Mike Tannenbaum and Chris Grier – April 29, 2017
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Saturday, April 29, 2017
Executive Vice President of Football Operations Mike Tannenbaum
General Manager Chris Grier
Mike Tannenbaum:
(What do you feel that you overall accomplished in this draft outside of adding football players?) – “Generally, just competition and depth. That was kind of our plan. I think (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and the personnel guys really did a good job, just going back to as early as late January, early February, trying to anticipate the strengths and the weaknesses of the draft. Obviously you never know how things are going to go, but some of the things we did up until the draft signings-wise was kind of in contemplation of how things could go (this weekend). I feel like from an offseason process standpoint, things are headed in the right direction. I think we have more competition, certainly at the interior defensive line position and obviously a couple of other spots. So overall, I think we added depth, competition and we’ll go from there.”
Chris Grier:
(For you guys, which pick kind of surprised you the most that he was there when you were on the clock?) – “I’d say probably Charles Harris. He’s a guy we targeted and we really liked. As soon as we made the pick, Mike (Tannenbaum) and I were getting texts from coaches, scouts and players and people were saying we got a really good player. So, probably him.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(The folks out there projecting and assessing this group, some may not necessarily see a starter in the first game of this season. I assume you all are okay with that and are taking the big view. Can you just talk about that?) – “I completely agree. Again, we were trying to put the best team together we could heading into the draft, so we could operate from a position of strength and, within reason, I think we did that. So if Charles Harris plays one play or 50 against Tampa Bay (in Week 1), that will all sort itself out. (It’s the) same thing with Raekwon (McMillan) and you go down the line with the rest of them. I do feel it takes about three years to evaluate the draft overall; but I think we got good players, good people. They’re smart. They’re tough. I think they’re really good culture fits for what Chris (Grier), (Head Coach) Adam (Gase), (Owner) Steve Ross and myself believe in, and what you need to put a winner together. So from that standpoint, I think they’re the types of guys, as people, that we’re really excited about.”
(G Isaac Asiata, are you expecting him to compete for a starting job or be a starter as a rookie?) – “I think the expectation is they all come in and compete for it. You’ve heard that here. (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) and the coaching staff do a great job of preaching that: everything’s competition. And you guys saw that last year when Rashawn (Scott) did a great job and got called up at the end for the playoffs. Again, it’s an open competition, so the best players will start and they’ll play.”
(What was it that you saw from G Isaac Asiata that made you say that he can be a good fit for this team?) – “We spent some time with him. He was a 30-visit guy for us. He’s very smart with a passion and a love for football. His life story, he’s had some adversity in his life that he’s overcome, so you’re kind of drawn to those guys. He’s really made himself into a man and how he handles his life. On the field, he’s a nasty prick, and that’s what you like about him. He’s a tough, physical, nasty mauler. We just wanted to add more of that to us.”
(Regarding DT Davon Godchaux, the player you took in the fifth round, there was a very serious allegation against him last fall. What did your investigation of his background and his character and that incident tell you about him?) – “Yes, again, it’s a very serious allegation. It’s something that we spent a lot of time with. (Director of Team Security) Drew Brooks and (Team Security Emeritus) Stu Weinstein did a great job of background information. The incident happened with him and his girlfriend. They were both arrested and then two days later the charges were dropped and he was reinstated to the team. Once everything … We got the facts, interviewed the kid, talked to people in Baton Rouge about it and we felt comfortable with the result and with the information we got from the background.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Could you talk about, between free agency and the draft, the mix of talent on the front seven? You drafted a linebacker and re-did them a little, and then the defensive tackles as you mentioned earlier and DE Charles Harris. What do you see now with that group?) – “I think if you just go back after we lost to Pittsburgh, we were sitting here with Cameron Wake under contract. I think we were fortunate to trade for William Hayes, who’s going to be a player that I think we’re going to be really happy with, both against the run and the pass, and his versatility. And then we were able to re-sign Andre Branch, and he did a nice job for us last year. I thought the coaches really were able to develop him and he took the next step. Then adding Charles Harris and Lawrence Timmons and being able to extend Kiko Alonso and drafting Raekwon (McMillan). So I think the front seven, we were able to solidify some players that we wanted back, in particular Branch, adding Hayes and some young guys in Harris and McMillan. We really feel like that was an area we wanted to address and I think we certainly did that.”
Chris Grier:
(You guys brought in a whole slew of safeties for 30-visits and end up taking none of them. Is there any one that you were close to getting and they came off the board before you picked? Was there any near misses there?) – “No. For us, it was how the board fell. We had the opportunity to take the players we liked and a little bit of what (a reporter) was talking about (earlier), we are always looking to add and upgrade the speed, the size and the athletic ability on the defensive side, so we felt that at that point, it wasn’t anything that we planned not to take any. It’s just the way the board fell.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
“And sometimes with the 30-visits, it’s a way for us to eliminate a player as well. Just because they’re in the building doesn’t mean … Sometimes that’s just going to solidify a position or a concern that we have. Sometimes it’s a positive, sometimes it’s ‘Hey, this isn’t going to be a good fit,’ and we’re going to move on. Sometimes we bring a guy in, we think he may be a free agent and we want to start recruiting him. Sometimes these 30-visits serve more than one purpose.”
Chris Grier:
(Ideally, how would the five defensive players, that the team added today, have a long-term impact on the success of the defensive unit?) – “We hope it will be long term. It’s up to them now to prove that we were right. From all the research that we’ve done, in terms of the coaching staff and the personnel staff … Raekwon (McMillan) is that quarterback on the defense. It’s been that way his whole life. The expectation is that he’ll prove that he can handle that here at this level. Then adding depth on the d-line. Like we talked about with Charles Harris, you can never have enough d-linemen in this league, especially rushers. For us, it’s adding depth and hopefully these guys all become starters for us.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(How would you describe Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke’s reaction to this weekend?) – “He became a permanent member of the personnel department. (Laughter) I think we saw on TV that we were the last team to take an offensive player. I think Matt sees that as the start of something, not an aberration. (Laughter)”
Chris Grier:
(With the defensive tackles, what was it you saw from them individually that made you decide that they were a great fit for your defensive line?) – “With (Davon) Godchaux, he’s a physical run defender. When you see how he looks, he’s a big square body. He’s tough. He’s played in those wars in the SEC, the Alabama game, those 9-6 games, the Wisconsin game. This guy is a physical, tough guy, that enjoys getting dirty, getting in there and being physical. With him, those were some of the traits we liked about him. Then with Vincent (Taylor), for a big guy, he’s had production. He’s been a pass rusher there. (He had 6.5) sacks last year, 13 tackles for loss. (He’s) a bigger body guy that can be a one-gap penetrator and create a little havoc in the backfield at times. Those are things, when you’re at the point in the draft, (if) you can get guys with size and production for a couple of years, they are interesting prospects. We are happy to get them.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Going back to the offense for a second, you almost made it through the entire draft without adding to your skill players on offense. Is that a statement on the guys you have and how comfortable you are? Or are you a little bit nervous in the fact that you didn’t add to the skill players?) – “We added Julius Thomas and we were able to re-sign Kenny Stills. So again, we look at it as more of what we have done in the offseason and what you do in free agency sometimes complements what you do in the draft. We were able to add Isaiah Ford in the seventh round; but again, we are taking more of a longer view of the whole offseason.”
(Kind of piggybacking off of that, is RB Damien Williams signed yet or is he still unsigned?) – “So we have his rights. He hasn’t signed his tender. He is a restricted free agent and our tender is still out there.”
(Is there a reason that this has not gotten done?) – “You would have to ask him.”
(Is it frustrating that it is not done, I guess?) – “I mean, for us, we worry about the players that are here. And again, just to keep it in context, we are in the voluntary part of the offseason program. We are thrilled with the people that are here, the players that are getting coached. When Damien (Williams) comes, that is obviously something you would have to ask him.”
(You said to ask you after the draft, and it is after the draft, if T Ja’Wuan James would get the fifth-year exercise. Do you know?) – “We are close to getting that finalized. I know we have a little bit more time and you guys will have nothing to write about for Monday (laughter); so we will just keep that suspenseful for a couple of more days. But (Head Coach) Adam (Gase), Chris and I have talked about that. We are pretty close here. We just want to get through the weekend. We are in the midst of finalizing 14 free agent signings upstairs, so there is a lot of paperwork going on as we speak.”
Chris Grier:
(Head Coach Adam Gase had said at the Combine that the draft itself, making picks, is actually really easy because of all the work you do leading up to, and it is really just determined for you once you get to those picks. With the way you described it the last couple of days it sounded like those picks – your first two-day picks – were very straightforward. Was the draft, overall, just a very smooth, and straightforward and almost easy process for you this year?) – “Yes, it was. It is funny that (Owner) Mr. (Stephen) Ross was laughing. He gets anxious sometimes. ‘If you like him, go get him! Go get him!’ For us, it is. The players fell off the way we had them on the board. There were some players there that we were surprised were still there at that point in the draft. For us, we really just went right down the board and so for us, it was fairly easy. (Head Coach) Adam (Gase) would come in and out, and he would be texting Mike, ‘How many picks are we away? Alright.’ He would come back in and then he would come in five picks earlier, then we make our decision and go.”
Chris Grier:
(You found a very good receiver in WR Isaiah Ford. What was it in particular that you guys liked about his game?) – “First of all, he’s been productive for a couple of years there. If you watch Virginia Tech, he was a player that was always kind of the go-to guy. It was always the plan to stop him. (We) like he’s a very good route runner. He’s a very smart kid when you talk to him, so he really understands leverages, coverages, running routes, finding the open spots in zones. So (we had) the opportunity to add a good player that late in the draft. We were surprised he was still there. I know again, he fell, because probably people said how he should have run faster; but at the end of the day, we just like to draft football players. It worked out with Jarvis (Landry). We’ll see if it works out with him.”
Mike Tannenbaum:
(Was Owner Stephen Ross okay with you taking an Ohio State guy in LB Raekwon McMillan?) – “Just like he is with a Michigan State head coach (laughter).”
(How much better do you guys believe the team is in run defense then at the end of the season, based on all of the guys you added?) – “For me, you start where you start. We have a new defensive coordinator and the whole team is going to be a little bit different, and hopefully we’re making progress. How we quantify that, we’ll see at the end of the 2017 season. We’re encouraged by some of the pieces we’ve added. Again, I think the thing that we’re really proud of is they’re really culture fits. They’re smart. They’re tough. They’re competitive. Most of them came from big schools and good programs. So that’s the part we’re really excited about. How much better we are? We’ll see. We’re 0-0 but we’re excited about where we’re heading.”
