Press Pass: Frank Reich

a lot of time into it. Uh. Coach Peterson schedules, you know, has a good chunk of time in practice. Um. On that particular play, I mean he did have a little bit of heat in his face. Um, So I don't think you could quite finish it. But it's definitely important and we definitely keep working on it. As noted, twenty four points since week three. Why do you think that lack of explosiveness that has been an on going problem?

I mean, obviously, as an offense, our job is to point put points on the board, and um, you know that just comes from executing one play at a time and we have to score more points. I mean, there's there's no question so um, you know, as coaches, it's our job to put our players in the best position, um to make plays and to be able to sustain drives, um to you know, to be good in the red zone, be good on third down, to be able to sustain drives and obviously players job. But really we're all in

it together as an offense. So uh, we just have to find ways to, you know, to be better. I mean overall, um, you know, every week you got to find ways to score four touchdowns. So, I mean it's always an asked to block much in college. How's he doing in that regard. I think he's doing well. I think he's doing well. He does well in past protection. He shows a willingness not only willingness, but he shows

the aptitude to know who to block. He knows who is assignment is the thing that stands out in that failure to score more than twenty four bikes is or anything, if anything that sticks out and fill them or in your evaluation. You know, it's like every game, Um, you go back and there's always five or six plays that you say, we just missed one here, we could have done a little bit better here, and then sometimes or you know, you gotta do. You gotta find that way

to extend that drive. Sometimes, you know, sometimes it's a bad break. We don't get a call that we get, you know. You see sometimes if you get a call sometimes on a third down to extend a drive, maybe they interfere. It doesn't get called. You see, it happen all the time the other way. But we have to find ways. We have to control what we can control to find ways to get that one key first down.

It just kind of propels you on unusual because your three biggest scoring games of the first three games, you know, so it's when you look at those games, those three games, what do you seeing that happened in those games that hasn't happened? A few big plays. Obviously, we have a good field position, you know, really exceptional field position in

those games. We've had games where the special teams have scored in the defense has scored that obviously, you know when they score points at the end of the day, you know, it goes on point and scored, which somewhat reflects on offense. So that helped um. Field position is always a big thing. But and big plays, big plays and field position, and then proficiency, proficiency in situational football third down red zone of the Keys has head eleven

catches last two weeks, nine for first downs. Where is he right now in his development? And are you pretty happy with the way he's played the last couple of weeks that, yeah, Yeah, aside from the you know, aside from the penalties. Yeah, he's really making good progress and making plays. And you just see it in practice even yesterday. You just I feel like he's playing with more confidence and he's making plays. So very happy with his development and he needs to be a big part of what

we're doing going forward. All rank, What is it about that screen pass blocking thing that seems hard for him to pick up? He's had that same penalty. You know, it was just we all sometimes make a mistake that we you know, the first time kind of you know, the first time it's just kind of a fluke. The second time it's just elapse, elapse, It happens to all of us, kind of elapse of judgment on his part on that one, learn from it and move on. We all do, uh not, We all kind of do the

same thing in our own little way. That's a mistake that we have to try to avoid. Block on that plane. It all depends on what coverage it is. You know, sometimes when it's covered two and it's a screen, you know, you release the you release the receiver up. If you recognize it's covered two, you go up past, you know, run past the corner and then possibly peel back on them if you block them too early. If it's a loose cover two, sometimes you can you can get a

piece of them early, and it's not too early. There's a little bit of gray area in there. So um, like I said, it was just poor judgment and we need to clean that up. You've had experience of as a play caller, your previous stuff, you know, with the challenge is, like Doug says, it's a process for him in terms of the personnel that you have, your own philosophy, what the other guy is showing you, can you talk. It's about that challenge and learning through experience to become

a good play caller. Yeah, I think there's a lot of it. You know, you instinctively are gifted and are good at it, I think like coaches. But then there's also a learning process involved in it as well, and it's always being tweaked. But one thing I know I've learned in a few years. I've called plays um. You know, when you win, they're all good, and when you don't win it it doesn't matter. You know when you when you lose, you should have thrown it more or run it,

you know, whatever the case may be. So um, I've learned over the years as a player and coach. You know, not to get in the business from our end. You know, I understand from the outside why thinks our questioned, but from from the perspective that we sit, I know the process that we have going into it. I know what we talk about. I know there's a clear plan. I know we know what the weaknesses of the defense are.

But there's the way you stated the question was a good way, and that there's a lot of things that go into it. The other quarterback was incredibly hot. You know this or that, there's so many factors that go into it. It's easier to second guess afterwards, and sometimes we second guess ourselves, and we always want to find ways to tweak it and get better. But when you lose, you're never going to be happy with it. Carson escape from the pocket several times and pick up yards in

the ground. It's something he's done for the most part in terms of feeling pressure around him. You know, we've seen the best players, like quarterbacks like Aaron Rodger Bill do that on a consistent basis. How do you do you teach that? Is that something that's just instinctive or is it a combo? It's a combo, you know, it's a combo. It's something a lot of it's instinctive. But you know, like coach d Filippo does a lot of drills with Carson, you know, where he's escaped in the

pocket looking for avenues. You know, we talk about it even in practice when a play breaks down in practice, don't waste to play, you know, Coach d Filippo is always on Carson about that. Hey, sometimes something happens in practice, the player doesn't work out. You want, let's not waste the rep. Let's look for a whole, let's look to scramble. So that's ongoing. Cast is instinctively. I think he has that vision and sees it and has the athleticism to

do it. But we still kind of coach get it done from the pocket first, then react after that the way Isaac played considering you know, but well, I mean you know, there's always that, there's always that little buffer going in. I mean, it wasn't you know, it needs to be better. It will be better. It was kind of like a little bit not completely like when v came in. There's a little bit of that shock and

all when you first go in. He handled himself well, but you can still a little bit tell first game. But you can see the signs. You can all the signs that you see out in practice, how smart he is, how explosive he is. Um, I think it was a really good start for him. I think it'll just get better. Get a whole lot of production out of Bryce Tregs or Paul Turner. In that game, how much did the

offense just miss having Nelson available? Um, you know I think that, you know, I mean Nelson had some unique elements. He is a great route runner, and you know, we want to get him involved, you know, when he's up and if he's up this week, whenever coach makes that decision. We believe he's a We believe he can be a playmaker. You know, we haven't hit our stride together. We I say we, you know, all of us together, because you

know we're all with Nelson and he's with us. You know, we're a team, so together, we want to find a way to hit our stride, and which includes involving everybody, and everybody needs to be a big part of it. Number in mind, thirty points going into every game that you kind of shoot for is it? Does it depend on the game devoted, not a specific number. I mean, you know, y'all, I just think four touchdowns. You know,

you expect to get a field goal or two. I don't the ultimate goal score one one more obviously, then the other team goes without saying. And you know, we know our defense and special teams have played very well this year. So but we want to be explosive. You want to be proficient, We want to execute. Really, for us, the focus is on executing, one player at a time, winning results, scoring points results. If we focus on execution,

that's really the best way we have to approach. Just focus on executing the next play and then the next play that should produce the most points if we can get better there. In your experience, teams that are in the situation day thank you guys, are in in the final month of the year. What does it take for a team to stay together as opposed word to go on the other one. You know, it's to me, it's easy. It's all about and coach talks about this all the time.

We talked about it today. You know, as an offense, it's about creating continuing to create good habits. That's just part of the process. No man becomes suddenly different from his habits and cherished thoughts, and so you have to create good habits. You have to create good habits, and there's never a break from that. It never goes away. Every day is a new opper day, a new day

to create good habits. And then those cherished thoughts. You know, everybody wants to win the championship, and that's the big that is, without question, ve goal. But you know there's also something in that room about camaraderie, about love for your love for your teammates, and that's a big part of how we think. You know, at all times of the year, but sometimes when things don't go exactly the way you want, it reminds you of you that it reminds you of that, and so that's how I think

how we approach it down the stretch. So many rookies, you have so many rookies who are playing big roles. Um, what do you what do you look for from them to make sure they're kind of when they're going through stuff they've never been through, to make sure they're kind of staying on track. Yeah, I mean the rookies, you know, they're in an unchartered territory for some of them, but really for us, it's you know, in one respect, we say there are no more rookies. You know, you've been

into it this far. Uh, the expectations are high from on themselves and of course as coaches, we put high expectations on them. So we just want to focus on today. You know, let's let's go out there today and have a good practice today because we believe what we do today will show up on Sunday as the factors we're able to stretch and field bars out. They had a

couple of drives and it's ten twelve lads drives. As a play caller for yourself, you know, how do you have that patience to call that type of drive that will set up some of the big players like it did a bunchet. Yeah, you know, I mean there's no question. I mean when uh, you know, it was like one of the thing that I said to a buddy of mine.

It was like we played it. It's like you're playing a basketball game against Steph Curry and he's hitting every you know you can have you can have him guarded perfect, and he's still knocking down threes everywhere he goes. And you know, we faced a guy who was a hot shooter. And sometimes on the other side as a play caller, you know, you you have to we have to match that.

You know, our quarterback has to match that, our offense has to match that, and uh, you know that day you just gotta you gotta try to just do the best you can to execute and and not stretch out after things. Um you know, so that I think that's the goal going in every week and uh just find ways to you know, be good one play at a time. Thanks very