Vic Fangio

Q. We’ve seen CB Darius Slay this year come off the field so many games banged up, go to the blue tent, and then come back out and play. What have you seen from him as far as that resilience, that desire to get back out there and play and play well? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: I think he definitely has all of that. I think he’s having fun. I think he’s enjoying playing.

For a guy that’s, I don’t know, a 12-year veteran, and he’s itching to get back out there. I just think that speaks volumes for him and I think most of our team is that way.

Q. What have you made of the job Inside Linebackers Coach Bobby King has done with the inside backers this year and what have you seen from him behind the scenes? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: He’s done a great job with those guys, with [LB] Nakobe [Dean] and [LB] Zack [Baun] and even getting our backups ready if they have to be called upon to play.

I think Bobby has done a great job with them. He’s a good teacher. He emphasizes the right things. Very coachable in regards to learning a new system and the nuances that go with it. So, from day one he’s been great.

Q. Did you know a lot about Inside Linebackers Coach Bobby King? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: No, I did not.

Q. Had you heard anything? What did you see from Inside Linebackers Coach Bobby King early on? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: Well, just a couple of guys that I trust recommended him to me and we hired him.

Q. OLB Nolan Smith seemed to have a really active game, a lot of energy. Does anything about his game surprise you at this point? (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: No. He’s done a good job of improving each and every day. Maybe not each and every day, but each and every week from the start of OTAs through training camp. He’s really taken it and put it on himself to improve and learn his position, learn the techniques of his position, learn the ins and outs of his position that can help him make a play or two.

As we know he has good speed and he is a good athlete. He’s been able to amp up his physicalness to make up for his lack of size– the ideal size for the position.

Q. As impressive as it was when OLB Nolan Smith jumped over Steelers RB Jaylen Warren would you have preferred he not try to jump over the running back there? (EJ Smith)

VIC FANGIO: Yes, obviously.

Q. With OLB Nolan Smith, how unusual is it to see an edge that size be as physical as him and embrace playing the run? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: It’s unusual in today’s day, but again, like you said, I think you used the right word. You said embrace it. You’ve got to embrace the challenges of your position, everybody does, where they might be a little deficient either from a size or a movement standpoint and learn to work with it, and he’s done that.

Q. OLB Nolan Smith been the guy to take the biggest jump in snaps after DE Brandon Graham’s injury. Why was that? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: He was the next up. It was [OLB Josh] Sweat, BG [Brandon Graham], and him. So, his kicked up and [OLB Jalyx] Hunt’s have kicked up.

Q. What led to CB Isaiah Rodgers taking over as the dime? (Bo Wulf)

VIC FANGIO: Just that Isaiah is a good instinctive football player. He’s got good cover ability. We just wanted to get him on the field for those reasons.

Q. Is DE Bryce Huff any closer to returning at this point? Do you expect him back? (Jeff Neiburg)

VIC FANGIO: I don’t really know the answer to that. We would have to start his window and then see where he is on the practice field.

Q. What have your conversations with DT Jalen Carter been like after the personal foul? (Tim McManus)

VIC FANGIO: It was handled at the time by [Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line Coach] Clint [Hurtt] and [Head Coach] Nick [Sirianni]. Nick handled it yesterday in the team meeting. Obviously, penalties like that we can’t have, but I think it’ll be a good learning experience.

Q. DT Jalen Carter is a guy that plays with a lot of fire. What’s it been like trying to make sure that’s channeled in the right way since you’ve been with him? (Tim McManus)

VIC FANGIO: That’s just it. We’ve got to make sure it’s channeled in the right way and not in the wrong way that can hurt the team and hurt himself.

Q. Do you think that’s best taken care of by head coach, position coach, and maybe teammates, too, rather than you? (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: All of the above. I think at the time it happened, Clint handled it, Nick got involved in handling it, and I’m sure the teammates on the field did at the same time.

So, I think it came from all avenues.

Q. If I can go back to the edge rushers. Obviously since DE Brandon Graham and DE Bryce Huff went down you’ve been using a three-man rotation mostly. I know you said once that you’d done it for a whole year in San Francisco. How have you found it’s working with these three guys, and is that something you can continue going forward into the playoffs if Bryce doesn’t come back soon? (Martin Frank)

VIC FANGIO: Yes, we definitely can. It can be done. I’ve seen it done personally. There is no reason why you can’t.

Q. When it comes to young cornerbacks, your experience with it, is it easier to teach them press or off man? CB Quinyon Mitchell has been special, it seems, from that perspective. (John McMullen)

VIC FANGIO: I think it’s an individual thing. Number one, their background, what they did in college is a barometer early on with what they’re comfortable with.

Some guys find out that they’re comfortable doing it the other way more than not, even though they did it one way in college. It’s a learning experience. They’ve got to learn the techniques of what they haven’t done before they got here, and then you find guys that like it.

I think the ability to mix it is a good thing.

Q. If you had to identify what the strength of this defense is, what kind of makes it exceptional, what would you say it is? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: You’re always good for these philosophical questions. We’re just playing well. I think all the guys have pride in their own performance, pride in the entire unit’s performance.

You know, they’re playing well.

Q. Is there anything beyond the obvious that goes into good red zone defense? (Reuben Frank)

VIC FANGIO: Not really. I mean, it’s not good when you’re in the red zone. That’s a problem. But it is a problem for the offense, too, in that the field is shortened, and the end line becomes the 12th defender, so it’s harder for them down there, too.

I think you just have to get comfortable playing in the red zone and how the game changes there.

Q. When you see DB Cooper DeJean lose a fumble, do you worry at all? How closely did you watch whether it was going to impact the defense? Obviously, you got to go right back and immediately play defense. (Bob Brookover)

VIC FANGIO: Yeah, I wasn’t worried about that with him. He’s a very mature rookie. I think he does a good job in keeping things in perspective and moving on to the next play.

Q. When you play a team like Washington that you’ve played recently, do you have to change things up and try to confuse Commanders QB Jayden Daniels? (Merrill Reese)

VIC FANGIO: Not really. We need to do what we do best and continue to do that. Obviously, you could play them a little bit different here and there. If you overdo that, then you’re putting your players in uncomfortable positions.

Q. With the penalty on S Reed Blankenship, obviously it’s a tricky situation. Is there anything you would coach him to do differently? (Dave Zangaro)

VIC FANGIO: No. I didn’t think that was a good call. It was a very late slide. I didn’t see vicious contact. I just didn’t see that. But again, it’s up to the officials on the field.

Q. What goes through your mind during a ten-and-a-half possession for the offense at the end of the game as you’re watching? (Olivia Reiner)

VIC FANGIO: I had my pom-poms out and I was cheering them on. Kept saying one more first down and they kept getting it. It was really a great job by them.

Q. What was the key in responding early way into the game with the short fields in particular? (Zach Berman)

VIC FANGIO: You’ve just got to go out and play. We have no control of how we go on the field where the ball is, but we can control how we get off the field.

So, we just have to go and accept the situation and play football. That’s it.