Vic Fangio

Q. What do you think clicked this week versus last week? Why such an improvement? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, I thought our players played really well from start to finish. That [Saints] offense in those first few games was pretty prolific, both running and throwing.

I thought our guys had a good mindset to go in there and play good. [We] knew that they had a good defense, too, and if we were going to win, it probably would be a low-scoring game. All the credit to our guys.

Q. Is playing DT Milton Williams on the end sustainable? When you go heavy at four – (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: [DT] Milton [Williams]?

Q. DT Milton Williams. (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah.

Q. And what went into that thinking, that movement? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Just to get another bigger body and present a different front.

Q. With that front, how much were you leveraging performance from DT Jalen Carter and DT Jordan Davis? I don’t know if you call it a mug front. Where did that inspiration come from as a whole? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: The front?

Q. Yeah. (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: We’ve played that in the past. Not here, per se, up to this point, but in other places. It’s a front that we’ll mix in some when we feel we need it.

Q. DE Brandon Graham is 36. I don’t know how 36-year-olds are supposed to play, but what have you seen from him? And his production and that snap count, being that high for a guy his age, is that sustainable? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: I think so. Because it’s not just the snap count. When you’re in the 30s, and if they are spread out a couple at a time rather than 12 in a row. So I think the snap count is one thing, but how are they coming is more important. And he’s playing good. I don’t see him being tired. Just that he’s playing at that age is good. It’s rare. So I don’t know why we can’t expect more rare.

Q. Has anything about the way he’s played surprised you considering – I mean, we kind of thought he was going on a little retirement tour, waving good-bye – (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, personally, I didn’t have expectations one way or the other. But as training camp wore on, I started telling him that ‘You’re not on a tour, and you’re going to play.’ And he’s played good.

Q. What’s the plan going forward with DE Bryce Huff? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: Much the same as it has been. He’ll be mixed in there along with the rest of the guys. We’ve got five guys dressed and we’re mixing four of them. It’s going to pretty much be the same, I think.

Q. When CB Darius Slay went out, CB Kelee Ringo went in. Is that just because he’s more familiar with that side of the field versus CB Isaiah Rodgers? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: No, it was just that [CB] Kelee [Ringo] was up and ready to go for the game. Because if we had played any six DBs, he would have been in there. We just thought of the guys on the side, he was more into it and ready to go, in a spur of the moment thing. And if this had happened earlier in the game, there’s still a lot of football to play, probably would have seen [CB] Isaiah [Rodgers] out there.

Q. It looks like the safeties flip-flopped in these past two games, where S Reed Blankenship was playing the boundary side and S C.J. Gardner-Johnson the field side. It was different in Week 1. What went into that? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, we’ve played boundary and field at times with other places I’ve been. We’ve played right and left. You know, you kind of adjust to what you think your guys do best and with what you’re doing on defense. There’s a lot of things that go into it, and there’s no perfect formula, but that’s what we’ve settled into for these last two games. Doesn’t mean that’s what it will be going forward.

Q. How would you describe what S C.J. Gardner-Johnson brings to this team? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: You know, [S] C.J. [Gardner-Johnson], he’s got his rare personality, as we know. I think he’s got to be careful that he doesn’t let it go to where he gets a penalty. But he brings a lot of enthusiasm and energy to his play.

Q. Have you had any talks to him about ‘Be careful, don’t go over?’ Because there are times he’s really close to going over – (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah. Yeah, we have.

Q. With DE Bryce Huff, against the run particularly, it seemed like containing the edge was a priority for you guys. I don’t know, on the third play, if he was supposed to be pushing so far in, and didn’t bounce outside. Learning that, what’s gone into that for him, and was that part of the reason why he wasn’t in positions like that the rest of the game? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, he needed to hold the force on that play, you know, to answer your question.

Q. What did Denver do to get to Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield seven times? (Merrill Reese)

VIC FANGIO: You know, they rush good. They got out to a lead, a pretty substantial lead, in the first half. That got them into a little bit more of a throwing mode, and things kind of snowballed.

Q. In the first two weeks, tackling was an issue. And I believe you guys missed three tackles the other day. What, if anything, did you clean up during the week in order to have a performance like that? (Olivia Reiner)

VIC FANGIO: Better front play. Backs weren’t returning through holes and getting into the secondary where it becomes harder to tackle.

Q. What do you think changed with DT Jalen Carter, or did anything? The performance in the first two weeks versus what he did against the Saints. (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Obviously this past game was his best game, by far. And hopefully that will set the trend moving forward. I don’t know what actually triggered it, other than he, and we as a D-Line unit, didn’t play good in the previous game. So I’m sure that had something to do with it.

Q. With a player like that who is so talented, what’s the key to making sure that he’s consistent with it? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: Just keeping him on point on a day-in, day-out basis. Not just game day, but practice, also. Because the way you practice, usually, is the way you’ll play.

Q. What goes into S Reed Blankenship’s – I think he’s got six interceptions in 24 starts in his career. What goes into that ability to be a ball hawk? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: He’s got good hands. Both of his picks this year are carbon copies. Very tough catches that a lot of guys couldn’t make.

So his ability to catch the ball is one thing.

Two, he does have a good feel for the game. And when he has a chance to be in position to make a play, he usually can.

But the ability to catch the ball is number 1.

Q. It may be early to talk about tendencies through three games, but both the Falcons and the Saints used more 11 personnel than they had previously. Whenever you go in, do you react to that? It seemed like you were using base more against the Saints. Do you dictate it more on your end, or was that a response? (Brooks Kubena)

VIC FANGIO: Well, the Saints weren’t playing 11, so we were able to play more base. And I’m sure we’ll see a good bit of 11 this week. That is their primary group through their first three games.

Q. The Buccaneers play a lot of the 11. I think the third most in the league. Does that change anything for you in terms of how you want to use that four-man front? (Jeff McLane)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, we’ve got to be able to use it. You can’t recreate the wheel every week. But we’re going to have to mix it for them. It comes down to fundamentals. We’re going to have to play better than we played two weeks ago against a very similar run game.

Q. You spoke about DT Jalen Carter, but what part of his performance do you, as the Defensive Coordinator, appreciate the most that maybe we on the outside – (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: I just think he played with better technique and better fundamentals, which came through a better focus. And then that led to good effort. And you saw, got some batted balls, pressured the quarterback. When you do the little things right a bunch of times, things start to add up, and you get the plays that everybody wants to see. I just think he was playing with a better mindset and better fundamentals.

Q. When it comes to LB Zack Baun, he had the really good first game, a little bit of a dip, comes back. How important is that to adjust and how do you get consistency of a guy who is still learning that position? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: Well, I think in his case, he will. I mean, he’s a quick learner. He doesn’t usually make the same mistake twice. He’s got good football instinct and IQ, which is critical for any defensive position, but especially ILB. We’ll continue to be able to use his versatility.

But I really thought he played a really good game this past Sunday. And I’m sure going against his old team had him revved up a little bit more.