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Press Pass | Caldwell: "That's how we play the game. Stop the run, pressure the quarterback and take the ball away." · Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll get old season, we'll get back on track.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, Hey, Mike, could you could you give me
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: your assessment right now with just a few days ago
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: in one preseason game on a couple of guys, Ventro
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: and Jeorge Smith, where you think.
• 0:13
  Speaker 3: They're fitting in right now? Uh?
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Both the guys are, you know, still competing. Jordan he's
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: been here, Uh, got injured last year. Now you're starting
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: to see he may played in the preseason game.
• 0:28
  Speaker 4: Uh.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Out there on the field, he's working and he has
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: talent something that we can use. And he's another pass rushler,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: so you know, it's always good to have multiple pass rushers.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: And Ventreil he's a young guy we brought in here.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: He's been slowed by a few injuries, but he's a
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: guy that you saw flashes in the quade scrimmage we
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: had the live period, came through, made a nice tackle
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: and then the last two games he's picked up a sack.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: So he had the knack to make big plays and
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: that's something we're looking for.
• 0:57
  Speaker 5: What kind of players Jeremiah led Better, you've been with
• 1:00
  Speaker 5: him for a while, he's with you in Tampa, Yes,
• 1:02
  Speaker 5: So what kind of guy is he?
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: He's a guy that really he's like a pocket knife.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: He can do a little bit of everything, whatever you
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: need him to do. He can play the nose, he
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: can play a three, he can play a five. He
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: has pass reresh ability inside. So he's a guy that
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: has a variety of different talents and now they're starting
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: to he's starting to master his talent and it's starting
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: to show.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: He had a great game for us other night.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: He's had a solid camp and he's someone that's, uh,
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: right now, we need to continue to improve and just
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: get better.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: With the injuries, do you think that opens the door
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: for him to kind of show what he can do?
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: I think.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: So he's a guy that he's played in this league.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: He understands how to play in this league, and he's
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: been productive and right now, you know, he played for
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: the end of the season last year. He was able
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: to do some good things late in the season and
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: hopefully that will continue.
• 1:51
  Speaker 4: Like you've got some pressure and forced to turn over
• 1:55
  Speaker 4: his first two weeks and it's different position, I mean
• 1:58
  Speaker 4: not different as starters, depth and whatnot.
• 2:00
  Speaker 6: Playing.
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: Do you like where you're at defensively right now?
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: Your games?
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we're we're working progress. You know, we're out there.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: We did some good things in the preseason, done a
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: couple of good things out there on the field against
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: our offense. It's just day by day we come in
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: here and try to get better. We focus on certain
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: things and sometimes they show up, sometimes they don't. Turnovers
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: and tackling has been one thing we've really harped on
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: and that's starting to show up a little bit. So
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: hopefully that continues. But you know it's early and they
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: come in bunches. We just have to continue to work
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: on it, continue to talk about it, and you know,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: once a season come to hopefully they'll continue to come.
• 2:35
  Speaker 6: Let's talk something about the depth overall. But do you
• 2:38
  Speaker 6: like your depth now better than a year ago? On defense?
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Up front? I think we're strong up front.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: We've had a few guys getting nicked up, so you
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: know that hurts our depth, But overall, I think we're close.
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: We're close to being where we need to be. And
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: it's like training camp.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: You always have guys get nicked up, you always have
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: guys go through a c a few things.
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: But we're just working, worrying.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: About working every day to get better and as a unit,
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: as each position group just trying to hone our skills,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: so we're ready to go and see the kicks off.
• 3:15
  Speaker 5: Has ty Herndon done enough, done enough for for him
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: to be the starter when the season comes round?
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: Right now? I like where Trey's at. He's playing playing well.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: He didn't get to play in this past game because
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Trey is considered a starter for us right now, but
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: he's in a good position.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: He makes play that on.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: The field, and again he's at veteran presence that Steady
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: is the secondary now Greg Junior. Greg Junior's had a
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: heck of a camp. He's been making plays all over
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: the field and that battle will continue.
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: You talking about the injury to to Bntrail and how
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: he's sort of battling back from various things. How difficult
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: does it make it for you guys to evaluate what
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: he can do, and how difficult is it for him
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: to even be a contributor necessarily in the regular season
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: when you haven't really been able to get him all
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: of his time during training camp.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Really, it's first and foremost we want him to be
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: right right, and it's frustrating when you're not, and we talk.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: I try to talk to him, and you know, you
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: have to be right before you can go out there.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: And he's doing a good job of pushing through whatever
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: he has, and he's out there on the field and
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: you can see the talent and you can see the
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: play making abilities start to come, but we do need
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: to see more of it.
• 4:33
  Speaker 7: What change did your mind last six seven weeks of
• 4:37
  Speaker 7: last season where these impactful takeaways just kind of kept
• 4:42
  Speaker 7: happening in like four or five games.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: I think we always say that's, you know, that's how
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: we play the game. We want to stop the run,
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: pressure the quarterback, and take the ball away. And toward
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: the end of the season it started happening.
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: You know.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: It was we talked about it from day one and
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: we wanted to happen. But towards the end of the season,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: I think the guys played faster and they were able
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: to affect the quarterback. And when you were able to
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: do that, good things happen for defenses.
• 5:11
  Speaker 7: As a as a defensive coordinator, if I was to
• 5:14
  Speaker 7: say to you the a fifteenth uh a ranking of
• 5:17
  Speaker 7: fifteen or a ranking.
• 5:18
  Speaker 6: Of five, and you have to attach them either to
• 5:22
  Speaker 6: the yards you move allowed over the course of the
• 5:24
  Speaker 6: year or the takeaways you get, which category would you
• 5:28
  Speaker 6: put the fifteen and five if if you were forced
• 5:30
  Speaker 6: to do that, which one would you prefer to have
• 5:32
  Speaker 6: the five at?
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Probably the takeaways because takeaways are it gives our offense
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: another opportunity to go out there and it puts their
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: offense on the sideline, so the defense is off the field.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Anytime you can take the ball away and give it
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: back to our offense, that's good for us and that's
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: what we strive to do.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: How valuable was last week joint practices Just that's kind
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: of a bench more for sealing with the defense is that.
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: I think it was good.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: It was great work because we got a chance to
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: see a different offen, see different players, and I.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: Think we responded well.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: We went up there, got our working and you know,
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: played decent in the game. And now we're back working
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: with each other. So now we'll get a chance to
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: go out there today and bang each other around then
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: get ready to go play Miami sou.
• 6:17
  Speaker 4: What what have you kind of seen for him to
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: see her just since the preseason started?
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Just uh again, you see you see the flashes. He
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: had the sack early on then last week he had pressures.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: It's just him getting comfortable with the NFL game. It's
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: a little bit different. He's going against different tackles, and
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: you know, we've thrown him in there where he's able
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: to go against the first string tackles.
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: And that's good for him.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: Get in there and play against the best, because you
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: know you line up on Sunday, you're gonna be playing
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: against the best.
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: We have most of your defensive roster spots are pretty settled.
• 6:49
  Speaker 6: At this point, or they're just two.
• 6:50
  Speaker 7: Or three guys that are really post finals.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Well really, uh, coaching staff wise, we really we talk
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: about it. We haven't really haven't talked about it yet.
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: So those decisions are coming next week, and the players
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: make those decisions. That's I firmly believe that they go
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: out there and they play. Now, we'll grade every play
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: throughout camp, and you know, when you're making plays and
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: you're doing what you're supposed to do, that makes the
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: decision easy for coach.
• 7:18
  Speaker 7: In your career, have you had a guy change your
• 7:21
  Speaker 7: mind in that last free season game, what they did
• 7:24
  Speaker 7: in that last preseason game about whether.
• 7:25
  Speaker 6: They were going to make the roster or not, or
• 7:27
  Speaker 6: if they.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: Weren't and they didn't, it's funny because like you would think,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: the most of the roster set, but it's really not.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of you know, in different ways you
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: can construct a roster. I've had a guy that played
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: in a fourth preseason game, played all four quarters, end
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: up having nineteen sacks and starting. So there's ways to
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: construct a roster, but it's you know, it's never done
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: until it's done.
• 7:57
  Speaker 5: Training camp almost over, Deshaun Dixon made the position switch.
• 8:01
  Speaker 5: How have you thought that he's handled this? Do you
• 8:03
  Speaker 5: like what you've seen from him at his new spot?
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: I think he's he handled it the right way.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: He added a little bit of weight, but you can
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: see he's getting comfortable inside. Now he's that guy that
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: has a chance to be a impactful inside russer. And
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: again he's just still competing and still working trying to
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: get better and make sure he's on the roster.
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: How tough is it for you as a defensive coordinator
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: you have a player maybe that you like a lot.
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: On defense, they're doing okay, they're doing well, but then
• 8:31
  Speaker 4: on special teams they might not be as good, so
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: maybe they don't make the roster for that reason. How
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: difficult is it for you to advocate for.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: A player like like that.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: You know in your room, it's really not hard for
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: me because if you look at my career, I was
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: a special teams captain for the majority of the time.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: So from day one, I tell my guys that if
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: you're not one to know the eleven that run out
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: there in the first play, you better be able to
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: contribute on special And that's the message around here, like
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: if if you're not one of those starting eleven and
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: you can't contribute on special team, that's gonna be hard
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: for you. So that's that's the message they get, so
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: you know, they take it, they understand it.
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: So special teams are the big part, Like.
• 9:16
  Speaker 7: It's really hard. It's really hard these days for for
• 9:19
  Speaker 7: a player to get you know, four or five six
• 9:22
  Speaker 7: interceptions over the course of a whole year, cause so
• 9:24
  Speaker 7: much is predicated and how often the quarterback throws in
• 9:27
  Speaker 7: his area all things like that.
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: Do you see Tyson Campbell.
• 9:30
  Speaker 7: If it's test it often enough as somebody who can
• 9:34
  Speaker 7: who can reach those kind of gobby stats of five
• 9:37
  Speaker 7: plus interceptions of the season.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: I think if uh, if he catches all the ones
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: that he has puts has his hands on, he had
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: the chance it all goes together. The front has to
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: press to the quarterback enough to speed him up and
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: make him make a bad decision or overthrow. And then
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: when you get your opportunity, you have to come down
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: with them. And Tyson's gonna be in good position, so
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: you know, teams might shy away from him, but there'll
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: be opportunities for him to put his hands on the
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: ball and he just has to catch him. You