Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey (9.5.24)
I guess the obvious one, Micah Parsons… Obviously, you don’t know much about how Mike (Zimmer) might deploy him. But in a situation like that, how do you sort of operate, you know, conceptually when you gameplan for him?
“Yeah, I mean, obviously he’s a heck of a football player. I mean, he’s all over the field and does a lot of special things. He’s unique in a lot of different ways. So, you know, going into it, you got to try to just at times map out all the different scenarios that could potentially happen and try to account for those things best as you can, and I think that’s all part of it. It’s just, hey, playing a little bit of the what-ifs games that you try not to play sometimes so you’re not chasing ghosts. But first game of the year, they can do a lot of different things. So, we want to prepare some looks that we’ve seen. We want to prepare for some un-scouted potential looks on where he can be and what they can be doing with him. And just kind of make sure that we get our guys as ready as possible against a unique player like he is.”
How ready is Deshaun (Watson) for this opportunity? How has his arm looked to you and just how is it all coming together?
“Yeah, I think he’s excited to get out there. I think he’s a competitor, he wants to be out there with his guys and out there playing ball, and he’s looked like himself at practice from what I’ve seen on tape from him in the past, you know? So, I think he just continues to progress and continues to kind of get back in that rhythm a little bit and I’m excited to see him out there and excited to watch him kind of fly around and be himself, you know? And that’s all we want from him. We just want him to go out, be himself. No more, no less. Go out and make good decisions. Everything else will take care of itself.”
With Jed Wills working his way back, he told us yesterday he’s not going to start this week. How do you feel about your situation at left tackle and how have you seen Jack Conklin adjust to taking reps on that side?
“Yeah, I mean, that whole scenario, we’re taking that thing day-by-day and kind of seeing where things shake out as we go throughout the week. But these guys have been working their tail off, whether it’s, you know, the guys that have been out there, whether it’s Jack working his way back. So, we’re, I think in a good spot in terms of whoever’s out there playing for us. And we just got to go out and do everything we can to make sure we’re putting our guys in hopefully the best situations possible, whoever’s up front. Because they got a great front, and they do some good things from a personnel standpoint and a schematic standpoint. So, whoever’s out there, we got our hands full, and we got to make sure that we’re putting them in the right positions and trying to do things to make sure that we’re not stressing things as much as possible.”
Is it more probable that you might need to alternate two different players at left tackle throughout the course of the game?
“Yeah, I think that’s – we’re constantly going to be evaluating as the week goes. Whether it’s this week or future weeks, and just kind of continue to play things day-by-day and see where things progress. So today is going to be a good practice for us in terms of getting out there, flying around in some of these situational periods to kind of see where everything’s at and then we’ll evaluate after today as we go into tomorrow.”
Ken, how has Jack looked in the whatever handful of practices that he’s been back and is it any concern that the right tack or left tackle switch? I mean, he’s talked about how he played it in Michigan State but hasn’t in the NFL. Like, where does that weigh into the decision?
“At the end of the day, I think Jack has been in this league for a while. He’s a pro, a great vet who’s got great experience. So again, as we continue to go and evaluate, we’ll look at all the different scenarios to make sure guys are comfortable and feel confident when they go out there.”
Is it any different for you? Last year with the (Buffalo) Bills, Josh Allen and all, how does this feel different if it does for you?
“It’s a great question. It definitely feels different. I think being in this organization, being around these guys. You know, Deshaun’s extremely hungry. Deshaun’s been great for me in terms of just taking the coaching and really kind of run with it, you know? And then obviously new staff, new energy and working for Kevin’s (Stefanski) been awesome. So, I’ve really enjoyed this process kind of getting to this point and really excited about game day and that next step in this kind of new journey, you know? So, I don’t know if that answers your question completely, but it’s definitely a very different feeling because it is. It is a new place, a completely different energy for me than what it’s been in the past and I’m very, very excited to be here, very excited to be with this group. And, you know, I told these guys, like, you know, this group of players, it’s like, I mean, in a short amount of time, it’s just like I’ve garnered so much respect for these guys and how hard they work, what they put into it, what they sacrifice. Like, I truly do love this group of players, like I love these guys like they’re my family. Having that feeling going into the first game of the year, no matter what happens, I don’t think that’ll ever change because of the amount of respect and the amount of love I have for these guys.”
You want Deshaun to play like himself, you also want him to protect himself. What’s that balancing act been like for you?
“Yeah, when you’ve got a quarterback with his type of ability, that’s a constant battle and that’s a constant balance, you know? And it’s like there is a time and a place to go out and try to make that play or a time and a place to go out and try to make that play and everything like that, you know? But there’s also a time place to get down, you know? So, it’s, it is a balancing act for guys that, especially first game of the year, getting back and everything, you got those juices flowing. But we gotta make sure, you know, we’re communicating, staying smart, and it’s a long season and we’re in game one. And so there is that, that definite balance, you’re right.”
You played the position, I mean how hard is it as a quarterback and as a competitor, like you mentioned, to rewire yourself to think that way?
“Yeah, fortunately, I didn’t have to worry about the running and all that stuff as much (laughter). But, no, it is, because you get out on game day, it’s like, you know, you get excited. He’s played in, I mean, a million games, a ton of games and a ton of big games, you know, whether it’s playoffs and all that stuff. And I think for our guys, you know, that the understanding of, like, ‘Hey, yeah, this is the biggest game base game because of the next game,’ you know? And that’s our focus. We got a great team coming in here, you know, and our focus, whether it’s to Deshaun and the quarterback room or any of these guys, is, ‘Hey, we’re worried about today getting better today. We’ll move on tomorrow, tomorrow, and then, you know, when game day comes, let’s focus on these guys and go out and play hard,’ you know? And so, I think if he takes that mentality, hopefully everything takes care of itself.”
Are you gonna be on the field on Sunday?
“Yes. Yep.”
No more experimenting. You’re gonna be on the field?
“Oh yeah, I’ll be down. Yes, sir.”
Is it fun being back down on the field?
“It has been. No, it’s been – it was fun. It’s fun being back down there. You know, I think you know, just getting the juice and the energy down the field and having that feel down there, it’s like you feel part of the game, you know what I mean? It’s like, I think that’s been a lot of fun for me to be down there, and I think it’s important for me to be down there to be with Deshaun, be with the quarterbacks. And it’s a good way for me to help in terms of that line of communication and make sure everybody’s on the same page. Be it those guys, be it any position group between all of us, between Kevin, between everybody out there.”
What have you learned about Amari (Cooper) since you’ve been here?
“I mean, look, the guy, he goes out and he just works every day. You know, it’s like — he’s explosive, he’s talented, obviously great route runner, so he does a lot of good things for us. And just his willingness to grow and expand and whether it’s a route technique or whether it’s a different variation with him, I think there’s been a lot of good conversation there of the willingness to learn and the willingness to grow and continue to grow for a guy who’s been in this league for a while and caught a lot of balls.”
Going off of that, how have you seen the receiving corps complement one another? And obviously, there was injuries throughout training camp and everything, but how have you seen them sort of blend together of how they complement one another?
“Yeah, I think it’s a group, when you look at it, there’s a lot of good. Different strengths, and guys do things, and, to your point, complement each other very well. And the great part about that group is we got guys that can do multiple things, whether it’s outside, inside. So, it gives us a ton of flexibility and ability to move guys around. So, we got a great combination of speed, quickness, physicality, explosiveness, possession guy, you know what I mean? All those different factors, I think, kind of grouped up in that room and the ability to kind of adjust and move those guys around into different spots. I think that’s been a lot of fun for us as we grow this thing.”
Mike Vrabel’s been involved in a lot of areas, but he’s really spent a lot of time with David Njoku. Just what can that knowledge do for David coming off a Pro Bowl season?
“I really, truly feel like having him here is invaluable for Dave and for us as an offense. You know, to have his mind as a, you know, defensive coach, defensive play caller, head coach and everything like that, and then really taking that experience and taking time to learn what we’re doing on offense and now you can really kind of blend those two things together with that experience and what we’re doing as a great teaching tool. That’s been fantastic for Dave and been fantastic for, obviously, all of our players and for the coaching staff. So, his blend of experience combined with, you know, really taking the time to learn what we do and relating that experience with what we do is great and will just continue to help us as we go. I mean, he’s awesome and I’ve loved every second being around him.”
With the new offense, I mean this offense, I guess, like bigger picture, how much do you anticipate, like, these first few weeks being trial and error and trying some things out and kind of having to learn on the fly as an offense as things get going?
“You know, I think it’s a great question. I think you continue to grow as you go because I think there’s that element of, especially early in the season, making sure guys are comfortable, making sure guys can play fast. So things that, whether they’re new or things that whether we’ve done in the past, you want to make sure it’s stuff that we’ve repped in OTAs and training camps and things like that and continue to kind of grow it so that they feel supremely confident in what they’re doing when we get out there. So, I think it’s a balance we got to strike as coaches and that’s our job to make sure we’re giving us ourselves enough to attack an opponent, but at the same time having a balance to make sure our guys are supremely confident, can go out and play fast on game day.”
Can you talk about your relationships with players? Was there a guy that, when that cut down happened, you were like, ‘man, I’m really happy this guy made it?’
“I mean, that to me is like the hardest day, you know, because I’ve been in those guys shoes, too. You know, it’s like, and that’s a hard day for, I think, obviously, a lot of coaches. You know, for me, it’s like there’s definitely those guys that you’re like, ‘gosh, I’m glad this guy made it,’ and then there’s guys that’s like, you know, it’s like, it just kills you that they’re not going to be there, you know? So, you have all sides of the spectrum right there. But I think there’s definitely guys that are here that I’m really glad that are here that are going to help us. You know, whether it’s in practice, giving a great look, whether it’s one or two plays on game day, whether it’s a bigger role as the season goes on, you just, I mean, we saw it last year with us, right? You just never know as the season goes on.”
With quarterbacks playing off key like Josh Allen, Cam Newton, what has your approach been with Deshaun Watson? How have you gotten so good at coaching that style quarterback?
“I think, like, the biggest thing that you want to do for these guys is not take away their instincts, you know what I mean? And I think I heard a coach say one time that it’s like, you got a box and inside that box is your footwork, your reads, you know, everything just in the playbook is in that box. Well, you know, some of the best quarterbacks that have been out there, they’re the ones who step out of that box and those are the guys who make and make those plays work, you know? When they step out of that box, either with a scramble or, ‘Hey, why’d you throw it there? That’s not part of the progression,’ versus, ‘Well, I saw this,’ you know, just instinctually they have that in them. So, there’s that balance of staying within the system while also nothing handicapping them from what they instinctually do best. And so, I think that’s the big thing and just understanding there’s going to be plays that he’s going to make some exceptional plays for us that no one else in this league can make, you know, and he’s going to be able to do that for us. Balancing that with, you know, there’s a time to throw it away and move on to the next down, you know? So, there’s definitely that balance you got to strike with guys because you don’t want to lose that aspect of what makes them special in their own way. And I think the great thing about Deshaun is he can do that outside of this just normal system, and then he can get back and work a progression and rip it to an outlet or a third progression in the read, just as equal. So, I think it’s just a balance you got to strike with these guys and make sure you don’t put the handcuffs on them in too many ways.”
Going back to David and that tight end room, kind of small with him and Jordan (Akins), but what do those two bring to the offense? How do they complement, and what are you hoping that they do to kind of boost this revamped offense that you’re installing?
“Yeah, I mean, I think the great part about them is, like, they give us a lot of flexibility, you know? And Dave, his skill set of what he can do as a pass catcher, as a vertical threat, as an underneath threat, as an intermediate threat, as a blocker, you know, in whether it’s run game or pass game. I mean, I can remember just watching Cleveland tape from other teams I’ve been on and watching him. Whether it’s run game, whether it’s pass protection, whether it’s routes, you know? So, I think he, you know him in that room, they give you, but obviously, him especially, give you a lot of flexibility in the amount of things that you can do offensively.”