Transcript: Brian Daboll, 9/25 - Fri, Sep 25 2009 at 5:57 pm
Browns Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll press conference 9-25-09
(On what has to be done to be better on first and second down)- “I think it’s a collective effort from coaching and playing. You have to get positive yards, you can’t have any penalties, they put us behind the eight ball. Power running, north and south, good decisions at quarterback. We have to get on the right track early on, on first and second down, and prevent us from third-and-long. We’ve had quite a bit of third-and-longs this year so far. It’s hard to convert in this league on third-and-long.”
(On if Brady Quinn was trying to throw the ball too hard)- “I don’t think he was throwing it too hard. I think he was trying to go to the right guy for the most part. I certainly think he wishes he had a couple back, but I don’t think he was trying to throw it too hard.”
(On if it is tougher to call plays in the red zone)- “You prepare for every situation throughout the week, and sometimes there are teams down in the red zone that like to play a cover two shell, or drop eight and play some max coverage, where it’s a little harder to throw the football in. You game plan according to what they do. Other teams like to max pressure you. You do some different things there, but I don’t get a sense of that. I think collectively it’s been all across the board. One time we’re a little bit late off the snap, next time probably could have called a different call on that wildcat one. I think it’s a collective effort, just to continue to stress it every week. We worked on it today again and hope to progress.”
(On if you have to prepare as though you won’t have Jamal Lewis )- “We prepare the same way, every week, and whoever is ready to go at the end of the week that’s who we’re going to go with. We have the same type of package whether we have him or whether we don’t.”
(On if the Ravens are as tough to scheme for as any team in the league)- “They’re pretty tough. Not only do they have a great scheme, they have some great players, two of the best at their positions at safety and linebacker with (Ray) Lewis and (Ed) Reed. They have an outstanding cast of characters over there that play hard, that play tough. You watch them on tape and you’re like, man they’re pretty good.”
(On what Ed Reed does to the game plan)- “You have to be conscious of him at all times, and if you’re not he’s going to get you. He’s a ball hawk, he reads the quarterback extremely well, and he comes up and makes good tackles. If you’re not aware of him on every play he’s going to get you. I talked to Chad (Pennington) last year, they played him in the playoff game. I showed a clip to the quarterbacks. He was playing a cover two safety on the opposite side of the field and they were running a little route to the left side of the field short and he came all the way across the field and intercepted the ball. I talked to Chad after the game and I said, ‘What coverage was that?’ He said, ‘It was cover two, can you believe where he came from?’ He’s an outstanding player, and he’s one of the best.”
(On how the team prepares the same whether Jamal Lewis will play or not)- “The team’s we’re playing, based on what they do defensively, and the runs that we think are good runs that week, it’s not different if it was Jamal or if it was J.C. (Jerome Harrison). We’re going to put the runs in that we think will be most effective for that particular week. We expect all the guys to be able to do that.”
(On if he expects the same result out of Jerome Harrison or James Davis)- “Yes, that is what we expect.”
(On if it would be a tall order for Harrison or Davis to go against Baltimore’s defense)- “It’s going to be a task for everybody, not just those two guys. This is an outstanding defense and these guys have worked during the week. They know what our expectations are. This is a tough, hard hitting linebacker core, front core with (Haloti) Ngata and Trevor Pryce in there. These guys understand what the expectations are and they’re going to go in and give their best effort, and whoever is in there that’s what we expect.”
(On where Brady Quinn’s development is at)- “It’s a day-to-day basis. He works his tail off. He’s in here a bunch. In terms of the game plan, game plan specific things, he’s improved with that from week-to-week. I’m sure, certainly, that he wishes he’s improved more, just like all the other guys too. We expect them to improve each and every week.”
(On if it is hard trying to keep the guys from pushing to do too much)- “It’s not hard to do that, I think they understand what their roles are. I don’t think anybody is pushing to do more than what they’re job is, and that’s something that we always stress all the time is, make sure you do your job and the guy next to you does his, and hopefully the rewards will come with it.”
(On if it is human nature to try to do too much)- “It’s just something that from Eric, on down, stresses is, make sure you do your job, trust the guy next to you is going to do his. Don’t press, make sure you’re doing exactly what we need you to do and hopefully the rewards will come from it.”
(On if there is reason to believe the season will get back on track)- “I told those guys the other day, here’s the reality of it, we’re 0-2. How we got here, is how we got here. What are we going to do starting when we talk to them on Monday from this point forward? We prepare, we practice, we’re doing everything we can do to make sure that we get it on the right track.”
(On if there are signs that this season could still be a good team)- “It’s early on in the season, and like I just said before we’re 0-2, that’s where we’re at. Nobody wanted to start the season 0-2, but everybody has the right mindset. They’re coming in, they’re working, they’re practicing, they’re preparing and that’s what we’re going to do every week.”
(On if Josh Cribbs can make it work being a number two receiver)- “Mary Kay (Cabot), it’s a collective effort, you can’t just look at one guy. There’s 11, 12 reasons on every play that maybe one play doesn’t work here or there. The first thing we need to do offensively is prevent turnovers. We’ve had five turnovers in two games, and there’s a long study that has been done. If you turn the football over, it doesn’t matter about the 60 or 70 other plays in the game, you minimize your chances to win greatly.”
(On injuries on the offensive line)- “We’ve been practicing, we practiced a ton of guys during the camp during preseason. That’s why you do it, everybody has played some different spots, they’re jelling together this particular week, but we just move in and out and at the end of the week we’ll be ready to go.”
(On if it will confuse Alex Mack facing the Baltimore defense)- “I don’t think it would be confusing to Alex. Pork chop (Floyd Womack) helps out too, he makes the calls, Alex makes the calls, (John) St. Clair, Steiny (Eric Steinbach), they’re all communicating with one, those five guys need to play as one and they all need to be on the same page.”
(On Rob Ryan taking the blame for the loss at Denver)- “Rob is an accountable guy, but whether I agree with that it doesn’t matter. I think everybody is accountable, I’m accountable, players and coaches. When you don’t play well I think you have to take ownership in it. You have to be up front about it and say, what can we do to be better the next week? Whether it’s a different call, whether it’s more preparation, whether it’s a better throw, a better block, I think everybody has to be accountable for it.”
(On what it says about Brady Quinn throwing to the end zone once while at the goal line)- “It says that we’ve done a lot of work, and we’re anticipating certain coverages in certain situations. You go with what you prepared for in the week. A seven man box versus an eight man box. Sometimes we have check with me plays, where you don’t want to throw it versus a particular look, you’d rather run it. That’s going to be pretty much the same every week with that. Whether you’re going to run it in or pass it in. Based on a particular look in some situations it might put you in what you’re trying to get into.”
(On being on the field as opposed to upstairs during the game)- “I’ve never thought about it. I’m down on the field giving the signals on the coach’s quarterback. I’ve been upstairs too when I was working with the secondary. I’ve been upstairs working with the quarterbacks. I’ve done a little of both. If you’re upstairs, you communicate it down to the person that would have the coach’s quarterback and then he would communicate it in.”
(On if adjustments have been made to cut down on sacks)- “It could always be better, obviously it’s not good enough and it needs to be better. We go in with a plan trying to take away certain guys or put certain protection to somebody and that needs to be better all the way around.”
