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Brennan Scarlett – September 9, 2021 Download PDF version

Thursday, September 9, 2021

LB Brennan Scarlett

(Academically, how do you compare Notre Dame to Stanford and Cal?) – “It’s funny you asked that. There is actually an article that came out recently in Forbes that said Cal is actually the No. 1 school in the country and I think Stanford was somewhere around 4th. I didn’t see Notre Dame in that top 5, so I don’t know. (laughter)”

(One thing that Head Coach Brian Flores and Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer are known for is creative blitz packages and doing things to keep the opponent off guard. Without giving away anything obviously, how much of that have you witnessed this week in the first regular season game prep from them?) – “Something that I’ve been really impressed with since I’ve gotten here, and gotten to see how Josh and ‘Flo’ (Brian Flores) go about their business in install defenses. They really do a great job of having a large attention to detail. There is very minimal gray area, which as a player, we all appreciate. It’s this if you see that, or that if you see this. When it’s given to you that way, it’s much easier to go out there and play fast with all of the different looks. I’ve been really impressed and excited to go out there on Sunday and get to it.”

(Why do you not like the gray area?) – “Sometimes it’s easier to coach things than it is when you’re out there on the field. If you’re in a position and you see some formation or you get some sort of motion or missile, and it really hasn’t been cleaned up in your mind, then at that time and in that moment, that’s that pause that’s the difference between making a play and not. That’s what gray area in my mind. As players and definitely personally, I don’t like that. They’ve done a good job of cleaning that up and minimize that gray area.”

(Edge players everywhere have a lot of responsibilities in terms of setting the edge against the run, some in coverage. I know LB Jaelan Phillips is going through learning all of that. Does this system, as best as you can tell, maximize edge players in terms of having to know a lot of different things and you don’t know if you’ll be coming rushing on a play, dropping into coverage? Is that fun for you? Does it maximize edge guys?) – “Yeah, I think in this system it gives the edge guys a lot of responsibility as far as being in coverage, setting the edge, rushing and needing to know the whole defense and different spots. That’s something that I appreciate, and it does maximize our edge talent. We’ve got talented guys in the room – Jaelan and ’Gink’ (Andrew Van Ginkel) and Shaq (Shaquem Griffin). We all appreciate the responsibility that’s placed on us, and understand how important our role is.”

(You had a good start in Houston, but what do you feel like is your calling card as a player in this league? Or what do you hope to be your calling card as a player?) – “For me, it’s embracing my role, whatever that is on the team. I take pride in whatever that role is – whether that’s being on the edge, rushing inside, being on special teams, dropping into coverage. Whatever it is, for me it’s taking pride in that role, in that responsibility, and doing it to the best of my ability.”

(What have you or what would you say to LB Jaelan Phillips to kind of help him out as it relates to the transition from the college game to the pro game?) – “We talk about it every day as a team – just taking it one day at a time. As you’re going into a practice, into a play, into a rep or whatever it is, focus on that one rep. If you had a bad one in the past or a bad play the last play, forget about that and let’s move on to the next one and clean it up as we go. That’s the biggest thing coming into this league is being able to clean up your mistakes; but at the same time, stay in the presence of mind, taking every play as they come and being able to focus on every rep.”

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