Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai joins! How will he and this defense, hold MVP candidate Josh Allen in check?

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Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai joins! How will he and this defense, hold MVP candidate Josh Allen in check? What makes Allen so good? #NFL

Transcript

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.

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