WFT Quotes 10/8/20: Jack Del Rio

[Boone]

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October 8, 2020

Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio

On Rams Head Coach Sean McVay:
“He does a nice job. He’s very friendly with the quarterback. He gets the ball out of his hands. They do a good
job. Everything’s set off of the run game, which is very effective. They run it well. They boot, they screen, they
play a pass offense, so it really all starts there. He does a nice job.”

On DE Ryan Kerrigan:
“He’s been a very good contributor. Individual guys, sometimes they have a lot of production and sometimes
they don’t. But, he gives great effort. Every day he comes out and he’s a pro’s pro. I like the way he works at
it.”

On where he wants to see improvement in third-down defense:
“We focus on third down, red zone, all the time especially on Thursday. This is ‘Turnover Thursday’, and third
downs and red zone are a part of our preparation. We’re playing pretty solid defense. I think there’s some
opportunity to do even better, and we’re looking to do that.”

On the cornerback rotation changing:
“That’s kind of [CB] Kendall Fuller getting healthy. He didn’t play early in the year, and [CB] Fabian [Moreau]
and [CB] Jimmy Moreland played more. We also went up against a team that used more, I would say, lighter
groups. They didn’t play as many big guys on the field. Every week’s a new challenge. You’re breaking down
these offenses and how they’re trying to attack you and your better matchups. We like the group. The group’s
working hard and being prepared for the challenges that the Rams bring this weekend.”

On Rams QB Jared Goff:
“Well, like I said each week it’s a new challenge, a different approach, different players. If one thing is a
common denominator, you know you’re always going to face talent. You’re always going to face good
coaching. That’s why it’s professional football. We feel good about turning the page and moving onto the next
opportunity. I feel like even against the two guys you referred to, I think we had our opportunities to do things
at a higher level. For us, it’s about improving where we can, continuing to give great effort, continuing to focus
on the things that’ll help us be successful on defense. We’re going to continue to go out there and battle.”

On S Landon Collins missing tackles:
“Look, to be a great defense you have to tackle well. That’s certainly on our radar throughout our defense. I
wouldn’t put that just on one player. I think, to me, overall when you’re tackling well and you’re really
swarming well, I think that’s when you’re playing your best defense.”

On DTs Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen:
“Yeah, I don’t have much to add to that. I think they’re good players. I think guys understand what we’re
looking for. We continue to stress it and teach it and work at it. I think we’ve got a good group. They should be
good at it.”

On if he’s seen improvement on the defensive line:
“Yeah. That will continue. There will be a continued emphasis on doing it right. Obviously, when we have
example after example of it being done right and what it looks like, it’s great to show and reinforce what we’re
looking for.”

On LB Thomas Davis Sr.:
“Well, I think the healthier he gets and the more he’s able to insert himself, I think the more you kind of have
that impact. Not being able to start the year the way he wanted to certainly kind of hinders that progress and that
ability. He’s a positive guy. He comes out and gives great energy. He’s had a long, very productive career.
We’re hoping that he can round back into health and give us a stronger contribution.”

On what drives Davis Sr. this far into his career:
“That’s a good question (laughs). He loves football, I think that’s the biggest thing. He loves the game, and he
wants to make the contribution and help his teammates.”

On how he would assess the defense so far:
“We’ve got a good group. We’re doing some good things and we’re capable of doing even better. I like the way
we’ve started the year. I think we’ve allowed ourselves to be competitive. We would like to make a stronger
contribution to helping the team win games. We’re going to continue to push to be one of the top defenses in the
league. I think it’s a solid start, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the year and the challenges that are in
front of us.”

On Collins’s tackling:
“It’s definitely part of the game, and we’re looking to be strong at it. We understand that if you’re going to play
great defense, you’ve got to have great tackling. We’ll continue to work at it.”

On his interactions with QB Kyle Allen:
“Not much. I don’t have much to say on that. Obviously, he’s been appointed the starter this week. I’m hoping
he goes out and does a good job for us.”

On what he attributes the strong defensive start to:
“Look, we’re pretty much getting on the same page, understanding how we all fit together, playing with great
energy, having the focus, understanding and teaching how different offenses are trying to approach the game
and what we need to do to limit the effectiveness of their approach. I think the preparation has been pretty
strong each week. I think as we look at it we see some opportunities to do some things a little bit better. We’ll
continue to grow and work and continue to develop our guys. We’re looking to develop our guys. We’re
looking to develop a mentality in terms of how we’re going to attack each opponent each week. I like the way
it’s started. I think there’s room for improvement, and we’re looking to have that as we go throughout the
season.”