Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik
On why it now feels like the team can flip a switch and do what they are capable of offensively
"I don't think the way we approach it is flipping a switch. Naturally you get to the playoffs and everyone's season is on the line. There is just a different speed to the game, there is a different physicality to the game, there is a different intensity to the game, you can't avoid that. We know that we have had some ups and downs on offense this year and there has been a lot of evolving as an entire group. I would say the last three weeks in particular, we have really honed in on what we need to do in both areas, run and the pass game. Really all across the board that we think fits us as a group and who we have out there and our identity as a team that we can really press forward with. Then that takes time to even grow into that. As we work through some things, even the last three weeks our emphasis beyond that was that we have to do everything we can to start to get hot. That is really all it takes, if you get hot as an offense especially around this time of year that is a really good thing for your team and your organization. I would say this year, generally I think last year we has a few hot streaks in there. I feel like this year we didn't have as many hot streaks and strides that we hit for multiple games as an offense this year. That has really been our intent is how on the details can we be as we go through every single one of these practices and weeks so that we can start a spark."
On how he describes this offense's identity
"I think the identity is what you show on tape. As I have said, that has been a moving target often this year and I think we have honed in on what that is and we are going to go and put that out there. We are going to execute that to the best of our ability and hopefully by the end of every game you guys watch you guys can tell me."
On what he feels like this offense shows on tape that people can say about this team
"What people say outside of this building, that is not something we really hone in on. We are very much self-reflection type of unit and really inspired and that is how we go about everything. We know what this week means to us, we know the challenge we have in front of us is one heck of a defense, they are number one in points, they are top five in every good situational statistic that there is. We have a challenge. Through the course of the year, we have had many challenges that we have risen to. We are extremely explosive. If there is one thing we hang our head on, we have playmakers out there that can take a ball and go 20 yards in a given play. We have to clean up the in between. It has been that way all season, we know that. We will keep pressing forward in that regard."
On what challenges this offense will face
"They really have good players at every level of the defense. I know the ends in particular, they have four that are all really good. Obviously, [Joey] Bosa and Khalil [Mack] have been really good for a very long time. They have played a lot of football, and it shows on tape, constant pressure, constant impact in the run game and what they do to edges. Then Derwin James and what they do with him and all different places he shows up om the field, he is on the lien of scrimmage, he is in deep defense, he is active in the pass game, he is a really good blitzer, they do a great job moving him around and using his as a weapon in their defensive scheme. Then making sure they can isolate their edge rushers and roll all four out there to create problems for you."
On if he will be meeting virtually with the Jets
"I have no idea, that is not even allowed this week so that is far from anywhere on my radar. "
On the biggest challenge his second year as a play caller
"Every year is different. You can go into seasons, and you can think you have a certain group or a certain scheme or certain style that you think you are going to be able to go in and play and do. But it happens very year, it changes and evolves as you go and that process this year has without a doubt happened. I think last year I probably found the answer fast than I have this year. But I feel like we have really gotten to a place where coaching staff, organization, and players all feel good about where we are going."
On what challenges the Chargers specific looks present
"I think a lot of people have talked about how you can see this thing I call the 'Baltimore Tree', people that have been in Baltimroe recently kind of know where that comes from. That style of a lot of split safety hold and they usually try to disguise it and make it really hard for the quarterback. When they do show middle field close, they usually wind up being sort of split safety post snap. They do a really good job of making to where you can't get a beat on what they are doing before the ball snaps. Then they mix that in with pressure and a lot of offsets. I think this defense is a little different than some of the other teams from that tree are. They do a really good job of keeping things in front of them and making sure they don't give up explosives. That is what we think one of our strengths are and one of their strengths is not letting that happen. Our job is to find a way to still be able to get those while still staying on track. I think they are second, I know they are top five in least explosives given up. That is one of the good things they do."
On what are keys to operate with efficiency in the redzone
"I would say the number one thing for us is if you are a good offense in the redzone, which we needed to improve upon, is that you have to start running the ball in the redzone. Most of the good red zone offenses run the ball in the red zone. That is usually because at the end of the day in the redzone you have to keep pressing forward. Statistically if you lose any yards at any time in the redzone, your touchdown percentage plummets. That has been something that we have had to battle this year without question. That includes penalties, playing clean football, there has been a lot of self-inflicted wounds when we have gotten down there that we know that we can definitely clean up and be better at. If we can run the ball when we are down there, we have been very successful in games in the red area."
On if playing Baltimore in a close proximity helps with preparation for the Baltimore tree
"Absolutely. Any time you have similar types of systems that you are going against, just familiarity with it I think helps breed confidence for the entire offense, not just coaches but players just as much. Maybe even more so. We have really faced this type of system I feel like five times in the last seven weeks or so. Tennessee is kind of from the same fold so I think we have a pretty good handle on what we can expect, especially when you get to situational football. They are a little different in first and second down in particular in the middle of the field and how they play that so that is some adjustments we will have to make."
On what the process is making explosive plays with what the defense gives you
"I think a lot of that is really player driven more than anything. I think most coaches probably approach it very much the same way. Not every play is designed for an explosive. That doesn't mean it can't get one. We can throw a five-yard completion and transition, and someone miss and get 30. If you are specifically designing a play for an explosive, often times you have that explosive thought of a certain look and then you look at other things built into the concept, whether it is run or pass, to help handle all the other stuff. That is my job to make sure it is relayed to the coaches, to the quarterback as a starting point and then to the rest of the offense. That this is what we are looking for if we get it this is our opportunity, and we have to hit it. You guys have to go do what you do and go make the play and if we don't get this look, how do we protect the play? How do we still make this a six- or seven-yard gain where we are playing really efficient offense, and we didn't even get what we wanted to then come back to some different form of same style of scheme to attack the coverage. I think there is a lot of layers to that and a lot of those looks can't get started if you don't protect well enough. That is where we start and the forefront of our mind in this game without a doubt."
On how looks change going into playoffs after so much tape this season
"It really evolves week to week. It doesn't change during the playoffs. The last five weeks there has been an awful lot of tape that people can watch of us and our scheme. That part of it is endless. There are somethings you are always going to do because we are really good at running the ball this way or really good at throwing the ball this way. Then there are a lot of things that are specifically attacking the scheme that you are going against. Usually in a game plan it balances out somewhere 50/50. There is no changing that as we go forward."
On if evolving of the offensive line is a struggle when finding the offensive identity
"That probably depends on the character of players. Here I can tell you it has been a joy to come to work every day because of the people that I am surrounded by. It is really fun to coach these guys and how much they are all in on what we are doing. They understand the positives of what we are doing and how we have to change these things as we go. It is not just a one man show, we are all involved. I think here it has been a lot of fun to get to where you are at. Anytime you are in a moment of going through the storms it is not always enjoyable, but we are really a persistent group and I really appreciate how they battle."
Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke
On the challenges Chargers WR Ladd McConkey presents and what their plan is to cover him
"Man, strategy talk right off the jump. Yeah, he's a really good player. He's proven that. Obviously, had a good season. Formed a connection with the quarterback pretty early, obviously, you can see that. Very crisp route runner. Very sharp breaks, top of the routes, has it all in his bag, in breaks, out breaks, a lot of option stuff with him. So, hard to just pick one leverage with him, because he can run it all. So, for sure, he's done a good job. He's obviously kind of become the go-to guy for them, especially in some of the critical situations. And then we'll just see how we take care of him. How's that?"
On if CB Kamari Lassiter has offered advice on how to guard Chargers WR Ladd McConkey
"I haven't had that conversation with Kamari, so I don't know, you'll have to ask him."
On how he has seen Head Coach DeMeco Ryans put defensive players in the position to make plays
"I think that's sort of all of our job in. Obviously, Mec on game day calling it, I would just say when we look at it, 'OK, these are our guys and the skillset and the talent – like how do we deploy those guys best?' And, I mean, he's just got a really good knack for understanding the strengths of all of those guys and where to put them to have those opportunities. You can't create the play, or you can't make a guy make a play. But I think it's really like, 'OK, I think this is best this week, we play him here, we use this, this way, or we're going to play these coverages this week because I think it puts [CB Derek Stingley Jr.] Sting on this, or gets [DE] Danielle [Hunter] this op.' Like where we deploy those guys as rushers, all that stuff. So, I think we're fortunate that we have a lot of players that we feel can make plays when we put them in those spots. So, yeah, I think he's got a real knack for just sort of understanding, 'If I kind of put this here in this, this time, or we tweak a coverage just sort of like shade a guy a certain way just puts him a little closer,' maybe puts him one step to be making those plays."
On the Chargers' tackle play with Chargers T Joe Alt and T Rashawn Slater
"Yeah, two really good players. Obviously, Slater's done it for a little bit in the league and the rookie's done a really good job this year. I think one of the things I think you see is that they – everyone ships our ends, but they don't have to as much. They let those guys go play because they've done such a good job protection, which then, obviously, puts more guys in the route and puts more stress on your coverage. So, I think they feel good about some of the ability that those guys have to just win one-on-one blocks and takes some of the having to protect your O-line. We feel, obviously, really good about our defensive ends and those matchups. I think that's going to be a really cool battle this weekend."
On changes he has seen in the young players going into the playoffs last year compared to this year
"I mean, any time you experience things and you have that exposure to that atmosphere and that level of urgency and stuff. I mean, I think that's just – you just build off that and you have a foundational piece and the playoffs get more intense, everything gets a little bit faster and more heated and so we had a good experience, here, in our home playoff game last year. So, hopefully those guys can kind of carry on from that."
On how important it is to have a player like LB Azeez Al-Shaair on the field to be able to calm things down when they get chaotic
"It was cool to get him back last week. Obviously, just to like, and he really wanted to, we actually were going to try to maybe pull him a little bit earlier and he wanted to kind of get a little extra work in that game, just to kind of get that flow back again. And even wanted the green dot, like, 'I needed to have the headset, I want to go through that process.' So, it was cool to have him kind of get in that mode that he was really like controlling things out there. So, as a communicator, and again, it's going to be loud, there's going to be a lot of stuff going on, on Saturday to have a guy that can hopefully keep us in line and keep everybody on the same page is going to be huge for us."
On why he feels DE Danielle Hunter doesn't get the recognition he deserves
"He's a pretty quiet dude. You guys spend a lot of time with him. I don't know. I think he's a really – I think he's such a unique player. As a rusher, he's such a dynamic player and a unique player. The way he rushes is – it was hard for me when I first started working here with him. He's different and trying to like, just how he rushes and it's like, 'Man, I've never seen anyone do that. How do you do that?' And how do you coach that? And that surprises me in that sense, but I just think he's a pretty quiet personality that I'm not on social media. I don't know if he does a lot of that stuff or not. You guys could tell me more than that. So, I think he's just a pretty quiet, humble kid that just likes to go to work and puts his head down and I'm not sure he's in the self-promotion business as much as maybe some other people are. So, he kind of probably flies under the radar, but he shouldn't because he's a very talented, special player."
On how he has seen DE Danielle Hunter's influence rub off on DE Will Anderson Jr.
"I think I've – I feel like we've had these conversations a lot, like it's just – I think Danielle is one of the more, I've said this probably, cerebral rushers I've been around. Everything has a purpose. He's setting up, how he moves, his stance, everything is very intentional. So, I think Will seeing him work that way and understanding, man, that level of success that he's achieved and obviously, where Will's trying to continue to get to in his career. I think that's been cool. And, man, both of them are just eat and breathe football. They're all business, they – I mean – energy. Danielle playing every snap this year for us, essentially has been awesome. So, I think just like Will's a good player for us. Obviously, one of the best defensive ends in the league. But seeing an older player that's gone through all that with him, I think it's just really helped those guys almost kind of go back and forth at that."
On what makes Chargers QB Justin Herbert so dangerous
"He's really good. He's got every throw, he's smart. They keep you at the line. He'll double cadence, he'll hold it, try to get you looks. Again, arm talent, can get out of the pocket, can make plays on the run. They haven't done – I mean, who knows? Maybe they'll come to it, they haven't done a ton of true designed QB runs. They have a little bit of it, but when it's time to get out on third downs, or if he doesn't have a – he can move and he's a good athlete there too. So, he can beat you in a lot of ways. There's really not a lot of holes in his game."
On how much of what they told LB Henry To'oTo'o to improve on in the offseason has shown up in his game this season
"A lot, a lot. Again, I think I mentioned this before, he leaned up a little bit. Just his movement skills have been better. And I think, again, another guy, maybe that hasn't gotten a lot of credit. I mean, he's played a lot of positions for us too. He's kind of been the guy when Azeez goes down, we bump him into MIKE, or this happens, you go over to WILL, something else is there. He's played every spot for us in games. Sometimes multiple spots in the game and sometimes he's had the green dot, sometimes he's been on nickel, all these things. So, I think just his growth of understanding the defense and – I mean, I think he took it on himself from a physical standpoint to get better and to lean up and to be – he felt he had to move a little bit better and I think that's showing. But I think just his growth of a knowledge in the defense has allowed us to do that stuff with him and it's been invaluable, because obviously we've had a lot of turnover, a lot of injuries, in-and-out guys in that room and for him to be relatively the one consistent guy that we've been able to plug in play in a lot of spots has been awesome. And do it at a high level. So, he's done a really good job. I'm excited for him to keep playing."
On the balance of getting the correct personnel on the field for what the opposing team is showing versus trusting who is on the field to execute
"I think we're – again, we play our defense and we have our philosophy. If they're subbing personnel groups, we have a chance to match that. So, that's usually not – I don't know if that's where you're going with that, not too hard from just a general 11, 12, 21, whatever they're putting out there. I would say when you start getting into trying to match up bodies, you're going to start chasing ghosts on where people line up. I mean, again, we've watched all the film. We have a history of what we think we're going to expect to see, where they're going to deploy their athletes and stuff, but they can do whatever they want. I don't know that we get into too much of that, trying to specify some of those matchups. But generally, we've been pretty clean trying to get the guys on the field we need to get on."
Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross
Excited as it gets. I hope that we start our football game on Saturday just with reckless abandoned and intensity that the whole stadium feels our special teams play. That's the goal and that's the hope. Setting the tone for intensity as we go into Wild Card Playoff football. I wanted to just mention real quick, the year. A little bit of retrospect from the regular season. Proud of just the overall leadership of the room. I hope everyone understands that anyone can coach that group – anybody. Dare [Ogunbowale], Neville [Hewitt], Del'Shawn [Phillips] coming into the fold. The three specialists, M.J. [Stewart] as the personal protector, Henry [To'oTo'o], Jake Hansen. I got guys coming up to me from other teams saying 'man, 35 is doing a heck of a job.' Proud of those guys and excited to watch them because they've earned the opportunity to play good football. They have to go earn playing good football on Saturday. Just super proud of those guys. Thanks for letting me share that. To the Chargers, this is a unique group. Size matchup. They've got two guys that can absolutely fly and their leading special teams tackler who you'd think is a hybrid or a speedster is not. It's Nick Niemann. He's a savvy linebacker. They've got two of them in Troy Dye [number] 43. As you look at the gunners, they prevent a lot of plays from happening by just funneling the returner vertical. Ton of space with the big legged punter. He might out kick coverage, but they're forced to step up and here comes the second wave of coverage. They've wrapped every single person to the ground. Coach [Ryan] Ficken does a great job of not letting bad things happen to them, so from our perspective they play very sound and it's our job to find some way to create some leverage here, or a gap there and really impact the game.
On who brings more enthusiasm between him and Coach Harbaugh
"Just got to be myself, but I'll take myself any day of the week though, just want to make sure you know that too."
On what stands out about Chargers returner Derrius Davis
"Didn't mention him. One of the more dynamic players in the league. If we come out on Sunday watching the tape and we had a good game, we were able to neutralize him. Speed over space is real. You look at him KayVonate Turpin, Greg Dortch, [Brandon] Codrington and a couple other guys that can really run. If you're the last man in the line of defense then the team is counting on you to find a way to wrap that guy to the ground. Best way to do that is to stop them before they get started."
On how he feels about the new kickoff rules after one year of experiencing it
"Ask me after we're done playing and I'll give you my answer. Right now, it's just however it is. It's not my favorite thing in the whole world and I'll speak more crudely on it at another point in time, if that's fair."
On how excited he was to see the performance RB Dameon Pierce had against the Titans
"Kind of a proud papa type of moment. I know I'm not that old, but for any of our guys and we've had multiple examples of it but I think it's such a representation of our special teams room and their season. I've mentioned before, D'Angelo Ross against the New England Patriots. Jake Hansen and Neville Hewitt playing a lot of linebacker for Green Bay game. Finishing out the Jacksonville game like Neville and Henry. Eric Murray is supposed to be a core special teamer and that guy is having a damn good football season. Any time a guy gets a shot and steps into a premium role, a premier role for our football team and kind of puts the team on their back a little bit, it's outstanding to see. It just reminds me that there is no small step day-to-day that's not valuable. If you take a step today on Wednesday or tomorrow on Thursday, then you got better. For a guy, who maybe didn't get a lot of run during the regular season, found a role in the kicking game and I'm proud of him as a kick returner, but to then take that to the offensive side is awesome. If he gets a chance to do it again in the playoffs then let's go do that same thing Dameon."
On how explosive Dameon has been in the return game as well
"Yeah, and they're not beautiful play designs or blocked up perfect. Now, we had some darn good blocking on a couple reps last Sunday but when it's not is kind of when he is at his best. He is a trash runner. He's a mudder. He makes those around him better by 'hey, just stay attached' and if that guy doesn't get a full body on him then he believes and he wants them to know that he is going to find those extra yards. He's done that for us as a kick returner and hopefully he continues to find explosives. I mean you guys know the stats, if our offense gets that ball and we can get that thing to midfield or jump out there after, we excite the sideline. I'm hoping that we can do that again as we get going here."
