Head Coach Brian Daboll
May 26, 2022
BRIAN DABOLL: So we’re on OTA six today. Working some different situations. A little bit more first and second down stuff. Again, just kind of taking it day by day and making some strides as we go. Looking forward to having a good day.
Q. Is Kayvon good? Saw he left practice last week and is wearing a red jersey.
BRIAN DABOLL: He'll be in a red jersey today along with some of the other guys. I'd say this with the red jersey guys, they are all making progress, taking it day-by-day, but they are all doing a good job of doing the rehab that they need to do, whatever that's required of them.
Q. Any long-term training camp concerns with him with whatever happened?
BRIAN DABOLL: I don't think there's really any. We'll see, it's day-to-day. I'm talking about for everybody. I think the red jersey guys are making progress and hopefully we'll have everybody ready to go.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about Julian Love, he's one of those guys, steady performer without a lot of fanfare.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, dependable, smart. Plays tough on tape. I think he's done a good job in his group. Been a good leader for us, good communication with X (Xavier McKinney) out there. It is really a pleasure to be around. Seems like we can use him in a lot of different roles and he's, I'd say, ready for that challenge in terms of understanding the playbook and being able to perform it out there on the field up to this point.
Q. Most of your career you've been an offensive coach, but when you see Wink do things, do you process it as an offensive coach and say, man, that's hard to beat?
BRIAN DABOLL: My first five years in football were learning defense from Nick Saban and Belichick and a couple other good coaches I've worked for. I've obviously been doing offense for awhile.
I think one of the reasons we decided to hire Wink was he does run, I'd say, a multiple scheme, presents certain challenges to you offensively, he's a good communicator. He does a good job of leading the defensive coaches and players out there.
But yeah, I'd say so, it's always a learning process. You get an appreciation for the players. You are running a system and installing it, and those guys, this is tough. I'm trying to make sure I'm up to speed on all the defensive stuff and what we call it and why we do certain things. As well as the kicking game.
Yeah, there’s a lot to it.
Q. You mentioned last week wanting Daniel to be aggressive, taking shots. How has he done with that through five of these practices?
BRIAN DABOLL: Good. Again, I think those are all good learning lessons. Can you fit it in that window, can he move the safety with his eyes, can he anticipate where a receiver is going to be based on the choice that the receiver has. That's going to be all the way through the rest of these OTAs and through training camp.
I think that's why you practice for a quarterback especially, it's okay to make a mistake in practice. You touch the ball on every single play. Let's go ahead and find out what we need to work on and let's continue to be as aggressive as we can.
Q. With Wink, the first word anybody uses to describe his defense is aggressive. When you were looking for a defensive coordinator, was that a priority or you just liked him? There's other ways you can play defense obviously, was it his style that really appealed to you?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'd say that, one, he did a good job in the interview. Two, his system is difficult to prepare for as an offensive coach so again there has to be a good meld of personalities and a lot of other things that go into it, but certainly his defenses, they were aggressive and presented certain challenges as an offensive play-caller and when you game plan and stuff.
Again we are in day six and he's put a lot in and I'd say it's still difficult when you're an offensive coach. Offensive coaches have to go back -- you don't game plan against your team but there are certain challenges to it.
Q. You are big on relationships. What have you seen from the players and Wink as they are coming together?
BRIAN DABOLL: Wink is a very genuine guy. The first day he stood in front of the defense, I was in that meeting and it was pretty quiet. He was the guy that was talking most of the time, but I'd say he encourages input and good give and take in there and now when I go in there the first five minutes, it's like a party for five minutes. Everybody's talking, laughing, telling stories, so I think he's done a good job of loosening those guys up. We've got a long way to go with those guys.
Q. As a first-time head coach, you can pick who you want on your staff and the dynamics of it, and to bring in a big personality like that, some first-time head coaches might say, he may be too much of a personality. You obviously weren't afraid of that at all?
BRIAN DABOLL: No, I think that's the job of a leader is to be able to lead and communicate and build relationships with a lot of good people on your staff, different people. Some might be a little bit more timid. Some might be a little louder.
Same thing when you're looking for players. I think if you can develop good relationships and build trust and be a good communicator that you can deal with anybody. But I'd say, look, when we were hiring a staff, there's a lot of people involved in that. So when we interviewed some of the defensive coordinators, Wink, there was seven or eight people involved in that on Zoom meetings asking questions. Jerome Henderson was involved in that. Bobby Johnson, guys that were already on the staff because I think it's important that not one person can -- for example -- that's all right. Yeah.
Q. To this point, what are the most significant thing or things that you've learned about Daniel?
BRIAN DABOLL: He wants to be good. He wants to be coached. I'd say he's tough on himself, which is good and bad for a quarterback, too, because you have to be able to move on to the next play rather quickly since you touch the ball on every play. Asks a lot of good questions. He's been out here on the field. He's improved since we've been here.
I'd say fundamentally, understanding what we want to try to do. Just try to bring out the best in him and I think he wants to be as good as he can be for this football team. Obviously, he's had a kind of up and down first few seasons. But it takes everybody. You see the growth of some of these young quarterbacks from year one to year two to year three to year four that have consistency in the system, add play-makers around them. The entire team, we've got to try to work toward that the best we can.
Q. Did you talk to him personally about the decision not to pick up his fifth year option?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'll keep those personal conversations personal in terms of dealing with the players in respect to that. I think we have a good relationship. Those decisions or those conversations, whatever they are, whether it's that or releasing a player or you're cutting down on a player's play time or adding player's play time, those will always be personal to me and the player, but he's a pro.
Q. How tough a conversation is that because it could be viewed as, hey, they don't have full confidence and they are not fully invested in me?
BRIAN DABOLL: I just think you're just honest with the player or the person in the organization that you're dealing with. I think you have mutual respect and that's how those conversations go.
Q. Tom Coughlin was here the other day. What's your relationship like with him?
BRIAN DABOLL: I've known Coach obviously from being in the league for awhile. Got to talk to him other day. Didn't have much of a relationship prior to getting here but just a tremendous amount of respect for what he's done as a coach and as a man, the foundation that he represents.
Going through some tough times right now and just got a ton of respect for how he went about his business. A good resource to have obviously in the spot that I’m in right now. That's why I'm out here ten minutes early.
Q. Will you make it to Raleigh by 7:00 tonight?
BRIAN DABOLL: I cannot. Go Rangers.
