HEAD COACH JESSE MINTER
Opening Statement: "Thank you all for being here. [I] just had a chance to obviously study all the film from the game. [The] thing I was probably most proud of was just the play style that we talk about showing up in all three phases. [We showed] physicality on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Our offensive line [was] running off the ball [and] being downfield. [We had] blocking downfield by our wide receivers and tight ends and everybody on offense. [We were] swarming to the ball on defense. [We were] handling adversity on both sides, being able to have each other's back. We didn't start the game off great defensively, [and] then our special teams had a big play. Our offense goes down and scores. All [of] that really just ties together to having each other's back and playing together, playing as one. [I was] really happy with that. [There are] many things to clean up [and] so many things to get better at. It is always nice when you get the results you want. Now, you can really chase improvement. Especially from Week 1 to Week 2, oftentimes that is the biggest improvement teams make. We will be excited to attack this week, get into that normal game week and go from there."
Any updates with WR Zay Flowers and WR Ja'Kobi Lane? (Jamison Hensley) "Zay [Flowers] is probably a little bit more in the day-to-day range. [I] feel pretty good about where that is at. We will see how the week goes though there. Ja'Kobi [Lane] might be a little bit longer. We are getting some more things looked at right now and talking to different people. That is where those two guys are at."
Can you identify the play where WR Ja'Kobi Lane injured his wrist? (Jerry Coleman) "It wasn't one of those plays where you feel it right away. It was an after-the-fact thing — [he] felt it and then obviously [we] start looking at it. [It is] unfortunate for him. I have a lot of confidence in the guys that we have. [We have] got a couple guys that weren't active yesterday that we have a lot of confidence in to bounce back and give us what we need there. [I'm] excited for those guys to get the opportunity now."
With WR Zay Flowers, even though it is not a serious injury, is there a concern that that is something he might have to manage for a good portion of the season? (Childs Walker) "There are a lot of thoughts that go into that. Anytime you are dealing with things that — it is not enough to really be a major detriment for multiple things, but you want to make sure it is not something you are dealing with for 17, 18 weeks. That is all things that, as the day-to-day thing, we will look at and make sure we are putting Zay [Flowers] in the best position."
Was CB T.J. Tampa Jr.'s injury significant? (Jeff Zrebiec) "That is another one that we are still looking at. It could be a little bit more than a week. It could be more than that. I am not sure. We will get that figured out as we get the information. With the change of schedule this year, we have the guys in on Mondays now. A lot of those things are getting those final tests and different things looked at. [We are] talking to different people this afternoon. [We will] probably know more about it as we go throughout the week."
As you looked at the tape, specifically looking at the offensive line, we know some of the obvious mistakes that you want to clean up. What were some of the things you liked? What were some of the things that you think will be priorities this week to get after? (Childs Walker) "I thought in the run game we were really good. We were rolling off the ball. I thought a lot of our movement passes and play actions we handled really well. It is the pre-snap penalties — there are a couple of those. Ronnie [Stanley] kind of got caught one time where he didn't really realize another guy was blocking a guy, and we ended up in a chop block situation. A couple of those penalties might happen [in the] first game as you are dealing with it. I just really liked, for that unit to have so many new pieces, especially the interior, to run the ball for 200 yards [and] to pass the ball the way we did. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. There are a lot of things to chase. I just like the mentality of the group. You watch the first play of the game. On a play that we may potentially even fumble that ball down there inside the 5-yard line, four of our offensive linemen are the first people there to recover the ball. That is just the way those guys play. That is the way 'Led' [run game coordinator/offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford] trains them to play. [I'm] really pleased with that group overall and definitely looking for a lot of improvement, as we are at every position."
You brought up guys being downfield; we saw a lot of really good blocking on some of those downfield explosive plays. Can you talk about the buy-in of guys to be able to kind of see that, especially in the first game of the season? (Cordell Woodland) "Those are things you train, and you do drills, and you harp on, and show clips every day of the good and bad of that to make sure it is a major point of emphasis. You just hope that [in] the first game, it really shows up. For it to show up in a bunch of critical plays and for us to gain explosives out of guys really working — Rashod Bateman on Derrick Henry's touchdown run comes in and cracks a safety [and] Chris Moore is all the way downfield blocking, 30 or 40 yards downfield. When you see that, now it becomes more of a habit when you kind of get results because of that. The buy-in will just keep going up and up. Our offensive coaches have done a great job creating a standard of how we play over there. I think we have as a team as well. [I'm] excited when those things happen. [I] hope to build on that every week."
With the injuries to WR Zay Flowers and WR Ja'Kobi Lane, do you anticipate adding another wide receiver this week? (Jamison Hensley) "I think there is potential for that. But [with] 'Tez' [Devontez] Walker and [Elijah] Sarratt — [I] have a lot of confidence in those guys. Those guys have had a ton of reps within our offense. 'Tez' was dealing with something minor this past week that we sort of pushed him [back]. Those two guys have a real opportunity to kind of get themselves into the boat [and] get themselves in rhythm. Then, we will look at all options obviously to figure out what is best for the 70 guys that we have available as we talk about the 53 and the practice squad."
What did you make of the run defense? I think you were in nickel or dime all but two plays. Generally speaking, is there a hidden cost there that you acknowledge, that there might be a little more ground given up, understanding you want to keep the ball from going over your head? (Luke Jones) "I was probably most concerned — I mean, it sounds crazy — Jonathan Taylor is a great back, but truthfully, the thing when you play that offense that you have to limit the most is explosive plays. If you watch their first [stretch] when they were rolling last year when they were 8-and-1, 8-and-2. I think they had the highest explosive play rate in the league. Then especially as the game went, as the score was what it was, there is definitely a cost analysis of [a] three-score lead — loading the box to stop the run versus not letting them have one play that gets them back into the game. The one drive that they scored on in the early part of the fourth quarter, they hit a few runs on us and we stayed in kind of our split-safety shell. We can play a few of those runs better. I think overall, I thought we won early downs, especially in the first half as we rebounded after that first drive. That was a key for us. Overall, there are some good things. There are still a lot of things to get better at. There is an effectiveness of mixing up the looks. For us to be able to play with five and six DBs really that whole game and to limit that offense — [I am] definitely pleased with that."
I am sure OLB Trey Hendrickson was a bit frustrated to not get home. When you go back and watch the tape, what did you make of how he did? (Sam Cohn) "I thought [Trey Hendrickson] dominated the game. I think Daniel Jones was pressured on drop-backs more than any quarterback in the league yesterday. I think we pressured him on 50-plus percent of his drop-back passes. Trey had, I think, eight or nine pressures. [He was] really effective. I think sometimes that first game when you haven't hit the quarterbacks in practice or in a game — I know there are some top-of-the-rush things that he will really focus on to be able to finish at the top of the rush. But, I thought our rushing overall was really effective. It is not always going to be sacks. It is going to be pressures and low passer rating, low completion percentage. I thought overall we were able to do that. We weren't able to give him time to really throw the ball down the field. I think [they had] maybe one or two passes over 20 yards. I thought our front did a nice job rushing the passer. We can clean up some of our games and working together and covering for each other and doing things like that. But to Trey specifically, I thought he was a really big piece of the game yesterday."
You talked yesterday about how the turnovers — ILB Roquan Smith's interception was kind of the turning point. How do you keep getting those takeaways and build off what you were able to do in that opener? (Garrett Downing) "Yes, again, you have to practice that way. It is a way of life to attack the football and to make it an emphasis, and these guys have done a great job with that. Roquan [Smith]'s [interception] was really a great play. I mean, the guy — the route coming behind was probably open. We had a safety kind of driving it from top down, but 'Ro' [Roquan Smith] was in a good position on the underneath route. He sees the ball thrown, [and] he jumps up and makes a great play. Then, Marlon Humphrey — I spoke about that. I mean, he is — I saw when I was here the first time, the one year he had like 10 forced fumbles. [It was] just an unbelievable play by him and just a relentless pursuit of the football. That play by Marlon is the epitome of 'let's attack the football,' especially when we have a guy wrapped up and the tackle is pretty secure. Let's hunt the football, and that was all the way to the ground, ripping the fingers of the ball carrier, which is a point of emphasis in those types of situations. So, we want to continue to chase those plays. I thought there were a few of our zones where we had a couple other [opportunities] that we didn't maybe end up in exactly the right spot in some of our zones. So, we will look to try to be a team that can... I told the guys [that] 17 interceptions would be Top 2 or 3 in the league, and that is just one a game. Let's get one interception a game, and obviously hopefully there are some games where it snowballs to more. But if we do that, we will be the type of takeaway defense we want to be."
What stood out to you about OLB Tavius Robinson yesterday? (Brian Wacker) "Violent, physical — [it was a] really well-rounded game for [Tavius Robinson]. He rushed the passer really well. He had a sack. He had four quarterback hits. And part of that is — look, when you get to play on the opposite side of Trey [Hendrickson], that is what happens sometimes. Some of the guys they had last year — you sort of feel sometimes it is the guy away from the guy they are putting attention to, and it is that player's opportunity to take advantage of it, and he did a great job. In the run game, [he was] very physical. [He did a] great job in the pass game. He is versatile — we moved him around, he rushed a little bit inside and outside for us. And so, [I am] really, really happy with how he played, and he is another one [where] his play style is tone-setting for the team and the defense. Very happy for 'T-Rob' [Tavius Robinson]."
You mentioned the offensive line, specifically the run game with two guys making their first starts in OL Jovaughn Gwyn and G Vega Ioane. Specifically, with them, what did you see? (Ryan Mink) "Yes, you see a few 'first-start things' which, a little bit of that — you are not OK with it, but you are realistic too. When you have got a guy making his first career start at both spots, that there are going to be a few — I almost don't want to say like [a] cost-of-business way of doing things — but they are going to be aggressive, they are going to be flying off the ball. [We have] to get our hands tighter on a few things. But, [for] Jovaughn [Gwyn] — to be [making his] first start on the road in an environment like that, that is a really good environment that the [Indianapolis] Colts have with their crowd — to really handle all that pretty well, kudos to him. And then Vega [Ioane] — I thought, man, this guy, again, he can be an enforcer for us on the offensive line and especially in the run game and in pass 'pro' [protection]. So, [it was a] really good start [and a] good place for those guys to start. [There's] a lot to build on, but definitely a good first start for both those guys."
You guys have practiced it in the preseason, but how did you find the balance of calling the defense and keeping a grip on the game overall? Was it comfortable? (Childs Walker) "Yes, I think that was a great experience because it definitely felt more real than the preseason. But it is mainly for me having a really, really good defensive staff — that while we are on defense, I can obviously have my focus there. As soon as we get off the field, I can quickly talk to 'Weave' [defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver] and those guys and talk about anything that happened. I can still hear the offensive side of the headset and the great job that those guys do. And really, at that point, it is just a lot of fourth-down things, special teams things, where we are at on the field, areas where we may be looking to be aggressive on fourth down — things like that — so [that] as 'Dec' [offensive coordinator Declan Doyle] [is] calling the game, he has an idea of what we are trying to do, and so it was good. I think I will get better at it as we go. [There's] a lot of things to improve on. [I] didn't think I did a great job on the first drive defensively. I thought we adjusted well, but, man, just a fun opportunity to have that and exciting times, and definitely something I will be trying to chase and get better at each week."
S Kyle Hamilton graded the defense as a C-plus. Do you feel like that was maybe harsh? (Sam Cohn) "No, I love that. I love that. Look, we have capabilities of being really good. We didn't start the way we wanted to. We responded really well. We can play a lot better in the red zone, and a lot of that is with me and some of the things that we were doing. So, we are just chasing the best version of us. To have some of the numbers that we had from a yardage standpoint, from a quarterback rating [standpoint] — I mean, like, that is a game where we need to keep that game under 17, under 16, under 15 points. The way that we played, we let them off the hook, I felt like, in the red zone, and the points ended up being higher than we really wanted them to be with how I felt like we played really from a drive-in and drive-out basis."
With K Tyler Loop, when he makes the two kicks yesterday — obviously a 57-yarder — how much does that boost your own confidence, particularly in those moments where you might be kind of in between decisions on whether to kick or go for it? (Brian Wacker) "Yes, definitely. I mean, it is a production/results-oriented business. Confidence is gained from seeing people do the things that you are asking them to do, whether that is the offense, the defense or the special teams. So, when you are sitting there on the 38-yard line and you are wondering what you should do, now there is like, 'OK, the last couple times out there he nailed it.' Loved, loved, loved the end of the half — that we got a stop, we got a third-and-1 stop, which was a great job of the defense of getting the call in. It kind of came in a little bit late because it was a two-minute situation. Travis [Jones], Calais [Campbell] — I forget who else was in there — 'Trent' [Trenton Simpson] maybe, made a really nice play on third-and-1. We got the ball back. [It was a] really good job by Lamar [Jackson] managing that time, getting us up there, and then to nail the kick — I mean, a 57-yarder — was really, really cool to see. Then the other one was — when you really look at it — a clutch, clutch field goal to go from a two-score lead to a three-score lead. I think it was the 45-yarder, roughly. So, anytime you make those kicks in those situations — both of them high-pressure moments — [it's] really good to see."
You guys wanted to keep offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's offense a secret throughout the preseason. This was your first time seeing it in a game. What were some of the moments that made you, as a defensive coach, just go, 'Wow'? (Giana Han) "The Saturday night meeting with the offense – I sat in there while the defense was meeting separately, and you just feel a confidence. They were going through the openers and talking through it, and just the confidence that the players have in each other, that they have in 'Dec' [offensive coordinator Declan Doyle], that 'Dec' has in the players, that we have in the offense as a team obviously, and all those guys. It is just cool to see. Then to take your, quote unquote, weapons — your best players — and move them around and create different ways to get them the ball, create different ways for Lamar [Jackson] to be successful as a quarterback, create a bunch of different ways for Zay [Flowers] to touch the ball, Mark [Andrews] to touch the ball, Derrick [Henry] obviously. You look at the offense he came from, and I think they put up 59 yesterday. So, I just really love the scheme and the versatility that it creates and the confidence that it builds into the players. It is a week-to-week league though, and I have learned that myself as a coordinator. You have a couple really good games; it is a week-to-week league. So, it is now about, again, a normal week, being able to get in everything that we need for this particular game, a great challenge against the Saints, and be able to operate now in a normal week rather than having a couple extra weeks. But those guys — just the confidence they have in each other is pretty cool to watch."
The social media world was buzzing after yesterday — your first head coaching victory in the NFL. Was there anyone that reached out that maybe caught you by surprise? (Jerry Coleman) "Oh man, so many people. It is really hard to pinpoint. I probably haven't responded to all of them, so I apologize to those people out there. But I think the coolest ones are, like, people that I have worked with or that have helped me get to this point, which was a lot of them. So, [it's] really, really cool, and just means a lot when people [are] taking the time – and they are coaching their own teams or whatever — and they take the time to acknowledge that type of situation. [It's] really cool."
How do you evaluate WR Rashod Bateman yesterday? Were there opportunities to get him the ball? Were they doing something different on him? Obviously, you had an incredibly productive offensive game, but him not getting any receptions beyond the one that was called back... (Jeff Zrebiec) "Yes, I think there are a couple — like, the one that was called back — I think there were a few opportunities there. But, I give 'Bate' [Rashod Bateman] a lot of credit, because he played the game the right way. He ran good routes, and he was open at times. A lot of [the] time, maybe the play didn't go to him or whatever. But he is blocking downfield, and he is being unselfish. I think the offense will show over time that it could be anybody's big day on any day. So, I am excited about how he played, and I think there are big days ahead for 'Bate.'"