Coach SPEAK Adam Gase

New head coach Adam Gase talks about Earl Mitchell’s return to action, Jay Ajayi getting stronger late in game and Jarvis Landry’s intensity, among other things

Q. How would you assess Earl Mitchell’s work in his first game back?

AG: I think for the most part he did a good job. One thing we could count on was the energy level. I think a lot of us were just surprised with the fact that his conditioning was really, really, really good. Sometimes when you get those games, the anxiety shoots up and you kind of lock up because you’re so excited to get out there. You fatigue yourself. But it didn’t happen with him. When you have a veteran guy like that, he’s going to know his assignment and kind of been in this situation before. He did exactly what we needed him to do.

Q. How do you and your players maintain focus through the winning streak?

AG: We’ve been really focusing on ignoring any kind of success and resetting on that Wednesday. That’s really our biggest thing. We have our process. We know how he want to go about our business, and nobody cares if we lose the next one. So our biggest thing is focusing on that week. We know we have a big challenge ahead of us. We’re staying on the West Coast the entire week and making sure everybody does everything right.

Q. Is it OK to say the word “playoffs” around the team?

AG: I’ve never really been one to talk about it in my career. I’ve always just worried about the week that we’re involved in. I think if you do things right enough times, then you get opportunities to keep playing. That’s how I look at it. More times than not, when you talk about it, that’s when it doesn’t happen.

Q. How do you explain Cameron Wake’s recent surge?