QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(Pretty physical practice today?) – “It was good. It was good. You get one day a week to be in pads out there in practice, and I thought (there was) good energy, a good tempo to the day. (It was) real physical, so I thought we got a lot out of it today.”
(How did a 36-year-old – how do you get through, what you got hit 10 times or so on Sunday?) – “It was good. I still, in a sick way, enjoy that aspect of it a little bit. Getting hit makes me feel more like a football player, kind of as I said in preseason with some of the stuff. That stuff is no big deal. It’s part of the game, and there’s some stuff we’ve got to correct. There are a lot of things I can do better. We just learn from the film and move on, but my body feels good.”
(I wouldn’t imagine though it’s the most sustainable way to go through a season, getting hit like that.) – “I don’t know if you’re trying to make me jinx myself. (laughter) I’ve been pretty healthy throughout my career being able to play through all that stuff.”
(I’m wondering what your kids said to you after the game on Sunday.) – “They were happy to see dad, No. 1. You know what’s amazing – the conversation with my older boys is now mainly about fantasy (football), which just drives me insane. (laughter) And my younger ones – they don’t know what the score is. They just know that they think they saw ‘Dad’ out there. That stuff just always puts it in proper perspective a little bit; but for me, there’s always – especially with my 10 and my 12-year-old, there are always lessons that I want them to be able to watch dad out there playing and for them to figure out or take with them. I think about that a little bit, especially when you’re in a game like that where it’s a struggle and you’re losing and just trying to continue to do your best.”
(Do they have you on their fantasy teams?) – “Oh, yeah.”
(You’re the starting quarterback?) – “You better believe it. (laughter)”
(Do they have any of your receivers?) – “I don’t know. I’m not sure on that one, but they were a lot happier with me in the opener last year than this year. (laughter)”
(What are some of the things you talked about in terms of limiting the hits that you take whether it’s recognizing protection, calling out protection or getting rid of the ball faster or whatever. What are some of the things you might focus on?) – “I think we could do everything better. I don’t think it was one or two things. I think there were a lot of different things that came up. I’m going to try to control the ones I can control. The guys up front will the do the same. The running backs will do the same. There’s a lot of different things that came up, but I think the biggest thing is just working towards limiting some of that stuff moving forward, no matter who was at fault or who needs to get better at it. Just continue to work to do it better and realizing we’re all on the same team and in this together. For me, there’s a lot of communication stuff I could do better and then getting the ball out and all that, there’s a lot of stuff I could get better at.”
(You’re a pretty smart guy. How smart do you have to be against the Patriots defense?) – “They’re a great team, and obviously I’ve played them a bunch. (I have made) 10, 11, 12 starts, something like that against them. I’ve played them quite a bit in different cities, obviously, but they’re a great team and have been for a long time, so it’ll be a tough opponent for us.
(Do you feel more comfortable with Head Coach Brian Flores being a former defensive coordinator and you playing them so many times that the game plan for this week?) – “Every year is different, and being in a new system with new guys, that presents different challenges and obstacles. Every year is a different team on both sides, but for me especially, just being in a new system on a new team, it’s going to be treated differently for sure.”
(How much do you think the communication and I guess the game plan was affected by – you guys had a lot of changes, I guess, up front – last week?) – “I don’t know. I think for two guys to come in basically that week, and for a guy to move, they held up pretty good in terms of the communication and that snap count and the moving parts. I think a lot of that was good, and they worked really hard throughout the week. We all did to kind of hammer that out. I think we’ll continue to get better in that area just with guys being more comfortable with each other and knowing the system a little bit better and knowing how to play off each other a little bit better.”
(Considering how long you guys have been in the league, is it extra special for you, extra competitive when it’s you versus QB Tom Brady?) – “It’s obviously a team game, and it’s never just one quarterback versus the other. I know – not with me, but with the big names – people like to pit them together. I just like to go out there and play. That’s about it. I don’t really mind who’s on the other team.”
(We saw you guys did like a golf tournament with the other AFC East quarterbacks in the offseason. What’s your relationship with those guys since you’ve played?) – “I know (Buffalo Bills QB) Josh (Allen) and (New York Jets QB) Sam (Darnold) a little bit, just from being at events or the same agency or whatever it is together. They’re good dudes. I’ve seen them a couple different times. Obviously being – I played for both those franchises, so just talking to different guys whether it’s equipment guys or training staff or whatever it is, we’ve got some connections here or there.”
(One thing you hear about regarding the Patriots is that Head Coach Bill Belichick will often identity one guy on the opposing team and say, “we’re not going to let this guy beat us.” Is that something you agree with, or what do you see in their defensive philosophy that usually holds true throughout the year?) – “I think he’s got a pretty good track record with it. I think they’re very physical in what they do. I think the experience in the secondary really pops out. I just think they’re very detailed and very good at what they do. (They) know where their help is, all that stuff. It’s a very disciplined defense and a tough, aggressive defense as well. They always present issues for you, and they make you earn it, that’s for sure. They make you earn your yards down the field and your touchdowns.”
(I know it’s probably a coaching decision, but what do you think if you guys won the coin toss, got the ball first on offense, were able to put a drive together instead of playing from behind? What do you think that would do for the offense?) – “We harped on last week starting fast, and that’s something we didn’t do. We’ve definitely got to go out there and start fast, no matter when you have the opportunity. We’ve got to go out there and do a better job with that.”
(Is there anything you said to the guys this week after what happened Sunday?) – “Not really. We’ve just got to come to work, put that behind us and keep going. Keep going, keep practicing hard, getting better at what we do individually and collectively as a team, and then the results will follow.”
(You were probably pretty surprised at the way it kind of snowballed a little bit.) – “I don’t think anybody really saw it going that way; but yeah, like I said, put it behind you and move on.”
(Your kids’ ages?) – “Twelve, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 7 months.”
(You’ve got to remember that every year.) – “They’re either evens or odds (laughter). It helps me out a lot. Even if they haven’t all turned yet, I lie about it.”
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Head Coach Brian Flores
(What was the thinking in hiring two guys as coordinators who hadn’t done it before and what qualities have you liked in Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea and Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham that made you go in that direction?) – “Well, they’re two guys that I know very well, that I trust, that are bright, that are good football coaches and guys I felt like have all of the qualities and have what it takes to be good coordinators. I’m confident in both guys and I’m looking forward to watching them grow and improve and get better as we’re all trying to do.”
(Can you recall a specific lesson or memory that you have from New England that’s helped you since you took over here?) – “Specific? I mean there’s a lot of moments. One specific (one that) I tell my players a lot of times is I hope my expectations – my goals and my expectations – aren’t bigger for you than they are for yourselves. I was in a meeting once and Nate Ebner was the player. He asked me ‘Hey, Coach’ – and I was a position coach (at the time) – ‘Hey, Coach, when you’re calling plays one day, are you going to call this or that?’ I said ‘Nah, that’s not in the cards for me.’ This was in 2013 or 2014 or something. And he says to me, ‘I hope my goals for you aren’t bigger than your goals for yourself.’ That was one thing that, as a memory, was something that I’ve thought about and I took that. That night, I thought to myself, ‘You know what? He’s right.’ I kind of took a whole new outlook on things from there.”
(More generally, what do you think is a reason that the New England organization has been able to sustain prolonged success?) – “Continuity is the first thing that comes to mind. Then they have good players, good coaches. There’s a system in place, a culture in place, and it’s a group of guys that work hard, that understand the game and have good leadership, really across the board. All of those things amount to sustained success, I believe. They do a good job at all of those things.”
(What impressed you most about their performance on Sunday night?) – “They played well in all three phases – offense, defense and the kicking game. They coached the game well. They play with good fundamentals and technique. They played well all around. It wasn’t one particular area, which I think that’s impressive. They put pressure in all phases. Every snap counts. That’s the kind of approach they take. It’s a good approach to take.”
(This defense – the one you called plays for – it’s one that Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea has seen for many years as well. This is the defense for you guys to get the offense back on track this week, right?) – “Excuse me?”
(Is this the defense that you guys have insight on that can help the offense get back on track?) – “That’s a good defense with a lot of good players on it. It’s a veteran defense. They can make adjustments. They’re big, they’re fast, they’re physical. We’re going to have to play well, really across the board – from a communication standpoint, from a technique/fundamental standpoint, from a make-a-play standpoint – to have success against this defense. They’ve got a good scheme. They’re very multiple. Yes, we know them; but at the same time, we have to do a good job of executing.”
(What needs to happen to improve the running defense?) – “First, I would start with communication – identifying what they’re in, communicating and getting aligned, and then defeating blocks and tackling. I would say at the forefront of that is tackling. There were a lot of yards after contact last week. It’s something that we’ve harped on the last couple of days and we’ll work at that today. The hope is to get better at that. If we tackle better, that will go a long way for us as a total defense.”
(How do you work on tackling in practice?) – “Well, we have pads on today. We’ll work a couple of tackling drills. Some of them – we’re going to have some contact in practice today. I think we need that. I think we need that as a team. I think we need that defensively. I think we need that in the kicking game. We’ll just continue to work at it.”
(As a league, do you think that tackling has sort of waned because of the rules about what you can and can’t do in practice?) – “No. I think that’s something that as a defensive coach, that’s something I’ve harped on. I think it can be a little bit of a lost art at times. I think it’s something that we try to place a major emphasis on from a technique standpoint, from a keeping-your-head-up standpoint, from a running-your-feet standpoint, from a wrapping-up (standpoint). In every game, you see one of those nuances that isn’t performed correctly; but that’s every – that’s us. We’re part of that as well. But it’s something that we need to train our players on better. The rules are the rules. We’ve got to coach through that and find ways to continue to work on tackling and get better at it, regardless of the rules. They are what they are.”
(I think QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was hit 10 or 11 times on Sunday. What are you doing this week to limit that and are personnel changes part of that calculus?) – “I think it starts with communication. I think it starts with identification of the front, identification of the possible blitzers, and then winning our matchups. Just playing inside-out, better fundamentals and better technique – I think that’s what it is for us this week. This week, to me, is about the Miami Dolphins. It’s about us improving and getting better individually. If we do that, hopefully we improve as a team. That’s kind of where my focus is – this team, the individuals on this team, this coaching staff, and improving on what wasn’t a good performance last week.”
(Are you considering lineup changes for the offensive line?) – “Oh, yeah. We’re considering lineup changes. We’re considering – we have to be better. Everything has been considered, I would say, over the last couple of days. There’s a lot of self-scout, a lot of reflection. (There’s) some things that we need to do better. We talked about that. We’re going to try to improve those. It starts today in practice. That’s the great thing about this game or the great thing about this opportunity. We have an opportunity to go out and practice, improve and get better, and right some of the wrongs from last week.”
(I wanted to ask you about the anniversary of 9/11 as a native New Yorker. I’m guessing it might have impacted you in some way. What do you remember about that day, and how did it affect you?) – “The first thing I think about is my uncle. My uncle Darrell Patterson – he actually got me into football. He was a fireman. During that time, he was on sick leave. He was part of Ladder 118 in Brooklyn, which was the first truck to go in, so nobody came out from that group. He was on sick leave. He had cancer, so he was obviously still devastated by the loss of all the guys in his firehouse. I spent a lot of time at that firehouse. 9/11 brings back those memories. I was in college at the time. Obviously, it was a tragic attack. I remember football bringing a lot of people closer, so that’s what I love about the game. It unites. Even in times of – when there’s anger, pain, distress, displeasure, the games and teams unite people. That’s one thing I love about the game. Take us, for example. There were guys who were disappointed. There were players who were disappointed. There were coaches who were disappointed. There were calls that we wish we had back. There were plays we wish we had back. The good thing about the game is you’ve got 52 other guys and a bunch of coaches who, they’ve got your back. Despite your flaws, they take care of you, and they still love you. That’s the beauty of the game. That’s why it’s so near and dear to me, and that’s why I love going out here. If you guys let me out of here, I’ll get out there a little bit faster. (laughter)”
(How often do you think back to those small rooms you were in early in your career? Whether in scouting department or as a position coach.) – “I think back to them a lot. This role is very different. Back in those days, I was one of the guys. I’m not one of the guys anymore. I’m the guy everybody kind of walks away from. (laughter) A big thing for me in coaching and in this business – to me, it’s about relationships. Building trust with your players, with your coaches, with everybody within the building – equipment to IT, to my security team that everyone’s always messing with me about (laughter) – I think that’s what this is about. I try to build relationships. I think that’s important. I think that’s how you build a team. I think our team is starting to do that. I think when you go through tough times, those relationships, they either get stronger, or they don’t stronger. I think last week was a part of that. Hopefully, we come out of this stronger.”
(What were the chess matches like in practice when you were running the defense going against Patriots QB Tom Brady every day, and do you have something that you can take from that where you get inside his head and maybe have some thought on what he might be looking for in any particular play?) – “No. Not a lot of people get inside his head. (laughter) He’s a great player, and he’s somebody I have a lot of respect for. I have a lot of respect for a lot of guys on that team, but him especially. He’s a great leader. He’s a great person, but he’s a competitor, and so am I. We’ve competed against each other, and we’ve gone back and forth, but he’s a good friend also. He knows that we’re going to be ready to compete. I know that they’re going to be ready to compete. That’s the challenge this week. We have to play against a great player, a great team. They play well in all three phases. Between he and (Patriots Head Coach) Bill (Belichick) and the ownership there – they lead the charge, and it’s going to be a great challenge for us. That’s why we love the game – because we love challenges. We love to compete. To me, this is fun.”
