Tony Oden – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Safeties Coach Tony Oden
(How has the offseason been so far in terms of getting your guys accustomed to new schemes and getting to know some of the players as well?) – “It’s going well. Guys have been energized. (It’s a) fresh start for those guys. They’ve been practicing hard, studying hard, asking good questions. I’m not surprised by it. I expected it out of them, so I’m not shocked in regards to that. It’s been good.”
(Personally for you, how does it feel to be back in the same place coaching in the secondary with the Miami Dolphins and having new coaches around you to learn those personalities on the defense as well?) – “It’s the best-case scenario for me. I obviously don’t have to move my family. That helps. Having familiarity with the players that we have, that’s one less thing I have to learn when you move on, and just learning new things. It’s kind of like you get re-energized. It kind of locks you in so you can focus a little bit. You can’t take the little things for granted. You can’t assume that you know because I’m learning along with the players that we have, but you have to learn at a pace fast enough where I can teach and instruct and motivate them as well. It’s been fun.”
(Speaking of learning, how difficult do you think it was and how do you think S Minkah Fitzpatrick was able to play so many different positions as a rookie. Is that a credit to his athletic ability and his mental strength as well?) – “Without question. It’s probably more to his mental ability. I think the mental beats the physical probably 10 to one. A lot of times, you may not have the athleticism, but if you understand what’s coming on and you understand the game, you can position yourself. He happens to have a good mix of that. I would say that his third attribute is his mother and father have done a phenomenal job with him. He is cut from a different cloth in regards to his work ethic and those kind of things, so he has the trifecta. With that being said, he’s still a young guy. He still has a long way to go, but the good thing about him is he works hard every day. He doesn’t take anything for granted and he wants to get better.”
(What’s it like for you, being on the defensive side? Last year, you come from an offensive-minded head coach and now you have a defensive-minded head coach. Do you feel like there’s more eyes on you and the defense or is it basically the same? How would you characterize it?) – “I think the biggest thing for me, when you have a defensive head coach, hopefully we get some more breaks on defense as opposed to everything being towards the offensive perspective. (laughter) No, I think it’s pretty much the same. When the season gets here, things make change; but as of right now, (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores is doing a phenomenal job of setting a culture for the entire building. He’s kind of sharing the wealth with regards to his experience and his presence in a whole bunch of different meeting rooms. I haven’t seen a difference just yet in regards to how much time is spent. They’re both very busy. I’m glad coach is here. Just listening to his expertise, his knowledge of the defense and his vision has been refreshing as well.”
(How would you say Head Coach Brian Flores, on a scale of one to 10, his importance of fundamentals that he has stressed? It seems to me from the outside looking in, it’s pinned at 10. What is it like for you guys?) – “It’s all fundamentals. At some point, you’re going to have to rely on it. Your athleticism is not going to be a factor at some point in a game or at some point in your career. In certain situations, you’re not going to be able to out-athlete everyone or out-scheme everyone. It’s going to be if your eyes are right, you get aligned correctly and you’re playing with the proper pad level and the proper technique. That’s what’s going to get you out of tough times. When you get older, that’s what’s going to put you in a position because you have learned the proper body mechanics, the proper progression with your eyes. It all goes back to technique, in my opinion. I’ve been wrong before. I’m sure I’ll be wrong again; but to me, it’s technique, because that’s what’s going to separate the difference between the good ones and the great ones, the difference between you knocking the ball down and intercepting the ball. That’s the difference in how fast you get there. It all falls back on technique.”
George Godsey – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Tight Ends Coach George Godsey
(How is the room shaping up, even with the vets and everything, for you?) – “It’s good. We’re all learning about each other. I think that’s the time right now, the offseason. We’re finding out each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and trying to teach those. It’s early, but that’s the time of the year right now we’re in.”
(Both quarterbacks – Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick – they have a history of utilizing the middle of the field, utilizing tight ends. When will you know how fast your group is in terms of progressing and developing chemistry?) – “I think for any quarterback, the closer they are to them – the receiver I’m talking about – they’re always an outlet. When the tight end is just three guys down the line, they have to get open. That’s part of our deal: get open and catch the ball. We’ll see how much we’re used. If it’s not necessarily running routes, maybe it’s blocking. All of that stuff ties in – the play-action game. We’ll take it day-by-day and see where we’re at at the end of the spring, and then progress when it really counts with pads on in training camp.”
(TE Mike Gesicki had a lot of playing time last year. What kind of development do you want to see from him going into year two?) – “I think it’s a big year for him, year one to year two. It is for any second-year player. (We’re just) trying to see and use what he does well. He’s worked this offseason and asked a lot of good questions, so now it’s meshing with the quarterback, finding his role on offense and then improving that and taking it from there.”
(TE Mike Gesicki has a reputation as a long-strider, somebody who takes a while to build up speed. Is there something that you can do or teach or implement that can make him faster?) – “I think everybody has their strengths and weaknesses. As a taller, longer guy, he covers ground quickly. He might be a long strider but those strides are pretty quick. We saw that this past weekend with the (Kentucky) Derby. (laughter) We’ll try to use whatever he does well. If it is down the field, get down the field. If it is catch-and-run-type plays, it’s catch and run. If he needs to block, he needs to block. We’ll ask for him to do what he does best more frequently than the other stuff.”
(With TE Dwayne Allen, he didn’t have much of a role in terms of a pass catcher in New England the past couple of years, but he showed it during the Indianapolis Colts years. How long does it take him to dust that stuff off?) – “I don’t know if it’s dusting stuff off or if it’s kind of when it’s his opportunity getting the ball. He’s in a different place than he was last year, so it’s hard to compare that – different people, different quarterback, everything – the dynamics are different. It’s a new year for him, and that’s this time of the year.”
Josh Boyer – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Cornerbacks Josh Boyer
(You have a versatile group back there. How do you shake that whole lineup out in the defensive backfield?) – “I think one of the things that we try to do as a defensive staff is we try to put our players in the best position to succeed. That can change based on game plan, based on opponent. The more multiple our guys are, the different things that we can do defensively. I think the bottom line is we try to put them in the best position that they have to succeed play in and play out. We look at numerous different guys in different positions to kind of see how that will all shake out.”
(When you have a guy like S Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has already basically done that his rookie year – he was all over the place – that’s a pretty good building block to start off with, a young guy like that with a year of experience already.) – “I think one of the things we talked about – whether it’s a coach or a player – whatever we’ve done in the past is really kind of irrelevant. We’re just … Everybody as a blank slate. We’re working on this year. We’re trying to get the coaching to where it needs to be, we’re trying to get the playing to where it needs to be. I think moving guys in and out of spots, if they have a little bit of familiarity with it, it will help them a little bit, but some guys have never done it and then all of a sudden, you ask them to do multiple different things and they’re able to do it well.”
(What was your first impression when you see a guy like S Minkah Fitzpatrick? He’s pretty athletic and he can pretty much do it all, so what’s your first impression of a guy like that?) – “Again, like I said, I kind of came in with an open mind. You use everything as a blank slate, so the first thing you kind of look at is work ethic. I would say as a group, as a whole, our guys are working really hard right now to try to improve and get better each and every day. I would say the thing that’s impressive with Minkah is he has a little bit of versatility and obviously will try different things. Ultimately, it will come down to us trying to put him in the best position to succeed.”
(How has defensive play-calling changed? Like you said, you want guys that are versatile. Obviously, you don’t want to give away what you’re doing. Is that what you guys more or less … As a staff, everybody has been saying that you want to give a look where you can take advantage of matchups. That has to be at the top of the list.) – “I think over the years, the offenses have evolved. I think that the quarterback position – the time and the study that they put in, and the athletic ability to make all the throws, run all of the calls and to be able to diagnose what you’re in – if you sit in the same thing over and over again, you’re really not putting much pressure on the offense. I think the more you can change your looks, the more you can change your coverages, change your fronts, it puts a little bit more pressure on the offense and just doesn’t let them run at a normal pace seeing the same thing over and over again.”
(How much work is that to get guys to understand? It has to be a process.) – “I think it starts from an install standpoint where you try to teach concepts so everybody has it. It’s a holistic approach. All 11 guys out there understand what the guy next to him is doing, so that helps. It eliminates variables that can happen to you when you kind of know everything that’s going on out on the field.”
Rob Leonard – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Linebackers Coach Rob Leonard
(Can you go through the importance of being assertive to the linebacker crew of saying the play call once they get it?) – “Playing in the NFL is all about communication, especially at the linebacker positon, so that’s essential. All those intangibles, not just communication but the way you say things, you are the quarterback of the defense. If you sound hesitant, people may not believe your communication even though you may be saying the right thing. It’s all in your presence, your demeanor and what you say. The way we’ll say it on defense, ‘We’re all wrong. We’re all right.’ So if you say something, it may be wrong; but if you say it the right way and we believe it and we execute it, then that’s okay. We can live to play another down. Communication is essential for us.”
(Do you think the linebackers have added pressure with a linebackers coach, the defensive coordinator has coached linebackers, the head coach has coached linebackers at one point? Everybody has a feel for the linebacker positon.) – “There’s no doubt. They understand. There’s one thing, they’re going to get coached. They’re going to get coached. They don’t have to doubt that. That’s a great thing, in my opinion. Nothing is going to go unseen. We’re going to get the best out of you. You’re always being evaluated by the first level, second level, third level. To me, that’s how you be great. That’s how you’re going to be great.”
(Have you faced a situation in coaching where two teammates like LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Jerome Baker played in college together and now they’re here? It’s almost like a little brotherhood before they even came here.) – “Absolutely. For whatever reason off the top of my head, I can’t think of one. I’m sure I have; I’m almost sure. But for how close they are in age as well, they not just went to the same school. No, not that I can think of. It’s great. When you know somebody like that, there’s a trust, there’s a transparency from day one when you walk in because you know somebody. You know who they are as a person first and foremost. That’s only a bonus for us.”
(You have a new addition through the draft with LB Andrew Van Ginkel. What do you like about him when you were evaluating him?) – “I think I may have said this last time but overall, he’s a football player first. He’s always around the ball. He’s a good tackler. We could go through all the traits, but he’s a productive, instinctive football player that’s physical. All of the things that we say we value from a personnel standpoint, he is those things. He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s athletic, he’s versatile. In my opinion, what’s there not to like?”
Marion Hobby – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Defensive Line Coach Marion Hobby
(The first obvious question is your reaction when DT Christian Wilkins was picked?) – “In coaching, you’re in the countdown. You know your pick is coming up. At 10, you say ‘I hope he takes him.’ At 11, ‘I hope they take him.’ At 12, ‘Take him.’ Then at 13, you go ‘Come on.’ You always get excited at that point. As a coach, you’re still watching the draft pretty much and it’s out of your hands a lot of times. You’re just kind of watching it as a fan, what’s going across the screen and what everybody is saying. It was an exciting time.”
(How would you describe DT Christian Wilkins’ personality?) – “Energetic. He’s going to have fun. He’s going to have fun at practice. He’s going to have fun in games. As the media, you’re going to enjoy Christian. The only time I really see him have a bad day is when we didn’t win. Other than that, his energy level, he’s consistent. That’s his personality. That’s the way he’s been since day one.”
(What did you think of his flying shoulder bump into Commissioner Roger Goodell?) – “It didn’t surprise me. I was surprised he didn’t get off the ground very high. (laughter) Roger was kind of surprised a little bit. When I saw his face and the excitement when he was drafted, when he came up and I could see him look up, I knew he was excited about being here too. When he got to speeding up going towards that stage, I said ‘Oh boy. There’s no telling what he’s going to be doing.’ It was good to see some natural enthusiasm. You could tell that he was really happy to be a Dolphin, and we were excited about it as well.”
(Last time we spoke, we talked about how you played for General Manager Chris Grier’s father, Bobby Grier, in New England and you guys have a relationship going back to those days. How much did you and Chris kind of talk about DT Christian Wilkins and his prospects and what kind of kid he is leading up to until you guys drafted him?) – “I’ll tell you what: as a staff, as an organization, we talked about these young men over and over again. Even when we graded them and everybody read their reports, there were a number of eyes that were on them. He knew I had a history with Christian because he used to come through (Clemson) some and he kind of knew who he was. So in writing my report, (I was) just being honest about him, who he was and what kind of person he was. I read in the big meeting just like everybody else did. Then they come down with ‘Do you think this guy can help us?’ ‘Yes.’ Do you put your name on him as a person?’ ‘Yes.’ It was all yes’s. That’s what put it over.”
(What are his strengths on the field?) – “He has a big-time football IQ. He’s a really smart football player. I know you could tell by his academics that he’s really smart, but he can transfer it onto the football field. He’s very athletic. I did coach him as a sophomore. We had an injury and they said ‘We’re going to move Christian to defensive end.’ I’m going ‘He’s 310 pounds. He’ll be out there, he’ll just be a block.’ And I’ll be danged, the sucker came out there the first couple days of practice and he really shocked me with his athletic ability and his awareness on the edge. He ended up getting accolades. He was all-conference at that position. He’s very athletic, he’s very instinctive, his energy level is great. I think I was just really surprised that he could walk out there and play defensive end. He could do it now. He’s already bargaining for everybody to catch the ball. He wants to run the ball. He wants to play tight end. That’s just his personality and he has the natural abilities to do it.”
(We’ve been covering a 4-3 defense around here for a long time. Can you help me understand a little bit about when a player who is 300 pounds, who has often played inside, is now asked to play the outside position on a 3-4? What are the responsibilities? How are they different?) – “That’s where the awareness comes in. Inside sometimes, you can be a bull in a china shop. You just have to knock everybody back and drive, and those mistakes don’t really show up as quickly. On the edge, those mistakes show up really quickly. From the bootlegs and the misdirections and the games that people play with your eyes – a coach used to always tell me if you trick the ends and trick the free safety, you’re going to get a big play. Those guys have to have some awareness to them. They have to play with their eyes, play with their feet, and he can do that. It’s hard. Just like you said, there’s very few that can. It’s almost easier to go from an end to a three-technique than to go from a three-technique to an end, just because of the awareness part of it. The end might take a beating down in there, but the instincts from going inside to outside.”
(When I start watching film – again, I’m not a coach, just layman’s eyes – is it going to be hard for me sometimes to figure out there’s a lot of movement and this guy is inside this play and outside this play, and this guy is standing on this play and hand down on this play. How much confusion should I expect for myself?) – “That’s why (Christian Wilkins) has to study. That’s why coaches, we have to put him in those positions. You have to keep putting him in positions over and over again and don’t give him too much. He’ll let you know – ‘Hey coach, that’s enough.’ Or you’ll see that player start to play slow. You know he’s a fast-twitch player, you know he’s active, and then you still see him play slow. As a coach, you say ‘Maybe we have to back off of him because he’s not playing fast.’ It might be a little too much for him. Then, some guys, when you’re talking to them they’re nodding their head going ‘I got it, I understand it.’ If he’s ever done it before, it makes it a little bit easier. If he’s never done it, then that kind of changes the game. He’s coming from Clemson. Coach (Brent) Venables’ defense is multiple. He’s been in a 3-4, he’s been a head-up nose guard, he’s been a stand-up (end). He’s come from a system where he was asked to do a lot, so I think the transition is going to be easy – not easy, because the guy across from him is better on a week-in and week-out basis.”
(Are you going to go in with him gradually increasing what you ask of DT Christian Wilkins, or because of his high football IQ and the fact that he’s done everything already, that you can pretty much throw him in there and if you want to do that, you can do it from the start?) – “Yeah. I’ll probably give him a hug tonight and tell him welcome here; but pretty much, here’s the playbook. Let’s get it.”
(DT Christian Wilkins said you were real hard on him at the meeting, that you were the hardest. What did you do to this guy in the meeting?) – “I wouldn’t call it hard. I would say just demanding. I’m never going to attack him as a human. I’m never going to attack the character. They say you get what you expect, and what you expect is what you’re coaching. Sometimes, you have to, I guess, speak loudly to get guys to do what you want. Christian, the guy works hard for you. He gives you all kind of effort. He’s yes or no, so he’s very respectful. Mean is not close to the word, but him being a young guy, okay.”
(Did DT Christian Wilkins ever give you a wet willy or pinch your but like he has done to other assistants?) – “Probably. Not the wet willy, no. I’m going to have to talk to him about the wet willy. That’s not good. (laughter) I’m telling you, you’re going to love visiting with him. Watch yourself on the wet willy. (laughter) He’s a fun-loving guy. You can tell (Dabo) Swinney didn’t take it any way (negatively). It’s kind of his personality. I have to smile when I say Christian Wilkins. I just naturally smile, because I know he would come into meeting rooms early in the morning and his personality is good. He’s coming in like he’s been up for four hours – ‘Hey, what’s going on guys?’ I talked to some of the other defensive linemen and said ‘I promise you, you’re going to really like Christian, not just because he can help you on the field, but you’re going to like him as a personality.’”
(What’s your favorite DT Christian Wilkins story?) – “This is the one he hates the most. This is probably when he said I was mean to him. We played the University of Pittsburgh and they kept running the shovel pass. I think they ran it 12 times his way. I think he stopped the last one. He got to the sideline and I told him ‘I think I’m just going to take you out of the game from now on.’ I told him I’ll make him go back to nose guard or something. That’s the only one he reminds me of the most. I forgot all about it, but that’s the one that got to him the most, I believe.”
(I guess you know probably better than others how to get DT Christian Wilkins going and what bothers him?) – “Yeah. That’s the advantage you get when you get them when they’re young. When they’re 18- and 19-years-old, you kind of find those pressure points. Some guys, you yell at them and that motivates them. Some guys, you yell at them and they go in the opposite direction. Some guys, you just keep hitting the remote and it’s just kind of agonizing, just rewind and ‘Alright coach, I get it.’ It’s just different ways of getting guys’ attention. As long as they try to do what you ask them to do. I have to have tough skin, they have to have tough skin, because we’re all still fighting for one goal.”
(Overall, how do you feel about the d-line right now?) – “I’m feeling good. Those guys, they’re working hard for me. They’re trying to do what they’re asked to do. In this phase two, I do a lot of demonstrating, and they’re pretty strong guys. They beat me up a little bit. I think they’re working hard. They’re picking up the system pretty good. We had a good day today of guys knowing what to do, and that’s big – the discipline aspect of it. I’ve been pleased with the work.”
(I’m doing something on the AAF guys who are on this team – DT Joey Mbu. He’s a guy who had been in the NFL. He goes to the AAF. What do you think the AAF did for him? Was it more a confidence thing? Was it more getting snaps?) – “He has to be getting snaps because repetition is the best teacher. These guys hadn’t played since January and this guy has been playing, so he comes in a little bit of better shape. He’s not working out the wrinkles because he’s coming in from a situation where he played a game on Saturday and was here on Thursday. That’s been encouraging. You can see his movements and everything. You can tell that he’s in better ready football shape than he would be if he was just hadn’t played.”
(Do guys along those lines – the AAF guys, undrafted free agents – is this a better opportunity with the Dolphins on defensive line than on other teams?) – “We’re looking for good players. We’re looking for good players that fit what we do, that fit within the scheme that we do. If they’re coming from the AAF, we don’t care. We’ll evaluate them like we did any other free agent. We evaluated them and we thought this guy could fit and does some things good for the Miami Dolphins, so that’s why those guys are here.”
(What have you seen from DE Charles Harris in phase two?) – “Good. He has that big thing on his hand because his wrist is bothering him a little bit, but he’s active. He’s very conscientious of his assignment and what he wants. He’s kind of quiet, but he’ll ask questions and he wants to know what he’s supposed to be doing so he can play fast. I’ve been very encouraged with him and his effort and getting up there in the front. He’s not a loud leader, but I can hear him talking to the other guys, especially when it gets a little hot out there. We’ve been doing a little bit of running and he kind of sticks out a little bit.”
(This might be kind of a weird question, but when you have a guy that can stand up – he can be down or up – does he end up getting coached by both the d-line coach and the linebackers coach or is that guy really just all yours?) – “He gets coached by everybody. That’s one thing that (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores mentioned to me early – and (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Patrick) Graham – because we are very multiple. The guys are different per snap. Sometimes (Linebackers) Coach (Rob) Leonard is going to have them. Sometimes I’m going to have them. We always made it clear, we have eight coaches out there. That’s a lot of eyes. If you see somebody’s not doing something right, don’t feel bad about correcting (them). I’m not a corners coach, but if a corner comes up and says ‘Coach, should I be inside leverage on that?,’ just from being in meetings, I should have an idea. Everybody is kind of working together. When you’re multiple like that, like you mentioned, (they are) jumping around.”
(So stretching and drills, how does a guy that can stand up know which group to go with?) – “I tell him ‘Pick your one, get stretched and let’s go.’ He knows. Everything has a depth chart. When you’re multiple, in this package you’re here, in this package you’re here. This is the NFL: the best of the best, the smartest of the smartest, the best of the best.”
(What’s your best DT Christian Wilkins story?) – “He has some good ones. He has some that I’m sure he doesn’t want me to mention. He has some embarrassing ones too. I think we played Pittsburgh. They ran the same play at him 12 times and he only made one play on it. I got on him about it afterwards, told him I was going to move him back to nose guard.”
(Did you remind DT Christian Wilkins about that after you drafted him?) – “He reminded me of it. He was like ‘Remember that time?’ I said ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right.’ I said ‘You missed it 12 times, didn’t you?’ He said ‘Yeah, I remember that.’ His energy level is going to run from practice to the game. He is what you see. He comes from a good family. His mother did a great job with him. His coaches have done a great job with him. He understands football. He loves football. I won’t embarrass him, but I have a lot of them (stories).”
Jim Caldwell and Jerry Schuplinski – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Jim Caldwell and Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Jerry Schuplinski
Jim Caldwell:
(What are your earliest impressions of QB Josh Rosen so far?) – “I’d probably lump him in with the rest of the group. He works hard. He’s just learning right now. He came here a little bit later than when the other guys got started. But he’s working at it, wouldn’t you say?”
Jerry Schuplinski:
“I’d agree with that. I think he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s prepared hard. We’re only allowed to meet with him for a certain amount of time each day and I think based on his questions and everything, he seems to be in his playbook and studying. That’s all we can ask right now.”
Jim Caldwell:
(What can you take from QB Josh Rosen’s rookie season and the struggles that he had there with the Cardinals?) – “I think he’s got a clean slate here. He’s in a new system (with) a different group of guys and we’re looking forward.”
(When you watch the film, what traits of QB Josh Rosen’s do you think work well into the offense that you are trying to install?) – “I don’t think there’s any question that he’s a talented guy physically. All of the other parts of the game will come as time goes on and he’s working at it.”
(You’ve worked with a lot of young quarterbacks. How long does it take them to have the game slow down for them in terms of understand and reading coverages and things of that nature?) – “It varies. I’ve been around a while and you don’t ever lump them into categories. You don’t make comparisons because they’re all different. They use what they have and we try to look at them and use their traits and the things that they do well to assist us in moving the ball.”
(I’ve watched QB Josh Rosen’s film going back to UCLA and his rookie season. He looks effective in play-action. I guess that comes from his college background. How much does the fact that he has a background in play-action and behind center help in his development?) – “I think it’s one of those things that this league is different. This league is different in a lot of different aspects because one’s familiarity in college does not necessarily translate. I can tell you that he’s working at everything that we have asked him to do and I think he’s progressing.”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(QB Josh Rosen is known as a cerebral quarterback as well. What have you seen from him in terms of his ability to absorb what you’re telling him as well as questions that he might be asking you to fully grasp everything, not just what you are doing but why you are doing it?) – “I would just say that as a whole, we’re pretty happy about our room. I think they’re all working hard – Ryan (Fitzpatrick), Jake (Rudock) and Josh (Rosen). It’s a really good group, so you’ve got to be on your game to come in and present information to them because they’re going to have a lot of good questions as a whole. Josh is included in that. I can just tell those guys are studying hard and working hard at everything that we ask them to do and they’re prepared. You can kind of see the look in their face. If you’re going through something and they kind of turn their heads a little bit, you know the question is coming. I think that’s a sign of them just wanting to be sure and wanting to make sure that they’ve got everything down.”
(QB Josh Rosen was a quarterback who was sacked 45 times last year – a big number. Is there a certain balancing act that you guys as coaches have in terms of maybe – for lack of a better term – building up confidence in a guy as young as Josh after what he went through?) – “I think Jim (Caldwell) kind of hit it on the head in general with Josh when he said once he got here, that’s what we’re working with. So what happened with him in the past – college or pro – he’s kind of got a clean slate here. I think just in general, with every guy, we’re trying to … The best thing that you can do to build confidence is get your nose in the playbook and learn the system. It allows you to play faster, slow the game down and that’s probably the biggest things that they can do.”
(In your experience in evaluating a player at quarterback, how much does his rookie season tell you about his potential capabilities and that kind of thing, and how much is it just kind of scratching the surface?) – “Certainly looking at (Josh Rosen) in college and some of his stuff last year, it’s hard to answer that in total because we’re not exactly sure what they’re always telling him or asking him or what his responsibilities are in that offense. So in order to get a full complement of what he can do, we kind of want to judge him in our system I would say, first and foremost. And what else were you asking about that?”
(So you throw that out. How much does it tell you about a guy to see him play as a rookie? There’s so much of a learning curve it seems like at that position in particular.) – “I think experience is a good thing. So the fact that (Josh Rosen) got to have the experience that he did on this level is a really good thing for him, in terms of kind of understanding the speed of the game and all of that. But other than that, I don’t know. We like his physical skillset and that’s part of the reason that he’s here to come in and compete with the rest of the guys.”
Jim Caldwell:
(And what are your thoughts about that?) – “I think overall, you have to look at their whole body of work. In this league, you can find guys that have a great year one year and they disappear literally the next. It’s the body of work over an extended period of time. So (Josh Rosen) has just been through his first year, so he’s working at it and he’s obviously trying to put himself to be in position to have a little bit of a better year than last year.”
(What do you see in QB Josh Rosen specifically that makes you think you can work with this guy?) – “I don’t think it’s any secret that he has talent. Obviously he has physical talent but he’s also very smart. Any time you have a guy that has those kind of characteristics, it’s a good thing. But also, you have to keep in mind that everybody in that room has it as well. Obviously ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has been around a long time. He’s a smart guy that works at it. Jake (Rudock) is the same way. He’s been working at it and been in the league a little bit. It’s a great room in that regard. Jerry (Schuplinski) and I have an unusual opportunity to coach three really smart guys that have ability. But we all have a long way to go.”
(When you’re having this competition with your quarterbacks, is there a concern about getting them equal time with the same weaponry or developing chemistry with players like WR Kenny Stills or that nature?) – “I think that one of the things that we try to do is we try to get each and every guy as good as we possibly can, whatever that takes. Sometimes it varies but overall, I think they’re doing a good job of competing. They’re working at it. They’re being evaluated, obviously, on every snap. And I think they enjoy that challenge.”
(In terms of an evaluation, for an offensive lineman, we don’t really know. That’s the bottom line.) – “Are you saying we because you used to be an offensive lineman? Or we as reporters? (laughter)”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(No. I don’t know. I have no idea. There’s stuff that offensive linemen could be doing that I don’t see. But with a quarterback, kind of everybody sees. Is it going to be as simple as whoever plays better, that’s the guy? Or are there other factors that you’ll be evaluating to decide?) – “First and foremost, we’re just trying to get each guy better in our offense right now. That’s the understanding, that’s the mental part of it. I think that’s a process that takes time, certainly in OTAs and training camp. We’re excited to get to OTAs next week for all of those guys to see what they can do. I think they’ll all be working in with similar guys and getting pretty much equal reps with everybody. Then, eventually, we’ll just see how they develop and how they go. I think we’ll probably let the process come to us and see who is playing well.”
Jim Caldwell:
(And what role do intangibles play? Leadership, how guys respond to a guy and stuff like that?) – “I think that’s really all part of it. I think (Head) Coach (Brian) Flores will take a look at that and make some determination. (Offensive Coordinator) Chad (O’Shea) will as well, as you look for guys that best reflect what we want to do and are able to get it done. The intangibles are important. All three guys are obviously quality people that are smart people and that are very capable physically. So we have a great group to work with and a lot of competition.”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(Do you guys go in with a plan and then maybe you see something from a guy and think you might be able to do some different things? I’m sure before you picked up QB Josh Rosen, there was a certain plan in place for the offense. How much does it change depending on which guy is in there?) – “I think right now, in this phase, especially being a new staff, we’re really just trying to focus on installing the core concepts of our system: protections, schemes, run game and basic information. That’s what is really important right now. Then, as we get developing here in the next couple of weeks, maybe some of that starts to take shape like ‘this guy can do this a little bit; this guy can do that a little bit.’ Then we’ll start to build it. That’s probably more game-plan-specific I would say.”
Jim Caldwell:
(You’ve been around quarterbacks a long time. When you first see a guy, like in QB Josh Rosen’s case, does something jump off right away when you see him? Most of the time with quarterbacks, you’ll see something right away that you can say ‘Okay, here’s a different little niche.’) – “One of the things about the National Football League is the fact that you have so many different types of quarterbacks that play in this league, and they all have something unique about them. There’s a uniqueness that I think makes a difference for them, and everybody has their own characteristics. As we mentioned before, just talking about all of the quarterbacks in that room, they’re smart. They have physical talent and they’re working at really the core concepts of what we’re trying to get taught and what we’re trying to improve, to put themselves in the best possible position to compete.”
Jerry Schuplinski:
(How far along are the quarterbacks in terms of learning your playbook and QB Josh Rosen coming along later in the game, compared to the other guys. Has he caught up? Where is he in that?) – “I think he’s in the process of catching up. He’s certainly not caught up to everybody probably quite yet; but I think we took the right approach with that. I don’t think he’s going to catch up in a week-and-a-half’s time. But if we take a little bit of a longer view, hopefully in the next couple of weeks he’s there. You can certainly see signs of progress.”
(Part of the reason I asked is I think I saw a reference where one of QB Josh Rosen’s teammates at UCLA said he learned the playbook in like three days over there.) – “Yeah, I haven’t seen that (quote) but he’s doing a good job so far.”
Chad O’Shea – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Offensive Coordinator Chad O’Shea
(As far as the QB Josh Rosen acquisition goes, what was your role in helping Head Coach Brian Flores and General Manager Chris Grier come to this move and how you guys move forward with this?) – “Our role as a coaching staff is to evaluate everyone through the entire process. There are other positons, obviously, that we evaluated through the process. Josh Rosen and the quarterback position was one of many that we went through. The staff did a great job of evaluating the players we feel like can come help our football team and can contribute. Not only at the quarterback positon, but there was many other positions that our guys were heavily involved in that did a great job. We spent a lot of time and a lot of work in acquiring players that we think can help our team.”
(What excites you about getting a guy in QB Josh Rosen who already has a year of experience and is still super young. What excites you about a type of guy like that at the quarterback position?) – “I think, again, at all positions, whenever you can acquire a player that has talent and some ability, that it’s encouraging for all of us. That’s our job as coaches. Our personnel department has done a great job of putting together a roster that’s going to be competitive. I think it’s important to add competition to the roster. The quarterback position is just one of many that we’ve been fortunate to add competition (to). I think competition is going to bring the best out of this football team. I certainly think our personnel department led by Chris Grier has done a wonderful job of giving us the opportunity as a coaching staff to have a very competitive spring.”
(How much does getting the right quarterback accelerate the whole process of this offense coming together?) – “I think that there are a lot of positions on this offense that are very important. Obviously, the quarterback position is an important part of it, but there are certainly other positons that are equally important. They really are. That’s what I think is great about our roster right now is that I think we have competition. I think we have competition at the quarterback spot. That’s a spot that you really have a good group of guys right now. The veteran – Ryan Fitzpatrick – I can’t say enough about Ryan and what he’s done. He’s come in our building and he’s provided great leadership. He’s obviously provided a veteran presence and he has certainly embraced everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s also embraced the competition at the positon just as all of the other quarterbacks have done. I think between Jake (Rudock), Josh and Ryan, they’ve really done everything we’ve asked them to do. They’ve worked hard. Their goal is to improve every day and try to help this team win.”
(But how much does getting the right quarterback accelerate…?) – “I think the quarterback is an important part of it, but I don’t want to say that the other positions aren’t as important. They are. And there are a lot of positions right now on our roster that have a lot of competition. Certainly the quarterback position, we were fortunate to add a player recently in Josh that adds competition. I think that, again, any time you can add competition to the team, that’s the goal.”
(How do you go about managing the quarterback competition situation differently than an undisputed incumbent starter?) – “I think that whenever you have a competitive situation at any position, what’s going to speak for itself is their performance on the field. They’ll basically get what they earn and that’s true of our entire roster. We always tell the players that what your role is, is going to be based off of what you do on the practice field and how you perform. That’s true of the quarterback position, too. Again, this is a very competitive situation in that we have options at the positon. We have three guys in the room that are working very hard. We’re very pleased with their work ethic. We’re very pleased with their overall attitude and what they brought this spring and we’re excited to see them this spring.”
(Before the trade, did you meet QB Josh Rosen beforehand and who were some people or coaches that you may have spoken to?) – “Whenever we have an interest in a player – and obviously we didn’t have any contact prior to him being here – whenever there’s a player that we’re involved in, it’s an evaluation. We try to do our homework and reach out to as many people as we might have mutual contacts with and relationships and try to be as thorough as we can in the evaluation process. Again, that’s true of any draft pick, that’s true of anybody in free agency, not just the Josh Rosen satiation. But I think we’re all fortunate to have relationships in this league of people that we trust, who we can lean on, to provide us information on players throughout the draft process or the free agency process. I think that that’s helpful in our evaluation. And again, our personnel department has done a great job of being very thorough in everything they’ve done since we’ve been here as a coaching staff.”
(Was there anything in particular or a number of factors that you heard from other people that made you feel comfortable with pursuing QB Josh Rosen and having him in this role?) – “I think that there’s … There’s a number of factors, again, involved in the evaluation of every player that we currently have on our roster, especially just the ones we just acquired. It’s a process that you have the be thorough, detailed, and that why again we’re fortunate enough to have the personnel department led by Chris (Grier) and they’ve done a great job of really giving us some players on this roster that it’s going to be a very competitive team at a lot of positions.”
(What did you see specifically in QB Josh Rosen throughout that evaluation process that you thought “Man, we can work with this?”) – “Josh definitely brings some strengths. He is a player that’s played in this league already one year. I think that anytime you can acquire a player that has ability at any positon and has played in the league, and as young as he is, I think that’s very attractive to us. Josh is certainly within a short period of time that we’ve had to work with him, he’s come in and really worked hard. He’s tried to learn the offense as much as he can. He’s done a good job in that area. He’s got a long way to go as do our players as we start our spring practice. We have a long way to go. I think the goal for him is to work hard, put the team first and try to improve every day. (That is) no different than any of our other players.”
(You’re responsible for the entire offense, but how hands on are you going to be with the quarterbacks?) – “We’re very fortunate. We have a very good coaching staff. We have a couple guys working with the quarterbacks I think are really doing a great job and we’re very fortunate to have here in (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks Coach) Jim Caldwell and (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Jerry Schuplinski. Those two work directly with Josh (Rosen) on a daily basis. They spend the allotted time we can spend with them; they spend (time) with him as much as they can and I can’t say enough about their work in this area with this particular position. They’ve done a great job. Again, I’m very fortunate as the offensive coordinator to have a great staff and those two guys are doing a great job working with Ryan (Fitzpatrick), Jake (Rudock) and Josh (Rosen).”
(Can I take you back in time a little bit? Your father was a trainer at the University of Miami. You were a kid playing football in the Orange Bowl parking lot?) – “Yeah, you got it.”
(How old were you then? What do you remember about that?) – “I never missed a game. From 1979 through the 1984 season, I didn’t miss a home game at the Orange Bowl. My dad was the athletic trainer there for Coach (Howard) Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson for one year in 1984. I have very great memories of being there on game day in the Orange Bowl.”
(Were you playing pickup games in the parking lot?) – “Oh yeah. On the grass parking lot as we all know it at the old Orange Bowl.”
(How many kids?) – “It was as many kids as we had on the coaching staff at the time. Clay Helton was one of them. He’s now the head coach at USC. His father was on staff at the time. I have a lot of great memories from those days. It was really a great memory. I had an opportunity to go out to the Marlins game recently here and just to be there where the Orange Bowl was, was really a neat experience. I have great memories of this city and great memories of the University of Miami and Coach Schnellenberger.”
(How old were you then?) – “I was 7 to 12.”
(What were your dreams then?) – “The dream was to be the quarterback at the University of Miami and play for Coach Schnellenberger. (laughter) But I only grew as tall as 5-foot-11 and 3/4 (of an inch so) I went another path. I have a lot of respect for the University of Miami. I have a lot of respect for Miami. I obviously have great, great memories of the Orange Bowl and great memories of the great players that got that program started. I was fortunate to be a kid growing up at a time where I could wear a Jim Kelly jersey, a (Bernie) Kosar jersey and a (Vinny) Testaverde jersey all at once. That, to me, is pretty special.”
(It’s strange how your life has evolved and you’re back here now.) – “It is. I’ve been very fortunate to be back.”
(When you have a veteran guy or a second-year guy, how much does the offense change depending on which guy is there?) – “I think that the good thing about this offense that we’ve tried to put in place is it has flexibility and it’s always going to try to play to the strengths of the player. I think that obviously the quarterback positon is as important as anybody in the offense as far as their strengths and how they fit within the offense. I think flexibility in the system has really been helpful to us and is allowing us to identify what our team does best. Certainly, we have three quarterbacks on the roster that I feel like all have strengths and it’s going to be competitive. But yeah, it definitely has a lot to do with the offense and the offense has a lot to do with the quarterback.”
(I was trying to think of similarities between QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s skillset and QB Josh Rosen’s skillset. I’m not a football coach, so you tell me if this is fair: ability to feel some pressure and move within the pocket to avoid a sack or pressure, is that fair? Can you tell me about if you agree with that?) – “Speaking of Ryan, I think that Ryan has been a player in this league that has been respected and one of the areas he’s respected in is his ability to play well within the pocket. I think that’s something that is important for a quarterback is his ability to play within the pocket. Ryan certainly does a lot of things really well. (He is) super intelligent, but his movement in the pocket and what he can accomplish there and having the courage to stand up when the rush is near. He certainly has done that throughout his career and that’s one of the things we’re excited about (with) Ryan among other things we’re excited about (with) Ryan.”
(I made a joke on Twitter about how I’d like to see QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB Josh Rosen and QB Jake Rudock on Jeopardy. It’s a smart group.) – “I would say this is a very intelligent quarterback room, one of which we’re very fortunate to have. I think that intelligence is obviously very important to the positon. When you can have three guys that are as smart as they are, I think it really allows you to have flexibility in the offense and allows you to function and really utilize the strengths of the other positons because your quarterback can function mentally.”
(You had a future Hall of Famer there in New England in QB Tom Brady, but you also had some other talented guys come through. Was there still an element of competition in practices at the quarterback position that you hope to bring here?) – “I truly believe that one of the things we’re really trying to build here is competition and I feel like that we have done that at a lot of positions. Certainly, this is a competitive camp this spring. I really believe that and I look forward to watching. I really do.”
(In New England, I guess there wasn’t much competition as that positon – the quarterback position. What do you look at, at quarterback positon? What stands out to you to say “This is going to be my guy?”) – “I think the first thing is a leader. You want someone that they see as their leader. You want somebody to be the ambassador of your program, to be your flag bearer. Basically somebody that you trust to carry on the message of what your vision is from ‘Coach Flo’ (Brian Flores), from the offensive staff, through the team. So, I think that leadership is very important. I think, obviously, the ability to make good decisions and we stress ball security at all positons, not just the quarterback position. But one of our number one goals is to have good ball security. I think that fundamentals is very important to this position. I think being fundamentally sound and then of course having the ability to put that with the leadership and being fundamentally sound and make good decisions is something that is very necessary.”
(When you watched QB Josh Rosen play last year, what silver-linings did you see in what his struggles were that gave you encouragement?) – “I was encouraged watching him on tape, because I think he dealt with some adversity along the way, which I think all players are going to go through. I think it’s very important that we have players on our roster that can deal with adversity and have mental toughness to push through that. That’s something that we’re evaluating at the quarterback positon right now is where our mental toughness is. I think that we have some guys in the room that I think are going to have some mental toughness, I really do. Obviously, Ryan (Fitzpatrick) has had a lot through his career. He’s dealt with a lot of adversity through his career. It says a lot about him. In the short period of time that Josh has had in the NFL, I think that he’s dealt with some adversity here well and he’ll continue to have to do that to be successful.”
(Did you have a chance to visit with QB Josh Rosen coming out in the pre-draft process or was that not really on your radar?) – “There’s been so many guys we’ve visited with. I don’t want to speak for past organizations or past evaluations or relationships we might’ve had at other places, so I don’t want to speak for that. But I can say that I had an opportunity once he came in here to work with him in the last couple weeks and it’s been a very favorable impression so far and I can’t wait to work with him here moving forward.”
(There has been a little bit made about QB Josh Rosen wanting to know why things are done. How do you, in your experience, deal with players who want to know why versus guys who may just be…?) – “Great question. I think it’s something that’s important. I think players should want to know why. That’s something that we encourage our players as they learn our offense to learn the whys. If they’re really not inquisitive about the whys, then they’re never really conceptually going to understand the offense. I think that Josh is highly intelligent just like Ryan (Fitzpatrick) and Jake (Rudock) are in our quarterback room. Having smart guys in the quarterback room is a good thing. I think those guys aren’t afraid to ask why and we’re not afraid to answer.”
(What type of play-caller are you going to be?) – “I’m going to do whatever is best for the football team on that week. I really mean that. I think we’re going to be flexible enough to be multiple in the offense and always to utilize our player’s strengths. What kind of play-caller am I? I’m basically going to call the plays that I think puts us in the best positon to win and utilize the strengths of our players. Certainly, we’re very encouraged right now with a lot of strengths of our players and they’ve worked really hard here this spring and I’m looking forward to working with them this spring.”
Danny Crossman – May 9, 2019
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Thursday, May 9, 2019
Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman
(What will be different with you here with your special teams? Is there anything we would notice or is it all just little technical stuff?) – “It’s all subtleties. What I’m excited about is we have a good group of specialists. If you want to be good in the kicking game, you need good specialists. I don’t care who you are. If you don’t have a good punter, a good kicker, a good return guy, a good snapper – if you don’t have those things, it doesn’t matter what you do. You can scheme (all you want but) we’ve all seen it, a gaping hole and the guy that’s the returner can’t crease it. He gets a 35-yard return on what you’re looking at and you’re like ‘Holy cow, that should be a giant play.’ Or you get in field goal range and you miss.”
(You have guys here, that if the guys you’re talking about go 35 yards then these guys probably go 70?) – “That’s what you want. That’s what gives you a chance between being what everybody is and being really good. When you really struggle with your specialists, (those) are the teams that struggle. If you look at the teams that don’t have good seasons, forget about what they did, just look at what their specialists did. Their punters are probably down near the bottom, their field goal guy missed seven or eight kicks, the return guy didn’t get anything. The good guys can make something out of nothing.”
(Did RB Chandler Cox play special teams at Auburn?) – “He did.”
(Was he good on special teams?) – “Yeah.”
(I would think he would’ve been pretty tough.) – “Yeah. He did some good things.”
(How did you either fall in love with coaching or how did you decide you wanted to do this?) – “Everybody told me when I was playing that I should be a coach. When you’re a player, you think ‘I’m a player.’ It didn’t take me long to realize I wasn’t a very good player. (laughter) But I wanted to be involved in the game so I was like ‘There you go.’”
(When was this, when you were in college?) – “Right after college. I bet if you asked every accountant, numbers came easy to him. It was whatever spins your propeller, and that’s what happened with me and football.”
(Did you play special teams as a player?) – “I did, but football spins my propeller.”
(The third-day guys, usually those are the ones that have to be good on special teams to make the team. Did any of them jump out at you when you were watching them?) – “It was a combination. They all did good things. The biggest thing anymore is the college game to the pro game and in the kicking game, it’s so different. I don’t watch a lot of it during the season. I remember the first game I turned on this year, you’re watching somebody kick off and to me, it was a great kickoff. It’s to the 3-yard line with great hang time. I’m like ‘We’re going to get to see a coverage.’ The guy fair catches it and they get the ball on the 25-yard line. The punt game has been different forever because of the sideline-to-sideline spread and the roll-out and the rugby (kicks) and all of the things you do, but at least you had a common denominator in the kickoff return game until this year.”
(So how do you evaluate?) – “It’s hard. You’re always looking for the same thing. You’re looking for guys that play with great energy and they play with what they’re supposed to be. What I mean by that is if you tell me a guy ran a 4.7 (40-yard dash) and when I watch him play, that’s what he looks like he plays. This guy runs 4.7, this guy runs 4.4. But when I put the tape on, the guy that runs 4.7 is in front of the guy that runs 4.4. That guy plays with speed, which means he’s not being slowed down by trying to analyze what’s going on, whereas the 4.4 guy is trying to figure it out. As long as you play to your abilities, we can find a way to play you. I’ve had guys that are 5.0 guys lead the team in tackles because (they have) great instincts. They are what they are. They bring the energy and they bring the enthusiasm and they play to exactly who they are. If you have that, you have a chance.”
(The linebacker you took, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, seems to fit that mold a little bit?) – “Yeah. He has a little length, has some speed and when you watch him run, you’re like ‘I see him running this speed,’ then you see the time speed and that’s what he plays. As long as guys play to what they run, you’re going to be fine because hat means you’re getting the most out of them. I worked for a guy years and years ago, and I still to this day go through the drill of ‘What are we getting out of that guy?’ If we’re only getting 85 percent out of him, either we’re not doing a good job as coaches or he doesn’t know how to give you everything he has. We have to figure that out, either from a coaching standpoint or figure it out and get to the player. I don’t care who you are, if you’re playing to 100 percent of your ability, we’ll figure a way to use you and get something done. But if you’re not maximizing what that player does, either as a coach or if he can’t find a way to do it, we have to find another player.”
(Are you a return-by-committee guy or do you like to have one guy that you send out there every time?) – “It all depends on the make-up of the roster. I’ve had it where it’s been a designated guy and it’s always going to be that guy. I’ve also been on teams where, based on the situation of the game, it’s this guy in this situation, that guy in that situation. It all depends on what we look like in four months. Right now, we haven’t even cracked the book yet.”
(But you’re excited to see WR Jakeem Grant open it up a little bit?) – “Without a doubt. That’s one I am excited to be on the other side of. (laughter)”
(WR Jakeem Grant can move.) – “Yeah, he has great skills.”
