Head Coach Todd Monken (10.2.26)
Todd, do you have any update today yet on Mason Graham and his knee injury?
“I do not.”
You don’t? And is he having an MRI today? I saw somewhere that he was having an MRI.
“I don’t know. He might be.”
Can you just address how much he’s meant to this team in the early going, with those four sacks in three games, and how hard he worked to get to this point?
“I mean, he’s a tremendously talented young player that you could see early in the season, it all coming together. Like I said last week, we want all of our young players to be great right away, and we need them to be great right away. That’s the nature of the business we’ve chosen. But I just think he’s worked awfully hard. He’s not only active and quick, he’s a highly intelligent player, which I think helps him in terms of reading sets, in terms of communication up front. And he plays with unbelievable effort. So, it’s a shame for him, but hopefully we’ll get good news.”
It seems like Deshaun Watson’s gaining more and more confidence each week throwing the ball downfield, we saw it last night and so forth. Can you just address that? It just seems like now he’s just playing, you can see it, even in him meeting with us, the confidence that he’s playing with.
“Well, we were able to, last night, get into a better rhythm and stacking plays, which allows you to be aggressive and try to push the ball down the field. Our guys did a really good job in protection. We didn’t have a ton of unblocked pressures, which had been an issue the first three weeks. And you want a quarterback to gain confidence, protect him, run the ball better, and you’ll start to see that develop. And if you can’t do that, then you won’t, you’re going to see a quarterback under duress that’s looking to check the ball down, not keeping his eyes down the field. And it all works together. And I said this early in the process, that he’s going to continue to get better. All of our players are going to continue to get better, by the way they work, by the way we’re going to try to continue to structure what we do offensively, and our guys are really diligent. And like I said, it’s a real credit to him and the work he’s put in.”
I know that you recognized Corey Bojorquez last night, but just the special teams unit as a whole, and Corey included in there, from the summer to now when he was in that competition, what have you seen from him? How did he respond from being in a competition for the position to now going out there and helping put your team in good position?
“Well, the best way to respond is to play well, and he’s done that. It’s really a simple answer. This is what this whole league is about, it’s about competing, and it’s really easy to get settled in, it’s real easy to become complacent. And he did not do that, and it shows. But again, the best way to control that is just play well.”
It seemed like the pre snap penalties on offense got reduced last night, but still with the calls on defense, 43 penalties through the first four games. Just how much of a concern is that?
“Yeah, we shrunk the penalties, but it still wasn’t good enough. And that many penalties are not a recipe for success. I mean, we all know that. We’ve got to get it cleaned up. And especially the pre-snap penalties, that’s something we control, that’s got nothing to do with them, it’s got everything to do with us. And we’ll go back to work when the guys come back on Tuesday, and we’ll fight like hell to clean it up, because it’s, like I said, it’s not a recipe for success.”
There seems to be a one-word theme with your team early this season, and it’s believe. I’m just kind of wondering if that was intentional on your part, to really hammer that home with these young guys, or is that something that just has organically happened throughout training camp and in the early part of the season here?
“Well, I think our staff has done a great job, and all of us collectively, of believing in each other, okay, that’s the start of it. I mean, do you truly believe in your players and the work that they put in? And since, like I said, from the moment I’ve gotten here, all our guys have done is work. So, when you watch the guys work as hard as they work and connect like they connect with each other, there’s going to be a growing belief in what they’re going to show on tape, every time you take the field. That’s what was so frustrating about the Jaguars game. And then a player’s belief comes from us putting them in position to be successful and schematically giving them opportunities to score or to stop an opponent. And then eventually all that belief goes out the window if you don’t have success. We all know that comes with the territory, that there’s only so much belief in the work you put in, you’ve got to, some of the fruits of your labor has to come to fruition. And we’ve been fortunate to be on the front side of three one-score games, and our guys have finished. And I have never said anything about believe, I’ve just said about trust the process, and some of our non-negotiables, which are our physicality, our effort, our connection, and no energy loafs or celebration loafs. Excuse me. And like I said, our guys come to work every single day, and we certainly have a lot to clean up. We’re nowhere near where we want to be or where we’re going to be, but we’ve got the right guys and the right mindset every single day to attack it, which gives you a chance. And not only from a coaching standpoint, but from a player standpoint. But I think a lot of it is more organic, because it has to show up on the field. I just think our guys believe in the staff, and the staff believes in them, but then you’ve got to go out there and do it.”
Just what can you say about your interior D-line, and specifically Mike (Hall Jr.) and the way he came back after the ankle, and Adin Huntington coming in and playing so many snaps, and the way those guys just continued to get pressure despite Mason’s injury and Mike leaving for that short period?
“Yeah, real credit to Mike. He didn’t think he’d be able to come back, and he did. Number one, because I think that’s what his teammates mean to him. I think Mike loves being part of a team. At times he can come across like a little rough around the edges, but really, he likes being part of a team. He loves his teammates, he loves being a Cleveland Brown, being from around here. So that was awesome, and then Adin continuing to play, and credit to Jacques (Cesaire) and the defensive staff for having those guys ready to go. And that’s the NFL, you’re going to lose players in a game, you’re going to lose them for an extended period of time. And there’s a certain expectation of the position, and we don’t allow our coaches, and we’re not going to allow our players to make excuses. It doesn’t matter, next man up, and no one cares. And we got to put our best foot forward and give ourselves a chance to win.”
I know the bigger picture too, with this defense, it seems like Rudy (Mike Rutenberg) is scheming so many different things up to simulate pressure, and just get pressure in different ways, just how key is that, just knowing that next man up mentality?
“Well, he’s done a great job, and the staff has done a great job. I think we learned our lesson at Jacksonville; we’re not just going to be able to be stagnant and not be aggressive. And that’s part of what we do as coaching. And I said it the other day, we’re always under construction. We look at everything on a daily basis, what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, we look at it after the game, and schematically, how are we doing it, and what do we need to do to get better schematically and as players. So, we’re always under construction. And as I said, there’s certain things that are written in stone, and there’s others that are written in sand, and there’s certain core elements of what we believe in that are in stone, that are non-negotiables. And there’s certain things that are in sand, that you’re changing, you’re chasing edges, you’re chasing being on the cutting edge of giving us a chance every week to win. And by the way, I have to give credit to Coach (John) Harbaugh, that’s what he used to say, and I loved it. So, he’s going to be looking at it and saying, ‘you stole my s***’, and I did. Some things set in stone, and in sand, is his, so, but I loved it, so that’s okay. I always thought that was a great way of saying it, and I completely believe in it.”
Kind of following up on that, I wanted to ask you, Mike McCarthy said that Rudy’s game plan was really aggressive, Denzel (Ward) talked about how much man there was. Do you think that style just fits with who you are as a team, personality wise?
“Well, I don’t know that. I mean, first of all, players want coaches that are aggressive. When I went for it on fourth down at Tampa, and I talked about it in the team meeting, about looking back at it, and every defensive player was like, ‘no coach, go for it’, like they want their coaches to be aggressive. Defensive players specifically, they want you to have their back, and they want to know that you’re going to be aggressive, that you’re going to play to win every single opportunity that you have. Okay, so is playing man a part of that? Yes. Is pressuring a part of that? Yes. Do we need to have all the above? Yes. Because ultimately, we’re judged on results, right? We certainly are, and the results have shown. But we all know, just go a game where it doesn’t work, like, ‘oh, we’re too aggressive, right, we’re playing too much man’, it’s like, s***, I don’t know. You go into the game, do the work, and stick to the plan, and don’t look back, and then you can reassess afterwards. But if you’re going to play man, you’re going to get beat every now and then, and that’s just part of it. There are times you’re going to force the quarterback to hold the ball, and you have got to live with it. Otherwise, you’re going to second guess every call that you have. Do all the work during the week, shrink the margin for error, and let it rip, and then let the chips fall where they may, and then reassess.”
And then on the other side of the ball, how rare is it to have a guy like Denzel Boston this early in his career already look like kind of a go to guy, where you can call it up and say, we’re going to try to get the ball to this guy right now?
“Well, we tried. We tried early. We misfired a couple times on a third down there early, and in the same sequence, on first down, we went that way, and we went the other way. But he’s only going to continue to get better because he’s tough physically and mentally, he’s diligent, he’s got an excellent catch radius and plays strong to the ball. That’s all you need to know. He’s done an excellent job early on, and he’s only going to continue to get better because that’s his mindset. And so same with KC (Concepcion Jr.), they’re wired the right way, they’re made of the right stuff, and you’re going to always give yourself a chance to win the more you surround yourself with guys with that kind of mentality, that mental stamina, that competitive stamina. That allows them to work through the ups and downs of an NFL game, in an NFL season, that’s part of it you’re playing against the best in the world, and the more guys you get like that, the more you can work through the ups and downs of a game. Our games are going to be like that, NFL games are going to be like that, where they’re going to make some plays, and how do you get back in the huddle and make the next one and move on? And the more guys you have that are like that, the better you’re going to be.”
Obviously, Deshaun did so many good things in that game, but what is your view of the fact that he had the two giveaways in the second half, and then took that sack on the late drive? So, in a game like this, is this just the normal ups and downs, roller coaster of a game, or do you have to have a conversation with him about some of those things that happen late in the game?
“Well, we’ve worked awfully hard with his ball security. He likes to swing the ball out away from his body. And so, we’ve worked awfully hard, Coach (Mike) Bajakian has, and it was better. The zone read call to T.J. Watt, my fault, for God’s sakes, you ought to know better than playing him for seven games the last three years, that crafty son of a gun. And he made a great play, that I would put as a great play. More on that, I’m disappointed that we lost the ball because we were moving it, we were running the football, we had been backed up on the first drive, and then we had something going there, the second one, the ball just got tipped. I mean, we got a little loose at right tackle, let (Jack) Sawyer come up and get to him. We had to take the route down the field. And so, that’s not – I thought he did a better job yesterday of not putting the ball at risk. The week before, there were a couple throws that I thought could have been giveaways. We’re learning each other as well, whether we’re under center, gun, what style of plays, we’re still in the process of learning each other as a system. At the end, when I looked at the tape this morning, he was going to throw the slant, and Patrick Queen kind of stopped, and he was going to throw it, and I saw what he saw. I didn’t see that till I watched the tape. That’s why it’s so important about the tape, because I was MF’ing him taking the sack, I mean, what are you doing, for God’s sakes, I mean, s***. And you look back and you go, you know what, he might have thrown a pick there. And a lot of, most of the time when I watch the tape, he’s riding what he sees. Most of the time. He thinks he’s right 100% of the time, but he’s not right 100% of the time, but he’s right a lot in terms of what he sees. And I got to keep that in mind, because usually he has a pretty good answer for it.”
And then the next question I have real quick is, it’s about Jared Verse. We talked to him after the game just about how much he talks during the game, and that fire that he brings and he’s yapping and jawing. I’m just wondering what your view is on a guy like that, who brings that heat and that smoke out on the field. What is your view on that?
“Well, all I tell our players is to be you. If that’s you, that’s you, everybody else is taken, be you. I mean, if that’s you, if that’s what gets you going and that’s how you play at your best, great. I think Carson Schwesinger plays great football and doesn’t say a word. I know he talks to players, he doesn’t say much to me, which is disappointing. But he doesn’t really say much, and other guys talk a lot, and that’s fine, that’s okay. And what I love about Jared is that if you’re going to talk a lot, you’ve got to back it up with your energy and your juice and your approach to practice and the way you play. Because if you talk a lot and then you don’t back it up, then it’s just all smoke, there’s nothing to it, it’s just a vapor, it doesn’t mean anything. Because we are judged by how we play, not our names, not our talk. It’s what shows up on tape is who you are. And that’s what I love about him, because he backs it up by how hard he plays.”
Could you just talk a little bit about the resiliency? I mean, you give up a 10-minute drive to open the game, then they come back and overcome 14 penalties, a couple turnovers, a 14-point lead, and then even late with an 8-point lead, but they just kept coming back. Just address that, how important that is for a young team.
“Well, Denzel (Ward) turned the momentum there by that interception. We went three and out, didn’t execute on third down, and then we had a couple shots down the field, and we gave it back to him. And we had the ball, three and out, and they had that long drive, exactly what you said. And then he gets that turnover, and then momentum’s a powerful thing. And then we were able to score and get a stop, and score and get a stop, and score and get a stop. I mean, how many times are we going… I mean, I’ve been in this league, in and out of this league for a long time, and when you play against experienced great quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, you better put them away. You better bury them early. I saw it with Peyton Manning when I was at the Jags. I’ve seen it across this league. It happened last year here at the end of the year; Aaron took him all the way down the field again and had a chance. Same thing right before the half. Those guys are elite in two-minute, and they’re really elite when they get four downs, right? I mean, shoot, you get four downs, and they needed all four, right? I mean they needed all the way to four downs if that’s a normal course of a game. Our defense did a great job, and they kick a field goal, but the guys got four downs, and that’s hard, and that is hard living. But you’re right, the resiliency of our team to keep fighting and to not blink, that’s the bottom, don’t flinch. When I was a GA at Notre Dame, Coach (Lou) Holtz had like the seven ways you win, I can’t remember, I can’t – hell, it was almost 40 years ago, but the last one of it was don’t flinch. Absolutely don’t flinch, and our guys have not flinched.”
Hey coach, congrats on the hot start and the win last night. Just want to ask you, what’s it been like to feel the fan base get behind Deshaun? We know his past, we know the injuries, him coming back, putting in the work. What’s it been like for you to see the fans really get behind him?
“Well, I tried to explain it as best I could early on, which is, it’s one thing about being old, you kind of get a few things figured out, is that what they really want is good football. That’s really it. And a product that they can be proud of each week that represents them and our team, and an honest effort. We’re never going to be perfect. But as I try to tell Deshaun, just like us, play better. Play better. Let’s all of us play better. And if we don’t, then it’s not going to be good. And I joked about it, I think the other day, I said if the singer singing the national anthem forgets the words, starts screwing it up, hell, they’re going to boo that person. I mean, it’s just part of what we do. Like, if it’s a crappy product, you’re going to get booed. And pull your big boy pants up and let’s go to work. And he’s done that. And so that’s awesome. I said that yesterday. I mean, the guy ran out of the tunnel last. He was the last guy out of the tunnel, and I think that was important to him. The way he played the first half, I think the fans were a big part of that, and the reception he got as he came onto the field. Now, he earned that, you got to earn it. They weren’t going to do that unless he’d earned it, where we were as a team. But I’m so happy for him. And we’ve just started, we’re four games in, we have a lot of work to do, but ultimately, we control how we play, we control that by the product we put on the field each week.”
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