Friday, November 22, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(I know everybody here – us, your teammates, your coaches – admire you for playing through stuff. With the knee was it just kind of wear and tear that it’s developed where you didn’t practice the last week and a half?) – “I’m not even going to get into it, for real, just trying to do everything I can to be ready for Sunday. That’s it.”
(Feeling good?) – “It don’t matter.”
(How pleased are you with what – you continue to put high level stuff on tape – are you pleased with your year personally?) – “For me I try to treat every game the same. I try to be my absolute best, keep the quarterback clean, make lanes for the running backs. So I really don’t even get into to grades or the way it looks. Like every game I approach, I try to be the best I can possibly be, so I try to treat them all the same.”
(How much have you enjoyed these long sustained drives that we’ve seen so many of these last three weeks, four weeks?) – “It’s great as far as it’s a testament to our execution, to be able to execute whatever we dial up. We love the explosives, though, don’t get me wrong. Like I would love to see one-play drive, two-play drive. We love to see it, but to be able to have sustained drives and execute down after down, eliminating the penalties, the turnovers and all those things. It’s hard to do, to have 15-play drives and run that many plays without those mistakes. So it’s been great for us to be able to execute.”
(And I had one other thing for you. I know you’ve helped LB Chop Robinson a lot. Without giving away what, with the success he’s had the last couple weeks – like 13 pressures, two sacks – have you seen little things he’s done that you’ve said to yourself “I helped him with that, I’m pleased”?) – “Chop (Robinson), he’s scratching the surface of what he’s going to be. His work ethic, his ability to take what you give him – a coaching point, a tip or something that you see and apply it like immediately – is incredible. But the way that he goes about his business, his level of professionalism as a rookie, he’s got a lot more production that we will continue to see.”
(What allows you to have so many occasions to be able to make it to a game day despite not practicing on certain weeks like you did last week?) – “It’s a lot of mental. I’ve got to be locked in on the playbook, know my assignment and then have a plan for each player that I’m going against. So I do that. I do my homework. I make sure I’ve got a plan on how to attack each rusher, how to fit in the run game against who I’m going against so just a little extra work.”
(I asked Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith about how the 33-year old T Terron Armstead is different than the rookie he first met. He said you were actually wise beyond your years as a youngster, but he got a little emotional in describing you as a friend. Can you talk about your relationship with him?) – “Yeah, Frank (Smith) is a huge reason why I’m here. Our relationship, our connection. Back when I was in New Orleans as a rookie, I didn’t start right away so there wasn’t much time for my development from the head o-line coach, I would say, and Frank, man, I’m talking about every day after practice, before practice, after walkthrough, before walkthrough; we hit it – technique. It was me, Senio Kelemete and Bryce Harris – us three. I mean like every day, we’d grind it out. And then you started to see my growth and development as a player and being NFL ready and when that time came, Sean Payton gave me the nod. It wouldn’t have happened without Frank, plain and simple. So I’m forever appreciative of everything – the time, the effort, the energy – that he gave to me and he’s truly a friend. He cares.”
(How is Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith different? How is he different 11 years later?) – “He’s definitely different. It’s cool to see, like it’s great to see his growth and development because we were together two years and then we weren’t for the next eight. So to come here and he’s offensive coordinator but back when I knew him, he wasn’t even allowed to speak in the o-line room. He couldn’t even make a coaching point or adjustment. It just wasn’t the climate of the room. That wasn’t his position. So any type of coaching would be off to the side or after practice. So to see him running the room, running us and the entire offense – he’s talking quarterback play; he’s talking receiver routes, depths and all that. I’m like, look at my dawg, man.”
(He’s a guy whose name has come up for head coaching jobs…) – “As it should.”
(What are your thoughts on that and did you ever see some of those glimpses back then when you first met him?) – “I was always really trying to digest everything as I came in as a rookie, but to see him and his development now and the success he’s had, successful players he’s had in his position room; but the fact the ‘Frank approach’ and why he has such close relationships with so many players is he truly cares about the individual, not just the player. And we know we’ve got a job to do so he hits that hard, but he’s also somebody that has no problem getting personal and showing you that he’s got your back regardless. Frank is somebody that you would go in an alley with. I don’t know how well he can fight, but he will fight.”
(The way TE Jonnu Smith has been further incorporated into this offense, what kind things do you think it could open up?) – “He’s been great. Jonnu (Smith) is a weapon. He’s a weapon. He’s a running back with the ball. He’s given us an added dynamic that we haven’t had honestly in the last couple years, so people try to take away Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle, but now, with Jonnu and (De’Von) Achane out the backfield, ‘O’ (Odell Beckham Jr.), Odell, he’s getting more and more touches. Malik Washington. It’s making us more dangerous so you’ve got to kind of pick your poison.”
Friday, November 22, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Why has T Terron Armstead not been practicing recently, and do you think he’ll still be able to play through the knee injury?) – “I think he’s along the same lines of utilizing one of the assets that ‘T-Stead’ (Terron Armstead) gives us is the ability to know his body, how many reps he needs for an opponent to perform and to try to gain as many games with him as possible when he’s battling through something by way of rest. So I think this was an execution of that. I think pending today’s practice, I feel optimistic about him playing but we’re able to utilize him and his connectivity to what we’re trying to get done and his experience where he’s – it’s very, very rare that left tackles can feel comfortable playing in a game without at least two to the three days. He’s proved to be the exception, so when we can, we try to enhance his ability to play on game day by giving him rest when needed. So he’s working and hoping to have him, but we’ll see how today goes.”
(Is CB Kendall Fuller still in concussion protocol?) – “Yeah, he’ll be out.”
(With T Terron Armstead, we always ask these injury questions but what about the season you’re getting from him?) – “I think case in point, he’s found ways to be involved in practice more often this year and as a result, he’s gotten really good at some technique and fundamentals that he can utilize within the offense. There’s always guys that get better as their career goes, and I think he’s one of those guys and that’s because of – I think he still has the NFL Combine record for the 40 (-yard dash) for offensive linemen. So he was supremely talented, but also he had the mind and passion to be an elite left tackle in this league and as a result he continues to get better and better. It’s something that isn’t necessarily the norm, but I’ve been fortunate in my career to be around a couple guys that have been able to have their best play be in their thirties. I had Trent Williams in San Francisco before, and ‘T-Stead’ is much like him in that way where he is utilizing his understanding of the game and his ability to execute and perform with his God given abilities.”
(Will FB Alec Ingold be available?) – “We’ll see what happens today. I’m feeling as optimistic as I’ve felt in the last three weeks, but that will be subject to setbacks or just how I feel, so it’s an important day for him.”
(I know you had been optimistic about LB Bradley Chubb being able to play this year when we last asked you, maybe about three weeks ago. Do you still feel that level of optimism?) – “Yes, I still feel the same exact thing as the last time you asked me.”
(Excellent. I know at one point you had said that you think LS Blake Ferguson will play in a game again this year, do you still think that?) – “I still think that as well.”
(How is WR Tyreek Hill navigating his wrist pain as far as you can tell?) – “Phenomenally. Understanding – I think he was really empowered by the information of the deep dive of finding out all the pros and cons of the variables, the way to treat it and to understand it’s going to heat up on him sometimes and how to prevent that while also not changing his game too much. I think with a competitor like that, sometimes it’s hard to tell how much it’s hurting him because adrenaline. He seems to fight through and will himself to certain things, but I think more than anything, when your captain is not only executing, but doing so in spite of an ailment, it leaves a locker room full of players that have a tough time making excuses. So I think that’s a big deal when your best players are willing to do whatever it takes in the game of football, which a lot of times has some sort of pain tolerance involved just by the nature of a very physical and violent sport. How to manage it, he’s putting a clinic on how to manage it, how to treat it and how to perform and so very, very grateful for the way he’s attacking that.”
(Can you talk about managing the challenges of two games in five days coming up? Although this is such an important game, you have to take it one week at a time, but just knowing on the back end you have a…) – “You’re telling me we have two games in five days? That will come to my awareness very quickly after the only thing that exists, which is today’s practice, and then there’s another day of preparation and then the Patriots game. But I think simplicity in situations like this are of primary importance. It’s very simple that we can’t worry about a game that’s after a game and say, ‘Yeah, let’s think about that game assuming we win this game,’ that’s a recipe for humility, fast humility. So the biggest thing I’ve been doing with the team is talking exclusively about the Patriots and how we need to approach our jobs in all three phases collectively, and we’ll get to the rest of the schedule after that.”
(Do you expect a roster move with S Patrick McMorris and OL Isaiah Wynn this weekend, or is that more likely next week or beyond?) – “More likely next week. I don’t have the crystal ball so I can’t say with 100% certainty since we still have this practice. But I would anticipate it’s more likely next week or a time after this week.”
(You said QB Tua Tagovailoa has taken a gigantic step with controlling the emotional part of the football game. He’s mentioned this Seakeeper mentality. I’m curious to where that Seakeeper lesson came from and also when did you realize he’s made improvements in the emotional piece of the football game?) – “This is something we’ve been chipping away at, as it’s very much one of the biggest mountains you have to climb as a quarterback. As a talented thrower like you have with Tua (Tagovailoa), sometimes he wants to will the result of a game based upon something he decides pre-snap. That has been something that came up in his game that I’ve noticed because that’s part of all quarterbacks’ game is trying to make things easier on yourself from a decision-making standpoint and lock into what you’re going to do post-snap, pre-snap. Working through that or looking at attacking that the same way you’re attacking anything else in your game, if you’re trying to have a higher completion percentage on plus 40-yard throws, which was a thing at one point that was talked about in press conferences, you work on it. You work on that difficult task that is way easier said than done, and I think in the quarterback room that being ever-present on the tip of the tongue of Coach (Darrell) Bevell in terms of talking about each play stands on its own merit. That’s something we’ve been talking about for two-and-a-half years. Then it takes another step forward when you have player ownership. In this circumstance, the phrase Seakeeper was Tua’s to connect the idea we’ve been talking about – myself, Frank Smith, Coach Bevell, we’ve all been talking to him about. He kind of equated it to his newfound understanding of boats and what a Seakeeper product does which steadies everything. I think that is something that not all players are even capable of getting better at. At the quarterback position, it is extremely difficult to work at something as incessantly as you have to, to be a starting quarterback in this league, to wear the team result on the shoulders of if you’re winning, the quarterback gets a pat on the back. If you’re losing, he gets pointed at, so that makes it very difficult. But it’s also one of the biggest things you can equate to his recent play, is his mastery of that in those games and that once you’ve mastered it in one game, it doesn’t mean you can master for the next. That is something that is ever-present that you’re always thinking about. Your mindset based upon both success and failure within a game and how to appropriately play the position, which is classic Tua, great learner. He’s learning better and better.”
(Browns and Steelers were in the snow last night. I don’t know if you saw any of it, it was a pretty good watch from my couch. When you see the highlights or you’re watching the game, are you thinking what might I call in the snow here? Because I suppose calling the game is different in those types of conditions.) – “I think that does come up situationally. Obviously, the weather isn’t premier for throwing the ball in the air far, however there are certain types of throws and certain types of situations and known passing situations where you still can operate the same way and there’s situations that you can’t. I think for me, it’s a lot easier to adjust to the environmental circumstances just because inherently, when you’re calling a play, you’re thinking that it will work. And when you can’t picture how it will work or it’s a little easier to – but you’re also attacking that during the entire work week, understanding that while meteorology isn’t an exact science, they’re generally in the right stratosphere. So the most difficult is adjusting to very wet games, because a lot of times you don’t know that to be fact based upon the whole week.”
(What has the greater incorporation of TE Jonnu Smith done for this offense?) – “I think the proof is in the pudding in terms of the last two weeks. You’ve seen very high percentage throws in terms of shorter throws go really long, and you can see his physical skill set which is he’s a hard guy to tackle and very competitive with the ball in his hands. That extra space that defenses tend to give our offense by the overindulgence in paying attention to our premier receivers, the way to equal the playing field is to have players take advantage of that space. I think Jonnu (Smith) has done a phenomenal job in that regard. I think Tua (Tagovailoa) has done a great job understanding the value of progressions and playing on time but also distributing the football. I think there’s a multitude of players that have assisted in what Jonnu has been able to do. I think Julian Hill had some exceptional YAC situations, and I think Malik Washington has done the same. So I think he’s an example of players finding success in a way that really complements the other skills to your offense and he’s done a great job and is a fun guy to have on our side.”
