Transcript: Coordinators Addressed the Media Thursday
Norv Turner interviews for the first time in awhile.
Q: Why do you think Teddy Bridgewater looked as comfortable as he did on Thursday night?
A: I’m just not as zoned in on one game. I think he’s looked comfortable most of the season. I go back to the Atlanta game, he’s 14-of-21 for 130 yards in the first half, we have a good mix of run, pass. The Raiders game in the first half we drive for touchdowns the first two drives. All of the way back to the Detroit game where he throws for 270 yards when we struggle to run the ball. Every game presents a different situation, I think Teddy played the way he’s played most of the time. Instead of throwing 18 or 24 passes we threw 36 passes, you get more opportunities, you get chances to make more plays. I thought our guys who were involved in it responded and made plays.
Q: Do you think Teddy Bridgewater was getting the ball out quicker against Arizona?
A: Again, every team is different and this team is a very aggressive team. We were able to get some misdirection going, we were able to get some quick passes going. We’ve played a number of teams that play a coverage style that they want us to have to hold the ball so they can take advantage of the rush. Every game just comes up different.
Q: What was the thought process with Adrian Peterson’s increased role in 3rd downs against Arizona?
A: If you guys remember after the Seattle game there were some questions on how much activity he had, how many carries he had so he was probably pretty fresh, we thought we’d take advantage of that situation. He’s capable of doing all of it. We’ve tried to manage it the best we could in terms of making sure he’s fresh throughout the entire game. Obviously it shows up with how he’s been able to carry the football in the 4th-quarter when we’ve had leads or small leads and being able to finish off games. Obviously, this game, the Thursday night game, it was an opportunity for us to make a move and we wanted him in the game.
Q: Is that something you want to do more of going forward?
A: Every game is different. There’s things that we want to do with him, we want him to get his opportunities to affect the game.
Q: Do you think Adrian Peterson being in the game helped the passing game?
A: I don’t think it had anything to do with it in the passing game. I think the first 3rd down, it was
Matt Asiata and he gets a 20-yard completion, if we can get them to bust a coverage every time and get the ball out that quick, it would be awesome. They turned him loose, I think every situation is different. I think that when we fake to him and throw the screen, yeah it helps. It’s just depending on, I would say, the play. I think you all try to make too much out of it. I think it’s about going out and executing, performing and everyone doing their job.
Q: Making too much of what?
A: If [Adrian Peterson] he’s in the game or not in the game, if it affects how the secondary plays or doesn’t play or whatever those things that you ask me about.
Q: Why wasn’t there a play for Teddy Bridgewater to check out of on the final play of the Arizona game?
A: First of all, we’ve got a lot of sideline plays. This is one that’s worked for us last year, it’s worked for us in the past. We never have a sideline play where we don’t have a quick outlet, Adrian [Peterson] was the quick outlet, the way the defended the play, if we had it to do over again we would have thrown the ball over Adrian’s head and kicked the field goal. They defended the play real well. Obviously, we’re getting ready for the Bears. My only thing I’d say, I think everyone will learn from that play.
Q: Was that something where you wanted to just run a play for communication issues?
A: It’s a good play. There was no reason to check out of it.
Q: What do you attribute Kyle Rudolph’s increased catches to?
A: I think there’s two things – I think it’s who we’re playing and the situations that we’re in and number two, would be Teddy is throwing the ball to him when he’s covered more than he was early. Kyle is not a guy that’s going to get great separation, but he’s a big-body presence. He’s thrown the ball where, we had one on the sideline, 3rd down, the defender almost got a hand on the ball, Teddy put it out in front, he’s a big man he went up and got it and ran down the sideline.
Q: How does cold weather impact play calling?
A: The biggest thing that affects play calling is the team that we’re playing. We’ve played in the cold last year in December. I’d go back and look at the play calling we had there and see if there’s something that was different.
Q: In what ways do you see opposing defenses giving more attention to Stefon Diggs?
A: Well, particularly this last game, they put a really good player on him and contained him pretty well.
Q: What’s going on with Charles Johnson, it seems like he’s been phased out of the offense?
A: He’s not been phased out. The same thing I’m talking about, you get in a game and you get in a rhythm and you’re playing and you’re playing fast. It’s the least of your worries at that point, ‘can we get this guy involved, can we not get this involved?’ The thing I get, obviously, is if when we visit, and I haven’t had a chance to visit with you, but if Kyle is getting more passes, someone wants to know why this guy isn’t, if Adrian is getting the runs they want to know why we threw this ball, if we threw for 300 yards, why isn’t Adrian successful? We went all of the way back to Detroit and struggled to run the ball, we broke off one long run, Teddy throws for 270 yards and it’s why couldn’t we run? The guys that are playing are playing, if something happens to someone CJ [Charles Johnson] will be ready.
Q: Are wide receiver screens something you see as a weapon?
A: We’ve used them a lot, it’s just that things that you do a lot, teams tend to concentrate on and it kind of goes in cycles. We got a wide receiver screen, the big screens, we obviously gotten two or three times to Rhett [Ellison], we caught them in the right coverage and we got a screen to Rhett. I think in the game we got a wide receiver screen to [stefon] Diggs. Those are good plays against teams that are blitzing, that are over playing the run, those are things that are nice change-ups.
Q: How much did the offensive line injuries impact your ability to pass the ball downfield early in the season?
A: It has nothing to do with the start of the season or now, it’s just who we are and what we are right now. We’re trying to make it work and be productive offensively. I still go back to when we had a game in Atlanta and we were as productive in terms of moving the ball as you can be. We were productive in moving the ball against Arizona. We played two real good defenses in Green Bay and Seattle and struggled to move the ball.
Q: How much more comfortable is the offensive line now?
A: They’ve been comfortable with one another from the beginning. Obviously, what we have is managing matchups. A team that has one really strong defensive player, you can manage that and you can say, ‘Okay, we’re going to concentrate on him, we’re going to help, we’re going to do this.’ You play a team that has four across, you can’t manage and help on every single guy. That’s why you game plan and that’s why you do different things to try and help those guys.