00:00How difficult is the defense making life for you guys?
00:03It's a formidable group across from us, for sure.
00:06So that's really exciting to see for the team, for the organization.
00:12As somebody that in three and a half weeks is going to be rooting like hell for them,
00:18that's exciting to see because it's tough.
00:21They're doing some really good things.
00:23They're challenging us schematically, and then they're also just challenging us
00:26from a standpoint of who they are and winning one-on-one matchups.
00:30So it's going to make us better.
00:33I feel like I've been getting at least a really good run every day in video.
00:37How do you feel about the running game?
00:39I'm very pleased.
00:41It's not where we want it to be ultimately,
00:44but we're seeing a lot of positive returns on some stuff we've invested in over the offseason
00:49and really spent a lot of time with our guys,
00:52honing in on the details of what it is that we're trying to get done.
00:56And we've gotten a lot of really positive feedback, and we've had success not every time, obviously.
01:03You're never going to bat 1,000, especially in that phase, but you've got to stick with it.
01:09And we're going to do that, and I think we're seeing some of the benefits there.
01:14I know you guys really value continuity, and Joe's trust with people is always something that's really important.
01:20When it comes to, you know, potentially a battle between Andre and Moldy,
01:25obviously Andre's got a lot of spanked, but how does he take advantage of what he can do in this
01:31training camp?
01:32And is that, you know, a battle that you see potentially growing, or, you know, how does that take out
01:37for you?
01:37I mean, I think, you know, you highlighted two guys.
01:39I think I've always viewed the battle within the passing game in our offense as, you know,
01:48who's competing over the shares for the third, fourth, fifth guy, you know.
01:52And I think those guys all come really from three different rooms.
01:57And so I think you could highlight all of our individuals, whether it be Dre, whether it be Colby,
02:04and you could say, hey, there's a handful of instances where they've done some really impressive things.
02:09And then there's another handful of instances where we've got to finish.
02:14And that's the beauty of getting to come out here every day and compete.
02:20And, you know, at the end of the day, the best players will play,
02:23and the guys that we feel like give us the best chance to win in any given week.
02:27So there's a long way left before we have to make those decisions.
02:31What does the under-center game have for this offense?
02:35I mean, I think there's a lot that it opens up for you in terms of what the defense has
02:42to honor.
02:45And it, you know, creates some opportunities potentially in the run game
02:50and there's some different things that might have a little bit more high-end payoff.
02:55You have to go execute them.
02:57And you have to be ready to answer some of the unique challenges that are presented to you
03:01as an offense when you get under-center.
03:03So we're just going to keep doing the cost-benefit.
03:06I can't stand here today and tell you what percentage we're going to be in the gun,
03:10what percentage we're going to be under-center.
03:11We have a plan.
03:12Everything we're doing right now is for the purpose.
03:14We're getting some really good feedback.
03:16Fuffling up on Colby, what's impressed you so far?
03:20Yeah, I mean, I think you guys see, like, the size and the physicality
03:24and the ability to ward off contact down the field and make plays.
03:28I see a guy who's really willing to do the dirty work and do the thankless jobs.
03:34You know, everybody wants to run down the field and high point the 40-yard goalball.
03:38The crowd goes wild for that.
03:40The crowd doesn't realize it when you dig out a safety on duo
03:43and it might open up a lane that's a half a yard wider
03:46that lets Chase Brown make somebody miss and get 14 rather than four.
03:50We see that stuff.
03:52I see a guy who understands that early on in his career,
03:56that's going to be something we ask of him,
03:58and he's going to have to perform it at a high level.
03:59And if he does, he's going to have a role.
04:01And then by doing those things, it buys you more time on the field
04:05so that when the time is right and the matchup presents,
04:08you can go make the big play.
04:10So that's what I've seen from him so far, by no means perfect,
04:13but very positive about who he is as a player and a person
04:18and what he's going to bring to us.
04:19How do you feel like you ever saw that stuff?
04:21I think there's been mixed results, and I think that's what we've expected.
04:26I've been really pleased with some of the stuff we've been able to do in the run game.
04:30I know that's sometimes a hard thing to evaluate
04:33when you're not tackling ball carriers and bringing them to the ground
04:36and really getting a sense for what's a good run and what isn't.
04:40We've had several explosive runs,
04:43and we've been able to create some space that I'm really happy with.
04:47I think we've got to continue to work through what we're going to look like
04:50as a first and second down passing offense,
04:55and that will include some under center, some gun.
04:58I can't tell you how much of each, but we have to be complementary.
05:02We have to make light part of the defense, and in order to do that,
05:07they've got to have to honor everything, no matter what formation you line up in.
05:11And so that's what we're setting out to do and figure out how we can accomplish that.
05:15When you look at an unscripted period like that, as an offense,
05:18what do you get out of that, and as a coach, what do you learn from that?
05:21Well, it's a way to impose stress on the players in a way that scripted periods don't.
05:31These guys all care very deeply about doing their jobs,
05:34and so when they know they're going to be in for this set of plays
05:37and these are the plays that are going to be called,
05:41they go home, they study them,
05:43and you should see very little, if any, error
05:45when it comes to executing the mental parts of those plays.
05:48Now you get in a call-it period, and that's much more like a game
05:52where, hey, here's the call sheet,
05:53and there's 150 of these things that can come out of his mouth at any given time,
05:57and you've got to be ready to go execute.
05:59And so the first couple times you do that,
06:01you tend to see an uptick in alignment error, motion timing,
06:06targeting in the run game, targeting in protection.
06:10But we've got to, you know, we've got to snuff that out quickly
06:16because that's real football.
06:18And so you learn a lot about guys when you go to periods like that.
06:22Is that how you saw this unscripted?
06:24You've got to get something out of that.
06:25Sure, yeah, for sure.
06:27I mean, yeah, we didn't, I mean, I think overall today we just,
06:30we didn't make enough plays.
06:32We had a chance to make way more plays than we did today.
06:34And so that's disappointing, but you learn from it and you move on
06:38and we'll make more tomorrow.
06:41And, you know, we'll go back and we'll find out what are the reasons for
06:44maybe some of the stuff that needs to improve operationally.
06:47I think by and large, we've had a very good camp operationally.
06:51I've been pleased with Paul about that.
06:52This is probably the worst day.
06:53Sure, I mean, it's hot.
06:54It's, you know, we're through eight installs now.
06:57So it's a lot of value that the guys are responsible for.
07:00We understand that.
07:02That's by design.
07:03We want to see how they perform in stressful situations.
07:06And so every day is a new day.
07:08Learn from today.
07:09Get better tomorrow.
07:10Seems like Dante Myers has made a few catches every day.
07:12How's his group, man?
07:13What do you think?
07:13Good, good, yeah.
07:15Pleased with Dante.
07:16You know, he's going to be one of those guys that is going to have to,
07:19you know, do whatever he possibly can to help the football team.
07:23Not only for us, but for Darren.
07:27But there's a lot to like there about Dante.
07:29He's diligent.
07:31He cares.
07:32He's got real juice.
07:33He can separate.
07:34And he catches the ball well.
07:35So he's just got to stack days.
07:38And then when he gets a chance, make the plays.
07:40And I think for the most part, he's done that.
07:42When you all were installing this, my shooting stuff is so hard.
07:44What's the discourse with Joe Merrill like?
07:46Because you kind of see what he likes and kind of get this feedback.
07:49What does that process mean?
07:49Yeah, I think, you know, way back in the spring, Joe and I sat down and I kind of laid
07:57out like, hey, here's, we've talked a lot as coaches.
08:00Here's how we see this thing progressing in May and then in June and then we get through training camp.
08:07And then once we get into the preseason games.
08:09And so none of this has all been talked about.
08:12And so we understand where we're at in that process.
08:17And then, you know, there'll come a time as we get closer and closer to playing real football games.
08:23We're going to do whatever we think it takes to beat the opponent across from us.
08:26We're not married to any ideological this or that.
08:31It's we just want to have a lot of tools at our disposal.
08:34And that's what we're developing right now.
08:36And he's been great with that.
08:37He's totally on board with that.
08:38And if you don't take the time to develop those tools, well, when you get to the point where you've
08:42got to decide how you're going to win the game, you just have less there for you.
08:47And so we're trying to, you know, load up that toolbox and have whatever we do.
08:53Is it the way a game is more operational?
08:56Yeah, I mean, you know, that's another thing that comes up is third down day, right?
09:00So third down pressure period, we're trying to recognize the front structure, manipulate it a little bit, figure out who's
09:07coming, get it blocked.
09:09And sometimes that takes time.
09:11Now, we've got to be aware of it.
09:13Now, thankfully, we've got the five right back on the next play by drawing them into the neutral zone.
09:20But, you know, we've got to operate quickly in those spots, and we'll learn from that.
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