Josh Boyer – December 3, 2019
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach Josh Boyer
(I saw you guys inked CB Eric Rowe to the deal, the new deal that he came out with. What did you see first in transitioning him to more of a tight end covering role and also what has he provided for you guys as far as versatility?) – “I think Eric, from the minute that we had him in New England, there was always the versatility. He’s been in the tight end covering role before, very much so match-up based depending on what type of receivers are out there. I think he’s a smart guy. He’s tough. He’s able to tackle. He’s a selfless guy. He’s more than willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. I think those things have been consistent over the years for him. He was a very diligent worker at probably injury prevention because he’s had some injuries over the years. He works very hard at trying to keep him body where it needs to be. I think he’s learning as he goes on that. I think as he’s getting more of a role in the safety world, if that’s what you want to call it I would say there’s a little bit more comfort there. There’s still things that we need to improve and there’s things that he’s doing to really well that we need to build upon. You just really can’t say enough good things about his work ethic, his mentality, his selflessness to the team. There’s a communication element we need to continue to work on, which it’s a little bit different from outside in, from inside out, so there’s a little bit more communication there and I think he’s working at that.”
(Obviously, you guys are still in this year; but can you start to see when you get some of those elements back that have to go on IR what that unit could look like when it’s all pieced together with CB Xavien Howard and maybe S Bobby McCain and CB Eric Rowe?) – “I always think there’s a fine line of – you really deal with what’s in front of you, but you’re not so shortsighted that you (aren’t) able to see in the future. But for the most part, all your effort and energy is what’s in front of you. For us this week, it’s the Jets. I think we’ll get their best shot this week. They got a lot of explosive players. That’s where our mindset is. Again, we try to teach concepts and try to teach it as a holistic approach so guys understand what the guy next to him is doing, so if they have to go a different role, they kind of already have a knowing and understanding. There’s just an element of getting them out there and experiencing it. Teaching it that way I think helps smooth over that thing. I think everything for us is short term and even so much more short term is we go from day to day. Our goal every day has never really changed. It’s be better today than what you were yesterday. Be better tomorrow than what we are today. That’s been consistent from Day 1.”
(I also wanted to ask you about CB Nik Needham. He’s a guy that we saw some of in the preseason and he didn’t look like how he was going to look at this point. What can you say about how you guys have been able to develop him to where he could be a starting corner for you guys and contribute the way he has?) – “I think again, it starts with Nik and his work ethic. We’re fortunate here we’ve got a good group of guys, they come in, they put a good day’s work in. I think the thing no one understands is we’re making some progress; but we’ve got a long ways to go. I think Nik knows and understands that. I think the things that he’s done well he’s built upon. And the things that we’re working hard to improve, he’s working hard to improve. He’s put a lot of time and effort in. He’s gotten opportunities and he’s made the most of those opportunities, so he continues to get opportunities.”
(I know we talked in May about the path that you’ve had with Titans CB Malcolm Butler and some of these other UDFAs. Obviously, CB Nik Needham is a UDFA. It’s probably too early to make any comparisons to that, but when you find those UDFAs and those gems and develop them, what is it about a certain player that you can see early on that, “This guy may have it if we can fine tune some of these other things?”) – “I think when you’re watching film, the first thing that pops out to you is play style. Does the guy play with relentless effort? Is there a skillset there? Is he able to make plays? I think regardless of where you’re at or what school you’re at or what system you’re in, I think if you play with a great play style – which to me incorporates your effort, your ability to tackle, your ability to make plays and be around the ball – I think when that all shows up, there’s something to work and develop with. And then to mention guys that you’ve mentioned like Malcolm, Nik and the thing when they get here is it’s a work ethic thing that carries over that allows them to further develop their skills. I think that’s kind of what you look for. The rest of it is really up to the player, putting in work on and off the field of knowing and understanding the game of football – the NFL game, because it’s so different and foreign from the college game – and then working hard to develop techniques that we’re asking them to do. I think over the years we’ve had a number of guys that have fit in that role – the John Jones’, the J.C. Jacksons. It’s a long list. And we have a long way to go with Nik and he knows that and we’re going to keep working hard. Again, it all goes back to what are trying to do is we’re trying to get better today than what we were yesterday.”
(Building off of that, because I’m looking at your defense and especially the secondary and it seems very specific. You guys sometimes are changing in three, five guys and it seems like the roles are very specific. You were saying once you’ve identified stuff on film, play style and all that, go a step further. Once they’re in here, how do you go about identifying what this guy does well and fitting him in a package?) – “I think it goes back for all of our defensive players – not exclusive to the secondary – I think what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to put them in position to succeed. You identify what the opposing offense is doing and how they’re trying to attack you and you’re identifying what your players do well and you try to marry those things up and then you try to put guys in specific roles that they can succeed within the defense as a whole to limit offensive production. That’s really what we try to do.”
(Because your system seems more than maybe some others in the league very team – the scheme. And the parts are – I don’t want to say interchangeable, I don’t want to devalue a player like that – but as opposed to this is the skillset that we have, here’s our scheme, let’s find what this guy can do. Is that correct?) – “I would say, again, we try to identify what our guys do well. We try to identify the things that opposing offenses do well. We try to identify ways that we believe that they’re going to attack us and we try to limit that to the best of our ability utilizing our player’s strengths. It may be different week to week.”
(Really you guys have had a lot of personnel changes. Obviously, no S Reshad Jones and no S Minkah Fitzpatrick and no CB Xavien Howard, no S Bobby McCain now. You’re plugging in guys who haven’t been here a lot of them the whole season since training camp and it’s still working. Is that because the sum is bigger than the individual parts?) – “I think that’s football in general. That’s one thing that I love about the game of football. When you sign up to be a football coach or a football player, you’re signing up to be a part of something that’s greater than yourself, which is kind of counterintuitive to today’s culture where it’s usually put yourself first and somebody else later. That’s why I love football. I think we ask the guys to do the same thing. I think we try to teach it from a holistic approach that we teach concepts and guys understand concepts. When a new guy comes in, we teach the specific things that they need to know right away and then we try to build on that as they continue to be here.”
(Looking ahead to the draft and free agents, the qualities that you want in your corners are what?) – “I would say the first thing that you’re going to look for in guys is there a selfless guy that put the team first. I think the other things that you look for is – to play defense in this league, you’ve got to be a good tackler. That’s something that we put a big emphasis on. And then obviously there’s skill – skills that are specific to your positon. Like if you’re a defensive lineman, you better be able to rush the passer and stop the run. If you’re a DB, you better be able to cover or play the ball in the air. All of those things. But I think it goes back to the characteristics and the fundamentals of the things that you look for, for guys. And we’re very fortunate. We got a good group of guys here that put the team first and work hard.”
(I wanted to ask you on a couple of the cornerbacks. With CB Ken Webster, what skills has he shown you that leave you guys intrigued about what you might have there?) – “I think it starts with his tackling. I think he’s a good tackler. He has the ability be heavy-handed at the line of scrimmage. He’s also got a good coverage skillset. He’s like a lot of our young guys: we’re just asking them to improve on a daily basis. Our goals really haven’t changed from the start of the season. It’s be better today than what you were yesterday and then be better tomorrow than what we were today. We’ve got a good group of guys that work hard and they’ve put in their time and they work hard at trying to understand what we’re doing schematically. At the same time, they’re working to try to improve their skillset too as well.”
(I know obviously you aren’t going to evaluate what you have with these players until January, February, March; but have you seen enough of CB Jomal Wiltz to think we have something here? We have an NFL rotation piece in our defensive backfield. Or is it too soon to say that?) – “Again, I’d say one thing as a position coach, you’re very shortsighted. It goes back to thinking of things in terms of days. How can we be a better group today? And then really as far as we look would be this week’s opponent, which is the Jets. They have a number of explosive players. There’s some games this year that they’ve been able to put up quite a bit of points and move the ball offensively very well. There’s things that – that’s where our focus is. The long-term focus of what this guy will be or what that guy will be…”
(Yeah that comes later on. With CB Jomal Wiltz, things he’s done that have pleased you and how he’s played?) – “I think first, his effort. He plays with great effort. He’s been a solid tackler for us in the run game. He’s been able to communicate and move to multiple positions for us defensively, which has been a real value for us, especially having interchangeable parts going in and out of the defense and him understanding the defense form a conceptual standpoint has really benefitted us.”
