Assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone (10.12.23)
What did your group focus on during the bye?
“We looked at everything. We looked at every phase and in pretty good detail. I mean, we only had four games, but really just focusing on fundamentals in every single phase and just knowing that we can play a lot better. We’re leaving too many yards out there, especially in the return game. So that’s going to be a big emphasis for us moving forward.”
How much time does a special teams coach spend during the week checking the forecast?
“Not too much. It can vary here a lot with the weather, so you don’t really know until the day of the game. And in Cleveland, I think that you’re going to get a variety of weather patterns even during a game. So, we’re prepared for everything. We practice outside. We’ve been in all the elements.”
What stands out to you about the 49ers special teams unit?
“They play hard. I would say they’re pretty basic in their schemes and they execute well. They have a really good player in George Odum, who I coached in Indianapolis, was an All-Pro for me. Very instinctive player that finds his way to the ball. Tough, competitive, one of my favorite guys I’ve coached. So, he’s going to be a guy that we’re going to have to stop.”
What’s your philosophy on onside kicks? Can they still be executed?
“They can still be executed. It’s definitely harder to get the ball, especially with no run-up to the line of scrimmage. Everyone’s got to be static. There can’t be any motions or shifts or anything like that. It’s definitely harder to get the ball, but I’m a fan of why are we trying to let the team that’s losing back in the game? Like you should have done more work earlier in the game? We shouldn’t be trying to give the team that’s losing the ball back. As far as the rules go, do more work early in the game that way you’re not in that situation.”
Have you tried any onside kicks?
“Oh, yeah, we had hit a few in Indy. We practice them a lot. There’s a variety of kicks you can use. There’s not a ton of I would say – there are really two different types of looks you can get as far as a return team in that because you can only have so many players in the box. But yeah, we’re prepared for those situations on the recovery end and if we had to kick one.”
So if you don’t like the idea of letting the other team back in the game, did you like the rule change that makes it more difficult to recover that sidekick? Or what’s your philosophy?
“The rule change makes it – supposed to make it a little bit easier to recover because there are less players in the box. So you have to have that other guy out of the setup zone outside of the 40-yard line. He can’t enter the setup zone until the ball is contacted. So, they’re trying to have more recoveries there. What I’m saying is we shouldn’t be trying to find ways to get the team that’s losing the ball back. That’s my opinion.”
Last resort, is it still a useful play?
“Yeah. I think the play as it is, is great. I don’t think we should be even thinking about going to fourth and 15. That’s dumb to me, it really is. Like, why are we trying to give the team that’s losing the ball back?”
You said you’re leaving too many yards out there. Are you talking both punt and kickoff?
“No, I think specifically the punt return unit. Yeah. Just decision-making. We haven’t maximized our yardage there. We really haven’t. I think being more aggressive to get downhill, decisions to field the ball, things like that. So that’s been a big emphasis, and our guys are going to be ready to rock.”
I think last time we talked, you said you still thought DPJ (Donovan Peoples-Jones) was the right guy.
“Yeah, and I think that he can still be the guy, but he understands and we understand that we need to better. We need to set up on the ball better. We need to attack coverage better. We need to understand what the scheme is calling for and understand their personnel and where we’re trying to attack. So, I think we have a better understanding of what we want to get accomplished in the next three-quarters of the season.”
Have you looked at anyone else for that job?
“I mean, Elijah (Moore) has done it. We have some guys on the practice squad that have done it, so I mean the personnel department does a great job being able to give us players to work with. And you always have those lists out there for guys that you have an eye on. So, Donovan’s done a good job setting up on the ball and catching it when he does catch it. So, he’s got to do a better job of getting downhill.”
Corey (Bojorquez) has been one of the best in the league at kind of pinning guys and pinning teams inside the 10. Talk about that skill, if you could, that he possesses, harnessing that and developing that skill.
“Yeah, I think he’s done a tremendous job in practice with the practice reps. We work that on Thursdays to start practice. So, our gunners get out there and give him the best shot to get it down inside the ten. We’ve missed some opportunities early in the season in those chances, so hopefully we can capitalize on those moving forward. But no, Corey’s done a great job overall.”
Personnel has obviously changed for you guys, especially in training camp in the early part of the season. I know Andrew (Berry) talked about last week, the bye week coming that early is never really super great, but did it just kind of give you guys a chance to catch your breath in this phase of the game and just reassess everything, having that week off?
“Yeah, honestly, in my opinion, I’m glad that we had the bye when we did. It enabled me to go back, look at the first four games, okay. Where are the areas we really need to improve in and why we haven’t had – I mean, we haven’t been bad. I’m not going to say what we’ve done well and what we haven’t, but we can definitely be a lot better. We can be a lot better on teams. And my expectations for this unit is we haven’t even scraped the surface at all and I anticipate our players are going to come out the next three quarters of the season and play a lot better in every phase.”
In those first four games, how do you feel like the guys have maybe responded to your special teams philosophy or what you’re trying to get them to do through those first four games?
“I think we’ve done a good job with our footwork in pretty much every phase. I think that’s been good. I think everyone is – the more that we’re together, the more meetings we have, the more practice reps we have. Guys are just starting to get it. It just feels like now after the bye, we’re back, we’re in meetings. We’re at the walk-through yesterday, we’re running our kick returns and going through our punt stuff and it just feels like guys are starting to get it. And I looked around and I’m like, we look like, you know what, a football team finally. So, I think that those guys – and look, you’re taking on a new defensive scheme, you’re taking on a new kicking game scheme. It’s going to take time and it’s taken enough time and we’re ready to you know what.”
Dustin Hopkins, before he got here he hit only 50% of his kicks beyond 50. He’s three for three now. But has something happened to make him more accurate there or have you helped him do something?
“No, I think I talked about it a handful of times already with you guys. He’s done a good job. He, Corey and Charlie (Hughlett) have gotten on the same page fast. The operation has been really good. That always helps the kicker whenever the operation can be smooth. And to his credit, he’s done a really good job of finishing on the ball, getting through the kick and he’s got plenty of leg strength to hit it from any distance. The accuracy, three for three, hopefully ends up being ten for ten. Hopefully, we don’t need to hit 50-yard kicks, but when we have the opportunity to do so, he’s going to hit them.”
You were on (Eric) Mangini’s team when you went to New Orleans and won that game with all those special teams. Do you have a bag of tricks like that?
“Look, we all have bags of tricks. It’s when you’re going to use them. In that game, jeez, I remember we ran – Reggie Hodges had the sneak up the middle for, was it 75? Yeah. I remember I was playing wing and I’m blocking my guy outside, and then I’m running down the field. And looking at the play later, like years later, I blocked Jimmy Graham, who was playing on special teams that year. Then we threw – what else do we run in that game? (Josh) Cribbs had the throwback to Eric Wright, and then David Bowens had defensive touchdowns in the game, and we won by, like, three or something like that. ”
And Brad Seely? Did you learn much from him?
“Yeah, Brad is – I learned everything I know in the kicking game from Brad and Bill (Belichick). You know, so those guys Brad is a huge influence and a huge mentor for me. I played for Brad in New England, played for him here, played for him in San Francisco for two years.”
Where is he now?
“Brad? He’s a senior assistant in Philly. He got hired there midseason, I think, last year.”
You finished out there, right? In San Francisco?
“My last two years in San Francisco. Yes.”
Coaching against your old team, I know you have to kind of process that all?
“Going against your old team, there’s not a lot of the same type of people there, so it’s different. It doesn’t feel like the same to me, I guess you would say. Whereas when I coached against New England, it was different because it’s all the same people. But, yeah, I’m excited for an opportunity to go against a really good unit. They have a good young kicker. The specialists are talented. They got a really good returner in (Ray-Ray) McCloud. So, we’re going to have to do a good job in coverage versus team, but [put] emphasis on playing clean, making good decisions, playing aggressive. I think we have a tough unit. I think we’re tough mentally. I think we’re physically tough, and I just want to be able to show that in the next three-quarters of the season.”
When we ask you next week about going against your former team, you’ll have fresher ideas?
“Next week, for next week’s team? Who do we play next week?”
Indianapolis
“Oh okay [laughing].”
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