Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale
I was really proud of how we played against the Rams. I told you guys what a challenge it was going to be for us defensively with the way the quarterback was playing and that play caller, it's a tough challenge every time you go against them. The two stops there at the end of the game to give us a chance really is a testament to the leadership and the locker room. Those guys, they go out and fight and like I said, it just makes you proud, it makes you happy for them when you see them play with that effort.
Q: When you look at (defensive lineman) Dex's (Dexter Lawrence II) season and getting into the Pro Bowl yesterday, what's your assessment?
A: I think it's great, I think it's great that he made the Pro Bowl. There is some others that were in it early, with the voting and all that. I don't know how that works but I always tell the players this, it's hard as heck to get in your first Pro Bowl and then after that it becomes easier. And you look at it, where we want to be is, look at the top seed in the NFC and the top seed in the AFC – the top two seeds actually, they have a lot of Pro Bowlers and that's because they're winning and that's the hardest thing to do is make the Pro Bowl your first time when you don't have a winning record.
Q: A lot of times guys get the big contract and maybe the production isn't the same or whatever, what does it say that he's kind of kept that going?
A: I think Dex has stayed Dex since I've been here. He was a really good player before we got here and then he had a great year last year. He hasn't changed his work ethic; he hasn't changed anything about him. I think sometimes he might put too much pressure on himself, but that's what all the great ones do. Like I said, I'm really happy for Dex.
Q: At that position, it does not lend itself to big stats that often. How do you judge and measure a guy like that and at that position?
A: I think when you say that any good defense, especially this system, where you can be most effective is when you have a center piece of the defense and he's definitely been the center piece of the defense for us. And we just got to keep building this thing around him and we'll see. The sacks are a bonus, out of the nose, you know what I mean? The sacks are a bonus, and he has a way of getting to the quarterback too and I think that's what makes him so unique. I think when he wants to be he can be an unblockable player. And let's enjoy watching him play this last time here against Philly.
Q: Obviously, this the last time we are going to speak to this season. A lot was made earlier in the year about your relationship with (Head Coach) Brian (Daboll). How do you look at your future?
A: I mean I think the future is bright if you're asking me how I look at my future. I think that these are things that you talk about after the season is over with because he wants to beat Philly and I want to beat Philly, and I just think that those answers will come later on in the week as far as which way we go. I know we've got the greatest fans in this league and we've got the greatest ownership in this league, and you want to have a winner, you deserve to have a winner, and so whenever you are not winning, how this league works, inevitably, you are going to have conversations, tough conversations. How that works out is how that is going to work out.
Q: If you are back, does anything need to change with you and Dabs relationship?
A: No, no, I think that it's all football related. I think that – like I said, we'll have those conversations.
Q: Do you believe you guys can still have a healthy, working relationship moving forward?
A: Yeah, sure. Sure. Always can.
Q: Do you expect to be back?
A: Do I expect to be back? I don't know why I wouldn't, but like I said you have those conversations after this last game and you sit back and you can reflect and you take the emotion out of it, the emotion, the grind, the stress of preparing every week and you sit back, and you talk things out. Say here's where we are at, so I think that's natural on every team.
Q: You said you wanted to be a head coach, is that still in the cards?
A: Oh, of course. Of course, I want to be a head coach.
Q: Has anybody asked about you?
A: I'd have no idea about that. Like I said, right now in the season – especially this year they've moved it back when they can do interviews. It's way early in the process.
Q: How would you describe the performance of your defense this season? Like how happy were you with it, defensively at least?
A: The things to be happy about for me was the effort that we gave every week. There is a lot of things to fix, obviously. But the takeaways, the different situations that we were put in and how they handled it and the response to that. We'll just take a good long look. We've got to get better against the run. When we were at Baltimore, we were number one against the run. So, you have to go back and have some hard conversations that way and like I said, it alludes to, or whatever the right word is to use there, that's an after the season, postseason conversation you've got to have.
Q: How much do you think this unit could benefit, at least especially the core, from another year together? There is obviously a benefit for each group to be together, right? Because of familiarity and stuff as we've gone along. So, how much do you think that would benefit this group to have another year to sort of build on what you had the first two?
A: Yeah, I think there is big benefits to that and you're always looking to get better as far as where you want to go with players and whatever else you need to get better at.
Q: So, are you going to be looking for any clarity in these conversations next week?
A: I think that's just the natural process of it. I think that's the natural process of it.
Q: You were pretty honest about you what you expected from (cornerback) Tae (Deonte) Banks this year and it seems like he was as advertised with what you expected. When you see in totality his rookie year, how do you assess?
A: I think he did a lot of good things. I think that you still have to fight through – I'm saying Tae, myself, Rome, (Defensive backs Coach Jerome Henderson), who's done a great job with him, just the new things that he sees that's different in this league compared to college and he's been growing through those. The biggest jump is always from the first year to the second year so I'm expecting big things from Tae.
Q: On (cornerback) Tre (Hawkins III), since we're talking about rookies, what have you seen from him? Obviously, he played a lot at the beginning of the year.
A: I think that Tre is working hard every day and there is just guys in front of him that were playing better. I think this season has worn on him, like it has a lot of rookies, but we're expecting big things from him.
