Q. Matt, we just talked to Ben and he said this is most likely his final home game, in the regular season at least.
MATT CANADA: Uh-huh.
Q. What has it been like working with him and how would you describe your work ing relationship?
MATT CANADA: We got a great relationship. It's been, you know, a two-year relationship, so time and experience and all those things build that over. He has had that with other guys a lot longer, but I think we worked very well together.
Everything we talk about, everything we do, every play we call, there is a conversation, so I feel like it's been great. Certainly been very fortunate to work with him. Tremendous player and obviously we're not ready to be done yet. So obviously I appreciate the point and that's his to do.
But I'm excited to be with him for quite a bit longer if we can get ourselves going and find a way to win these games.
Q. A guy who's a Hall of Famer puts him at a high level. Do you think he still plays at that level, or even if he does drop a little bit this year or last couple years, is that tough for a guy like that maybe to accept?
MATT CANADA: That would be unfair for me to answer because I'm certainly not a guy like that. I think all of us can relate to getting older and how those things happen to us. I wouldn't want to speak to that. I think we realize what he's done. He's won a lot of games for us this year, won a lot of games for us last year.
I can only speak to my close relationship in those two years and obviously watching him from afar prior to that. Tremendous player, Hall of Famer, and excited to get back out here and do it Monday night.
Q. What changed in your mind once you started working with him, maybe preconceived notions and you had and you're like, Oh, this guy is...
MATT CANADA: I think we talked about it probably that there is a multitude -- too many things to say. The biggest thing is just the way his diligence he works on accuracy in practice and finding places to put the football. This is a game of inches as we all know and great players on both sides all the time.
Ben's ability to put balls in specific spots is really, really impressive. I think for me coming in and watching him, watching how hard he worked at that for the last two years, but you talk about Pat, how quickly Pat has progressed to become that guy.
You know, that happened in June, July, August when Ben was working. Hey, you know, spin here, find here, doing all these things that aren't just out here routes on air making throws.
I think that has been something I've really seen and watched and been impressed by.
Q. How unique is it? Joe was telling us there were times when he played for the Browns when he thought he had perfect coverage, yet he put it in a spot they knew most quarterbacks couldn't.
MATT CANADA: I think that's what it is. Again, how many Hall of Fame quarterbacks are there? I can only speak to the one I've got to be around. I think his ability to do that is so impressive. You know, obviously the two years I've been here it's been impressive. 18 years watching and the multitude of plays and games he's won by, you know, six inches will make a star, is really, really impressive.
Q. The 13-play drive in Cleveland; ended with a touchdown. Was that was one of your better drives of the year?
MATT CANADA: Sure. Any drive that ends in a touchdown is a good drive. We've had some long drives, and some, like you mentioned, some have ended with touchdowns; some haven't.
So certainly in that game we needed it then. Obviously we had the situation with Bos being down and no kicker and all those different things.
Yeah, that was a good drive. Obviously we can build upon that hopefully. But they're a tremendous defense as we all know and tremendous players, so be a real challenge for us.
Q. What drive have you seen in Mason since you got here?
MATT CANADA: I think Mason, you know, as we all experience coming in this and having confident and knowing the system, learning it, I think he really -- I've always said he works so hard at his football. He wants to be so good.
I wouldn't say I've seen that improve. You just see the benefits of that, I think. It's kind of like experience, but the more and more you study and work on things, he's gotten better.
Q. Been a lot of the chatter about why Ray-Ray gets targeted so much. He's a slot guy, right? You don't have too many of those guys, I would assume.
MATT CANADA: Yeah, obviously, you know, we have two -- we got 18 and 11 on the outside and James is on the outside and those guys, and sometimes coverage dictates a lot. I know there is statistically we can look at certain things as to this or that, you know, but plays are called based on what happens.
We have a tremendously talented, smart quarterback who throws it to the guy that's open in his opinion at the time.
So we believe in Ray-Ray. We believe in all our guys. Yeah, certainly there is -- his number of opportunities, which I'm happy for him for, probably you talk about JuJu is not here, right? Ebron is not here. Last week Pat wasn't here.
So therefore, those opportunities are going to spread around. I'm not disappointed. Obviously haven't got the results we wanted. We call plays and Ben and I go through them, first third in this situation, this is what he wants, it's what we call. First shot in the red zone, this is what he wants, it's what we call.
We go through those things and work very hard at it. If they don't work, I take all the blame for that. We're trying it make certain calls and sometimes it goes to 18, 11, Ray-Ray, Pat, whoever. Just the way it's kind of worked.
Q. You said that if you figure a couple things out you could extend the season. I know we've asked you about this for a few weeks, but is there any sign or anything you think maybe you found that can lead to better starts?
MATT CANADA: Yeah, again, I don't know. Nothing we found. We are certainly talking about it and we had it early -- it's something that's been an issue even last year, right?
So we talked early in the season. We didn't get going and got in that little stretch when we were winning and doing some good things, we were getting off to better starts.
You talk about long drives as you mentioned. You know, against the Chargers we had a really long drive and only got a field goal. Another long drive, we didn't get any points. I think we had a 13-play drive and a 14-play drive and only got three points.
So that's not okay, right? By no means am I sitting here saying it's fine. It's not. But there are just certain thing we've got to tighten things up here or there. That doesn't make anybody happy. It's a bottom-line business, but we're working on it and we're going to do everything we can to try to find a way to start faster and play better in the middle and finish better. We just want to win.
Q. Did you notice Najee trying to do too much, trying to make the 2-yarder into a 12-yarder?
MATT CANADA: I think there is probably fairness in that statement. Najee is such a great competitor. He's done so much and we're giving him so many opportunities and so many touches because we have such belief in his ability.
He wants to win and he's trying to do everything he can. I think you could probably look at anybody when you get in a situation where you're not having quite as much success as you hoped and you got to try to make sure you just do your job.
It's certainly something we're talking about. You know, never going to question his effort our how hard he cares. He's doing all he can to help us win and we'll continue to coach him.
Q. How do you think Dan did first time? Feel like there are things to build on?
MATT CANADA: Yeah, obviously we found way to win the game and that's all that matters. He's such a tremendous talent. Got Dan as a rookie, so we can't put Dan in tough spots. Got to make sure we protect him in order to protect Ben. I think Dan did a great job. It'll be another tremendous challenge for him and all of us.
Q. With Clem gone, do you stick your nose in that O-line meeting room to see how things might be going right now?
MATT CANADA: You know, I'm really, really happy for Clem. I think tremendous opportunity for him and something he wanted to do, so I'm happy four his opportunity.
Obviously coach made the decision to kind of move on, but Clem and C-Mo were very much seamless in there. They worked very well together. C-Mo is just stepping in and doing that. Feel really good about where we are with that.
Q. What do you like about Chris?
MATT CANADA: You know, obviously he's got great experience, got great knowledge. I think we got a really good staff and good guys who work really hard. I think the players really respond well to him as well.
So that's where I feel really good about -- again, I wish Clem the best and I'm so happy for him. It's not like anything that way. It's just I don't feel like -- I feel like we're in a good position, where in some cases it might be a real question. Like what are you going to do, how are going to do this?
We don't feel that way right now because of C-Mo's experience, what he's done, how you came in here, how well he knows what we're trying to do. We feel like it'll be very well received by our guys. Already has been.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports