WEBVTT - MVP: Ryan Monnens & Jamal Stephenson Talk Scouting & The 2022 Draft Process | Episode 132 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:08.920 I think he has a way of making everyone feel 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.640 like they're important because he makes you challenge your thoughts. 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:15.000 You know, he asked you to why. So he's been 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:18.680 great with us. Kevin has done a really good job 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:21.759 sitting down with us with the position coaches and kind 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:24.119 of talking through what they're looking for in players. And 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:28.240 I think that is the most important first conversation we 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:34.839 can have. This is the last Minnesota Vikings podcast in 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:38.880 the month of February in twenty twenty two. That sounds 0:00:38.960 --> 0:00:41.840 absolutely crazy to say, because I feel like with March 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.519 around the Quarner, February was just a blink because of 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:47.199 all the things that I've been happening within the Minnesota 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.560 Vikings organization. Thanks for listening to the podcast. I'm your host, 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:53.720 Tatum Everett. Gabe Henderson's enjoying a little R and R. 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:57.319 But we do have our producer Jay Nelson here with 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:00.520 me in the TCO radio room. And Jay, it is 0:01:00.560 --> 0:01:03.000 really hard to believe that it's already March. People talk 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:05.120 about warp speed over the last couple of years, it 0:01:05.160 --> 0:01:07.560 just feels like it's continuing at this point. I know 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.520 that's definitely something when you get older, it happens even more. 0:01:10.920 --> 0:01:13.880 But I would think, you know, you saw the memes 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:16.280 at the end of the year saying welcome to twenty 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:18.160 twenty two, and everyone's like, what happened to twenty twenty 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:21.399 Like just we're at the point again where hey, guess what, 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:24.480 the NFL season's over and reset button and we're just 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:26.440 kind of often sprinting at the shore. And when you 0:01:26.480 --> 0:01:29.640 have such a turnover in staff like we've had this 0:01:29.720 --> 0:01:32.600 off season, I think it almost makes it more amplified. 0:01:32.640 --> 0:01:34.800 It was a lot of hurry up and wait, hurry 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:37.880 up and wait. And really, you know, new GM quasi 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:40.959 A Dopamenza has only been on the job for twenty 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:43.319 thirty days now almost I think he's got to his 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:45.880 thirty day mark. Yeah, I mean, it's just insane. Well, 0:01:45.880 --> 0:01:47.600 but it's funny you think about that and you say, yeah, 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:50.720 it's thirty days. Where have those thirty days gone? I mean, 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:54.360 the hurry up and weight factor was kind of as 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.520 an organization, once they made the decision to move on, 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:01.320 you're kind of anticipating and waiting and you know who's 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:03.520 going to be in, different people coming in, and then 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:05.840 they finally make the decision, they bring in Quacy and 0:02:05.880 --> 0:02:08.040 it's like, Okay, hit the ground running because we got 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:09.760 a bunch of stuff to do. But then we were 0:02:09.760 --> 0:02:12.120 still waiting for head coach and then we're like, are 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:14.800 we gonna make the decision now? Or we ended up 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.160 waiting because he was in the Super Bowl winning a ring. 0:02:17.320 --> 0:02:20.800 So because of all of that stuff, like you said, 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.960 hurry up and wait anticipation and then pull back, and 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:25.799 then we finally, you know, make the decision with the 0:02:25.840 --> 0:02:28.600 head coach. It's been a really weird offseason and that 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:30.760 all of a sudden, here we are a couple days 0:02:30.760 --> 0:02:33.840 away from the combine starting and the twenty twenty two 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:36.720 league year basically resetting right away. Of course, because March 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:39.720 does mean that the NFL combine is here. I keep 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:42.040 going back to a guy like Bill Belichick because he 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:44.040 always had the thing that you would always just kind 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:45.560 of roll your eyes and say, why do you feel 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:47.480 that way? But you get it. They get done winning 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:49.040 a super Bowl and they'd say, you know, how do 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:50.720 you feel about winning the Super Bowl? And he's like, 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.720 we're six weeks behind our draft prep at this point. 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:56.040 You're just like, can you not just enjoy the fact 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:58.760 you won another Super Bowl? Or in one. Now you 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:00.120 kind of get a little bit of a taste of 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:02.560 what that's like. Where other people have already been planning 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:04.560 for the last month and a half. You gotta imagine 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:06.560 that's kind of a little bit what Kevin fields right 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.639 right now is that he's like the high of winning. 0:03:09.720 --> 0:03:12.680 He is in the Super Bowl parade on a Wednesday, 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:14.720 and the introduces a head coach of a new organization 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:18.639 on Thursday morning, and you've got to assemble your staff 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:20.200 and as you said, get ready for the combine. I mean, 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:21.480 he's going to be a head coach for a week 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:24.040 and a half before going to the Combine. It's just crazy. 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:26.919 It's just crazy. But I mean as crazy as it's 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:29.560 also very exciting to see this new coaching staff embark 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:33.280 on assembling the best roster absolutely possible. But you know, 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:37.000 there are several people behind the scenes that have been 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:39.760 hard at work in the scouting process while the team 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:43.240 was hiring, and we were lucky enough Jay to talk 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:45.720 to two of those guys, and they'll be our guests 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:49.320 in this week's podcast. Vikings co directors of player Personnel 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:52.320 Ryan Munnins and Jamal Stevenson, two guys that have been 0:03:52.320 --> 0:03:54.080 around for a very long time, been a part of 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:57.400 this organization at different levels. But to a t you 0:03:57.440 --> 0:03:59.160 start asking people have been around for a while and 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:02.080 know who these guys are. They are consummate professionals and 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:04.200 it's really great to be able to talk to them today. Yeah, 0:04:04.240 --> 0:04:07.240 speaking with Quacy earlier this week, he says he feels 0:04:07.320 --> 0:04:10.200 very lucky to have those guys on his side. And 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:12.880 you know, when you're the GM, I think everyone is 0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:15.280 always a little worried about turnover and what their vision 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:17.000 is going to be. But it just feels like he 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:21.520 meshes very well with the player personnel staff that the 0:04:21.640 --> 0:04:24.960 Vikings have. But I think that's also a testament to 0:04:25.720 --> 0:04:29.240 what that department has created over the years. They've always 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.159 been a group that's been willing to kind of be 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:35.040 innovative and try to do whatever they can to find 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:37.960 the information they need to make a good decision. So 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:41.279 it feels like when they came in there, it was 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:44.560 just something where they have this established feeling where everyone 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:46.560 kind of understands what their roles are, they know what 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.520 they're supposed to do. They've definitely shown over the years 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:51.479 that they've found a lot of really good talent that 0:04:51.520 --> 0:04:53.720 have come on to this team. So the fact that 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.520 they both kind of come from different backgrounds yet are 0:04:56.560 --> 0:05:00.360 seen as the main two people to help lead this 0:05:00.440 --> 0:05:03.279 group that is so critical right now. Again, it's just 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:04.760 great to have them on the show to kind of 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.000 pick their brains a little bit about what really happens 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:09.920 behind the scenes. Dare I say a word that we've 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:12.920 heard a lot of lately. Do they collaborate really well? 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:15.600 Very well? And I just I really do feel like 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:18.800 the fact that the very tongue in cheek obviously, but 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:20.960 that's the thing is, you can say a tongue in cheek, 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:23.560 but it really is a big deal, especially for those guys, 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:26.440 because they have to understand kind of where each other's 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:29.200 coming from. They have to be able to throw out 0:05:29.240 --> 0:05:32.159 ideas and kind of have almost a shorthand, especially with 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:35.520 a brand new group coming in right. The adaptability piece 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:37.920 of all of that is something that you know, there 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:40.800 have been several coaches changes while these guys were here, 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:44.320 yet they are still around doing the Lord's work for 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:46.680 the Vikings. You know, you're dealing with not only the 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:50.120 coaching turnover that is kind of a normal thing annually. 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:53.240 There's always some additions and subtractions. But not only are 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:56.080 you doing almost an entire coaching staff change, but the 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.039 GM change too. And I think for those guys, they're 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:00.919 trying to figure out how to read the tea leaves 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:03.599 of you know, what does each group want, and just 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.559 to kind of figure out, like, how do we thread 0:06:06.600 --> 0:06:09.159 the needle of finding the kind of players that not 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.480 only the GM is kind of looking for, but all 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:13.520 of the coaches as well, and taking all that input 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:17.040 on top of having to evaluate hundreds and hundreds of 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:19.839 players that are potential candidates to be on this roster. 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:23.520 So they're both incredibly good at what they do, and 0:06:23.680 --> 0:06:25.640 all of the support staff they have behind them are 0:06:25.680 --> 0:06:29.280 also very very good at their jobs, and so you know, 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:31.760 we're in good hands. It's just nice that it feels 0:06:31.760 --> 0:06:33.400 like there's a bit of a mesh going on there 0:06:33.440 --> 0:06:35.159 between kind of the old school and the new school 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:36.920 of people coming in the door. Yeah, I think that's 0:06:36.920 --> 0:06:39.359 a lot of questions fans have, you know, how is 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:43.320 this relationship going to coexist and work for the success 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:46.320 of this team moving forward? And I think you're definitely 0:06:46.360 --> 0:06:49.159 want to continue listening because I think they gave a 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:53.560 very good perspective and behind the scenes look as to 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:55.720 what they do on a day to day basis, but 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.560 as well as like how they are getting along with 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:02.520 the new staff and how they plan on collaborating moving 0:07:02.560 --> 0:07:06.160 forward in this scouting process. But first, before we get 0:07:06.200 --> 0:07:09.560 to that interview, you know new head coach Kevin O'Connell. 0:07:09.600 --> 0:07:11.480 We got to hear from him again this week as 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:15.680 he introduced his three new coordinators yesterday, and well, I 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:17.960 just thought, Jay, that we just go and break it 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:19.840 down name by name instead of saying them all at 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:22.240 one time. So we'll go in the order of the 0:07:22.240 --> 0:07:26.560 press conferences. So we started out with defensive coordinator Ed Dontel, 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.760 who is a Super Bowl winner in and of himself. 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.040 He had two rings with the Broncos. He's been a 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:35.080 defensive coordinator for three other teams. He comes in with 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:39.480 this wealth of experience that's kind of his resume in 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:42.880 like very fast form. So, Jay, what was your impressions 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:44.800 of him after hearing from him as one of those 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:47.360 guys watching his press conference. I kind of just the 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:49.680 vibe that was coming off him was, oh, yeah, this 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:52.680 is what definitely one of those defensive coaches, kind of 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:55.840 the excitable guy who loves just loves and eats and 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.080 sleeps and breathes football. You know, it's funny. I joked 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:02.480 yesterday and I said, this guy is somebody who was 0:08:02.520 --> 0:08:04.800 going to be a football coach, yes, whether he wanted 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:06.840 to or not, because that is the personality he was 0:08:06.880 --> 0:08:10.960 going to be coaching something something, some sort of motivational speaker, coach, whatever. 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:14.160 It was. Just Ed's kind of got that that flavor 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:16.400 it and it feels like from all of the reviews 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:18.960 after all the years of being in football, you know, 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:21.400 that's kind of the m o of what people talk 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:24.520 about is infectious energy and kind of a motivating guy 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:26.360 that can get the best out of his players. So 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.080 watching the press conference, what was really interesting to me 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:33.559 was he was just as we just described, excited to 0:08:33.640 --> 0:08:35.840 join it. And part of the thing that he cited 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:39.839 was when he was meeting with Kevin and Quasi's just 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:41.760 to try to get the job in the first place. 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:45.240 The vision, the goals of what they talked about, and 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:48.960 kind of this whole idea of looking for somebody who's 0:08:49.040 --> 0:08:52.839 willing to participate, to listen, to motivate, and Ed was 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.000 very very cognizant of the fact that he's like that's 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:57.679 what I want to do. That is my goal. That 0:08:57.760 --> 0:08:59.760 is what I try to do as a coach. And 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:02.120 you know, the thing that jumped out of me. He 0:09:02.160 --> 0:09:05.160 was basically saying, nobody's going to have more fun than us. Yeah. 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.079 I like that. That was the thing when when he 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:11.200 was again, that's that positive, infectious energy. And you know, 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.880 he got a lot of questions because he's worked in 0:09:13.920 --> 0:09:16.079 a lot of three four systems, a lot of people 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:17.839 were asking him, well, we're going to run four three 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:19.840 three four, and he kind of said yes, well, he 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:22.920 said yeah, above all of the above. Yeah, And you 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:25.040 know I asked him that same question and the impression 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:26.760 that I got from him because we're going to release 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:28.439 some more interviews next week with him, so you get 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:30.679 to know more of what he says through the Viking's 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.640 Entertainment network. But I think it's important to note that 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:37.160 he has been around for a very long time thirty 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:40.680 one years in the coaching industry, and so you don't 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:42.719 like and he said this in his press conference, but 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:44.840 I've always kind of believed this as well. You don't 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:49.439 stick around in this coaching industry if you can't adapt 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:52.319 and move with the times. And that's exactly what he 0:09:52.400 --> 0:09:55.120 harped on. So I think it's very important to ask 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:58.320 the question, what scheme are you planning on running? But 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:01.360 I also think that at this point time, Ed is 0:10:01.400 --> 0:10:03.880 just showing that he is fluid. Like he's worked in 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:05.880 the three four for the last eleven years, but before 0:10:05.920 --> 0:10:07.760 that when even he was with the Packers and with 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:10.520 Atlanta he ran a four three. He's not unfamiliar with 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:14.439 these concepts. So if we're going off of what they're saying, 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:17.920 impressors what Kevin O'Connell has been saying, it sounds like 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:21.320 they are willing to run the best scheme for the 0:10:21.360 --> 0:10:24.840 players they have, whether or not it's what they essentially 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:27.400 want to Yeah, and he cited the fact that it's 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.160 something that's talked about in all circles across the NFL 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:33.080 at this point, the fact that most teams end up 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:35.720 having to run Nickel a ton and so he's just 0:10:35.720 --> 0:10:37.559 looking at saying, yeah, we can run Nickel out of 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:39.840 four three. You're going to run Nickel out of three four. 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:44.080 And he was basically saying the league will help dictate 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:46.240 and the offense we play against will help dictate what 0:10:46.240 --> 0:10:48.000 we're going to do. And I think for a guy 0:10:48.040 --> 0:10:50.800 like ed his goal on his side with his coaches 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:53.920 is to identify what players are going to fit best 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:57.800 for that flexibility. So it was just something that he 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:00.320 also talked about the fact that he won to see 0:11:00.320 --> 0:11:03.160 people grow as players and people. There was a very 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:07.079 conscientious feeling on his side of saying, my goal is 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:09.640 to connect with these players as best as possible, to 0:11:09.679 --> 0:11:11.840 figure out what motivates them and to get the best 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:14.240 out of him. And on top of that, when he 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:16.240 was asked about you know, what's it going to be 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:20.520 like in practice, etc. He cited saying, playing against West 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:23.880 Phillips offense will battle test us. That is something that 0:11:24.000 --> 0:11:27.400 I think getting the new school offense going against the 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:30.600 new school defense and seeing how he adapts to that, 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:31.920 that's going to be something that's going to be a 0:11:31.960 --> 0:11:34.160 lot of fun to watch here this preseason and all 0:11:34.200 --> 0:11:36.760 of the offseason on the trend install everything. Yeah, you 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:39.400 mentioned the next guy we should talk about, offensive coordinator 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:42.880 Wes Phillips, grandson of Bombs, son of Wade, and I 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:44.760 loved it when I sat down with him earlier this week, 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.520 he said he's the black sheep of the family because 0:11:47.559 --> 0:11:51.080 he's so offensive minded. But one thing that struck me 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:56.400 as in speaking with him is just he is a 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:59.960 very calm, even keeled kind of guy. Never got too high, 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:03.959 I never got too low. And he was very oh, 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:06.880 what's the word. He was very intentional, which again is 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:08.920 something I know we've heard from all of these guys 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:10.760 so far, but it's a great word to describe how 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:14.520 he answered questions. He doesn't he's not quick to talk. 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:17.760 You can tell that he's very not calculated, but he 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:21.240 thinks about what he says. Intentional, cerebral. Yeah, yeah, it's 0:12:21.280 --> 0:12:24.040 one of those things with him. One thing I learned 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:27.080 really early, even back in high school playing football, was 0:12:27.440 --> 0:12:31.920 my defensive coordinator played college football, but he was a 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:36.040 record setting running back in college, comes to high school 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:39.079 football and starts coaching defense and is just a beast 0:12:39.120 --> 0:12:41.800 at defensive coordinator. It was the first time it really 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:43.960 opened my eyes to the fact that a guy like 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:48.319 Wes Phillips, coming from a defensive minded football family, knows 0:12:48.440 --> 0:12:52.760 exactly what they're trying to do and then flips it 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:54.880 on its head and says, how do we attack that 0:12:54.920 --> 0:12:58.319 and exploit it in a manner that can actually beat 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.280 everything I've learned my entire life so looking at a 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:05.839 guy like Wes, he's cerebral, he's intentional, he's very calculated 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.040 in the way that he'll answer stuff. And I really 0:13:08.080 --> 0:13:11.080 am excited to see kind of what is his style 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:13.720 of offense going to be? Given how much the league 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:16.320 has changed over the last two years, let alone five years. 0:13:16.559 --> 0:13:18.800 What is the role of the offensive coordinator If Kevin 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.200 O'Connell's calling the plays, but you got to think they're 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:25.000 four seconds, five seconds, six seconds to decide what's next. 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:28.160 If Kevin's doing something else, I mean, you know, like 0:13:28.240 --> 0:13:30.439 he's got to focus on certain things. Wes is probably 0:13:30.440 --> 0:13:34.320 assisting him to the best visibility. That's that's his number 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:37.040 one job. Wes is essentially doing the job that Kevin 0:13:37.160 --> 0:13:40.080 just has. That's the thing. So like he knows what 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:41.960 he's signing up for. And I think that's also big 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:43.520 because if you have a guy that comes in who's 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.760 not on board with that, yes, that could cause friction. Yeah, 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:48.240 And that's the thing as I think, you know, if 0:13:48.320 --> 0:13:51.400 Kevin bringing Wes from the Rams, having been in that 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.400 kind of system, understood and worked with him when he 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:56.440 was you know, working with tight ends in LA and 0:13:56.480 --> 0:13:59.640 now he's coming in as essentially offensive coordinator and kind 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:02.120 of the right hand man for Kevin to lean on 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:04.959 when it comes to game prep and breaking down film 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:07.200 and figuring out, you know, what exploits are we going 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:09.040 to use this week? What kind of stuff can we 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:11.400 add to the playbook this week that can exploit something 0:14:11.400 --> 0:14:14.000 that we see defensively on film. A guy like Wes 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:17.600 Phillips is going to be critical because Kevin can't necessarily 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:20.560 do all those things he did before. He's got head 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:24.320 coaching duties now, so he trusts Wes Phillips implicitly to 0:14:24.360 --> 0:14:28.080 make sure that the game tone and the playbook and 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:31.080 everything is the table is set working with the players 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:33.440 so that Kevin on game day can make the best 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:36.280 calls possible given what Wess helps at the table with. 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:39.000 And I think that's part of this, like media culture 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:41.720 of asking about play calling duties gets a little too 0:14:43.320 --> 0:14:46.240 hokey pokey, Like there are so many other things an 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.680 offensive coordinator does that doesn't involve play calling. And like 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:51.160 you said, Kevin is not going to be able to 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.440 do everything he's gonna he used to do, and he 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:56.000 has to find the best person possible that he trusts 0:14:56.560 --> 0:14:58.680 to relay that message. Just like you said, one of 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:00.800 the things that he was even asked press conference is 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:03.120 talking about, you know, how important is the running game 0:15:03.120 --> 0:15:05.320 in your offense kind of a thing, and his quote was, 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:07.960 the running game is important, but winning the game is 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.520 the most important. Again, going back to what we were 0:15:10.560 --> 0:15:13.360 just talking about with Ed, the tone has been set 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.320 with we're going to be flexible to whatever needs to 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:19.320 happen to win the game. That is something that I 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:23.760 think is fun to hear because you understand that the 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:28.360 idea of getting married to one scheme, one set, one 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:32.000 ideal in order to win a game. Everyone that it 0:15:32.040 --> 0:15:33.920 feels like we're bringing in at this point are kind 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:36.120 of saying, no, we're going to be adaptable because that's 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.480 what the league demands at this point. No shade on 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:41.480 what's happened in the past, but as we've already talked 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:45.800 about in this podcast, this league evolves and changes so fast. 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:49.040 Adaptability is the only way to survive. I can tell you, 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:52.760 as a guy who has drafted numerous Fantasy Football Patriots 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:56.440 running backs week to week, they do not care because 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:58.520 they look at whatever a defense is going to give them. 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:02.080 So the idea that you can come in with an 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:04.680 idea and a goal of how you think you're going 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:07.040 to win. If you do not adapt, if you do 0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:10.360 not change, you do not make halftime adjustments, in game adjustments, 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:12.560 or at least have a plan to do that, then 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:14.400 that's where teams can get in trouble. And I just 0:16:14.440 --> 0:16:17.360 feel like all of these different people have basically been 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:19.520 citing over and over again just in a short amount 0:16:19.560 --> 0:16:21.720 of time, how adaptable this team is going to be 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:24.520 in order to win games well. Rounding out this new 0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:28.680 coordinator staff is Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels. He is 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:31.040 a thirty two year old coming to us from Dallas, 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:34.680 Texas most recently, I think I think it's important to 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:38.320 note that he's been coaching in the NFL since twenty eighteen. 0:16:39.160 --> 0:16:41.400 I asked him a question the other day why I 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:44.080 spoke to him a couple of times this week, and honestly, 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.760 his energy is contagious and I love that because obviously, 0:16:47.760 --> 0:16:50.720 when you have a special Teams group, energy is number 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:52.760 one probably the most important thing to have as a 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:55.920 special teams because sure that yeah, for sure, yeah, Special 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:59.080 teams coaches have always been kind of your high energy 0:16:59.200 --> 0:17:01.320 people because yeah, if you think about it, they're having 0:17:01.400 --> 0:17:04.760 to pull an amalgam of players from offense and defensive 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:08.880 side to motivate and motivate them because not only are 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:11.119 you running down the field to possibly be a gunner 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:13.199 or make a tackle, then you have to turn around 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:15.440 and run back out on that field and play wide 0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.399 receiver or something along those lines. So as a special 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:21.080 teams coordinator, you need high energy people that can get 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.720 people to pay attention for very specific amounts of time 0:17:24.760 --> 0:17:26.920 to do their job and then get back to the 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.160 rest of their duties on the field. So it felt 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:32.040 like Matt Daniel's first press conference, you could feel just 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.720 he's another high energy guy, very high energy, and you 0:17:34.760 --> 0:17:38.800 know he's a former player. He played in the NFL, 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:41.680 he played in college. Special teams was definitely his bread 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:45.320 butter when he was in the league, and I think 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:48.080 that's huge to the relatability to players. To be able 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:51.120 to go up to guys and like understand where they're 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:54.439 coming from is so big nowadays and Matt's got that. 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:57.199 But not only that, you know he is also a 0:17:57.200 --> 0:17:59.680 fast riser, much like the rest of the coaching staff. 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:02.840 After he finished playing, he was a GA at Colorado 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.240 University and then after that Sean McVay plucked him out 0:18:06.280 --> 0:18:09.360 and he was an assistant special teams coach for four seasons, 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:12.679 I think, But he also attached himself to his special 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:15.119 teams coordinator with the Rams and traveled with him. So 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.080 he's learned under a guy that's been a special teams 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:20.760 coordinator for an extremely long time as well. So I 0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:24.480 think he's really excited about this opportunity, and he even 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:28.280 mentioned the fact that he's excited to build on the 0:18:28.880 --> 0:18:31.720 turnaround from this last season from twenty twenties from what 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:35.359 Ryan Ficken did. His whole idea, he said, was a 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:39.040 simple approach with an aggressive mindset. I think with him 0:18:39.040 --> 0:18:41.280 being able to come in look at this roster, having 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:44.359 the established people yet figuring out what the new crop 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:45.880 of players are that are going to be coming in 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:48.600 not only through free agency but also through the draft. 0:18:49.119 --> 0:18:52.439 Those are when the special teams coordinator is looking at 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:55.040 those so incredibly close going what can I do with 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.199 that linebacker, What can I do with that defensive end, 0:18:57.240 --> 0:18:59.600 What can I do with that wide receiver that's coming in? 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:02.919 You know everyone always sites it, but a guy like 0:19:02.960 --> 0:19:05.959 Adam Feeling coming in the door saying I will do 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:08.399 whatever it takes to make this team, and I know 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:11.040