Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan (10.14.22)

 

On Patriots LB Matthew Judon:

“We have to account for him and everybody else up front. They are extremely talented up on the defensive line. They are fundamentally sound everywhere. You are going to be challenged by not only their base fronts but their sub-fronts where they really excel and they create production and sacks. We have a lot of respect – I have always had respect – for the way that they play. Really, nothing has changed over the last 12-13-14 years when you play the Patriots. They have their base fronts, and it is out of the 3-4 origin. Then they obviously create a lot of different issues with personnel groupings. They are a handful, not only with the multiple personnel that they bring in the game and the alignments but they are really sound fundamentally. They are as good as any team in the NFL when it comes to fundamental technique. A lot of respect for what they do and how they do it.”

 

On if the Patriots run more games up front than other NFL teams:

“I think so. I would say so. Most definitely. When you get into the sub packages, they have a good way of not only gaming you and giving you stunts in the base, but when they get into their sub packages, that is where it really takes off. They will get into their different alignments, they will give you two-man, three-man and four-man type stunts and it is problematic, if you are not all on the same page, if you are not aware, if you are not alert and if you are not explosive enough to switch these off. They do a great job scheming personnel. They know who they want to pick on. They know who they want to target relative to the stunt itself and how they want to work off of their pick-and-roll, as we would say. It is really challenging. It is a lot of work that we have done going in. Not only do you have to handle just their base rush technique, but then it multiplies when you consider the amount of stunts and games that you are going to get during the course. I think that is where their sack production has come over the years.”

 

On what Patriots defenses under Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick can do to make it difficult on a run offense:

“It is not schematic. It is fundamental technique. That is what the game will come down to. As we have talked to our guys continually, we have to be precise and we have to really execute at a high level so that our hands are right, our fits are right and our finishes are with great effort. They are a challenge. They do the same thing every day. We know what to expect. You can know what to expect, but you have to go block it up. That is the challenge. They are stout. They are physical. They are long. They have been around. They know what the system is. They have been in that system most of them, whether it is (Patriots DL Lawrence) Guy (Sr.), (Patriots DT Davon) Godchaux or Judon. All of those guys, they know the 3-4 system, and they know how to play off of the blocks. Their block recognition by their linebackers is outstanding. They know how to set the edge so they really prevent you from getting outside. They know how to build the wall so you can’t really puncture your normal zone plays. It is hard sledding. They make life hard on a running team. Again, a lot of things that we had to go through in our preparation just to make sure our guys are ready to execute against a variety of things.”

 

On C Ethan Pocic:

“Pocic, an interesting guy and great guy. Works hard. Continues to improve. Wants to get better. Week in and week out, he comes in with a list of questions, whether it is from his previous night’s study or something that he is asking during the course of the meeting. I like that about him. He has a curiosity about the position. The one thing I really am impressed about him is his work ethic and how he works hard to improve his technique. He came in here, and our system is a little bit different in the way that we teach it and the technique that we use, but he transitioned well. His ability to absorb these techniques and then come out and start to execute them, that was real progress. He still has a long way to go yet. We feel like he is getting better. He has some other steps that he can take in the protection world and also some of the thing things in the run game that he can improve. I really like how he is progressing. We will see because this will be a great challenge for him this week. He has two nose tackles on him who are really stout, physical, strong guys who know how to play the buckboard system and two-gap. It will be a great matchup for him.”

 

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