Q. You often judge things – such as the quality of a week's practices, the quality of a training camp – by the outcome that follows those things. If we use that to judge your decision to start Russell Wilson against the Jets to see if he might be a catalyst to help the offense go from good to great, how would you evaluate that decision based on what you saw vs. the Jets?
A. Honestly, incomplete. It is a small sample size. Certainly, we did what we needed to do in that venue and won the game. But I think what I'm looking for is clarity, that knowing it'll be continually revealed to us over the upcoming games. If we're really being honest with ourselves, I don't know that one performance can ever be a defining body of work in terms of the discussion that we're having.
Q. But with the decision, you got the clock started?
A. Absolutely.
Q. When asked about what you liked about Russell Wilson's performance against the Jets, one of the things you mentioned was his poise. How does a quarterback reveal poise during a game?
A. In everything that they do. How they interact with others, formally and informally. The look in their eye. The steadiness of their demeanor. It's displayed in everything that they do. And you know, we didn't get off to the most fluid of starts. Not that I was surprised by that because he hadn't played ball in a significant amount of time, but he was unfazed by those short-term results and stayed solid in regard to the plan. How he led the group as a unit, and the way he communicated with others, formally and informally, players and coaches.
Q. Last week you explained how Aaron Rodgers uses cadence as a weapon, and in the fourth quarter last Sunday night, Rodgers tried to catch your defense with too many men on the field by going with pace before a fourth-and-5. But you sabotaged that with a timeout. TV caught you and Rodgers exchanging knowing looks. Are those kinds of back-and-forth things fun for you?
A. They are. It's the competitors' component of it, and particularly when you're competing against a tenured coach or a tenured quarterback, somebody who has a known mode of operation, like Aaron. And so, I've been around a while, he's been around a while. I'm familiar with the tactic. And so we were having a little fun. I was letting him know – not today.
Q. Were you looking for that from Rodgers?
A. No doubt. It was my job to keep an eye on that throughout the contest. We needed to be cautious about how we rotated people, and we were, largely throughout the game. But that was kind of a unique scenario moving into those circumstances, and I just kept an eye on him as we transitioned throughout because I just know that's how he lives.
Q. Even though only one counted, your special teams blocked two more kicks vs. the Jets and now has 3 successful blocks in the past 3 games – 2 field goals and 1 punt. You allocate time in every practice to special teams – usually a couple/three periods interspersed over the course of the session. During your development as a coach, what convinced you of the importance of dedicating that kind of time in every practice to special teams?
A. As a position coach, I was a secondary coach, not only in the NFL, but in the college ranks. And oftentimes when you're a secondary coach and you're working special teams, the guys you coach are heavily involved. And I've just always been a guy not to sit around and have my hands in my pocket. And so as a very young coach in college and in the professional ranks, I always anted up and kicked in. I would coach gunners. I would coach returners, anything to help the special teams coordinator. And along the way, I developed an appetite for the space. I saw the winning edge that it could provide if you develop skill and intellect in that space, if you train your guys the same way you train offensive and defensive players. And so, it is more than a cliche for us. It is an approach to business. It's a lifestyle. We play positions in that phase. We need to hone our skills relative to the position that we play, just like our offensive and defensive home positions. And I think that's why we're having success. We have an agenda, but the efforts of the guys, the attention to the detail that the guys display, and the day-to-day work that they do in that area make that agenda real.
Q. Is it the same go for meeting times, because a lot of head coaches say that special teams are one-third of the game, but it's not that way on the schedule every day.
A. No, we live that life. And not only in this discussion but in every discussion, I am so intentional about making sure that our actions match our words. You're right. We as coaches globally, talk about special teams being one-third of the game, but do we live that life? Do we live that life in the classroom? Do we live that life in team development? We make an effort here in Pittsburgh to do so, because we believe it's a legitimate winning edge. And what's transpired over the last three weeks is an example of it.
Q. When Minkah Fitzpatrick is lined up in centerfield, what does he provide the defense from that spot?
A. He's a hub of communication, and he's also a known talent in that space. And to be honest with you, part of being a good defense sometimes are the plays you don't have to defend. Quarterbacks are really cautious about challenging his space. And when we play him in deep middle, we eliminate the potential of a lot of big plays. We gave up one big pass last week, a 57-yard play, but it was a checkdown where (Breece Hall) ran through our defense, as opposed to people throwing a ball over the top of our defense. And I think that just speaks to the presence of him, what he provides from a talent standpoint. But equally as important is having a central hub of communication, somebody who's in the middle of things on the back end, because they can relay messaging and make checks and calls and so forth. And he does a heck of a job of that as well.
Q. Sometimes he is judged by people on the outside solely on the basis of takeaways. Is that fair?
A. So are pass-rushers in terms of sacks. I think they understand it comes with the territory, particularly the mature ones. Certainly takeaways define greatness. But you go through spells where you're not getting home, whether you're a pass-rusher or a defensive back. Any of us who have been in the business any length of time kind of have an understanding of that.
Q. Beanie Bishop had 2 interceptions vs. the Jets, the first of his NFL career. During the week he mentioned that you and he watch video together. Did he initiate those sessions, or did you?
A. I did. I'm a secondary coach by trade. I love the development of nickel cornerbacks. That's home base for me. I cut my teeth in this business 25 years or so ago, coaching Ronde Barber as a nickel corner in Tampa. And over the years, I've always had intimate relationships with those guys and been a component of their growth and development. I used to do similar things with Mike Hilton, for example, and Beanie is a guy who's really talented with some upside, and there are some nuances to the position. And so more than anything, it's informational for him, but it's also training in terms of approach to business. He's a young guy, and it's important that he realizes that you've got to go above and beyond if you want to carve out a space for yourself in this thing. And so he and I do get together routinely on Friday mornings, and we give about 20-30 minutes just he and I to that specific space. And we do it at the latter part of the week, because we've got real good information at the latter part of the week, based on what our intentions are in terms of schematics. We can talk about really hardcore situational things just to round out his readiness and give a guy who is very young in this thing an edge in terms of performance. Veteran guys, guys who have been doing it a while, they have that snap history to hang their hat on. With a young guy, we've all got to put our hands in the pile to position them to be what they want to be and what we need them to be on game weekends.
Q. One of the terms I've heard used recently is spot-drop zone coverage. What is that?
A. There are different types of zones. There are relatable zones where you drop off of receivers or receivers' potential locations. And then there's spot-drop zones where you drop based on locations on the field. And the quarterback is your guide. It's really six-of-one or half-dozen-of-the-other. If you poll a bunch of defensive coaches, half of them will be spot-drop related, and half of them will be receiver related. We do a little bit of both, to be quite honest with you, because if you're chasing greatness, you better have a diverse package. And so I understand the argument. I've been a component of the argument all my adult life. I believe in some instances that spot-drops are beneficial, but I also believe that in other instances relatable zones are more beneficial. And so I'm comfortably on the fence in the argument.
Q. So does the particular quarterback or the kind of quarterback you're facing dictate that one is better than the other?
A. Not necessarily the quarterback, but the schematic component of the offense is probably the best way to describe it. Again, if you know less about what you're getting, I probably would be field oriented and drop off of field locations. If I've got a real good understanding of what I'm getting, and then I'll be more inclined to be with the relatable zones. But it is an ongoing debate, one that will never end, and really week to week my posture in the debate might change, to be quite honest with you.
Q. Daniel Jones is the Giants starting quarterback tonight. He is 6-5, 230, and during his career he has rushed for 2,098 yards on 382 carries for 13 touchdowns and 141 first downs. How do the Giants use that part of his game, and in what situations?
A. You see designed quarterback run situations to play the mathematic component of the game. If you've got a guy in the middle of the field on defense, a deep middle like Minkah for example, and they have a designed quarterback run, then you're essentially playing 10-on-11 football. And what that means is somebody has to defeat a block and make a tackle. So that's one of the reasons why you call designed quarterback runs, because unless somebody is in zero-coverage, you've got to man up. And so the Giants do some of that, and we've got to be prepared for it. There are some situational clues. There are also some structural clues from a formation or a personnel group perspective. And then there's a component of play extension and ad lib, and he brings that. Call-passes where he utilizes his athleticism to make the best of a deteriorating circumstance, that's always been an asset of his. You better be cautious in terms of how you manage that component, too. But we see a lot of quarterback mobility. We're used to that in the AFC North. With guys like Lamar and Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson, we deal with a lot of quarterback mobility. And so it's not earth shattering for us, although we respect it.
Q. Is it accurate to call Dexter Lawrence a game-wrecker as a defensive tackle?
A. That would be extremely accurate. He is a monster. He is Freddy Krueger. He's a guy who's capable of dominating the game in the run and in the pass. Quite often, in both circumstances, he requires four hands on him to neutralize him. And those guys who require four hands, those are the guys who fit comfortably in that game-wrecker mode.
Q. I'd like to take you back to your first Monday Night Football game as a head coach – Nov. 5, 2007, vs. Baltimore in Pittsburgh when James Harrison had 9 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery on defense, plus a tackle and a forced fumble on special teams. Is that the most dominant individual performance by a defensive player you've ever seen?
A. Arguably, and you didn't mention the six quarterback hits to put it in perspective of how vivid that performance is to me. But I've been around some sick, sick performances, and that is definitively, arguably one of them. We were in the 2002 NFC Championship Game, and Ronde Barber stood on his head against the Philadelphia Eagles and put up a similar game (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception that he returned 97 yards for a touchdown, 4 passes defensed, and 1 forced fumble). Those are probably the top two single individual defensive performances that I've been in close proximity to.
Q. Did you leave that game feeling differently about what you had as a player in James Harrison?
A. I probably felt it prior to then. I think when you're around these guys day to day, you see things that maybe the public doesn't. His talents were obvious, but his commitment was equally as impressive as his talent. The way that James trained and prepared himself has become a thing of legend, but when you saw it every day, you knew it was special when you were looking at it. His approach to his business, the way that he readied himself for action. There's such a thing as football justice, and that guy positioned himself to be fortunate in this thing. And so I don't know that any of us were surprised by the superhuman things that he did, because he brought a superhuman commitment and process to preparation.
