C Nick Gates
November 27, 2020
Q: How awkward was it to have your position coach and Head Coach argue over what your technique should be? And how difficult is it as players to have a change at your position coach midseason?
A: (Head Coach Joe) Judge already addressed that with you guys. We’re here to just focus on Cincinnati and I’ll take those questions.
Q: What’s the emotion of the offensive line like right now? Obviously, it was a strange week for you guys.
A: It was difficult news. Again, Judge already talked about it.
Q: Going forward, how are you guys feeling about where you’re at?
A: Just got to put one foot in front of another and keep going. We can’t skip a beat.
Q: What’s your first impression of (Offensive Line coach) Dave (DeGuglielmo)?
A: He’s a good guy, he’s a good coach. I’m excited to work with him and see where things go.
Q: Are you doing what you’ve been doing technique-wise for the first 11 weeks, or are some things different now?
A: There’s some different things that he wanted to change, that he changed up. Little bit different.
Q: Is it tough to adjust on the fly?
A: It’s things I’ve been taught in the past, multiple coaches have different techniques, so you kind of get a little bit here, and a little bit there. Not too bad.
Q: Obviously, the offensive line has been playing pretty well lately, why do you think you guys have made such big strides?
A: I think we all came together and figured each other out. It was all brand new to us, and we didn’t have OTA’s or things like that so it takes a couple games for everyone to mesh with each other and figure each other out.
Q: How different are the run plays now with Wayne Gallman, who’s a very different runner than Saquon (Barkley) versus what you guys thought you would’ve been running when Saquon (Barkley) was there?
A: We tried the outside zone with Saquon (Barkley), because he gets there, and one cut and he’s up the field; but with him getting hurt, we have been trying to stick the ball up in there and get on double teams and get guys out of there. We would’ve ran the same plays with Saquon (Barkley), too. Still got to do the same things no matter who is back there.
Q: From the outside looking in, if you look at the numbers, that (Cincinnati) defensive front isn’t as potent as some of the units you have faced. That said, are the numbers deceiving, are they still a unit that is very formidable?
A: Definitely. Mike Daniels, Geno Atkins, all of those guys are veterans that are really good. They don’t necessarily have the sack numbers, but their QB hits are up, and their pressures are up, and things like that. So you still have to get ready for them even though their sack numbers and things like that aren’t up.
Q: Do they do a lot of stunts and twists and things like that to confuse an offensive line?
A: I wouldn’t say a whole bunch, but they do a good amount of them. They try to get your eyes moving and try to get guys free.
Q: How much different do you expect the offense to look with a new (offensive) line coach? Do you expect to see a visible change?
A: I don’t think the outside observer will really notice. We still have the same system, same plays, we have the same agenda we’re going to follow. Jason (Garrett) is still going to be calling the same plays, and we’re still going to be running them.
Q: Just in general, as an offensive line group, what’s the reaction been? How have you guys processed everything?
A: Just got to take it and go with it. Can’t do much about it, so we just got to keep moving on and put one foot in front of the other.
Q: This has been such a weird year, you’re 3-7, but if you win on Sunday, and Philly loses to Seattle, you’re in first place. Do you sit there and shake your head?
A: Yeah, it’s crazy. This division has been a toss-up all year and we’ve gotten lucky in that aspect, because we can win a couple more games and be right there in the hunt. We just got to take care of Cincinnati, do our jobs, and hopefully the Seahawks can do it, and we’ll be in first place.
Q: Do you see yourselves as a team on the rise?
A: Definitely. You guys have seen the last two, three games. We’ve come a long way since game one, so I think we can throw a couple more games together and hopefully make the playoffs.
Q: What do you think about your guys’ play as a line that (Joe) Judge felt the need to coach you guys more directly himself? As an offensive lineman, does having a new voice in your ear mean a whole lot?
A: The first four or five weeks, I mean, you guys saw, the whole offensive line was not playing well, we couldn’t run the ball. Judge said a couple things here or there that he thought would help, and we had to try to do our best and work with it. He’s the Head Coach, so he has say in everything that goes on in the building.
I'm basing this on nothing but I have a feeling his answers about the incident were basically what Judge told him and other people on the line to answer. It's a very head coach type of answer. Actually quite Belichickian.
A: We tried the outside zone with Saquon (Barkley), because he gets there, and one cut and he’s up the field; but with him getting hurt, we have been trying to stick the ball up in there and get on double teams and get guys out of there. We would’ve ran the same plays with Saquon (Barkley), too. Still got to do the same things no matter who is back there.
If you're constantly getting him hit behind the L.O.S., the bottom line is failure. Imagine if Sanders had had an elite O-line. He didn't and eventually he just gave up, and retired.
Gates mentioned the double-teaming scheme, it's perfect for the people we have up-front. If you watched how Washington pushed the Cowpukes around, that's how they did it.