Frank Smith – October 6, 2022
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Thursday, October 6, 2022
Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(I asked you on the Zoom last week about the running game – 3.5 yards per carry, which is probably not exactly where you want it. With both RB Raheem Mostert and RB Chase Edmonds well below their career averages, someone might look at that and deduce, “Well, it’s the offensive line’s fault or blocking at multiple positions.” Have there been runs where you’ve seen the running backs with the ability to make more out of what they’ve had? Or do you think it’s primarily a blocking issue that accounts for the running game not being as successful as you want?) – “I think it’s a combination of things. I mean, we also had an explosive run that got called back for a penalty in the game. So I think overall when you look at it, we’re seeing – it’s the end of Quarter 1 of the season. It’s a new staff and a new team coming together, so you hate to say it, but there’s just lots of learning opportunities inside of this first quarter. I think that there were two runs where we were able to learn a lot for how we need to implement our overall blocking scheme and running the football. I wouldn’t really say – again, I know it was kind of the same answer last time I was talking about (how) it’s really a combination of things, because I ultimately think it is always a combination of things. If it was so black and white and clear, I think that you’d have a solution to that and you’d be clear to what you need to do. But when you’re looking at kind of 11 guys working together, it’s always going to be close, and every week we get closer. I mean, you saw, really, two explosive runs, one called back from a penalty, which is a tough look. But I think ultimately, we’re getting closer, and I would think that the runners with the repetition of what we’re doing, allowing them to really understand where they need to fit, the blockers need to fit, perimeter to fit, the quarterback, how your actions and your setups fit. So I think it’s ultimately a combination of things that every week through our as we move into Quarter 2, we’re hoping to see that growth.”
(You guys have placed WR Tyreek Hill everywhere on the field. One thing I noticed last week was that you had him closer to the offensive line, kind of like an H-back tight end, and then you put him in motion. Just how is that different, him motioning from a close alignment as opposed to maybe motioning from the slot or out wide?) – “I think that with a player of Tyreek’s skillset, the real challenge is getting him involved all over the field because when teams are playing a variety of coverages, you’re using his placement inside of the formation to draw matchups, to move them inside of timing to locations that you can either attack those zones, or you’re hoping to get an advantageous matchup in man-to-man. So I think the challenge for us, essentially, I know (Head Coach) Mike (McDaniel) and (49ers Head Coach) Kyle (Shanahan) in their past in San Francisco, or really whenever you have a player with a broad skill set, is not just letting him line up at the same spot over and over again and the defense can anticipate where he’s going to be. The challenge is for us to keep moving him throughout the formation, different motions, different adjustments, so that the defense is always not sitting on one thing; they’re having to adjust and react to where we’re trying to locate him within the play.”
(It seems like the offense doesn’t have to change too much with QB Teddy Bridgewater in opposed to QB Tua Tagovailoa. What’s your take on that? How much remains consistent with the offense?) – “In training camp, I think you guys were able to witness, it’s not like we had two different offenses functioning. I think Teddy (Bridgewater) has shown a great understanding of the offense and what we’re trying to accomplish. I think his veteran leadership and his understanding of the role has been extremely helpful. We’re really excited to continue on the growth of what he was able to do at the end of the game, and ultimately with what he does well. So I think, again, like we’ve talked about for numerous weeks, the challenge for us as coaches is to tailor your offense to what players do well. And the good thing for Teddy is that we’ve had multiple months of him working inside the system, along with Tua (Tagovailoa) and Skylar (Thompson), that we have a really good feel to how we think he’s going to execute and do what we’re trying to do this week.”
(Regarding QB Skylar Thompson, I’m wondering how much things have changed for him, practice and game? For example, I guess in practice as the No. 3 quarterback, you’re the scout team quarterback? Maybe emulating the other quarterbacks? Or during the game, now he’s on the sideline with the earpiece. Can you kind of go over some things and how it’s different and how he’s handled it?) – “I think one thing that I noticed about Skylar (Thompson) early on is how mature and professional his approach has been from really Day 1. And even though he was the third quarterback, you saw an approach that was really, in many ways, very veteran. I mean, taking the mental reps, putting himself in the play every moment, and then now, it’s just an extension of that preparation. So I think when you’re not ‘playing,’ how do you handle those opportunities? You could see just he was mentally locked in from the beginning. You could just see that intensity to his, honestly, our word around here is deliberate practice to what he was doing. It was really great to see a rookie with that intensity. So as he was doing scout-team work and now elevating up, I think that it’s just an extension of his preparation. Now you’re seeing him take that into actual practice reps. So overall, like in preseason, we’ve been very pleased with what Skylar has been able to do, and we know that he’ll be ready and his teammates will be ready, because he’ll show up, because of the way he’s prepared through everything.”
(What do you see on film from the Jets two first-round picks on defense, CB Sauce Gardner and DE Jermaine Johnson?) – “You see guys with talent, guys with a skillset ability to run, challenge the ball, good fits to their defense, really. You can see what they’re trying to build there. I mean, I know that (Head Coach) Robert (Saleh) and (General Manager) Joe Douglas have a vision for what they’re trying to build, and you can see inside of their defense, they’re slowly accumulating those players that they’re looking to rely on for the next several years. So I mean, ultimately, you see a team that plays extremely hard with effort (and) is trying to play very aggressive to the ball. You understand that with their coverage system, how they’re trying to implement it, what a good job they’ve done coaching. As they’re working through the first quarter of their season, I’m sure that they’re very pleased with some things they’ve been able to get through so far, and I think that a lot of it is their young players, their development that they’ve been able to have through Quarter 1 or the last couple of years, that I think that they’re looking to build on it this week. That’ll be the challenge for us is to handle the matchups with their guys and make sure that we execute and properly do what we’re trying to do.”
(Going back to the run game, on the plays where you have had explosive run plays and stuff like that, what commonalities have you seen in terms of execution that have allowed you guys to be able to improve in those areas over the last couple of weeks?) – “I think it all starts with accurate communication. We’re all moving in the same direction. I think that on those plays, obviously the advantageous scheme fits for what we’re trying to do. So we’re getting good looks with good communication and then our execution fundamentally has been what we’re looking for. So I think the challenge is that just as you go through Quarter 1 of a season, it’s easy to sit there and go, ‘Here’s the numbers concrete. What do you think?’ Where, ultimately, we’re sitting on a 17-game season after four games and the tail of the tape is going to be different even after four more games. I think it’s ultimately a race to improve for us, because as you look at Game 1 to Game 4, there has been some improvement. I think it starts with just the simple things: stance, alignment, technique assignment. I mean, those are the hallmarks of football that always hold true, and I would say that those are the things that we’ve been really able to do well when we execute well. I think those are the things that we’re looking to improve on. It’s always a challenge when you go into away environments to make sure that you have the proper communication and execution when you’re working inside a crowd noise.”
(What are the factors going into the playing time splits that we’re seeing at the tight end position?) – “I think that, ultimately, it’s (that) we’re trying to just put guys in position to do what they do well. I think it’s a real credit to what Durham (Smythe) has been able to do. I think, ultimately, production on the ball at that position obviously gets highlighted a lot, but the difference between many tight ends is those guys that have that ability to block – they’re really invaluable. Especially in college football, there’s more spread tight ends than there are in-line tight ends. I think that you can’t lose vision or sight of what Durham has really done to his play from the day he got here and what him and (Associate Head Coach/Tight Ends) Jon (Embree) have been really trying to work on. So I think that ultimately – I don’t think necessarily you’re looking at it like, ‘OK, here. What do they do well?’ I think Durham has really grown in the last several months and that’s a credit to how hard he’s worked with ‘Embo’ (Associate Head Coach/Tight Ends Jon Embree). It’s fantastic.”
