Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel made clear to us yesterday that his philosophy is that he’s willing to use his top players on returns. He can’t worry about the injury dynamic. Over your many years as a special teams coach, has there been any incident where you remember having a star player lost to injury that it made you re-think that philosophy? Or do you agree with Mike’s thinking on that?) – “I agree with (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel). You can’t buy insurance on everything. You guys all follow this stuff, and you see the random odd stuff of guys cooking in the kitchen, they drop a knife, it hits their foot and they miss 10 days. Are we not allowed to eat? (laughter) So everything we do is about trying to win the game. So based on who plays, when they play, how they play, it’s all trying to win the football game.”
(What do you see from the different guys that are up for return duties?) – “Well, to steal the opening line, they’re all very good football players and they’re all very skilled athletes. They all have great history with the ball in their hand. Some of them in the National Football League, some of them in college. But they’re all outstanding football players, and they’re great team players. So we have a long list of guys that we feel very comfortable with in those roles.”
(I’ve got a question about a certain part of P Thomas Morstead’s personality and actions. During the game, I noticed he’s running on the on the sideline, and he said he likes to keep that pulse rate up and the heart rate up. How unusual is that? And how does that square with his personality and what you know of him?) – “It doesn’t bother me. It’s different from a lot of guys that I’ve had, but the beauty of guys performing is letting them be themselves. So I’m never going to put restraints on guys to hold them back from them being the best version of themselves. If that’s a guy hitting three balls and he thinks he’s warm, or if that’s a guy who wants to hit 60 balls, if a guy wants to sit down and drink Gatorade, or if a guy wants to run up and down the side – if they’re in the right mindset to be able to perform physically, I really don’t care what they do.”
(You guys had a long conversation, I believe, before you signed him if I’m not mistaken. What did you learn about him from that from those times?) – “Well, I think that when you have a player like Thomas (Morstead) who has had a long career in the National Football League and has been around a lot of coaches and around a lot of styles and been asked to do different things – I sort of get an idea of who he is and what he is having played against him and seeing him. Well, it’s the same in his boat. He’s played on teams (who played) against teams that I’ve coached. So it’s sort of, ‘OK, I know you from afar, now let’s be able to drill down on some of the more specific things that we’re going to ask each other to do, how he operates, how I operate and if it’s going to be a good mesh.’ I think to this point has been outstanding.”
(We know obviously DB Keion Crossen had a good body of work as someone who’s skilled in coverage on punt, kickoff, etc. Who else among your new guys do you have great confidence in you looking forward to seeing on your coverage teams?) – “Well, I think obviously you know, Keion (Crossen), I think guys that missed some last year, a guy like Elijah Campbell who was playing well for us and then missed a long stretch, now he’s back as a good player. The linebackers, Sam (Eguavoen), (Andrew) Van Ginkel and Duke Riley, those guys have all been good players here and good players before they got here. Offensively, we think we got some guys. Trent Sherfield’s got a good history, Alec Ingold has a history of doing things on special teams. Durham (Smythe) is back (and) Cethan Carter. So we feel like we have a pretty good nucleus, now the key is playing together. It’s been a little bit of flux through the preseason, but now to get those guys playing together along with some other guys and seeing what we have. That’s the hard thing about the opener. There’s a lot of unknowns from us and from the opposition.”
(What makes CB Justin Bethel a good special teams player and how much of a role will he have?) – “He’ll have a role, just like he has throughout his career. He’ll be a primary player, I believe, when he’s when he’s playing. He understands his role. I think the biggest thing about the National Football League is your roles can change throughout your career. I’ve had players that start out as special teams players and then they end up being All-Pro offensive and defensive players. I’ve had players that they’ve been All-Pro players early in their career and then they get a little bit later in their career and their roles get reduced, but with a reduced role on offense and defense, you have to take on a role in the kicking game. So I’ve seen it all levels. He has always understood his role. When he’s had to play in the kicking game, he’s been very, very good. When he’s had to play on defense, he’s been a good player there. So when guys understand and strive to excel in a role and they’re not worrying about what that role is going to be in the future, because nobody knows. Again if you knew that, we’d all hit that big lotto earlier in the year.”
(WR Matthew Slater, a perennial Pro Bowler, what makes him so good?) – “Again, take everything I just said about Justin Bethel and compound it. (He’s) a player that’s just been outstanding. And my favorite thing about playing against Matthew (Slater) is you have to be on your details. He’s going to know you and have studied you. It’s a chess match and it’s been a wonderful chess match being able to play against him over his career. (He’s) just an outstanding player and more than that a phenomenal human being. I can’t wait to see him after the game and chat with him, but a guy that you better be aware of where he is and what he’s doing because he’s going to be drilled down on his role, and again, he’s going to excel at it.”
LB Jaelan Phillips
(Have you picked up on any tendencies of a Bill Belichick offense or what they try to throw at teams with good pass rushers that might be able to stop the strength of an opposing defense?) – “Yes, I mean we obviously do a lot of studying, both the team schematics and the team tendencies, but also individual tendencies and everything like that. You still have to prepare even more. Preparation goes all the way up until gameday, but yes, I feel good.”
(How excited are you for – I know it’s Week 1. You’ve played in the stadium a lot. It’s no different to you, it essentially home for you. But do you still get butterflies?) – “For sure. At the end of the day, we’re entertainers and it’s a performance every time we go out there. So it’s natural to get performance anxiety, but I really just try to rely on my preparation and my confidence and just try to clear my mind before the game and just go out there and have fun. At the end of the day, it’s a game we’ve all been playing since we were seven years old or eight years old. So it’s a big moment, but it’s fun. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
(For your preparation, I think last year you had 8.5 sacks if I’m not mistaken. Do you use that as like the benchmark of, “That’s where I need to pass that each year?”) – “I try not to look at numbers too much, because I think being result-oriented is just a recipe for disaster. If you have this idea in your head, anything less than that is going to throw you off. So I think my whole thing is really just trying to take it day to day and focus on my preparation and focus on my process so that at the end of the day, I think it all culminates. You usually get the results you want at the end of the day.”
(A month of practice and training camp games, how have you felt with the slightly lower weight against the run? And how has your body responded to that?) – “Funny enough, I was a little bit lighter in the offseason and stuff, but when camp came around, there was so much good food around here, I can’t help myself. (laughter) But I feel great. I feel healthy and fast and in good shape.”
(I know one goal in Year Two, obviously ideally within team success, playing a little bit more every down. Is that something that you have a sense from Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer yet is going to be a reality? Do you know where you stand with that?) – “Well the good thing is you guys will see it in three days.”
(We will, exactly. Is it something you feel good about that maybe the snaps will go up at least a little bit?) – “Yes, I mean I feel that whatever (Defensive Coordinator) Josh (Boyer) and all of our defensive coaches have in mind for me, I’m just going to go out there and perform it to a T. Obviously, I’m hoping to be able to be in there as much as I can so I can have the most impact and get a lot of opportunities, but ultimately whatever is best for the team, I have 100 percent faith in all of our outside linebackers and our d-line and everything. So no matter what happens, we’ll be good.”
(With this offseason, being that all-around outside linebacker, doing different things and not just rushing the passer, how do you feel you are going into Week 1 in that regard with the progress you made?) – “I think that I’m starting to reach into, I’ve said this before, but kind of talk about reaching into a deeper bag of tricks. I think last year I relied a little bit too much on strictly bull rushing, speed to power and things like that. I think the more versatile I can be as a pass rusher ultimately is going to benefit me and the team. So just talking to Terron (Armstead), working with him, getting a lot of advice from Melvin (Ingram), different people, just to be able to kind of hone-in on my craft and just improve on all those aspects.”
(Any first impressions of UM?) – “Of UM (University of Miami)? I mean, hey, they did their thing last weekend. So I’m excited to see these next couple, especially when they get to (Texas) A&M – that’s going to be a good test. So yes, a lot of exciting things happening, for sure.”
TE Mike Gesicki
(When the opener is against the Patriots, is it any different, any special?) – “No. Especially with it being Week 1, I think there is plenty of excitement. There is not any added excitement or any added motivation or motives or anything like that. Everybody is excited. It’s Week 1.”
(Going into a game like this and you have Bill Belichick on the other side, he’s always unpredictable. Do you always have to be on your feet not knowing what they are going to throw at you?) – “I think you go into a game with somewhat of a plan, but obviously you’re going to have to react to what the defense throws at you. Obviously going up against these guys – we have, or at least I have now going on my fifth year – there is always going to be some gameplan stuff, some changeups, so we’ve just got to be ready to react.”
(Does it feel like a chess match at times?) – “Not between me and him. (laughter) I just go out and do my job, and let the chess match happen between somebody else.”
(Do you still get butterflies the first game?) – “Yes. I get excited for every single game. We’re out here and playing a game is our job. It’s crazy. It’s an unbelievable opportunity and one that I personally do not take for granted.”
(What’s it like preparing for a Bill Belichick defense?) – “You’re always going to go into the game with a plan, but also an understanding that they could throw some things at you that you weren’t prepared for. Just be ready to follow your rules, follow your coaching and then go out there and execute what is presented to you.”
(You’ve never had a hard time getting open even with the cast around you. Now with WR Tyreek Hill around you, are you sort of curious that there will be even bigger open creases for you?) – “We’ll see. Obviously that’s a guy that draws a lot of attention but he still finds a way to get open no matter how many guys you throw at him. I think it’s going to be a challenge each and every week, but one I’m excited about, and one that I think the whole offense as a unit is excited about as well.”
(What do you think about the way TE Tanner Connor earned a spot on the 53 as a converted wide receiver from a small school?) – “Super happy for him. He earned it, he deserves it, he plays fast and he does not make any mental errors or mistakes or things like that. He kind of knew his role and what he had to do to prove to the staff that he was deserving to be around. I couldn’t be more excited for him, more happy for him. It’s awesome to have him around.”
(It isn’t typical that five tight ends make the 53-man roster. What does that say about the talent you guys have at the position and the depth?) – “There is a lot of talent in the room. A lot of guys do a lot of different things and in this offense, you’re asked to do a bunch of different things in the tight end room. We got a bunch of different moving pieces, and I like the room a lot. A lot of good dudes.”
(Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Jon Embree talked about coaching you guys in different ways … How do you guys help each other out with the new system and trying to understand it?) – “We have a good room. Obviously we’re adding Tanner, but the four of us were here last year. Now we have five. We kind of know how each other works and we feed off of each other. I think we have a good chemistry and it’s a very good room.”
(You mentioned WR Tyreek Hill and getting open. Is there anything that has surprised you?) – “Nah. What you see with Tyreek and what you know about Tyreek is exactly what he is. He’s an awesome guy, he’s a great teammate, and obviously everyone talks abut his speed, his route running, his change of direction and all of that stuff. I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree
(With TE Mike Gesicki, coaching staffs have used him in different ways. There was a time during his first couple of years where coaches didn’t want to use him much on running downs, but obviously, you want the element of deception where teams don’t think it’s going to be a passing play when he’s in the game. Where are you in that process of his blocking being adequate, good enough, where you don’t think that would be an issue?) – “Well, let me – I’ll answer the question this way. First off, as I told my guys, it’s never going to be good enough. So we start with that as the baseline. He’s done a good job of working and improving. You guys will get to see some of it, obviously, on Sunday when he’s out there playing. But it’s a work in progress and I’m pleased at how he’s gone about his business and improving in that – not just him, but all of them. All those guys have – it’s been a change for everybody in that room, it really has, just because of the style of offense that we play and the different things that we ask that position to do is very unique to what they’ve been asked to do in the past. So they’ve all had different things that they’ve been working at and getting better at, and I’m pleased at where they are. We’re not where we want to be, but we’ll just keep working towards that and I’ll let you know if we ever get there. (laughter)”
(When you talk about the different things being asked of these tight ends, they’re not going to be that Jimmy Graham type guy. Do you have to have guys with a different mentality? Do you look for that because of that?) – “Yes, I do. It’s something that as we were trying to build the room, so to speak, there are certain characteristics or traits that are imperative that you have so that you have an opportunity to have success in his offense. The reality of it is what we ask those guys to do in that room, really the quarterback is probably the only person that has to know everything that everyone’s doing and then it’s us. There’s a lot on our plate. We’re going to do stuff that running backs do in pass protection. There are things we’ve got to do with the receivers. There are other things we’ve got to do with pass protecting on the line of scrimmage. I think we do that probably more than they do in other places. And then go out and catch a pass. So there’s a lot that we ask these guys to do – a lot of motions, a lot of movements, a lot of things formationally that they have to have on their plate. It’s something that as guys – when you come into this offense and it’s new for them, there’s just certain learning curves. For me as a coach, just figuring out what hits their brain, in other words, how do they learn, and then you have to teach those guys in that manner. So for me, I might have to teach a play three different ways in our room, so that everybody understands exactly what I’m saying or what exactly we’re trying to get accomplished on that play or with that particular scheme.”
(What stood out to you about TE Tanner Conner to make this 53-man roster even after missing a couple of weeks in training camp?) – “Well Tanner I think is just scratching the surface. He reminds me – I’ve had Cam Brate, I’ve had Ross Dwelley – those are guests that were similar to him. In other words, maybe didn’t play big time college football, maybe didn’t play the tight end position, but they had certain skill sets that I felt like we could work with and help develop them into being good players. For Tanner, specifically, I loved how physical he was with the football. I think you can glean a lot about a person’s mentality when they have the ball, and he was physical with it in college. Obviously, he runs well, and he really made a lot of strides. He picks up things real quickly, and you could tell he worked on the stuff that I asked him to work on over the summer. And when he came back from summer, he was lightyears ahead of where he was when he first came in as wide receiver. So I’m excited for him when he comes back healthy to see what he can do. And then he’s a really good special teams player. You know, I joke about that in my room. ‘I’m not your coach. (Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Crossman is your coach. And if you can’t play for him then I can’t do anything as far as getting you up on game day or doing things with you in game day unless you’re just a difference maker.’ So all of those guys I think have done a good job of buying in on that and really being contributors on the special teams as well.”
(You talked about having to sometimes coach a play three different ways to the guys. Obviously, it’s deep position for the team. How have they gone about helping out one another with learning the scheme, maybe they’re not comfortable with coming from different places or different schemes in the past?) – “That’s hard to answer because I think right now, there’s times it’s like you coach a guy, you do things a certain way. I’ll incorporate guys like, ‘Hey, what is it that Player X isn’t understanding when I’m saying this,’ or ‘Hey, you guys need to go talk to him, because I’ve told him eight million times,’ whatever it is and try to get them to help with that process. I think the other thing to be in our room that makes it unique is it takes all of us. We’re all going to play. We all need each other, and it’s been like that where I’ve been. So doing that, we all have to help each other. It’s not like, ‘Well, I don’t want to help him, because he may take my spot.’ If you’re a selfish player like that, you’re not going to be able to function and be able to play not only in this offense, but be in my room. You have to be a selfless player. You can’t worry about who’s getting the credit. If you’re worried about, ‘Oh, why didn’t I get this ball?’ Or, ‘How come they’re letting him do that?’ You’re probably not going to last long in there. So one of the things I try to do is just try to create an environment of positive peer pressure, so that if guys aren’t going about what we need to do, they end up finding their way out of there.”
(In your years as a tight ends coach, have you had this many guys in the room – five tight ends?) – “Oh, yes. I’ve been all over the place. Back when I had the original (No.) 88 – (Tony) Gonzalez and Jason Dunn – I only had two guys. So I was just like, ‘OK, now what am I going to do? (laughter)’ So I’ve had it all over. I think in Tampa I had five. Maybe one was on the practice squad. But I’ve been anywhere from two to five, so it doesn’t bother me. It just shows the depth of our room, and this is kind of a tight end poor league. It’s funny because some organizations don’t want to address it, but then they don’t have any and then they’re looking around like, ‘Why don’t we have any tight ends?’ I think the thing that (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and (Head Coach) Mike (Gesicki) have done a great job of building is they’re trying to get the best 53 regardless of position. We’re fortunate enough in our room that they felt like we had five legitimate NFL players in there and didn’t want to let any of them go. For me, I’m happy with it, because that gives me more to work with. (laughter) But it’s hard to find tight ends in this league – it really is. That’s why a guy that I had at UCLA, I joke around with Marcedes Lewis – this is going to be Year 17 or (Year) 18. How is it that that happens? Because he can block, he knows how to be a pro, he’s good at pass protection. He does all those things that I just talked about that we’re requiring our guys to do, but guys coming out of college right now don’t really learn that skillset. Sometimes they’re not in a situation where they get the patience of an organization or a head coach to let them learn and develop like that. So when you get guys that can do all that stuff and have developed it, you want to try to keep them.”
(In your role as assistant head coach, I have to assume that you’re involved in some of the challenge flags and timeouts that get called on Sunday. I’m just curious how much work with a rookie head coach goes into all that stuff?) – “There’s a lot of people that have different aspects that they help them with. So if it’s bad then (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) did it. If it’s good, I probably made the suggestion. (laughter) It’s great working with Mike. He is a guy that doesn’t take himself super serious. You can communicate with him. You can say things to him in a certain way about, ‘Hey, do this,’ or, ‘Do that,’ and he’ll take it all in and then ultimately he makes the decision. But in this organization, we have a lot of people that have a lot of different roles that help with different things like the challenge flag – that’s somebody else. Timeouts, we have people that kind of work with that. So Mike’s going to do just fine on game days. He will.”
Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark
(You’ve talked about DT Raekwon Davis and his body obviously being the best since you’ve been here. How will you measure this year and whether he takes that next step? And also with a player like him who obviously clogs the holes and you can’t fully measure them on stats, do tackles for loss or sacks make much difference for you in evaluating him? Because he obviously doesn’t have very many through three years.) – “Yeah, I think, the first thing for him is just – this may sound crazy to you, but we’re literally focused on the day. We’re focused on (today’s) practice. We’ll get to Sunday when we get there. In terms of statistical measures, I think alignments and scheme can dictate whether a player should have more or less. Like when you are head up on the center and you’re taking on double teams and we’re aligning you in fronts where that’s what’s going to happen, it’s tough. However, as a defensive lineman, in any system, you want to create negative place. So that’s definitely a point of emphasis. I think he’s done a great job so far this week. And we’re full pads today so hopefully he can continue that.”
(You’ve been with the defensive line for a couple years now. How does the conditioning of Week 1 compare to the rest of the season when it comes to snap counts? Do you have to be more cognizant of how fresh guys are for Week 1?) – “Yeah, I think it’s really game-plan oriented. Like are you playing a team that runs more? Passes more? How are we using those guys? What roles? What alignments? Those types of things all factor into it. But we put a heavy focus on conditioning, especially out here in the heat and all those types of things. I think so far, where we’re at going into today’s practice, we’re pleased with where the guys are.”
(On facing the Patriots this season.) – “I think, obviously we’re a different team, they’re a different team. I think they have a phenomenal offensive line. I think it all starts up front from Trent Brown, (Isaiah) Wynn, (Mike) Onwenu, (David) Andrews is solid in the middle. Cole Strange is a great, great player. I mean in the preseason, he’s been phenomenal. The usage of the tight ends, blocking, the receivers cracking and the running backs are fall-forward backs. Both (Damien) Harris, (Rhamondre) so and (Ty) Montgomery, all of these guys – their whole team’s bought in to running the football and it’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
(Obviously, you’ve lost DL Adam Butler, LB Brendan Scarlett obviously not here. You add LB Trey Flowers to your group. What skills do you think he’s going to bring?) – “Yeah, I think Trey’s biggest asset is probably versatility and familiarity with a lot of the scheme stuff. I think he’s a guy that plays hard, plays with great technique, and he’s got a knack for taking the ball away. So far, he has been awesome to work with.”
(With DT Raekwon Davis and his size, how is he able to play with leverage? And what goes into that?) – “Yeah, I think it starts with bending at the knees is a big thing for him and pad leverage. Like any d-lineman, whether you’re 6’1” or 6’7” – if you’re 6’1” and you stand up, you’re going get knocked out of there. You’re going to tell him that you need to be able to play with great knee bend, ankle flexibility, and you’ve got to be in a proper stance to be able to come out of your hips because that’s what generates the power. I think for ‘Ray’ (Raekwon Davis), that’s a big focal point. Some may see that as a disadvantage, but I see his length as a huge asset. And that’s the one thing, at 6’7”, he’s got long arms, he’s powerful, and he can bend with his size. And contact balance and playing with a great base, those type of things all factor into that.”
(DT Christian Wilkins was named a team captain. How excited were you for him? And then just kind of talk about his leadership skillset.) – “Yeah, I definitely was excited for him. Any time you watch a guy go – I wasn’t here year one, but year two, year three, and now going into this year, for his teammates to see him as that is a good thing. I think the way Coach McDaniel did that was awesome. For Wilkins, it speaks to his body of work in practice, off the field, in that locker room, and so it’s great for him. He’s a vocal guy, but it’s a different kind of vocal.”
(DT Christian Wilkins known for not being shy about voicing his opinion on the field to teammates or opponents. Do you think in this case, it helps him play better?) – “I don’t know. I think just general philosophy, and this is from our head coach, the guys need to be themselves. We try to create that environment in the d-line room. I love the guy. If that helps him play better and that’s what it is, man, let’s give that to everybody. (laughter)”
(We saw a big jump with DT Christian Wilkins last year in overall production, tied for the league lead among defensive linemen in tackles. Do you see yet another level? How eager are you to see whether he can take even a higher jump?) – “Yeah, I think there’s always more to get out of a player. And him specifically, going into year four, I definitely think so. I think a lot of times though, he may be in schemes where it’s not his play to make. Maybe it’s him taking on the double. I think just buying into the scheme and the system, like he’s done over the past couple years, is all we’re asking him to do. And keep flying around and I think the plays will come to him.”
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(I wanted to ask you about CB Noah Igbinoghene. What has he shown to give you guys faith – which it’s pretty evident you have faith because you didn’t go out and sign veteran corner in the last couple of weeks and CB Byron Jones is not playing. What is he showing you over the past three months that gives you faith?) – “Well, I would say that there’s a number of things. One, we’ve kind of seen a little bit of progress, I would say, from a maturity standpoint and the fact that he’s been able to handle things a little bit better. Things that don’t quite go his way, he’s able to put them behind him a little bit faster. He’s also improved on his techniques. He’s working very hard at it. And again, he’s 22 years old. He’s had some experiences. He kind of had some baptism by fire early. And I think (in) all those experiences, I think he’s shown the humility to understand that every experience can be a good experience as long as you learn from it. And we’re seeing progress. We’re excited for when he gets his opportunity out there to show what he can do.”
(I was curious, when you look back at your time in New England coaching with Head Coach Bill Belichick, how has he may be impacted your coaching career and just the way you view defense philosophically?) – “Greatly. I was there for 13 years, and 10 of the 13 years I was there, we were at least in the AFC Championship. So you equate those, and most of those years we had a bye, so you equate those extra years and that’s almost two and a half seasons extra that you spend that other people aren’t working. The amount of time that we spent together as a staff, but Bill (Belichick) running it, game-planning, running different defenses – obviously when I started there, Dean Pees was the defensive coordinator and there’s a little bit different philosophy there. But structurally, I would say 95 percent or higher of the things that we do here on defense all come from New England. Now, it just depends on what direction you want to go (and) what things you want to highlight. There’s been so many gameplans, call it over – that’s almost 15 years of game-planning. There’s so many gameplan things that come out, I would say. Obviously when you watch the crossover tape and you see them defensively, there’s a lot of things that you go, ‘OK, they’re doing this. We do this.’ I think all of it is to highlight what your players do well and try to put them in position to succeed. I’m very grateful to Dean Pees for bringing me to New England. I’m very grateful for Bill for all that he’s done for me at New England, and then obviously – I can still hear kind of the same messages. I can listen to Bill’s press conference and I kind of know what he’s talking about. The difference is, is once you leave the building, you don’t have an exact understanding of everything that’s going on. But I’m very appreciative of all the meetings, all the gameplans, the thoughts, the ideas. It’s a collaborative effort. It was that way at New England, (and) it’s that way here. A lot of times we’d be game-planning defensively, and Bill would be like, ‘Well, what do you think about this?’ And you’re like, ‘OK, all right. I wasn’t really thinking that direction, but alright, we’ll try that.’ Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. But I’m very grateful for all those conversations and opportunities over the years. And like I said, call it 15 years of game-planning – or 15 seasons I should say, not years – but call it 15 seasons of game-planning, I would say upwards to 95 percent of what we do here probably correlates to something that we did there.”
(With LB Trey Flowers having played linebacker and d-line in his NFL career, what’s your vision for how to use him here?) – “Well, like all of our guys, we’re going to try to make him multiple and do different things. Obviously, we got him a little late here in camp, but he’s an extremely hard worker, very intelligent. He’s one of those guys that’s early in the building and out late. Again, there’s some carryover of techniques and fundamentals that he knows and understands that he was with us at New England. He was with Matt (Patricia) at Detroit. Obviously, Matt at Detroit, probably very similar to the question that (you guys) just asked right there, I would say 95 percent of what they did there probably came from those 15 seasons of game-planning (in New England). So Trey (Flowers) has a familiarity with all of our techniques. He does give us some versatility. His play style and I would say his demeanor is a great fit for our locker room. We’re really excited to have him.”
(This defense caught fire the last half of last season. You got a lot of the same guys back. How much carryover are you expecting? Can this defense realistically pick up where it left off for the most part?) – “Well, I think each season is unique in and of itself. I would say we have a higher expectation as a coaching staff defensively and I would say as players defensively. I think we’ve all tried to raise the standard. We’re excited to get the opportunity to go out and do that on Sundays and kind of put on display the work that we’ve been putting in, the camaraderie that our guys have shown together. We have a very good coaching staff that works very diligently with our players, and I would say that they put in a good day’s work. We kind of held ourselves to a little bit higher standard. We had a little bit better starting point than we’ve had in the past two seasons that we’ve been here. And again, all of that matters very little if it doesn’t translate to Sundays, and we’re all well aware of that.
(When you put the Patriots tape on offensively, what stands out to you?) – “Well, the first thing that stands out is they’re very efficient, they’re very well-coached. They’re a very run-oriented team. There’s definitely – one, being this is opening day and two, being that it is them, they’re going to give us something that they haven’t shown or haven’t done that we’re definitely going to have to adjust or be prepared for. That’s another thing when it comes into game-planning opening day, you have to be very careful about chasing ghosts, because you’ve almost had seven months to gameplan one game. But the thing that stands out to me on film, they’re very good with their doubles with their offensive line. They have good running backs, (Rhamondre) Stevenson, (Damien) Harris. I’m sure they’re going to use (Ty) Montgomery in certain ways. We’re preparing for J.J. Taylor, if they elevate him from the practice squad. They’re very efficient in their pass game. The quarterback does a good job. He gets the ball out quickly. He’s very good with his reads. He knows and understands where to go with the ball. They set up their play-action off their run game, which if you’re having a hard time with the run, you know it’s play-action. And then their drop-back schemes, again there could be a little bit element unknown here, but for the majority of the part, they’re an inside passing team, and they have good skill players out there. They’ve got two good tight ends with Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. And then their receivers, obviously, they had the addition of DaVonte (Parker), but with (Nelson) Agholor, (Kendrick) Bourne and Jakobi Meyers, who’s really – they really went to him a lot in go-to situations. It’s a good core group that they have. They’ll have a good scheme. They’ll have a good plan in place, and we have to be ready to adjust to whatever they give us that’s a little bit unknown.”
(New England was run-oriented last year and they ran well against you guys a couple of times. What do you have to do better in run defense?) – “Run defense is really like – I mean, it’s all 11 guys. And again, if one guy is out of gap or out of place, then there’s a crease there. But even then, if you do a good job in the back end of funneling it, then OK, instead of 15- to 12-yard runs, they become eight- or six-yard runs. I think the thing for us is consistently, we’ve had a couple of runs that have hit big on us. I think if you look at it over time, we can definitely do a better job on that, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity on that. We expect that they’re going to try to run the ball. And we’re really looking forward to the challenge this year.”
(How much more difficult does it make it to gameplan for Week 1, given the uncertainty with their play-caller situation?) – “I think you look – as far as tendencies, that’s one thing that you’ll study from week-in and week-out with play callers, their given tendencies in certain situations. You kind of look at what they do there. I think this week, that’s a little bit of an unknown, but what you do is you basically, philosophically, (say) kind of, ‘How did they approach it? What are they trying to do?’ And then again, it’s like the other things that we talked about is there will be an element of unknown and adjusting in the game. They may come in with a certain gameplan and may completely shift it, so that’s kind of the back and forth. I would say that happens a lot more probably. I mean, it happens on a week-in, week-out basis, but I would say, usually it’s a couple of weeks into the season before you have like those hard concrete, ‘OK, there’s tendencies here.’ I would say that’s usually the case. Then obviously a team that’s gameplan-oriented anyway, when they come and face you Week 1, you look at a lot of stuff that they’ve done to you in the past, things that they’ve had success on, things that they might hit or things that you’ve struggled with that you think that they might go ahead and try to do there. So that’s kind of how you prepare that way.”
Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville
(I was going to ask you about RB Chase Edmonds specifically. Just from observing now in close for five months, what most excites you about his skillset?) – “Well, the first thing that excites me is his ability to prepare. He’s intensely focused, intensely competitive. And that’s the thing you love first because that gives us a chance. As far as his skillset on the field, I think he’s a complete back. He can run it. He’s shown speed in the open. He’s shown the ability to make guys miss, get on the edge of them. He’s caught the ball well when we give him those opportunities in practice. We just want to keep building on that. I can’t wait to watch him when the lights are on for real.”
(I guess running back roles have changed in the NFL over the years. Can you give us your thoughts on a workhorse back versus multiple backs? And without giving away strategy, how is that going to manifest itself in your group this year?) – “I think every team evaluates what they have on their team. A workhorse back or backs by committee, whatever that is, I think all of us approach a game plan with what gives us the best chance to win. If that’s one back, then ride that guy. If it’s multiple backs, then let’s figure out how to use those skillsets of those guys. So has it changed? I think it’s week to week. Our room is obviously the shortest career length of any position in the NFL, so you’ve got to have multiple guys because the numbers say that for them to stay healthy is difficult. So we love the fact that we have a lot of players that we are going to count on that we think can contribute in a lot of different ways of giving us a chance to win. But every team has to evaluate that on their own.”
(None of them are particularly larger backs. What will you do in short-yardage situations?) – “I think there’s going to be situations that are not just short-yardage and goal line. It’s second-and-1, there’s other plays – I mean, they’re going to have to be complete backs and do it all. To isolate and say, ’well, this guy can’t do this or can’t do that,’ we’re going to do our best to put them in positions to be successful. If third-and-1 means we can run it, then we will. If we need to throw it – we’re going to do whatever we need to do to convert and move the sticks in those situations. And it’s not just because we got this guy back there who looks like this that that’s what you’re going to do because that gives a defense an advantage too, if you’re heavy, heavy one certain way.”
(Earlier, Head Coach Mike McDaniel had alluded to the work that RB Salvon Ahmed and RB Myles Gaskin put in this offseason, when you guys kept signing backs and getting more guys into that room. He complimented the way that they just approached the professional aspect of the game. Just being around those guys for the last couple of years, how would you evaluate the way those guys worked, especially this offseason?) – “I think it’s a credit to both of those two guys. The fact is, they’re very close. They were roommates in college. Their relationship is very brotherly and that’s truthful in how they deal with each other. But there’s another intense competitive situation between the two of those guys, where they’re always trying to beat the other one and outdo the other one. And they work together. They’re unselfish. They just put their head down and grind and it makes – the fact that I’ve been here with them and watching them do that makes you really proud that this is what you’re looking for. You want guys that are going to commit to your program, do everything they can to give themselves a chance, and then every day, they’re busting their tail to try to find a way to get better, to contribute, to compete, to be part of what we’re all excited about going forward.”
(I wanted to ask you about FB Alec Ingold and his role in this offense. And also how it feels to be a pioneer introducing the fullback position in the NFL.) – “Pioneer? (laughter) Pioneers implies first, don’t they? And there’s been a lot of good fullbacks in this league over the years. (laughter) We’re excited to have Alec here. We’re excited to have Alec. We love what he brings to this team as far as leadership, as far as the fullback position and toughness to it. We’re anxious to see him out there and watch him be a part of this and what we’re doing.”
(Was there a moment you had this offseason RB Raheem Mostert, where you said – obviously he was coming off the knee injury – where you said that’s the speed that we recognize from his vintage 49ers days?) – “I think you’ve seen flashes of it in practice and doing things. As he continues to get more confidence on it, I think certainly the third preseason game where we got him in there and let him go and he busts out a 27- or 29-yard run there early in that first series showed a flash of what it is. I think we’re just – so much of this is we’re ready to unleash all this and see what it looks like in real time. And we’re excited to see that and watch these guys perform and go out and do that. But we think that they’re approaching what their abilities are, their health, all of those things and a couple of those guys in that room.”
(Is the emphasis on the run game different under Head Coach Mike McDaniel than maybe previous regimes or teams?) – “I don’t think so. Again, I think it depends on what you’re doing, what your opponent is doing and what you think gives you the best chance to win. I mean certainly we put a strong emphasis on the run game. Mike does. They ran the ball well in San Francisco and he’s brought a lot of that philosophy here. But we’re going to do whatever we have to do to try to win football games. And the emphasis on the run game, if that’s going, then we’ll probably stay with that. And if it’s not going, then we’ll figure out what we have to do some other kind of way to win. I mean, that’s what this is.”
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(One thing that Head Coach Mike McDaniel has told us is that when you and Offensive Line Coach Matt Applebaum and him came in and evaluated the young offensive linemen, these were guys that you all thought highly of coming out of the draft. I wanted to ask you specifically, have you studied OL Austin Jackson and OL Liam Eichenberg coming out of the draft? And also, skills that you think they have that will make them good at their new positions?) – “Liam, yes, due to last year, coaching the line in L.A. Prior that to, Austin, normally with the Raiders, we normally do a collective evaluation. But that was our transition to Vegas and with the virus, so I did not (see much of) Austin, but I had seen him in crossover tape. But I mean, we were fortunate with the way that they are as players, their abilities, they possess the skillset necessary that we look for in linemen. We actually liked Liam in our evaluation process. He was on our draft board in kind of the same area where he was selected. So overall, that was the one thing I think you hit on, that we really viewed as a positive of the job, was the investment in the group with the draft picks, and also some of the back-end guys. Larnel Coleman was a target of ours for free agency as well – college free agency. So just overall, when we looked at the group, we saw a young group that really had potential, and sometimes when you see guys that have potential, why isn’t the reality coming? And sometimes it’s a system, coaching, consistency of a system. There was a lot of change here prior within the systems. And just the greatest thing over our experience coaching young players, that are the triggering tools to help them – consistency, not moving around spots across the line, letting him be able to sink into one spot, understanding that playing run on the right side is different than the left. You try not to switch him to let him get in the groove of that, let them understand how the picture is affected at that spot. So overall, we’ve been very pleased with the development. But like everything, most positions take time because you’ve got to learn and you’ve got to learn through experience. And also it helps why we valued having Terron (Armstead) here with his experience and our history in New Orleans. I just, personally, knowing him from when he was a rookie, knew what experience he would provide as a leader, and also as a player, and his perspective has been extremely valuable for our young players.”
(One of the sacrifices you make when you do that – and I totally understand what you’re saying about keeping guys in one spot and letting them develop – but one of the sacrifices could be if there’s an injury and a guy needs to fill in. How versatile are players? Or how ready are you to fill in those gaps if need be?) – “That’s a great question. So I think it’s always you’re planning for contingencies and you work them as a staff upstairs. You do that in more of your individual when you’re drilling. You’re trying to create consistency in your group work. But in turn, that’s why you try to position them in spots where you feel that the flexibility maybe on their same side, outwardly or inwardly – not necessarily may have to go across the ball, but sometimes it’s necessary what happens. Last year, our left guard was our backup right tackle. So I mean, we work that. Every Friday, he would do right-handed sets. So you always work those contingencies. I think that it would be remiss for us to not make sure that they understand. But at the same time, you can’t always be in the worst case scenarios because you have to let them get a solid understanding of the foundation of playing that spot. It’d be like your right defensive end, we want him working on the left side so he understands his rush role. If that’s what he does well, you leave him over there. Like that’s one thing I always thought with Von Miller, that’s why they always left him on that side in Denver, because he rushed the right tackle really well. Khalil Mack rushes the right tackle really well just because normally lines have these premier left tackles and sometimes the guys on that side just play well. So I think in turn, an offensive line, if you’re moving around a lot and working contingencies, you never really get the consistency of the fundamentals you’re looking for and then the confidence in being able to play through the variables as they change.”
(When you think about how you want to use your running backs this season, how much will be what you want to dictate to teams and how much of it will be matchup-oriented?) – “I think both. I think that you try and you understand basically what your players do well and then what schemes put you in a position to attack the defense and keep them – I wouldn’t say guessing, but keeping them to react to what we’re doing. So I think it’s always, whether it’s running backs or all positions, we’re always trying to make sure that we maximize the player skillsets inside of schemes that complement that. I think we’re blessed with versatile – especially running backs, versatile backs that have full skillsets. Like our wide receivers, obviously, have great skillsets for their position. And then obviously, athletic linemen, versatile tight ends. I mean it’s kind of a primary thing. Guys who have one specific skillset, you can play with them, you’ve just got to make sure you’re asking them to be maximized in those situations.”
(What do you like most about your offense, or the two or three things that you like most about it?) – “You can go all kinds of places there. (laughter) Well, I would say for me personally, and my time in Chicago, years ago, I was able to first start studying what Mike (McDaniel) and Kyle (Shanahan) were doing, through basically their journeys in Cleveland, Atlanta and then San Francisco. So I’ve always admired this offense for its versatility, for its foundational pieces, for its basis in their scheme and how everything is a complementary piece off of it. So for me to be working in this offense with Mike and then also the collection of all of our coaches, (Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks) Darrell Bevell, (Wide Receivers Coach) Wes Welker, (Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends) Jon Embree, (Offensive Line Coach) Matt Applebaum – I mean, I could go on and on just listening to all of the people. But everyone has a story from their journey that it was being incorporated through their experiences, their schemes, their knowledge and the collective of, as Mike was putting everything together, assimilating any concepts or thoughts that guys had along the way. So for me, this is a system that in a weird way, I believed in way back when I was coaching in college and calling plays because inadvertently foundations of running the football that open up the rest of the offense was kind of just a core belief of mine. I didn’t really know it at the time – I was like, 26 years old – but then as you grow, you really realize that’s a fundamental foundational piece, philosophically, for my coaching that I share with Mike. I mean I skip to work every day. It’s awesome. So just the whole being coupled with the system, the scheme, the makeup of this building, just everyone that comes to work every day to be their best – the players. I mean you couldn’t ask for a greater situation as a coach.”
(What stood out to you about TE Tanner Conner since you first got him?) – “It’s weird. So him coming out of Idaho State kind of reminded me – it was funny when Jon (Embree) brought him up through the process, Josh Hill was out of Idaho State in 2013, a similar story, a spread out wide receiver converting to tight end in New Orleans, and man he was a great glue piece for us. And Tanner has shown a really, really great skillset. He shows the ability to block. He shows the ability to run down the field, separate, track the ball. I mean, just all great things for the position that we’re really excited for. And his development, as the season comes, will be a great challenge for us because you’re really excited for what he’s going to bring with the way his skillset and everything has been flashing in camp.”
(What stands out when you pop on the Patriots defensive tape?) – “Just for them, they’re versatile. They’re a fundamentally sound, well-coached team. They have a system they believe in that you can just see they know who they are. (They are) versatile in what each week will be necessary for them to try and match up with the offense. So just overall, as they’ve done over the years, they just have a very sound system where they try and make you play to other parts of your strengths because they just understand what the offense is trying to do.”
(To follow up on the tight ends, you guys have five listed on the depth chart. That’s maybe more than some other teams around the league. What have you kind of seen on the buy-in side of those guys? It’s very different scheme than maybe they are used to, maybe they are used to being used more in the passing game. What kind of buy-in have you seen from those guys in the blocking game and their commitment to that?) – “I think the buy-in has been great. They understand in the system how important they are to make it go. Through coaching the position for six years, I understood personally that you can never have enough at that position just because there’s always a shortage. Evaluation of the tight end position always felt similar to quarterbacks. It’s like there are just never enough. So when you have guys with NFL skillset, ability, broad-based skillsets, you can never have enough. So ultimately, I think the buy-in has been phenomenal. I think Jon’s done a great job with the group, painting the picture of what we’re going to ask of them to do. It’s been different from what they’ve been asked to do in the past. So I think from Durham (Smythe), Mike (Gesicki), Hunter (Long), Cethan (Carter) and Tanner (Conner), they’ve done a fantastic job of really trying to be complete players inside of their skill sets.”
