Danny Crossman – September 3, 2019
Download PDF version
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(The change in long snapper – what was the thinking there?) – “(It was) just an organization decision of trying to find something. (It was) a good year to do it (because) there are some good young players out there. We have a good nucleus of guys we thought, so it was just an organizational decision. It was time to move on.”
(Was it a reflection on LS John Denney at all?) – “It has no reflection on anybody. It was a pleasure getting to spend time with John over the last six months as opposed to just before the games. It was just a decision (where) we wanted to go in a different direction, and now all of our focus is on Baltimore.”
(What did you like about LS Taybor Pepper? You spent time with him, right?) – “I did not spend time with him. He’s been around in the league a little bit. He’s been with some people and snaps a nice ball. He’s the guy we’re going with and we’re getting ready for these Ravens.”
(How did all that come together because when I talked to LS Taybor Pepper yesterday, he mentioned he was out at like 6 a.m. and then he had the tryout and it seemed like it all came together really, really quickly.) – “That’s the National Football League. That’s how things work. Until the day before, he was on another team. That’s just how it works.”
(Was the decision to release LS John Denney made before or after the tryout with LS Taybor Pepper?) – “The decision – I’m going to keep that amongst us. You’re always looking – I don’t care what position you have – you’re always looking to add other people because you never know what’s going to happen whether it’s play or whether it’s injury. It was just time for us to move on.”
(We haven’t seen WR Jakeem Grant I think at all in the preseason. Is that…?) – “Correct.”
(So we don’t really know what the season holds for WR Jakeem Grant from a return perspective. Do you anticipate him being your kick and punt returner?) – “We do. We think he’s a dynamic player, and we look forward to big things from him going forward.”
(You mentioned the dynamic aspect of WR Jakeem Grant’s game. What kind of difference could he make to this team?) – “We talk about guys with elite quickness, elite speed and a history of scoring touchdowns. That’s what you’re looking for, and that’s what he brings.”
(What about with K Jason Sanders? What have you seen out of him and the fact that I think it speaks volumes to some degree that you didn’t bring in another kicker.) – “I think when you have young players, you’d like to give them as much work as you can, which goes into it. With both he and Matt (Haack), as young players, there’s not a whole lot on them. You’ve got a couple seasons or one season, in particular, so when you have guys like that, you want to spend as much time and give them as much work as you possibly can. We’re really happy with Jason (Sanders). We had a good camp, and we’re expecting big things from him going forward.”
(All things being equal, I know you could wind up with some horrendous weather day along the way; but all things being equal, what sort of range do you feel good about with K Jason Sanders?) – “That is a weekly thing, and it goes into more than just what we think his range is. It goes into a lot more of who and how we’re playing. There’s a lot of things. We feel he has a strong leg, and he has the ability to hit long field goals. What (distance) that is can change week-to-week.”
(Speaking to a coach, I’ve learned it’s kind of a sacred thing – the relationship between a long snapper, a holder and a kicker. How do you guys kind of create another relationship like that?) – “I’ve been around this game a long time, and those things are constantly changing. They change for different reasons. (They’re) professionals. As long as you have professionals and guys that take care of their business, there are going to be no issues with those transitions.”
(Would you agree with that statement, though? That when you have a group of guys together for a couple years, that it does create some kind of continuity in things?) – “Maybe for several years, but I think this group hasn’t been together that long. You talk about a group that’s together maybe seven or eight years, then maybe it’s a little bit different; but I don’t see that with us.”
(How does LS John Denney’s departure affect things in the special teams game?) – “I think the bigger thing is just John as a person. That’s the biggest thing for me was being able to spend six months with John and (seeing) what a great person he is (instead of) after just spending time with him before games over the last 14 years. In terms of how it’s going to affect us, we’re just going to move on with the guys we have and look to play smart, tough, disciplined football on Sunday.”
(How do P Matt Haack and K Jason Sanders – how do you move forward with those two guys? They seem to have had really good rookie and sophomore years the last couple years.) – “We think they’re both talented players. We think they both – when they perform – give us a chance to win football games, which is what you’re looking for, for every guy on the roster. I think they’re young, they’re talented, and hopefully we can keep growing and keep getting more and more out of them.”
(I think those guys are really good. When they’re good, they’re really good, and I feel like they’re probably two players that you would – K Jason Sanders and P Matt Haack – they’re kind of like safety nets for you or two guys you probably don’t worry about as much because when they’re good, they’re good; but I know they’re young and they still need to perform.) – “Correct. They’re like everything (else). I’ve been happy with working with them for the last six months. We’ve got a long way to go, but we feel they’re both very talented players at the positions they play.”
(DT Vincent Taylor was really good at blocking field goals. That was a knack for him. Who do you guys to kind of just apply pressure up the middle on your field-goal blocking right now?) – “Again, that’s a week-to-week thing of our personnel, their personnel, our schemes, their schemes. There are a lot of different things that go into that. We’ll just build it as we go and move forward.”
(Really, like a week-to-week basis you’re flipping players in and out all the time?) – “It could be.”
(I thought it would be like a goal line unit or something like you’ve got six players that are going to block the line and five behind that…) – “In this league, everything’s constantly changing.”
(How much tape do you watch – not of opponents – but of either innovative special teams plays that you hear of or quality special teams that you know of, whether it’s in the league or whether it’s in college. Do you try to take from everywhere, or is it more just now in this week?) – “I think there’s different times of the year where you’re doing different things. There’s always times of the year where you’re always looking at basically every game that’s played in the league, so you look at every single play that’s been played. You look at a lot of files, and you get stuff drawn from around what’s happening in the college game. So there’s times where you’re always doing it. Right now, our focus is getting our team ready for Baltimore.”
(But in the offseason you might look at some of the great returners?) – “Oh, without question.”
(In the past, too, or just the present?) – “All of it.”
(Just to kind of gain something or impart something…) – “Every coach in this league has files on all kinds of stuff based on what their discipline is.”
(How about trick plays? Do you have files of trick plays?) – “Oh, yeah. Everybody does.”
(And like if you hear of something – like if someone says, “did you see what Fresno State did the other day?” In the offseason, would you put in the day for Fresno State?) – “Oh, absolutely.”
(So is it hard to think of something that hasn’t been already done?) – “If you think you’re the first one to do it, if you would go back, you’re probably wrong.”
(So when you come up with an idea, do you try to look to see if it’s been done before?) – “Not necessarily, no.”
(Do you brainstorm much with yourself trying to come up with ways of doing things on special teams that either hasn’t been or hasn’t been emphasized maybe?) – “I think the bottom line is you’re looking for edges any way you can.”
(What’s your first pro football memory growing up?) – “My first pro football memory – I’ve never even thought of that.”
(Do you remember when you attended your first game?) – “My first NFL game that I ever attended – yeah, I went to training camp with the Washington Redskins, and that was my first NFL game.”
(How old were you?) – “22?”
(Oh, really? So you watched it on TV before that but not in person?) – “Yeah.”
(What led to the snapper decision yesterday where obviously you brought in a player who you signed yesterday?) – “It was an organization decision of making a move. That was it. That was it.”
