It was basically the transcript from his interview after the 1st padded practice (yesterday I believe), and there were no excuses he was asked a few questions about some of the players on the team and he answered no excuses..
I believe someone posted a thread with the videos if youre a listener and not a reader..
In what ways has Jermaine Grace improved and how can he help your defense?
“Jermaine is very talented. The things we like about Jermaine is that he can really run and he is very good in space. He is an excellent blitzer and he is instinctive. He needs to work harder in the weight room and get bigger and he needs to really work at the playbook. The skill set is there and we just have to get the preparation and work habits to match his skill set. He doesn’t have to gain a ton of weight. He can play in our defense right now. Denzel Perryman was 208 pounds when he was first year and he made commitment and he is 242 pounds. Jermaine is going to be a weak side linebacker who can play in space. He is good on third down and he is versatile because he can cover tight ends and running backs and blitz.”
What have you seen from Tyriq McCord and Al-Quadin Muhammad at the rush defensive end spot?
“I think it is going good. They are two talented guys. I don’t want to say they are one dimensional, but they are very good pass rushers. They were opposite one another on third down for us and they still are, so I am able to get them on the field separately and together. They can each set the edge, rush the passer, and jam and re-route guys if they have to drop back as well.”
Do you have a third guy behind them in that rush end spot?
“Right now we are working Darrion Owens there on third down because Tyriq goes over and plays defensive end on that down, so we slide Darrion there at times behind Al-Quadin. Darrion has been really good at it. He is a natural pass rusher. We are starting to have more symmetry there at that spot.”
How is Dallas Crawford doing at safety?
“He is a football player and you know he is going to show up and do multiple things. He has to reverse his thinking now because he is on the other side of the ball. I always say safety is the hardest position.”
At the end of the second practice, Dallas gave up a long touchdown. I guess he was upset about it.
“He learned that lesson. That is why we work two minute drill almost every day. Those are tough situations and you learn from them. We try to give them a scenario every day. If it is a three point game and they need a field goal, we will really pressure them and not give them that chance. If it is a seven point game, the one thing we don’t do is give up a deep ball. They all need to learn from those scenarios.”
What have you challenged Alex Figueroa to get better at?
“It is just knowing the detail of your work. There is no problem with his effort or with his physicalness. This is just going back to last year. This spring he has done what we have asked of him. He has been very vocal and is taking charge. He has been very vocal and is playing at 100 miles per hour.”
How is Ufomba Kamalu’s progression at defensive end going?
“Very good. He didn’t have the luxury of spring ball, the summer, or training camp. He arrived well after we installed the whole defense. He got better and better as the season went on and he had a good offseason. We are expecting big things from him. The good thing is that he was a junior college kid, but we still get two more seasons with him.”
How about Calvin Heurtelou? How is he coming along?
“He has come in and worked really hard, but he is going to be behind the curve from a conditioning standpoint because he is not used to what we are doing. He is catching up with conditioning and he is of course learning the defense. What I have seen though is that he has a strong lower body and he plays with good pad level. He has to get his technique and improve his conditioning going. He has to be able to learn the package. It is much better having him now for the spring rather than in August. This time will be a big benefit for him.”
