(On the importance of landing Joe Schobert and Tyler Eifert) “When we first started looking, we had a lot to do with our whole team, but specifically with the defensive side of the football. We started looking at all the linebackers at each position, whether it be a SAM linebacker, a WILL linebacker and even working with the MIKE linebackers. There was no one that we felt very comfortable with … Myles Jack is able to play really all three positions and play them all we feel at a high level. When it showed itself that we could get a player with the caliber of [Joe] Schobert, we went along and did that. We feel that we bettered ourselves at two positions. I talked to Myles, he’s excited about it. He will move to the WILL linebacker position. Quincy [Williams] will back him up. Joe will be in the middle. Obviously, we have Leon [Jacobs] at SAM and Cassius Marsh is another player we acquired that can play that position and also give us some rush. That is where we are with the linebacker position and we still have a lot of work to do from the standpoint of depth and competition along all three positions. With Tyler [Eifert], I have always liked him. Tyler has been a guy that really [has dealt with some things] injury wise and last season being able to play a full season … Talking with him, it is obviously the first offseason that he is healthy. What you see in him is someone that is a three-down tight end who can obviously sustain himself in the run game and is a vertical threat. He is really savvy as far as being able to sit down in zone, being able to make moves and being able to get open. It is something that we have not had here for a while. We think that bringing Tyler in is going to help a player like Josh Oliver who is going to be behind him and be able to see him. Also, you can see both of those players on the field at the same time. James O’Shaughnessy is rehabbing. We can’t wait to get him back. We really felt that he was playing his best football right before his injury. Charles [Jones] is a tight end that we have and we were happy we were able to get him some work last year. Again, it is still a position that we are still looking to upgrade and get ourselves players.”
(On how social distancing has been for him and his family and if he monitors what the team’s players are doing with no offseason program) “I think there is a lot of things. First and foremost, the safety precautions that you need to take. We have seen what this virus has done. It has affected many people all over the world. We are taking it very seriously and we have taken it very seriously from the beginning. Right away, we set up hand sanitizers amongst ourselves even in our own home. We are doing everything we can making sure that there is distance and all of the things that people are advising us to do. We have seen what is happening in New York and even here in Florida where we have a mixed community of young people and old people. Even with my parents who are in the villages – I can’t really go see them. I have been reaching out to them saying if you need anything, I can drop stuff off at the door. I really don’t want them out where there is a lot of contact. I think with the players, it is very difficult. We are in a dead period. We have gotten a bunch of stuff out more from the standpoint of precautionary, making sure you are listening. Making sure everyone is on board with how serious this is and how we have to all pull together and do our part to defeat this virus and stop it from spreading. We have been doing that. As far as the workouts, we are working through that now with the league. Normally, players will have physicals before they start the workouts. We have given them some tips on what they can do. We have touched base with many players just to say, ‘Hey, are you doing okay? How do you feel? Let us know if you need anything.’ We have our [training staff] available. It has been a trying time. As far as us as coaches, we are trying to stay with the schedule knowing that things are obviously not open for us right now and it is something that is changing throughout time. We’re getting everything prepared from a standpoint of our installations. We are getting ready to tape a lot of meetings and things of that nature, so if we are allowed to send things out to the players, they can be able to look at it at their own pace and work on their profession in a safe environment. We are still working through free agency, we are still looking to see if there is anyone else that we feel that can help our football team. There are still players out there and then working on the college draft, which is a big part of what is going on right now. It seems like that is a go from everything that we have heard. We are working through that and I think what is tough for us as coaches is like a lot of us, we are creatures of habit. You wake up, you go into work, you get that cup of coffee, whatever you may do. Now you find yourself having to reprogram yourself into a routine that is different at home. I try to wake up at the same time, get the coffee at the same time and put my workday in.”
(On QB Gardner Minshew II’s development heading into 2020) “Well, I think obviously we want to see a big jump. Right now, we’re at a time where, again, we’re still in the dead period, so until phase one actually opens up, then we’ll be able to get our players the materials that they need. Obviously, it’s going to be some new things that we’re going to have to learn, but Gardner has always been … He works at a really high level, so I’m not concerned about that. I talked to a couple players, texted Gardner, but he’s working extremely hard and he’s doing everything he can, safety-wise, and I think we just have to get him in here, start practicing at some point, and see what he can do, as far as with him and [Offensive Coordinator] Jay [Gruden], and the system, what he likes, what we have to get him better and improve at, then work on the things that he did well and really finetune a lot of those things. We’re excited for him. It’s a great opportunity. He’s not going to change the way he is; he’s a hard-working kid and he’s got a lot of potential, and we have to make sure that everyone around him is doing their job and doing it at a high level.”
(On his vision for the team in 2020) “We want to be a big, strong, tough and smart football team. I think we want players that really enjoy playing, that love the game. We don’t want a lot of drama. We want people to be on the same page, as far as everything we’re doing is all about just trying to win. All the individual things will come if we win football games. That’s the one thing that I’ve always tried to preach from the beginning, from when I first started coaching, whether it be as a position coach or as a coordinator or as the head coach, those are the things that I’m looking for. Now, more specifically, Sam [Kouvaris], obviously defensively we’re looking to bring in people that obviously can stop the run. Usually bigger people can tackle better, they’re a little big bigger, and as long as they’re athletic enough, and they can run their feet and run their hands and get people down on the ground, so that’s a priority for us and what we’re trying to accomplish there. I think offensively we’re expecting our offensive line to take a big jump from what they did last year, but again, how many weapons, how many playmakers do we have surrounding the quarterback position? Do we have enough of those guys that can make plays? That’s really the key when you look at it, explosive plays are coming from playmakers.”
(On how the coaching staff is working with the scouting staff on finding players) “It’s a collaborative effort. Our assistant coaches, our coordinators, myself, Dave [Caldwell], his top guys from the scouting department. The specifics with positions, like you mentioned the tight end position, it’s very rare that the John Mackeys and the Gronks [Rob Gronkowski] of this world, very few of those guys are in the league right now, so how do we put together this position where one guy may be a really good blocker, a good intermediate-route runner, but really can’t stretch the field. What’s his value? What about a guy that can stretch the field, is a really good route runner, but maybe not give you what you want from a standpoint of blocking? These are all the things that we look at and we try to say, “Okay, we feel good about this piece from the blocking end, and we feel good about these pieces for the stretch and the vertical play.” I think when we look at the defense, I think this is a better example where you’re always looking for three-down players, you’re always looking for guys that can rush the passer, and that’s a big thing and people hear that all the time, well I would say that anyone that’s followed us knows that we have struggled playing against the run. When you look at when we had Marcell [Dareus] in there, we did much better. Well, that was one player. Well now, when we look at these players that we’re bringing in or players that we have on the team, we can’t undersell the value of somebody being able to stop the run on first and second down. We talk about the value and then we look at the player, and we say, ‘Hey listen, if we can get someone on third down, because we feel very good about our guys on the edge being able to rush the passer.’ We’re really trying to, almost taking a baseball analogy, of trying to be strong up the middle, you know, with our two defensive tackles, or our defensive tackle and our nose [tackle], and obviously our MIKE linebacker, being able to point the defense and feed everything in to him. These are the things, the conversations, seeing how we’re going to use him, talking with [Offensive Coordinator] Jay [Gruden], talking with [Defensive Coordinator] Todd Wash, talking with [Special Teams Coordinator] Joe DeCamillis, trying to find exactly how we are going to use him, how everyone feels about him because one thing in my background is that, if you have a position coach, a coordinator, a head coach, your GM, his top scouts, if they all agree upon this player and feel that they can do something, and they feel that that player has the ability to play at that level, that’s a slam dunk. Then obviously, you’re going to train that player on how everything has to happen. When people try to go outside the box a little and reach, where you’re taking a lot of risk … You want to make sure that there are some redeeming qualities that this player possesses and I think early in the draft, you’re trying to get all those qualities, and as the draft moves on, you start to lose some of those, but you want those top intangibles, whether it be height, whether it be speed, things of that nature that you can take as a coach and work because identifying talent is part of the process. Developing development, that’s where we have to do a good job as coaches.”
(On the free agent acquisitions of DL Rodney Gunter, DT Al Woods and DE/LB Cassius Marsh) “I think it always helps when you go in [to free agency] and you can get players that can play multiple positions for you. I think it adds value to the player. When you look at [Al] Woods, you see someone that I’ve known and played against and he’s always a tough guy to move, and I think he can give you, at times, good push like Taven [Bryan] has done for us, giving us good push up the middle. Even when we put [Dawuane] Smoot in there inside, he’s gotten some good rush for us. Al is a tough man to move, he’s a big human being and we expect him to come in there and really clog it up and play the run well. I think when you look at [Rodney] Gunter, he’s someone that I didn’t really know a lot about because they’re in the NFC West. Our scouting department did a good job, got him to the coaches, we watched a ton of film, and we were like, “Listen, there are a lot of good things about this player.” Obviously, he plays the run well, he can rush at times, He has some versatility whether he’s inside or outside, at big end or defensive tackle, so we felt pretty good about that. I’m happy that we were able to find him, and we expect really good things out of him. With Cassius [Marsh], I think you see someone that can push for the SAM linebacker position, he can play up [at the line of scrimmage], which he’s done throughout his career, and we just recently re-signed Lerentee McCray, who can help us with pass-rush, but Cassius can help us also. These waves of pass rushers, you want to have a good wave of them as you go, this way, when the critical moments come, it’s key to have your best players on the field. I think when you’re looking at those three players that we brought in, they’re solid guys, they’re solid football players, they bring some versatility, but the main thing is, like I said before, our priority was making sure we brought people in to stop the run.”
(On the challenge of creating team chemistry without players on the field) “I think that’s going to be difficult. I think that’s a challenge. I think we’re still working through that part of it. The part that we are working on at the moment is the lines of communication, meaning that when April 20 comes, which was going to be our starting date for phase one, what are we as coaches, what were we going to give the players in that time frame? How we’re going to present what we’re installing, what we’re doing. Hey, listen, let’s get those on tape, let’s tape meetings, put them out there unless the league tells us otherwise. Then the players have the opportunity to see that on their own. What I’ve said about the workouts and everything, working with some liability issues where the players haven’t taken a physical yet. These are the things that people are working through, whether it’s the NFLPA, whether it be the management. We’re taking every direction from the league, so we’re sticking by all the rules and doing everything we can. Like I told the coaches, this is great for us to get that stuff on tape. It’ll beneficial for us if we acquire a new player down the road that they can go back and look at this. We used to tape our meetings during the year, especially installation meetings because of that purpose. Right now, we’re working on that, so this way, on April 20, if someone doesn’t tell us anything, all of the players that are under contract, we’ll shoot them all the information and meetings. There’ll be a team meeting. It’ll be exactly how we would do it as if they were here from a meeting standpoint. We’re still working on the other stuff to see what we can and cannot do from a liability standpoint and putting out workouts.”
(On if he feels like he’s missing out on not having a veteran quarterback) “I keep trying to tell (Offensive Coordinator) “Jay (Gruden) to get in shape. We may take Jay Gruden. He may be a player-coach like he was in the Arena League. I think that’s always good when you can have that person, that right guy that can go in there and win for you, that can help another player along. It’s kind of the situation where I talked before when I was talking about Tyler Eifert, who’s going to come in here and what a great opportunity for Josh (Oliver) to be around him and for our team to learn from someone. In my experience as a player, you learn a lot from the coaches, but when I look back at my career and how I coached the position when I was a position coach, I learned a lot from other guys there. I’ve been around a lot of really good football players. It’s a point well-taken. I think if you don’t have that, then where are you going to make up for it? The position coach has to make up for that. The coordinator has to make up for that. It has to have that type of relationship that you can calm him down or pick him up when he needs to be and things of that nature. As far as Gardner and Josh, as far as how they are, as far as their work ethic and how they study, no issues with that. There’s nothing from that standpoint. It would be something like I said before: hey, look, when I was younger, this got me. That type of experience. But we’re relying on Jay and (Quarterbacks Coach) Ben (McAdoo) to be able to talk to our quarterbacks in that way if they wanted to have a veteran quarterback in that position.”
(On his evaluation of the cornerbacks position) “It’s interesting when you get asked a question like, what is your concern? How do you feel about this? For me, I’m always in this mode of, we do have a lot of draft picks, we do have some money left. Hey, how are we going to keep bettering this team? The cornerback position, safety position, linebacker, defensive line. Even though we’re taking players and putting them in a position, it’s not like you say, ok, that’s crossed off and let’s move on to the next. Right now, we’re looking at what value we can get and with the draft. Everyone knows we have a lot of picks. We’ll have a young football team which, like anything else, there’s a lot of positive to that. A bunch of hungry guys coming in here. A lot of enthusiasm. A lot of guys trying to work. There are a lot of things to look forward to. Cornerback depth, yes, and more probably on the outside.”
(On the changes to the draft process and if the FaceTime calls with prospect help in their evaluation) “Yes, I think that helps quite a bit. You get a feel for – kind of what we’re doing now. You can look at someone or tell them to put a board behind them. And you can work some things with them. I think that helps. At the end of the day, I was thinking, in this league, I go before, it’s just like myself. Creature of habit. I want to go in and get that cup of coffee and go behind my desk, turn on my computer, start watching film. Now, I’m watching it from home and the dog will be barking or someone will be knocking on the door. The phone will be ringing. There are lot of things to do. It brings me back to – when I was a college coach, we used to do this all the time. We’d watch the film. The only thing we wanted to make sure of was if a guy said he was 6-5, he wasn’t really 5-11. A lot of things that when you’re a head coach in college, you don’t have the ability to go out and work someone out. I do think that, I’ve always value being able to work someone out if I was going to change their position – a tackle to a guard, a nose tackle to a 3 (technique). A 3-technique to an end. Things of that nature where you’re looking to change , hey, I’m looking to change this guy. There’s a lot of film on these guys. Quality film. A lot of workouts. A lot of these players posting workouts where you can get a chance to see that. If you’re a person that always wants to get your hands on a guy and be able to work them out all day and run through a bunch of drills and feel comfortable and pick that player because of that, yes, then that will be a challenge. But we’re all doing the same thing. I think that your level of risk is probably a little bit greater more importantly because of the medical check. You’re relying on those things where players will come in and they have issues and they get re-checked and everything’s fine, so I think it’s something that the league has been talking about. Hey, we may have to share information where normally clubs are doing that on their own. I think it’s still a work in progress as far as what we can do better for the information pipeline for everyone. At the same chance, hey, this is college. Here we go. Watch a guy on film, you’re like, boom, this guy can play, let’s take him. Now, we just make the call. It’s funny. We’re actually logging all of our calls for our players because I don’t think the league wants us to get crazy. It reminds me a lot of college when everyone had a call log and everyone had to write down the time, write down the time that ended. Our coaches are doing a really good job of that. I think it’s something that we are going to get quite a bit from.”
(On if he’s allowed himself, despite being an optimist, to consider a season without football and what it would be like for him) “I think we’re all going through tough times. You, as well everyone else, knows how big of a baseball fan I am. It’s something that’s missing. It’s missing in my heart. It’s missing my children not being able to see their grandparents or our families not being able to get together. These are really, really challenging times. I look at things from that perspective first, for families, for people that caught this. You have to isolate and you can’t get near them, where normally when people are sick or people are in pain, you gravitate to those people and you support them and help them and you are right there by their side. That to me is difficult. There’s thing going like all of us in our lives where someone has passed and I can’t be able to travel to pay my respects. It’s awful. When I think about it, I don’t think I go out as long term to say hey, is this going to happen? Is that going to happen? You’re right. I am an optimist, especially when it comes down to football. The only thing I’m not an optimist about is probably my weight. But I would say, for the sport, I haven’t thought about it really long term. I’m just trying to prepare myself for when they say, ‘Hey, let’s go,’ that we’re ready. That’s what I have to do for my part as a coach. I think the worst thing that could happen is they say, ‘Ready, let’s go,’ and you’re not prepared. So I’m really taking it day-by-day like everyone else, reminding myself how serious this is, you know, what we have going, knowing that takes priority over a season of sports or how much we must feel that there’s a missing piece to our country, which is sports, which is part of our country, but more importantly we’ve got to rally around. Hopefully that motivates us to make sure that we’re all taking the right precautions and taking advantage of all the spacing regulations that we’ve been getting.”
(On where this roster still needs to grow on offense and if there are enough weapons) “I would say the answer to that is no. We’re always trying to find more weapons whether it be on the outside, whether it be on the backfield or at the tight end position or whether it’s someone that is going to push the offensive line. Obviously all the starters are coming back there, our starting running back is coming back. Where do we plug in these players that can get on the field and make plays? Really outside of the offensive line and the quarterback, every other player there is going to be a substitute in there at some time whether it be on the outside at receiver or even in the backfield as much as Leonard [Fournette] played last year, there’s still time where someone else has to come in the game for him. We felt Tyler Eifert is someone we’re depending upon to do that. Obviously we feel good about the receivers we have and what’s there. We feel good about our running back situation with Leonard [Fournette] and Rock [Ryquell Armstead] and a couple of other guys back there who’ve done a good job, but at that same point, who is someone that’s going to come in there that’s different? Like we had in the past with a real speed back that might be able to run routes or an outside receiver, maybe a 4.2 guy or an outside receiver who is 6-4 to all those things. The one thing about offense is you always want playmakers and you’re always looking. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard said, ‘Oh my gosh, we have enough.’ It’s one of those things that you never have enough. It’s like chocolate chip cookies. There’s never enough in the house for me.”
(On if area scouts are more important than ever because they’ve actually seen some of these prospects in person) “I go back to what I said before. A lot of this reminds me of college. Most of my career was in college when I was younger and obviously the four years as a head coach. I went through the same thing. I’m thinking, ‘Ok, what am I getting right now that I used to get before and what aren’t I getting?’ If I was looking to move a left tackle to right or a right tackle to left or a tackle to guard or guard to center or I wanted to work a center out to see if the could play guard, those are things that I really felt strongly about, that I wanted to be out there doing those things. The other thing for me when I used to work people out is I used to get a sense of their true strength and leverage, which I think you can see on the tape, but sometimes you’ll see a player that is not creating as much leverage as possible so when you go to work them out, you give them these coaching points and you put them in there and you can see how quickly they can pick it up and go. Those are the only things that I feel that I’m missing. In other words, if I want to talk to someone and see what their knowledge is on football or what their inspiration is, the way we’re doing this [media conference call] is fine. Obviously with the medical checks, that’s something we’ve got to keep working through. As long as everyone has the same roles that everyone is doing, then we’re going to go about it. I think what you’ll see is probably a little bit less risk when it comes down can this guy move here or this guy move there or maybe from an injury standpoint. A lot of that stuff you’d like to get that information and solidify it so then you can make a proper evaluation and really slot that player where he should be.”
(On if it’s hard to play going forward when you don’t know whether a player like Yannick Ngakoue will be on the team this season) “The first thing for me, having been a player, when you’re a coach obviously you deal with players all the time. Yannick has been great. He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do as a head coach and everything Todd Wash has asked him to do on the defensive coordinator. When the business starts getting involved, it’s tough. As a coach you always want your players to be happy. You want the best for your players. From that standpoint, I understand the challenges that are going on for Yann. When you look at our whole organization and how much we appreciate and love him, I think the organization and the rules of the league and the CBA, I think the players have rights and the teams have rights and what you do as a coach is hope all this stuff can be resolved in a positive way for everyone. I’m just hoping that somewhere down the line or somehow all this stuff can be resolved in a way, but again I understand both sides to it. It’s a part that I’ve always struggled with, the business end of it. It’s not only with players, it happens on your staff. We’ve had assistant coaches where they’ve been offered good deals, better than the one that maybe presently they have and at the end of the day we’ve denied commission and they have to stay. It’s just tough, it really is, especially with a player that has done everything we’ve asked. I’m hoping that somewhere down the line we can get this situation resolved.”
