S Rodney McLeod (8.6.2023)
How do you think the guys are picking up (Jim) Schwartz’s system?
“I think guys are picking up the system very well. I think we’re right where we need to be. Of course, you know, camp is about continuing to get better each and every day, and guys are obviously locked in. And so things are starting to come together, more plays are starting to be made. And that has a lot to do with guys now having more familiarity with the scheme. They’re not necessarily thinking about, ‘Okay, where do I necessarily have to line up?’ They’re thinking about, ‘Okay, what’s the offense doing? How do I put myself in a position to make plays?’ And so it’s good to see right now at this point in camp.”
So you’ve been through this before with new players picking up Schwartz’s scheme. Are they right on track? Are they ahead, or behind?
“No, we’re right where we need to be. I think we’re all feeling good. It’s not perfect, but that’s what camp is for. And as long as you see improvement each and every day and like I said, we’ve been able to make a lot more plays over the course of this week, which has been good to see.”
Because his defense is so much predicated on assignment football. You take care of your man, the other ten guys take care of their man. And there doesn’t seem to be a lot of additional thinking or analysis that you have to do in the middle of play. How much does that free you guys up?
“I think it’s very helpful when you have a coordinator like Jim that understands how to bring a level of calmness to his players. And not necessarily, keep things simple, but simple enough where, like you said, guys understand their assignment. They could play at a fast pace, and they could play at a high level. And it works in our favor, especially with the guys that we have on this defense. It’s a very talented back-end mixing with the front. So it works, it meshes well and been seeing a lot of productivity from a lot of guys so far.”
I know when you talked in minicamp, you said that Jim cares so much about his players. How does that kind of come through in the way you notice?
“Every day. Whether it’s him, you know, loving you up or whether that’s him coaching you to be the best player to get the most out of the player. I think guys are starting to understand who Jim actually is and that at the end of the day, it’s just all about winning and wanting to see the best for his players. And so, guys have been able to respond well. He challenges you at all fronts. A lot of it is all based on a mindset. How are you going to respond to it? Because that’s what life is about. That’s what the game is about, right? And so, it’s good to see guys respond in the right way, especially this past weekend – being able to go out there, put things on tape for the younger guys, seeing them all come together, pull out a win and do it in the manner that we did was good to see.”
Do you think it takes a while for guys to get used to that? Just his style, right? I think it might be abrasive. It could be abrasive to some people, yeah?
“I think he’s very demonstrative. He holds guys accountable at all costs. He’s not going to tolerate any nonsense. And so, if you’re not familiar, you could think I guess the fact that he could be doing it out of ill intent, but in actuality, for Jim, it’s all part of his plan and his process.”
Going back to the game, we saw you guys, even the people that weren’t dressed, run all the way down for the game-clinching interception. How important is that camaraderie? And do you guys feel like you’re starting to get into a rhythm and starting to come together a little bit as a defense?
“Yeah, you’re seeing the chemistry nonstop. And I think that had a lot to do with us going out to Greenbrier, taking that time away from our day-to-day lives, and being able to just connect, build with one another, and really just focus on ball. But more importantly, we’re going to need everybody on our team, whether it’s our starters down to our third-string guys, and there are no weak links here. And so, we hold everybody to the same standard. But more importantly, we’re pulling and rooting for each and every one of us. And that’s when you really see the true making of a team. Guys who are selfless, who cheer for one another, regardless of us competing at a high level, all looking to play, we all have a great level of respect for one another. And at the end of the day, we are one.”
How much of this defense do we actually see in the preseason? Because I know it’s usually kept pretty simple, pretty vanilla. So how much of this defense do we see? How much more is there to the defense?
“There’s a lot. There’s a lot that you’re not going to see. But we still have to get our work done, right? You still have to work on executing, work on communication, work on technique. So you know, Jim has a great plan on how he’s going to do that. He’s done it long enough, right? I think this first game, you just wanted to see guys go out, line up, play fast, know their assignments well and just let it all hang out. It’s a lot of those guys first time (playing), so it was good to see them execute at a high level. I think we had many mental errors, especially in the back end, so that was good to see and pay dividends for us.”
Do you have a sense of how and how much he’s going to use the three-safety package?
“It’s all predicated on Jim and obviously our opponent. I think he feels very good about all three of us being able to be out there all at the same time. We all bring something different. I think we’re all talented, we’re all here for a reason. So all equally contributors in this defense. So be very interesting to see. I’m looking forward to it and we’ll just see how it plays out.”
I know you have the versatility to play at the line, or do you have a preference? Is there something you like doing more than something else?
“No, really, just line me up wherever I’m going to get the job done. But last year was my first time I really took on a role in playing down in the box and put up some of my best numbers. So just really here to do whatever is needed for the team. To be honest, I like being down more in the box, a lot more action, of course, I would say, but of course, I live the majority of my career in the post, so whatever the team needs, I’m willing to do.”
Those young guys competing for the last spot, all those guys, what have you seen from them?
“A willingness to just work. Come to work every day with the hard hat on, with the toolbox by their side and willing to listen, to take coaching and go out there and put forth their best effort. And it’s incredible just to see how much they’ve grown from OTAs to now. Bubba (Bolden) being able to close that game out for us. T (Tanner McAllister) mad about not finishing having probably some of the worst hands, but he said he’s going to make up for it. But it’s good just to see those guys really be able to showcase their abilities. Put it on tape, man. Your tape is your resume. And so I was proud to watch them on the sidelines to see what they’re able to do, and I know they’re going to continue to do more of that this upcoming camp.”
Because you’re so versed in Jim’s scheme, I think you said you can drop some knowledge on your teammates. So are there specific things you can point to that says, I told this guy this about the defense and he was able to pick that up right away?
“I wouldn’t say necessarily one moment. I try to just get him as much game as I can. Being in the scheme for so long, being around the league for a substantial amount of time, all of it is beneficial, all of it’s helpful. Whether it’s in a film room or a quick correction on the field, always just looking to be an additional set of eyes out there for the guys. And like I said, man, we’re all here because we need everybody. And so, the quicker we can get everybody up to speed, whether it’s the playbook or just knowledge of the game – it only makes us that much better.”
What do you think when you look at that front four? I mean, Myles (Garrett) has been a staple here, but then there are a lot of new guys around him this year.
“Yeah, you’re seeing glimpses of that every single practice. You can’t just focus on one guy anymore. You have to now look to the other side and Z (Za’Darius Smith) or coming behind him is O (Ogbo Okoronkwo) and then you have DT (Dalvin Tomlinson) in the middle, Jordan (Elliott), all those guys. So it makes our job a lot easier in the back end. And I think Myles will also echo it, the fact that he loves having a talented D line to alleviate some of the pressure on him. And I think that’s going to help us out tremendously.”
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