Mike Macdonald: "Leonard Williams Is Playing At An Elite Level"

Mike Macdonald (0:00)

All right, man, what a crazy game. I think that's like the first time ever that ever happened in the NFL, like the whole series of events in the first half. But our guys are resilient. We didn't bat an eye, we stayed the course. I mean, there's some crazy sequences events that just happened, but you got to stick to the plan, you got to stay together, and our guys did that. And then to be able to close it out was awesome for us, obviously. A lot of things, obviously, we got to clean up on really all three phases. We got to protect the ball better in the kicking game for sure. So we'll definitely review that and be great. We need to be able to convert in the black zone, you know, the low red zone on offense. So but it's great to be able to close it out. It was a great drive at the end by our offense. We nominated Dicko as the honorary player of the game for not being available for us having to go for it on fourth down.

But in all seriousness, I mean, I do want to like just officially, I don't know how this works, but if we can nominate Leonard Williams for player of the week, he's just playing at an all time elite level and to have a pick six. I think they told me he was going about 17 and a half miles an hour, which was pretty fast for a man that size. So he's playing his mind out of his mind right now.

SPEAKER_2 (1:21)

So it was Dickson hurt while you went for it on fourth and sixth and fourth and ninth?

Mike Macdonald (1:27)

That was a fun conversations in the headset.

SPEAKER_2 (1:31)

He was not going to punt the rest of the game? Or unable?

Mike Macdonald (1:36)

The plan was for him not to punt the rest of the game. So either J. Maya could have gone out there and punt it, or we would have gone for it. So it would have been one of the two.

SPEAKER_3 (1:46)

The pick six, I mean, obviously, any time the defense score is this big, but given everything that is going on in the game at that point, the turnovers, the touchdown return, for him to do that, just how big was that?

Mike Macdonald (1:55)

Well, I mean, that was a team play. I mean, just getting to his landmark, making a play on the ball, obviously, and then the rest of it. I mean, I can't wait to watch it on tape, but it just felt like everybody got into plus mode. We got some really critical blocks to kind of escort Leo in the end zone. So everybody deserves credit, but that was a big time playing the game, probably the play of the game.

SPEAKER_4 (2:16)

There's a lot of focus on Leonard Williams and all the plays he made. Can you talk about the second and 10th play before the sack where Julian Love diagnosed the tough off screen of his middle?

Mike Macdonald (2:25)

Yeah, that was a great play. I mean, the second, third, fourth down was, you know, we talked about just being in a rough spot, just where we want to be on defense, and those guys staying mentally just present, you know, from play to play. But to be able to see that play and make it was awesome. We weren't able to create a lot of third and longs, and so it was great to get them in that situation finally. Been awesome to convert earlier in the series, but, you know, it's the NFL. They got great players too, and they made a play, so.

SPEAKER_5 (2:56)

Fourth and sixth, the percentages in converting that have to be so low. I mean, did you give serious thought to actually having Jason Myers punt there, or was it an easy decision?

Mike Macdonald (3:04)

Yeah, I did think about it, but, I just, you know, it was one of those deals where it was best for us to go for it.

SPEAKER_6 (3:12)

What did happen to Michael there?

SPEAKER_5 (3:14)

What was his injury?

Mike Macdonald (3:15)

He got back spasms, I think, is what we're calling it. So, he's in good spirits and everything. It's just a matter of, we just got to get it loosened up, I guess. I'm not sure how that works.

SPEAKER_4 (3:25)

What happened on the third and 26th play where they got 24 yards?

Mike Macdonald (3:29)

Well, it was an extended play, and I think we, our flat player ended up plastering one of their guys, and so the zone got kind of drained. And so, you know, we'll look at that and make sure our rules are sound, so, you know, we're not getting drained in zones and stuff on extended plays. But I think that was just that.