Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey (9.19.24)
Ken, we know week one, I guess motion was something that was talked about as something that was really going to be a point of emphasis and we saw the difference kind of week one to week two. Just, what I guess necessitated you guys sort of incorporating that into the offense a little bit more this past week and how much of an impact it can have on you guys being to do some things that you want to do?
“Yeah, I think as the season goes, every game kind of forms its own identity. It’s just one of those where situationally, we just weren’t able to do some of those things week one. And week two, we were able to stay in some more positive situations to take advantage of some of those things that whether we want to do it or whether it’s advantageous for the play or window dressing, whatever it is. And then there’s going to be times where we want to play fast, get up, take the thinking out of it and snap the ball. So, we’re always going to try to have a balance there, use enough to make sure we’re attacking the defense the way we see fit. But at the same time making sure our guys can play fast, both mentally and physically.”
How do you think that Deshaun (Watson) rebounded from the week that he had leading up…?
“Yeah, I think every week Deshaun just comes out with a consistent approach and is really just focused on that week. And I thought, not only Deshaun, but the whole offense really kind of came back and didn’t let one game become two. And the thing when you look at, there’s still improvement to be made obviously when you watch the game. And so, we’re going to take a growth set mentality and I think that obviously starts with the quarterback room of no matter what we do in a game, there’s going to be things to learn from and grow from and maintain our confidence and just keep going in a trajectory that is going to be improving each and every week.”
After the third down play, down the stretch there, like, what did you come out saying to him?
“Yeah, I mean it’s something that – obviously situational football is big in this league, and I think it’s just something we can learn from at the end of the day. Just making sure we’re good on the situation and everybody’s on the same page and we just talk through the situation and making sure that it’s something that we can learn from. And when we’re in that situation again, whether it’s a decision, whether it’s, you know, the execution, however it might be, right? But it’s just making sure that we’re operating at a high level in those situations.”
What’s going on with (Amari) Cooper right now? Hasn’t been a big part of the receptions?
“Amari’s a pro and he does a great job preparing himself. It’s one of those things where you just never know where the ball is going to go in the course of the game, and we’re just going to continue to grow as an offense. And obviously, Amari is a big part of that. I think just kind of, we keep plugging away, and I think when you just keep working your progressions, making decisions, not forcing the ball, the ball is going to find these guys. And I think if they just keep working and getting open, good things will happen, whether it’s Amari or anybody else on the offense.”
Kevin mentioned that Deshaun did a good job going through his reads, and it looked like he was quicker with this decision. So, what changed or what did you guys kind of do between week one and week two to help him get there?
“To be honest, I don’t think – we didn’t really do anything or reinventing the wheel, to be perfectly honest with you. Every Monday we come in after a Sunday game, we evaluate, we learn from it, and we move on to the next opponent. And I think that’s all we did. We just kind of kept that same philosophy and I thought there was good things that we could learn from. I thought from week one that I think you saw kind of carry over into week two. So, I’ve been really just overall generally happy with the decision-making thought process from Deshaun. I thought there are, obviously, there are things we could do better. But from that aspect, I think a lot of good decisions. But each week, whether you’re Deshaun Watson, or Drew Brees or Philip Rivers, any of these guys who have played for a long time, there are always going to be things you can learn from.”
(Jameis) Winston’s on tape as your sneak specialist. You obviously have a lot of options. Otherwise, everyone would do what Jacksonville did and load up on that. So, I’m asking how large is the possible package when Winston’s on the field in that situation?
“We’ll see. Every week, it just poses so many different challenges and based off of what they do. This week could look very different, it could look similar based off of kind of what they’re doing from a schematical standpoint up front. So, obviously, having a guy like Jameis gives us a lot of flexibility because you could do some different things, but at the same time, a lot of it dictates based off of what you’re seeing on tape and that is a constantly evolving deal. And that’s what I think short yardage, as you guys saw last week, there’s obviously opportunities to convert and move the chains, but there’s times where there’s obviously opportunities for big plays, whether Jameis is in there or Deshaun is in there.”
You talk the game, but every game’s its own kind of silo. D’Onta (Foreman) goes from basically only one snap against the Cowboys to getting the most carries of any running back against Jacksonville. Was that matchup? What kind of went into the thinking there get him more involved in the run game?
“I mean, he’s a good football player. It’s hard when you’ve got a lot of good football players. In that room, we’ve got some talent in that room we feel like. There are going to be some games, unfortunately, where it’s not dictated, it’s not in the cards for that position group at times and you see that with, whether it’s receivers catching balls, tight ends, all that stuff. But I do feel like that, that he’s a heck of a running back; he’s physical, he plays fast, he hits the hole hard and there’s going to be a place for his style of play within our system. So we’ll continue to try to get him involved, try to get all those guys involved. It’s just, you got to be careful because it’s like if you’re spread too thin there, then no one gets in that rhythm. So, we just got to make sure that we’ve got a rotation that allows those guys to stay in a rhythm and yet, still take advantage of what they do. And I think all those guys have some very good skill sets.”
The run game has been just such a critical statement of the offense. The perception, I’m saying it’s reality, the perception is that in Jacksonville, you guys kind of went a little bit back to the bread and butter and you had success doing it. Was that the case and just how important is it when you talk about getting those guys into a rhythm? How important is that going to be keeping Jerome (Ford) and D’Onta in that rhythm going forward?
“Yeah, I think it’s a great question. I think at the end of the day, you always want to be able to run the football. You always want to be able to stay balanced and be able to attack in different ways. Now, every game, I said, that takes on a different identity. So, yeah, there’s going to be some games where we throw it more than run it and some games, we’re going to run more than you throw it. So, every game is a little different in that regard, based off of what you’re seeing on tape and how you feel like is the best way to attack a defense. But that being said, you always do want to have that. You always want to be physical, let your guys come off the ball not be in a situation that’s forcing you to be constant drop back pass or anything like that. So, the big thing for us is staying in green situation, staying in situations that are advantageous to an offense. And I think that’s easier said than done sometimes with the defenses you face, and I think most offenses obviously try to do that. But some of your best games is when you’re having that first, second down production to make sure that you can do all those things and your whole playbook’s open.”
When you look at what the Giants defense presents to you guys, what are the challenges that you guys are focusing on heading into this game?
“Yeah, I think schematically they do a lot of things from giving you one picture and then being able to change that picture post snap. So, some of the schematical stuff presents some problems from the disguise to the blitz packages to just the overall soundness of how they play. There’s not a lot of just guys running wide open a lot on tape when you look at them over the years. I think he (Shane Bowen) does a great job as a coordinator assessing what he has and putting them in really good positions to force you to have to execute. Personnel wise, they’ve got a great front that puts a lot of pressure on not only in the pass game, but the run game as well, both inside and outside. So up there really kind of forces you to have to be physical force, forces you have to play well up front. And then linebackers that could go side to sideline with speed. And then I think a secondary that, that fits their system very well from a – they can play the zones and have feel and instincts, and then in the man coverage, they can get up, be physical at the line of scrimmage with the speed to run with you. So, long story short, there’s a couple different things that you got to focus on and making sure that you’re staying ahead of the chain so that they don’t get you in situations that allow those guys up front to tee off on you.”
Has (Mike Vrabel) Vrabel helped? Has he contributed more this week in the offensive meetings considering that’s his guy?
“Yeah, I mean, to be perfectly honest with you, no more than he does each week, to be honest. He’s just got a great mind for the game from and been in some different systems to say, okay, like, ‘Hey, they’re kind of doing this and this system they’re doing that.’ Obviously, he’s got a lot of firsthand knowledge on this system and so he’s been awesome each and every week in terms of being able to help us kind of what they’re doing and then and then some different ways to attack it and different ways to look at it from a defensive perspective all within the things that we do and not all of a sudden coming out and saying, ‘Yeah, we should run the Wing-T,’ or something. I think that’s Vrabes’ (Mike Vrabel) strong suit is just being able to look at things from both sides of the ball to provide us great insight and obviously, with the insight he has on these guys this week, it adds to that.”
On that first drive, I know it was a long one, but I think you used all three backs, five receivers, two tight ends, plus the extra lineman. You guys talked about getting contributions from everybody, but just, was that a focus going in and how much of a true team win was it? Because I think you used everybody on the roster.
“Yeah, and to your point, that’s what kind of guns me up a lot of times is being able to, when you look at a stat sheet, it’s like multiple guys, like five, six, seven guys have multiple catches in a game, you know, in the passing game. And then the run game, multiple guys have, not just like one or two carries but some multiple carries. So, I love to do that because then when you’re a defense looking that it’s like, ‘shoot, who are you focusing on?’ Obviously, roster-wise, there’s always going to be keys to the game for a defense of who they’re locked in on. But anytime that you could keep a balance like that and keep a defense off balance, both, whether it’s formation change, personnel changes, motions and speed, tempo, whatever it is, you want to be able to do that. So, I think that was something that I think was good for us in the first drive throughout the game. And it’s something that, like I said, it might change based off of some weeks, based off what you’re seeing. But last week, I think that was an advantageous thing for us.”
To go back to the third and six play at the end, I mean, when Deshaun talked about it yesterday, he said, like, ‘I saw a touchdown on this play.’ That’s what he was looking for. So, what’s the balance when you have a guy like that who’s going to be so instinctual versus looking for the big play in that instance versus making maybe a shorter play?
“That’s a great question and at the end of the day, what we try to do is preach playing smart, not conservative football. So, if a shot’s there, we definitely want to take it. But, if there’s any doubt in that situation, keep the clock running, in that situation. So, I think it was something for him that he felt like he could make a play on it and, yeah, I think you saw in that game, like there was some really special, like things that he got us, out of maybe a negative play and he was able to make something happen. So, to your point, you don’t want to curtail that. I mean, there was a keeper that a lot of guys were getting sacked on and he gets us out of it and gets us two or three yards on it. And that’s just that’s special. You can’t teach those things. So, you definitely don’t want to lose that, but at the same time, just the preaching of, ‘Hey, we want to be smart, not conservative at everything we do,’ while still allowing them to play to their strengths and I think that’s especially Deshaun, but every player on our roster.”
Jerome Ford on the sweep said he wish he was faster, and yet it was the second fastest run in the league this year. So is he just deceptively fast or what?
“Yeah, I think obviously he could run, and I think you saw that last season he had some explosive runs for us. And then I think you also see by the fact that he got caught, the league’s not getting slower. It’s like there’s speed all over the field, its execution is such a premium and being able to let your guys play free and fast, is it such a premium because the league, it’s not getting slower, it’s getting faster. Like, you got D-linemen that are running in the fours, 4.6, 4.7. Some of these guys corners, it’s like, you go the combine now, it’s like 4.3 is the old 4.4, you know what I mean? It’s not getting slower and so you see that right there. I mean, he’s rolling on that, and he got caught. So, I think, long story short, it’s like you’re always looking to try to get explosive and things like that and try to get our guys in open space, make guys miss and let them make plays.”
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