WEBVTT - Chris Foerster on Players’ Mindsets for Week 1| Press Pass 0:00:01.120 --> 0:00:03.760 We're going to noticeaball rays and energy since Nick Bosa 0:00:03.760 --> 0:00:04.120 has been. 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:07.760 Back into building. I really haven't noticed. It was great 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:10.760 energy all week. Actually, the guys have been really ready 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:12.680 to go and have been a great couple of days 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.360 of practice. And I mean, obviously I think Nick being back, 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:18.400 but I haven't. I really didn't notice it. But it's 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:20.239 I'm glad he's back, Chris. 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:24.720 This team has incredible depth of edge edge rushers, not 0:00:24.800 --> 0:00:27.240 just the starters, and the packups are really good as well. 0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:29.440 Is this a game where you're gonna have to help 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:32.600 Trent and help Colton consistently throughout the game. 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:34.319 Well, I think you have to be aware. They've got 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:37.040 good players across the board. On the defense, their defensive 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:39.120 linemen or talented ninety seven is a very good rusher 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:41.879 as well as a run player. The edge rushers are, obviously, 0:00:42.040 --> 0:00:44.320 you know not as you noted, very good players. So 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:46.080 we have to take count as we do in every 0:00:46.120 --> 0:00:50.320 game where the good players, how do we help minimize 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:52.880 their impact on the game in any way, shape or form. 0:00:53.120 --> 0:00:56.000 So whatever we have to do to do that. Sometimes 0:00:56.040 --> 0:00:58.200 it's play calls, sometimes it's help. There's a lot of 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:00.640 different ways in different things you can possibly do. But 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:03.279 this team is so there's so many things that they 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:05.640 challenge you with on defense that you just have to 0:01:05.680 --> 0:01:08.360 be careful that you're balanced in everything that you do. 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.080 And and guys have to step up and make some 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.399 plays and UH, and we've got to help him every 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:13.840 way we can with our play calls as well. 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:18.800 Mostly just don't like to compare all I should compare 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:23.880 not a good idea. But you've got four skill position 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:27.560 players that Jo McCaffrey and I and Deebo and Kittle. 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:31.600 I mean, you've been doing this a long time. The 0:01:31.640 --> 0:01:34.679 teams that you know been on come to mind where 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:36.920 they like have a similar type foursome. 0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:40.080 Yeah, when I was in UH, when I was in Indianapolis. 0:01:40.080 --> 0:01:41.600 The one thing that when I was with the Colts, 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:44.399 they Bill Polland did a great job of when you 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:47.480 had a quarterback and Tom Moore the coordinator there, like 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:50.240 Peyton Manning, his philosophy was you had to make sure 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:52.520 that he had people around him to get the ball to. 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:57.560 At that point, we had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.120 Reggie is second here. Really wasn't quite what he became, 0:02:00.160 --> 0:02:03.160 but he became that with it very quickly. At the time, 0:02:03.200 --> 0:02:06.480 Brandon Stokely was one of the elite slot receivers, and 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:08.760 then Marcus Pollard at tight end. Kenny Dilger been a 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:11.320 tight end. Then Edrin James is the running back. So 0:02:11.360 --> 0:02:14.280 there were three or four really good skill position players 0:02:14.320 --> 0:02:16.840 around him that that the yak. You know, you get 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:18.160 the ball in their hands and they're going to do 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:20.680 something with it. Now, Marvin did things down the field 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:24.040 and so I'm not putting our guys yet in that category. 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.440 But it isn't you hear I mean, you hear other 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.639 coaches talk about it. You hear other people say that, 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:31.160 you know, our guys want to get the ball in 0:02:31.160 --> 0:02:33.280 their hands. It's a good group. And so it's it's 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:35.160 it's it's a cool group to be around. And uh 0:02:35.440 --> 0:02:36.799 and and what they do with the ball in their hands, 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:37.480 it's fun to watch. 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:40.680 Them a no question. But when you have this level 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:44.000 of talent at skill positions, then do you say, oh, 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:47.239 we can do more offensively, let's try this, or is 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:49.840 it just the plays you have have a greater chance 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:50.520 of success. 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:53.079 Well it can be both, right, you can just say 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:56.400 we can just run what we run and h our 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:59.160 skill are our good players are going to make plays regardless, 0:02:59.280 --> 0:03:01.160 or we can say how do we put our skill 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:03.720 players in better matchup positions? And so I think it's 0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.359 always a balancing act. It depends on so many things. 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:08.720 The team you play, what the defense presents, what are 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:10.880 you trying to do? So on and so forth, and 0:03:10.960 --> 0:03:15.280 so you know, you just you obviously you know you 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:17.959 take advantage of things as you see them. One comes 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:20.240 to mind. I remember, this is a great one is 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:22.920 where the Colts are playing the Ravens. And I was 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:24.919 actually at the Ravens at this point afterwards, and I 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:26.960 was talking with Rex Ryan about it, and they had 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:32.320 a third and one and Peyton threw a touchdown to Marrow, 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:34.079 like a fifty yard touchdown pass to Marvin on a 0:03:34.120 --> 0:03:36.360 third and one. And when I asked Rex about it 0:03:36.360 --> 0:03:38.520 when I got there, I said, Rex, this was I said, 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:41.560 what were you thinking? You went cover zero? He goes, well, 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.920 they never ever threw the ball in that situation on 0:03:45.000 --> 0:03:46.480 third and one when you put you know, they put 0:03:46.520 --> 0:03:49.000 those personnel people. But Peyton saw that they were in 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:51.280 cover zero, so we checked to a play and hit 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:53.200 Marvin Harrison because he knew he could take advantage of 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:55.040 something that the defense gave him. So sometimes it's just 0:03:55.120 --> 0:03:57.800 that you have skilled players and you see something that 0:03:57.840 --> 0:03:59.120 you can take advantage of it and you do it 0:03:59.120 --> 0:03:59.800 that way as well. 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:05.800 Holten mcgivvitt's was saying yesterday that after mclinch he had left, 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:09.880 that he had a conversation with you, and you basically told, hey, 0:04:10.440 --> 0:04:13.480 how you prepare like a starter, carry yourself like a starter? 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:16.160 Have you seen that in him from this day one? 0:04:16.520 --> 0:04:19.480 Yep? And he still has to go through the bumps 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:22.040 and bruises of Okay, I maybe don't have as good 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:23.520 a game, but I'm still a starter. I was good 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:26.719 a quarter a rep of Hey, snush yourself off, let's go, 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:28.680 let's go next play, because you're the guy and we 0:04:28.760 --> 0:04:30.600 need you to play well the next play. And that 0:04:30.720 --> 0:04:32.839 was what I wanted him to know. He was the starter. 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:35.680 It's time to stop thinking of yourself as the guy 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:37.680 that came up back through the practice squad and all 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:39.520 that he's done to accomplish to where he is today. 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:41.560 And I just wanted to have the confidence to know 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:43.400 that he is that guy and he has carried himself 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:46.360 that way, and you carry yourself that way though basically 0:04:46.720 --> 0:04:49.640 not because you're gonna make yourself carry carry yourself that 0:04:49.680 --> 0:04:52.400 way by performing. But you consist in every day showing 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:54.280 up every day, doing what you're supposed to do on 0:04:54.320 --> 0:04:55.680 the field, doing what you're supposed to do in the 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:57.159 meeting room, do what you're supposed to do in the 0:04:57.160 --> 0:04:59.279 weight room. Blah blah blah, all the things that guys 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:01.280 are supposed to do to be a starter, be a pro, 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:03.640 be the right kind of guy, be on time, do 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:06.400 everything right, be a leader, help the young guys right. 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.560 All those things that he does. He's embraced that role 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:12.520 and but he's he's performed as well, so that's that's 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:14.920 helped and hopefully going into week one, you know, this 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:17.800 performance hasn't been a real game yet, so now we 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:21.279 get to see what we're made of. What's the confidence 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:22.720 I've a like for a guy like him though, When 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:24.800 he's got what he knows, I'm gonna be one on 0:05:24.800 --> 0:05:27.960 one on this rep against what without any help? Do 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:29.200 you see just the confidence? 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:29.880 And I'm ready for that. 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:33.479 Oh, I'm sure he's like any other guy would be. 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:35.320 You know, you get a lump in your throat. You 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:36.760 know it's gonna be a challenge. You know it's gonna 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:37.920 be a full day of work, and you know it. 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.320 You know what I've seen Trent Williams get it, I mean, 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:44.320 And Trent didn't think he can't remember Trent's first game. 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.440 He didn't think he was going to get that feeling. 0:05:46.440 --> 0:05:48.839 And then he met Mark swear an opening day and realized, 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:51.440 holy crap, this is a whole different thing than what 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:53.839 I thought. And for the whole game, he hang he 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:56.360 hung on, and he's his eyes were as big as 0:05:56.360 --> 0:05:59.159 could be and like, I am so far out of 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:02.200 my element right now. And that was Trent Williams day one. 0:06:02.440 --> 0:06:05.040 And you asked him about it DeMarcus Ware in Washington, 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:08.440 and Trent was like, holy crap, this is something else. 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:11.200 So I can imagine Colton now. The good thing for 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:15.280 Colton is Colton has played that Week seventeen game Von 0:06:15.320 --> 0:06:17.240 Miller and yeah there were some not so good plays, 0:06:17.279 --> 0:06:18.799 but there were some really good plays down to stretch 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:21.039 as well, and he has had some meaningful reps for 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.559 us over the last the first part of his career. 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:25.760 So while it's going to be a challenge as a starter, 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:27.520 and I know it's a great player on defense, and 0:06:27.560 --> 0:06:29.760 we give him all props and Colton Obviously, I'm sure 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:31.280 he's gonna feel it. I'm gonna feel it for him 0:06:31.279 --> 0:06:34.200 if he's not feeling it, but I know he's You know, 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:36.440 where we prepare for things like this, and we go 0:06:36.480 --> 0:06:38.240 against really good players in practice all the time, and 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:40.400 we talk about guys like this, and the guys spend 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:43.560 a great deal of time studying and looking at you know, 0:06:43.960 --> 0:06:46.839 what is it? How do we best manage a player 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:48.280 like this? And then how do we help him as 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:49.120 coaches as well? 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.320 The team hasn't gotten off to great starts in recent seasons. 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:57.479 Just wondering if that's been discussed in recent weeks and 0:06:58.040 --> 0:07:01.320 been any sort of diagnosis as to why that might 0:07:01.320 --> 0:07:01.600 have been. 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:03.920 Yeah, So I don't think it's hard. It's hard to 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.440 put your finger on why it has been what it's been. 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:09.880 You know, I think I don't know. I really don't. 0:07:09.920 --> 0:07:12.720 This team this, I mean, we prepared well this this camp. 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:14.960 You know, last year we had we had a young 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:18.080 starting quarterback right the weather and then you know it's 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:19.920 just some ups and downs earlyer than injuries to the 0:07:19.920 --> 0:07:22.760 positions right, and you know, Jimmy takes over after the injury. 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:24.520 He hadn't done anything in training. You know, there were 0:07:24.520 --> 0:07:25.960 a lot of reasons last year. Every year there's going 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:28.240 to be an excuse. But the nday know, we haven't 0:07:28.240 --> 0:07:30.480 played well since nineteen when we started eight to zero 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:32.760 in early in the season. And I don't know why 0:07:32.760 --> 0:07:34.320 that is. I mean, you can look at it. Last 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:36.240 time we played Pittsford. I think we had five turnovers 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:38.120 and we still found a way to win that game 0:07:38.160 --> 0:07:39.640 at the end when they fumbled back to us at 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:41.320 the end of the game and we end up kicking 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:43.760 the game winner. I mean, we could have lost some 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:46.600 games that stretch. I don't It has obviously been discussed. 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:48.000 You don't want to come out of the gate slow. 0:07:48.080 --> 0:07:50.200 You love coming out and building that cushion early in 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:52.040 the season. Heck, all we're trying to do is win 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:53.720 one game, just like we did last year, just like 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:56.080 we did the year before. Come out Opening day. You 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:59.600 hope that all your guys, your preparation, execution, everything that 0:07:59.640 --> 0:08:01.320 you've worn done, you can go out and do that 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:03.760 on game day. And that's all we're hoping to do 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.080 is start the season off right with one. Just try 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:08.800 to get one against a really, really good opponent opponent 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:12.240 and a really tough atmosphere. How was Elijah Mitchell looked 0:08:12.320 --> 0:08:13.680 since coming back to that groin stray? 0:08:13.760 --> 0:08:15.640 And do you find it difficult to get all your 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:17.760 running backs touches right now, especially after having. 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:20.440 Good camps with Jordan Bason and Titus Price. Yeah, I mean, 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:24.320 you know, every time Elijah shows up, it's great because 0:08:24.360 --> 0:08:26.560 it's it's like he's never missed a beat. So when 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:28.640 he's out there, you're like, it's so good to have 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:30.400 him back out there. We've talked about him, you know 0:08:30.440 --> 0:08:32.240 when Trent in the one game where he started running 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:33.840 and he's like he could tell it was not Christian 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:36.520 running the ball anymore, just by the way the physicality 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:39.040 of the run. And it is tough because you have 0:08:39.080 --> 0:08:40.800 all these guys that can contribute, but they all have 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.040 a role, they all have a place. Obviously, Christian's the 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.800 lead dog, and Elijah will get his carries, and if 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:47.360 JP and the other guys get a chance to get 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:49.000 in there, it's nice to have him. As you know, 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:52.000 throughout this thing, you're always gonna need guys, and so 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:53.760 whether they're all available, and they all may not get 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:55.240 touches right away, at some point they. 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:58.120 Will who is the third tackle is it war, is 0:08:58.120 --> 0:09:00.080 it prior? Does it depend on which. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:04.520 You know right now? And it's still to be discussed 0:09:04.520 --> 0:09:06.480 going into how we who we dress and stuff. Right now, 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:08.160 i'd be right and left. I did that. We did 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.720 it last year with Colton and Jalen last year as well, 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:14.679 So right now it's right and left. 0:09:15.080 --> 0:09:15.200 Uh. 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:17.440 They've both done a good job and they're both more 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:20.360 comfortable on those sides. But I've started swinging them and 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:22.320 we've been starting to work both sides and practice in 0:09:22.360 --> 0:09:24.240 case the time does come that we've got to make 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:25.920 a decision on one of them. Maybe we only dressed 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:29.319 one swing tackle and we addressed other guys inside. It 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.319 just made based on the health of the rest of 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:35.040 the offensive line. So right now it's it's right and left. 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.200 McCaffrey came in hit the ground running last year, but 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:40.400 with a full off season. 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:43.040 Do you see a lot of difference in how he's 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:44.120 approaching the game now? 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:47.120 More confidence in the system. Oh, he's he's awesome. I mean, 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:49.640 he came here last year in mid season and obviously 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.199 the shock of getting traded a whole different system. He 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:54.439 shows up here, we start handing the football right away, 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:57.840 and he just hadn't been in the system, and we 0:09:57.880 --> 0:09:59.680 talked about it last year, how he talked about how 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:01.800 much we coached him. You know, he never is a runner, 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:03.360 and runners don't get coached left. They get coached in 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:05.600 this offense. What they're supposed to read, what they're supposed 0:10:05.600 --> 0:10:07.160 to see, how they're supposed to press it. And obviously 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:08.880 the Christian does this thing too, because he's a great 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:12.280 runner and has instincts and feel Now he understands all 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:14.079 those things. He understands the plays. We went through a 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:16.760 whole off season of him understanding what we're trying to 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:18.839 accomplish with this play when we toss him the ball 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:20.319 in this way, when we hand them the play, how 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:22.440 he's to set up the blocks, what we're thinking up front. 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:25.480 He didn't know those things, and they other places he'd 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.600 been hadn't really talked much about it. Is from my understanding, 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:30.120 I'm not saying he did or didn't. That's what he 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:33.520 told me. So him being able to understand, you know, 0:10:33.600 --> 0:10:36.640 how things happen, and with as you've seen sometimes with 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:39.160 some of the plays that Kyle's designed through the years, 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:42.360 there's some decent sized holes they just kind of show 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:44.920 up and and it's by design. Well, when you're a 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:47.559 runner that hasn't seen that, it's like, you mean, you 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:49.320 don't wait to run there right now, No, you gotta 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:51.440 wait and then you can run there because there's other 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:53.320 things that have to happen to play. And little things 0:10:53.360 --> 0:10:56.079 like that happened to him throughout and this year it's 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.560 not like that. Man he is. It's just it's he's 0:10:58.559 --> 0:11:01.880 so on it and and still learning and still wanting 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:04.920 to be better. He is just so hard on himself 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:07.480 in a positive way that he's always wanting to make 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:10.240 sure he gets it exactly right. And that just I 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:11.839 mean that trickles down now to all the rest of 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:13.800 the backs. And he's just a great guy to have 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:15.800 on the team and he has made huge strides as 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:18.240 much as a guy's talented as Christian can make, He's 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:21.440 made huge strides this year. Thank you.