Head Coach Jonathan Gannon Press Conference - Cardinals 2024 Training Camp

lot still they get done and then they'll go home and uh pack and we're off to Indie tomorrow morning said you were excited to see dar's tape from night what did you good couple violent uh run Clips there um couple things to clean up but uh like where he's at on his way he's tough to block if he does the right things couple days later still yeah yeah we're actually uh getting healthy as we go to the Midwest with with Darius and I know everything is still a competition does he have a chance to push for a starting role 1,000% yeah one of the things you want to see him clean up um play blocks the right way a little more consistently uh execute his Rush plan both individually and collectively consistently keep his motor and violence High when you got a guy that's that gifted already that then has the the mental capacity and the desire to want to get better and learn the technique how valuable can that we have very you know that's why I say Sky's a limit for the guy you know we're pushing him he pushes himself so when you're you know trying to get better every day and have a plan to get better every day uh typically your game should be elevated what is about his game that allows me to be play inside and outside as effect I think it's you know the physical skill set the size the length um and then the juice that he has did anybody jump off the tape after rewatch Come on B give me like ask me about somebody you know everybody did everybody did there there's some guys that yeah he did yeah he did uh force a fumble almost batted it back in uh was sticky in coverage violent um he did a good job got a couple plays he did a good job too he um couple things at the top of the route I want him to do a little bit better at but uh I liked his technique uh almost had the the interception there that pbu um he played he played well Roy Lopez seemed to pop on a few plays did you like what you saw from him I did yeah he knows his role and he executes his role and he's a a you know big- time part of when we play good defense he's right in the middle so you need that guy to play well where have you seen him take the biggest shot honestly pass rush I mean he's always been a really good run Defender he's doing some good things in the pass game on mix Downs too where it's harder because they're a lot of times they're playing run first then transitioning to pass but um honestly too in the Run game too some technique things he's been really good at um there's a couple blocks um that Nick and I were talking about it this morning there's some blocks that how we teach things he might not do exactly how they're taught but there's a reason why behind it and he can execute what he kind of does to get the job done for the defense I like where Roy's at when it com to the pass when it comes to the pass rush what's your hope for the interior of the line to push push the pocket get it get that quarterback a little nervous about an offensive lineman in his lap and then they got to be able to cover for the outside guys at time so they got a whether you're fourman russing thre man rushan fiveman russan whatever we call it fast break basketball they got to be aware of what's going on whether they're you know called games or games on the move um they gotta be able to push the pocket when they got two guys on them uh when there's one guy on them they need to be able to win on an edge at times and affect the quarterback so they're doing a good job with it you were just talking about how uh Roy sometimes does things a little bit differently than maybe you would coach it how how do you find that balance like when is it okay okay this guy does question I mean yeah like you you know it's kind of goes into I know I always give the example of corner play but each um right Darren um yeah I was going to say something but uh um no um that's all that's the blend of coaching to me like here's what needs to get done in this call here's how we teach it here's the couple tools that you have um but then let's have a conversation about it you know what I mean so whether that's playing a a an a block double um or a pound down down and a round um there are certain things that you're doing with your feet and your hands and your eyes that you can do a little bit different depending on the style of player you are just like press technique you know I like one flavor of press technique typically but not everyone's comfortable or some guys do something else better that's okay as long as they get done what they need to get done um you know we talk about all the time should we be doing this with this guy you know what I mean and so sometimes you you know you might make a little bit of change sometimes you might give a little Freedom you know what I mean but I think it it stems from interactive meetings with the players to feel what they're feeling to see what they're seeing from their point of view I think that helps you as a coach and then I think that helps you coach them better you uh when you have joint practices do you want and hope your players to practice I mean I know it's a competition against different players but do you want them practicing the same kind of way that they have or is there a different approach that you take yeah no it's going to be they're going to practice the exact same way they've been practicing that's how Shane and I are going to do it just got off the phone with this morning um it's going to be a good two days of work I'm I'm very excited to get on a plane and go with uh one preseason game already taken off the slate and another maybe down the road can this help replace that some some ways I wouldn't deal in the future what if well we don't we're not losing one game we got three games so I like how the schedule is we played one we're going to Joint practice with Indie play them and then we're going to go to Denver and play them we'll be ready to go what is the most important thing that you're looking for this week what you a little uptick I liked where our mode of play was in the game um but the things that we need to get better in uptick is technique um against different people and I would say execution of just schematic things within each group you know um so that's that that's always probably going to be one of the answers you know unless we decide to show up and not run and not hit people and not do those things which hopefully those things stay consistent which you have to talk about those things because sometimes it doesn't um but our guys they pretty much keep that consistent I think there's things I pointed out today um we can always be better at that um and we'll always strive to be better at that but um you know technique you know that's that's kind of what I'm looking at here this versus and it's cool because it's not technique going against cards versus cards now it's technique going about you know against somebody that they maybe haven't studied like they would going into a game um you know there's going to be different guys coming in and out of the lineup on both sides that you know all of a sudden I'm running a route versus Kenny Moore and then I'm running route the next play versus somebody different that wouldn't be like a game you know what I mean so I want to see techniques show up against different opponents um I think that's a good barometer for where we're at can we do what we're coached to do you know consistently with with the times you went for it on fourth down is that as much about seeing how the players will handle it in those situations because it's the preseason yeah Howard no I I I was a little blun to both that's what I wanted to do and then I wanted to see us you know those four fourth Downs um you know see if we could execute those so obviously we gotta be better because we're 0 for three not great so we got to do better there you kind touched on on Roy Lopez when it comes to a guy like that is that the kind of player you're looking for when it comes to character he wasn't like a highly recruited key coming out of high school wasn't a high draft pick but here he is still grinding and finding his role yeah if you had 90 Roy you'd be good to go you know what I mean I mean and I'm not saying we got a lot of a lot of good guys but Roy um he keeps a good attitude he's always working on his game he's team first uh he's willing to do whatever you tell him to do um he's got a smile on his face like he's a he's phenomenal human being and he comes he enjoys coming to work and he gets better at his game so yeah I'd love a bunch of Roy you talked about this before but a number of NFL players have said one joint practice might be enough you've got to what's your view of that is there value in the second one yeah there is yeah there's well I mean there's there's there's positive and negatives however you set it up up so you know I think the number one thing for me is is as it relates to our team what do we need to do to get them ready um for Buffalo and keep them healthy evaluate them and develop them you know what I mean all 90 guys and then that's moving towards getting ready to you know make decisions about Buffalo which you need every single one of these days so um if you joint practice versus two teams two days or two teams one day or you know one team two days another team you know one day there's there's pros and cons to doing there's pros and cons to doing that there's pros and cons to not join with anybody you know what I mean there's there's pros to that too um talk to the coordinators you know they'll tell you the pros to that um but again I I feel really good how we set it up it's nice to get back here you know from the game and then now we're leaving though for a week you know um and then we'll be back and then we're going to you know have a normal week go play Denver and then decisions start to have to be getting made but uh I think our guys have done a good job of hey this is what we're doing here's a schedule um this is what we got to do to maximize ourselves and get better individually and collectively they're doing a good job when it comes to preseason playing time I'm not going to ask you about who's playing when but how I won't know that until after the last practice too so good call Josh right boy she take into consideration like my guy there you go J first two or three games of the season to kind of get guys ready for I I honestly I don't I think we need to be ready to play come you know whenever we play at Buffalo you know and knowing that whoever you put out there there's you know you guys asked me about it and and it's true it's a good question from you guys it's like you know certain guys are at different stages in their career you know what what is the pro and con of putting a guy out there to start or or you know letting another guy go or rotating those guys or you know there's all kinds of things that go into that but I was never under the mindset oh we'll put these guys out and it's probably not the best way to go to win the game but by week four we'll be good to go like every game matters so whoever we put out there we feel at that point in time with the information that we have those are the best guys to get it done so that's what our team's doing right now is is you know day in and day out competing for those roles you know and um I I like their enthusiasm about how they compete and how they try to get better because they know you can't keep all those guys you know so that's the the business side of football but um whoever we put out there versus Buffalo we think that's what's going to win the game generally speaking not on any specific guys do you envision seeing a decent amount of starters get some T out of there generally speaking I'm I'm honestly not sure yet um that was that's fair enough right too um we'll see how it goes you know with with two I mean you should see the practice faces now from two days like it's going to be a souped up two days you know um so I just we just got to see how that kind of goes do I have an idea yeah I do I don't really want to tell you guys but it a lot of that is going to depend on what happens Wednesday and Thursday truthfully so you know all the factors that go into that you know let's let's see where we're at Thursday night um and then we'll make those decisions so the players right now are prepping for hey we're going Indie for two very intense hard long practices that are both going to be you know souped up um that's what you normally say when you're talking about a car right souped up car um that are going to be souped up then there's going to be a mock game and then we're going to play so that's where they're going as as that's their mind frame as they get on the plane obviously the emphasis is going to be on the joint practices in the game but is there anything off the field you got you have plan for team building at all uh well they'll team build naturally um being in that hotel for a good amount of time we were just talking about actually because you got night practices and I'm not going to wear them out before they're going to go on the field meeting wise and stuff so it's kind of like let them sleep in have some meetings things like that get them off their feet give them a couple hours and then go practice kind of the same deal um you know and then Friday we'll have our mock game we'll have meetings they'll be off in the afternoon a little bit just like our normal Saturday would but then Saturday you kind of got to wait around for a night game now we'll have walkthrough and stuff but we're going to fill the time uh I'm not going to take them off site to do anything I like where we're at with that they do a really good job for us we have some things in the hotel that um they are very um competitive about against each other I won't tell you guys what those things are but uh you know they they like to connect and hang out with their teammates I'm sure a bunch of them will go eat together and things like that but it's one of the positives about going somewhere um like we were at The Wigwam or like we're going to any now for four days or whatever um they'll they got to hang around with each other but they they kind of value that time too so um it'll be good for us you talked about the quarterbacks after the game what's your sense now after seeing the tape on how they did yeah I thought de did some good things I mean extended some plays I know he ripped that I mean the protection was really good but he ripped the third down to Z back um that ended up being an explosive play um some things to get better at Clayton came in made some throws the operation was pretty clean has some things he's got to clean up and get better at so um like where that's at we'll see how that goes the next couple days make a decision who's going in when you know first half second half first quarter third quarter whatever we end up doing there um I like the play the plan LED or laid out right now as we sit today but depending on what happens these next two days we might adapt that um but they're they're both in a good spot ready to go I got you really praised after the game Xavier Thomas did did the FI back jump yeah he did he did um you know my thing in OTAs and you never know what's going you got to talk to people I guess you never know what's going through somebody's head unless you ask them sometimes you don't get the truth all the time either when you ask them but um I just felt like he was U early in OTAs and maybe even earlier in Camp um trying to just kind of figure it out a little bit you know well when when you're trying to figure it out on the fly when the ball snap sometimes your physical traits don't show up so what I was impressed about with him is I you know I let it rip cut it Loose you know whatever that means uh I thought he did that so that tells me that he's comfortable he's not thinking and now it it shows what he can do physically and I think that jumped off the tape to me um also what jumped off the tape about him is is he's doing what he's coached to do which for a rookie sometimes is hard there's guys that are making some good plays you know hanging in with technique and then all a sudden you throw on a tape it's like what are you doing like we don't coach that you know and that's just part about being a young guy you know what I mean I'm going to try something new no you don't do that you like just keep doing what you're doing you know what I mean seriously and he did what he was being coached to do by Rob Rob's done a good job with them to kind of own it in here's what you got to do here's what you need to execute um mentally I thinking he's I think he's taken steps and the physical tool set Rush ability Edge setting I thought showed up in the game so the challenge to him would be the couple mistakes that he made clean those up you know because we can control that um and then you know production and do the same thing that you just did and see what see what happens then but um I was enthused about him I was with Darius did he exceed your expectations in that first game or yeah I I mean no because I expect him to go and play well he didn't play a ton um but uh I I would say this for what he's done in training camp and in that game um I think he's right where he needs to be to be a uh a person that affects winning in a positive way for us on defense right now a lot of the veterans said that um going from year one or year two under guys like RIS and pet were able to kind of not think like you said play a little bit more faster did that jump off the tape watch back at it yeah I I mean I think everybody's a little bit different but again Donnie like year two um you should be a little bit further along you know what I mean and and I think that some carryover and continuity of how things are being taught um you know I laughed they knew the expectation but just the the tearing it all down the expectations this how he practice hearing it you know a a 50th time not the first time I think that helps you know learning um but it it's really that part um and we got a long way to go but that part's really a credit to the players I think you know what I mean so the coaches we worked on some different things in the off season and we changed a couple things here and there to hopefully make it better but the players are bought in like this is what we have to no know and to go win games so we better no know it um so really I would say that's probably a credit to the players coach thank okay thanks guys