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00:00 Yeah, I talked about him last time.
00:04 You know, obviously a rookie, but has command that goes beyond usually the scope of a rookie.
00:12 Decisive with the ball, accurate passer, buys some time, makes big plays down the field.
00:19 And I think when it's all said and done, the fact that he's passed for as many yards as
00:23 he has without turning the ball over is really impressive for a young guy.
00:29 Obviously the cost of doing business if you're going to throw a lot of yards is you also
00:33 turn the ball over a lot.
00:36 And it's been impressive what he's been able to do.
00:39 We're going to have to play tight coverage.
00:41 We're going to have to stay after him in the pass rush.
00:46 And we're going to have to limit run after the catch because he does a good job of giving
00:50 his guys opportunities to run after the catch, including Nico Collins, who's one of the things
00:56 he does best.
00:57 I was just going to say the list of breaking quarterbacks when we played their first play
01:04 of the game is very short.
01:06 Yeah, Joe Flacco was one.
01:08 Yeah, he beat me.
01:10 2000, 2008 Titans.
01:12 Just could never make a mistake.
01:15 I think we turned the ball over like four times in the plus 20.
01:18 Chris Johnson started off the game.
01:20 He had like 100 yards in the first quarter and then got an ankle sprain and missed the
01:23 rest of the game.
01:26 But yeah, Joe was a rookie and it was a low scoring game.
01:31 But you know, he got it.
01:34 So I'm glad Joe's on our side.
01:36 And I'm glad history's sort of on the other side.
01:40 Do you feel the pressure of a playoff game affects rookies?
01:47 I don't know.
01:48 I'm sure it just depends on the guy.
01:49 I can't speak for him.
01:51 I think playoffs come down to who can be themselves the best, if that makes sense.
02:00 Can we be the best version of ourselves versus the Texans being the best version of themselves?
02:06 I think that's when it's all said and done.
02:09 You've got 17 games under your belt.
02:13 There's not a whole lot you're going to pull out that another team hasn't seen.
02:17 And really at this point of the year, people are going with what they do best.
02:21 And so I think that has a lot to do with it.
02:26 You know, I really can't worry about him and how he'll treat the game as much as we're
02:32 just focused on our guys and how we're going to treat the game.
02:35 We know it's the playoffs.
02:38 Every mistake is amplified.
02:40 Every big play is amplified.
02:42 Mistake can send you home.
02:43 Big play can help you advance.
02:46 And that's what it is.
02:48 Single elimination football and whatever you can do to advance each week.
02:53 That's what you have to do.
02:54 And that's where our focus is.
02:55 When you first got here and met with Miles, did you set expectations for him in any way?
03:02 So over the course of the season, the year, how has he responded?
03:06 Yeah, I'll keep conversations I have with players to myself and to the player.
03:12 If they want to talk about it, that's fine, but I don't think it's my place to reveal
03:16 those kind of conversations.
03:19 But he has been everything that we expected.
03:24 You know, he affects the game every single time he's on the field.
03:30 You know, he's played well against the run.
03:32 He's played well against the pass.
03:35 One of the best players, I said this a few weeks ago, probably one of the three best
03:39 players I've coached in 31 years.
03:42 You might saw a stat, you guys have forced more punts than any team since the 1999 rate.
03:51 So what does that say about just consistency in the way you've been playing defensively?
03:57 Yeah, you know, that sort of goes hand in hand with our third down percentage.
04:02 You know, we were number one in the NFL in third down percentage.
04:05 And when you're winning those snaps, you're going to force a lot of punts.
04:11 You know, our job, and I've said this before, our job is to win at scoring and to try to
04:16 get the ball back for the offense.
04:18 And after a slow start in turnovers, I thought we did a pretty good job.
04:22 I don't know where we finished, but we were in that top five area.
04:26 I don't know where it ended up, but we've done a good job there.
04:29 We've done a good job getting the ball back for the offense.
04:32 When you went on third down, when you forced punts, you know, you've done your job.
04:41 And, you know, that's what we concentrate.
04:43 We spend a lot of time, today's our third down day.
04:46 And our ability to get off the field on third down is a lot, it means a lot to us.
04:50 Cover guys, rush guys, keep drives from continuing.
04:55 We've done a good job of nipping drives in the bud with good third down percentage.
05:00 And, you know, that's going to be a big part of this game.
05:03 I know how you feel about Mike Rabel and the chance that he gave you to do what you did
05:11 for those couple of years there.
05:12 And I was just wondering, you know, what your thoughts were on him.
05:15 Yeah, I mean, obviously I have a lot of respect for Mike and I heard a great deal.
05:21 You know, this is a playoff game.
05:22 I just want to keep the focus on Tams and Brown.
05:25 You've been in the league a long time.
05:30 I know quarterback injuries have had to do with this.
05:31 It feels like going into the playoffs, defense has always been important.
05:32 It seems like they're more impactful than ever.
05:33 I think five of the six scoring defenses are in the playoff.
05:34 You guys have had a sensational playoff.
05:35 The rules always seem to be stacked against defenses.
05:36 Do you feel like it's maybe something you have to correct?
05:37 I don't know.
05:38 I mean, we just concentrate on trying to play within the rules that we're given.
05:51 Like I said, try to limit scoring, get the ball for the offense and potentially put them
06:02 in scoring position.
06:03 You know, I mean, the league goes through so many cycles, it's hard to say.
06:11 You know, but being a defensive coach, you know, there is that adage, you know, defense
06:16 wins championships and teams that I've been around, you know, when you play good defense
06:23 in the playoffs, you give yourself a good chance.
06:26 Will you return to practice?
06:29 Saturday game?
06:30 Yeah, I mean, I haven't seen him out there yet.
06:36 So, you know, I'll let Kevin handle those questions, but it's good for a step.
06:41 He's been working extremely hard.
06:42 I mean, you talk about a driven dude.
06:45 I mean, he is, you know, I mean, he's been really driven to get back.
06:51 We'll see where it goes.
06:53 With Thornhill missing, how have the big men been able to go to the target?
07:00 Yeah, I can't say enough good things about those guys.
07:03 You know, they were 4-5 and not on the depth chart at the beginning of the year.
07:09 And they've come in and, you know, played really good football for us.
07:14 And I mentioned this before about Ronnie, a little bit talking about CJ Shroud.
07:21 Usually when you're rookies, you know, they're sort of, they can do their job, but they need
07:25 somebody to tell them what to do or somebody else to make the calls.
07:29 When Juan was down, when Grant was down, Ronnie really became the glue of our secondary and
07:34 communicated as good, if not better than any rookie safety I've been around.
07:41 And I think that's, you know, he's made plays, he's tackled well for us, overlapped in the
07:47 passing game.
07:48 You know, D-Bell's made a lot of big plays for us and Harmon had an interception against
07:53 these guys.
07:54 He's given us that, you know, that veteran steadiness that we lost with Rodney McLeod.
07:59 But, you know, having lost our top three safeties for significant portions, you know, the game
08:04 doesn't care.
08:05 And the playoffs don't care who's playing.
08:08 You know, so those guys have stepped up and, you know, have been able to do their job in
08:15 our scheme.
08:16 Did you see Oboe come back and did he show you enough against Cincinnati that you think
08:21 he can be a viable part of the team?
08:23 Yeah, we just wanted to get him going a little bit in that game, just sort of pick and choose
08:27 our spots.
08:28 But he's certainly in the mix.
08:29 And you know, if he can give us some good pass rushes, give us some good snaps, that'll
08:34 go a long way.
08:35 Keep some of the other guys fresh.
08:37 But, you know, he's been a big part of our third down success.
08:41 And we've missed him over these last five weeks, whatever it's been, four weeks, five
08:46 weeks.
08:47 I can't keep track of time now.
08:48 But it was good to see him back out there.
08:51 He brings a lot of energy to the practice field.
08:54 I'm confident he can make some plays on Sunday.
08:56 To go back to the safety, Rodney obviously hasn't been able to play, but the fact that
09:00 he's stuck around here in rehab, how crucial has he been to bring those younger guys in
09:04 to run around when he got here and just now that you guys are in this critical stretch
09:09 here?
09:10 Yeah.
09:11 You know, he's found a way to contribute even without being on the field.
09:15 And I mean, I could be here for a month talking about the respect that I have for Rodney.
09:22 You know, he wore a helmet for me, two different teams.
09:26 And another guy that I just totally respect and admire.
09:32 And it's just right in his character that when he was injured, that he's still going
09:38 to find a way to contribute.
09:41 Anthony Walker has done the same thing for us.
09:43 And he had to miss some time, but he's back in our building now.
09:48 All those guys have stayed close.
09:50 Mo Hurst has stayed close.
09:53 All veteran guys.
09:55 And they realize that their contribution to the team doesn't begin and end, or doesn't
10:01 end with the game field or practice field.
10:05 They've been able to find a way to contribute.
10:08 And our success has a lot to do with that.
10:11 Is that normal, Jim, that guys who are on the injured reserve, maybe double season,
10:17 stick around like that?
10:18 Or is that more unique?
10:21 You know, it depends.
10:22 Sometimes it's a matter of, you know, somebody has a family that's in the area or, you know,
10:27 something else.
10:28 I just think, you know, those guys just, they've been around.
10:32 They know this is a special season and a special team, and they want to continue to be part
10:37 of it.
10:38 You know, a couple of days ago, I was telling the team some of the similarities I had, that
10:46 I saw between our team in 2017 with the Eagles.
10:51 And probably the biggest one is how much the players enjoy each other.
10:56 You know, they genuinely root for each other and genuinely like to be together and practice.
11:03 And that continuity has taken us through a lot of tough times this year.
11:06 I mean, we've had some, you know, we've had some things, you know, put in our way over
11:12 the course of the year.
11:13 But you know, you don't see the frustration show on the field.
11:17 You don't see guys throwing helmets or, you know, yelling at each other, or you don't
11:21 see the jealousy or you don't see finger pointing.
11:25 And you know, that was probably the thing that stood out the most between like our team
11:32 and where we've been.
11:33 A lot of people have made, you know, thing of, you know, lost a starting quarterback
11:36 and veteran replaces him and multiple injuries and, you know, things like that.
11:42 But I just say our team, our team, our team, like general, genuinely has fun together.
11:51 And you know, you can do some things as coach to try to push them in that direction.
11:57 But it has to come, it has to come organically from them.
12:01 And that's been developing over the course of the whole season.
12:04 I think we're stronger now as a result of some of the tough times we've been through.
12:08 And we're going to need, we're going to have to rely on some of that resilience as we go
12:12 through this playoff season.
12:15 Like I said, a great play can propel you, missed opportunity, dropped pass, dropped
12:22 interception, a missed assignment can send you home.
12:25 It's high stakes.
12:27 And I think our guys are ready for that challenge.
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