Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham
(So most importantly, who do you have in The Game this weekend?) – “In ‘The Game?’ I’m glad you referred to it as that. My focus is on Cleveland but there is only one ‘The Game’ and since that would be the Harvard-Yale game, I believe, I will say I would go with Yale. (laughter) I heard about another game that’s called ‘The Game,’ but – I was born in ’79, grew up in the 80s and they are biting off of our name. (laughter) ‘The Game.’”
(Have you spoken to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick about this situation?) – “We will. I’m sure we will, but I’m focused on the Browns for the most part right now. (laughter)”
(On a more serious note, with the pass rush, I know players were optimistic all summer that the scheme might be able to create some sack opportunities, and it has to an extent. Has it to the extent that would hope in terms of the creativity with the scheme generating sacks and pressures?) – “I think (we are) always going through self-evaluation and looking at what we’re doing. We’re trying to improve that, so I think we could do a lot of things a lot better, aside from just the sack production, but just affecting the quarterback a little bit more. We’re trying to do that and we’ll look to keep making strides on that this week against Cleveland. They’ve got a good offensive line. We’ve got to do something to affect that quarterback, but to answer your question, there’s more that we need to do and I’ve got to do a better job of coaching it, and I’ve got to do a better job of getting us to execute the way we – in terms of getting more production out of it, if that makes sense.”
(With Cleveland having so many dynamic offensive players – the two running backs, the two receivers – what do you key on? What don’t you key on? How do you prepare for that challenge?) – “I think the first thing that sticks out when you watch the tape when you’re dealing with these guys, is you have to tackle them. They’re probably – (Browns QB Baker) Mayfield’s doing a good job of getting the ball to these guys whether it’s the run or pass game. (Browns Head) Coach (Freddie) Kitchens is doing a good job of spreading the ball around. The main thing I’m going to focus on is getting them on the ground. If they get the ball, we’ve got to get them on the ground. That’s probably the No.1 thing right there. In terms of how we’re going to defend all those skill players, it’s going to be a difficult task. They present a lot of interesting challenges whether it’s in the pass game or run game, and they’re doing a good job of mixing it up where you don’t know exactly how it’s going to come at you. What we’ve got to do is do a good job of tackling, defend the field and make sure we’re cognizant of the situation and make sure we take care of that because based on the situation, it can kind of play a role into what you’re doing defensively.”
(DT John Jenkins is one of the few older players that you guys have brought in this season. Why? What attracted you to him?) – “I think the fact that he’s a stout player on the inside. Again, going back to the traits that we’re looking for defensively and it transfers from d-line all the way to the defensive backs – he plays with his hands in front of his eyes, plays with good extension, good knee bend and he’s physical and he’s tough. Then when you get a chance to meet him, you realize that he’s mentally tough, a tough-minded guy. Thankfully he’s a good athlete, as well. He’s just – one of the best things about him is his character. In terms of getting to know him over the last few months, he has one of those personalities that you love being around.”
(Do players gravitate toward DT John Jenkins?) – “I think just naturally. Like when ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) kind of identifies what we’re looking for – selfless players, guys who put the team first – he’s one of those guys, and naturally guys want to be around guys like that because it’s just the personality; because he puts the team first and it’s reflected in how he carries himself, how he plays. I think anybody involved in a team sport wants to be around that.”
(How would you describe CB Jomal Wiltz’s growth from the time you got him in the offseason to now?) – “I wasn’t familiar when we got him and then you go through OTAs, then training camp – I think the world of Jomal. I think he’s one of the toughest players on the team. He plays tough. He’s productive. I will say that I’m very pleased with where he’s at, knowing that we’ve still got a ways to go in terms of where he wants to be and the standard that we have for him in terms of where we see him being, as (we’re) trying to optimize his football ability out there on the field; but I think he’s taken some real good strides in terms of improving here this year.”
(Even with S Reshad Jones back, would you like to continue seeing CB Eric Rowe primarily at safety because of his success there?) – “I think it’s all predicated based on what we’re going to do this week with the Browns just because – you guys brought it up – there’s so many challenges with their offense. There are so many challenges with their offense, and we’re still in the early phases of trying to figure out what exactly we’re going to do and how we’re going to deploy these guys; so I couldn’t answer that to be completely honest with you right now, but we’re going to put those guys in the best position that we think to help us. Right now, we’re dealing with an offense with Cleveland that’s pretty dynamic and we’re in such an early stage in terms of getting ready for them. I can’t answer, just being honest with you.”
(Do you see safety as something that’s a long-term position for CB Eric Rowe?) – “I see us using his flexibility as a player and whether it’s a safety position (or) corner, I think those – you guys asked early on about how interchangeable the guys can be – it’s an interchangeable part whether you see it as a linebacker, an outside linebacker, a safety, a corner. That’s really what the goal is, to have interchangeable parts and whether it becomes a safety role (or) a corner role, it’s just how we see fit in terms of working the matchup, if that makes sense. I’m not trying be confusing, but as interchangeable as they can be, the better off we’ll be.”
(In watching the last game on replay, in the area of run defense, what was most frustrating, disappointing that you saw?) – “I think anytime we get a number of yards, it’s just going to come back to what we’ve got to focus on this week – tackling. What we’re dealing with this week with (Nick) Chubb and with (Kareem) Hunt – we’ve got to tackle these guys. Any time you’re getting extra yards, it’s probably because of tackling. I think that’s probably the most important thing, but we’ll get to work on that, especially tomorrow. We talked about the film already, but we’ve got to get to work on that because regardless of what happened last week, last week doesn’t matter anymore; but I know that we have to improve our tackling. The tackling has to be better against Cleveland, or it’ll be a long day.”
(In that vein, how important is LB Raekwon McMillan to the run defense?) – “Raekwon – it’s not just Raekwon – I’ve got to do a better job of coaching the run defense. We’ve got to do a better job of executing. But Raekwon is an important part of the team. He’s a guy who puts in hard work and he’s a hard worker. He shows up out there on the field, so he’s an important part of our team, period, whether it’s his vocal leadership, him out on the field, but he’s an important part of the team.”
(Do you feel like guys were trying to do too much, especially in the first half against the Bills when it comes to stopping the run or were they assignment sound?) – “I think doing too much, I don’t know about that. I just think that we didn’t execute. Really, that’s what it came down to. I would hope at this level, we have the scheme to be able to help – we know what we’re trying to do to try to stop the run, but I just don’t think we executed well enough. I didn’t coach well enough. It was a combination of things; but again, I’m getting to work on that today to improve so we can beat Cleveland.”
(How do you feel this defense – when you look for it, I know when you talk about it, you hear the terms “interchangeable” and “selfless.” Where do you those two traits rank when you’re talking about the foundations of building this defense?) – “I think the selflessness because those are the guys you want to be around, in my opinion, because they put the team first. They increase the team belief (because) they’re selfless. We can build upon that. We can work the individual skills – and the interchangeability, that’s in terms of those guys being willing to accept it because it might be a different situation than what they’re used to. If guys are willing to embrace challenge of it – it’s a challenge – if they’re willing to embrace that, that’s part of being selfless. I think you have to start there first because you’re going to be in an uncomfortable situation at times.”
(On that same topic, how do you and General Manager Chris Grier and Head Coach Brian Flores know before you get a defensive player in the building that he’ll be willing to be flexible and be like an CB Eric Rowe, willing to play multiple positions – like a LB Vince Biegel. Do you guys that ask him that in the draft process?) – “That’s two interesting people that you bring up. We knew both of those guys. I knew Vince from Green Bay. ‘Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) knew Eric (Rowe) from New England. Those are like – maybe those are outliers, but in terms of if you know that guy, you know the person, Vince was a great young man when I was at Green Bay, willing to do whatever you ask him to do, so I knew that about him. So I knew that wouldn’t be a problem. You’d have to ask ‘Flo’ (about Rowe), but I’m sure ‘Flo,’ (Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach) Josh (Boyer) – they all knew ‘E. Rowe’ (Eric Rowe), so you have an idea. The thing is, with these young guys, if they want to be part of a team, a lot of the guys – you’ll run across a few guys that don’t want to deal with it – but a lot of these guys, if they’re involved in team sports for this long in their career, these guys are selfless. They want to do what’s best for the team, and if you explain that to them and then you point them in the right direction and then they have success with it, it usually works out for the benefit of the two of us.”
(There were two or three plays that S Bobby McCain failed to complete the tackle that stand out to me before he left the game due to injury. To be fair to Bobby, do you feel that his shoulder injury contributed to his inability to finish those plays?) – “There are so many plays from that last game…”
(Well, the two that led to touchdowns.) – “(There were) so many plays in that last game that there’s no way in the world I would put any one play on Bobby (McCain) by any stretch of the imagination, so I don’t know how to answer that just because I could have coached a lot better to prevent some of those touchdowns. I know that. That’s how I see it.”
(Are S Bobby McCain’s shoulders contributing to the issues that he has with tackling?) – “I don’t talk about that stuff.”
(How difficult would it be for your defense to adjust if S Bobby McCain cannot play because now we’ve got a second shoulder injury, and he’s kind of an important person to that secondary.) – “The injury thing, I don’t discuss it, so I don’t know what to tell you; but I know this – it’s the NFL. Everybody’s got to be ready to go.”
(CB Ken Crawley has gotten a lot of snaps on defense the last two games. What have you seen from him?) – “The ability to cover guys. He’s got a good skillset, good speed, has some experience within this league, and that’s something that you really cherish at that position and the ability just to be able to cover a guy in tight man-to-man coverage, which is a positive.”
(I think CB Nik Needham has sort of a way of positioning his body where he has a good chance to break it up. Can you kind of take me into what you guys coach and how it aligns with his strengths on pass breakups?) – “One of the things I learned – and I learned this probably in terms of just where my focus needed to be in the offseason and then just also when you’re going through the season in terms of trying to be better at the fundamentals – is football positioning. It was a high school coach that mentioned it, and I was like, ‘you know what? Here I am at the NFL level and I’m not focused on that enough.’ Good knee bend, having a good base, hands in front of your eyes, your head up looking at your keys. When guys are in position to make plays, it’s usually the guys who are in the best football position, ready to move – like playing on the outside or your inside. Everything inside your outside foot – stuff that is football position-specific, but it carries throughout the different groups whether it’s DB, linebacker, defensive line. Anytime you watch – we’re in November football right now – the people that play with good pad level, good leverage, good extension, play in a good football position while the weather is changing – obviously not here, but other places – those are the guys that are going to be successful. That’s probably the focus on it because (Needham) plays with a good base. He plays with good football position in my opinion.”
(How did CB Nik Needham grade out in the last game?) – “I mean… (laughter)”
(You’re not going to share your grades with us?) – “(laughter) I need another button. I had that one last week. I need another button. (laughter)”
(How well did CB Nik Needham play?) – “We didn’t play well enough. None of us did. None us coached well enough, we didn’t play well enough, so I don’t know how to answer – really, last week is over. We’re focused on Cleveland right now and trying to improve our tackling and playing better just overall for this week. I’m sorry.”
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(In terms of trying to get the running game going, I know FB Chandler Cox played four snaps, had a good block obviously by the goal line. How much thought have you guys given to playing him more, to using a fullback more? What’s sort of been the thought process?) – “I think having a fullback as part of your game plan is very important. Obviously the game goes a certain way, and there are some circumstances that lead you down a different path as far as what personnel group that you would select to use; but I think it’s a very important part of the offense. We’ll continue to look at that for opportunities to have more consistency in the run game with the use of the fullback. Chandler (Cox) – in the limited snaps that he’s been in on – has done a good job and has performed well on those snaps. It’s just a matter of maybe getting an increased opportunity for him to be out there. It’s something that we always look for in game-planning whether it’s that grouping or other groupings that might help us in the run game, which we definitely need to make improvements on.”
(How are FB Chandler Cox’s hands? Because he hasn’t been thrown a pass this season so far.) – “I think the primary role of that position obviously is as a blocker; but certainly, there should be opportunities in the pass if you’re using that position and trying to have balance with him. Chandler hasn’t had an opportunity to catch the ball in a game, but he certainly has showed the ability to catch the ball at practice, and when we’ve done things with him in the pass game, he’s done a decent job. It’s just a matter of having an opportunity to do it in the game and show he can do it.”
(We know that RB Kalen Ballage’s 1.9 yards per carry average is a team stat, which also reflects on the offensive line and the tight ends and the receivers. With that said, do you think Kalen can do some things better?) – “I do, and I do truly believe it’s a team stat. I believe we’re involved in that as a coaching staff also. We can do a better job of putting Kalen in a position to be more successful. As I’ve said all along, we have confidence in Kalen; but we also know that this is a team effort, and it takes all of the other guys to do their job for him to do his. We can all be better in this area, including the coaching staff – myself first and foremost – of putting him in a position to be successful in the run game. We’re going to work very hard at that, and I think that he’ll have opportunities. My hopes are that he’ll make the best out of those opportunities, and my hopes are that everybody will perform at a level that they need to around him so he can do his job really well.”
(The two times that you used a Wildcat formation against the Bills on Sunday were very successful. Two-part question: what led to the success of those two plays and might you be inclined to use them a little bit more often?) – “I think that it was – it’s nice to have those type of plays in your game plan that are a little bit different. We’ll always look to do something a little bit different. One of the reasons why we were able to do that is because Kalen (Ballage) is good at that. I think he’s done a good job in that position, and there are some decisions you need to make at that position whether to hand the ball or to take and stick your foot in the ground and get vertical like he did on the first play. I think that the first thing is he does that well. I think it’s also important – maybe not only the Wildcat, but to have other things in your offense that might be a little bit different, outside-the-box, to help you when you’re not having as much consistency in the run game as you would like.”
(We see the numbers with WR DeVante Parker. At the start of the season, has anything changed by how you’ve used him or how you planned on using him to how you’re using him now?) – “No, I think that DeVante kind of established early that he was going to be a player that was going to contribute a lot to us, for us, in the pass game, and I think he’s kind of continued to progress. I think (Wide Receivers Coach) Karl Dorrell has done a really good job with him. I’ve spent a lot of time with him individually on working at the finer details of playing the wide receiver position, which I think he’s really been detailed for us and very dependable. I know that the quarterback has a tremendous amount of confidence in him right now, and so do we as an offense. We’ve stressed the importance of other players contributing to the pass game as much as DeVante’s contributed. I know that’s been a real positive for us this year, and we’ll continue to use him; but I think it’s important for these other players to have opportunities as well.”
(In the past, some of the criticism about WR DeVante Parker have been about professionalism and even things as far as taking care of his body, not getting enough sleep, diet. How has all that been with him, and has that contributed to what we’re seeing…?) – “I think he’s been outstanding as far as his overall preparation – what he’s done in the classroom, how he’s developed, how he’s really improved in that area. I think it contributes greatly to his success. I know his preparation right now, I would describe as he’s doing a good job. He’s really been a great example to the other guys in that room of the importance of preparation and how that can really lead to success on the field. I know that DeVante has been somebody that throughout the offseason and up to this point, has really been consistent for us in all areas.”
(WR Jakeem Grant – is it a matter of him just being healthy and how is he evolving in this offense now that he is healthy?) – “I think that the health is really important for him. Obviously if he’s out there, he’s going to have a chance to contribute. I think this last game was a good example of some of the contributions he can make in different ways whether it’s running the football – I know that there were some opportunities that he had in the pass game that really didn’t show up because maybe we had some protection issues, but there definitely some times that he was open and sometimes he was able to be productive for us. I think it’s a matter of increased opportunities for him. His health is something that’s been important, so if you’re out there and you’re available to us as a team, then you’re going to have opportunities to make plays. He’s definitely taken advantage of that here in the last couple weeks.”
(There’s never been a greater disparity than there was Sunday in the number of snaps between TE Mike Gesicki and the tight end who played second-most. In your mind, has he morphed from a guy who’s a specialist as a receiving tight end to a guy whose blocking is competent enough to be a full-time – not every-down tight end – but most-down tight end?) – “Definitely there was an increase in snaps. Some of that was the way the game went for us as far as when it became more pass-oriented there at the end, but he’s definitely developed his game. I don’t see him just as a pass-receiving tight end. I think that he’s really made improvements in that area. We’ve used him on run downs, and it’s good to have the balance to just not only have him out there on pass downs. I think that there’s growing confidence in him on the run downs, and certainly he’ll have opportunities in that area, as he will in the pass game.”
(Philosophically as you build an offense, are you a guy that thinks, “get the quarterback first” or are you a guy who believes, “build the trenches first” or you do it any way you can? How do you view that?) – “I think it happens really almost simultaneously. It’s important – those two positions are so critical to the success of your offense. I think that obviously the offensive line position is very important. The quarterback position – they depend on each other so heavily. That’s the thing about that, is that you really rely so heavily on each other in those areas position-wise. I know that our offensive line situation this year, we’ve had a lot of moving parts and we’re trying to get some continuity, but the quarterback position – just like the running back position in Kalen Ballage – relies so heavily on the 10 other guys out there, including the offensive line.”
(But which would you think is more important if you’re building – or which way would you tend to go or is there a different…?) – “I don’t know if I would say one over the other. I think that all positions are important. Obviously the quarterback position is the most talked about position and is very important to your offense and your organization, but certainly I wouldn’t slight the offensive line and the importance of that position also because without good offensive line play, you’re not going to have good quarterback play for the most part; so I think they really depend on each other.”
(With T Julién Davenport decision, I know this is about getting an evaluation for everybody on the team, but you just mentioned it. Continuity has been such an issue with that unit. Had he out-performed T J’Marcus Webb or is Webb with the shin? What went into the thought process there?) – “I think it’s a combination of factors involved in the choice of Davenport this week. One of which is he was a player that had some real positive signs prior to his injury so we were really looking forward to seeing him again. Just like all positions, injuries definitely factor into that, just the health of a certain player at a certain position; so I think it’s a combination of factors involved in that. Davenport had an opportunity to play and then Webb came in, in place of him because of an injury late in the game. I think it’s something – we always try to get the best guys out there, and it’s an ongoing process for us on the evaluation. We definitely wanted to see Davenport again because we had seen him earlier and there were some real positive signs to what he did earlier, so I think it’s kind of a combination of factors that (are) involved in the choice of him playing this past week.”
(Why did you guys decide to get RB Patrick Laird involved a whole bunch, especially later in the last game?) – “I think that he’s definitely proven over time since he’s been here that he’s very reliable, especially in some of the pass situations. That’s an area that is a strength for him, so as the game became more pass for us late in the game, we have confidence in him in that area that he would go in there and not only produce as a pass-receiving running back, but could also do a good job in protection and handle the multiples of that – just like I think our other backs can. I have confidence in Kalen (Ballage) and (Myles) Gaskin that they could go in there and function both in the pass game and the run game, and I don’t have to alter what I’m calling as the play-caller because one guy’s in there, relative to the next guy.”
(Very quickly – RB Myles Gaskin’s performance? I think seven snaps – I know he had the dropped pass, but what did you think?) – “I thought again, this is the second week in which he’s had limited snaps, but the snaps that he’s had, he’s done (a) good (job) on. He’s been dependable as far as his assignment. I know he had the tough ball that would have been a tough catch on the 1(-yard line), but he really has been dependable for us in preparation. He kind of continues to be dependable for us on the limited snaps he has and if he continues to do that, he’ll have increased opportunities for us offensively.”
