 How's everyone doing today? Good. I was waiting for this now we can start. Yeah coach. What are some of the issues on a quick turnaround a team you just play for special teams units? I don't necessarily say it's any issues is actually there's some familiarity when it comes to who we're playing it with Planned Carolina and playing coach coach Tabor and his special teams also to being able to coach against coach Tabor Which he does an incredible job with their special teams unit You can even date back to when he was with Cleveland to my years coaching against him while I was with Detroit And he was in Chicago those guys are physical they play fast They do a good job of flipping the field when the return game you can look at Raheem Blackshire He does one of the top returners in the league had a 66 yarder last week versus Cincinnati And they're creating a spark for their offense when it comes to creating control and field position So it's a great challenge for us this week when it goes when we talk about their coverage units their return units So I think the challenge is more so their personnel and what we're going against and the weapons that they have on special teams But it kind of helps us that we did play them a week and a half ago I truly believe we can improve in every single phase of the game Then back to the times before are guaranteed a kickoff and a kickoff return So continue to be in the present when it comes to whatever situations were and being able to execute better All 11 guys doing their job and being able to flip the field when it comes to certain situations Whether it's coverage game or you know, we talk about leaving meat on the bone in the return game So we have some opportunities last time we played Carolina We had two penalties on a kickoff return which hurt us in field position So that's our challenge this week and do a better job playing the game penalty free to help our offense with better field position April is Sunday, and how much of that was just quarter all getting back up to speed versus What you guys are planning? Kind of a combination of both, you know, it's first CPs first game back We would love to have them as a kickoff returner But every does a great job as well as a returner as well when it comes to decision-making and getting vertical with the football And as you can see week in and week out We're not really getting a lot of opportunities when it comes to that that phase of the game But we're gonna put the best 11 guys out there and it's all based on situations better Whether it's their volume on offense or situationally when it comes to the return game and type of kicks that we're getting based on conditions And the type of kicker we're going against How much is that it you feel like is maybe a change in the game globally versus Thing is a combination of both the risk and reward you could go cover a kick and sometimes you can win the fight Let's say you tackle my the 20 was a difference of five yards Well, if you keep covering covering kick sometimes you might give them the extra ten yards So now to get the ball to 35 and now they're only a couple of first downs away from being in field goal position So there's just give and take the risk and reward with that, you know for us on special teams And that's why I love working coach Smith. We look at his first play on defense There's opportunities for us to create a spark for our defense by going down there Forcing a big hit getting the tackle inside the 15 You know the returner might have some ball security issues There's another opportunity for us to try to get the ball out and create an extra possession for our offense Especially with the parody in the league with the games or one possession games Those could make a difference by us gaining an extra possession When it comes to Troy Anderson, I feel like from the outside looking you can see his explosiveness particularly in punks and punt situations What's makes him an asset on special teams for you? I think his size his athletic ability In his football IQ and his football awareness going back to Montana State He played multiple positions so he has a great feel for the game spatial awareness How to play in space understanding the offensive phase of the game and a defensive phase of the game And then you add that to with his like his explosiveness and then like I said before his athletic ability and he's a great teammate He's very selfless when it comes to doing his job You know sometimes there's plays that are designed not for him to go make the tackle But for him to take on two one or two blocks the free up an extra guy So you add all those variables together and that that shows his athletic ability and his talents on the field when it comes to him playing on special teams Question, but it's about the weather. I mean it's supposed to be pretty nasty on Thursday I'm sure it's something that you know, how you get guys that handle the ball consistently prepared for that I'm sure it's not something as it's probably more sophisticated than just dunking the ball in water You know, so what how do you kind of mentally get the get these guys prepared for a game? It may be pretty gross on Thursday. I think you go back to the the basic fundamentals I think sometimes when you play in adverse conditions or something that's you know, not the best conditions It goes back to pad level footwork your catch mechanics your eyes your first step Not fall stepping all those little things matter because when you get teams or players that play in different conditions Whether snow rain a soggy field the breakdowns happen in the basic fundamentals. That's where it happens So not being focused and being doubted and I play looking the ball in when you're catching it Whether you're a holder or a punter, you know making sure that you're Taking the shorter steps when you're a punter or a kicker rather than reaching out and then because sometimes in this type of weather That we're in right now you could get away with that You can not playing underneath your framework of your body and playing outside the framework of your body You could get away with that But when you plan those type of conditions, you really have to hone in and rely on your basic fundamentals There's different things we could do with wet footballs we could have we can manufacture I call it controlled adversity I learned that kind of from Tony Dungey reading a couple of his books creating that adversity for your players and Yes, it is hard But it prepares them for those opportunities before it presents itself when there's opportunities to practice out in the rain We don't go inside to the indoor unless it's like a thunder situation or lightning We'll stay out there in practice and that's a great opportunity for us to work wet ball drills Whether it's catching a ball kicking the ball returning the ball as a returner all those different things And even in the return game and coverage game us playing with proper footwork and not slipping and falling as a coverage unit So it's not only just handles we don't have the specialist But it's for everybody on special teams and it correlates for our offense and defense as a whole Do you act like the equipment guys like so come in tubs like what do you do to kind of there's create Multiple ways because so come in tubs. I've done it to where we put some dove soap on the football You know some dish soap on we've done it. We've done all types of stuff You know you spray the football while the snappers snapping the football There's many different ways to create that adversity But at the end of the day you got to hone in and be focused on your fundamentals when it comes to that I Can't I've done it before back with the chargers. I put some dish soap on the football. So yeah, yeah No, you can use bar, you know, you get go unscented you don't want to know the leg I sensitive scans will go unscented with that But that's pretty much how we handle that You can help me with the soap the footballs if you want to Sure More interesting story All good appreciate you guys take care What up, we're some of the issues go back and then get ready to kill them over some of the issues on third down I look at different distances and stuff to Didn't cover them But the way that was the one thread throughout on third down. Well if it's third down they catch the ball Does that mean we covered them? So it means we didn't cover them we want to I mean how hard is it? That's what we did I think you can see that on any TV on any third down in any game if somebody completes the pass That means they didn't cover them. Whatever the coverage might be. That's what I would got Do you want I mean kind of Why it seems like there's been a lot of explosive plays also You see explosive plays on third down last week You did Okay, what's an explosive play Mike Big plays are 20 yards explosive plays are 30 yards What did you say? What did this say? What did we say last week was one of the things was the biggest nemesis that we had going in was giving up explosive plays on Third down, okay? That was the fewest big plays we've given up all season But we're gonna dwell on our third down production in that game Second lowest quarterback rating we've given up to a hell of a quarterback by the way. Okay. It is the best Percentage they get 43 times right through for 245 yards Is that pretty good five point some yards a catch? Is that good or is that bad you guys tell me I'd say that's pretty good I'd say that's a positive. I'd say giving up the fewest big plays was a positive I say starting the game three and that was a positive Did we talk about not being able to start a game fast? We started game fast How do we do in the second half starting to get starting the second half to three and outs How about when we got the sudden change on the 50 yard line and we turn the ball? They took we get them turn the ball over and we intercept Why don't we talk all the wants in a while about the positives that even come out of a loss? Instead of we are always gonna look for the negative. Is that what we're supposed to do is That part of journalism really I mean I'm asking as a coach Is everything always got to be let's find something negative to talk about this week? It'll be third down There are positive things that come out of loss and there are negative things that come out of a win. You understand that there are But we're gonna dwell on third down Okay, we got to do better on third down and the simple answer is we need to Play better coverage or we need to get to them on the pressure. We hit this guy This guy is one of the best quarterbacks. We have placed all year and he had an 80 Rating 80 rating. There's never one word ever said about that Not one in any article, which I don't read but my wife happened to bring one up that somebody wrote So we gave up 20 points second best If we average 20 points to see during the season, what would that rank us you guys know? 12 I'll tell you because I already know 200 330 yards where would that rank this? 12 I'll just let you know those both pretty good What I want to say is I walk into that room and I watch it and yeah I'm disappointed in a loss and I'm disappointed sometimes in third down But the air thing I'm gonna do as a coach is I'm gonna teach and I'm gonna coach off the positives And we are trending in the right direction So last week I'm talking about giving up all these big plays and now we didn't give them up Did we and we didn't have explosive points? How much run after the catch did we have the only one that we gave up? There was actually to me fairly explosive. We actually missed the tackle I thought we had an interception over the ball We were playing zone a new zone that we put in and we read it perfect and the guy missed the tackle both of them They both went for the ball and they missed them so I Come out of there Feeling better about the defense after a loss than I did in some games after we win So that's all I'm telling you. So it's the fewest explosive plays in San Francisco Which was a win. We gave up 14 points All I'm just saying is there's a hell of a lot of posies on a defense that's trying to trend in the right direction And our guys are busting their ass to do it and I'm proud as hell of them And do we have to get better on third down? Yes Got to get better on a lot of things We had five three and outs pretty good I've been around defense a long time. I am not disappointed in this defense I'm very happy about this defense and where it's going So just to make the record clear. I am not gonna be negative. You can be all you want That's that's society That's what today is that's election day. I'm so sick. I'm so glad election day is over So I don't have to watch ads on somebody berating somebody else I'd just like to have one guy stand up one time and say what he stands for and just say this is what I'll do And this is how I'll do it. That would be a novel idea That actually I grew up watching when I was a kid watch it years ago People actually stood for something told you what they stood for told you how they were going to do it now If I got to find every criminal record about some guy, I got to find every personal vendetta against some guy. I Wouldn't want to run for office. I had to and I'd like to I actually would like to Because I'd like to I think all it takes a little common sense doesn't take a whole lot of smarts Just take some common sense, which there's very little of anymore. So got my Got my juices flowing so guys good Next question Carolina they play to last game Pride play to again The pride play to again He got activated doesn't mean he's up We don't know if he's up. He's on the rocks. He's on the rocks. Yep. If they're NFL quarterbacks, they're good That's the way I look at them Relatively Well, I think I think it really becomes with both staffs I think he more about doing what you want to do and what you feel you believe in as your team as it is about the opposing team as chances are you're not going to change the whole scheme in two weeks and The other part of it is so they're familiar with us. We're familiar with them Is that a good is that a bad? You know, I don't know. It's like you said Torrey's there pros and cons I Don't know I it's more about us and I bet you if you're in Carolina, they're more saying it's more about them than it is Us it's here's how we got to play. Here's what we need to do, you know, same way with us It's it's about us. It's about us and the fact is there's so many things that going on behind the scenes You guys have no idea In the structure of this defense There's things that we have finally done after two years made an adjustment on the sideline and went in and done it without ever practicing it once You guys don't have anything to do about that. You don't have any idea of that But that to me that is now growth in this defense that I can go over in the sidelines put something in that We haven't practiced for two weeks ran it actually a critical time in the game and stopped them on a third down and Put it in and that not practiced at all week something we had done quite a while back Talked to them on the sidelines the guys were good enough to be able to go do that couldn't do that a year ago Probably couldn't do that earlier in the season. That's growth. That's growth and that's what this that's what this Team's about that's what this defense is about and I love the way they're playing hard all the way to the end We had a chance to still win that game had a turnover. I feel bad for TQ. He sure didn't mean to drop the ball It happens it happens. He didn't lose the game. He said certainly if some people think he did That's that's a ridiculous statement. First of all, he almost won the game for us Had he not been hustling his butt off He wouldn't have been over there to pick up the fumble to begin with and if we're Sean hadn't been but busting his ass He wouldn't have been able to knock it out. How about those? That's the positive is that they were both in the place to make a play to actually give us a chance to win the game Instead of while he fumbled the ball at the end. It's a defensive alignment. Come on Why do you come back to We just said in the middle of that last answer you said growth Why were you able to make that kind of on-the-fly in game adjustments? It's it's a growth Is it experience is it leader stepping up like why why did you feel comfortable and why was it guys understanding the defense guys? Finally understanding there's a lot to it We do a lot of things and so it always it's not one of these defense You walk in we play two coverages and two fronts and everybody it's easy and line up We do a lot of stuff a lot of stuff So there's a lot of things we do one week We may not see them again or do them again for three or four weeks and in this particular call I just knew something that they were kind of looking to do and the way they were kind of motioning and So all of a sudden I went to sidelines talk to linebackers talk to the secondary said they do this motion We're doing this to this boom and came back and they stopped them And so it was a matter of they now kind of understand how to do a lot of things And so you can make a few more adjustments. Well, that'd be the same case this week I don't know every week's different But in the past I would have said I kind of have to live with this because I couldn't get guys to figure I might have given up a real big play trying to adjust it and then they screw up the adjustment now They didn't so that to me that was such a positive Coming off the field and they felt good about themselves like hey We just took something from the sideline put it in went out there and executed it That's that's says a lot about our team about a lot a lot about our guys. I love these guys I'm telling you I do this this team is so much fun to coach love it coach and these guys Just they're filling in they're doing the best they can I really did I really have thought about I really I wouldn't mind doing it except that you know what I wouldn't put my family through Seriously, I mean seriously I that's the problem But they've been it is it is really the problem It's just like why would you want to put your family through all the negative is out there and just Pull up every little thing and it doesn't even matter if it's true By the time you figure out and prove that it's not You're already done. I mean, it's just I just I don't understand the world right now And that's why in some ways I'd like to fix it You know, but it but the problem was is to be honest and do all that stuff. You ain't gonna get elected so I haven't given much thought I'm just saying I would I would Polit it's not politics to me. It's just actually wanting to do something for society. That's right and good And it really doesn't matter if it's Republican or Democrat. I might run as a wig You some of you guys don't even know what that is. So you're too damn young. So you guys good. All right, thanks How much we talk a little bit with coach on you know short week paying for the same, you know team You know what work last game you think, you know, how much do you adjust or depth? You know for Marcus had as high as passing game that game Random off pretty good. Yeah, I think anytime you play in a division opponent, let alone one within a couple weeks The familiarity is there the reality though is for both of us each week you can you come to a different spot in terms of Who's up injuries things of that nature? What's working? What's not what you have to adjust? I mean, we're under No ill-conceived notions. They're not gonna have adjustments just like that We're gonna have adjustments and then we're gonna have to make those adjustments as the game goes on as well Again, they present a lot of issues What they do defensively with their pressures and they're in their personnel We obviously are very aware of who they have and how they can use them And so it's gonna be our job offensively to make sure that we stay one step ahead and continue to like I said Make adjustments as the game goes on Yeah, right, I mean you look around just each level the defense Has really really good football players Guys that perform at a high level and they make the guys around them better That's that's the one thing when you look at really good defenses and you get good defensive players And you look at how they're able to make the guy next to them better and this defense is chalk full of them They've got great Experience young old guys who played guys who are breaking themselves in and they play fast And we know it's gonna be a physical football game I Mean we have our work cut out for us. He's a very good football player But again, it's one of you look at each part of that defense and he's he's one of eleven depending on what personnel is in That can give us issues and obviously it's our job to go out there and make sure we can go out there and execute When a defense does that the way that Carolina did ten days ago For ballcares past catchers Yeah, I mean there they do a great job of swarming the football and they're always around it Regardless of your through the air around the ground and for us It's it's our mentality to the finish so us on the offense having guys around the football So again, it's a it's gonna be one of those Similar battles that we've had throughout the last two years with this, you know, same defensive personnel Don't expect anything different Thursday night The way you guys use Yeah, no, I think when it comes from the personnel standpoint regardless of its CP or not CP It's about making sure that we're using guys keeping guys fresh giving guys the opportunity to be successful It's not hey, he's got to have this or this regardless of who it is And again when a guy comes off a certain amount of time, right? He's working his way back in we're working our way back in and again No different than it was an offensive lineman coming in, you know making sure that he gets adjusted And so for us, you know, the usage and everything else is usually determined how the game goes What is it that Colby maybe brings or and what was it that Matt brought last week to start him over? Yeah, well with Matt first and foremost regardless of how it who ended up being a starter I think each guy came in with a with the preparation to be ready and that you showed right unfortunately something happened to Matt And then gossip was able to go in there step in and and perform. So regardless of how that all worked out But I do appreciate on this offense and this team is the professionalism of each guy and it showed you again You never know where your number is going to be called and he was able to step up in that regard Matt was a who came in gave us, you know experience played in interior played the center spot smart Good energy, right? And we expect the same thing for for gasset And or anybody else who has to play for us at the offensive line position so again, it's more about the style of play that which we go about and appreciate how they attack and prepare for their jobs The wrong game, maybe it's been successful. It seems like No matter who's in there running matter who's in there if you have to change up on the offensive line Why is this work kind of no matter what? Well, I think from a from a standpoint of the run game It's it goes back to the mentality and the style on which you want to play You know, obviously we have the ability Through certain formations, personalities and different things to try to create advantages But really it's those guys coming out Playing extremely fast and that's just not the offensive line Sometimes that gets like we've talked about in the past even last year, right? Things get pointed to the offensive line on certain things, but the reality is the receivers have done a phenomenal job The running backs of tracks have gotten really really good The quarterbacks making sure that he's getting into the right play if he's not the ball carrier And you get the tight ends who are you know regardless of what their stat line might look like in the past catching like they're going out And they're playing fast and so when you run the ball well, it's not just the offensive line It's everybody and the offensive line obviously sets the tone But the rest of those guys come out with an intent and a style of play in which we appreciate and we obviously preach and We hope for that to continue Was that when you got signed to the thought that he might Be more of a runner than he was a tennis player. That's a good question. I just think for us. It's always evolving So when you look at what we're trying to put together offensively each week might present a different thing for us because the challenges defense has but in terms of Expectations or any of that no, I don't think it was looked at that way I think it was more about okay, how do we continue to evolve this offense to make us hard to defend? Some weeks some drives were better than others and we learn from the ones that we don't But again, that's more about an evolution of where the offense is going Well, we need to continue to put good drives together we need to score in the red zone touchdowns If you look, you know, especially last week two for four, it's not good enough And we need to be able to do and consistently do is stay on the field And you can see when we obviously the drives that work for us We're on the field we convert third downs and we score in the red area It's the same story regardless of who what coordinator sitting up here offensively national football league. He'll tell you it's situational football It's the ability to score And score touchdowns and so that that's really what it is for us There's drives in which we do that and we have a success rate. That's high and there's times where if it's coaching by design or the fundamentals or Whatever that variable is that doesn't allow us to succeed There's something there that we obviously need to make consistent and that's really the goal moving forward here for the for the rest of The regular season is be consistent in the fundamentals and not in finished drives In light of a kind of crummy forecast with the diverse running attack You guys have do you feel like your offense can be more weatherproof than maybe a team that likes to throw out 35 times a game Yeah, I never thought of it that way Not sure the forecast but out your doctor doom right now on this for now. I'm just I Great, let's bring Dean back in here No for us Came from a place previous to here that the weather wasn't great Never really especially when it came to the quarterback didn't talk much about it I think every quarterback when they get to this level more than likely especially their experience. They played in all conditions So for us the conditions, you know, unless it's just something horrific as you're pointing out I think we'll you know, we'll adjust accordingly, but there's nothing in terms of that But to see where Tyler out here is 10 weeks into his rookie year Is there ever kind of an entry into how he got to that point so quickly and Outside of the obvious CP and they mean going I are what has allowed Tyler to I think anytime it's a good question anytime for young players. It's just about the act of doing right their experience and so No different than Kayla Puntley other guys on the offense that have a chance to go out there and practice And then once they practice be able to do that in the game and then learn from their either successes or the things That didn't work well for him There's no better teacher So every time he gets a chance or any of our young players get a chance to go out there and repeat or do something for the first time they're gonna learn from it and Again, I always think in the NFL the guys who can learn the fastest and take advantage of their opportunities the quickest Usually last in this league. You don't typically get a lot of opportunities to show what you can do And the reality is the guys who are able to do that sooner Usually have careers the guys that just can't get it. Well, they're like me. They're standing in front of you coaching instead of playing So don't take that shot at me anymore. I saw the eyes on that too When you look at what Dwayne Ledford has been able to do with this group What do you see kind of from your vantage point of how he works the group to where there is consistency even the Fluctuating nature Yeah, let's done a phenomenal job as well as Mario and flats is that work with him and to me It's about the culture set in each room each position coach That's what I love about here each position coach has that ability to set their tone in their room And let is no different and you can see it if you just watch some of his individual He's got his own passion about the position in which you know, it's contagious and you can feel the guys Really buy into what he's selling And he's done a phenomenal job of getting anybody ready to play and he's got a real belief in each of his players Which as a position coach when a player knows you believe in them as that position coach They usually go the extra mile for you. I know it sounds like a simple thing But it's typically hard to achieve just because of players bounce around a lot in this league But the genuine is definitely sticks out Yeah Yeah, the big passing game against Carolina then a little bit lower this week How do you try to get that? Consistent production out of the passing game Yeah for us It's one of those things where you go in you try to take advantage of certain situations Again it go and I always thought this regardless if I was on a team that threw it 45 times or didn't And the passing right the old adages There's a few things they can go wrong when you drop back is only really one that goes right, right? Especially when I work for a defensive head coach multiple times I've heard that but my point in all that is it does take just like the run game It does take all 11 the past game. And so we're trying to strive for that consistency The timing the spacing the trust of all that so we'll continue to press that as the weeks go on and And hope for consistent results as we move forward