WEBVTT - The Dave Pasch Podcast - Jeff Rodgers 0:00:03.240 --> 0:00:06.800 Hey, everybody, Welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast. 0:00:06.840 --> 0:00:10.600 I'm your host, Dave Pash, ESPN and Arizona Cardinals announcer. 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:15.000 The preseason is upon us. Finally we get to see 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:19.360 a game the Cardinals and Bengals this Friday night. And 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.000 we talked this week with one of the coaches for 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.400 the Arizona Cardinals, Jeff Rogers. Jeff's in his fifth year 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:29.319 on the staff. He is the special team's coach, but 0:00:29.400 --> 0:00:32.320 he's also the assistant head coach. He's in his fourth 0:00:32.360 --> 0:00:35.720 year with that title. He was here in twenty eighteen 0:00:35.760 --> 0:00:39.400 with Steve Wilkes, retained by Cliff Kingsbury and his staff, 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:44.280 and Jeff, who has been in the NFL for fifteen years, 0:00:44.360 --> 0:00:48.520 has become a very valuable voice on game day during 0:00:48.520 --> 0:00:52.120 the week in training camp when it comes to shaping 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:54.760 the roster. And it will be great to catch up 0:00:54.800 --> 0:00:58.040 with Jeff and talk about his game day responsibilities as 0:00:58.080 --> 0:01:01.280 well as what goes in of being a great special 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:04.200 teams player. Who've been some of the special teams fines, 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:07.520 what's it like to deal with kickers, and who are 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:09.280 some of the young guys that he's got his I 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:13.840 on going into preseason game number one. There's some guys 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:17.240 that are undrafted right now are we're undrafted in the spring, 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:20.720 who I think have a chance, but I'm anxious to 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.959 see them against NFL competition and see what happens. We 0:01:25.000 --> 0:01:28.000 are presented by BETMGM, the official sports betting partner of 0:01:28.000 --> 0:01:32.000 the Arizona Cardinals, and by Hila River Hotels and Casinos. 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:34.920 Get ready for a football season like never before with 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:38.680 bet MGM, an official partner of the Arizona Cardinals. Sign 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:41.760 up today using code cards one thousand and get your 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:44.800 first bet risk free up to one thousand dollars. Visit 0:01:44.840 --> 0:01:48.200 betmgm dot com for terms and conditions twenty one and 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:52.160 over Arizona only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem called one 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:55.080 eight hundred. Next step all right, time now for our 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:59.480 conversation with assistant head coach and coordinator of Special Teams 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:05.559 Jeff Rogers. So, Jeff, you're not just a special teams coach. 0:02:05.680 --> 0:02:09.560 This is your fourth year as the assistant head coach. 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:13.880 So for people out there that maybe know what a 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:16.880 special teams coach does, but they hear that assistant head 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:18.839 coach title a lot of times and they maybe don't 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:22.799 know all that goes into that. Tell the listeners kind 0:02:22.800 --> 0:02:27.720 of what your responsibilities are on game day besides special teams. Yeah, 0:02:27.760 --> 0:02:30.000 I mean the first thing I say is, you know, 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:35.639 everybody with that title, I'm not sure exactly what they do. 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:37.600 I know what I do, but I would I'm not 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:40.919 saying that what I'm about to say applies to everybody's 0:02:41.320 --> 0:02:43.799 second tit or whatever. But you know, some of the 0:02:43.840 --> 0:02:46.680 things that I'm involved with is primarily the game management stuff. 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:49.600 When to call a time out, should we clock the ball? 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:52.000 You know, there's a lot of discussions that go through 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:54.280 in you know, go throughout the week and we talk 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:56.520 about field position wise, we want to be aggressive in 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:58.960 this situation, go forum four down, want to be aggressive 0:02:58.960 --> 0:03:01.760 in the red area. So a lot of those decisions 0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:05.360 are discussed throughout the week, but as it unfolds on 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:07.600 game day, you never know, are you're gonna have two timeouts, 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.840 three timeouts? Defensively, maybe we're we're we're down and we 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:14.720 got to be you know, banging timeouts and just lending 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:18.680 an extra voice to Cliff so he can really crystallize 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:22.000 those decisions. So are you standing next to Cliff if 0:03:22.000 --> 0:03:25.320 it's two minutes to go in the first half. Are 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:27.880 you standing next to Cliff? Is it just on headset 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:30.239 where you're saying, hey, let's think here about Hey, you 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:34.200 got two timeouts left. Here's a you know, time and score, clock, situation, 0:03:34.280 --> 0:03:36.200 down and distance, all that stuff you might want to 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:38.560 think about using a time out here. How does that 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:40.520 kind of play out? Right? I mean, i'd say both 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:44.440 and both connected via the headset and uh, staying next 0:03:44.480 --> 0:03:46.120 to him obviously if there's a break in the action. 0:03:47.360 --> 0:03:50.280 You know, I just always feel like he's got to 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:52.400 call the game, he's got to make sure he's in 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:54.960 the right play personnel group, whatever. I'm kind of waiting 0:03:55.000 --> 0:03:57.280 for him to do those things. And if there's a 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:00.560 reminder of maybe something we talked about throughout the week 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:04.720 or you know, what we're likely to do after this 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:07.360 particular play, it's just putting that voice in his ear 0:04:07.400 --> 0:04:12.440 so he can make the most educated decision. So for you, Jeff, 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:16.159 when did You're not because I've had other people tell 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.560 me no one knows the rules like Jeff Rogers, Like 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:25.240 when did you embrace going beyond coaching special teams in 0:04:25.320 --> 0:04:28.680 terms of just understanding everything about the game, the rules, 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:33.600 the time out, situation, replay, all that stuff. It was 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:35.760 that something that you've always done or is that recent. 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:40.039 I've always been interested in those kinds of things. I've 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:42.799 been around football my entire life. My dad coached, and 0:04:43.800 --> 0:04:46.159 you kind of start thinking like a coach at an 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:48.680 early age because you're hearing after the game what he 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:52.560 might have thought of different situations. The rules are different 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:54.800 from college of the NFL, and I thought it was 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.200 important for me to understand when I first got in 0:04:57.200 --> 0:05:02.040 the league what the differences were. As time goes on, 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:05.000 you kind of get to know the everyday things, what 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:08.120 you can and cannot do, what they're gonna call flag wise, 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:11.960 and it kind of started involve evolving into the clock things, 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:18.120 into the time out things, and really when it's probably 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:21.080 when I got to Denver in twenty eleven, about ten 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:25.200 eleven years ago where that I started. I was with 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:27.839 coach Fox at the time, John Fox, and at that 0:05:27.920 --> 0:05:30.880 time I kind of started to be involved in those 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:34.440 kinds of that line of thinking. And when Peyton Manning 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:37.320 signed with US in twenty twelve, hearing his thoughts on 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:39.680 different things, and I just really got interested in it 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.280 and have stayed that way. And then the Cleveland game 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:46.240 last year. Cliff isn't there obviously because of COVID, So 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:52.400 your role changes. What was that game like and what 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:56.000 were your responsibilities in that game that would be additional 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:58.560 to what it would be in a normal Sunday. Yeah. So, 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:02.320 I mean basically, you know, in that game, that whole 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:04.160 situation was a little bit unique. You know, we found 0:06:04.160 --> 0:06:06.440 out on Friday evening. It was kind of at the 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:08.599 end of the day and uh found out what the 0:06:08.640 --> 0:06:10.960 situation was, and when they said they wanted me to 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:14.440 handle the game, the game management part of it. Direct responsibilities. 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:17.000 Now I instead of being the guy who says, hey, 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:18.920 we may think about calling a time out, like that's 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:22.000 that's my decision at that point, or go for it 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.800 on fourth down. Those are my decisions. But you know, 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:26.960 I alluded to it earlier. We talk about the stuff 0:06:26.960 --> 0:06:31.000 starting Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and as things unfold, we kind 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:34.120 of have the plan. So in that particular game, I 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:36.800 really just tried to call it as Cliff and I 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.400 had talked about things, how we had talked about going 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:42.800 into the game what we wanted to do, and it 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.000 was basically like wearing the wristband on you you know, 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:46.840 on your hand, what would Cliff do here? You know, 0:06:46.880 --> 0:06:49.880 and and try it, because those are the things if 0:06:49.920 --> 0:06:51.800 he's the head coach and he's the one that makes 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:55.280 those decisions, those decisions seem to be reflective of what 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:57.920 he would do. Of all the great wins last year, 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:02.039 that was my favorite that game because Cleveland was a 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:07.680 pretty good team and obviously with Cliff out, and there 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.560 were others that weren't there because of COVID. You know, 0:07:10.600 --> 0:07:13.640 for most of us that maybe aren't as connected to 0:07:13.720 --> 0:07:16.400 what's going on inside the locker room and inside the 0:07:16.400 --> 0:07:19.720 meeting rooms every day. It felt like the operation didn't 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:22.440 skip a beat. That was an impressive game for you 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:25.120 and Vance Spencer Whipple just to kind of step in. 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:28.560 At least from our standpoint, it seemed like you guys 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:31.240 were stepping in. But listening to you talk here, it 0:07:31.240 --> 0:07:32.880 doesn't sound like that was a case. Sounds like this 0:07:33.000 --> 0:07:36.440 was part of the planning that goes into a game. Yeah, 0:07:36.440 --> 0:07:39.000 you just you kind of just follow the plans, stick 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:41.920 to stick to what we had talked about. You know 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:45.560 that it was one of those situations because even game 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:48.840 day morning, there's still guys testing positive and being pulled 0:07:48.840 --> 0:07:52.240 from it. So you had really no idea until the 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:54.800 ball was kicked off. Okay, this is who we got, 0:07:55.160 --> 0:07:57.600 this is the plan. We just need to go execute it. 0:07:57.680 --> 0:08:01.560 And I think everybody just put goes aside and whatever 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:05.120 your responsibility is, whatever it had been, whatever it's about 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:08.600 to do now, um what whatever, you know, our responsibilities 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:13.920 are now, whether increased, decreased, or changed completely. Um, you know, 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:16.160 it was just about execution. We talked to our players 0:08:16.200 --> 0:08:18.920 about that stuff all the time, so as coaches obviously 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:22.320 that was uh something that that was important to us. 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.480 The game day stuff I felt like, went, well, um, 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:28.240 you know there was there there's also guys in the 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:30.320 box who are helping us out with situational stuff and 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:33.480 field position and um. But yeah, everybody just kind of 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:36.480 pitched in and said, let's go do this. Your other 0:08:36.600 --> 0:08:39.520 job being in charge of special teams this time of year, 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:42.560 everybody wants to talk to you because everybody knows, especially 0:08:42.640 --> 0:08:44.600 for a team that's coming off making the playoffs, that 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:46.320 you know a lot of guys at the back end 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:49.520 of the roster, whether they make the final fifty three 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:51.520 is coming, you know, comes down to whether they can 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:55.320 play special teams or not. How involved you is it daily, 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:57.880 is it weekly? Is it towards the end when you 0:08:57.880 --> 0:09:00.440 got to start making cuts that you're having convert stations 0:09:00.480 --> 0:09:02.840 with Cliff or with Steve Kim and others in the 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:05.800 personnel department about, hey, this is somebody we really need 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.240 to think about because they can be very valuable to 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:12.599 us on special teams. Yeah. I would say starting from 0:09:13.200 --> 0:09:15.560 when the when the smoke clears with the draft, free 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:17.800 agency is already over, you kind of have the bulk 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:20.520 of your team. Uh, there's still maybe one or two 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:22.560 signings that happen in the summer or whatever, you have 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:25.120 the bulk of your team. So it's it's it's a 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:30.320 constant evaluation. They're constant communication. I talk about roster stuff 0:09:30.360 --> 0:09:33.880 every day with somebody. I try to talk to the 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.240 position coach, try and talk to the coordinators because it's 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:38.160 not just going to come down to the kicking game, 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:40.439 but you know, the guys that are going to be 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:44.280 up on game day, what's their role? And at this 0:09:44.400 --> 0:09:47.680 point in training camp it's probably too early. You never 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:49.800 know who's going to get hurt. You never know what 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:53.520 situation make him up. Another player you know, may trade 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:55.240 for a guy, you know, something like that. So you're 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:58.400 you're kind of trying to figure this out and and 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:01.480 you let a play out. After to the second preseason game, 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:03.600 it kind of starts to come and focus, and going 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:06.440 to that third preseason game, you usually know these are 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:10.840 the position battles, okay, And when you're the special team's coach, 0:10:10.880 --> 0:10:16.560 you have to have a broad perspective because you know, hey, 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.600 are we going to keep three running backs or four 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:21.760 running backs or five running backs? Well, if you keep 0:10:21.760 --> 0:10:24.520 five running backs, that numbers coming from somewhere. So are 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:26.880 we taking one less safety? Are we taking one less 0:10:26.920 --> 0:10:30.840 d lineman? And it may not just be on that 0:10:30.880 --> 0:10:32.680 side of the ball. And then injuries are always going 0:10:32.720 --> 0:10:35.000 to play into it. So it's really early right now, 0:10:35.120 --> 0:10:38.440 but as time goes on, we'll continue to have those conversations. 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:42.520 We have weekly meetings with everybody, with coaches, with personnel 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:44.920 and kind of talk through things so everybody can kind 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:46.920 of get on the same page at least with what 0:10:46.960 --> 0:10:49.000 the evaluations are. And when we get towards the end 0:10:49.040 --> 0:10:51.840 of camp, it's all right, we know about this guy, 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:54.959 probably not rep him as much. These are the two 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:57.600 guys we need to see. Let's feed him and play 0:10:57.640 --> 0:11:00.840 him a bunch and see what happens. You have anybody, 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:02.959 I'm sure you do. I don't know off the top 0:11:03.000 --> 0:11:04.480 of your head that you can think of of a 0:11:04.559 --> 0:11:07.120 guy that, like you fought for at some point in 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:10.000 your career that turned out to be like a home run. 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.080 You fought for this guy, he ended up making the 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:15.520 roster and turned out to be a great special teams 0:11:15.520 --> 0:11:18.920 player or a great player period in your career. Because 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:24.319 you've had, you know, several stops bears. You mentioned Denver, Carolina, 0:11:24.360 --> 0:11:27.520 San Francisco, and then now here in Arizona. Yeah, there's 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:33.040 really two that stand out, most recently in twenty eighteen. 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:35.480 Zeke Turner. You know that that was a guy we 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:37.880 felt strongly could really make an impact on our team. 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:40.040 I watched a lot of his college tape before the draft, 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:44.440 knew what kind of player he could be, and you know, 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:48.040 it was a decision at the at the end where 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:49.560 whether he was going to make the team or not. 0:11:49.720 --> 0:11:52.280 And um, you know, I'm not the only person that 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:53.840 like Zeke. I don't want to, you know, say I'm 0:11:53.920 --> 0:11:57.920 solely responsible for that, but he was a guy that 0:11:58.080 --> 0:12:00.440 we definitely fought for and has played. Now he's in 0:12:00.440 --> 0:12:04.560 a second contract, so that worked out. And then probably 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:07.400 the one that stands out the most, it was Chris Harris, 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:11.160 who was a corner in Denver and we played here 0:12:11.160 --> 0:12:13.640 in the preseason. You know, when we played Arizona in 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:16.440 the preseason. I think he made three tackles in that game. 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.880 He was our leading tackler in the preseason. And that 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:23.000 was a decision that got made, you know, at the cutdown, 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:25.600 and there was a long I won't get into discussion, 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:29.000 but it was a lengthy discussion between him and another player, 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:33.520 and thankfully we're able to keep him. Played really well 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:36.680 for us in the kicking game, and about week five 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.880 he started starting on defense and he's had a really 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:42.959 good career. Another well, a couple of guys that are 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:46.480 current specialists for the team you've had a relationship with 0:12:46.600 --> 0:12:50.040 for a long time, Matt Prater and Andy Lee. When 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:52.400 Andy Lee was in San Francisco, My goodness, Wolf and 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:54.720 I would be doing the game, we'd be like during 0:12:54.720 --> 0:12:57.880 a commercial, like, man, I can't stand Andy Lee because 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:02.120 you guys killed us, Like every punch was perfect. When 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:04.280 we would play you guys when you're in San Francisco, 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.240 every single time he would pin us inside the ten 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:09.800 yard line. He's been a great bunner for a long time. 0:13:09.920 --> 0:13:12.200 And then Matt Prater, who are you with in Denver? Right? Yes? 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:15.520 And first of all, what's how do you as a 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:18.760 special team's coach handle a kicker, Because obviously everybody says 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:20.480 they're different. We see that we've had a lot of 0:13:20.520 --> 0:13:24.040 different personalities come through here and a lot of times 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:26.080 we watch on the sideline and nobody's talking to him. 0:13:26.080 --> 0:13:28.120 How do you handle those conversations or do you not 0:13:28.200 --> 0:13:31.680 have conversations with kickers during games? Yeah, I honestly I 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:35.760 try not to. And even you know, as guys are, 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:40.439 when a guy's an established, a veteran, there are certain 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:45.080 parameters that I believe in common denominators in which you know, 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:49.080 whether it's timing or you know, performance or whatever like 0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:52.840 I have kind of it really needs to be within 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.040 these things. But if they've made it to this level, 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:58.160 they've had success. I'm not going to try and change them. 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:02.960 There's things that we've talked about guys after seasons. This 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:04.719 is something you may want to think about it, but 0:14:04.800 --> 0:14:06.760 at the end of the day, that's their job and 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:10.439 that's their career. And I think sometimes as a coach. 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:12.760 We can get in our own way and try and 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.080 change a player to something he's not comfortable doing, and 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:18.480 his performance going to suffer from that as well. So 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:22.640 I you know, with the kickers and the punters, and 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:25.080 you learn, you learn over time. You know, you work 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:27.880 with different guys and some things work, some things don't, 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:30.720 and how to you know, manage that room and you 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:32.200 know kind of how they fit in with the team 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:36.720 and stuff. You know, those things are all changing, and 0:14:36.760 --> 0:14:38.880 all those guys are different, and I don't mean like 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:41.360 different in a bad way. They're just different personalities. You're human, 0:14:41.480 --> 0:14:44.560 So you're trying to develop a relationship so that you 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:47.880 can beyond, you know, the same good ground when stuff 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:50.120 does come up. But I try to, you know, as 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:52.240 much as I can, let them do their thing. So 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:54.200 when it comes down, because Matt last year, I had 0:14:54.200 --> 0:14:56.640 a great year and obviously was successful from fifty and 0:14:56.680 --> 0:15:00.920 beyond sixty and beyond. Do you have going into the 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.560 game based on whether it's a home game or on 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:05.440 the road, and good weather on the road and bad 0:15:05.480 --> 0:15:08.480 weather kind of in your mind, Okay, this is where 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.240 I'm gonna push for Cliff Hey, we need to kick 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:12.840 it here or does it also depend on how the 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:16.600 game's going. Yeah, I'd say both. I mean, we're not 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:18.920 going to ever put Matt on the field where we 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:21.800 feel like it's out of his range, like, hey, he 0:15:22.200 --> 0:15:24.800 probably can get it there, Like, that's not that's not 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:27.600 fair to Matt, that's not fair to our team. So 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:31.360 I've got I mean, i've been I've known Matt for 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:34.120 eleven years and uh kick for us in Denver and 0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:35.960 obviously joining the team here, I kind of got an 0:15:36.000 --> 0:15:39.480 idea of what a skill set is and in pregame, 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:42.200 you know you're gonna kind of gauge those things. It 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:45.400 doesn't change all that much, all things equal. Now you 0:15:45.440 --> 0:15:49.320 go to Denver, sure altitude maybe three three to five yards. 0:15:50.640 --> 0:15:53.400 We're going to Mexico City this year. Okay, that's like 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.840 twice as high as Denver. So I was involved in 0:15:56.880 --> 0:16:00.520 the O five game there and probably the highlight of 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:03.400 pregame warm up. The place was going absolutely nuts. I 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:06.160 have no idea what's going on. And I turn around 0:16:06.320 --> 0:16:09.200 and it's Joe Nedney kicking seventy five yard kicks and 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.200 I think it was Neil Rackers here at the time 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:13.520 doing the same thing the other way, and they're loving it, 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:15.560 right because it's soccer's kind of kind of their deal, 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:18.960 at least was at that time. But those are the 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:21.280 things that can influence. Obviously, if the weather changes, that 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:25.720 can influence those things as well. And is Matt involved 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:29.880 in those conversations. Sure, Matt always wants to kick. I 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:32.080 mean sometimes you got to save him from himself, like 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:34.200 I know I got this or whatever. It's like, Matt, 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:39.280 this is an eighty yard kick hill out. But yeah, 0:16:39.320 --> 0:16:41.920 I mean we talk after pregame warm up and he'll 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:44.680 kind of tell me, you know, what is our normal 0:16:44.880 --> 0:16:47.880 parameters and then what is the end of half, end 0:16:47.880 --> 0:16:51.440 of game? Like, feel like it's going to take a 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:53.680 really good kick, but I feel like I can get 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:56.680 it there from whatever wherever it is, Jeff. There have 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:00.840 been a lot of successful head coaches in college football 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:04.200 and in the NFL who have a background coaching special 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:07.800 teams at some point. I think a Frank Beamer at 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:11.880 Virginia Tech Beamer Ball. I know Urban Meyer when he 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:14.199 was at Ohio State in Florida. Even though he's the 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:16.800 head coach, he was heavily involved in special teams. For 0:17:16.800 --> 0:17:20.280 a lot of those guys, that was their background Nick Saban, 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:22.159 I think mostly defense. He might have been at some 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:25.840 point involved in special teams. John Harbos had a great 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.800 run in Baltimore and he was a special teams coach 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:32.879 before he got that job. So it is being a 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:37.119 head coach something that interests you? And do you think 0:17:37.200 --> 0:17:41.720 that special teams coaches will continue to get opportunities to 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:43.920 become head coaches? Yeah? I hope they do. And yeah, 0:17:43.960 --> 0:17:46.879 it's something that interests me. But it's always you know, 0:17:47.160 --> 0:17:49.200 be the best at the job that you got. And 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:52.280 you go back to light. I go back to the 0:17:52.359 --> 0:17:54.680 question you asked me earlier, like what goes into the 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:58.360 clock management, the game management, things like that. If you're 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:00.639 if you have aspirations to do those things, it's probably 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.200 your best interest not to wait till you have that 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:04.920 job before you acquire that knowledge. I think there's plenty 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:09.040 of guys whom the roster management, game management thing, those 0:18:09.080 --> 0:18:11.160 are things that that guys struggle with in their first 0:18:11.200 --> 0:18:16.480 time in that chair at the NFL level, and it's 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:19.000 just because that's not something they've been involved in if 0:18:19.000 --> 0:18:22.040 they were a defensive coordinator an offensive coordinator, and eventually 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:23.720 guys get it right. I mean, it's not like it's 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:25.920 impossible to learn. You don't have to study that stuff 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:29.640 for ten years to be good at it. But um, 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:32.360 you know, if you're gonna be hired for that job, 0:18:32.520 --> 0:18:34.119 you know, you hope that that you got you have 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:37.119 that skill set and you can manage the game accordingly. 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:41.119 You mentioned earlier that your dad was a coach, and 0:18:41.240 --> 0:18:43.720 you have two brothers, and one of them is coaching 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.040 with the Chargers. Yep, he's a D line coach there. 0:18:46.119 --> 0:18:48.920 And then your other brother is not coaching. The other 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:51.640 brother is not coaching. The other brother is in real 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.760 estate in Austin, Texas, having a great time, plays a 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:57.840 lot of golf. But he does have a claim to fame. 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:00.800 He does, he does. You know, I've told the story 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:04.639 a few times. My older brother was our quarterback in 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:06.520 high school. I went to Weston High School in Austin. 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:09.800 We've had some good players there, and my older brother 0:19:09.840 --> 0:19:14.560 was a starter as a senior. Little brothers the JV quarterback. 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:18.480 He's the heir apparent. He blew his knee out in 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:21.240 the preseason of a sophomore year, and his backup came 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:25.320 in and his backup was named Drew Brees, and Johnny 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:28.120 never saw the field again at quarterback until Drew got hurt. 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:31.760 Later on, Johnny end up going to defense. But uh, 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:34.480 and had a good senior year. They won the state championships, 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:36.120 so he's got that on me. I never won one, 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:38.480 but uh yeah, that's the kind of the story that 0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:40.399 comes up when it when it comes to Drew and Johnny. 0:19:40.440 --> 0:19:43.000 Do you guys still talk to Drew? Yeah, if I 0:19:43.000 --> 0:19:46.960 saw him in pregame warm up, you know, we would talk. 0:19:47.000 --> 0:19:50.919 And Drew's a great person. And you know, people asked me, 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:52.440 did you know in high school he was going to 0:19:52.480 --> 0:19:55.919 be a Hall of Famer? No, who knows that, right, Um, 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:58.359 But Drew was really competitive and he's a good person. 0:19:58.400 --> 0:20:02.159 He's got a good heart, worked hard. But yeah, my 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:04.560 younger brother, Johnny, still keeps in contact with him. He 0:20:04.560 --> 0:20:07.320 would go to games. We played the Saints a couple 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:09.680 of years ago and they were down on the field 0:20:09.680 --> 0:20:15.280 before the game and I had to ask Johnny, let 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:16.879 me see that hat that you got tucked by in 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:18.480 your back, and sure enough it was the Saints hat. 0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:22.040 So he's rooting for the other side. But you know, 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:25.560 stuff happens before I got this job. In two thousand 0:20:25.600 --> 0:20:29.240 and two, I did one year a preseason for the 0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:33.479 Buffalo Bills. I was doing Syracuse their radio football and basketball. 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:34.879 I went to school there and then went back and 0:20:35.480 --> 0:20:39.480 John Butler was the GM in Buffalo and gave me 0:20:39.520 --> 0:20:42.400 a chance to get into the NFL the late grade. 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:45.159