Speaker 1: Doing well. You start, we're talking about what now that
Speaker 1: you're at this stage of the off season program, just
Speaker 1: what your thrust is and these OTA's leading up to
Speaker 1: the mini cabinets our thrust you know, I think, um, no,
Speaker 1: first off, I think this is really the first opportunity,
Speaker 1: you know, we've really had to have a full off season,
Speaker 1: you know, pro full off season and building leading up
Speaker 1: to the off season program. I think, you know, first off,
Speaker 1: you have you have a season, regardless of your level
Speaker 1: of success, and there's always you know, things you need
Speaker 1: to focus on. You know, we're through the player acquisition challenge,
Speaker 1: you know, I mean it continues, but you know, we
Speaker 1: have read a ninety man and so I think clearly
Speaker 1: our opportunity to build off of we had last year.
Speaker 1: Did you feel like you know, because you don't really
Speaker 1: get to carry everything over year to year. I think
Speaker 1: that's something you have to be in tune with. So
Speaker 1: the opportunity to build off of we feel like we
Speaker 1: have established last year. You can really you can really
Speaker 1: see its showing up, uh, particularly early in the off
Speaker 1: season program. And I think the understanding of the players
Speaker 1: and coaches being on the same page, you know, whether
Speaker 1: we're talking about you know, the connection in the locker room,
Speaker 1: the brotherhood in the locker room, locker room to you know,
Speaker 1: the connection with the coaches, you know, you know, creating
Speaker 1: our space for development. I think we've done a tremendous
Speaker 1: job there. Um, the participation that we've had is exactly
Speaker 1: what you're looking for. And you know, I think back
Speaker 1: to my prior experience it. You know, it is really
Speaker 1: the third year under different circumstances to you really get
Speaker 1: it the way you want it. You know, we've been
Speaker 1: you know close to you know, we're ninety five percent attendance,
Speaker 1: you know throughout the whole off season prom we've been
Speaker 1: one hundred percent obviously since we started Phase three. So
Speaker 1: you did see all those things lead up to it,
Speaker 1: and really the thrust get to your question, because we
Speaker 1: got to get these OTA's practice the right way, you know,
Speaker 1: just because it gives you a chance to uh, because
Speaker 1: I've always felt the off season program. Two things happened. One,
Speaker 1: it gives you a chance to have a really strong
Speaker 1: training camp because you have to eliminate the learning curve.
Speaker 1: It has to be eliminated, and you have to close
Speaker 1: that gap between your veterans in your rookies because you know,
Speaker 1: everybody goes through each year and and we're really off
Speaker 1: to a really good start. I really commend our rookie
Speaker 1: class in our coaching staff. You can see from the
Speaker 1: time of the draft, and you know, the free agents
Speaker 1: are including that they're that two week window between that
Speaker 1: the start of the rookie mini camp and now the players.
Speaker 1: This is this is a very mature rookie class as
Speaker 1: far as they're understanding, um, the way they've you know,
Speaker 1: this is a feedback from the veterans. You know, they
Speaker 1: really appreciate the way they've come into the locker room,
Speaker 1: you know, listen and learn, ask the right questions and
Speaker 1: so forth. So we haven't won any games, we haven't
Speaker 1: accomplished you know, everything that we would like. But this
Speaker 1: is we're off to a really really good start, and
Speaker 1: you know that's kind of the state of where we are.
Speaker 1: But the goal is to get these eight get these
Speaker 1: eight installs, you know, get them wrapped so that you know,
Speaker 1: every player knows exactly what's expected of him schematically, you
Speaker 1: know what his role is going to be, that you
Speaker 1: know the jobs that he's competing to kins and you know,
Speaker 1: and give gives us a chance to line them up
Speaker 1: because you know, for for all your they've been here forever.
Speaker 1: You know, you just don't get as much time, you know,
Speaker 1: you know, work to work your team in a you know,
Speaker 1: real competitive environment, um as you did in the past.
Speaker 1: Now that may not bother to young people, but it
Speaker 1: does gives me a little angst because you know, you're
Speaker 1: you're used to a certain standard of developing your players.
Speaker 1: So but I really liked the offseason that we've put
Speaker 1: together so to date. Can you touch on you value me?
Speaker 1: I know you got young kids, Yeah, definitely, I mean
Speaker 1: heavy heart obviously, I'm sure like everybody you know, just
Speaker 1: as something we're dealing with State of Texas and you know,
Speaker 1: just this week in general is just um, I mean
Speaker 1: it's mind boggling only talking about these things because it's
Speaker 1: hard enough to think about as a parent. But we've
Speaker 1: been talking about a lot today, so this is and
Speaker 1: this is obviously a topic for all of us you
Speaker 1: know here. So yeah, I just we got to be better.
Speaker 1: I mean, responsibilities we have as a community as parents.
Speaker 1: I mean it's just uh, it's it's it's it's just
Speaker 1: to see this go on in today's world. I find
Speaker 1: it troubling. There has to be a better way, but
Speaker 1: we know there's a better way, and we need to
Speaker 1: do the things, you know that to make it better
Speaker 1: to not to protect the future of our communities. It's
Speaker 1: just it's it's it's it's tragic and um and uh yeah,
Speaker 1: it makes me sick, like I'm sure it does everybody.
Speaker 1: It's just more frustrating for you to process and deal
Speaker 1: with the older you get because you've seen so little
Speaker 1: progress in this area. Are really going back? Yeah, you know, definitely.
Speaker 1: And I'm irish and we cry like hell of the
Speaker 1: older you get. I mean, it doesn't help, but no,
Speaker 1: it's terri well and I didn't mean to make humor
Speaker 1: of it, but I'm just trying to I'm really just
Speaker 1: trying to get myself together here. Um. Yeah, it's it's
Speaker 1: it's I'm not just I can't even fathom. But you know,
Speaker 1: something like that happening today's and today we're so much
Speaker 1: better than that. And um and so I'm sorry you
Speaker 1: just goes this with your family at all? Is that
Speaker 1: something versus again, it's such a role, sup. I'm gonna
Speaker 1: talk about at the dinner table, you know. Uh so, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean it's you know, I have young children, about
Speaker 1: fourth grader, so it's yeah, well sorry, I'm good, No,
Speaker 1: we're fine. Yeah, if the phone and if it's okay
Speaker 1: to go back for a minute. Um, you mentioned a
Speaker 1: couple of months ago to ask the importance working with
Speaker 1: the perimeter group this time of the year because of
Speaker 1: the many type of work you can't you can't do.
Speaker 1: How did you feel that with today? And well, I
Speaker 1: mean we're working through it. I mean, you know, I
Speaker 1: like to you know, think that you're always trying to
Speaker 1: you know, work within the guidelines of you know, what
Speaker 1: these practices are. But I mean, let's be honest, we
Speaker 1: went through this last year. Um. It's you have young
Speaker 1: players that are really trying to prove themselves. They got
Speaker 1: to bring a lot of energy them and they're doing
Speaker 1: everything you ask. Um. But it is our first time
Speaker 1: on a practice field. So we you know, we've had
Speaker 1: I think we had a handful of plays, uh you
Speaker 1: know yesterday that that we need to clean up. You know,
Speaker 1: we we addressed those today in the meeting and you know,
Speaker 1: we had we had some pass rushers today that you know,
Speaker 1: we just we just you know, we're watching as a
Speaker 1: staff before I come in here, so we got to
Speaker 1: clean that up. But yeah, I think the way we're practicing. Uh,
Speaker 1: and every coaching staff and every football team is going
Speaker 1: through it because you know, they tweak and adjust these
Speaker 1: you know, these rules and the drills. But but I
Speaker 1: really do like to work. We've adjusted, you know, you
Speaker 1: don't know if you've even noticed this. I mean we
Speaker 1: came right out of the gate, and so because of
Speaker 1: the way you have to practicing camp and ramp up,
Speaker 1: you know, so we're get we just we're really heavy, heavy,
Speaker 1: heavy perimeter emphasis doing the things that are trying to
Speaker 1: stay away from the hard ball type plays that create
Speaker 1: more collisions. Um. And you know we're gonna have to
Speaker 1: do that when we get to the auxtion or two.
Speaker 1: So so we're trying to emulate that now so the
Speaker 1: players know what to expect. So we're this is just
Speaker 1: the way I've always done it as an offensive coordinator.
Speaker 1: You I've always liked to marry um the offseason program,
Speaker 1: practice opportunities to the training camp. Now it's gotten harder
Speaker 1: with the rules, but um, but I think it's it
Speaker 1: really helps it. When I talk about decreasing the curve
Speaker 1: between the older players and the younger players, and you know,
Speaker 1: because I just think it's like anything. If they can
Speaker 1: get through once and the drills are similar, you know,
Speaker 1: they get to play a little faster. Uh so you
Speaker 1: got to you know, you got to ramp up to
Speaker 1: put your pads on. So the perimeter work is good.
Speaker 1: You know, we're doing the best we can. But um,
Speaker 1: you know, when we get into you know, really next
Speaker 1: week Install three through eight, we gotta just we're gonna
Speaker 1: we'll probably do a little more walk through teaching temple
Speaker 1: there because just once again, just to stay within the
Speaker 1: rules you're going to have even if they can getting
Speaker 1: back to back scimmages, the thought process there. Yeah, definitely,
Speaker 1: um never I've never done this. This is it's a
Speaker 1: bit of a it's a bit of a leap for
Speaker 1: me personally, but I think, you know, we're doing it
Speaker 1: for the right reasons. And I think it's a it's
Speaker 1: an opportunity to work against two AFC teams. You know,
Speaker 1: you're on grass, you know all those things. You know,
Speaker 1: I look at all those factors, always have um you know,
Speaker 1: it's an opportunity to go up to Denver before and
Speaker 1: it's it's really risk assessment, a lot of it to
Speaker 1: work certain players in a practice environment as opposed to
Speaker 1: playing in the game. So I mean that that's the
Speaker 1: driving force for me, and just talking to the other
Speaker 1: two hey, coaches who have done this a lot. Um,
Speaker 1: I did it a lot in my earlier my career
Speaker 1: in the nineties, you know, but you know, we we
Speaker 1: had teams all around. So, um, I know the benefits
Speaker 1: of it. But you know, it's just like anything. You know,
Speaker 1: we're going there to work, and in both all three
Speaker 1: organizations recognize that. So you know, I'm not interesting any
Speaker 1: of the other stuff that goes with it, so it'll
Speaker 1: be quality work. And you know, Nathaniel and Brandon, we've
Speaker 1: had those conversations. But I think it definitely is something different, Um,
Speaker 1: and I think it's good for you as a team.
Speaker 1: We talk so much about the connection of our team. Uh,
Speaker 1: you know we're talking about collection of talent. I think
Speaker 1: talent's a dirty word. I think every team has talent,
Speaker 1: some have more than others. But um, you know, it's
Speaker 1: going to take a lot more a lot more in
Speaker 1: talent to win the championship. So I think these these
Speaker 1: opportunities that you have a little bit of the unknown,
Speaker 1: a little more travel, you know, maybe a train ride
Speaker 1: to don I Irvine, you know, those types of things.
Speaker 1: I think I think there's value and all that, but
Speaker 1: most importantly, I think it gives us a chance to,
Speaker 1: you know, for our ones, you know, to really practice
Speaker 1: against each other and and just lower the risk of
Speaker 1: playing in the games. Is that like he're scrimmaging against
Speaker 1: the teams you're playing increasing season games. Is the difference
Speaker 1: in value just that you're not necessarily going to have
Speaker 1: every player out there on the preseason game field. Well,
Speaker 1: I mean it's we're just like anything, you know, when
Speaker 1: when they take when something's taken away from you, you
Speaker 1: have to find a you know, a more efficient way
Speaker 1: to to you know, utilize the time that you do have.
Speaker 1: And what I'm talking about if we still have a
Speaker 1: ninety man roster. But you know, for example, that you're
Speaker 1: you're able to go sixteen padded practices in training camp,
Speaker 1: and there's not a chance in hell that you can
Speaker 1: get sixteen in without running your team in the dirt,
Speaker 1: you know, so you're going to probably come in somewhere
Speaker 1: around eleven and twelve or thirteen if you're practicing. In
Speaker 1: my opinion, the right way to make sure you have
Speaker 1: the rest and recovery in there. So you know, twelve practices,
Speaker 1: I mean, just to give you a comparable, I mean
Speaker 1: in the old days, and I mean you got to
Speaker 1: get twelve. You get twelve padd of practices on the
Speaker 1: first week, you know, so now you're going to the
Speaker 1: whole training camp is twelve padded practice. So I mean,
Speaker 1: that's you know, that's that's probably the the negative of
Speaker 1: being in the league a long time because you because
Speaker 1: you know what, you know, you have a vision of
Speaker 1: how you want your team to practice. You have a
Speaker 1: vision how you want the team to play. More importantly,
Speaker 1: you have a vision how you want that team to
Speaker 1: come out of training camp to start the season. So
Speaker 1: and I'm not you know, I'm not here trying to
Speaker 1: get thirty eight padded practices and training cast. That's not
Speaker 1: the point. But I but I do recognize that, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm trying to maximize the time to get that done.
Speaker 1: So the ability to have high quality work in a
Speaker 1: practice environment, you know, and to be honest with you,
Speaker 1: you know, once you get past that second week in
Speaker 1: training camp, and I think any former player of former
Speaker 1: coach would that go to this, I mean, you've already
Speaker 1: gone through your installs. You know, the guys have been
Speaker 1: competing against each other for two weeks. You know, it's
Speaker 1: a it's a good change up, you know now. I
Speaker 1: thought that, you know, the Rams practice last year, like
Speaker 1: I like the practice that I didn't. I didn't really
Speaker 1: like the timing of it, you know, business with the
Speaker 1: Hall of Fame game and all that. But you know it's, uh,
Speaker 1: I can see why others do it, so we're gonna
Speaker 1: give it a shot. That's a long answer, but you know,
Speaker 1: I think that the key. I think it does give
Speaker 1: you a good opportunity to risk, assess and and and
Speaker 1: play your younger guys more in the preseason games. You
Speaker 1: got three preseason games too. I think it was in
Speaker 1: the situational period today where you left tackle the jump
Speaker 1: to fall start and he was immediately to replace somebody else.
Speaker 1: Is that for to say it's part of your team's
Speaker 1: emphasis on the limited those preestat penalties, you know, to
Speaker 1: be honest with you, that's that's really the way I've
Speaker 1: always done it. You know, anytime there was a pre
Speaker 1: stap penalty for you know, ever how many years, you know,
Speaker 1: there's there's certain things um and not to blame everything
Speaker 1: on a pandemic. Just like when we got here in
Speaker 1: a pandemic, you know, we didn't have the time to
Speaker 1: really have an offseason, Like the first time we lined
Speaker 1: up was training camp, and I mean we just had
Speaker 1: so many other challenges, so I really didn't institute that
Speaker 1: right away. But that's just something that the way I've
Speaker 1: always done it. And I understand why you're asking a
Speaker 1: question because of our our penalty ranking last year. But yeah,
Speaker 1: it's it's definitely something that you know, once again reinforced,
Speaker 1: I mean, preest penalties. You definitely don't want them. You know,
Speaker 1: I can stand up for at an appropriate time to
Speaker 1: talk about there's no excuse for it. But you know,
Speaker 1: Matt's that's his second practice, let's new acadence. There's a
Speaker 1: lot of anticipation, so in in going off of what
Speaker 1: I already talked about, you know, we're going to no
Speaker 1: huddle day one now, you know, we're doing two weeks
Speaker 1: to two minutes our first practice, so and we're putting
Speaker 1: a lot on it, a lot more on these guys early.
Speaker 1: I think that's that will benefit us, you know, down
Speaker 1: the road. So but yeah, that's that's that's a common practice.
Speaker 1: If you've ever been in one of my practices in
Speaker 1: the past, you ever a guy like Marquispell, he's an
Speaker 1: undrafted free agent and he's trying to make a name
Speaker 1: for something. He makes an interception, he returns it for
Speaker 1: whovis you know who knows a two scores in a
Speaker 1: real situation, they're not playing well. I think there's a
Speaker 1: lot of bonds are look good. It was a great
Speaker 1: moment for you, going, yeah, that's a moment for him too,
Speaker 1: And just how important are those moments to just stand
Speaker 1: out and do something to try and stand out to
Speaker 1: the coaching staff. But no, I love your question because
Speaker 1: you're making a great point there. And and he's and
Speaker 1: he's and he's been impressive. I mean he's you know,
Speaker 1: he's he jumped out at the rookie in the rookie
Speaker 1: camp um, so you know, he's, uh was was very
Speaker 1: impressive in the zoom calls, you know, leading up the
Speaker 1: coming in here, So that you know, to me, that's
Speaker 1: all about young guys just keep stacking success and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, and and then when I start making plays
Speaker 1: like that too, that's that definitely helps. But hybrid kind yeah,
Speaker 1: a good point, and that's that's that's was part of
Speaker 1: our attraction to him too. I think I think I
Speaker 1: would you would. You've seen what we've done with JK,
Speaker 1: you know, and the ability for safeties, you know, to
Speaker 1: play nickel and diamond, and he definitely has that ability
Speaker 1: and that was part of the attraction. That was the
Speaker 1: conversation we had to draft from too when we were
Speaker 1: talking about him with that James Washington, we saw he
Speaker 1: was in a boot today. Do you anticipated doing anything
Speaker 1: in OTAs or mini camp or a long term I
Speaker 1: know you want to work next week, but I can't
Speaker 1: give you the specifics of that too. It's it's not
Speaker 1: a serious, serious nature. I don't think. I'm not worried
Speaker 1: long term. I'm hopeful he can go next week. I
Speaker 1: know OTAs are involuntary. But any concern about Tyron, who
Speaker 1: wasn't out there today? No, Actually Tyron was there all
Speaker 1: day to day and then right before practice, which you
Speaker 1: know hit. I think it's it's lower back was tightened up.
Speaker 1: So we just just played as smart Washington and tennant. Iis,
Speaker 1: I don't have this a second diagnosis. I go there
Speaker 1: at four o'clock. So if you guys are really interesting.
Speaker 1: So I didn't realize we haven't do we have injury reports,
Speaker 1: And I know it's been a while. I haven't been
Speaker 1: up there in four years or three years, so I
Speaker 1: didn't realize. Guys in Dallas are different, and I wasn't
Speaker 1: expecting an injury report for it seemed like just just
Speaker 1: talking to CD, he's embracing the idea of Ben a
Speaker 1: number one in the game and half Antons game ten
Speaker 1: pound muscle. Do you see that but him stepping up
Speaker 1: and embracing his opportunity to beat the number one he
Speaker 1: asked to Of course, yeah, I mean he's uh, he
Speaker 1: looks great. Um, but yeah, this is this is a
Speaker 1: great opportunity for him personally. And you know, and I
Speaker 1: think just the way you know, we've established, you know,
Speaker 1: with the what the offense, particularly the passing game, you know,
Speaker 1: the ability for those guys to play different positions to
Speaker 1: you know, to create matchups and make it harder on
Speaker 1: the defense to w and those types of things. And
Speaker 1: you know him My point is, you know, him playing
Speaker 1: in the slot a lot last year, and I'll playing
Speaker 1: the flanker positions. So um, yes, and and we understand,
Speaker 1: you know, what was his rise, and you know in
Speaker 1: year three that he's going to get a lot more
Speaker 1: attention from the defense. But he's doing he's doing all
Speaker 1: the little things that are needed to get him ready
Speaker 1: for to be the number one guy. He said it
Speaker 1: was Dak's request that human his lockering next to Dax.
Speaker 1: How much how important are those little things yet so
Speaker 1: important And just the fact that you know Dak and
Speaker 1: you know the leadership group or even thinking about that thing,
Speaker 1: I think shows you that where we are in the
Speaker 1: locker room. So and to me, the locker room, you know,
Speaker 1: connection and brotherhood and that's all part of the fiber
Speaker 1: of winning a championship. So and and those things are happening.
Speaker 1: Uh and you know, and I think it's great. And
Speaker 1: if I've a CD, I you know, I think you
Speaker 1: definitely just look at your quarterback a little stronger that
Speaker 1: way too. So I think it shows the connection that
Speaker 1: is definitely needed, you know, between the receivers and a quarterback,
Speaker 1: especially that in CD talking to Dalton, he said that
Speaker 1: he's really emphasizing this offices in blocking and you know
Speaker 1: you've talked about the run game and all that too.
Speaker 1: What what do you do with the tight end like that,
Speaker 1: how how do you focus on the becoming even better
Speaker 1: in the run game. Well, I mean just I think
Speaker 1: that's part of the evaluation, you know, topic that I
Speaker 1: hit on earlier. I mean, we've had a chance to
Speaker 1: look at it, and you know, it's definitely an area
Speaker 1: where we feel like we can we can be better.
Speaker 1: And I'm not just talking about just the tight ends.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about you know, blocking the C gap and
Speaker 1: D gap area. You know, just the building to to
Speaker 1: you know, whether you capture the contain element and you know,
Speaker 1: regardless of what defense they line up, and you're seeing
Speaker 1: a lot more five man spacing, you know five man
Speaker 1: line where you know defenses are setting edges immediately by alignment,
Speaker 1: so you know the stress on the tight end position
Speaker 1: or you know whether it's a back or you know,
Speaker 1: blocking at sea gap area is something that we need
Speaker 1: to be better at. You know, it's it's been identified
Speaker 1: and so I think that just shows you where Doulton's
Speaker 1: focuses is. Usually for life Cyclert, He's a movement here here.
Speaker 1: I think Isaac has been just a steady year of
Speaker 1: going up. I mean he has improved every single year. Um,
Speaker 1: you know, I think in every aspect of his game.
Speaker 1: You know, I think you know, his first year, I
Speaker 1: think he was just you know, kind of figuring it out.
Speaker 1: Then going into a second year, he changed his whole body.
Speaker 1: I mean, if you're looking at him now, he's in
Speaker 1: he's in tremendous shape. Uh. And Isaac is you know,
Speaker 1: it's something that we preached to the rookies, and I
Speaker 1: use him as an example sometimes where you know, there's
Speaker 1: there's not too many weekends or or or off days
Speaker 1: that you'll walk in here and not see Isaac. I
Speaker 1: don't know if he's in here for the free food,
Speaker 1: but he's okay, but he's uh, he's but he's here
Speaker 1: all the time. He's strangely professional. It's really important to him. Um.
Speaker 1: And I think he's He's done a tremendous job in
Speaker 1: developing each and every year. So I'm pretty proud of Isaac. Yes,
Speaker 1: such a different level of background with Pom and a
Speaker 1: lot of the guys on the team. How many moments
Speaker 1: do you have where just the way he sees something
Speaker 1: or the questions he's asking reminds you as a coach
Speaker 1: of the way you can teach it. Oh, I think
Speaker 1: he makes it. He makes everybody better you know, around
Speaker 1: and you know, and and he has such a great
Speaker 1: personality where you would you would never know it, you know,
Speaker 1: and he's, uh, you know, the first year was you know, definitely,
Speaker 1: you know, we need probably do a better job communicating.
Speaker 1: But but with the pandemic and all that to get
Speaker 1: through for that to be your first year and so forth.
Speaker 1: So he's done a tremendous job. But you I don't
Speaker 1: even look at Isaacs as the new you know, a
Speaker 1: new guy that's trying to I don't view him at
Speaker 1: way anymore. He's he's definitely one of the guys now.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's worked extremely hard to get to get
Speaker 1: to this point. Thank you, thank you,