Quarterbacks Coach Darrell Bevell
(One of the things that we spoken a lot or has been talked about a lot is kind of QB Tua Tagovailoa’s anticipation and the manipulation of defenses. I was curious in terms of like the eye discipline and that manipulation, is that something that’s inherent, can you teach it in quarterbacks? And if so, how do you do that?) – “Yeah, I think there’s a little bit of both. I do believe that there’s an innate ability to do that and a feel, but also, there’s things that you can teach within the progression of plays that you work on in movement keys.”
(There was a question about the timing of the passing game, and Head Coach Mike McDaniel was saying that that’s probably the most important element. The possibility of you guys not having your two starting offensive tackles, and 49ers DE Nick Bosa. Aside from better man on man blocking, what can you do if somebody is coming at you, keeping that timing, is it shorter routes? Is it that simple? What do you do?) – “That’s the beauty of the of the timing; you let the timing take care of that. It’s all built in for the number of steps he’s going to take, the number of hitches that he’s going to take. And if you’re accounting for that whether we have the tackles or not, then if you’re able to throw on time, then you’re kind of making the rush moot. It’s a moot point and that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to handle things and do things to make sure that we’re taking care of the edges. I mean, you’re playing one of the best, elite rushers in the league, so you don’t just turn a blind eye to that. But the timing is something that is very critical that enables you to still play at a high level.”
(You’ve coached a lot of great quarterbacks in this league. Now that you’ve had some time with QB Tua Tagovailoa, how does his approach compare to the others you’ve coached? Is there anything unique about what you’ve seen from him?) – “I think Tua has grown a lot in the time that I’ve been here and just the communication that we’ve been able to have, from the day I got here to where he is now and all the things that he has done to prepare, and if you were to ask him, I don’t think he was doing the same things in the years previous that he’s even doing now. He’s done a great job of really just assimilating the things that we’ve asked him to do, in terms of the preparation that he needs on his own, the time that we spend together, the things that we’re looking at. And he’s just a different guy in so many different ways and I’ve just been impressed with the effort that he has put in and the things that he’s done to prepare himself on his own away from what we’ve been asking him to do and coaching him to do.”
(When Head Coach Mike McDaniel was mic’d up on the game on Sunday, he said something to the effect of QB Tua Tagovailoa as a savant. What does he mean by that?) – “Well, he is. I mean, there’s, just things that… like I was talking about, just some of the innate ability that Tua has – all quarterbacks have different skill sets and one of Tua’s best skill sets is his ability to see and his field of vision. His field of vision is pretty large and the players that he can see and diagnose their movements in really quick short periods of time I think is something that you would relate that savant-ism or whatever that is to, because he does it so well, so fast and it’s really impressive what he does.”
(There was a play late in the second quarter where QB Tua Tagovailoa got some pressure, he moved up in the pocket and chucked the ball out of bounds. How satisfying was it to see him not trying to make something when there was nothing there?) – “Those are some of your favorite plays. They’re plays that you’re just like, oh, it goes down on the sheet as an incompletion, but those are some of the most impressive plays and we had a few that went the other way where he decided to throw it down. I think of the one in the Ravens game earlier in the year, but to see him do that and there’s quick decisions that have to be made – how much room and time do I have? Can I create some more space to give myself more time or hey, this play is done with, I need to get the ball out of my hand and save the damage. And he’s been making really good decisions there.”
(I’ve got a late-game play time question for you. You guys have taken QB Tua Tagovailoa out and put QB Skylar Thompson. Back in the day the starting quarterback used to stay in no matter what the score. Why are you taking Tua out? Does that help, is that to get Skylar some reps, what’s behind that?) – “I think the situation in the game, just the score was at a point where we felt comfortable being able to take Tua out. A bonus to that is getting a young guy some extra reps, but just in terms of where the game was at and you know how valuable these players are and in game time situations, just didn’t want anything to happen.”
(We’ve seen QB Skylar Thompson, how comfortable… he could be the backup quarterback this week depending on QB Teddy Bridgewater. How much more comfortable are you with Skylar and how much more comfortable is Skylar now?) – “I’ve been impressed with Skylar from Day 1. His preparation, he’s mature beyond his years. Actually, he’s like our second-oldest quarterback in the room actually, right? But he’s got great maturity to him. He understands the process. He understands how to study. He’s been on it since Day 1 in terms of what he needs to do and kind of knowing his routine. Teddy (Bridgewater) has been great with really the younger guys in there and teaching them his process. I have all the confidence in the world in both those guys as backup quarterbacks.”
(And then one question about QB Teddy Bridgewater. He seems to me to be a very happy, upbeat guy, always has a smile on his face. Can you talk about his personality and how he compares to other quarterbacks or other players?) – “Yeah, he’s got his own swag to him. I mean, he could be a Hawaii guy as well, just his laid back. I don’t know, maybe it’s the Florida in him. He’s very laid back. Never too high, never too low, but he’s a happy guy. He’s great in the room. He communicates really well, clearly. And as an older player, he’s very willing to help the younger guys. I could spend a lot of time talking about Teddy and what he means to us in our quarterback room. And then if he has to go on the field or gets to go on the field, we are 100 percent confident in the ability that he has to lead us.”
(We noticed it might rain in California. Do you guys get enough rain practice that you don’t have to worry about it or are you a fan of the wet ball stuff?) – “I’ve done that before in our past. We have practiced out here in it and you kind of just get used to those situations while you’re going through it rather than saying, ‘hey, this week you’re going to start doing wet balls.’ But yeah, I think we’ve practiced in it and I think we’ve handled that.”
Associate Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville
(Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith was talking about RB Jeff Wilson Jr.’s mindset and how he appreciates how he attacks and approaches everything with intensity. I’m curious about his physical skillset relative to all the things that make a running back good – speed, vision, quickness, movement, understanding where he needs to cut. What do you view as his best physical attributes?) – “Yes. (laughter) All that stuff. I think what Jeff is, Jeff is a complete football player. He obviously – we’ve seen him run the ball tough inside, outside, trying to finish downfield. He’s able to catch the ball. He’s aggressive with it, trying to get yards in the open space. He’s trying to be physical in pass protection. He’s learning our system really, really rapidly. Obviously, he has some familiarity with it. But I just think overall, this is – he’s just one of those guys that you love because he’s a complete running back. He wants to do it all. He can do everything you need him to do.”
(With RB Jeff Wilson Jr. and RB Raheem Mostert, have you noticed any extra juice maybe from them this week to face their former team?) – “Well, I hope to have juice every week. I don’t know that it’s just one week. I mean, every week that we play is important. Yeah, I know that they have familiarity with his team, but I think everyone in this locker room and everyone in this building is focused on this team in this building, and that’s where our energy is staying.”
(What makes this run defense – we know they’re No. 1 in the league. What makes them so effective?) – “Well, they’ve got good players. That’s always a good starting point. They’re very detailed and disciplined in what they do. You see that on tape. They rally to the ball. These guys run to the ball and they do a hell of a job coaching these guys. These guys do a great job playing, and it’s going to be – we’ve got a big task ahead of us that we were going to have to rise to the challenge on, and we will.”
Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark
(Looking forward to a return to the Bay Area for you?) – “Oh yeah, love the Bay Area. Go Bears. Who got the (Stanford) Axe? (laughter)”
(It was a small sample, but what did you see from DT Justin Zimmer in his first appearance?) – “I think he plays hard. Quick twitch. Good lateral agility. Ran to the football. Lined and assigned properly. Which you know on a short week there, coming in Tuesday, I thought he did a great job and we’re thrilled to have him.”
(I thought DT Raekwon Davis had a nice impact on that two-point conversion run attempt, if I saw it right. How do you think he’s sort of doing in general? He’s so darn big that you almost wonder sometimes, “gosh, could he even be more impactful?” How’s he doing?) – “I think ‘Rae’ (Raekwon Davis) is doing good. I think week to week, the roles can differentiate for him and he was dinged up a little bit early in the year and I think he’s come on strong and it’s helped us in the run (game). Sometimes statistically, his impact, you may not see it in terms of number of tackles or whatever you guys are looking at, but I would say that he’s definitely getting better and this will be a big challenge for us this week against a really good front.”
(Obviously you don’t just replace a guy like DE Emmanuel Ogbah, but what have been some of the keys for your group and trying to do so?) – “Yeah, I think it’s defensively how we’re playing that week and it’ll be different guys in different roles to necessarily replace that role, whether who that is on early down and what fronts we’re playing on third down and stuff like that. I’m sick for (Emmanuel) Ogbah the way that happened because I’ll be honest with you guys, he had his best week of practice. He was finally healthy and what he brings to the group from a leadership standpoint and a veteran presence and playing in big games and in the division, that to me, is also a big deal as opposed to just his play. He had a similar injury and rebounded when he came down to Miami so we’re excited for him to get back when that is and go through the rehab process.”
(We’ve seen LB Jaelan Phillips move inside and rush the passer pretty well. What makes him so able to line up across from interior linemen and also still get pressure?) – “I think for him it’s understanding the spacing when he’s outside versus inside, and he’s a great athlete. Great hands, good get off. He can stress a guy’s edge. He can run the games and his comfortability in the scheme – a very, very smart player to be able to do all the things we ask him to do and he did a great job Sunday. I’m looking forward to this week for him.”
(What makes 49ers T Trent Williams so great?) – “A lot of different things. I would say his feet for someone his size, is very, very impressive as well as being able to play with low pad level and generate movement on guys. He’s strong. Strong. His hands are very strong. Kind of a cerebral player. He does some stuff on the backside of plays that a lot of guys can’t do, wiping their hands down. He’s got a lot of hip grabs, vet moves. I think he understands the system that they do and he does it at a very high level so it’ll be a big challenge for us.”
(When we talk defense, we don’t mention DT Christian Wilkins. We probably ask about CB Byron Jones 10 times as many times. What do you see from Christian this season against the run, against the pass, off the field, the whole package?) – “Christian Wilkins is a total pro. I love working with the guy. I think the way he approaches his preparation is the best of anybody I’ve ever been around and I think football and succeeding in this game is very important to him. And he likes to have fun doing it. I know you guys see a lighter side, but there’s a side to him on the practice field, too, that the want to get it right, to not repeat errors. He’s been very disruptive and most importantly it’s his motor. Running to the football and his teammates, seeing the way he runs to the football, that’s important to him. And I think that’s a trait in him that he’s always had. That’s a credit to him and he’s gotten better each game and hopefully he can get better like he has each week on Sunday.”
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I’m wondering how you look at last week, the second half, just in the grand scheme of things – if you do the micro and the macro, with the micro being you didn’t score in the second half, but the macro being you had a 30-0 halftime lead. You’ve scored more than 30 in the last four games and you’re on a five-game winning streak. So how do you look at the second half?) – “I kind of look at it in moments where you’re coming off the bye, you had a good run, the first quarter and first half you come out playing really the football you want to play. Then now it’s the challenge of when you got those leads of really putting your opponent away. It’s really a different situation for us to face as the season goes. We had adversity in other games. You had games where it just really went your way. It goes your way really quickly and then now, you get to really coach and learn from that process of OK, you got a 30-0 lead, let’s make sure that we don’t allow – I don’t know if it’s necessarily complacency, but it’s more of just keeping the gas going. When you’re a competitor, if you feel like the opponent’s catching up, continue to set the tone. So I think that was a good learning lesson for us just overall to know that when you have those moments, keep the pedal to the metal and keep scoring and going all the way to the end.”
(The injuries on the offensive line in the second half, was that maybe a contributing factor to not being able to lean on the run game towards the end of that game?) – “Yeah, I mean, I think there’s contributing factors of just execution. I mean, it’s always, to go to the line naturally and then as we’re really working through some stuff. But like we talked about through the season, it takes 11 guys on offense to block for the run. Even the quarterback as he’s maintaining his fakes. So some stuff was obviously the line can clean up combination blocks. Other stuff is just making sure that we’re blocking the right people on the perimeter or the running backs hitting the right lane. I think it’s a combination of things as we’re working through it, and just making sure that when you are up 30-0, we keep attacking as the way we want to.”
(Between OL Brandon Shell and OL Greg little, what do you see as each of their comfort level on being able to switch between right and left. Is one maybe more comfortable sticking at one side as opposed to be flexible?) – “I think both have shown flexibility, especially this season. Both have played obviously on either side. With Brandon having to come in and jump in on the left in the course of that game, obviously when you’re going from the right side for several weeks and going back to left, it’s never as easy as everyone thinks it is. But we felt pretty good with the two of them basically being able to show flexibility. Obviously with Brandon doing several games on the right side, I’m sure the comfortability for him is probably more over there. Greg naturally was more of a left tackle. But both of them have shown the flexibility to do both, which has made it invaluable for us because beyond the starting five, you really have to look at being flexible to do whatever the needs of the day are. That can be right side or left side. I think overall, a lot of the linemen have been showing resiliency in being able to do that.”
(In the three games that T Terron Armstead has missed significant time because of injuries, the pass protection has been, to be very polite, leaky. What’s going into it beyond losing the best pass protecting offensive lineman on the roster?) – “I think with him being out and then different guys being in, obviously there’s communication and working on that stuff in the heat of a game of you’re adjusting to what happens. Overall, I just think when you’re talking about protection, it’s never as easy and as simple as just one guy. Normally there’s parts of communication. One guy sets this thing one way and then now you get another guy and then you’re just making sure you’re working together. Pass protection is always the more challenging thing because five guys work together. So in the middle of a game, when you’re in walkthroughs or practices or whatever you’re doing, you’re getting the work but it’s just making sure the two of you are in that component together. The good thing is that Terron Armstead, I mean, obviously we know what we get when he’s in there. The challenge when he’s not is just making sure that we work on those communication aspects, we work on the techniques of the two of them working together. And that’s something we’ve been trying to emphasize this week and making sure that the different components of guys are working together through techniques appropriately.”
(Obviously, on the left side, T Terron Armstead was working with OL Liam Eichenberg, and then when Liam went out, it was OL Robert Jones. Is there anything Armstead does, as a left tackle, in terms of communication that you don’t see from other tackles?) – “The one thing he has is just playing the position for so long, he has instincts and experience, so he can really see areas and he can assess things probably – I mean, sometimes you just see a situation before it occurs. I think he has that football instinct where he’s able to see and recognize, ‘OK, this guy’s about to move.’ And he can see it before it happens. He can make the call, so they’re playing with great anticipation. And then when you play with another guy, you can get to that, he’s making a call and you’re executing very quickly. So then now as we’re working through different variables, it’s just getting on that same communication page, showing those situations where it’s like, right here, you’re teaching a little bit where like a guy like Terron just has that natural instinct from years of experience.”
(Right or wrong, the perception is that if T Terron Armstead is not in the lineup, the offensive line can’t function at the same level, the offense can’t function at the same level. What would you say to fans to give them some confidence?) – “For us, it’s just like everything. For us, it’s the needs of the opponent and then also just making sure that as we’re moving parts, we’re helping ourselves in different areas that we can help the protection. So I think it’s just us being able to adjust to our needs. And as we move through the season, we have these variables coming up of next man up, and just making sure we’re helping the guys who are in there through our protection schemes or help systems. So I think that’s going to be the challenge of this week is just making sure that one, we’re communicating appropriately; two, we’re executing; and three, we’re just making sure we get help systems when the guys need it. Because overall, the challenge is set and we’re heading to the month of December and the only excuses are the ones we give ourselves. So there’s no excuses and we got to rise up to the challenge. So we have hope and we feel very good about the plan on how we’re going to help our guys.”
(What’s your sense about RB Jeff Wilson’s approach and mindset. I know he’s only been here a few weeks, but what were you sensing?) – “Yeah, just a true pro. I mean, he’s got an attacking mentality. I mean, just completely locked in, dialed in on everything he’s doing, whether it’s a meeting or practice. I mean, he’s just got that – as you go through your career, you just feel those guys with that intensity of every moment. Like it’s not. ‘It’s a meeting today on a Wednesday or Thursday.’ It’s ‘alright, what can I get to help me execute at a high level, to the level of my standard?’ And then that’s just really, just a positive mentality, just a really great teammate. I mean, that’s just overall. You can just sense it, guys like that whose attitudes are contagious. And then just what a blessing he’s been to have here and how physically he plays. I just think that the physicality and intensity, which you see on the field, is how he approaches every day of his life.”
(What challenges does 49ers Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans’ scheme provide for your offense?) – “Yeah, I think that his scheme is obviously challenging. They’re in a system of guys who’ve played together for several years. They obviously know what they’re doing. They communicate well. They know where they’re vulnerable. They have an attacking front. They play extremely aggressive. So the challenge is, when you go on the road, is making sure that one, we are all moving together on the snap count; two, we’re communicating together inside of the noise; and three, making sure that we’re attacking the game plan and the matchups and the areas we want to go, and making sure that we adjust as the game presents itself. But yeah, they do a great job with their system. You can see he’s done a hell of a job taking over the last two years. And overall, the coaching staff, you can tell it’s a well-coached team. It will be a good challenge for us, especially in December.”
(Why is San Francisco so effective at run defense?) – “Yeah, I think it’s the combination of their front. They all kind of know where they’re supposed to be and when they’re supposed to be there. You’d say that they’re a well-built team. They know obviously their system. They built and acquired players for it. They do a really good job. I mean, all across the board, they’re very, very good fundamentally. They’re very, very good at attacking the football. And they play with high effort and energy. I mean, we practiced with them last year in L.A. when I was with the Chargers, and you could just feel that attacking mentality in practice and they really love to compete. So again, it will be a great challenge for us. I mean, jumping on the road, going to the other side of the country and having this environment, San Francisco, will probably be a great atmosphere. And for us, it’s going to be better execution and we look forward to the opportunity.”
Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer
(Do you like the 12-team college football playoff?) – “Yeah, I used to – growing up right outside of Columbus, Ohio, obviously college football was big. I always enjoyed watching that. I enjoyed the tradition of the traditional bowl games. I would say a lot of the national championships were probably mythical because teams didn’t play. I think is probably good to have a tournament like every other (sport) does. I’m not smart enough to figure out what the exact – I think you should have to win your conference championship to get in a tournament, though. I do think that. But that’s just me personally. I would say, obviously, I’ve been so focused on the NFL game over the years, I don’t really watch much college football until it gets to the draft. If there’s two games that I would ever check out, Ohio State-Michigan would be one and then Army-Navy, I always enjoy watching the Army-Navy game. But the other games, whether it’s the national championship – I’m sure I’ll see all those games when it gets to the draft and stuff. But yeah, I don’t really – I definitely don’t have the answers on the formula for that, for sure.”
(As you’re preparing for the 49ers, how much film have you looked back from that 2020 game and what are some big changes that you may be seeing in the 49ers offense since then?) – “Yeah, I think you definitely do your due diligence and try to check out as much as you possibly can. Obviously, we’ve looked at that game. I think there’s some subtle differences that they’ve done. You look at really schematically how they’re trying to attack you in that game, things that were good for them, things that were good for us. Then you look at their personnel that they’ve got now and the personnel that they had then, so you kind of take all those things into consideration. It’s like what we were talking about a couple of weeks ago, that’s what you do – you put all your time into as much information as you can. We’ve looked at a lot of stuff that through OTAs and training camp that we may have seen or done against our offense that may be similar concepts that they do. Obviously, we’re putting in a lot of work each week, but you try to do your best to put the guys in the best position to succeed and make it simple for them, so they can go out there and play fast. I think that’s the goal each week. Sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to go, but I think that’s kind of just an every week thing for us.”
(Have there been some private moments between you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel when you look back on that 2020 game where either you tease him about it or he tells you, “Oh, you really got me that time?”) – “No, I think some of those plays come up in passing conversation from time to time. Obviously, guys that were there and obviously at least three of the guys on our staff were there, so you can ask them specifically of their game plan, their thought process, the plays, why. I think that’s been good, but I do think there’s a lot of banked reps of us. (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) has been a great resource the whole season, not just this week, of things from an offensive perspective, how he sees things and the way that he perceives that we’ll be attacked, or things that we can do that will help us, or philosophically, things that he sees that may be a little bit different than what we were used to. So I think from that standpoint, it’s been awesome. But, yeah, we definitely – And you know that you always have players that have played on other teams that you’ll ask, ‘Hey, is this this? This is this?’ But at the end of the day, it’s really (that) you’re just trying to put the guys in good position and trying to get that information to them, because all of us, you can only retain so much. So you try to get what you need and what’s important and get that to the guys and try to put them in the best position to succeed.”
(From my vantage point, LB Melvin Ingram has really come on the last few weeks. No. 1, am I correct in my assessment? No. 2, what would be the reasons for that?) – I think ‘Mel’ (Melvin Ingram) is a true professional. I think he works at his craft. I think whether – forget about result-driven at the point, but that’s why in the early part of the season you’re always stressing, (that) we need to constantly be improving, because when you get to this, call it post-Thanksgiving football, it’s when you really need to be playing your best. It’s when games become bigger as you go, and each week, I would say ‘Mel’ has really worked on a lot of things. I think that we’ve put him in some positions to succeed and he’s definitely done that. I would say that over the course of the season, I think you kind of find your niche, and players start working off players and players understand what other players are going to do. I think there’s a constant – trying to put them in the best position and not make everything all things, I think is one of the things that Mel has done a really good job. He’ll do anything that we asked him to do. I think when you kind of get his role to what it is and the fact that he is comfortable playing. He understands his opponent, he’s going to do that every week. But then he’s going to understand, ‘OK, this guy is going to play this way.’ Then you just get – it’s like building chemistry between teammates. I think that just gets better and I think he’s been a big part of that, of us defensively. I do, I feel like he’s playing his best ball right now and I think it’s only going to get better.”
(I’ve got a question about DT Jaylen Twyman, who might be the most babyface looking player in the NFL. But obviously, Minnesota the team he comes in with, he gets released. He was shot four times. Mentally and physically, that seems like a lot to come back from. What does he do well on the field and what have you noticed about his mentality?) – “He really wants to be great, and he works extremely hard. He’s one of the first guys out to practice and one of the last guys to leave. It’s important to him. He gets along with everybody and he is a great teammate because he’s willing to talk to anybody, find out about anybody. Then really, all the coaches, he really wants to – he’s looking to soak up information is really what he’s doing. He’s done a great job for us. I know he works hard on the show teams. He works hard when he gets his opportunities in individual periods. We really like where he’s at and I’m glad we have him.”
(Coming back from that, your first team releases you you’re recovering from being shot four times, I mean, how tough is that to recover from mentally?) – “He would probably be a better guy to ask than me, but I would say it definitely exhibits his mental toughness and probably has changed – I mean really, I would ask him, because it’s probably changed his outlook on a lot of things, I would imagine. But he’s been awesome for us, for sure.”
(How do you kind of analyze the second half of the Texans game? Obviously, you pitch a shutout in the first half. But then you gave up 15 points and the Texans were able to move the ball a little bit. Do you kind of just chalk it up to maybe playing a little conservatively? How do you kind of look at that second half?) – “No, you go back and you (say), ‘why were you giving up yards?’ So I think those are the things that we look at. Give them credit that they hit the plays that they hit. Obviously, I would say we corrected the things that we think that we needed to correct. I think it was one of those things that I don’t think there was a let up or anything like that. There are certain points where you get to where (you say), ‘OK, maybe you wouldn’t be as aggressive.’ But I don’t think it was like, ‘OK, we’re just out here playing, let’s get through the half.’ I think we go back, and we look at, ‘OK, well why did this happen? Why did this happen?’ I think there are some things that we definitely could have coached better and executed better. Obviously, anytime that we can execute anything better, let’s start with me and getting it coached better. I think that’s the way we look at it. So I don’t think it was vastly different. I just think there were some execution things, like I said, that we could coach better and execute better.”
(You were there in New England, obviously, when QB Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted. How have you seen him kind of grow from that point of his career to where he is today?) – “I can kind of remember that. So that would have been 2014, I believe, and we opened up with Washington in the preseason. We traveled there. We practiced against them that week. Obviously, I was on the defensive side, but we had some back and forth, where their offense versus our defense, or our offense versus their defense, so obviously you can build a little bit of team camaraderie there, cheering for your team going against another team. I know Jimmy (Garoppolo) had a rough two days in practice and then we went out to – I believe that was his first preseason game, and I mean, he lit it up like he was a gamer. He was always a good teammate. He was very young and eager and willing to learn when he was there. I’m not surprised by anything that Jimmy does in a positive light. So he definitely is – he’s a worker. He can make all the throws – he definitely can. That’s the thing that I remember, because you’re like, ‘Oh. What was going on in these first two days?” Then we go out in that preseason game, and he really played well. He really did. Then youre like, ‘OK, he’s a gamer.’ Then obviously, for everybody, whether it’s a coach, player, when you first get in you, there’s a lot of things for you to learn and do. You can’t buy experience. I’m sure everybody – I mean, if you guys go back and probably look at your first story, you’ll probably look at it now going, ‘Oh, man, that wasn’t great.’ Or maybe it was, I don’t know. (laughter) But when you’re coaching and you’re playing, it’s the same thing. I do remember (he was) extremely competitive, and there was a lot for him – that was his rookie year. There was a lot for him to learn. He was learning a whole new offense, play calls, getting guys lined up and stuff, audibles, checks. And he had a guy in front of him that done it for almost 20 years. I think he’s pretty impressive. It doesn’t surprise me the things that he does in this league. We’ll have our hands full this week for sure.”
(I wanted to ask you about My Cause My Cleats. I know you’re supporting the Parkland cause in that. Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration behind that? I think, if I have the timing right, you were not in South Florida at the time of the tragedy.) – “I was not, no. I live in the Parkland community, and I would say really the thing that – My Cause, My Cleats is something that I would say I really haven’t probably participated in. I don’t – if you guys ever see me on gameday, I pretty much wear the same thing all the time. So whether it’s Crucial Catch or Salute to Service, there’s a lot of things that I would say my wife and I support. This one really struck me and what struck me probably the most was the trial and the verdict and the disappointment, for me personally. And then I would say the beauty of the human spirit and the families of the victims, the way they were able to compose themselves, handle themselves and articulate their feelings, their wants, their desires, I thought it was a beautiful thing for the human spirit. I really did. So it was one of those things that I talked to (our communications staff) about it, and obviously, my wife and I, we’re going to support their cause. My father is an educator. My mother-in-law is an educator. My sister-in-law is an educator. I obviously have nieces that go to school. I think our children should be safe at school. But I would say more than anything, the families of the victims and their human spirit to handle what they’ve had to handle and articulate the way that they have to feel and do it in such a beautiful manner, to me, it’s encouraging for the human race. It really is. So that’s kind of what made me – I know (some of you) live in the community, I do too. It’s a great place to live, it really is. There’s a lot of good people there and I think the families of the victims are some of the most beautiful people on the planet, because, like I said, to me, it was really inspiring. It was the lowest of low to see the verdict, and the highest of high to see the human spirit. And again, I’m not a political guy. I’m not getting any of that stuff, but like I said, to me, that was awe-inspiring, it really was.”
(Being in Parkland, have you met any of the families along the way?) – “I would say not directly affected. Obviously, I’ve met families with kids that were in the school. Some of the things that – there’s more victims out there, too. There were kids that were in the school that have since committed suicide. It’s a very tragic thing for that community, but the fact that they’ve banded together to try to make things safer for other communities, I think is awe-inspiring. I made it a point to watch and listen to every single press conference of family members speak after the verdict, and to me, it was awe-inspiring, because there was a lot of well-thought, articulated very well of how they felt and what they felt should be done. So to me, it was just – again, we’re all different. Everybody’s different, and you always look for the best in people. I think I saw the best in people at probably their worst time. So to me, that was pretty, pretty cool.”
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(Do you watch the World Cup?) – “Occasionally. If it was summer, I’d be watching it constantly. But not now.”
(I saw one of the U.S. Women’s soccer players kicked a 55-yarder in Eagles practice.) – “I saw that a couple years ago.”
(Have you ever seen a pure soccer player make the transition to kicking or how difficult do you think it would be to master the technique?) – “I think it’s a lot more complex than they would readily admit and I think it all goes back to the shape of the ball. That’s completely different and a total different trajectory of what they’re so capable of. It’s amazing what they can do with the ball and the way they can make it move. But you’re not doing that with a football. But talent-wise? Yeah, I think if they put the time in, I think there’s a lot of them that could do it.”
(Occasionally you see world-class soccer players who might pop in for a visit and goof around and try to kick some field goals or you might see MLS players make noise about doing both. Have you ever been a part of even a goofy try out or a real try out?) – “I have not, but I’ve had several kickers that – I think Jason Sanders is a prime example – the first time Jason Sanders was ever at a college football game is when he was playing in it. The first time he was ever in an NFL game was when he was playing in it because he was a soccer player growing up. He had no interest in going to football games, NFL, college. It wasn’t part of what his makeup was at the time. So I think all those guys, I mean, they’re so talented. I think once they can figure it out, the transition would be doable for a lot of them. But no, I’ve never been a part of that. But I’ve had several guys that their background was strictly in being a soccer player.”
(You guys might be missing your two starting offensive tackles this week. When you go into a game, do you ever think in light of that, maybe special teams will make a bigger contribution? Do you look for to make a bigger impact in other areas? Or is it all one of 17 and the approach stays the same?) – “It’s still play by play. I think how the game may play out, you look at in terms of that, but in terms of what we need to do, we need to play and take care of our business week-in and week-out regardless of how the rest of it goes. Now with that being said, obviously when you put the three elements of offense, defense and the kicking game together, there’s certain weeks that certain portions of that – based on opposition, based on scheme, based on coaches, based on players – are going to have to maybe carry more weight.”
(I know you and Head Coach Mike McDaniel had expressed your confidence that things would get on track all along, but how comforting anyway was it that K Jason Sanders made all his kicks?) – “I think the biggest thing for me and I guess for everybody – it was big that he did it on Sunday. Again, the reason that Mike (McDaniel) and myself and the rest of the organization feel good about it is we see every kick he has on Wednesday and we see every kick he has on Friday. And we see what those results are and as we’ve always said, those results have to transition to Sunday because that’s the only thing that truly really matters. But to be able to see what he’s been doing during the week to come up and come to fruition on Sunday, it was good to see.”
(Did you sense any sort of relief or confidence boost within K Jason Sanders after he did that?) – “No, and that’s probably one of the great things about Jason (Sanders). He still has that mentality of just what we talked about earlier – that maybe it’s the non-football mentality of he knows his skills, he knows his talent, he knows what he’s been doing and he trusts in it, and he believes in it. So a lot of that stuff doesn’t bother him at least outwardly or nothing that we’ve talked about. But I’m sure – make no mistake about it – anytime you are successful, success breeds confidence and it’s always better to be confident.”
(Was there something mechanically that he had to correct over the bye?) – “No.”
(And with that in mind, it’s such a unique position where it’s like, you know he can do it, but maybe that position is a little more in between the ears than maybe any other one? How do you approach that as a coach as far as trying to like, coach the psychology of that position that’s so unique in the sport?) – “I think the key is to be a good listener and what he’s seeing, what he’s feeling, what he’s thinking. I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ve all seen it and you equate it to a lot of things, but probably from a from a sporting standpoint, you probably equate it – punting and kicking is like golf. You know what you’d like to do, but it doesn’t always happen. You get the greatest golfers in the world and all of a sudden, they put the ball in the water. They miss the green by 20 feet. It’s not that they can’t do it. They didn’t do it in that particular case, but the talent is there. They worked on it and if you keep working on, you’re going to get the results.”
(How problematic was it that P Thomas Morstead was in on two tackles Sunday?) – “I think the problem is we missed too many other tackles. You have to tackle better. When you have opportunities and when you’re in position to make plays, you got to make those plays.”
(It says 80 percent chance of rain in Santa Clara. I don’t know if it’s as windy in Santa Clara as it used to be in Candlestick. I went to a nasty Monday Night Football game there once. Are you a guy who like wants to bring out the hose or is that not a really a thing you do?) – “No, we’re fortunate enough that we get enough natural precipitation when we’re in the midst of practice that way we don’t have to simulate it. We’re going to get it naturally.”
(Building on that, does the ball carry differently in December? The colder air and all that?) – “Without question. There’s a lot of things – how the ball compacts, rain – all those things are always a factor in what’s going on. We’ll spend time, we’ll look at it, we’ll talk about it, but we’re going to get what we’re going to get. We just got to be ready for it.
