Rob Leonard – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Linebackers Coach Rob Leonard
(Talk about your linebackers – specifically LB Raekwon McMillan. He’s gotten off to a good start this season. Pro Football Focus just rated him as like the best linebacker through four games with his stats. What have you seen, especially because he had to come off an injury during training camp? Is he ahead of schedule, I guess?) – “He missed some time during training camp and the offseason. He’s earned the playing time that he’s played in recent weeks. It’s really been nice to see him show up, in all honesty – playing physical, doing the things that he does well naturally. Hopefully he continues to do those things.”
(How is he handling his role in the huddle? I know last year, he was the one wearing the headset. It’s LB Jerome Baker this year.) – “Yeah, ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker) has kind of been head up on wearing the headset right now. I know everybody’s always – for whatever reason – everybody’s caught up in the headset. (laughter) But yeah, he’s been great. He’s been consistent. He’s been consistent emotionally and physically when he’s been available, and not hurt and that’s led to him having more playing time.”
(How much of a help is that to have in essence, two quarterbacks in the huddle?) – “It’s extremely helpful, especially two guys that know each other from the past from college and are kind of like-minded in that sense. They’re always bouncing ideas off each other and different techniques and how they see things. That’s kind of my goal as a coach, is to train these guys that they could all be in that position – the center of the defense, be the leader if needed – and not put the pressure on one guy. Them knowing each other and that room starting to come together, that only helps with that.”
(Where is your confidence level right now with that group as a whole and that room as a whole because you’ve moved some pieces around and DE Charles Harris jumping in there a little bit and LB Sam Eguavoen…?) – “The confidence level with my group is – I don’t care what anybody thinks – is actually really high because we’re going in the right direction. The guys are starting to see where we’re headed, and that’s honestly my job as a coach. It’s to paint the picture of the facts. Regardless of what people say, this is where we’re at. These are the things that need to be fixed for us to get to where we want to go, so kind of take the emotion out of it – why are we where we’re at? What do we need to fix? They can see that, which helps them take steps in practice and preparation and doing the right things to where we need them to be.”
(Sunday seemed like a positive step in the right direction, especially against the run game. I know you guys shut down their run game.) – “That was obviously encouraging, considering how we started the season. The thing is with the run game, you can be good for 10 plays and then they split you one for 60 (yards) and all of a sudden, everybody says you can’t stop the run. It’s true. It goes back to the consistency of it, and that starts with a lot of basic things: alignment, communication and then once you get to the point of attack, making the tackle. Just harping on those things over and over. I tell those guys it’s like training like a boxer. You need to do the things you don’t want to think about game day so you can play mindlessly. (For example) block destruction – you can’t be thinking about how to play a block come game day. You just have to do it over and over and over again, so training those habits and then the consistency comes.”
(How would you rate the performance as a unit in pass coverage, especially with the tight ends? That was an issue with defenses here in past years.) – “I don’t know how things were really done in the past. If I’m being honest, I really don’t kind of look at like that, so I can’t really give you an answer in terms of how we’re covering the tight ends. If there’s an issue, it’ll be addressed but for whatever reason, it hasn’t really – We talk about that every week: who’s best for the tight end whether it be a linebacker, safety, d-end. Whatever the matchup may be.”
(Is it kind of week-to-week based on the opponent? Obviously, some teams don’t have as strong a pass-catcher tight end…) – “Of course. It’s a conversation every week. What do we look like matched up with this tight end? How do we put our guys in the best spot in to match up against that? I don’t want to say it has or hasn’t been an issue. I can’t really give you an answer because it hasn’t been talked about – at least for this game.”
(The progress that LB Sam Eguavoen has made since joining the team. He had success in the CFL. What do you like most out of what he brings to your unit?) – “His energy. His passion. His physicality. We need to get back to the fundamentals with him. He missed a few tackles here this past game. We’re working on very basic things, so he can go play fast and do the things that he has shown that he can do. Really, starting with the tackling, we’ll clean that up and we’ll be just fine. He keeps progressing in the right way – learning the defense, all those things. It’ll be just fine.”
(DE Charles Harris and his transition in those two roles – d-line to what he’s doing for you at outside linebacker – what has he shown you?) – “In all honesty, ‘Hobbs’ (Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby) still spends the most time with him. We all – as you can kind of tell – cross-train everybody. If he has a question about a drop, then maybe he’ll ask me but he spends the most time with Coach Hobby, so I’d probably refer to him if you’re asking about Charles.”
(With LB Jerome Baker, there’s no question about effort with him and the skillset is there. If you look at metric sites, he’s rated pretty low among linebackers. He said he needs to play better. What hasn’t happened yet with him? Have you been puzzled at all that it hasn’t translated to the type of impact plays that he would like to make?) – “Is that what you’re asking about – impact plays? Or metrics? I’m not sure…”
(In terms of impact on the game – sacks, interceptions, pass breakups, pressures.) – “So big plays?”
(Big plays.) – “Those will come if the consistency comes every play. If you’re around the ball, play-in and play-out, the big plays will come. With ‘Bake’ (Jerome Baker), that’s all we’re looking at. I look at the basic things – footwork, eyes, hand placement – which lead, in turn, to big plays. If you didn’t get home on a blitz, ‘why didn’t we get home on a blitz? Were you late? Why are we late?’ You can’t go chasing after big plays. They happen from the detail you put into each play getting closer to the football. And that’s my job: it’s to get him closer to the football to make those big plays.”
(How has LB Jerome Baker played in your mind because you would know better than metric sites?) – “’Bake’ (Jerome Baker) is playing well. I have to – which game are we talking about? We’ve got to continue to develop the consistency with ‘Bake.’ He’s doing great as a leader. Right now, I think he’s learning how to – as a captain of the football team – to deal with the adversity we’re faced with right now. My job is to paint a picture of the facts of what we need to fix, regardless of what everybody else is saying. ‘This is what we need to get done. Okay, why isn’t it getting done?’ And cutting into the detail of that; not just saying we’re not making big (plays) or a bunch of blanket, general statements. ‘We’re not making big enough plays.’ What does that even mean? Why aren’t we getting there? Why aren’t we getting this done? That’s kind of the key.”
(What have you liked about how LB Raekwon McMillan has done?) – “I’ve liked Raekwon’s consistency both emotionally and physically. It’s not his fault, but he didn’t have the (playing) time in training camp and the spring which led – the way we play here, you’re going to earn your playing time. He’s come in, he’s been consistent and earned more playing time. He made a few plays this week. There are still definitely some things he’s got to clean up and hopefully that’ll lead to more. I’ve been encouraged with obviously the progress he made this week.”
(I think one thing that stood out with LB Raekwon McMillan is you guys are putting him in maybe a better position to do what he does well than in years past. Was that something you identified? ‘These are five or six things that he’s really good at. Let’s start there and maybe build on that.’) – “I think we are – in all honesty, I think he can do a lot of things. I think he’s shown that. I’m not sure (about) years past, in all honesty; but Raekwon has done a great job of embracing whatever role we’ve asked him to do. Regardless of what anybody thinks of the position we’ve asked him to be in, he’s excelled at it which has led to more roles. That’s kind of the objective of what we want to do. Somebody asked earlier, ‘do you want him (to be) the center of the defense?’ I want everybody to be able to play the center of the defense if needed – not just ‘Bake,’ not Sam (Eguavoen), not Raekwon. He’s been the most consistent. He’s embraced every role and that’s kind of where he’s been for us.”
(Where is LB Raekwon McMillan from a coverage standpoint right now in the development?) – “He’s doing great. Whatever we’ve asked him to do from a coverage standpoint, he’s been excellent at it. He really has.”
(Is it just the injury that set LB Raekwon McMillan back in terms of the evaluation?) – “Yeah, in terms of at least my evaluation. The guys that are here are going to play. The guys that are practicing are going to play. With him just coming Week 1 off injury, I’m not just going to stick him in there. You’re going to earn your playing time. That goes week-to-week. That’s kind of how we’ve been with that.”
(How would you assess LB Sam Eguavoen’s development so far this season and his progression?) – “Good. In my mind, that whole room is trending in the direction that I want to see at least as far as from a leadership role, from an execution standpoint. We’re definitely not where we want to be, but my job is to paint a picture of where we need to go, what we need to get done and they can see that. They’re believing in that and moving in the right direction, so I’m encouraged with where Sam (Eguaoven) is and with that whole room in all honesty.”
(LB Vince Biegel is obviously a guy that we don’t know real well, but we see him flash from time to time. What are his strengths?) – “His strengths are his motor and his physicality. You don’t have to say anything to Vince (Biegel) to get him going so I can coach that. I can tame you down. I can’t tame you up. He lights a fire to the whole defense. Now we’ve just got to get that motor pointed in the right direction and I think he can help us. I like Vince a lot.”
(Has LB Vince Biegel always been an edge player going back to Wisconsin days?) – “I believe he played opposite T.J. Watt most of his college career. I’m not sure where he’s been between now and then. I remember evaluating him coming out; but yeah, I guess primarily. Again, I’m going to push his skillset to the test like we do with everybody.”
(Do you have a good example of when you’ve had to kind of channel that a little bit with LB Vince Biegel?) – “Sure. (laughter) Scout team. Don’t kill the quarterback. (laughter)”
(I saw LB Vince Biegel at kickoff. He had an energy level that was a little bit high…) – “Oh, yeah. He’s great. Guys like that are fun to be around, and they bring a lot of energy to the room so it makes it fun to coach. There’s never a dull moment.”
Tony Oden – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Safeties Coach Tony Oden
(S Steven Parker, how he’s played.) – “He’s doing well. He’s adjusting, getting used to our verbiage, our techniques, our calls and working with the other guys. He’s doing well.”
(What’s a skill there with S Steven Parker that you guys like?) – “He’s tall, he’s long, has good range, is a good communicator – which is good – and he’s smart. If you put those things together, you’ve got a chance to have some success.”
(We’re at the quarter-mile pole of the season here. From the safeties standpoint, obviously there’s been some shuffling. You lost one. How would you see that progress has been from the opener to this past Sunday in that group as they’ve settled in?) – “It’s been steady. I would say steadily ascending, trending in the right direction. Guys are getting used to playing with each other. Obviously, we had some guys in and out there, but these last few weeks guys are starting to gel a little bit and getting used to communicating and talking to each other. That’s one of the bigger components of putting new pieces together, just learning to play and communicate, knowing the calls, knowing what the other guys’ strengths and weaknesses are and how to help them when they need help in plays within the series. The guys, they’re working hard to together. They work hard in the meeting room. They work hard at practice. So, that part is trending in the right direction, for sure.”
(Your two most experienced guys back there are obviously S Bobby McCain and S Reshad Jones. You’ve got a guy like S Walt Aikens who’s been around mostly on special teams, but now he’s getting in there and CB Chris Lammons. To get that chemistry going again after going through a whole training camp, what has that challenge been like for you?) – “From Day 1, we try to coach and teach all those guys like they are the starter. That’s the thing a lot of people don’t see, because they may not play together on Sundays all the time; but in practice, we’re always rotating guys in, so guys are learning how to work with and communicate with different people. Now, they may work more with a particular group or particular person, but it’s not totally foreign to them when that opportunity presents itself. We try to facilitate that, start that from Day 1. It has been an interesting challenge, but guys have done a good job of getting ready for it and preparing for it. It’s been good though.”
(Specifically when it comes to S Reshad Jones, obviously he’s coming back from injury, got back in the game on Sunday. He’s known as one of the top level in-the-box safeties. What does he need to do to make it more well-rounded as a safety in pass coverage?) – “I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s one of the top box safeties; I would say he’s one of the top safeties. Reshad does what he’s asked to do. He’s been a good pro. We just have some strengths in other areas that people are asked to do different things and play different roles, but he can do it all. He’s done a good job preparing and studying what his role is for that particular week. We don’t know what our role is going to be from week to week until we look at the game plan and see the matchups that we like. Sometimes he may be back in the middle of the field playing the post, sometimes he may be playing the half. Last week he covered the tight end, he covered the back. There are just so many different moving parts and that’s been a challenge; but that’s a good thing as well, because week to week things are going to change. It keeps everyone focused, it keeps everyone fresh, because they know they have to come in and say, ‘Okay, what are we doing this week?’ That’s an exciting part about it.”
(Obviously the opposing quarterback, that’s going to play a big role. I know S Reshad Jones talked about on Sunday being disciplined on QB Philip Rivers when he thought he was going to run on one play. Whether it’s a quarterback like Rivers or QB Lamar Jackson, it’s a real threat to run. That’s got to be tough, ‘When do I decide to come?’) – “It’s always a fine line. Sometimes as quarterbacks, they run the ball and you’re not real sure where the line of scrimmage is and those kinds of things. That was an unfortunate play. He wishes he would’ve stayed on his coverage a little bit longer, maybe one or two more steps and then it would’ve been perfect. That’s part of the game. It’s an imperfect game played by imperfect players and coached by imperfect coaches, but that’s why you learn. You live and learn from those scenarios and situations. If it happened again, I would bet that outcome would be a little bit different.”
(What’s the most important thing on your agenda to accomplish during this bye week now as you head into the second quarter?) – “The first thing for me is rest. (laughter) Let’s start with that. We want to obviously rest our players and heal them up. We want to look at ourselves and see what we’ve done well, what we need to improve on, evaluate all our positions and if we ask people to do the right thing, put them in the right place to utilize, to accent their skillset based off what we need in our defense. You get a jump start on Washington; but this week is us, who are we and what are we doing and how we can focus on getting back to our technique and fundamentals and those things because at the end of the day, no matter who we face next week, it’s still about us and what we’re doing. Now is an opportunity for us to refine that and get back on track to who we are.”
George Godsey – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Tight Ends Coach George Godsey
(We’ve seen certainly some progress from your group. Who’s been the best of the three, as far as who’s graded out the best, who’s been the most consistent of the three?) – “They each have different roles, so I like the improvement that they’re all making honestly. Some, more in a blocking role, some helping in protection. That’s kind of been most of the phases that we’ve been involved in. There have been sometimes where we’ve been open on some routes that maybe we need to be in on protection and then there’s been some times where we’ve been the point of attack with the route where maybe we’re not open. It’s kind of a little bit of a mixed bag there.”
(Has one stood out above the other two?) –“No. I think how I answered it is really where I want that headed.”
(With TE Durham Smythe he’s obviously had the most snaps of your group over the last two weeks. Should we read from that, that he’s doing things that you like?) – “Well, Durham’s got a little bit of a blind of size where he can help us on normal downs and a little bit of some other things from a pass protection and a route standpoint that we like. The more he’s out there, the more he’s doing the right thing. He’s kind of heading in the right direction. He’s still a young player. Both he and Mike (Gesicki) and even Chandler (Cox) to a degree. They are all young players and they are growing every day. There is always something that comes up where I look at it through my eyes and I keep reminding myself they are in their second year and in Chandler’s case, his first year.”
(I want to hear your thoughts on TE Mike Gesicki and you mentioned guys getting open. How well do you think he’s been doing at getting open?) – “It’s something that I talk to him about every day, that in the role he’s at which is mainly as a pass receiving tight end, when you go in the game, most people know that that’s what you’re about to do. So every route that he runs, it has to be the top of his technique, the top of his route stem, everything has to be on point. As a younger players, he’s growing in that area. Like I said, sometimes he’s open and maybe the ball is directed somewhere else and other times when we’re at the point of attack, maybe it’s not. I still see a lot of improvement from him. I think I see a ton from last year. There are a lot of circumstances that go into the passing game. It all starts with protection and quarterback reads and getting open. Not only getting open, but getting at the right depth so the routes are being able to be read correctly form the quarterbacks. There is a lot that goes into it. When you’re a young player like Mike is, I’m expecting that to continue to grow and improve.”
(TE Mike Gesicki hasn’t caught a volume of balls, he hasn’t done everything in the red zone that folks picked him, coach hoped. What do you tell him about volume and about what that means or doesn’t mean, and the mindset he needs to have?) – “You earn that in practice. I’d argue that there is a lot of improvement that we need to make in the passing game. From Mike’s perspective, if the ball is thrown at him, we’ve got to go out and catch it. I look at targets and catches and then potential targets as far as how I’m grading them. A lot of times we’ve been used too in protection, which I think is a part of the passing game too. In order to get the pass off, you have to be able to protect it. Maybe not as a full-time protector but maybe as a help to the tackle, somebody interior. There are some things in route-running where you can go out in a one on one and see an improvement, and then there are other things where you have tight ends against pass rushers like (Joey) Bosa, and Demarcus Lawrence, and those guys are going to maybe shrink that time the quarterback has to throw the football. It is individual about getting open; but there is a lot that goes into it too when the pattern is really formulated during the week in the game plan.”
Josh Boyer – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach Josh Boyer
(You obviously had options last week with CB Jomal Wiltz out with CB Ken Webster and CB Chris Lammons, etc. What made you opt for Ken? What does he do well?) – “I think the thing with Ken is he’s very consistent in his work habits. He comes in every day. He’s very diligent. He’s in early. He’s out late. I would say from a skillset (standpoint), he’s got pretty good coverage skills. He can play physical. He’s got heavy hands and he can tackle well. He’s just a young player learning in progress, and he’s made improvements each and every day. We’re hoping for that to continue and we’re going to try to help him with that. The good news is he’s a diligent worker. He should be able to improve each day as it goes. He was able to get an opportunity out there and get some snaps and he’ll probably get more opportunities moving forward.”
(CB Eric Rowe – the body of work through four games – he was really good against Dallas and up and down at times. What is your assessment of how he’s done?) – “Again, I would say the one thing with Eric is Eric is a consistent worker. He works pretty hard. We’re working hard to improve the consistency on the field. At times, when he uses his hands and he tackles well, that’s been really good for us. The things that he struggled with, we’re working hard to improve those and make it a pretty consistent basis as we go. The thing that we’re extremely happy with Eric is the work ethic, the mentality of coming in every day and trying to improve and trying to get better. We’ve asked him to do multiple things over the weeks, and I would say the things that he’s had success with, we’ll try to put him in those roles a little bit more often. Then the things that he hasn’t so much (had success with), we’ll try to limit those roles.”
(In terms of tangible stats which I know is not a fair characteristic of how a player is doing; there’s a lot more to it, but in terms of passer rating against, there’s been a huge decline for CB Xavien Howard. It was around 60 last year. It’s about 135 this year. No picks, obviously; last year he had seven before he got hurt. Is there any sense why the fall-off? Does it concern you, or do you say, ‘he’s a great player. He’s going to get back to that level of performance at some point.’) – “Again, whether it’s with Xavien (Howard), Eric (Rowe), Ken (Wesbter) – I think it’s all the same. We’re striving for consistency. I think at points in time, you’ve seen flashes of really good play from a lot of guys, but the thing that we need to improve as a team and as a coaching staff is we need to be more consistent as coaches and they need to be more consistent as players. That should kind of carry over to success individually and as a team.”
(It’s the quarter-mile pole of the season here. How would you rate the defensive back group through four games? Where do you want to see the most improvement going forward?) – “Again, I’m not big into stats. We are where we are. Our record is what our record is. I think the key fundamentals for us are to work hard and try to improve every day. I don’t think that’s changed from Day 1. I think we’re striving to be more consistent. I think we’ve seen flashes of good play from time to time. What we’re working hard to do is to make sure that we can get that good play consistently.”
(Specifically from the cornerbacks – obviously CB Xavien Howard on one side, we know what he’s capable of doing. CB Eric Rowe and what he’s been doing on the other side – where do you see Eric’s game from a development standpoint from opener to heading into the bye week?) – “Again, I think all of it really starts with consistency. I think we’re pushing hard to be consistent. I think we’ve seen flashes of good play. We’ve seen flashes of poor play. I think we’re trying to eliminate the poor play, and we’re trying to keep the good play consistent over time. I would say that a lot of things that go into it the DB play in general is we’re going to ask them to do multiple things. I think that’s our job as a staff – after we’ve asked them to do multiple things, guys that are doing certain things well, try to keep them in those spots or in those situations. Things that we’ve struggled with a little bit (we will) try to eliminate or limit the amount of times that guys could be in those spots. There’s 11 guys working together, and if there’s a perfect call, everybody in the league would make that call every single time. There are always variables of skillset when you’re out there. Ultimately what you’re trying to do is you’re trying to highlight the skillset of the players that you have and sometimes based on situation, you may ask them to do a little bit of things that are outside their skillset and see how that goes. If it’s not going well, then obviously you want to limit doing that, but if it’s going well then obviously you can expand what you’re doing.”
Dave DeGuglielmo – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo
(How fascinating and challenging was last week in terms of putting guys in different spots?) – “Like every other week. You put them out there. I’ve got to put five out there. I thought they did a good job of working hard all week long and preparing for the roles that they were going to be in. We had some success and then we had some things that were not too pretty, but that’s going to be the case every week as we’re building it. Our guys are going to stay focused and keep working. They don’t know any better.”
(We were kind of curious – T Isaiah Prince went from being inactive the first three games to not only playing, but being a starter. What was it that you saw from him in practice that made you confident that he could handle the assignment?) – “He’s got skills. As opposed to me playing right tackle? (laughter)”
(You could have had G Michael Deiter obviously play left tackle and T J’Marcus Webb on the right side…) – “I could’ve. I could have put (Evan) Boehm out there. I could have put (Daniel) Kilgore out there at right tackle. (laughter) There’s a lot of things you could do…”
(But had T Isaiah Prince shown progress to you that made you think maybe he can handle this?) – “I would be willing to bet that (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores wouldn’t have put him out there if he didn’t have some ability to do the job. We weren’t going to just throw him to the wolves, but with younger players – with rookies – sometimes it takes a couple weeks before they understand the speed of the game on game day and the level of – preseason is preseason. The regular season is something different. You don’t just throw those guys out there if you think that there might be a confidence issue. It was really the same with Shaq Calhoun. He played all preseason, but when it came time for the season, you don’t want to put him out there and put him in a situation where he may have to adapt to something and then lose confidence in his ability. You try to bring those guys along. Deiter’s case is a little different. (He is a) different level player with a different experience level. He was drafted for that purpose and that’s where he’s going to play. We had to use him at left tackle because he’s had experience there, but (J’Marcus) Webb has played left tackle in the National Football League. He has started inside. He has started outside. It’s not crazy to say we just found a guy that played tackle before and put him out there.”
(How did T Isaiah Prince play Sunday do you think?) – “He did some good things. He did some things that need to be worked on, like all of them. I don’t think he had the best game that he’ll have in his time in the NFL, but I think for the first time out there, he did an admirable job and he’s got a bright future. He’s an extremely talented young man. He’s just got to keep working like all the rest of the guys. When I say we have a long way to go, that’s an understatement, but we’ve got a long way to go. He’s part of that process. He’s part of the youth here and the more we can get him in there, the better.”
(And G Michael Deiter’s work at guard through four games – aside from the time he had to fill in at tackle – how has he done as a guard through four games?) – “Honestly, I really think he’s done a good job. He’s an experienced guy. He played a lot at Wisconsin, obviously in multiple spots. If we ever needed an emergency center, he’s going there, too. That’s great to have that on game day – to have a third center, if you will, at the ballgame. I think he’s making good progress. We just had a personnel meeting and we were talking about those young guys today. I think he’s got a bright future. He’s going to continue to work. One thing that (Michael) Deiter has – he has incredible field-savvy because he’s played a lot of games, so he can see some things. Now, he still has some of those rookie tendencies. He had one the other day when he set to (Chargers DE Joey) Bosa as a three-technique and Bosa gave him a one-two and ran right by him. The thing about being a rookie and having some talent is he’ll make the adjustments. He’ll understand not to overset a guy and know your opponent. It was odd to see Bosa in that spot. They did it deliberately to get the rookie to jump outside. Bravo to them. The ball got off, so that wasn’t the end of the world, but it’s part of the growth process and the experience. Until that happens, he’s never going to adjust to it. Now, he understands what has to happen in those situations, so I think he’s doing good.”
(How would you assess G/T Jesse Davis’ progress at left tackle?) – “He’s working really hard. I think he’s making progress. The transition whether it’s inside to outside, right to left, left to right; anytime you move a guy – even the smallest move to one position left or right – it takes an adjustment. I think he’s adjusted well. The thing about him is he’s a conceptual thinker. In terms of knowing what to do, I think he grasps that really easily to be able to flip from side to side. There is some change in being able to change your feet from a right to left-handed position because you’re used to powering down on your inside with a particular foot. Now you’ve got to change it around and do it in reverse. But he’s a good athlete and he’s very, very, very detailed in his work, so he continues to work on that. That’s all you can ask at this point. Nothing’s going to come easy in this game – not at the offensive line. Unless you’re an extremely, extremely gifted guy – and those guys come around once every few years at the most. He’s done a good job in adjusting. We’ll be excited to get him back at some point.”
Jerry Schuplinski – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski
(I’m doing a story on first-round picks. You and Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea, you’re going to have QB Josh Rosen’s career in your hands a little bit. He was a first-round pick, former No. 10 guy. How do you have to help him manage any kind of expectations being a franchise quarterback kind of thing while you’re really just trying to win some games here and have him develop at a pace where he’s comfortable?) – “I think you take every player and tell them – like we do for every positon – it’s really no different. For Josh, specifically, his whole – we’re still working hard to teach him everything we can on a daily basis from protections to run game to routes to reads to footwork to timing to all that stuff. It’s really the same and we’re going to continue to do that throughout. I don’t think you ever get done growing and learning in that phase. In terms of expectations and everyone else’s expectations on him, I think ultimately, we control what we can control with him and that’s to try to work and get better every day and not worry about anything else. Each week, each day, each week, dive into the game plan, understand what the game plan is, what we want to do, how we want to get the ball out to the different players and the protections associated with that, where we think guys will be open and what we want to do with that. It’s literally week by week and day by day and then the game in itself and trying to grow each week and each game. But really not looking much further ahead than that.”
(QB Josh Rosen has said he’s made leaps and bounds improvement since he got here in the offseason, since OTAs, preseason. Where would you say he’s made his biggest strides and do you agree with that assessment?) – “I think he’s done a really nice job since he’s gotten here. I mentioned this before that he’s a little bit behind the eight-ball when he did arrive, because I think we were four weeks out already into learning the offense and starting from the basics. So he was playing a lot of catchup in the spring, which that’s just the way it goes. I feel like over the summer, he did some stuff on his own to prepare. And then when he got back to training camp, you could tell he was ahead of where he left off at, which was great and then he just continued to grow in training camp. His recognition continues to build each week. For young players in general, that’s what it’s going to be and he has made good progress in a lot of different areas. There’s still a long way to go, he knows that. We talk about it all the time. But he has grown in his understanding of our protection schemes and certain details on routes and things of that nature. He’s grown in that area. Like I said, we’re always going to have a long way to go, because every team we play is different and everybody is going to give us a little bit of a different look at things. Being able to take that from week to week – the different challenges that they present and understanding those – will continue to be a good learning experience for him.”
(Outside of the day to day and the week to week things that are very, very important to you guys, where are some areas QB Josh Rosen needs to make the next jump in his progression during the season?) – “There are a few things that I’ve talked to him about – getting the ball out on time, stepping up in the pocket, his footwork that’s related to things such as accuracy and stuff. I think he’s done a really nice job embracing those challenges that we’ve all given him and working hard at those. Again, it’s not always perfect and there’s going to be some things that he can do better; but for the most part, I think those are the areas, the continuous ball out on time, stepping up in the pocket, playing comfortable from the pocket, especially under pressure, are areas that he can continue to improve on that’ll help him.”
(I wanted to ask you one thing about being a coach on this staff. A lot of coaches in the NFL they don’t want to have anything – they don’t try to concern themselves with anything outside the building. It always seeps in a little bit. How do you coach on a staff like this, on a team like this where things are not going your way early?) – “It’s really fun. I’m privileged to be here. I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to work in this organization. I’m excited to work directly for (Head Coach) Brian Flores. I respect him and I like him. That’s probably where it starts and the same could go for (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) and the rest of the guys on our staff. There’s challenges. I think what you need to do and what I’ve always tried to do and I think what we’re trying to do is just put one foot in front of the other, one step forward at a time, one meeting at a time, one day at a time, one game at a time and continue to strive for improvement. That’s the biggest thing that we’re trying to do right now. There’s a lot of mistakes that I think we can fix from a coaching end to a player end that we’re going to try to do. I think if we can get that taken care of, then the results will eventually come. But right now it’s just the focus on one foot in front of the other and keep going forward.”
(What’s the best thing you’ve seen QB Josh Rosen improve on since he’s been taking over as the starting quarterback?) – “There are a couple things that Josh has done that are good. I think once you become the starter and you get named the starter and you get the chance to work with the first group as a starter, your leadership has to grow in that area. A little bit more of the urgency, a little bit more command. He’s developed his relationship skills with a lot of players – the center especially, the receivers – and the little things he’s looking for. That has grown a lot. I think his ability to continue to – There’s no substitute for repetitions, whether it’s practice reps or game reps, he’s really taken a lot of those in the last couple weeks and that’s really helped him. It’s the same thing I was saying earlier: his ability to diagnose the coverage, understand what he’s seeing, get the ball out on time in the passing game, playing more comfortable in the pocket is an area he’s growing at, that he needs to continue to grow at and get better at. He’s improving.”
(How important is it to have a veteran like QB Ryan Fitzpatrick helping QB Josh Rosen along the way? How has that relationship been?) – “First of all, personally, I really like ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick). He’s a smart guy. He’s a football guy. He really understands a lot of stuff and he’s a great asset to have for all of us in this organization. His ability to bring a veteran perspective in our whole entire room is really good. He’s seen a lot of things. He’s a guy that I rely a lot on too to communicate with, and he’s also been really good with Josh. I think he’s handled this whole situation awesome. He’s been there for Josh. He’s been a good voice in his ear helping him with some additional things. He’s really been a true professional this whole matter and he’s done a great job.”
(The third quarterback, QB Jake Rudock, young guy, showed a lot during camp and preseason. What did you like about Jake to keep him around for the practice squad?) – “I’m really glad he’s back. I really like Jake a lot. I think the best thing that I could say for Jake is he does his best every day to do things the way you ask him to do it. He’ll do it that way. He’ll do exactly what he’s asked to do and he’s really improved. I think he’s got good mechanics. I think he’s developed and progressed a lot. He’s smart, he’s tough, he understands defense, he understands where to go with the ball and he’s doing a really good job in the areas that he can in practice right now. We’re really glad to have him here. He’s certainly a guy we want to continue to develop.”
(How would you like to see the guys improve over their bye week here moving forward to the later part of the season?) – “I think right now the thing is with everybody, the bye week is what it is. We really have only one practice with these guys. I think first of all, through four weeks, we have to evaluate where we are and we have to try to – I think everyone at the quarterback position is relatively healthy, but I think that’s a big part of it is getting their bodies back together for these last 12 weeks. And just improvement overall. It doesn’t stop. It really doesn’t change for us and what we’re trying to improve on and get better at. It’s understanding our system. We still haven’t completed a full year in what we’re doing here with our system, so it’s still better understanding our system, understanding the defenses, understanding our opponents and a true understanding of what we’re trying to get accomplished on each play and get the ball in the right spot and whether it’s the run game, get the blocking situated properly and things of that nature.”
(Was going to ask you what QB Josh Rosen has done well in his two starts?) – “There’s a couple things we’ve tried to focus on outside of the schematical things and that’s really with him is – I gave him a couple of goals and that’s stepping up in the pocket and playing on time in the passing game – those are two critical ones – and doing his best to take care of the ball and make good decisions. I think he’s really tried to do those three things really well. I know we had the interception last week that got away a little bit from him; but he’s really done a nice job of trying to do those three things good. Playing on time is an area he’s improved on and he has to continue to improve on. But those three things, really.”
(What’s the one area that you think there’s still room for the most growth? I know QB Josh Rosen’s metrics under pressure aren’t great. Obviously, he’s taken a couple sacks. But your view on where specifically he has to be better?) – “I think sacks fall on everybody, including the quarterback. That’s certainly an area that we can improve on: No. 1, have a better understanding of where the issue is coming from and what we need to do to get the ball out of our hands a little quicker there is an area of improvement I’m sure we’re looking for.”
(What area has most impressed you? What would that be?) – “He’s just got a really strong arm and his ability to start putting that together with some reads I think has led to a few big plays for us and that’s been really good to see and hopefully we continue to see more of it.”
(What conversations do you have with QB Josh Rosen when it comes to the dropped balls with the receivers and how he balances out where the ball is supposed to be and where some need to be caught and moving on and helping massage there?) – “Not much to be honest with you. I think it’s really important, and I’ve always said this in our room, is we need to do our job really well before we need to worry about anybody else’s. So, until we perfect that, we need to keep working on what we can do. If we get a dropped pass or something, we need to put the next one on the money and give it another chance. He’s been really great with that, too. There hasn’t bene any dropped heads or bad body language. It hasn’t really been an issue from our standpoint. We just need to keep trying to do the best to give them good balls every chance we’ve got.”
(How has QB Josh Rosen been in the huddle with the guys when that happens. Is it ‘Hey, I’m coming right back to you?’) – “I feel that he is. Honestly, it’s not an issue. Certainly, we all want to make the plays, but there’s plenty of times where we make a mistake too. I think it’s just trying to keep the guys confidence up and stuff. But it’s been fine to me and I know he has some sidebar conversations with some guys trying to maybe build them back up. But it’s been really a non-issue. We just need to keep doing our job.”
Eric Studesville – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Running Backs Coach Eric Studesville
(With RB Kalen Ballage, do you have any sense of what might be going on with him, because obviously, we know he’s better than what he’s shown? Do you think at this point it’s a confidence thing, is it a technique thing? What’s the issue in terms of Kalen’s lack of performance to the level I know everybody thinks he can perform?) – “I think there’s a lot of things in there. He’s dependent on other people too to perform and produce. He’s got to do a better job, all of them have got to do a better job in all the little areas and details that we talk about all of the time. But our room is unique in that we’re dependent on a lot of other people to do things, too. I’m not taking responsibility off of him by any stretch. He’s an intensely competitive, focused, prepared player and I have great confidence in him.”
(I don’t think we saw RB Kalen Ballage again after the dropped pass on offense. Obviously, you went to RB Mark Walton. What was the thinking in that decision collectively as a coaching staff?) – “We do a lot of different things like that. We have different personnel groups that we put people in. It was just at that point and time in the game we move forward with – Kenyan (Drake) was playing well at the time, running the ball effectively, so we stayed with that. Mark went in. We wanted to look at Mark in the game to get him in to see what – because we don’t know – we feel like we have three really good backs, but how do you look at all of them? So you have to – someone has got to sit out for – two of them have to sit out for one of the other ones to play.”
(Things you want to learn about RB Mark Walton, or things that have intrigued you that you want to learn more about? Is it running style? I think one thing we know he can do is he can catch the ball out of the backfield well. We saw that going back to OTAs. What things do you want to see?) – “I just think seeing (him) play in a game and see the game adjustments and what he does in the game, because I don’t know him like that in a game. We just got him in the offseason, so I’m still learning him and what we’re finding out is that he takes advantage of opportunities. He’s gone in and played well the times he’s gone in.”
(Do you think RB Kalen Ballage will get another chance?) – “Absolutely. We haven’t written any of them off. I feel like we have three talented running backs that can all give us a chance to win and be productive. I just believe that. I think they’re all three different in their own ways but I’m not disappointed in any of them or down on any of them. I think we have to do more. We’ve got to take the responsibility to do more and not wait on something. We’ve got to find ways to make a difference. I challenge them with that and I believe that’s one of the things that because they are three talented backs, that they can do that. We have to find a way to affect the game in a positive way more. Some kind of way we have to do that.”
(I know you obviously think highly of RB Patrick Laird and RB Myles Gaskin to have them on the roster. Has there been any serious talk of inserting them for carries or is the feeling right now there’s a distance between the top three and those two?) – “I think the three that we have on game day give us the best chance right now.”
(With RB Kenyan Drake, are you pleased with how he was doing? He was running hard Sunday.) – “I thought he ran the ball really effectively. I thought he played well, probably the best game, certainly this year, with the things that he did and what we were asking him to do. Again, I think the three of those guys are all talented guys. It’s just figuring out how each of them can do more to put us in position to be more successful and ultimately win games.”
(One last thing on RB Kalen Ballage, have you or Head Coach Brian Flores tried tough love, encouragement with him to try to get more out of a player who you know is capable of more? And I know you said others are responsible too, it’s not only him by any means. But what sort of approach have you tried?) – “I think it depends on the day and what’s needed. We coach based on what’s needed. It’s like raising kids, right? (laughter) Some days you’ve got to love them; some days you got to fuss at them. It’s okay.”
Danny Crossman – October 1, 2019
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(With K Jason Sanders, he seems like a diligent guy. Do you take the tough love approach and get mad at him or do you stay encouraging at this stage?) – “Neither. He’s going to be fine. We’ve got no issues. He’s a worker. He’s done a great job. We have all of the confidence in the world in him. I treat him no different than if he had made every kick. Nothing’s changed.”
(Any technique thing you’ve seen without getting into state secrets?) – “Small things, but he’ll be fine. We’re not concerned at all.”
