How is the team handling the bye week this week?
Taking things day by day and managing the guys day by day. We’re finalizing the depth chart and getting guys ready for a week 1 battle against the Tennessee titans. Having those uncomfortable conversations to get the roster set and ready for the season. We’re also working to get everyone as healthy and in game shape as possible.
Over your career, what makes a team better at not turning the ball over as the season goes along? What kind of things you need to emphasize? How much of it is coaching? How much of it is a mental part? Physical part?
The better teams are always more composed. It’s that simple! Seeing and reading the defense, knowing when the blitz is coming, and adjusting accordingly to pick up blocks and get the ball to the correct read. This is mainly all coaching and being able to process at 1000 percent. Football is a chess game as well as having all the physicals to be able to out execute the opponent so it’s really an all around thing. Just as much mental and physical.
How quickly can you tell if a young player is a football player if he thinks about it because it seems like at the Combine they’re all saying the right thing and it’s the job. How quickly does it take?
That takes as quick as the first team practice. When the vets come in and give them the welcome to the league moment it sets in very quickly! That’s the moment you know for a fact either he’s going to sink or swim and hopefully the words spoken at the combine come to reality. No more hiding, no more words, it’s all about action at that point!
