Dan Campbell Camp Day 3 Press Event
- The Grey Manes Staff
- 9 minutes ago
- 12 min read
Dan Campbell kicked off his Day 3 press event with no opening statement and dove straight into questions. He did drop a few new nuggets on Izien and nickel, Gibbs "back" injury and talked about Dortch and the OL.
Injury Summary
New:
Gibbs - Campbell mentioned a "back" issue during conditioning test, but it isn't serious <wink>
No Changes:
Branch - Potentially Early September
Kerby - Likely will linger into the season on same timeline as Branch
Conklin - Calf in Spring, Two Weeks
Peyton Turner - Stiff back, nothing serious
Giovani Manu - Added to NFI/Injury List due to previously undisclosed injury form offseason
Updates
Izien - Giving him one more day to rest up as he is still weak, should be back on Saturday
Mahogany - Came of NFI/Injury today after the Press Conference and is practicing
Quick Hitters
Izien will sit one more day resting up from the flu. Hoped to get back today but will target this weekend (by Sunday) now.
Campbell mentioned a "back injury" for Gibbs yesterday that came up during his conditioning test and confirmed today that it was not "serious."
The plan was to get Izien some first-team reps at nickel prior to his illness. Said they are eyeing him for that spot.
They have been smart with Ben Bartch, but he will start working into team reps next week.
Lacy and McNeil looking good, with McNeil looking like his old self after favoring the leg last year
Campbell is happy to have Juice Scruggs, but going against McNeil will be hard for anyone and make you a better player
Compared the OL to DBs, needing reps to gel and develop that unspoken sense of cohesion
Campbell is thrilled with the progress Jameson Williams has made and picked right back up where he left off in the Spring.
Dan Campbell Press Event Transcript
Opening Comment Uh, okay. Questions?
Dan, we saw Derek Barnes have a nice kind of play in in coverage there and interceptions. More things than he has done in the past for you guys playing a little bit more in in space. Just how do you feel like that transition with him? How hard has he worked to improve that part of it? And is that something you guys see that that can be to your advantage? Yeah, we did, you know, spring just uh you know, Ham and uh and Dave uh really hit him on just a lot of the you know, the little things, man. And uh you know, credit to him, you know, he he's really focused on that, worked on that there. Again, we're two days in, so we got a ways to go. But look, there's a reason why Barnes is here. There's a reason why we like Barnes, man. He is an active linebacker. Uh you know, he's run and hit. Um, and I tell you what, I just in two days, but there's some things that are, man, the discipline, uh, the headiness is starting to show up, you know, and that's like that that's that's good stuff cuz he's got all of it, you know, he's got all the ability and so that fires you up, man. Um, so and that was a good pick. The only thing I told him, make sure you tuck it away. So, but that was good.
Pushing back the start of Izien? Uh, we're not. No, we're one more day. Um that's the hope. We were hopeful today, man. We just Hey, let's back this up one more day. So hopefully after this day off Sunday, he's able to go. Had the flu, you know, he's just a little still a little weak.
I just want to ask about uh Greg Dortch. You know, he said he uh he doesn't really like the uh the moniker gadget guy. Just, you know, he thinks of himself more as a playmaker. you know, after seeing him and obviously saw him before playing against him, but what do you think you have in him? How many different ways can he help you guys? Maybe it's the way you're pronouncing it. Just say it a different way. Gajer or something. Um he Did you see some of those returns yesterday? Those drills we had. I love Fipps. We the five on five some of the man his return ability really showed up. Um and he wasn't the only one. We had a couple other guys that were pretty, but that that was that was really impressive. But, you know, there again, Dortch has got a history here with uh with Ping, you know, so he knows what he's able to do. Certainly, we know what he's able to do from afar just on tape. And so, you know, for him it's man, where do you fit in at? You know, we we're going to need to be able to use you, rely on you. We feel pretty good so far about the return stuff. But there again, we got a whole camp to go. Um but we also got three pretty good receivers too uh right now at the top of this thing that we feel pretty good about, really good about. So, you know, his is finding where do I fit into that and where can I make my mark? And no, it doesn't I mean, look, we got plenty of guys that can that we can give a gadget to. I mean, Saint, we can give a gadget. We can give Jamo a gadget. We can give uh Gibbs a gadget. Uh so um his is man what where is that? What do I do best? Where can I fit into this and just play receiver? So we think of him that way. You can play Z, you can play F um and go to work.
On yesterday you mentioned Gibbs had a little bit of a back. Any conditioning test? What was the severity of that? No, I don't think it's severe.
And then the veteran safety group you kind of got right now, Izien, Maddox, Clark, um Harper. Uh what are the chances that any of those guys compete for the nickel? I think they all have experience there, but do you see those guys all getting a shot at that? So really the plan was to start this going in was that Izzy was gonna we were going to give him some of the base nickel stuff, you know, and then it didn't, you know, set this whole thing up and then that's kind of how it works and then, you know, he's not able to go. So, we adjust. But, you know, he's really, I think the let's give the first shot of, you know, more base reps, first and 10, you know, second and six or under, and uh let him play that. He's done that before. Um he's an active player around the box obviously. Um and so we, you know, that's on hold till he gets back, but he he's really the first guy we think of. We know Maddox can play nickel. I mean, he's lived in it through his whole career. Um but the intrigue for us, we know he can do that is the safety man, you know, and really Maddox has grown a ton just in a year at that position for us. So, you know, he and Chuck back there, they're again, it's early, but man, they work pretty good together and they communicate and uh they're both pretty savvy guys. So
Tyler Lacy came in kind of that awkward time of year where you've spent all this time building and now, he's got to join and hit the ground running. Got in there a little bit when Davenport went down and played some of that big end for you. See him repping a lot this whole off season with some of your top defensive groupings. what do you like about, you know, what he's brought to the table and how much more prepared is he, I guess, to help you now that he's getting a full off season with you guys? Well, I'll start at the um really the most important man. He he's a football guy like he um he's a pro. This guy prepares uh he practices hard. He'll do whatever you ask him to do. Run over there, take special teams reps. Um he doesn't bat an eye. He's big, he's strong, he's stout, he's physical. Um, and so for that big end, especially big end in base, he's like the perfect big end in base. I mean, that's how you want him to uh that's the way you want him to look, the way you want him to play. Um, and so, you know, the next step for him will be some of this stuff where, okay, now we transition to nickel, slide to the three technique, you know, can you can you get a little get an edge on some of this rush stuff, you know? Um, and that'll be kind of the next push here. But as far as man, taking on the run, uh, setting edges, smart football player, uh, practices hard, plays hard. I mean, he's what you're looking for.
Jacksonville, I think they've had him doing nose stuff. I mean, does that He he's got flex. I mean, that stuff in there, you ask him. Look, he he'll do it. You know, that's a dirty job. It's a dirty job, but he'll do it, you know, and he can do it. he could hold up if you asked him to do that. It's not the first thing we think of with him. Uh but it doesn't mean it wouldn't it wouldn't happen that way. Look, so much of this is man, what do they do? What's the best thing they do? Where do they fit in? And then once we get this roster where we want it, then it's uh he could be an example of he may have to play some nose. He may have to play some three on this. Uh Levi is another guy. Levi, you know, might need to play nose. Certainly three technique big end. Um, but that's not that's not the first place you work them at.
Dan, earlier this spring when we talked to Alem, he was saying that he has kind of a renewed sense of feeling healthy after coming back. What do you see as the importance of his role and fit in the defensive line and the success of that unit with his with his health and production? Mac, is uh Mac is very important. It is going to be huge. Um it particularly when look on all of it it's big right when you're cuz you're part of the other 10 that are on that field. But when you're talking about um transition in rush off a play pass from the offense or even just here we go man. It's a known pass down. Somebody's going to get a one-on-one. You know somebody will get and a lot of times you can fabricate it to where you're going to get two one-on- ones. You know not always but well they're not going to let Hutch do that. They shouldn't and when you go back to last year that they're not teams aren't gonna allow that. We wouldn't allow that. Um you know and sometimes it'll be Mac that has to take it. Well now you know that your nose or the other ends got to win. But there's these times where either he's not doubled or Hutchin they got to win. Macs got to win. And he has the ability to win a one-on-one. And I know we're only two days in. We're springing two days in. But he does look better. He looks he looks like he's back to what he was. He's healthy and uh you know and I told you he would never say anything about it. He never did last year, but when we went back and watched clip after clip, back-to-back to back-to-back to back-to-back of all the season when you start going through all of these, he was favoring the leg a little bit. I mean, he I don't think he even realized it. And so, um it's just good to have him back, man. He looks great. He's moving well. and uh he's a huge uh piece for us on defense.
How important is that interior rush with Alim and Levi, maybe some others to what you want to do defensively this year? It'll be big. It'll be big. Look, Kacy Rogers has done a heck of a job with those guys, but we feel like um we we've got some juice in there and then it's, you know, um and then certainly there's some clay to mold, but you know, between Wingo and Sky and certainly Mack and Levi's back, they all kind of bring a different flavor. We just talked about Lacy, that's a different type of rush now. That's a push the pocket, collapse it, long arm. Um, but man, we kind of like the body types, you know, the body types, the ability, and now it's just about, can you win a one-on-one? And then look, man, if we, you know, you got four guys, five guys that can win a one-on-one, then it's about how do we get them to the game and then get them on the field u when we get in these critical passing downs. Um, so we'll see it, but the interior rush is huge. It's huge. left guard position.
That left guard position we've just kind of mostly seen Juice in there with the ones. Is um one how do you like how he's playing so far and two is that because you're working Ben back a little slowly there. Yeah. Um you're talking about Bartch on the back end. Let me start with Juice. Uh love Juice, man. He's a pro, you know, like he he's uh he's a pro. He same guy every day. Very consistent. Um, we know he can play center and some of the guard stuff is, hey, let let's, you know, Mahogany is out right now. Talked about Bartch. We're being smart with Barge. We hope we start to get some team reps next week with him. That's the plan. Um, I would say up to this point, I hate to I hate to say too much about O-line D-line until we get pads on. Um, but I would say there's just a couple of things he's gotten edged on here early. Now, it's also going against Alim McNeil and Mac practicing really well right now. And so, some of this stuff will come, but I I'm glad we got juice.
Kind of follow up to that. I mean, you can't do much until you put the pads on, but from your scope, what does cohesion look like for an offensive line whenever you have a lot of new pieces or people moving around from to different spots? Well, it it's um look, it's really I say this all the time, but it's between the O line and the DBs. I feel like there's the that's the most correlation when you start talking about communication and how they flow. And a lot of times things happen without a word being said. Once you really get to know the guy you're next to and you got a smart, headsy group and they're pretty aware, instinctive is man, you start anticipating these things. You start anticipating the movement, the spikes, the pressure, and uh and you're working all as one. Like, okay, Sewell knows that, he feels it. He's already stepping down. And the guard, if he feels it, then he knows I don't need to go flying out to Sewell. I can just sit here and wait cuz Sewell will pass it to me. For example, otherwise, you're stepping on each other, right? Sewell's stepping it. He feels it. You don't feel it. I stepped on Sewell's foot. Sewell's tripping. You know this and it's that's what happens. And it takes time, man. And uh and there again, the faster we can get these five established and they just need reps together over and over and over and over, then the better you're going to be. And it look, it's a work in progress. We will be much better by the time we hit game one. But this thing is going to go now. It it's going to take even when we get it there because we have some young players. They're going to grow as the season goes. It's going to take a minute, you know.
With Jameson uh going into last season. I mean, even the conversation continued to be about his kind of potential, but how much did last year go towards, you know, just validating who he is just because of, you know, some of the stuff he had to overcome over the during the first half of the season as far as targets and all that. Yeah. You're talking about J Mo. Yes. Uh I think last year was big in his growth. You know, it's really the most complete year he's had, right? And uh man, he got to, you know, he played every game. Um man, he had some critical plays, critical targets for us. Um certainly got a good pretty good heavy dose there towards the back end of the year. And you can't help but your confidence goes up. The more plays you make, the more your confidence goes up. But I'll say this, he he's doing all the little things right. That's where he's made the most growth, man. You man, watch his route definition, man. Watch the details to it. Him dropping his weight, man. him pulling out, playing strong, catching the ball, reaching out, plucking. Um, and so with his ability, man, the sky's is the limit. And that's what you're starting to see. And that began to happen and it became much more consistent. And then golf, his confidence goes way up. And now he can let the ball loose a little bit sooner. And uh, and so, look, he he's going to have a big year for us. All those skilled guys are going to have a big year for us. So, uh, man, I love where he's at. Um he picked up where he left off at the end of the season. I thought he improved in spring and it looks like two days in he he's where he left off in spring. Man, I love where he's at.
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