Frank Smith – June 5, 2024
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Offensive Coordinator Frank Smith
(The offense ranked No. 1 in the league in total yardage last year, then in the offseason you add skill position players like TE Jonnu Smith, WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Jaylen Wright in the draft. I’m not going to say what’s the expectation, but how excited are you about the opportunity to maybe take even another step in the next level?) – “Yeah, the guys were able to get here has been awesome. The reality is that we look at, alright, past success doesn’t dictate any future outcome. So it’s basically for us, OK, what did we learn from the season, where are areas that we need to grow? Acquiring the new guys, how can they help us and maybe do some different things that we haven’t done in the past? That’s what this time of year is for, the development of growth and getting yourself ready for training camp. But overall, it’s been an outstanding spring with the guys really committing and working hard. We’re very fortunate with all the guys we were able to get here and just what we were able to build this spring and what we’re looking forward to for camp.”
(I like that when you said that past success doesn’t determine your future. So how does the No. 1 offense from a year ago get better? How does No. 1 get even better?) – “I think it’s just when you have the new guys coming in and just getting everyone connected with our offensive identity and how we want to play, with our motioning and understanding why, how we’re going to do it, our run game, how everything’s built, I think it’s just ultimately for us, you have to always look at, like, each year is different. So as we acquire the guys for this year and then we’re going into the offseason to teach our approach, the philosophy, how we try and move the pieces to attack the defense. I just think it’s just you always look at the reset of the process, and you really for us coaches as we end the season, we evaluate what we went through with last season, where can we get better, and then now we’re implementing it. Ultimately where we can get better – individual techniques, understanding of things, maybe in-season we had some gameplan plays that we liked, get more manpower on it to be able to make it into our core, just stuff like that. But I think ultimately, it starts with our individual process, how can we each individually get better, and it starts with us coaches through the offseason and now working with the guys just to get better at techniques.”
(So in times like these where spring practice, OTAs, minicamp where if you’re learning a new system time might be spent on more install than refinement; I guess how are practices divided up when you’ve got the same corps together for the past three years?) – “Our approach is maybe a little different than other places that I’ve been in or just any of us, is that we try and make sure that we understand how to play fundamentally sound within our position. So not as much – the scheme is going to come, but it’s making sure that in spring, we have this time where really you have two weeks of Phase 1 where you’re in the classroom, three weeks of Phase 2 with you’re not going against anyone. Those three weeks are the first time you really don’t have an opponent or someone you’re going against. So in OTAs, you have an opponent – the defense. So we really use that Phase 1, Phase 2 to really focus on, OK, how can I get better as a player, so we make sure that we communicate areas that we think we have proven the growth and have the dialogue with them. So we use those three weeks as like, OK, is it releases, top-of-the-route separation techniques, blocking or motion block, whatever it is specific, then you build into the scheme. So we start with the person, how we can improve, then we add the scheme as we go. So it’s kind of like reverse. A lot of people rush the scheme and then you’re kind of learning what I need to do inside of it as opposed to OK, we deconstruct and go the individual alright, and build what we need to do, as we like lightly layer scheme and then we push the scheme as we get into really get into the group work in Phase 3 in OTAs.”
(So it’s taking advantage of a period where you don’t have to worry about, like you said, beating an opponent or what your opponent is doing. It’s a time where you can kind of be introspective and say…) – “Exactly. So it’s like, we could block an opponent on cans and air. But as opposed to, we can use the time to get better at maybe something that the season tape showed us that individual would get better at. Or new guys are coming in, these are the things that we’re going to require at the position, or new things we’re looking at from our studying of ourselves or other offenses and defenses in the league, through all that approach. So that’s kind of how we use the time. A little different than other places, but that’s how we feel we can build for each player specifically because we use the time to how we can best get better in it.”
(How would you assess the progress of T Patrick Paul through the offseason program?) – “It’s been like all guys coming out, especially linemen, it’s getting used to our terminology, the different guys you’re playing with. And then also for us, fundamentally, just some differences from college to us here. But overall, he’s working his butt off with Butch (Barry), ‘Lem’ (Lemuel Jeanpierre) and Roman (Sapolu) in the meeting rooms, getting the work in practice, spending extra time developing the camaraderie, especially with the older tackles. So everything so far we’ve seen, it’s not – offensive line play, as always, you’re going to see it’s going to grow and it’s going to be – to the observer, you might see what looks like a good play there or a bad play here. But inside of it is like, we can see the build of the fundamental things that we think are going to be necessary. And he’s done that as through the process where, hey, you learn sometimes as a rookie through negative plays as much as you learn positive plays. So his approach has been awesome so far and really excited to continue this growth now that we’ve seen through spring to when we get back to camp and really build. Especially when you get to get pads on, because that’s really where linemen learn, like you’re hitting a surface that maybe isn’t what reality is going to be when the training camp comes. So it’s like you’re trying to make sure you teach the habits that are necessary when the real surface comes and that’s the pads and stuff like that.”
(When you interview for to be a head coach, what does that do for you? What does that do? I mean, I guess it’s kind of an ego boost and it raises your profile around the league. What does it do for you and what has it done for you?) – “My kids think I’m a lot cooler. (laughter) I don’t know, I think you guys know with me, I just think the whole process through that was very humbling for me, because I just – the years you put in to get right at the precipice of like, wow, your dream and why you get into it. Obviously, that’s why I got into coaching, but it also reminds me, hey, just because you had that opportunity doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed again. So it’s make sure that for me, the reminder of every day to just stick to whatever is necessary today and be as present as I can to help the people that have given me the opportunity to be in this position. But yeah, it was an interesting experience, I learned a lot. And I think it’s helped me be better here for Mike (McDaniel) and Chris (Grier) and just everyone with the program, because when you get challenged to think broader, it helps now when you go back to narrow, kind of being able to maybe see things because you had to think about things. Things that maybe you never would have thought about before you thought about, but you had to really narrow down. So very humbling and I’m very appreciative to all the people here that allowed me to be in this position.”
(Without giving away too much did you go into any interviews with videos and the big notebooks and “here’s what I can do” and that kind of thing?) – “No, the initial process is very structured. So if I gave the whole gauntlet of all the stuff, as you guys know me, that would have been a very long day. So maybe in the future, but it was all a very great process. And just really for me, just excited to (be) here and see what we’re going to do again, because you got to reset the process. Nothing’s guaranteed any day – we’re in the NFL.”
(How much of an advantage, if any, or what’s the impact of having practically everybody on the offensive coaching staff being back, most of the guys for a third season?) – “It helps just with communication, anticipation, like when we’re trying to get things done, just guys more quick to like get more in tune with each other. Especially in-season, that’s where the real growth comes because the of knowing of workflow or problem-solving as we go into it. I just know this spring, we’re able to anticipate certain things more or just knowing that on Wednesday, it’s this structure of the day, so this is coming so we can be in front of certain things. So the stronger the relationship, the longer the relationship, the better communication. And that’s something we hallmark around here is our ability to communicate with each other.”
(When you went back and evaluated the season, great success earlier in the year. It maybe a little tougher to get production late. What was the difference, do you think, in your mind?) – “It isn’t just one thing that we looked at. I mean, ultimately, you take in certain segments of the year, but then you look at the entirety, and for us, it’s just OK, it’s making sure that we’re maximizing each week, because a game in November or December, losing can impact the end of the season. So it’s just making sure that what we’re doing at the end of the season, making sure that we’re setting the foundation now to make sure that we can carry things longer through the season. I wouldn’t say there’s really like one thing, because we did have a lot of success. But I mean, ultimately, for us, it’s just the execution. The last game of the season was tough, obviously going up there in the weather.”
(I was going to ask you if the No. 1 thing you learned is not playing in 30-below weather?) – “That normally helps to be able to play here. (laughter) I think that day we flew to Kansas City it was like 82 here, and when we landed it was like minus-20. I mean when you’re scraping frost off the press box, it isn’t ideal. But ultimately, I think it teaches you how important each week is, because the execution, our overall communication as a group, each week impacts our ability to play here at home and in the playoffs.”
(Power running in those situations. It’s cliché, you’re able to run the ball and it travels. Was that something you saw that hey, maybe this is somewhere we need to get better? There’s a lot of cold cities in the AFC to have to play that power running game.) – “Yeah, with running the football, it does translate into the postseason. But the big thing for us is making sure we maximize each week so if we’re playing in the playoffs we ideally would like to play at home. You’re having 100-degree temperature variants and you’re coming out of your stance frozen. Hence why helmets were cracking and whatever the hell was going on down there.”
(People were losing fingers in the stands actually.) – “Yeah, it was nuts. I’ve never seen Arrowhead that empty in all those years in the division. But ultimately, it’s like, OK, that was last season. What did we learn? What are the areas that we think – and that’s always we start this time of individually, position wise, end of the unit, end of the team. So right now as we went through Phase 1 to Phase 2 individual to position groups down to the unit, now what do we get through the offseason to make sure we tailor for training camp. What areas do we want to really to improve on? So that’s constantly – you’re always looking at your process to how structuring, teaching, evolving. And now with training camp, and the way the timing that happens, making sure it’s very specific to where we feel we want to go for next season.”
(Just one football to go around. How difficult is it to find that balance in making sure that everyone gets their touches? Especially with this upcoming season.) – “Well that’s the fun part of the job on offense is trying to make sure you use all the guys to their best abilities. That’s the fun part of making sure we have options for all guys and different concepts and all that. We’re very conscientious of that, just trying to make sure we have opportunities to get the guys the ball, whether it’s handing it off or jet motions or throwing and running backs getting carries. It’s a fun challenge. All this is one giant puzzle that we’re always solving, and that’s why you get into coaching – to try and make it work.”
(When you look at the possibilities, do you ever foresee this offense having three 1,000-yard receivers or tight ends?) – “I mean the ultimate goal for us is – statistics can be great, but our ultimate goal is to win a championship. And how do we do that? That’s to make sure we have efficiency in what we’re doing and we’re scoring points. However statically that yields, great. But ultimately our job is to make sure we gain yards, score points so we can win the game so we can win a championship. How stats play out is not really like we’re looking at that chasing that. We’re chasing each week is going to be a different challenge on how to win, and that’s really ultimately what we’re trying to do – each week, what is going to be necessary? You lean on guys some weeks and other weeks you’re going to need another ready to go. Especially if people try to take away the passing game, you have to lean on the – it works hand in hand together.”
(Curious what you got out of the Panthers head coach interview job last year? And maybe how you take that going forward in your own career?) – “For specifically that one, that was first conversation and I kind of learned how it went. It was interesting how the process goes and the communication with an organization and your vision towards things. We talked about it before, but ultimately it came back to when you go through all that, what I learned is it really made me appreciative of the program we have here and people we have here, because I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for the guys here or the people I’ve worked with in my past. It just reinforces to me how fortunate I am to be here and why I’m here today – to do the job I need to do today. Yeah, there’s no guarantees it’ll ever come back again. My kids thought it was awesome, and they still talk about it. I’m like, ‘Yeah, it was great, but Dad’s got a job to do today, and that’s to make sure that we’re at our best for whatever is required for the day.’”
(If you guys lead the league in offense again, I bet you’ll get more of those interviews.) – “(laughter) Maybe, if it happens, it happens. It would be awesome. But ultimately the job is to do the job today. I always kind of – a friend of mine owns his own company in Chicago, and we’re talking about just certain things. The best way you can be successful in the future is to make sure you maximize today and you focus on today and the needs of today, then you work it to the best it needs to be done.”
