Austin Clark – May 25, 2021
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Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark
(I wanted to start off with DL Adam Butler today. You guys brought him in this offseason. I just wanted to get your take on his game and what he brings to the d-line.) – “A wealth of experience to start. Adam has had a very successful career thus far. He’s a hardworking guy, a good interior rusher, has some versatility and I really, really like what he brings to the group. He’s been great so far.”
(I just wanted to ask you to assess DT Raekwon Davis’ rookie season and areas where you think he could get better.) – “I would say first and foremost, starting faster is I think something that as a group – not just Raekwon specifically – but getting off to a hot start. I think he did a good job of developing throughout the year in terms of his run defense and being able to win one-on-ones consistently and hold the point on doubles. I think the major focus for him is finishing plays. I think he specifically probably feels like he left some more out there. Just taking the next step like any other guy this year, taking the next step in his second year. I’m looking forward to him. I’m really looking forward to everything he brings to the table. I love him.”
(I want a player you aren’t actually coaching but that you’ve been reunited with this in LB Brennan Scarlett. How cool is it to be coaching on a staff that includes a former teammate?) – “Yeah, ‘B-Scar’ (Brennan Scarlett). Me and him had a little background playing together in college. He’s had a successful career thus far. I think this is year five or six for him. He’s a good teammate and a great guy. It is cool any time you get another Cal guy around here. We have Pat Laird here too and ‘GA’ (Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander) really considers himself a Cal guy, I think. So I’m really proud of that and excited for Brennan this year. It’s a really cool experience.”
(Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander blamed himself for not getting S Jevon Holland to California. Was it your fault or was it his fault? Who is to blame here?) – “(laughter) I was actually at USC then and we didn’t get him either. (laughter) Obviously we both didn’t do so good there. But Jevon Holland is a hell of a player. I’m glad we are on the same team now, I’ll tell you that much.”
(What about DT Christian Wilkins? How much more do you think he can do?) – “I think he can definitely do a lot more. I think he did do a good job throughout the season of getting better and better. He had the COVID thing and whatever and missed some games. I do think that hurt him because he was starting to come on right then. But I’m really fired up about him. Obviously going into year three, I think his best ball is ahead of him. I couldn’t be more excited for him this year.”
(I wanted to ask you about the rotation that you guys are going to have on the defensive line because you guys have a lot of talent available – DT Zach Sieler, DT Christian Wilkins, DT Raekwon Davis. Now you’re adding DL Adam Butler to that group. So how important is it to have this internal rotation of guys just coming in and out of the game as opposed to having maybe one superstar like DT Ndamukong Suh way back when, and having that on the team – the important of having that rotation?) – “I think there’s no question that collectively, there’s a competitive group up front. I think a lot of that is matchup based and week to week. I think we have a lot of different guys that have a lot of different strengths. To be honest with you, I think it’s kind of tough to assess that without even having a minicamp and stuff like that. But I know that we’ve got a lot of great pieces up front. I think they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. I’m looking forward to building this thing with the players and I love the group.”
(As a former d-line player yourself, what pride do you get out of coaching the d-line here now?) – “I would tell you heart, effort, dedication, stopping the freaking run, and ultimately having a team-rush mentality. It all starts up front. There’s no question about that in the game of football. To be honest with you, that’s why I enjoy coaching d-line and coaching the front. I think what’s awesome is we have guys up front on this team that ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores) and his staff has built that believe in those same values. I consider myself extremely lucky every day I walk through these doors and I’m fired up about this season.”
(What’s the difference between stopping the run and stopping the freaking run?) – “There’s another word we probably would use instead of ‘freaking’ in there. (laughter) Yeah, it’s a big deal. There’s no question that there are teams where – it’s become a passing league but when they know they’ve got to run it to get a yard and we know they’ve got to run it, we’ve got to be able to freaking stop that thing.”
(Just to piggyback on that, you talked about getting off to a faster start. I know you weren’t coaching the d-line last year, but do you feel like that was the issue in terms of the run-stopping ability?) – “I would say it’s a team game and ultimately, in terms of stopping the run, it starts up front but collectively as a unit and as a team. I feel like there’s no question that as a defense, we want to start faster. That starts right now. I think these players have done a great job so far. Yeah, I think there’s no question that’s a starting point, especially out of the gates. We’ve got to be able to do that as a d-line.”
(I wanted to ask you about the versatility of DT Raekwon Davis, DT Zach Sieler and DT Christian Wilkins. I know you used those guys a little bit inside as well as outside last year. How valuable is it to have those guys that are such big players on the defensive line, that can play both tackle and on the end?) – “Yeah, I think it’s definitely something that we want. You want guys that are versatile, that are smart, that can handle a lot. I think ultimately we now have that and it’s the game plan, it’s matchups, it’s week to week there; but it’s awesome to have the group of guys that we have that are versatile enough to do a lot of things, for sure. Absolutely.”
(One final quick thing on two young guys. DE Jonathan Ledbetter, is he back with you guys? Is he healthy? And the DE Jason Strowbridge skillset that intrigues you, Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Head Coach Brian Flores a year into his pro career is what?) – “I would say Ledbetter has been great in everything he’s doing. I’m really excited about him. He’s a good smart player. The stuff I’ve seen on tape of him is great too in the year prior. With Strowbridge, I think ultimately for him is he has some twitch and he definitely has some pass rush and some versatility. It’s just putting it all together in year two. I think there were moments where he went in in some games and did some really good things. We’re just looking for him to build on that and I think he’s done that so far. I’m really looking forward to seeing him.”
(The signing of DT John Jenkins kind of went under the radar a little bit a few years back, but he’s a guy – how big could he be in terms of helping you guys stop the run?) – “He’s played a long time. I think in Coach (Flores)’ first year here, he did a great job in terms of playing the run but also as a veteran presence for some of our younger players – how to get ready for a game, things that he sees and things that he’s seen in the NFL so far. He’s done a great job. We’re really, really lucky to have him.”
