Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time to get inside the Giants Huts. Giants out
on the Giants mobul give me some job. Part of
the Giants podcast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Let's roll. Welcome to another edition of the Johnsonto Podcast,
brought to you by Citizens, the Official bank of the Giants.
I am John Schmelk very special guest today. I'm excited
about this one. The head coach of the ole Miss
Rebels Link Kiffen. Now, of course he had Jackson Dart
down there at ole Miss for a long time player
that put up ridiculous numbers, won a lot of games.
And of course lank Kiffin's been in the NFL running offenses,
(00:31):
coaching quarterbacks, so he knows what it's like for a
quarterback to make that jump.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
We'll talk about all that.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And more with link Kiffen, and now we're joined by
the head coach of the ole Miss Rebels, lank Kiffin.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Coach, thanks so much for the time. How are you.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Today, great John? Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Yeah, So we had Jackson here.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I had a chance to interact with a bunch one
on one and in a press conference environment. And the
first thing I said when I talked to him for
the first time is man This kid is like captain Charisma.
He just knows how to connect with everybody. Was he
like that the moment he walked in into your building
as well? Or is that something that you saw develop
as he you know, matured into a man in your
program at all Miss.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Yeah, I think it's three years here.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
He matured into that and developed that, and you also
gained confidence, you know, once you're the full time starter
and you're doing really well. So but he has an
amazing impact on people offense, defense, special teams, media, coaches, kids,
He's he's just a really great person.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
How did he develop as a leader?
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Did he learn from maybe some of the upperclassmen on
your auster when he got there? Is that something that
was just kind of inside of him? Is that something
you worked with him on how to become a leader,
because you talked to his teammates from all Miss, even
the guys on defense, and they all identified him as
the leader of the team.
Speaker 4 (01:46):
Well, I think by example, the way that he worked,
the way he studied, the way he played, you know,
early on when they would see him, you know, run
over a linebacker and the style that he played with
really won his team over.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
And you really can't fool the locker room, right, either
the guy has it or they can't. You can't force
someone into that leadership role. He's going to be accepted
into that naturally, just based on how he plays and
how he relates to his guys, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
He does.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
He does a great job of that and doesn't come
in and just try to force it on him. Like
I said, by example, and he's a great listener to players,
spends a lot of invests a lot of time with them.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, he was talking to us too about in terms
of how you talk about leading by example, that he
can be a vocal guy too, where if things aren't
going well, you know, he'll be vocal, he'll get into
somebody's face, he'll he'll be on his teammates in the
islne to make sure things are going right. How did
you find he kind of struck that balance of being
that forceful leader but you know, maybe not being over
the top.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Well, I think he's got great parents, great family. Was
really he's really well and so he just and he
has really good awareness too. He's got he reads rooms
really well, reads people really well. So he just he
really got the complete package.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
You men, his willingness to run over linebackers, and you
see that on tape, like he could just step out
of bounds and he chooses to get a field.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
To try to gain three or four more yards.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
As a coach, how much do you lean into that
competitiveness because that's the core part of who he is
and what makes him great, but also at the same
time making sure he's protecting himself as the most important
player on your team as your starting quarterback.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
Yeah, we worked with him a lot on that, and
you know that takes some time to get out of him,
and you know it'll still show up once in a while,
but he's he's learned to play smarter.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
How does he learn?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
You know, when you introduce a new concept to him
and see a guy that can figure it out when
he sees it, you know, on the board in the
meeting room, or does he need to go rep it
on the field a couple of times? What's his learning
process when you throw a new concept on offense to him.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
He really is a quick learner, really can see everything,
can chunk information, and if he is struggling with something,
he's going to find a way. He's gonna stay after
he's gonna do whatever it takes.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
When we went through you know, his last sea in,
you know, and we were watching a lot of the
old twenty two, it looks like you were very willing
to give him more and more as your offense expanded
over the course of the year. How did you know, coach,
when he was ready to take on more so he
could do more on your offense.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Well, we just knew that he had continued to improve.
He was always up here, and so I think that
it was great too that, you know, this was our
first year of having the helmet communication with him, and
I think for some that can be too much information
because we're chunking him in a lot of information, you know,
and most of our players are snapped before fifteen, so
(04:34):
he's getting a lot of information right after the snap,
and he was.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
He was great with that.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
John Total Podcast is brought to you by Citizens, the
official bank of the Giants. From game day celebrations to
your everyday financial needs, Big Blue fans can get the
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Speaker 1 (04:49):
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Speaker 2 (04:52):
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Speaker 1 (05:00):
Hey, I can also talk long care. I'd like to
learn about Amulley routine. Yes, I knew I could help
make sense of your money with citizens. Yeah. That actually
leads me to my question.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
How did you guys handle like protection changes or play
changes of the line if you get a different look.
Was that done through the communication to your point, or
did he have freedom when those communicators get shut off
where he could change a protection change of play based
on what the defense was showing him both.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
You know, there are times he had to a lot too,
because you know, sometimes you'd go under fifteen, and so
he was fully prepared for that and did an amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Job of that.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Is that something that he got better at as he
went along?
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Yeah, I think that takes a little practice, But we
did that in scrimmages and throughout spring and stuff, and
he just picks up on everything so quick.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Was he a guy that controlled the protections was at
the center? Did they kind of work it together? How
did that work in terms of him working with the
old line to get those protections right.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Yeah, the center starts that, but then he can override
that and he can make a lot of changes.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
That makes sense. It looked like talking to Jackson.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I did a one on one with him about three
days ago now, and he said that look, first three
days with the Giants, it was a lot, a lot
of information, the verbage a little bit different, but all
of the main concepts that the Giants have in their offense,
and there's a passing concepts the stuff that he did
with you at all, Miss as someone that had a
lot of experience in the NFL, what do you think
the biggest adjustment is going to be for him just
(06:22):
from learning the schematics of NFL offense? Again, he used
to you know that NFL style of play. What's going
to be the biggest adjustment for Jackson going from your
program to the Giants.
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Well, I just think the the mass volume. You know,
we simpled down a little bit in college because of
not because of him, but because of the other players.
So I just think up there usually they just have
so much, so much information in their playbook and so
many plays and stuff involved in cadences and everything.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
I was talking to Jameis Winston the same day I
talked to Jackson. He's been the league what like nine
years now, and he said to me, man, this offense,
so there is more memorization, one word plays, you know,
one word adjustment stuff that a quarterback has to memorize.
You don't think Jackson's gonna have any ability trying to
absorb and just remember all those different types of adjustments
that you have in the more complex scheme.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
No, I think he'll be He'll be phenomen.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
That's awesome when you had Jackson there in clutch situations
like weed, Eli Manning here, and he was a guy
that was always the same right. He was just a
straight line no matter what the situation. He was calm,
cool and collective. Is Jackson a guy that gets a
little jacked up in those spots I feel like, you know,
Tom Brady maybe something somebody that that that kind of
got like, you know, very pumped up. Or Is Jackson
(07:39):
a guy that kind of keeps that calm, medium level
even in the biggest spots and in some of these games.
Speaker 4 (07:46):
No, I think there's a lot of Eli in there, like,
but then he has that is you know, I would
say his dad and him, you know, the defensive personality
and him you know where it takes over a little
bit and he gets a little aggressive, but in the
most time throughout the weekend stuff, he's very calm.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
You talked about your offense, and now you know you
did things a certain wave because of the other players.
And if I'm framing this question wrong as someone that
doesn't know a tenth of the offensive football as you do,
please you could address it any way you want. When
you did your offense, was it mostly was it full
progression reads? Was it kind of all right, Well, if
it's zone, you're going to the left, if it's man,
you're going to the right. How was he generally asked
(08:26):
to kind of read things out over the course of
these games or was it really just dependent on the
play and the type of defense who are playing that week.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Yeah, we have a lot of stuff, a lot of
different types of reads, whether it's linebackers, whether it's you know, safeties,
whether it's two high one high quick quick reads because
they're rpoing. So he's kind of done it all.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
You know.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The one thing that jumped out of me and I
saw it on tape and I've seen it in practice.
I've been to you know, all ota mini camp practice
that he's done with the giants. His ability to put
touch on the ball and get the ball like just
over that first level defender to his receiver you know,
who's maybe layered in between the linebackers in the safeties
that touches that something that was kind of innate to
him when he got there, or is that something that
you helped develop in him to be able to layer
(09:08):
the football and throw a real catchable ball with touch
to his receivers and that intermediate level of the field.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, he's worked on that. He was good, but he
became great at it through a lot of work and
a lot of reps. You know, he just put so
much energy into it. Joe Judge was here for last
year with him and spent a lot of time with
him working on drills and stuff also.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
And the other thing too, that and this is more
of an advanced concept in terms of quarterbacks and times
that takes quarterbacks, and they never figured out otherwise it
takes some time. He's already thrown a couple really nice
back shoulder throws in practice where you know, coach, you know,
that's just a lot of timing with the wide receiver.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Is I know that's a big part of your offense. Too.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Does he do a really nice job of kind of
trying to build that chemistry with the receivers on the side,
so you can do those types of field plays where
you're kind of just reading off what the defense is
given you and they have to be timed up perfectly
on some of those back shoulder looks.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Yeah, I think that's just a lot of chemistry and
a lot of them working with it. He's got great
touch on that throw and when to throw it and
how to anticipate it. But he'll continue to get better
that with the individual player.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
You know.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Pocket presence, That's something I think that also jumped out
of me, and I've seen it in practice again.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
You know, I think some.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Quarterbacks sometimes at the tendency to, especially the younger ones,
run backwards and away from the line of scrimmage. I
always felt like watching Jackson that he would step up
and through towards the line of scrimmage. How did you
go about trying to teach that pocket presence or is
that something that kind of came naturally to him.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
We work on a lot, you know, we work on
vertical scrambles and move in in the pocket and not
going backwards, so and he's really good at.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
It once he's moving.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Obviously, quarterback scrambles if you look at like you know,
things like EPA, it's it's it's it's one of the
most valuable plays you can have. How did you teach
him once he started to move up in the pocket
in terms of keeping his eyes up? You know, how
quickly was he supposed to go to you know, get
rid of the ball or you know, did he get
the third and four threads? You know, how how big
of a part of your offense and how much would
(11:06):
you encourage or discourage the quarterback scram one running part
of the game for him?
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Yeah, it is huge, like you said, you know, the
ability to make plays scraming, especially third and fourth downs,
you know, drive is huge and he needed a great
job at that.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Hoddle up, get in here.
Speaker 4 (11:25):
If you're lined up here, you gotta go over the
middle with at the score great.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
How do we make that happen?
Speaker 4 (11:31):
I don't know, but Tennison does makes sense of your
money with citizens official Bank of Eli Manning.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, and then I guess how was his ability to
you know, we talk about the running, how about his
ability to kind of you know, scramble buy more time
to throw. How was he able to kind of create
plays and work with his wide receivers to to almost
run those run that secondary route tore you right after
the first concept is done, maybe he gets flushed out
of the pocket and then you know, receivers are doing
(11:59):
other things by feel with the quarterback and he's trying
to make that playoff schedule.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
Yeah, he really There's a lot of scrambling early on,
you know, the first year, and then he really started
to keep his eyes downfield and create plays, live, stay
behind line of scrimmage and create big plays, which he
did a lot, including in the last Bowl game.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
How do you think he's going to handle kind of
the big pressure of New York market, new York media,
things like that.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
He'll be great. You know, he tests really well on
we have different tests that kind of tell you that
judgment index tests and he's elite.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
I'm curious to get your opinion as a coach because
the Giants, you know, he's probably not going to start
the year as the starter is probably gonna be Russell Wilson,
and then Brian Dable and Mike Kafkin Shae Tierney are
going to work with him behind the scenes, How do
you think they're going to have a good feel for
when Jackson is ready? Even though maybe he's not getting
a ton of reps in practice, he's not getting a
ton of reps in games. How do you think they're
going to know when Jackson is ready to take on
(12:58):
that starting role on the NFL whenever that might happen.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Yeah, I don't know. That's more for them.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I think, yeah, how's the season going, how's the rest
of the team playing around him?
Speaker 3 (13:12):
You know, to figure that out?
Speaker 2 (13:14):
No, absolutely, I was just wondering because obviously, as someone
that that coaches offense, coaches coaches quarterbacks, is there stuff
in the meeting room or when they're doing scout team
reps that you really watch for a look for from
your perspective when you have a young quarterback in your program,
to try to figure out when you think they're ready
to play.
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Yeah, I would just try to put them in the
most pressure situations that we can and speed things up
and a lot of good on good you know, just
try to figure it out.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
You guys have preseason games.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That helps, Yeah, absolutely, and I think that'll be that'll
be big for him for sure. What were some of
his favorite concepts to run, you know, his his kind
of go to throws in big spots that you would
try to scheme up from on those big third downs
that he was most comfortable throwing.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
Well, I thought he just got really comfortable with players.
He was very comfortable with Trey Harris until he got hurt,
which really I think would have been amazing what the
numbers they would have put together as you look at
what they were doing prior to injury and record setting things.
And then he got really good with his tight end.
So he just has a really good feel for things
and how his players are going to move around in
(14:15):
man end zone.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
So it seems like he's able to really connect with
his players and get good individual fears for the guy.
So it's more about getting a feel for the players
than may be necessarily the place.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Yeah, yeah, he does a great job.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
I spend so much extra time with them weekends and
off season and everything right coaching.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Then finally, how about Jackson off the field. We've talked
a lot of it as a football player, a leader
in the locker room. What kind of person and guy
are the Giants adding to the North Jersey and New
York community. Here that is hopefully is here for a
real long time.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
He just really engaged with the community, with the people,
invest in people and time, and it's really old school
that way.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
It's awesome.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
I finally, and then any just anecdotes or stories that
you have, you know, when you got them to come,
when you recruited him, when he transferred, or the time
you kind of had from that, you think kind of
defines the type of personal player that Jackson is.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
I think he he you know, is interesting. He took
a long time to commit, you know, and kept like
kind of like weighing things out and everything. I started saying, well, man,
our quarterback needs a little more decisive is going to
be a good quarterback, And so I always joked that
I read that wrong, you know, because he's very decisive
as a player.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Absolutely, coach, thank you so much for the time we appreciated,
good luck and what's going to be a loaded sec.
You got one of the most talented teams in college football.
We wish you luck. Thanks so much of the time.
And I'll say added Jackson for when they come back
in July. All right, thanks John, that's the head coach
of all miss Lane Kiffin, and they're always busy, you know,
these college programs. You know, we got a month here
in the NFL where things kind of shut down. They're recruiting,
(15:49):
they're doing summer in spring practices, and it's not merely
as many rules in terms of when they can work
with these guys and when they can't. So it's always
really tough getting these guys to give us some time.
And it was pretty odd that that coach Kiffin was
pretty excited about Jackson. He's a huge fan of his
and it was just good to talk to him and
kind of get some insight into what he had to
do in college and you know how that might translate
(16:11):
to the NFL level. And it was great to get
that insight from Coach Kiffin. And we thank all miss
for setting that up. That really was fantastic, and we
thanked him for the time doing that interview.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
I really enjoyed it. That's all the time me after
the Giants.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Little Podcast brought to you by Citizens, the Official Bank
of the Giants.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Thanks so much for being with us, everybody. We will
see you next time.