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Friday Media Transcript: OL Coach Hal Hunter

Eric from BBI : Admin : 9/7/2018 2:58 pm
OL Coach Hal Hunter
September 7, 2018
 
Q: Where’s your unit at?

A: I think my unit is very focused. They’re anxious to show what they can do. I think they feel like they’ve all got something to prove. Everybody’s got their own story with some – everybody comes from a different place and they’ve got a story to prove and what they want to try and show the NFL and the people that are going to be watching them play. Everybody’s got their own unique story. Am I a rookie and playing for the first time? Am I playing in a different position? Did I leave one zip code and come to another? Everybody’s got something they’re trying to establish and so you establish it by signing your work on game day. I think they’re focused, they’re together, they’re anxious to get out there and get some rhythm and play and play together as a unit and be productive, that’s the bottom line. They got two jobs, it’s real simple: they got to protect the quarterback and play good run football. The offensive line plays real simple. That’s all they’ve got to do and if they do that, you have a good chance to win. If you don’t, probably not going to win. That’s what you got to do.
 
Q: The first team unit running the ball in the preseason didn’t go too terrifically. What gives you confidence that you guys can establish it and move the line of scrimmage this weekend?

A: First of all, it’s all about establishing – you got to establish some rhythm and the one thing a really good football coach told me 30 years ago was the most important element in the running game, first of all, is the runner and then the runner has got to be in sync with the offensive line and the tight end, the people that are the blockers because basically in offensive football if you don’t have the ball in your hand, you are a blocker, no matter what number jersey you wear. It’s all nine guys working together and so as they continue to establish, it has to be the line in sync with the back having a good feel. The back’s got to have confidence in the line. The line’s got to have confidence in the back. We’ve got to be on the right angles and blocking the right guys and the back’s got to feel. It’s all getting in sync and the back and the line are working together as one. Coming out of the preseason, is it an overloaded box? They got one more guy in the box than you can block, are you making all the blocks that you need to make? Are you making the right cut? Everybody’s involved in it, so the bottom line it’s all about execution. The hardest thing to do in the game of football is run the football. That’s the hardest thing you do. You look at special teams, offense, defense, throwing, pass protection. Running the football is five times tougher than pass pro. It’s the hardest thing to do in the game of football, so that’s why you got to work on that and continue to develop that.
 
Q: With the way the game is now, you hear it all the time, how much work you get in practice through the season, but really Pat (Shurmur) has talked about this first team offensive line hasn’t really played a full game yet together. Can you know that you have that rhythm with what you’re seeing now?

A: You can. You establish the rhythm, but it goes all the way when you start back in phase two and phase three (in the spring) and what your limitations are as you’re developing young guys, your limitations on practice time, you’re correct. It’s just a matter, it’s not something that’s either going to be – it’s not going to be a final process come Sunday. It’s going to be a process that builds through the season. It’s like anything – wherever you’re at on this Sunday doesn’t mean that’s where you’re going to be at for the season. It’s going to grow and progress week by week, day by day, week by week, week by week as the season goes on because that’s how the run game works, that’s how football works. No matter how we – I’m anticipating we’re going to have a great performance because the guys are focused and ready to execute. We had a great practice yesterday, but as we continue, we talked about it before, we will be in a continual process of development week one, week two through 17 weeks. That’s what we’ll be continuing to do, trying to – whether it’s our pass protection or our run blocking, continue to develop and move in the right direction.
 
Q: Chad’s (Wheeler) basically the next guy up at both tackle spots. What’s your confidence level in him? What have you seen from him this offseason?

A: He’s got more natural left than he does right, that’s just where his wheel house is. He’s played more left so basically what you do is you work on your weakness, right. We’ve played him a lot at right trying to get him a lot of reps so he has more confidence. Moving one guy from left to right, you can concentrate on right, but when you have to be able to do everything both ways, it’s hard. Mentally he’s really in tune to what we’re doing. Physically he’s made a lot of progress in terms of what we’re doing, but again the proof will be in how performs on Sunday. But he’s making progress and we do have a lot of confidence in him.
 
Q: When you look at Jacksonville, they’re ranked one against the pass and something in 20s against the run. Is the pass defense that good because of what they get upfront or is it…?

A: It’s a combination. They got two unbelievable corners. They got two really good corners, but if you look at the stats where the most of their sacks come from, four-man rush, right? So we saw it last night against Atlanta when Atlanta was driving the ball down and Philadelphia was hitting the quarterback with a four-man rush, did you see all those guys dropping? When you’re rushing four and dropping seven and getting pressure on the quarterback, it’s a long day, so if they rush four, you got to keep the quarterback clean. I think it’s a combination. They got four defensive linemen that could start for anybody in the NFL. I mean, they’re really, really good and they put pressure on the quarterback with four guys and that means they’re dropping seven guys into coverage. It’s like throwing into a parking lot after a game and there’s people everywhere. To be able to open up the passing game, you got to be able to protect. You got to make them add a fifth guy, add a sixth guy. Go from zone coverage to man coverage. If they rush four guys, you got to protect longer to give guys a chance to get open on their routes. I watched their defensive front and I’ve watched it evolve and when I was in Indy, we played them twice a year and they were stout back then, but it’s the same formula, the same defense. They’re going to put pressure on you with four guys and they’re going to keep bringing it and those are four really talented guys. In terms of that, we got our hands full on Sunday. Those are guys who are really talented.
 
Q: What’s made Evan Brown make this team because you have centers: (Jon) Halapio, (John) Greco, Spencer Pulley, I believe. What made Evan Brown worth having?

A: When you’re trying to make a decision, we talk about – you kind of look at, kind of go back to what the basics are. Who are the best players? Best players are the guys that play the best so how you know – You look at the tape and see who the best players are. Here’s what I like about Evan Brown and not to take anything away from Brett Jones because I love Brett Jones, tough, hard working. Evan Brown: strong, physical, smart, plays with leverage, plays with balance, bigger than people think. He’s pushing 6’3” and he weighs 310. I mean he’s a good size and so he did a lot of the right things that I like in terms of the center that not just I liked in terms of the center, but everybody’s that’s in the decision process likes as a center. He checked all the right boxes and when he got into the game, that last game against New England and played 56 snaps, he did a really good job.
really?  
santacruzom : 9/7/2018 10:13 pm : link
Quote:
Running the football is five times tougher than pass pro.


I was always under the impression that linemen much prefer to run block than try to move backward/laterally to pass protect, and that as a result they found it much "easier."
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