Live Press Conference: 12:15 PM CT: Interim HC Mike McCoy

charge uh for the second half of the season. Um but you know, had a great uh team meeting this morning with everybody and then we went out and had a little workout there. Um that’s why I’m coming and kind of huffing and puffing right now because we just finished. So I ran up here as fast as I could to get to you guys. But uh yeah, had a great practice today. So everyone’s in good mindset right now moving forward and I got a little intro to Houston. So that’s where we are. One of the things about, you know, I that I looked up numbers on Cam, he leads the league in sack yards lost by more than a hundred yards on the next quarterback. Uh why what do you attribute some of that to? Because it’s lo it’s losing an average of almost eight yards a sack. Well, it’s probably, you know, the first part is it’s the number of sacks. We’ve taken too many sacks as an offense. Um, and I think at times too there’s an opportunity to throw balls away and when you’re outside the pocket you might do certain things or when you’re making plays and I think that that will come with experience of him understanding that you know when do you dirt balls and do certain things or you know when is it better to try to get out of a problem instead of just getting the ball out of your hands. So I think it’s combination. I mean you’d have to look at every play to say this is why uh you know if you looked at the film I have I’ve got a breakdown of you know this is why sacks happen. Is it on the quarterback? Is it an offensive lineman? uh is it a running back? Um did a receiver did something happen with the receiver that caused you know Cam to hold the ball long? So there’s a number of things that come into play. U but you obviously want to you know minimize the the yardage you lose. How’s your involvement in game planning changed from from your role before you got the interim job to now? Well, I think you know uh before um you know we kind of we had our our plan on how we did things and I was not as involved. Now I’m involved in everything. As we go through things, you look at things. When I sit with the offensive staff, uh you look at the plan in more details. Uh because of my role, uh it’s it’s drastically changed obviously. Um you know, the coaches, they put the plans together. We all sit down as a group and go over all that in great detail. Um you and we we I was in those meetings before u but I didn’t have as much say in, you know, recommendations and certain things with, you know, I’d always speak up, but um I have more say now. Is it the play caller that leads that? No, it’s a it’s by committee. It’s by, you know, we we each have our areas that you know of what we’ve done um from day one of, you know, how do you you know, getting ideas, putting everything together and it’s by committee and then you go through the plan and you poke holes in it and you pick and choose certain things. You say, you know, it’s always good when everyone speaks up um because not everyone sees it from a certain perspective or a certain position. maybe sometimes uh in the running game all of a sudden you know you know Luke may say something hey can we formation it this way to help us things like that so it’s always a group effort uh no longer with you Jerick Reed been added can you speak to maybe those moves and then also what maybe the stage position might look like moving forward yeah just like to thank for everything he did here uh a true pro uh we’ve mutually parted ways as you guys all know uh but a true professional and then you know um you know bringing in new players it’s always an opportunity um as we’ve talked about of you know there’s going to be certain changes and um there’s a position you know we we’ve been playing um you know with Kevin playing a little more here and there so it’s an opportunity for him to step up uh and everybody else really just you know getting us making the most of every opportunity you get. We talked before the break about the by-week self scout operational changes any of that stuff. Did you come to any conclusions about things you might want to change coming out of the B? Well, I think every year you go into it, it’s it’s every season you you look at things, you go into the by-week and you always evaluate what you’re doing and certain things you might have had plans with at the beginning of the year saying, “Hey, this is going to be core.” Maybe for some reason, uh, it’s not as successful as you want it to be. So, maybe you kind of want to eliminate some of those things. And there’s a couple things that you I looked at and I said, “Hey, let’s kind of stay away from a couple of these concepts. Maybe we’re not having the success. let’s run more of something else that is, you know, higher completion percentage that we have more success with. So there’s always that every year when you get to the point there’s things you look back and say godh you know this was this used to be but it’s it’s players and sometimes you look at it you say you had a certain for just say for example um a certain route concept that you might have had that guy that was really good at that route where you know it was nine or 10 in the past and all of a sudden you have a different person in that position and that may not be what he does best and you’ve asked him to do a couple times and so there’s there you always look at that too sometimes of it’s great to have that time off to really take a deep breath and look at it and say, “Okay, why are these things not working? And how do we improve it? Uh, do we got to formation it different? Are we better off just, you know, we’re not getting the looks that we want for that play?” So, you run something different. I know you don’t want to get into scheme specifics, but can you tell us some of the areas where those conversations took place? Well, I can tell you right third down is one of we have we have to be better on third down offensively. You talk about scoring more points and doing things, but when you know you’re in the high 20s uh on third down conversion rates, it’s it’s tough to score a lot of points. You got to sustain drives, whether it’s in the red area somewhere where you talk about those four point plays, you’re kicking field goals or you extending the drive or is it, you know, somewhere uh to, you know, anywhere else in the field where you want to get another opportunity. So that that’s a huge focus for us. Along those lines, I think you’ve had 20 drives this year, cross the 50, and come away with no points. Does that come down to third down as well? That that’s a big part of it. When you don’t when you don’t um capitalize on opportunities, not just on third down, but there’s there’s other plays. You look at the game, too, where there maybe there’s an opportunity for an explosive play um or a big run. There there’s there’s a number of opportunities that get you to cross the 50, but we haven’t done it consistently enough this year. as you look to making things like more cam friendly, would it be accurate to say that he seems to excel more on play action passes? And if so, what would you say the reason is for that? Well, I think every time you go into a game plan, uh you look at what is the best way to attack a certain team and whether it’s play action, whether it’s movements, whether it’s drop back passes, whether it’s screens, uh you’re always looking at that. But we’re really, you know, we’re looking at how to get Cam more efficient in all areas of the game, not just that. you know, same thing situationally. Third down, if we execute better in the red area, certain things, scoring touchdowns, things like that. What have you seen maybe just in the last three games, you know, since you came in, and I know you wanted to maybe kind of tweak some things for Cam. What have you seen in those three games? And how do you how do you evaluate maybe he’s made how he’s made some changes? Well, I think, you know, um, in my current role, I’m more involved with him. So, you know, I can like um I met with him this morning and I sat down with him and I had made a tape form to kind of look at after watching all the tapes and kind of saying, “Hey, here’s some things I think you could look at and um from my perspective and here’s some things you can mechanically clean up or you know, it’s not going to just happen overnight because he’s done it a certain way like we’ve talked about a number of times uh thousands and thousands of thousands of time, but just little things whether it’s pocket movements um whether it’s release points, target line, there’s a number of different things you talk about uh decision decision making all those things doing the next best thing when something’s not there you guys always ask about him taking off and running you know that that’s one thing you know you know I got an opportunity this weekend to sit around and watch games you see a lot of those you know the quarterbacks all of a sudden it’s not there and they take off and running it’s it’s a positive play they’re staying ahead and down in distance so there’s a number of things that I’ve you know I kind of talk to him about now on a daily basis whether it’s after practice you know you just go up to him and say hey that’s that one I talked to you about hey if you just stay on the move instead of trying to force it you know it’s second and six instead of being you know second and 10, things like that. So, uh there’s constant communication with him. Uh but the great thing with Cam is is that he wants to be great and he he wants that input on a daily basis in terms of needing more explosive plays when you design certain things and you’re hoping to get those explosive plays. Is it more, you know, catch a 10 yard pass and run 20 more yards with it or is it more of throw it further down the field and let your guy come up with it? It’s it’s really a combination of all those things because there is a number of times um you know you you design a play and maybe it’s a protection breakdown. Um whether it’s a receiver um not getting to the right location, whether it’s a quarterback decision. There’s a number of different things that come up, you know, in those things and of of why it’s not an explosive play. U you know, is it a missed throw? Um there’s a number of different thing or after you catch the ball, do you get up field or do you keep coming across? So there’s a number of little things that you know prevent you from having those explosive plays. So it’s not just it’s not just one thing. How has Cam done leading receivers to create some of those hitting them in the spot and giving them a ball that they can run with? I think he’s done a decent job with it. I think there’s going to be always a couple throws uh that you say got if it was just a little further out in front of him, maybe it would have been that catch and run up like for a slant for example. if you throw it to his back hip, obviously slowing down where if you kept it out front of him, you know, he catches it and goes. Um, so there’s a number of different reasons why plays aren’t explosive. As the guys start to get back in the building, uh, how are things looking with with Jeffrey Simmons, Calvin Ridley, you know, two guys that obviously they’re working extremely hard. Uh, that’s all I’m going to say right now is these guys are, we’ve been talking about it for weeks, how hard they work. So, as soon as they can be out there to help the team and play at 100% and they want to, they know they can go out there and cut it loose and be themselves, they’re going to be out there. But, they’re working extremely hard. When you took over, you expanded individual period. Can you remind me from from what to what and have you stuck with that? Yeah, we said we have we have an individual period of 12 minutes. It used to be seven. Um, and we we’ve stuck with it. Yes. How much I understand that’s the nature of it. You have limited practice time. How much can a guy I know a lot of it’s touching up technique. How much can somebody like Cam get done in three 12 minute periods in a week with the new footwork stuff or with working on something like that? Well, you get plenty of throws in. I mean, it’s it we when you go into the indiv individual period, uh it’s up tempo. And if you look at how we do it, you you split it up to where who who is he throwing to getting the extra throws. Uh and that was the main reason why we did that to get more opportunities. And before we had taken, you know, during a defensive period, you can go to the side while the defense is out there, do the same thing. But this was just a way to just do it uh more in a different timing of practice and getting more positions to do certain things individually. Uh but he gets a I don’t have a pitch count to be exactly how many throws he gets uh in that extra time period because there’s different focuses each day whether it’s a first second down day whether it’s a third down day whether it’s a red area day so that’s always different but I think it really helps him because in practice if you don’t get all those reps you know you go in a seven seven or a team rep you’re throwing to one guy and this way we can go through a progression like on Fridays you can go through a pass play in the red area and go through and get each route run very quickly you know, he gets four or five throws and it’s the same play, but he gets each throw possible. So, he can go through the progression and you get that a number of times through the red area concepts that we’re running. So, he does have quote unquote little periods of downtime where he gets some some time to work on that as well, like special teams periods and stuff. Oh, yeah. We you have all that. He’s, you know, quarterbacks, you know, it’s it’s an individual period all the time whenever special teams are going. So, he’s got a ton of time. Uh the problem with it in the special teams period is that with depending on what phase it is, certain skilled players are involved in the kicking game, so you can’t get those throws. So we try to do as much as we can throughout the entire practice. So any extra throws he can get, he’s going to try to whether it’s during a special teams period, whether it’s a defense period or during those individual periods, we get the extra throws that we need. You mentioned Winston. How do you like how he’s developed how important now that he may get some more opportunities for him to continue to show improvement? Well, you love the way he flies around and the way he practices and the way you play. He plays the game. And I think uh it’s like any other young player. It’s experience. The more reps you get at something, the more comfortable you are uh playing in the system, the faster you’re going to play. But I think he’s in a good spot. As you’ve gotten to know like some of the defensive players, what are some of the things that that you may have discovered uh in getting to know Tvandre SW? Wait, ask one more time. as as far as like now that you’re the head coach, right? You you getting to know more defensive guys. So, as you’ve gotten to know tore sweat, like what are some of the things that you may not have known about maybe his work ethic or, you know, his play or or anything like that? Well, I think I just I pay closer attention to every detail of practice. When you’re an offensive minded guy, you’re kind of watch you’re focusing on those things. And I think it’s just great to have the conversations in between periods or meetings certain because they sit in certain defensive meetings at times. So, you just learn about a lot about the players and you you learn, I think, you know, how to push the right buttons with the player. That that’s the key thing is is how do you get these guys to go out there and play at a certain level? Um, and so I’ve I’ve learned a lot about these guys on the defensive side in the last three weeks. And as far as SW specifically, as far as his work ethic or or anything like that, like what did you learn from watching him more closely? Well, I think I think he works extremely hard. He’s pushing he we’re trying to push him to the next level. like every player you are on the team, you’re trying to push these guys and I think, you know, the defense staff, the off I mean the entire staff, that’s what they do. They go out there and they push these guys to to be the best players possible. Building for the from building for the future standpoint, Mike, like what do you challenge these guys to show over the next eight games relative to an evaluation standpoint? Well, I I think anytime you have an opportunity to play a game in the NFL, um it’s an honor and privilege. So you always go out there and tell these players, you know, you’re going out to play your best game the next game regardless of what your record is, regardless of where it is in the season, you say the same thing early in the season as you do late in the year. It’s an opportunity to go out there uh and show who you are and what what it means for you to play the game. To your to your evaluation or to your eye, what does good enough look like or success look like for Dan and JC specifically at the tackle spots? What is good enough? Yeah. Well, you know, they’re in they’re in that’s a tough position these days with the talent on the edge. Uh and they have got a great challenge this week um with the pass rushers they’ve got in Houston. And so it’s there’s going to be give and take. And I think anytime you evaluate it, uh they’re going to get beat. That that’s going to happen. Every player is going to get beat at some point in time. But I think you always got to look at them and say, are you using all the little techniques? Are you doing every all the little things right to give yourself a chance to succeed? And I think that’s one thing that you always look at when you get in here on Monday mornings and watch the game film or how they practice during the week. And that’s why you’re always, you know, like an earlier question, you’re always pushing these guys to be the best they possibly can be because it’s a great challenge every week. And there’s they’re going to get beat at some time on the edge. It’s gonna I mean, there are some phenomenal pass rushers and it’s not easy. And the the thing back in the day is you used to say, okay, each team has one. So, you know, you put chip help over there. You can slide certain things. But now you play a team like we’re playing this week and they got to help on both edges. You got to help both edges at times. Um so it’s it’s you know that’s part of our job too to make sure we help these guys. Um you know and that a good running game helps that also. Are they close to him that standard? Yeah I think there’s there’s up I mean I think every every game you look at there’s a couple plays you look back and say hey you can do this better definitely and they tell they’d be the first to tell you. Um, and I think that’s the one big thing is you talk about communication. You know, I I love the way the offensive line has communicated with me during the games is because I I talked to them about that early on. It’s just, you know, hey, I want your feedback on on why things work, why things don’t work. And if hey, if you get beat, just let’s let’s be brutally honest with each other and say, listen, I had a pass. I had a poor set, you know, I had a poor, you know, poor technique in the run game, whatever that is. But, uh, they work they’ll work extremely hard. Say, I know you referenced third downs earlier, but on on first downs, what aside from penalties, what are some of the things you think that that have kind of held the offense back on on first downs and set you up for I mean, you you could I mean, that’s I could go on forever on that one. Just because there’s there’s every play there could be a different reason why it’s not working. Um, is it are you running the ball into a pressure that’s not ideal? Uh, you know, guys just make plays, you get beat. Um, is it a poor decision? does do you not win a one-on-one matchup outside? So, I mean sites that can go on. I mean, you look at every play, you could critique that and say, “Okay, this is why it doesn’t work.” And but that that’s the difference of winning and losing in some games. And it’s it’s about making, you know, how do you win your one-on-one battles? And that’s why the individual period is so important, I think, is that how do you increase the number of times you win your one-on-one battles in a game? Yeah, you may have just answered this, but but specifically, I guess, in the run game on on those first downs, um any any one or two things in particular that that sort of stand out? No, it’s like I said, that that’s where it could go into every play is a reason why it’s not working. You could say, hey, the three technique beat the guard or the tight end didn’t, you know, have the right I mean, you go on there’s a reason why every play doesn’t work. So, and it’s always different. And then sometimes, hey, you got to say, give them credit. They made a heck of a play. All right. All right. Thank you guys very much. All right. We’ll see you later. All right. Excuse me.

Titans Interim Head Coach Mike McCoy addresses reporters on Monday at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park.

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