Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Bubba Ventrone (12.26.24)
Can you just maybe address the kicking situation and what the outlook is like heading into this game?
“Yeah, Coach (Kevin Stefanski) kind of hit on it in his media thing. We’re working through it and he’s (Dustin Hopkins) working through it. We have a lot of confidence in him to get it right and we think that this is the best thing just for him to be able to work through it.”
Why do you bring in a kicker on the practice squad?
“I think it’s just an option to have.”
What was it that you liked about Andre (Szmyt)?
“So, he was at the workout before we signed Riley (Patterson). Had a good workout, was accurate. Obviously, a younger kid, has a good leg.”
Where is Dustin (Hopkins) at physically and mentally? Because when he talked after the game, he mentioned feeling like he had the swing down and then feeling like he lost it throughout the week and then didn’t have it going into the game. So where is he at right now?
“Yeah, I thought he hit the ball pretty decent during the week. Missed a couple kicks, which happens. I felt like the pregame warm-up was solid. Obviously, we had one opportunity in the game, and he missed the PAT. I think he’s just trying to figure it out honestly.”
Might there be some sentiment for letting him work through these last two games, just not having to kick in the game and then work it through over the offseason to come back nice and strong?
“I mean that’s obviously an option. Coach held him out of the game prior to the Cincinnati game. I think that we’ll just make a decision at the end of the week and figure out what’s best for him and our team. And I’ll say this, there are times where guys have a little hiccup in their process, whatever you want to call it. I mean, even the best in the game, Justin Tucker, had one in the middle of the season and he’s hit the ball really well the last two or three weeks. Look, we have confidence – he’s a veteran, Dustin, and we feel like he’s going to be able to figure it out.”
Do you look at this like a tryout for Szmyt for two weeks even if he doesn’t kick in the games?
“I think it’s always good to be able to get eyes on a younger player, regardless of what position it’s at. I think that specifically for specialists in general, it most times takes those guys longer to be able to establish themselves or to get an opportunity. So, I think that it’s always good to be able to put eyes on a young player, whether it’s a defensive, offensive or a special teams guy. I think it’s a good thing for us to be able to do that.”
I don’t think we talked to you yet since there was a fair catch, free kick thing. Is that something you guys think about often, even before you saw that?
“Yeah, we talked through that situation. We don’t hit it every week. We hit it every few weeks just to remind our players how we would handle that. I took part in one of those with (Jim) Harbaugh as my coach in 2013. We played at, and I think people have written about this, we played at St. Louis. I want to say it was a Thursday night game and ironically Phil Dawson was the guy that attempted the kick. It was like a – I want to say it was a 70 or 71-yard attempt. He mishit the ball and then it ends up playing out just like a regular kickoff would. So, we had to cover it like a kickoff. And I would say in that situation there, they get the 15-yard penalty, so now the ball is at the plus whatever it was, it ends up being a 57-yard field goal. So, he can just take a normal field goal approach with no rush and obviously they execute the play well.”
Well the situation’s got to be where the punter’s backed up for that to even happen. But would you do that only at the end of a half or would you do that anytime in the game?
“You can do it anytime in the game. But I would say it’s probably less advantageous to do it earlier in the game when you’re trying to score touchdowns and you’re trying to move the ball down the field and you’re trying to get even a field goal closer than a 57-yard kick. We actually had a situation when I was an assistant in New England, it was at the end of regulation against Atlanta in the Super Bowl, and Bill (Belichick) came down and asked us if we would be able to attempt a kick from there and Steve Gostkowski said no. But it was like a, geez, it had to be like a 73-yard field goal maybe at that point. Because then you have to cover it like a kickoff and depending on who that returner is…”
Does Miami still use Tyreek (Hill) at all in the return game? Like, is that something you have to be prepared for?
“Yeah, they have used him. We’re always going to prepare for every possible situation, every possible returner that’s on the roster every week. So, our guys will always be prepared for whoever we have to cover against.”
So, with putting Denzel (Ward) back there after the timeout, did you think about putting him back out there initially?
“So initially it looked like they were going to punt the ball and then they came back with the field goal unit. So, then that’s why we ended up putting him back there in the event that the ball was to be short. Cade (York) hit a good ball there, going to give him credit and he did a nice job.”
How nice is it that Jerome (Ford) has really found his return footing as you guys go through these last few games?
“Yeah, Jerome’s done a good job. And like I talked about in the previous interviews, the best thing about having a guy like that is they’re willing to do it and willing to do whatever it takes for the team. He’s our starting running back right now, and he’s been our kick returner. And I think that’s also a good form of leadership, willing to do whatever it takes for the team and no matter what role you’re in, whether it’s the starting returner or playing in multiple phases as a starter on special teams. I think that goes a long way.”
You guys are heading into your final home game. Knowing how important this team is to Browns fans, how important is it to just kind of finish strong at home in front of the home crowd?
“Yeah, definitely. We’ve put everything we have into every week, into every game plan, into every practice. Our players…I think our effort has been really good. Our execution in all three phases has not been to our standard, and hopefully we can put a good product out there the next two weeks. We’re going against two really good football teams that are – obviously, Miami’s still in the playoff hunt and the next week, obviously, we get another division game. So, our focus is doing everything we can to win the game this week to make our fans proud.”