Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai joins! How will he and this defense, hold MVP candidate Josh Allen in check? What makes Allen so good? #NFL
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00:00Jelani, good morning. Thanks for calling.
00:02Of course. Good morning. How are you doing?
00:05I'm doing okay. You guys coming off a bye week,
00:08facing Arizona team and things don't go your way.
00:11How was it during the bye week and what was your main focus
00:15going into that game against Arizona?
00:17I felt that we were getting ready and we were energized and prepared.
00:27Unfortunately, the outcome didn't show how our preparation was.
00:32I'm just happy we have another opportunity against the Bills this week
00:37to showcase what we're trying to put out.
00:41So far, we've been having a good week of practice.
00:45All our focus right now is on Buffalo.
00:49We're going into hostile territory and definitely don't want to go there
00:56like days ago because that crowd is something else.
01:05You guys did give up 164 rushing yards in that game against Arizona.
01:10What was it about the Cardinals that gave you guys such a difficult time
01:14and how do you work on that as you get ready for a tough competition in Buffalo?
01:21The biggest thing was just missed tackles and that chunk run early in the game.
01:30I don't live in the what ifs because I don't.
01:34I'm not going to say we took care of that.
01:38It would have been different.
01:41It's a whole new week.
01:43We got Buffalo who's got a great quarterback in Josh.
01:47They have Cook who's been having a good few years.
01:52We got to basically just do our jobs, tackle the guy who has the ball,
01:58and just make sure our communication is on point with each other.
02:02Jelani, I feel like we've been talking about this all year long,
02:06whether it was with you or whether it's been with Gerard Mayo and the missed tackles.
02:12What do you think the reasoning behind so many missed tackles?
02:19Just getting to the ball.
02:22A lot of times it's one-on-ones.
02:26The best way to usually avoid missed tackles is game tackling,
02:31having all 11 guys to the ball.
02:36That's one of the big things.
02:43I just want to ask something real quick.
02:46When you think of game tackling, is it more about guys getting off blocks
02:52so they can now rally around the ball carrier,
02:56or is it more about making sure that you're foot on the gas
03:00and you're hustling to the ball,
03:04not thinking that your one guy is going to make the tackle?
03:08It's a mixture of both.
03:11The biggest thing is we always pride ourselves on not going one-for-one.
03:16If you do have a wide-open shot at a guy,
03:21you should be able to take him down.
03:26That includes myself.
03:28I think I had two missed tackles that game.
03:32That ticked me off.
03:34I was trying my best to make sure that I made up for it throughout the game.
03:40It just comes down to us making sure that we get that guy down.
03:44It's a tough league.
03:48I think James Connors just had a really good game that day too.
03:52He was running his heart out, so my hat goes out to him.
03:57Like I said, this is a whole new week.
03:59We've got to make sure that we stop the run,
04:02whether it's Cook, whether it's Ty Johnson, or whether it's Josh,
04:06because they do run a lot of QB runs.
04:09We've got to make sure that we get off our blocks,
04:11and all 11 guys just got to be good at the ball.
04:14Yeah, Jelani, I think the majority of this season
04:17you guys have started games pretty well and pretty strong,
04:20and it gets the bills.
04:21That's going to be really important to handle Josh early in that game.
04:25Has the issue been a lack of adjustments, do you think,
04:30during the middle of the game, or is it just simply that you guys
04:32have just been not able to capitalize on the little things,
04:36on the tackling and just the positioning and holding your lanes
04:40and such like that?
04:48I would say it's the little things.
04:51I always think it's the little things, you know.
04:55But that just comes down to us making sure that we get off our blocks,
04:58like we said, and securing our tackles, whether it's we've got to get a roll,
05:02you've got to make sure that – I don't know.
05:07It makes our job way more – like way more easier
05:10when you see 11 guys for the ball.
05:13And, you know, those guys who are running the ball hate,
05:16like when they see that.
05:18When they see all guys just swarming
05:21and trying to tackle you with bad intentions.
05:24So this week we've definitely been having a lot of swarm practices
05:30where we just – you know, if you're not running for the ball, you're out.
05:34So I'm glad to see that we're adjusting to that
05:38and trying to nip the problem in the bud, even if it's this late in the season.
05:43Jelani, how difficult is it when you look around the locker room
05:46and you've got three weeks left of the season?
05:48You face the Bills twice, the Chargers once.
05:51For the younger guys, do you feel it like a responsibility
05:55as an older guy in the locker room
05:57to make sure that everybody still has their head in the game?
05:59Or do you think that everybody's on the same page
06:02when it comes to making sure you finish the season as strong as you can?
06:07No, everybody's on the same page right now.
06:10I've said this before, like nobody likes to lose in our locker room.
06:14And if you're okay with losing, like you're in the wrong business at work.
06:19And every day I see the guys and you're frustrated because we're trying to win
06:24and we know that what's killing us is these little things,
06:29whether it's on or off the field or just simple plays that we never mess up.
06:37But we'll have a minor thing that we'll capitalize on.
06:43So I think, like I said, we're all on the same page on what our goal is,
06:49which is to win.
06:51And I don't think anybody's checked out right now
06:53because everybody's showing up to work.
06:58I expect everybody to come into this building pissed off
07:01and ready to practice, and that's what I'm seeing.
07:06So we're definitely ready to make sure we go out to Buffalo and show up.
07:13Jelani, Josh Allen, having an MVP-type season,
07:18what do you guys need to do?
07:20What's the number one thing you guys got to do as a defense
07:23to give your team an opportunity to win when it comes to defending Josh Allen?
07:32Biggest thing is getting him down.
07:34If we're talking about his run game,
07:36we got to make sure that we get him down however we do.
07:40And that's one of the biggest things,
07:42that's the toughest thing to do in this league right now,
07:45which is tackling quarterbacks.
07:47It's just all the caution signs are up as soon as he starts running the ball.
07:52You don't know if he's going to slide, whether he's going to –
07:55I mean, you guys see the film.
07:57This guy would literally run all the way to the sideline,
08:00stop his feet at the sideline,
08:02and take that extra second to look down the field
08:07and throw the ball while we're trying to push him out of bounds
08:09or come and hit him.
08:11So it's a hard thing to do because you don't know
08:14if he's going to try and jump out of bounds or whatever.
08:18And the second is making sure we keep him in the pocket.
08:21He's a dangerous guy, but he's more dangerous when he's outside the pocket
08:27and he's playing street football.
08:29So that's one of the biggest things that we have to do.
08:32Jelani, this team has three really athletic, good running backs
08:37and guys that can catch out of the backfield.
08:40How difficult will it be for you guys to really kind of match up with them
08:45in man coverage and really kind of making sure that you hold them in check?
08:52I think we're going to have a good matchup.
08:57They got some really quick guys, but we got some really fast guys too
09:01to match up against them.
09:03So we got a good game plan set for them.
09:06Come Sunday, I think we're going to be ready.
09:10Jelani, I'm all about fixing leagues, working on fixing college football.
09:15We're getting a 2014 playoffs system in there.
09:20I think I can fix the NFL when it comes to the quarterback situation.
09:25How would you feel about this rule?
09:27The quarterback has a five-yard halo.
09:30If he hasn't slid within five yards of the defender, he becomes fair game.
09:36So now that kind of takes the guessing out of it.
09:40Man, I miss the old rules, to be honest.
09:44I don't even...
09:47The quarterbacks should know better.
09:49They're getting paid all this money to be a quarterback.
09:52Don't try and take advantage of the game.
09:58I'm not trying to take a fine or suspension off of them being dumb.
10:05So I'm down for that too.
10:08But those old rules when I grew up seeing the Charles Slugs
10:13or the Junior Seahawks smack the crap out of quarterbacks,
10:16I'm down for that.
10:19Jelani, it's probably the last time that a few of us will talk to you this year.
10:23So on behalf of everybody, thanks so much for taking the time.
10:26You've always been so kind with us when calling winning or losing.
10:30You've always given us good answers, fair answers, and just been a class act.
10:35And I know it's your first Christmas with a little one as a dad.
10:39So how excited are you for that?
10:43I'm really excited.
10:45I definitely still have some things to give my daughter.
10:50But I'm excited.
10:53It's going to be a special feeling.
10:55As a father of three, Jelani, don't spend a ton of money when they're this little
10:59because they don't remember anything.
11:02Just tons of diapers and probably wipers.
11:05Is that right?
11:06That is it.
11:07Get them one gift because generally they end up playing with the one gift the whole time.
11:10Usually you put a ball in front of them and they're happy.
11:14We were talking about Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy earlier
11:17and the gifts that they got some of their guys.
11:19Any big gifts in the Patriots locker room this year?
11:24They did their thing yesterday.
11:25So we're going to find out today who had the best gift.
11:29All right. All right.
11:30Well, thank you, Jelani Tavai.
11:32That's a Patriots Friday.
11:33We will talk to you the next year.
11:36Yep. Sounds great.
11:37Happy holidays.
11:38Happy holidays.