Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey (12.5.24)
Ken, how do you process that kind of a game from Jameis (Winston) where it’s the best of the best and then some of the worst?
“Yeah, I mean, that’s just something we just got to keep focusing on, keep correcting, keep working at and making sure that we keep our attention to detail where it needs to be in terms of the number one thing protecting the football. And I think Jameis is the first one to admit that. And part of that is technique stuff, part of that is everybody doing their job stuff, and part of that is decision making. So, there’s different things that go into those things, but at the end of the day, the quarterback has the ultimate responsibility for it, and we’ll keep making sure to work to improve that.”
Ten years in, Jameis has always thrown interceptions. That has just been part of his game, for better or worse. As a coordinator and a coach, how do you maybe try and limit that?
“Well, you don’t stop coaching it, number one. I don’t think you just sit there and say, ‘Okay, it’s okay. It’s just the way it is’. I think we just, we keep coaching it, we keep hitting on it, why these things are happening and how can we correct them and to make sure it doesn’t happen again next time. So, I think there’s that aspect of it, obviously there with the amount of third downs and two-minute drives and things like that. We got into a lot more throwing the ball than typical. So, striking that balance to make sure we have that balance and we’re still running the ball and making sure we’re in advantageous positions for the run game and for Jameis to utilize the play action stuff as well. So, I do think there’s that balance. We got to make sure we’re handling and we’re doing good and we’re not getting lopsided. And obviously with the multiple two-minute drives and third downs and things like that added to that. But we want to make sure we’re helping him out there as well.”
Do you think the number of difficult throws that he tries to make adds up to that? It feels like there’s a lot of out routes and solid routes from one hash to the sideline that might make it more susceptible to interception.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s a good question. I think there’s a lot of difficult throws in this league. And I think the advantage that Jameis gives you is it does force a defense to have to cover the whole field. They can’t play between the hashes. They can’t play into the boundary. We want to be able to attack the whole field, but do it in a smart way, in a judicious way. And at the end of the day, knowing where our misses are. If we’re throwing an out-cuts to the field from the far hash… All right, if we’re going to miss, we’re missing that thing outside and ‘Hey, we’re throwing an in-cut we’re going to miss that thing low and not high’. So, it’s just those little detail things from the quarterback position of ‘alright, where’s my miss going to be?’ If it’s dicey at all, ‘Alright, I’m going to miss this thing outside and make sure worst-case scenario it’s second down or third down or we’re ending the series with a kick.”
Any advantages for you guys from a game planning standpoint from seeing this team so soon after you just played them? Are there any on the flip side of that, maybe disadvantages? We talk about teams getting better or changes as the season goes on so maybe they’re relatively still the same from a couple weeks ago?
“Yeah. Obviously, there’s a lot of things fresh in your mind from the first game for us and for them. I think there is that. Obviously, there’s the health factor of we’ve got some different guys in and they’ve got some different guys in and we’ve got different guys out. They got different guys out. So that always changes things as well right there. But game planning wise and things like that you look and you’re trying to make sure that you’re doing things that are different or not, things that they can just lock in and key in on because, ‘Hey, we did this before and just two weeks ago on them’. So, in that regard, things are a little bit more fresh in everybody’s mind in terms of, ‘Hey, here’s the stuff were running. Here’s the stuff they were running. I’m sure they’re going to have some different looks for us as well.”
Along those lines with personnel maybe being slightly different, it looks like they’re going to have Alex Highsmith so how does he kind of change the pass rush looks you guys might get? And even going against (Nick) Herbig, though, how difficult can he be as well in there?
“Yeah, I mean, obviously, he’s one of the top rushers in this league. He generates pressure. He’s a high effort guy. He can win with speed, win with power, and with the depth they have at the position and then obviously (TJ) Watt, on the other side, it’s a challenging combo. And obviously, there’s things you want to do to help your guys out in that regard, whether it’s within pass protection, whether it’s running the football, whether it’s ball out, whether it’s taking shots downfield. Just trying to mix things up to make sure that they can’t get a beat as much in what you’re doing. So, we just got to keep giving them different looks, keep understanding what we have in terms of the pass rush, because you got those guys and then the interior guys aren’t bad players either. (Cameron) Heyward’s playing at an extremely high level. They’ve got other guys in there that can as well. So, it’s a great challenge for us, and we got to do a great job, obviously, not only as players, but as coaches, schematically, in what we’re asking our guys to do.”
Jameis was so emotional after that game, saying he wants to be ‘delivered from pick-sixes.’ The next day when you saw him, was he still emotional or was it on to the next game?
“I mean, I think obviously it’s still in your head a little bit. It’s still kind of something you’re feeling, or still something not in your head, but you’re feeling, obviously, still that short time away from the game or whatever. But in this league, you got to be able to turn the page quickly. I think that’s the great thing about Jameis, is he’s a veteran guy, he’s been through a lot in his career, good, bad. And I think he’s got a good understanding that, ‘Hey, obviously there are some things that went well, and there’s some things we’ve got to correct from the last game’. He’s going to work to make those corrections, but we got to turn the page and focus on an opponent this week who is a really good team, a really good defense, and we got to be able to turn the page quick here, especially on a short week.”
When you have a number one receiver like Jerry (Jeudy) who can kind of thrive from anywhere you line him up, how does that help you as a play caller? What sort of things does that open up for you?
“Yeah, I think his mind for the game and his intelligence, his ability to move into different spots, whether it’s inside, outside, X, Z, whatever it is definitely beneficial. You want to be able to move guys around so a defense can’t get a beat on them and know exactly where they’re lining up every time, I feel like. So, his mental ability to handle that and then the physical ability to run the routes and still be able to win is a huge advantage, I think, for us. And the flexibility that we look for in offense is to be able to, for guys, to do different things and have different roles so that one guy is not always doing the exact same thing.”
In addition to worrying about interceptions with the (Pittsburgh) Steelers, they’re right at the top of the list in terms of forced fumbles. So how do you approach that this week, just in terms of ball security and drills and all that kind of stuff?
“Yeah, I mean, it seems like that’s the case every year with them. They do a great job coaching at attacking the football. And so that’s got to be an emphasis for us. We’ve got to do a great job with that. Obviously, from a quarterback’s perspective, decision making, throwing the ball, but also in the pocket and then all of our ball carriers as well. We got to do a great job covering the ball up, and then we got to do a great job covering to the ball with guys who don’t have it so we get population around the football. So, I think those things we really got to stress and we really got to make sure that we’re putting ourselves in the best position possible to make sure that we’re really good with our ball security.”
Going back to the question about Jerry’s versatility, are you seeing more flexibility in receivers as they’re coming into the league than maybe 10, 15 years ago, where, this guy is an X, this guy is a Y?
“I don’t know if it’s the receivers themselves or just the way the game’s going. And with the pass game and with how talented these guys are and the plays they’re able to make, defenses are so good to kind of key and take them away that you’ve got to do different things with them. So, it might be a product of what they’re doing kind of growing up now with all the seven-on-seven, it might be a product of just the evolution of the game as well. But I do think a lot of it depends on the guy too. Some guys have the ability to do what Jerry does, some guys don’t. And you just got to be able to figure that out as well if you’ve got a guy who’s more of a one position guy. So, everybody’s different. Some guys can do those different type of things and fit in different roles in different spots. Some guys are more one positional, though.”
You mentioned the run game could put you in more favorable spots. Why do you think it wasn’t as successful as you wanted against Denver (Broncos) and then what kind of challenges are to come?
“Yeah, I think Denver is a great defense. I think there are some runs that popped right there and there were some things that were some hard yards too, that we needed. The physicality of coming off the ball and getting some hard yards. So, I think it’s a product of playing a really good run defense that was around the line of scrimmage a lot and doing that type of stuff and that opened up some other things. But, at the same time we want to make sure that we’re continually focusing on letting our guys come off the ball and do those things and be physical, which they’ve done well here this year and over the years. We just got to continue grow because as you keep hitting those body blows, those things start popping for bigger gains. So, I think that’s the thing, the mentality that we want to have. We just got to keep grinding on it and keep doing that to put ourselves in position. So, hey, those things – because we got good backs, we got a good line, they can do these things – tight ends, receivers that are willing to get dirty. So, we got to keep letting them be in position to come off the ball.”
When you face a corner like (Joey) Porter, they got a bunch of those flags against Cincinnati (Bengals) the other day and he’s obviously a physical guy. What are some of the coaching points to your receivers when you go up against a guy like that?
“Yeah, it’s one of those things where you know they’re going to be physical. I think that’s just something they’ve done over the years as well, and they love to get hands on you. And obviously, he does a great job of that, and he’s a longer, more physical player. So that’s the nature of one week to the next. Last week, he had the flags. We’ll see what happens this week. But I think you just go into it saying, okay, we got to play fast. We got to understand what we’re getting and do a great job en route, on releases and all those different things, to make sure that we’re able to kind of attack that and try to create some separation against a really good corner that does a good job playing physical.”
Do you think (Nick) Chubb has hit a wall?
“No, I think Nick is a pro. He’s a guy who’s in here working every day. When you watch him at practice, when you look at his regimen to make sure he’s ready for every game. He’s a grinder, and he’s going to get himself ready each and every week. He’s played in this league for a long time, and I think that he’s the type of guy that he’s ready to roll every week.”