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Press Pass | Liam Coen on Making Intentional Improvements, Confidence Ahead of Patriots · Press Pass

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Just how'd you feel about this week of practice so far,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: just because, you know, last week you talked about how
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: practice wasn't as up to par.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think there was definitely some, some intentional improvements
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: as you continue to go in the game planning. It's
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: like reminding the guys that, Hey, we've seen every single
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: route concept play another team can run. We've seen all
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: throughout the spring, we've seen all throughout training camp against
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: each other. And so to not overanalyze things that, you know, yes,
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: it's preparation in different teams, do different things different ways,
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: but at the end of the day, it's about the
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: fundamentals and techniques and tackling and communication and being at
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: the right spot and knowing your stuff, not as much
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: always worrying about the opponent, that's been a kind of
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: a reminder that I think has helped set us, reset
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: us a little bit this week in all three phases.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: It's like, guys, it is so much more about us.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: It truly is. And, you know, hopefully we'll come out
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: today on a Friday and get a good fast Friday practice.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Feel good going into the weekend.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: I don't know exactly what it's called, but I've just
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: been using special teams gauntlet where offensive players and defensive
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: players are kind of working together. Why is that important
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: with the defensive staff kind of putting them through? Totally.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Totally.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: I think it's you take for granted a little bit,
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: especially young offensive special teams players. Those guys probably weren't
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: playing many special teams over the last maybe two years
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: of their careers in college because they were maybe the
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: better players on offense. And so they're not playing on
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: special teams as much. So they're not getting any of
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: those fundamentals of breaking down, coming to balance to make
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: a tackle. What are the actual techniques of tackling in
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: different ways that we tackle and we teach those things and,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: you know, bending our knees, coming down, you know, breaking down,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: same foot, same shoulder, blocking technique, block disruption as well.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Like if we're on, you know, an offensive skill player,
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: offensive player that's on kickoff return, like learning some of
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: those techniques and specifically, as you mentioned, having the defensive
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: coaches involved in some of that. It also helps bridge
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: the gap in terms of relationships and communication as a
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: team so that we can all hold each other accountable
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: without it being like, whoa, hold on, like, I don't
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: know you, you know what I mean? Like you don't
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: coach me kind of thing. And so I think that
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: it was important to, when you watch the tape from
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: week one, especially, and you see some of the things
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: show up and it's like, well, we get what we
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: emphasize usually. And that was something I think has been
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: a good thing for us. And it did show up
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: this past week, especially on special teams. I thought we
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: made a jump against Denver and did some good things.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: Is there a part of you at all that is like, hey,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: it's pretty cool and matching up against.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: The team I grew up rooting for? Yes, right, you know,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: I mean, coached against them in 2020, obviously in the
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: 2018 Super Bowl, which was my first year in coaching,
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: and oh, this is easy, you know, I just came
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: from Maine, you know, like, this is easy, right, and then, like,
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: oh gosh, maybe not, and then coached against them in 2020,
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: which was cool, we ended up getting a win, that
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: Thursday night game, I think it was as well, and
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: so um it is cool like to to be obviously
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: um coaching against a group that I mean I went
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: to training camp practices every summer I spent watching those
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: guys and grew up as obviously a huge fan and
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: and still as you get into the profession you're always
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: looking at uh things you can take and pull from
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: from different places and if you just look at uh
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: consistency right as a standard and um the way that
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: they've done it in terms of building it the way
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: it is, and the situational football, the doing all the
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: hard things right, you know, like doing the little things,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: the hard things the right way, and not shooting yourself
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: in the foot, right? Like not, you know, just playing
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: smart football you can take from so many different places,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: and I think that they've always been a pretty high
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: standard of that personally. And I've got a ton of
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: respect for Braves. he came to Kentucky to to kind
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: of scout Will Levis at the time and we spent
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: a good amount of time together during that visit and
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: then at the owners meetings over the last two years
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: have gotten to know him a little bit as well
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: and you know it's it's pretty cool it is cool.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: How much pressure does that put on Trevor and an
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: offensive line free snap to make sure that they're in.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: The right protection?
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: That's it's it is it's a Pittsburgh had one when
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Aaron got hit, the big one in his back there,
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: and the ball goes up, and it's like a 30-yard fumble.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: It's all about communication and pre-snap being on the screws,
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: and that's all preparation, being able to identify it with
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: the clock going down and things happening fast, and you
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: have to have not just all five alignments, the quarterback
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: and the running back specifically, and sometimes a tight end
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: or two involved in the protection systems and schemes. So
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: we spend a lot of time on that throughout the week.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: We do a ton of extra BPU walkthroughs, meetings, sessions
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: where the players are all in there. They're talking about it.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: We try to, you know, sometimes, you know, whether it's
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: like our third BPU meeting of the week at least,
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: it's like, all right, the clicker then goes to Trevor
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: and the O-line guys, and, you know, they're going through it,
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: and they're talking through it, how they see it. because
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: ultimately on Sundays, they're the ones making the calls out there,
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: and what they see, you don't want to start second-guessing it.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: And so I have a lot of confidence in these
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: guys to get that thing squared away this weekend, and
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: we need it. We've got to be able to protect
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: and give Trevor time and be on the screws from
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: a detail standpoint.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: With a spatial play more this year, how have you
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: kind of seen.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: Him handle that, just expanded load and so forth? Yeah,
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: I think he's done a nice job. It's tough, too,
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: for backs to get all the protection work. Like, you
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: never feel like you get enough, especially for two who
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: does play on some special teams as a returner, as
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: a backup, you know, in some spots as well. And
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: so you're always trying to balance time for the backs
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: and blitz pup and protections and knowing all that stuff
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: as much as they can. And I think they've done
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: a nice job. Chad Morton, like I've mentioned before, does
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: a phenomenal job coaching those guys and holding them to
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: a standard and I think Tune has done a really
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: nice job so far. I'm excited about him continuing to
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: move forward and help our team win. Is Devon an
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: example of a guy who, you know, he's been in
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: the league for a bit but still kind of continues to... Yeah,
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: it's interesting. I pulled up the 24 game in London
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: and showed some of the clips in the Wednesday meeting
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: there and seeing, you know, guys were flying around. Ventrell
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: played really well in that game, but D-Ham was like still,
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: it was a lot of the same, but I felt
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: like He kind of looks bigger in a way, like
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: holding the point even more so than maybe even then.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: And we thought we had a really good player coming
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: in when we got here. And so he is. He's
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: a standard of, I think, especially at that position. Like
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: you think about D-line in the NFL. You often see
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: these guys kind of like hit their stride, you know, mid,
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: you know, upper 20s. And because it's so much technique.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: It's so much the game within the game. playing D-line
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: in the pass rush and in the interior D-line play.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: So I do think it takes time. I think it's
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: a learned skill in terms of often you're playing against
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: guys that are experienced, like O-line, right? They've been doing
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: it for a long time, experiencing the NFL. There's so
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: many nuances that go into each play. And I think
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: D-line's a spot where you can get better with age
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: and you can continue to grow. early season is still
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: kind of seeing how guys handle the game feel i
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: mean for some of the young players first chance to
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: see that's right i mean learning your team is that
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: a balance so so much i think in september especially
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: like it is truly about us and like what we
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: you know days one through three install right and not
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: over complicating the systems and the schemes and the game
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: planning like game planning in week three is going to
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: look a little bit different than week 13. It just
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: is right. Like you don't have to get too cute
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: and do too many different nuanced things in week three, because, uh,
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: you know, they haven't seen all your stuff from training camp, right?
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: They don't have that film. And so you've got to
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: go and execute the things that you did really well
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: all throughout OTAs and through the spring. And, yeah, you've
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: got to have a little game plan nuance. But to
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: your point, you want to just let them go play,
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: to let them go play fast and free so that
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: you can evaluate some of the situational football and you
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: can evaluate how they handle the elements and handle some
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: of their first exposure and You get Jalen McLeod in
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: there last week in his first exposure in a tough atmosphere.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: But you forget, I mean, the guy played at Auburn.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: You know, he's played in some big crowds and some
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: big atmospheres. And he didn't flinch. He didn't blink. He
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: did a really nice job, did some good things. And
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: those are the ops that you want to continue to
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: be able to evaluate. And so for us as coaches,
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: it's such a fine line of, man, like, let's go
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: execute what we do best. and so that we can
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: go watch the tape on Monday after the game, win, lose,
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: or draw, and truly be able to evaluate and say,
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: did we get better or not? Did we get better
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: or not? And that's really what you're looking for.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: You have a team full of guys.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: That came back from the year before.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Can who you are vary a lot, and why?
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think because every, team is truly going to
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: be different, even though there's the carryover. It's just you
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: don't always know exactly who you're going to be, especially
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: not in week three. You're just not going to fully know.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: Do you have an idea? Yeah, you got an idea.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: But us, I can't say like who we are right
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: now today is going to be exactly how we're going
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: to operate in week 13. I'm talking about schematically what works,
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: what doesn't, what's, what's our best stuff on each side
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: of the ball. You have an idea. And if I
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: have more of an idea now, I think that I
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: did last year in week three, you know, I think
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: I can see what we can be more now than
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: I could in week three last year. So yeah, it
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: definitely helps. The continuity helps, but you have to attack
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: it with such a fresh perspective. And you hold the standards,
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: you have the standards, but also you have to allow
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: for the flexibility to adapt and to create and to
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: see what we're going to be and who's going to
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: help us in critical moments. Like you have an idea,
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: but is there anybody that's going to step up differently
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: and make plays in games that maybe hasn't always shined
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: in practice or whatever that is? And you have to
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: allow for those ops to happen. But I feel like
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: we have a group of guys that do know what
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: they do best. And that those are the areas we
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: have to continue to focus on and rep and give
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: them the opportunities to do that in the game to
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: let them just go play free.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Last week you showed your locker room speech after the
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: game was over. You were able to tell the guys
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: you love them and you were still proud of the
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: effort that they showed. Yeah. How are you as a
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: coach able to find that balance between, obviously, you're frustrated
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: in whatever emotions you may be feeling, but still to
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: give the players praise and show them respect?
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, because I think I walked off the
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: grass a little bit, like, you know, disappointed in myself,
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: you know, disappointed with a couple things that I felt
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: like as coaches– we could have helped them with. And
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: like I've said this before, I don't ever question the
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: way that our guys are going to come out and
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: play on Sundays in terms of the effort that they provide.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: We get what we emphasize. And I didn't feel like
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: I was at my best personally in times of need. And,
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: you know, it's all of us. Like, it really is.
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: And so when you don't get the result you want,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: especially when you don't play to your standard and you
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: don't execute to your standard, a lot of that falls
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: on me and us as coaches as well. And so
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: I felt like, all right, man, we walked into a
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: hostile environment with every possible reason for them to kind
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: of whoop our butts in ways. and we kind of
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: tricked it off and, you know, in terms of our execution,
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: they beat us without question, but we also had some,
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: some moments where we did not execute to the best
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: of our ability, where you walk off the grass saying like, man,
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: we did everything we could and we just got, we
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: got beat. And so, um, they beat us. We earned
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: the L absolutely. But, um, you know, you kind of
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: felt like you let them down in ways you kind
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: of felt like, you weren't your best in times where
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: you needed. And so to let them know that after
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: the game, that like, if anything, I'm encouraged because I
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: know we didn't execute to the, to our standard. And
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: Denver was a reason for that. Absolutely. But when I mean,
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: it's truly about us, it is, and we're all in
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: it together. I know it's a busy time, but what's
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: it been like for you and maybe some of your
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: former teammates in UMass at all?
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: It's pretty cool, man. I've, I just got to, box
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: of gear recently from them so shout out to joe
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: harrisimiak for sending that down and um look what three
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: and oh i mean it's it is huge obviously i
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: have to win against ruckers but to beat the teams
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: that you know the last few weeks that we you
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: know we should be right but we also haven't been
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: in a position over the last few years to say
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: we should beat anybody And so to be 3-0, it
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: doesn't matter who's on the schedule. They're on your schedule,
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: and we're beating them. And that's what it's supposed to be.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: And I'm excited about it. I have so much faith
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: in Joe, Ryan Barron for the AD, assistant AD Thor Bjorn.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: And I have a lot of passion for that place.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: And you want to see it be as successful as possible.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: And you can see it. I recruited Pop Watson, the
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: quarterback there, and Joe Griffin, the receiver, as well. And
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: so to see... Pop came down to Kentucky and worked
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: out for me, and I have a lot of confidence
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: in him. He's got swagger. He's got some belief, and
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: I love to see a Springfield kid who's a coach's
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: son balling out out there, so it's really cool to see.