WEBVTT - 2024 NFL Scouting Combine: GM Eric DeCosta & HC John Harbaugh 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:06.280 Welcome into Ravens Press pass. Today you'll hear from general 0:00:06.320 --> 0:00:09.920 manager Eric Dacussa and head coach John Harball as they 0:00:10.000 --> 0:00:14.120 have their combine press conferences. Let's start with General manager 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:14.960 Eric Tacusta. 0:00:17.040 --> 0:00:17.840 Hello, everyone. 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:22.759 First, I just want to congratulate Peter King for his retirement. 0:00:22.960 --> 0:00:25.880 Peter is a guy that me growing up in Boston. 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.320 I read his column, I learned a lot of football 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:32.760 over the years. We've become good friends. Tremendous respect for 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:34.919 his passion for covering the game, if everything he's done 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:37.640 for the sport of football, and he will be sorely 0:00:37.640 --> 0:00:38.199 missed by me. 0:00:39.000 --> 0:00:40.919 So questions. 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:51.080 Things, Well, I think we made a statement on that 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:52.199 we're aware. 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:52.760 Of the situation. 0:00:53.520 --> 0:00:57.120 Obviously, domestic violence is something that we're deeply concerned about, 0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:58.880 and we will continue. 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:10.760 To assess the situation as well. 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:13.480 I mean, you know, we've actually looked at franchises like 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:16.040 the Steelers over the years and always had an admiration 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:19.840 for the way that they've conducted business. Obviously bitter rivals, 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:23.760 but we believe that continuity is critical to success, you know, 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:26.319 in many different ways. I think just from a coaching staff, 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:28.959 the systems in place, the offense, the defense, having the 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:32.160 same schemes, I think, you know players, having the same 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:33.880 coaches year to year is critical. And then from a 0:01:33.920 --> 0:01:37.480 scouting perspective, building out processes, having a way that you 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:41.200 scout players, Having the same scouts, scouting players every single year, 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:43.920 the process of the draft and how that unfolds, we 0:01:44.000 --> 0:01:48.280 believe is critically important to our success. And you know 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:50.400 that it's great for me to look over and see 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:52.600 guys next to me. We haven't lost a lot of 0:01:52.600 --> 0:01:54.680 people over the years in scouting. Joe Hortiz this year, 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:56.600 a great friend of mine just went to become the 0:01:57.080 --> 0:02:01.760 gem of the LA Chargers for or you know, twenty 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.320 five years. Joe is sat to my right, so you 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:05.440 know I'm gonna miss him this year. 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:06.080 They'll be a void. 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:19.919 But having that continuity I think is essential. Yes, Yeah, 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:22.840 Jeremiah is a very hard charging guy, good on special teams. 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:25.520 I think he's a developmental outside back or strong and physical, 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:29.160 great attitude, and I think he's gonna have a great career, definitely. 0:02:36.600 --> 0:02:39.200 I mean, it was nice to see the number. It 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:41.000 doesn't mean that we're gonna just open up the books 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.880 and go shopping. I think that's not really the Raven's way, 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:46.600 but to have that buffer, so to speak, and to 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:49.320 give us a little bit more flexibility along the way. 0:02:49.360 --> 0:02:51.240 It helps us this year, but it also helps us 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.560 in the coming years as we project what we think 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:55.320 that salary cap is going to be moving out in 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:57.800 years twenty five and twenty six as well. So it 0:02:57.840 --> 0:02:59.200 does give you a little bit of a picture of 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:02.639 the landscape of football and what that means salary cap wise. 0:03:02.720 --> 0:03:05.400 My roster building standpoint, I think we're excited about the 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:07.200 potential that we have to be a good team this year, 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:10.240 and we think that we'll have some flexibility to remain 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:20.080 good in the coming years. Well, John did the majority 0:03:20.080 --> 0:03:21.960 of that. You know, I would help him and give 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:23.840 him advice. Last year I was probably more involved in 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.800 the interview process with the coordinator search than I was 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:30.480 this year. But I think John does an amazing job 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:32.720 building out of staff. I think last year's staff was 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:35.520 really an incredible job of building out and helping our team. 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:37.360 So we feel really good about the guys that we 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:39.320 brought in this year. A lot of work was done 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:41.520 by the assistant coaches, by the coordinators, and by John 0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:43.840 to get that done, and we're excited about the skills 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:53.480 that they bring to the table. Well, Nelly was a 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:54.760 guy that we brought in last year. 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:56.080 We had studied them for years. 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.000 I had studied them coming out of USC and you know, 0:03:59.000 --> 0:04:01.560 I always liked this game. Felt he was a valued 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:03.640 guy for us. We knew a lot about his personality. 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:06.000 He bought a lot to the table this year as 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:08.200 a player, but also as a leader. He was great 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.720 for that receiver room. The way that he conducted his 0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:12.760 business every day, the way that he practiced every day. 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:14.600 The guys that saw him out there every single day 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:17.520 know that he had tremendous intangibles and brought a lot 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:18.080 to the table. 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:19.120 So for us to talk to. 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:21.839 Him and get that done, I think he's been a 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:25.320 lot of different places, understood what it felt like to 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.000 be a Baltimore Raven, and he wanted to come back. 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:45.080 We knew that and we were excited to have him back. Well, 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:47.039 we're trying to get a deal done. You know, we've 0:04:47.040 --> 0:04:49.640 had discussions with Justin. He's a guy that obviously has 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:52.159 put himself in a fortuitous position this year by the 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:54.200 way that he played, had a great season for us. 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:55.919 He's a valued player on the team and We're hopeful 0:04:55.960 --> 0:05:00.680 that we can get a long term deal done. 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:02.479 Oh he'll do great. 0:05:03.200 --> 0:05:06.560 Mike's a guy that you know, people may not know this. 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:10.200 Back in the day, we interviewed Mike and scouting as 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:13.320 a player personnel assistant. He didn't get the job, but 0:05:13.880 --> 0:05:16.120 very very thoughtful, very smart guy. We brought him back 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:21.080 on the coaching staff, very innovative, organized, He's a motivator, 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:24.440 he's a great person, respectful. Players love him, coaches love him. 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:33.279 He's a home run hired by the Seahawks. Well, we 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:35.479 were really happy with this game this year. You know, 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:37.360 I think sometimes people get really caught up on the 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.280 number of sacks that people get. We prefer to look 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:43.080 at pressures and disruptions and the ability that they affect 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.880 the game and the dafes. Probably one of the hardest 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:47.800 working players we have on our defense. He's got a 0:05:47.800 --> 0:05:52.240 great motor, plays with a passion. He's an exciting young prospect. 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:55.560 He is battled back for some injuries, and we think 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:57.680 that this is gonna be a great season for him. 0:05:57.720 --> 0:05:59.279 We're very, very excited about what he brings to the 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:05.839 table this year as one of our primary age rush guys. 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:11.839 Great position players. Last year we have the doctor. 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:19.800 Well, we need more than two running backs, so certainly 0:06:19.839 --> 0:06:21.560 I think you'll see us make a couple of acquisitions 0:06:21.600 --> 0:06:23.919 along the way. We think Heaton Mitchell is gonna come 0:06:23.920 --> 0:06:26.880 back from his knee injury. Justice is a player last year, 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.080 probably one of the unsung heroes of our whole team. 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:32.800 I would say, you know, we're still talking to Gus, 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:34.960 We'll talk to JK a couple of free agents that 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:37.440 we had. Hopefully that we can get something done with 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.640 those guys. We've looked at the draft class, probably not 0:06:41.000 --> 0:06:43.600 you know, as deep as some other positions that we'll 0:06:43.600 --> 0:06:45.520 see an this year as draft class. There are some 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:47.800 UFAs this year in the draft, I mean, a free agency, 0:06:47.880 --> 0:06:48.640 some talented. 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:50.200 Players that we will look at as well. 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:52.120 But I think it's probably safe to say that we'll 0:06:52.120 --> 0:06:53.800 have more than two running backs on the roster at 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:55.719 some point, and we will definitely have a plan for 0:06:55.720 --> 0:07:02.240 that position. Eugene shn So. Eugene was a guy that 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:04.279 you know, a lot of respect for. 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:04.880 Eugene. 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:09.280 We interviewed Eugene probably back in two thousand and eleven 0:07:09.960 --> 0:07:14.600 to run the player personnel analytics department at the time. 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:15.360 Eugene couldn't. 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:17.480 We offered Eugene the job, he couldn't take the job 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:19.680 for some different reasons. He was up in Connecticut and 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.240 he was working on Wall Street. He couldn't take the position. 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:24.920 And then a few years later we were trying to 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:28.320 hire somebody in coaching and eugene situation had changed. He 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:29.760 was more flexible and he was willing to take the 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:34.400 position in coaching. Very very smart guy, innovative, you know, 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:38.240 very good with modeling and just building out look at 0:07:38.320 --> 0:07:41.600 using data to analyze. And I think that the commanders 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:43.240 got themselves a good hire, and I think we'll do 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:49.720 a great job over there. 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:58.160 Yeah, that's a good question, you know. I do. 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:00.520 I read a lot of history, a lot of military history, 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:05.280 a lot of value investing stuff, Ben Graham, Warren Buffett, 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:06.720 Charlie Munger. 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:06.840 Things like that. 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:10.000 I'm really interested in that idea as pertains to players. 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:12.560 I do read a lot, you know. 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:15.960 I think sometimes the scouts will get sick of me 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:19.080 talking about things they have no interest in. I've gotten 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:20.320 some podcasts and stuff too. 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:21.120 But I do feel that. 0:08:21.080 --> 0:08:24.000 In this business it's easy to do the same things 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:26.160 the same way every single year. And I think for 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:29.960 me at least being creative kind of looking and being 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:33.160 exposed to different things is very helpful, whether that's a podcast, 0:08:33.160 --> 0:08:37.000 a TV show, a movie, books, whatever that might be. 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.280 Sometimes my best idea is kind of germinate from some 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:52.520 of those different types of things. I think always, I mean, 0:08:52.520 --> 0:08:55.360 I think that's a critical position. I think the data 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:58.160 supports that. And that's a position too where some of 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:01.120 these guys are like race cars. They break down at times, 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.640 and so having a depth at that position is critical. 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:06.920 We saw that this year. We think we built the 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:08.640 room out pretty well this year, and we're able to 0:09:08.679 --> 0:09:12.240 sustain some injuries along the way, so we will look 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:14.000 at that. I think it's a very very deep year 0:09:14.360 --> 0:09:17.480 in the draft. This draft class is pretty impressive from 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:20.800 a receiver standpoint. We'll assess that talent and see what 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:22.280 kind of falls our way, and then look at the 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:27.079 free agency crop as well. 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:31.200 Well. Anthony is a guy that you know. 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.280 When we drafted Anthony back in two thousand and two, 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:37.080 second round pick Notre Dame, I was the Midwest scout 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.320 back then, so I knew a lot about Anthony back then. 0:09:40.640 --> 0:09:43.720 I always have had back then. He was tony but 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:46.800 had a tremendous respect for him as a player. We 0:09:46.920 --> 0:09:49.120 drafted Ed Reid that for our first pick, and then 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:51.199 Anthony Weaver was our second. 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:52.760 It was our second round pick. 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.040 Mike Nolan was our defensive coordinator, and our defense was 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:58.920 pretty darn good that year, surprisingly pretty good. I knew 0:09:58.920 --> 0:10:00.679 he would be a great coach because the way he 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:05.080 carries himself, his ability as a leader. I think his 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:08.040 mentality is grinder mentality. The way that he carries himself 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:11.120 every day is work ethic in a way that he would. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:14.680 Relate to the players. And so, you know, we brought 0:10:14.760 --> 0:10:15.120 him back. 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:16.840 It was great to have him in the last couple 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:20.000 of years as our d line coach and assistant head coach. 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:23.080 I feel he's gonna be a head coach someday, and 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:24.720 being it's right there for him, he's gonna do a 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:25.400 remarkable job. 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:25.920 I think down in. 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.480 Miami players are gonna love him, the community is gonna 0:10:28.480 --> 0:10:30.240 love him. That defense is gonna be fast and furious, 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:31.560 and I think he'll be a head coach before you 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:32.599 know it. 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:38.920 We've just texted great, great guy. I love. 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.400 Odell has become a great friend of mine and a 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:43.600 friend to the Ravens, And you know, I think we'll 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:45.280 just kind of assess and see what happens over in 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:52.440 the next couple of weeks. 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:55.040 Well, Gino, I'm very proud of. 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:57.360 You know, he was a seventh round pick and probably 0:10:57.400 --> 0:10:59.240 I mean, if Jamison is here, he'd probably chime in 0:10:59.240 --> 0:11:01.800 because he's a history you know, he fancies himself a historian. 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:03.880 But you know, Gino might be the. 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:09.800 Best seventh round pick that we've ever had. Playmaker, attitude, 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:12.559 special teams, just an excellent season this. 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:14.920 Year, been cut, been brought back. 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:18.440 Just I love his his cerebral nature, I love his 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:22.800 attitude on the field. He fancies himself an overachiever. I 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:27.199 love that about him. He's you know, he's put himself 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:29.319 in an awesome position. We're fortunate that we have some 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.240 good safety depth, and I'm not really sure exactly what 0:11:32.280 --> 0:11:34.920 that means for Gino and the Ravens, but regardless, I 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:36.400 know he's going to be a great pro. If he 0:11:36.400 --> 0:11:38.160 doesn't come back and play with us, he's going to 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:40.080 be a great pick for some player, for somebody else, 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:42.120 and I would expect him to have a great career. 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:51.480 Right Well, I think we've got a great locker room, 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:56.080 great coaching staff. We've built the team the right way, tremendous, 0:11:56.400 --> 0:11:59.120 tremendous pride for this team, and just you know, as 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:01.120 hard as it is, really step back and look at 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:04.040 this season, I would say it was a resounding success 0:12:04.080 --> 0:12:08.480 in many, many different ways. The locker room was crazy good, 0:12:09.040 --> 0:12:11.920 the personalities, the love that I think was felt every 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:15.200 single day, the attitude that these guys brought, so that 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:19.320 gives me great hope that our future is very bright. 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:21.520 And we try to build this thing out so that 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.520 we don't have windows opening and closing. And that's kind 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:26.280 of been the Ravens mindset that we want to be 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:28.120 a competitive, good team every single year. 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:31.280 That's what we aspire too. 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:33.160 And I think we have a lot of the types 0:12:33.200 --> 0:12:35.360 of people in that locker room still, and when we 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:37.480 may have those type of guys to put us in 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:45.160 a position to win every single year, it's always going 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:46.520 to be a priority, Garrett. 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.120 I think that's coach Harbaugh from two thousand and eight on. 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:50.000 We have to have a. 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:53.400 Big, strong, imposing offensive line, so we'll continue to build 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:56.080 that out. Obviously, this year we're going to have probably 0:12:56.120 --> 0:13:00.280 some change on the offensive note in different ways to 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:02.640 be seen exactly what that looks like. We will have 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:06.320 a plan. Fortunately, this is a deep draft class as well, 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:08.400 so we'll have a lot of different options in different 0:13:08.480 --> 0:13:10.920 rounds for players that we like at the offensive line position, 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.280 at tackle and also guard. Probably unlikely that we're gonna 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:16.880 draft a center very high, but I think there's a 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:20.079 lot of depth along the way, specifically at the tackle 0:13:20.120 --> 0:13:21.280 position in the guard position. 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:22.120 So that's exciting. 0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:24.200 It really helps me as we look at what that 0:13:24.240 --> 0:13:25.480 offensive line is going to look like. 0:13:40.360 --> 0:13:42.560 It will always have a plan. You know, we're gonna 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:43.280 always have a plan. 0:13:43.360 --> 0:13:45.320 We're aware of the injuries and the salary cap, and 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:46.920 we're aware of the talent that we have and the 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.160 talent that's available, and we'll build the best offensive line 0:13:49.200 --> 0:13:50.720 that we can with the best players that we can. 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:54.280 And you know, there's always gonna be you know, the 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:56.520 roster is always gonna morph and change year to year. 0:13:56.840 --> 0:13:58.679 You've got to stay young, but you've also got to 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:00.840 have great veteran presence as well your offensive line in 0:14:00.840 --> 0:14:01.600 every other position. 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:02.880 So it's really a balance. 0:14:02.920 --> 0:14:04.040 You want to be as young as you can, but 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:05.880 you also want to have a lot of veteran experience, 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:08.960 and I think everybody feels that, and so It's really 0:14:09.000 --> 0:14:11.679 a delicate mix because with a salary cap, with a 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:13.640 salary cap league, it makes it hard to keep every 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:15.600 single player that you want to keep. We're not like 0:14:15.679 --> 0:14:18.080 the old I grew up a Cowboys fan, and you 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:21.000 know we're not like the Dallas Cowboys of nineteen ninety, 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:25.720 ninety two, ninety three. The salary cap changes things and 0:14:25.760 --> 0:14:34.280 that makes a lot more challenging. What was that question, Oh, 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:36.960 oh man, Well, he's just one of my best friends. 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.640 You know when we started, I think Joe started. 0:14:40.280 --> 0:14:44.440 In ninety eight, maybe ninety nine, and I was an 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:48.280 office guy and a young scout and took Joe into 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:50.480 my wing and we did a lot of stuff together. 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:55.160 Our kids went to school together. He was my pickleball partner, 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:58.600 sat next to me during the draft, helped me over 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:01.720 the years, run the meetings, assess talent. Joe's got a 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:04.040 great eye for talent. He'll do an amazing job as 0:15:04.040 --> 0:15:07.880 an evaluator for the Chargers. He's got good opinions, he's 0:15:07.920 --> 0:15:11.160 a consensus builder. The scouts are gonna love him, the 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:13.080 coaches are gonna love working with him, and he's gonna 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:23.280 do a fantastic job. And I think integrity is important 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:28.000 to me. Passion for the game is important to me. Work, ethic, dependability, growth, mindset, grit, 0:15:28.480 --> 0:15:29.760 all those things factor in. 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:30.200 You know. 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:33.480 It's something that we really kind of focus on, you know. 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:36.400 I mean, anyone can watch tape and assess how good 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:38.440 a player can catch a football or bend his knees, 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.520 or make a tackle in space or block somebody. But 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.040 to me, the secret sauce is really knowing the person 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:45.880 behind the tape, the personality of the player, how he 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:48.400 carries himself day to day. What's he gonna do every 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:50.400 day in the offseason, how is he gonna carry himself 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:51.480 on the field, in the community. 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:53.240 All those kinds of things are critically important. 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:56.280 And really I think those are probably as important those 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:58.240 factors as how a guy plays the game. 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:04.160 I probably will yes, thank you. 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:09.320 Next up, here's head coach John Harwall. 0:16:10.600 --> 0:16:14.000 Okay, good to see everybody. Tough act to. 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:17.160 Be next to you over there, but appreciate you all 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.400 being here. What questions you have place? 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:28.680 Buckle up, you know he's he's gonna do great. 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:29.000 Uh. 0:16:29.200 --> 0:16:31.640 Actually, we've been together the last couple of days and 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.320 and he's fired up and enthusiastic and uh, talking to 0:16:35.360 --> 0:16:37.120 players knows a lot of these guys, I guess. So 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:39.440 it's it's been fun, he's he's he's wired, ready to go. 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:41.680 What's that. 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:46.000 I think he's excited about this. I think he's really 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.240 excited about the Chargers. I think he's excited about the family. 0:16:49.560 --> 0:16:49.680 Uh. 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:51.120 He just goes way back. 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:55.360 Uh, he's got great relationships there, everybody in the building. Really, 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:57.560 I think he's starting to build relationships with He's the 0:16:57.600 --> 0:16:59.400 guys he's brought over. He knows, you know, he's got 0:16:59.440 --> 0:17:02.240 comfort with that. Uh, loves the quarterback. So all those. 0:17:02.080 --> 0:17:04.960 Things like. 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:15.000 Time, Yeah, I mean, I just depends on the person. 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:17.359 I think most people I I kind of dispute that, 0:17:17.440 --> 0:17:19.000 I guess, but I've known my whole life, you know, 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.080 So I think there's a lot of narratives out there 0:17:21.119 --> 0:17:22.879 and about a lot of people, you know, and uh, 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:24.760 they just kind of pick up steam and everybody just 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:26.600 kind of says, well, that's just how somebody is. And 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:28.600 then you'll meet a person you'll be like a it's 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:30.840 completely different than that, you know. So I don't know 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:33.439 where so that stuff comes from. And nobody really cares, 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:35.600 you know, I know he doesn't care. You get to 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:45.040 know him I think you'll like him a lot. 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:47.320 Right. 0:17:47.359 --> 0:17:50.359 I'm really excited about the coaches that we hired. You know, 0:17:50.359 --> 0:17:51.879 we had a lot of staff turnover. We had a 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:53.639 we had we might go to be a head coach. 0:17:54.080 --> 0:17:56.560 We had Anthony and Dinard move on to be coordinators. 0:17:57.000 --> 0:17:57.080 Uh. 0:17:57.160 --> 0:17:59.479 We had a lot of inquiries about other coaches, uh, 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:02.679 head coat coaches and otherwise coordinators. And so we had 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:04.399 a lot of positions to fill, and I think we 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:06.120 filled them with guys that are going to be great 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:08.080 fits for us, that are gonna make us even better. 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.240 What you try to do, we try to hire. 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:13.320 Acquire the best players you can, hire the best coaches, 0:18:13.359 --> 0:18:15.240 you can, just build the best team that you can. 0:18:15.560 --> 0:18:17.760 And then you know, if it goes well, guys get 0:18:17.760 --> 0:18:19.560 an opportunity to go somewhere else and kind of you know, 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:21.679 chase their career in advance, or players move on and 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:23.960 sign for bigger contracts, or they get a new contract 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:27.399 with you. That's all good stuff. It's not stuff that 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:28.800 you sit back and you lamet and you say, well, 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:30.280 how they're going to replace this guy or that guy. 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.760 I mean, I think sixteen years we've had that same 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.760 refrain after every single season and to me, it's a 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:38.520 positive thing. So the guys coming in are gonna be amazing. 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:40.439 I mean, Dennis Johnson with a D line from Baylor. 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:43.000 You're going to see his energy and his fire, his 0:18:43.040 --> 0:18:45.720 attention to detailed guy Doug Mallory's are of the greatest 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:47.800 secondary coaches in the world right now. I mean he 0:18:47.840 --> 0:18:49.840 fits us because he's been in a similar system for 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.040 the last number of years, so he understands the way 0:18:52.080 --> 0:18:55.440 our system operates. That's gonna be a huge plus for us. 0:18:56.119 --> 0:18:59.160 Mark de Leon a coach's kid. But when you start 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:02.000 listening to him buck Ball, he just he just blew 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.159 me away with his knowledge and his you know, his 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:07.560 relationships with players and his relationship with Rokwan. Just those 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.840 three guys on defense, offense. You know we've done We've 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:13.720 done a little bit there. Uh, assistant offensive line with 0:19:13.760 --> 0:19:16.840 Travelle Wharton coming in, former player. I just loved the 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:19.119 interview with him and his relationship with players and his 0:19:19.440 --> 0:19:22.920 background with John Matsko and then with Juan Casteele. Uh, 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:25.080 it makes him uniquely qualified to be with us. So 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:44.080 just a lot of great coaches. Brian absolutely, Yeah, No, 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:45.840 I'm just really excited about the guys we've got. I mean, 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:47.560 every season is a new season, and that's just the 0:19:47.560 --> 0:19:49.600 way it works, you know. And I'm uh the guys 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:51.320 that we have, our guys are gonna fit in well. 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:53.359 And and you know, we're not going to change our 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:56.879 defensive structure. We elevated Zach, so that's continuity there with 0:19:56.880 --> 0:19:58.600 what we're doing on defense. And we've had continuity with 0:19:58.640 --> 0:20:01.480 our defensive coordinator hires. It's two thousand and eight. That's 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:03.560 that's been a trend. And I think where the where 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:05.640 where they get to the least points in the leagues, 0:20:05.680 --> 0:20:08.000 it's two thousand and eight by far. So you know, 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:10.040 we've got a little a little tradition going there. You know, 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:11.760 we kind of have a pretty good feel for what 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:13.000 we want to do on defense, and we want to 0:20:13.000 --> 0:20:15.439