Defensive line coach Ben Bloom (8.9.23)
The injuries to Alex (Wright) and Isaiah (Thomas), what’s the adjustment and how much does it sort of put some strain on the depth at that spot?
“Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, like, Alex and Isaiah have done a great job, and proud of the way they’ve worked and played and they’re improving daily and happy to hear that things are going well with them–little surgery. I feel like we have depth in the room, we have numbers. The front office, Andrew (Berry), has done a great job of keeping the roster in a situation where we can withstand this. So I’m excited for some guys to get more opportunities and happy that Alex and IT are doing well.”
So what’s most important for them as they work towards coming back?
“Yeah, I think what’s important for them is staying in it mentally–the best way possible. I’ve seen young players in the course of my career at this position, particular D-end, miss a lot of time at the beginning of the season. I coached DeMarcus Lawrence his rookie year in Dallas when I was the assistant D line (coach), whatever my title was at the moment. But he got hurt and missed the first eight weeks of the season, goes on short term IR and came back and played pretty well as a rookie. He was a tough dude, and he had a good spring, and he had a good training camp before he got hurt. And both Alex and IT have. So staying in it mentally and I think visualizing their techniques, that they have enough experience that they should be able to draw back on that experience. And when they come back, I expect them to be ready to go because I know they can.”
Would you expect to use the same kind of deep rotation that Coach (Jim) Schwartz talks about all the time, regardless of missing these two guys?
“Yes. We’re going to rotate guys. I mean, the tempo in which we play and how we run and how we compete, we’re going to rotate players and whoever’s up for the game. We have all the confidence in the world that they can play in the game and rotate and play their role.”
And then Isaiah McGuire. What have you seen from him so far? And then does it feel like this is an even greater opportunity for him to kind of step up?
“Yeah. I appreciate using McGuire because I call him McGuire. And I call Isaiah Thomas, IT. So that I don’t confuse myself or them, but McGuire, first name Isaiah. He has done a really nice job. I think, like any rookie, doing this for the first time, I think he’s gotten better–consistency with things like getting off the ball and closing the distance on offensive lineman–that’s getting better for him. His urgency with his pass rush moves and his physicality and his precision with his hands are getting better. He had moments in the first preseason game versus the (New York) Jets that didn’t look very good, and then he had other moments that looked pretty good. So I think he’s trending in the right direction. He’s a smart guy. He works hard. He’s very diligent in the meetings. He comes to work every day and as long as he keeps improving, which he will, he’s going to be fine. I’m excited about what he’s doing and where he’s headed.”
Speaking of guys in rotation, having guys out for some time: Alex Wright, Isaiah Thomas. Does that maybe test you in what you are able to do with the rotation? Is that an opportunity to see what these guys can do in a real game setting, in terms of that rotation?
“Yeah, I mean, my job is to coach all the players in the room, right. So whether they’re rookies who are undrafted or second year players who are drafted, or guys that have made Pro Bowls and guys that have had multiple contracts and have had a lot of success in this league, I got to coach all of them, get them all ready to play. My job is to develop these guys, help them improve, and then ultimately, when there’s a game coming up, help them get ready for the game. So it’s exciting for me when guys get additional opportunities, when the roster situation creates that, because it’ll be revealing. How well are we coaching, how well are we preparing in practice when guys get an opportunity to play more. So it’s an exciting thing for them and for me.”
Ben, without this being a strategy question. How much personnel wise and scheme have we still not seem at this point in camp? A lot? Is that a fair answer?
“Yeah, I mean, I think Coach Schwartz, he’s put in the foundation of things that we want to do, what our front is supposed to be. I think our main coverages, certainly, we’re going to install things and add things, maybe situationally specific that we haven’t yet or just are starting to implement those. So we’re confident in what we have in and we’ve put in a good initial amount to prepare us for the season.”
Does losing Alex and Isaiah for the time that you have, do you have to limit the guys ahead of them at all these next two or three weeks?
“As I see it right now, I think the depth is pretty good. I don’t see that being an issue.”
With Jordan Elliott, I know he’s getting a lot of first team reps next to Dalvin (Tomlinson). What have you seen from him coming into this year, and how has he sort of improved?
“A guy like Jordan, you know, it’s fun because I’ve been here for four years, and I’ve watched him just grow as a person and as a player. Even though I wasn’t his position coach, I was around him a lot. He’s improved. He’s grown. He has leadership traits, the way he competes and how detailed he is and how he’s accountable when things aren’t perfect, he sets the tone for the whole group in a certain way. So he’s got a lot of respect in the room. He’s a big man, and he’s explosive, and he’s tough, and he’s always working hard to get better, and he’s coachable. So he’s a type of player that you love to coach, and we’re fortunate that he’s here and he’s a consistent dude every day.”
How do you see that work ethic from Za’Darius (Smith) show up?
“Za’Darius, for lack of a better term, he’s like a blue collar, hardworking, humble guy. I mean, he’s a big name in the NFL. He’s had a lot of career sacks. He’s had multiple contracts, but I don’t think that has allowed him to go far from his roots. I think he still identifies as the guy that didn’t play a lot of high school football and had the basketball background, had to go to JUCO to get offers, and then fourth round pick. So he’s outperformed most people’s expectations, not his own. But what you would expect from a guy with that background. So I think he holds on to that a lot. You know, he knows why he’s had a successful NFL career, and it has to do with his work ethic and his toughness, and he continues to do that every day. It’s fun to see a guy like that, and it’s really good for the room when you have a veteran who handles himself that way around the younger players.”
I know we’ve asked you about this before, but since we’re super into training camp now, how’s the Za’Darius and Myles (Garrett), what you see from them when they’re out there together and just, like, off the field, on the field, working together, those two personalities, that type of thing?
“They seem to be getting along really well. It’s fun to watch them work together. I think they’re positive influences on each other. When you have another vet in the room with that type of production and success, I think that can elevate your individual focus and learning about the game. All of them–they love the game, they love to learn. I could see them talking to each other and sharing things because they have so much experience and so much detail on how to play the position. So other than their talents, on the field it’s a one plus one equals three type of thing when they’re working together and interacting.”
You ever just rewind the tape and those two at all and be like, this could be pretty good?
“Yeah, I mean, we know what we can be, but the focus isn’t on that. It’s more on what are we going to do today to get better and how are we going to play better together. But, yeah, I think we all know what it could be, but again, we’ll let that materialize naturally and that’ll come from our hard work and our consistency.”
For these young guys, these rookies, have you seen enough from them so far in training camp, or do you expect to see enough of them for them to have real opportunities this season? Can they take that leap and be ready to make an impact?
“Short answer, yes. These guys are improving every day. I need to remind myself that we’ve had some padded practices here and we’ve had one preseason game, so there’s more work to be done before the season starts. And then once the season starts, it’s not like we don’t improve during the season. We’re supposed to improve during the season and get better as the year goes on and a lot of rookies play better at the end of the year, in the rookie year or in the middle of the year than he did in week one or week two. Like Siaki (Ika), he has done enough and demonstrated enough that we just keep getting better, we’ll be just fine, but we’re going to have to keep working.”
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