What does you mean to get a Brandon brand back in the mix? And well, I don't know how much we'll be back in the mix. I mean there's there's steps he's got to take along the way. This is an important UM step is getting back in on the practice with his teammates. Probably probably be limited to just some individual stuff and we'll you know, sort of work him along. Um. But it is it is great to happen back. We haven't really missed him. He's been in
all our meetings. UM. You know, he's been around quite a bit, and obviously he's a guy that um has done a lot for our defense. So UM, it's nice happing back on the field. But it's not like we lost him. You get Brandon back full into the mix. It's a good problem to have. But is it a problem to have so many nickel rushers that are so good to get those snaps and make everybody happy? Yeah? UM, things that have never been said in the NFL. I have too many pass rushers. Um, I have too many
good corners. You know, those are things, Those are things that defense coordinators, defenses in general value. Um. You know, you need to be built for a long haul. There's going to be injuries. It was well documented last year, UM injuries that we had. UM. Part of filling those was having good depth and UM, you're not going to find a coach in the world that's going to complain about that DEPENDI backs in that slot role. How do you think that they all performed on Thursday against the Patriots.
I mean, I think, just like everything, we're still work in progress. Nothing's been settled there. Each guy brings a little bit different UM skill set, a little bit, you know, different strengths and weaknesses to the to the position. UM, maybe you know, well, I think I think the competition is good and I think, um, it'll go. This game will go a long way to decide who's going to be out there. In the opener, frustration among the players about the rules. What kind of dialogue have you had
about the penalty since the last game? Yeah, we actually have. We're gonna have a meeting this afternoon where we look at a lot of the fouls that not just us, but across the league, and again we're trying to be educated on what's going to get called and what's not. The instructions we've given guys is trying not to lower your head and try to take your head out of it, and I think our guys are trying to do that.
The other thing we say is you want to lower your target, But along with lowering the target and trying to stay away from the head, sometimes that causes you to dip your head. I think I can confidently say we don't have any players that are trying to play outside the balance. We don't have any guys that are headhunting, that are, you know, being selfish. They're trying to play amongst or within the rules. I think you can see
Nigel's play, he's trying to get his head out. I think even Rodney's play, he's trying to get his head across and get it out. The problem is they're dealing with world class athletes who are moving targets a little bit easier said than done, and those fouls have hurt us in these first couple preseason games, and we just got to get to a point where they don't hurt us in the regular season. It's gonna be very important work over the next couple of weeks, not just learning
from our own mistakes, but learning from other teams. And I think there's some other good feedback. You know, we get we get clips from the league that shows not just penalties that were called, but penalties that that should have been called. So there's a learning process and that goes to all different things. You try to learn from defensive pass interference and defensive holding and you know, different things and try to learn. We need to do our
best to avoid penalties. UM, some are going to happen. Nobody's trying to get a face mask, but sometimes you reach out and that's the first thing you grab, you know, so you know, we just we need the feedback is good and coming from other teams, coming from the directional League, coming from the officiated department. UM, it'll you know, we need it. To settle down on the play with Rodney words, kind of the open field in the back is maybe trying to get low as well, and he's a moving target.
What's the proper way he's supposed to go about tackling the ball carrier there? As far as you'll understand, I'll just go and say the same things. We're trying to take our head out of it. We're we're trying to lower our target and we're trying to keep our eyes from dropping to the ground. Those are the things. Those are things that we're trying to emphasize. UM. But again, not all of those will equal not getting a not getting a foul, particularly if you get a moving target
that's that works into your path. So UM, we're still we're we're trying our very best, and the players are trying their very best, UM to comply with the role that your video guys put together that you watch or some of the league sent out or oh no, no, yeah, this is just stuff we do on our own. We
do it. We not just this, but we do a lot of stuff with defensive foul Sometimes you can learn best from looking at opponents and during the week we carve out time over the course of our regular season where we watch certain fouls DPIs, roughen the pass or um you know, illegal use of hands fouls like that and try to learn what triggered the foul, what situation
the guy was in. So that's nothing new. This just adds another another thing to those UM to those clips when there's a new interpretation like this to get guys out there not thinking about what I can do and what I can't do and just playing. Yeah, I mean, I think there's something today. You want to play fast, you want to play confidently on the field. Um. But anytime there's something new, there is going to be there is going to be adjustment, and speak not just for
coaches but for players, for officials. UM, there's a lot of adjustment that's going on right now. It is tackling going to be now if the you know, for the defensive players to react the way they're supposed to react when the especially when the offensive guy lovers is tark which is pretty much every time. Yeah, it's it's it's a difficult thing. Like I said, we're trying our best
to work through it, but it does. It does add a layer of difficulty to what we're trying to do from league that they might consider adjusting the rule or adjusting the way it's it's uh, the minister no, that that's well, I'm not in that loop. Um. When it comes to our our loop is our direction from officiating and then like I said, from coaches down to players and then that feedback that works its way. UM. Back up,
But I'm I'm a defense coordinator. I don't have um contact with league officials and don't know what the league's up to. You've got here, you spent that year in the league office. Uh does that help you as far as kind of understanding their thinking and be able to teach it to your players? Now, well again, I UM, there's a difference between officiating and then also competition community
officials don't make the rules. The rules come from competition committee in the NFL, and then the officials have to officiate those um, those rules. I think the thing that was most valuable contest seems like another lifetime ago, um, But the thing that was most valuable in that was was seeing things through an official's eyes and what triggered
a flag to get thrown? Um. Then just hearing hearing those guys, because you know, there's a lot of times you would you'd argue, how that shouldn't have been called? That shouldn't have been called, But I think the better understanding is why it got called and what was the what was the trigger that caused the official to throw
the flag? So I think that it was it was valuable that way talked about wild Darby is probably playing out faster speed this year because came in last year and that had the ankle, But what is it about his skill set that that isn't ability to really lock down on the corner of a lockdown on receivers. Well, yeah, I mean he obviously has he has great speed. UM, he's he's UM, I would probably put it in this classification. Also, he's he's had, if not the best one, at the
best all seasons of any of our players. UM, going back to first day of UM Phase one and then Phase two, Phase three, Mini camp, training camp, been very consistent. UM came to us late last year, was sort of thrown into into the fire, then got hurt and missed a lot of time. It was difficult situation. UM. We're really excited about where he is and UM and you know, to fine for that. By the way, you'd like we'd like smash your phone, like throw it against the wall. UM. Yeah,
make sure you got the insurance. UM. But back to Darby, he uh, he's he's been very consistent and coaches see at the players see it. He's playing with confidence. I think that that the last step he needs to do is he needs to turn those PBUs into interceptions. UM. You know, PBUs are great, but in receptions of game changing plays and he's working really hard at it. UM.
We're excited where he is. The younger guy, yes, and twos going against Brady the other night, which can be you look at like at Z there, how much can those guys get out of facing it guy like Tom Brady. Well, anytime you compete against great players, it's gonna raise your game up a little bit. And I think that whether it's in a preseason game like that, um going against our offense. You know a lot of times we don't
match groups, you'll see a lot of different things. And you know, you guys don't watch practice anymore, but I'm sure you saw a lot of times it was like, wow, that's threes against ones and UM, that's part of the evaluation process. You want guys that they can raise their or maintain the same level play regardless who's out there. When it's all said and done, if you make our fifty three man roster, you're gonna be on the forty six somewhere along the line. And if you're on our
forty six, you're gonna play. And if you're gonna play, you're gonna play against guys like Tom Brady and um everybody else. And we have to know if you're going to perform, and UM, you know what what chances you have to look good linebacker competition going, is anybody stepping
forward there? Yeah, but the same as the nickel. We got different guys with different different skill sets, different strengths, and this week, um, maybe next, but this week will go a long way to determine how we line up. We have a we have another layer to that is that Nigel Brandham is going to be suspended for the opener. So it's not just you know, trying to figure out one but trying to figure out your best combinations. We
have a lot of different personnel packages. What skill set fits best in short yardage, what skill fits set, skill set fits best, and um, you know third down, what one fits best, and you know all these different things. So um, you know we're we're I think that will continue Again, it's not just one spot, We're gonna have two spots. There means just for energy and effort during practice. Kind of what has he meant to this group over the last two years and what do you see from
him this summer. Yeah, I think that's been documented by everybody. Stevens a guy that raises everybody's love, will play, um, not just the defense, but the offense. I think lane Lane Johnson. If if I'm not mistaken, it's been strong and complimenting him and him getting him ready to play UM and speak on what he's done in training camp this year. He's done the same thing when he went into the game early in the game against UM against the Patriots, it was quote first groups and UH, and
he was effective and was around the quarterback. Those are the things that those things you look for. Kayent