Darren Rizzi – November 29, 2018
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Thursday, November 29, 2018
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(What did you think of the return game – obviously moving past WR Jakeem Grant last week – how your guys did with the opportunities they had?) – “Obviously, they ended up kicking a bunch of touchbacks on us and then we had that kickoff from the 50 at the end that they kicked a high short one on us. Senorise (Perry) obviously had the opportunity on that one. We had (Kenyan) Drake back on the others. Certainly, I thought Senorise did a good job on that particular play. That’s a tough one when it’s a short kick and the ball lands on the field. Obviously, you can’t get a touchback in that situation. We had a number of guys back there that had the experience. Obviously, a couple different guys back on punt last week, both with Danny (Amendola) and Kenny (Stills). As I’ve been saying all along, I think it’s good to have a number of guys that can do it. We’re in that situation again this week. We’ve been repping a bunch of guys out there in practice. The more the better, the more the merrier for me. I just really kind of continue to evaluate that. It’s an unfortunate loss with Jakeem. Obviously, we’d love to have him back there, but it’s good to have other guys on our roster with experience.”
(With WR Kenny Stills and the return game or your other options, how much is it your comfort level in terms of that guy’s experience that you’re looking for in punt return?) – “That’s always a big factor. Experience is a huge factor, no different than when Jakeem (Grant) first got here. Jakeem didn’t have a bunch of punt return experience when he first came here. That’s one of those things where you can get a bunch in practice, you can try to simulate a JUGS machine, but it’s really hard to simulate live action with gunners coming at you and a live ball. The ball comes off the punter’s foot definitely different than a JUGS machine. Experience definitely helps. A guy like Kenny has been doing it his whole life since he was a little kid, in high school, in college. That’s always a positive. Certainly, the more experience the better there. No different with Danny Amendola or Kenny or those guys. Some guys have more kick return experience than punt, and it’s a completely different game. I would totally agree that the experience factor is definitely a positive.”
(In a week like this where you basically have to try out guys, do you make sure that they’re getting the real kicks instead of the jugs machine?) – “Yeah. For example, the way we practice – everybody is different – but the way we practice, Wednesday and Thursday are the days that Matt Haack is kind of a live foot, if you will. But you have to remember, he’s lefty. We’re playing a right-footed punter this week, so believe it or not, it’s a completely different ball that comes off the foot – the rotation and all of that. We have a JUGS that goes lefty and righty to get the different rotation. They got live work off of Matt, but they also have to get simulated work with a right-ball rotation there. You try to get as much as you can. Certainly, in the last couple of days, those guys have gotten live ball reps. Tomorrow, they’ll get some more off the JUGS and we’ll just get as many as we can. That’s really the way we do it.”
(This is the time of year where they have coaching candidates come up. What is your thought on special teams coaches and their chances to become head coaches?) – “Obviously, you look at the history of the league and there hasn’t been a ton of guys that have gone from being a special teams coordinator to head coach. Obviously, the one that everybody talks about is John Harbaugh. When you really look at the job and the resume that he’s put together, he’s won a Super Bowl. It’s a difficult thing for a special teams coach. It takes a lot of faith in the front office and an owner because you’re stepping outside the box a little bit. My feeling on it is special teams coaches may be as well prepared as anybody to run a football team. You’re the only guy in the building that’s really dealing with the entire football team. You’re coaching everybody. You’re dealing with situations and game management, those types of things. I think there are a lot of qualified special teams coaches right now in the league that would be terrific head coaches. I think John Harbaugh is again a great example of a guy that did it and has done it and has put together a tremendous resume. He’s one of the best game managers in football. You look at the history of a lot of guys, a lot of the coaching history of some of the guys that are head coaches right now. A guy like Bill Belichick was a special teams coordinator, and I could sit here and list a bunch of different guys that have special teams coordinator on their resume. Again, it’s not the norm, if you will. There’s a lot of times where guys want to win the press conference and maybe get the sexiest name out there that is maybe a play caller or something like that. A lot of the times when you kind of dive into it, a special teams coach could be the best option. Obviously, I’m a little bit biased towards it. I believe that a lot of my counterparts in the league are very qualified to do it and would be terrific head coaches.”
(We’re sitting here in front of one special teams coach. Where do you feel like your readiness or desire to be a head coach is at this point?) – “I’ve been fortunate to be a head coach in college. That was a great experience. Certainly, if that opportunity presents itself down the road when the season’s over, those are always things you’re going to look at. Obviously, my biggest concern right now is Buffalo and finishing out this season strong, and then you worry about opportunities after the season. It’s something that as I look forward in my personal career, it’s something that I want to do again down the road, to be a head coach again. I had a great experience doing it. I loved doing it. I think with the role I have here on this football team is preparing me to be a head coach because I deal with the players every day. I deal with the game management part of the game. I’m very fortunate that (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) gives me that role. It’s really helping my personal resume in terms of learning on the job and dealing with the management, the game management, the time management. All of that stuff is really preparing me. I think when that opportunity presents itself, I’ll be very well prepared and be ready to go.”
(If I might ask, did any colleges reach out to you in the past year about being a head coach?) – “I don’t want to go down that road. I’m going to pass on that one for right now. We can talk about that after the season, but I think right now during the season I’m just going to really concentrate on our schedule and on Buffalo. I appreciate the question, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t want to start throwing things out.”
(So, that’s a yes?) – “(laughter) I’m going to pass on the question.”
(Chris Lammons, the rookie you guys signed on the practice squad – what are some things you like about him? I know during the last preseason game, he got a pick off of QB David Fales in that game. What are some things that he brings to the table for you guys?) – “The truth is I had my first conversation with Chris today. I’d known him as a player a little bit. We played him in the preseason with Atlanta. I know he’s bounced around between Atlanta and New Orleans. Watching him here the last couple days, I like his athleticism. I’ve watched him play on our scout teams in all four phases. He’s a local guy from Plantation. I know his high school coach, Steve Davis, real well from Plantation High School. I’ve known him for a long time. In my short dealings with him so far, (he’s a) really good kid and I like what I see. Since it’s been a small sample size, all I really have dealt with him so far is based off of film and watching him play. I can remember him flashing as both a defensive back and a special teams player, so I’m happy to have him here and continue to work with him. I always love to gather as many of those guys as we can on the practice squad that have potential to maybe help us down the road on special teams. We can sit here and list many guys over my 10 years, that was their way into the building and the next thing you know, the next year or whatever, they find themselves in a role as a special teams guy. I think Chris is a great example of that as a guy that potentially could help us down the road because I really like his athleticism. He seems like a very bright kid and a good personality and ready to go. So far, so good.”
