Darren Rizzi – November 2, 2017
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi
(What happens to RB Kenyan Drake as a kickoff returner now that his backfield duties will be increased?) – “Great question. Obviously, that’s something we’ve been going through all week with all three running backs – with Drake, Damien (Williams) and Senorise (Perry) – kind of their their role, whether to increase or decrease with offense and special teams. We’re still working through some of it, to be honest with you. We’re talking through what their role is going to be for the game. There is still going to be some involvement with all three of those guys in special teams. Whether or not it’s going to be in the return game or in the coverage game and all of that, that’s where we’re still trying to fix the pieces of the puzzle and come up with the best possible answer. Obviously Drake and Damien, specifically, their roles on offense are going to increase, so they may have a little bit of a lesser role special teams-wise; but again, the exact phases and all of that, we’re still trying to work through that. They’re still getting work on everything. We’re just trying to figure out what the best solution is here by the end of the week.”
(With S Michael Thomas now needing to scale down his special teams role, how do you fix that issue where you’re taking three core special teamers – Thomas, RBs Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams – and minimizing their use on the unit?) – “It’s a definite challenge. One of the things we talked about earlier in the year was how one of my biggest jobs is to make sure everybody’s ready to play. As I said to our team in a meeting the other day, I said, ‘Listen, at some point we knew that other guys were going to have to step up and play. It’s no different than the next man up philosophy on offense or defense.’ It’s really the same for special teams, so those younger players – and we’re still trying to figure out who the actives are going to be – but some of those younger DBs have to step up. We know the names: ‘Mo’ (Maurice) Smith’s been active for a couple of games and Torry (McTyer) or Jordan Lucas, or obviously Rashawn Scott’s getting a look this week as well, and we’re trying to figure out what the best duo is going to be there – or the best combination of people that is going to be at the end. There’s no doubt it affects us. Those guys are all very good core (special) teamers. They’ve been very good core (special) teamers for years. Mike’s still going to have a role, just like Damien and Kenyan will still have a role on special teams. It’s not going to be as great, but he’ll still be out there for some of the phases.”
(What makes DT Vincent Taylor so good at blocking kicks?) – “First of all, the number one thing is approach – his mentality. He goes out there with the mentality … He says to me on the sideline, ‘Coach, I’m going to get this one.’ I think he says it to me every time; but it’s just that approach and mentality. The second thing is he does a great job of studying the opponent and looking for weaknesses, whether it be a linemen or the kicker or the exit angle of the ball. So it’s not a surprise to me. Watching him on college tape, that’s one of the thing that really came up. I know it was mentioned here before, he just has a knack, and some guys put themselves in good position. He’s gotten his hand on two so far this year. I think he’s only gotten credit for one; but I think we’re working with the league on that one. He actually got his hand on one in the first Jets game, as well. I just don’t think he statistically got credit for it. He actually got his hand on it, so he’s gotten his hand on two this year, and I can’t tell you how many times he’s come inches away from getting others. Really, it’s just a tremendous effort by him. But really that whole group – Jordan Phillips, Terrence Fede, (Davon) Godchaux, Will Hayes – all of those guys really have given a really good effort there, and we’ve come close to a bunch of others. Even the edge guys as well – whether it was Walt (Aikens) or Bobby McCain. But back to Vincent, really the approach and the film study. Then obviously for a big guy, he’s got great athleticism, he’s got long arms, he’s got big hands and all of that obviously – the physical tools – his God-gifted ability, that obviously plays a part too.”
(Your emergency place kicker is DT Ndamukong Suh?) – “It is.”
(What’s the routine there? How much time does he spend on it? Is there an audition for that job? Tell me about it.) – “During training camp, we try to find the guys that have at least had some experience with that before. We get them a few kicks in camp and then here during a regular season week – it depends whether it’s a regular week, like last week was a short week – in a regular week, we’ll just try to get him a couple. We’re not going to overdo it, but he has done it before.”
(A couple of kicks?) – “Yes, not many. There’s not many at all. There’s weeks that he doesn’t get any, to be honest with you. There’s weeks that he gets some; but all of those emergency players – whether it’s a holder, the snapper, the returners, the punters – all of that, we’ve got to make sure that (they’re ready). Cody’s (Parkey) the backup punter, Mike Hull’s our backup snapper”.
(So why DT Ndamukong Suh as backup kicker?) – “People would initially say, why not the punter? A lot of times … Matt Haack was a position player in high school, so he wasn’t like a soccer player that became a kicker type of guy. He was more of a quarterback and receiver. Matt Darr was the same thing when he was here. He wasn’t really a good kicker, so Suh has had the most experience at it. Really, I know you look at him size-wise and say, ‘That’s your backup kicker?’ But he’s really just our best option.”
(What’s his range?) – “(laughter) If you ask him or if you ask me? (laughter) The sky’s the limit for him. He doesn’t lack confidence at all in anything. He’ll tell you he can kick one from far away, but usually we practice him in the 35 to 45 range.”
(Head Coach Adam Gase this week said that non-personnel changes would happen, in terms of doing different things in practice, teaching differently. What have been the most tangible changes you’ve seen the last couple of days?) – “I think what Adam’s done this week is (he’s) just put an emphasis back on fundamentals. I think that he thought we got away from that a little bit. Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, and really getting back to some of that stuff. It’s really, when you look at it, our errors on film in all three phases, there’s nothing that’s not correctible, which is obviously a good thing; but we have to do the basic things, the fundamental things, much, much better. I know Adam’s talked about that as well, but really that’s in all three phases. We’ve really come close, special teams-wise to making some huge plays. It could be one guy away. It’s one of those things, if one guy’s wrong, everyone’s wrong. It’s one wrong, all wrong and that’s what we talk about one-eleventh. A lot of times on special teams, that’s what that is. It’s that accountability thing, whether it’s getting lined up right, having the right split, hand placement. So really going back to basics, having more of a beginner’s mentality. Everyone got a few days off here, and I think that’s certainly helped the mind and the body. Really, we came back this week with more of a beginner’s mentality, a training camp type of approach, and I think that’s really what Adam was referring to.
(What other position guys, either currently or in recent history, have you seen that could do okay at kicking?) – “At kicking?”
(Yes, I’m back stuck on that.) – “Yes, you’re going back to (Ndamukong) Suh? Wes Welker was a guy that had to kick. Doug Flutie, back in the day, had to kick. I know obviously (Jeff) Heath, the (safety) for the Dallas Cowboys, their kicker got hurt a couple of weeks ago against the 49ers, he kicked a bunch of PATs and kickoffs. Those are the first guys that come to mind.”
(Who else do you have here that’s okay at it?) – “Here? Not that many. (laughter) It’s not a laundry list, I can tell you that. Kicking and punting, back when I played, was more of it was always like the best athlete was going to do it. Now the kicking world has become so much more specific in the last 15 to 20 years, where now you have these kicking high school camps and these combines. It’s really become a lot more specific, where back in the day when I played in high school, it was like, ‘Alright, Joey’s the best athlete, let’s have Joey do it. He’s the best punter.’ Now it’s become so much more specific, the kicking and punting. That’s why the days of Danny White playing quarterback and punting, those days are long over. I remember watching him growing up. That’s really the reason. You don’t have a lot of position players that do it anymore.”
(Who thought he was really good, but wasn’t?) – “(laughter) I think everybody thinks they’re good. Jordan Phillips thinks he’s good at everything. He thinks he can go back there and be a punt returner. I’ve got to fend him off of everything.”
(That’d be a sight.) – “Yes, that would be a sight for sure. (Phillips has) done it. MarQueis Gray’s a guy that’s a do-it-all. He’s played quarterback, he’s played a bunch of different things, so he’s a guy; but all of these guys think they’re good.”
(Do you have any guys that kick straight on anymore? Anybody ever do that?) – “Me. (laughter) I’ve seen it. I’ve actually seen it before and I’ve talk to guys before that say, ‘Hey Coach, I was actually a straight-on kicker.’ They used to be able to have the straight-edge shoe and all of that. My college kicker kicked straight on. That’s not that long ago – the early 90s, not that bad.”
(After Cowboys K Dan Bailey got hurt in the game, did you say something to DT Ndamukong Suh or did he say something to you asking for more kicks, reminding each other that maybe he should do a couple a week, as you said he does?) – “Yes, it’s always a great reminder. Obviously I watched that game and got the chance to watch him kick a little bit. It’s always a great reminder. I remember last year the Eagles had their snapper get hurt. They had two snappers get hurt in one game. Their snapper got hurt, then their backup snapper got hurt. They were down to their third guy, so it’s always a great reminder to a coach when you watch a game like that. ‘We’ve got to make sure that we’re on point here,’ because it is something that can get lost in the middle of the season. So we make sure, myself and (Assistant Special Teams Coach Marwan Maalouf), every week at the end of the week, we’re always repping our backup snapper, repping our backup holder, getting our guys some work in case something comes up. It’s definitely an eye-opener for sure, because there’s only 46 guys dressed. There’s not that many guys that can do it.”
(Raiders P Marquette King is obviously a really good punter, but he’s a demonstrative guy, we’ll say. Do the antics get under your skin or your guys’ skin a little more because he’s a punter and o you have to tell your guys to ignore him?) – “I’ve got to be honest with you, I haven’t been that focused on it. Obviously, I’ve watched him over the years, and he’s a tremendous punter. I’ll start with that. Not only that, but he’s also an excellent athlete as well. You’ve got to watch him in the fake game. He takes off with the ball and he can run with the ball. He makes tackles in the open field, so he’s a little bit unlike most punters in that sense, where some of those guys are not the best athletes in the world. He brings a little bit more of an athleticism to the position, because you’ve seen it on film. You’ve seen him take off with the ball; you’ve seen him make tackles. He’s certainly an emotional guy. I saw him get a 15-yarder this year. He took off and ran a fake and got tackled before the stick and ended up throwing the ball at the guy and got a 15-yarder. When someone like that comes up, I always remind our guys just focus on ourselves and not to get caught up. That doesn’t matter if it’s a punter, linebacker or DB, whoever it is. Keep the focus on us and let’s stay away from the antics.”
(We talk about emergency situations for all kinds of positions. Given that, how do you look at LS John Denney and his longevity coming up on a milestone here? It seems like he’s an ironman here.) – “Yes, I could talk about John Denney for a long time, both as a player and a person. I have the utmost respect for him and it really is incredible what he’s done. First of all, I know he’s coming up on his 200th game, and as far as I know, only Jason Taylor and Dan Marino have played that many games for the Dolphins. Right there, he’s in elite company. I know it’s a totally different positon, and I get that; but you look at that position and it’s a skillset that you have to have. John does a phenomenal job of keeping in outstanding shape. This is not a knock on the rest of the long snappers in the league, but some of those guys aren’t in the best condition in the world. Some of those guys only do that particular skill. I’ve joked about this before, but I think John takes about 10 days or two weeks after the season, but then I think he’s here as much as I am because he’s constantly working on his body, working on nutrition. Although he’s getting up there in years a little bit, I think his body’s a lot younger and he’s in a lot better shape than a lot of guys younger than him. I think a lot of the times we go out there and condition in the summer and I think a lot of the younger players are surprised at how well conditioned he is. That’s the first thing. The second thing is he’s got a great mentality and a great temperament for his position, and I think that’s also allowed him to stay in the league this long. Lastly, his skill set. He’s still a very, very good player at his position. If you lined up the 32 snappers in the league, he’s still, in my opinion, he‘s still in the top third of the league at what he does. He’s an excellent blocker and a very good snapper and he’s still athletic enough to cover. All of those factors have played into the fact that he’s played this long. Kudos to him. He’s just a phenomenal person, a really great leader, a great guy to have in our locker room. Again, all of the superlatives. I can’t say enough positive about him. He’s a phenomenal person”
(So when a player at a position starts to decline, you can tell. The quarterback is throwing more interceptions or can’t move, the wide receiver is slower. What happens to a long snapper when he starts to decline?) – “That’s a really good question and it’s something we look at every year. The first thing is the velocity on the snaps is probably the first thing that starts to go. The accuracy of the snaps is the second thing that starts to go. So you start to lose some velocity and then your accuracy starts to struggle, as well. The third thing, and probably the most overlooked thing is the blocking ability. In college, long snappers, 95 percent of them, don’t block because the rules are different. Most of them snap and start running down the field, because they don’t have to block, because the rules are completely different. So it’s really hard to find young snappers that block well. John is, if not the best blocking long snapper that I’ve ever coached, he’s certainly up there in the top couple, and maybe over his career, one of the best blocking long snappers that has played in this league over a long period of time. That part, because he’s kept himself in phenomenal shape, has not really struggled much either. Is he half a step slower, yes. We’re all going to be half a step slower as we get older; but he’s still in really good shape. He still covers better than most long snappers. That’s the final thing that you see that starts to decline. You see a lot of guys really struggling in coverage, not being able to get down the field. This guy’s out here running more than some of our DBs at times and keeps himself in great shape, so he’s still able to cover the field. For long snappers – again, I’m not comparing him to gunners, I’m comparing him just to the long snapper pool – he’s still up there in the top half of the league in terms of coverage ability, too. Those are all things that you look at in a long snapper and John has kept his game up to par in all of those areas. Again, I go back to the way he keeps himself in such great physical shape, and those things haven’t declined.”
