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Saturday Transcript: Head Coach Brian Daboll

Eric from BBI : Admin : 5/6/2023 2:37 pm
Head Coach Brian Daboll

Q. Do these conversations ever get easier on the front end and also on the back end with the tryout guys? I know that's probably one of the hardest things to do at practice at these NFL camps.

BRIAN DABOLL: No. You've got a tremendous amount of empathy for these guys that come out here and are doing everything they're asked to do, and there's only so many spots on an NFL roster, and those get taken away each few weeks here in training camp, but I told those guys I appreciate day one, and let's go out here and have a good day two, and we'll see how it goes.

Q. We can see a bunch of your higher drafted guys, the (Jalin) Hyatt and (Deonte) Banks get in there in the individual 7-on-7 live drills. What's your thought process behind that?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, they've been on the road quite a bit. Had a lot of visits. Again, one of the main things is just come out of here healthy, let them figure out how we do some things, where some things are, and then get a look at some of the tryout guys, as well. They'll have plenty of time to get a lot of reps here over the next, call it, few weeks.

Q. In terms of the draft picks, how much do you use these couple days when you're not getting on the field a lot, use these days to kind of confirm the things that you thought about them through the process?

BRIAN DABOLL: I just think it's kind of a start-over evaluation process for all those guys. You meet, you prepare in terms of the selection of the player, and now that they're here and they're figuring out how we do things, you only put so many things in with each player per se, so Jalin, all the other receivers, we did the same thing with them to see how they picked things up, but there's even a little bit more now, and there will be some more in a couple weeks when they get back, kind of get their feet wet.

Q. What do you see Eric Gray being able to do at this level, and what do you hope to see him from not just this camp but going forward?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think he was a good college football player. Until he's out here competing with our players and with our guys doing the stuff we ask him, I'm going to wait until August or September to see where we're at on that one.

Q. In your two depths have you seen an evolution at that position, running back? The running has been an evolution, the usage, the combos, passing out of the backfield, all that stuff?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think it's really just an evolution of the game itself. You're always going to have big backs that can stick it in there and run downhill. You may have some receiving backs or some backs that can play on all three downs. I don't really think that's been different since I've been in the league. Running back, there's certain guys that have different still sets, pass backs, running backs, in terms of just handling the ball. Like to utilize guys that can do both in both phases.

Q. When you were in Kansas City, didn't your running back have a monster year number-wise?

BRIAN DABOLL: Jamaal (Charles)? Jamaal had a good year. I think Reggie (Bush) had one of his better years at Miami, Peyton Hillis. Again, it's just depending on the team, what you have. We had a bunch of receivers or tight ends or running backs, your job as a coach is to figure out how to use your guys that are best on your team.

Q. Would you like to lighten Saquon's load a little bit and how do you feel about a two-back system?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, depends on what we have out here come August, getting around, seeing what we've got in terms of players' loads and how much, it's completely different team, we'll see how it goes once we get out here and compete with pads in training camp and preseason games.

Q. I know you have an idea of what these players can do before they come in, but once you get them out on the field and you start to see them in person, do you ever say to yourself, wow, maybe we could do this and add this to the playbook? Do they ever inspire you in that way or do you have a set way of doing things as far as the playbook and --

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, no, not at all. Maybe not right now, but once phase three hits and we're out here practicing a little bit, albeit without pads in training camp, certainly we'll do that. If there's something that you see from a particular player that maybe you didn't see on tape, whether it's in college, whether it was with another team, you definitely want to do that. I don't think you just have a playbook and say here's what we're going to run. I think the playbook is predicated on what the players do well.

Q. Does Jalin as a punt returner fall into that category at all? Is that something you would think about doing?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, absolutely. We'll put as many guys back there as we can to figure that one out. But again, it's a ways away.

Q. How much one-on-one time are you getting with the tryout guys?

BRIAN DABOLL: I would say it's pretty consistent with how we do a normal kind of phase three in terms of the meetings. 8:00 they come in, they meet from 8:00 to 8:55 with their position coaches or maybe Wink (Martindale) wants to meet with them for 10 minutes, or (Mike) Kafka does. We have a little team meeting, we go back out, they have another long meeting with their position coaches. We do a walk-through, then we come out here, then watch the tape, then we go back in at about 2:30 today and finish watching the tape. I'd say this camp they have a little bit more with their individual coaches because there's a lot less install. Kafka is not up there for 40 minutes installing plays. It's five plays a day here.

Q. How important is that for the tryout guys especially to get that -- form that relationship with those guys, those coordinators, and those coaches?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's really important. They're the ones meeting few hours a day. That's why we don't put in a whole lot in this type of camp because we want to see who can pick things up for call it five, six plays or a couple defenses, be really detailed. If they're struggling with that, then that's an issue.

Q. Where are you with Jalin in terms of perhaps the necessity of him to broaden a little bit of the route tree and that kind of thing?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'm good with Jalin. Again, yeah, he's been asked to do certain things. He's had a couple different coaches in college. Again, day one out here, did everything we asked him to do, and each day we'll build off that.

Q. What was your pre-draft contact with (Habakkuk) Baldonado? I'm always interested by guys who are a little raw. I guess eh grew up in Rome and whatnot.

BRIAN DABOLL: Not a lot. Yeah, not a lot.

Q. With Jalin Hyatt, how much did that Alabama game kind of pop off the tape for you guys, and how much do you think it played into the evaluation of him as a player? You mentioned how that kind of took it to the next level.

BRIAN DABOLL: He had five touchdowns. When you're evaluating these guys, you go back, it's not one game, particularly with our scouting department. They've watched every game usually for two, sometimes three years. Once the coaches get involved, it's probably not as extensive as what the scouts have been. But that's definitely a game we looked at. I wouldn't say it's a deciding factor by any stretch.

Q. But isn't Alabama, okay, we're seeing him against guys that are going to be in the NFL?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, he played in the SEC, so it's pretty good conference down there. He had an outstanding game, no question about it, but he was a productive player for them, good speed, had good intangibles. We met with him on the 30 visit. It was kind of all-encompassing.

Q. Did Joe call you immediately after?

BRIAN DABOLL: No, we were busy getting ready for a game, so those type of conversations when they're on colleges and looking at college players, we're pretty busy handling our business. I forgot who it was we played. I remember we were home because there was a lot of guys down in the cafeteria watching the end of that game.

No, but he didn't call me.

Q. With John Michael, you guys say all the time that your offensive linemen and defensive linemen, evaluation doesn't start until five days into training camp, but when you have a rookie like that who eventually you'll count on a lot, do you kind of set out that schedule for him in terms of what the next couple months will be? He's a guy who's not going to hit somebody again until August.

BRIAN DABOLL: Really for the linemen, both sides, it's a lot of mental work, and then it's a lot of technique work, albeit without pads. Bobby (Johnson) has done a great job. We've been together here for the past five years. He's got a good plan, not just for him but for all the linemen.

But there's a lot of calls and a lot of different things that maybe we call things that he didn't at Minnesota and maybe some more protections, but playing offensive line in this league, whether it's tackle, center, guard, it's a challenging position early on in your career.

Q. Is he getting everything out of -- I noticed after 7-on-7s he's flipping the ball every time. What are you trying to get out of that for him, just making calls?

BRIAN DABOLL: No, just have him snap the ball to the quarterback. Usually there's an equipment guy up there because they're doing one-on-ones when we've got pads on and things like that, but just get him some extra snaps to the quarterback, let him hear the quarterback's cadence. That's about it.

Q. Did his agent actually play for you?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, Jeremiah (Sirles).

Q. Did you talk to Jeremiah at all during the process? Like maybe he knows somebody -- that's a little different for the agent to be a former player for the head coach.

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say, look, Jeremiah was a very smart player. What we did when I was with him is probably a little bit different now, but certainly I think having someone like that for John Michael is probably a benefit. You'd have to ask him. I've stayed in contact with Jeremiah on a lot of different things. Got a lot of trust in him, so it's good to be able to bounce some things off of him regarding players that he may represent.
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