00:00:00
Speaker 1: You personally, speaking for yourself, concerned about his availability on Sunday?
00:00:04
Speaker 2: I just coach the guys that are out there, so whoever Braves tells me is available, that's who I'll spend my energy on.
00:00:11
Speaker 3: I'll take the information as it's given to me. Mack on the IR, Romeo on the IR, AJ not there today.
00:00:17
Speaker 4: It's a lot of injuries.
00:00:19
Speaker 3: How is the group stacking up with all this adversity? Such a cool opportunity for those guys.
00:00:24
Speaker 2: We've talked over the last several weeks when I've had the chance to chat with you guys about just the approach of the unit, from Chiz coming in early and preparing for his moment in Buffalo, or Pop being a positive influence and energy for the group. I'm just excited for the guys. Whoever's out there, it's going to be fun to watch them go out and compete and try to go get a division win.
00:00:46
Speaker 3: How concerning is it, does he hope to build upon what he's trying to build upon for a guy like H.A. to not be able to get out there? It It's been a small sample size for AJ.
00:00:56
Speaker 2: I think there's been a lot made about a couple of weeks, and my hope and his hope and everybody here's hope is that he starts to get a little bit of traction.
00:01:05
Speaker 3: I'm not worried about where AJ's at at all.
00:01:09
Speaker 2: Certainly haven't had the results that we had hoped for, but that doesn't mean that they're not right around the corner.
00:01:15
Speaker 5: Do you think, just given what AJ's been dealing with, that receivers are more susceptible to certain lower body injuries just with the pressure and the plant and the change of direction, the miles they log? Like, is that something that you guys consider in that room or from a training standpoint?
00:01:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, we've never talked about injuries at all.
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Our training staff, our strength and conditioning staff, they do an unbelievable job getting our guys ready to go. It's a fast and violent game played by real big and powerful men, and so.
00:01:51
Speaker 3: That's part of the game.
00:01:52
Speaker 2: You just got to find your way through the nicks and bruises, and if it's a little bit more than that, then you deal with those as they come to.
00:01:59
Speaker 3: Tyler, you got four receivers on the practice squad.
00:02:03
Speaker 2: Can you just give us maybe just a quick little nugget on each of them, just in how they're progressing.
00:02:07
Speaker 3: From your view?
00:02:08
Speaker 5: Sure, yeah.
00:02:08
Speaker 3: I might run you through it if you're Ryan or whatever you want to say. Ryan or Chase. No, I appreciate it. You know, Ryan's the newest to the group, and he's been a great addition.
00:02:19
Speaker 2: He's certainly brought some wisdom, has a little bit more experience than a couple of the other guys.
00:02:24
Speaker 3: He's just sinking his teeth into the verbiage.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: And right now it's a little bit of Spanish to English translation type deal for him, but he's really doing a nice job of accelerating his learning and doing a good job with.
00:02:36
Speaker 3: Some of the routes on the show team. I've been really.
00:02:39
Speaker 2: Impressed with Chandler, and this is now a few weeks with him around, and he's been playing fast and improving on the things that we asked him to improve on.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: Give a lot of credit to Riley Larkin.
00:02:49
Speaker 2: He does some extra meeting with those guys watching their show team reps and putting them in our terminology. And Riley's done a nice job of helping him feel like he can make decisions faster. So I like where he's at. Cam Dorner's been doing a nice job ever since training camp. You see good movement skills with him and he's learned to have a little bit more versatility on some of the stuff that we've asked him to do on the show team. So impressed with his improvement as well. And then Kyle Dixon, I think We discussed him in the offseason. He was a little bit limited through OTAs and in the offseason and wasn't able to really sink his teeth into his role. But as training camp came and the preseason games came, you saw the physical skill set.
00:03:28
Speaker 3: We've seen nothing but improvement from there. So all four of them working really hard. Really good students.
00:03:33
Speaker 2: And the coolest thing is watching them emulate the Efton Chisholms and Mack Hollins and the work ethic they put.
00:03:39
Speaker 3: In to try to grow.
00:03:40
Speaker 6: We've seen you have some cool moments with These guys you just talked about, Romeo, got off to a really slow start with A.J.
00:03:46
Speaker 3: We know how good he is. We know how great he's been over the years. He goes through what he went through in that small sample size. What are you doing for him? What kind of things are you going to be in there for him as a coach?
00:03:55
Speaker 2: I think as a friend and as someone who cares for his players, I think the best thing a coach can do is just remind them of the process and what got them there in the first place. Sometimes when people don't get the results they want in this business, they tend to jerk the wheel and try to make drastic changes. I think that just adds pressure onto that person or creates some bad habits of.
00:04:17
Speaker 3: Trying to make things happen that really aren't there. So I'm really process-driven. I think the great ones are.
00:04:25
Speaker 2: And I think that AJ is definitely a great receiver that just needs to continue to stay true to the process.
00:04:31
Speaker 5: Filling off that, what is the approach to... establishing the correct timing when a player like AJ is missing those game speed opportunities with Drake?
00:04:42
Speaker 3: It's time on task for sure.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: There's an element of making sure that you get enough reps with Drake, but it's also communication. And I think Drake and AJ have a great relationship and just being able to talk through what they saw on a rep or, you know, being able to come back and work something that maybe didn't have great timing in the game and immediately correct it the next week in practice is I mean, you're talking about A.J. being, you know, just a handful of full-speed practices since he came back.
00:05:08
Speaker 3: We had a bunch of walk-throughs before the Chicago game. So that's all part of the process.
00:05:13
Speaker 1: Todd, what gave you the confidence going back a couple weeks, because we haven't talked to you since, that he could play as much as he did against the Jets?
00:05:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, you know, just communication with people in the rehab process and with Coach Brable and, you know, the way that he performed in the return to play, you know, are all things that, made us feel like he was in a pretty good spot.
00:05:35
Speaker 3: I think if.
00:05:38
Speaker 2: You look at the production or the stat line of the Jets game, you might be disappointed in some of the drops.
00:05:44
Speaker 3: He got himself open quite a bit. I really don't.
00:05:48
Speaker 6: I think it's like everything else. I think when you start playing and you get together, you get to know one another.
00:05:56
Speaker 3: We talked about it a little bit before with the offensive line.
00:05:59
Speaker 6: Again, I don't know anything about that, but all I know is that you know, the longer you play next to someone, the more you play with somebody, the longer you coach with someone, the more you hang out with someone, you know, you become, you know, hopefully that relationship is building, you know, saying trust is building, you know, and you get to that point where you're like, hey, I already know what he's thinking, you know.
00:06:19
Speaker 1: Well, can you tell us just about Walter and just how much he's sort of come on here and obviously an opportunity for him to play last year?
00:06:26
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think, you know, like Coach always says, you know, Coach Reeves always says, you know, Prepare like you're going to be a star.
00:06:33
Speaker 3: It's not just coach talk.
00:06:35
Speaker 6: We coach that way. We try to prepare them that way. We get them into the process. The players trust the process. They've done a good job of understanding that. These opportunities, unfortunately, they're going to arise due to sometimes injury, sometimes performance. When those opportunities arise, how are.
00:06:55
Speaker 3: You going to answer that bell? That's what you've worked for your whole time.
00:06:59
Speaker 6: So, you know, is everything going to be clean and great?
00:07:03
Speaker 3: You know, that's very difficult, right? You have to do.
00:07:05
Speaker 6: But, again, you know, as a coach, you go in every day and you're correcting things and you keep things corrected. And maybe it's a better understanding of the player. The player is working extremely hard to get that corrected. So, really, that's the process we do with really all the players. Can you speak to the challenge that this Dolphins front presents, especially guys like Chop Robinson and Zach Seeler? I say this every week. It's not like something like, you know, you look and you go, oh, okay. You know, every week, you know, everyone you play presents, you know, it's different issues, you know.
00:07:40
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, sometimes, you know, big and strong. You know, sometimes it's fast. Sometimes it's the veterans. Sometimes it's moves.
00:07:46
Speaker 6: Sometimes, you know.
00:07:48
Speaker 3: You have it, so every.
00:07:49
Speaker 6: Week is a unique challenge within itself, you know, and I think that's the most important thing, so, you know, how do you adjust, and how do you want to plan, how do you want to play, how do you, all those things go into it, so it's not like, you know, you're just copy and pasting the same plan every week, because you're playing against different types of players each week, you know, and what their strong points are, you know, and what they're able to do, not only just individually, but collectively, you know, as a defense, and You know, they do a nice job.
00:08:18
Speaker 1: They really do.
00:08:19
Speaker 6: What do you like about some of the mismatches that come with two tight end sets on offense?
00:08:23
Speaker 4: I think being able to just force defense's hands as far as the personnel group is first and foremost. So, you know, matches in nickel defense and give us an option to be able to put two tight ends at the point of contact and run the football. Obviously, base, we saw some last week being able to kind of explore some matchups, whether it be zone or man matches and trying to find opportunities to get one of those guys matched up one-on-one.
00:08:45
Speaker 1: I'm reading a story about the scramble drills and how effective Drake has been on those types of plays. Just how much, like, scheme is involved in that versus the players just kind of improvising on the fly?
00:08:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, I would say there's less scheme involved when it comes to scramble drills.
00:08:59
Speaker 3: We never just plan for a scramble to occur.
00:09:01
Speaker 4: But obviously when you have an athletic quarterback and that guy's doing a great job up front of protecting and buying time, having some off-score plays kind of come about when it comes to, you know, normal D & D but could be in the red zone is probably where it happens the most.
00:09:14
Speaker 3: And obviously also on third down. But I think being able to have detailed.
00:09:16
Speaker 4: Rules built into where you are on the field, mirroring the quarterback standing phase, and also having a couple guys that can still go vertical down the field for some possible deep shot opportunities gives us a chance to better exploit those off-scuttle plays.
00:09:29
Speaker 1: Hunter seems to be really good at it. He's just got great instincts at it. What have you observed from him in that area?
00:09:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think, one, just the byproduct of playing 11 seasons. You've seen a lot, experienced a lot, and also I think being able to to connect a tone with Drake. They're obviously really close to him with the time in the building, but also outside the building.
00:09:49
Speaker 3: Then that connection helps out and shows on the grass as well.
00:09:52
Speaker 5: Awesome.
00:09:52
Speaker 4: Thank you.
00:09:53
Speaker 5: Thank you.
00:09:57
Speaker 3: How much does... Slide in.
00:09:58
Speaker 1: Slide in.
00:10:02
Speaker 4: How much does it impact you as the passing game coordinator when there's kind of uncertainty.
00:10:09
Speaker 3: About, obviously I'm talking about A.J.
00:10:11
Speaker 5: Brown, but in terms of having to kind of pivot at the last minute?
00:10:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, obviously start first with this is a player's game. Always have been, always will be. So the better the players, the better the concepts come to life on tape. I think also we do a really good job of trying to be multiple throughout the week, not just for the reason the events of guys going down injury-wise, but also, as you mentioned before, like pressure no groupings. So whether it's our two tight end sets, we have that mixed in with the same plays that we have some 11 receiver sets mixed into. So guys get multiple reps throughout the week. So just in case we have some issues there, whether it be with injuries or having a pivoted game, we have multiple guys ready to go and activate any given moment. And as Braves always mentions, and I think it's important to understand, it's a next man up mentality, so we have to all prepare to be a starter.
00:11:02
Speaker 3: Because at some point, they're going to play for us and play a lot. So, being ready to rock and roll.
00:11:07
Speaker 2: Eli leads all rookie tight ends in first down receptions.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: It's just sort of a minute step.
00:11:13
Speaker 3: But just how have you seen him be able to make the big play?
00:11:16
Speaker 6: It's not just sort of a five-yard– I.
00:11:22
Speaker 3: Think it's a combination of a couple things.
00:11:24
Speaker 4: One is consistent work ethic and the process that leads towards the results on game day. I think also at times it comes to particular matchups we try to put him in positions with from a schematic standpoint and also it boils down to the player again being able to have an opportunity to catch the ball in space. That's one thing he does really well is run fast, especially for his size. So if you get him in the open field, whether it be in a zone concept or a man match coverage, he has an opportunity to run away and create explosives.
00:11:52
Speaker 3: How much do you think Hunter helps him just being around him? I think a ton. Hunter helps me be in the room.
00:11:59
Speaker 4: I think having a guy as a veteran leader, not just the experience of playing in the production and coming off of a career year last year in season 10, but just the way in which he goes about his business. I think being able to be a leader and effectively the first and foremost starts with your example. What you say is really irrelevant if you don't produce it every single day. So I think being able to have Eli watch him every day when it comes to how he takes notes in meetings, how he asks the right questions, being able to go through his pre-practice practice operation also in practice, giving effort straight into finishing and showing how to produce it on game day has been a great example for him.
00:12:37
Speaker 6: Has it been fun for you to watch Eli's progress?
00:12:40
Speaker 3: I mean, I remember what you looked like here in those early camps.
00:12:45
Speaker 4: And I was like, oh, my God, is this kid going to make it to what he's evolved into?
00:12:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's the exciting part about coaching.
00:12:53
Speaker 4: I think being able to, one, make connections with individuals first and foremost and hopefully last for a lifetime is always exciting. But I think being able to see the work and their process come to life because it don't always happen that way with everybody. And there's a part of it that's going to be a partnership between the coach and the player where they've got to be willing to receive the information, willing to take the coaching criticism, but also willing to put the work in to be productive and continue to see him make strides week in and week out and also build confidence. I think, you know, there's some guys who just naturally are arrogant by nature. There's very few of them. But most times confidence comes through habits of success. So I think more we have a chance to see it produced on game day. It reinforces those rules, those habits throughout the week. and continue to invest in the process to keep you in bed.
Speaker 1: You personally, speaking for yourself, concerned about his availability on Sunday?
00:00:04
Speaker 2: I just coach the guys that are out there, so whoever Braves tells me is available, that's who I'll spend my energy on.
00:00:11
Speaker 3: I'll take the information as it's given to me. Mack on the IR, Romeo on the IR, AJ not there today.
00:00:17
Speaker 4: It's a lot of injuries.
00:00:19
Speaker 3: How is the group stacking up with all this adversity? Such a cool opportunity for those guys.
00:00:24
Speaker 2: We've talked over the last several weeks when I've had the chance to chat with you guys about just the approach of the unit, from Chiz coming in early and preparing for his moment in Buffalo, or Pop being a positive influence and energy for the group. I'm just excited for the guys. Whoever's out there, it's going to be fun to watch them go out and compete and try to go get a division win.
00:00:46
Speaker 3: How concerning is it, does he hope to build upon what he's trying to build upon for a guy like H.A. to not be able to get out there? It It's been a small sample size for AJ.
00:00:56
Speaker 2: I think there's been a lot made about a couple of weeks, and my hope and his hope and everybody here's hope is that he starts to get a little bit of traction.
00:01:05
Speaker 3: I'm not worried about where AJ's at at all.
00:01:09
Speaker 2: Certainly haven't had the results that we had hoped for, but that doesn't mean that they're not right around the corner.
00:01:15
Speaker 5: Do you think, just given what AJ's been dealing with, that receivers are more susceptible to certain lower body injuries just with the pressure and the plant and the change of direction, the miles they log? Like, is that something that you guys consider in that room or from a training standpoint?
00:01:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, we've never talked about injuries at all.
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Our training staff, our strength and conditioning staff, they do an unbelievable job getting our guys ready to go. It's a fast and violent game played by real big and powerful men, and so.
00:01:51
Speaker 3: That's part of the game.
00:01:52
Speaker 2: You just got to find your way through the nicks and bruises, and if it's a little bit more than that, then you deal with those as they come to.
00:01:59
Speaker 3: Tyler, you got four receivers on the practice squad.
00:02:03
Speaker 2: Can you just give us maybe just a quick little nugget on each of them, just in how they're progressing.
00:02:07
Speaker 3: From your view?
00:02:08
Speaker 5: Sure, yeah.
00:02:08
Speaker 3: I might run you through it if you're Ryan or whatever you want to say. Ryan or Chase. No, I appreciate it. You know, Ryan's the newest to the group, and he's been a great addition.
00:02:19
Speaker 2: He's certainly brought some wisdom, has a little bit more experience than a couple of the other guys.
00:02:24
Speaker 3: He's just sinking his teeth into the verbiage.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: And right now it's a little bit of Spanish to English translation type deal for him, but he's really doing a nice job of accelerating his learning and doing a good job with.
00:02:36
Speaker 3: Some of the routes on the show team. I've been really.
00:02:39
Speaker 2: Impressed with Chandler, and this is now a few weeks with him around, and he's been playing fast and improving on the things that we asked him to improve on.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: Give a lot of credit to Riley Larkin.
00:02:49
Speaker 2: He does some extra meeting with those guys watching their show team reps and putting them in our terminology. And Riley's done a nice job of helping him feel like he can make decisions faster. So I like where he's at. Cam Dorner's been doing a nice job ever since training camp. You see good movement skills with him and he's learned to have a little bit more versatility on some of the stuff that we've asked him to do on the show team. So impressed with his improvement as well. And then Kyle Dixon, I think We discussed him in the offseason. He was a little bit limited through OTAs and in the offseason and wasn't able to really sink his teeth into his role. But as training camp came and the preseason games came, you saw the physical skill set.
00:03:28
Speaker 3: We've seen nothing but improvement from there. So all four of them working really hard. Really good students.
00:03:33
Speaker 2: And the coolest thing is watching them emulate the Efton Chisholms and Mack Hollins and the work ethic they put.
00:03:39
Speaker 3: In to try to grow.
00:03:40
Speaker 6: We've seen you have some cool moments with These guys you just talked about, Romeo, got off to a really slow start with A.J.
00:03:46
Speaker 3: We know how good he is. We know how great he's been over the years. He goes through what he went through in that small sample size. What are you doing for him? What kind of things are you going to be in there for him as a coach?
00:03:55
Speaker 2: I think as a friend and as someone who cares for his players, I think the best thing a coach can do is just remind them of the process and what got them there in the first place. Sometimes when people don't get the results they want in this business, they tend to jerk the wheel and try to make drastic changes. I think that just adds pressure onto that person or creates some bad habits of.
00:04:17
Speaker 3: Trying to make things happen that really aren't there. So I'm really process-driven. I think the great ones are.
00:04:25
Speaker 2: And I think that AJ is definitely a great receiver that just needs to continue to stay true to the process.
00:04:31
Speaker 5: Filling off that, what is the approach to... establishing the correct timing when a player like AJ is missing those game speed opportunities with Drake?
00:04:42
Speaker 3: It's time on task for sure.
00:04:44
Speaker 2: There's an element of making sure that you get enough reps with Drake, but it's also communication. And I think Drake and AJ have a great relationship and just being able to talk through what they saw on a rep or, you know, being able to come back and work something that maybe didn't have great timing in the game and immediately correct it the next week in practice is I mean, you're talking about A.J. being, you know, just a handful of full-speed practices since he came back.
00:05:08
Speaker 3: We had a bunch of walk-throughs before the Chicago game. So that's all part of the process.
00:05:13
Speaker 1: Todd, what gave you the confidence going back a couple weeks, because we haven't talked to you since, that he could play as much as he did against the Jets?
00:05:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, you know, just communication with people in the rehab process and with Coach Brable and, you know, the way that he performed in the return to play, you know, are all things that, made us feel like he was in a pretty good spot.
00:05:35
Speaker 3: I think if.
00:05:38
Speaker 2: You look at the production or the stat line of the Jets game, you might be disappointed in some of the drops.
00:05:44
Speaker 3: He got himself open quite a bit. I really don't.
00:05:48
Speaker 6: I think it's like everything else. I think when you start playing and you get together, you get to know one another.
00:05:56
Speaker 3: We talked about it a little bit before with the offensive line.
00:05:59
Speaker 6: Again, I don't know anything about that, but all I know is that you know, the longer you play next to someone, the more you play with somebody, the longer you coach with someone, the more you hang out with someone, you know, you become, you know, hopefully that relationship is building, you know, saying trust is building, you know, and you get to that point where you're like, hey, I already know what he's thinking, you know.
00:06:19
Speaker 1: Well, can you tell us just about Walter and just how much he's sort of come on here and obviously an opportunity for him to play last year?
00:06:26
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think, you know, like Coach always says, you know, Coach Reeves always says, you know, Prepare like you're going to be a star.
00:06:33
Speaker 3: It's not just coach talk.
00:06:35
Speaker 6: We coach that way. We try to prepare them that way. We get them into the process. The players trust the process. They've done a good job of understanding that. These opportunities, unfortunately, they're going to arise due to sometimes injury, sometimes performance. When those opportunities arise, how are.
00:06:55
Speaker 3: You going to answer that bell? That's what you've worked for your whole time.
00:06:59
Speaker 6: So, you know, is everything going to be clean and great?
00:07:03
Speaker 3: You know, that's very difficult, right? You have to do.
00:07:05
Speaker 6: But, again, you know, as a coach, you go in every day and you're correcting things and you keep things corrected. And maybe it's a better understanding of the player. The player is working extremely hard to get that corrected. So, really, that's the process we do with really all the players. Can you speak to the challenge that this Dolphins front presents, especially guys like Chop Robinson and Zach Seeler? I say this every week. It's not like something like, you know, you look and you go, oh, okay. You know, every week, you know, everyone you play presents, you know, it's different issues, you know.
00:07:40
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, sometimes, you know, big and strong. You know, sometimes it's fast. Sometimes it's the veterans. Sometimes it's moves.
00:07:46
Speaker 6: Sometimes, you know.
00:07:48
Speaker 3: You have it, so every.
00:07:49
Speaker 6: Week is a unique challenge within itself, you know, and I think that's the most important thing, so, you know, how do you adjust, and how do you want to plan, how do you want to play, how do you, all those things go into it, so it's not like, you know, you're just copy and pasting the same plan every week, because you're playing against different types of players each week, you know, and what their strong points are, you know, and what they're able to do, not only just individually, but collectively, you know, as a defense, and You know, they do a nice job.
00:08:18
Speaker 1: They really do.
00:08:19
Speaker 6: What do you like about some of the mismatches that come with two tight end sets on offense?
00:08:23
Speaker 4: I think being able to just force defense's hands as far as the personnel group is first and foremost. So, you know, matches in nickel defense and give us an option to be able to put two tight ends at the point of contact and run the football. Obviously, base, we saw some last week being able to kind of explore some matchups, whether it be zone or man matches and trying to find opportunities to get one of those guys matched up one-on-one.
00:08:45
Speaker 1: I'm reading a story about the scramble drills and how effective Drake has been on those types of plays. Just how much, like, scheme is involved in that versus the players just kind of improvising on the fly?
00:08:55
Speaker 4: Yeah, I would say there's less scheme involved when it comes to scramble drills.
00:08:59
Speaker 3: We never just plan for a scramble to occur.
00:09:01
Speaker 4: But obviously when you have an athletic quarterback and that guy's doing a great job up front of protecting and buying time, having some off-score plays kind of come about when it comes to, you know, normal D & D but could be in the red zone is probably where it happens the most.
00:09:14
Speaker 3: And obviously also on third down. But I think being able to have detailed.
00:09:16
Speaker 4: Rules built into where you are on the field, mirroring the quarterback standing phase, and also having a couple guys that can still go vertical down the field for some possible deep shot opportunities gives us a chance to better exploit those off-scuttle plays.
00:09:29
Speaker 1: Hunter seems to be really good at it. He's just got great instincts at it. What have you observed from him in that area?
00:09:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think, one, just the byproduct of playing 11 seasons. You've seen a lot, experienced a lot, and also I think being able to to connect a tone with Drake. They're obviously really close to him with the time in the building, but also outside the building.
00:09:49
Speaker 3: Then that connection helps out and shows on the grass as well.
00:09:52
Speaker 5: Awesome.
00:09:52
Speaker 4: Thank you.
00:09:53
Speaker 5: Thank you.
00:09:57
Speaker 3: How much does... Slide in.
00:09:58
Speaker 1: Slide in.
00:10:02
Speaker 4: How much does it impact you as the passing game coordinator when there's kind of uncertainty.
00:10:09
Speaker 3: About, obviously I'm talking about A.J.
00:10:11
Speaker 5: Brown, but in terms of having to kind of pivot at the last minute?
00:10:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, obviously start first with this is a player's game. Always have been, always will be. So the better the players, the better the concepts come to life on tape. I think also we do a really good job of trying to be multiple throughout the week, not just for the reason the events of guys going down injury-wise, but also, as you mentioned before, like pressure no groupings. So whether it's our two tight end sets, we have that mixed in with the same plays that we have some 11 receiver sets mixed into. So guys get multiple reps throughout the week. So just in case we have some issues there, whether it be with injuries or having a pivoted game, we have multiple guys ready to go and activate any given moment. And as Braves always mentions, and I think it's important to understand, it's a next man up mentality, so we have to all prepare to be a starter.
00:11:02
Speaker 3: Because at some point, they're going to play for us and play a lot. So, being ready to rock and roll.
00:11:07
Speaker 2: Eli leads all rookie tight ends in first down receptions.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: It's just sort of a minute step.
00:11:13
Speaker 3: But just how have you seen him be able to make the big play?
00:11:16
Speaker 6: It's not just sort of a five-yard– I.
00:11:22
Speaker 3: Think it's a combination of a couple things.
00:11:24
Speaker 4: One is consistent work ethic and the process that leads towards the results on game day. I think also at times it comes to particular matchups we try to put him in positions with from a schematic standpoint and also it boils down to the player again being able to have an opportunity to catch the ball in space. That's one thing he does really well is run fast, especially for his size. So if you get him in the open field, whether it be in a zone concept or a man match coverage, he has an opportunity to run away and create explosives.
00:11:52
Speaker 3: How much do you think Hunter helps him just being around him? I think a ton. Hunter helps me be in the room.
00:11:59
Speaker 4: I think having a guy as a veteran leader, not just the experience of playing in the production and coming off of a career year last year in season 10, but just the way in which he goes about his business. I think being able to be a leader and effectively the first and foremost starts with your example. What you say is really irrelevant if you don't produce it every single day. So I think being able to have Eli watch him every day when it comes to how he takes notes in meetings, how he asks the right questions, being able to go through his pre-practice practice operation also in practice, giving effort straight into finishing and showing how to produce it on game day has been a great example for him.
00:12:37
Speaker 6: Has it been fun for you to watch Eli's progress?
00:12:40
Speaker 3: I mean, I remember what you looked like here in those early camps.
00:12:45
Speaker 4: And I was like, oh, my God, is this kid going to make it to what he's evolved into?
00:12:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's the exciting part about coaching.
00:12:53
Speaker 4: I think being able to, one, make connections with individuals first and foremost and hopefully last for a lifetime is always exciting. But I think being able to see the work and their process come to life because it don't always happen that way with everybody. And there's a part of it that's going to be a partnership between the coach and the player where they've got to be willing to receive the information, willing to take the coaching criticism, but also willing to put the work in to be productive and continue to see him make strides week in and week out and also build confidence. I think, you know, there's some guys who just naturally are arrogant by nature. There's very few of them. But most times confidence comes through habits of success. So I think more we have a chance to see it produced on game day. It reinforces those rules, those habits throughout the week. and continue to invest in the process to keep you in bed.
