Press Pass: Chip Kelly At Owner's Meetings

into different directions from the personnel stand point. But you were he did not do an unbelievable job on the personnel side. As far as what now, I just think we're trying. It's the same thing with our staff. Sometimes you shuffle those guys around. We're just trying to find a put everybody in the right position. Would you think

of values counted out of there? I thought it was good two years with team and whether he was even kind of getting jeff who marked out previous team with blue and maybe with more skied guys, and now he's Drac to get different blues guy. He kind of getting you old players and felt now I think some of

that it depends on what players are available. You know it doesn't You know, you can all evaluate and say that whoever the top pick of the draft was, that Sammy Watkins really talented, But you don't have an opportunity to get Sammy Watkins. So a lot of it also depends on where you have an opportunity to make selections. So it's easy to look at it and say, I mean, I said it a year ago, I thought Odell Beckham was the best player in the draft. I was right.

We didn't have a chance to get at Odell Beckham. But you know that a lot of it depends on where you're selecting. So have you felt that in a few years because you didn't have finals, say that if you had a feeling on a certain guy you didn't always get you weren't able to get that guy even if he was available. Yeah, I mean I didn't. I didn't have the final say so, I mean you always defer to losing charges. I mean, was that trub Was that disappointing for you? Wasn't? No? Those are the those

those are the rules going in. So did you try to get those rules changed over earlier? No? Why no, that's not the way I operate. We have a meaning at the end of the year every year with mister Lori and I. He gets my views on things, I get his view on things, and then he ultimately makes the decisions on what he wants to do moving forward. When you said ship, when you said you wanted to maximize everybody's strengths if you didn't know your new guy was,

so how did you know you didn't you strands? That wasn't. I didn't go in with a plan saying we need to make all these maneuvers. I just said, this is how I think my vision is of how this organization should be. But it's mister Lorrie's decision on what he wants to do. If he came back and said, I want to do this, this, and this, and I want you to just concentrate on that, then that's what I would have done. So why wasn't Tom Gamble who you brought in a string? I didn't bring Tom Gamble in.

How we brought Tom Gamble in, so he and he wasn't. How he was in charge of the personnel department for the last two years, so I didn't. I've never made a hire in the personnel department or a fire in the personnel I wasn't involved in that, You had input, Joe, right, No, I have no input. I had no input in who was hired or fired in the personnel department, Nor do I have it now. Ed's in charge of personnel. I mean,

we've maximized everybody. So if it's something were to go on in personnel now, then that's that's under Ed's domain. That's what I hired him to do. It's no different than I hired Billy Davis to run our defense. I don't turn around and ask someone else, you know, what do you think about what Billy's doing defensively? Our defensive coaches of a certain role, our offensive coaches of a certain role, our personnel department as a certain role. So,

I mean, I think there's a big misconception. I never hired Tim againble. I was never in a position to hire a Tim again. About that made you think that he would brave? You know? It was an interesting process for me. I went out for probably three weeks and visited with a lot of people, talked to a lot of people, and um Ed was the one guy in house that I really wanted to talk to, and I actually interviewed him last you know too, we had never

really sat down. I was impressed with his work ethic and pressed with his knowledge, you know, just sitting in draft meetings, sitting in free agent meetings, just listen to him talk, listen to him to described players, and was always like, Hey, that guy's really sharp. And then he was the last guy I interviewed, and then the last guy, mister Lorry interviewed, so you know, kind of came away.

I think he blew both of us away. It was like, wow, you know, this guy's extremely organized, extremely detailed, has a real good vision of what we're trying to get accomplished. And I thought he was outstanding. You made two major trades. Are you physically on the phone and working these deals

in theogotiating those two trades? Well, sometimes it was a speaker phone, So but I mean, what's that like, First time you know, actually on the phone deals, first time on the phone talking to a person, it was you know, it was scary. I did not operate the phone itself. I mean, it's just how it's normally, how you do it. I mean, we have conversations all the time, and it's not I don't think it's I mean the biggest thing, it's like these league meetings, like, don't peek behind the

curtain because it's not what you think it is. I mean, just having a conversation. Who do you have? What do you have? What do you want to do? Can you accept somebody from your cap standpoint? You know, a lot of decisions are made, most of the decisions from a trade standpoint. Are those decisions is you'd like to acquire a ton of players, but you can't fit them in under your cap, you know, so it really kind of limits which teams you're dealing with, how you're dealing with them,

and then what they're trying to give back. Some of them don't have draft picks. You'd like to get draft picks, but they may not have draft picks. So now take a look at your roster. Who do you like on the roster? Since we talked to you last, have you received any more phone calls about Sam Bradford? I know

you said other teams we're interested. No, Given the fact that thank you and d don't have a lot of experience in your current roles, are you leaning on on other people or whether it's trade evaluations, whether it's the upcoming draft. People that are more active, No, safety what's the planet next to Malcolm gen is that spot that

Nat and occupied? Mils? Well, that's we'll go through OTAs, we go through the draft, we'll go through preseason camp and then figure that out internal off Yeah, that's well, we'll take a look at that. I mean, that's what this process is all about. The offseason. You get a chance to see guys on the field. What's are alike

in year three. I mean there's guys on and on our team right now that can certainly play that role, but it depends on where they are when you get a chance to see him through OTAs, through mini camp, through preseason camps, the process of what's going to happen next and the next couple of months. Sam Brad, we didn't get him back on the football field functioning as cool as that. You know, well, he's back. I mean he when we got him on a Wednesday, he was

there the following Sunday. So he's been with our training staff every day rehabbing, and then uh, we get a chance to finally meet with him on April twentieth, which is the first day of Phase one, you know, and then it's, uh, the normal process it is for anybody on our our team, whether it's Uh. Sam's obviously new, but it's no different than what Demiko Ryan's is going through right now. So, UM, it's pretty detailed. I mean it's just straightforward. Phase one, you can talk to him,

but you can't be on the field with him. Phase two you get to go on the field with him, but there's no defense across from him. Phase three is the beginning of ootas in minicamp, and we'll go from that. What do you hope to see for him physically? Um, it sounds like he's on target to be fully recovered. I just don't know exactly what day he'll be clear to be a one hundred percent, but I know he's

running and uh moving around right now. I don't we're not allowed to be be there when any of that stuff's going on, so I couldn't tell you what he looks like movement wise or anything like that. I don't know that exactly. No, I don't. He should be ready to go UM because his was UH was done earlier than Sam. So I think sometime during OTAs will be able to see Kiko moving around a little bit A lot of most of the now, all our quarterbacks take reps in the off season, So we don't. I don't.

We never care in an ota if if G. J. Kenny or Mark or or matter in there that you know, you never look up and say, why is that guy with that guy? That's why we've we just rotate. Somebody grabbed the snap, but that's not a big deal. At some point during this it's all all depend all depending on what the doctors say. So Jeffrey obviously very fine, show what do you have to do convince him that it was better for the team. Well, I'm very fond

of Lesha McCoy. I think we all are. But when you look at moving forward and that was just a really big number, you know, when they weren't moving off the numbers, so that that that was where the decision was made. But I mean, you're talking about the all time leading running back for the Philadelphia Eagles. He led the league in rushing two years ago. Um, it was a real difficult decision, but it was a decision we

felt we had to make. We had too much money at the running back spot, so we had to move in a different direction. Would you have to explain all that Jeffrey Lourie, Now he understood. He's pretty sharp guy. But with the most said and done, is the money any different? Now? Yeah? Art right? Now? UM to Marco's five million dollars this year. Uh, Ryan's two million dollars this year, and I think um Darren's four point one. So but with that adds up to less than eleven

point nine. So it was about the cap number this year. And you approached him about trying to get that number. Now, our guys talked to his agent, but I don't, I don't have I don't negotiate with him. So I didn't speak specifically with Drew. But prior day no, I think you can't. I mean, I've done it everyone. I was at Oregon, I at Johnson Stewart in the Garrett Plant, both two thirty plus, so I also had La Michael James and Kenyan Barnard. I mean, we can work with

whatever we have. It's just depending on what you want to do and how do you want to scheme it up. But I think what was available if you if you move Lashawan, what's available? The guys that were available are one cut downhill runners, so can they fit into what we do offensively? Yeah? About finding a franchise quarterback being one of the most important things as far as going from good to great. Can Sam be that franchise quarterback

if you can stay healthy? I hope so, But I mean I'm not I'm not a predictor guy, So I don't mean I'm not going to put a label on anybody. So we're saying about how much research did you look into players, especially a quarterback you're touring the same yea twice and how productive day. I think we looked at everybody. I mean, look at our starting receiver who had eighty five catches, So specifically a quarterback, yeah, I would say it's probably easier for a quarterback with a knee injury

than it is with a shoulder injury. As we went through the history of it. You know, you know, we're not We didn't bring Sam to run the ball seventy five times a game. So I think it's a lot easier for a quarterback with an ACL than it is for a receiver with an a cl But you know, you look at I think the history right now in terms of sports science and what doctors are doing now has moved forward. It's unbelievable. You know, look at the

year Jeremy mclanad coming off with two acls. You know, look at our center Jason Kelsey came off in a cl when I first got there, was just coming off in ACL had a sports NIU surgery in the middle of the season and still made the Pro Bowl. Our left tackle, who's arguably a Hall of Famer, is coming off with two achilles and has played at an outstanding level. So to follow up with question, and basically I don't, I don't have that answer right now, So I don't

know exactly where he is. I haven't talked to Chris or you know, we'll take that when it comes. I don't know when his final meeting with doctor Andrews is, but I know he's progressing the way he normally should progress from that injury trying. You don't deal with the contract, But if you guys approached Sam Bradford about redoing his dealer you no, I and if if any of that is I'm not going to discuss any current players. I'm

comfortable with you with Sam as our quarterback. Did you reach out to the Rams, were Sam Bradford or did they reach out to you about trade? I think it was a mutual thing. You know, went on for a couple of weeks. You know, we were trying to keep Nick if we could, and that was we were trying to keep Nick. You know. It was just at the at the last second they wanted players. We were trying to get it done with draft pick. But it didn't work. It didn't work out that way. Outside. I don't know.

I mean, that's it's a spring. Everybody plays everywhere in the spring and we'll figure it out. I don't know if we add anybody and what are their strengths and what are their weaknesses. And I mean it's not playing inside receive. Well, he was a rookie, so we just wanted him to play one position and learn one position and come in. Yeah, he can do It's just like Josh can do it. You know, it's Riley Cooper could move into the slot for us. I mean, once you're

in there. The biggest thing we do is when we get rookies in there, it's hey, you're playing one spot. Let's not put a lot on your plate. It's no different than zach Ertz. We you know, his package was expanded in year two than it was in year one. But because when they first get in there, it's a totally different world for him. Once they get comfortable there, you start to see him move around and play a lot of different spots. So I can envision Jordan playing

in a lot of different spots for us. Which most of the guys in your scouting department were brought in by how not if not most of them were with Ed in charge of it now and with Jeffrey is saying that you you attack scouting with a different way that he's ever seen before. Does Ed have to train the scout? I mean is does there have to be changes in the scouting department or really so that they're getting your type of guy? I think that happens no

matter what coaches are. If you change from one scheme to another, than what you're looking for in a player is different. Four three world linebackers different than three four outside linebacker. That's just that's football, right. But he's but Jeffrey employee saying, it's you're doing so uniquely and so differently. So I was wondering if you think we're very specific in what we're looking for. But I think you already transfer our guys. Guys have done a great job on

now in terms of identifying it. So you don't see yourself making Ed making sweeping changes in the scouting department. No, I mean that's a question for Ed. But he you know, when I hire him run its personnel department, you go make it the way you want to make it look. Two weeks ago you said it. You spoke against philosophically trading way up in the draft learning resources that you needed for the future. If Marcus Mariota didn't go back

in the top five. Is there a point and can you give any idea of the point where it would be reasonable to try to trade out? No? Yeah, Ever, Matthiss name is big men. Well, I mean I could deal with hypotheticals all the time. I mean, give me a scenario. If he goes to twelve and it's gonna cost us a seventh rong conditional pick, then that would be very I mean, you can go throw it back and forth. That's what that's what this is all about. So philosophically, I want to keep all our draft picks.

I think you build your team through the draft. So if you got yourself for one year and for one guy, Philosophically, I don't think that's the right thing to do. Does that mean you don't do that? Yeah, Marcus yeah, coach here, yeah, don't answer hypothetical. So what's it costs out? Give me a number two first round picks? Where am I going from where to where? Never get you there? Took two first round picks to go from six to two three years ago. I consider mortgage in the future, giving up

your draft, like for Ricky Williams. What I give up a whole draft for Ricky Williams in my opinion? Now do you think do you think he's the best quarterback? Do you think because no word draft, I have no idea. I thought Odell Beckham was the best player in the draft. He went at twelve. He ended up a Rookie of the Year. What do you think of the quarterback? I think there's two really good ones, two really good ones. Jamis is really good. Do I what do I like

Jamis more? I don't know Jamis as well. Jamis is a really good quarterback, really good quarterback. His name will go very quickly, I would imagine. But the history of the league. Look at the quarterbacks that have been drafting the top. Mark Sanchez was a top five pick, Jake Glocker was a top ten pick. Gabbett went at ten, um Ponder went at twelve. Quarterbacks school really fast in this league, said in Philadelphia introducing the Breadford back then

a teammate a offer for a first round pick. Day. Have there been others since the No, you may changes at the running back position, obviously, what about from the scheme perspective, other changes you need to be excuse me? Are there changes you need to make from a scheme perspective with the run game this offseason? No? I mean we run the same play, we run power, we run zone, we run outside zone. Of those guys, Ryan and DeMarco both have done all those things, so they fit in

in terms of what we do. Oh, we're talking more about what worked and what hasn't worked last year. I know I need to make additions, regardless of the persadel just from what we worked from the scheme perspective. Scheme. No, We'll havn Matthews be on the team next year, I hope. So his name's come up a good Mountain trade speculation to see are you guys actively trading them? No, shop intive. No, But I mean, as I said the other day, everybody

on our roster is available. If someone wants skull. You know when we'll when if the scenario comes up and someone says, I want to give you two first round draft picks for somebody, then yeah, we would listen. I mean, we traded Lasham and that was a very difficult decision to do. But we felt at the end of the day, we're gonna listen to every offer we have, and then you'd be crazy to say, no, this isn't gonna happen. This is gonna happen because you have no idea what

you're gonna get offered for somebody. I was given permission to seek a trade again like he was last year. Yes he was, and there hadn't been anything come of that, No, not at all besides familiar counter We felt he deserved it. I mean, I think his performance in the last two years since I've been here was exceeded what his contract was. That something that moved. Is that something that you feel you bring a different approach to given contracts, you guys

to do that. There's no what I must then do it for you to give him, I mean, there was the reason for you. I believe you earn earn what you do, and and I think we all believed what Connor did h for us has has exceeded what he did, what his contract was working. I'm not going to discuss anybody's contract on our team. What else about kno him? I must get one hundred and fifty nine tackles in

sixteen games, four interceptions played every defensive snap. I mean, just turn the tape on and you know what type of player are you getting for such a ship? Yeah? No, it's it's what makes it, what's what makes sports great. I mean, you've got nothing to talk about on sports radio. Let's talk about trades, and everybody's gonna go I want this guy, that guy, and this guy. You know what's unique about it? Though? How come no one asked Jim

Harbaw about trading up for Andrew Luck? Same scenario, identical scenario. I never heard a word about Jim are you trading up to get Andrew Luck? I don't know what. I think. I think he actually may have. I think he compared. Figure out what he said about Andrew Luck. I know how Jimmy feels about Andrew Luck before the draft, like

in January, like when you guys started all these conversations January. No, but okay, it's just to just to carry us question I'm answering, Okay, I was just curious why no one talked about Jimmy and Andrew, and Jimmy's professed love for Andrew. I can tell you that. And he's right, because that guy's pretty good to him. Heading back to the question, yeah, you can understand why we want to talk to you, and you can understand why I'm not going to answer you.

So we've heard a lot of things about Maria's not talk. What can you know about this player's specific character visibility. I think everybody gets over analyzed. You know, there's just so much time between it. And then I'll give the credit to Bruce Felman told me it's it's interesting that the knock on Marcus is his baggage, is that he has no baggage. Here's an outstanding leader. Look at his one loss record. You know, you judge quarterbacks on what

their one lost record is. You judge quarterbacks on touchdound, interception ratio, you judge them on all those things. And he's off the charts, and he's off the charts off the field. There was a report that some executives who had talked to him didn't like the fact that he was not fiery, you know, where his emotions on his sleeve and the little on net. It just didn 'tear to them. I mean, do you even evaluate that as part when you're looking at you. I heard everything when

you look at him. But just because a guy doesn't yell and scream at a guy when he doesn't run the right route? Is ask any of those guys if they take Eli Manning. I don't see Eli Manning screaming and yell at anybody. But you know, you talk about a stone cold killer in the fourth quarter. Look at how many fourth quarter comebacks Eli's had. I mean, I just it's just it's the silly season. I've said it before. The NFL draft hype is the most crazy thing in

the world. And they're gonna guys are gonna go up, Guys are gonna go down. The guys are gonna go up. Cam Newton couldn't play everybody. There's no reason draft him in the first round. All of a sudden, he goes number one. I knew it. I mean, it's crazy. Explain philosophically football wide, So why it's not good for team trade back? For usually the last traft picks. Philosophically, more players are better than one player philosophically, that's bottom. I mean,

the history of the game, study all trades. What set the Cowboys going forward? They traded one player for multiple players. I mean that's just I got a better chance at hitting. It's not an exact science and draft you get. It's a better chance at hitting. If you have more draft picks, then you have less draft picks. That's basically it philosophical harder to evaluate that physician, harder to evaluate when you do those kind of things. If you if you would trade,

is it hard? I think a quarterback harder to evaluate when you're trading all those picks than another position. Now, I mean the Saints traded all the way, all those draft picks for Ricky Williams. Wander A get I'm at you tell me there are no exceptions to that philosophy In Europe, it's a philosophy. There's exceptions to every philosopher. People used to think the world was flat philosophically, right until that guy took the boat and just kept going

and it didn't fall off the edge. Right completion, more chances and done with you next the same thing you feel like um, I would look at Sam can't considers pretty yack or quarterback. They that naturally he should have that fun Now, I mean it's still all about the players. I mean I can put some players in there and they're not going to complete a pass. I just it's still a personnel driven you know, that whole it's the system,

it's not the system. It's still about the players. It's just putting them in positions I think where you can read their strengths and read their weaknesses and trying to put them in position to make players. But I don't think so, I don't know, I really I then I've said it before. I didn't really what he was doing. I also think he had maybe you know, he had a lot of different coordinators, you know, from year to year to year. So I wasn't really entrenched in a

in one system. I don't. I mean I really don't. I didn't study it that way, you know, going from scheme where he had s a defense where he had set down get a lot of responsibility. Project. Yeah, I think that's a misconception because he didn't have two safeties behind him. I mean they're either a Cover three or Cover one, and they don't play too deep, so you know,

Cam's usually down in the box. But you know, the one thing I think that's interesting with Byron is that because of how good Richard Sherman is, he got the scheme was a lot of times the best receiver you tried to get. Everybody tried to scheme people, and he got the most balls because you're not going to throw on Richard. So you know, he's got a great skill set, great size, great length, um, really smart intuitive football. Um. Benefited from really good coaching and Sattle Pete do's an

unbelieable job with defensive backs. But you know, I think he also benefited again playing opposite or Richard because he saw he saw a lot, did a really good job. The other thing they did with him his versatility is he played in He played in the nickel, you know, so he's played inside corner as opposed to just being predominantly an outside corner. So he's he's got, uh, you know, a lot of versatility in terms of being able to move them around. I mean, I think there's a lot

of ways you can use them. Well, we'll get we won't get our hands on him until uh the end of April but I'm sure Billy will Will, you know, is excited to have someone like him that has that type of versatility to kind of move around. You know, we got Thurman, Nolan, Brandon. Yeah, they'll all play it out right now, you know. And if unless we do

something here later, boy can Yeah. And unless we do something here later, and you know, if if we add somebody in free agency or the draft and they'll compete on on for that other spot, and now that will work out a free agent move now percentage wise or fractions or you know, I don't know, I mean, I really don't. I mean, you haven't made one in a while, and guys are starting to come up the market and now it's it's a different kind of market now. So yeah,

he's trying to see what the market is. There's conversations going on, but I couldn't say one way or the other yet highly or I'm highly or unlikely. Do you think you can, like, you know, find find a top wide receiver in the draft? Do you think there's someone like you know, you mentioned Odell back on the last year and everything kind of feeling what Jeremy did. Um, Yeah, I mean I think it's a talented draft class. We're

still kind of putting that all together. But it's another year where there's some really really good receivers in the draft, and I think there's probably the one position again that has the most depth in the draft is probably wide receiver back. We felt, Yeah, last offseason you talked a lot about having to beat man coverage. He's there a similar theme or focus where we look at this offseason. We need to get better in this area when we make some of these personnel moves. No, I mean I

actually flip for us. We saw less man last year than we did the year before, so I think it was a sixty forty sixty man first year and forty man the second year. So you know, it'll probably change again. You've never seen interested in moving in Brandon to the outside. I mean basically cities some small to play outside for bigger guys. Has that changed? I mean, it's just thinking too. No. I think we're show us what we have and what's

available to us, and everybody competes. But Brandon plays outside every day in practice, you know. I mean that's something that I don't think. You know, when Brandon goes out to practice, he's not like this, like I don't look at what the outside corners do. I mean, he's been our second corner behind Fletching Kerry, and it was Nolan and Brandon, so he's always played outside. But he also when you're playing nickel, you get less reps outside because how many reps do you have in seven on seven.

If there's twelve reps and seven on seven and seven of them are nickel reps, well, he's getting all his reps at nickels. He's not gonna get all He's not going to go in with the twos and then and go play outside receiver. It's the same thing with Nolan when we used him a dime. It took away from some of his reps at outside corner just because you're not going to run them on every snap there and practice. But whoever is the best out of that group will

play corner force first and second. I'm wondering what you think about to see him first off season. I think Josh just consistency and the biggest thing with him is getting hurt in that preseason game that kind of get him put him behind everybody, and then when we got him back, I think it was after the San Francisco game, so we had already played four or five games, you know, so he was playing a little bit of catch up,

so hopefully just to stay you know. It was just kind of a freak thing on that kickoff return, Um, but contributed really well for us. He's a he's an unbelieable teams player. UM. So we already know he's established there and now it's just getting a little bit more consistent and given. And he'll get an opportunity now with with Matt gon So. Um. You know, I just think, like everybody, you just hope that that year one of

year two jump. You know, we know he has the physical skills and the mindset to do it is just staying healthy and an opportunity to show us at the same year the Mowtube routine Mark sam Chase, you talk about what are you showing your last year and how important is that? I think, I mean, quarterbacks the position in the National Football League, and you better have a couple of them. I mean, in my two years here,

we've we've played multiple quarterbacks in every season. So, um, we thought he was the most attractive free agent on the market and we were really excited to be able to get him back. You know, another year in our system, another year working with him. Um got a tremendous work ethic. I think he he's uh really come come along since the shoulder surgery that set him out the whole year before that. So excited to see his growth in the

second year of our system. Another guy you mentioned like the second year of jo What does kind of like take that next step? The same with all the same thing I said about Josh consistency. You know, there's there's times he flashes, but can we get it from him on a more consistent basis? SI, I know I'm in your last person couple. Someone trying to ask you about why you you wanted Sam and said of Nick, And you stopped him and said, no, it's not about what

I don't like Nick. But you did trade one for the other. Essentially what is Yeah, But I, as I said earlier, I didn't want We didn't want to trade Nick. That was really the biggest sticking point for us. We didn't want to lose Nick, right, But you did. You didn't want to lose him. Ultimate, Yeah, you have to. You have to make it. You have to make a decision of of It's the same thing I didn't want to lose the shoan, but you have to make You

got to give something up to get something right. So what did you think you were getting more of for you and for your scheme by getting Sam and giving Nick. You know, I think when you look at Sam, it's his overall accuracy that I think impresses everybody when you watch him play. You know, do you feel like he would at his best is a more accurate quarterback? Then then Nick at his best? Oh, I don't know about that, but I mean just looking at where we are and

what we need to do. But I think we've We've got guys open him. We need to put the ball on him and some from the situations, an offense faster. Going back to even Oklahoma, I mean the the pace that he runs with that was that wasn't I have no idea what he did pace. I mean when you watch college tape, there's no you don't know what's going on between the players. You're just watching one play cut to the next place. Did you just look at his bro taper? Did you go back to the oko um

the two um? I didn't go back to it, but I talked to his coaches at Oklahoma, so I didn't. I didn't watch him at Oklahoma whatever. We watched every throw he made in college, so I mean every throwing made in the pros. Statistically he didn't throw guard. What do you need. I'm really excited about Alan. We've we've we've been high on Allen for a long time. You know, was playing really well and then hurt his ankle it, you know, in the first game. So you know, we

we always considered Alan. You know, came in the year before, didn unbelieable job when JP was out against Green Bay and in a real tough matchup, um, you know, against a real good team in Green Bay and really did it well from self versatile player. Um, but I feel very confident in Alan Barber. Yeah, when Miko help, how do you invasion? Can flag Pico about Michaelmen? I mean's I never you have no idea. I mean, I don't know what's going to happen for you four weeks from now,

five weeks from now, four months from now. You know, they all may be hurt and it may be Brad Jones and Acho. So what did make trades? That bringing key? You think about how that will affect position? Yeah, I know, we we we knew we love I mean both those linebackers. I think, uh, Demico missed eight and Michael missed four. So you know, it was really we getting depth at our inside linebacker position and getting more players. It was it was a number really something where we were striving

to striving to get accomplished in the offseason. Yeah. Yeah, we call everybody when that happened. So I talked to Darren, I talked to Demiko. We've talked to everybody whenever we do that. When we draft somebody, we talked to the other guys at their position. So that's something we've always done.

So is the team that I'm never going to discuss who we talked to in trade and trade uh situations yesterday and Jeff Jeffrey said, you know, bringing free agents sometimes you don't know how they're going to fit into your scheme and your system, your culture, or if they're going to understand how things are done. You'd much rather build a team through the draft and in the years

going forward because of philosophically. Yeah, yes, so this passed off season, the risks involved with bringing in players free agency and stuff like that, did you look into, you know, the personalities and every years. Yeah, you try to mean, you gather all the information you can. You don't have an opportunity to meet with any of them, and you go through all their couple you know, the research that

was done on them in college coming out. You know what they were like, and you know you have a framework of kind of who they are, and you know if you have an opportunity to maybe have a place at somebody that knows them, or coach them, or you know, when free agency opens, you get a chance to visit and talk with them. But you know that's just for us.

If you just look at it. There hasn't been a real good history in the last ten years of draft the defensive backs at the Eagles, so you got to go require them in free agency, so you hope we could draft a little bit better so we don't have

to do that and we go in the future. When he was talking yesterday about why he felt changed with Estery, he spoke about how esoteric your requirements are they you understand what um you have really really specific requirements in specifically, how hard is it to train scouts to do what one can do to look at me, to look at and has that been a problem for you, No, not at all. I think we've got a great scott where

did very different from what other people want. No, I think everybody has specific needs and wants that they have at their position. You know, what Seattle's looking for is different than what San Francisco's looking for. I think the teams that that do with the best are getting players that fit their system. Just the risk that you're run that you're you're shrinking the point too much if you're looking for this specifically sycheologically, this specifically from a measurable standpoint,

on and on. I mean there's a scheme talent. Could that be a potential problem? How much do you think about that? What's the solution? That's a sixty four thousand dollar question. But you can say, you know what, our parameters are too tight, so let's expand him, and then what you if you accept it, expect it. So if you accept that you're going to take a five to seven corner and the ball gets strown over his head, you can't say, boy, he should have made that play.

It's he ain't gonna make the play. The receivers six four, you know, so there's a give and take. It's it's a it's a tough it's a tough deal. But if you you know, it's a if you take under overachievers that aren't the right size at every position, eventually you're gonna have a five ten nose guard but with a five nine inside linebacker with a five eighth safety, and they're gonna run the ball right down your throat and you have no one to kick in the pants except

for yourself because you decided to make those selections. So if if you're gonna have a standard in any operation, your business, your newspaper, whatever, and say, you know what, I want a guy that's really good at this. This guy doesn't really fit the criteria, but let's just hire them anyways, And then you wonder why your business failed, it's because you lowered your standards to get to a certain point. Talking about you and should you said, well,

you guys had to post mortem on the season. You presented a vision to go for the goods he bought into. So when you plugged in the team, give us the two or three things that you said to him, this is how we can go for. I think we have to improve on defense, you know, overall, I think, um, we gotta be better in the back end. We weren't good in the secondary. We had too many X plays over our heads. UM. Offensively, we have to clean up

the turnovers. You know, they were at an all time high for any system that I've ever been in UM. You know, So we got to make decisions in terms of being better in terms of securing the football on the offensive side of the ball, and really felt like we had to get better depth at inside linebacker and in the secondary. So that's really from a from a

football standpoint, that's what we were talking about. Feel that after plugging defense now that you needed physical Now I think we're Our run defense is outstanding, So I not at all I think I think that's the strength of our defense. I think it's it was our past defense that we were trying to improve. Scout to the question countly draft, we're smaller now that you guys do the first round, you get the many first round rades. Feel like that you guys draft now talking to guys that

were in other programs, now, post boards are similar. I mean, and if a guy doesn't have a first round grade, you don't look at the board and say, we don't have enough first round so let's put this guy in first round the draft. The pool is what the pool is is you can't make it. I mean, that's your selections. The presidential candidate, So the presidential candidates. You're you're picking

between this presidential candidate and that presidential candidate. You just can't say, well, I don't like that guy and I don't like that guy. We gotta pick one of them, right, No, never may we're doing. Sorry if you've been answering for Curly Cowboy. But he talked about what demarcol murder Bred would remute it to him two or three. Obviously you just look at him statistically in terms of what he did. We faced him four times. Yeah, you know what type

of war Cris backing is. But um got unbelievable patients and vision a toughness to him, you know, uh, never really takes negative yardage plays. And then when I finally got a chance to visit with him, I think it was on either that Wednesday or Thursday after pree agency started. Just you know, I didn't really know what type of

player he was. When the first conversation I had with him on the phone, I was, you know, just impressed with him as a as a as a guy you know, and what his mindset is and what he wants to get accomplished, and um, you know, really excited to add him to to our and you take him away from the Cowboy because he's started an important to port against him. Now,

we never look at it that way. We're just trying to acquire players and we don't say, you know, let's take this player over that player because it's going to make that team. You know, I think I know Dallas is going to be a real tougher punt of force again when we playing this year. So there's a lot of conversation in Dallas about the workload with that. Marie had last year rolled game role at mc glayed in that offensive I kind of thought, did you give to that?

I mean, I think he had four hundred and fifty passes last year and type of guess type questions. Yeah, we have thought with that, and that's why we wanted to bring in two running backs. So that's why we brought to Marco and and Ryan Mathison. So you described schools last week as a Swiss army night last week. Last year, you kind of used him a more straightforward role. I mean, you didn't move them around a whole lot.

Did you anticipate maybe being creative with him this year, Yeah, we do, you know, and it's just acclamation, but also for us, you know, in a lot of times, especially earlier in the year, he was our only other running back, so you know, kind of move him around and put him in a lot of different spots. You're kind of holding your breath because early I think it was I can't remember if it was one or two games worth, our third running back was Trey Burton because Chris was injured.

So you know, you got a kind of that's why our goal in this offseason, if if we move Lashawn was we wanted to bring two guys in. We want to have some depth at the running back spot and possibly carry four guys um during the season, And you know that that's that there's a lot of factored into that. But I think obviously in year two, a lot more familiarity with what we're doing and getting acclimated in terms of what we're doing. We need to get him on

the field. Most seems like, if if your running backs are healthy, you know demarco' Ryan's and its roles that Chris Bob probably has again a limited role that's a covered doing. Mean, it's safe to say it's not going to be expanded from last year as long as everyone now, that's not safe to say. Do you expect it depends role? I don't know. I mean, we could get the game one. He could be the only running back standing. So so when you're talking about two physical running backs into Mark o'

and Ryan, so you better have some depth. You know, there's a there's a style that those guys run with where they're gonna they're gonna take some hits and you gotta be able to have some depth when you have those type of guys, you think, do you do you fine?

Like going through the whole training process, you know, reporting free agency stuff, do you find that's a lot like you know, do you find that's kind of like you know what it's like, including when new or or you know, in college and everything now because they don't visit until a lot of them that I wish there was a visit period, but there's it's not a they don't really visit. You know, they're coming in and going, so it's it's it's a little bit different. So there's not much from

from that. A lot of it's done over the phone when you have first to have a chance to talk to him. So so then that's scout real short window. Sorry, that's scouting philosophy. Then that you just articulated, where did you develop that, how was that influence that? That's how you want to do it at the NFL level, just learning from a lot of people that have been in this league for a long time and picking their brains

on how you want to put things together. But philosophic, I think everybody would say the same thing that they have a Guys that can't tell you what they want in a player are probably the teams that aren't successful. When you guys are specific and know exactly what they want you know, then you have a chance to to

fix it from an understanding. But if you don't understand what you want in a player or defensive scheme or an offensive team, then you never can correct the mistake because you don't even know if you're making a mistake. Challenge versus they're both. They both go hand in hand. So I don't think you can sacrifice one for the other, or it doesn't work that way. You can have a guy that's got all the intangibles in the world. But if he doesn't have the talent to play, it really

doesn't matter. You can have the guy who's the most talented player ever, but if he doesn't fit into with the rest of the players on a team because it's a team game, then that's not going to work either. So but Brad similarly, he had three offensive bold Dames four years, didn't have a lot of offensive talent around. In some cases, when you watch each throw, you need how do you project that. I don't think you're you're not looking. I don't project. I don't think we look

at it as a projection. I'm just looking at what can he do and what can't he do when you're watching film, because you don't know what he's asked to do, Like I don't know what the play call is on the third throw of the game. You know when what his progression was from one to two to three, or you know, was he told to throw it there? No matter what, you just you're watching the skill set. How does he set his feet, how does he avoid a rush or his eyes up? How does he take a hit?

How does he deliver a short ball, how does he deliver a deep ball? What's he like at intermediate throws. What's he like when he sets his feet and throws. What's he like when he gets flushed, you know, when he can't get his his back foot down and has to throw off balance. You know, that's what you're evaluating when you're watching the tape aspect of you're not looking at it. How does this fit in schematically? You're just you're just looking at a skill set two years and

what have you learned about development? More specifically, do you guys think you put Marcus Smith back good position last year to succeed now? I mean I think we we do a really good job because our guys get more reps than everybody else. But the bottom line is you have to earn your position. You know, there's not a you don't have time when you're competing for a division title to throw a guy out there and say, hey, let's see how he develops. Right now, I mean when

the game's on the line. The game's on the line, and in the way it broke down for us, we're one game away from making a playoffs. So you know, if shame on us, if we were just trying to well, we didn't. We didn't get a chance to win that game because we were trying to develop some younger players. I mean, that's maybe if you're on a different team, maybe a team that's you know, you know it's a rebuilding project and it's a one or two or three or four year deal from where you're gonna be, then

it's a different mindset. But when when we got here, it wasn't that way. I mean, we won the division in our first year. We were right in the heat of the battle last year. So um, but I don't think from any standpoint, and I think it's the same thing with the players. If you just put a guy out there that doesn't deserve to be out there, then you lose the rest of your team. You know, what do you stand for? You know, and we're about competition

and you earn it. You know, there's not one guy on our team that can say, you know what, I didn't get enough reps. You know, they get a ton of reps and they get evaluated every day. And then you're opportunity to show us what you can do to contribute. And if you show us that you can contribute, the we're gonna get you on the field because you're gonna lpus win games. You did enough to done in the NFL.

I mean the first year you're helping a lot to do with the success of plays last years and different quarterback on majority season. How do you think that plays We don't. We don't run as much zone read as you think we run, just because we hint I know, probably less than two times a game, do you think, um so, I think that depends on your personnel. I think the Seattle Seahawks run it outstanding and it's a real difficult play in terms of how they run it.

But we I mean we I think we're maybe less than one a game in terms of running zone read plays. So it's not a big part of what we do. Probably won't be, probably not now this second STA well it's so that earlier with Zach, but we'll see. We got some guys in house, we'll take a look at well, there's still opportunities in free agency, and there's also opportunities in the draft, and we'll play it out through OTA's mini camp in the preseason. Have you thought about give

it Nolan Carol will look at safety. No, No one's going to compete for the starting corner spot. On the other side, about the new responsibilities, that you is finding a quarterback and been figuring out how yet the quarterback the way that you obviously need to use exact the biggest challenge that you had, I mean specifically about that position its opposed to No, I don't think that's the biggest challenge. I think putting together a whole team it's

the biggest challenge. That doesn't weigh more than no, No, it doesn't. You guys can you guys like, yeah, Jalen's got versatility. How it We'll all play itself out. I mean, we got a ton of time and we have a ton of reps between now and when we gotta make a decision on who's gonna end upposite Malcolm so um, you know, Jaylen Jalen is another guy that will have an opportunity at the safety spot. What was your evaluation of how Michael Keedgriggs played less here and how he

fits go work forward? Um. I thought when he was healthy he played really well for us, But again we missed him. I don't know if it was four or five, four games, you know, it was just the health aspect of it was a difficult thing and we were a different team without him on the field. I think he's but when he played, he played really well for us. What can from from franchise and him when you see him? Just the price of the tag, what you paid a lot of money for Byron Maxwell? So why was it?

We felt corner? So you felt corner. We felt corner was a priority position for us in terms of the questions, you know, what do we need to improve? We needed to improve our secondary, but do you feel like in doing that though and letting in doing that improving your secondary but also then not bringing back Jeremy. You weakened your wide receiver porter? And where's that? You can't You can't pay everybody. I mean, that's just everybody has the same amount of money, and so you got to divvy

it up. However you're going to divvy it up. But we were inadequate in terms of the money allocated defensively as we were to offensively, and we're trying to balance that out, and I think it showed in our play. I would imagine what the offers you had Maco and you had money allocators to that spot to then when he didn't sign, how did he how did that change

your offices and planes? And then we just we didn't think there was another receiver that was in that price range in the in the free agency, so it was we were gonna try to get mac Back. Felt like we gave him a real competitive offer. Kansas City offered him a lot more than we did, and we just weren't going to go that high song getting Marco. Were able to do that because now we had always planned

on taking to running back. So salary cap allocation. You talked about using what you did at the running back position spreading. Spreading carries out a little more than men. Do you feel like your system offensively um helps you in terms of the salary gap because you didn't have to pay a top guy and a fil ran amount of money. Do I feel our system does No. I think it's all based on what's available at the time

and how do you allocate it, you know. I mean you can philosophically say, hey, we want to pay x, X and X at each position, but that's not available to you know, we want to pay our center really good money because he deserves really good money, because Jason's really good. If somebody else was playing center, we wouldn't have that much money allocated at center. I think it's really, you can't look at it and say, philosophically, let's put a price tag on every position, because number one, you

don't get to start from scratch. And then number two, just because you want to pay your left tackle ten million dollars, what if there's not a ten million dollars player available to you at that position. So you just got to kind of it's it's an event of flow. It's not a philosophical thing where you can say this or that you're more of a team touches please out. It depends on what your players are. You know, if you add yeah, you're not going to say philosophically, we

want to spread it out. If you have a six five guy that's two forty and runs four three, you're gonna probably get him in the ball a little bit more than somebody else. I just think when you set, you see what's out here. To talk about the ball out, we were talking about spreadit. Now. What I was talking about spreading the ball out is that the way those guys run the football, he's I don't believe that one of those guys is going to carry the ball three

hundred and eighty times. And I think it's it takes a physical toll on you that that wasn't a salary cap philosophical let's handle it. You know, I would we ran multiple running backs at Oregon because we had multiple running backs at Oregon. If we didn't have multiple running backs, we would have just hung it on one guy. And when we had someone like Leshawan who was head and shoulders above everybody else, then he's he's gonna be the guy that's going to carry the ball and very rarely

came out of the game. You know, that's just that's just the nature of how it was set up when I got here. You know, Leshan was a head and shoulders above. Now when you have DeMarco and Ryan, you can distribute those carris. I would have loved to I mean, Leshaun the most carries out of any running back over the last two years if we had, if we could have, philosophically, you'd like to spread that out. But if you don't have that other guy, then well when wouldn't you who's

the guy like Matt five receptions? I'll probably feel like you can make up some of that, you know, Josh, maybe Zachart's getting out a little more. You spread them all around. Ryan mapps. I mean, is that kind of yeah or what are you getting the draft? I mean, I don't. Our team's not set right now. I guess the best way to say, you don't know what you have, so you know, we may get somebody in the draft. You're like, oh my god, he's better than I thought

he was. We need to feed him. You know, college and juries much more imperative. Is it to have a very very good cauterback at this level and maybe in college to be successful, is it not? I think it's a I mean I think in this sport, no matter what level, you probably better have a really good quarterback. You know, depending on what system you round. Now what some people think is good, you know, it may not

translate to the next level. But no, I don't see um many teams that are that aren't successful that don't have really good quarterbacks at any level, whether it's high school, college or the process every day and players would earn his drab a practice. But do think that's different with the quarterback LEAs and like getting the important to have a guy that you know is go starting with a good game back and guy. No, I think all of our guys, once they establish who they are, but they're

gonna win that position. You know before you get going, But in season, we don't make many changes once we get going there. But I think everybody the way I said is everybody has an ample opportunity before the season starts to earn their playing time and to set the depth chart season. Or are you still planning? We don't have a preseason schedule yet, so I'm not. We're not planning on anything, so I don't I don't know who

we're playing. I mean, I don't think that comes out for I don't think that comes out for a couple of weeks. So would you try to avoid that though play them in the season? Would you be opposed? But I'm saying, we don't have wherever we're gonna scrimmage. If we have an opportunity scrimmage, it's gonna be who we're playing in the preseason. So it'll all be based on

what our preseason schedule is. We're not going to go train with a team and then we go play the whoever the Baltimore and then they go play somebody else. It doesn't work that way. It just happened that when we looked at our schedule, our schedule came out, who are we're playing? You know, we got a chance to That's how everybody usually does it, when your schedule comes out and say, hey, if we want to get together,

which game do you want to get together in? Let's do it with this team, and then you talk to him and see if they if that's something they want to do. I mean, I think Bill did it two years ago with Tampa and US and then last year with Washington and US because they played Washington first and

they played out a second. So all those get together deals are based upon your preseason things, so you gotta wait until I do like the philosophically, I like the idea, but it depends on who it is, how it's going to be run. You know. I was very intune to how Bill wanted to do it, and we had a great discussion about it. So it was something I was on board with. But I don't know if we're gonna or not with anybody, just depending on how the preseason

schedule comes out. Can you just give your insight your thoughts on what? Yeah, Um, I love Fletch, the ultimate competitor, works his tail off every single day in practice. Um is a physical player, um played really well for us also on special teams. Um, they're gonna get a guy that's a great teammate. UM will buy into Bill system one hundred percent. So UM, I think I think rot highly about I know, you have to get back to

it to do what you want to accomplish. Interview off the season with the defense and what you're thinking, that's still a work in progress. I mean there's a whole component to it. So it's not a one day thing or a two day thing. I mean there's still players available in free agency and there's also the draft coming up. So you know, we're we're we're again. It's we're a long ways away from playing Sodian Zach Hurts and maybe you can do different. You see ye skill set of

how you guys can use Now. I think he's I think he's still growing. You know. I think in Zach will be the first one to tell you that. You know, I know he's working extremely hard in the off season, um At continuing to get better. So I mean, I still think there's a big jump that can occur between him even from year two to year three. What about Ryan Matthews, let's your attraction and ultimately acquiring him. I think his style of running physical. Uh, his speed, you know,

he's got legitimate breakaway speed. He ran for three seven at the combine at two hundred and twenty two pounds. UM. He's he's also uh physical player and pass protection. UM a bigger back. UM. You know, I think you know there was there was a reason he was drafted where he was drafted that high in the first round. So after security, it's offseason season insistency. I just said it earlier, and there's times where he's flashed and you're like, wow, that's a great play, But I got to do it

on a more consistent basis. I don't. We'll see, we're not playing today, so what if they break their ankle tomorrow, then we move them back. That's why it's it's not a it is a hypothetical. So I can't give you an answer. And then you'll go twenty seven weeks ago, you said he was definitely an outside linebacker. Well, Acho broke his leg. Two other guys both have salmonilla and they're not here anymore, and he's playing inside linebacker. And you're like, you said he was never gonna play inside

linebacker before. So we went into the coaching staff changes John Love at Ted Williams and the QBST coach Um Well Bill left right, but we've got an offensive coordinator position UM and then Ted was transitioned and then discounting, I think he wants to watch his son play a little bit. Was playing college football now, Um and then we made maneuvers where we had to improved our secondary sea and right day, I think Ryan was a rising star and in football, A lot of people understand that

he's done as the offensive coordinator Boston College. He's got a real good background from Florida to Temple to BC and UM a couple of stops in between. U smart, intelligent, very good teacher can really transferred from the board to his players. You know, I've seen that in action. So I'm really excited to have him. I mean I didn't really see it, and I heard about it, but I was just disappointed. I mean, we gave Trey a great opportunity,

came in on him Bill Wash Minority internship program. Mister Lourie was nice enough to keep him on for two years, one on offense, one on defense, seeing if he could find a job in the NFL. So I hope Trey does find a job in the NFL, but we didn't. We don't have a job open did When he makes a comment like that and says that he heard it from inside the locker room, do you feel like it's something that you needed to look into or investigate it all? Now? Has it ever been brought up to you now in

college or prof now? Did you reaware of the report? I guess the Tree reference a study that you have more white players and you're roster than other NFL team. I don't look at the color of any player. I just look at how do they fit in our team? So I think we're in twenty fifteen. I don't think that's something that's ever come into my mindset. You brought in Tim Tebo for a workout, you first see the chaser.

I don't know. You know, we brought a lot of players in for private workouts, so I mean that name just obviously people look at it. But there's been a lot of players in for private workouts, so we're always looking at who's available and making sure if all of a sudden we have to make them maneuver. It's like, well what about that guy? I have no idea, you know, we have a framework of what we worked him out three weeks ago, four weeks ago, two months ago. We

have film on it. We can study it. So, Jeffrey, so the notebooks work of informational division that you have terms of integrating the system from scouting the coaches, such a division that you presented to him the song season, because maybe just a little clip nose for for it what vision is and how you say it. I don't think it benefits us to tell anybody else what our vision is between at least between scouts and the coaching staff.

I know that, but I think I don't think that benefits anybody thirty one other teams for us to say how we do things, even if it's I don't think it benefits anybody on the other thirty one teams for us to say how we do things so how we find m I wonder you still had I had input, but I didn't have final say about I stayed out of those guys. I've done it with every guy from Oregon. I so you guys make your decisions. I had nothing to do with it. I specifically with any kid from

from Oregon that came up. I let you know, I let our I let our scouts and coaches do that and where they fit. Do I want? I don't know. No, I think we've picked. I think a lot of people didn't. How's that going to be going for in terms of those evaluations. Removed yourself in the past obviously years you're fun to say, now, how is that? How's that different?

I still I when I say I removed myself. I never told them how I felt about a player or what I know about a player, because I want them to make their own evaluation of what that player is. That's what I mean. You if you didn't want to what Tim came in for a private workout, and that's why they're private workouts. Chip, if you didn't want a player, If I always said we want this guy and you didn't want, would you have said, listen, I'm not comfortable

with that player wanting you. Now I've given I'd give my opinion. That's all done before the draft ever happens. It's not a it's not a day of the draft. Oh my god, what are we doing? I mean, it doesn't work over. There was a lot of moving parts the last drafts, and things kind of kind of move while you work while the draft was going on. Yeah, that's that's what happens on the draft taking. Yeah, but

then we're prepared for all that. We go through all scenarios of what if this is there, what if that is there, what about this, what about that? And then everybody weighs in so you're okay with the picks once they're pick. Everybody's okay with the picks once there pick, they're on your team, right, All right, guys, we're done.