From Year 1 to Year 2, has it allowed it to make freedom to install more things than last year?
“We are continuing to install. About 20% of what we are doing is new. You are trying to look at what other people are doing and trying to be creative. I think what happens to you in your second year; you’re better at more things. I tell these guys, they know it if we do something in practice and we don’t execute it well, it is not getting called in the game. The more things you execute at a high level and the more things you’re good at, the more opportunities you’re going to get.”
Ron said Will Grier’s arm strength is better than he thought. What is your early assessment of Grier?
“Well, there are a lot of different ways people evaluate arm strength. Most people look at how hard the ball is going, but that’s the last thing we care about. His ball carries through the air, it doesn’t die on him. If you watch his tape, he threw multiple touchdown passes where the ball traveled 45-50 yards in the air. that’s as far as you need it to go. He has plenty of arm to do the things we want him to do, and that’s what we liked about him.”
How’s Cam better this year compared to at this time last year during training camp?
“He has been in this system. He knows what we are trying to get out of each play. He has always getting the ball out of his hands quick, and he has always gotten the ball to the right guy most of the time. I think he is getting more conformable with the receivers. I think we’ve seen him get the ball up the field a little more. I think he is working on those things and getting better at the underneath passing game.
Does Curtis Samuel seem like he is making a lot more plays than in the past?
“This doesn’t happen overnight. When I got here, Curtis couldn’t do anything in the spring. He missed most of training camp, he played in the third preseason game. Then he had his procedure and he missed another month. You don’t get better if you’re not out here practicing. Obviously, he grew as the season went on, but was limited with the amount of snaps he could take. He’s in great condition, he goes for the entire practice like everyone else, we don’t have to take him out, we don’t have to take care of him, and he’s becoming an outstanding route runner.”
Not that this wasn’t the case before Cam looks especially lean this year, how is he taking care of himself at a different level than years past?
“He’s not doing what I’m doing, I tell you that. He’s right around the same body weight, whether he’s a little different, he’s right around the same body weight. When you stand next to him, he looks more like a defensive end than he does a quarterback. So I don’t think that’s going to change.”
You ran a 3-4 when you were in San Diego, Ron said the 4-3 had gotten stagnant as the league kind of knew it more and more?
“What we are doing, we are just a lot more multiple. And offensively, when you’re playing a 3-4, and you’re doing different looks getting into a nickel package, it is a lot more to prepare from an offensive standpoint.”
As a former head coach, what do you think when a coach takes over playcalling duties?
“Obviously, the advantage that Ron has is he has already established himself as a very successful head coach. These players have respect for what he does as a head coach. So that’s his expertise, I think it was easy for him to get in there and do the things he wanted to do.”
