WEBVTT - LISTEN | The Jets Offense Under Mike LaFleur (3/2) 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:08.000 Welcome to another edition of the Official Jets Podcast, powered 0:00:08.000 --> 0:00:11.440 by Amazon Web Services Ethan Greenberg Eric Allen. Today we're 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:14.760 joined by Matt Mayoko, the forty Niners insider for NBC 0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:17.880 Sports Bay Area. We're talking about Michael la flour is 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.239 in focus. But because of all the connections that the 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:23.600 Jets and forty Niners have, we kind of touched on 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:26.960 a number of people, including head coach Robert Salah. Well, 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:29.440 you gotta jump around if you're talking to somebody has 0:00:29.480 --> 0:00:32.000 covered the forty Niners for more than a quarter century. 0:00:32.600 --> 0:00:37.839 Phenomenal guests gave us a tremendous information. Uh, you know, 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:41.720 we talked about all Brick at length last week with 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:46.159 the Orlando leadbetter the Atlantic Journal Constitution. Now Matt was 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.880 able to tell us about the truck of Mike la Fleur, 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:53.760 and he's been tied with Kyle Shanahan throughout his NFL career. 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:57.840 Actually started out as an intern with Cleveland Browns when 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:01.720 Shanahan was there. Of course, Shanahan becomes the offensive coordinator 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:07.240 with Atlanta and la Fleur follows him there. Interestingly enough, 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:11.000 m la Fleur worked on the same staff there in 0:01:11.040 --> 0:01:14.279 Atlanta with his brother Matt Lafleur, who is now, of course, 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.319 the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, and then 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:20.640 he's been with Shanahan ever since with the San Francisco 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:25.240 forty Niners, um so Robert Salo when he got this job, boom, 0:01:25.400 --> 0:01:29.320 he brings La Fleur with him and brings the Shanahan 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:33.080 offense to New York. And La Flora is very young 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:37.120 and he's never called plays before, but Matt Mayoko had 0:01:37.200 --> 0:01:41.399 great insight. He was inside the quarterbacks room at the 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:44.720 Senior Bowl when the forty Honers coached the Senior Bowl 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.960 in two thousand nineteen, and he has some great insight 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:51.600 about what La Flora is like, what coach Salo is like, 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:54.280 and a couple other members on the Jets staff as well. 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:56.560 I don't want to give too much away, but it 0:01:56.640 --> 0:01:59.480 was I would say it's a positive review overall. And 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.600 I think, and you tell me if you disagree with this, 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:05.960 but it feels like Mayoko is confident in La Fleur 0:02:06.440 --> 0:02:09.640 being the offensive coordinator for the Jets, not only because 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:12.519 of La Flour and what he brings to the table, 0:02:12.560 --> 0:02:15.680 but because of the staff that's around La Fleur as well. 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:19.000 Oh yeah, and that speaks to why is Robert Sala here? 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:23.360 Because he is the CEO, and he surrounded himself with 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.280 very good men and a lot of those guys came 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:30.480 directly from San Francisco, but a lot of ties um 0:02:30.720 --> 0:02:36.000 to Sala in that coaching staff. But again, these guys, um, 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:38.760 I think, are known for their work ethic and they're 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:42.960 known for bringing a culture with them and that's going 0:02:43.040 --> 0:02:48.160 to be instituted throughout the Jets building and on the field. 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:51.080 And Michael Floor, while he might be young in years, 0:02:51.400 --> 0:02:55.640 he knows this offense inside and out. He's got a presence. 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.480 And we know Robert Sale's got a presence, that is 0:02:58.560 --> 0:03:01.760 for sure. And coach Salad did say that nobody knows 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.520 this Kyle Shanahan offense better than Michael Flour And with that, 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:09.000 let's actually hear from Matt Mayoko. When you heard that 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:13.880 Robert Sala had accepted the Jets job, were you surprised 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:15.799 at all that Michael la Fleur was tabbed to be 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.440 his offensive coordinator? Not one bit, now, not at all. 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:22.320 I kind of figured that that was the way it 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:25.639 would go. It was to me it was a lot 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:28.120 more of just where would Robert Sala end up? I mean, 0:03:28.160 --> 0:03:31.760 I think everybody here felt like he was going to 0:03:31.800 --> 0:03:33.800 be a head coach. It was just a matter of where. 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:36.160 And the one team that I always kind of looked 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:40.960 at was the Detroit Lions because of just the connections 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:45.000 there to the Detroit area for Robert, and also Michael 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:48.760 Fleur now Matt la Fleur was Robert Sala and still 0:03:48.880 --> 0:03:51.080 is one of Robert Sala's best friends. I think they're 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.080 best men in each other's weddings, and they've known each 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:59.080 other for a very long time, and so Roberts had 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:02.480 that connection with the la Fleur family for quite some time. 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:07.119 And you knew that the forty Niners systems, both offensively 0:04:07.160 --> 0:04:12.480 and defensively, they're very sound, and you knew that wherever 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:16.160 Salad would go, he would want to bring that kind 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:20.279 of Kyle Shanahan kind of offensive system with him. And 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:24.880 so Mike la Fleur was very much the person that 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:28.240 you knew that he would be the guy that would 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:32.719 be tabbed as the guy who would have autonomy to 0:04:32.720 --> 0:04:36.320 to install his offensive system. So in terms of the floor, 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:38.720 I feel like at least a lot of Jets fans 0:04:38.760 --> 0:04:40.760 don't know a ton about him, mostly because he's so 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:43.679 young and he's been under Kyle Shanahan for a long time. 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:48.280 So what can you tell us about Mike la flour Well, 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:51.920 I mean, he's an energetic guy. He's he's a good guy. 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:56.120 He connects well with players. I've seen him at the 0:04:56.200 --> 0:05:00.640 Senior Bowl in in nineteen he ran the quarterback meetings 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:05.080 with the Senior Bowl quarterbacks and that class it was 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:11.080 Gardner Minshew will Greer was there, Jared Stidham, and Tyree 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.799 Jackson or the quarterbacks. So the four of the irons 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.880 were nice enough. Uh, Kyle, she was nice enough to 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:19.839 allow me to kind of have access in the meetings 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.880 and watching, and so I did see just how he connects, 0:05:22.920 --> 0:05:26.880 how he stands out a board, commands the room. Very 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:31.880 knowledgeable guy. Uh, from a football family. His brother, as 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:34.120 I mentioned, is Matt Lafleur, the head coach of the 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:41.719 Green Bay Packers. So I think it's been tremendous experience 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:45.640 for him to have a little bit of coaching experience 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:51.920 and then come into that Kyle Shanahan system and learn 0:05:52.040 --> 0:05:56.080 from from one of the best. And what Kyle, you know, 0:05:56.279 --> 0:05:58.760 is considered one of the best play callers in the game. 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:02.599 And so Kyle never gave up the play calling aspect 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:07.200 of it. But what he did was he delegated to 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:10.640 Mike Lafleur and Mike McDaniel, who is now the forty 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:14.520 Niners offensive coordinator. They did not have a offensive coordinator 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:19.719 title with the team for four seasons, but it was 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.360 Mike la Fleur and it was Mike McDaniel who would 0:06:22.360 --> 0:06:25.680 put together the game plan and then present the game 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:29.960 plan for any given week to Kyle. They would go 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:32.559 through it. Of course, Kyle Sanahan would have veto power 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.200 and he would could add and subtract and do whatever. 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:40.160 But the plays being called on game days were basically 0:06:40.960 --> 0:06:44.520 the collective effort of Mike McDaniel and Mike la Fleur. 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.720 And I don't know if you even know this, but 0:06:48.200 --> 0:06:51.280 two years ago, whenever Matt Lafleur became the head coach 0:06:51.320 --> 0:06:54.119 of the Backers, he wanted Mike Lafleur, his own brother, 0:06:54.320 --> 0:06:59.440 on his coaching staff, and Kyle said no because at 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:03.840 that point, you know, teams were allowed to block coaches 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:08.120 from coordinator positions. Now you can't block a non coordinator 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:12.640 from becoming a coordinator. So he couldn't block Mike Lafleur 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:16.680 this time. And part of it was. He felt like 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:19.280 it was just gonna be Kyle Shanahan felt like he 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:21.120 was just gonna be a lateral move, you know, from 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:24.240 from basically a non play calling position to another non 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:27.040 play calling position, so he wouldn't have been able to 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:31.720 block Saw. Because Mike Lafleur, that's gonna be his offense. 0:07:31.760 --> 0:07:34.760 He's gonna design it, and knowing Mike, it's going to 0:07:34.840 --> 0:07:38.440 be a very collaborative effort with all the coaches on staff, 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:41.560 including Greg Knapp. I know pretty well. He's the passing 0:07:41.600 --> 0:07:44.720 game specialist there, of course, so it'll be a collaborative 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:48.240 effort um that that Mike la Fleur will be involved 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:50.480 with every step of the way, and it'll be his 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:53.920 first time calling plays, certainly at this level, so it'll 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:57.040 be interesting to see how he adapts to that. Listen, Matt, 0:07:57.280 --> 0:07:59.800 if anyone wants to know anything about the San Francisco 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:02.760 forty Niners, they come to you because you've been covering 0:08:03.520 --> 0:08:06.760 the forty Niners for more than a quarter century. Now, 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:10.000 with that being said, I don't look that old, do 0:08:10.120 --> 0:08:16.560 I know? You look great? You look great, I would say, Matt, though, 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:22.760 how would you describe the Mike Shanahan Kyle Shanahan system, 0:08:22.840 --> 0:08:25.480 because I'm starting to call it this just just the 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:29.600 Shanahan system that Mike la Fleur is gonna bring here 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:32.400 to New Jersey and put his own imprints on it. 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:36.320 But how would you describe how they go about trying 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:40.120 to attack an opponent's defense. Yeah, that that's a great question, 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:44.320 and it's it's multi pronged. I think that you know, 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:47.559 so much of it is, you know, the the outside 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:50.880 zone running system, and we saw it with with Mike 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.280 Shanahan and with Alex Gibbs, the offensive line coach back 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:57.640 in the day, where they could just it seemingly just 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:01.600 plug in running backs and that if you're on the team, 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:03.600 you're going to get a thousand yards. And it was 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:09.040 one after the other after the other. Um. But so 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:13.840 much of it is knowing the defense they're playing against, 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:17.600 and knowing the rules of the defense they're playing against, 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:21.920 and kind of stressing them to test their rules. Well. 0:09:22.040 --> 0:09:26.079 One of the things that Kyle does is he doesn't 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:31.600 want any standalone plays in a game plan. In other words, 0:09:32.320 --> 0:09:34.840 they're just not gonna pick plays out of thin air 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:37.359 and put them in a game plan and run them 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:41.000 in games. There has to be a reason for them. 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.480 So even if a play fails, you know, let's say 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:46.520 a play gets you know, running play gets thrown for 0:09:46.559 --> 0:09:51.840 a four yard loss, they don't consider it a negative 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:57.439 play necessarily because that plays in there for a reason, 0:09:57.720 --> 0:10:00.959 and it's it could be to set up another play 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:04.560 down the road. Uh, and so it it's it really 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:12.800 tests the defense by showing different formations, motions and and 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:15.559 even in the running game, you know, there are plays 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:18.079 or actually in the running game or passing game, there 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:21.400 are plays that start off you know, the first split 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:25.000 second of a play looks like maybe a play that 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:29.800 was run in the first quarter, but it's completely different. 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:35.280 And if they can catch defenses cheating or anticipating, uh, 0:10:35.520 --> 0:10:37.920 that's what they're trying to do. And then the down 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:41.960 the other side of that is to create some indecision 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:45.040 with the defense. You know, the team's defensive teams that 0:10:45.040 --> 0:10:48.480 are able to diagnose a play from formation and the 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:51.719 way a play starts out is one thing. But what 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:55.479 they do is they test the defense by showing them 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.120 the same looks on occasion or the same principles on occasion, 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:04.560 but then give having switch ups that really exposed the defense, 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.040 so that that's probably the main thing that that that 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:10.360 offense will will try to do and try to exploit 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:13.640 against the defense they're playing. What kind of players or 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:17.120 what type of players do you think fit this offense best. 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:19.920 I know it's hard to project what exactly Mike Laflour 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.599 will do and how will throw in his own wrinkles. 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:26.160 But in the Shanahan system and what you've seen, how 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:29.960 would you describe the perfect players that fit in this system? Well, 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:34.000 I mean, first off, I'd say smart and in good character, 0:11:34.800 --> 0:11:39.000 football character and off the field character. Um. I think 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:43.080 that you know, for each I think athleticism is a 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:45.920 big thing, and that goes for the offensive line as well. 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:50.600 Athleticism is a big thing. For running backs, it's you know, 0:11:50.720 --> 0:11:53.040 kind of guys who fit that zone blocking scheme of 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:55.600 one cut and get up the field kind of no 0:11:55.760 --> 0:12:00.320 nonsense running, uh, not a lot of dancing. Um. I 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:04.000 think for for wide receivers, it's it's versatile guys. You know, 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:08.439 guys who can run the jet sweep and and um, 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:12.480 you know, can get open quickly against man coverage. And 0:12:12.679 --> 0:12:14.839 I mean, I think those are some of the principles 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:16.960 some of the things that they'll be looking for as 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:20.080 they build that thing out. Um, you know guys that 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:23.280 that are willing to be coached and uh, you know 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:29.600 fit what they're looking for from that standpoint of athleticism 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:31.920 is a big thing. And you know John Benton, the 0:12:32.000 --> 0:12:34.719 offensive line coach, will you know, he'll be hammering the 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:37.840 same things. You know, they'll be working on the same 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:41.640 drills from the first day of O T a s 0:12:41.679 --> 0:12:43.800 if there are O T s this year, all the 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:45.720 way through the end of the season. You know, every 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:52.560 practice they just try to you know, solidify the you know, 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:57.520 the the skills the techniques that they that has been 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:00.640 so successful and really time tested through the years. And 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:02.880 like you said, dating all the way back to my 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:08.280 Channahan system with Denver and Washington and basically everywhere Kyle 0:13:08.360 --> 0:13:12.200 has been they've kind of had the same elements of 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:14.640 being able to run the ball, use play action off 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:17.319 of it. And he's had, you know, quarterbacks who had 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:23.120 really good seasons, whether he's with Houston, UH, Cleveland, Washington, 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:28.680 Atlanta and now the forty Niners. So perfect segue right 0:13:28.720 --> 0:13:32.360 there by the veteran covering the forty Niners. Why is 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:36.440 this a quarterback friendly system? Think about Jimmy Garoppolo two 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:39.640 thousand nineteen, starting sixteen games for the first time in 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:43.240 his career. They went thirteen games, advanced the Super Bowl 0:13:43.280 --> 0:13:46.040 at a time point lead. Unfortunately, weren't able to close 0:13:46.080 --> 0:13:48.440 the deal there. And you go back to two thousand 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:51.760 sixteen in Atlanta and Matt Ryan was never better than 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:56.600 that two thousand sixteen campaign. A lot of similarities, unfortunately, 0:13:56.600 --> 0:13:59.079 because Atlanta had that second half lead and they were 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:03.320 unable to put the Patriots away. But quarterbacks have excelled 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:07.720 in this system time and time again. Yeah, I think 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:11.160 it's because they are coached up so well to know 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.640 what to expect. You know, so much of being a 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:17.800 quarterback in the NFL is anticipation and you know, even 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:22.040 knowing maybe not knowing where to go with the ball 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:26.600 pre snap, but certainly knowing where not to go with 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:29.520 the ball pre snap based on the kind of defense 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.600 that that they're seeing in the in the play call. 0:14:32.240 --> 0:14:35.920 So what Kyle is able to do, or what Mike 0:14:36.000 --> 0:14:40.680 Lafleur will will try to accomplish as well, is to 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:45.120 create situations where there are guys running wide open and 0:14:45.200 --> 0:14:50.640 it's if if they get that the defensive call their 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:55.080 right defense against this play call this is going to happen, 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.240 and they really do a good job of coaching up 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:02.480 their their quarterbacks to for to anticipate that. You know, 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:07.120 if this safety is here, this play over here is 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:12.120 gonna be wide open, and so it's being able to 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:16.320 use the elements of the running game, uh, setting things up. 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:19.480 And I mean a lot of times. You know, we 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.360 see George Kittle all the time. It's kind of funny, 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:24.040 you know, you sit up there and you're you're watching 0:15:24.040 --> 0:15:27.120 the free hours play and you kind of smirk and 0:15:27.120 --> 0:15:29.560 you go, it might be a good idea for that 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:34.120 defense to to cover George Kittle. He's a pretty But 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.960 if we see it time and time again, we're just 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:41.640 you know, whether the motions, the routes they're they're running, 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:44.920 how one route might be a clearing route to set 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:48.360 something up underneath for another guy. You will see guys, 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.080 I would I would venture to guess you will see 0:15:51.080 --> 0:15:53.720 guys from the first game of the season, several times 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:57.600 a game just running wide open and you'll see defensive 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:00.120 backs turning, turning around and looking at each other and 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:02.720 throwing their hands up, going I thought you were supposed 0:16:02.720 --> 0:16:04.680 to be there. I thought you were so and that's 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.480 what they do. They really test the rules and really 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:12.160 stress defenses in that way. You mentioned Greg Nap, you 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:16.480 mentioned John Benton too, assistant coaches now with the Jets, 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:19.720 and that forty Niners Jets connection that is starting to establish. 0:16:19.800 --> 0:16:21.600 I know we're talking about Michael for but what can 0:16:21.640 --> 0:16:24.880 you tell us quickly about Nap and Benton. Well, yeah, 0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:27.000 John is going to be you know, I think they 0:16:27.040 --> 0:16:30.200 do all kinds of blocking schemes, but he's very much 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:34.040 into the techniques of that zone, that outside zone. It's 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:37.000 kind of the bread and butter, and he will be 0:16:37.040 --> 0:16:39.800 looking for you know, they put a lot on the 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:43.320 plates of their offensive lineman the center of the guards 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:46.560 to get out there, and they're very well schooled, and 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:49.760 so you know, I would think that, uh, you're gonna 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:55.200 see you know, dramatic bumping production from the running game. 0:16:55.560 --> 0:17:01.360 You know. Great Nap, I know, Uh, he's he's worked 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:04.119 with Peyton Manning, he's been or the league a long time, 0:17:04.600 --> 0:17:08.800 very good quarterbacks coach. Uh and and he's he's just 0:17:09.400 --> 0:17:13.080 a good guy as well relates to players. So it's 0:17:13.080 --> 0:17:16.120 a really I really like that coaching staff. I mean, 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:18.240 it's it's a bunch of guys. We haven't even talked 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:21.160 about the defensive side yet, but you know there are 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:24.440 there's some a good connection, a good combination, I said, 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:26.840 should say, of guys who've who've been around. Greg Nap 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:30.160 has been around for a while. You michaela Flour who 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:33.719 can really lean on on Greg because Greg has been 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:37.119 in that chair a lot in the past. You have 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:42.040 Taylor Embree, you have Miles Austin. Uh so you have 0:17:42.160 --> 0:17:46.320 this really good connection of of guys who have experience 0:17:46.720 --> 0:17:50.920 and young guys and and fresh ideas. So, uh yeah, 0:17:51.119 --> 0:17:53.800 I think Greg Nap is one of these guys that, 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:57.800 um I kind of liken him to, you know, a 0:17:58.240 --> 0:18:03.320 backup quarterback or or a veteran quarterback who is there 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:08.080 to really assist the young quarterback and and kind of 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:13.879 provide his knowledge to make the young quarterback better. I 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:16.440 kind of see Greg in the same way because he's 0:18:16.440 --> 0:18:18.000 been through it all and he's seen a lot of 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:21.359 different things in the NFL, so many different directions we 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.639 can go with you, Matt. So I'm gonna throw two 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:27.680 questions at you, and they're not connected. Uh. Since you've 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:30.199 covered the forty niners for so long, what do you 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:34.160 think about Jeff Albrick being named the defensive coordinator here 0:18:34.240 --> 0:18:38.240 a long time forty nine are linebacker of course, drafted 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:41.720 in two thousand out of Hawaii, and I believe he 0:18:41.720 --> 0:18:46.040 played there ten seasons. And then let's get to Robert Sala, 0:18:46.240 --> 0:18:48.639 the head coach of the New York Jets. Do you 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:52.560 think that experience in San Francisco will really help him 0:18:52.600 --> 0:18:54.720 coming to New York a team that won two games 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:58.200 last year, considering what the forty Niners did their first 0:18:58.280 --> 0:19:02.640 three seasons and totally remaking that roster, putting their systems 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:05.440 in place, and then ultimately getting to a championship game 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.679 in that third year. Yeah, I think so much of 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:12.920 what Robert Sala will do is just and I'm sure 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:16.320 it's been said already a lot and it almost becomes cliche, 0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:20.560 but talked about the culture inside the building, Well, it's 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:22.439 going to take a while to get the culture the 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:25.320 way he wants it. I mean, I think that you know, 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:29.199 anytime you see a coach or new regime come in, 0:19:29.359 --> 0:19:31.439 it takes them a while to kind of figure out 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:34.960 both on the field, you know, schematically, and also just 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:37.159 kind of in the locker room, which guys fit and 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:40.280 which guys don't, and so that that takes a while 0:19:40.320 --> 0:19:42.840 to to kind of sort out. It's not something that 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:45.679 just takes place overnight. But the thing I think that 0:19:45.840 --> 0:19:49.960 can take place overnight is the culture within the coaching staff. 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:52.640 And I mean looking at at the staff that he's 0:19:52.680 --> 0:19:56.120 put together, I mean that's a that's a really solid 0:19:56.200 --> 0:19:59.639 staff and I would expect nothing less from from Robert 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:03.040 Sala And you know, he made his Hey, you know, 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:06.040 he got the opportunity. He got in the door with 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:08.960 the Jets, and I think every team that had an 0:20:09.040 --> 0:20:12.399 opening except for the Houston Texans, I think they were 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:15.359 the only team that did not interview him for a job. 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:19.159 What got him in the door was the performance of 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:21.880 the forty diners defense, in other words, what he did 0:20:21.920 --> 0:20:25.080 as a defensive coordinator. But that's not why I think 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:26.680 he's going to be a good coach, and I don't 0:20:26.720 --> 0:20:29.440 think that's why he got the Jets job. I think 0:20:29.440 --> 0:20:33.199 he got the Jets job and he became a really 0:20:33.240 --> 0:20:38.879 good head coaching candidate because of his interpersonal skills and 0:20:38.960 --> 0:20:41.760 his vision for how he expects things to fit together, 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:46.600 and so much of that is just how creating the 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:52.520 right environment to in a winning environment. And from his standpoint, 0:20:52.560 --> 0:20:57.159 it doesn't mean, Hey, I'm gonna be the head coach, 0:20:57.240 --> 0:21:00.280 but I'm also going to be the defensive coordinator. He 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:04.080 sees it as I'm I'm the head coach of the team, 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:07.199 and I'm gonna oversee everything. But I'm not gonna be 0:21:07.240 --> 0:21:09.480 coming you know, I'm not gonna be a micro manager 0:21:10.080 --> 0:21:13.840 for uh Jeff Albrick. And Jeff Albrick one of the 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:17.560 smartest players I've ever covered. And you know, I remember 0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:21.639 when he was decided to retire a few years back. 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:24.679 I mean he had already, you know, the last several 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:27.159 years of his career. I mean he was compiling like 0:21:27.440 --> 0:21:32.840 binders of information of what he would do as a 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:36.959 coach and as a coordinator. You know, he had everything 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:39.400 mapped out, you know that that he would do. So 0:21:39.480 --> 0:21:42.280 he's been preparing for this for a long time, even 0:21:42.320 --> 0:21:45.960 going back to his playing days. And so I see 0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:49.800 Robert Sala as somebody who will pop in the the 0:21:50.760 --> 0:21:53.840 offensive meeting room. He'll he'll be in the defensive meeting room. 0:21:53.880 --> 0:21:59.199 He'll be there to share ideas and offer suggestions or 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:02.840 be there to answer questions. I'm sure Jeff will lean 0:22:02.920 --> 0:22:06.040 on him a lot, But I think it's it's gonna 0:22:06.080 --> 0:22:11.639 be a really fascinating experience watching them performed, because I 0:22:11.680 --> 0:22:14.439 think that, like I said, it's not so much the 0:22:14.640 --> 0:22:17.760 XS and those that was impressive about Robert Sala. It 0:22:17.840 --> 0:22:21.280 was just how he managed people and how in my mind, 0:22:21.320 --> 0:22:24.960 he really is a CEO type and somebody that people 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:27.320 are gonna want to coach for and players are gonna 0:22:27.320 --> 0:22:30.359 want to play for. That was a fantastic breakdown. I 0:22:30.400 --> 0:22:33.800 feel like we've asked you about every single Jets assistant 0:22:33.800 --> 0:22:35.600 coach at this point, including the head coach and the 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:42.840 offensive coordinates. We haven't talked Mike Rudenberg. We haven't. There's 0:22:42.880 --> 0:22:45.600 a couple that might hit the cutting room floor, which 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:48.639 is okay because my last question to you, Matt is 0:22:49.119 --> 0:22:52.360 with free agency approaching, the forty Niners have a lot 0:22:52.440 --> 0:22:56.240 of players with expiring contracts. Who do you think makes 0:22:56.280 --> 0:22:59.159 the most sense for the Jets if they decided to 0:22:59.160 --> 0:23:02.000 go in that direction. Yeah, I think there are quite 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:04.640 a few. I would put number one at that lit 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:09.520 on that list would be Kawan Williams. Nickelback really good 0:23:09.560 --> 0:23:12.200 at what he does and they call him the Shark 0:23:12.359 --> 0:23:16.320 here because he's a little guy but man, he plays 0:23:16.640 --> 0:23:20.240 with some ferocity and they can do a lot of 0:23:20.240 --> 0:23:22.439 different things with him. Robert Sala has a lot of 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:25.440 trust in him because that is not an easy position, 0:23:25.480 --> 0:23:28.600 that might be the most difficult position on the defensive side, 0:23:28.600 --> 0:23:33.440 playing you know, the slot uh receiver, that nickelback position, 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:37.320 and he's a local guy there. I would think that 0:23:36.760 --> 0:23:39.760 the well, the Fortners definitely want him back, but I 0:23:39.760 --> 0:23:42.400 think the Jets that would be very high on their 0:23:42.440 --> 0:23:45.640 list and somebody that's he's not going to break the bank. Uh. 0:23:45.680 --> 0:23:49.600 It's gonna be interesting to see what the Jets would 0:23:49.680 --> 0:23:52.840 do if they would want Richard Sherman. He's not coming 0:23:52.880 --> 0:23:55.480 back to the forty nine ers and he's kind of 0:23:55.520 --> 0:23:58.080 in that spot though where he has some health issues. 0:23:58.400 --> 0:24:01.440 There might be a time, uh in the very near 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:06.720 future where he can transition to safety. Whether the Jets 0:24:06.720 --> 0:24:08.720 would want to do that, I don't know. But you're 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:11.680