STC Bubba Ventrone (5.31.23)
What was that transition like coming from a former player here to running a practice as a former player?
It’s been a great experience to this point, to be back on the field that I played on. Great group to work with. Everyone has been very welcoming with open arms in every department, staff, and coaching staff. The players have been receptive to everything we’re trying to do to this point and excited about moving forward.
Kevin Stefanski was telling us that they’ll show some old clips of you playing. How do players react to that?
Yeah, I mean, here and there I’ll show some stuff. It’s good to kind of, like, revert back to how the game used to be played and the number of changes that have gone on, especially with the kickoff, as I’m sure I’m going to hear some questions on. So, yeah, it’s been good.
What do you think of the new kickoff rule and how do you think it affects your guys’ approach?
Honestly, I don’t know how it’s going to end up playing out. I think that there are a number of ways that it could go. I don’t see using it quite that much, but I think everyone will have their little take on it, so I think it’ll be kind of like, see how it goes. Once we see how the role is clearly defined, I’m assuming that’s going to be done in a few weeks, because there’s some things that go with that. Not every kickoff is from the 35-yard line. There’s a penalty. You move the ball up to the 50, then how is that going to be officiated? So I think there’s a number of things that we’ll have to explore and mess around out with to get a feel for the play.
So when you say you’re not sure if you guys are going to use it, do you mean like in the return game? You want guys to return the ball?
Yeah, I mean, I don’t think a lot of players want to use a fair catch, nor do coaches. So I feel confident in our group to this point. I know we’ve got a lot of good returners. We’ve got depth in all those ball handlers on the roster, so my mentality would be to return first, but we’ll explore every option that we have with it. There’s a lot of situational, things that play into effect as well, so just kind of play it by ear.
Do you think the kickoff will always be a part of football? Do you envision a day when maybe it’s not?
I couldn’t imagine a game starting without a kickoff. You get to the Super Bowl, could you imagine the Super Bowl starting without a kick? It would be like, what are we watching? This isn’t even football to me. I think the rule is kind of silly, to be honest. But it is what it is.
Did you get to offer any feedback or anything?
Oh, yeah. I mean, all the coordinators were against it, the players are against it, but supposedly there’s data. We see a cutup of the concussions that happened on kickoff. Me personally, do I agree that all those concussions are a result of how the play is? No, I completely disagree on that, actually. Do I feel like that play is safe? I do feel like that play is a safe play. I don’t feel like it’s a dangerous play. You’re not allowed to have a wedge in the backend. There’s not high-end collisions in the backend anymore. The double teams in the front eight are safe. I don’t think that’s an unsafe play. I truly don’t.
So many times on kickoffs, when they are returned, that there’s holding. How can you decrease those types of penalties?
The amount of penalties? Honestly, I think that penalties are, to me, a lot of penalties in the kicking game are a result of decision making and poor technique. So if you have better footwork, better technique in your drop, good drop angles for the return, and then you’re, obviously, enforcing to your players how the game needs to be played and how the game is being officiated, I think you’ll have a better understanding and have a better feel for how the game needs to be played. And there’s, in turn, hopefully, less penalties.
Now with that fair catch, like, how do you approach it from a kickoff standpoint?
Yeah, it depends on how confident you feel in your personnel on both sides of the ball, how confident you feel in your personnel matched up against the team you’re going against. There’s times where you’re going to want to force returns and you feel like you have a really good matchup. Weather plays a factor in all those decisions as well. So every play is different, every game is different, every situation is different, and things change as the game goes along. And I think that the way that you’re calling the game is really dictated based off of all the situations that can come about.
A lot of people brought up the XFL where they do the ten yards, they can’t move until they kick it. Have you seen it? If so, do you think that would be something that’s viable?
I’ve seen it. I think it’s kind of gimmicky, to be honest. I don’t like changing the game. I don’t like taking the game, how it’s been for the last however many years, and just changing the game completely. I think that the more things you take away from the game, it’s going to lose its everything. You turn on a football game, you want to see the ball being kicked off. It’s just basic stuff to me.
So now that you’ve been around Cade York a little bit, what have you learned about him?
Great kid, hard worker, very in tune with his mechanics, and almost too in tune at times, I would say. So trying to get him to just kind of make everything simple, make the corrections fast and apply them to the next kick. We’re working through some things now. Operations have been pretty solid to this point. We’ll have a team field goal period next Wednesday, so you guys will get to see him kick in that setting there.
For you as a coach, how do you balance being tough and holding them accountable and also trying to figure out what their ceiling is and teach them up and maybe have some grace sometimes too?
“Yeah, Kevin had a good portion of our team meeting today, talking about accountability and doing whatever it takes to help the team win, regardless of what role you end up playing for the team. So I think it’s really getting those young players to buy into that accountability factor and really do whatever it takes to win.
Did you see that Cade was thinking too much last year?
Yeah, I mean, here’s the thing. I would say this. So every player, every season, every situation is different, especially for a rookie. You come into and you’re not kicking in an easy environment. The crowd, obviously, the weather conditions, just being at a different level overall. I think that a lot of things factor into it. I think he’s done a good job and he’s learned from a lot of his mishaps from last year and where he needs to be corrected on. So I think that having that understanding. Yeah, obviously you see some things on film that you want to be able to correct. And I think that’s what we’re trying to do right now.
Have you had that moment where you’re like I am back as a coach?
You know what, it is a little bit weird, especially because now I’m on the other side of it. I’m a coach now, not a player. But like I said, there’s a lot of familiar faces, like Murph (Dan Murphy) with the media, Brad Melland in equipment, Joe Sheehan, Gordon Williams, all those guys. Obviously, Mr. Haslam had purchased the team in my last season here, so had some familiarity with him and had actually talked to him a little bit as we had played them when I was in New England and when I was Indy, like, pregame and things like that. So no, it’s exciting to be back. It does feel a little funny at times, just because I’ve been other places since I’ve been here. Really three other places, because I played in San Fran, then coached in New England, and then obviously coached Indy the last five years. But now I’m excited for the opportunity, for sure.
Could this kickoff thing go as far as determining guys 52 and 53 making or not making the roster?
I mean, the special teams are really–those are the guys that the back end of the roster, those are the decisions every training camp. So I think, yeah, it would definitely play a factor into it. Are you saying specifically with the fair catch thing? No, that’s not going to dictate how we build the roster from here on out, I wouldn’t think. I can’t imagine anything would change to this point.
Do you miss the long hair?
Do I miss the long hair? The reason I got rid of it, honestly, was because it was too hard to maintain as a coach. Not as much time and not as much free time, but I could still grow it out. I get a little impatient when it starts to get a little too long. Well, hopefully I can put some good memories in your head with the short hair, too.
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