CoachSpeak is back again with yours truly. We heard from the assistants here on Tuesday morning. As several of them were taking place at the same time, I couldn’t be everywhere all at once. So I focused on a few, including Bill O”Brien. As always, they use words, and I am here to interpret them in my own unique way.
Bill O'Brien, when told that Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the Pats signed Wil Grier in part because "he knows where the bodies are buried. We know Zeke does as well… I'm sure Grier is definitely being interrogated."
- “(laughter) Interrogating! Schotty is a good guy. I've known Shorty for a long time. I think that's the way it is every week in this league, every year in this league. You know, there's gonna be guys that come into your organization off of teams that you're about to play, and it goes both ways. You know, it's always going to happen. So at the end of the day, you got to study the film. Everybody's got to be on the same page with what we're doing. I've never thought in my years in the league that any of that was a real overriding factor in a win or loss. It comes down to the players on the field and the coaches putting the players in the right position to make plays, and that's what we're trying to do. I don't think we're trying to pull a light over anybody and, you know, 'tell me what you did on July 20 of 2203.' We're not doing that. We're not interrogating anybody. We're just trying to put together the best game plan we possibly can."
Giardi translation: Please, please stop with this notion that they're breaking all the opponent's codes because they signed one of their players. Hell, Will Grier needs to learn the Patriots offense first and foremost. They wanted a veteran arm/body/mind in that QB room, and they got it in Grier. Now, there can be a benefit to the defensive coaches talking with Grier about some tendencies in both the offense and with the signal caller in particular. Still, a well-coached and talented team can negate those advantages. Then you have to ask yourself if you just wasted valuable prep time on something that could be inconsequential. I'm not saying you don't turn over every stone - it's literally the coach's job - but this is far more of a thing in the media and fan base than it is in the actual locker room.
O'Brien on Stephon Gilmore's presence on the other side.
- "I mean, everybody knows in New England who Steph is and how good he is. And he stands out on film. Very veteran player who understands what you're doing offensively. Obviously, you know, studying a ton of film knows what you're doing. And so you got to do a good job of understanding who he is, how he plays, and you know how he might play against us."
Giardi translation: Gilmore is as heady a cornerback as the Pats will face, even more so when considering his past time in Foxborough. Go back to his interception of Mac Jones after he got traded to Carolina. Gilmore spent time studying with Mac during his rookie year. He also is one of those corners - at least when he was assigned to travel with a receiver, who would get in the film room and look at every route that receiver had run in this season, and sometimes even in prior years. Any and every tell that he could find, from alignment, to release, to exaggerated arm movements, to head placement…like it really is that intricate. Of course, if you don't have loose hips and terrific quickness and closing speed, you can do all that, and it still won't matter.
O'Brien on JuJu Smith-Schuster and the two failed 3rd down throws where Mac Jones is trying to go back shoulder, and the receiver isn't reading it the same way.
"I think you're seeing that there. I do believe you're seeing that the right way. I mean, in those instances, we work hard on those throws during practice. It's somewhat early in the season; it's really hard to simulate that in practice, and it comes from a lot of repetition. It's not any excuse at all. We need to do a better job of practicing those, making sure that we hit those in practice, and then you know, getting it done in the game and you know, we didn't - we were close - but close isn't good enough. And we got to start connecting on those types of plays. There are other plays like that, you know, I think we're close on, but like I said, you know, Mike, you've been around a long time and close isn't good enough. And we need to start, you know, connecting on some of those plays. You're right."
Giardi translation: The Pats aren't hitting these in practice either, except with Devante Parker. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and even Demario Douglas need to do a better job during the week to get on the same page with their quarterback. He's the boss. The receivers need to see it the way he does. I'll go back to my previous life, covering the Chiefs during the Super Bowl week this past season. Travis Kelce told me, and I'm paraphrasing, that his primary responsibility is to view the game through the same prism as Patrick Mahomes is viewing it. Get on the train, fellas, or it will leave you at the station (and yes, I know Kelce is elite, but the root of the problem and his solution to it remain the rule).
I asked defensive line coach Demarcus Covington about a pass rusher sometimes bucking the scheme - the mush rush - and going to get the quarterback. Is it 'get the QB in that instance or else?'
"Laughter… There are player instincts on certain things. We let the players play have their instincts, and again, it goes back to rushing as a unit. If a guy rushes outside and we need a middle push. If a guy goes outside, we need somebody inside, somebody to take the inside move. Any type of jersey goes across your face, replace - those types of deals. It's all about rushing as a unit, knowing who you're rushing with, and making sure we build a good trap on the quarterback."
Giardi translation: The "mush rush" can be frustrating for the defensive linemen because, let's face it, their instinct is to go get the QB. And there are occasions where one of those guys seems like he has an edge that, elsewhere, you'd be allowed to take. But in Foxborough, they're hammering home rush lane integrity and not giving the QB a window to escape, especially moving forward. Postgame Sunday, Zach Wilson pointed this out, saying they forced him to leave the pocket by moving backward. That's a win in Covington's eyes and everyone else on the defensive side. But, as I mentioned when I asked Covington, Matthew Judon has said that he may tell his teammates, 'I'm doing this. Cover me,' and they do. I'll continue to want the Pats to let their guys be more aggressive, but you can prepare yourself for another week of mush rushing against the mobile Dak Prescott.
Jerod Mayo on Keion White's progress so far: "Keion is a great fit for the locker room. He's all about his business. You're talking about a guy who's 285 pounds and can run very well for a man his size. And he's absolutely one of the most physical guys we have upfront for the most part, especially when you talk about our defensive ends. It's been good, but honestly, I look out the front windshield and think he could be a very, very, very good player for a long time."
Giardi translation: Keion is, at times, a bad, bad man who is still growing and learning. He has these outrageous bursts, the kind of stuff you see from 300-plus pound behemoths like Dexter Lawrence, DJ Reader, and now another rookie, Jalen Carter.
Those guys can singlehandedly throw offensive linemen and the back trying to chip into next week, but here's White doing that at 285 (ish). I know there are cries for him to play more, but I believe there is a plan, and thus far, White is on track as someone the defense can lean on for some time, assuming he continues his growth.
