LB Jaelan Phillips
(Where do you feel like this defense best suits your skillset?) – “I feel obviously being able to rush the passer, being able to emphasize the back end and let them be multiple and let them work in the coverage; it just allows us to have a little bit of time. Just being able to marry the coverage with the pass rush, I think that is going to be ideal for not only me, but everybody on the d-line.”
(What has Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio taught you guys about this defense in terms of the identity you want to create?) – “I just think that we’re obviously figuring it out and only been practicing it a few times, but really just about locking in on your technique and job. Obviously we’re going to be high-motor, high-effort guys flying around the ball and just playing for each other. There is still a lot to learn, but it’s been good so far, for sure.”
(Coach Mike McDaniel talked about how he feels like you have taken your practice performances to a different level. I’ve always thought your practiced pretty well, pretty hard. What did you do in particular to do that this offseason?) – “I just try to take it day by day. I honestly don’t think it’s been as good as he said they were, but I’m just a really hard critic on myself and constantly trying to improve. It’s been a great offseason so far. Obviously feeling confident and comfortable in the defense, comfortable with the guys. I’m just looking to build on what we did last year, and what I’ve done so far this offseason.”
(Where do you see your partnership with LB Bradley Chubb? Last year you guys had to kind of work it in on the fly midseason and all. Now that you’ve had time together, how is that working out? How much better do you think you two can be this year?) – “We definitely spend a lot of time getting closer off the field and I feel that just helps on the field. And I think when you have relationships with your teammates, then it just brings up the motivation and makes you want to play with them even more. I think it’s just iron sharpening iron with us. We’re competitive, but we’re for each other. Whether it’s the weight room, whether it’s off the field with our habits, whether it’s out here; we’re always making sure we’re on point. It’s nice to have an accountability brother when it comes to that.”
(What do you like most about his game?) – “He’s a baller. He’s a gamer. His technique is really what I like the most. I kind of look up to him when it comes to that honestly and have him kind of put me on game, showing me different techniques and things. I think he’s very crafty and obviously physically gifted, so I love having him on the opposite side of me for sure.”
(I’m going to ask you about a player – I don’t know if you expect this, but LB Mitchell Agude has been flashing every day. What do I not know?) – “You know it’s on tape, what you’ve been seeing, he’s a baller. He’s super twitchy, he’s super athletic. Me and Mitch (Agude) – we have a little bit of history now. Obviously he went to UCLA and transferred out to Miami. While he was being recruited to Miami, I kind talked to him and told him about my journey, and the blueprint I kind of found, and he really felt that and locked in with that. When he got to the Dolphins, I was like, it’s a prophecy at this point. It’s been really cool to be a mentor to him and seeing him work. We got a great young group and Garrett Nelson is doing really well, too, it’s been good.”
(This morning Head Coach Mike McDaniel praised the defense for giving the offense good looks to make their game sharper. I’m curious if you take that conversely how this offense makes you guys’ game sharper?) – “Absolutely. This offense is so multiple with the things they do. They are always testing your eyes to make sure you’re disciplined. I think that’s one of the hardest things as an edge rusher, really as a football player in general. But specifically on the edge when you have an offense with so many different motions and so many different possible plays out of the same looks, it really just kind of makes you hone in. It’s awesome having that on a daily basis. It’s frustrating at times for sure because there might be a couple of practices where they get my edge a couple of times and have these crazy plays. It’s definitely a good experience.”
(He also mentioned that the technique and fundamentals that Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio really preaches is a big part of that, and you mentioned that LB Bradley Chubb’s technique was a big part of what you look after. I’m just curious how you’ve taken from that and improved your game?) – “I’m just trying to get everything to be muscle memory at this point. I think that’s the moment where that switch happens, is when all the things you were working becomes second nature so that when you’re playing, you’re not thinking about throwing different moves, or doing different things, you’re just going. I think that’s what I’ve been trying to get to and what I’ve been working towards.”
(The effort you talked about that Head Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned this morning as well, and you said that maybe they’re maybe not as good as he said they were. I disagree with you a little there. I agree more with Coach, but DT Christian Wilkins is a guy that stands out in that way, I’m curious to hear your perspective on the way Christian works out here.) – “Christian is the same guy every day. He’s going to come with energy, yelling all the time and just enjoying life. I think it shows on the field because the passion that he plays with and the energy that he has is super contagious. I think he’s a great leader for this team, he brings guys up with him, and man, you see him on the field, that dude is different. Just break down his tape, he’s different. Christian is a baller.”
(How aware are you guys of the Heat and the Panthers success, and has it had any effect in that building?) – “Yeah, I’ve been watching. The only thing that I wish is that we could be playing now at the same time as them, because then we could really feed off that motivation. But it’s been great seeing the South Florida sports being successful. Obviously when everybody is winning down here, everybody is a lot happier. We hope that they can continue the success, we’re rooting for them for sure.”
(You got some good post moves?) – “Post moves? I’m good for some boards. I’m not really too much of a scorer. I’ll cherry pick and get some dunks in, but I’m not a hooper at all, never was.”
(Do you have any special plans once you get through minicamp at all to chill away from football?) – “Yeah, I’m headed back to Washington, Lake Chelan in particular. That’s where my girlfriend’s family is from. Her dad has a little lake house up there. We’re going to go out and chill out and vibe out. It’s going to be great. And train, too, obviously. We’ll be out there working.”
(Is there anything move-wise or technique-wise you’ve worked on in particular offseason?) – “I can’t give that away now, can I? (laughter) You know the opposition watches these, too. No, I’ve just been continuing to hone in my craft and really trying to refine my moves so that I’m not just a jack of all trades, master of none. I’m trying to really lock in what my repertoire is.”
(After your rookie year you said that you wanted to improve your run defense and become an every-down player, and it seems you achieved that goal last year. What’s the next step to being a guy that can dominate every play?) – “Just keep building on that and being consistent with it. I think in the past whether it’s the beginning of my season being slow and kind of catching on towards the end or just certain games where I might have not have that impact; I want to get to a point where I’m impacting every game in any way possible. Just getting more comfortable and confident and continuously trying to grow with that.”
(LB Mitchell Agude and what he’s shown so far, how do you like to see that from a fellow UCLA Bruin, turned Miami Hurricane, turned Miami Dolphin?) – “We were just talking about that. It’s pretty crazy how he kind of followed that same path in terms of locations as me. He’s really cool because he’s very receptive to coaching and to advice from me. Him in particular, he comes up me all that time like, ‘Jaelan, what were you doing your rookie year? What type of things can I do to work on my method and different things like that?’ I really appreciate that from him and you can see it on the field if you guys have been watching him doing his thing.”
(Just piggybacking off of that, another guy who may be a little older in LB Bradley Chubb, can you give us insight on you guys’ relationship and how you try to feed off of each other coming off the edge?) – “We’ve gotten a lot closer obviously since he’s been here. I’m just excited for us to have a full offseason, full OTAs, a full training camp to really keep gelling and developing our identity as players.”
CB Jalen Ramsey
(What are your first thoughts about the way the defense has been coming together in OTAs and the first day of minicamp?) – “It’s been good so far. It’s the first day of minicamp so it’s a progression. That’s all you can ask for really.”
(What kind of visions do you have in the early going with you and CB Xavien Howard together in the secondary?) – “We can do some special things. We can be elite. Put it all together. When the time is right, it’ll happen how it needs to happen.”
(How do you think your experience playing under Brandon Staley over in Los Angeles helps you with this defense with Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio?) – “I mean, I know the defense so that’s how it helps. I’ve been running the same defense for three years now. My past three years in LA. So now it’s the same defense. It’s just a little bit different terminology but same type of stuff. There’s different ways to play this defense. Vic has his own way of putting his own flavor in it and I guess kind of catering it to certain people who will stand out in the defense and who can stand out in any defense really.”
(Earlier Head Coach Mike McDaniel praised Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense for the way it prepares the offense. How have you seen the way this offense can kind of elevate your guys’ game as a defense with the way they go about their work?) – “Yeah, just good players going against other good players and really competing and challenging us to bring the best out of each other. Obviously you know you’ve got the receivers, you’ve got the running backs, you’ve got everybody over there who you need to challenge us and we feel the same way.”
(What have you noticed about the rookie CB Cam Smith?) – “He’s got a lot of confidence which is good. That’s like the main thing you need to play this position in the NFL. He’s learning the defense pretty quickly. Going through some rookie things, but I mean that’s given. He’ll continue growing and doing good things. He’s cool. He’s good.”
(What would you tell any rookie corner coming into this league. What’s the No. 1 thing you’ve got to tell a guy?) – ” I’m just helping my teammates out so the rest of them can figure it out kind of themselves. (laughter)”
(What have you been able to take in and notice while you’re watching team drills off to the side?) – “Just looking and trying to help out wherever I can. Because like I said, I know the defense so that’s really where I’m trying to help this offseason, this minicamp. If anybody’s got questions about the defense or if I feel like they can be more comfortable playing it. Because you can kind of – there’s certain ways that Vic (Fangio) wants it to be very specific, but there’s also certain ways where you can have your own flavor and get comfortable within the defense. So that’s where I’m trying to help, honestly. But all these guys are professionals. They’ve got to kind of get it themselves and any way I can help, I’ll give them my input then, but I’m not doing too much like forcing it on nobody or nothing. It’s natural.”
(With no pads right now how do you measure progress as a defense and as a team?) – “Picking up our defense. It’s a new defense for everybody and it’s not an easy defense. That’s how you measure our progress right now, is picking up the defense and then when we do add it all, pads and all that when the time is right. Then it’ll be cool.”
(Was the plan for you to kind of ramp up slowly and training camp be when you’re full go, or did something kind of pop up that you weren’t expecting physically?) – “No, I think I’ve had the same plan for the past three offseasons. So it’s the same here, same carryover here. I play extremely physical. I play a physical style of game and I recover my body the right way. I trust in my process. The training staff and the strength staff here are extremely good and we are very like-minded in the way that we think about my training regimens and rehabbing or whatever the case may be. So we’re all on the same page with that. What matters is when the time is right, that I’m ready to go full go and that’s not even a question in anybody’s minds. So yeah, we’re following the right plan for me.”
(You mentioned that this is not an easy defense. Do you remember when it clicked for you that you could play fast in it and what it was that helped you do that?) – “I’ve had great coaches, honestly. Coach (Brandon) Staley was great. We had a great relationship obviously, and I was able to learn the defense a little bit faster than other guys I guess because of that relationship. And then Coach Rod (Renaldo Hill) became the defensive coordinator, it was kind of the same and our relationship has always been good. Just putting a lot of energy into it and learning it. I’ve been blessed that certain stuff is like catered to me or certain guys so it’s a little bit easier for me as well in those regards. And just the fact that I play multiple positions, so I have to know the defense really well. I just take a lot of pride in that.”
(It’s a new defense for a lot of folks here at Miami to see. You mentioned different positions. Can you maybe educate folks on when you played the star in Los Angeles versus the corner responsibilities there?) – “It’s just different roles. The defense may ask different responsibilities for certain people at certain times or certain games and moments or whatever the case may be. When you have a guy or a few guys who are able to be versatile and play multiple positions – corner, safety, nickel, whatever the case may be, play different techniques, be able to play different schemes and coverages and all that, it’s a plus for the defense. So not only myself, but there’s a handful of guys who can do that on this defense. That’s a big positive. Just getting everybody to learn the system in its entirety is really good.”
(When you look at this defense, especially the amount of zone coverage you guys can play. How do you see that really impacting offenses in years past when you get in this defense?) – “I mean, we’ve got to put it all together, but it’s not just zone. This defense is very complex. So y’all looking on the outside, y’all may think that it’s zone, but it’s not. It’s a very complex defense and it’s a lot less zone than you think, especially under Coach Vic (Fangio). It’s a lot less zone which is great, because you have guys that can play a lot of man, but you also have guys that can play the zone schemes and stuff like that. Yeah, I mean, it excites me just in general having these guys on the team. This is the best defense I’ve played in. Like I said, I have played in it for the past three years anyway so I’m excited for that. But Vic is kind of like, one of the guys who innovated it, innovated the defense, so it’s exciting to have him as the coach and see how he views it, see how he calls things and see what he leans towards as far as his schemes and coverages and stuff like that. So it’s been fun so far, but it’s all been learning and it’s all just been trying to get everybody on the same page. It’s been good.”
OL Rob Hunt
(How has the offseason been for you and why did you choose to participate in all the OTAs?) – “The offseason has been good, trying to get better. I think I’m going into the right direction, some things I need to work on, but offseason is what it’s for. It’s to get better at the game and try to do something you haven’t done before. That’s that and I’m here, I’m playing on the team, I’m here. So that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m at OTAs.”
(How important is it to you to get a contract extension before you guys start the regular season?) – “I leave that up to the people up front and my agents. Of course, I got some say so in it, but I’m not worried about it right now. That’s the least of my worries right now. I would like a Super Bowl or something like that, a playoff win. So I’m kind of worried about that and perfecting what I can do to be better. I’m worried about that right now.”
(Have you been in talks with OL Connor Williams and would it be nice to have your center back next to you, alongside you?) – “Connor (Williams) is dealing with his situation how he deals with it. I’ve talked to him, went to dinner for his birthday, so he’s good. Connor is good.”
(There has been a lot of excitement in the area with the Heat and the Panthers. I’m wondering if you’ve had people come up to you with a smile and say that it’s you guys’ turn next?) – “Not much, but that would be nice. That would be really nice so hopefully. We got a really good team, a talented team. If we can figure it out, I think we’ll have a shot.”
(How much of that excitement do you feel just walking around, going to the grocery store? Is it tangible?) – “Yes, you can feel it. South Florida fans are big time when things are going well. I’m not saying that, I’m just saying – I’m just saying when things are going well we got a really big fan base and I love to see it. It’s good to see all the fans out there, and hopefully we can keep this train rolling and help out with that for South Florida.”
(Where are you in terms of putting the Pro Bowl on your priority list? If at all, where is that?) – “As an individual that is a goal of mine, to be that. I thought I played well enough last year, but I guess I didn’t so I got to try to up it up this year and play a little better, and hopefully it works out. If it doesn’t then I’ll keep busting my ass and try to get it. I think I’m a hell of a player in this league, and I think it’s in the future hopefully.”
(It seems like you’re on the radar for that for a lot of people.) – “I would like to be. I think I play the game the right way.”
(How do you guys get better against the run? Is that just a chemistry thing, just a commitment thing? The average was there, but the attempts weren’t.) –“We just got to keep going at it. We’ve got so many weapons that you can do so many things with. We got #10 (Tyreek Hill) and #17 Jaylen Waddle #11 (Cedrick Wilson Jr.) and now #3 (Chosen Anderson) and all of those guys. So you’ve got a lot of weapons, and they are going to use them in different ways. Once we got it rolling at times, it rolled, and then sometimes it didn’t, and sometime #10 and #17 was rolling, and sometimes they weren’t. It’s just a mix, we’ve just got to mix it up and go from there.”
CB Xavien Howard
(Through the first month and a half of offseason practices, what’s the early returns on sharing the defensive backfield with CB Jalen Ramsey?) – “I don’t know much about Jalen’s situation, but he’s getting healthy, he’ll be out there soon. So just ready for it all to come together.”
(In the classroom, meeting rooms, what’s he been like?) – “He’s been very active in the classroom and meeting rooms, helping guys out and stuff like that, helping the younger guys.”
(What have you learned about Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme and what he’s going to have y’all do at this point?) – “It’s something different. I feel like I ran a little bit of it in 2018. It’s a little bit more eyes on the quarterback, it isn’t just man 24/8. It gives us a little time on the outside to get a little rest and stuff like that.”
(Think that’ll help you guys on the back end?) – “Yeah, for sure, it’ll definitely help.”
(What’s he like as a coach personality-wise?) – “Very quiet, but when he talks everybody listens. He’s got a lot of knowledge up there.”
(Is there a young player who you’ve seen make some good progress since last season, someone you’d like to highlight?) – “I like Noah (Igbinoghene). He’s come in with a different mindset, I feel like. He’s making plays and he’s also learning.”
(How is the mindset different from the previous years?) – “I feel like he’s more locked in, locked in.”
(You had the charity softball tournament, right? How’d that go?) – “It’s on June 17. Still recruiting, still trying to get some guys to come. Got a couple guys on the team coming, other guys around the league, especially guys from here also in the league that I’m trying to get to come.”
(When was the last time you swung a bat?) – “Man, Jarvis’ (Landry) softball game in Cleveland.”
(What kind of ball player are you?) – “I just want to catch the ball really. I don’t want to bat, I’m scared to get hit by the ball. (laughter) I want to catch it though.”
(Even in softball?) – “Even in softball. It doesn’t matter. (laughter)”
(With all the excitement around the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers, I’m wondering when you go to games, do people smile and say “you guys are next”?) – “Oh yeah, we feel the pressure. The fans definitely give us the pressure when we come in there.”
(Do you like that?) – “Oh yeah. It’s cool, being in the NFL is pressure.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(DT Zach Sieler and OL Connor Williams. Are they here and expected to participate?) – “We have pretty much, like most of the offseason, we’ve had pretty much everyone here. There’s been individuals that have their individual situations to take care of. As far as this camp, (Zach) Sieler will be here, Connor (Williams) won’t, which we’ve been in direct communication. I’m not going to get necessarily into the nuts and bolts of his business here. But I have 89 guys I would love to talk about that are here, that are going to be out here today.”
(So Connor is the only one that is not here?) – “Yes, I believe that’s the case. Yes.”
(I guess important distinction – is this an excused absence?) – “No, it’s not excused, but again, we’ve been in communication so not worried about it. Worried about the dudes that are here for sure.”
(When you’re in this situation in the offseason, the time to take care of business, do you understand the player’s perspective when they try to take care of business?) – “I try to understand every player’s perspective. I think that’s part of my job, is to be empathetic, to best come to a solution. So there’s a bunch of things that come up, a bunch of stuff that have come up this offseason that came up last offseason that will come up next offseason. So that’s always something that you’re juggling and working with players to have your team perform at its highest ability.”
(There’s a lot of excitement in the area right now in the Heat and Panthers. As you’ve been out especially at Heat games, have people looked at you and smiled and said, “okay, it’s the Dolphins’ turn”?) – “See? I’ve always liked you. This question fires me up because I’ve been frustrated with myself, because I don’t think I’ve really adequately articulated that experience. It has been unbelievable, the support, the excitement, just the general enthusiasm for the Dolphins when I’m at an event that is an organization’s pinnacle of working for an entire year to get in to these playoff games that are hard to get to. That, by itself has been unbelievable. I’ve tried to share it, too, with the team as much as I can. They know they feel it when they’re out and about as well. So the team within this building is very aware and definitely finds exuberance from all of the juice that that is in South Florida right now. Really that’s the first virus. I caught the second virus.”
(During your during your time with the Heat, especially because you’re close to Erik Spoelstra right on the floor. Are you gleaning anything from that from a coaching point standpoint? I know it’s a different game, but there’s got to be some similarities and things that you see you may be able to incorporate yourself?) – “Absolutely. The best words I could come up for – I texted him right after they won Game 7 – was something that he knew what I was getting at, but adversity is opportunity. I say that to the team all the time. I really, really believe that and I don’t care how sick anybody ever gets of hearing it. I think it’s true to what life and professional sports and team is all about. And you want to talk about a team that has utilized adversity for their own gain. Those lessons especially now, by and large, almost every player on our team is watching their season, the Heat season unfold, and it’s hard not to – you hear all these people so surprised, to feel like there’s a sportscaster, a national sportscaster, definitely not local, but nationally a sportscaster every week or every game that’s saying, ‘oh, yeah, they have no chance.’ That is the pinnacle of success in sports, is a group of individuals working towards a goal and not letting anything stand in their way. For example, the last game they just won; there was a lot – to be able to look at a sports team and say, ‘You know what, I don’t necessarily know how they’re going to do it, but I’m not going to bet against them…’”
(Even down 10 in the fourth quarter?) – ”I mean, I wasn’t. I like to keep my money. (laughter) I think it’s an example for all teams. I think we’re very fortunate to see it firsthand and feel like we’re indirectly a part of it. But I think it also goes for just people in general, I think it’s a life lesson that it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you really, really, really commit.”
(One of the 89 guys that are here is LB Jaelan Phillips and I felt last year during the course of the season, we just saw this arc, this kid just kind of explode. What have you seen this offseason? What does Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio see in him right now? What do you see as this arc of development?) – “I’ve seen him practice at a level that’s far superior than any other level of practice that I’ve seen from him since I’ve been here. So take that for what it’s worth. I think it’s very important not to get ahead of yourselves. It’s hard, very hard for people on the outside because like, you’re excited about the team. So you’re thinking of September; we’re thinking a day at a time. And all I know is the last practices I’ve seen him have had been the best practices that he’s had. I think that’s very encouraging. One of the things that Vic (Fangio) and I shared on his interview, was his appreciation for Jaelan (Phillips), in particular, who he was very high on coming out. So very happy with where he’s at. He’s goal-oriented, great, great human being that has his vision set on what he wants to do, and now he’s just trying to take care of it each and every day and it’s cool to watch a young player not get caught up in September and get more focused on June 6, which is the only day that exists.”
(Just piggybacking off the last question, obviously LB Bradley Chubb got here midseason and you just mentioned LB Jaelan Phillips. Have you seen anything behind the scenes with those two as they try to maybe build their…?) – “What’s cool is – I really appreciate – you’ll notice it today, just in general, they gravitate to each other. And that to me speaks of everything that I want in a team. I don’t want players trying to have success in spite of someone; I want players competing, making each other better and trying to be the best versions of themselves. They want to be a great pair and they want to be a part of a great defense and they’re handling that the right way. Instead of just wishing and hoping, they’re working. Between Coach Fangio who has coached elite edge players since I was before kindergarten maybe, then with Coach (Ryan) Slowik and Coach (Wade) Harman has been helping out. I have seen significant gains and improvements on our edge play that I’m fired up about. And all you can do is really position yourself to be at your very best for when pads come on in July, practice three for that position. And that’s what I’ve seen them do – working on footwork, hand placement, disruption. They’re a handful and that’s a good thing. Not the best thing for a practice that you’re trying to orchestrate some sort of success, but you’d rather practice against it than have a surprise come, which is imperative for, for really our offense and defense. Our defense needs high productivity from edge play, as well as you have to go against productive edge play because the really good teams generally have that, whether it’s a 4-3 or 3-4 and you’re going to have to figure out how to execute offense against that.”
(Regarding Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio, I know obviously he’s the defensive coordinator, but I’m curious in this short amount of time he’s been here, how has he positively impacted the offense and the way you guys see things, just having that experience and mind to bounce things off of?) – “Phenomenal question. We’re just pumping out great questions today, I’m proud of all you guys. An unintended consequence – it’s something that you know as a football coach, but you it’s not steadfast at the forefront of your thought process when you’re making decisions like that. What defense do you want to run? Who do you want in charge of it? Your mind goes straight to ‘I want the best defense we can have, I want the defensive coordinator we can have.’ I think that has been accomplished. A subset, unintended consequence, is that the technique with which they perform their assignments, really takes advantage of poor technique offensively. Meaning that the way they pattern match and the way they really play with vision; as a receiver, it’s the best training you could get. As a tight end, it’s the best training you can get. All these route runners are getting this elite training because they’re getting made pay when their technique is off. If they’re on vertical enough on their stem, traditionally from a coaches’ perspective, I have to say, ‘yeah, this worked; however, in game situation, it probably won’t.’ and that you’re kind of selling to them, then you have to grab a game clip, whatever. It is so much more efficient and better for the offensive coaches when something that we emphasize doesn’t get done, and the defense makes you pay. Well, we’re pushing that envelope on both sides of the ball now, where and my ultimate desire – I want a good team. I don’t want to go out there today and have the defense dominate the offense or vice versa. I want guys trading punches, handling adversity. And what we’re starting to see is there’ll be 11 guys out there; one offensive player will be off and the play will not work at all or one defensive player will be off and it will be a big play. That’s what for me as a head coach, that’s how I go to practice. I want punches traded left and right. That’s the game that we play. And that’s how you get better at it and that’s what I’m starting to see – unintended consequence of Vic (Fangio) and his system is the system is so sound and true and coached. The defensive coaching staff has done a phenomenal job giving answers to the test through technique to the players that both sides of the ball are benefitting for sure.”
(As a player caller, when you play a team that’s predominantly zone and I don’t know if it’ll be predominantly zone. What challenges does that create for you, knowing that the defense primarily has the eyes on the quarterback?) – “Well, the teams that are capable of playing good zone defense make you earn everything and really, they really force teams to execute and execute across the board. Whereas even great man-to-man coverage teams, one guy steps on the side of his foot, right, where in zone defense, you really have to get your depth, the quarterback has to be precise with his footwork so that his timing is right, his eyes, his progression, the distribution has to be correct. That makes it harder to be a good zone defense. On the front end, because there’s a lot of people working together, but if you invest time into it, and it is a slower build, but the ultimate end result is that you struggle to have one player to beat you. So it is more of a process zone defense. but I think the rewards you reap when it’s sound are huge, because it really puts pressure on offenses to execute with the entirety and not one or two people.”
(About WR Erik Ezukanma, where have you kind of seen him progress this offseason?) – “I challenged him – I was on the phone with him before this offseason, just checking in on how he was doing just knowing that it was going to be a big year. You go zero to 60. You know, he did get active at the very end of the season, but for the most part, it almost feels like a redshirt year for him. Which it’s not. You have to learn a ton and he knew that we have a very talented receiving corps. So he had no – all those learning lumps that really every rookie incurs, but specifically wide receivers that are hearing huddles for the first time. He knew he’s was going to have to be on his stuff at not just one but multiple positions. And he’s probably made the biggest gains from last year to this year and ownership of the offense. So what that does; that allows him the opportunity to try to carve out a specific role for himself because otherwise he wouldn’t have a shot. There’s too many – specifically the receiving corps that he’s practicing within is competitive and deep with bona fide NFL players that I’ve been around so the challenge is real, but he’s put himself in a position to really compete for opportunities which is – I’m happy for him as it stands and moving forward I can’t wait to see what he does.”
