Friday, October 25, 2024
CB Jalen Ramsey
(With the secondary, obviously the nickel position with CB Kader Kohou out this week, how much of a challenge is that for some of the young guys to have to step up?) – “Just opportunities. It’s just an opportunity. Cam (Smith) is going to get to spin finally, happy for that. Happy for that moment for him. I can’t wait for y’all to see what he’s about because he’s a baller, I ain’t going to lie to you. He does some special things just in practice, so that will be cool.”
(How much of that is just confidence for a young player when they don’t play–?) – “He’s good. He’s good, he’s got what he needs. He’s good.”
(What’s your FSU prediction against Miami?) – “Noles win. I don’t know how it’s going to look; I don’t care how it’s going to look, but the Noles got to get this one. I know it’s been a little rough, a little rocky this season. We ain’t worried about that though, we’re worried about tomorrow night – 7 o’clock.”
(Are you going to be there?) – “Got to focus on my game. I wish, but I’ve got to focus on my game. My daughters, they’ve got their cheerleading outfits. If I can get them to get the game – I’m going to be in meetings, but if I can get them to the game so they can get some pictures with the cheerleaders, somebody at FSU hit me up. I ain’t want to hit (Mike) Norvell about this, because he’s got other stuff to focus on, but my daughters want to meet the cheerleaders, so somebody come through for me.”
Friday, October 25, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(As you know WR Tyreek Hill was on the injury report with a foot, WR Jaylen Waddle with a quad this week. Do you expect both will be available this Sunday?) – “Yeah, I’m feeling good. We’ll see how today goes, but yes, I feel very optimistic and feel good about where they’re at.”
(Did QB Tua Tagovailoa indeed clear concussion protocol?) – “He did. After going through the process and having a practice where we were able to initiate some contact with him and then he met with an independent doctor and was fully cleared. He is out of the protocol.”
(He will play Sunday?) – “Yes.”
(Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith had a cool story about how QB Tua Tagovailoa was popping into his office at 5 a.m. Can you just speak to his eagerness for this moment?) – “I think he’s done an outstanding job not doing anything but controlling what he can control, so in that he’s put his best foot forward to take care of himself, as well to be the leader of this football team just in a different way. All of that is – he’s been fully engaged, but he’s also become very aware that he is not interested in becoming a coach anytime soon, that his love is playing football. I think he’s eager, as everybody is. I think if you had any questions about how valuable he is, I think it’s pretty obvious. I think the team is excited to play football and have him be a part of it. He’s excited to play with his teammates and I’m very happy for all of those involved, but yeah, pretty eager.”
(What do you think some of those questions he had when he was at those early coaching sessions helped him learn about, maybe the offense or the team or your role?) – “First of all – if you needed another reason to go above and beyond with your actions and how much he appreciates every meeting, every time on the field, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Having that and being able to try to help the team without playing, you lean into how many different players need to be reached on a given week, how many different problems – it really forces you to get outside your own experience is the way that we’ve kind of talked about it. So like, all right, well this guy is running his route short, our cadence isn’t where it needs to be. Instead of just sitting there and stewing over it, he took action. That connects him to his teammates in a unique way because typically he’s not coaching them. And then understanding just looking at… it’s simple as when things aren’t successful, you can kind of have a better attachment to what’s most important on certain plays and certain things that we do in our offense and how valuable – people talk about his timing all the time. He plays convicted, he’s very coachable, but I think he’s found more confidence based upon how he plays and more reasons of why he does certain things, why we do stuff with technique and fundamentals, all of that. I think the simplest thing I can say is he’s – as a quarterback, you have so many things on your plate and you see the world through your own eyes, and this process gave him an opportunity to see the problems of other people. To really clear – the NFL work week, you put a gameplan in and how do you execute that gameplan, what needs to happen, how does walkthrough need to look, how does his tonality need to be. You can see when you’re observing – how should you respond to a bad play. I think all these things, he really took the time to be present, and because of that, you can feel even more even-keel player when he’s playing, understanding that it’s all about this next play, my technique and fundamentals, and then that play happened and then it’s the next play. If it was good or bad, should that affect your focus on the finer details of your job? Absolutely not. Should you be lashing yourself if your throw is off? That probably doesn’t help anybody. Maybe I can keep my frustration about whatever to myself when my teammates need me to, those types of things. It’s been a cool process and I think he did a great job, an unbelievable job controlling what he can control and making the time valuable.”
(Now that we know who’s starting at quarterback on Sunday, have you settled on who your backup will be?) – “I’m pretty sure I know who it is, but I want to make sure. After this practice, I think we’ll know with absolute certainty but I need to let the full work week playout before I stamp it. I think I know and I’ll let you guys know in my Sunday press conference after the game if I was right in my guess.”
(Do you expect to have LB Emmanuel Ogbah and S Jevón Holland on Sunday?) – “Yes, and yes.”
(Any sense at this point if QB Tua Tagovailoa’s injury or concern about what could happen is creating any unique tension in the locker room, something you’ve had to work through at all with the players?) – “No, I think the most important thing is that for anybody that’s concerned enough to ask, Tua met with a litany, a laundry list, a long list of medical experts, and zero of them recommended that he shouldn’t play football. So that means 100% of them were supporting the continued journey and I think that is as easy of a relay as possible. I think there’s a lot of things out there, a lot of – so I can’t tell you how many people or if many people asked him, but I know that’s what drove his confidence is making his decision in step with medical experts who fully support what he’s doing. So I think everybody feels good about that.”
(Will CB Storm Duck, CB Kader Kohou and OL Liam Eichenberg be available on Sunday?) – “No, no, yes. Oh, probably not, no, yes. So Storm (Duck), there is an outside, there is a small percentage chance for sure, but I’m pessimistic about that. Kader (Kohou), no and Liam (Eichenberg), yes.”
(What about DT Zach Sieler? Any reason for concern there?) – “Yeah, that was a kind of a – it was a first in my football history. He will not play this game. Timeline is unknown, and that’s kind of where it stands.”
(Was he poked in the eye in practice or something?) – “Yeah, there was a – yes.”
(On a personal level, how excited are you to see QB Tua Tagovailoa back?) – “Words can’t describe how excited I get for all players that have opportunities that I know they don’t take for granted, that they’ve earned. It’s very exciting from a human perspective as a coach of this team, it’s meaningful to watch people go after their dreams. And when you see someone with absolute certainty boldly go after something, then have it taken away for whatever time period, there’s nothing better than having football players that are all in. Not only because of who they are, not only because of their teammates and what they love about that connection, but because they truly love doing, exercising their gift and I think it’s hard not to be inspired by that.”
(It’s rare that you’re very adamant that a player will not play this many days before the game. How serious was the poke to DT Zach Sieler’s eye?) – “When I have certainty, I don’t like to BS. I think I want our team to win based upon winning the game, so I wouldn’t – it’s hard to say, however, it’s week to week. I just know he’s not going to be available for this game, so I like to trim the fat sometimes.”
(You had mentioned that nobody recommended that QB Tua Tagovailoa stop play football. Is there anything else you can tell us about what they either recommended he do, precautions he might take, protection he could wear? Anything that would involve responding to this injury to help prevent him from having another one or at least keeping him as healthy as possible.) – “Beyond getting into his personal nitty gritty – I’ll say what I’m comfortable saying (and) speaking on his behalf of is I think there’s been no stone unturned from just how you do everything perspective. From all the way to the most minimal thing with hydration and how you eat – I know in the locker room, he is my foremost expert on the brain. He knows a ton because we didn’t – no one in this process has trivialized any of this. As you’re coaching, I think he has a different understanding of the ramifications of his decisions, and I think in terms of how he plays the game and whether or not that one or two yards is worth everything else, I think that has been firmly put in perspective. I think he’s really gone above and beyond since 2022 really, and he’s taking it with that same seriousness, just probably leveled up a little bit. There’s not – it’s all encompassing and he’s doing everything he really can, in my opinion, to make sure that he’s on the field and not off of it.”
(You mentioned earlier this week that QB Tua Tagovailoa is not the savior. I’m just curious, how do you tell that and really sell that to your guys who know his impact and believe that maybe that will make the inference of forward?) – “Because from the starting point, I think that’s been the tonality of this team, 2024, since we got together April 15 was that all right, well what we’ve done is not what we want to do. We have goals and it’s not to – the goals aren’t statistically driven. The goals aren’t to just get to the playoffs or something, and in that, you have to continuously get better as a team. So I think understanding how we’re all pieces of the puzzle and that the main thing that I’ve been pressing guys through this entire season, but particularly after the three-game losing streak and then after this last loss, is that you don’t have these losses – you don’t experience them in vain. They have to mean something, so what can you learn from it? That incessant coach-to-player accountability and then player-to-player accountability, we have a lot of guys – we have a team full of people that are trying to be the best versions of themselves. And when you lose games, when you have four losses out of six, your margin for error, you don’t get those opportunities to just, ‘Oh, that one got through our fingertips,’ and I think they understand that. So being very prideful individually, we all want to win, but what is our piece in that puzzle? We never stepped out on the field when Tua was our starting quarterback and just won the game because of Tua; we won the game with Tua and there’s 10 other players every down with him and then there’s 60 to 75 plays where our defense is on the field and then there’s the 30 plays that special teams is on the field. So I think the frustration of each and every game that we haven’t won, the frustration of football not being to our standard in different places, that affords you if you’re going to go through it, if you’re going to experience that failure, you have to make it purposeful. Because you’re talking about a group of – our locker room and our coaching staff and just everybody involved, the losing has been miserable, so you don’t just forget that. You have to do something about it to change the result, not hope. So I think there’s a lot of motivated guys that have enough on their own plate, super excited about Tua playing but we have to get better at our individual technique and fundamentals and how we play together each and every week, especially after losses, because you don’t do all the work, you don’t do all this – the only thing that you can learn are the lessons. Not that – yeah, I don’t like when our score is less than there, let’s do something about it so that’s not the case move forward, and all we have is today. All we have is today’s practice in preparation for the Arizona Cardinals, which is what our focus has and will continue to be for the next 48 hours before the game.”
(With CB Cam Smith coming back and CB Jalen Ramsey working in the nickel, what’s the thought process there with replacing CB Kader Kohou who has been an experience nickel player for you?) – “I think we have a lot of – some of our versatility within the secondary and how we kind of resourced jobs is a strength of ours. I think we have a lot of players playing in that position. Whether you have Jalen (Ramsey) playing nickel, Jevón Holland, whether you have – it can be different players of different positions to keep offenses off-balance and to utilize your really good players and put them in different positions for success. Within the whole secondary, I think not knowing who is the next man up or where they’re going to be, especially when you have some really elite players in the secondary, offensively you want to know where those guys are. You want to know, all right, well we do this formation, we’re doing this – we’re putting this guy over here because Jalen Ramsey is going to be over there. That adds layers of preparation, that adds just layers of uncertainty to the opposing team, and it allows guys different opportunities to make plays. I think that in a very similar way that we kind of attack offensive football where sometimes is this guy a receiver, is he a running back, is this a tight end or a running back; we put people in different positions, utilize different skill sets but also to keep the opposing team off-balance, because if it’s easy for us to execute and more difficult to prepare for, that’s a competitive advantage that we want to take advantage of.”
Friday, October 25, 2024
T Terron Armstead
(Obviously, we’ve been asking everybody the same thing: your excitement level for QB Tua Tagovailoa?) – “Excited for sure. He looks great, man. He’s locked in, helping get everybody where they need to be, locked in on the details, all the small things. We’re focusing on those nuances for sure, that have been helping us lose games, so we’re trying to clean all that up.”
(Not like it was lacking before, but is there any extra boost of energy now that you know QB1 is back on the field?) – “He brings his own energy. He has an energy about him that’s contagious, that you have no choice but to gravitate towards and it’s very much reinvigorating and revitalizing for our offense that’s been struggling.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us the unfortunate news about DT Zach Sieler today. It’s such a game where you can get hurt in so many ways, how big of a risk is it in practice to have your eye poked with line play?) – “Yeah, it’s a real thing, man. Incidental, for sure. Nobody was trying to go for an eye, but you’re playing fast, playing low, big guys moving around, it’s unfortunate, for sure. Zach is one of the best players on the team – one of the best players in the league, so him dealing with that is definitely unfortunate for us.”
(Where are you on this “is Tua the savior” debate? WR Tyreek Hill said he is, Head Coach Mike McDaniel said “not really.” Where are you on that?) – “It’s unrealistic for one player to be a savior. Probably in basketball when there are only five people on the court, but you got offense, defense, special teams – there’s 33 starters. So he’s a huge part of everything we do, a huge impact; but for him to be the ‘savior,’ ‘the hero’ that tries to save everything, it’s unrealistic, unfair. We’ve got a lot of work to do, everybody else. We’ve got to be able to produce and create lanes for the runners. Runners got to go execute, receivers got to go execute – everybody, you know what I mean? So Tua (Tagovailoa) can’t throw it to himself or he can’t hand it off to himself, can’t block for himself.”
(Earlier this week we saw you working with LB Chop Robinson after the practice and in the locker room. How much does that help him in terms of the technique that he’s going to face against offensive linemen of your caliber?) – “Yeah, we were really just talking ball, talking experience, what challenges I see, what he’s seeing from offensive linemen. It could help a little, it could help a lot, maybe not at all; But it don’t hurt. It don’t hurt at all. I love Chop. I love everything about him – his approach, his professionalism, his hunger. His production will come, for sure. He’s a special talent. It’s hard in the league when we are so fixated on stats and it’s a production-based league, for sure, but this is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. Some people come out the gate and have production and then fall off, but as long as he trusts his process, he’s going about everything the right way. He’s working hard and all that good stuff, the production will come.”
Thursday, October 24, 2024
DT Calais Campbell
(You mentioned the Cardinals, and players will say it’s one game at a time, but at this point of the season where you guys are at, how pivotal is Sunday’s game to start a new momentum here?) – “It’s huge. It’s a big game, a real big game. I don’t think at the end of the day – as long as you always have a shot, you’re always going to fight and there’s always opportunity. You’ve seen teams, especially this team has done it a few years ago, where if you have to win every game, you put yourself in position. But the margin of error definitely has gotten a lot tighter and so we’ve got to be more on point. Our mindset right now is fourth-and-1, game on the line, what are you going to do? That’s the kind of mindset you have to have, and everybody has to have that mindset of if you count on me to do my job at a high level, consider it done. That’s how I’ve always kind of prepared, and if guys are depending on me, you consider it a win. I think if we all have that mindset, we’re going to win a lot of ball games. But at the end of the day, you can’t really worry about the next one, just winning this one and this one is huge, we need this one.”
(How do you take on somebody like QB Kyler Murray?) – “Kyler (Murray) is a beast. He’s probably the toughest tackle because he’s so quick and so explosive, so he kind of has both. Usually you have one or the other, explosion or quickness. He has both and then he’s just kind of a smaller guy, so you got to get down there and he doesn’t go down easy. He has good contact balance, so we have to really do a good job of keeping him in the pocket, make him throw from the well. He has really good presence in knowing how to like kind of move around or kind of manipulate the defense, so it’s going to be a tough challenge but we’re up for it. We’re practicing, trying to figure out our rush lanes and making sure we keep him in there. But he’s probably the best at it – him and maybe, Lamar (Jackson). Lamar is another different level guy, but Kyler is one of the toughest in the league.”
(Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver said it was like if WR Tyreek Hill was playing quarterback, is that a good comparison?) – “Yeah, probably. (laughter) But I will say though we’re up for the challenge. We’re up for the challenge. He’s tough. He’s a beast but it’s football. Every week is a tough challenge.”
(You played for Arizona for a number of years. Was the run to the NFC Championship game your best memory from there? What was your best memory?) – “A lot of good memories at that place. (laughter) A lot of good memories, nine years. I don’t know what I would say my best memory is, I’d have to really put some time to think on that, but my rookie year going to the Super Bowl was pretty sweet. It’s hard to beat that. Winning that NFC Championship game at home, against the Eagles and confetti falling on your shoulders and everybody is super hyped, it’s a feeling that I’m chasing again and hope that I get to experience again. But definitely a lot of love for the Arizona Cardinals fans, the organization treated me very well when I was there, a lot of love for them. I’m eager to go out there and compete against them.”
(I forgot, so what year was that Super Bowl?) – “(It was) 2008, my rookie year.”
(2008, you’re a rookie, you go to the Super Bowl. So if I were to tell you that 16 years later, you’d be in the Dolphins locker room, what would you say?) – “I’d have been very surprised. I did think that when I was in Arizona I was going to be there for my whole career. I was kind of shocked when the time came to go other places, but I think sometimes new beginnings are good for you. I went to Jacksonville, had another good big part of my career there and I think it was nice to go play a different position and be in a different environment, so it kind of brought the best out of me. But I’m eager to play against them again. Any time you spend time at a place and you develop relationships and you kind of know that place, it just gives you a little more of an edge and a little more energy when you go play against those guys, so it should be a lot of fun.”
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver
(I’m going to ask you about LB Mohamed Kamara who had the two pressures in the seven pass rushing snaps. What did he do to convince you guys he was ready to play on Sunday and has he earned potentially any more time off his play on Sunday?) – “‘Mo’ (Mohamed Kamara) is one of those guys who – he’s putting in the work. He’s a rookie, so sometimes when you don’t have the consistency at the trajectory you’d like, you get a little bit frustrated but it’s not through lack of effort. The one thing we talked about before, he is a physical presence out there. He wants to do right every time he’s out there and he’s going to play more just because we see his talent. We know he has playmaking potential and we’re going to have to live through some of those rookie mistakes.”
(How ready do you feel CB Cam Smith is just coming back off of IR, especially now that we see CB Kader Kohou and CB Storm Duck are dealing with some injuries?) – “I’m excited about Cam (Smith). He has his adversity in Year 1 and when that happens to a player, it’s real easy to kind of tuck your tail and hide from the fight. He hasn’t done that – had some adversity here earlier this season, was put on IR, but since he’s been back, you can just tell he’s been back with a different attitude, a different energy. He’s been locked in. He’s still a young player, I don’t expect him to go out there and be perfect, but I’m excited to see him compete and have fun playing the game that he’s obviously been blessed with some special gifts and go out and play well.”
(With CB Kader Kohou and CB Storm Duck injured, who are some of the other players that you know can play the slot position? Obviously, CB Jalen Ramsey, CB Ethan Bonner can, CB Nik Needham, who do you feel comfortable at the slot?) – “We have a bunch of guys I think are capable of doing it, each with their own specific skill set so you just try to cater to that. Obviously, you mentioned Jalen (Ramsey) already, we’ve played three safeties with Jevón (Holland) there in the slot. I think Siran Neal is a guy we can use to play in there, potentially you could see some Cam (Smith) in there. I think we have a bunch of guys that have the skill set to get the job done. It’s just really a matter of what we’re trying to do at that particular moment and who we’re going to put there.”
(With DT Zach Sieler and DT Calais Campbell, we see the sacks, we see the TFLs, we see the fumble recoveries. What have they done for this defense if you could put it in tangible terms? I know that’s a very broad question.) – “Oh man, I can’t sit here and verbalize how important they are. When you’re trying to affect the passer – not even just affect the passer and play good run defense, you have to be strong on the interior. When you’re trying to attack a quarterback, you need push up the middle. Sometimes that push comes through power, sometimes it comes through games, sometimes it comes through just guys winning. Those two guys do all of that, which is pretty awesome which inevitably you’ll see that’ll benefit our edges. Outside of what they are doing on the field, the impact they have in the locker room, in this building is tremendous. I can’t say enough good things about them and the people that they are.”
(We’ve seen them both kick out and play a lot of four and five technique. Was that something that was kind of in the plan coming into the year, or was that due to the attrition you guys have had off the edge?) – “We try to be multiple and have our guys do as much as they possibly can with their skill set. We don’t want to pigeonhole anybody and say, ‘Hey, you’re a zero technique,’ or ‘You’re just a two-I.’ Guys like them that have length, but still can bend and play on the interior, you want to put them all over the place just to create matchups in your advantage as a defense.”
(What has DT Da’Shawn Hand shown you where now he’s consistently seeing these levels of defensive snaps, just now week after week? It’s not even a surprise when he plays this much.) – “I think you said the word in your question – just the consistency, and that’s who he is. He is rock solid. You know each and every day exactly what you’re going to get out of him. Particularly if you’re playing linebacker, you want to know where that guy is going to be and what he’s going to do in the run game so you can kind of gap and a half and you can feel comfortable back there. Some of our younger players are still working towards that. I think Benito (Jones) has done a good job of that too in the snaps he’s been out there, but Da’Shawn Hand is exactly what you said. He has been consistent in his technique which is allowing him to go out there and play more snaps.”
(What was the decision to use LB Anthony Walker Jr. 20 snaps in place of LB David Long Jr. last week a result of David being troubled by the knee, or have you concluded that Anthony Walker Jr. deserves regular playing time?) – “Probably a combination of both. We see our linebacker room as a position of strength for us. I would love to have Duke Riley play more snaps, too. There is only so many snaps in a football game and they are all really good. David (Long Jr.) has been battling some knee injuries. ‘Walk’ (Anthony Walker Jr.) certainly isn’t a young player, but is an outstanding player so in order to get them both right through the course of the season we’re trying to rotate them a little bit.”
(Regarding DT Calais Campbell, is there an on-field moment from this season either watching live or on film that kind of jumps out to you?) – “I think it’s how he started off the season. How rare is it to start off the season with a sack, and I think he may have called his shot. He may have ‘Babe Ruthed’ it, too, so that to me sticks out the most just because I remember him bringing the team up pregame and essentially saying ‘I got you. I’m going to get you there.’ To start the season like that, I think it’s just carried on in every game. Outside of his special physical traits that he was given by God, his will to want to go out there and impact the game is so great. I love the guy; I can’t say enough about him.”
(You guys are No. 1 in the NFL in pass defense but have only three picks. Where does that leave you feeling about the work of the pass defense?) – “I think our guys are doing a tremendous job, both as players and coaches. Brian Duker, Ryan Slowik, (Mathieu) Araujo, DeShawn Shead, that combination, I always said, when we were assembling the staff, me and Mike (McDaniel), you know what you want because you know what you aren’t. I know by nature I’m not a back seven guy, obviously I have knowledge of it, but when we brought those guys together, it was to help fill in some of the gaps where I may potentially be weak. I’m incredibly proud of these guys and the work they’ve put forth. I’m incredibly proud of the players just adjusting to the system, because technically there’s some things particularly from the safety position that’s been different from what they’ve done here in the past. We kind of worked through some of those fights early on, but now they’ve absolutely bought in. We’d love to have the takeaways and turnovers and things of that nature; I do believe that those will come. I still think schematically they are growing more comfortable. We’ve always said it’s going to go from competency, to confidence, to flow state, and we are still very much chasing flow state as a group. I think when we hit that, that’s when those takeaway and turnover ops will come.”
(How much of your usage of CB Jalen Ramsey on the blitz comes from the fact that you kind of know that teams are shying away from his side?) – “I’m trying to bring Jalen (Ramsey) as much as I possibly can, and that is actually a funny story. I blitzed him three straight times and obviously, you don’t want to have a tell or tendency. He’s so smart that we can do everything with him without having to just blitz him when he’s at a particular spot. We get to halftime and our corners coach Mathieu Araujo comes up to me and he goes, ‘Hey coach, Jalen has been at nickel five times. You’ve only blitzed him one.’ I go, ‘Alright, thanks.’ (laughter) And that was the next drive where he went three straight times. Like is said, he is a weapon. He is so much more than a corner; he is a football player. So as much as we can get him around the ball to make an impact, we’re going to try to do that.”
(Going back to DT Calais Campbell, we all know his record in this league is a mile long, his accomplishments, but you also know how old he is. When you put all that together, if you could go back to before the season began and project the expectations you may have had for him versus the production you’ve gotten from him, how do the two compare?) – “I think they are exactly what you see. Having been with him for two years prior, just knowing the work ethic and the standard he has for himself, I don’t think he’s out on that field if he couldn’t have this impact. He’s too prideful, as we all are. He wouldn’t want to tarnish his legacy and I don’t blame him for that. I think what you’re seeing from him is exactly what I expected.”
(When you have young edge guys, how much is the film that you’re able to show them helpful for their overall development and their overall growth?) – “I think the film is incredibly important. You try to show them the way and hopefully they can go out there and I don’t want to say mimic but take pieces and parts of all these tremendous edge players in this league, take parts of their games. What happens with young players though is you’re just inundated with so much information in terms of the scheme, the pre-snap information that the offense is giving you and then how you want to play blocks, how you’re attacking particular sets on these guys – it’s a lot to process. Early on, the game just seems like – I still remember my rookie year and I played against Jonathan Ogden, fun. Guy is like this wide, I’m blocking it out, I can’t find the ball. He’s like a perennial Hall of Famer, he’s faster than me probably. I was like, ‘What is happening?’ I think I was on the ground seven of the first ten plays I’m playing in the spring. But inevitably what happens is you get comfortable; you now know the scheme where you don’t have to think about what you’re going to do, you just know. Now you can take the next step and you’re seeing, all right where’s the depth of this tackle, where’s the back offset, how deep is this tight end, this is a condensed formation, all these things that you know are going to tell you pre-snap give you something where you’re a good poker player now and you’re getting the tells. And then the game starts to slow down and now you can just go win your technique and fundamentals. You now have a million reps in and not 100 reps in. So again, I’m pleased with where those guys are at. We’re obviously trying to push them to get where they got to get to faster. I do believe that repetition is the mother of skill. We just got to give them reps. Reps, upon reps, upon reps in everything – in the meeting room, on the football field and the classroom and they’ll come along.”
(You were around QB Lamar Jackson in Baltimore obviously. How close is QB Kyler Murray to him in terms of the scrambling ability and how hard you have to drill into your edge defenders particularly to be very discipline and not overrunning plays?) – “We certainly have to account for that. He’s one of those guys – he is so special from a speed standpoint where you could be perfect and you think you have an angle and he’s going to outrun you. We’ll try to simulate some drills to try to create that on the football field, I don’t know how real it actually is. The kid is so special – he looks like Tyreek (Hill) playing quarterback. We’re going to do our best to try to contain him, but we know if he decides he wants to pull that thing down, it’s going to take multiple defenders to get to him.”
(You guys are towards the bottom of the league in sacks, so how does a defense that’s doing that, how do you get to No. 1 in pass defense and No. 1 in third down?) – “I think it’s a combination of one, how well we’re playing in the backend, and then the fear offenses have of where we’re potentially bringing pressure from. Whether that’s a true blitz or a sim, I think quarterbacks, we’re speeding up their clocks a little bit which when we do a four-man rush, they may still be thinking, ‘Oh, I got to get this ball out.’ I think it’s always the balance there. It’s the balance of showing pressure, rushing four, getting them to a second hitch, blitzing where now he’s getting the ball out because he knows. I think right now that’s probably hindering some of our sack numbers, just guys thinking they have to get the ball out because they don’t know what’s coming behind them.”
(Kind of that same application about the edges getting their feet wet, I know you called the defense back in 2020 in Houston, but how would you say the experience of the first six games here, how have you kind of grown and fallen into the role of being comfortable of how you call your defense?) – “They say you go to grow through some adversity in order to sharpen your skill set like a pencil. You’ve got to sharpen – you’ve got to go through some rough patches in order to get to the point. I am a much better coach than that year in 2020, but I’m a much better coach because of that year in 2020. Just going through adversity with COVID and injuries and things of that nature, and then trying to adapt and then really recognizing where my weaknesses were and trying to work on those. I think that’s benefited me through the six games thus far, and it’s one of those things where you’re in that fire in the moment, you sit there. I referenced the Book of Job to the guys this week where he had everything, was essentially stripped and had to remain faithful and you’re wondering why, like count it all joy. But inevitably, he gets all of those riches back because he remained faithful. And I’ve told that to the guys this week; we had expectations, we’ve taken a hit, but remain faithful and have trust and belief in who we are and we can get this thing turned around. That’s just what we’ll do, and I think it’s the exact same thing that pertains to me being in this seat again.”
(How does QB Tua Tagovailoa return helps this defense in tangible and intangibles?) – “Any time you get your starting quarterback that threw for 10,000 yards the year before, that’s going to provide a spark for everybody. Not just the defense, the offense and everybody in the building. He’s a heck of a player, a phenomenal person, and when you’re in situations like this you want hope and I think he provides that. We just got to go out there and continue our job. We’re not trying to put any pressure on him. We’re just know who he is and the talent he brings.”
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(Can you tell us how much QB Tua Tagovailoa’s return helps you do your job? Can you put that in terms for us?) – “I think his return – just the familiarity with two years, knowing how he plays, knowing how his preparation, everything that goes into his ability on game day. I just think when you have a guy that has been such a leader for us and such a big part of our offense, obviously it’s great to have one of our captains and our leaders back in the mix and we’re excited for Sunday.”
(How important is it to not sort of abandon the run game which has gotten the past two games with QB Tua Tagovailoa coming back?) – “I think it’s ultimately maintaining the balance of the offense and maintaining the attack. The last two weeks we made an emphasis in the run game to improve on our efficiency and our efficiency in different areas of the run game, allowing guys to really play with technique and fundamentals and attack certain elements of their game. Credit to the guys, we improved in those areas and I think that’ll be important for us as we go forward because our ability to have balance in the run game allows us to attack the defense in a manner to which they have to adjust. So it’s a credit to the guys the last two weeks because they’ve really been working hard at it.”
(How much has it been a confidence builder for the offensive line? I mean you guys went in with this belief that what we have is good enough and now they’re able to show, from a run game standpoint, that it seems to be working.) – “I learned early in my career when things aren’t going right, you look at what are we doing, who are we asking to do what and you don’t simplify, but you get back to the core principles. It’s not like you go back to spring or training camp, but you go back to the things that you think are important to you for resetting to go forward and I think that’s a real credit to the line and Butch (Barry) and the guys, ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) and the tight ends, Eric (Studesville) with the backs – all the core, responsible men because we really drilled it extra hard, put in extra work to get back and fundamentally where they want to be, and that’ll be the exciting thing going forward to build on it.”
(How much time do you think it’ll take for QB Tua Tagovailoa to get the engine of the offense revving at full speed again?) – “I don’t know if – I mean, it’s not necessarily all on him. It’s all of us together to take in the gameplan for the attack and making sure we’re all connected on where we expect guys to be and how we see the defense and the timing at which we’ll operate and then connecting ourselves together. So I don’t think it’s necessarily just him, it’s now all of us because each gameplan is different for the defense. I think that’ll be the whole part of the offense, just getting the communication that is necessary for us to work together to accomplish something.”
(I should have been more specific about like timing, accuracy, touch – rust factor. Is there a rust factor?) – “I don’t know if you would say there’s a rust factor. When he’s going through his process to return, he’s working out and doing everything he needs to do to be ready. So I think right now with him it’s just getting into the gameplan, getting him ready to go and seeing the defense. He’s Tua, so I know he’ll be ready to go when the game starts on Sunday and be ready to go here in a couple of hours.”
(In the eyes of the coaching staff, has RB Jaylen Wright made the case of playing more?) – “I think that all the backs this year are showing that we have a very deep room, and they all have the ability to help us at different parts of the gameplan. But yeah, he’s done a great job, just really, really working at all the little things he’s had to do. Because coming out of his college system, very much do certain things over and over again, to now being asked to do a wide variety of things, it’s a credit to him and Eric (Studesville) because they’ve worked really hard to get it done. I think ultimately, all the backs allow us versatility to play the game the way we want to play with versatility of them playing everywhere.”
(It had been so long since this offense had a touchdown from a tight end. How gratifying has it been to open up that package of plays for TE Jonnu Smith?) – “Yeah, it’s been great. It goes to, like again, when you’re going through tough times, guys working hard. He’s really working with ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) on the side and then also doing stuff on his own. To see him to have success and help this offense, it’s only going to be that much more important for us as we go forward.”
(Going back to the run game and how well RB Jaylen Wright has played, is there a benefit – one way or the other, maybe it’s not – of going deep into your running back room on a weekly basis versus just putting that duty on one every down back that can do everything?) – “I mean, I think we have the – I don’t know if you’d say luxury, but we have the ability with multiple guys that are able to give us different skill sets, so it allows us to play a lot of the room. As you go through a game, certain guys getting their ops, that’s the challenge when you got a room that’s got multiple guys that can play, and that’ll be what we make sure we focus on going forward as making sure we get the balance of the guys in the attack or having multiple of them on the field on the same time to be able to be versatile in what we want to do – similar to some of the stuff that we did last year with De’Von (Achane) and Raheem (Mostert) and Jeff (Wilson Jr.) and stuff like that.”
(S Budda Baker, very smart safety, 100-tackle guy quite often – what do you have to worry about with him? What does he do for their defense?) – “Yeah, he’s an outstanding player – high effort, physical. Plays the game really the way it should be played from that position, so it’ll be a challenge. A big thing for us is just knowing (and being) connected to where he is because as he has the versatility they have in their system where he can play kind of rovering around different spots, it’ll be just our identification, getting connected for when he’s in different spots, making sure the corps knows when he’s dropping into spots that they’re responsible or he’s out playing safety, receiver spots. So I think ultimately, it’s our communication and building the plan so we’re very aware of where he is at all times.”
(What are some of the things WR Odell Beckham Jr. can stand to do in order to take better advantage of his opportunities?) – “I think it’s just, like everything, as you play in multiple systems, timing is different. How, maybe, you run a route and attack space is different, so I think just getting connected with what we’re asking to do on those things and that comes with playing and opportunities and maximizing them. I think (he’s) extremely coachable, he loves getting better, working at things. I think that’s going to come just with the repetitions of playing, getting more opportunities as the season goes along.”
(I think the Cardinals have two of the most interchangeable safeties in the league with S Jalen Thompson and S Budda Baker. How does their ability to be in different locations at any give time challenge your offense?) – “With our communication and conceptually, what are we trying to do in our attack, because you could easily put yourself in a tough spot if it’s in the run game with identification. If you try and be too diverse and the options in which you identify and try and target their defense. And then the passing game, just making sure we’re distributing the field correctly and the timing. But yeah, they have a very challenging backend, and they play really hard. They’re the hallmark of the defense, how they play and the standard which they play, so it’ll be a good challenge for us Sunday.”
(How much have you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel, about this week specifically if at all, talked about getting the ball to WR Tyreek Hill in other ways when teams have cloud coverage, two-high safeties, any one of the number of things that prevented him from being utilized as much the past month?) – “I think it’s always on our mind, trying to make sure that we get our guys involved. Tyreek (Hill), he’s the ultimate competitor and ultimately with him, he says winning is the most important thing, not the statistics that come along with it. But ultimately, our ability to win is our ability to get him the ball to help us. Yeah, we’re obviously very disappointed we didn’t get him the ball more, but at the same time it’s not just one guy. We’ve got to make sure that we’re all executing because when you look at the game, our ability to – we rushed well, but then improve our rushing in the red zone and then making sure that we don’t give the other team opportunities with turnovers. So there’s areas that we want to make sure that we improve on and making sure that our key guys get the balls obviously – it’s always important to us.”
(With those turnovers, obviously they came from two guys that most of us in this room would view as the pillars of what you want from players. Is there a teachable moment in that?) – “Absolutely. It’s like when bad things happen, it’s our ability to not let it get compounded. Alec’s (Ingold) one down in the red zone, it’s when the ball carriers getting corralled, get to the ball. We had an opportunity where we could have gotten there first if we would have moved to the ball, especially when you feel like our ball carrier is getting slowed down – get to the ball. Good things happen when you run to the ball, so very teachable moment for that. With ‘Heem,’ (Raheem Mostert) it’s just like sometimes the guy you can’t see is the one who can get the ball. So after that, then you learn when it comes out fast and they pick it up fast, how do you make sure that you don’t let a return or a ball on the ground result in yards, or in the worst-case scenario, points. So you can talk about how you rally to the ball and at the same time, defensive ball carriers aren’t used to carrying it as much and now’s an opportunity to create another turnover, which is an instance of many offensive players, because you can get it out. But good things happen when you get to the ball, and that’s just the emphasis of, ‘Hey –’ because if you look at that one run we had, I think De’Von (Achane) got fronted up but we got to the ball, pushed the pile for another four yards. Like New England, there were a couple of runs where we got fronted up and we were able to push the ball for another four yards. So those instances of positive, that’s where it could have helped us in those situations, and I think those are the teachable things we want to make sure the guys understand.”
(In going back and watching this game, I think I saw some moments of WR Tyreek Hill blocking very well, very enthusiastically. Is that accurate? And how is he as a blocker overall?) – “Yes, it is accurate – him and our receiving corps. Taking on the challenge of when the offensive line and the backs have to block for you to get the ball, and in turn, when they get the ball, it’s your turn to block. So they take on the challenge well and they really are always – Tyreek (Hill) and (Jaylen) Waddle are always talking about, ‘We’re good blockers.’ So they take a lot of pride in that because being a good teammate means doing the things you got to do to help your teammates, and they always accept the challenge.”
(Have you guys gone over with QB Tua Tagovailoa ways to protect himself out on the field? Encouraging him to slide and things like that, is that on-going conversations that you guys have had?) – “I think he’s very aware of things as he’s reflected on stuff. So I think ultimately for us, each week we’re always making sure the guys know in the gameplan how we want to attack what we’re going to do, and for him, he’s always just such a conscientious guy. The time away gives you perspective, and I think he has a lot of perspective and he’s excited to approach. So knowing him and all of us together, we’re all very excited to have him back in knowing that he has worked his tail off to get to this point.”
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The team released depth chart has WR Malik Washington now replacing WR Braxton Berrios as your punt and kickoff returner, is that the way you expect it to go for the most part – I know there are always exceptions for WR Tyreek Hill and WR Jaylen Waddle – and what kind of skills does he bring to the job?) – “Well, I think as you guys saw, and you gals, he did a good job in the preseason, got a good history. We were happy with where he was coming out of training camp after the preseason and then was dealing with a little bit of an injury. So No. 1, happy to have him back to begin with. Sadly, with Braxton (Berrios) getting injured, we felt really off to a strong year in the return game and decision-making and some of the things that he was able to do. But with Malik (Washington) and some of the other guys that we’ve talked about over the years, we think we still have some quality players on the roster that’ll be dressed on Sunday that we can get through the game.”
(Just looking at the video, it looked like WR Braxton Berrios’ injury was non-contact? He was at the 20-yard line and made the cut.) – “Yeah, just making a cut. Put his foot in the ground to make the cut, and yeah, it’s a sad deal. But that’s the game we play sadly, and it’s part of it.”
(LS Blake Ferguson, is there anything you can tell us about him and the job that LS Matt Overton did in his replacement?) – “Yeah, Blake (Ferguson) is dealing with a personal issue and we’re going to support him. He’s still a member of our club and a guy we have great respect for, but we’re going to do everything we can while he’s dealing with what he’s dealing with, and in the meantime, like everything in the National Football League, the train doesn’t stop. So we’re fortunate we were able to get Matt (Overton) in, he did a good job on Sunday and look forward to working with him going forward.”
(What’s the challenge for a new long snapper? Cadence, weather…) – “All of it. It’s a different operation, the sequence, the protection, the terminology. It’s any player, but that player in specific, that’s what starts the play. So any time you’re changing center, quarterback, the cadence, the operation, the voice inflexions, all those things are a moving part. So those are things that we’re working through and so far, happy with where we’re at.”
(You mentioned LS Matt Overton did a fine job on Sunday. Right now he’s on the practice squad needing to be elevated each week. Could you see him as a long-term solution?) – “As you guys know, there’s so many moving parts when it comes to handling roster stuff. So there’s a lot of ways that we can handle it. Right now, because of how our roster is set up, that’s the best way for us to operate.”
(Your punt block or punt return team, correct me if I’m wrong, TE Julian Hill, DT Da’Shawn Hand and LB Quinton Bell all came close to punt blocks or perhaps and DT Calais Campbell tipped one earlier this year. How is that unit doing for that respect?) – “Yeah, they’re doing well. We got to finish those plays as you mentioned. We got the tip and we’re getting the ‘close to’s – it’s like anything, that’s a little bit where we are right now. You look at it in a couple other phases, i.e., field goal. We’ve hit the upright twice in a row; close, we’ve got to be able to get it done. We’ve got to be able to finish the play. They’re doing a great job putting themselves in position, now we just got to be able to clean up some of those minor details to be able to finish some of those plays.”
(TE Julian Hill had a false start – you don’t have to name anyone, was that Julian? I thought it was someone else.) – “There were multiple people.”
(I figured I might owe TE Julian Hill an apology, a social media apology. And then just a football question – so on the touchback before the half, the touchback to the 30, Indy only has to go 36 yards and anybody does. Two plays, 52-yard field goal, is that touchback too punitive? What does the league want you to do?) – “Again, those are all things – and don’t take this (the wrong way), we’re not worried about what the league thinks. We’re going to play the rules and we’re going to play the numbers, and we have our own thoughts and process. There’s a lot of things that go into that; time, timeouts, who you’re playing and who the quarterback is – there’s a myriad of things that go into that and it’s a week-to-week, game-to-game operation and decision that we’ll make based upon who we’re playing, how much time, how many timeouts, how the game is progressing, is it a shootout, so there’s a lot of things that go into that.”
(But just as a football question, the extra ten yards – you used to get it at the 20. Or am I reading that wrong?) – “I think – you can’t even think about that anymore. I mean the average drive start on a return is the 29, the average drive start on a touchback is the 30. So the 20-30, get that out of your mind. Right now, it’s a yard.”
(How was the snap and how was protection on the missed field goal near the end of the game?) – “There’s one thing that we can clean up from a protection standpoint, but the snap, the hold, the kick – no problem with it. Again, it’s just two weeks in a row we hit the left upright. Again, I don’t like it. It bothers me, I’m not happy. It’s a results, got to have points business, but at the same time, you see misses that are like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ You have misses where you’re hitting the stick, not that it’s easier to live with because it’s points that we leave on the field and we don’t put them on the board, but it’s not something that I stress over. There’s a lot of stuff I stress over.”
(RB DeeJay Dallas, he ran one back earlier in the season. What do you have to do to make sure that doesn’t happen?) – “Talented player. You got to tackle him, he is a hard-running, physical running back. You’re not going to bring him down with arm tackles. He does a good job – when he has a crease, he does a good job of putting his foot in the ground and finding it. Deceptive speed for a bigger player. They’ve got multiple guys in the return game that are good players, so when they have the ball in their hand, we have to do a good job of tackling. Whether it’s he (Dallas), whether it’s (Greg) Dortch, whether it’s Dortch in the kick game, the return game – he can make people miss, so it’s a good group.”
(They’ve got K Chad Ryland kicking, does that affect your strategy for Head Coach Mike McDaniel, for Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver or any of them? I mean, he’s obviously not K Matt Prater.) – “But again, if you look at the season that he’s having – and there’s a lot of those guys around the league that maybe have a speed bump with their first organization and then they come back with the next organization or the second organization and they’re very, very productive and good players. I see a couple guys and gals shaking their head – in your mind you’re thinking ‘Oh, there’s this guy.’ Everybody can think of two or three guys on their own, probably not even the same people. So he’s a good player, he’s a talented kicker getting a second chance which you love to see and doing a good job. So won’t change our thought process at all.”
(I’m curious if the league put out any memo about the pushing the head down thing that we see – the pushing the head down and jumping because I saw it was flagged on a player in a national game last week. Was there a reminder sent out or something?) – “In the weekly – here are some things that are going on. Here are some things – here are the rules and here’s what you can and cannot do. So something that the officials are just more aware of. Any time it happens, especially in a national game, it’s going to be going forward – “
(So prior to last week’s games, there was a reminder about the pushing the helmet down while touching, can’t use him for leverage? That’s the key word, right? Leverage?) – “Yes, something that was talked about – correct, you can’t touch your player or the opposing player as you work through the line of scrimmage.”
(One more thing on LS Blake Ferguson without getting into why he’s absent. Obviously, the list he’s on puts him out for four games. We didn’t have a chance to ask Head Coach Mike McDaniel this yesterday with all the QB Tua Tagovailoa news, but is the expectation that Blake will play for you this season again?) – “Again, no timetable, don’t know. We’re dealing with things and whatever course those things take, when it comes to fruition and he’s available, we’ll cover that bridge when we get to it.”
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(What was it like having QB Tua Tagovailoa back on the practice field?) – “It was good. He brought a lot of energy to the team, just brought his swag back to the team.”
(On a personal level, you’ve played with him a long time. As a friend, how happy were you for him? He seems like he’s in a really good mood here in the locker room.) – “Yeah, extremely happy. Everything he had to overcome to get back on the field, it’s a blessing to have him out there and see him out there throwing the ball, catching balls from him again. Yeah, it was nice.”
(WR Tyreek Hill was downright ecstatic talking to us about his return. Do you feel like the offense is going to get back in the grove here?) – “Yeah, we’re confident, man. We’re going out there working every day, working every rep, getting our timing down and making it happen.”
(WR Tyreek Hill and RB Raheem Mostert said their message to QB Tua Tagovailoa, their advice: “Slide.” Are you saying the same thing?) – “Slide as far as run fast or slide, like slide, slide?”
(He means sliding, like literally sliding) – “Oh, slide. You can slide in both ways, running away from somebody and actually sliding. So yeah man, for sure.”
(WR Tyreek Hill told us to ask everyone about this connection QB Tua Tagovailoa and him had, what was your perspective of it in practice today?) – “Oh yeah, they were on today. I think he almost completed every ball he through to ‘Reek,’ so any time they’re vibing like that, it normally leads to big plays.”
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(So how did QB Tua Tagovailoa look to you in his first practice back?) – “He looked great. Felt like old times, me and him connected on a few deep shots today and that kind of got me feeling good today. I missed that and I missed him. I told I’ve got to take him and his wife to dinner because I missed him so much. (Expletive) was so beautiful, that (expletive) almost made me cry today like just having him in the lineup, having him call the plays, having him direct the offense, like just hearing his voice. I know that sounds crazy, but he’s a big part of this team. You see why these quarterbacks get paid so much money, man, and just the respect I have for him, the respect this whole team has for him. We’re going to have his back no matter what, so glad to have him back.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel said he sat close to you on the plane and talked on Sunday. What were your emotions like after such an unusual game where you and WR Jaylen Waddle got so few touches?) – “I don’t know, bro, like (expletive) I’ve been chilling. I was asleep after the game. My mindset is going to be the same mindset every week, is to win – I don’t know care how many touches I got. If we would’ve won the game 17-16 and I had two targets or three catches, I would have been fine with that. I just want to win. I’m at a point in my life and a point in my career where the most important thing is to win ball games and I feel like that makes up who I am – the person, the player, all of that. I could care less – if the stats come, they come.”
(How hard has this month been for you?) – “This month has been great for me. My wife is about to have a baby. We’re about to have a beautiful baby girl so this month is great. Football is football; I feel like I’ve been playing football my whole entire life. You’re going to have ups, you’re going to have downs. I’m going on Year 9 now, so I understand how it goes. I’m not finna dwell on it, I’m not finna lose my head over football. I’m going to control what I can control which is running the right route, being in the right spot, being a good teammate for my teammates.”
(How much of a difference does it make having QB Tua Tagovailoa back?) – “It makes a lot of difference. Tua (Tagovailoa) – him and Mike (McDaniel), they’ve got this real special connection. He allows Tua to be Tua. Tua has a connection with all the guys, all of us spend a lot of time with Tua so the connection is there. Then when you bring that all on the field, it magnifies everything that we do – throws are on time, play calling, the operation is faster. He just does a great job of commanding this offense.”
(What’s it going to take the get the 2023 version of this offense back, do you think?) – “Just having Tua (Tagovailoa) back will get us back. Like having Tua back, he’s a big part of this team. He’s the franchise, and anybody that doesn’t see that or doesn’t believe it, go to another team. I could care less right now, but like I said, I missed the dude. This whole team misses him.”
(As teammates, as friends, have you guys ever told QB Tua Tagovailoa over the past two years, like “Bro, you’ve got to get down. You’ve got to slide”?) – “Damn right, tell his ass all the time. (Expletive), when we were playing against the Colts, you see the fans start clapping for Anthony Richardson when he slid. I said our fans need to clap for Tua, make him slide. We need you, bro, next play. (laughter) Come on, (expletive). That (expletive) is real, it’s real. We love him. From brother to brother, we love him. Like he’s a huge part of this team.”
(From what we saw, he looked pretty sharp from the beginning. Were you expecting that or?) – “That’s just Tua (Tagovailoa), bro. He’s sharp. Everything he does, he’s sharp especially in football. He’s going to be accurate; ball is going to be catchable real good, soft in your hands, on time, all of that. It’s going to sharp, so it’s expected.”
(So you weren’t surprised?) – “I’m not surprised. Like we’re in the NFL – it’s the top of the top. Guys are going to stay on top of their job regardless.”
(The timing was back to where it was?) – “It was beautiful. It was so beautiful. I bet if you go ask every guy in this locker room, just say ‘Hey, did Tua connect with Tyreek today?’ And if they say ‘Yeah’ the next question should be ‘What was his reaction right after that?’ I just had a big cheese on my face because it just felt so good. Like y’all don’t know what it does to me.”
(It was a long one?) – “Like one of them over the middle, you know what I’m saying? It was so beautiful. It was nice.”
(At one point you returned a lot of punts obviously in your career, done it very well. Have you brought up to Head Coach Mike McDaniel or Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman about possibly doing that now with WR Braxton Berrios out?) – “No, I’m washed up in that department, bro. For real, I’m done. (laughter) No, if the team needs me to go back there and return punts, obviously I’ll go back there. In critical situations I’m always trying to get the ball in my hands. I always want to be that playmaker. That’s just my mindset so for the past few weeks I’ve been practicing catching punts anyways, so if my number is called, I’m going to go back there.”
(What would you tell people who have you in fantasy who might be a little frustrated from the first six games?) – “We’re back, baby. Strike up the (expletive) band, we’re back, baby. Start me this week, baby, let’s go. (laughter)”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked about QB Tua Tagovailoa not being the savior though…) – “Say what he wants to say. Say what he wants to say, but Tua is that guy. He is that deal. He’s a big part of this team, I’m going to keep saying that. Every guy in this locker room knows that. Obviously when we go play a game, it’s next man up; that’s the mentality all day. That’s the mentality all day, but when Tua is a part of this offense, can’t nobody stop us, bro. We should score every day, that’s the way I look at it. That’s the way I look at it. we’ve got too much talent.”
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
RB Raheem Mostert
(WR Tyreek Hill said he was cheesin’ a lot. What does that look like when Tyreek is smiling like that?) – “That means ‘Cheetah’ (Tyreek Hill) is back. I don’t know, it’s something. They were running routes today, and he caught a ball that Tua (Tagovailoa) threw it to him, and it just looked like they didn’t skip a beat.”
(The offense is going to look different obviously with QB Tua Tagovailoa back, but do you still think this is a team that needs to be a power running team that can get downhill on teams?) – “Yeah, absolutely. We have to play complementary football, that’s something that’s been harped on since I’ve gotten here and that’s what we’re going to continue to do. Just having Tua back just gives us an extra boost of morale and confidence within the offense because he has a great understanding of it and he’s also connected with the receivers as well. So all of that stuff goes hand in hand.”
(There’s nobody in this locker room that wears their heart on their sleeve as much as you. You’ve got to have been killing yourself after what happened on Sunday.) – “Yeah. Yeah, it’s one of those things where mistakes happen – that’s part of the game. You have to own up to it, but then you have to come back. It’s a short turnaround and get ready for the next week. That’s the sole purpose of how you play football, especially this week against the Cardinals.”
(What does a practice like today feel like after you lost the games that you’ve lost, but to get QB Tua Tagovailoa back, what does it actually feel like to get back on the field?) – “It feels good, but in the grand scheme of things, with or without Tua, you still have to have that accountability piece. For me, that’s something I don’t take lightly. If I make a mistake, I want to continue to improve and get better as a player and get better as a teammate. When Tua comes back, that’s just all the more reason to get that extra oomph and feel good about yourself.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa mentioned that he needs to be smart going forward with the way he protects himself on the field, and we just talked with WR Tyreek Hill, and he said, “Slide Tua.” Have you felt the need to kind of talk to him about that?) – “Oh yeah, we’ve been talking to him ever since his injury. I’ve been telling him, ‘Hey, you need to work on sliding.’ And we all joke around and laugh, but on a serious note, he knows that he has to protect himself a little bit better and moving forward, only he can control those things. We can say those things to him until we’re blue in the face, but one thing that I would say that’s always my saying is, ‘Hey, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, right?’ We’re going to bring Tua to that water, but we can’t make him drink. (laughter) He has an understanding of that, and moving forward, he’s going to do his best.”
(He said he was amping up for every single game he was out as if he was going to be playing. How much more respect has he gained as a leader through this whole thing?) – “Oh, a lot more respect. You just see the type of guy that he is, he never shies away from humility. He’s always at his best when those things come about. He takes ownership in his craft and in his leadership, he takes pride in that. So to get him back and to get a guy that we trust who’s a key part of this offense is very critical in this organization.”
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So besides QB Tua Tagovailoa, will anyone else be designated to return this week? And if not, are any of the eligible guys – WR River Cracraft, OL Isaiah Wynn, LB Cameron Goode, LB Bradley Chubb, S Patrick McMorris – are any of them close to where we might see them in a game in early to mid-November? That is a lot, but I had to pack in five names. There are five names eligible –) – “Yeah, there are. It’s not out of the complete question, but I don’t foresee – this week wasn’t really where my timeline was. I’m looking at each day and I can’t at least forecast it this week, but beyond that, I don’t anticipate anything this week. And as far as November, I think if I’m worried about November right now, everyone would be pissed.”
(There were two things related to QB Tua Tagovailoa that I’m trying to straighten out, maybe you can help me. Obviously, he went on injured reserve, so he missed four games and there was a bye week, so there was five weeks to recover from the concussion. And yet the other day, he said that the very next day after the hit he was symptom-free, so how do those two things go together?) – “I think the most important thing is to understand the nature of which the decision is made and however people define symptoms – did he elaborate on that based upon – it’s pretty simple. We maximize the amount of experts that their expertise is in the brain and the head, and then we do everything we can to make sure that all of those things are available. Our training staff works with players 100 percent of the time to do right by them, and so as you’re acquiring the information and as you’re working through it, it’s pretty simple when the medical experts are advising you to do one thing. The whole issue was that it needed time to rest for that injury. And so then that makes it pretty cut and dry when I’m not going to enter into anything outside of – especially with people’s careers and with the organization, we’re trying to do right. Then you’re trying to establish a timeframe, you don’t know how things are going to look whenever so you make that decision based upon the medical experts. So I would attribute that to maybe what symptom-free, what does that – so does that mean… I don’t know, I’m not a medical expert in terms of what does that even mean, and relative to the science, why is it important to have rest; these are things that I think it would be incredibly irresponsible if I made a decision based upon, however many weeks removed, a casual statement of symptom-free. I can’t explain any more concrete, with no BS, very simple – experts tell me. We handle business with these human beings that are not just whatever, they are human beings that we have relationships with. You do right by people and the organization by not anything other than seeking the expert medical advice and moving forward with that.”
(I asked you on Monday and you said you needed more information – do you know now QB Tyler Huntley’s availability? You brought in QB C.J. Beathard, so who’s your backup this week?) – “That’ll be dependent upon – I just want to see how guys play this week. ‘Snoop’ (Tyler Huntley), I don’t think is going to be available this week, so based upon how I see Skylar (Thompson) operate and how I see Tim (Boyle), how I see C.J. (Beathard), we’ll make a decision based upon that. So in our current situation, there’s not any predetermined ‘I have the right answer.’ I’ll watch and adjust, but right now, we’re assessing, and we’ll do that on the practice field today.”
(Obviously, QB Tua Tagovailoa has had five weeks of rust not being able to practice or throw with his teammates. Do you go back into your expansive playbook and say, “OK, everything is the status quo, let’s do motions and shifts and things of that nature as we were doing five weeks ago?”) – “Yes – no, just kidding. (laughter) No, I think you’re looking more for the yes or no. I think you have to – it’s like anything else; every decision of every play, which to break it down where everyone’s aligned relative to the field position, who’s in, what direction, what type of play, all those things, every single thing that has to do with any portion of a play is an intentional decision. So as you can imagine, I don’t even try to – I’m not forecasting to be right all the time, that’s not the objective. You’re trying to look through, ‘OK, well how can I get Tua to be best part of the team in the way he needs to be,’ which is he needs to be the captain, he needs to be the leader of this team, and he needs to feel complete ownership of his game. So knowing all of that, staying in literally daily conversations for the last five weeks and staying into gameplans, being able to share with him why we’re doing one thing here and adjust this a little from the way we do it from when you’re quarterback and doing various things – a lot of schematic football conversations that you don’t always have time to have based upon him being an available resource and me being available to him and talking through those things. You’re trying to build on what the team is doing right now and then utilize his strengths because the objective is that everyone is playing their most comfortable for the first time since Week 1. So it changes your progression, that’s much of what the NFL season is, is you are, for us, half of the stuff that we’ve built towards or evolved in our offense is coming from, ‘All right, this idea comes from this issue that this defense presented,’ or, ‘Yeah, when we try to execute this ball handling or this type of play fake, it was really hard for you to see.’ OK, well I’d prefer you’re able to see, let’s change this, that or the other. So I wouldn’t say it’s a way different set of circumstances, and I think you don’t just go absolute with any individual; you try to meet everyone in the middle because it’s not about what he’s comfortable with, it’s about winning a football game and how any and every decision is based upon that. It would probably be – maybe my younger years but I’m a seasoned vet, so I don’t assume that he is – I mean, you don’t go and ride the Tour de France on the first time you’ve picked the bike back up, you know? So that’s kind of the way we’re approaching it and excited to see him start the process.”
(You found a lot of success the last couple of weeks power running – 40plus carries each of the last two weeks. I wouldn’t imagine we’d see that when you have QB1 back, but is the identity of the team maybe changed and wide-open stuff that we saw last year and you tried earlier in the year maybe get away from that a bit?) – “You try to have a football team that is able to do whatever it takes to win the game. Now we have some very good players involved in the pass game, some of the best players in the league. So you get them involved, but does that change your ratio of things? Not if – the one thing I’m not going to do is do something that isn’t motivated by winning the football game. The important thing is that what we have in the midst of something that nobody is fired up about, which is losing three out of four and being at 2-4. Nobody wants that, that sucks. However, seasons aren’t defined by whatever week we’re in but the seventh game. Trivia question – what is the percentage of teams that are 2-4 and end up having the same ratio of wins and losses at the end of the season? I’m going to quickly say I have no idea because no one does. It’s a billion-dollar business that people care about stuff, and I’ve learned one thing in life – when you have no control and you care, you’re either going to be really pumped or you’re going to be really pissed. The bottom line is we have found the ability to run the ball with the way we kind of forecasted our evolution into Year 3. That’s hugely important when you’re talking about down the stretch, matchups and when you have a game that it’s win or go home, which invariably everyone does. You don’t get to pick, ‘Well we like passing the ball.’ Is your advantage running it? Well you better be able to run the ball that game because their pass rushers are unbelievable and if you put yourself in known passing situations, you’re going to have four turnovers. To me, you need your team to be able to do whatever it takes to win and the silver lining is finding the pieces of growth in the midst of us not getting the desired results and losing. In that, two things can be true; you can lose and you can develop. At some point, that development has to turn into wins or it can’t be real development. That piece, there is several positivities within the team that what were unknowns could appear to be strengths, and I think that only helps us and we’ll do whatever to win a game. I think the good news is the thirst for winning is never stronger and players and coaches alike are never more all for doing what it takes to win than when you lose.”
(Can you talk about the boost to the moral of this team it’ll provide to just have QB Tua Tagovailoa out there on the practice field for the first time?) – “I think it will be a big deal considering he’s the captain and leader of this franchise. The franchise QB that without question when the players are voting for the captains, he has the most votes. That to me is the best way to establish an indicator of who they feel is their leader. He had tremendous growth each year, particularly this year, in terms of that and being a leader and what that means and growing into that. I think during this stretch where he hasn’t been on the field, he’s at even a more powerful place with the team just based upon his feet on the ground and not just saying but showing his love for the team and his teammates is stronger than his individual circumstance. He signed up to play, not coach on the sidelines in the white. I think that overall the team will be very excited to have their quarterback back.”
(What did you guys like about QB C.J. Beathard?) – “C.J. (Beathard) was a third-round draft pick in the first year I was in San Francisco as an assistant coach. I was the run game coordinator and then offensive coordinator there. I worked pretty hands on with him, so I know a lot about C.J. What I like about him is his competitive drive, his arm talent and his toughness. I think he’s a competitor through and through, and somebody we’re excited to have the opportunity. I reached out to him right after he had his injury settlement with Jacksonville. He let us know when he was fully healthy, and excited that we had the opportunity to add him.”
(What was the process of letting QB Tua Tagovailoa know that he would be returning to practice this week? Is this something that over the weekend you just said, “Hey, you’re coming back,” or how long has he known?) – “I can’t remember the exact day, but I had to wait to make sure there was nothing – you don’t undermine these information sessions and these meetings he has with medical experts. Once we got through maybe the end of last week, I talked to him about it. I can’t remember the exact time, but there was a lot of things that had to be done before I could just stamp that. One thing I don’t want to do is tell him something and then be like, ‘Oh yeah. Well I just talked to the medical experts and I’m going to have to pull back,’ so waited through that. I’m old school, so I kept it real and communicated it with my words to his face and we talked about it. I think he’s known the whole time there is nobody that wants him out there more than I do, but none of us were going to shortchange the incredible responsibility we have to everyone, him included, and just go rouge and start setting up timelines of what we’re going to do before that time came. I feel very good about how he attacked this whole process and how he came out of it to this day. You hope for a couple of days of good work so then you have no blips and you’re cleared to play. You control what you can control, and you have the injury, you get an absolute flooding of the best information possible and Tua is allowed to have conversations and decide what he wants to do with his career always. That’s every player. Just excited that he’s getting to do what he loves to do today on the grass.”
