Matt LaFleur on new K Brayden Narveson: 'He did a nice job in Tennessee'

pretty confident that uh in a short amount of time Willis can be ready number two we will see I don't know we'll see how it goes today and I know he's he's a pretty smart guy we've had an opportunity to meet with him and um it's not like you're getting a rookie in here he does have obviously a foundation and it's just you know translating what he's learned in the past and um you know putting into our terms and then coaching them on the run so there's a lot of work to be done between now and uh when we have to play our game but we'll see where he go where he where he is at that moment and make the best decision for a football team on guys like almost every week to have to learn on the Fly how do you get a kicker up the speed quickly that's not that's not a question for me I don't have to worry about that kick the ball I think Oh I thought he said kicker maybe I I'm running about kickers before came did he not say kicker okay I was like kick it um yeah the QB it's definitely a little bit more of a challenge than a kicker um yeah that's a great question I mean again you we're thrown a lot at him today we'll see how he responds but he is a he's a very intelligent Guy the one thing I'll tell you is uh just in talking with him there was some some similarities with what he first learned when he got in the league when Todd Downing was the OC there in uh Tennessee just from because the offense went from myself to Arthur Smith to Todd Downing so there was a little bit of crossover there um in terms of some of the terminology and some of the things that they were asking him to do and it's just he's going to have to uh you know reframe it in terms of a lot of these teams are doing a lot of similar things you just might call it something different so it's like learning a new language is that the same with Callahan because he came from Z I thought it would be more similar it doesn't sound like it it's really that way um just you know obviously Zach and I worked together uh in LA with Shan and um and then Kahan working with Zach the last was it five years in Cincinnati and um but it doesn't sound like it's it sounds like it's a little bit different for whatever reason like he's just not ready do you have any hesitation with going with Sean and elevating him for that role on uh in Brazil come on we got people walking in here late now we got alarms going off what are we doing I know we should can you do 20 push-ups okay um yeah what was the question having Sean back at the practice squ is that an option for oh Absolut absolutely I I think we have confidence in him um you know I told Sean I think we've seen him play it play better than than all the things we saw throughout the course of the um offseason I would say from training camp and in in those preseason games um he's just got to get back to really the core fundamentals that allow you to play the game fast and um you know reading with your feet is is one of those but um we certainly still have a lot of confidence in Sean and just the circumstance we're in right now Matt I know Bill asked about the kicker um what what exactly is the transition process there you had five different guys come through here in Camp not a question for me that is a question for Rich Bacha is a razor thin difference between winning and losing oh I I'm well aware of this um this is un chartered territory I would say that I've been in in my time in the league um so it's just yeah you just got to come in and perform I don't know how else to put it you know and um but it's a it's definitely a unique situation do you think it could affect your play calling in week one going for it on Fourth Downs absolutely 100% yeah I think you got to take into account all the circumstances no different though like when you go out and there's inclement weather and it sometimes that affects some of the decision- making you make and we'll see we'll get at least we'll get a couple days uh with him to kind of get a feel for for him as as he performs the what's hard is you just don't have any game you know experience with him but he did he did a nice job in Tennessee I know that is the Uncharted Territory having two rookies or are you talking about bringing a guy in this this late to do it what are you talking about kick kickers you said it no I'm saying I'm just saying in terms of bringing the guy in right when we're bringing them in but you know I've been on teams in the past where we've cycled through a lot of guys um and that's never a fun position to be in so uh hopefully they'll come in do a great job and we'll be off and running where do you think you are I I know it's the first week so I'm not asking about Marsh health status but how challenging is kind of the running back puzzle right now with AJ's thing being enough to set shut him down for the year and and where do you kind of feel like you're at in terms of your options there yeah it's a another tough question um you inadvertently didn't ask about his status so um we'll see where he's at I don't know we haven't practiced in a few days we'll we'll get him out there today see where he's at let him run around I think you know you feel like he can handle most Playbook it's not like he hasn't been learning it's just you know the application of taking it from the classroom and applying it in a real game setting is you you wish you had a little bit more exposure you had spoken early in training camp about how good AJ looked just how discouraging is that just to see him work as hard as he did the offseason and then for kind yeah it's it's really discouraging because we had a a pretty clear vision for what he could do and it wasn't just going to be as a runner uh I thought he was the versatility was what I was most excited about just being able to kind of do a lot of different things in regards to some of the stuff that we did a year ago with him when we had some of our two halfback sets so um it certainly leaves us with a void but I mean that's life in the National Football League you got to adapt or you die so we we better adapt mat what does it say about the depth of the wide receiver room that Grant the seventh wide receiver gets picked up I understand well I'm super fired up for Grant and that obviously the it was a blessing and a curse to have so many tough decisions but it's great to see four of these guys you know getting opportunities elsewhere um I don't feel like I've ever been a part of a team that's what's I shouldn't say that um what's getting into you guys today man come on wallers you got to run a tighter ship around here yeah um anyways um but it it's really great it's a credit to Grant too just to see where he's come from the circumstances he was dealt a year ago in regards to coming in here having have you know um surgery battling through with limited reps um I know a year ago at this time he wasn't happy that he was on the PE Squad but um you know a lot of times you're dealt or handed circumstances that you're not always happy with and it's how you respond to them and I thought especially as the year um went along his just attention to detail his work ethic everything really I mean he was busting his butt in practice and I think he saw the benefits of that and to go out there and um you know I I I thought he's just a he's a really tough gritty guy and and um you know we're we're certainly going to miss him but I'm happy for him to be able to get an opportunity elsewhere that how special is a day like this like with Malik you know he mentioned VES I think was the one that told him that he made the team you know Bo guys like that that have been able to kind of work their way up and and get this opportunity now yeah always exciting when you can get to call somebody and and let them know that that they made it and but you can't take it take it for granted either and this league it's it's what have you done for me lately and you you got to continue to work and grind and and keep your spot um it's a competitive situation always some situ uh some positions are a little bit more competitive than others just in terms of who we have on our roster but these guys got to understand whether you're on the active roster or whether you're on the practice squad I mean anymore the way we view it it's a 70 man roster with with the ability to call people up so you got to get yourself prepared to play each and every week and you better be getting better throughout the course of the season and go ahead you're done um I apologize um speaking of the 70 man roster though um if Marsh's not quite ready week one physically or mentally whatever it is what do you think of mccaran in Merryweather yeah I think both those guys showed well in the preseason game um or throughout the course of the preseason obviously McCreary wasn't here quite as long but we were familiar with him in regards to having him on the team last year um and then I thought Ellis ran really hard I thought all those guys ran extremely hard in that final preseason game and and put some good stuff out there for everybody to see back to Willis I don't know how familiar familiar you are with his skill set yet maybe this something you have to determine but if you do need him for a game sometime during the regular season can you run the same stuff I mean is the offense the same that you would have for Jordan yeah that's a great question um I think it's it really comes down to how much can he handle and I I don't think we're really going to to know that until we spend a few days together and just we I I do think it's a little bit easier when you're when you're talking about getting prepared for a game because I mean you really pair down the Playbook quite a bit in in in regards to the focus of what you're trying to get accomplished so we'll see how he picks it up and I think that will determine you know how much we can throw at them preseason performance was Welch one of your toughest to have to face and tell him that he didn't make team yeah it was tough I mean he uh he did everything that he could have possibly done um and he was making plays that showed up in every game and I thought he got better throughout the course going into OTAs from where he started to where he is now he he is a much better football player um certainly he's made his Mark in this league on teams and I'm sure he'll continue to do that for a long time to come but I thought he really showed his ability to go in there and play on the defens side of the ball that gave us a lot of confidence uh he's a very smart guy very tough competitive everything that you want from a football player in particular in that position a really good communicator so uh again it's tough I selfishly love to have him a part of our team and but I'm happy for him to get a get another opportunity in Baltimore what's the what's the practice plan going forward into next week so we will practice today and tomorrow um today is I would say a little bit of a lighter day being the fact that we had um three days off for for the guys and some of those guys that didn't play in the game so that's really four days and then tomorrow we're going to amp it up and practice under the lights and kind of try to mimic what it's going to feel like to to play in Brazil in regards to just the time um of waking up early in the morning having some some meetings and then you know letting them get out of here for a little bit and then um having practice but we still got to operate within the training camp uh window in in regards to the time component Wednesday normal Wednesday workout as well yeah so then basically we're going to treat tomorrow as if it were a Sunday the following day will be Monday then Tuesday will be the players day off and kind of get into the normal flow of a week that under the lights will you do it in here or across the street here here yep some people are not very happy about that either alen Johnson hey what do you think your depth is on the offensive line you kept 10 the Five Guys that aren't the starters you got what three rookies Kadeem and then uh Dyan like where do you kind of feel like you are if you get some challenges at that position yeah I think um you know obviously I think that we've got a lot of people that we are confident in that can go out there and play um and we got to keep developing them and so as far as the depth I think you find out when they have to go in the game to to see really where you're at certainly with some of the guys like Jordan Morgan just not being available the last couple weeks that that kind of hurt us I would say it's hurt him and it's it's hurt our football team so it'll be good to get him back out there few more please Matt you obviously know or at least have a pretty good idea what this defense is capable of but you you didn't show a lot in either of the joint practices is that fair to say um are you kind of excited maybe maybe not we'll all find out week one unleash what maybe Jeff has some of his creativity and some of his ideas now because you have kind of that guys yeah um yeah I'm certainly excited I think just when I just the vibe we have around here right now and and I think I'm sure all 32 teams are excited to get going but I I do think that just I've been really excited about our whole defensive staff um I think they're they've got a great rapport with our guys I think they're excellent teachers and I think we got some talented guys on that side of the ball so I'm just excited to see how how everything comes together and how we perform not only week one but throughout the course of the season