MIKE DENBROCK
How do you feel like the offense has been progressing this spring?
“Boy. I love it and I hate it (laughs) at the same time, if that makes any sense. As we get more familiar, we’re only seven [practices] in or whatever it is. So, we’re about halfway home, maybe a little bit over halfway home. I love our attitude towards work. I love our ability to learn. I love our competitiveness. We’ve got really, really good unit strength as far as on the offensive side of the ball. The details are a little fuzzy. The more those come into focus and the more we continue to learn and grow, and I think more than anything how we adjust the base scheme based off what the defense is doing, those things come with time. We’re kind of in the process of that, so when we get it right, it looks really good. And when we don’t get it quite right, it can get pretty ugly pretty fast. We’ve just got to continue to work on it, we’ve got to rep it, we’ve got to show them it. Obviously, playing against coach Golden’s defense every day doesn’t help our learning curve, because he’s got so much scheme-wise. I love it. It’s going to prepare us really well for the fall. But right now, it makes it a little bit painful here and there.”
When the details aren’t there quite yet, is that what you’d expect?
“Oh, sure. We’re just in the middle of the spring. We didn’t really get a chance based off of when I got here it’s recruiting time and then you get off the road and you try to get some of it to the guys. But this is really their first introduction to ... We’re still, as I said earlier when I talked to you guys, if we can get to the spring where we’re past assignment football and we can start digging into the details of how to adjust the base scheme of what we do based off of the problems that the defense is giving us, we’re going to be pretty good. We’re in that process. We’re still kind of in the, ‘Well, yeah, I know what to do on that play.’ If I ask you, one of the players, they’ll tell me exactly what they’re supposed to do. But there could be some adjustments based on the look that we’re seeing from the defense that need to be made or need to be communicated to people around them. Those sort of things are things that are going to take some time to get to.”
How have Cooper Flanagan and Jack Larsen done at tight end this spring?
“Coop has been fantastic all spring. Very, very encouraged by where he’s headed. Love his work ethic. He’s tough as nails. Love all that.
“Jack is swimming. Just getting him lined up is a chore. But he’s really athletic. He can get out in space and run and catch the football. I’m happy with both of those guys.”
What are you seeing from Mitchell Evans staying engaged?
“He’s been great as far as being detailed about learning the things that we’re going ask him to do when he does get back and healthy. It’s very encouraging, obviously. I think he’s a guy that really understands the game. We can do a lot of things with a guy that understands the game the way he does. There’s going to be some things we can do with him versatility-wise that I’m excited about. But we gotta get him back healthy first.”
We saw you a couple weeks ago when the offense was making plays that you were saying this is what we do. When did you adopt that mindset as a coach? Why is it important to instill it?
“We just want to continue to drive that point home. What is winning offense? Well, it’s one that consistently, drive in and drive out, puts pressure on the defense and comes away with points, hopefully touchdowns. That emphasis is something that we’ve talked to them about since we got here, but definitely during spring football about, hey, we can’t have a good period and a bad period. Let’s be the steadying force of this football team and just be the ones that are always up in the face of people and playing aggressively. Good things are going to happen if we play that style.”
How do you feel they’re absorbing that approach?
“They’ve been awesome. They have. Wednesday, we had a short-yardage goal line period where we couldn’t really be stopped. That’s the mentality. But then we did another team pass period where we couldn’t complete a pass. That consistency needs to continue. That dominant mentality that we carry with us in the run game has got to carry with us to the pass game as well. When we get that, we’re going to be hard to deal with.”
How did the flight simulator help Jayden Daniels? Do you expect to use that here?
“Yeah, I hope we can. We had a company come in and kind of help us design it and work through that. I thought it was very helpful to him. It’s kind of like reps when you’re not out there actually physically having to do all that much. It would probably make me sweat, because I’m fat and out of shape. I don’t think it’s that taxing on them, but at the same time, the mental reps that they can bank, the different looks and the different things that we could give him to try to help his development and his vision. Whether it’s a movement key or a coverage recognition or whatever that happened to be, up to even putting him in opposing teams’ stadiums before we went on the road to play, so he could familiarize himself with where the 40-second clock was and all that kind of stuff, I thought was very helpful.”
You don’t have that yet, but it could be something that could help Riley Leonard catch up?
“We hope. We hope. We’re working on it.”
Are you using headset communication in practice? How’s it going?
“We are. We’re using it in practice. The kids like it, because it keeps me from yelling at everybody else. Because I gotta talk to the quarterback. I think it’s got some advantages to it. Some quick reminders to the quarterback once you get the play call in, provided I’m not stuttering into the headset too much, helps them, especially young quarterbacks. Hey, based on gameplan, let’s keep our eyes on the weakside. Whatever it happens to be. Give them a little something to help them in their journey of getting the play executed the right way. That’s helpful. Getting them the play and the information as early as you can in the play clock gives them a chance to kind of settle in and get everybody else lined up.”
Does the helmet communication influence your thoughts on tempo or slowing it down?
“I don’t know. We’re still going to have a way to kind of accelerate the speed of what we do. I don’t know that it affects it. I haven’t found that so far. Now we’ve only been doing it for, what, five, six practices probably. So, maybe some of that information will come a little bit more clear as we move. But I like it so far, and the quarterbacks like it, because they’re not staring at the signal. They’re actually just looking at the defense or getting the offense lined up. When he gets his information that he needs to give to the line, he’s communicating that. Then he’s getting everybody else, making sure the formation’s set. I think actually in the long run, it will help us run more plays than less.”
What’s the process of evaluating your team to identify your best personnel?
“We’re in the middle of that. We’re halfway through spring and the evaluation is of everybody on the offensive roster and who presents themselves in a way that we know we can rely on to make consistent plays. Maybe that’s Jeremiyah Love being more versatile in his role. Maybe that’s two tight ends. Maybe that’s four wide receivers. Whoever emerges and proves that they can consistently play winning football for us and be as dynamic as we need, especially the guys on the perimeter, to be, we’ve got to utilize those guys in any way we possibly can. If that means manipulating personnel groups or what that looks like, we’re kind of in the process of trying to determine that right now.”
Does it make it difficult at all to evaluate with not a lot of Jordan Faison, no Beaux Collins, no Mitchell Evans?
“They’re going to have to carve out their niche early in fall camp and over the course of the summer when these guys work together. We’ll see where that goes. It won’t take very long to figure out. I’ve watched Jordan on tape. I know Beaux from his time at Clemson. So I’ve already got some idea of where those guys would fit no matter whether they’re out there practicing presently or not. That’s a piece of it. They’re going to have to get on the field in the fall and make some plays and earn their reps.”
How has Steve Angeli handled more of a role this spring as Riley Leonard went out?
“Steve’s done a great job. He really has. There were a couple instances today where some things we talked about over the course of the last week came to fruition. He adjusted a protection, he got us in a good check and we scored a touchdown. Those things, that progress from him, in particular, has been really, really good. The consistency now for him, in particular, needs to just continue to be as good as it can be.
How has the offensive line handled the challenges Al Golden’s defense throws at them?
“The entire group’s been probably — I’ve been as pleased with that group as I have with any group so far during the spring. I love the direction that they’re headed. Those guys are tough. They like to play the style of football that we’re playing. They’re pretty good at it. Just the communication alone, the ability of those guys, even though there’s some new faces in there, to communicate with each other and be on the same page has been really, really good. I’m excited about where the offensive line’s headed.”
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How do you feel like the offense has been progressing this spring?
“Boy. I love it and I hate it (laughs) at the same time, if that makes any sense. As we get more familiar, we’re only seven [practices] in or whatever it is. So, we’re about halfway home, maybe a little bit over halfway home. I love our attitude towards work. I love our ability to learn. I love our competitiveness. We’ve got really, really good unit strength as far as on the offensive side of the ball. The details are a little fuzzy. The more those come into focus and the more we continue to learn and grow, and I think more than anything how we adjust the base scheme based off what the defense is doing, those things come with time. We’re kind of in the process of that, so when we get it right, it looks really good. And when we don’t get it quite right, it can get pretty ugly pretty fast. We’ve just got to continue to work on it, we’ve got to rep it, we’ve got to show them it. Obviously, playing against coach Golden’s defense every day doesn’t help our learning curve, because he’s got so much scheme-wise. I love it. It’s going to prepare us really well for the fall. But right now, it makes it a little bit painful here and there.”
When the details aren’t there quite yet, is that what you’d expect?
“Oh, sure. We’re just in the middle of the spring. We didn’t really get a chance based off of when I got here it’s recruiting time and then you get off the road and you try to get some of it to the guys. But this is really their first introduction to ... We’re still, as I said earlier when I talked to you guys, if we can get to the spring where we’re past assignment football and we can start digging into the details of how to adjust the base scheme of what we do based off of the problems that the defense is giving us, we’re going to be pretty good. We’re in that process. We’re still kind of in the, ‘Well, yeah, I know what to do on that play.’ If I ask you, one of the players, they’ll tell me exactly what they’re supposed to do. But there could be some adjustments based on the look that we’re seeing from the defense that need to be made or need to be communicated to people around them. Those sort of things are things that are going to take some time to get to.”
How have Cooper Flanagan and Jack Larsen done at tight end this spring?
“Coop has been fantastic all spring. Very, very encouraged by where he’s headed. Love his work ethic. He’s tough as nails. Love all that.
“Jack is swimming. Just getting him lined up is a chore. But he’s really athletic. He can get out in space and run and catch the football. I’m happy with both of those guys.”
What are you seeing from Mitchell Evans staying engaged?
“He’s been great as far as being detailed about learning the things that we’re going ask him to do when he does get back and healthy. It’s very encouraging, obviously. I think he’s a guy that really understands the game. We can do a lot of things with a guy that understands the game the way he does. There’s going to be some things we can do with him versatility-wise that I’m excited about. But we gotta get him back healthy first.”
We saw you a couple weeks ago when the offense was making plays that you were saying this is what we do. When did you adopt that mindset as a coach? Why is it important to instill it?
“We just want to continue to drive that point home. What is winning offense? Well, it’s one that consistently, drive in and drive out, puts pressure on the defense and comes away with points, hopefully touchdowns. That emphasis is something that we’ve talked to them about since we got here, but definitely during spring football about, hey, we can’t have a good period and a bad period. Let’s be the steadying force of this football team and just be the ones that are always up in the face of people and playing aggressively. Good things are going to happen if we play that style.”
How do you feel they’re absorbing that approach?
“They’ve been awesome. They have. Wednesday, we had a short-yardage goal line period where we couldn’t really be stopped. That’s the mentality. But then we did another team pass period where we couldn’t complete a pass. That consistency needs to continue. That dominant mentality that we carry with us in the run game has got to carry with us to the pass game as well. When we get that, we’re going to be hard to deal with.”
How did the flight simulator help Jayden Daniels? Do you expect to use that here?
“Yeah, I hope we can. We had a company come in and kind of help us design it and work through that. I thought it was very helpful to him. It’s kind of like reps when you’re not out there actually physically having to do all that much. It would probably make me sweat, because I’m fat and out of shape. I don’t think it’s that taxing on them, but at the same time, the mental reps that they can bank, the different looks and the different things that we could give him to try to help his development and his vision. Whether it’s a movement key or a coverage recognition or whatever that happened to be, up to even putting him in opposing teams’ stadiums before we went on the road to play, so he could familiarize himself with where the 40-second clock was and all that kind of stuff, I thought was very helpful.”
You don’t have that yet, but it could be something that could help Riley Leonard catch up?
“We hope. We hope. We’re working on it.”
Are you using headset communication in practice? How’s it going?
“We are. We’re using it in practice. The kids like it, because it keeps me from yelling at everybody else. Because I gotta talk to the quarterback. I think it’s got some advantages to it. Some quick reminders to the quarterback once you get the play call in, provided I’m not stuttering into the headset too much, helps them, especially young quarterbacks. Hey, based on gameplan, let’s keep our eyes on the weakside. Whatever it happens to be. Give them a little something to help them in their journey of getting the play executed the right way. That’s helpful. Getting them the play and the information as early as you can in the play clock gives them a chance to kind of settle in and get everybody else lined up.”
Does the helmet communication influence your thoughts on tempo or slowing it down?
“I don’t know. We’re still going to have a way to kind of accelerate the speed of what we do. I don’t know that it affects it. I haven’t found that so far. Now we’ve only been doing it for, what, five, six practices probably. So, maybe some of that information will come a little bit more clear as we move. But I like it so far, and the quarterbacks like it, because they’re not staring at the signal. They’re actually just looking at the defense or getting the offense lined up. When he gets his information that he needs to give to the line, he’s communicating that. Then he’s getting everybody else, making sure the formation’s set. I think actually in the long run, it will help us run more plays than less.”
What’s the process of evaluating your team to identify your best personnel?
“We’re in the middle of that. We’re halfway through spring and the evaluation is of everybody on the offensive roster and who presents themselves in a way that we know we can rely on to make consistent plays. Maybe that’s Jeremiyah Love being more versatile in his role. Maybe that’s two tight ends. Maybe that’s four wide receivers. Whoever emerges and proves that they can consistently play winning football for us and be as dynamic as we need, especially the guys on the perimeter, to be, we’ve got to utilize those guys in any way we possibly can. If that means manipulating personnel groups or what that looks like, we’re kind of in the process of trying to determine that right now.”
Does it make it difficult at all to evaluate with not a lot of Jordan Faison, no Beaux Collins, no Mitchell Evans?
“They’re going to have to carve out their niche early in fall camp and over the course of the summer when these guys work together. We’ll see where that goes. It won’t take very long to figure out. I’ve watched Jordan on tape. I know Beaux from his time at Clemson. So I’ve already got some idea of where those guys would fit no matter whether they’re out there practicing presently or not. That’s a piece of it. They’re going to have to get on the field in the fall and make some plays and earn their reps.”
How has Steve Angeli handled more of a role this spring as Riley Leonard went out?
“Steve’s done a great job. He really has. There were a couple instances today where some things we talked about over the course of the last week came to fruition. He adjusted a protection, he got us in a good check and we scored a touchdown. Those things, that progress from him, in particular, has been really, really good. The consistency now for him, in particular, needs to just continue to be as good as it can be.
How has the offensive line handled the challenges Al Golden’s defense throws at them?
“The entire group’s been probably — I’ve been as pleased with that group as I have with any group so far during the spring. I love the direction that they’re headed. Those guys are tough. They like to play the style of football that we’re playing. They’re pretty good at it. Just the communication alone, the ability of those guys, even though there’s some new faces in there, to communicate with each other and be on the same page has been really, really good. I’m excited about where the offensive line’s headed.”
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