Tight Ends Coach Christian Jones (1.2.26)
So, what’s it like heading into the finale with a little bit of uncertainty over whether or not Harold’s (Fannin Jr.) going to be able to play, and then you probably know, but we’re not sure about David (Njoku) yet either. So, what’s that like for you?
“Obviously it’s up to coach, and whatever decision we make, we’ll walk with. But, I mean, we go by committee in the room. Everybody’s got to be ready to do their job and help the team win, right? That’s running, catching the ball, blocking out in space. We all understand our role, and we understand what we have to do. So, I think everybody’s excited and ready to go finish the year strong with a win.”
When Harold got injured last week, I mean, he was so adamant he was going to play and obviously did try to play. Just how have you seen that fight in him? Because it seems like such a part of who he is, that he’s going to do everything to try to be out there for a game.
“Yeah, he’s a very tough player, I’ll give him that. He’s very tough. He always tries to go out there and do what he can for the team to win. And he fights through a lot of things, whether it’s nicks, a bump, like anything he has, he’s going to do his best to go out there and play. Even when I’m out there watching him play, I’m kind of counting down on when he’s probably going to be out. He still powered through, and it’s a testament to him that he finished with the catch and touchdown like he did, because he worked so hard for those things.”
With David, it feels like it’s been a difficult season for him, obviously dealt with injuries. How have you seen him handle that?
“Nothing but positivity. That’s all Dave is – he’s a mountain of positivity. He walks in the building every day, he’s got a smile on his face. He’s supporting his teammates, supporting everybody in the room. I mean, he tries to lead in that way, and he does a great job of it.”
He’s got a little bit of an uncertain future here, going through the last year of his contract. Do you think he’s got a bunch of good years left in him?
“Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s up to him – how he decides to approach his offseason, how he decides to approach the end of his career. I think he can do anything he wants to; he’s got that in him. So, it’s been rough with all the injuries he’s had – that always is difficult when that holds the player back. But we’ve seen what he can do when he gets out there on the field and he has opportunities, so I think there’s still a lot left in him.”
In a game like Sunday, when obviously you don’t have David, you don’t have Harold. So, guys like Blake (Whiteheart) and Sal (Cannella) and some of those other guys in your room have to step up. Do you take a little extra pride when they get their opportunity and make plays?
“I wouldn’t call it pride. I think I’m just really excited for them. Like I said, I don’t give myself any credit for what the guys go out there and do, right? I just take pride in that they know what to do – them executing and them making the plays is all up to them. So, I think I’m just really excited to go watch those guys make plays, and whoever’s out on the field make plays and see those guys go do their thing out there.”
I was talking to Harold a couple weeks ago and he said he thought he proved that he was a good blocker, that he put enough of that on tape this year. And we’ve talked to you in the past, and I know it was a question coming out of Bowling Green, but how have you seen him develop in that area? Do you agree that he’s proved that’s not an issue?
“Yeah, he’s done a good job. I would say it’s really the growth in dealing with the different looks that you can get from defenses in a game. I think it’s always a lot more variety from the defensive line to the linebackers to the safeties, and him being able to deal with those things as we’ve gone through the year has definitely been a positive. And I would say the positions he’s blocked from, he’s been out in space blocking, he’s blocked in line, we’ve asked him to get back in the fullback spot and block, and he’s done a great job at all those spots. And I think as his knowledge of the game and the offense grows, I think it’ll only grow from there.”
Christian (Jones), I think this is your first year like overseeing an entire tight ends room, right? I know you coached other positions, but what was that experience like this year, and how is it different from coaching other positions?
“Yeah, so this is my first time running a room in general – I’ve only been an assistant or a GA. So, first things first, I try to approach it the way I played and be the only person I know how to be, and that’s me. And whether it connects or not, I’ll find my way to connect with the guys in the room. I would say tight ends were very comparable to quarterbacks – they’re really smart, they’re hard working. I mean, they’re just obviously a little more athletic, depending on who they are, right? But I would say it’s been great. I think football players are all the same. They all got different motivations, whether it’s money, wins, stats, whatever it may be. Everybody’s got their own motivation, and it’s on me to find that factor and help them understand that correlates to the team winning, right? And the team winning also correlates to their success as well.”
So, did you lean on Kevin (Stefanski) a little bit more? Especially because he has a background with tight ends, and overall, what was it like coaching with him and being part of his staff?
“Yeah, I think getting an opportunity from him in the first-place kind of told me how he felt and what he believed in. And yes, I leaned on Kevin a lot, I leaned on Tommy (Rees) a lot, because he was in the room before, and he had his own processes and his own routines for dealing with those guys. So, I would say I asked both of them a lot of questions, how to handle things, how to handle different situations, how to approach different situations. Every day is different, right? So like, how can I go in there and be consistent? And they were both very helpful. I’m very thankful for the opportunity and to have this opportunity in this building with them. It’s been great.”
I know Tommy talked when he was the position coach in that room, that tight ends encompass so many parts of the offense, that can make a coach a better coach in that way – just giving you that more full picture view, I guess. Did you experience that part of it? Do you think that’s a fair assessment?
“I did. I would say my knowledge of the run game, it was really something I worked on last year when I was in New York (Giants), and I thought I had a grasp until I got here, and I had still found out there’s so much more to it, and learning more about protections, how to speak protections. And really what it is, I’ll say like this – you go into the room and you try to speak the language of the playbook, and sometimes that doesn’t really connect with everybody. And I always thought, like, the best way to explain things are…usually the best coaches are the best teachers, because that’s what we are, are the ones that can make things that are really complicated be really simple, right? So, I’d be in the room like,’ hey, guys, we’re doing this. We’re going to line up, yada yada,’ and I’d use all these words, and the guys are like, ‘we can just leave two, right?’ ‘Yeah you’re right, we can just leave two’. So, learning how to be simple in my language and learning how to be simple in how I describe things has been probably the biggest taking point I’ve had from this.”
How about with Harold? What does it say about Harold and the season he had that he was able to make the Pro Bowl as an alternate, as a rookie?
“It’s impressive. I think it speaks to his talent level, his work ethic on and off the field, and I think he’s just naturally gifted, and I think we all saw that and how he plays, right? And I think it’s a testament to him, and now it’s up to him how he wants to approach this next year and see if he wants to take that next step and shoot for an All-Pro, right? So, I have all the belief in the world in him, and I can’t wait to see what happens next year.”
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