June 27, 2023 • 36 mins
Host Eric Allen is joined in studio by Jets Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. The two talk about the strides the defensive unit made in 2022 (1:15), the next steps they can make as a group (5:30) and what is in store for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner (8:20). They discuss the benefits the Jets have with the strength in numbers on the pass rush (14:45), specifically what Ulbrich has seen in Carl Lawson in his preparation for the season (18:30) and the linebacker group led by captain C.J. Mosley (20:50). Lastly, Ulbrich explains the excitement he has for the current safeties on the roster (23:35), the transition happening on the inside of the defensive line (31:00) and his reaction to the acquisition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers (35:35).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
The official pod is presented by win Bet. Betting is
a team sport, but together at win Bet. Eric Allen
here at one Jets Drive on the second floor, joined
by Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Allbrick Brick, How is everything
been this offseason? It's been a crazy one.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
It has been again, I think this organization has done
a phenomenal job of really refining this roster, getting some
key acquisitions and free agency, doing an excellent job in
the draft, and then the guys that we have here
have been high level dedication. Just them showing up as
(00:45):
much as they have and with the correct intent and
focus and purpose behind it. So it's an exciting time.
Like it feels like we made some strides from the
defensive perspective last year, but you can feel the hum
of they're just kind of scratching the surface.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
What's the difference for you this year approaching your unit?
Because last year you made a dramatic jump as far
as bottom of the league in a number of metrics,
and you knew some of that was going to happen.
It was as part of the process. You guys are
embracing the youth process. Then in twenty twenty two, your
(01:26):
defense top five across the board in almost every metric.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
You know, going through that first season, there was a
lot of times, and I think it would be everybody's
instinct when you're struggling and not playing as well as
you'd like, that you change your philosophy, whether it be schematic, technical,
whatever the case may be. And in an effort to
play better football. We fought that instinct. And I know
(01:56):
that sounds counterintuitive, but we said, we're not gonna change.
We're gonna we believe in these these uh these concepts,
whether they be schematic or technical, and we're just gonna
get better at what we do as opposed to to
changing this and and you know, trying to create a
quick fix in doing that, that was the number one reason.
(02:20):
I take that back, that's not the number one reason.
That was a big reason we took this enormous jump
because this defense, because it's not about smoking mirrors and
a ton of deception. It's more about we're just we're
gonna outplay you. You may know what we're in and
we don't care. We're just gonna out execute you. And
(02:41):
so you get a full year under your belt, a
lot of reps, a lot of keloids, a lot of scars,
a lot of successes, and you started to see the
fruits of that labor and then add the talent that
we added, whether it be the fregency or or the draft,
and the combination of that was you saw a big jump.
And and the really cool thing about this group is, uh,
(03:03):
you know, there would be a lot of groups out
there that would definitely take a deep breath after a
year like that saying we got this, And that is
absolutely not the mindset of this group. They believe collectively,
from CJ to DJ Read to every single guy on
that defense, that we're just scratching the surface.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Did you expect that kind of jump? I mean, because
that was spectacular. I mean you're talking about a jump
that is rarely seen in the NFL nowadays.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, it's uh. I hoped as we all would. It was.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It was interesting, you know, in the spring of last year,
as we started to collect these different pieces Sauce DJ
across the board, Uh, you started to see glimpses of
some really cool stuff out there on the on the
grass doing some stuff that that, in my experience in
(04:02):
this league, maybe better than I'd ever seen but you're
very cautious, you know, and and obviously coming off the
first year where we didn't play as well, you know,
like there was a feeling of you know, what is
this gonna going to look like? You know, A big
part of me believed in what we were doing, but
until you do it on Sundays, you know, it's still
it's a it's a big question mark. So I hoped
(04:26):
and I saw glimpses in last offseason of major improvement,
whether it be personnel based or or just getting better
what we do. But I don't know if I would
have said we could have been a top five defense
that quickly, you know, So to have done that, it's
a huge testament to the to the players that we
got and the coaches that we have on this on
(04:48):
the staff.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
What's the next step in the process now, as you
guys did take that jump and now teams are going
to scout the Jets a lot differently with that personnel
that you put on the field last year, whether that
be the Sauce Gardner's of the world or DJ Reid
like you mentioned before, Carl Lawson, I think that kind
of goes under the radar as far as him coming
(05:10):
back from injury, because that was really the first year
that you guys had lost in out there on the field.
I mean those guys, just those three guys alone, huge
difference makers.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, no, I would agree, you know, and not to
like the Carl Lawson conversation is an exciting one for
me because when you do terror Achilles that next year,
you're a shadow of yourself. And I'm not saying he
was a shadow of himself, but he definitely wasn't the
Carl Lawson that Carl Lawson wanted to be. And I'm
so excited to get him back and to see him
(05:42):
finally feeling really strong and explosive and comfortable and without pain,
you know.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
So he's going to take a huge jump.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Just I think as a group, like we want to
be a championship defense, and a championship defense obviously you
have to play very consistent football in every phase, but
you got to get the ball. Yeah, those are the
defenses that win games, win championships and go to the
next space. That's where we need to make an enormous jump.
And that's not just the guys in the back end
(06:10):
picking the ball off. That's applying pressure. That's me calling,
the correc calls, putting guys in position to be successful.
It's all of that. So that's the next component I'm
not going to get. Obviously, we're very cognizant of the
statistics and analytics of everything that we do because they're
markers that really can indicate success or failure or places.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
That need improvement.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
But the biggest one that I'm looking for this season
is the turnovers, having the ability to really change games
and win games.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
What's the evolution of that happening. How does that happen?
Because it's not like you and your staff haven't stressed that.
I mean, that's one of the things. Like you talk
to guys around the building they say, you know, they
lead off the meetings talking about takeaways.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yep, it's yeah, and we do. Can we do it better?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yes, absolutely, we can do better, and we'll continue to
find ways to keep that at the forefront of the
of the conversation. But a lot of that is just
getting better at what we do. When the past rush
improves and we continue to get better at that and
we affect quarterbacks at a higher level, that's when picks happen.
When we create you know, different coverage wrinkles, or we
(07:22):
just get better at we do from a coverage perspective,
that's where turnovers happen. You know that the emphasis has
always been to be a physical defense, Like we want
violence to be one of those first words that you
speak about when you talk about the Jets defense, and
there's an element of violence getting the ball off people.
So it's it's a little bit of all those things,
(07:44):
but it's it's something that we we collectively, players and
coaches like we know that that's the that's the next
thing that we have to get done here have to.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
We saw it with Richard Sherman in his career as
far as him being a technician early on and then
the ball started coming to him. Yep, He'll started grabbing
it more and more. They're not the same player, but
we've seen comparisons between Sauce Gardner Richard Shermers just because
the body type, the competitive nature of the guys. Do
(08:16):
you think that it's bound to happen that's the next
thing that's gonna happen with Gardner, he had two interceptions
last year, what was phenomenal as far as leading the
league impds and then he checked all those boxes right
he was a pro bowler, his first team All Pro
and then Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, that's the next step for him, and it's he
would tell you the same. I was fortunate enough to
be with Richard as a rookie in his first and
second year in the in the NFL to see him
and there are a million comparisons.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Really, Yeah, not.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Just the obvious that they're both long, rangy guys, good athletes,
good speed, all those things. It's the mindset, it's the approach,
it's the it's the process that there.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Both committed to.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Like there's no part of Richard Sherman as a rookie
that you would have said he looks like a rookie,
Like the way he was at a walk through getting
angry because the stem of the of the receiver was
wrong or the alignment was incorrect or whatever. His level
of detail was that of a ten plus.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Your Vet.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Sauce has that same makeup. He has this unbelievable mentality
and approach and it's so consistent, especially for a younger guy.
Every walkthrough you can hear him talking and it's not
just the funny talk that we enjoy that as well.
You know, and he gets under people's skin and that's
part of his game. But just the talking as far
(09:42):
as you know, alerting the routes, identifying the formations, you know,
gathering the pre snap indicators, and then verbalizing that to
his teammates. It's just different, you know, because corners innately
are quiet, yeah, typically, and they're they're on their island
and they handle their own where he's not built that way.
(10:03):
He's built in a way that he wants to elevate
everybody's game and if he sees something, he says something
and he's he's different in that way. So for him
and Richard Sherman to be compared, there's a lot of
comparisons in that way. Now, the movement, the athletes, they're
a little different, you know. But yeah, like Richard Sherman,
(10:27):
was he a great corner, absolutely, and he got the
ball at a high level and he's one of the
best to ever do it. But saying that, like Cliff Averell,
Michael Bennett, I mean that that yeah, that list goes
on and on as far as the d lineman that
they had there at the time, and that created that
that environment where quarterbacks were not comfortable, you know, and
(10:48):
bad balls were thrown and and then there's also an
element of Aaron Rodgers here that that's real and Aaron
historically a lot of points on the board, to put
it plainly, And when that happens, we'll get more opportunities
(11:08):
because guys will have to push the ball on us
a little bit more and try to be more aggressive,
whereas there was times last year. You know, it's just
the truth of it that people were more conservative against
us at times.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Yeah, especially late in the season. Did you expect that
chip from Sauce coming out? It's drafted number four overall,
Like we're talking about him and Sherman. Sherman was a
late round pick. You guys found him late in the draft,
one of the best picks for the last twenty five years. Absolutely,
did you anticipate Sauce coming in and being as hungry
(11:42):
as he was?
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I got that feeling from him. I remember in the
pre draft process, obviously do the interviews, but we took
him out to dinner. My youngest son was there, Jason,
and I remember leading that dinner and how blown away
Jace was of how engaged he was and how many
questions he asked and how intuitive he was and how
(12:08):
like there's just a different he's He's different in that way,
you know, whereas you know, there's a lot of really
good players in this league that are very uh they
keep everybody kind of at bay and and and and
Sauce wasn't that at all. I felt something different about
him that night, and uh and it was so uh
(12:28):
it was so obvious that he had a different mindset
regarding everything, even though his interactions were different. And so
to say that I would have known exactly what that
would have looked like, you know, Monday through Saturday as
far as the process of gett ready for a game,
I would have liked to say that that I knew
was going to look like that, But I think until
you get your hands on a guy, you don't know.
(12:50):
And but it didn't take long for us to realize
what he is all about.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Like we just had Tony Odin up here and too
yeah talked about that is that you could tell this
is a different kind of player, but he was a
different kind of person as well.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Absolutely, yeah, And it's it's part of his secret, Sauce,
you know, like just he has rare ability, rare size,
rare speed, rare transitional stuff, rare instinct, all of that.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
But he has rare work ethic too, which people don't see.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
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Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, you always talk about coverage being tied to what
happens up front. I think people externally said, Will McDonald
in the first round, what are the Jets doing? Can
you talk about We're going to get to the Rogers dynamic.
But what you have on the edge right now, we
just talked about Carl Lawson got John Franklin Myers. You
(14:27):
have Will McDonald's entert of the equation. You have Bryce Huff,
You got Jermaine. Yeah, you got Jermaine and another first
round pick. And I know you guys like Brayley and
I as well. I mean, as far as can you
talk about and that's the first round picks each of
the last two years, As far as the edge is concerned,
(14:47):
can you talk about the strength of numbers and what
potentially you can do with this group and why Will
McDonald makes sense.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
For you guys.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, it was twenty sixteen and I was in Atlanta,
and I know everybody saw the game, and it's one
of my major keylrds of my life, let alone my
football life, was us losing that Super Bowl, you know,
and everybody looks at twenty eight to three, like, how
did you not win?
Speaker 3 (15:11):
You know? And we ran out of gas a little bit.
You know.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
We had some really good defensive linemen, we really did,
but maybe not necessarily the depth to really finish that
game and put the nails in the coffin. And great
defenses they always start up front, and great finishing defenses
absolutely start up front. And that's what we're assembling here,
we're assembling a group that the first, second, and third
(15:39):
wave is going to be a problem for you. And
when we get there, and I think that we're getting close,
we will not only win games on defense, but we
will finish games the way we want to and we'll
win championships because of that defensive line. And that's the
(15:59):
reason that it is such a priority here, and it's
a priority for all the really good teams in this league.
I know it's an old saying, but games are one
up front and I believe that, and I think the
test of time believes that.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
And we're getting close.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
How good can this group? Deonsby because not only did
he land Jermaine Johnson in the draft last year, but
you commented about the progress of Michael Clements because he
came in in the fourth round as well. You come
back this year and you get Will McDonald, Bryce Hoff.
As far as his pass rush production from a numbers perspective,
(16:35):
I mean, his get off is elite, yes. And then
we talked about Losston. You think Lawson is probably going
to be better this year than what we saw last year.
And then Franklin Weiers he's got the ability to shift
inside for you guys and Bart Scott always talks about
this with me. You guys can have some kind of
(16:57):
Nascar package as far as pass rushing situations.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Absolutely, And what's really cool about the group is they're
so each guy is so unique and has such a
different brand of football.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
You got our new guy, Will who.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Is as bendy and long and as twitched up as
it gets, and he's gonna make guys miss and he's
going to burn the corner and he's gonna do some
really cool stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
You already said.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Bryce has this just elite get off and he can
just he can embarrass you by just out running you.
You got Jermaine who I really find feel like he's
coming into his own as far as really developing his
pass rush. But what makes him unique is he has
the speed. His pass rush is getting refined, but he
(17:42):
has different power than those other guys, and he can
really put.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
You on skates. John Frank L.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Myers is you know, he's probably his greatest value to
us as his ability to play inside and outside, you know,
so that's huge and he does both at a very
high level. I think Michael Clemens will be in that
similar mold. I think we'll be able to utilize him
in that that way too, where he can be a
devastating edgsetter in the run game for a second down
and at times reduced inside and and go pick on
(18:11):
some guards. And then Carl is just this, you know,
he's this technician just he people talk about being obsessed
with this game, well he demonstrates it every single day.
His obsession is real. And it's I think we're all
going to see what he's been working on this year.
You know, he's I saw him yesterday and we sat
(18:33):
down had lunch, and he's so excited about just where
he's at, especially physically because I saw some social media clips.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Yeah, he's it's so funny.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
He was training with Paris Johnson, the offensive lineman that
went first.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Or went to seven to six I think maybe to Arizona, right.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
The top ten pion.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Yeah, well he was training with him in the pre
draft process with and if you know Carl, Carl's a little,
a little weird in a really cool way, you know,
but he's not real cognizant of all the social media.
He's not real cognizant all the media hype. He kind
of stays in his own, his own little world, and
which is one of the things I love about him.
(19:16):
He's not as affected by all the noise because of that.
So he had no idea who this Paris Johnson was.
He just thought he was, you know, maybe a mid
mid round draft pick, you know. And and he showed
me the tape and Paris got a taste of the
NFL before he got to the NFL.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, it was. It was a clinic, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
And and to think that's you know, he's still two
three months away from our season starting, and where he's
at physically, especially compared to the the version of Carl
that we saw last year was still kind of battling
back from the Endroy.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
I'm so excited for him.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
And there's no human that deserves to have success more
than him, just his work ethic and his approach and
his mindset. And plus he's a he's a good teammate
and he's a good man.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
What do you think about the third linebacker spot.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
CJ.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Moseley, Man, he's been so good for you guys. If
people slept on him after being out of football for
a little bit, I mean.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
He's proved his worth.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Pro Bowler last season. The mic linebacker he's the heart
of your defense. You re signed Quincy Williams before free agency, stars,
so we keep him off the market. We saw him
really develop a former waiver claim who's really found a
home in this defense. Such a violent striker, and he
also is so explosive. How do you see this third
(20:35):
linebacker position shaken out? Jamien Sherwood here, and then you
guys also draft Zier Barnes. I know on day three
you guys like his potential a lot and homs and
Nozril Dean returns. What do you think about the group?
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, first of all, the top two guys are in
my opinion, they should be in the conversation as one
of the top linebacker group in the NFL. CJ's awareness
is his toughness, is consistency, his ability to run this defense.
We put a lot on his table and he excels
in that role.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
So just an.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Amazing man too and teammate, just just as it spoke
about Carl and then Quincy is just this so unique athlete,
Like he has wide receiver speed and he's got you know,
he's got defensive line explosion and violence he has. Yeah,
he's such a rare combination of all these things and
(21:32):
now after really getting to be put on repeat and
and you know, rather learn a lot of stuff. We
just asked him to learn a few things, and you're
starting to see him master these few things now and
the player and the athlete is starting to get you know,
you're starting to see all his his physical stuff now
(21:54):
that he's starting to really get the game up top.
And then this third linebacker position I'm excited about. I
know there's some angst and there's some outward people are
a little nervous about who's going to man that position.
But I really believe we got four or five candidates
on this team. So those guys are going to compete
their butts off and through that competition, someone will rise
(22:16):
and someone will become the man. I would you know,
we have great faith in all of them too, So uh,
you know, Jamien could be that guy. And uh and
if he is, we got a great third linebacker, Like
you said, Zayre could be that guy. Hamza could be
that guy. I wouldn't count out Chas Ratt. Yeah, And
then you know the UDFA is that we we just
(22:37):
most recently got the three of them, Like they have
some really interesting athletic stuff to them and potential. So, uh,
there's gonna be a dogfight. You know, there's there's four
or five dogs and there's one bone, and we're gonna
get a good third linebacker because of the competition.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
What if people don't know about Michael Carter the Second,
because rightfully so saw us in DJ get a lot
of credit because they're one of the top cornerback tandems,
if not the best cornerback tandem in the National Football League.
And you know, I think it was great for DJ
just from a personal perspective, from an individual perspective, and
(23:15):
he's the ultimate team guy, but he was able to
come from the West Coast to the East Coast. And
I think that now when people think about cornerbacks, they
know DJ Reid. People in the league knew about DJ Reid,
about what he was doing out there with San Francisco
and Seattle, But I think now people elsewhere know what
(23:38):
the story is with DJ. But what about Michael Carter
the second and an important role that he plays on
your defense.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Even before I get to Michael, You're right about DJ,
and DJ is another guy that helped change the culture
of this defense because he strains especially in practice at
a whole different level. You don't see that anymore from pros.
I would say that I think I think Sauce innately
(24:04):
is a worker and he's a strainer. But to have
a guy like DJ who's done it and been there
to demonstrate it every day, that approach to Sauce, I
think that took Sauce to another space.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
He's like, there's a perfect compliment for each other.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
They are.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Yeah, absolutely, And then Michael Carter is that third component,
Like we put a ton on this man's shoulders. He
is essentially a linebacker, a safety, a corner, a sam.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
And a nickel all in one.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Like we asked him to fit in a B gap
and then take a slot fade of a slot receiver.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
We ask him to.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
We just put so much on his shoulders, and like,
if you get him on something from a mental standpoint,
like it's rare and it's far and in between. He
is a guy that's constantly he's just he is, he
is on it, and we're so we are so fortunate
to have this guy. Plus he's another guy with and
I know this sounds redundant, but another great human being
(25:06):
and teammate too, and a guy committed to the process
and a guy that is dedicated to this team, this organization,
to this defense at the highest level you could ask for. Yeah,
he does an amazing job, and he's got a really
hard job because not only do we ask him to
do a lot schematically, but when we ask him to
(25:26):
play man demand. It's hard because he's on the slot,
which is typically the hardest, one of the hardest places
to cover because the guy can go everywhere. He can
go inside outside, there is there's traffic, and there's the
The route tree is so much bigger for a slot
receiver as as opposed to a guy on an outside lane.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
You know, so he's got to he's got to cover
more routes.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
But on top of that, you already said it like,
we have one of the best corner tandems in the NFL,
in the world for that matter, And that makes it
harder on him because now all of a sudden, he
becomes a lot of times a target because when they
look at it, sometimes they look at Sauce and they
(26:11):
look at DJ, and when Sauce and DJ are really rolling,
I'm not throwing out there, you know, And not to
say they'll pick on mc But with Michael Carter, like
like I said, that's just a bigger route tree. There's
more options, there's more things available for the quarterback and
the slot receivers. So then all of a sudden, his
targets last year went way up. And that's hard living
(26:34):
and he does it at a high level.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
So he's a huge part of our success.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Quinna Williams stud one of the best defensive players, one
of the best players in the National Football League. What
about the changing landscape at the defensive tackle position, because
Sheldon Rankins did some nice things for you.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Guys here is you built it?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Obviously signs a nice deal with the Houston Texans. The
King of strain is Robert Salah liked to call him
Nathan Sheppard. He departs in free agency down to New Orleans.
What can you tell me about what the middle is
gonna look like next to Quinnon now and most recently
of course Elwood's signs here.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Yeah, first of all, again, I'd like to give, like
forever grateful for my time with both those guys. Sheldon
Rankins and Nathan Sheppard are just amazing human beings, teammates
and like you said, they played at a high level
for us, and they're a huge part of our success
last year. But there has been a transition and the
guys that we brought in I'm excited about too. Like
(27:38):
Quentin Jefferson is a guy that just from Afar, I've always.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Been a huge fan of his style. He is.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
He is a king of strain. He is a guy
that just it is. He's all gas, no break. He
personifies that and demonstrates that every day, all day just
who he is. It's how he operates. So to get
him just getting more or juice and energy and guys
that love this game and are willing to play it
at the highest level and strain like he does consistently.
(28:07):
And then Al Woods brings us this big man, this
tough man in the middle that you're not going to move.
What I'm most excited about al and this I'm more
excited for him than even for us. I think the
NFL has always kind of looked at him as he's
this world class three four.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
No's world class, and it's hard to argue against that.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
When you watch the tape, you know he'll get head
up on a center and I don't care if you
double him or not, Like you're not.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Moving him, and more times than not, he's moving you.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
But in this front, as we know, like we get
to go, we get to put things on our terms.
We attack, we don't read, we don't catch blocks. It's
just not how we operate. So it's not very often
that you get a guy that's played as much football
as him. I don't know what year this is, fifteenth
or whatever it is, where he gets to really redefine
who he is. Here's a guy that the league perceives
(29:07):
as like a this zero three four ohs. I think
the league is start. They're going to see a guy
that he can attack and he's more athletic than people
give him credit for, and he's faster and he's more
explosive than people give him credit for. So for him
to be a part of that is going to be
really exciting for him. And then Quinnin is just you know,
(29:27):
I've spoken this a million times over. He is an
absolute game wrecker. He's he's the rare defensive lineman that is,
he'll wreck you in the in the run game, and
he'll wreck you when you want to drop back and
pass the ball. Like typically guys have superpowers one area
or the other and they have kryptonite in the other
he doesn't like he checks all the boxes.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
In my opinion, there is no like.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
There are parts of his game that he can prove
as always for everybody, but as far as his complete
skill set, it's it's it's unmatched.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
I gotta imagine when you're talking to these guys, when
you're talking to a Quentin Jefferson, who, oh, by the way,
at a career high in sacks last year with Seattle,
When you're talking to an al Woods, not only are
they like, Hey, I like the system, I like this culture,
and you guys are right there as far as becoming
a consistent winner, but I also have an opportunity to
(30:22):
play next to a world class player in Quentin Williams. Yep,
that's got to be a draw.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Absolutely. I think all those things are a draw for
these guys. I think that.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Guys like al Woods and Quentin Jefferson, you know, not
only good football players, but they really appreciate the culture
component of a building and a system, and they're both
so excited about that part of it as well. And
then on top of that, an opportunity to play next
to a Quentin Williams, is you know, like it's going
(30:54):
to be rare that you get the slide, that you
get the double. You know, Quentin's gonna he's gonna get
that more time than not. So there's a part of
it where you're you're gonna have more potentially opportunities than
other guys would. And I think the big draw for
a lot of these guys is this this thought that
you know, the New York Jets. The truth is, haven't
(31:16):
been the team that we'd all like to be. You know,
from a fan perspective, I know that for sure that
there's been a lot of disappointment. There's been a lot
of failure. There's been a lot of falling short. And
then to be a part of turning this thing around
and riding this ship and creating something special where there
wasn't something special. I think there's a major draft of that,
(31:36):
especially for older guys that are really trying to cement
their legacy in this game. To be part of a
turnaround like that, it's special and it can really define
your career.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I've always enjoyed talking to you, But one more topic.
What's end here speaking about older guys and defining their legacy.
How about Aaron Rodgers being out there on the field.
Can you talk about the change dynamic for you guys
on the practice field going against him every day and
how that can make you all better? And also what
(32:10):
do you sense from him?
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:13):
I know him through other people prior to him getting here,
but I didn't know him, and I didn't know him
obviously from a teammate or from a coach to player
perspective in the same building. So I didn't really know
what to expect. As we've all seen superstars a lot
of times, they're recluse there. You know, they peak, they
(32:34):
keep everybody at arm's length, and they're not inclusive, and
this guy is the exact opposite of that. It has
blown my mind. Not only does he know every teammate already,
he knows every trainer, he knows all the equipment guys,
he knows the pr guys, he knows the HR guys,
he knows the chefs in the in the kitchen. His
(32:58):
level of investment in this organization already is at a
higher level, especially from a guy of that stature and status,
and all that he's done in this league is just
it's so unique.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
And then you know, like.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
I really believe Not only is he going to help
us win now and help us do something special today,
but he's going to change the course of a lot
of these young guys' careers because they get to see
this game and the process of getting ready to play
this game at a high level. They get to see
it demonstrated at a higher level than I've ever seen.
(33:37):
And it's one thing for me to sit there and
tell a guy, this is what you should be doing.
This should I be eating, recovering, studying, taking notes, all
those things. But for a guy in his eighteenth year
with multiple MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP to operate
at the highest level every day, there's nothing more powerful
than that, you know. So he's going to be a
(33:58):
huge reason why maybe a guy like Sauce puts that
yellow jacket on. You know why a guy like Quinn
Williams puts that yellow jacket on because they thought they
were working until they saw this guy work and they
realized there's a different place.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I can go to.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
Why is he such a pain of THATSS for a
defensive coordinator oh to prepare.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
For He's just not only the brain like he's gonna
undress you, and he's gonna typically he's gonna eat the
entire shot clock to figure out what you're playing. And
then because he knows this game at such a high level,
like he knows where to put the ball versus every coverage.
So that's the mental part of things, which is different.
(34:43):
And then there's this physical piece where it's like I'm
out here watching him just doing drills, and you know,
people always talk about the platform has to be correct,
the footwork has to be perfect, you know, the our
motion has to be this, that or whatever, and he
defies it all.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
Get it.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Like we talk about getting them off the spot from
a d lin's perspective and affecting quarterbacks in that way.
I watch him do these drills. It doesn't matter, get
them off the spot, put them on the spot. Give
him a good platform, not a good platform. He's still
throwing dimes, you know. And and so he's he's a
unique mental obstacle from a defensive coordinator's perspective, but he's
(35:24):
also a physical mismatch that it's just you know, he's
probably one of the best, if not the best, pure
thrower this game he's ever seen.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Yeah, and now he's on your team.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Not mad about that?
Speaker 1 (35:39):
All right, we're gonna have to catch up again in
training camp. Make sure you get your time away at
the end of this as far as mandatory mini camp,
because before you know, it's all starting, because you guys
are one of the first two teams who were starting
training camps this year.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Because you will be in the Hall of Fame. Yep,
thanks Brick, thank you.
The official pod is presented by win Bet. Betting is
a team sport, but together at win Bet. Eric Allen
here at one Jets Drive on the second floor, joined
by Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Allbrick Brick, How is everything
been this offseason? It's been a crazy one.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
It has been again, I think this organization has done
a phenomenal job of really refining this roster, getting some
key acquisitions and free agency, doing an excellent job in
the draft, and then the guys that we have here
have been high level dedication. Just them showing up as
(00:45):
much as they have and with the correct intent and
focus and purpose behind it. So it's an exciting time.
Like it feels like we made some strides from the
defensive perspective last year, but you can feel the hum
of they're just kind of scratching the surface.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
What's the difference for you this year approaching your unit?
Because last year you made a dramatic jump as far
as bottom of the league in a number of metrics,
and you knew some of that was going to happen.
It was as part of the process. You guys are
embracing the youth process. Then in twenty twenty two, your
(01:26):
defense top five across the board in almost every metric.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
You know, going through that first season, there was a
lot of times, and I think it would be everybody's
instinct when you're struggling and not playing as well as
you'd like, that you change your philosophy, whether it be schematic, technical,
whatever the case may be. And in an effort to
play better football. We fought that instinct. And I know
(01:56):
that sounds counterintuitive, but we said, we're not gonna change.
We're gonna we believe in these these uh these concepts,
whether they be schematic or technical, and we're just gonna
get better at what we do as opposed to to
changing this and and you know, trying to create a
quick fix in doing that, that was the number one reason.
(02:20):
I take that back, that's not the number one reason.
That was a big reason we took this enormous jump
because this defense, because it's not about smoking mirrors and
a ton of deception. It's more about we're just we're
gonna outplay you. You may know what we're in and
we don't care. We're just gonna out execute you. And
(02:41):
so you get a full year under your belt, a
lot of reps, a lot of keloids, a lot of scars,
a lot of successes, and you started to see the
fruits of that labor and then add the talent that
we added, whether it be the fregency or or the draft,
and the combination of that was you saw a big jump.
And and the really cool thing about this group is, uh,
(03:03):
you know, there would be a lot of groups out
there that would definitely take a deep breath after a
year like that saying we got this, And that is
absolutely not the mindset of this group. They believe collectively,
from CJ to DJ Read to every single guy on
that defense, that we're just scratching the surface.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Did you expect that kind of jump? I mean, because
that was spectacular. I mean you're talking about a jump
that is rarely seen in the NFL nowadays.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Yeah, it's uh. I hoped as we all would. It was.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
It was interesting, you know, in the spring of last year,
as we started to collect these different pieces Sauce DJ
across the board, Uh, you started to see glimpses of
some really cool stuff out there on the on the
grass doing some stuff that that, in my experience in
(04:02):
this league, maybe better than I'd ever seen but you're
very cautious, you know, and and obviously coming off the
first year where we didn't play as well, you know,
like there was a feeling of you know, what is
this gonna going to look like? You know, A big
part of me believed in what we were doing, but
until you do it on Sundays, you know, it's still
it's a it's a big question mark. So I hoped
(04:26):
and I saw glimpses in last offseason of major improvement,
whether it be personnel based or or just getting better
what we do. But I don't know if I would
have said we could have been a top five defense
that quickly, you know, So to have done that, it's
a huge testament to the to the players that we
got and the coaches that we have on this on
(04:48):
the staff.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
What's the next step in the process now, as you
guys did take that jump and now teams are going
to scout the Jets a lot differently with that personnel
that you put on the field last year, whether that
be the Sauce Gardner's of the world or DJ Reid
like you mentioned before, Carl Lawson, I think that kind
of goes under the radar as far as him coming
(05:10):
back from injury, because that was really the first year
that you guys had lost in out there on the field.
I mean those guys, just those three guys alone, huge
difference makers.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, no, I would agree, you know, and not to
like the Carl Lawson conversation is an exciting one for
me because when you do terror Achilles that next year,
you're a shadow of yourself. And I'm not saying he
was a shadow of himself, but he definitely wasn't the
Carl Lawson that Carl Lawson wanted to be. And I'm
so excited to get him back and to see him
(05:42):
finally feeling really strong and explosive and comfortable and without pain,
you know.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
So he's going to take a huge jump.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Just I think as a group, like we want to
be a championship defense, and a championship defense obviously you
have to play very consistent football in every phase, but
you got to get the ball. Yeah, those are the
defenses that win games, win championships and go to the
next space. That's where we need to make an enormous jump.
And that's not just the guys in the back end
(06:10):
picking the ball off. That's applying pressure. That's me calling,
the correc calls, putting guys in position to be successful.
It's all of that. So that's the next component I'm
not going to get. Obviously, we're very cognizant of the
statistics and analytics of everything that we do because they're
markers that really can indicate success or failure or places.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
That need improvement.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
But the biggest one that I'm looking for this season
is the turnovers, having the ability to really change games
and win games.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
What's the evolution of that happening. How does that happen?
Because it's not like you and your staff haven't stressed that.
I mean, that's one of the things. Like you talk
to guys around the building they say, you know, they
lead off the meetings talking about takeaways.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yep, it's yeah, and we do. Can we do it better?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Yes, absolutely, we can do better, and we'll continue to
find ways to keep that at the forefront of the
of the conversation. But a lot of that is just
getting better at what we do. When the past rush
improves and we continue to get better at that and
we affect quarterbacks at a higher level, that's when picks happen.
When we create you know, different coverage wrinkles, or we
(07:22):
just get better at we do from a coverage perspective,
that's where turnovers happen. You know that the emphasis has
always been to be a physical defense, Like we want
violence to be one of those first words that you
speak about when you talk about the Jets defense, and
there's an element of violence getting the ball off people.
So it's it's a little bit of all those things,
(07:44):
but it's it's something that we we collectively, players and
coaches like we know that that's the that's the next
thing that we have to get done here have to.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
We saw it with Richard Sherman in his career as
far as him being a technician early on and then
the ball started coming to him. Yep, He'll started grabbing
it more and more. They're not the same player, but
we've seen comparisons between Sauce Gardner Richard Shermers just because
the body type, the competitive nature of the guys. Do
(08:16):
you think that it's bound to happen that's the next
thing that's gonna happen with Gardner, he had two interceptions
last year, what was phenomenal as far as leading the
league impds and then he checked all those boxes right
he was a pro bowler, his first team All Pro
and then Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Yeah, that's the next step for him, and it's he
would tell you the same. I was fortunate enough to
be with Richard as a rookie in his first and
second year in the in the NFL to see him
and there are a million comparisons.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Really, Yeah, not.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Just the obvious that they're both long, rangy guys, good athletes,
good speed, all those things. It's the mindset, it's the approach,
it's the it's the process that there.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Both committed to.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Like there's no part of Richard Sherman as a rookie
that you would have said he looks like a rookie,
Like the way he was at a walk through getting
angry because the stem of the of the receiver was
wrong or the alignment was incorrect or whatever. His level
of detail was that of a ten plus.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Your Vet.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Sauce has that same makeup. He has this unbelievable mentality
and approach and it's so consistent, especially for a younger guy.
Every walkthrough you can hear him talking and it's not
just the funny talk that we enjoy that as well.
You know, and he gets under people's skin and that's
part of his game. But just the talking as far
(09:42):
as you know, alerting the routes, identifying the formations, you know,
gathering the pre snap indicators, and then verbalizing that to
his teammates. It's just different, you know, because corners innately
are quiet, yeah, typically, and they're they're on their island
and they handle their own where he's not built that way.
(10:03):
He's built in a way that he wants to elevate
everybody's game and if he sees something, he says something
and he's he's different in that way. So for him
and Richard Sherman to be compared, there's a lot of
comparisons in that way. Now, the movement, the athletes, they're
a little different, you know. But yeah, like Richard Sherman,
(10:27):
was he a great corner, absolutely, and he got the
ball at a high level and he's one of the
best to ever do it. But saying that, like Cliff Averell,
Michael Bennett, I mean that that yeah, that list goes
on and on as far as the d lineman that
they had there at the time, and that created that
that environment where quarterbacks were not comfortable, you know, and
(10:48):
bad balls were thrown and and then there's also an
element of Aaron Rodgers here that that's real and Aaron
historically a lot of points on the board, to put
it plainly, And when that happens, we'll get more opportunities
(11:08):
because guys will have to push the ball on us
a little bit more and try to be more aggressive,
whereas there was times last year. You know, it's just
the truth of it that people were more conservative against
us at times.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Yeah, especially late in the season. Did you expect that
chip from Sauce coming out? It's drafted number four overall,
Like we're talking about him and Sherman. Sherman was a
late round pick. You guys found him late in the draft,
one of the best picks for the last twenty five years. Absolutely,
did you anticipate Sauce coming in and being as hungry
(11:42):
as he was?
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I got that feeling from him. I remember in the
pre draft process, obviously do the interviews, but we took
him out to dinner. My youngest son was there, Jason,
and I remember leading that dinner and how blown away
Jace was of how engaged he was and how many
questions he asked and how intuitive he was and how
(12:08):
like there's just a different he's He's different in that way,
you know, whereas you know, there's a lot of really
good players in this league that are very uh they
keep everybody kind of at bay and and and and
Sauce wasn't that at all. I felt something different about
him that night, and uh and it was so uh
(12:28):
it was so obvious that he had a different mindset
regarding everything, even though his interactions were different. And so
to say that I would have known exactly what that
would have looked like, you know, Monday through Saturday as
far as the process of gett ready for a game,
I would have liked to say that that I knew
was going to look like that, But I think until
you get your hands on a guy, you don't know.
(12:50):
And but it didn't take long for us to realize
what he is all about.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Like we just had Tony Odin up here and too
yeah talked about that is that you could tell this
is a different kind of player, but he was a
different kind of person as well.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Absolutely, yeah, And it's it's part of his secret, Sauce,
you know, like just he has rare ability, rare size,
rare speed, rare transitional stuff, rare instinct, all of that.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
But he has rare work ethic too, which people don't see.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
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Speaker 1 (14:05):
Yeah, you always talk about coverage being tied to what
happens up front. I think people externally said, Will McDonald
in the first round, what are the Jets doing? Can
you talk about We're going to get to the Rogers dynamic.
But what you have on the edge right now, we
just talked about Carl Lawson got John Franklin Myers. You
(14:27):
have Will McDonald's entert of the equation. You have Bryce Huff,
You got Jermaine. Yeah, you got Jermaine and another first
round pick. And I know you guys like Brayley and
I as well. I mean, as far as can you
talk about and that's the first round picks each of
the last two years, As far as the edge is concerned,
(14:47):
can you talk about the strength of numbers and what
potentially you can do with this group and why Will
McDonald makes sense.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
For you guys.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, it was twenty sixteen and I was in Atlanta,
and I know everybody saw the game, and it's one
of my major keylrds of my life, let alone my
football life, was us losing that Super Bowl, you know,
and everybody looks at twenty eight to three, like, how
did you not win?
Speaker 3 (15:11):
You know? And we ran out of gas a little bit.
You know.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
We had some really good defensive linemen, we really did,
but maybe not necessarily the depth to really finish that
game and put the nails in the coffin. And great
defenses they always start up front, and great finishing defenses
absolutely start up front. And that's what we're assembling here,
we're assembling a group that the first, second, and third
(15:39):
wave is going to be a problem for you. And
when we get there, and I think that we're getting close,
we will not only win games on defense, but we
will finish games the way we want to and we'll
win championships because of that defensive line. And that's the
(15:59):
reason that it is such a priority here, and it's
a priority for all the really good teams in this league.
I know it's an old saying, but games are one
up front and I believe that, and I think the
test of time believes that.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
And we're getting close.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
How good can this group? Deonsby because not only did
he land Jermaine Johnson in the draft last year, but
you commented about the progress of Michael Clements because he
came in in the fourth round as well. You come
back this year and you get Will McDonald, Bryce Hoff.
As far as his pass rush production from a numbers perspective,
(16:35):
I mean, his get off is elite, yes. And then
we talked about Losston. You think Lawson is probably going
to be better this year than what we saw last year.
And then Franklin Weiers he's got the ability to shift
inside for you guys and Bart Scott always talks about
this with me. You guys can have some kind of
(16:57):
Nascar package as far as pass rushing situations.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Absolutely, And what's really cool about the group is they're
so each guy is so unique and has such a
different brand of football.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
You got our new guy, Will who.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Is as bendy and long and as twitched up as
it gets, and he's gonna make guys miss and he's
going to burn the corner and he's gonna do some
really cool stuff.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
You already said.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Bryce has this just elite get off and he can
just he can embarrass you by just out running you.
You got Jermaine who I really find feel like he's
coming into his own as far as really developing his
pass rush. But what makes him unique is he has
the speed. His pass rush is getting refined, but he
(17:42):
has different power than those other guys, and he can
really put.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
You on skates. John Frank L.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
Myers is you know, he's probably his greatest value to
us as his ability to play inside and outside, you know,
so that's huge and he does both at a very
high level. I think Michael Clemens will be in that
similar mold. I think we'll be able to utilize him
in that that way too, where he can be a
devastating edgsetter in the run game for a second down
and at times reduced inside and and go pick on
(18:11):
some guards. And then Carl is just this, you know,
he's this technician just he people talk about being obsessed
with this game, well he demonstrates it every single day.
His obsession is real. And it's I think we're all
going to see what he's been working on this year.
You know, he's I saw him yesterday and we sat
(18:33):
down had lunch, and he's so excited about just where
he's at, especially physically because I saw some social media clips.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Yeah, he's it's so funny.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
He was training with Paris Johnson, the offensive lineman that
went first.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Or went to seven to six I think maybe to Arizona, right.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
The top ten pion.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Yeah, well he was training with him in the pre
draft process with and if you know Carl, Carl's a little,
a little weird in a really cool way, you know,
but he's not real cognizant of all the social media.
He's not real cognizant all the media hype. He kind
of stays in his own, his own little world, and
which is one of the things I love about him.
(19:16):
He's not as affected by all the noise because of that.
So he had no idea who this Paris Johnson was.
He just thought he was, you know, maybe a mid
mid round draft pick, you know. And and he showed
me the tape and Paris got a taste of the
NFL before he got to the NFL.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Yeah, it was. It was a clinic, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
And and to think that's you know, he's still two
three months away from our season starting, and where he's
at physically, especially compared to the the version of Carl
that we saw last year was still kind of battling
back from the Endroy.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
I'm so excited for him.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
And there's no human that deserves to have success more
than him, just his work ethic and his approach and
his mindset. And plus he's a he's a good teammate
and he's a good man.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
What do you think about the third linebacker spot.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
CJ.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
Moseley, Man, he's been so good for you guys. If
people slept on him after being out of football for
a little bit, I mean.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
He's proved his worth.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Pro Bowler last season. The mic linebacker he's the heart
of your defense. You re signed Quincy Williams before free agency, stars,
so we keep him off the market. We saw him
really develop a former waiver claim who's really found a
home in this defense. Such a violent striker, and he
also is so explosive. How do you see this third
(20:35):
linebacker position shaken out? Jamien Sherwood here, and then you
guys also draft Zier Barnes. I know on day three
you guys like his potential a lot and homs and
Nozril Dean returns. What do you think about the group?
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Yeah, first of all, the top two guys are in
my opinion, they should be in the conversation as one
of the top linebacker group in the NFL. CJ's awareness
is his toughness, is consistency, his ability to run this defense.
We put a lot on his table and he excels
in that role.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
So just an.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Amazing man too and teammate, just just as it spoke
about Carl and then Quincy is just this so unique athlete,
Like he has wide receiver speed and he's got you know,
he's got defensive line explosion and violence he has. Yeah,
he's such a rare combination of all these things and
(21:32):
now after really getting to be put on repeat and
and you know, rather learn a lot of stuff. We
just asked him to learn a few things, and you're
starting to see him master these few things now and
the player and the athlete is starting to get you know,
you're starting to see all his his physical stuff now
(21:54):
that he's starting to really get the game up top.
And then this third linebacker position I'm excited about. I
know there's some angst and there's some outward people are
a little nervous about who's going to man that position.
But I really believe we got four or five candidates
on this team. So those guys are going to compete
their butts off and through that competition, someone will rise
(22:16):
and someone will become the man. I would you know,
we have great faith in all of them too, So uh,
you know, Jamien could be that guy. And uh and
if he is, we got a great third linebacker, Like
you said, Zayre could be that guy. Hamza could be
that guy. I wouldn't count out Chas Ratt. Yeah, And
then you know the UDFA is that we we just
(22:37):
most recently got the three of them, Like they have
some really interesting athletic stuff to them and potential. So, uh,
there's gonna be a dogfight. You know, there's there's four
or five dogs and there's one bone, and we're gonna
get a good third linebacker because of the competition.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
What if people don't know about Michael Carter the Second,
because rightfully so saw us in DJ get a lot
of credit because they're one of the top cornerback tandems,
if not the best cornerback tandem in the National Football League.
And you know, I think it was great for DJ
just from a personal perspective, from an individual perspective, and
(23:15):
he's the ultimate team guy, but he was able to
come from the West Coast to the East Coast. And
I think that now when people think about cornerbacks, they
know DJ Reid. People in the league knew about DJ Reid,
about what he was doing out there with San Francisco
and Seattle, But I think now people elsewhere know what
(23:38):
the story is with DJ. But what about Michael Carter
the second and an important role that he plays on
your defense.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Even before I get to Michael, You're right about DJ,
and DJ is another guy that helped change the culture
of this defense because he strains especially in practice at
a whole different level. You don't see that anymore from pros.
I would say that I think I think Sauce innately
(24:04):
is a worker and he's a strainer. But to have
a guy like DJ who's done it and been there
to demonstrate it every day, that approach to Sauce, I
think that took Sauce to another space.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
He's like, there's a perfect compliment for each other.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
They are.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Yeah, absolutely, And then Michael Carter is that third component,
Like we put a ton on this man's shoulders. He
is essentially a linebacker, a safety, a corner, a sam.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
And a nickel all in one.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Like we asked him to fit in a B gap
and then take a slot fade of a slot receiver.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
We ask him to.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
We just put so much on his shoulders, and like,
if you get him on something from a mental standpoint,
like it's rare and it's far and in between. He
is a guy that's constantly he's just he is, he
is on it, and we're so we are so fortunate
to have this guy. Plus he's another guy with and
I know this sounds redundant, but another great human being
(25:06):
and teammate too, and a guy committed to the process
and a guy that is dedicated to this team, this organization,
to this defense at the highest level you could ask for. Yeah,
he does an amazing job, and he's got a really
hard job because not only do we ask him to
do a lot schematically, but when we ask him to
(25:26):
play man demand. It's hard because he's on the slot,
which is typically the hardest, one of the hardest places
to cover because the guy can go everywhere. He can
go inside outside, there is there's traffic, and there's the
The route tree is so much bigger for a slot
receiver as as opposed to a guy on an outside lane.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
You know, so he's got to he's got to cover
more routes.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
But on top of that, you already said it like,
we have one of the best corner tandems in the NFL,
in the world for that matter, And that makes it
harder on him because now all of a sudden, he
becomes a lot of times a target because when they
look at it, sometimes they look at Sauce and they
(26:11):
look at DJ, and when Sauce and DJ are really rolling,
I'm not throwing out there, you know, And not to
say they'll pick on mc But with Michael Carter, like
like I said, that's just a bigger route tree. There's
more options, there's more things available for the quarterback and
the slot receivers. So then all of a sudden, his
targets last year went way up. And that's hard living
(26:34):
and he does it at a high level.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
So he's a huge part of our success.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Quinna Williams stud one of the best defensive players, one
of the best players in the National Football League. What
about the changing landscape at the defensive tackle position, because
Sheldon Rankins did some nice things for you.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Guys here is you built it?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Obviously signs a nice deal with the Houston Texans. The
King of strain is Robert Salah liked to call him
Nathan Sheppard. He departs in free agency down to New Orleans.
What can you tell me about what the middle is
gonna look like next to Quinnon now and most recently
of course Elwood's signs here.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Yeah, first of all, again, I'd like to give, like
forever grateful for my time with both those guys. Sheldon
Rankins and Nathan Sheppard are just amazing human beings, teammates
and like you said, they played at a high level
for us, and they're a huge part of our success
last year. But there has been a transition and the
guys that we brought in I'm excited about too. Like
(27:38):
Quentin Jefferson is a guy that just from Afar, I've always.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Been a huge fan of his style. He is.
Speaker 2 (27:46):
He is a king of strain. He is a guy
that just it is. He's all gas, no break. He
personifies that and demonstrates that every day, all day just
who he is. It's how he operates. So to get
him just getting more or juice and energy and guys
that love this game and are willing to play it
at the highest level and strain like he does consistently.
(28:07):
And then Al Woods brings us this big man, this
tough man in the middle that you're not going to move.
What I'm most excited about al and this I'm more
excited for him than even for us. I think the
NFL has always kind of looked at him as he's
this world class three four.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
No's world class, and it's hard to argue against that.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
When you watch the tape, you know he'll get head
up on a center and I don't care if you
double him or not, Like you're not.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Moving him, and more times than not, he's moving you.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
But in this front, as we know, like we get
to go, we get to put things on our terms.
We attack, we don't read, we don't catch blocks. It's
just not how we operate. So it's not very often
that you get a guy that's played as much football
as him. I don't know what year this is, fifteenth
or whatever it is, where he gets to really redefine
who he is. Here's a guy that the league perceives
(29:07):
as like a this zero three four ohs. I think
the league is start. They're going to see a guy
that he can attack and he's more athletic than people
give him credit for, and he's faster and he's more
explosive than people give him credit for. So for him
to be a part of that is going to be
really exciting for him. And then Quinnin is just you know,
(29:27):
I've spoken this a million times over. He is an
absolute game wrecker. He's he's the rare defensive lineman that is,
he'll wreck you in the in the run game, and
he'll wreck you when you want to drop back and
pass the ball. Like typically guys have superpowers one area
or the other and they have kryptonite in the other
he doesn't like he checks all the boxes.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
In my opinion, there is no like.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
There are parts of his game that he can prove
as always for everybody, but as far as his complete
skill set, it's it's it's unmatched.
Speaker 1 (29:58):
I gotta imagine when you're talking to these guys, when
you're talking to a Quentin Jefferson, who, oh, by the way,
at a career high in sacks last year with Seattle,
When you're talking to an al Woods, not only are
they like, Hey, I like the system, I like this culture,
and you guys are right there as far as becoming
a consistent winner, but I also have an opportunity to
(30:22):
play next to a world class player in Quentin Williams. Yep,
that's got to be a draw.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Absolutely. I think all those things are a draw for
these guys. I think that.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
Guys like al Woods and Quentin Jefferson, you know, not
only good football players, but they really appreciate the culture
component of a building and a system, and they're both
so excited about that part of it as well. And
then on top of that, an opportunity to play next
to a Quentin Williams, is you know, like it's going
(30:54):
to be rare that you get the slide, that you
get the double. You know, Quentin's gonna he's gonna get
that more time than not. So there's a part of
it where you're you're gonna have more potentially opportunities than
other guys would. And I think the big draw for
a lot of these guys is this this thought that
you know, the New York Jets. The truth is, haven't
(31:16):
been the team that we'd all like to be. You know,
from a fan perspective, I know that for sure that
there's been a lot of disappointment. There's been a lot
of failure. There's been a lot of falling short. And
then to be a part of turning this thing around
and riding this ship and creating something special where there
wasn't something special. I think there's a major draft of that,
(31:36):
especially for older guys that are really trying to cement
their legacy in this game. To be part of a
turnaround like that, it's special and it can really define
your career.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
I've always enjoyed talking to you, But one more topic.
What's end here speaking about older guys and defining their legacy.
How about Aaron Rodgers being out there on the field.
Can you talk about the change dynamic for you guys
on the practice field going against him every day and
how that can make you all better? And also what
(32:10):
do you sense from him?
Speaker 3 (32:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (32:13):
I know him through other people prior to him getting here,
but I didn't know him, and I didn't know him
obviously from a teammate or from a coach to player
perspective in the same building. So I didn't really know
what to expect. As we've all seen superstars a lot
of times, they're recluse there. You know, they peak, they
(32:34):
keep everybody at arm's length, and they're not inclusive, and
this guy is the exact opposite of that. It has
blown my mind. Not only does he know every teammate already,
he knows every trainer, he knows all the equipment guys,
he knows the pr guys, he knows the HR guys,
he knows the chefs in the in the kitchen. His
(32:58):
level of investment in this organization already is at a
higher level, especially from a guy of that stature and status,
and all that he's done in this league is just
it's so unique.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
And then you know, like.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
I really believe Not only is he going to help
us win now and help us do something special today,
but he's going to change the course of a lot
of these young guys' careers because they get to see
this game and the process of getting ready to play
this game at a high level. They get to see
it demonstrated at a higher level than I've ever seen.
(33:37):
And it's one thing for me to sit there and
tell a guy, this is what you should be doing.
This should I be eating, recovering, studying, taking notes, all
those things. But for a guy in his eighteenth year
with multiple MVPs and a Super Bowl MVP to operate
at the highest level every day, there's nothing more powerful
than that, you know. So he's going to be a
(33:58):
huge reason why maybe a guy like Sauce puts that
yellow jacket on. You know why a guy like Quinn
Williams puts that yellow jacket on because they thought they
were working until they saw this guy work and they
realized there's a different place.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
I can go to.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
Why is he such a pain of THATSS for a
defensive coordinator oh to prepare.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
For He's just not only the brain like he's gonna
undress you, and he's gonna typically he's gonna eat the
entire shot clock to figure out what you're playing. And
then because he knows this game at such a high level,
like he knows where to put the ball versus every coverage.
So that's the mental part of things, which is different.
(34:43):
And then there's this physical piece where it's like I'm
out here watching him just doing drills, and you know,
people always talk about the platform has to be correct,
the footwork has to be perfect, you know, the our
motion has to be this, that or whatever, and he
defies it all.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
Get it.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Like we talk about getting them off the spot from
a d lin's perspective and affecting quarterbacks in that way.
I watch him do these drills. It doesn't matter, get
them off the spot, put them on the spot. Give
him a good platform, not a good platform. He's still
throwing dimes, you know. And and so he's he's a
unique mental obstacle from a defensive coordinator's perspective, but he's
(35:24):
also a physical mismatch that it's just you know, he's
probably one of the best, if not the best, pure
thrower this game he's ever seen.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
Yeah, and now he's on your team.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Not mad about that?
Speaker 1 (35:39):
All right, we're gonna have to catch up again in
training camp. Make sure you get your time away at
the end of this as far as mandatory mini camp,
because before you know, it's all starting, because you guys
are one of the first two teams who were starting
training camps this year.
Speaker 3 (35:54):
Because you will be in the Hall of Fame. Yep,
thanks Brick, thank you.
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