Darren Rizzi – December 8, 2017
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Friday, December 8, 2017
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(Can you assess the performance of your two new kickers this year?) – “Sure. I guess I’ll start with Cody (Parkey). Obviously, after training camp, we felt like just looking through the NFL that there was a chance to make an upgrade. We really kept a close eye on Cody, really since he’s been in the NFL. He’s really been what we expected and I expected. He’s a consistent guy. He’s got a great approach. He has really a professional approach. He’s a very good self-evaluator and a lot of times, it might sound simple; but as a kicker, that’s a big thing, being able to self-correct a lot of times. He’s got a great demeanor. He never gets too high, never gets too low. He’s been consistent since he got into the league and hopefully that continues; but I’ve had a pleasure working with him. He’s been really good, not only in the field goal area; but also on the kickoff area. We ask him to do a bunch of different things between deep kicks, short kicks, onside kicks. Whatever it is, we’ve asked him to do. I think he’s performed very well in that regard. So he’s been a great welcome addition. Matt Haack, so far through this year, I think everybody saw or has seen, at points, that his talent level is very, very high. He’s got a really, really good skill set. You saw last week his ability to pin the opponent was really big in that particular game. I think he had seven punts inside the 20. Really the one that he didn’t, he actually hit a great ball, it just carried on him into the end zone. I think he’s been maybe a little bit disappointed with some consistency stuff; but again, to me, any rookie at any position is going to have some peaks and valleys. I’m very, very pleased with his overall performance. I think he’s second or third right now in the AFC in punts inside the 20, or whatever it is. The sky’s the limit for him. He’s really just scratching the surface, in my opinion. He’s a young punter with a lot of ability. Again, being a lefty and all of those things, I know everyone’s talked about that; but really, he’s just a really good punter. Forget about lefty and righty. (I’m) really excited about his future. Both of those guys have been really welcome additions. It’s been great. Obviously, having John (Denney), the veteran there to work with these guys, and I know they’re different positions, but just the everyday mentality and approach, there’s not a better professional in the building than John Denney, and I’ve said that many times. For those guys to be able to work with him on a daily basis has been huge, as well. Cody kind of had that already; but for Matt, I think it’s a great thing to come in and have two guys that are really, with the approach and mentality that those two guys have, that’s really helped Matt out in his rookie season. It’s really laid a really solid foundation for him. The bottom line is I’m really pleased with where both of those guys are.”
(Do you have any great, deep stats or info on K Cody Parkey, like something that will just blow our minds about how awesome he is?) – “(laughter) Like I said, he really has just done really well in all of the areas. I know a lot of people will point to the three missed extra points and I get it. One was a little bit of a field thing and the ground. One was the last play of the game in the Jets game, and I’m not making excuses for him; but he’s been really consistent in all of the other ways. There’s not one stat I’m going to throw at you. I really like his every day approach. He knows exactly what he does. He has a routine. From the minute he walked in the door, he had a routine. ‘This is what I’m going to do and this is how we’re going to handle it.’ He’s really done that every step of the way, so I don’t have one stat on the top of my mind to blow you out of the water; but I know since he’s been in the league, he’s been a guy that’s made field goals, and hopefully that continues.”
(You’ve coached WR Jarvis Landry his entire career. How would you describe his importance to this team and then to your group?) – “Overall team, I think since the moment Jarvis got in here and started playing in games, everybody saw what he brings to the team in terms of he’s an electric guy. He’s an unbelievable competitor. No matter where I’ve coached – college and the NFL – this is my 25th season and I don’t know if I can say I’ve had a more competitive guy than Jarvis on game day. He brings a lot of energy to the team, to the sideline, he’s very into the game. That’s really contagious and when he first got here, he was a guy that obviously could wear a lot of different hats. He was a punt and kick returner. We know what he can do as a wide receiver; but even when he got here, he was covering kickoffs. Most people forget about that. He’s a guy that really has done a lot of things. He’s a guy that wants the ball and there’s something to be said for that. He’s a guy that doesn’t like getting the ball, he wants the ball. I think there’s a fine line between the two. He’s got an extremely high football IQ, understands the game, loves sitting in my special teams meetings and watching situations and things like that. He’ll talk about it during the game. Last week is a good example, we had two safeties. How often do you get two kickoff returns after safeties? We haven’t had one in forever and then we get two in one game. Then, all of the sudden, they’re kicking off from the 50. Those are all situations we cover every week and you can hear him on the sideline, immediately, talking the coaching points and regurgitating what we’ve been saying. We go over those every week, because you never know when they’re going to come up. So his football IQ is maybe something that gets overlooked. I think he’s got a really good knack and understanding of the game, so those are really the things I think he brings to the table the most.”
(DE Terrence Fede blocks the punt. I think he came close on another one. He had the one a couple of years ago. What does it take to block punts? What kind of skill set does that take?) – “Believe it or not, some guys have a knack for it and Terrence is one of those guys. It’s something that we actually work on a ton in OTAs and training camp, the actual skill of blocking a punt. I think it maybe sounds easier said than done. Number one, Terrence has tremendous effort. He’s really another guy, though 12 games, who’s been very, very productive for us in special teams in every area, not just the blocked kicks and the blocked punts. His effort has been great, but he’s also been on punt coverage, he’s been on kickoff coverage, he’s been on kick return. He’s been really, at some point during the season, he’s been on all six units: punt, punt return, kick, kick return, field goal, field goal block. That’s an impressive thing to say about a defensive lineman. As far as the blocked kicks go, he gives great effort, he’s a tough guy to block, he’s a bigger body, he’s a good rusher, he’s a good athlete for his size, so all of those things; and when you get to the block spot, a lot of the times, those guys get back there and you see guys using terrible technique, swatting at the ball and hands apart and things like that. He executes what we’re looking for. That’s just Terrence. Terrence is a guy that comes here every day, does exactly what we’re asking him to do, unbelievable work ethic and that’s been him since he walked in the door, so it doesn’t surprise me that he’s having success.”
(You mentioned the importance that LS John Denney plays with your kickers, but can you give specifics on what he does?) – “Yes. Not only is John a great role model for the specialists, John’s a great role model for the team and really overall. What he does, I just think he sets an unbelievable example on what it is to be a pro, no matter the position. There’s not many long snappers in the league you could probably say – if you look at the 32 of them – that are going to be a role model. Because of his work ethic, and I could talk about him off the field as well – he’s a great father, he’s a great husband, he’s a great community guy – and that carries over. He’s a great leader by example. Apparently he’s a great violinist, as well. (laughter) I was actually joking around the other day, John’s one of those guys that whatever he decides to put his mind to, he does well. He’s one of those guys that’s always right here. He never gets too upset, never gets too down, which is a great mentality for his position; but I think a lot of other guys see that. He’s always in here working on his nutrition, working on his health, working on his body, working on the sports science stuff, so that’s why I think the longevity for him. He’s in great shape for a guy his age. So he’s just really a great guy to have around, not only for Cody (Parkey) and for Matt (Haack), but really for everybody. He doesn’t say a lot, and when does speak he’s like that old E.F. Hutton commercial. When he talks, people listen, because when does talk the things he’s saying are very (influential). He’s only been up in front of the team, maybe I can count on one hand in all of the time I’ve been here; but every time he speaks in front of the team, everybody gets something out of it. Again, he’s a guy that really has more importance in this building than people would understand.
(What actually is the upgrade with K Cody Parkey, when you talked about changing kickers? You felt like there was an upgrade to be made. What is the upgrade that you have made, specifically?) – “I just thought we needed more consistency at the position. Andrew Franks was a very talented kicker. I thought we were just inconsistent there the last couple of years. (Franks) made some big kicks and all of that. What Cody has done in his career is just the same thing over and over again. It’s not what you see, it’s what you get, more or less. It really is just that consistency thing. That’s where I thought we could make an upgrade, overall, in everything that we do: our kickoffs, our high kicks, short kicks, field goals, PAT’s, onsides kicks, whatever it is. I just thought it was a better overall upgrade across the board.”
