Opening Statement:
"As we get rolling today, we'll finish this three-day block. You'll see out at practice a lot of move the ball periods. We'll simulate different scenarios, different substitution packages down and distances. And all of that was kind of ramped up for today to put guys into different spots. So, we're getting stronger as we're going this third day block and we got a hell of good practice planned. Additionally, the team placed [G] Nate Herbig on reserve/retired today. It was a personal decision by him. He was a great teammate here and we wish Nate absolutely the best. So, wanted to make sure [I] passed that information along to you today. So, let's get rolling."
On yesterday's practice play between RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt and S Tyler Owens:
"Yeah, you picked a good one. We showed that actually yesterday in one of the team meetings. Each day we show plays in the team meeting, things we like, things we need to see different and that was one of the ones, I loved the cut. There's actually two of them, one to the left, back to the right, the hole was small and he hit it and then as it gets to the next one, can you have a plan for the middle field safety? And that was Tyler on that play. So that's the lesson, just because I got through the hole doesn't mean it's ending, can I now make another player miss? And it was also the right technique, what we're looking for for Tyler, that's the iron sharpen iron, bend of hard tackle in the middle of the field, putting Tyler into that space. That's why you do it with the pads."
On Owens' performance during training camp:
"Yeah, and you saw a little bit of blitzing yesterday as well but I thought the blitzing, the middle [of the] field stuff, so we're still exploring some as we're going but he's had a good first block for us."
On CB Mike Sainristil helping CB Trey Amos:
"Yeah, Mike, he's got a lot of special traits, leading as well and that's not surprising to see that. In his first year more difficult to do that, and now he has stepped into that space more. And honestly for Trey, what a great teammate to have that resource to talk about different things. But yeah, he really has, I've been bragging about him for a long time, but Mike has a lot of leadership to him and you hear me talk about developing the leaders within, he's very much in the front of that list."
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On being more versatile on defense:*
"I think the versatility was always there, now we're finding some guys to put into some of the roles and seeing what they can do. But I like what I've seen so far. I'd say after five days, Joe's [Defensive Coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.] probably halfway there on the install of the system and the package. So, we have more to do. And then kind of the next phase after that is finding the right times, the right places. And that'll be from New England time-ish of the practices and the game there to the start of the season and how we'd feature them and how we'd put the guys there. So, put in all the scheme then start putting into different spots."
On QB Marcus Mariota's status:
"Yeah, he'll do the same part of that today, he'll just do more of the individual work. Different days we're ramping certain guys up really high and certain guys down low. But yeah, Marcus, sometimes just precautionary to get the skill work stuff and not the team work. So, it's kind of custom as we go through but yeah, you'll see similar process with him today and then he'll ramp back up more in the next block."
On no practice tomorrow and having a walkthrough on Friday:
"Yeah, we know it's a long training camp, so once in a while there'll be in a block of two out of three. So, that's leading up into the next set that goes into New England. Some high, high practices. So, you kind of want some highs followed by some lows to recover some highs and you need the high days, you need those. So, what you want to avoid is high and then higher and then you can get at risk. So, it's by design just to keep the highs up and you'll see a lot of plays today. Today's one of the high ones."
On WR Luke McCaffrey:
"Yeah, two players come to mind going into second year on the offense regarding the skill spots, Luke and [TE] Ben [Sinnott] and in different ways they both made their impact and you see them just the confidence, so much more knowledgeable in the system. There was a play Ben had on a seam route yesterday that took a certain check against the blitz that he and [QB] Jayden [Daniels] had to go execute. A year ago, that would've been harder for him to have that nuance. And you saw that yesterday with Ben. With Luke, it's been a lot of the same where he can go outside and inside, but the smallest skill work adjustments have been made. He was always somebody that could pick up on the offense quickly. He's got a background as quarterback, but you kind of see maybe before there was still sometimes, I think like a quarterback now you see him thinking like the receiver. And I think, although that sounds like counterintuitive, more knowledge wouldn't that be better? The finest of the details at the receiver position, that that's what I see now."
On the "Nothing But a Winner" Alabama documentary and who inspires him:
"I'll look forward to watching that. I had the opportunity to work with [Former University of Alabama College Football] Coach [Nick] Saban for two years at the Miami Dolphins and I learned a lot from him on standards and defense and philosophy. The best of the best have those at the highest level and certainly [Former University of Alabama Football] Coach [Bear] Bryant and Coach Saban, everybody knew how you get down. You're part of this program. Behaviors, practice expectations, play style, identity, and those are the things that as a coach you wanted to follow and see, and you have to develop your own as a coach. I'll very much look forward to watching that. Knowing Nick firsthand and what inspires you."
On who inspires him:
"A lot of people do. A lot of players do because I have learned a lot through the years. A number of coaches have really made an impact on me. Certainly, on the college side. Coached by the name of Joe Gardi on my kind of the way up. His son is on this staff today. My first NFL coaching job was with [Former football coach] Steve Marucci with the 49ers. It was a standard and I keep coming back to that and Nick and [Lav Vegas Raider Head Coach] Pete [Carroll]. Those were some one's standards philosophies that helped me frame my own."
On what DT Eddie Goldman adds to the team:
"I've enjoyed coaching Eddie. I followed him for a long time and our decision to bring him here was based on the play last year from, from Atlanta. Visiting him with [Atlanta Falcons Head Coach] Raheem [Morris], how he did with their program and I didn't get a chance to spend much time with him in the off-season program, but in the first six practices here, square and strong. He's really committed in that way in the run game. That was our vision of him coming here to add things to the defense on the early downs. We're getting started. We only had one padded practice, but I've been impressed by what I've seen so far from Eddie. I like his demeanor. I like what he stands for inside being square and tough and that's where we're at."
On bringing the kinds of guys he's looking for on the defensive line:
"You definitely want it all in terms of how we feature guys and using speed and size, having variety. The ability to do with different people at defensive line is really important. You want some guys that can absolutely rip it. Their jets at three technique and on the edges of players and you want guys like Eddie that we had referred to and [DE] Deatrich [Wise] and [DT] Javon [Kinlaw] that can just play so square and tough. If you can find the right balance of those, now you really got something because then you can work the players in a game or at an opponent that you'd like. Not every matchup is the same. So having a big crew that has different skill sets that really, really helps."
On McLaurin's assessment update:
"He's on the P.U.P side, he's doing good. He'll hit all the rehab pieces during the practice time so it's actually a good time for that to come up. Why do we do that during that time? That's when the trainers and the medical staff can devote so much of the time to him and to [T/G] Sam [Cosmi] during that spot. Then in the afternoon they're part of the meetings and can watch the walkthrough portion so just hitting all the markers, but I don't have a timetable for P.U.P and when that would change."
On what he wish he was asked:
"[Laugh] I like engaging about the team a lot. We talk a lot about the locker room, people have talked about the word culture, but I love talking about our team. I like talking about the leaders that are here because there's a lot of players that don't get the recognition that are like absolutely heavy hitters on our team in the locker room. Inside the walls they know people like [LB] Nick Bellore and [S] Jeremy Reaves and [S] Percy Butler outside, we don't talk about them as much, but when I say the impact that people like that have it is absolutely like one of my favorite parts."
On embracing the one-on-one teaching aspect of coaching:
"It's one of the parts of the job that I love the most, the teaching in a lot of instances, you could take out the word coach and put in the word teacher and those are parts, whether it's in the classroom, whether it's on the field, constant reinforcement, constant teaching, challenging to get it right, really high standards for doing things. Those are parts of it that I really enjoy the most and why I wanted to become a coach is to do that kind of teaching. I don't usually go too far from that. Moments like right now teachers don't do so I don't love that as much. I do love that part of it and especially those individual sessions where you're working on the skills because if we can get those sharper, then we know the player can get better. As a coach, that's kind of the whole part of it. The thing that lights me up most is like seeing people get better and if we can make everyone better. That's my job also to help coach the assistants. If we can do that better, then all of a sudden the whole tide starts to rise. I do love that part and I'm glad that you brought that up."
