HC Jonathan Gannon addresses the media before day three of mandatory minicamp

HC Jonathan Gannon addresses the media before day three of mandatory minicamp

golfing golfing in 110 degree heat best time best time yeah I guess so happy Thursday happy Thursday everybody um last day here so a lot of work to get done they’re charged up so we’ll have a good day here and then we hit a little bit of a break and then July 22nd we’ll be back at it what do we got i know when you get to the end of of an offseason thing a lot of times coaches will talk to their team about hey don’t be that guy all that stuff do you do you think that still resonates with guys do they kind of know that if you build a certain culture that you don’t want to be that guy or does that message still need to be We educate our guys on what’s winning behavior inside the gates and outside the gates so um they know what’s expected talk about year one to year two does that stand for offensive lineman guys like Isaiah Adams and what do you think he benefited him the most those last five starts of last year and what have you seen so far this year he’s doing a good job um worked on his technique worked on his his physical u bucket I would say he’s done he’s made a big jump he’s he’s had a really good spring but um he knows like all the linemen know like everybody knows you got to put on pads to see where you’re really at but uh he’s doing a good job as you head into the break how do you how do you feel about how much you’ve accomplished before yeah I think uh our our learning was definitely accelerated um I think the new guys in the building their first year whether it be free agents or rookies are caught up to speed um and this you know these last eight weeks or whatever really just a stepping stone towards camp you know so they know they got to hit the ground running they got to do the right things in their off time um and be ready to go how valuable is that to get these kids especially the young ones on the field put them in some adverse situations and see how they Yeah very valuable they’re learning experiences for all those guys you know it’s all new to them um yes it’s just playing football at the end of the day but um just you know it’s new techniques new scheme new way of doing things um new expectations and standards for them you know so um really pleased with the rookie class though right now as we sit here today with Well speaking of a rookie class with a guy like Elijah Simmons who um you know comes into what looks like a very deep room he’s got to not only learn the game but also uh battle that depth chart like what have you seen out of him and what kind of message do you give is it any different of a to a guy like that no tell him just like we tell all the rookies this is where you’re at right now and this is what you need to do to improve but the I understand a question Darren the battling the depth chart like you have it like if you count numbers you’re it’s it’s uh that’s an external factor that’s really pointless like control what you can control um and become the best player you can be because you don’t know how it’s going to kick out what have been your initial impressions of Jordan uh really smart detailed um I think that uh we’ve moved him around a little bit um you see some of the physical traits that we saw on tape which is one of the reasons we drafted him um he’s been excellent with learning fourth down as well um you know just like all our rookies needs to get on the pads and get some live reps and and go through some learning experiences but uh I’m pleased where he’s at right now he’s doing well we talked to Josh SW yesterday and he said his two years with you in Philly he had a lot of freedoms or more freedoms than he had previously and he said that’s kind of the feeling he has now what do what does freedom for Josh Schwe look like freedom for Josh Schwe look like Kh well I would say not just for Josh Schwe for all our guys like within the framework of scheme um if you have to get something done um and you can get it done playing with a different technique or a different alignment or a different eye progression um than you know than what I say to do that’s okay you know what I mean so um now we give them a couple different tools you know what I mean and pick the best one but I don’t think it’s just like DB play it’s wide rece it’s everybody um I don’t think it’s one sizefits-all hey this is how you have to do it because Josh Schwe doesn’t look like Zavan Collins doesn’t look like Baron Browning doesn’t look like Jordan Burch doesn’t look like XT you know what I mean so it’s like I think that’s you know you’re kind of uh hindering them at times if you do that so um with saying that he has to do things within the framework of the defense to make sure that he’s handling his business too but we give those guys some freedom our entire staff does with with Will what’s uh been the factor limiting his participation a little bit of tight hamstring speaking of corner Elijah Jones how would you assess where he’s at right now i thought he had his best day yesterday really do yeah he’s uh he’s done well he’s worked on his health bucket a lot um which needed to improve and he’s he’s took that to heart and he’s done a really good job um I think he’s looks comfortable out there his second year in the system you know and he didn’t get to practice a ton last year because you know he was had the injury there but um he’s he’s improving he’s really come on here this last week he’s doing well what were his strengths you know just to refresh our um he he’s got length he’s got coverage ability he can press he can play off um he’s got pretty good instincts you know he can run he’s he’s he’s doing well well the schemes are set talked about one never set danny have an idea right now you want to put your players in position you kind of tweak things based on their skill set are you at a point in the offseason where you feel like you can do that or is it too tough since players aren’t in pads is that something you guys handle more so in training camp no I think you can do it i do um because the offense the defense special teams looks significantly different right now than it did you know when we played whoever we played the last game of the year you know so you know in in my opinion good coaching is knowing who you got and then trying to tailor fit what you’re doing with the people in mind first um where it will change or tweak a little bit um as we get going is is when we start playing games because I think then you have to tweak it as well towards your opponent so um right now we’re that’s that’s a long way away but we’re kind of the things that we wanted to work on and a couple tweaks here and there the couple wrinkles like I’ve I’ve seen it come to fruition some of it looks good some of it we got to put a little more time on tu some of it we might you know meet next next week and say let’s just bag it it’s not worth it you know so um that’s a it’s a good question it’s an ever evolving thing um and and that’s how it will always be I think honestly what are your expectations from your players what you want to see from them from now until training camp become better football players you know so you’d say well they’re not with you right and there’s a lot that they can work on when it when it relates to their development as players um on and off the field so uh that’s the expectation you know what I mean i don’t want these guys to show up um the same that there are now like then you’re going to be behind so uh they know that and they all have plans to do that where have you seen a guy like Xavier Weaver grow the most coming into this season well he put on some weight so he looks he looks he’s I think he’s a little more physical running routes uh he’s not getting knocked around you know at the line of scrimmage um so that just the physical thing jumps out to me um and he’s done a good job he’s playing three different spots he’s done a good job mentally too which is hard for certain guys you know especially only his second year you know however many snaps he had last year not a ton but he played the Green Bay game and did a really good job you know in the Green Bay game um so um he gets open and he catches it so I’m excited to see him move through to training camp too was that something that you wanted him to do is bulk up this offseason yeah yeah how long do you plan on keeping contested catches how long do you plan on keeping the rookies were they uh as long as I need to was the um the middle linebacker spot that that Kaiser vacated how does the skill set for that spot differ from the skill set required for the other linebacker spots in your defense well um like which linebacker spots tail I guess like you know how does the the role that you had Kaiser playing last year differ from maybe the role that that Mack or Owen or Okay all right so let’s take outside linebackers out of it right completely different position got it so inside linebacker so um very similar it’s It’s honestly what I kind of talk about uh with the safety position like they’re kind of mirrored positions do they align differently do they have different responsibility yes um but at the end of the day like in the run game hit the ball and in the pass game if you’re playing with vision and and um you know landmark based zone drops like be able to close windows um play off the quarterback and if we’re in a pattern match scheme uh pattern match zone or pattern match man to be able to cover people you know what I mean so they got to be able to play in space um but those two positions are pretty mirrored to me when it comes to that room the linebacker room in general how how nice is it to have a guy like Josh Wet here where he’s got some you know experience with you relationship with you where maybe he can help out like a Jordan B or other guys this is how coach likes yeah I think it’s you know I think I talked about it yesterday i think um you know talking to players talking to players there’s a different type of learning with that that comes from that organically truthfully um so you know I always say he can kind of be the translator like this is what I’m saying this is what Nick’s saying this is what Matt Feni is saying but here’s what really he’s saying you know what I mean that hopefully we’re not that confusing but uh yeah I think it’s just the viewpoint of somebody that’s played a lot of ball at a high level um they always have some tricks of the trade that can help younger guys or other players you know what I mean and and there’s a lot of learning that goes on in between our guys there’s no doubt about it what said he’s not a rah rah type of leader how would you describe his leadership style um probably more I guess lead by example whatever that means he uh you know when he straps it up and goes in between the white lines like you you can point to him and say that’s how he wants you to play you know from a effort stamp from a motor standpoint from a violence standpoint uh from an execution standpoint um he takes the coaching and applies it on the grass um I’m sure you guys are getting to know him he’s a little bit quiet but he he he’ll talk to his teammates he’ll talk to his coaches and he’s got a really good he’s got really good viewpoints you know what I mean i had a chat with him yesterday on the grass quickly and and uh it was it was cool to hear his you know mentality on something that we were talking about but uh kind of forgot about it um but uh yeah he’s uh he’s he’s more of the watch what I do you know do as I do not as I say you know coach what are your thoughts on the offensive line progression yeah I thought they looked really good this last week um and cohesiveness i feel like um guys have really elevated their game um from you know Paris on down i not ranking them or anything like that just this the who’s working with the ones who’s working with the twos who’s working with the threes um I think they’re doing a really good job i think Fry and Cookie are doing a really good job we tweaked some things um for us moving into this year and uh which they played at a really high level last year but wanted to do some things that we wanted to tweak a little bit you know and and I I’m starting to see some of those things come alive and it it looks good um as always we got to get in some equipment pretty soon but uh I like where they’re trending jacobe has played a lot of football and what Kyler spoke this week he said what he really respects about Jacobe is the fact that he hasn’t come in with the backup mindset has come in and is working like a starter every day what have you seen Jacobe add to that keeping room yeah that I mean you know highlevel intelligence um the way he goes about his business like sweaty he does you know what I mean he he comes to play every day he’s in early out late uh he studies he works at it um he’s very interactive in meetings you know he wants to know the why all the time so he understands it um he’s done a really good job i you know I was around him when he was kind of middle of his career and then Drew and his had him a little bit later but you know he he’s he’s a good football player he really is back to Will for a quick second do you expect him back for back to Will Johnson do you expect him to be at be ready for camp uh Cody Simon how has he uh been doing and and what does he keep showing you keep improving make mistakes and correct them and don’t make them again you know what I mean but he he’s definitely flashed here we got him playing a couple different spots you know and and so that’s good he’s playing on fourth down right now so he’s learning all that um he’s eager to learn he doesn’t make mistakes twice he’s got juice he’s physical um you know just like all those guys a long way to go but I like where he’s at din talked about the defensive line already forming a brotherhood you can see it out there during the open portion of practice what how how much do you notice that is that something that’s been on the top of your brain yeah I I kind of uh not really on the top of my brain i kind of anticipated that happening when you got you know um all good guys in the room whether it be rookies or what year vet is KAS 18 18year vet you got some 10 year vets you got some three-year vet you know what I mean when but my point is when they’re all good guys and they’re team first um those groups get pretty tight you know so um they help each they care about each other they help each other out they want they know that everybody in that room has to play their best ball if we want to do what we want to do so um it’s been cool to see but I I wouldn’t say just the Dline i think all our groups are like that too after going through OTAAS in camp how excited are you for the Pats to come on for training camp excited yeah excited it’ll be good um that was one of the things that we kind of tweaked going into camp and the players know this um have a little more friction you know what I mean so during camp so in a safe way but uh I want to get on the pads a little bit and um play football why did you want to change that um just I think for where we’re at as a team and and where our development is and where our health is honestly and that can and you have to adapt that as we get going in training camp thought honestly was the best thing to do get ready to play week one you’ve been part of some special teams in the past obviously every team and season is very unique in its own but are there any early indicators that you can see at this time of year that maybe might lead to some belief that it could be a special I would think that uh the box that I think that we checked through this last eight weeks are they they care about each other you know and they understand that we need everybody in that locker room to do what we want to do um and they take care of each other i call it protecting your teammates they take care of each other and they’re they compete so those are two good things if you’re a highly competitive team and and you care about each other then that you know sets forth a foundation that you can try to improve every day and win games one thing we’ve heard throughout the last couple weeks is that this offense is kind of at a a next level you guys everyone’s learning new things more things right like higher advanced things was that the plan all along was kind of a threeyear gradual no no it’s just kind of the you know the evolution of being year three in a system you know what I mean and and it goes into uh who we have out there right now you know so um I wouldn’t say we when we got here hey year three let’s s it up you know what I mean it’s not like that but uh I think you know going into this off season when we sit down with everybody and talk it’s who do we have what can we do what are people good at okay let’s let’s sauce it up speaking of sauce we’ve heard they there’s going to be some more motions um as a defense hot sauce what does that do for a defense if there’s so much prestamp motion movement um you know it it can fool with your eyes and and it makes you communicate more you know honestly it makes you get to different things um as motions are happening or whatever the case may be um you have to have rules for all that stuff and you can have rules for it but you got to communicate all that and you got to be on the same page so um that can be in certain calls not all of them but in certain calls be be you know a handful you know so you know it’s you either feel pressure or apply it you know what I mean that’s a way to apply pressure to the defense from an offensive standpoint you brought in Elliot Brown from the CFL how have you seen him learning the NFL game and what are some of the It’s been awesome yeah he’s really taken a jump too these last couple weeks uh he’s definitely has a skill set you know what I mean and and I think um to start out I think you know mentally what we asked those guys to do you know it’s I don’t want to say it’s difficult but it there’s there’s some rules and stuff that they got to know you know what I mean which was a little different for him but he’s he’s taken the coaching and and he’s really improved with that part of his game his his thing I was talking with him was about how when he was in the CFL it was only pass rushing for him with considering how you use your outside linebackers what are some of the changes challenges that he has to learn when it comes to dropping back into coverage and all the other things that you guys do well first challenge would be is the NFL they run it too um so you got to play the run well um and then with with that um you know we don’t have our outside guys rushing every time uh so you got to learn some concepts you know playing that position for in our scheme um you got to you got to understand some coverage concepts coach thank you easy okay thank you see you you guys been good

HC Jonathan Gannon addresses the media before day three of mandatory minicamp

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