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Q: How many times have you coached against [Tom] Brady?**
Coach Tarver:"Last time that I was on a staff against this football team, it was the year that he was hurt, so we coached against [Matt] Cassel. So, a few."
Q: What is the defining quality that you've seen that makes him so special?
Coach Tarver:"His will to just continually throw the ball to the guy that's open and they do a good job of subtle changes within plays. They make a play look the same and then it's slightly different. Like, they run an out and then a double move off the same motion. They do a nice job there and that's what they do, they adjust and they execute from the quarterback to the skill position players. They do a nice job."
Q: What did you see on film this week? Were you disappointed and was it a step back?
Coach Tarver:"We need to win our one-on-one matchups, up front and in the secondary. We're this close. The first third down gets tipped by Justin Tuck and then we don't make the play. That cost us another eight to ten plays of defense. So, our third down execution is costing us time on the field. The other thing is winning our one-on-one matchups up front. We've got to win. We've got to shed blocks and go to the ball. You guys that have seen me over the years know that my favorite phrase, one of them, is use your hands. We didn't use our hands well enough, and that's got to change. For whatever reason, we've got to improve there, be it young guys, old guys, it doesn't matter. We need to shed blocks and go get the guy with the ball. That's what we've been working this week, so we need to improve in that area."
Q: You preach using your hands. Why does it not translate in the game?
Coach Tarver:"Because you have to go through it. Each man has to go through it and each man has got to make a decision whether he's going to win his one-on-ones and strain to get off of blocks, because it isn't that easy to do when 600, 700 pounds is laying on you play in and play out. So, number one, win your one-on-ones on third down so we don't have to play as many plays, and number two, you've got to find a way to get off the block. That's your job in the NFL. Some of our guys are learning that for the first time, and some of our guys know that and need to strain to finish. So, why doesn't it happen all the time? Nothing is perfect, there's no perfect science. You guys have heard me before, if there was a magic potion, I would make it. That's why you've got to emphasize it and go through it, and keep emphasizing it and point out when it's good and point out when it's bad, and keep going. That's why coaches have jobs. That's why this process needs to continue, and we need to see improvement in that area because that's what you do. That's how you play great defense. You've got to get off of blocks and tackle. The rest of the stuff is the rest of the stuff. You've got to tackle the guy with the ball, man, let's go."
Q: Are you getting enough from those guys with the four-man pass rush or has that a problem?
Coach Tarver:"Problems versus process. We're in our process of winning one-on-ones. We had times in the game, we had times in both games where we win our one-on-ones. We've got to win. That's the job. When we create one-on-ones, or we work together, our job is to win and effect the quarterback. A lot of the throws last week were quick throws, if they're that quick and you're in coverage on that man and it's thrown real fast, your job is to knock the ball out, because there isn't any four-, three-, twelve- man rush that's going to get there if the ball is thrown that fast. Get the ball out. So there's times where that happened. Last week, very few execution problems, we've just got to finish better on the ball. Pass rush, everybody."
Q: You're blitzing less this year than you have in the past. Is that because of the guys you have on the front?
Coach Tarver:"Well, I'd say this, we're going to blitz some and we're going to rush some. So, the percentages are going to change game by game. I know some of those stats services know what they're looking at, but they don't, so I wouldn't trust all those numbers. Because, you can have a four-man pressure where you blitz one and you drop one and things like that. So, those numbers will change by game plan, by week. I tell you one thing though, whoever we activate needs to win."
