DeMarcus Covington 12/19: "Every time we get out on the field is an opportunity for us"

Published Dec 19, 2024, 9:29 PM

Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington addresses the media on Thursday, December 19, 2024.

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Never figured his chair out. What's going on Sunday?

Is an opportunity for your team to kind of go in there and to go place to place in prime time marquee match up and.

Make an impact.

Yeah, for sure every time we get to you know, step out on the field as an opportunity for us. So looking forward to it, looking forward to a matchup divisional opponent which is always you know, a good one in Buffalo, and so definitely looking forward getting ready this week. Had a good day of practice yesterday and so looking forward for the matchup on Sunday, for sure, how does one defended MVP front runner like Josh Allen obviously having maybe the best season of his career, not making a lot of mistakes.

What do you really do against some much as your story goal like that?

Yeah, just as a defense, obviously got to play discipline football.

I got to do a good job of doing.

The little things right over and over and over again, because he can make you pay, definitely with extended plays using his arm. They got a good running game going on to so I think, you know, the key for them is really just being disciplined, which we've done that in the pass against this team. When you broke down the last season of the Arcus, what did you see as the primary issues.

For the defense in the last game.

Yes, so for us, it's really about, you know, last game really breaking that down. I would say, just the same thing we talk about, like what's going to need to beat Buffalo to his question is discipline and consistency on every play that's really to deal.

How would you describe where you guys are fundamental slides right now?

As a defense?

Where would I describe that? Yeah, I think there's a good amount of things that we need to improve in daily. So I wouldn't say that, h that's definitely an area that we need to improve in, that's not the only area we need to improve in. So for us, we need to prove in a good amount of things as we you know, finish off these next three weeks.

Marcus.

The John mentioned yesterday that Josh Allen made a big leak when he started taking profit hitting those checkdowns. So after that, once he started doing that, how did your game planning change for Josh Allen.

To say the last year or two.

Yeah, for us, it's about not giving a big place, force him to take the check down and tackle that.

So that that's the key thing.

If you if you're up there taking away the check down, he's gonna throw right right off your head. So for us, it's really container the quarterback stopping a run, giving up no big plays, all right, force them to take the profit, and then going down down there and tackling it. So that's kind of how I would say, Marcus, how.

Tough is it to defend their run game? Sorry?

How tough is it defend their run game?

With you know, Allen being such a factor in a lot of those options style schemes.

Yeah, so anytime you add the element of a quarterback run game, create extra gaps, that extra defender, it's always tough.

It's always tough. Marcus think it's.

Story legal in the last three years to spend one of the top ten defenses here and obviously this year the results are the same.

Just how would you boil down some of.

The main issues in the growing Yeah, I would say every year is different, every defense is different. So that's kind of how we look at it. Like I wouldn't read too much into it. So for us, we're just trying to do the best we can every week, us as a coaching staff, us as the players, and I think those guys are working hard and trying to do what we ask them to do. So, you know, I look at each year being different, you know, each year, so like what you did last year, where we're you know, what we did previous years.

Every year is different. So that's kind of look at frustrating.

Is winning that's your off that it's that it hasn't been level with obvious.

I'm like any capabilities around there.

I think we all want to win.

So you know, when you when you come here, and put in all the hours and do all the things. All right, you want to win. You want to win for the players. You want to win for your family, You want to win for your kids. So you want to win for you know, for the people in this building. So you definitely obviously there's uh, you know, you can be frustrated, but at the same time, like for us, it's you have to continue to have you know, hold you. You can't walk around with your head down and frustrated, frustrated for like, you got to work. You got to continue to put into work like our coaches have been or like our players have been, uh, and then continue to go. So like there's things you have to learn from and keep.

It moving schematically, what spends up most to you about your break offense, I.

Would say balanced offense. You know, obviously it has the quarterback. And then for for me, like he does a good job of continue to move in the chains, you know, really good job moving the chains, you know within the running game and the passing game, a good red area team, so you know, good third down team. And so for him, he does a good job of really really spreading the ball out you know to everyone, not just giving it to one individual spreads the ball out and that's including with the quarterback. So that's where for him you have to defend where most teams it's like, you know, you got your go to guys where everybody can get the ball.

On you know, any single play for this.

Team, marks Dante last week where he's gotten better as a coach TCAs he's a running but he expressed his preparation for meetings is better now than it was, say a week two, three and four. I'm curious for you, where are you better as a coach this week, last week versus.

Back in September.

Yeah, I think every week, you know, you learn something different about yourself as a team and the way you's to improve. And uh so that that's kind of how I see I'm a better coach from you know, last.

Year, previous years, the other day, all the day.

So I like, as as human beings, we try to get better at everything we do all the time. So I look at it as every day as a as as an opportunity to to For me, I look at it, I can't have a bad day. I can't afford to have a bad day. So as a defensive coordinator, so that's what I try to do. I try to bring my best forward foot forward every single day and uh and and bring that for the players, you know, and for this team.

So I can't afford to have a bad day with some of the struggles this year. Are you just trying anything different to we Were you.

Just trying to stay on the same approach that you thought it would early in the season?

Yeah? I think you again, you have to adapt.

You have to adapt with who you're playing, who you have, what you have, what players are doing well, what they're not doing well. I think you can't just stay the same. You always got to kind of evolve as the season goes on. And so that's what we're doing. So depending on who we have, what we have, who we're playing, who's who's available, who's not available. I think that's every week, you know, That's that's the almost what the game play element. Then also like who do you have available for your team wise.

Enough in the way of injury or missing guys for whatever reason the course of year. Do you feel like you've had to dial back what you asked your defensive season yours?

Yeah, And that's part of it too, So you have to adjust, adapt or die that's basically what you gotta do. You have to adapt or die each week to to your point like who you have and what you have and and but you still hold the standard, the standard of what what you want for the defense. So the standard of our defense doesn't change. And what we want, you know, good communication, good fundamentals, good tackle and play like flying around to the football and try to you know, make the opponents pay. So that that those deals doesn't change what you do within you know, the playbook here and there, it may change or based off of you know, where you're at.

Of course, that's the ability to manufacture pressure.

How does how does that reach the standard that sort of speaking.

About that question, Yeah, I think you for us depends on like what they're in, what they're doing, and uh, you know at that point of the game. So a lot of it is, you know, you want to sit here and say, you know, let's pressure, pressure, pressure, let's do this is what point of the game. Are we are we up? Are we down? What's the down? And distance? How is it gaming on? Like there's a lot of factors in and and like when you want to do certain things. So that's kind of how it is, like as a play caller, you got to make sure that like those factors are are are, you got to pick the right times on when to do it. So that's kind of how I look at it.

How would you assess your group's eye disciplined in recent weeks?

I disciplined.

Uh.

I think that's part of the one of the fundamentals of where we can always improve in. So so, whether it's man covers, whether it's uh your run past key reads, those different deals. So again, there's areas where we need to improve in. And again I'll take accountability there for that, you know one. So and we we talk about those different fundamentals every single day and we work those there. We work those fundamentals every day. So and we'll continue to work on it. And I'm proud of the way that guys show up to work every day. And you guys should be proud of those guys, the way they show up work every day. They're trying to play out there, play hard and uh, improve and finish.

You said the responsible.

Comparing the defense past years that one we can do it too much. Yeah, I'm curiously that part of that.

I don't look at I look at what we do week the week. So that's what I look at I look at what we do week the week and how we can win the game. And so that's kind of how I look at it. So, you know, trying to get a W. You know, that's how I look at it, trying to get a W. That's the most important thing, you know, to me is winning.

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