Press Pass: Bill Davis

all three are on the field. But there's also we play more snaps. In the last two years, we've had more snaps defensively than anybody. So there's plenty to go around, and a rotational basis can also be used, and and that's probably where we'll start it. Does it really? Does you have the more flexibility when you have a guy like Keep who really is an expert. You know, him covering tight ends is a great matchup because of his length. Uh. So yeah, you have more flexibility with uh, like you said,

not going into multiple packages right now. In the beginning of training camp, it is everybody's up for everything. Demico can win the starting nickel spot through competition, just like anybody can. There's not starters. We don't have depth charts. So right now, in this beginning phase, it's all you go compete for it, and then we'll as we break down the preseason games and we get closer to the the real game, then we'll start separating depth, we'll start separating packages.

But right now, the demico has got every chance to be in the nickel like everybody else does. In there is Keiko or Michael. You know, I got a dress. We had to have somebody take the first practice naps that nickel. Jacory Shepherd is simply competing like all other guys that are in there. He just had the first rack. You'll see him again in there today. We're kind of going on a two day basis as far as who's in group one, Group two, in group three. It's not

the first team, second team, and third team. It's just groups that we practice in and we are going to mix and match and move everybody around. And it's neat to have the ability from both the skill set from the players in the secondary and a football intelligence set. We've got multiple positions that can move around both from a talented where you know a guy can play corner safety, and nickel or corner and nickel or safety in corner,

and we'll move them around until we find the best fit. Well, Chip, Chip may alot of them. You've got E. J. Biggers in there. You have Malcolm and Thurman that can both do it. You have Watkins, You've got the young guys, Rice and Evans. We've we've worked. Everybody's going to get in there and get a look at it. Maxwell not

right now. Right now we're Maxwell and Row and Nolan will stay outside of the corner spot, with Nolan jumping into some dime when we go there, but right now we won't put them into nickel, but they are being taught to nickel. Nolan was not a first team player last year. Well makes him the first team player this year. I don't early in the season. Nolan has all the skill to set to start and he did in Miami, and we're very happy with the all he had. One

best off seasons I've been around. He really has from every competition I think he won maybe every competition that we had in the off season to his technique that he's diving into. Nolan has been a start in the NFL, and we viewed him as a starter last year. Early on, we kept trying to rotate and he had some hamstring in different issues that the kind as we went around along, I didn't get him in there enough, and I probably

should I that's on me. But we've got all the confidence and Nolan to compete for that other starting corner spot, and he is competing for it. Also, it's not handed to him because Boy's not here. It's it's one of those deals where we are in competition mode right now at all positions, and we're excited about Nolan and he started a lot of ball games in the NFL A corner. What's that like from your perspective where you have one of your to pass back off? He's see, yeah, well

you never want to lose anyone. And I'm a Boykin fan. I've always liked, you know, Brandon, and I think he did a great job a Nickel for us. He's a pleasure to be around. And um, you know, I worked and coached a lot, you know, with the Nichols the last two years, so you know, I got to know him probably better than some of the other positions. But the competition and the depth because it's it's it's become

more close. We have more depth when somebody comes asking for a trade and you have where you feel comfortable with the options that you have if that particular player leaves. It was a close enough gap that we felt it was a good move for both him and us and the Steelers. And it's like everybody won and didn't want

to lose him. I didn't think we would. I mean as of two days ago, where you know, everything's all the plans were to go forward, but Pittsburgh kept coming and coming and coming and asking forward, so I think it eventually happened. I don't care about this gap from the top two guys wherever. There's a lot of bookies

in there. How do you know? You don't, but it's uh, it's still a In the off season, you get a good look at guys movement skills, and I think in the secondary it's easier to evaluate guys in shorts that apply to guys in pads. When you start value in the d line and the linebackers, that gets a little scary. That makes sense because you're not watching them with the contact, but when you're watching dbs moving space and cover. We did.

We weren't allowed to press like we would have liked to in the off season, but you still get a pretty good evaluation of secondary players in the off season that's accurate to game day set new slot. You drafted three d backs, get that process of getting your secondary to play together. There's so many new I think one of the things that separate us of all the NFL teams I've been with the Chip Kelly system, because it's a no huddle offensive system, means the volume of reps

you get per practice are much higher. I've calculated two to three times higher per practice with having all those offseason reps, which is way more than you get anywhere else. Our backups and our younger guys get more and more, our new guys get more and more than if you were somewhere else. And there's nothing like a rep, a practice rep on the field to train somebody. You've got to keep doing and doing, and we covet mistakes. Come on and make your mistakes. Guys, don't be fearful of mistakes.

Come make them because you'll learn from them. And I think all those offseason reps let the new guys and the young guys be better prepared to come out here and compete in the preseason and compete for a roster spots us a secondary. Do you feel like right now you guys are better offer seat in the last season. It's too early for me to make that statement because we still have this season. There's there's the off season where everybody in the world right now is happy with

what they have and the changes they've made. And the reality of the NFL is until you start hitting Sundays for real, not the preseason games, and guys showing how they do in the heat of battle against the main quarterbacks and receivers, you don't know if you're better or worse. The first game against Atlanta will tell us are starting spot, particularly in the secondary, and then we'll move it from there. But I can't answer that question actually right now? Good? Yeah?

About pressing more and do you have to talk about the evolution of back Do you want to press more in previous years? Why now? And personnelity allows you to have that ability to press. We've always we've always wanted to be a press team, and we always want to be a team to put our hands on the opponent on the line of scrimmage and reroute and disrupt the rhythm and timing of an offense. We say that all the time. I think the biggest change that's happened this

offseason is the technique and the emphasis on technique. Not that we're saying we're going to press more. We're just spending more time on the press technique and how we can get better at it than we were a year ago. And that was one of our flaws, is our press technique wasn't where it needed to be. You know, I think what we're all struggling to understand is you had a known quality and quantity in Brandon Boykint and now you've gone to an unnoing. Why isn't brand boy on

this roster? I think from an organizational standpoint, you make a decision, and we were all part of that decision. Uh In. Boykin did give us quality starting reps, like you just said, but the guys behind him and the guys that we replace them were close enough. In again theory, because Boykin did it on Sundays. Now Walter Thurman's done on Sundays. Jenkin's done it on Sundays. There's options there.

Corey Shepherd is not, some of the younger guys have not, but there's enough options there to make it a good move for us as an organization to grab you understand that difficult, you know thing to go from a guy like to a fourth round picture Shepherds and say it's very close. It's more than Jacorey Shepherd. It's Walter Thurman, it's Malcolm Jenkins, it's other veterans that can play in the nickel. I'm not putting Walter Thurman down there yet

because he's got a new position at safety. So right now, I'll give the younger and other guys some nickel reps as we are closer to the season. If that's not looking like it's supposed to look, then Walter Thurman will get more. Malcolm Jenkins would get more down not right now, not in our plans. He has the capability to do it, but as a young rookie, I'm not going to put that burden of learning on him right now. Right now, he's a corner. He's in the corner world. He's going

to compete a corner and that's his spots. No, I'm not that's I'm I think Boykin came out, he competed he I'm it's no knock on Boykin at all. It's about um it's a compliment to others. And again it's not for sure. Obviously, it's now we have to make decisi reasons all the time and hope that it's close enough and we're right. And sometimes you're proving right, sometimes you're proving wrong. But no, it's not not at all. Just be looked at out. Why isn't he being a chance?

It's the learning problem. We've got a lot of defense and at the corner spots, and we're really we drafted him in that corner position knowing that we could move him to safety as his career progressed if needed. But you can't say learn it all and really expect him to shine. As for instance last year with Marcus Smith, I didn't want to move him inside and it's warts your growth. It also it's a it's a chance to get better. You have to take a step back to

do that. Right now, we think it's a great opportunity for Eric to just focus on corner and go compete this. So what kind of progress as Marcus Smith made in the off season BEFO we're getting into out. You know, he had half an off season kind he was he was out there some and out there now he's taking big steps. So his he came in there and looking great. He's in great shape, the best we've seen him. Look. His understanding of the scheme is that a whole nother place.

The rookie year is so hard. Guys, you know, the from the whole off season after their college ends to the pressure of being a draft choice. The guys you see in the second year that relax more, they're more themselves, They they play smarter because they're not all nerved up and uh and we're hoping that would see all those things come through with Marcus in this training camp, coaches sounds. The way the Chip interacts kind of relates to his

players compared to other guys, you feel it's outstanding. And I say that from all sincerity. He is got one of the most open door policies of guys I've been around. And you can look at the guys who've been around and make your own assessments. Some of those guys had

closed doors policies, but his wide open. Boykin and you're talking about boy BOYK went in and obviously han't had a long talk with Chip about his role about outside corner, about Nicol came into my off who We had great conversations with Brandon about all those things, and I think Chip has one of the biggest open door policies for the players, And ask the guys that are in the building that he really does. It's h it's really being portrayed outside different than it is inside because it really

is an easy to be around happen. Why do you think this just happened? Dude? And what do you make of the things that have been said by the three different guys? And also, I think every one of those three people need to answer their own question. I can't answer for any of those those guys or what they're thinking or what would cause it. I'd be crazy to

even to try to answer that. I can just answer from my view of being in ten different organizations with all kind of different head coaches, scheme systems, and I'm telling you from bottom of heart, this is a very great place for players. And we do more for players than anything I've ever been around. We do more for their conditioning, their body, their health, their mental health, their growth in all parts of being a man and a

player than anywhere I've been around. And you can just ask the players about how much we spend time on them, on their mindset, on their moods, on on how their bodies are feeling, their hydration, all of it. It's uh. I think it's a couple isolated guys and they have to answer their own questions about that. Outside of who can place all those guys that are incompeting in there? It really is, it's uh, it's a stack. There's Malcolm who really has played, and then there's Walter in a

stack of guys competing. Now Walter is creeping up there, but all of them and nobody you're saying, oh man, he can't do it. It's who can do it the best is what we're looking at O the rest of the guys, and they're all going to be have their shot with the ones and the preseason will determine who fits that role. Yeah, and in the second day when

you move somebody to position, they haven't played. And I was part of moving intre role from corner to safety in Arizona and I've seen it happen in San Francisco and Michael Rump from Miami and we moved him in. It didn't work like Antrell worked. But what you look at what those players is how how extensive is their football like you? And what kind of eyes do they have from a corner nickel position. And wasn't longer be around Walter to know he is extremely football intelligent and

understands lever and concepts and where his teammates are. And when you put him at safety a little bit and we were going to just look at him. Now I'm looking at not only where his eyes are, but the angles of breaks, how he breaks his vision. If he has narrow vision, it's hard to play safety. If he

has wide vision, you have more instincts. And Walter just kept checking off the box as we moved him, and it started with its football IQ in talking about corner and nickel plain that made us movie Harry, Yes, yes, yession when he said earlier you look back and maybe you should have been going it's more opting oportunity on the outside. Yes, what did you see? Maybe I've got this beautiful view of hindsight right now that when you're in the middle of it you don't quite have it.

And as it works out and plays out against what you kind of thought, that you kind of say to yourself, well, I might have made a mistake there. And at the end of the game, the Giants game. You know, Fletch wentn't on the field, and we still had some issues. So we had to work through it and we make the best decision we can at the time, watching every snap of practice fifty times over and maybe overanalyze it.

I don't know, it is it is. You have to make those hard decisions and some most hopefully most of them work out and you continue to have your job. And if too many don't work out, then you don't. And that's that's life in the NFL. It. I'm sorry, I've been missing you. Good. Jordan Hicks has got great instinct. It's neat to watch a rookie who has field vision. And Jordan really jumped out so far as a young

man about how his vision and instincts and awareness. Uh, he still has a long way to go when he's you know, he's an athletic young man, intelligent, works extremely hard in the meeting room. So we're excited about Jordan's progress. Three for a guy to Ko's age to be a killer, especially what the second one in five years? Have you been surprised by how quickly he has come back around the second one? You know, knowing the man that is Demiko.

I'm not surprised because it is Demiko, but I am surprised about it an Achilles injury and how far along he is because he's like, he's that heart of a worker. Okay, thanks, yeah,