Offensive Coordinator Travis Switzer (10.15.26)

Travis Switzer’s opening remarks:

“Excited to get back in front of our home crowd this weekend. And with that, we can open it up for questions.

 

With protection obviously, Deshaun (Watson) got hit more times than you guys would want. Todd (Monken) was talking about the communication aspect of it. So how do you work on that as a unit to fix whatever issue?

“Yeah, it’s about taking every rep, whether it’s a walkthrough rep, a practice rep, it might be a meeting rep, where we’re just talking through things, and it’s making sure everybody’s on the same page and they’re hearing guys communicate, because they’re the ones out there that have to do it. Certainly, we kind of give them the guidelines, if you will, but communication is the priority there. I mean, even if they maybe didn’t do it exactly the way that we talked about it, if we’re all on the same page, we have a chance. So, I think it’s just taking advantage of every single possible rep you could get, whether it’s a walk, a practice, a meeting rep, and making sure everybody’s on the same page there.”

 

Is that mostly Elgton (Jenkins)? Or a combination of Elgton and Deshaun figuring it out?

“Yeah, no, it was spread around with everybody as far as the protection issues. With some, hey, the back. Some, the quarterback, we got to get the ball out on a couple of them, yeah, O-line, we missed a call. We should have been in a different call. But it was spread around, just like with a lot of things. It’s usually not one thing. It kind of gets spread around, and the most important thing is we’re all on the same page.”

 

it to be expected in some plays that we just have a free rusher? How realistic is it to expect to have it perfectly blocked up when there’s no way to tell who’s coming or dropping back?

“Yeah. So, there are really two parts to that kind of question there. I mean, first off, yeah, there’s certain looks when they’re in zero, like you’re not going to have enough. And it’s very important that the quarterback knows which one is free. If he knows and we’re blocking the right ones, then we get a chance. And then we also have to, at times, adjust routes which has come up. So, those two things kind of tie together. And then with the other looks where maybe they’re not on paper bringing too many, it’s the same thing. You’re going to try to get it as good as you can and everybody be on the same page, but they do a good job too. They game plan and there’s going to be times when, ‘hey, maybe we flipped it, maybe we flipped the protection and we were wrong’, and that falls in the same bucket I was just talking about. As long as we’re aware of who we’re going to and when we’re hot, when we’re not. And then outside of that, like I said, being on the same page, everybody communicating, we’ll have a chance.”

 

So, when you talked about adjusting the routes, is that something that Deshaun, obviously at quarterback, he’s going to have the ability to change? Is that part of the verbal communication between him and the wide receivers that needs to improve?

“Yeah. So sometimes it is him and other times it’s within the play call, and we need to do a good job on our end as well, making sure we give him the tools there. And then he can apply them, like I said, whether it’s within the play call or it’s him on his own, which we’ll have both. We’ll be in both of those worlds.”

 

How would you characterize the situation at running back this week?

“Yeah, it’s day to day, and we obviously have some new guys we brought in here who have done a great job, but just like any other position, I mean, it’s got to be, we hope the guys can go, but if they don’t, we’re next man up and we have full confidence in the other guys there.”

 

Going back to the communication stuff and learning what works and what doesn’t, the way that teams approach the preseason now, how much of this stuff is like, you have to just learn it by getting into these games and almost making these mistakes?

“You’re saying, because the preseason’s vanilla?”

 

Because nobody really plays anymore, did you have to have experience in some real games first?

“Yes, some. I mean, but you get it from practice, too. I mean, like, your defense that you’re practicing against,  ours certainly did, they’re going to throw a ton of looks at you. Which at times is great. Like, you just apply your rules, and whatever look you may get, which we may not know, just like going into a game, you got to apply your rules and communicate. As far as the preseason piece goes, yeah, I mean, I think most of those legitimate looks that are probably going to be more similar to the ones you get in real games probably happen in practice. As far as, like, training camp goes.”

 

Travis, what’s the balance, for Deshaun, extending plays, trying to make something, and needing to get rid of the ball, and kind of live in the play and play the next play?

“Yeah, so I think that was asked last week too, and it is a great question. I mean, guys who can extend are such weapons, and we saw it on the good end on some plays last week as well. But I think it’s just, I talked about this last week too, understanding the situation first and when we may be a little bit more aggressive and when, ‘hey, we’re really thinking on time, and we got to get the ball out here.’ And then, hell, there’s other times when, the more you’re around athletic guys, you may be in the box and you’re watching and you’re like, ‘get rid of it, get rid of it.’ And he keeps scrambling, keeps extending and makes a play out of it. So, it’s a balancing act, and it’s definitely a challenge for guys who can extend as far as what that balance is. I don’t know, I just think it goes back to the situation and kind of knowing when we’re looking to be aggressive and extend, and when we can.”

 

Watson leads everybody in running first downs. Is that built into your offense, or is that an unfavorable situation?

“I mean, sometimes we certainly use QB driven runs. We haven’t kept a bunch of them, when we’ve sprinkled them in this year. And then it’s also on drop back passes too. I mean, that’s always going to be a part of it, especially the more man coverage you see. Oftentimes in man, they’re not going to have somebody for the quarterback. So, yeah, as far as a part of our plan, I mean, extending plays is always a part of the plan. Whether he’s extending to run or extending to throw, there’s always something, and then the O-line has to get used to that too. It’s not like we have got a statue back there that is going to be in the same spot. So those guys straining, knowing he’s probably going to move, is a big piece of that.”

 

What can you guys do to get that running game cranked up? I know you’re banged up this week, but just in general, what can you do? Why is that so important?

“Yeah, I mean, it’s huge. Right? It’s really difficult. You can’t. You can’t control the game if you’re not able to run the ball effectively. And it’s kind of going around the league right now. Teams are being more aggressive on defense, and you’re getting more looks, and it’s a little bit more at times of a boom-and-bust, but we got to do a great job both on the execution piece and on the scheme piece, trying to make it efficient even when it’s not explosive. And because, like I said, the approach that some teams are taking now, and it seems like it’s going around the league, is a little bit more aggressive, which can lead to more boom-or-bust, but we’re looking for that efficiency as much as possible. And then just knowing the explosives, they come on their own.”

 

With defenses being more aggressive against the run, do you mean just calling run blitzes on early downs?

“I just think it’s in general. It’s not necessarily against the run. I just think it’s in general. I think it’s going around. You’re seeing more mixed looks. You’re seeing probably more pressures on early downs too, I’m saying. That’s always a third down thing, but on early downs, I just think you’re seeing more aggression and more mixed looks.”

 

It seemed, at least in New York, to not go jumbo at all. Is that written out of the playbook right now?

“What’s jumbo to you?”

 

An extra offensive lineman, extra tight end, fullback, and just smash mouth. Is that no in the personality of this team?

“No, we have that, and we’ve shown that early on. We’re always going to believe in being multiple, and there’s going to be, ‘hey, what do we feel like we do well’, and we feel like there’s elements of that that we can do. And then what do we want to do or what do we think is best going into each game? Certainly, in the second half of the Tampa game, going back a few weeks now, we felt like it was a little bit better to get in the gun and open it up, and it worked for us. And then we felt like that was the same in Pittsburgh. And then moving forward, we thought it was going to be good again against the Jets, and it wasn’t what we thought it was going to be. Certainly, we didn’t expect that, but it’s still a part of our offense, and we still have confidence in being able to do that. Get big, get under center. And we still have all those modes. And it’s very important to be able to win in multiple ways based on what the defense has given you.”

 

You and Jesse (Minter) were young assistants in Baltimore, I’m curious, obviously you were on different sides of the ball, but did you work with him at all? And what were your impressions of him?

“Who did you say?”

 

Jesse Minter.

“Jesse, yeah. So I was, obviously, in Baltimore for nine years. Jesse was there for the early chunk of that. And yeah, he’s great. I mean, I think he does a great job. He’s very smart. Obviously, he comes from a family of coaching. He’s been around a lot of the guys that are kind of in that Ravens defensive tree. And he’s certainly done a great job ever since he left. But yeah, Jesse and I have a good relationship, and yeah, I look forward to talking to him.”

 

Travis, even though there’s the coaching changes, obviously there, the personnel on the defensive side, so much of it’s the same. How do you and Todd kind of lean into that this week? If at all, I guess. And just the kind of familiarity there with those pieces.

“Yeah, there is certainly a lot of familiarity. Now, a number of those guys were banged up last year too, but yeah, we can lean into that a little bit. Certainly, we know what those guys do really well, which you’re going to see on the tape anyway, but what their strengths are and where we can maybe attack certain things. But yeah, I don’t think there’s anything, I think that can be overblown at times, because the tape’s going to tell the story. But yeah, there might be a few things that we can gain from that.”

 

It seems like you guys started out, and maybe I’m wrong on this, but with a little bit more under center play action type of vibe, and then maybe transitioned to more gun. And I’m just wondering, is that something that you can go back and forth on a little bit, and maybe that might help with the running game a little bit, or what are your thoughts on that?

“Yeah, certainly. I mean, we’re not wholesale. Wholesale changes and decisions are usually not good. Right. So that’s not something that we’re going wholesale on. We felt like that was the best way to play for a couple weeks, and it’s going to settle somewhere probably in a mix. It’s not going to go, under center’s not gone in our offense. With every alignment, backfield alignment, formation, you’re limited, right? There’s a give and take to everything. The defense knows what they can and can’t get in certain alignments. So, the answer is usually somewhere in between. Some games it might tilt more towards one end of the spectrum than the other. But no, that’s certainly something that we can do, and we will when we think it’s appropriate.”

 

Is there anything extra for you going back to, you know, playing Baltimore for the first time after having been there and the same with Todd? Do you feel like there is any extra emotion evolved in this?

“I don’t think there’s extra emotion. I mean, it’s already a division rival. I mean, first place in the division is on the line, so there’s already, Yeah, it’s already a very exciting game that I think we’re fired up for. But I know, and I don’t want to speak for him, but for me, like, I have a ton of respect for everybody in that building. I was there for nine years. I really feel like I grew up there as a coach. I know some of that as we just talked about. And obviously I know Jesse. I know multiple other coaches there as well. The players are very familiar. So, I was very grateful to be around a lot of great people in Baltimore. As far as, does that add anything extra this week? No, I mean, I just…Yeah.”

 

Is Derrick Henry just kind of like a freak, 32 years old and still doing what he’s doing? I think he had a big load at Alabama, he carried a lot there. So, you being his coach for a while, what are your comments on his career at that point?

“Yeah, I mean, I have a ton of respect for Derrick. It goes back to; he takes care of himself. I mean, it’s all over the Internet, what his body plan is basically as the season wears on. But yeah, I have a ton of respect for Derrick. I mean, he’s a hell of a back. He’s probably a Hall of Famer. And like I said, it really is a credit to him and how he takes care of himself and what his routine is and how he goes about his business.”

 

How does it feel to have Dylan Sampson back on the field? I know it might not be this week, but whenever you get him back, how can that help you guys?

“Yeah, sure. I mean, he adds an element to our offense just with his ability in space, and each guy kind of has strengths, and I think he’s a good complement to Q (Quinshon Judkins). I don’t think either of those guys are really limited. But obviously they have slightly different strengths and where you can use them, and yeah, getting him back, we’re going to be excited whenever that is.”

 

Just the way Snoop (Tyler Huntley) and Lamar (Jackson), not sure which one will start on Sunday, but you’ve seen their relationship up close. Why does he work so well with Lamar as his backup?

“I don’t know. I think you’d probably have to ask them. Just as far as what I observed, I mean, they’re very close. I think they have a good relationship on and off the field. But as far as what helps them and why does that, I mean, I don’t know. You’d have to ask them that. But I do know that they’ve been close for a long time. They have a good relationship.”

 

Of all the guys you’re familiar with in that building, how much can someone like Kyle Hamilton really wreck a game plan? Even alongside (Malaki) Starks, with him and what those guys can do together in the backfield?

“Yeah. So, the biggest thing with Kyle, I mean, he has gotten better. He came in as a good player, and he’s gotten better every year. His length, his size, and his instincts, I think, are probably what separates him. There are certain things where against most nickels, or wherever they’re playing them, because they play them everywhere, right? Nickel, dime and safety. But against most guys in the league, you’d probably be okay doing, and you might think a little bit twice about doing certain things with him out there. And it’s really, like I said, his instincts, his length, his tenacity. I mean, he’s certainly a great player. He’s done nothing but get better since he got in the league.”

 

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