Defensive Coordinator Mike Rutenberg (5.27.26)
What kind of interaction have you had with Myles Garrett?
“Of course, I knew that would be a question. I’m going to leave a lot of that interaction between me and Myles.”
So there has been some?
“There has been some. Yes.”
Obviously this is voluntary and Myles, we know what Myles is capable of. What is the biggest thing a player is missing, especially with a new staff coming in when they’re not here?
“It is voluntary and we respect the voluntary aspect of it. Whatever team you’re on, your team, my daughter’s softball team, I’d love everybody to be around, but I also understand people have different things. I’ve had great communication and I’m excited for when everyone’s here to put it together.”
You were getting really animated out here today, encouraging guys to celebrate when they make a play. How is that part of your culture?
“Like anything any of us do as a team, in our opinion, this is the greatest team sport in the world. We get this opportunity for 11 of us on a defense, a team, and a coaching staff to work together and to do some really hard stuff. So when we do some really hard stuff and it works out in our favor, let’s celebrate and have a blast. Let’s show how much we love each other by how much we celebrate. That’s just going to build our camaraderie and we’re going to have a great time doing it, because adversity is promised. So when good things happen, let’s celebrate it.”
Todd (Monken) was not happy last week about you guys getting some interceptions, but three again today, I imagine you are pretty happy?
“I always want to keep the head coach happy.”
How much interaction have you had with Denzel (Ward)?
“My interaction with all the players has been unbelievable. You ask about Denzel, it’s been great. Really excited having gotten to know him and to continue to get to know him. All the players, whether they’re here or not, has been great just getting to know guys, investing in each other, sharing our stories and just learning who they are.”
How excited are you in a couple of weeks to see this whole defense together?
“I’m super excited. But I’m also super excited today, just being out here with our guys. Our whole team, our whole coaching staff, it’s awesome. And the more that we’re all together, the better we’re going to be in the long run.”
How much has Quincy (Williams) been an extension of you on the field, especially as other guys are learning the system?
“Quincy’s Quincy, and I would never want anybody to be an extension of me. I want them all to live in their superpower. His superpower is his smile, his infectious personality, his run and hit, his fist pump and his other superpower is getting along with people. Together, that linebacker room transfers to the d-line room, the DB room, the coaching staff and to Quincy and to all of them. We’re all together in this. It’s great having him here. I love seeing his smile every day.”
What excites you most about Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and what role do you see him playing in your defense?
“What’s really cool about E-Man is from our initial studies of him on tape and then meeting him, we’re seeing a lot of that. He loves football. He wants to be coached. He wants it at the nth degree of detail. And then anytime somebody’s long, fast and athletic, you’re going to be really excited about them.”
The interceptions have all been heads-up plays off the hands of receivers, the ball-tracking skills. How much is that part of the philosophy you’re trying to instill?
“The ball is oxygen. Like you need oxygen to live so the ball is our oxygen. We need it for our football lives. So anytime that ball is in the air or someone’s running with it, we’re attacking it. If it’s on the ground, we’re scooping it and we are scoring with it. It just has to do with our mindset that is our livelihood. It’s our oxygen.”
Where does that phrase come from?
“Jeff Ulbrich. Give Brick credit. The ball is oxygen. Ricky Manning Jr. The ball is oxygen. You guys know what the periodic element is for oxygen? O2. Very good. I struggled with that early on.”
Zion Johnson was talking last week about how Monken is not afraid to stop a play right there and reload it, as opposed to watching it back on film later. What is the value in correcting mistakes that way?
“Our whole philosophy is that when we walk between those white lines, there is no doubt, there’s zero gray. We are all playing as fast as humanly possible and, on defense, hitting as hard as humanly possible. So any chance we have to help each other correct a play, it’s football, it’s 11 on 11. There are 22 people trying to do incredible things. There are going to be issues, mistakes, busts, call it what you want. But as long as we are together and on the same page correcting them, we would take 100 corrections if it means we’re going to get one play right. So when we walk out between those white lines and through that tunnel – no doubt.”
Todd is a first-time head coach. How much does he look to you guys, lean on you guys for input about how you want to do things on the practice field?
“We have an awesome collaboration as a staff. It’s really cool to be a part of, the ideas that are exchanged are awesome. We’re practicing football, getting ready to play football and that’s what it’s all about.”
We talked to Mason (Graham) last week about the attacking style up front and how guys already feel comfortable with it. When you see that unit, even without the whole group together yet, how excited do you get for some of the things you might be able to do up front?
“That’s the engine. It’s the biggest, baddest, I’m going to stop right there because curse words will come out, engine. And we go as they go. With that comes great responsibility of the style with which we play, the technique with which we play and the intensity with which we play. We’ve got all the right guys to do it. We’ve got great coaches in Jacques (Cesaire) and Ralph (Steet), with Shaq (Wilson) helping and (La)Roy (Reynolds) helping. We go as they go, and we’re going to continue to keep going really hard there.”
Mason said he played through a broken rib the last month of the season. What does that say about him, and what are your early impressions?
“What doesn’t that say about him? It says everything. And be honest injuries are out of my wheelhouse, but all those guys do, including Mason, is they go and they want to keep going. We’re going to ride their shoulders because they’re the front and we go as they go.”
It’s a copycat league. Right now everybody’s talking about 13 personnel. How much of what you’re building is you versus the changing reality in the NFL?
“The whole league is evolving, it’s not just this year with 13 personnel. It’s every year. Offenses, defenses and special teams are evolving, because if you’re not evolving, you’re probably going to get your butt kicked. Fortunately, I’ve been part of staffs that every offseason we are constantly trying to find the trends of the league, how we’re being attacked, what we were successful with, what we weren’t and always trying to build on what we did well, fix what we didn’t do well, think of what’s coming and try to attack it that way.”
You’re leaning heavily into the safety position and you were able to retain Ephraim Banda, who has had a big hand in developing those guys. How much is that your belief in him and what he’s been able to put together? “Not only my belief in Ephraim and the safeties, the whole defensive staff is incredible. Ephraim, Brandon Lynch, Jeff Anderson helps back there, I could keep going. The linebacker room with (Jason) Tarv(er) and Zach Dunn and Paul Warlow helping. Hajriz Aliu helps with the back end. I mentioned the D-line guys. It’s an elite staff. I’m happy to be a part of it. I appreciate them welcoming me in, and we’re creating this awesome brotherhood together along with our players, who are incredible dudes who have accepted me. I greatly appreciate that. Together we’re making it ours.”
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