BB: We're just plugging along here. It seems like the week has gone fast. We have a lot of things to do. I think we're making progress towards the finish line. We better be. We'll just try to kind of review some stuff here today and tomorrow and get a few things cleaned up and get ready to play a division game on the road. It will be tough.
Q: Seven captains were selected and one of them was Junior Seau. What have you noticed from him this time around?
BB: He's been terrific this year. Last year he came in at the end of training camp, and he was good then too, but it was a little bit different starting from scratch like he did this year in offseason and the spring camps and then in training camp. He provides a lot of energy and leadership to our team. I think he's very well respected across the board, not just the defensive players, but the offensive players, all of the players, the coaches, everybody. He has a lot of support on this team. For his age and his experience, his enthusiasm and energy on the field is exceptional.
Q: Over the course of camp, you've talked about both [Dan] Koppen and [Vince] Wilfork and how solid they've been and how they've improved. How much do you think the two of them gain from playing against each other in camp?
BB: I think it's good for both of them. They're both strong and they both play strong. They get tested by the other guy. They're both good technique players. I'm sure they both feel that if they don't do it right, the other guy is going to handle them. They're both competitive and take a lot of pride in what they do and so they compete well against each other, but not in a negative way. In a good, positive way to help each other improve. I think it's a very competitive battle that they have out there almost on a daily basis, one of the best, on a consistent basis, that I've been around. I've seen a couple of other pretty good ones, but those guys are both really good players and they both compete well and they practice well.
Q: Ideally do you want to see them push each other further and further along and help each other get better?
BB: Sure. Absolutely and in some respects kind of have them feeling like that getting into the game is sometimes not as hard as what practice is. I think that's a good feeling to have. A lot of times it's the other way around. That's a good feeling to have and I think that those guys push each other. I'm sure that's the case some weeks. I'm not saying that's the case every week, but some weeks that's the case, they feel like the way that their opponent plays and practices might be a little bit more difficult for them to handle than the guy they get in the game.
Q: Wilfork talked a little bit about losing some weight this offseason. Have you noticed a change in him physically?
BB: Yeah, I think his condition level is good. His weight is good. From the first day on the conditioning test, I haven't noticed anything at all out there the entire camp. He's right up there at the head of the group when we run. He doesn't have plays in practice where it looks like he's tired or he's lagging behind on pursuit plays or when the ball is thrown down the field and how the defensive linemen turn and run to it and that kind of thing. I think he's playing with good energy. His conditioning level is good. We weigh him in on a regular basis and he's been good.
Q: Do you worry when you hear your nose tackle is thinking of losing a little weight?
BB: I think every player wants to put himself in the best possible position to compete that he can. Those guys that play those positions need weight in order to play against the other guys who have similar body weights as they do. On the defensive side of the ball, you have to be able to run and chase running backs and quarterbacks and get up field and the rush the passer and things like that. So you're trying to find that balance. It could be hard for us to play with a 270-pound defensive lineman. It would be hard. They need a certain amount of weight, but at the same time, they need to try to maintain their explosive quickness and ability to run and balance that off. I don't think we want him 270. I don't think we want him 370. There's a balance in there somewhere.
Q: Given the talent and the success this team has had over the last five years, obviously there's some really high expectation from the fans, from the media and nationally. Do you have to remind your players not to listen to it at this point? Is that even a factor?
BB: I don't think anybody cares about that. Right now we're playing the Jets on Sunday and that's where all of our focus is. Not what happened last week or last year or five years ago or 10 years ago. A lot of people that were involved in that aren't even here. I don't think it makes any difference.
Q: With that being said, someone Troy Brown or Tedy Bruschi, some of the players that have been here, do you look at them to make everything copasetic and kind of help the other players as far as the frenzy that could be involved in a team with such high expectations?
BB: I think our expectations on a weekly basis are just to try to get ourselves ready to play and play well that game, in this case the Jets game. That's all we care about. I don't really know what else there is. I don't think anybody else does either. What happened against the Giants doesn't mean anything and the games in the future right now they don't mean anything. They will, but they don't right now. There's nothing we can do about them now. I don't think about it. Really, I don't think anybody else spends too much time thinking about it either. Concentrating on the Jets, that's plenty. We played them three times last year and every game was a very competitive game. It basically came down to one possession late in the game. I don't know why anybody would possibly be thinking about anything else. I don't know what difference it would make.
Q: So it's a week-to-week focus? That remains the same?
BB: Week to week and day to day. It's a day-to-day focus on one opponent, that's really what it is. The only thing that we can control is what we do today. I don't think what happened three years ago has anything to do with this game. I really don't.
Q: What has impressed you the most about the Jets defense?
BB: The second half of the season last year they were the best defensive team in the league. They didn't allow points. There were good on third down. They were good in the red area. They didn't allow big plays. They had a dramatic improvement from the first half of the season to the second half of the season in their play defensively. They did everything better really. They kind of set the standard as far as the second half of the season goes. I know we're looking at a full body of work, but when you're looking at a team that was as productive as they were in the second half of the season, that's really what you look at. It's not what happened in the first half. They got all that stuff corrected and they had a lot of success doing what they did in the last eight, nine games of the year.
Q: Did any one thing in particular trigger that?
BB: I said they were better against everything. They went from the very bottom of the league in run defense, they way up in that. They went way up on third-down conversions. They went way up in the red area. They went from 20 something or other in points to, I think it was, second. They gave up the least number of big plays defensively, other than Miami, in the second half of the season. You're talking about going from the mid to low 20s in some of those areas statistically to in the top one, two or three. It wasn't just one thing. It starts with points. You might as well start there because that's what it's about. 12 points or something like that in the second half of the season. Run defense. It was all of those things. They're all interrelated.
Q: There's always a lot of talk when you guys play the Jets about the chess match between you and Eric [Mangini], but is it fair to say that no matter how good of a game plan it is, it's only as good as the players who execute it and how well they execute it?
BB: Well, it's definitely about the players. They're the ones that are playing the game. They're the ones that have to make the plays.
Q: Do we oversell the coaching matchup?
BB: Do you?
Q: Well, me or the media in general.
BB: I don't know. The team tries to get ready and go out there and play its best game and that includes everybody who is involved with the team – the players, the head coach, the assistant coaches, the trainers, everybody. You try to put together your best performance for that day and it's the same thing they do. I think everybody's job is important. I wouldn't minimize what anybody does, but ultimately the players are the ones out there on the field and they make the plays. The games that we've won is because they've make good plays, more than other team has, and that's why we've had more points. But I'm not trying to say that other people's jobs aren't important and I don't appreciate what they do or that they don't mean anything, I'm not saying that. Ultimately the players are the ones that have to go out there and make the plays. There's nothing more important than them.
Q: I'm not minimizing the role of the coaching, but you could draw up the best game plan you've ever drawn up…
BB: Yeah, me and you could go out there and run it, we wouldn't beat anybody, right?
Q: Right.
BB: Exactly, you could have the best game plan in the world, but if you don't have players that can go out there and play and perform, then you won't win a game. Believe me I'm well aware of that.
Q: I know you guys took a look at David Harris before the draft and obviously Eric goes ahead and takes him. What do you think might have led you guys, or the Jets, to believe that David was capable of playing that inside position in a 3-4?
BB: Well, that's really what he did at Michigan. The way he played at Michigan I think was similar to the way we play defensively and for the inside linebacker spot. He's played well in preseason. I think he might have been their leading tackler. He makes a lot of good plays. It's not all about tackles. He made a lot of good plays for them in preseason and we'll get ready for him. I've watched him. His run reads. He has good speed. Good range in the passing game. He covers kicks well. He shows his athletic ability in the open field on special teams plays. He's tough. He read things quickly. He had a couple of negative plays, like sniffing out screen passes and deceptive plays and things like that. I think he's a good player.
Q: To be able to play both spots, you kind of have to be a rugged player who is willing to take on a block amongst other things. Are those some qualities that you maybe saw in him that were overriding that made you think he could play in your defense?
BB: I think he does those things well. I think he is a tough player and he's a smart player. He works hard. He's well-prepared. He's physical. He can run well. I think he has a lot of things going for him. The opportunities that he's had in the preseason games, which has only been a limited number of snaps, but I think he's done a good job when he has had an opportunity to play.
Q: Can you talk about Kevin Faulk being elected captain for the first time?
BB: I think that Kevin is one of the most respected players on the team. He has a great attitude. He's very unselfish. He works hard with younger and inexperienced players, not just running backs but other players as well. He's always there to lend a hand or be supportive or help a teammate out. He's an unselfish player and he's tough. He's not the biggest guy out there, but I think he's extremely tough and I think everybody respects his toughness and his competitiveness. I think that's reflected by how the team voted.
Q: What do you ask your captains to do? What does it mean to be a captain?
BB: I think the main thing is that they represent the other players in one way or another. They represent the other players from the players to the coaches or to the organization, however you want to look at it. I think they also represent the coaches to the players through the captains. It's impossible for me to have conversations with 60-something players on a daily basis, or sometimes even on a weekly basis. It's impossible. Although I communicate to the team as a group, a lot of times my communication comes through the captains in smaller groups and smaller circles and there's more give-and-take, feedback and that kind of thing. It's not like we're running a team meeting where it's basically one person talking. I respect their opinions. I respect what they have to say. I think they're open about their suggestions and comments. Sometimes I give them a little more insight into what I'm doing with the hope that they would be able to convey that to whatever the situation is that's on the team. I think the fact that they were elected to that position by their teammates shows the kind of respect that their teammates have for them, it's not a most valuable player vote, it's not a popularity vote. It's a vote about who you want to represent the remainder of the team in situations where only a few players can be there. The whole team can't be there. Whether it's with the head coach or whether it's dealing with the officials or that kind of thing. It comes in a lot of different forms. It's about one word. It's about respect. It's not about talent. Like I said, it's not an MVP vote. It's a vote about respect and leadership and I think we're fortunate on this team that we have a lot of players that fall into that category. The ones that are selected I don't think that takes away from the ones that weren't. There are a lot of players that I think fall under that category and there are a lot of players who get votes and support. You have to pick somebody, but there are a lot of players that have that kind of support on the team. It's not just one or two guys. Those guys are noticed because they were elected, but again, I don't think that takes away from a lot of the other players who give us great leadership. They just don't happen to have that position for one reason or another.
Q: Were you ever a captain at Wesleyan?
BB: Yes.
Q: How did you view your duties as a captain? Was it similar to what you expect from these players?
BB: I would say it was a little bit different. I think in some respects there are some similarities. I think every situation is a little bit different. The dynamics of the individuals and the teams are different too. In other words, I don't think there's any one set way. We've had a lot of teams here, this is eight teams, they're all different and the chemistry is different and even though some of the players are the same, sometimes their role or their situation changes from one year to the next even though it's the same guy, on the same team, it's not quite the same. Sometimes there are circumstances and events that take place during the course of the year where your team is not the same team. You go through different challenges or things happen and it changes a little bit of the chemistry and the makeup of the team. I think each situation is different. I think players like Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi would probably tell you the same thing, even though they've been a captain for a number of years, that each year that is a little bit different because of a different set of dynamics.
Q: What are your memories of your first opening day?
BB: Looking back on it, it was a pretty interesting day. I was with the Colts and I think they were 2-12 in the previous year. [Ted] Marchibroda came in as a first-year head coach from Washington also George Allen's staff and we opened with the Bears in Chicago. Jack Pardee was the head coach there and I believe that was his first year as well. He had also either played or coached for Allen, so there was a lot of kind of knowing the same system and all of that. They had drafted this running back, you know, who as okay, but nobody really knew how good [Walter] Payton was, but it was his first game. So that was kind of interesting preparing for him. Now we had six preseason games back in those days, so there was a little more film available, but it was a pretty exciting experience for me as a first-year coach, just the whole buildup to the game and all of that. Looking back on it, Payton and guys like Bert Jones and that Colt team, which really nobody thought was any good based on the 2-12 record the year before. We beat the Bears and then we lost four straight, so we were 1-4. A lot of people thought that this was going to be another bad year for the Colts and then we won nine in a row. To say it was a roller coaster would be putting it mildly. When you're 1-4, the last thing you're thinking about is winning the division. And then you win nine straight and you build momentum. It's funny because then I went to the Lions and opened with the Bears again. I went to Denver and we opened with the Raiders, which that was coming off the '77 Super Bowl where they had played the Raiders three times the previous season, similar to the situation here with the Jets, a division team and three games and all of that. Opening day at the Giants in '79 against the Eagles. It seems like a lot of big games on opening day that I've been involved in. They're all exciting. They're all different. I think there are butterflies in everybody's stomach. I think that's normal for opening day, whether you're a coach, an assistant coach or player. It doesn't matter whether you've coached 30 years or played 20 years or it's your first one. I think it's still opening day and there's a lot of unknowns. That makes it exciting. There's always a lot of things on opening day whether it's plays or situation or results or whatever that I think when we all look back on it on Sunday night or Monday night or whenever the weekend is over we'll say, 'Wow that was a surprise. I never saw that before. I didn't think that would happen. That was a pretty unusual play or situation that came up.' It just seems like that's the kind of thing that happens on opening day. A lot of it is unexpected and unpredictable and a lot of times you're not as prepared as your team would be two, three, four months from now. It's here and I think that everybody is ready for it. I'm sure all 31 teams are ready to start, 32 teams including us, are ready to start and get going and see what happens.
Q: What do you tell your players about controlling the butterflies, or do you have to?
BB: Again, that's part of every game. I just think there's a little bit more of it on opening day. Once the ball is kicked off and that first play happens, then you're done. Then you're in it. But the build up, there's more things that can happen. We've seen the Jets. We've seen all of their stuff from last year. We've seen other stuff from preseason. You know they're working on some new things or things that we haven't seen, what are they? We have some things that we haven't run. We think we're going to get this, but what if we get that? That kind of thing. It's a little bit less predictable. Are they going to use these players? Are they going to use this set? We have something new that we haven't shown. We think we're going to get this, but you never know for sure. What if when see this, they do that? What if they do something else? There's just a lot of variables and it's just hard to sit here and say, 'I know when this happens…' a lot of times you can say that by the middle of the season. 'I know that when we get in this, this is what they're going to do.' I'm sure they're saying that about us too at some point. It's just harder to do that now.
Q: Are you going to watch tonight's game?
BB: It's Indy and New Orleans? That's tonight. I might see some of it. I'm sure we'll get the tape of it eventually. But that's not really a high priority for me, put it that way. The much higher priority is the preparations for the Jets. |
