Be here. It didn't take me long to really realize why this place is so successful. Uh. You see it from the outside from afar. But once I got here and had the opportunity to meet ownership, UH, to spend some time with John and Kyle, UH, it ain't it all came to reality for me. So UH to be here is definitely a blessing for me. UH to be around this talented defense, the players that we have, UH, and the things that we were able to do in free agency and also in the draft. I'm extremely excited
and looking forward to the season. So I know you guys have tons of questions, and with that, I open up the floor.
Going to the place where what has worked or what has been done in the past has worked. How do you balance that putting your own stamp on the team while just keeping things the.
Way they were. I think you have to embrace the success that they've had here. I think it's a foundation that we all agree we wanted to keep, and I think as an opportunity as we go through the process, which we already have, is to try to tweak things a little bit. You know, I still think there's room for improvement. If you talk to the players, they would tell you the same. So when it's not broke, you
don't really want to try to fix it. And once again, we've had a lot of success around here and we just want to continue to build on that.
I imagine that one of the things he wanted you to do first was to look back at all six years you know of this regime and the defense that they had instilled before. What was your biggest takeaway or what have been your biggest takeaways looking what the forty Anders have done since twenty seventeen.
Well, I think and my philosophy is the same. I've always had this Everything we do starts up front, you know. When you look at how dominant we've been over the years is because of our defense flying, you know, and we've done a great job building that through the draft, as I just alluded to, we did some great things in free agency this past year. So Causeric does a tremendous job. He's one of the best in the business of what he does, and he's had a major impact
on this defense. So that was really the biggest thing that stood out to me was just how great we were up front consistently over the years.
And John Lynch talked about how the defensive line was really stellar back in twenty nineteen and it could have dropped off a little bit even though they were ranked a number two top type five defense last year. What have you seen from the progress of the defensive line and then looking forward with the draft picks and the free agent signings.
Well, I think again you have to go back to personnel, and I think you've seen what we've been able to do for is drafting certain guys. Ken Law has just been tremendous since I've been here. I mean the day that I came in on my interview, he was here working out. He has not missed it day of all season training. So I'm excited to see exactly where he's
gonna be. The same thing with Drake. Drake has been here all summer, working out all spring rather doing the things that he needs to do to improve, you know, his game. He's gained a lot of weight. He's in there with Casseric, and I'm just excited to see exactly what he's gonna do and how he's gonna progress in the second year. You know what we did in free agency with jaybon so one of the best three techniques
in terror lineman in the National Football League. So I'm excited and I can say I can be up here all day long talking about the defensive player of the year. So we have a great front. We gotta continue to build on that. And the one thing that I'm emphasizing and talking about, We've got to compliment each other, you know. So there's different layers to this defense, and the back end has to do a great job.
As a player. The here you speak, what jumps out at you, What kind of interactions have you in the.
Last few months, just through texts, and they all been great. I've only heard great things about him even before I got here, just his personality just going around the league, different guys that I know, and how they just ramp and rave about him. The work ethic that he has, most importantly is just across the board. The standard is set here. These guys worked extremely hard, and I'm so impressed of just just watching those guys work. Even in
phage one. I would just watch the individual period and just every day and just see how they work in all three levels of the defense. And Bose is a leader of that. He exemplifies that each and every day. He's played zone coverage at a very high level for a while.
Talking to Darrell Ludther junior yesterday, the rookie, he said he played mostly press man coverage in college.
Is that an element you would like to incorporate in this defense a little bit more? I think you have to explore an experience, experiment with everything. You know. My background is divers in zone as well as man, and I think it can each week based off your opponent who you playing. Do I feel like we have the skill set uh to play more man? Yes? You know at times, do I wanna be a little bit more aggressive with the talent and athletic system that we have at linebacker? Yes?
And when you say that aggressive with the talent you have at linebacker, what do you what are you referring to? Uh?
I'm referring to exactly the the question they just talked about in regards to probably blitzing a little bit more. Uh. I I believe in zone eyes. I think that's how you make UH plays on the football, uh, particularly from the underneath positions. UH. So zone is still gonna be a high element of what we do. UH. But I feel like we have the skill set and the talent to be able to get in you know, a guy's face pressed, man make the quarterback hold the ball, particularly with our front mission.
Drake Jackson, what what did you see from him when you reviewed his his rookie tape?
Uh?
A lot of inconsistency, you know.
Uh.
I saw a lot of talent, a lot of skill set, but someone that needs to really as he as I just uh talked about, get a little strong, longer, get a little bigger.
Uh.
And he's working hard. So I'm looking forward to him once again taking that sophomore leap, uh, you know that that second year and really improving and doing some good things. Go back to after Carolina made the decision they did. But what was your level of disappointment, Derek?
What were the things that were important to you for.
Your next I'm asking I'm gonna answer the second question first. My next thought was surrounding myself with good people. I think that's the key to everything that you do. You can have the talent and the skill set, but you need players. You need an organization that's committed. You need a coach at a head coach and at GM that's aligned with one another. And when the opportunity came when I got the phone call, this was a perfect fit for me.
You mentioned Javon Hartgrave. How much time have you spent with him this offseason and with both of you coming and new, what kind of unique perspectives A second, you.
Guys having spent a lot of time with him, We've been talking back and forth. We do have a connection, just for from the mere fact that you know he resides and lives in Charlotte as well born and raised right outside of Charlotte and Salisbury. So a lot of guys that I coach he's real close with, So just that mutual friendship that we have. But I'm excited to have him part of the forty nine ers. I know he's going to be a huge addition for us this year.
Let's talk to how his dad, you know, when he's in the offense coordinator here in ninety four, similar situation. Do you enjoyed aploiting the very successful party organization? Everything's kind of in place, and he stayed boy from his family and was here for three months. I don't know if that was a mandate your family behind, but what I mean, was there this kind of three month process of just absorbing this defense.
And learning everything you could.
Yes, and you know, it's still an ongoing process. The thing that in regards to just making the move with my family, we were all on the same page in this decision. I don't make any decisions without really involving my family, so I had total support there. But I think always in the transition of going to a new place, you want to have that extra time just to be able to dive into watching more tapes, stand here late, you know, trying to get to know the guys a
little bit more, build relationships. I think it's critical, So that was part of the process.
They're on the other side of the ball. But Christian McCaffrey and Sam Donald, you know them very well with being how do you see their paths going forward here?
Well, hopefully they're gonna have a lot of success. Both of those guys are extremely talented. I'm glad you know that they're on our team. I'm glad we're here together. You know, it was disappointing to lose Christian last year, but he has definitely made a difference here with the forty nine ers, and I'm glad to be able to be a part of that. Now.
That's what you brought in Hartsfield from Carolina and all over.
Can you talk a little bit about them and how they f defense.
I think it's always important if you can have someone whether there's a player or coach that's somewhat familiar with your system or or in this situation, your philosophy, you know, and he can be an extension of you on the field, coaching the guys, also in the locker room, uh, and then also in the classroom. So if that was a important factor for me. He's a good football player as well.
Oliver is someone that had the opportunity to go against being in that division, and you know, we didn't know exactly what was gonna happen in free agency with Jimmy and when then that didn't happen, you know, we wanted to make sure that we sort of got the best, you know, Nickel and free agency, and that's what we went out and did. So I'm excited about Oliver. He's long, Uh,
he's physical, Uh, can tackle, can cover. Uh. He's gonna be a good blitzer for us everything that we do within this defense.
She talked a lot about the collaboration between the scouting personelle department and the coaching staff during the draft. What type of role did you have during this draft of the forty nine ers.
Just like all the assistant coaches, we go through the process of what personnel gives us and evaluating different guys at our position. I think we do a great job of really, as John alluded to, collaborating and getting everybody's thoughts and opinions. And when it came down to a particularly one guy, JAHI Brown, we were all on the same page in regards to how we felt about him and what he could bring to the forty nine ers.
Drug enough to stand on the table for him?
What was it about him that made you well, his tape just jumped off at you. You know, he just makes plays. But having an opportunity. You know, we didn't go to the combine. We did zooms. But even when you are there, those fifteen minute excuse me, don't give justice for us really trying to get to know someone.
And we do a huge thing here where we bring our thirty in all that same time, we have dinner, top golf, and as you get into a social setting, I think you have you know, more conversations, and I just started he just started growing on me, just the conversation that we're having, his dedication to the game. You know, he's mature, he sees it at it with a different lens, and uh I said, this guy right here can be the future for it. So uh I was excited about it, and I'm glad we got him.
The head coach came in again in the next cycle. Was there a discussion about.
How long I'm gonna tell you? And this is not a just an answer to throw you off or anything like that, but I believe in being where your feet are. Be where your feet are, and take care of what's in front of you. I started out at Johnson C. Smith University Division two school, small school right there in Charlotte, North Carolina. I didn't think about where I would be. I had dreams of it, but I've always just, you know, tried to win the day. And that's why i'm right now.
I'm not even looking beyond you know. So I just want to make sure this defense is the best it can be and we're going to continue to build this thing in layers. I appreciate you, guys. Thank you