Run Game Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach Jeff Blasko (8.4.26)
Let’s start with Harold (Fannin Jr.). Yesterday in particular, he seemed to have a really good day. Where is he at coming off that injury and how did he start camp?
“I think he did a great job. He met the mental piece of it in the spring in terms of learning the offense and getting familiarity with the language, and I think that’s carried over into training camp here. He’s done a nice job up to this point, and the install phase is always tricky because of the volume we throw at the guys, but I think he’s done a good job up to this point in terms of the retention.”
They threw a lot at him last year when he first got here. I’m sure you’re doing the same thing. When it comes to a young guy like that, is he particularly impressive with how he’s able to handle that stuff?
“He has been. I actually just told him that during one of the segments, where he and I were chatting and going through a script review. His retention, his ability to pick up concepts and understand concepts from a big-picture standpoint, has been very impressive.”
How valuable is a guy like Blake (Whiteheart) in terms of what he can do as the number two behind Harold?
“Blake has had a great camp up to this point. He’s doing a nice job embracing the role we’ve laid out for him, and his special teams contributions have stood out compared to a year ago. He’s driven; that’s the best way to describe it. He’s made of the right stuff. He’s a foxhole guy. I’ve been very impressed with Blake up to this point.”
How do you balance that? You have a bunch of different types of players in that room, different types of players. How do you figure out how you want to use a guy? Do you just throw everything at him and figure it out, or do you have an idea going in?
“Yeah, I think that’s the starting point, to put them in as many positions as possible, just to see how much versatility they can create for you, because at the end of the day, that’s what you’re chasing. The more versatility you have, the more creative you can get with the schematic piece, and you’re not telegraphing what you’re doing, if that makes sense.”
How much has Carsen (Ryan) picked up, and what’s the versatility he can provide — blocking, catching, even at fullback? What have you seen from him?
“He has the Swiss Army knife traits. His ability to move around and play different spots. I think I mentioned it previously; he has a very good fundamental foundation. Going back into the backfield, he hasn’t had a ton of bats at the plate prior to coming here, so each day you see improvement, and I think he’s just going to get better and better the more reps he gets.”
What’s your ideal scenario at fullback? Do you want it to be a true fullback, or do you want one of the tight ends to be able to fill that role?
“I think that’s going to play itself out naturally. The special teams department has a big role in that. Typically, that fullback position in today’s NFL, you want a four-core special teams guy who contributes more so on the offensive end of things but also takes care of business in the special teams department. So, I think we’re still in the process of evaluating that and letting it play out.”
Harold has such a unique skill set. Have you seen a tight end like him around the league?
“He’s very, very unique. He has deceptive play strength and his core strength really pops off the tape with the run-after-catch piece of it. He’s a bulldog. In terms of comparing him to someone else, I don’t really get into comparisons much, but I will say he’s a damn good football player, and I’ve been very impressed with him up to this point.”
Joe’s (Royer) obviously not here right now. What did you learn about him this spring?
“Joe had a great spring. I know AB (Andrew Berry) has addressed the personal matter, but I was very impressed with Joe back in the spring.”
How much does it help your group going against a defense like this one that shows three-safety looks and does some different things on the back end? How does that help them improve?
“I think it all helps. I’ll start with the front four and the attack mentality in which they play, it forces you to really dial in and use the snap count as a weapon, and to take advantage of the different structures we see on a daily basis from a front standpoint. The way they play forces you, if you’re not on point coming off the rock, you’re going to get humbled in a hurry. Then there’s the coverage component tied into that, the more variation you get, the easier it is once you get into the season, so you’re not having those conversations with the guys for the first time when you see things. I think the more variation you get this time of year, the better it is in the long run, if that makes sense.”
Todd’s (Monken) compared Harold to Brock Bowers, which is obviously high praise. What are the specific comparison points between the two, and how difficult is it when comparisons like that are made?
“Like I said, I don’t really get into the comparisons. Obviously, Monk was with him at Georgia, but the one thing you see from the kid is he does things that as a coach, you’re looking like, ‘wow, we can improve this little detail, this little detail, and he still wins versus bad leverage, he still gets his assignment done play in and play out.’ I think it’s just a matter of chasing that consistency with the fundamental details, because I’ll share with you guys what I shared with him: I think his ceiling is up in outer space, and I truly mean that. Just the full body, the full package in terms of the traits combined with the instincts and awareness. He’s just a hell of a football player. That’s the reality of it.”
There was a play yesterday where Jared Verse and Harold were matched up one-on-one and had a pretty good battle. How much does it help those guys to go against a player like Jared who has so much power?
“I think it’s just like what I talked about earlier — the more challenging the looks are, the more challenging the matchups are this time of year, the more it pays dividends for you down the road. It’s another example of him showing what he can do at the point of attack, again with many fundamental corrections we could add to his plate, and he’s on top of it. He’s all over it, and he sees what we’re talking about and the why behind it. Like I said, I’m very excited about Harold and the potential he has at this stage.”
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