Opening Statement: “I thought yesterday was a real good start. You’re always worried that you’re not in pads. You want to do some team work. You’re going to have guys who are slugging it out, on the ground, getting injuries and they’re out of control. We made that a point of emphasis and they handled it well. They competed but were smart about it without pads. It was a good first day.” On OLB Romeo Okwara’s translation to the new scheme this year: “I think a lot of it translates to what he was doing last year. There are things about it that were similar because you would say just in our base, we’re a little more three-down, where there, you would consider us five-down. Honestly, he’s still playing that outside rusher, defensive end. It’s not like he hasn’t done that. I think it’s very similar and I think it’s something that he’ll do well for us. It’s one of the reasons we wanted him back. We love his effort and his length. He just gives it his all, all the time. He just gets to the quarterback. He’s crafty. He knows how to use what he’s got and give tackles a fit.” On how he survived the up-downs in the first training camp practice: “That was (Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG. Honestly, that was all AG with the up-downs. He had said it the night before in the defensive meeting. After my meeting, he goes in there and sets the tone with what they’re doing. He tells them, ‘We’re starting a tradition here, guys. We’re doing 40 of them things.’ So I’m watching like, ‘Oh, crap.’ My first thought was, ‘I’m glad I’m not them.’ My second thought was, ‘Maybe I need to be in there with them since it’s my defense too.’ That was all AG. The worst move I made was getting between AG and (Defensive Backs/Pass Game Coordinator) Aubrey Pleasant. I should have gone down to the other end. It was good. That was all AG. By the way, the whole defensive staff got involved and if they couldn’t do it, they were doing planks. I was pretty impressed with just setting the tone.” On NT Alim McNeill getting reps with the first team: “You’re talking about ‘Twinkle Toes?’ Until we get in pads – we like what we saw in the spring. John Penisini had things in the spring going on a little bit where he wasn’t able to be here. It was nothing that I want to – he had issues that were going on. Everything’s fine. We got to see a lot more of McNeill. We like where he’s at, at this point. I would say that. You guys got a little taste to watch him and all of that, but we’re not in pads. I would say this too because I know that we’ve been pleased with Penisini when he came back into camp. His weight, where he is in shape, passing the conditioning test. By the way, John Penisini had what looked like softballs in his shoulder that he had repaired after the season after the fact. It just looked like a bunch of calcium deposits that had been in there. You wonder why when you watch the film last year why he’s not using his arm. It’s because he had issues. It’s a credit to him playing through it and all of those things. He’s better and you could see it yesterday. It was impressive. I’m pleased with Penisini too.” On how NT Alim McNeill and NT John Penisini are similar: “I think that certainly they are similar, but I think McNeill potentially has more rush ability at this point. We’ll find out. You really feel like John’s more of a first, second-down nose, goal line, short yardage, base, and you feel pretty good about that. Whereas we feel like Mac’s going to be able to do those things, but he has flexibility to potentially to play the three-technique if need be in four-down, or even more out to defensive end in base. Some of that four-high stuff. Again, we’re so early right now. Until we get in pads and get going, we won’t truly know, but we kind of feel that way.” On how he compartmentalizes his days in training camp: “I think every day has its own, ‘Who shined today? Who did well?’ The downside of being a head coach is you don’t always get to see these players like the position coach sees them because they’re around them. They see every little thing they do, non-stop. Whereas the head coach, you’re trying to watch everything. I go up and watch the film. I watch everybody. So, that can be a little difficult. The good news is, or the good thing about it is because of that, when somebody pops, you feel it. If somebody stands out and gets your attention, it’s probably a good thing because you’re looking at everything. You’re seeing everything. So a guy makes a couple of plays and they pop off to you, that’s probably a good thing. So, that’s what you’re trying to get and that’s what these guys need to be thinking is, ‘How can they get my attention by the way they play? I want the head coach to see me.’ Not just one play but, ‘Man, I noticed you today. Over and over and over.’ I think every day has its own evaluation to it, but as far as a deep dive, their day off is when we’ll hit our first big deep dive. ‘OK, we had our first four practices. What do these guys look like?’ We’ll go together as a staff, (Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and his staff, and we’ll just talk about it.” On his view on OLB Trey Flowers in his new role: “He’s doing a good job. It is a little new for him. It’s different, it is. There are things I’m asking him to do that he hasn’t done. Here’s the beauty of Trey, he’s smart, he works his rear off, he’s adaptable, and he’s tough. To be able to play that outside defensive end, there is a little technique issue here, but he’s going to overcome and he’ll develop and grow and get into it. Some of the stuff where you’re dropping at times, it’s all new. Where he was from spring to now, it feels pretty good to watch him. He’s only going to get better the more reps he takes at it.” On his early thoughts about RB Jermar Jefferson: “I’ve been pleased with Jermar. We’re only three days in and only one practice in, but from where he came in the summer and you look at him, watch him run, his weight. We had extra days with the rookies before, so we were doing walkthroughs. Just mentally and watching him move a little bit, even yesterday, I like what I have seen. Then again, it’s so early.” On his approach with second-year players: “A lot of it will be because they’re in their second season. You will never make the biggest jump you make year one into year two. You just won’t. It does not mean you’re not going to continually really grow, but you see it over and over. I remember it as a player year one into year two because you don’t know what you don’t know when you’re a rookie. You’re hanging on. ‘We’re going where? We’re going this way? We got what?’ So, let’s just really kind of hone in on you know where everything is, what your job is. For me it’s just about just worry about what’s in front of you right now. Just focus on that. Focus on the rep that’s in front of you, the period that’s in front of you, the day that’s in front of you. (Jeff) Okudah, we wanted to make sure he’s – he’s really been from day one, meeting with him in the spring, you can tell he wanted to be better. He wanted to be a lot better than he was last year. That was very evident. Let’s just call it what it is, you can’t be better if you’re not truly wanting to be better. Accept that what I put out there last year just wasn’t good enough. That’s a hard pill to swallow, but he’s done that. He’s very confident right now.” On how he can identify CB Jeff Okudah’s confidence: “Body language. You talk to him, what he asks, the time spent with Aubrey (Pleasant), time that he doesn’t have to be here or the calls or the Zooms and he goes in there with (Aaron Glenn) AG. It’s one thing when a guy says it, but when he goes and wants to spend extra time with the defensive coaches on his own, then you watch him and listen to him and how he attacks everything, you can feel it. Then again, it’s early, it’s a long season, we’re going to have ups and downs, but he’s in a good place right now.” On the most important position battles in training camp: “It’s a good question. There are a lot of them. Probably for me, I would say my eyes are on safety and inside linebacker. Actually, I would flip it. I would say inside linebacker first, then I would say safety position. Those are going to be good battles. I’m not just talking about starting. I’m talking about, ‘Who’s the next guy in?’ We could have three starters if you know what I mean. They’re rotating through. We can have four. So much is going to play into how special teams goes too, especially in that position.” On what he looks for on tape to show improvement for offensive and defensive linemen: “Number one, can you stay up? Can you stop your feet? If you can’t do that and we’re not in pads, somebody is going to get hurt or you’re going to get somebody hurt, or you’re just not a good enough athlete, which Brad (Holmes) has done a good job with all of that. That’s a big part of it. I just think the flow of calling the play, getting in there, you have somebody over you now, the play clock’s going, the snap count or what they’re doing on offense, the formation, what’s the call. I think you are trying to pick up a little bit more of – it’s just another from where we were in the spring. I know it’s not pads, but how do they handle the stress of now having to go against somebody even though it’s not all out and work inside the scheme doing that? I think that’s kind of what you’re looking at here. Like I told them yesterday, stay off the ground and use your hands. I don’t want helmets or shoulders and all of that. So, you have to be able to use your fundamentals, your hands, but you can still bend and do that. I think, more than anything, that’s what you’re looking for really, the athlete, the athletic movements.” On what lets him know how much ability the roster has when the pads come on: “For me, it’s not even so much – it is the players. Some of it is the players inside the scheme because of the nature of the way we’re playing. This defense, they chip away. (Offensive Coordinator Anthony Lynn) A. Lynn is wanting to do things offensively until you can get into pads and you can really lay into each other, you don’t know who is best suited inside that scheme necessarily. There are some pajama warriors who are unbelievable, but you guys know it, it happens every year. When they put the pads on, they drift away. They can be the worst looking athlete you’ve ever seen, but all of a sudden, you put pads on, they’re just football players. It happens every year. It just does. So, some of that is going to happen.” On having an extra roster spot available: “If something happens, and we need a spot now, that is the reason we have it. If we need a corner, we can slide him in right now. That’s kind of what it was so we didn’t have to go through, ‘Who are we cutting now?’ Before we decide to bring someone else in, it just gave us flexibility to do an immediate move we felt like.” |
