Press Pass: Jim Schwartz

from Jayalen for a second. I thought that Malcolm did a good job on their tight ends and in the first game we played their tight ends even when Reid didn't play. UM, Davis made a bunch of plays in that game, and I think their tight ends had two catches and didn't really make a ton of plays. And that game a lot of that had to do with Malcolm being able to play that UM. You know, Jayalen did some good things, but probably like our defense, the plays we didn't make didn't make up for the plays

we did. And there's a lot of plays that he played really good tight coverage and and did a really good job on a really good player. Crowder. Crowder is going to get some respect for the Pro Bowl voting. What's going on because he's he's really a tough matchup in there. But you know when it came time to make that play. We gave up that one in the fourth quarter. And you know, for us, we get a fourth quarter lead, we got to hold onto it. That's

our job. We can't blame anybody for ourselves to all, but Jalen was no different than Leo or Nolan in that way. Both of the all three of those guys made some plays, but the play they didn't make didn't make up for the ones that they did. How much of it to shore that? Are they next plays? It's like the big plays you mean, yeah, the plays? Um well, I think that was the tale of this game. It

was good to see us. I mean, first of all, we can't judge ourselves on anything other than winning or losing the game, and we got to make sure that that doesn't happen. Stats don't mean anything. Wins or losses mean something. We didn't do enough to win the game. It was good to see us get back to doing and some of the things that help us be successful.

Third down, I mean, the only two third down conversions we gave up, we're third and one, third and two, which are tough getting turned over and getting getting on the scoreboard there and getting some pressure on the passer. But you know, eight yard touchdown, touchdown when it's second and goal from the fifteen, and I got to help No. One out better with that call, you know, I mean his second and goal from the fifteen and we feel like, okay, now you've got a good chance to hold him to

a field goal there. And I played an aggressive defense there, and you know, and sometimes when you try to stop everything, you set those guys up, and I can help him either play a little softer coverage there, give up five or ten yards and get him the third down, or maybe even go more aggressive and all outplits and you know, if they feel quick on a all outlets, but I can help him out there. Run game was the same way.

You know, I thought after getting gash in the run game in the opener, thought we did a good job handling the run game with the exception of a couple of plays. So unfortunately you can't wipe those plays off. And we didn't play consistent enough from start to finish to come out on the right side of that. And you know, that's that's on us. You had six defensive ends up five that played yeah, really had four eight snaps.

I think it was so yeah. I think even those, I mean, you got a couple off sides penalties, so I don't really count anyway. What was the reasoning for having so many? Well, well, first Brayman, even though he's listed as a defensive end, his role in the team is really special teams. But taken five in is is still a lot of guys. And if we if the game had gone different and we played seventy five plays,

you know, that would have been a good thing. But we thought that Stephen Means could give us a boost, and we made a commitment to get him some reps. He plays with toughness, made a couple of plays in the run game in his limited in his limited role, but we're gonna try to find every way we can to affect that game, and we thought he could give us a boot. He made a couple of plays in that game, and it hurt a couple other guys as far as playtime, but um, you know, I mean it

is what it is. When the game ended up that way, Like I said, I think you said forty eight plays. I think greatable plays we had like forty five, you know, because you don all sides play from the offense or false start you really can't grade or does kneel down plays they really don't count. Um, So it could have worked different, But you know, I think that sometimes, um, you know, sometimes sometimes it doesn't work out the wage plan.

But the idea behind it was that we thought that Steven could give us a little bit of a boost and going forward, we'll look at that every week and it's no different than any other position affected. Was connor snaps decreased? You know? He um, you know, he's been playing a lot, but you know, I know you don't judge by numbers, et cetera, But it seems that Connor has kind of lost some of his effectiveness that we're SA three four. He's able to do a lot of stuff.

He's a very versatile player, but playing downhill maybe it doesn't play to some of his skill sets. Do you do you agree with that that premise and what it would have been the reasons then for some of the struggles, Yeah, I don't know that. I wouldn't even call him struggling. I think that he's gone sort of the way the defense has um, you know, and I think both of

those sort of go hand in hand. As the defense has been struggling, we haven't had It's it's hard to feel good about your production when we're not getting any sacks, or it's hard to feel good about production when we're not doing a good job on third down. Connor has been a consistent player for a long time in the NFL. I do think that the fresher we can keep him, the better chance he has to be productive. And hopefully

this can this can help that season. If you thought of maybe trying to find different ways again Michael Kendricks on the field, or do you just kind of view him as a linebacker against bigger packages? Now we we've I mean, he's heviously in our goal line, he's in our short yardage, and he's in our base package, and we actually and we have a third down package that he's in. It's not it's something we don't use very much. We use it one or two times a game. This

last game we didn't use it at all. But again, it falls a little bit to the way the offense wants to play and sometimes you run out of snaps. But it has nothing to do with him. He's been he's been productive in his role he's played good, consistent football for US. Um, you know, I think that it's just this sort of the way it's gone. We've also stayed really healthy at linebacker. You know, in this game, I also tried to get Telica series. He got two snaps.

But a little bit like Stephen means, he brings us something, He brings us a little bit of you know, a little bit of energy, and um, Jordan's just been playing at such a high level, it's been hard to get to that. We wanted to sort of take the same approach and get Tully some series in there to keep Jordan fresh, but he was playing at such a high level anyway. Um, we stayed pretty healthy at linebacker and

hopefully we can keep that up. Two quick ones on one that the Shawan touchdown was was Leo supposed to have any kind of help in that situation? And also is there a teaching point for from a cloud on that play? Looked like maybe he started letting up when the ball is still near. Yeah, you know the help that comes from that. It's a cover four coverage, so basically you're four across the board and everybody's the way

they ran the route. They ate up all the other guys, and you know, I thought that looking at it on the field when we have our pictures and then saying it, Leo's in good shape early in that route. He was just in bad shape late. And that's a that's a play that you know, we talk all the time about times you can be aggressive and times you can't, and that's one of those ones. Just get over the top. He's sort of you know last time, and again he was. He was in good position early the Shaun's fast and

took over it. Um the way Rodney was playing on the backside, he has the vertical of number three. If he tries to overlap Leo, he's to give that up. So there's times that Rodney needs to be able to make those plays like Um Jaywen's play. That's his responsibility. Jay One needs to be a little bit more outside on it. But when that guy tries to go down the scene, that guy's got to have contact when it's hit.

That's more the free safety. He wasn't out of position, and it wasn't a lack of every finished the way that he finished the play. Though I wasn't okay with anything about those plays from from this end, and nothing to do with him. Um, anytime the ball goes over your head, you gotta find a way to get a guy on the ground, whether it's Leo, whether it's Rodney, whether it's wanted a defensive lineman, even though God knows

they wouldn't made it that far down there. Um, we gotta give ourselves a chance to make another play, you know, hold hold him to a you know, hold him to a field goal attempt there or something like that. And you know, again that's that's sort of my disappointment on the second and goal from the fifteen, you know. And

I look at myself first as a play car. I mean, sure, no one's technique can be a little bit better and things like that, But um, I can help him with a play call, and I could probably help I could probably help the defense with a little different play call there. What about the way deal played over and he had the pick six? You know, the four past bread books there. A lot of plays doesn't make up for the ones we gave up. Um, you know, I mean we got to score, and we got a score our lead in

the fourth quarter. Man, I'd swap any of those for knocking that ball down on fourth and one. You know, and he was right there, Harry, play great coverage and you know they made One's hard to stop everything when it's when it's fourth and one. Um, you know, sort of life as an NFL corner. You're gonna give up some plays. We just can't make him an eighty yard play. Like I said, if at sixty we get him on the ground, Um, we got a chance to make another play.

Can you kind of quickly walk us through wood? Yeah, well the second one. The second one, we were really aggressive to try to throw it for a loss, knowing that, Um, we couldn't just bleed out at that point. We had

to do something. We we had to get aggressive. It was you know, it was a blitz and it's going to be a little bit of an all or nothing when it comes to that, which at that point I honestly was sort of okay, because if we can knock him for a lost yardage to play and make it a longer field goal, Um, you know, put him in a tough position, that's good. If not the best thing in that situation was give up a score. Now, we were not trying to give up a score there. We

didn't step aside. We were trying to make it for a loss, but a little bit like goal line. You know how many times you see or running back across the goal line go untouched and you're like, Jesus, it doesn't happen on first and second now when it's the reason is you're so aggressive to stop that six inch that if he does break it, then it's there. A little bit of the same thing. First one was disappointing. Um, you know, we just we we didn't. We didn't. We

were sort of um, I don't know. We had too many guys tried to make the play rather than do their job in the defense. And that's one of the things we talk about ardent against when you're struggling, when you're pressing. I went through way too long a die a tribe about being in a slump and you know baseball players and how they get out of it. We

were guilty of that on that play. Too many guys tried to make the play rather than just trusting their technique and trust in their job, and um, as a result, we paid for with a touchdown. One of the best things he does is blitz and we do agree with that first of all, and then secondly, he's only rushed the passer I think I like seven times this year. Is there are ways you can get him more. Yeah,

you know he does rush well. He is a good blitzer. Um. You know a lot of it has to do with times that he's in there when they were when he was in there, when they were in their two tight end package. A lot of that's max protection. You know, it's it's blitz another guy in max protection. You're going to isolate your corners a little bit more. Um. Every game is a little bit different with him. But he

is a good blitzer. And when when we've been able to get that and um and complete the coverage behind him, he's been effective there. But he doesn't stand alone. He can have a great pass rush and if our matchups bad outside or we don't cover the guy long enough, that doesn't make a difference. You don't measure pass rush solely by sacks. Where do you feel like you guys are as far as the pass wars scers, You know,

it depends on so many things. Depends on the score obviously. UM. You know you're always going to rush better when you have an opponent that's trying to catch up in a game. UM. You know, sometimes if third down. If you can force a quarterback to check the ball down and then not be able to hold it long enough, you've done your job there. Also, I don't know, I mean we've We obviously went through a long time where we were struggling to get sacks in this game. I thought our pressure

was more effective. Wasn't good enough to win the game? Now? And you know there are times that you know that, Um, like late in that game, the third and one play right before the fourth fourth down play that we gave up to kept that drive alive. Um, we did get good pressure on that quarterback through the ball way Jordan Um, Jordan Hicks was on a blitz. Connor was free on the outside. Um, you know forced that second time they throw on three steps. It didn't matter if you had

a good brush or not. Goodmarn't going to get there. Um. You know you got to be careful with judging it only on sacks, but sacks to affect the game. We saw on the other side of the ball, there's such a high incident of turnover when you sat quarterbacks, and that's why we put such an emphasis on it. Not only do you stop drives and get them for lost

yardage plays. But there is a high incident of quarterbacks either getting tip balls or throwing when they're getting hit and you get interceptions or fumbling, and those are the plays that we've been missing, and we got to get back to those backfield season. Terrence defense a little well. Terrence is a guy that's in our um rotation. He hasn't had to play defense this year. But pi'sa say force and he can go in and play those positions. He could be He's even taking some reps at Nickel

Force and he could go in and play that. Um, I'm not so sure. In a pinch he couldn't at least line up at corner and be able to do that. Um. So hopefully Jay one will be out with joy one Watkins will be able to um, you know, push through that and be able to play. But if not, then UM. You know, Terrence is a guy that we have trust in and we'll put him in there. Um. Yeah. You know they struggled with their offensive line early. You know, they started off the season. They had a couple of

close wins. You know, they were down like twenty to nothing of Cleveland and came back and won that game. They won a close game over Jacksonville. They won a close game over I mean close, yeah, close game over Jacksonville, close game over Cleveland. Ums, what was the other one? They had another one early in the season that um you know that that they that they want and they lost four games in a row. They had a revolving door at their offen line. Um, you know, and I

think that that obviously affected him. They settled down their offensive line lately and that's gone a long way to him. He's he's a hard guy to knock off schedule. He's really a level headed quarterback. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes. Um you know, if you give him enough time, he can he can throw good, strong, accurate passers. Even though he's coming off to knee injury. Um, he's still a threat to Scrambley, sneaky that way, Still still a threat to run, Still a threat to Scramble. A lot

of respect for that guy. That guy's won super Bowls and he's made a lot of plays and nothing's the game's never out of I don't know, too big is in a good word. I'm gonna trying to think of a good adjective to use for that. But, um, the games the game's never over his head. Maybe, I guess you'd say, Um, I think I've heard it before. Um, his nickname Joe Cool. I think you can see that in the way that he plays. Um. So what do you get from a Marty morning Wig offense? What do

you expect from well, you know, that's another one. It's been about half the season um, that they've that they've used. They use a lot of different players and use them in a lot of different roles. They don't rely on just one guy, whether it's a running back, whether it's one tight end, whether it's one wide receiver. Um, you know, a lot of different formations, a lot of different personnel groups,

a lot of personnel groups within the personnel groups. You know, just because you have two tight ends on the field, doesn't mean that's the only time they have two tight ends on the field. UM. So I think, um, that ability to match up in those physical matchups is a big part of what they do offensively. And then again, having a trigger man that can that can make those plays and get them back in that game. At that

game wasn't going well for them. Early in that game, they had a chance to go down twenty three nothing and next thing. You know, they're pulling it close at the end. A lot of that has to do with that quarterback and his ability put those bad plays behind him and still make his own Jim, can you you mentioned Jordan Hicks earlier. Can you elaborate on what you've seen from him through thirteen games. He's been playing at a high level for US this year, playing good against

Iran and has been playing well against the pass. And there's a lot on his table or a lot on his plate when it comes to making adjustments, making checks. We have a lot of calls that are double calls. It's one call versus one thing, it's another versus something else. Does a good job with all that stuff, and you know, I think he's been a good consistent player for US this year. Okay, all right, guys,