[Fuller/MGoBlog]
The linebackers on Saturday said they were getting sucked up sometimes in play action. On some of those slants, is that one of those cases where they were just a little too aggressive?
“Yeah, I mean, I think so. The bottom line is we want to stop the run first and foremost. That’s just kind of a learning thing, a seeing thing. I think we’re going to get better at that. But yeah, they did, they got sucked up a little bit in trying to stop the run. We’ve got to work on it and get a better feel.”
Talk about the impact of special teams and how it helped turn that thing around Saturday.
“Yeah, special teams is a huge facet of every game and we want to always make an impact. Our team, we talk about attacking and putting the opponent on their heels in all special teams categories. I think we were able to have an impact. It’s funny, because to everyone else it’s like ‘Oh, what tremendous game’ and then to me it’s like we left so much out there. We can get a lot better and make more impact plays on teams, and we’re working at that and working to build off of the game to do some more stuff. Yeah, we felt good and felt that we were able to contribute. That’s all we want to do is get out there and if the team needs a big-time special teams play, we want to be able to make it and switch the momentum.”
With the punt game and the amount of kicks you guys are effecting, are you doing something different schematically or is that just having the right guys in the right places?
“You know, it’s a lot of different things right. What I’m going to say is that the kids have bought in, they’re going hard, they’re understanding it, they love it, they take pride in it, and we’re doing whatever we see to try to effect it. We got a weapon back there, so it’s kind of fun calling that game because you kind of can do some different things and try to figure out what they’re trying to do. And then these guys have really bought into it. It’s cool.”
Jabrill being in the back gives you more options with the other ten guys on the field?
“Oh, absolutely, yeah. I mean, it’s a matter of are they coming with a block, are they coming with a hold up, are they coming with a block and a hold up, are they setting a wall—it’s just different things in different areas of the field what we’re able to do. He makes us more dynamic, I think, as any returner does.”
[After THE JUMP: why teams might still kick to Jabrill, more on the linebackers, fixing field goal issues, and how many plays Jabrill would play if he had his way]
He said he was relieved after taking one into the end zone. Can you talk about his desire to score on all of those kind of plays?
“Oh yeah. I mean, Jabrill always wants to score every time he touches the ball. But, you know, I’ve been kind of busting him even throughout last year about getting in the end zone. You know, in high school he was able to get in the end zone a few times on returns, as you guys probably know, so I’ve been kind of on him.
“I try to add a little more pressure because, you know, Jabrill when he has pressure on him is better. He came off the sideline and goes, ‘Oh my god, finally!’ I said, ‘I knew it was coming soon.’ Now hopefully he has that pressure relieved and he’s going to be able to do some more on returns.”
Do you expect people to just stop kicking it at him at this point?
“Um…yeah, if they do that then the field position game is gonna be pretty incredible. So, it’s fine. Kickoff returns, we only have two right now and they’re giving us the ball on the 35, 40-yard line. If a team’s willing to do that, we’ll take it. We’ll try to make some adjustments and shoot, if they don’t punt to him at all maybe we’ll put 11 up there and come at ‘em. They gotta make a decision. I don’t think teams can just stop kicking it to him because they’re going to give up too much field position.”
This might be out of line at this point in the season, but have you talked to him about his future beyond this year?
“I talk to Jabrill about everything, but that’s kind of between us.”
On special teams, do you focus on certain units or do you just work on all the different units across the board with Jay [Harbaugh]?
“We work on all of them. You know, special teams is a team. I think we’ve got the kids to understand that, and now we understand that where it’s like everyone has to contribute. It’s not Jabrill Peppers returning a punt if no one is blocking for him. A punt block, you’ve got one guy blocking a punt, you’ve got six other guys that have to do what they’re supposed to do on that same punt block in order to block that punt. I think as a team we’re a complete team on special teams, and as a coaching staff we do that. I work hand-in-hand with Jay constantly. Mike Zordich really helps out in that regard. Tyrone Wheatley contributes, [as does] Brian Smith. We are a team and we bounce ideas off each other and try to build off each other there.”
How’d Ben [Gedeon] grade out on Saturday and how’s he graded out in three games? Has he been pretty steady?
“Ben is just an old school tough guy. I mean, that’s it. He comes to play every practice, every day. He’s graded out great. He’s playing really good football there. Has a lot on his plate in this system. Coach Brown is really with him constantly in trying to understand the system and the big picture of things, and he’s been tremendous.”
What kind of leader is Ben Gedeon in that unit?
“He is the leader. He takes charge. He makes the calls. He leads by example, where he comes out to practice every single day and kind of takes stronghold on whatever we’re installing or whatever we’re doing. He’s a tremendous leader.”
Does that make your life a little easier?
“Oh, 100%.”
You’re not rotating too much with your guys there. Is that just a function of it being a trust thing or performance thing?
“No, it’s not a trust thing. I think those are the guys who earned the starting position, and as the other guys continue to get better and as the starters need more of a spell you’ll see some more rotating and stuff. But right now we’re able to roll with those guys that are the starters, and it allows the young guys to get better, too, so there’s an added benefit.”
There’s a gap, though, between the starters and the guys who are trying to get in?
“The best way to look at it is there’s a three-year gap of when they were in college or not so yeah, there has to be a gap. If there’s not there’s something going on. Just the maturity of the guys that are there helps, and it gives something for those younger guys to look up to.”
Are you anxious to get Noah [Furbush] back, and do you anticipate that happening soon?
“Yeah, I hope so. You know, he’s working through it. He’s a tough kid and he really helps on teams incredibly and that kind of defense as well, so he worked his butt off in the spring and through camp and he deserves to be out there. Hopefully we get him back soon.”
Was there anything you picked up on video as far as Kenny and the field goal misses?
“Yeah, of course. There was some things. We just got to get better overall in our timing in terms of the snap. Holder looked really good. Kenny might have been rushing it a little bit, we felt. We’ve got to calm him down. He’s a veteran. He’s mature. He’s going to get that fixed. You know, it’s really important to all those guys in the specialist unit and he’s been working at it.”
Mike McCray’s created a number of big plays for you. Talk about what you’ve gotten from him this season.
“Yeah, Mike is just—he’s like an old vet in terms of he lost a couple years due to injuries, and that matures somebody. It just shows you how important it is when you step on the field because you can lose it, and that’s what he brings. He’s just happy to be out there, right, and he’s going to work his butt off to be as good as he can because he saw what it was to stand on the sideline. He doesn’t want that, so he’s been really good for us and playing really well and just really taking the bull by the horns at the Will spot.”
Don said it’s almost criminal how you guys are using Peppers. Does Jabrill feed off that? Can he do much more?
“So, you know, I know Jabrill really well and I keep telling these guys [to] use him more. C’mon man, he wants it. That’s his thing. Give him more, give him more, because he’s going to study. He’s going to spend the time. He’s gonna come in. He’s gonna embrace any role we give him. We could put him at center on the offensive line and he would not say ‘I’m playing center?’ He would say, ‘Alright, well, gotta team me the blocks.’ That’s just—he thrives off it. Of course we’ve got to be smart with the different positions and how much. You can’t be a three-way player and play every snap of the game, but Jabrill thrives off doing more. He’s such a smart football player. He loves the game so much that he wants to learn everything.”
Would he want to play every snap if he could?
“If he could, he would. If we let him he probably would, but I don’t think that’s feasible.”
Is it personally rewarding at all to see the success that he and Rashan have had?
“Yeah, of course. I mean, it’s something where I love seeing it. I’ve known those guys for a long time, so it’s definitely personally rewarding. But it is personally rewarding for any kid that I’ve coached. You do get to know and love these guys and their work ethic and who they are, but it definitely is. I love seeing the success of those guys.”
Did you ever imagine those two playing on the same college defense when you had them?
“No. It’s cool, it’s awesome. I like seeing it. There’ve been a couple plays where they’ve both been in on that play and it’s kind of cool to see. They’re both phenomenal football players, and to have them in the same place is really cool.”
In the special teams room, with the success that you’ve had the last couple games blocking kicks, are they raising the bar or setting personal or position goals?
“Yeah, I think that’s a great question. The important thing is to understand that the past game is something to build off of whether you win or lose. It’s not something to blow your head up about. We talk to them about making sure—positive discontent, right? You had a great game, you did some good things, but where are the little things that we need to build and where do we get better? You know, we keep them humbled but we build off of what we’ve done, positive and negative. That’s something where they might be a little more aggressive in ‘Okay, what’s the blocks? What are we doing?’ But that’s good. That’s them bought in. But we also gotta keep them grounded and understand that one good game and then you have a bad game; you forget about that good game. I think we do a good job of putting the past in the past and moving forward and just building off of it.”