WEBVTT - The OTP | NFL Scouting Combine Day 2 with Mike Vrabel 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.880 This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. 0:00:14.320 --> 0:00:17.159 Plan on paying less for the coverage you need with 0:00:17.239 --> 0:00:20.560 Farm Bureau Health Plans. Get a quote today from FBHP 0:00:20.800 --> 0:00:24.920 dot com. Wednesday, in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, Amy 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:27.400 Wells is here, Coach Dave McGinnis is here. Rhett Bryan 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:30.240 is here. I'm Mike Keith. We're glad to have you 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:34.919 with us. And it's heating up. It is heating up. 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:36.800 But Amy just made the comment there seems to be 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.680 a lot more activity in here today and that's to 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.760 be expected because Thursdays when they get on the field. 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:46.720 But last night it started to move around. Interviews are 0:00:46.720 --> 0:00:50.000 going on. But as the week progresses, it will start 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.720 to pick up and then it will decidedly slow down. 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:56.800 In the last day, a lot of people will vacate. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:00:59.279 Other than and that's just the way it is. Yes, 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.840 a lot of people will vacate, But right now we're 0:01:02.000 --> 0:01:04.559 we're in the middle of the storm now. Rhet Brian 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:10.959 ran Carthon spoke at the podium yesterday. He also spoke 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:14.600 to us on the OTP grades for him overall just 0:01:14.720 --> 0:01:18.319 outstanding and talking to people with how he sort of 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:21.959 handled himself and handled some of the tough questions. I 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.520 think the line I liked the most is that he said, 0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:29.760 we're not going to discuss contract negotiations publicly. You know 0:01:29.880 --> 0:01:32.680 this is something this is not how this works. Um. 0:01:33.080 --> 0:01:37.760 He did talk about Ryan Tannehill, gave him a vote 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.160 of confidence, and I think that was something interesting that 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.320 you figured he was going to have to answer. But yeah, 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:46.360 I think he did really well. What jumped out to 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:50.160 you Amy about the Tannehill comments from ran Carthon that 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:55.279 they were noncommittal in in a lot of different ways. 0:01:55.320 --> 0:01:58.320 So on one hand, obviously he was one percent correct. 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:01.600 He is under contract for the Tennesseeans. He is our 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.400 quarterback as it stands right now. I think that he 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:06.680 said a lot of great things about what he has 0:02:06.720 --> 0:02:08.960 done for this team, what he is able to do, 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:13.800 his talent level, his level of trust in Ryan Tannehill, 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:16.720 and what he's able to provide as a quarterback. He 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:20.400 also didn't say anything definitive, and that's the thing that 0:02:20.639 --> 0:02:23.440 we're reading all over the place now is that Ryan 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:26.800 Tannehill is the guy forever. That's not really what he said. 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:29.400 What he talked about was very cut and dry. This 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:31.680 is the reality of the situation. We're excited that that 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.200 is the reality of the situation. He in no way 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:38.920 said anything disparaging about Ryan Tanner A vote of confidence 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:42.119 one percent, And I don't think that there's anybody who 0:02:42.160 --> 0:02:45.480 has been around Bryan Tannehill who would say anything disparaging 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:48.040 about him. I think the four of us would all agree. 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:51.919 If you're putting a percentage on Tannehill returning, it's a 0:02:51.960 --> 0:02:55.560 pretty strong percentage. Okay, yeah, it's it's high. I think 0:02:55.560 --> 0:03:00.400 the expectation that most people have is that that's what's 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:02.160 going to happen. He's going to be the quarterback in 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:05.840 twenty twenty three. But Dave McGinnis, he left the door open, 0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:09.679 and he's left the door open on several things because 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:12.120 and this is what I think is already showing a 0:03:12.160 --> 0:03:14.440 lot of maturity about Rancarthon is he doesn't want to 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:16.679 back himself in a corner. Mike, You're so right. He 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.840 just handled it very, very professionally. Amy put it exactly right. 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:26.280 He stated the obvious right now, and he is not 0:03:26.440 --> 0:03:29.360 in a position to show his hand on anything that 0:03:29.440 --> 0:03:33.000 he wants to do here right now, at this juncture, 0:03:33.400 --> 0:03:35.920 at this point, in the game. There's no reason for 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:38.440 him to do anything other than he did. But he 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:42.440 handled it very well. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't like 0:03:42.520 --> 0:03:45.640 he was hiding anything, which he wasn't. But he also 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:48.640 very strictly said, as you know as rheta, there's some 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:51.600 things I can't talk about right now, and we won't 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:55.040 as an organization. We won't air these things in public 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:58.240 right now because there are decisions to be made that 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:01.640 it's important that we get everything lined up before we 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:06.200 make decisions. Can I share my favorite ran Carthon ism. 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:08.400 We've heard him say it a couple different times now, 0:04:08.400 --> 0:04:10.320 and I've never really gotten to talk about how much 0:04:10.320 --> 0:04:12.960 I love it. When he speaks on his philosophy, he 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:16.039 says that we are not collectors of talent. We are 0:04:16.080 --> 0:04:19.480 building a football team. And that brings me so much 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:22.599 joy because you see teams that you very clearly look 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:24.800 at and you say, they just want all of the 0:04:24.880 --> 0:04:28.200 good players, but not always do all of the good 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:32.480 players fit together and make a cohesive or frankly successful team. 0:04:32.920 --> 0:04:35.760 And I think that that's something that during the offseason 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:38.279 we all look around, we say, WHOA look at that team, 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:41.719 look at everything they've done, and then they go three 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.159 and fourteen, and it's like, what happened? They were collectors 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:47.760 of talent, they weren't building a football team. And it 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:50.880 brings me so much joy that he continues to reiterate 0:04:50.920 --> 0:04:54.640 that that is the goal, because I'm not interested in 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:58.400 a monstar's team. I am interested in a sustainable, long 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:02.400 term football team. This sucessful. Another thing I took away 0:05:02.440 --> 0:05:07.120 from his pressor and conversation here at this table is 0:05:07.160 --> 0:05:10.120 that he had all of the position coaches for the 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:14.320 Titans give him fifteen to twenty cut ups of what 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:19.440 they're looking for and the techniques that they're trying to implement. Now, 0:05:19.640 --> 0:05:22.440 Mike Vrabel talked to us about that as well, saying 0:05:22.440 --> 0:05:25.720 that hey, listen, you know, let's not go crazy with that. 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:29.560 We want to have collectively the same kinds of ideas 0:05:29.560 --> 0:05:32.640 in the approach. Not only do the personnel we're looking for, 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:36.080 but the teaching approach you have led us very well 0:05:36.120 --> 0:05:39.240 into our first interview, our talk with Mike Vrabel, a 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:42.479 chance to discuss several things with the Titans head coach. 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:53.120 Here's Mike Vrabel with us from Indy on the OTP. Mike, 0:05:53.160 --> 0:05:56.080 you've been here since the weekend, a lot going on 0:05:56.240 --> 0:06:00.479 for you with the competition committee. What came out of 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:02.800 all that that you were pleased with that you'll take 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.600 to the owners meetings at the end of March. Well, 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.440 still have another day I think, or at least some 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:11.640 conversations that will go into really just want to try 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.560 to get some clarifications, uh, just so that our fans 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.320 and everybody understands we're trying to make the officiating as 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:21.360 consistent as possible. Right now, there's there's a range, and 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:23.920 we feel like that there should be a tighter target 0:06:23.960 --> 0:06:30.720 area between groups of officials, right group or official one 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:34.680 to seventeen, those crews should be a little tighter than 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:37.679 what their what their pattern is and how everybody sees 0:06:37.680 --> 0:06:39.920 it and hopefully he sees it the same. So we're 0:06:39.920 --> 0:06:41.760 trying to trying to do that, trying to clean up 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.560 what replay assists looks like, um, but there's so much 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:49.160 more as it's players safety and welfare and trying to 0:06:49.160 --> 0:06:54.680 take these helmet impacts and contacts and try to get 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:56.880 them down and always try to get them down and 0:06:56.920 --> 0:07:01.960 continue to figure out and decide what's what's realistic and 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:05.400 what's what's best for the game, what's best for the players, um, 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:10.320 the technology of football, the future of football, international program. 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:12.840 You know. So there's a lot, just more than than 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:16.080 what goes on on the three hours on Sunday. How 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.040 much do those conversations, having them now during the off 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:22.880 season get your brain churning for things maybe you might 0:07:22.920 --> 0:07:26.000 want to tweak within your own system. I think you're 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:30.840 always looking to do things, um, within the rules, um, 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:33.960 but also to try to gain and whatever advantage that 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:37.800 you possibly could, whether that's formationally. There's you know a 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:42.280 lot of conversation about the the push on the quarterback 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:45.520 sneak and you know where our tolerances is, you know, 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:48.080 for for that play and what we think that that 0:07:48.160 --> 0:07:53.480 may you know, look like, or um, just how we 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:55.680 want to try to tackle the quarterback. I think that, 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:58.720 you know, I think Mike Tomlin put it best. We're 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:00.640 always tell them what they can do. We need to 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:03.400 tell them what they can do and try to give 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:07.960 great examples of that so that we can reasonably teach it. 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:11.440 Because it's hard to be in a position where you say, well, 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:13.720 I don't know when a player asked, well, coach, what 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:15.440 should I be able to do? Or what can I 0:08:15.520 --> 0:08:17.440 do here. I don't ever want to be in a 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:20.880 position where I say, I don't know, coach used as 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:23.320 a second time around the block for you on the 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:27.720 competition committee. So is there something in the second lap 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:29.880 around that maybe you didn't think about in year one 0:08:29.960 --> 0:08:32.320 or is it a year to year basis based on 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:34.760 things that happened to you situationally in games. I think 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:39.240 it's just, you know, I never want to be a 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:42.360 part of a group or at input if it just 0:08:42.480 --> 0:08:45.160 applies to the Tennessee Titans. I don't want that. I 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:47.480 want to try to have an open mind and think 0:08:47.520 --> 0:08:50.120 about what's best for thirty two clubs, what's best for 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:53.640 every player and every fan, and not just say well, 0:08:54.120 --> 0:08:56.800 we had this happened to us, so we should you know. 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:00.280 Talking about the tablets, our tablets went down out on 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:05.120 the sideline in Washington, and how the rule was written 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:08.920 in the game manual was that in less both the 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:12.439 coach's box and the and the field tablets were out, 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:16.160 than Washington would still be able to use Theirs didn't 0:09:16.200 --> 0:09:18.080 think much of it at the time, just said hey, 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.320 we'll adjust, we'll figure it out, we'll make it work, 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:24.000 like this is what it is, but you look at it, 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.160 and you know that came up, and we said, well, 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:28.720 that probably makes a little bit more sense just to 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:31.800 say if they don't one side doesn't have field tablets 0:09:31.840 --> 0:09:34.600 for a quarter, well then we should at least take 0:09:34.640 --> 0:09:37.240 the other ones until those are back up and running. 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:40.360 So you know, that was a case where something applied 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:42.640 to us. I didn't even think about it until the 0:09:42.679 --> 0:09:44.880 game ops crew. I said, oh, yeah, I guess they 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:47.680 did go out in Washington. But it was like, well, 0:09:47.679 --> 0:09:50.880 we'll just keep it moving and just things like that. 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:54.000 I was watching the Super Bowl and I had one 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:57.319 question that I had to ask you, and that is 0:09:58.200 --> 0:10:00.960 you have talked about and you've corrected me multiple times, 0:10:01.080 --> 0:10:03.800 especially in the preseason, when I talk about points of emphasis. 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:06.200 You said, there should not be points of emphasis. We 0:10:06.200 --> 0:10:10.000 should call the rule book. When the play happened late 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:13.680 in the game on the hold, and there was controversy 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:17.040 from the start with television raising the point that, oh, 0:10:17.080 --> 0:10:19.000 you shouldn't call that at this point in the game. 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.440 You should let them play. It's hard to see it 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:23.840 in that way more or less is what the comment 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:26.960 was in your mind, based on your feeling about we 0:10:26.960 --> 0:10:29.679 should call the rule book. I don't think it should 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:31.720 matter what the down and distance, So you think it 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:34.640 was absolutely the right call. I just am telling you 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:39.240 that whether I agree or disagree with the call, I'm 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:42.600 telling you that there's only one way to officiate, and 0:10:42.600 --> 0:10:45.440 that's to make sure that it is what the rules are. 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:48.160 And if it's on the one yard line or at midfield, 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:50.120 or if it's first and ten or third and one 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:52.559 or fourth and one, or there's two minutes left in 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.920 the game or there's thirteen minutes left in the first quarter, 0:10:56.720 --> 0:10:59.440 I just feel like that's the only way to get 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:03.040 this and women to do their job and feel confident 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:10.319 in officiating and taking out the interpretation. Well, do they 0:11:10.320 --> 0:11:12.160 want me to know? This is what they want you 0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:14.480 to do. And if you see the mechanisms, you see 0:11:14.520 --> 0:11:18.600 the restriction, and you feel strongly about it, then then 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:20.680 throw the flag like that that's the only way that 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:24.400 you can ultimately get to where we've started this conversation, 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:26.560 was that to narrow the gap between the ones that 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:29.320 are called and the ones that want or that weren't, 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:32.600 or the ones that were called and we didn't want called. 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:35.440 Like that's what there's two different types of you know, 0:11:35.520 --> 0:11:40.240 the grading scale is the calls that were missed or 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.200 the ones that were no calls that we want called, 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.680 or the ones that were called and we would rather 0:11:46.760 --> 0:11:51.040 let go. So two things can be true. It's disappointing 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:54.040 that that play had such an impact, and yet it 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:55.880 was a foul and it had to be called. That 0:11:56.080 --> 0:12:00.320 those both can be true. That it's an unfortunate time 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:03.959 to create a penalty where a Jersey's tugged their quarterbacks 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:07.320 looking at that vicinity. Not that that's part of the role, 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:09.560 but you know, I mean there's certainly a lot of 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.839 things that go into it, so that I don't think 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:18.400 you can officiate based on other circumstances. You mentioned player safety, 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:21.320 and there's been talk about expanding use of the guardian caps. 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:25.240 After one year, a full season of using them throughout 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:27.960 training camp, using them throughout the course of the season, 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:30.480 what did you think of them? What was the response 0:12:30.559 --> 0:12:32.560 from your players? Do you think that was an effective tool? 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:34.600 I do. I think the numbers would tell us that 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:38.440 it was the number of concussions that we had in 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:40.840 training camp. I don't want to say zero, but I 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:46.920 think it was pretty darn close and there was no pushback. 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:51.800 I think Initially they maybe questioned it, but in the 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.920 long run, when I said, hey, just put them back 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:57.120 on for practice, like this is what we're going to do, 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:02.000 no player questioned it. No player. You know, I think 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:04.560 that that's important that we're looking out for their best interest. 0:13:04.640 --> 0:13:09.280 And you know, sometimes you relax in practice and it's it's, uh, 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.360 you know, something that happens and you catch a hit 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:16.000 from the side where you really weren't expecting it, and 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:20.240 that can protect that and that's a significant amount of 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:22.960 impact when you talk about reducing it fifteen to twenty 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:26.280 percent if both players have a guardian cap on. I mean, 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:30.640 I think the biggest restriction was just the equipment room 0:13:30.800 --> 0:13:32.720 and their ability to have to take them off and 0:13:32.760 --> 0:13:34.640 put them back on. So I want to thank Joey 0:13:35.480 --> 0:13:39.000 his staff for working hard to get those off for 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:41.360 the games and for us to travel, you know, and 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:43.800 then putting them back on. I think that'll be easier 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.240 in the new model. It sounds like that's something that's 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:51.960 going to change and help the process. This week is 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.000 one of the better parts for you being able to 0:13:54.040 --> 0:13:55.720 sit down in front of these young men to kind 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:58.240 of peek behind the curtain see who they are. Well, 0:13:58.280 --> 0:14:01.080 it's the first opportunity. Sometimes times maybe we've had some 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:04.679 exposure with him at the Senior Bowl. Um, but but 0:14:04.720 --> 0:14:08.440 it's it's eighteen minutes or fifteen minutes in an informal 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:13.440 setting for them to earn another opportunity and in my mind, uh, 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:17.559 to really pique my interest for me to follow up. 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:20.800 And you know, haven't been able to watch every single player, 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:23.880 so this is an opportunity to give me reason to 0:14:23.920 --> 0:14:28.480 go watch, um whatever player that maybe man I really 0:14:28.560 --> 0:14:31.200 enjoyed that visit and could see him being on the 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:33.320 football team. Let's see what type of player he is 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:36.760 and and start to build a profile. So that that's critical. 0:14:36.920 --> 0:14:39.360 We got that started last night. We'll have those again 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:43.440 tonight tomorrow morning. Um. But that we're you know, we're 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:45.520 off to a good start. You're doing that with a 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:50.880 new partner. Yeah, and Ran Carthon, how has that relationship 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:53.560 built over the last five weeks six weeks? I think 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.400 it's built been built great. Um. We haven't had a 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.320 whole lot of you know, we work through some some 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:04.440 things with some contracts. But I think as we start 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:07.200 to blend our staffs and to try to get those 0:15:08.120 --> 0:15:11.240 two staffs to kind of understand and work together. I'm 0:15:11.240 --> 0:15:13.840 excited about that that started and been going on here 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:18.200 at the Combine. We'll work through free agency, continue to 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:21.280 work and look at the roster and how we want 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:25.760 to shape this thing. Knowing that it'll look vastly different 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.600 in training camp or in September than it does today. 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:35.200 Understand that. But it's it's been good. It's been really 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:38.440 good just to you know, a couple new faces with 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:40.760 him and chat and so that's been really good to 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:44.240 kind of hear their perspective and start to work. Some 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:47.000 new faces within your coaching staff as well, and some 0:15:47.040 --> 0:15:50.240 people kind of changed around with some different roles and responsibilities. 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:53.240 How do you take this week to kind of understand 0:15:53.280 --> 0:15:55.720 what it is that they're looking for in players in 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:58.960 terms of people who will be in their individual rooms 0:15:59.000 --> 0:16:02.160 and kind of their style and preferences. Yeah, I want 0:16:02.200 --> 0:16:05.760 theirs their preferences to be our preferences, and I and I, 0:16:06.480 --> 0:16:12.160 you know, appreciate their own opinions, um as does Ran, 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:15.520 but there has to be a structure where you're starting 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.240 and about the type of player that we're looking for 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:21.280 and who they are as a person, what their play 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:25.720 style is, what their ability is, UH, their their willingness 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.360 to their capacity to learn, not only that, but their 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:32.320 willingness to learn how how hard they work at it UM. 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:35.000 And so we've we've started that, We've done that and 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:39.360 had conversations about that back at UH Saint Thomas Sports Park. 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:43.920 UH had got to sit down with you know, probably 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.520 four position coaches last night for a for an hour 0:16:47.560 --> 0:16:51.280 and fifty minutes, UH in an informal setting. We went 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:53.200 through a lot of front seven players that we were 0:16:53.240 --> 0:16:56.520 able to get downstairs, UH in an informal setting, and 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:58.080 it was really cool to be a part of that, 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:01.640 to watch them work and and UH, you know, bringing 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:05.560 guys through. Bobby was meeting with a d lineman just 0:17:05.600 --> 0:17:08.000 because Big T was meeting with somebody else, and Crowe 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:10.560 was meeting with an inside linebacker because Bobby was meeting 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:14.440 with an inside linebacker. And I really really was impressed 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:16.640 by by what they were able to do last night. 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:18.800 That was their only opportunity, the way that the combines 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.280 set up, That was their only opportunity for those front 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:25.200 seven players to meet informally with coaches. And I don't 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:27.320 know if that was an oversight or just a scheduling, 0:17:27.359 --> 0:17:30.880 but every other position group has two opportunities with their 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:35.520 position coaches to meet on an informal basis. You know, it's, hey, 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.040 I want to meet with Amy after she meets with 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:41.080 the Chargers, or Mike after he meets with the Bengals 0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:45.000 and and the d line, the linebackers and the edge players. 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:47.960 They only had the one night last night, so we 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:50.800 were we were humping and jumping, and those guys did 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:54.080 a fantastic job in a small sample size like that. 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:57.439 How much of put the tape to the side, how 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:00.520 much of it? And figuring out does a guy ball? 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:02.480 How much of that is a part of the process. 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:05.040 I love football, Yeah, I mean, you can tell me that, 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.679 and I'm sure that I would believe you. But I 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:10.480 can view that. I can view if a guy's out 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:14.760 there straining, fighting, if he's into it, if he's supporting 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.040 his teammates, if he's jumping up and down, if he 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:19.800 you know, what what what other? You know, we all 0:18:19.840 --> 0:18:22.359 love the games, you know, we all love holding the baby. 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:25.199 But do we love being pregnant? And that's that's the 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:27.239 process that you have to go in and study and 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:30.720 find out who to believe it's some of these schools, 0:18:30.760 --> 0:18:36.000 because they'll all tell you different things. How much is 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:41.159 determined already about your thirty visits to Ascension Saint Thomas 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:45.440 Sports Park before you even start the interview process here there, 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.760 there's probably been some but but not all, you know. 0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:53.040 I mean, I think one thing that we have been 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:56.119 able to do is isolate or identify, excuse me, some 0:18:56.200 --> 0:18:58.080 of those players that we may want to bring back 0:18:58.160 --> 0:19:01.600 on on as early as Tuesday and get that started 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:05.119 the year they shut it down with COVID. We actually 0:19:05.119 --> 0:19:07.600 had a couple of players already in and then they 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:11.880 did away with visits, so that's been good. We all 0:19:11.960 --> 0:19:13.639 kind of come together and say, hey, who do you 0:19:13.720 --> 0:19:16.720 think and you know, if everybody's on everybody's list as 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.119 the same persons on everybody's list, and we should probably 0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:23.480 bring them in. Some of those players would be draftable, 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:26.360 but non combine invites that we may want to look at, 0:19:27.840 --> 0:19:30.280 you know, trying to find the next you know, mayor 0:19:30.440 --> 0:19:34.760 Murphy's borrow that had draftable grade that wasn't a combine 0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:38.399 invite that you bring in to get some information on. 0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:41.080 Along with all of the things that you're doing here, 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:44.919 you also have a roster off guys back in Nashville, 0:19:44.960 --> 0:19:47.200 that you're dealing with, and there's a lot of things 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:49.760 going on. We saw some roster moves earlier this month, 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:52.840 there's more to come with free agency looming. How do 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:56.040 you balance thinking about both worlds the upcoming draft and 0:19:56.080 --> 0:20:00.160 these prospective players, but also the guys that you already have. Well, 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:02.280 nothing's more important than the players on your team, and 0:20:02.480 --> 0:20:06.000 there's nothing more important, So you have to have a 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:08.639 vision for the ones that you feel like you have 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:13.560 going forward. Try to communicate with them, ask them to 0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.480 communicate with you as far as an individual development plan, 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:19.879 what they saw and how they felt like their mental 0:20:20.000 --> 0:20:23.439 and physical performance was through the course of the season, 0:20:24.359 --> 0:20:26.680 what they liked about it, what they want to continue 0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:29.080 to do well, and what they would like to try 0:20:29.080 --> 0:20:33.160 to maybe focus on and change. You're in the March now, 0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:38.080 it all starts. The legal tampering period is twelve days away. 0:20:38.760 --> 0:20:42.159 Free agency is two weeks away. I mean it's on 0:20:42.920 --> 0:20:45.720 how much of your time do you spend meeting with 0:20:45.920 --> 0:20:49.760 various people for the next twelve days to fourteen days, 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:53.320 figuring out what free agency strategy looks like and then 0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:56.520 rolling it forward to how that will affect what you're 0:20:56.560 --> 0:20:59.240 able to do towards the draft. Well, we've done that. 0:20:59.359 --> 0:21:02.320 We've done that extensively. That's part of what we've done 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:06.000 with myself and Ran and his staff and you know, 0:21:06.000 --> 0:21:09.320 the coaches evaluated players and I watched them and we 0:21:09.400 --> 0:21:12.120 all watched them together, and you know, try to build 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:14.199 a profile on the player and kind of feel like, 0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:17.520 you know, if if this is somebody that based on 0:21:18.040 --> 0:21:21.199 you know, fit and value, this is somebody we'd like 0:21:21.240 --> 0:21:23.280 to add to the football team. Not not every player 0:21:23.280 --> 0:21:24.840 over the out there is going to fit your team 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:28.000 from a lot of different reasons. Um. You know, free 0:21:28.000 --> 0:21:30.119 agency can be tricky. You know, you have to know 0:21:30.160 --> 0:21:32.960 who you're bringing on to the football team. And you know, 0:21:33.080 --> 0:21:36.600 if somebody hasn't been with him or you know him 0:21:36.680 --> 0:21:40.400 fairly well, and that's that's a risky proposition, just to 0:21:40.400 --> 0:21:44.480 to jump into something like that. Making Tim Kelly available 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:47.639 here at the NFL combine your do offensive coordinator, the 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:50.120 decision to do that, your thought process, well, I mean, 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:53.280 people have a lot of questions about where we may head. 0:21:53.320 --> 0:21:57.000 And you know, Tim didn't speak to the media this year. Um, 0:21:57.040 --> 0:22:00.920 so I felt like, um, you know, it just wasn't 0:22:00.960 --> 0:22:03.320 his place. I didn't think we needed to go down 0:22:03.359 --> 0:22:06.200 that road. And so therefore I felt like I wanted 0:22:06.200 --> 0:22:09.479 to make him available to speak on on the offense's behalf, 0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:12.919