games defensively since you have gotten good results that was not there before?) – “No. Just better execution.”
(How has RB Gerrid Doaks been doing in practice? We know he keeps being protected from poaching, but we haven’t seen him in a game yet. Is he on your mind as a possibility?) – “I think Gerrid (Doaks) is doing a good job on the practice squad learning the gameplan every week. He takes the approach that he’s going to be out there and that’s good. We want that for all our – everybody on the roster. When his opportunity presents itself, I think he’ll be ready.”
(Does physicality help you without RB Malcolm Brown? I’m sure that’s something obviously you guys have talked about.) – “I think that we’re always going to try to put the best players out there – guys who we feel like are going to help us. If we feel like that’s Gerrid, then he’ll be out there.”
(I think the Jets lead the NFL in yards per game over the past few weeks. Have you noticed anything that they’ve started to do differently later in the season to help kind of jumpstart?) – “I think they’ve got – you’re talking about offensively? They’ve got a good o-line. They’ve got good backs. They’ve got some receivers who make some big plays. I think they’ve done a good job. White did a good job getting the ball, spreading the ball around and making some good decisions. So all that, put all that together and you get a lot of positive plays. It’s a big challenge for us. We’ve got to do a good job really in all those areas – run game, pass game, pass defense I should say, run defense, pass defense, screens, RPOs, play action, drop-back, red zone, third down and conversely all those things on offense. And obviously the kicking game.”
(I know you say you go day-by-day, but do you as a coach look at the standings, look at the calendar and look at your possibilities to maybe turn the season around at this point?) – “No. I focus on today.”
(The old adage says that a team takes on the personality of their head coach and this is your first go up against Robert Saleh for the Jets. What do you think that personality is of him that the Jets kind of embody that type of play?) – “I know Rob. He’s smart, tough, disciplined, intense, high energy. I think you see that from his team.”
(You guys added Andrew Billings to the practice squad. Can you comment on that?) – “Big body. Tough. We liked some things on tape. We felt like he could help us so we’re excited to work with him.”
