Darren Rizzi – December 21, 2016
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Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(You obviously made the case for S Michael Thomas for Pro Bowl. Was he named as an alternate at all?) — “I don’t know that yet, actually. I haven’t seen the alternates. It’s unfortunate. Certainly, the guy that made it is a great player, but I certainly think Mike was deserving. Statistically, it would certainly tell you that, but I think more than the statistics, just what he does. I’ve said that multiple times. I’m disappointed for him more than anything, not me. (I am) disappointed for him, because I thought he was certainly worthy. I’ll see when the alternates come out if he’s even close, but I’m sure he’s somewhere in the mix, because he certainly has, I think, garnered the attention from the players and the coaches throughout the league. We’ll see what happens. It is what it is. I think Matt Slater is a guy that, again, is deserving; but I think it’s a little bit one of those situations where it’s like the baseball All-Star Game every year. Some of those guys that are name guys, recognition guys, are just going to get the votes. Again, not that Matt Slater is not deserving – don’t get me wrong – but sometimes, again, he’s the guy that has been the perennial guy, so I think sometimes when guys are looking at it, he’s going to get the vote.”
(How has S Walt Aikens grown in terms of the impact that he’s able make throughout his career?) – “Walt has really, in the last three years, made a marked improvement, I think, from his rookie season from a guy that was really just a raw talent to a guy that now really understands the ins and outs of special teams play. I think sometimes you come in and you think it is talent alone that’s going to get you where you need to get to. I think there are a lot of times those guys get humbled a little bit. I think Walt has been … He has kind of ridden the wave of the roller coaster a little bit. He has had some highs and lows, but I think right now – this last month of football that he has played – he has played his best football that he has played. He had a little bit of a lull there in the middle of the season where he wanted to play better than he was playing, but I think he gets kind of stuck with his plan – his weekly plan – in preparing himself. But you see what an impact he can make when he’s on top of his game and really in all phases. You mentioned last week about the punting down inside the 5, blocking a punt, kick coverage, kickoff return blocking, field goal block stuff. The thing about Walt is there are many different things he can do. He’s really a weapon out there. I think what you’re starting to see – and I’ve mentioned this before – is teams are starting to take note of where he lines up for us. So, we continue to keep him moving around, keep teams off balance. There’s only so much you can do. But I’m really, really proud of Walt. Again, here’s a guy that has come a long way. He’s a student of the game. I walk into the special teams meeting every day (and) where is Walt sitting? Right next to Mike Thomas. He knows where to sit. The good thing is watching those guys in the meetings. Those guys are always talking about things. They’re always communicating with each other, and they’re learning from each other. Listen, Mike will probably be the first guy to tell you he has learned from Walt as well. It’s a comforting feeling when I walk in and see those guys on the edge of their seats sitting next to each other ready to go. Hopefully, he continues to play at a high level, and like I said, I’m really happy for him, really proud of him.”
(S Walt Aikens got the block and the score. A special teams coach that I was around – Bill Stewart – he taught guys to fall on the ball, don’t try to scoop it up and score. What’s your train of thought on that when a guy is out in the open that way?) – “It’s a great question, because we actually teach our guys in different areas of the field. I think there are times when you want to scoop and score and times where you don’t. General rule of thumb: if we block a kick that’s behind the line of scrimmage, we’re rolling, we’re going, scoop and score. It’s fourth down anyway in most situations. There could be some end-of-the-game stuff where it’s not, but fourth down, behind the line of scrimmage, we want to go. If we block when it goes over the line, most of the time it’s going to be we’re in either a ‘poison’ or a ‘peter’ call, get away. Now, I will say this, there’s an added dimension of this extra point. It has added a new dimension to it because the play is going to be over. If we block it and it goes over the line on a PAT, now you’re seeing teams that are going to go scoop and score where on a field goal block, you’re going to let it go. It’s two totally different plays, because you run it back for 2 (points). That has been a new dimension that we’ve had to coach up these last couple of years. If we block a field goal (and) it goes over 10 yards over the line, we don’t want to return it. If you block a PAT (and it) goes 10 yards over the line, you’re going to find most coaches want to return. The risk-reward there is you get 2 points. There are some fine lines there. And then I’ve had many, many instances in my coaching career where you block one, and it’s hovering around. Is it over the line? Is it not over the line? In the heat of the battle it’s not really easy to tell, so what we tell our guys if there’s any indecision at all, we’re going to scoop and score. How many times have we all seen the ball on the ground, the guy goes in there to get it, and he misses it? I think Walt did a great job. We say, ‘Be quick, don’t hurry.’ It’s a John Wooden-ism, if you will. Be quick, don’t hurry. Surround the ball. Knuckles on the ground. He executed it exactly the way we work on. We do those things in OTAs and training camp where we actually have scoop drills and things like that. It’s a rarity to see a guy block it, scoop it and then score. It was a great play, great individual effort.”
(You’ve been here through four or five head coaches now and some lean times. Now that you’re here at 9-5, controlling your own destiny, do you look back at some of the sacrifices you and others have made to this point?) – “Every season is a new … As a football coach, every season is a new chapter. You turn the page. I’ve been fortunate to be here now eight seasons. I think the one thing about this particular season – and Coach Gase mentioned to the team yesterday – it was kind of a different vibe around the building I think. We really have a fantastic chemistry right now with the coaching staff and the players. I think there’s a really positive energy going around. I think even when we were 1-4, the thing that I was most impressed with – in my 24 years of coaching between college and the NFL – is that guys came in here every day with a great attitude. You wouldn’t have known in this building that we were 1-4. I think that goes back to (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase, and I think he has really developed a great attitude around here with the work ethic, the one-week-at-a-time philosophy. Our guys have really bought into that. At 1-4 where maybe the rest of the country thought the wheels were coming off the wagon here, he circled the wagons – if you will – and said, ‘We’re not going to go off of our mentality, because we’re 1-4. We’re going to stick with the same exact things we’ve doing every week,’ and it has paid off. I think the guys have really bought in. He’s an excellent communicator with the players. They feel like they can talk to him about absolutely anything. Again, I don’t want to really compare it to years in the past, but I think the sacrifices our guys have made this year is there was a complete buy in from the day that Adam walked in the door. I think there was a belief when he got the job with the coaching staff. I think there was a belief with the players. He’s a very energetic, positive person, and I think that has trickled its way through the locker room. It has been nice to see. It really has been.”
(Can you think of a player that has subjugated his role or took less money to get to this point, at least in special teams?) – “I’m kind of thinking through the whole roster, but even a guy like Cam (Wake) who just made the Pro Bowl, right? At the beginning of the season, Cam Wake took on a different role and has really done whatever we’ve asked him to do. If a guy like Cam Wake is doing it and the other guys see it … Here’s a guy that’s 34 years old, was injured last year, has been in Pro Bowls and all of a sudden, he’s back playing at a high level. If the rest of the building … If the rookies are coming in and they’re seeing a guy like that not afraid to maybe take a lesser role or do a different job, that really, to me, helps the entire football team. I think he’s a great example. It’s just the one that pops into my head right now; but really anything we’ve asked anybody to do here, there hasn’t been any kickback or anything like that. No one is really trying to buck the system. I think there has been a complete buy in and credit to (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) on that.”
(When S Walt Aikens talking about the block itself, he said one of the things that was in his head was you always teaching them, ‘Don’t expect that you’re going to get blocked. Don’t expect that everyone on the other team is going to actually do their job.’ Why do you stress that? Does it become kind of just a going-through-the-motions situation?) – “First of all, I’m proud of Walt for saying that. He’s right. In my years of experience, what I’ve seen is when you dial up a punt block or a rush, a lot of times you may game plan a particular person that you think might come free, and they protect it completely different. Listen, in the NFL, you have two seconds to get 10 yards. If you’re going to block a punt, the average snap to kick time is two seconds. No. 1: You can’t have any wasted steps. You have to have a great get off, off the ball. So, it’s very hard to block a punt. That’s why you don’t see a lot of them. My point on that is we don’t know how they’re going to protect it, so if you’re part of the rush, in your mind, you have to have the mentality that, ‘I’m the guy that’s going to come free every single time.’ If they don’t, what I’ve seen is a lot of times a guy comes off the ball a little bit slow and then he’s surprised that he’s not blocked and then he tries to accelerate, and it’s too late. That’s why a lot of times you see those just misses where the whole crowd goes, ‘Ohhh,’ and the guy just misses the block. How many times have we seen that? Hundreds of times. Usually in those situations, the guy comes off the ball, and he’s a little bit surprised that he didn’t get blocked but then he tries to accelerate, and you don’t have enough time. You have two seconds. From that snap to that … Your alignment to that block point, you have to be really exact in your technique, and I think that’s what Walt was saying. That’s something we try to drum home with the players: if you’re part of the rush you don’t have much time to get there. That’s really where he’s coming from with that.”
(What went into the LB Trevor Reilly for LB Zach Vigil swap?) – “Obviously, I’m not the personnel guy. I can talk about Trevor Reilly a little bit. Trevor Reilly played against (us). It’s funny, him and I were talking today that he has actually played now for every AFC East head coach. He’s an AFC East guy. He was with the Jets with Rex (Ryan) and Todd Bowles. He was, obviously, up in New England and now here. Playing against him, I can tell you this, we were pretty impressed with him. I was impressed with him as a special teams player last year. He played very well against us. I know he was cut at the end of training camp. I think he had an injury. We brought him in maybe a couple of months ago, tried to see where he was at workout-wise. (He) wasn’t 100 percent healthy, yet. I think it was a situation where we felt like he could help us (and) help the cause here down the stretch. Again, I’m not the decision-maker on who he comes in for, but Trevor Reilly, in particular, I think can help us on special teams, because he has played well, particularly in this division.”
(LB Trevor Reilly will probably play this week on special teams?) – “We’re trying to get him ready. Again, we’ll see what the decision is at the end of the day, but just like every guy – I’ve said that before – (we are) trying to get him ready to go. The good thing for us is he has played multiple spots, and he’s a very intelligent player. Meeting with him here the last couple of days, he has got a high football IQ, so that certainly will help him. (He is a) big, physical guy. (He) hasn’t played in any games since last year. Obviously, he was in training camp with the Jets and the practice squad with the Patriots, so I certainly know he has been well coached. Like I said, playing against him I’ve always been impressed by him being on the other side, so I’m glad he’s in our uniform.”
