Tommy Rees, Jeff Ulbrich & Craig Aukerman on team preparations ahead of Week 1 | Press Conference

How are you feeling going into Sunday? >> Feel good. Yeah, excited. Obviously, you work um very hard for these opportunities. You know, you only get so many of them and um great staff, great people to work with. Players have been great, bought in. So, excited to uh to finally get rolling on the regular season. >> I know a a lot of coaches like to tailor what they do to players strengths. How do you feel like the game plan is in a spot with two kind of a quarterback? >> Yeah, I think it's the most important thing you can do. Um, regardless of starts with the quarterback, but regardless of who your quarterback is, you want to make sure that things uh that allow them to feel comfortable, allow them to play to their strengths, allow them to play fast. Um, you know, there's always things week in and week out that you're trying to do to attack a team. But first and foremost, you want to feature your guys and you want to make the quarterback comfortable. And, you know, regardless of who that guy is, that's our job as coaches to make sure that we get that done. How different might a, you know, Michael Penn's game plan look like compared to a to a what's game plan? >> Yeah, I I think both have things that they like, both have strengths that uh they prefer. You know, I think when you work with guys through the offseason, through camp, you start to really get a feel for what makes them tick, kind of their comfort zone. So, again, I I'm going to sound like a broken record, but our guys, our job as coaches is to figure that out and put them in position to have success. It's to challenge them. It's to find new ways to continue to build things that they feel comfortable doing. Uh finding ways to apply what they do well to the defense we're playing. And uh that's the exciting part. You know, it's a lot of fun to game plan. It's a lot of fun to put together a plan. It's a lot of fun to get the players to buy into it. Um and that's the process we're in right now. when you're in those first games, you know, there's obviously a bunch of newness to that, but when you factor in new staff here, new staff in Pittsburgh, even though you're familiar with most of the personnel on that side of the ball over there, how much impact does that have, you know, on the game plan and everything like that? >> Yeah, that's certainly, uh, part of the equation early in the season, right? And then you add the wrinkle of it being a new staff, um, similar players that they've had for a while now, but a new staff coming over. Um, you know, PG, their defensive coordinator, he does as good of a job as anyone of challenging the offense. You know, we played him twice in Vegas the last couple years when I was in Cleveland. Um, and they have a very um effective defense affecting the passer, stopping the run game. You know, PG's I've gotten to know him a little bit. He just does a great job. Can't say enough positive things about him and the way he approaches the game defensively. And you had the wrinkle of the complexities of who they were in Vegas with the personnel they have in Pittsburgh. you know, you gota you got to find ways to um stay efficient and stay effective and um we're familiar with the personnel, how he wants to use the personnel. That's a challenge and we got to be great in game at making adjustments and getting a beat on how they want to play us. >> How similar is the playbook you had last year to now. I'm sure obviously you have to kind of adapt to who you have, but there's also a brand you want to play, too. So, how do you kind of blend that together? >> Yeah, I think it goes back to the first question like who are our guys? Who's our quarterback? What makes them comfortable? you know, I feel like we're um diverse enough in our offensive scheme that we can pull from a lot of different areas to apply it to who we have. Um so I think each year you kind of have the foundation or the bones of the offensive system and then you apply it to who you have and how you want to play and trying to highlight your strengths as much as possible and then every year you evolve. every year there's new themes in the in offensive football, new themes in defensive football that you have to account for and um you know that's why you work so hard in the offseason to get ready for these opportunities. >> I know that there are a lot of factors that go into a quarterback's average time to throw. But I I wonder is there a is there a baseline from an offensive standpoint of amount of seconds it we've got to give this guy this amount of time or we can't run an effective and complete offense. Yeah. We need to figure out how to at least hit >> that threshold. >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean we don't probably talk specifically in a number. I think team by team who you're playing it varies, right? You play against a good rush, you got to roll, you know, and you got to do some things to to help the pass game in that sense. I think one of the underrated parts of that is like receiver play and them understanding like you're in a you're in a race against the guys trying to hit the quarterback, right? So, how can we play fast on the outside? How can we put a plan together for our players where they can play so clean? um have a very narrowed focus that allows them to play fast and get open in good manner and then you know man zone you know uh impacts that who they have rushing what our protection plan looks like so there's a lot of variables to that obviously we're playing against a really strong front and then you put that with PG scheme and how they like to affect the passer you know you got to be on your on your stuff to make sure that you can be effective in the pass game but you know you've heard the number three seconds all the time like >> I would say historically Pittsburgh's probably under that you know just because of who they have So, um, you know, that's certainly something that we echo when we talk about protecting the quarterback. It's not just the line. It's not just the tight ends. It's not just the quarterback himself. It's really everybody impacts that part of the game plan. >> And Tua has historically been well under. He's been it was about about two and a half I think last year. I don't know if I don't know how much of that is him and just the way he likes to play and how much of that is the situations he's been in, the offense he's been in, the pressure he gets. Yeah. >> That type of thing. Do you all have a feel for that? >> Yeah. I think part of it Tua, you know, like I think he's a, you know, wants to be quick, wants to be decisive. He's pretty quick twitch in terms of like getting the ball out and when it's time to throw it, he snaps through it. Um, you know, there's obviously elements to it from the scheme and all the things they're asking him to do and who you're playing, but you know, I think two has shown that his entire life. You know, his ability to quick release and get the ball out. >> You mentioned Pittsburgh's defensive line a couple of times. Can you talk about just specifically like those matchups and and what the offensive line is going to be up against? >> Yeah, I mean they've gotten older, but they're certainly still very effective. Um, you know, like it's incredible to see Hayward and the level he plays at and how he impacts the game. You know, he's been a great great player and he has not slowed down. You know, same thing with Wad on the Edge. You know, everybody talks about those two guys so much and they're rightfully so. I mean, they're high motor, high skill level, high intellect. Like, they know what they're doing out there. They played a lot of football, you know, it's hard to say like then they have Highmith and Herbig that they can just roll in there, you know, so they have a ton of depth, a ton of versatility amongst their system. Um, it's not like you just have, you know, some guy teams you worry about one guy, you know, they have a they have a lot of guys up front that can affect the passer in different ways. You know, they have power, they have speed, they have counters. So again, like could not speak highly enough of that group and the style in which they play and how they challenge you up front and play physical and play with great um intellect up front. So uh it's a great challenge, but you know, we have a good line. You know, I think we have a good plan going into it to make sure that we can, you know, um you know, stay ahead of the sticks and continue to move forward. >> What kind of um role do vision Zack Branch having early on as a rookie? what's impressed him most about you? >> Yeah, Zach's done a great job since he's gotten here. Obviously, we've seen some production from him throughout. Um, goes back to the same conversation that we talked to with the quarterbacks, like our job is to identify what he does really well, put him in those positions, and allow his ability to play to allow him to play fast. You know, I think for young players, you're always after that. How can we get them to play fast and affect the game? And you know, Zach is a a guy that really cares a lot about this game and has put in a lot of work to put him in a good position to have success. >> Last year, you guys led the league in running 12, I I believe, right? The Rams have kind of been running those heavier heavier packages in general. And and I when I had Charlie last month, he mentioned that the league is kind of trending more that way. What do you like about those, you know, heavier packages running 12 and up? Yeah, I mean we had a pretty good rookie tight end a year ago, so we wanted him on the field. Um, so again, like our job is to find ways to get our best guys on the field and give them opportunities to play. You talk about getting into personnel groupings. You know, there are teams that you can dictate how they're going to play it in terms of how they play personnel. Um, one thing that PG does great is his blend of personnel groupings. There's not really a great beat to it. So, yeah, you study teams across the league. I think everyone's always looking for an advantage and if you put certain guys on the field, can that give you an advantage? Yes or no? And then how do you get your best 11 out there? >> So, is that a deal where you go into a year saying, "I think we're an 11 team. I think we're a 12 team." Is it week to week? >> Um, I mean, it's dictated by who you have. You know, like if your strength is in a certain room, you want to highlight those strengths. You know, I think we're fortunate to have a pretty good blend of personnel here offensively in the skill groups that, you know, we can beat multiple. Um, I think everyone's always after the ability to have a blend. Um, but you know, at the same time, you got to highlight your personnel. >> We were talking to Mike a few weeks ago and uh, and he said that there's a saying in the quarterback room that go wrong, just be it. That's probably not an official play, Tommy, but is that something that you guys talk about like, hey, you have Dejan Robinson, you know, all else fails, you have, you know, the best player in the league. >> Um, yeah. I mean, like Bejian's skill set, I think, speaks for itself. I don't have to, you know, belabor the point there. I just think it's a great reminder, you know, that that phrase has taken on life of its own in the room, but it's a great reminder that, hey, if we don't hit the perfect caller, we don't get the perfect look. Um, let's manage the down. We're fortunate that, you know, I think it was the third play of the season last year was a check down that went for 52, right? And so, I think we're fortunate that we have a guy that can be pretty great with the ball in his hands. >> I know life in the NFL is always, you know, one game at a time. You don't look ahead. Uh, and Kevin certainly embodies that when you're on the side of that rivalry with Pittsburgh, you know, >> when you were with the previous, you know, Yeah. Yeah. organization. >> How personal are those games? How like is it is it something when it means so much to a fan base or when there is so much history and a rivalry? I don't want to say it's approach different, but is there a sense of urgency, you know, among coaches or anything like that? >> Yeah. I mean, I think if there's not a sense of urgency each week, you're in the wrong job. I'm not going to sit here and say like there is no rival. Like, yeah, you feel it. you feel those games. You pull into Hinesfield, it's a great rivalry. You know, you're driving to the game, you're not taking a flight. So, look, guys appreciate the history of football, um, which I think I do, you know, like you certainly attribute playing in those moments, you know, after the fact, right? Like this week or in the previous years like playing Pittsburgh, yeah, it's a great rivalry, but you still got to do your job. You know, you still got to operate. But, you know, I think when you have time to reflect, that's when you have time to kind of say, "Oh, that's pretty cool that you were part of these rivalry games." And you know, we were fortunate in my two years, we split with them. And um had a couple great games there. We played them in the snow a couple years back, which was a on a Thursday night, which is a pretty cool game. And um yeah, you don't take those opportunities for granted. Playing in that venue is pretty cool. I got to play there when I was in college against Pit. It's a fun place to play. And um they have a great great fan base. I mean, it's a national fan base dating all the way back, you know, as the migration to the West took place from, you know, the rail towns. But, um, playing the Pittsburgh Steelers should mean something, but every week means something. >> We were talking to Bjanna a few weeks back and he said that, you know, you'll you'll just kind of take some stuff from around the league. If you see it and it's working, you're not afraid to to maybe try to add it here. A, is is that true? And then B, when you're doing that, is it more about the players that you have and saying, "Oh, I can see Drake doing this." Or is it this is a natural extension of what our scheme can kind of support? >> Yeah, it's probably a natural extension. Look, there are great coaches across the league and uh you know, studying and learning the game of football and watching it, that's something as a staff, for myself, we all enjoy doing. And so, you're constantly pushing the envelope on finding new ways, new wrinkles to adapt your system, to evolve your system. And again, it's like we have certain players that we feel like, hey, maybe we can do this with them. Let's find ways to continue to highlight what they do really well. >> Cool. Thanks, guys. >> Yeah, appreciate it. How you guys doing? >> How are you? >> Good. >> In the back. >> Good to go. >> How are you feeling about your your group heading into Sunday? >> I'm excited. Yeah, it's uh it's it's a new year, obviously, a new group of of guys, but um and we haven't had a a ton of reps as a collective unit at this point. So, I'm really excited to see what it's going to look like when um when everybody's in there. Um we've had some flashes of some stuff when we've had the occasional rep of of everyone out there and um and it's really exciting to see because you know just another year in the system um you know heightened awareness understanding how we're getting attacked um understanding where we're where we're strong weak etc. Uh so I'm excited for these guys. I am. >> What's kind of the the lean you have on the whole path structure? I know, you know, in May you mentioned there's you kind of learned throughout the year of, hey, maybe we need a [snorts] little bit more pressure, maybe we can rush with four. Do you have a a lean on, you know, how you can create havoc this year? Yeah, it to me the the season will dictate that, you know. So, um, obviously like we we uh demonstrated the ability last year to generate rush when um we felt we we needed to create it from a schematic standpoint and and um and we pressured and we pressured well, you know, and then I felt as though especially with some of our younger guys as they developed as rushers, we started to back off the the rushing and the numbers would support that that and and when those guys really learned to because it's not just pass rush, it's it's rushing as a collective group and it's it's four rushing as one and and that takes time and that takes, you know, um time on task and time on task together. So, um I think that the the the season as it always does will dictate that. You know, I would prefer not to pressure, but if if we have to pressure, then we'll we'll do what we have to do. >> You spoke to uh Javon Dexter the other day. >> Pretty big gentleman. >> Absolutely. >> Feels like he feels like very comfortable in this, you know, the attack front. How is he fitting in? >> He's doing he's doing a great job. He uh his attitude is amazing. he's come in here super excited about um reinventing himself in some ways because I I I really believe that this system allows especially big guys to do that. um gives them a little bit more freedom to attack and put things on their terms and and uh so saying that like he he checks the boxes because we we look for you know size is great but we look for guys that have explosiveness uh foot speed and um the ability to be really disruptive and get up the field and and um as you guys know and although he is big he is explosive. He does have foot speed. So, as he starts to learn our system, he's uh it's going to take some time, as it always does, because you're breaking habits that are it's not Chicago Bear habits, it's Pop Warner habits, you know, and the way you read blocks and the way you play blocks is is different um here. So, it it'll take some time, but I have all the confidence in the world that he'll thrive here. >> You guys are are much bigger um on the interior than you were last season by design presumably. I maybe you know like at the same time I don't think we've sacrificed explosion speed and foot speed you know so it's it's uh it's one of those things that I I think it's definitely a good thing you know um that's one of the areas that we look to improve as far as our run defense is concerned so um I think it'll allow us to do that better but at the same time we got guys that can disrupt and guys that can still rush so I'm excited >> structurally it feels like you're just from a personnel standpoint I mean, you might be better suited for interior pressure this year as opposed to the edge pressure last year. Are there ways that you can lean into that? Would you agree? And there are >> Yeah. No, absolutely. You know, and and uh you know, last year I thought, especially when we had the bigger guys in there and and there's there's a lot to be said about guys like Lale and the ways that they rushed to lean into that. you know, we called it thrash rush, bull rush, you know, crush the pocket, whatever you want to call it. But, um, I definitely think we're built for that. And not just to push the pocket, but something that I've never really stressed, maybe because I just didn't have delinement of this this this size and stature, but um, really matching hands and getting our hands up at times. So, um, I think you're going to see an up uptick in that as well. >> Mason Smith is another player, you know, kind of came over, seemed like he was progressing throughout the preseason in this kind of front. have what have you seen from him? >> Yeah, I think him and Dex are very similar entities because they're very similar athletes, gi both gigantic human beings, long and big and but still fast and explosive. So, um I think it it's really good for Dex to kind of see Mason cuz it's like, all right, it's going to take a second, but when it when it clicks, it's going to click cuz you start to see Mace is is really starting to learn how to play box and how to explode and how to get out of his stance and um and how to put all his amazing stuff that he has in his body on full display. So, um it's a good roadmap for for Dex as we get started here with them. >> In Miami, you rolled Harold and Kendall kind of playing off each other. Is is that the plan you have? and and why do you think they've acclimated as well as they have? >> Uh I you know I've just you know I've been super um excited, surprised. I I think you're always kind of surprised when rookies have the the aptitude to to contribute right away cuz um it can be overwhelming. You know, both those guys I have not felt that at all in any way. whether it be learning the scheme, um the speed of the game, um just the heightened level of everything as the NFL is, I haven't felt those guys um at any moment like it was too big for them. So um you know, we'll see how they contribute and how much they contribute. Um but I think both will be significant contributors this year and potentially this game as well. >> I know it's a next man up mentality. It's very easy to say that, but when you lose Jaylen for the year, James for half the season, what do those guys do that's, you know, kind of can't be duplicated or hard to replicate with other guys? >> Yeah, both um amazing players in their own way. Um both guys that we'll absolutely miss, but you know, we have a group that's just um that's so connected, you know, and and um that next man's up mentality is it's ingrained in that room. It's ingrained in that defense. Um there's a standard that's been set and um and whoever plays in those spots is is and and the guys that that are going to play in those in the absence of both those players are guys that we're excited about as well. Like um Samson's a guy I've never had any experience with, but I've just been blown away at the pro that he is. And um you know, he's just his process is is elite and how he prepares. And I'm excited for him. Um I'm excited for Zidarius. I'm excited for all these guys to to get this op to really um reinvent or maybe reinvent is the word, you know, for some of these guys, you know, later on in their career to show that they can still play at a very high level. >> You've played Rogers, I think one time, you know, what are the challenges that come with with that guy? >> Yeah, he is obviously he's one of the best quarterbacks that has ever played this game. Um still playing at a very high level. Um, and on top of all of that, like I think he's got a he's got an arsenal of weapons at his disposal as well. So, um, receiving core, the tight end group, um, the the the two running backs. So, and then the way that historically coach McCarthy has featured guys with very specific roles and skill sets, um, it's going to be a great challenge. And from a defensive perspective, these are the games, you know, I'd like to say every game is the same. and and it is, but at the same time to go up against a player of of Aaron's magnitude and the players around him from an offensive perspective, it's a it's a great challenge and it's one that they're all super excited about and I'm excited about as well. >> Avon's I think Avon was born 10 months before Aaron played his first NFL game. He was talking about how surreal that seemed. From your perspective as the coach, you've got you've got a quarterback who's been alive the same number of years Aaron Rogers, right? Played in the NFL. Is there some anxiety for you that? >> No, I really because you know I think we have such a cool process here and I think you know by the time game day hits it's like we've al alleviated all the stress because we've unturned every stone you know and in that um it allows you to play free. It allows me to call it very freely and uh with a full understanding that, you know, I can live with whatever the consequences are as long as we unturned every stone and we put everything we had into this process, which we do. So, um I'm going to be more excited than anything, especially for these young guys. >> We've seen uh Brandon Doris listed at defensive end on depth chart. What's the plan for him because we, you know, we saw mostly on the interior last year and and just how valuable is he going to be to this to this group? Yeah, I mean he's he's uh he's going to have a lot of roles, you know, and significant roles and he's going to have significant roles in every capacity, whether it's rund downs, pass downs, third downs, and everything in between. So, um we're going to lean on his versatility. I'm excited for him cuz um although he did have some success last year, I think he just scratched the surface of what he can become. And uh and I felt just uh you know some guys have a touch of success especially young players and I feel like there's two responses. There's the there's the one player that kicks his feet up and I've arrived and and um I got it. Three dangerous words. And uh but he is the opposite of that. Like I feel like he just got a taste of success that that's just you know increased his hunger for more. So, he's attacked this off seasonason and and uh like I said, we're going to lean on him in a lot of ways. >> When we spoke with um Nate Ali a few weeks ago, he had talked about how you taught him, you know, different ways to win games, you know, not being married to one style for you. Had a lot of personnel changes, uh some guys injured, suspended, whatever it may be. How much have you embraced kind of that challenge of kind of maybe redoing this on the fly or if that's maybe the wrong way of saying it, but kind of figuring out how to tactically do what you want to do? Yeah, I it is it's exciting and you know for a coach it's a great challenge. It's I I learned my lesson my first year in New York. I was very stubborn and it was like you know we're going to play this style of defense and schematically this is what we're going to be and um and I look back on it and I feel like I let those players down. I felt like I let that organization down in some ways because um I was so stubborn about not being um flexible with my scheme, you know, and really featuring what I had from a player's perspective, you know, and and I felt like last year coming here really opened my eyes to say that there's there's more than one way to do things, you know, schematically, style-wise, technically, and um everything in between. So, um it's forced me to grow, which has been exciting. And it's and then these most recent changes has forced me to to push the envelope as far as you know helping guys out giving them schematic advantages at times. But at the same time like it's always that balance of in my opinion style of play is always more important than any scheme that we'll ever you know devise you know in in the classroom. It'll ultimately come down to the way our players play and and uh and you just can never lose that as you you keep expanding scheme to you know dilute the style of play stuff because that that is the essence in my opinion of great defense. Can you continue down that road a little bit between like you evolving and your vast knowledge that you've crewed over the years and wanting to push that but also not putting so much on a player's plate that allows them to play freely and having multiple defenses where you can kind of change in and out like how do you allow them to play fast while also adapting? Yeah, I think it's the it you gota the the truth teller is the tape and you have to go back and have the humility that as you watch the tape, is this too much? Like are are we starting the conversation with the lineman assignment? Because if we're starting the conversation with the lineman assignment, then I'm failing the players, you know? Um, like we should be starting the conversation with the way we strain, the way we finish, the way we, you know, the way we anticipated a motion, a formation, some indicator that we've learned throughout the week, the physicality in which we play with, like that should be the conversation. The alignment assignment should be part of our DNA. It should be unconscious competence. And if I'm not, if they're not playing in that way, then I feel like I'm failing them in some ways. >> Thanks, guys. Good afternoon. special teams group. How are you feeling about those units heading into Sunday? >> Yeah, feel really good. I think we've had, you know, a couple really good weeks of practice ever since that last preseason ended. Uh our guys are all into the details. Uh they're excited to go out there and and and play, which is which is really good. And we just ended up with a really great walkthrough. So, I think our guys are ready to go. We just have a couple more days to continue to prepare uh mentally and physically. So, uh, we're we're looking forward to Sunday. >> I asked you back in in May about watching Zack Branch in college. >> Yeah. >> Watching him now, looks like he's really won a job here. >> What about him do you think works as a, you know, big return guy and and where's your confidence level in him? >> Yeah, I think one thing is when you talk to Zachariah, it's his confidence. You know, he's got a lot of confidence back there catching punts, whether it's deep punts, short punts, plus 50 punts, anything like that. He has the confidence to go back there. um and whether it's to catch it and give the ball to our offense or to make a big play, uh he feels really good about that and so do we. So, uh looking forward to him to get the opportunity to go out there and and catch more, uh obviously than he has in the preseason, but uh we felt like during the preseason, he did a really good job for us. Is there a certain identity or mentality that you're trying to ingrain in the group like as a collective? And I don't know if there's some catchy phrase that you have for it or something, but like some way for these guys to kind of coales around a certain idea when they're out there on teams. >> Yeah, we we all special teams coordinators, we have that type of phrase. You know, our ours is alpha, right? We want to be out there. We want to be an alpha. Um we want to do everything. Be aggressive without fouling. Um but win our one-on-one matchups. That's what special teams is about. It's you one-on-one with your matchup. You know, how are you going to do it with fundamentals, technique? How are you going to do it without fouling? Uh we want to really try to harp on that all the time. Hey, we want to be aggressive. Like if you know what to do, you can play fast and aggressive. So, uh that's kind of our little motto that we have of being an alpha, but do it without fouling. You mentioned kind of that after that first preseason game and it it felt like a little bit of a switch flipped for the group and certainly we saw kind of the second and third preseason games from your perspective like did did you feel a shift in in the collective unit after that first preseason game? Yeah, I I don't know if I I felt it, but uh I just noticed that guys were really buying into what we were talking about. And the more and more that they pay attention to the little details that we, you know, talk about and even converse about, you know, I'm I'm a coach that, you know, I I didn't play in the NFL. I played in college. Uh those guys are going to be out there. They're going to go and compete against the best guys in the world. Hey, what can I do to help you out as much as I possibly can? So, um, I just felt like these guys were really into the details. Uh, they're doing it for one another. Uh, they're doing it for their teammate next to them. You know, even some of the stuff that we harp about in our meeting rooms is when we do ask direct questions to the players. Uh, of course, we feel good when a player answers the question correctly, but most importantly, it's his teammates that know that, hey, I can really trust this guy. He got the answer correctly. He's in the books. He's working. he's paying attention to the details. Uh I think that kind of helped a little bit more in that second and third preseason games that guys really bought into one another. Um so you know just just really excited for those guys. >> The field up there I'm sorry the field up there has traditionally been a been a problem and maybe that's just later in the year once it gets cold but I wonder from your perspective how much actual of the surface scouting do you do and are aware of going into a building for your kickers as much as anything. >> Sure. That's one of the first things that we do. Um whether it's myself, Chase, uh the kickers, the punters, we're going to walk the field, you know, right when we get there. We're going to take a look at the surface. Hey, when Nick kicks his extra points, hey, what's the best spot? Hey, it might have a a little divot. Do we need to move the spot a little bit off of that? Uh when Jake goes around, he'll look at different hash marks for his punts. Um you know, trying to see if the field's beaten up at certain um parts. But, uh yeah, we do that every single time. Doesn't even matter if it's indoors and turf. I mean, we're all out on there looking around, but yeah, we'll always do that beforehand. >> The uh Steelers seems like they've got a a new rookie returner. What have you kind of seen from him? >> Yeah, dynamic uh dual returner. Um had a really great career there at Iowa. Uh had six career touchdowns, whether it was on punt return or kickoff return. The guy uh does a lot of good things. Uh you know, catches the ball, gets up field, can make people miss in space, uh can break arm tackles, does some really good things. had a touchdown in the preseason game. Uh we also know that, you know, he's a risk taker, too. You know, he's going to go back there and catch. He wants to be aggressive. Uh so, we've got to do a great job on him. We've been harping on that uh throughout the week. Uh that this guy's a really good returner in both punt return and kickoff return. But there's a lot of different things that that we look at throughout the course. You know, the returner, who is that? Hey, we got to look at the special teams coordinator. Does he run a lot of fakes? I mean, our video guys do a great job. Um, I think we've gotten fakes from Danny Crossman since 2016, uh, that we're we're showing our players. You know, what do they like to do in certain situations? Are they more aggressive on field goal fakes, punt fakes, all those different types of things that we're showing to the players, which has been good for him. >> Kind of along those lines, though. I mean, how much with a guy like him, how much do you weigh it of say, "Hey, at Iowa, he was amazing." Yeah, >> I actually watched him play last year at Iowa. Incredible returner. >> How much of it is is it that? Is it, you know, their how they want him to return once? Is it watching the preseason tape? How do you marry it all into like one cohesive report? >> Yeah, I I think we do marry it in. Um, you know, you got to take a look at what he's done so far in this preseason, which again, it's been really effective. He's been productive uh with that. So, um, the biggest thing that we're telling our players all the time that we we've got to go down there and make plays and it's just not a single person. It's just not Mike Ford. It's just not Sydney Brown. We have to gang tackle this guy because he does break arm tackles. So, uh, we've got our work cut out for us because he is a dynamic returner. Um, but it's a good challenge for us this first game. Certainly that's a new personnel piece of the equation for them, but we've talked a lot about like the offensive and defensive schemes and how in week one you just never really know. Is the same true with special teams or is it a little bit more here's kind of what can be expected. >> Yeah, I think when you look at it and if you're looking at preseason games really all the special teams coordinators are pretty generic in what they do. You know, it's a lot of six-man boxes where they're doubling out in the vice. They might have a sevenman box. So, a lot of things are very generic, but you're going to look at the skill level of those players that are out there um for the Steelers. So, that kind of helps us out a little bit, but we're watching stuff from, you know, again, the special teams coordinator when he was with the Dolphins, when he was with the Buffalo Bills, all those different types of things that uh can help us out. What is he like? Is he recycling his rushes that he might have used in 2017 and popped back up in 2023? Um, so we've got to go back and look at a bunch of different things because again, usually preseason's pretty generic. >> Uh, kick return when it was kind of, you know, revamped or became a new play basically in football as of like two or three years ago. How have you kind of seen that evolve? How have you personally kind of taken that challenge? I'm curious if the best practices are kind of uh, you know, founded now or if it's kind of a continuing experimentation amongst all all you especially. Yeah, I I think obviously it it continues to do different things. I mean, now we just added a different floater. So, it seems like every year we've added something, so I'm sure you're going to be seeing a bunch of different things uh on kickoff return. And again, that's our job as special teams coordinator. How are we going to put our players in the best situation to succeed? Um, but I I love it. I I love how it's brought it back into the game. Again, I think I end up mentioning this in the springtime where, you know, at first it was like 20ome percent return rate and basically it was out of the game almost. And now with the new rules and how it helps us out. Now you're getting over 70% return rate. So, I I I like it. I think it brings more excitement back into the game. Uh the players like it. You know, it used to be, hey, we're just out there and people are kicking touchbacks. Now, hey, every every rep counts and we've got to be prepared uh that they're going to kick the ball short and we've got to be able to return it. So, I I do like it. Anything else? Thank you. All right. Thank you guys. Thanks. Appreciate your time.