Transcript: Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale

Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale

Got a great challenge ahead of us this weekend, Sunday night, playing in a great environment against a great quarterback and offense. It's going to be another challenge for us and we're looking forward to it.

With that, I'll open it up to questions.

Q: You love to make comparisons. This week, (quarterback) Josh Allen, who or what would you compare him to?

A: Alright, you ready?

(Quarterback Dan) Marino's arm, (running back Derrick) Henry's legs, and Curry's mindset. Steph Curry's mindset. He thinks he can hit it anywhere on the court, and that's the same way Josh is. He's just an unbelievably elite quarterback in finding extra time to hit the open receiver in tight windows, and he's got one of the strongest arms in the league.

Q: In the bigger picture, how much different is this challenge from last week with the speed?

A: It's a completely different challenge.

Q: What are the most—

A: The actual speed of it, they're still a fast offense, obviously with (wide receiver Stefon) Diggs and the receiver corps. It's not as many motions and how they have in Miami – both Miami and San Francisco have all that coordinated very well. It makes it tough on guys' eyes. You won't see as much of that because it's more of a blueprint NFL offense where Josh runs everything at the line of scrimmage. He calls his plays and gets them in the right play and when you have a bunch of guys moving, that's hard to do.

Q: What did the Jets and the Jags do to beat them? I mean, obviously they're a very good team, but are there things you can take from those two teams to maybe help you?

A: Yeah, I think that's the thing that we talk about all the time. It's a copycat league. You see things that you like, there's different situations, whatever it could be, but you always take things and see things and tweak it or say this is similar to us in our scheme. You can do things like that, yes.

Q: Because you don't have a cookie-cutter scheme, is it harder for you to copycat? Do you just kind of borrow stuff and fit it into your system? How does that work?

A: It's usually in our system already. So, it's more of what gives them a hard time on certain aspects of their game.

I don't want to get too deep into it, because I feel like I'm going to give something away.

Q: What did you make of Sunday's performance? You finally get the takeaways, three of them, but then give up 524 (yards). What do you make of that?

A: Well, I think that if you talk to analytics, we were in, what do they call it, a high-variable situation there. I think you had to do something different. Last time we did something different to the extreme that we did in Miami was Kansas City when we were in Baltimore. We won that game.

We gave up too many explosive plays. I mean, that's obvious. But I always say that takeaways, they come in bunches. We had the fumble recovery, we had the two picks, we caused another fumble. If we keep playing that type of tempo to get to the ball, I think that's one of the things that was different from what they practiced and helped us get into situations.

Q: What happened on the (wide receiver) Tyreek (Hill) long touchdown at the start of the second half from your perspective?

A: I think that's a schematic thing. I know we fixed it. I don't want to sit there and tell you how we fixed it or anything else because I know we're going to see that play again. It's got to be the same coverage and everything else, but I just know that they're going to try the same thing. Somebody. Might not be Buffalo, could be Washington or whoever in that situation.

Q: From a personnel standpoint, when did you know (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson) wasn't going to be there? How did the mechanics on that work?

A: You've got to talk to Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) on that. Dabs and the trainers.

It was unfortunate because like I said, we gave them a different look in our eyes. It was a one-score game at halftime, a net 21-point game, and it was unfortunate that that play happened.

Q: Even though as a group it hasn't looked great, do you have guys individually who you feel like are playing good football right now?

A: Yeah. I thought (safety) X(avier McKinney) is playing well. I think it's going to continue to grow. Obviously, JP (safety Jason Pinnock), taking it back 102 yards. (Outside linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeau). (Inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke) is starting to really get used to playing the MIKE position and starting to make more plays.

It's the same thing we talked about last week, and we've just got to continue to work on it. When you have one guy that had one or two plays that they wish they had back, you usually win those games, or you played really well defensively. But if you have six guys, and that could be any of the guys I mentioned or anybody else, that have one or two plays that they wish they had back, that's where you start giving up too many plays.

Q: How about the two guys in the middle? The two vets.

A: What's that?

Q: (Defensive lineman) Dex(ter Lawrence II) and (defensive lineman) Leo(nard Williams).

A: That game right there, we defended every blade of grass. They were going to make sure that they were not involved in it. So, if you think back at it just with your memory, everything is (visual display). So, it wasn't anything around the center.

Q: You guys played in London last year and then had to play the next week. Buffalo is doing that now. Is there a point where that travel doesn't really have an impact on the team anymore the way it maybe used to?

A: I hope it has a huge impact (laughs).

Last year I didn't, but this year I hope it has a huge impact. That's a tough trip. I don't know how they've handled it with their schedule and everything else.

Q: What are you seeing from Bobby? You mentioned him just getting more comfortable with the MIKE position, but week by week, how is he growing more accustomed?

A: I just think that he is seeing things better as the middle linebacker. He's put in the extra work. He's doubled down on playing well, and doing what he has to do to play well. I love his leadership, his communication skills. He's really on the cusp of starting to really take off. And he's been good anyway. I'm just saying he's playing better. You're seeing more plays; you're seeing him coming downhill and hitting people down in the redzone and things like that. It's really starting to show out.

Q: I don't know if you have a comparison for Diggs, but what makes him so effective?

A: He's like those guys that sell a lot of jerseys. I mean, you can talk about all of them, as far as the guys who want the ball in game-winning situations, and he's one of those guys. He makes a lot of plays, has great hands, runs routes, sometimes runs his own routes. I've talked to the defense about plaster coverage because the combination of those two with Josh and Diggs, I mean, it turns into, like, when you're growing up playing football at recess. The play breaks down and you've got to defend the second play, the third play, and like I said, Josh is elite at avoiding the rush, buying time, and he can put the ball wherever he wants.

Q: Are you getting any more sleep this week?

A: No.