Tight Ends Coach Christian Jones (11.21.25)
So maybe just, can you just address the notion that now your guys are going to have Shedeur Sanders throwing the ball to them and just what impact that’s going to have on your room, and then also the play that he made to Harold (Fannin Jr.) there to start off the two minute.
“Everything that we have to do with the offense is our job. So, no matter who’s throwing the ball, we gotta make sure we’re open, we’re blocking the right people, doing the right things and that’s the best thing we can do to support the quarterback, whoever’s in there. And addressing the pass that Harold kinda caught late. You know, we had a look that we called it earlier in the game, kind of wanted to come back to it. He stuck with it, found Harold deep and it was a great route from Harold, great timing from Shedeur, and ended up being an explosive play to give us an opportunity to win the game. So, it’s just being attuned to the game plan, which Shedeur did a good job of doing and being prepared for that play when it was called again. It was good execution.”
Christian, we’ve talked a lot about Harold’s versatility, but even on that play, like you said you ran it before and I think Isaiah (Bond) was the one that ran the in-cut. Like, how does that come together? Maybe like in between the break, are you like, okay, we’re gonna run again, but we’re gonna put Harold in this time, go to him and say, like, we’re gonna put you there. And just what does that say about his versatility and his ability to kind of run whatever type of routes you need from wherever?
“I would say what speaks to his versatility probably more than that is the fact that probably in that game he lined up at every spot, he could have lined up in. I’m pretty sure he lined up in a tight end spot, fullback spot and a receiver spot. He’s asked to block and catch passes from all those spots and not too many people in the league that can do that. So when you have somebody that you can be confident that they’re going to go do something effective against a nickel personnel, whether it’s running or blocking, and then also be effective versus a base defense, whether it’s running a route or catching the ball or blocking like that’s what gives you versatility, that’s what helps you set up your offense for success. So, I would say it’s just everything he does outside of those big plays, and all those big plays are great, but, we always talk about being willing and able in this offense, and he’s willing and able to block, and that helps us create ways for him to get open in the pass game.”
How have you seen Harold…the growth with him is it, each week, is it noticeable week by week? Where do you see maybe the growth most pronounced for him?
“I think it’s just he’s more and more able to digest and absorb, not only our offensive information, what plays we’re running, how we’re planning to attack a defense, but also being able to understand the looks that he gets from the defense, understand what to anticipate when he lines up against defenses in different areas and situations. Because I think that’s the biggest change versus, you know, weighing college versus the pros. It’s how many looks do you get, how many defensive coverages can you get, how many fronts do you get? There’s a lot more variation in what the defenses play against you, and I think it’s just being in tune to all of that and also your assignments on top of that. And you also weigh in him being in different spots on every play. So, we’re asking a lot of him regarding run blocking and pass catching, and I think he’s done a good job, just being able to manage all of that and be able to be effective in his assignments.”
Because of all the challenges of that position, with a guy like Harold, when he first gets here, do you just kind of throw everything at him and see what he can handle? Do you slow play? Like, how do you kind of, how did you approach that with him?
“At first we kinda slow play it, try to give him a chance to understand the words, the motions, what everything means. And then as you go, you wrap it up and keep them going, you push them, you make sure they…you kind of set the tone early. Like, ‘hey, you’re going to be moving around a lot’, and you show them what you’re planning on doing with them. Just continue to grow as they can, as they can do it. You continue to grow. He’s shown a lot very early that he’s able to do those things. And so, sky’s the limit for what we’re able to do with him. And I think everybody’s starting to see that.”
How is David (Njoku) coming along this week? And is he enough of a veteran, savvy veteran, that if he only had a minimal amount of practice, he can go in there and help you guys?
“Yeah, I think Dave’s (David Njoku) a good enough player that no matter what we get from him, he’ll be able to effectively help us win the game. And he’s day to day, I know Kevin’s (Stefanski) probably talked about this, so I don’t, you know, have too much to say about what he’s working through but he’s day to day, he’s doing a great job, he’s working hard. You know, he’ll see what happens on Sunday.”
For a guy like that, when he’s not practicing, does the rest of the week look kind of the same? You know, so is he still getting all the same meetings and doing all those things to get himself prepared if he’s ready to go?
“As much as we can. No matter whether you’re practicing or not, you gotta approach a game, like you’re playing. And that’s what we try to do, is keep them locked in, keep going over all the plays we could be running, okay. And make sure that we know what’s happening in every area. Like you’re approaching that the same way no matter what.”
When you’re going against a guy like (Maxx) Crosby, I’m sure your tight ends come into play there, helping out, so just what kind of challenge is that and how important is it for you guys to slow him down?
“Yeah, I mean, he is a very effective player. And I think what’s most effective about him is that he plays very hard. And when you play a guy that plays as hard as he does and they’re the best player, one of the better players on the team, that lifts everybody else up and their level of effort. So, we’re playing, we’re going to play against the defense that plays really hard, and he leads the way with that. And our job is to get in the way, slow him down, and do everything we can to help our team win the game. So, he’s really good with his hands. He does a great job with his hands and getting off blocks. Like, he’s very good at that. He’s explosive, he’s quick twitch, he’s very savvy. He’s played the game a long enough time to be able to spot things that offense is trying to do. So, it’s really just being under control, trying to stay connected as long as we can and being just a nuisance. The more frustrated we can make him, the better off we all are. So that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
I know that you don’t have to worry about him specifically because he’s on their offense, but when you look at a guy like Brock Bowers, just what makes him special? What makes him like no other tight end in the league?
“I mean, I watched him in his freshman year when he was in Georgia. I knew he was going to be a dawg. So, it’s great to see what he’s doing now. I think what, you know, it’s even funny, like, I would watch some of his target tapes from the last year with Harold to kind of show him some of the things that teams are doing, how to run certain routes, things that we’re matching up with on him. And, I mean, he’s explosive, he catches the ball really well. He knows how to get open, and he knows when to use his speed versus his size, right? Like, he understands the matchup. When can I ricochet off of a guy? When can I use my power to move a guy off of me? And when am I just faster? When can I just run away? And I think what he really is good at, too, is he’s effective after the catch. He catches the ball. He gets north to south. He makes people miss. But any yards that he can gain, he’s going to gain. I think that’s how you show up. You know, you’re like, ‘oh, wow, how does this guy have so many yards, so many catches?’ And that’s how it pops up. And he’s efficient, doesn’t drop the ball very often. He’s consistent. And I think that’s, when you play at a high level consistently, it’s usually how you end up being a good player.”
How would you say the passing game has looked this week with Shedeur out there practicing and getting his first reps with the first team all week? How’s it looked?
“Yeah, I think we’ve done a good job. It’s been a good week of practice. I think our tight ends have been effective. Our tight ends have been effective in doing our job, right, and making sure that we’re not causing any issues for him in his thought process and how he processes looks. So, everybody’s been out there doing the job. It’s been a good week of practice, and now we got to go out there and execute on Sunday.”
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