Clyde Christensen – May 7, 2016
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Saturday, May 7, 2016
Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen
(On whether the offensive line, QB Ryan Tannehill or the running back position is job No. 1 with the offense) – “I think it’s all of the above. It’s teaching a new system. This has been the first week … The last week was the first week we really saw our players. You talk about plays, but you really haven’t seen what anyone can do and what they’re good at. I think it has really been a feeling out period of, ‘What do we have? What can guys do? What are they good at? How does that fit into the system?’ I really think it has been all the above right there. It’s really … Staff-wise, right? (It is about) learning how (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase wants things done, what he likes. What’s he like on third down? What’s he like to run? When’s he going to call the stuff? What are his shots? All those things I think has been really a fun feeling out process. It probably isn’t as focused as (the media) might think it is. It’s really … We’ve been out there in Phase II (of the offseason conditioning program), and I love Phase II, because it’s a skills time. You’re teaching, ‘How do you get out of a curl? How do you teach getting out of a curl route? How do you teach running an out cut? How do you teach running a comeback? What (does) a post like?’ At some places, you head for the near goal post. Some places you head up the near hash (mark). Some places its flat. Some places it’s a steep angle. It has really been more of a skills and discussion and brainstorming type of atmosphere, both with the players and with the coaches.”
(On drafting G/T Laremy Tunsil) – “I was ecstatic. I tried not to watch the (draft). It has always been kind of a work weekend for me. I’ll sit at the desk, but I’ll have it on in the (office) and watch. The further he dropped, I was starting to … I kind of started feeling myself get a little knot in my stomach. I’m going, ‘Don’t get your hopes up. You know better than to do that. Don’t get your hopes up. There (are) five places to go.’ Even when it was one spot away, I’m going, ‘Someone’s trading up. Do not let yourself get your hopes up. You’ve done this before; it’s no fun. You’ll be disappointed.’ When it did happen, I couldn’t believe that it happened. What a great way to start the time here for the whole franchise, for the new staff and the franchise, etc.”
(On why he was excited about drafting G/T Laremy Tunsil) – “He’s such a good player. I don’t think in my wildest dream that I thought we had a chance of him falling that far and us having a chance to get him, especially when we went from (No.) 8 to (No.) 13 early. I didn’t see it as a possibility. I think the other thing is – for us – is to try and build it from the (offensive) line out, to solidify the line to give you some depth and to give you some young offensive lineman was a priority. Now, you start off with arguably the best lineman in the draft – what we thought was the best lineman in the draft. I think for me, personally, that it was, ‘Hey, if we can solidify that and start working out, that’s a great way to build this thing.’”
(On QB Ryan Tannehill) – “I love the way he works. I love the way he’s attacking it. (We are) still way in the getting-to-know-each other process (with) him trying to learn a system. To judge him yet would be unfair, and that’s what I told him. This isn’t an evaluation period as much as it’s a teach(ing) period. Let’s learn how to throw these routes. Let’s learn how the combinations. Let’s learn the progressions. Let’s learn how this thing works. We’re a ton more (adjust) at the line of scrimmage (team) than the average place. Don’t worry about making a team – not in his case – but for these guys … Worry about learning. Just worry about learning, and we’ll teach. The evaluation will come training camp-wise. Training camp, now, you got to be able to apply this stuff. That’ll be the first time I talk to you where I’ll say … But I think he works. He learns. It’s new. He has embraced it. Like everybody else, I think it has been a fun teach. It’s always kind of fun from the ground floor up (for) I think players, coaches, everyone. It’s new. It’s different. For me, it’s a new set of players. Having been in the same place for so long, it’s fun. It’s energizing to me to start from scratch again, if you will. It has really been (about) that more than it has been (about) evaluating. It has been more of a teach mode.”
(On what makes G/T Laremy Tunsil a special player) – “He’s light on (his feet). He’s a good athlete. He’s a good athlete. He has a great disposition for an offensive lineman. He has been very impressive in this camp – how he has attacked the learning. We’ve thrown a bunch at him in this camp. It has been 99.9 percent mental, and he has attacked it. I’ve been impressed with him through the whole process and even with the adversity (and) how he handled it. That could shipwreck you – what he went through for an average, young 20-something year old guy. I’ve been really impressed with how he has handled it, which is a great mentality for an offensive lineman. They just have to keep trucking. There (are) some good pass rushers in this league, and they’re going to get some hits on the quarterback, and you’re going to feel bad and you shake it off and go play the next play. That’s a great characteristic to have for an offensive lineman.”
(On what WR Leonte Carroo and WR Jakeem Grant bring to the table) – “Again, I’d say we haven’t seen them (on the field). We’ll get them out on the field, but I think they’re going to bring some juice. They’re going to bring some versatility. I think anytime … You guys have seen (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase enough to know that he’s aggressive. He likes sticking guys in different positions and giving them different stuff to do and getting into some non-conventional matchups in non-conventional places (where) there’s not a running back on a linebacker coming out of the backfield necessarily. It may be two yards from the sideline out there on a safety doing something. I think this really gives you a couple guys for Coach Gase to brainstorm with. And who knows what he’ll come out of the thing with as you watch these guys. But, I know one thing: you watch his mind tick and I could see it on draft day. He’s going, ‘We could do this and this and this.’ We’re still trying to head for first base here, but that’s how his mind works. It’ll be a fun thing, because they’re versatile guys. They’re really versatile guys.”
(On transitioning from tackle to guard) – “It’s a little bit different. You have a guy on your nose rather … That edge is different. I would say this: you cross train these guys. What’s the difference in blocking a wide three and a wide … You still have to learn how to block wide rushers. You still have to be able to handle an inside charge. You still have to handle some guy trying to run right down the middle of you and knock you into the quarterback. (With) the teaching, there’s a ton of carryover that way. There’s a ton of carryover. Tackle is kind of the easy position, because 90 percent of the time you’re blocking a defensive end. That’s not easy to do, but it’s easier assignment-wise. There’s less going on out there. We would cross train … We cross train as many guys as we can all the time anyway, because of how small these rosters are in the NFL. The more guys you can get trained … Every year you say, ‘Has he ever snapped? Is there any possibility he can snap?’ Because you can’t have enough guys who can snap a football. It’s always hard to get some guys who can slide outside and play tackle. It’s a little easier to find (guys) who can slide inside and play guard. This is going to be probably the most depth at tackle I’ve ever been around that you have four, five guys that have played at a high level (at) left tackle. That’s awesome. The rest will fall into the right spots. You always have trouble (asking), ‘Who’s our backup left tackle? What if we have a catastrophe here?’ You don’t just go open your newspaper and find a left tackle in the classified (ads) right there. (laughter) They’re hard guys to come by. I think that’s part of the excitement during the draft. That’s a hard position, because the percentages say, ‘Hey, there are going to be some weeks and stretches …’ It’s kind of like quarterback (where) it’s hard to find a guy who can come in and win a football game. It’s hard to find a guy who you can throw out there up in New York and play left tackle. It’ll give us some depth there. But the skills are still … We’d cross train them anyway. If you’re only suiting up seven (lineman) for a game, there’s a good chance some guys better know a bunch of positions. It’s not abnormal for us. That would be the rule of thumb, that you’d cross train as many guys as you can. The more positions guys can play, the more likely they are to be dressed on Sunday. It’s really hard for a center who only plays center to get suited. It’s hard to have that guy on the roster, because it’s hard to get him dressed. You can’t react to a problem during a football game. So, this guy (Laremy Tunsil) has a lot of versatility and he keeps telling me he’s a tight end, too. (laughter) We’ll see. We’ll get on the field and see.”
(On finding mismatches in an offense like this) – “Yes, sometimes. Although, I think it makes it easier that (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase does a great job with formations and moving people around; where all of a sudden you look up and you have a linebacker out there two yards from the sideline, well there’s a pretty good chance that it’s man (coverage). That’s a pretty good indicator. So, (there are) a lot of times, moving people to different places reveals what coverages they are (in). It kind of limits what the defense can do. You have to be on your best because of all the pressure. You still have to be able to handle pressure. And the more places you put people, the more people have to understand what’s taking place protection-wise. But it’s a fun problem to have. It’s a fun problem to have. For a coach, it’s hard sometimes (for) you, especially in the no huddle. The no huddle makes it even more important, because you don’t want to sub. In the olden days – when I first came in the league – you had your first and second back and on third (down), in ran a third receiver, out ran the fullback, in ran your receiving tight end. But when you’re no huddle, part of the advantage of this thing is that we want to be able to keep the same bunch on the field. So, they have to be versatile guys. You can’t have a single dimension … It’s harder to have a single-dimension guy, because all of a sudden you don’t want to go into huddle on third down and get a massive substitution. You want to be able to empty out and everyone knows what the concepts are, and you keep rolling with the tempo. It’s really, really accentuated with the no huddle.”
(On Head Coach Adam Gase calling plays) – “I like this situation, and I have been in it quite a bit with (former Indianapolis Colts Offensive Coordinator) Tom Moore. Even at the end of his time there in Indy, there were different roles. I think I told you the first time I spoke to you, that was one of the things that made it attractive. I enjoy that part of it. I enjoy complementing and fitting in a spot and helping tie the thing together, helping set the thing up, if you will. (For) whatever reason, I get a charge out of that. No, it wouldn’t be a new situation for me. I’ve been a positional coach, obviously. I’ve been a coordinator, obviously. But with Tom Moore (I was) a hybrid – if you will – (like) Bruce Arians. (I) remember Bruce and (when Colts Head) Coach (Chuck) Pagano had the cancer, and we were all in … (Chuck Pagano) was in the hospital, and we were all in a hybrid situation. I embrace it. I enjoy that. That’s more fun to me than having the whole thing heaped on your back. It would be, really, a familiar situation for me. There were a lot of years at Indy where it was kind of like that and then even just recently with Coach Arians and with Coach Pagano and the cancer, his bout with cancer.”
