Defensive Line Coach Gary Emanuel -- December 7, 2019
Q: What’s it been like working with Leonard (Williams)?
A: Leonard is a great young man, number one. He works hard, he likes football, he brings a great attitude and a lot of spirit to the team. He brings versatility to the group, so I like him a lot.
Q: What do you see from him? What are you trying to work with him to try and get his game to that next level?
A: Just like working with everybody, you’re trying to improve in all aspects of the game. Working against the run and working to finish to get to the quarterback. He’s working hard in those areas. He’s a great young man, like I said.
Q: What do you make of the idea that people say he’s still not making those splash plays. He did get a tackle for loss, it was his first of the year. He’s not getting the sacks, those tackles for losses.
A: Well, you can’t look at players always as numbers. He has been disruptive. He’s doing some things against the run and the pass, he’s affecting the quarterback, he’s making him move off of his spot. He’s just missing the sack plays and things like that. But he’s having an impact on defense.
Q: How do you think other guys like B.J. Hill have handled that rotation since he came on?
A: B.J., like the rest of the group, it’s a great group of guys, number one. They all handle their roles or whatever’s asked of them in the best way they can. B.J.’s doing a good job. He’s improving, he’s getting better.
Q: Has Markus (Golden) surprised you at all with the way he’s been able to get after the quarterback and be so consistent?
A: That’s why Markus is here. Markus came in, had a great year a couple years ago prior to his injury, so we anticipated Markus having the kind of year he’s having.
Q: When you have a rookie like Dexter (Lawrence), when you get to this point of the season, is there anything you as a coach have to do? Usually rookies say it starts to wear on them. They’re not used to seasons this long at this level. They’re not playing against the same kind of competition in college as consistently. Do you as a coach have to handle them differently?
A: No. Dexter’s a fine young man. He comes from a great program. Clemson does a hell of a job. They’ve been one of the top programs in the country for the last few years. Dexter is well prepared for this. He works extremely hard, he’s a fun-loving guy. He’s continuing to improve. The big thing with all of the guys, not just Dex, is working on being consistent.
Q: I’m talking about from a physicality standpoint. Does it start to wear on rookies at this point, especially on the interior?
A: Dex is a fully grown man. Dex is 6-5, whatever he is, 350 pounds, so he’s a fully grown man. No, it’s not wearing on him.
Q: Last week against the Packers, you guys didn’t record a sack. What do you have to do differently on Monday night to get pressure on (Carson) Wentz?
A: Sacks are hard to come by. Neither team had a sack in the game. Sacks are hard to come by. We just have to improve on the technique, we have to do a better job upfront, we have to have tighter coverage. It all works together. It’s like stopping the run. It all works together, the run and the pass.
