HEAD COACH LIAM COEN
ANNUAL LEAGUE MEETING MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2026
(On why LB Devin Lloyd had success in Jacksonville’s defensive scheme) “I think that we
did a nice job meeting with Devin a lot, getting together with him throughout the offseason
program. Then when we got to training camp, had some more one-on-one discussions with
myself, Campy [Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile], Tem [Linebackers Coach Tem
Lukabu], his position coaches, just about vision and usage and plan. And so, those
conversations were pretty honest and open at an early stage. Then I think you saw a guy
that, I’m not saying he was playing pissed off, but he was playing to earn something. I think
some people would say he got picked on in coverage the year before a little bit, and he was
trying to, I think, have a mission that he was going to have a great year and going into a
contract year. And credit Devin and the coaching staff, but specifically Devin, the amount
of time he put into it. He was one of the first guys in the building on off days, player off days,
he’s always there. And I’m talking like, 11 at night, 10 at night, late there, in the gym, working
out. He put in more time than most. To see him have the year he had, to see him get paid
and to be rewarded, that is rewarding for me, even though it stings, it’s bittersweet. But
really credit Devin, he’s extremely mature for being a young man still, mature beyond his
years and I do believe he’s going to continue to get better.”
(On how someone like Lloyd would operate as the “green dot” communicator on defense)
“Yeah, I think he might’ve wore it a few times. Foye [LB Foye Oluokun] wore it mostly for us
from a green-dot standpoint in communication. I think Devin, he can do some of those
things. I think for us it was more like, he was communicating with Foye and Foye was doing
a lot more of the calls and the big-picture communication. But Devin—every player on
every play has to communicate at a high level, especially when you’re at the second level of
the defense and he’s a player that we also put on the ball some in five-down fronts. He was
blitzing and involved in the rush sometimes from the coordination. So, you have to be a
communicator. Devin is, I’ll say this, a collision communicator. Like, if you’re kind of not
sure what he’s going to say, you’re going to bump into his forehead and he’s going to say it.
So, I appreciate that.”
(On how much better OL Anton Harrison can get) “A lot. A lot. I was pleased with his
response to our arrival and some of those challenges that went with a few of those first few
months specifically, and as we went throughout the season on a week-in-and-week-out
basis, but there’s not a lot he can’t do athletically and physically. So, I think that he is
seeing a little bit more of the vision and pathway of, ‘Man I could do this for a long time and
at a high level and make a lot of good money and help a team try to try to win as much as
humanly possible,’ and hopefully we can take another step with that progression and that
mindset and mentality this year and see an even better version of Anton as we continue to
see.”
(On the running back room) “Yeah, I think the combination of Tuten [RB Bhayshul Tuten],
LeQuint [RB LeQuint Allen Jr.], C-Rod [RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.], as it stands without any more
additions, DeeJay [RB DeeJay Dallas] competing in there… I look at personally at rushing
yards over expected and yards after contact is what I give a crap about personally. Because
it’s like, what are you doing outside of what we’re blocking? And what does that look like?
Because I can’t coach that. Guys that get more than what’s there, I can’t coach that. The
guys that break tackles at a high level, whether it’s via Reggie Bush, whether it’s with stiff
arms, jumping over them, running through them, I don’t care how you do it, I just care that
you do it, because I can’t coach it. And so, when you have and do things that I can’t coach
on a consistent level, to me that’s important for players, because it’s like, I can’t coach you
to do that. If the run is blocked for eight yards and we get eight yards, well, it’s kind of like, I
need more, I want to see more. So, yeah, we may not get every single aspect of everything
TJ [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] was able to do for us in every single way in run, pass, protection,
whatever it is, but I’ve got to believe we can run the ball effectively next year with the guys
that we have.”
(On the value of joint practices in the preseason) “Yeah, look, I think there’s some different
ways that this is going right now. Last year we were in a first-year spot, so we didn’t get a ton
of juice and help on that front, so we ended up having one joint practice against Miami and
that was it in [Preseason] Week 3. So, we chose to play our players in preseason games,
which was against my inclination. It was against my belief. Let’s just put it that way. I just
have a hard time putting a guy in a game that doesn’t count technically towards the real
season and real competition, I guess you could call it, and those games that really matter.
At the end of the day, that’s reality and I have a hard time putting somebody in a game for
an exhibition like that.”
(On his preference between joint practices or playing starters in preseason games) “My
preference would be to do joint and not play them. But last year, we actually—it was good
for us. We saw our players in some live situations that we hadn’t been in yet, and it brought
up some stuff that we needed to fix and address and we had to. So, it was a great learning
experience regardless, I think. There’s a preference that I personally have and maybe others
do but you’ve got to go with the flow. It’s not something I’m going to be so adamant against
and about that you’re not fluid about coaching your team.”
(On his evaluation of himself and where he can improve) “I think that maybe some patience
on the defensive side a little bit. Look, you’re constantly trying to be competitive about
everything. There are emotions, but trust, fully trusting your staff and the people around
you. I think that that was something I was able to do. I think it’s an area in which I can
maybe grow a little bit more. I’ve been so fortunate, [Buccaneers Head Coach] Todd
Bowles, and [Former Kentucky Head Coach] Mark Stoops when I called at Kentucky, to
have true support from the head coach as a coordinator and as an assistant on not just the
work week, but on Sunday when it is hard. I think that’s an area in which I can improve.”
(On how that will help the team win games this season) “Yeah, just a little ‘woosah’ and just
that you’re able to call it when you are back up on the headset calling the offensive plays
and having that communication with Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence]. It’s clear, it’s concise, it’s
unbiased, it’s unemotional. It’s more just like, ‘Hey, we’re moving on to the next drive and
here we go.’”
(On his thoughts on the new pronunciation of Etienne Jr.’s last name) “Yeah, to each his
own. I mean, I think everybody has a right to do that. And especially in this day and age,
look, people called me Liam [LIE-am] for a long time. And so, I can understand maybe
wanting to bring that to the forefront of maybe, ‘Guys, actually you’ve been saying this
wrong.’ And hey, well, it’s your name. It’s not mine.”
(On if his name being pronounced LIE-am was common) “It was, yeah, I got killed. Yeah, it
was like, ‘Ah, sure, yeah, Liam [LIE-am], I guess.’ Thanks teacher, appreciate that. And my
last name gets spelt with an H [Cohen] a lot. I’m not Jewish, but it’s okay. You just see it and
you’re like, all right, C-O-H-E-N, cool, let’s keep it moving. Now, I’ll correct some that I have
to, but I can kind of understand at least where he’s coming from.”
(On correcting his name) “Yeah, once you get a little older and you start kind of correcting,
especially when it maybe effects flight manifestos and stuff. I took a golf trip last week with
Harris English and my last name was spelled C-O-H-E-N on the flight manifest. So, this just
happened to me last week, two weeks ago, and had to get it fixed.”
(On if he noticed the Panthers emphasis on taking away the ball on defense when playing
them Week 1 last season) “I thought that they had made some draft picks, especially in
that spring to improve their defense, playing it twice a year in Tampa, knowing those guys,
seeing them in Week 1. But also, following them throughout the year, I know [Rams QB]
Matthew Stafford didn’t love playing against the Panthers and I know they improved in a lot
of ways and I think it started with personnel and the scheme matching each other. Devin,
definitely, the length helps him. A lot of those interceptions, whether it’s a tip, overthrow, he
can get his hands on balls. So, I think that they will continue to probably… I mean,
[Panthers General Manager/President of Football Operations] Dan Morgan was a
linebacker, pretty good one. And I’m sure they appreciate and respect some of the traits
and tools that come with that position.”
(On the challenges of calling plays in the first year) “I think it’s probably, as a head coach,
it’s time on task. It’s how much time you’re allocating to the offensive game plan and your
studying of it and knowing that you’re not in every single moment—you can’t be with the
offensive staff, it’s just not possible. And so, as a head coach, it’s time allocation and
putting those resources. I think, as any offensive play caller, it’s just reps. It’s just reps. It’s
like anything else. I told [Eagles Head Coach] Nick Sirianni yesterday or two days ago, I was
like, dude, I’m stoked you hired [Eagles Offensive Coordinator] Sean Mannion. First timer.
Well, how else do we get these opportunities? You end up wanting to recycle and rehire and
fine. Well, how else do you know if anybody’s worth a damn if you don’t give them any
opportunities? And I think some of these guys just need more reps.”
(On working with Etienne Jr. last season) “Yeah, he was a pro’s pro for us. I thought he took
on the challenges of what we brought in as the coaching staff the right way, formed a really
good relationship with [Running Backs Coach] Chad Morton, our running backs coach, but
also with some of the players on the team. He got some captain votes in preseason. I’m
very appreciative of what he was able to do for us this season. For him to be able go back
home, get paid, change his family’s future and himself, that’s rewarding for me.”
(On what year two looks like for WR/DB Travis Hunter) “Yeah, I mean, one day at a time.
We’re truly immersed in the rehab process. I don’t have a clue when he’s going to come
back. I know he’s on schedule. I know everybody’s excited about his growth and healing
that he’s had. But to me, it’s like, we played half a season without our first-round draft pick
and at two positions. So, it’s like, alright, what can that look like when he actually is in a
rhythm and routine, understands it, is fully immersed in it with everybody and how we got
to be as a team? I’m excited about what that looks like.”
(On if his postgame interaction with Robert Saleh was the first time people outside the
organization saw the ‘edge’ he brings) “I’m sure. That was probably there, and maybe after
yelling at Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] to put the ball in his chest at one point like a psycho,
but we had a few of those moments, so it wasn’t anything new for us. They were all joking
on us yesterday about it. Sean [Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay] was killing
Kyle [San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan] and Saleh [Tennessee Titans Head
Coach Robert Saleh] about sign stealing and then they were killing me about keeping their
name out of my mouth. It was fun. I have a ton of respect for Kyle, for Robert, and those
guys. [Denver Broncos Head Coach] Sean Payton yesterday, was like, dude, that was pretty
good. We’re all finding those edges in those different ways of trying to motivate your team,
motivate yourself, motivate your community. We’re all doing that on a constant basis and
so like when those things may happen, we joke on them after the fact and when we’re here,
but we can all appreciate because we all respect what we’re doing and how we are all doing
it in different ways.”
(On DB Caleb Ransaw) “Very much a fan of Caleb when we drafted him. My relationship
with [Florida Head Coach] Jon Sumrall was a huge part of that obviously and how much he
liked Caleb. He’s been working out a ton with strength conditioning, with athletic training
and I haven’t been able to see him but they say he looks good, he’s running around pain free
and really moving around well, he’s gotten stronger so look, it’s a nice thing where you’ve
got [S] Antonio Johnson who ascended towards the end of season. [S] Eric Murray coming
back, [DB] Rayuan Lane [III] another year and then you’re like, well, shoot Caleb who knows
what that could look like. We’re just excited to see what it could be.”
(On the NFL trend of 13 personnel) “Man, Sean started something. He’s a tight end guy who
made 13 personnel 11 and 11 into 13. He’s been doing it for years. Yeah, I think that it’s
going to force defenses to have more base defensive calls, to have heavier personnel
grouping calls. But what it does is, if you don’t have a big nickel or another sub package,
you’re going to get personnel’d to death. And so, I think it’s making the league look at, do we
play base to this? Do we play giant to this? Do we play big nickel to this? How are we
playing personnel, especially when you can get in heavy pictures, 12 personnel pictures, 11
personnel pictures, and 10 personnel pictures. That’s where it goes, and that’s where I
think he’s done a great job.”
(On his time with the Rams as a non-playcalling offensive coordinator) “Sean and I have
talked a lot about that season and how challenging that season in ’22 was with the 13
different starting O-lines and the injuries that we dealt with. But you’ve still got to play a
game on Sunday, and you still need to come up with a competitive damn good game plan
every week or else you’re not giving your players a chance and that’s our job. And so, it
challenged us in new ways to get creative about your third downs and your second down
calls and your red zone with different players and guys coming off the street. Look that
helped me I know specifically when I went to Tampa in ‘24 and we had injuries at the
receiver position, it was like alright we just got to gut through it. We need to get through this
hard time but it’s our job as coaches to get creative to get there and I think that really
helped us as well in Jacksonville this year. We had two tight ends up for like five weeks, four
weeks or something like that and that’s not a fun place to live on offense. Well shoot, we
got to carry more backs or more wide outs, we got to get more creative in personnel
groupings. And I think that’s what Sean does for you, is that he challenges every aspect of
who you are as a coach, of who we are as a player, constantly looking for more and no
excuses. We need to go get this done.”
(On maintaining success) “Yeah, I think there’s a lot of different ways to view success. I
think that something we need to be guarded against as a staff and as an organization is, we
have a lot of room to improve. We will need to get better and improve and that may not be
13 wins. I don’t know. I can’t say that. I don’t know what those results are, but I know if we’re
chasing those results, we’re not going to be living in the moment. We’re not going to get the
best version of ourselves every day. And so, when we get back to this with less time as a
coaching staff, with less time with the players as not a new coaching staff, we need to be
as intentional as ever with the way that we attack each day. Be as clear and concise with
the players when they come back in about what that looks like and how it’s going to get
done and we have no time to waste.”
(On New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart) “Yeah, I like him. I like him. I saw him at the Super
Bowl at a party and I was able to just kind of say what’s up and tell him I appreciated his
game. I think he plays fearless, plays with a chip on his shoulder. He can run. He’s got a
smooth stroke. I watched him against the Raiders this year in their game against Raiders. I
coached Wan’Dale [former Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson] in college, so I was able to
follow Jaxson. Every young quarterback, man, that’s hard to do. It’s a hard position to be in.
I think he’s going to be a damn good player. I think he’s got moxie, swagger, confidence and
you can’t fake that.”
(On DT DaVon Hamilton) “He did. Not that I went into it with like a preconceived notion of
like, ‘oh, this is what he is.’ It was more he doesn’t say a ton, he just does his job to the best
of his ability every single day without saying a negative word or anything. And he cares
about we above me. He cares about all the right things. A lot of his job is selfless, helping
others and helping get other people freed up in the run game and the way that he can two
gap and play sometimes gap-and-a-half football. But he was disruptive. He made huge
plays in the backfield for us, negative plays. The Raiders game, the two-point conversion,
all those things, you look back on D-Ham making huge plays for us this year. I think he’s just
getting better and better.”
(On Hamilton’s past medical issue) “A lot, actually. I was informed of that when I got into
the building and was able to get onto the roster construction. For him to have the season
he’s had, to be where he’s at in his career, it’s pretty special. It’s really cool.”
(On LB Ventrell Miller) “Yeah, I think there’s a lot of room for growth there. I think that
Ventrell, when Ventrell was asked to play a lot of meaningful snaps last year, I think we saw
some really good things and then there’s some things we can continue to coach off of. And I
think anytime you give a player confidence without telling them anything, like right now if
you’re him and we haven’t signed anybody yet, you should say, well, at least they believe in
me. At least they think I can do it. And now it’s on him and us to go do it together but also
like dude now it’s time. Now it’s time to truly go take it over. There’s going to be an
opportunity there and I think Ventrell is made of the right stuff and I think he cares enough
about it from a we above me standpoint that he’s going to put the time in to do it and I’m
excited about what that could look like.”
(On Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile’s success developing linebackers) “That
helps because your D Coordinator, arguably his most comfortable position is that. And so
you feel maybe different positions when we got a little bit more time or like Campy is going
to get this out of him. Tem’s [Linebackers Coach Tem Lukabu] going to get this out of him.
They’ve been doing this a long time. They know what some of the pitfalls are and
shortcomings are and how to work around those things. And so, yeah, you’re excited about
what that development could look like.”
(On San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris) “Yeah, I think Raheem
always knew offensive football, I thought, at a higher level than most defensive guys I’ve
been around. He can speak offensive language, terminology, concepts and so I think that
was always kind of unique about our dialogues and discussions. How much he understood
offensive football and what that looked like on the other side of the ball. And then like you
said, the personality, he’s a huge reason why I took this job and some of my conversations
with Raheem, not just with me, but with my dad. And those were intimate conversations
that I really appreciated his honesty about and helped me get to a place of clarity to go take
a new job. And so yeah, Raheem and I are very close.”
(On his conversions with Morris prior to taking the Jaguars job) “Go take it. Bet on yourself
and take it, so I appreciate that. You know it’s honest.”
(On Seahawks WR Jake Bobo) “Yeah, I have a little bit of a history with him. I watched him
dominate Boston College football camp in 2017, 2016, something like that. And then Shane
[Pass Game Coordinator Shane Waldron] coached him in Seattle, so there was a
connection there. There was a relationship piece that you said, okay, there’s a guy that
could potentially help, obviously, on offense, but also on special teams, and what that
looks like for game day actives, and getting a helmet. That’s why that was intriguing but
onto the next one.”
(On Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson) “Well, I have to be careful being too
nice, because I just beat his butt in golf last weekend, so he needs to go practice. Zac’s
obviously a former quarterback, gets it, has stood back there in competitive situations,
helps immediately with the communication with not just the quarterback, but other
position groups. He’s aggressive. He wants to put points up on the board, he’ll do whatever
it takes, whether it’s running, throwing, he’s going to lean into what works and what you’re
good at. His personality is very much like calm, cool, collected. Doesn’t get too—I may be a
little different that way. I’m Northeast, he’s Colorado, Denver, Oklahoma, so there’s a little
bit of that chilled out version. I may be a little more type A.”
(On Robinson in Tampa Bay) “Yeah, I think if you look at the way that he’s used some of the
wideouts in Atlanta and you look at two years ago with [former Falcons WR Darnell]
Mooney and [Falcons WR] Drake London, what they were able to do, I know he knows how
to get wide outs open. Like there’s no question in my mind that they’re going to have real
efficient attacks in their game planning, specific to the pass game and in the run game,
obviously. I think he lowkey last year had some of the best screens in the NFL, to Bijan
[Falcons RB Bijan Robinson], the tight ends, getting some of your playmakers the ball.
Look, that wide out room is pretty talented in Tampa. I think the running back room is
talented. The O-line is damn good, and then they resign [Buccaneers TE] Cade [Otton], and
I think Zac’s got definitely a plethora of weapons to go work with.”
(On if he expects a good season from Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield) “I am. Yeah, I am. I
just think that obviously their connection, they have a prior relationship again. That
definitely helps with Baker. And yeah, he’s going to probably be teed off, a little ticked off to
go have a better season, get back to the playoffs, do some of those things because that’s
what he cares about, is winning. It’s all he gives a crap about. And so, I’ve got to believe that
those guys will get back to that.”
(On if he is open to doing joint practices with the Buccaneers) “No (laughs). Yes, of course.
Of course. We were talking about it this weekend. That would be awesome. It just makes
too much sense. You want to be cost effective in terms of the way you operate. And so, it
just makes way too much sense for us to not have a standing preseason game, whether it’s
a joint practice, game, throughout the preseason, it just kind of makes too much sense.”
(On if he envisions joint practices with the Buccaneers happening this year) “I don’t know. I
don’t know. We’ll try. I think we’ll try. It’s ultimately not our decision. It’s like the Wizard of
Oz kind of deal, you know? It just happens.”
(On what conceptually is the biggest jump a rookie quarterback experiences going into year
two) “I think that the speed of the game I think slows down in year two a little bit. Whereas
now you’ve also seen some guys fall off in year two a little bit and challenges that come up.
Because in year one, I think no matter what, you’re just playing. There’s no—who cares,
dude, just go play. And then sometimes year two, you can start tripping on the expectations
or what just happened. I’ve got to redo that, I’ve got to be better. It’s like, dude, just break it
back down, go back to square one a little bit, the fundamentals, techniques that got you
here, lean into those. Don’t overthink. I think a lot of second-year quarterbacks especially,
start overanalyzing a little and it’s like, dude, just go let it rip, cut it loose and play. Because
they do know more in year two. You’re going to know more. It’s obvious. Well, don’t over
cloud that, don’t over complicate that, and just go play fast.”
(On how being compared to others can weigh on a player as a high draft pick and whether
he’s seen it weigh on DE Travon Walker) “I haven’t personally seen that. I think I’m sure that
those are natural, I guess you could call it, comparisons. But I don’t know, my
conversations with him one-on-one, I’ve never heard him bring it up or say, ‘I’m not living up
to,’ or, ‘I need to do this because of status.’ I think Travon, I had an almost two-hour meeting
with him at the end of the season. Just what that looked like in terms of dominating. I was
with [former Rams DE] Aaron Donald in L.A. and we literally had to take him out of practice
in order for us to gain yards on offense. And so, if you want to get where you want to go and
where we want you to go and where you can go, I need to be taking you out of practice so
that we can operate on offense. I want that kind of destruction and mindset and mentality.
And he was on the same page about it.”
(On former Rams DE Aaron Donald and the comparison of Walker to him) “Habits. Habits.
It’s because of his habits. Because that was what I was teaching him, his habits. Not talent,
not anything about their length and size and anything that way. It’s just habits. Elite habits,
elite practice preparation, game preparation, that, those habits, and the way that you
practice on a day-to-day basis. I’d better be taking you out of the practice for us to operate.
You should disrupt the entire thing in order for us to operate. I want that. So, it’s all about
habits, not about comps to players. So, they don’t get that, ‘Oh, Aaron Donald, Hall of
Famer.’ It’s like, no dude, I’m not talking about the player, I’m not talking about the human
being, I’m talking about the habits.”
(On how working with Rams Head Coach Sean McVay prepared him for being a head
coach) “Yeah, I think like you said, it’s that preparation. It’s the details in the preparation.
It’s the defensive identification. It’s the learning of defenses, basically, in a lot of ways.
What on offense affects how they play? Their gap integrity, their fits and fallbacks, their
gap-and-a-half integrity, their coverage structures. How we formation, we motion, we shift,
we adjust, how does it attack them? And you continuously are learning now about the
defensive side of the ball, which has now in turn helped me as a head coach, knowing more
about the defensive side of the ball. So, you just learn how to communicate to people on a
clear, concise level, and honestly, you learn how to… Obviously, the schematics and
fundamentals and techniques of all three phases, but I think what makes Sean different is
just the way that he can connect with people. White, black, purple, green, rich, poor, from
here, from there, it doesn’t matter. Sean can connect, and I think that that’s something that
you always appreciate about learning from him.”
(On his favorite football drill) “Yeah, so we do a Mamba period every Wednesday, Thursday,
we call it. It’s kind of stolen from the Rams and is a homage to Kobe Bryant and just, hey
guys, these are three plays, best of three, good on good, one vs. one, two vs. two.
Wednesdays, it’s normal D and D [down and distance], guys. It’s first down and second-
and-eight-plus. There are three plays. Best out of three wins. We score it the whole day. And
then the winner or loser has something to do at the end of practice. We do that on
Wednesday, we do that on Thursday. And then Thursday, okay, it’s third-down day. Well, it’s
five-man rush, man coverage. Let’s block one-on-ones. Let’s play one-on-one offense-
defense with no meshes and runaways. Like, just play. Just win. Go play. It’s not going to be
the play call, just go play. And I think that that’s something that helped our team become
more competitive as a group and it also allowed us to kind of just go play in season where a
lot of coaches are like, ‘I ain’t doing a lot of good on good in season.’ We did that for a long
time.”
(On what improvements he thinks his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts, needs
to make) “Yeah, I’ve talked to [Massachusetts Head Coach] Joe Harasymiak a few times
and [Massachusetts Director of Athletics] Ryan Bamford, the athletic director, a number of
times. Look, I think it’s hard anytime you’re bouncing around within conferences and
different non-consistencies I think are hard to sustain winning culturally. So, glad they’re
getting into the MAC and I can think and see competitively that we should be competitive in
that conference. I think it’ll come. I trust and believe in Joe Harasymiak. I worked for Joe. He
hired me. I think he’s the right man for the job. I just think it’s a matter of he’s got to get
some of his guys in the building in terms of the players. It’s a hard place to win because if
you do your job and recruit and get a good year out of guys, you’re going to get poached. So,
I think they’re in a really tough spot, but also, I have lot of faith in those guys to get it turned
around. [Massachusetts Senior Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Administrative Officer]
Thorr Bjorn being hired as well, coming in to help out the football program I think will help.”
(On what he’s learned about the ebbs and flows of roster building after being so active in
free agency last offseason compared to this year) “Yeah, impatient, let’s call it that for me.
This offseason, James [General Manager James Gladstone] has been obviously… I’m
window shopping, pal. I’m starting to window shop. Just give me some feedback here. But
no, I think last year the whole goal, like you said, was to raise the floor, get as many guys
that care and love football that we can. That was like nine or 10 players in the early wave.
So, knowing that that was not going to be the case going in, I was able to taper my
expectations a little bit. Like Shad [Owner Shad Khan] was saying, it’s like, if we could just
get the coaches out of the building during free agency, we’d all probably save a lot more
money. It’s like, look, you’re going to pay premiums for players, top dollars. And we just
weren’t really in a place to want to do that with 10 of 11 starters on offense coming back
and 11 draft picks. It’s just not really how we wanted to operate this offseason. That was
clearly communicated to me, which I appreciate. And look, we’re still hunting. There are
still guys that we’re looking at, trades and later free agents. We did a lot of work post-draft
last year. But I’m excited to see what James can do and what we can do with 11 picks, the
collaboration between personnel, coaching, and the entire staff. Because look, we do have
IDPs [individual development plans]. Every player has a three better, three best. Every
player has an IDP of how they’re going to improve and what that looks like through phase
one, two and three. It’s also exciting to get new players in the building but man, we do have
a good nucleus coming back and let’s lean into that.”
(On his thoughts on Eagles Pass Game Coordinator Josh Grizzard) “Yeah, Josh, Grizz is… I
hired him when he was in Miami, he was an assistant position coach. Myself and
[Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator] Zac Robinson knew Grizz from years ago. Grizz helped
me out. I was trying to hire him this past offseason. He ended up going to Philly and was
really happy for him. Year to year, man, in this league. It just is what it is. Grizz is extremely
intelligent, will help them, I think. [Eagles Offensive Coordinator] Sean Mannion in being a
first-time coordinator, I coached Sean. I know both of those guys really well. I think they’re
going to yin and yang well and be able to kind of get that thing rolling. So, I’m excited about
Grizz’s opportunity in Philly.”
(On why he thinks Grizzard’s concepts are so interesting to the Eagles) “Yeah, I think Grizz
learning obviously from Mike [former Dolphins Head Coach and current Chargers Offensive
Coordinator Mike McDaniel] down in Miami, from us in Tampa, having the experience going
and doing it last year. Sean coming in with [Packers Head Coach] Matt LaFleur’s offense
and Sean’s offense. It’s a collaboration of the West Coast offense and the system in Sean
and Grizz’s way and those guys this year. So, that’s what’s exciting.”
(On whom gets “three better, three best” evaluations) “Every single position gets one. Every
player.”
(On whom gets “three better, three best” evaluations from him personally) “Oh, me
personally? I’ll bop in randoms. I’ll bop in obviously Trevor, obviously some of the key
contributors on the offensive side and guys that I may need to go have a convo with to get a
foot up there you know, and to get him moving, or as a, ‘Hey man, great job, we need to
continue this, but these are ways we want to go forward,’ and just to piggyback off of some
of those guys. But in all three phases, I’ll be involved in that. As a staff, before we meet with
the players, we present it to each other. So, every coach will present their three better,
three best as if they were talking to the player in front of me. And so, I get all that
information and then that’ll free me up when we actually meet with the players on this the
first week of the offseason. I’ll be able to bop in, piggyback and have some of those. So, I
would bet at least 20-30 guys I’ll probably be involved with.”
