Marion Hobby – August 15, 2020
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Saturday, August 15, 2020
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(Before free agency when Head Coach Brian Flores and maybe General Manager Chris Grier asked you about DE Shaq Lawson, from your background with him, why did you feel like he would be an asset here? What specifically do you like about his game that will help this team? And I wanted to ask you about DT Raekwon Davis as well in the draft process – what intrigued you about him?) – “Starting off with Shaq Lawson, you kind of have a good history with him and you kind of know where he’s from, what he’s about. We were looking for those smart, tough players that love football and team-first attitudes, and he fits it. It’s something that he’s been a leader all his career, even in college going into the pros with his energy level, and I thought he would be a really good fit for us.”
(I wanted to ask you a follow-up to the previous question on DT Raekwon Davis and also DE Emmanuel Ogbah. What do they bring to this defense do you hope?) – “Watching football on Raekwon Davis, even when he was young player at Alabama, and seeing him mature each year coming in and getting a chance to visit with him at the Combine, I thought he did a great job in the interview. Raekwon is different athletically, but he’s really a more conscientious football player. Football is important to him. His family is important to him and just getting to know those things about him after visiting with him at the Combine, it just gave us a good encouragement about that guy. Ogbah, he’s just been a pleasure to work with. Just visiting with him early, I didn’t know him beforehand; but just evaluating him off tape, asking other coaches about him, his work ethic, his smarts and all that, he’s proven to be exactly what they said. He’s very conscientious. He likes the game. He’s got a good football IQ. He’s smart. Man, he’ll work.”
(DT Christian Wilkins is heading into Year 2. How have you seen him kind of grow a little bit in the first year since he’s joined the team and what are your hopes for him in Year 2?) – “It’s funny when you watch Christian. At the end of the year, I thought he probably was in his better shape and it started showing up on the field because he started making those plays that we want him to make. I think he’s come in this year in better shape. He’s ahead of his – and that’s tough because we didn’t get OTAs, we didn’t get minicamp; but somewhere, this man went and really worked his butt off to keep his weight down. He really looks good out there. We want to see him step up a little bit more as a leader. Last year he came on at the end, stepped up a little more as a leader. It’s his second year in the scheme and knowing what’s expected of him, I’m looking for great things from him.”
(At the very end of April, we were able to catch up with Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban on QB Tua Tagovailoa and DT Raekwon Davis, and I got a quote here about Raekwon. He says, “he’s trying to get his ability to match his production.” What’s the best way to do that? What’s your plan?) – “I think he’s got to take accountability for that as well. That probably was the thing that I’m more shocked at with him being here and being around in the film room – that he has taken (accountability) – because I heard that statement and I’m going, ‘does he not take it serious?’ I didn’t get that impression from him from the Combine, and then (having) been working with him, I think he’s a little bit more conscientious about what he does, his game and getting better. But showing them on tape, where he can be better, holding him accountable to play at a high level. He’s in a meeting room where those guys are going to push him as well, on and off the field, to do the right things. It’s going to take some work, but he’s headed in the right direction.”
(You guys didn’t have much sack production last year. I know a lot of things played a factor in that, but what is the plan in terms of playing better as a unit to get pressure on quarterbacks?) – “I think you hit it perfect – playing as a unit. One guy gets a great rush and the other guy is not in the right position. This guy gets a great rush and it seems where we didn’t really play together. When you usually have four-man rushes, everybody has a rush lane, everybody has a responsibility. I think if we can improve there, where everybody is counting on the man next to them to do his job and produce, I think that really can be – if one of the things we can do is play together, it’s big time.”
(I’d like to ask you a little bit more about your comments on DT Christian Wilkins a moment ago. As you were speaking I couldn’t help but think at least if I’m reading it right it may be there was a level of professionalism that improved as things went along. What can you tell us about that? Was that something you think came form within? Something the coaches stressed? And how much can that help him in this season coming up?) – “I think it’s a little bit of both. If anybody knows anything about Christian Wlikins, he loves football. He’s a football guy and with critiquing him, showing him where he could be better – sometimes that, as a coach, can be critique or that can be coming down on him; but I think it has a lot to do with him – him wanting to do well and get better as a player. That’s where it starts. They’ve got to be self-motivators and then as coaches, we just continue to build on what they bring to the table. I think he matured as he went on. I think he had a lot of things going on early. He’s going to try do them all in the community, he’s going to try to do them all any way he can. (laughter) I just think he had a lot on his plate early. I talked with him about it and he said, ‘yeah, Coach, I had a lot going on, but I’m settling into my role.’”
