LB David Long Jr.
(What do you think you’ve shown so far early in camp on a new team here?) – “Off the bat, just the instinctive player I am. I’m just trying to get a feel for the whole defense around me. Coming to the end of training camp, we’re growing into an actual team. Some ways to go as well, but we’re building that core.”
(Is that what you showed when you had the tackle for loss in the game? Instinctual?) – “Yeah, it was just knowing pre-snap. I’ve been playing the game for (a while). Read the tight end and tackle, just knowing what’s coming, high red. Houston has a strong back. I’m pretty familiar with him, and just being familiar with the scheme.”
(I asked Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio what he seen and he said some of the same things, but he said he wants to see you more consistent. What do you think are some things you need to show to be more consistent?) – “I could say a number of things. Just taking the coaching from the field and then applying it. In the film, just going back and looking at things that can help me be a better player.”
(What do you like about this defense? In two preseason games, you guys have let up one touchdown. What do you like most about what you guys are doing?) – “I would say the mentality. We all have our individual talents, but it’s about us growing into a defense and how we can play off each other. It’s just good seeing it. We have new pieces coming in every week like Parry (Nickerson) and guys just being able to learn on the run. Taking that individual mentality that we’re going to have that dawg and playing fast. I feel like it’s coming together.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said he’s impressed but you also have to take it with a grain of salt maybe because first and second team and said you’re probably going to face Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence. How excited are you to get reps against a top-flight quarterback?) – “I played against him the last two years. I’m pretty familiar with their scheme. I’m just excited to see how this defense has been coming along to the end of camp. Right now, we have a lot of players here getting time. We are just trying to find out who’s going to be with us at the end. Now we’re just building that core, and excited to see who’s going to build off that.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said he has a dry sense of humor.) – “Very, very dry. He’s got little jokes. Sometimes I really can’t tell if it’s a joke or not. He will say something with a little smile. Vic’s a funny guy. We’re in the room with him. Just getting to know Vic as a coach and as a person as well. For sure, he keeps you on your toes.”
(Thoughts on the young guys, LB Aubrey Miller II, LB Channing Tindall, and being a mentor and helping them out.) – “It’s been good, especially with Aubrey. He’s undrafted. I’m sixth round. He’s undersized. Just being able to relate to him on so many levels. Coming in with guys in front of you and just be able to learn from their mistakes. Don’t go out there and do the same thing. As far as undrafted, it’s a little different. You have a shorter leash. You don’t have that many times to make mistakes. Just keeping him on his toes and helping him and Channing learn from my mistakes as well.”
(There’s a band around your leg. Is that just for compression?) – “Yeah, I got used to it. I just feel comfortable with it. Anytime I stand there, I take it off and do a little instead of getting cold. I feel sometimes people feel like – if you have a band on you. But I’m just comfortable like that.”
(Preventative?) – “Yeah, just little work in between reps and stuff.”
(I don’t know if you were asked about the tackle for loss in the last preseason game. What does that feel like, that moment you realize they’re about to get the guy behind the line of scrimmage?) – “It feels good. At first, I was just excited to get back. I haven’t played since last year, so I was excited to get back out there. I was just trying to, that whole drive, make a play. My big thing is making a play behind the line of scrimmage. I was trying to get a read when it gets to practice all week, and just getting a read for the tackle’s stance and how heavy he is and his hands and getting back into my pre-snap reads and football mode. It felt good to actually trust myself and shoot and continue to build on that.”
(I paused that tape. When you were at the line of scrimmage, the running back was just getting the toss, so obviously your anticipation was pretty good on that play. How does that come together pre-snap? Is that something you notice before they snap the ball, like I’m going right now?) – “Yeah. That play I was like if the tight end blocks down, I’m shooting this gap and that’s exactly what I did. A couple plays later, it was the same play, but the hole was too big. I’m just getting a feel for the game again and getting back into my style.”
(Do you also process how you’re going to defeat a block? I saw you slip one. You obviously ran through others. Is that in the moment as well?) – “It’s in the moment, but it’s on the run as well. These are some big guys, so they can get a jump on me and not even have square up and run through or square up and shed. It’s just being able to get a feel for the game.”
T Kendall Lamm
(We talked at the beginning of camp in terms of what you wanted to accomplish. Do you feel like you’ve done that?) – “I mean, to be honest with you, bro, today’s just kind of another day. The culmination of camp hasn’t come to a close. So to be completely real with you, regardless if it’s camp, regular season, practice, whatever comes, I approach each day as each day as its own entity. So it’s like, yeah, you want to do certain goals. You want to get comfortable on the left, comfortable on the right. You want to get comfortable with the guys you’re working with, of course. But in my opinion, that’s chopped wood, carry water mentality. You’ve got to do that each and every day. So yes, sir.”
(Where did you get the chopped wood, carry water mentality from?) – “I don’t know if you can see my shirt, but I wear my college stuff all the time. When I was up on the mountain in Boone, we were Division I-AA. That’s nine, 10 years ago now. A lot of people didn’t really give us too much credit. But from my perspective, I really could care less about other people’s perception and what they thought. We just went out there and did what we did every day. I tried to bring what I took on the mountain, then what I did in Houston, then Cleveland, then Tennessee, and I approach it the same here.”
(How do you feel a second year in the system has helped you play better, play faster?) – “Familiarity with anything helps. Espe ially being with the guys, especially hearing the calls. Last year when I came in, to be completely real with you, when I came in towards halfway through the season it’s like, I understood, but at the same time, not being able to go through this time and this process is major. Especially this being year nine for me. I look forward to training camp because this is the time when you really get to grind. This is the time where I get a feel. This is the time where I truly get to put the weight on someone each and every day. Then at the same time, of course when the season comes, we don’t necessarily do this as much. So for me, hearing the calls, getting on the same page with Liam (Eichenberg), Isaiah (Wynn), Rob (Jones), Rob (Hunt), I just love being able to do that now. Not having that last year was different, but it’s been beautiful to do it now.”
(It was like 30 snaps last year in the Patriots game. Do you use those reps on tape to go back and learn or is it the Dolphins in general last year that you use?) – “The biggest thing for me, I look at a culmination of everybody. I see it from T’s (Terron Armstead) eyes. Last year I saw it from Greg Little’s eyes, ‘B Shell’s’ (Brandon Shell) eyes. I always picked their brains and saw what they kind of see through the same set. But now that I’ve had the ability to do it more, and now that I’ve had the ability to put my hand in the dirt on both sides and get a good amount of reps, I go off of that. But don’t get it twisted. I never forget what we talked about in those situations because when certain things happen, you always want to pull from that.”
(Does having the perspective of playing either tackle spot throughout camp kind of give you a more broad view of what you’re trying to do or does it matter?) – “I mean, as I said before, to be honest, left and right is its own entity. I go from left, you go to the right side, it’s a brand new place, brand new field. That’s like CEO, the COO. That’s just how I look at it because it’s completely different. Your timing with your hands. Your timing with your steps. Opening up a certain way. Kicking a certain way. It’s beautiful to be put into that conflict, to be honest, because to do it now, especially against (Bradley) Chubb and (Jaelan) Phillips, like they’re very good. So when I go to the right tomorrow, or whenever, I get to see Jaelan. When I go back to the left, you see Chubb. So you’ve got to bring your A game no matter what because they’re very good. It makes you really get with the program real, real fast.”
(Is your comfort level the same at left and right tackle?) – “For the most part, yeah. Like I was telling (Offensive Line Coach) Butch (Barry) in OTAs, during OTAs I took majority of left, which was cool with me. It didn’t bother me. But I always ask them, please, please, please, let me get some right. Because I know as the season progresses, you snap your fingers and when it’s called upon, it’s called upon. So I try to get as comfortable on both sides but that takes time.”
(In that first half against New England on January 1, 2023 and throughout camp, you’ve proven to be reliable. Is that an important thing? Does Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry or Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith ever use that word or any words like that to you?) – “Like I said, this is my ninth year. This is not my first rodeo. I’ve seen the multitude of defenses from the various teams I’ve been on. The one thing that Coach Mike Devlin told me a long time ago, he said, just put your head down and get comfortable being uncomfortable. So from my perspective, like I told you guys a few weeks ago, if they tell me to play right that day, that’s what we do. If they tell me to play left the next, it’s what we do. That’s kind of my journey and what I have to do, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
(So you asked to play right?) – “One-hundred percent. I mean, think about it from my perspective. If I get into the game – I mean God-willing, and whatever’s going to come – we get into the game and something happens, you can’t say ‘oh my god, I don’t want to go to right now.’ You have to be able to do that. So why would I not ask to be able to do certain things? Even if you’re swinging in practice, put me in uncomfortable situations so I can try to work through those and build the process in my mind and go from there.”
(You talked about obviously playing in a lot of systems. Is this one similar to a spot that you’ve been in before?) – “Yes and no. Football is football. When we run outside zone, it’s going to be outside zone. You skin a cat a few ways. But you want to, of course, get the objective done. We have a lot of speed here. Everybody knows that. So when we come off the ball and do certain things, we want to make it look a certain way. But I mean ball is ball. If I’m asked to run inside zone, left, right, that’s what it’s going to be regardless if it’s Houston, Tennessee, Cleveland or here. It always stays true.”
LB Jerome Baker
(What’s LB David Long Jr. been like to work alongside of?) – “He’s just a fun dude, he really is. He shoots gaps, he’s smart, he understands – we work well together as far as you got this or I got this. We really work well together. He’s very similar to me. He can run. He can hit. He’s smart. Any guy like that is definitely fun to work with. Off the field, we have similar personalities. We’re laid back. We do what we got to do. We crack jokes. He’s definitely fun to work with.”
(With training camp winding down, and the last preseason game coming up, what are you most excited about with the defense and the progress that you guys made?) – “What am I most excited about? It’s to hit somebody else. That’s what I’m ready to do. (laughter) I think towards the end of training camp, you have you fun practicing against other guys and do all of that. But now we’re tired of hitting the same team, so we’re ready to go against somebody else. We understand that we put in the work and it’s time to see what we can do against somebody else. We’re ready for it.”
(Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio had noted that during the preseason, sometimes the starters aren’t playing, sometimes you got twos, threes in there. But it looks like the Jaguars are going to play their starters so you get to go against a really good quarterback in Trevor Lawrence. What are your thoughts about that as a final tune-up before the regular season?) – “I’m all for it. Any chance for me to go out there and tackle and do my thing, I’m all for it. It’s going to be a fun one. Trevor is getting up there to be one of the good ones in the league, so it’s definitely going to be exciting.”
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(Just a couple of completions by QB Tua Tagovailoa with the first-team offense outside the numbers. Wanted to just kind of get your gauge on how important that can be for this offense to stress the perimeter of the field this year?) – “I think this time of year, we’re obviously working on our execution in all phases of the offense, so whether it’s inside or outside the numbers, it’s vital for us to understand what we’re trying to accomplish through the concepts. It’s all about what the defense presents or what we’re trying to attack inside of it, so the opportunity to work that part of the offense has been great. Like this next week, each day we’re having emphasis points, so continuing to grow with an emphasis in that area has been great for us.”
(Something I’ve noticed in the two preseason games is a lot of screens whether at wide receiver, running back, tight end. How do you think that can kind of complement what you guys are …?) – “I think just in general, a good screen game is an opportunity to get the ball in space to our playmakers. Half back screens, obviously they get lead blockers. It’s really kind of, in a way, outside zone on level two after you displace them. Perimeter screens, again, our ability to make the defense defend all 53 yards of the field for width. So we’ve always viewed it as a complement to what we do and then going through the offseason and stuff like that, areas of improvement; we’re excited with the growth we’ve had in that and just it’s an overall area that we knew we could improve on and we look to continue to just getting better in all areas over the next week or two.”
(How do you see the left guard battle? It’s close now to the time you have to make a decision.) – “Decisions, we’re not at that time yet. We’ve got a week of work. A lot of stuff we’re trying to emphasize this week can get done. Guys have three more days plus the game. We have time as far as that, as far as making decisions because obviously with guys coming in and executing what the emphases are, we really look forward to this next week to see what a lot of guys are going to do in these situations and look at how they respond.”
(Have there been one or two guys that have really helped themselves this past month?) – “Yeah, I think with just everything, all guys are going through, fighting to make the 53 (man roster). There’s good days, there’s other days, but we’re looking for consistency. So the next three days, I think, plus the game, will really allow us to get a good feel for the way all competitions are going at all positions.”
(A lot of attention this offseason obviously on QB Tua Tagovailoa’s health. I know it’s a limited body work from the other day in Houston, but did you see any signs of Tua being able to protect himself?) – “I think overall, his offseason plan of things he wanted to improve on, I think that he’s had emphasis on areas that he’s been working on and we’ve seen him challenging himself in many of those areas. So I think overall, the way he’s progressed and the way he’s developed through working on all these things has been very impressive for us. I’m really excited for him to continue his growth going through the rest of the preseason and the regular season.”
(How relieved were you when you heard T Terron Armstead’s injury is not serious?) – “Well, Terron (Armstead) and I go way back, so with him, I’m very happy that it wasn’t anything that was going to be major, but he knows when it’s go time. I’m sure he’ll be ready when the lights get bright, but yeah, I’m very happy that it wasn’t anything that was going to be substantial.”
(I know the plan wasn’t for QB Skylar Thompson to play the entirety of the game after QB Tua Tagovailoa went out, but obviously QB Mike White had a situation come up. It seemed like Skylar took advantage of it. What did you like most about his performance?) – “The grit and the tenacity that Skylar (Thompson) plays with just – he’s a competitor and obviously he’s reveling in those more opportunities to play. He’s done a great job for us. His command in the huddle, his execution of what we’re trying to accomplish. Just overall, he’s had a very good camp and really this next week will be a great opportunity for him to continue with that because we really like where he’s progressed and what he’s been able to do so far.”
(On the addition of Offensive Line Coach Butch Barry and how the transition has gone the last six months) – “Everything is about having our coaching staff have a sense of urgency and passion and enthusiasm for what you do, ability to communicate and problem-solve. He’s been a great addition and the communication we’re able to have amongst the staff with all things has been awesome. I think a lot of that comes into our second year of a system. And then him being in it before with Mike (McDaniel), there really is an understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish. So far it’s been great, but however we’ve got to focus on today just because for us right now, the most important thing for us is not look to the future, not what we’ve done. We have to get better today, tomorrow, the next day, for us to get to where we want to go, for us to maximize our goals for the season.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel has talked a lot about game operations, getting to the line, getting the play off. How have you helped and what has been your role in making sure it gets better this year?) – “I’m just facilitating information, helping communicate the standard of performance that we’re looking to have, communicating with guys why we’re doing what we’re doing, why this creates problems. So I think ultimately it’s just our communication of expectations one, as a staff and then two, to the players. That’s been our goal all along, so this year we’ve seen improvement in it, but yet, we have to keep pushing our standard of how we want to operate if we want to make sure the defense is playing on our terms, not on their terms.”
(One specific that’s gotten better about it would be what?) – “I just think our communication about a lot of things, and that comes into Year 2 with us being here, knowing exactly what we’re trying to do, being able to communicate it clearer, the staff understands better. All these things come with more time spent together and the same thing for the players. More time spent together, they understand intent better. They understand how they all work together to accomplish things.”
(Can you describe your level of satisfaction with what you’ve seen with the running back group and do you think there’s enough there to get this offense to where you want it to go this year?) – “We’ve had some good outings and some plays that obviously we can improve our execution. Just overall, they’ve done a very good job. Overall, we’re starting to really understand conceptually what we’re trying to do in the running game and the connection between the runner’s intent, the line’s blocking, perimeter’s blocking, how it all fits. I think just in general you can’t put your finger on one thing. The backs have done a good job, but just overall the connection from everyone and then the level of the sense of urgency to get it done I think has improved, and that’s an area that we want to continue upon, not just say, ‘hey, this has been good.’ We want to keep pushing the bar on our execution in all phases.”
(Do you think the personnel is capable though, overall? Just the guys here already?) – “Yeah, because ultimately the guys here have had the opportunities to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing, understand the communication that goes through each other. So the guys who have been here have done a really good job in understanding the execution of this offense in this system that we’re trying to do.”
(Can you give us a story about working against Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio? We see you in practice talking to him a lot.) – “Vic (Fangio) and I go back to Chicago so I spent three years with him there. He’s been a good friend of mine. He’s been in many ways – late at night, we had conversations back in Chicago and now the same thing where his experience or his wealth of seeing things, wealth of problem-solving, his one-liners are always funny to me. I just enjoy having him here just because if there’s one thing he is, he’s very clear in his expectations, communicating a system and also in his way, once you know him, he has fun every day. So there’s not one specific thing because I enjoy all of it with him because you just never know what day you’re going to get a comment about something that makes me laugh. Normally it’s a one-liner that I wasn’t ready for and I’m like, ‘what?’”
(What’s a one-liner that pops to mind?) – “I can’t even think right now because – I mean, they’re never-ending. He’ll just always have something off the cuff. He’s got kind of a dry, witty sense of humor that I do, so it’ll just be something random. I can’t think of anything right now just because they’re an endless rotation coming from him, which I enjoy and I know a lot of the staff enjoys because he’s being himself. And that’s all you want in this industry is guys who are comfortable with themselves, have fun doing what they’re doing and are really good at what they do.”
(You’re pretty stoic with us. You’ve got some jokes, too?) – “I’m more of like – my years of now going into Year 2 as a coordinator, it’s like, okay, my humor is more not on questions, it’s more situational. So I’m kind of like a giant ‘Arrested Development’ episode. (laughter) So if anyone knows that one, they’ll get it. So for me, right now, this setting is kind of…”
(Which character are you?) – “So many choices. Definitely not Gob. (laughter) As I get used to it more, maybe it’ll come out, but I’m more funny walking around over there as I observe random things going on. It’s probably a blend of ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Arrested Development.’”
(How does Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s sense of humor compare to Head Coach Mike McDaniel’s?) – “It’s a great balance. Both have great timing toward their humor. It’s just the difference in their personalities. But as a coach, I can’t be thankful enough that I get to go every day and you have an environment where it brings out your best, but then you get to also laugh with the people you’re working with. They’re a good balance to each other because they both kind of have timing comedy. So I’m laughing all day. Some other people may be like, ‘what was that?’ But I’m dying. So it’s great for me at least.”
(What have you noticed about your tight ends so far? They were playing the fullback role last game. It seems like you guys have thrown to them in a lot of situations – red zone, first down. I thought I saw maybe a tight end screen attempted once. What have you learned about these guys so far?) – “Like we talked about all along, guys who are able to do the complete skill set of things, because it’s hard playing tight end. Coaching them for six years, I have the most empathy for ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) because it’s like you’re going to do a little of everything all the time and sometimes you’re learning something inside of a concept as opposed to ‘we expressly tell you so.’ They work hard. Their love of football. All of them possess mental and physical toughness, so I’ve been very pleased with what they’re doing. They accept their role. They thrive when they get their opportunities. So far they’re committed to the cause of each day getting better and it was really cool for Durham (Smythe) to see in a situation like he was, to execute something he’s now done in practice several times. So again, the way you practice, the way you play – that’s why today for us is the most important, making sure that we maximize this opportunity as our growth through the season.”
(Do you have a role that the tight ends must play or are the tight ends showing you guys what they can do?) – “I think everything – as we challenge them with new criteria for each play, concept, what we’re trying to accomplish; their execution in it allows us to go, ‘okay, there’s another thing they can do.’ I think ultimately this time of year is we’re attacking a defense. We’re seeing where are their stress points, where are they vulnerable, and tight ends that are versatile allow us to do that because you can move them around the offense to be either primary pieces or complementary pieces. And when you have guys that can play in-line, fullback, out wide, run primary spots and execute; it allows us to be versatile in what we want to do.”
(What’s that collaborative process with Head Coach Mike McDaniel now that you’re in Year 2? Is there a way that he approaches an offseason after a season’s worth of experiences that you maybe didn’t notice last year?) – “I think it comes with the familiarity with Mike (McDaniel) now. Prior to getting here, not knowing him as well as maybe he knew Wes (Welker) and ‘Embo’ (Jon Embree) who he worked with. But when you go through the season and you have the fire of it all, you work through it and you learn how does he communicate, how can I help. I have always believed in my coaching career that my job is to assist my boss and make sure that I can take things off of his plate. Sometimes you take things off of his plate and he doesn’t know, so it’s anticipation. So I think in Year 2, I can anticipate what he wants better so I can help him where all of a sudden, that’s done, ‘oh yeah, thanks for doing that.’ So I can anticipate him better to help him and then more of it’s just communication. When you can anticipate and you give good communication, the machine just keeps moving faster and faster.”
(Are there any examples of that you can share with us?) – “Just like in training camp, all right, we’re trying to get these couple things done the next couple days. I can lay it out or I can anticipate knowing what he’s probably wanting to do. I can give him an outline of it and he can go yes/no as opposed to maybe he was going to do it. I can give him an outline of it and then he can choose off of that or he can go, ‘hey, why’d you do this?’ And then we can think about it. So it’s just anticipating, communication and anticipating maybe wants or needs that he can do that I can remove from his plate.”
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio
(I have 65 years old targeted as my retirement age. I’m assuming you’re nowhere close to retirement?) – “No, not yet.”
(Have you ever come close?) – “No, I really haven’t. I still feel young. (I’m) 65 years young and still can outwork these young coaches. (laughter)”
(How are you a different coach than you were when you were 35?) – “Just learn through experiences.”
(Anything in particular?) – “No. It’s evolution.”
(I know the last time we spoke to you, you said you wanted to find depth in key spots – safety, defensive line, cornerback. Two weeks later, have you had anything answered yet?) – “In some cases. At corner we’re still – because of injuries, Cam Smith hasn’t played much. We’ve had guys in and out of there that haven’t had the opportunity through missed practices or missed games. We’re kind of a little bit in flux there with Jalen (Ramsey) already being out.
(And at safety and defensive line?) – “Yeah, that’s still up in the air.”
(What about defensive line depth? How much has DT Da’Shawn Hand helped you?) – “Yeah, a really good pickup at that point in training camp to get him in here. I’ve been pleased with his play and hopefully he’ll continue to improve and has a good chance to be a part of the team.”
(I saw with DE Emmanuel Ogbah, he’s working with standing up but then in goal-line situation, he has his hand on the ground. Is he going to be a guy who does both? Or do you see him exclusively as an outside guy?) – “He can do both. When he had his hand on the ground, we were in a different defense. He wasn’t an edge player then. But he’s capable of doing both. He’s emphasized the two-point stance to work on it, and he’s really made some steps in that area the last week or so of improving his play out of that stance. But he can play from the three-point also.”
(As someone who’s in my 60s, I can understand how difficult it is to work with people who are less experienced than you. What’s it like with you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel? He’s one of the younger coaches. What are similarities and differences that jump to mind? Or interesting things?) – “I think similarities are we kind of look at the schematic part of the game in a like manner. Obviously, our personalities and way going about doing things is different. But it’s no different than anybody else. You’re similar in some ways, different in others.”
(Talk about the differences in how you go about your work. We listen to you guys and see the differences. How do you see it?) – “Well one, he’s a morning person. I’m a night person. So I stay late. I prefer to sleep in, if I could. He’s the opposite. He’s here early and leaves early.”
(Are there moments where you roll your eyes and are like look what these guys are doing, as an older coach?) – “Almost daily. (laughter)”
(I was talking to Head Coach Mike McDaniel about musical tastes. Everybody has their own. I saw Tony Bennett in Vegas once – it was one of the highlights of my life. Are you more of a Tony Bennett guy or a Frank Sinatra guy? You like Bobby Rydell right?) – “I like Earth, Wind and Fire, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, just to give you a take there.”
(Do you ever slip that stuff into meetings?) – “We got one in the other day. The music – I shouldn’t say music. The noise that they usually play in the meetings is not music. It’s noise. What they played today, I got my request in, was music. (laughter)”
(What are your thoughts on social media?) – “I don’t partake.”
(So you’re not getting here at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. when Head Coach Mike McDaniel gets here?) – “No, no.”
(Has there ever been any overlap where you’re leaving when he’s getting in?) – “No. And I hope there never will be. (laughter)”
(Are you adjusted to a new training camp and this training camp schedule?) – “Yeah, it’s been different for me. It’s still an ongoing process. I’m looking forward to the end of training camp only because of that, so we can get into a more normal schedule that hopefully I’m used to.”
(Is there something specific from the entirety of the two preseason games that you can say, ‘You know what, that really pleases me?’) – “I think overall, it was good play. I do think we need to keep in mind that the other team’s number one quarterback last week was a rookie. So I think this week, (Trevor) Lawrence is going to play and he’s a real dude, so he’ll be a good test for us.”
(CB Cam Smith, you’re not going to be able to see him in 11-on-11’s yet, but before he went out injured and now with regards to CB Eli Apple and CB Noah Igbinoghene, was the margin between the three of them, in the competition for playing time, small? Or has one of those three emerged as a potential starter when you go nickel with CB Kader Kahou and CB Xavien Howard?) – “Small. It was small and it still is. But there’s injuries involved. Cam just hasn’t been out there enough. The biggest thing with Cam is we got to feel like we can trust him to do the right thing. We’re all going to get beat some, but we don’t want to get beat by self-inflicted wounds.”
(I wanted to ask you about DT Christian Wilkins holding in and your thoughts on that and how much work does he need to ramp up for the season?) – “Well he had, I don’t know the exact amount of days, but the first two weeks we’ll call it, he was partaking in all of training camp. He still does some stuff. I feel good that whenever that’s resolved, he’ll be ready to go.”
(Another guy in that role, DT Brandon Pili, has flashed a lot and has had a lot of playing time. Is he a guy you can trust in that position?) – “Yeah, he’s getting better and better each and every day. I’ve been pleased with his progress and he’s definitely in that hunt.”
(Your defense has been without two of its top players in DT Christian Wilkins and CB Jalen Ramsey. I know that’s life in the NFL, but is there any frustration from that standpoint that you haven’t seen the whole thing?) – “There’s initial frustration, but then you’re used to it, and you move on. It’s just part of being in the league. Jalen is an unfortunate non-contact injury on grass. And Christian is an administrative deal, which I think will get resolved eventually.”
(Do you talk to CB Jalen Ramsey regularly?) – “Yeah, I see him and we talk.”
(How is he in his recovery?) – “I think he’s progressing well. He’s obviously trying to beat the timeline that the medical people have put on him, and he says he will. I think it’s way too early to know if that’s true or not. He’s working with the idea of coming back earlier rather than later.”
(At the safety position, what exactly are you looking for? Little cues or stuff that you look for?) – “Just overall good play.”
(I know you’re as excited to have LB Jaelan Phillips as he is to have you as his defensive coordinator. There’s no question how talented and hungry he is, but what strides have you seen from him that maybe even surprised you?) – “I think he’s improved in his fundamentals. Both what happens early in the down and late in the down. I’ve been very pleased with his play. I think if he continues to improve on the little things, great things will happen because of his talent.”
(What have you seen from LB David Long Jr.?) – “David can run. He’s a run and hit guy and can make good, flashy plays, which are good to have. He’s a good tackler. We just have to become more consistent in executing everything.”
(We saw DB Elijah Campbell guarding some tight ends in the preseason game. What about his skill set makes him right for that role?) – “He’s a versatile guy. He obviously can play safety and come down and play the dime position. When you’re versatile, that does help you and helps the team when you’re putting together your final 53.”
(The other coaches here have talked about your teaching ability, and obviously you’ve seen a lot of things. But also your sense of humor. What kind of sense of humor do you have and what’s your best line?) – “Oh, I don’t know. It just comes off the cuff. It can be dry at times. But I like to have fun in the meetings. That’s my favorite time of the day is being in front of the defense and coaching them. I don’t go too crazy out on the field with the coaching because we’re not out there on the field with them. I always say the practice field is the quiz, the game’s the final exam, and we’re not there to help them. So it’s our time to coach them in the meetings and individual periods and when they’re playing out there and 11-on-11 drills, I like to leave them alone, and I like the coaches to leave them alone because we’re not going to be out there with them. So a big deal of my coaching goes on in the meeting rooms.”
(We’ve see you throw flags during team drills sometimes. Is it specifically when you see a penalty? Or is it when you see something that you don’t like?) – “I’m not looking for anything. But if I see a penalty, I’ll throw it. Now I haven’t done it in a while because we’ve had these two weeks of joint practices where we’ve had league officials there. Maybe I’ll have to bring it back out today. I don’t know. But we were bad as a team last year in penalties, both offense and defense. I think one phase was last in the league, one was second to last. And the only way to improve something is to emphasize it.”
(One month ago when we talked to you, you said that you weren’t fully comfortable with the depth. You wanted people to separate themselves and show some things. Where are you now as we get closer to the season?) – “A little clearer, but this last week is going to be very important for a lot of people. It’s easy to pick a team 1 through 40 or 45. It’s those 8 to 13 that are hard. This week is going to very telling for some of the guys.”
