Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hope.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I'm for the review.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
All right. Wednesday got here quick.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
You know, we landed pretty early on Tuesday and got
right to work, fired up about the game plan and
getting back to work with the guys. So a really
focused group, hungry and ready to go.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Can you give an update on Horn.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
I'm gonna keep all injuries, but I will say they're
in the protocol, so they have to go. They have
to make sure they pass all the necessary tests.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
With all that, do you'd think it'd be unlikely given
the short week that they'd be able to clear.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
The short week does have a significant factor in it,
and again we just have to go through the right
protocol and make sure that they're clearing, you know, each
hurdle along the way.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
You have three healthy inside linebackers today. How much does
that create an issue with special teams and plotting out
the week and just as far as.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Death, absolutely, that's a group that we really lean on
for special teams in their contributions in the coverage units,
particularly the interior of the punt team on kickoff, you know, but.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
They're all over, they're all over.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
The core core for special teamers you know that we
count on and so that's an area that we have
to look at to see who can help us there,
and you know, could come from other positions, but those
guys have been very valuable for us this year.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You see what Stafford's done in the place stats, Yeah,
this year. And then here you guys come in with
a secondary that's a little bit banged up and possibly
listen more, I mean, how do you do with all this?
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah, we got to press into the game plan. Look
at what they're doing, how they're finding success. He's distributing
the ball well to a bunch of different wide receivers,
and he's playing great football. He's getting the ball out fast,
and he's going through his progressions. He has a group
that he really trusts, and so you know, we have
to lean in on what they've been doing lately and
make sure that we have you know, solutions for that
in our coverages, and be aware of how they're trying
(01:48):
to attack.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
I mean that note he's been doing this for so long.
Speaker 5 (01:52):
Can you throw anything at him that surprises him anymore?
Speaker 1 (01:55):
You could?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
You should, We should try to, you know, in different ways.
And first part of it is just formation recognition, looking
at the route stems and how they're trying to protect
each angle of the cut. You know, they go in,
out and up, you know, from a bunch of different spots,
and they have good variety and throw its all you know,
the tight ends.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
They throw it to the receivers, to the back. So
we've got to be aware of all that.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
You get, you get trevn back this week, we.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Should Yes, he was out there today participating facing two.
Speaker 6 (02:22):
Of the or highly known play callers in the league
two weeks in a row. What's the difference in those
two and what is the challenge when we're facing that.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Start with the similarities, there's great balance in what they do.
They make sure they get the run game going and
they have actions that come off of that. The drop
back schemes, you know, they're different from one team to
the next, But it's about execution. It's about finding that
first first open guy and playing fast in the pocket
and guys being where they're supposed to be, you know,
So it's timing sensitive, all those things are. But I
(02:54):
think it's also just the variety of the attack. The
attack and the different ways the screen game, the run game,
the pass game, all those things really tied in and
it's a really detailed part of what they do with
their formations to make everything look the same, starts the same,
ends up different. And two guys that I really respect,
you know, to be able to look at the crossover tape,
you know, to watch as I'm studying the defense, but
(03:16):
to flip over on the other side and to see
how they deploy their offense. You know, these are guys
that I really respect and try to emulate.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
It's a shortened week like this, how your preparation changed.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Do you try to cram everything.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
As possible or do you look to kind of pick
and shoe spots of more emphasis versus maybe a full
week where you'd have more time.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
You know, it's really just the Tuesday.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The Tuesday is the day that really gets crammed a
little bit because playing on Monday night, that's typically a
prep day afternoon evening, once you've gone through tell the
Truth Monday. So when we get to Tuesday, we have
to kind of condense some of the information to make
sure that you know, we can get all those things done,
whether it's first, second, and third down, and we just
got to be really efficient with our time. The good
(04:00):
part about it is this, at this point in the season.
We know what we're doing, we know the concepts, and
so then it's just a matter of making those decisions
quickly to put our guys in the best position.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Get out of the two new cornerbacks of Rochelle and Long.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Yeah, they got to come and help us out. They
got to contribute.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
And these are guys that Jonathan Cooley has familiarity with
also a Jarro guys that they've coached before in the past.
Both were past former rams too, so they'll have some
familiarity with the concepts and that'll be a good thing
for us. And we're going to ask those guys to
help on special teams as well in different ways.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Dave Without, like you've been doing these quarterly reviews, are
you going to do that during the bye week instead?
Now since you didn't really have Monday to kind of
do that.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
This Absolutely, we'll take the bye week the first couple
of days, dive into those things, dive into the the
all of our processes offense, defense and special teams, and
look at guys who see who can help us, and
see who is helping us, you know, and try to
keep putting them in those positions to be successful.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
Are with the point where you feel, like you said,
you guys know the concepts, you know what's going on.
Do you feel like any sort of major change that
you would make to either play calling or the depth
chart would be the answer moving forward? Or you at
a point where you just think pushing forward is the
best thing to do.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Yeah, just execution and all of us, myself included, making
sure that the game plan we put together, the vision
that we have comes to life, and making sure that
our players are continuing to improve fundamentally. And that's the
difference at this point in the season. It's the teams
that can find a way to improve their technique and
fundamentals and continue to make that an emphasis late into
the season that have success. And so we got to
(05:38):
get back to that, making sure we're executing on all sides,
and then for sure from a coaching staff standpoint, making
sure we're connected to the things that have found us
success and be committed to those.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
With the way that the season has gone in the
finally being so late, First, how is how is the
room holding up? Because there are others injuries this week
that have to be contented with their been injuries all
season long, right it has been alongst log to get.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
To this point.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Absolutely, and we have our rhythms and the guys know
what to expect when they show up each day, So
we have that process in place, so that part feels
good and they're hungry, you know, they're hungry to get
back to work. They're hungry for another opportunity to play
against a formidable opponent, an NFC opponent, and to play
our best football in that game.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
Is the bye week? Maybe a talking point to your
guys this week saying that's the caret that's out there.
Empty the tank this week, or if you even broach that.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
We have to have the mentality empty the tank every
single week and have that championship mentality so that we
don't treat any of these games different. They're all high
stakes games, especially now at this point in the.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Season, championship mentality.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
You have a handful of former RAMS players and coaches.
How important have those guys been in helping you establish
the culture here?
Speaker 3 (06:51):
It's huge And I love having coaches that come from
different places that have had success so that I can
bounce off ideas for ways we might structure our meetings,
ways we might structure our practices and just and also
just from a game plan standpoint, how to attack, how
to how to get different concepts involved, because that's where
we can pick different pieces from where we've been and
(07:13):
try to make those come alive, so long as it
fits with the players do well, you know, and having
a bunch of guys come from the rams, you know. Goodie,
Goodie and Joe were the bucks, you know, and they
had a lot of success in the last couple of years,
and and really just allows us to have that diversity
along the staff and good information.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Execution. I'm just curious what leads to poor execution? Is
it overthinking? Just from a coaching.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Standpoint, we always try to go back to the fundamentals,
the basics of technique first and foremost, starting the playoff
with the right formation, making sure we're in a great stance,
and then the basic parts of it, blocking, tackling, exploding
off the ball, taking care of the ball, all those
basic things. Because in any given day, scheme outside, if
(07:58):
you set scheme aside, it's always going to come back
to the most technically sound players that have success, most
technically sound play callers. We have to be committed to
those things that fit the areas. So the guys can
anticipate what's coming and that.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Allows us to play fast.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
But that's always something tangible that our players can really
sink their teeth into, and that's always been a goal
of mine, is to try to give them something real
that they can work on, and each player, each coach
looking for ways to improve, looking for ways to find
an edge from weekend and week out.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Is it difficult? I mean seems like.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
It's very difficult, and I think it gets overlooked because
focus and refocus. Refocus is a real challenge. Can you
continue to refocus on a play to play basis, drive
to drive, and then of course week to week, can
you refocus and re engage your mind to find constant improvement.
Our goal is to find our best football. That's got
to be the pursuit so that we can improve the
(08:58):
whole thing. And that takes discipline, that takes focus, and
particularly when we get a bye week this late in
the season, it really does take that type of mental
toughness to show up and go back to work and
find an edge.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
Generally speaking, I know you don't want to talk about
specific and you don't want to talk about specific injuries,
but when you're dealing with a young player who's oft
injured and you've seen it multiple times, but you also
think that player is talented. How do you balance the
upside of the talent versus can I depend on this
player when I'm trying to win a ball game, like
(09:30):
when you're doing the planning process of the week.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Yeah, Well, where I go initially is just making sure
I'm connecting with the player to keep them motivated to
get back to the place where they are physically fit
and ready to go. But then there's like an emotional
part as well, because guys can get discouraged, you know,
when they keep fighting against this or that and things
start to show up. You know, particular, our college players
come into the pros and this season starts to get
(09:54):
really long at this point, and emphasizing the importance of
body care and all that, and then also being able
to motivate them on the things that they're doing well.
How to just continue to build that way so that
we can compartmentalize it so they don't start making broad
judgments about how this season is going to turn out
for them specifically, but where they can actually just focus
in on what is the next tax task at hand,
(10:16):
whether it's getting back physically, or whether it's taking the
next step mentally being involved in our game plans.
Speaker 6 (10:21):
Wor kind of up on my cast earlier on that question.
But you're always obviously rising to expectations here with the
wins you've had so far. So with that people become
even more specific things. And he was asking about the
play calling. What do you feel like you bring to
the play calling? How do you evaluate how you've been
as a play caller, And you feel like that's the best.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Thing we look forward.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
It's an important part of everything.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
And I try to be really transparent with the players
and to own up to the places in the areas
I could do better in this situation, and I want
them to understand this is all of us.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
We're accountable to each other.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
We're all pushing to try to win, to try to
improve our football, and I'm certainly a part of that
as a head coach and then of course the play caller.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So we have to be connected.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
On that, and we ought to be real about it,
you know, and and look at look at the opportunities.
And while players may get the scrutiny for you know,
a misplay here, a miss block there, drop pass, an Erran,
throw a mistackle.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Those types of things happen. Uh.
Speaker 3 (11:16):
The coaches are involved as well, and we all got
to be on the same page and be humble about
it and be looking forward to improving.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
And you know, for me as as a as a
young young, youngish.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Play caller, you know, but pretty early in my career,
you know, every week is a lesson for me. Every
week there's something to take. And I have great people
around me that we talk to, that we have accountability with,
and I lean on those guys because I want to
get better as well as we continue to do this process.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, thank you.