TITANS HEAD COACH KEN WHISENHUNT PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - October 15, 2015
(on creating seven fumble situations but only recovering one and if there is something the team can do to work on that)
It's not a good percentage, is it? I think some of it's just the luck of the draw. I know three or four of them that I can think of, it went right to them or they were on them before we just had a chance to get on them. I don't know if there is anything you can do drill-wise. Hopefully we can just keep getting them, and eventually we'll get few of those.
(on having seven forced fumbles so far)*
Real good number. We've turned the ball over, we've knocked it loose, sometimes that's just the way it goes. It seems like the ones where we fumbled earlier, they went right to guys, and when we've caused them, they haven't come to us. People say those things kind of balance themselves out. I'm ready for those things to start balancing our way.
(on being two for two on challenges and if that can be attributed to any changes in strategy)
To be honest with you, no. I think that's sometimes the luck of the draw too. There are a lot of times when you know ahead of time that you have a pretty good sense. But it seems like lately - last year there were ones you just didn't know, and this year I felt good about both of them, and they worked out. Hopefully that continues.
(on how much of a difference Dick LeBeau has made since joining the coaching staff)
Not much, really. (Laughter) He's gotten us better food in the cafeteria. We rearranged the seats on the plane when we travel. There have been a couple of good benefits. But he brings a lot to the table. I think you can see how our team in general responds to him. I mean, look at his credentials. The guy is in the Hall of Fame, and he's a great coach. So no question that he's been a very good addition for us.
(on specific areas where Dick LeBeau has made a difference)
I think just in general terms look at where our defense is compared to where it was last year. I'll be honest with you, getting (Brian) Orakpo, that's helped make (Derrick) Morgan better. Getting Perrish Cox has helped make our secondary better. We've had some guys playing better football. Da'Quan (Jones) is playing really good football. Those things all help, second year in the system helps. But I think when he stands up in front of the defense and he talks to them, certainly when he says, 'You guys are a good unit and we are going to be a really good unit,' it lends a lot to guys believing in that. A lot of this game is mental and that helps.
(on if there are any obvious differences Dick LeBeau has made that fans would be able to recognize during a game)
Well, I mean during the course of the game you're always communicating with other coaches and the players. I don't know if you could say specifically in-game examples, it's more that we're better as a whole group and (Dick LeBeau) has had a significant contribution to that.
(on being number one in the league in getting to the quarterback)
So far it's been good. We've just got to continue to do that. We still have areas where we've got to improve, and we've got to close out a game. That's a big part of it. We've got to learn how to do that and we have to be in position to make some plays. But if we can continue with what you said about getting to the quarterback, then it certainly helps us accomplish that.
(on if that can be attributed to it being his second year in the system or better personnel)
Probably a little bit of both.
(on Jurell Casey's comment on the sinking feeling players get after giving up a touchdown, and how important it is for guys to stay positive when the other team scores)
I don't know how much of an impact that really is. I think any time an opponent scores on you, even when you're good, you're always like, 'Crap. We can't let them score.' We've moved the ball and scored points, so it's not like one touchdown is going to beat us. Last week's game was a different game. It was a different kind of game against that opponent. But I don't know. If that is the case, then that's something that we've got to get through. Being around these guys, especially Jurrell (Casey), I feel like we're playing better because they're confident that we can do some good things. Winning would certainly help that.
(on if Dick LeBeau remains mellow with age, even after giving up third-and-23)
I've seen Dick (LeBeau) at times really get upset and heated. He's a competitor. That was an unfortunate thing, but it wasn't because of that one play that we lost the game. That's not something that you want to do, but there are a lot of things that led up to us not being able to win the game. That's something that we've got to correct and get better at.
(on what stands out about Ryan Tannehill)
Well I don't know. I don't really know what they're going to do. (Ryan Tannehill) is an athletic quarterback, so he is a little bit similar to (Tyrod) Taylor from that standpoint. He'll play out all those options and run with it. He's a good pocket passer so he's a guy that can get hot and be a dangerous quarterback.
(on if he is expecting the unexpected from Miami)
You kind of go back and forth on that. I think there will be some things that are different. Naturally, you expect that. But it's also hard to make a complete reversal in a week and a half from what you've been doing. I'm sure they'll do some things that are important, Coach (Dan) Campbell feels like, and we'll see some things that we haven't seen. But I've said it before, it's a little bit like coming out of preseason. There are always going to be some things in your first game that you haven't seen. At least we've been operating in regular season games for four weeks, and hopefully we'll be able to adjust to them quickly.
