Speaker 1: The official pot is presented by win Bet Betting is
Speaker 1: a team sport bet together at win Bett. Eric Allen
Speaker 1: here at one Jets Drive with Jets tight ends coach
Speaker 1: Ron Middleton. So great to see again. So what's the
Speaker 1: process like when you guys get a new offensive coordinator? Obviously,
Speaker 1: Robert Sala and company make the change at the end
Speaker 1: of the year, Michael Flour explores other opportunities, eventually lands
Speaker 1: with the Rams. But when Nathaniel Hackett is selected as
Speaker 1: the guy, what happens for you?
Speaker 2: The first thing is hopefully I get to stick on
Speaker 2: and to stick around, you know, But yeah, Nathaniel and
Speaker 2: not go go way back. So a little different from me,
Speaker 2: and that I know the guy, know him personally. I
Speaker 2: know he's his quirkiness and and whatnot, but also know
Speaker 2: he's dare I say, ah, he's a really really good
Speaker 2: offense court, really good offensive coordinator. He's very smart, innovative,
Speaker 2: hard knows, but he presents it in a way that
Speaker 2: the makes it easy for the players to understand. There's
Speaker 2: some rhyme and reason too, even to the point of
Speaker 2: how we call it. I mean, you would think that
Speaker 2: would be important, but a lot of times that's that's overlooked,
Speaker 2: you know. So for me, I was hoping that that
Speaker 2: it was him that got the job because of our history,
Speaker 2: I guess, you know.
Speaker 1: So so let's talk about your history. Okay, you go
Speaker 1: back to Jacksonville together, right any time before that?
Speaker 3: Yes, we we could go all the way back to
Speaker 3: Gruden and Tampa. Yeah, he was a.
Speaker 2: He was QC system wide receiver coach. And that's being
Speaker 2: very generous generous. Uh, he was I think coach man,
Speaker 2: the Richard Man, the wide receiver coach just allowed him
Speaker 2: to be in the room.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: But that's where that's where he cut his teeth. They're
Speaker 2: in Tampa and we go all the way back there.
Speaker 1: So it's what was he like as a young guy
Speaker 1: cutting his teeth and just getting the start in the league. Obviously,
Speaker 1: his father was offensive coordinator.
Speaker 2: Here, that's right, That's right, and he was actually a consultant,
Speaker 2: a quarterback coach. They're also at Tampa. Yeah, so I
Speaker 2: call him coach. You know, Nathaniel is Nathaniel, but that's
Speaker 2: coach Hackett, you know, energetic, smart, You knew he was
Speaker 2: gonna he was gonna go far in this business.
Speaker 3: Even way back then.
Speaker 2: I mean, it was the writing was on the wall,
Speaker 2: So I'm not surprised with any of the success.
Speaker 1: But then the next stop, how many years together were.
Speaker 2: You guys at Jacksonville? Yeah, I want to say four
Speaker 2: years together? Yeah, at Jacksonville, I think four he called
Speaker 2: he was offensive coordinator for a year and a half there,
Speaker 2: I think, but he was I want to say quarterback coach?
Speaker 2: Oh whatnot the other couple of years there?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Can you talk about you both were on the staff
Speaker 1: that had that run of the AFC Championship game?
Speaker 3: Correct, Yes we did, Yes, we were.
Speaker 1: Can you talk about his work because it's been well publicized,
Speaker 1: the work he's done with Aaron and we'll get to
Speaker 1: Aaron in a couple of moments, but maybe the work
Speaker 1: he did with the personnel there. Blake Bortles was a
Speaker 1: quarterback and there was a balanced offense there. But you
Speaker 1: guys had a lead in the ANFC Championship game, Patriots.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right, that's right.
Speaker 2: We always say we were a quarter give a take
Speaker 2: away from the Super Bowl And you know, I can't
Speaker 2: publicly tell you my disgust you know what happened in
Speaker 2: the game, but I don't want to be fine yeah,
Speaker 2: it was. I mean it's well documented. You can just
Speaker 2: look at the tape. You know, they called a touchdown
Speaker 2: back on us. You know, they took a turnover away
Speaker 2: from us. It was it was really really bad.
Speaker 1: How often do you think, how often do you think
Speaker 1: about that?
Speaker 3: Very often? Yes, I do, Yes, I do. I do.
Speaker 2: For that team, that team, everything came together for us,
Speaker 2: you know, the offense, I think we we we led
Speaker 2: the leg the league in time of possession. I think
Speaker 2: we led the league in rushing the deep, which which
Speaker 2: coincided with the defense. The nickname was Saxonville, you know,
Speaker 2: because we had some great pass rushers on there, but
Speaker 2: they got a chance to do just that rush to
Speaker 2: pass it because by the time the opposing team got
Speaker 2: the ball, they were usually behind and not a lot
Speaker 2: of time left and having to throw, which fell right
Speaker 2: into our defensive defens's hands. Special teams was we were
Speaker 2: were top categories, several categories. So everything worked together, you know.
Speaker 2: It was a It was a great chemistry and we
Speaker 2: had all the makings for for for getting to the
Speaker 2: Super Bowl, and like I said, we were a quarter
Speaker 2: or so away from it.
Speaker 1: But what does it say about hacked specifically, that he
Speaker 1: had that success with a guy like Portles.
Speaker 2: He knew how to use him. You know, Blake is
Speaker 2: well documented that Blake isn't or wasn't the most accurate passer,
Speaker 2: but what he did bring to the table was a
Speaker 2: grit and toughness second to none. He was a football player.
Speaker 2: And so the plan, you know, we had. We had
Speaker 2: RPOs for him, you know, to carry the ball. We
Speaker 2: had play action Leonard Fournette. You know, we rode rode
Speaker 2: that horse. That was when he was a youngster. So
Speaker 2: we rode that horse and set up the play action
Speaker 2: and and then Blake would do the keepers and nakeds
Speaker 2: and the r pos. Like I said that it was
Speaker 2: a very very balanced. I think he used all his weapons, right,
Speaker 2: you know, and that helped Blake out, you know, that
Speaker 2: really did.
Speaker 3: We didn't ask him.
Speaker 2: To drop back and throw it fifty times a game,
Speaker 2: you know, but we made our chunks. And you know,
Speaker 2: like I said, a quarter a little bit over a
Speaker 2: quarter away from the from the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: Man, that was a crazy playoffs because I remember I
Speaker 1: think opening weekend you hosted.
Speaker 3: Buffalo hosted Buffalo. That's right, right.
Speaker 1: It was somewhat of an ugly game unless you like
Speaker 1: defensive football. I think that final was ninety six, and
Speaker 1: then the next week you're in Pittsburgh. I think that
Speaker 1: final was like forty five two.
Speaker 3: That's right.
Speaker 2: We had we had beating them earlier in the season
Speaker 2: there in Pittsburgh and then to go back in the
Speaker 2: playoffs and beat them in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3: But that that was that was outstanding. It was good stuff, man,
Speaker 3: it was good. It was good stuff.
Speaker 1: Speaking of good stuff, what's it been like for you
Speaker 1: guys here in the early stages of implementing the Hackett
Speaker 1: system and a can you talk about maybe the parallels
Speaker 1: to the system that you ran in two thousand and
Speaker 1: twenty two. It's the same family, but also can you
Speaker 1: speak to Hackett as far as what you said before
Speaker 1: about matching his system to his personality?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, the system is basically the West Coast system,
Speaker 2: you know, that's what we were doing. I mean it
Speaker 2: was versions of it, but like you said, all of
Speaker 2: them or or branches of that West Coast system.
Speaker 3: You know, hack.
Speaker 2: When he when he does install, he goes back to
Speaker 2: the days when his dad worked with at San Francisco
Speaker 2: with Bill Wahhas you know, the original you know, the
Speaker 2: West Coast offense. You know, they where they were implement
Speaker 2: or installing, installing these plays way back then, you know,
Speaker 2: seeing Jerry Rice, Brent, Brent Jones, you know, a tight
Speaker 2: end run these plays or whatnot. So it's all connected,
Speaker 2: you know. Nathaniel puts his spin on it, you know,
Speaker 2: and he's modernized a couple of things, a couple of formations.
Speaker 2: You know, they didn't didn't didn't do a lot of
Speaker 2: motion back then, so we got a little motion now.
Speaker 2: But understanding, I think, I think more than anything he understands.
Speaker 2: It's not so much what he knows. What he can
Speaker 2: do is what the players, what they can learn and
Speaker 2: what they can do once they get on the grass.
Speaker 1: You played in the league for more than two decade. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's right, and you've been coaching for a long time,
Speaker 1: starting out in the college ranks.
Speaker 3: That's right.
Speaker 1: What was your reaction when you heard that the trade
Speaker 1: was finalized The Jets were getting a future Hall of
Speaker 1: Fame quarterback to lead the ship in Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, I've I've had run ins with not
Speaker 2: run INDs, I mean, I bumped shoulders with him. With
Speaker 2: Aaron before, it was always cordial he he always called
Speaker 2: me by my name, he knew me, which which I
Speaker 2: thought was a was a big deal. You know, Aaron
Speaker 2: Rodgers knows my name, knows my face or whatnot. So
Speaker 2: I was to say I was excited with being understatement.
Speaker 3: You know, it's.
Speaker 2: Except I will accept the expectations that come along with
Speaker 2: that because I know that that we will work to
Speaker 2: get the pieces around him to be the sharpest that
Speaker 2: they can possibly be. After being with him for the
Speaker 2: last couple of three weeks, I think I've never been
Speaker 2: around a quarterback like him.
Speaker 1: So why in your mind has he been so effective?
Speaker 1: This eighteen year run Green Bay just unbelievable. Again, you
Speaker 1: know the history of this game. He's one of the
Speaker 1: best players ever.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know he's first of all, he's talented. You know,
Speaker 2: he's got a lot of talent. Man, to see him
Speaker 2: make some of those throws. Saw one today was we
Speaker 2: was installing earlier and was showing clips of him and
Speaker 2: he may just throw some type of just a dime
Speaker 2: right there if it had been a spill to hit
Speaker 2: the receiver and throw it was right on, right on,
Speaker 2: right on target. So, first of all, he's talented, he's
Speaker 2: very smart, and he's been in the system that there's
Speaker 2: a lot to say with familiarity, to say four familiarity,
Speaker 2: he knows the system, he's he's done it all. He's
Speaker 2: seen everything that someone could possibly give him. And you
Speaker 2: know that the I think he utilizes his weapons. So oh,
Speaker 2: that to me equals successful with eighteen US eighteen.
Speaker 1: Years, you know, four time NFL MVP.
Speaker 3: How about that? How about the.
Speaker 1: Best touchdown interception ratio of anybody who's ever played.
Speaker 4: Wow, Jets fans, we're in our final push and the
Speaker 4: clock is ticking. Win Bet is giving you a golden
Speaker 4: opportunity to win VIP prizes for the twenty twenty three season.
Speaker 4: The win Bet Green Room is the most exclusive space
Speaker 4: at the stadium with all inclusive food and beverage, lower
Speaker 4: level seats, and appearances by Jets legends and celebrities. New
Speaker 4: Jersey customers, all you need to do is wager at
Speaker 4: least one hundred dollars on win BET's sportsbook or casino.
Speaker 4: For New York customer, all you need to do is
Speaker 4: wager at least one hundred dollars on when that's the
Speaker 4: sports book. The best part you get an entry for
Speaker 4: every one hundred dollars you wager.
Speaker 1: Now, let me ask you this. Do you sense because
Speaker 1: we see him at a podium, or we see him
Speaker 1: doing interviews, you see him in a totally different light
Speaker 1: behind closed door, is in meeting rooms on the field.
Speaker 1: Do you sense a genuine excitement about being here?
Speaker 2: I do you know? I think it's I think you know.
Speaker 2: I don't know him personally. Like I said, he's known
Speaker 2: my face and called me by my name, but I've
Speaker 2: never sat down and had had a beer with him,
Speaker 2: or or or had an extended conversation with the guy.
Speaker 1: Orcot Scotch with him, He's like, I guess he likes Scotch,
Speaker 1: do does it?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 2: Okay, that's good to know it. It's not I don't
Speaker 2: know what about stogies. He smoke a cigars.
Speaker 1: I bet you he would with you, Yes.
Speaker 2: Out standing, But he got me off track not thinking
Speaker 2: about stogies and.
Speaker 1: Scott what what he is with in.
Speaker 3: The meeting room.
Speaker 2: In the meeting room, you got to be on your
Speaker 2: p's and q's. He questions everything or or or if
Speaker 2: there's a better way to say it. He tries to
Speaker 2: bring he tries to use that better way, you know.
Speaker 2: On the field, if there's a if there's a way
Speaker 2: he wants a route to be run or whatnot, then
Speaker 2: he'll sit and he'll tell him. You know, and and
Speaker 2: and it's just instant credibility coming from the guy. You know,
Speaker 2: the players. Look, I told my tight ends, tight Ends.
Speaker 2: I say, hey, if this guy tells you something or
Speaker 2: tells you how to do something, do it okay, and
Speaker 2: then come tell me so I don't know, so I
Speaker 2: can reaffirm what he says. You know, it's his show man,
Speaker 2: it's his shows. He's earned that, and he's been out there.
Speaker 2: He's been out there with these guys, teaching, working with them,
Speaker 2: doing the sprints with them. And I think they appreciate that,
Speaker 2: you know, a whole whole lot. It's Aaron freaking Rogers man.
Speaker 3: You know, it is Aaron freaking Rogers.
Speaker 1: Do you expect to be in this position when Salah
Speaker 1: brought you on board in twenty one?
Speaker 3: That do you have?
Speaker 1: Obviously you have confidence in him, but as far as
Speaker 1: like a timetable twenty one, you guys embrace this youth
Speaker 1: movement and you go four and thirteen. The next year
Speaker 1: twenty two, you start out seven and four. You know,
Speaker 1: I've made the argument multiple times here on the pod
Speaker 1: that you guys would have been a playoff team had
Speaker 1: not health failed.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and then.
Speaker 1: Obviously in consistency at the quarterback position. Uh seven and
Speaker 1: ten overall, but nearly doubled your win total last season.
Speaker 1: And now here we are, people are looking at the
Speaker 1: Jets and saying, you know, that's a championship contender.
Speaker 3: Yeah, we got a chance. I'll say that we got
Speaker 3: a chance.
Speaker 2: I'm not stamping anything right now, but we've got a chance.
Speaker 2: We got a legitimate chance to to do something special.
Speaker 2: I think with the combination of youth, I think with
Speaker 2: the you know, Aaron Rodgers brings a whole different element
Speaker 2: immediately to everything that you do. But you know, the defense,
Speaker 2: defense top on, one of the top defense in the league.
Speaker 2: Last year, we did have some some highlights, some some
Speaker 2: some we came close to to a lot of things.
Speaker 2: We were closer than what our record showed last year.
Speaker 2: And I emphasized last year, you know, this is a
Speaker 2: whole different It's a whole different deal, a new you know,
Speaker 2: we we we got some questions to answer.
Speaker 3: Uh offensive line, you know.
Speaker 2: We we've got to show that up a couple of
Speaker 2: guys uh Breefe, you know, coming coming off of injury.
Speaker 2: You know, he's a weapon that that that that we're
Speaker 2: counting on, you know, Garrett and the receiving corps. You know,
Speaker 2: let's take another step forward so that Yeah, we would
Speaker 2: much rather be in this position. Don't get me wrong.
Speaker 2: And I'm not pole mouth, and I'm just trying to
Speaker 2: be realistic about about it all. But you know, we
Speaker 2: still got to go out and do it, you know,
Speaker 2: and there's still some things that has to fall in
Speaker 2: place for us to be what we want to be.
Speaker 3: You know, we got.
Speaker 2: To avoid those injuries, you know, And I know injuries
Speaker 2: are a part of it. But I bet if you
Speaker 2: go back and you look at the successful teams, the
Speaker 2: most successful teams historically in this league have been the
Speaker 2: most healthy teams in the league, in and out each
Speaker 2: and every year.
Speaker 3: So I mean that's the big thing. Let's let's be healthy.
Speaker 2: The SOLA will get them, will get them in that
Speaker 2: team mentality, I have no, no, no doubt about that.
Speaker 2: We will be prepared, We will will go about it
Speaker 2: in in a in a smart manner, put guys in
Speaker 2: in in the right spots or whatnot. But you know,
Speaker 2: like I said, we there's still some things have to
Speaker 2: come together for us, for us to get it done.
Speaker 2: And you know that's that's part of the NFL.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about your group. Okay, Tyler Conkin comes in
Speaker 1: the fifty eight receptions and year one. What do you
Speaker 1: want to see from Tyler in his second year with
Speaker 1: the jet but more importantly first year with Aaron Rodgers,
Speaker 1: first year under Nathaniel Hackett.
Speaker 2: Yeah, First of all, I want to see him healthy.
Speaker 2: You know, he had this abdominal deal or some deal
Speaker 2: that he's that he's nursing right now. So so that's
Speaker 2: first and foremost to get him healthy. Once that's Once
Speaker 2: that's the case, then then then he's gonna what he brings.
Speaker 2: What he brings to the table is something that that
Speaker 2: Nathan Nathaniel will will utilize and and I think Aaron
Speaker 2: Rodgers is gonna love the guy.
Speaker 1: You know what do you think Roger is gonna love
Speaker 1: about that skill set?
Speaker 2: He's He's an explosive route runner, you know, in his
Speaker 2: in his world, in that ten to twelve yard range,
Speaker 2: he can he's got some he's got some quicks and
Speaker 2: some explosiveness that can can really take advantage of that
Speaker 2: underneath coverage. He does have enough speed to stretch the field.
Speaker 2: He has a nice little little knack for getting into scenes.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I know Aaron likes the deep ball and whatnot. He
Speaker 2: and and he'll be a viable weapon for him in
Speaker 2: that in that aspect. But the twelve fifteen, twelve to
Speaker 2: fifteen yard range, like I said, he can, He's got
Speaker 2: some quickness and explosiveness to create mismatches in that box
Speaker 2: area there.
Speaker 1: What about cj Usama? I mean, you guys, I don't
Speaker 1: want to put a percentage on how much twelve personnel
Speaker 1: that you guys used last year. And you know, I
Speaker 1: think when people think about the two, they're thinking more
Speaker 1: about Conklin's maybe past receiving exploits, and then maybe CJ
Speaker 1: is more of your typical blocker.
Speaker 2: Well, I wouldn't, I wouldn't wouldn't categorize like that, but
Speaker 2: I will say we I think I think we ran
Speaker 2: a lot of twelve personnel last year, and rightfully so
Speaker 2: if you put that much money in a room, I
Speaker 2: would hope.
Speaker 3: That you.
Speaker 2: Know, get them out on the field, you know, and
Speaker 2: not counting anybody's money, I ain't saying that, but I
Speaker 2: think we purposely tried to use them, you know, because
Speaker 2: of that fact, and also because they were good football
Speaker 2: players and you're trying to get your best eleven out
Speaker 2: on the field. They both of them definitely was part
Speaker 2: of our best eleven.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: And then with Breech getting hurt last year, you know,
Speaker 2: that took an element. We tried to do some things
Speaker 2: with that personnel grouping to put some more playmakers on
Speaker 2: the field, if you will. Hopefully, hopefully we can build
Speaker 2: on that. Hell, I'd like to go thirteen person so
Speaker 2: you know, we're working for that. You know, I don't
Speaker 2: know how I'm gonna get that done, but we're gonna,
Speaker 2: We're gonna, We're gonna do our We're gonna do what
Speaker 2: we do. We will talk about the tight end position
Speaker 2: and we will make plays when our number is called,
Speaker 2: and I just hope we on speed out for them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I mean c J was not as
Speaker 1: busy as Tyler, but when he did have those receptions,
Speaker 1: a lot of those ended up being big point.
Speaker 3: Big place. C J.
Speaker 2: You know, he you know, he he was dealing with
Speaker 2: some nagging injuries last year. Also, you know, he he
Speaker 2: he finally got in a groove, got healthy, and got
Speaker 2: in a groove. You know which which which helped and
Speaker 2: could feature him more or more specific things for him.
Speaker 2: But yeah, he's the he's the jack of all trades,
Speaker 2: c J Is. You know, he's gonna give you everything
Speaker 2: he's got. Nobody plays harder than him, nobody. He's very smart,
Speaker 2: he can do a lot of different things. He's a
Speaker 2: he's a big body, so you know, there's a reason
Speaker 2: why you know, he's he's been in the league as
Speaker 2: long as he has and and he's respected as much
Speaker 2: as he's respected.
Speaker 1: People forget about Jeremy Ruckert. He was a rookie last season.
Speaker 1: He was dealing with some physical elements himself early on
Speaker 1: in his career. Coach Alla had high praise for him
Speaker 1: last de summer before the season ended. Do you expect
Speaker 1: him to make that jump now?
Speaker 3: I do. He's you know, that's we've talked about that.
Speaker 3: If what he.
Speaker 2: Put on tape the Miami game, you know, was was outstanding.
Speaker 2: I think that that performance going into the off season
Speaker 2: really put him in a great place mentally, give.
Speaker 1: Him a lot of confidence, a lot of confidence and
Speaker 1: and he has visual evidence now of hey, I can
Speaker 1: do this and I can do this at a high level.
Speaker 2: And that's just scratched the surface of what this kid
Speaker 2: brings to the table. Man, he's smart, he's tough, he's athletic,
Speaker 2: all the makings, you know. Now, we just got to
Speaker 2: keep him healthy and find his niche and before long
Speaker 2: he's going to be a household name.
Speaker 3: I think.
Speaker 1: So when Joe Douglas tells you that they're going to
Speaker 1: take Zach Goointz in the seventh round.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what are you thinking?
Speaker 1: Because Joe talked about the importance of some of these
Speaker 1: guys late in the draft having the freak factor to him. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and Zach certainly does have that. You're talking about six
Speaker 1: eight two fifty runs like a deer can jump through
Speaker 1: the gym. And he was very productive in twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1: I mean, I know injury cut his season short in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, but what do you like about him?
Speaker 2: You've stated you've stayed a several of them at the
Speaker 2: Combine and just a little you know, we get reports
Speaker 2: from the Combine of their workouts and everything, you know,
Speaker 2: the three cone drill, the vertical, the forty you know,
Speaker 2: all these bench press all this stuff, and if and
Speaker 2: if and if they're good, those numbers are good, they're
Speaker 2: usually in green their average there, you know, in a
Speaker 2: beige type color. And then if they're really bad, there's
Speaker 2: it's really red. You know, there's some of that out
Speaker 2: there too.
Speaker 3: Sure was that Cones.
Speaker 2: Every every statistical deal he had from the broad to
Speaker 2: the three cone, the every the bench press even you know,
Speaker 2: the bench was green.
Speaker 3: Everything was green. He was.
Speaker 2: I'll tell you what, he put on a show. His
Speaker 2: workout at that the combine he put on definitely put
Speaker 2: on the show. He's six ' eight. One thing you
Speaker 2: didn't mention is he's really really smart. He's really really smart.
Speaker 2: And you know he I told him. And when I
Speaker 2: gave my evaluation him, I said, well, he definitely definitely
Speaker 2: won the interview. Of all the guys I interviewed, really
Speaker 2: he was the best interview. Yeah, because he he talked
Speaker 2: a good game. Now, he talked a good game about it.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm tough is and he said all the
Speaker 2: right things and all that. So we're gonna put that
Speaker 2: to the test. We're gonna put that to the test.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: That's that's that's that's what I want to see. You know,
Speaker 2: all that, all that running around in shorts and everything.
Speaker 2: That's all good, and that's that's necessary, and that's part
Speaker 2: of it. But you know, we don't play football in
Speaker 2: shorts and pajamas and T shirts. You know, there's some plastic.
Speaker 2: There's some plastic on there. And regardless, it's not as
Speaker 2: physical at it as it used to be, but it's
Speaker 2: still a physical game and we got to bring it.
Speaker 3: So I'm sure he will.
Speaker 1: How much you like this room, And obviously they could
Speaker 1: ask you about Kenny as well, But it just seems
Speaker 1: like you got a good group of guys and there's
Speaker 1: a lot of versatility there.
Speaker 2: A lot of versatility. First of all, these guys are
Speaker 2: made up. Every one of them is made up of
Speaker 2: the right stuff. You know inside you know, their their
Speaker 2: professional they they're professionals. They they they they want to
Speaker 2: be good, they want to be great. I think they
Speaker 2: see the potential of of of of of the team
Speaker 2: aspect of it, you know, they and they're all about team.
Speaker 3: Maybe maybe maybe we're asked to pass protect a little.
Speaker 2: More now than we are to run corner route or whatnot.
Speaker 2: I don't see them guys complaining, well, not much. You know,
Speaker 2: he will complain to me but it's gonna be it's
Speaker 2: gonna be team, team first, and I think it starts
Speaker 2: with that. I think that that's one of the prerequisits
Speaker 2: of of the guys we bring in, not just in
Speaker 2: the tight end room, but what Slah well, his vision
Speaker 2: of this team you want to be want to have
Speaker 2: good citizens first and foremost, and he won't team guys.
Speaker 2: And if we get that, then we definitely got a
Speaker 2: chance to build on something positive.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's gonna be exciting season. And uh, listen, you
Speaker 1: have a lot of fans out there. We talked about
Speaker 1: that before, not only from what you did in Mobile,
Speaker 1: uh leading the squad to victory, but obviously beaten your
Speaker 1: old team, the Jacksonville Jaguars when when Robert Salah was
Speaker 1: down and and everybody recites the line. I've seen a
Speaker 1: couple T shirts out there about everybody want to go
Speaker 1: to heaven.
Speaker 3: You know, but nobody wants to die. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Right, you got any ol T shirts yourself or no,
Speaker 1: They're in.
Speaker 2: My locker, my wife has and whatnot. I would never
Speaker 2: wear one, but I can get you on if you
Speaker 2: don't have one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely, I definitely want that. I'm gonna take you
Speaker 1: up on that real quick.
Speaker 3: Though.
Speaker 1: You are a leader, you are a successful coach the NFL.
Speaker 1: Last year, you were part of a program, a front
Speaker 1: office accelerator program. As we start the twenty twenty three season,
Speaker 1: there are three black coaches in the National Football League
Speaker 1: for the fifth consecutive year. Okay, do you think a
Speaker 1: program like that is ultimately going to help where the
Speaker 1: league should be?
Speaker 3: I hope.
Speaker 2: So there's a lot of good things with that program.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I don't know if I told you, but you know,
Speaker 2: just to be it gave it gave me and everyone
Speaker 2: that was there with me participating in it last year.
Speaker 2: It gave me a chance to be around the owners
Speaker 2: in a different light.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: You know, I got to see some guys that I
Speaker 2: only have seen from Afar talking about owner wise that
Speaker 2: you know.
Speaker 3: Once I talked to him, I.
Speaker 2: Mean, if it's just regular people, We joked, we laughed,
Speaker 2: you know, we had some serious conversation. I worked for
Speaker 2: Shah Khan with seven years at the Jaguars, and that
Speaker 2: was the most time he and I spent together one
Speaker 2: on one at that accelerate deal. Yeah, it was a
Speaker 2: cocktail get together. Yeah, and he and I talked for
Speaker 2: a long time. We talked about a whole different, whole
Speaker 2: bunch of stuff. And that was the most time I
Speaker 2: spent with him of all the time that I like,
Speaker 2: I said, I worked for him for seven years, So
Speaker 2: I think it's a it's a good thing there. There
Speaker 2: was some very a lot of positives that came out
Speaker 2: of it, uh, and I think they start up again
Speaker 2: next year.
Speaker 3: They asked me if I wanted.
Speaker 2: To go back this year, and I was like, I do,
Speaker 2: but I would like to see some some of the
Speaker 2: other coaches get an opportunity really too, yes to to
Speaker 2: experience that. You know, I've experienced it. I've I've gone
Speaker 2: through it. Now let's let's let's spread it around. Let
Speaker 2: somebody else go Now, so.
Speaker 1: Your guy stays in the moment and you're gonna approach
Speaker 1: each day like that. But have you ever let your
Speaker 1: mind wander and say, hey, I know I can do this.
Speaker 1: I'd like to do it someday myself.
Speaker 3: Oh, no question, no question.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's that that that that is a goal.
Speaker 2: I mean, but you know, I'm at my age and
Speaker 2: my time that I'm just saying though that I'm gonna
Speaker 2: I'm gonna need some definitely I mean, we all need this,
Speaker 2: but I'm gonna definitely need some divine intervention. It's gonna
Speaker 2: be a unique situation that that allows me to get
Speaker 2: the opportunity I think based on.
Speaker 3: The the the the.
Speaker 2: The requirements or the pathway that they that that that
Speaker 2: they you have to take right now to to get
Speaker 2: that opportunity. So, you know, if do I think I
Speaker 2: can do it? No, I know I can do it,
Speaker 2: and I think I would do a hell of a
Speaker 2: job with it too. But like I said, I'm gonna
Speaker 2: at this point, on this stage in my career, is
Speaker 2: gonna it's gonna be a unique situation, you know, because
Speaker 2: I'm not going to be a coordinator, you know, and
Speaker 2: right now that's the route that they're taking. You know,
Speaker 2: there might be there has been position coaches that have
Speaker 2: gotten an opportunity, but not many.
Speaker 1: You know. It's interesting. When I started here with the
Speaker 1: Jets was old one and my previous year in the
Speaker 1: NFL was with Tampa in two thousand and the secondary
Speaker 1: coach was Herm Edwards. Herm Edwards got hired by Woody
Speaker 1: Johnson here as head coach, and he took the route
Speaker 1: from defensive backfields coach if you say herm was never
Speaker 1: a coordinated.
Speaker 2: Was never Yeah, yeah, you know, so that's that's one
Speaker 2: and no doubt, no doubt. Yes, yes it can't. It
Speaker 2: can happen, no question. That's where that divine intervention comes in.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 1: But the other thing is if you guys have success
Speaker 1: as a staff here, which everything is pointed in that direction,
Speaker 1: like they're gonna end up picking a couple of guys
Speaker 1: off the staff to be head coaches. Yeah, because that's
Speaker 1: part of that's just like Robert was successful under Kyle.
Speaker 2: And defensive coordinator, you know, you know so yeah, Nathaniels
Speaker 2: offensive coordinators head coach last year. So you know, maybe
Speaker 2: if they want to go, you know, I'll be more
Speaker 2: than willing.
Speaker 3: To just put it out there.
Speaker 2: You know, I'll be more than willing to to offer
Speaker 2: my services to anyone that want to chance.
Speaker 1: And you loved it right in those brief times that
Speaker 1: you had the opportunity.
Speaker 2: It was outstanding. I had a ball, man, I had
Speaker 2: a ball. I had a great report. The players I
Speaker 2: see some of them now, you know, the guys that
Speaker 2: were in in in in Mobile, you know, the own team,
Speaker 2: different teams around and they you know, hey, I'm still Hey,
Speaker 2: if it's moving, I'm.
Speaker 3: Still hitting it, coach, you know.
Speaker 2: So it was great, Yes, it was great, and I
Speaker 2: look forward to that opportunity.
Speaker 1: Well, we always look forward to our next opportunity with
Speaker 1: Ron Middleton, and hopefully this summer we're gonna get that
Speaker 1: date down. We're gonna be at a golf course near you.
Speaker 3: Yeah. I love it. I love it.