Press Release: Eric Mangini’s Press Conference Transcript 6/11/09 - Thu, Jun 11 2009 at 7:34 pm
(Opening statement) – “Good morning, how’s everybody doing? Welcome back. Going into this mandatory minicamp, what we are doing over the course of these five practices, is reviewing the information that we’ve put in. This is the next phase of our install, most of which is review at this point. What’s nice about these days is the volume of information over a very small period of time increases dramatically and it’s a lot closer to the way that training camp will go. That gives the rookies, especially, a sense of that, and it also gives the guys that aren’t familiar with the system a good indication of the process during training camp. We are looking for a lot of good work over the course of the weekend.”
“We have some special visitors here this weekend, a group of eight soldiers from Fort Bragg, NC, they are Green Berets. I was excited to have them come up, and I’ve talked to the players a lot about the fact that we can learn from other elite athletes or other people’s experiences, whether it be businessmen, soldiers, baseball players, soccer players right on down the line. With this group of men, the selection process to even be considered to be a Green Beret is intense. A very small number get selected to have a chance to tryout for that, and then the amount that actually makes it through the tryout is extremely small as well. They have to distinguish themselves individually, and then once they get into a group, the intense level of teamwork and communication, focus and the things that they have to do to function as a unit is incredible. I thought sharing those experiences with our players, both individually, what it took to get there, and then what they have to do as a team would give us some great insight. They each work with a position group, one per position group. They spend time in meetings, help out at practice wherever they can and it’s great to have them here. I think the other great lesson is, no matter how hard we may think our practices are, or the things that we are asking the players to do, it really gives you a sense of perspective, of what they are asked to do and what they are asked to sacrifice. I can’t thank them enough for that.”
“The other person that we have here who is going to be helping us out through training camp, is a name that is probably familiar to most of you in the room, is Kimo von Oelhoffen. He did the bulk of his work with the Steelers and then he came over to the Jets. We picked him up as a free agent. I got to know Kimo really well during that process. I think he is an incredible pro. He is a guy that even though he worked in a 3-4 system, he had to transition into more of a true two gap philosophy. That will be really valuable from a teaching perspective for a lot of the guys. As I said, he is one of the best pros I have been around.”
(On what Kimo von Oelhoffen’s role will be) – “He is going to be one of our minority interns on the coaching staff through training camp. He is learning about the coaching side and he will help Bryan (Cox) with the defensive line and the defense in general.”
(On practicing in the rain) – “I am always excited when we get some rain, cold, wind or snow because you can’t simulate those. As much as you try to talk about playing with your feet underneath you, understanding the surface, dealing with a wet ball, how the difference is from the quarterback-center exchange, to the quarterback’s release, to the way the receivers have to catch it. All of those things are stuff that you can try to explain, but it’s much better if it’s experienced. It’s another distraction that is out there, that you’ve got to work through and be able to come back into focus.”
(On being concerned that someone could get hurt in the rain) – “It’s football, it’s rain. You’ve got to work in it; you’ve got to understand it. I’ve practiced on dry surfaces, I’ve practiced on ideal surfaces and we are always trying to have player’s safety first. Rain is something that we will have to deal. It is something that we will have to be able to work through and I think the more educated that they are on how to do that, the better the chance we have to avoid injuries when it does come up.”
(On what it would take to move practice inside) – “Lightning.”
(On conducting interviews in the rain) – “You are more than welcome to go into the bubble if you want, Tony. We’ve got the indoor facility. You guys can walk in there if you want”
(On the media being told they couldn’t go inside the indoor facility for interviews) – “I’m telling you, you can.”
(On the addition of George Foster) – “He is a guy that when he came up we looked at and felt would add some good competition to the tackle position. He has started a lot of games in the league. He has played a lot of football. Analyzing that, we felt there was value in bringing him in to increase competition and depth.”
(On Foster missing time with Detroit not due to injury and if he was overrated as a first-round draft pick in 2003) – “A lot of players come up for a lot of different reasons and you don’t really know what the specifics are with their other team. You really try to look at it from how they can help you, what they can add and assess it from that perspective.”
(On if Phil Dawson looked rusty and if it is good to have him back) – “He looked good in the field goal drill that we had there at the end. I don’t think he had any misses there. Yeah, it’s good to have everybody back; it’s good to be operating with a full group. It’s always a positive weekend when you can get a lot done and really set the table for training camp.”
(On if there are any issues that could linger into training camp with Dawson) – “I’m really happy with the things that Phil did and I’m happy to have him back. I look forward to moving into training camp with a full group.”
(On why Braylon Edwards didn’t practice) – “We have a couple different guys who are out and sometimes its bumps and bruises or illness. We’re working through it and see how it goes and evaluate it over the course of the weekend.”
(On the main objectives that the Green Beret’s can help the team with most) – “In talking with the guys a little bit last night, and throughout the course of either today or after meetings last night as well, just their insight on the types of things that they had to do in order to be selected as a Green Beret. From an individual perspective, all of the things that went into making that team, and now that they are a part of that team, what are things that really help them accomplish their goals, areas they focus on and things that they can share that may help our guys in pursuit of the same goals.”
(On how the players have responded to the Green Beret’s) – “It has been great. It was great last night; there were a lot of conversations after meetings, at dinner, at snack and breakfast. There has been a lot of great interaction. It’s a pretty seamless transition.”
(On if it hurts the installs when a guy like Edwards isn’t practicing) – “That situation is going to come up a lot during the course of the season where you may have somebody who is a front line guy, who gets nicked up and can’t maybe work on a Wednesday or Thursday. Whatever the situation is, illness, there are so many different things. What’s positive about that is you get to work other combinations. I have been in a lot of games going with one group and you get a couple of changes pretty quickly. I remember the first game that I coached, the Tennessee game, our guard got hurt on the third or fourth play of the game, and we had to play a sub the rest of the game. We were down a lineman and the ability to adjust to that, for the group to adjust to that, there is real value in working players at different spots and creating that overall flexibility.”
(On Brodney Pool’s level of play) – “Brodney’s got excellent athleticism, speed and those physical characteristics. Getting to know him more as player, he does have some familiarity with the coverage’s that carry over between the system that I have and the system that Romeo (Crennel) ran. There is quiet a bit of carry over, so that is a plus as well. The key will be to have balanced safeties, so either one can play back, either one can play up and Brodney has shown the ability to do both those things.”
(On your thoughts about Brodney coming out of college and where you had him ranked) – “That was a little while ago, I don’t remember where we had him or where I had him. The things that I am seeing now are things that I saw in college. Specifically where he was ranked? I am not sure, but he did have those same traits coming out of college that I see here today.”
(On how Edwards is taking to being a mentor for the rookies) – “Braylon has been outstanding in the meeting rooms. One of the things that I really like, and I’ve always liked this, is the give and take between the coach and players, the players themselves, and you want guys to talk about how they run a certain route. You want them to give insight on the DBs that they are facing. As a coach, you can give a certain level of insight, but a player can add to that, and a player can teach other players best approaches, best releases and some tricks that they have learned over time. The wide receiver room in general has been very good. I’ve been in there quiet a bit and that conversation helps because they are talking in the room, then they are talking on the field and they will be talking on the sideline. They are helping each other, coaching each other, pushing each other and it will make the group better.”
(On if he anticipates that Edwards will be fine for training camp) – “Yes.”
(On how John St. Clair) – “John is doing a really nice job. He and (Floyd) “Pork chop” (Womack) both have done a really nice job. What I like is the position flexibility, playing tackle, playing guard, right side or left side. I really liked him when I saw him on the free agent tape; I liked the things he did there. As a guy, he is an outstanding person in the locker room, meeting rooms, all of the things I look for from that perspective.”
(On if Ryan Tucker will focus more on working at guard or tackle) – “They are all going to continue to rotate through different spots. (Alex) Mack will work some at guard as well. We are constantly trying different combinations and building that flexibility on the o-line, because you are one injury away from having to adjust quite a few spots. Giving those reps now, that work now is important.”
(On if Foster will get reps at guard) – “I’ll have to look at the rotation, but it may be more tackle-to-tackle right now, with some movement towards there. (George) Warhop has his formulas and I know it’s well thought out. I haven’t quite figured it all out yet, but it is well thought out.”
(On the offensive line flexibility because of injury) – “It depends on how many guys you bring to the game. Are you talking about someone in the actual game getting hurt? It’s hard to say because if you bring up that second right guard, are you putting the other guy down on IR? You also have to think about if this guy is in this spot, who are the interior subs? Who are the outside subs? Who is the second left tackle? It is not just one domino.”
(On the visit with Mike Brown) – “The visit went well. Mike is a guy that I have watched for a long time. With any of these guys that we bring in, sometimes we sign them right away, sometimes it can be during training camp, sometimes we don’t. It is to gather information and be able to put ourselves in a position to make a decision at whatever time we think we’d like to do that.”
(On if he is learning more about Jerome Harrison) – “That is definitely one of the things that happens when a guy gets more opportunities. I think Jerome has had an outstanding group of OTAs and camps. His ability to pick up the protections and run routes out of the backfield, he reminds me a lot of Leon (Washington). As Leon got more opportunities, the way that he embraced it, I have been very pleased with him in all aspects, running, catching, protection, and the way he works on the field, the way he works in the class room. He has done a great job.”
(On if he can make adjustments with the blitz pickups) – “Yeah. When I say pickups, like today, you saw there was more of a blitz emphasis at the end of practice, so there are certain things based on the front, where the line may have to adjust. When they adjust, the back in turn has to adjust, so it’s based on a core protection, but the look moves how the protection operates. When I say pickups, it’s not necessarily going up and fronting up the guy, it’s more knowing the right spot to get to, knowing if you are part of a sight adjust and that’s really what I mean when I say pickups as opposed to the physical element of blocking the blitzer.”
(On if you won’t be able to see the physical element until the preseason) – “You will uncover that stuff a lot more during training camp, but my experience with a guy very similar in size, was positive in terms of what Leon was able to do in protection. I think if Jerome keeps working the way that he is working, it should be similar.”
(On how you manage team chemistry) – “We are all Browns, so regardless of how you got here, you are a Brown and that’s our focus. It’s not where you came from before, none of that really matters. We are Browns and this is a new year, and we are going to move forward this year and the things that we do will control how well we do. It doesn’t matter how you got into the seat, you are a Brown.”
(On if his process for choosing team captains has changed during his years as a head coach) – “It was the same system each year.”
(On what the process is) – “The players vote on it.”
(On if the coaching staff has any input on team captains or is it players only) – “No, it’s legit.”
(On if you would characterize the protocol of Jamal Lewis as cautious) – “No. Our protocol with any player is to put together the best plan in terms of working with the strength coach, the trainer, the doctors, the coaches, the player, everybody working together to put together the best plan in terms of moving their progress forward. Some of that is in the classroom, some of that is on the field, and it’s coordinated so that you are maximizing work and being very smart along the way.”
(On if you would encourage him to take it easy with his workouts) – “There is a ton of communication and everything is coordinated together to get to the end goal which is getting back as quickly as possible. It’s not operating independently of each other.”
