Analysis Week 11 AMA: Rizzler Ball (38 Viewers)

[DSnfla]

Hey Dan, While I like Rizzi as a motivator I do have some concerns that he has only been a ST coordinator in the NFL. He's never been a OC or DC or even a position coach in the NFL or at a major college. He was HC at New Haven and Rhode Island. Do you think it could be a big learning curve for him to be a HC at the NFL level?

 

[Jive Saint]

Thank You for your point of view Dan!

What do you think of the Saints Receiver options? What do you see in our Tight Ends? If you could add an archetypal TE or WR (Body type/skillset)… what would you add?

 

[TCUDan]

Thank you for doing this. I was wondering what your process and plan would be for this team if you were hired as the next head coach? What players would you try to keep? What positions would you prioritize upgrading? What positional coaches might you keep and what qualities would you be looking for in any new coaches or staff (medical, therapeutical, etc)? Are there any changes you would make to practices, training camp, etc?

I know this is an exercise that is very subjective to you and can only be based off of information that you have/are privy to (including a not so great but seemingly malleable salary cap), but just curious what you would try to do to turn us back into contenders given your own expertise and where we are now.

Well, sit back b/c this answer will take a while. In the interest of "brevity" (HA!), I'll skip all the politicking and management end of things.

The first thing I would do is bring in a staff I trust. One thing I've learned in 15-ish years of coaching is that resumes are barely relevant in the hiring process. When I was first starting out it was frustrating, but having been on the HC side of the equation for a while now, I get it. Coaching is such a high-stress environment, so you want to hire people who you can stand being stuck in an office with for 16 hours a day. Who you know can handle stress and your coping mechanisms won't rub up against each other. This is why coaches constantly hire people they've worked with before. Of course, familiarity with your system, your messaging, and your personality all plays into that.

So I get my guys for core positions. If I'm an offensive minded coach that starts with the offensive staff and vise versa. If you don't have a coordinator for the other side who you know who is on the market, then you begin interviews to find the right guy and once he's hired, I'd want to interview each assistant coach he wanted for his side of the ball to make sure we're all on the same page.

Before that's even done I'm reviewing film from the previous season and probably sending it to outside scouts I trust, as well as scouts in the current PPD that I'm keeping around--but I'm getting eyes I trust on it for sure. I'm evaluating players, mostly, and I'm looking for effort, first and foremost. Who, even when the chips were down, was still going balls to the wall on the field. I'm also reading notes, taking a look at "hall files" (material about player and personnel reputation and conduct). I'm even calling and having lengthy conversations with the coaches from the previous staff to zero in on any cancers or problematic personalities within the team. Putting together a sort of amateur psychological profile of certain guys--particularly those who are at a premium on talent/production, but have a reputation for being potentially more trouble than they're worth.

The goal is to root out the coach killers--those guys who are high-production/talent players, but are malcontents, egoists and the like. I'll flag those guys and prioritize conversations (preferably face-to-face... the ones who can't make time for more than a phone call are putting themselves at the top of the "purge" list, for lack of a better term). Once I've had those conversations, I'll take the guys who I think are more trouble than they're worth and work with the scouts to figure out their potential trade value and the rest of the PPD/front office to figure out cap hits.

While I'm doing that, I'm also applying grades to all of the players and putting short files on staff who are interested in staying around. I add this because some coaches stick around through a number of staffs. A friend of mine, Don Clemons, is now coaching out here in Europe, and he was the Detroit Lions LB coach and S&C coach for something like 27 years... on a team that was constantly turning over coaches. If you can find that guy in the building, he has survived multiple coaching changes, he's invaluable.

So now let's get more Saints-specific. It's very hard for me to say which players would apply to the purge list, so I'll move onto the more affirmative side of things. I'd be calling the leaders of the team and having conversations, just getting to no them. Not coming in like a hard*ss, but speaking to them on a human level. Kamara, DD, Carr, McCoy, Mathieu. Like Kubiak, I'd probably make a personal visit to Taysom Hill b/c he's so valuable to what I'd want to do on offense (and he's a player where it seems that coaches haven't always had a clear vision for him... and that can be frustrating). I'd also do the same with Alontae Taylor and Pete Werner because they're the furture of the team and are players who would be a top priority for me to keep around. I'd also be talking to the medial staff about Olave (the concussions are an issue and I'd want to figure out where exactly he's at, both for his well-being and to know how we need to proceed as a team).

Then there would be more conversations with the front office about cap numbers and resources--particularly when it comes to some of the aging players. There'd be cold conversations about who can restructure and who we should we release.

There's a lot more detail on all that early phase stuff, but to get to your last part--how I'd run camp and practices and all that. Well there aren't that many different ways to do this, so you look at what has and hasn't worked for you in the past vs. what has and hasn't worked for the team. I'm a big believer in accountability, attention to detail, and clear communication. Everyone knowing exactly the size and shape of their lane (players, coaches, and staff) so they can navigate it effectively. So I'd start by communicating this with the staff, usually through a presentation, where as a coach you kind of introduce yourself and your vision/philosophy and lay out not just your primary goals for the season, but the process through which you get there.

Then you do the same with the players. This is why teams all have slogans--the one-liners they put on the back of t-shirts and the front of hoodies, etc. Snappy phrases that remind them what this team is about. "Big Team little me" has been the Saints' under DA, which is just "check your ego at the door" type stuff. So I'd try to find something originally that reenforces our process and goals.

So yeah, from there it's a lot of college scouting, pro scouting, draft, OTAs, filling needs. That would really depend on the staff and some of the current positional decision on who we're keeping and who we're moving on from. Coaches don't only just like to bring in assistants they're familiar with--they also like to bring in players they know. Especially for depth and role playing spots. The dime package DB, the nickel LB, the slot receiver, the 2nd TE, etc.

That's a long diatribe so I'll cut it off there . But if you have any parts you'd like me to narrow in on, I'll try.

 

[TCUDan]

Hey Dan, what's your new coaching gig?

LB coach for the Prague Lions, the local professional team. They're playing in the European League of Football, which is the top league out here. I'm taking a step back from HCing for a while (I'll actually explain more on that at a later time).

They've cleaned house and the new staff is a great one. The new HC is Dave Warner, the former OC for Michigan State (coached Nick Foles, Curt Cousins, and a few other well-known QBs when he was a QB coach). The OL coach is Pat Rule, who won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and a natty with USC. The DB coach is Darqueze Dennard, who is a former 1st round pick from the Bengals and Jim Thorpe award winner. The DC is my former DC from a few years ago, so he's who approached me about coming on.

So I'm excited. Solid staff, a program who's only trajectory is up, and not having the HC stress so I can focus on some other things (again, more on that later).

 

[TCUDan]

Hey Dan, While I like Rizzi as a motivator I do have some concerns that he has only been a ST coordinator in the NFL. He's never been a OC or DC or even a position coach in the NFL or at a major college. He was HC at New Haven and Rhode Island. Do you think it could be a big learning curve for him to be a HC at the NFL level?

I'm not too worried. Being a coordinator is really kind of divorced from the actual job of HC. You see offensive and defensive coordinators become HC's more often because their play-calling/system is putting them on the map, garnering name recognition. But calling plays is really at the bottom fo the HC success pyramid.

So the ST coordinator stuff doesn't bother me at all. There are non-play-calling HC's all over the place at both the NFL and college level. If he's coaching in the NFL, he understands football. In short, he didn't cut his teeth coaching kickers.

Don't get me wrong--I'm a play-calling HC and I have massive appreciation for the Andy Reids and Sean Paytons and Mike McDaniels out there. But if Rizzi has solid coordinators and a solid staff, and he leads the right way and messages, broadly emphasizes attention to detail (not being a coordinator often helps with this), he can get the job done. It's all about fostering buy-in and being a strong decision maker.

His play-calling chops aren't what's going to win games late. It's gonna be his instincts and resolve when it comes to making critical decisions--and whether or not the players are bought in enough to make him right when those times come.

 

[Belfast Saint]

LB coach for the Prague Lions, the local professional team.

Back in Prague for you then, nice For a peripatetic like you it must feel a lot like a second home.

 

[TCUDan]

Thank You for your point of view Dan!

What do you think of the Saints Receiver options? What do you see in our Tight Ends? If you could add an archetypal TE or WR (Body type/skillset)… what would you add?

I'm both surprised and pleased with the WR production with pretty much a new roster of WRs. If you'd have told me a few weeks ago that Derrick Carr would have 2 of his most productive games passing without Olave, Shaheed, Bub Means, Tipton... I'd have been skeptical. So massive credit to the scouting department in finding and bringing in the new WR corps and the coaches for knowing how to use them--particularly Valdes-Scantling. What a massively pleasant surprise.

TE-wise, the Saints are getting a lot more production from Moreau and Johnson as of late, and I think a lot of that has to do with Trevor Penning turning the corner and needing less help on the edge (and Erik McCoy returning also doesn't hurt). Taysom Hill was also more involved this past week, which is a long time coming (I suspect this was more gameplan-driven, but deemphasizing the kind of the in-line blocking and traditional fullback role is gonna be better for preserving his health).

In terms of body types--that can be a bit loaded because I like different body types for different roles. If you're talking about just well-rounded TE and WR--I mean, I'm gonna look at guys like Calvin Johnson and Rob Gronkowski . You get guys with that size and athelticism combo and you have an unstoppable weapon.

But more generally--and staying away from "genetic freaks" (though you have to be a genetic freak to be in the NFL, so maybe "outliers" is a better word)--at WR you want length and strength but generally not overly bulked guys b/c they tend to be heavy striders. So in that 6'2-6'4 range, usually 205-215 on the possession side and a little slimmer on the speed side. Guys with body control and quick eyes/late hands to react, and a lot of physical awareness to know how to use their body and be aggressive on contested catches. That size range usually lends itself to deep speed as well.

TE - you want a guy in the 6'4 - 6'6 range, 250+, well proportioned and with a basketball background (I'm looking for power forwards). A little bit unstable in the head doesn't hurt if it's channeled correctly. That height gives you a guy who can work the seams and the weight--enough bulk to kick out a DE or arc release and go toe-to-toe with a LB. Long-strider speed and spatial awareness to work the seams and length/jump timing (basketball background--talking rebound ability) to be able to catch high throws over LBs and safeties.

Again this is very general, while still specific to the NFL. I'm talking about perimeter receivers and in-line TEs. With WR's moving into the slot you can get a little on the shorter side (5'9 - 5'11). That 5'11 - 6'1 tends to be guys who can swing inside and out (and not be considered more of power slot like Colston or MT).

TEs - if you're talking that F role (H-back) then they can be a little on the shorter side. 6'2/6'3. Guys you can motion around, use in the backfield, etc.

 

[TCUDan]

Back in Prague for you then, nice For a peripatetic like you it must feel a lot like a second home.

Oh yeah it's been my home base for a few years now, J. Last year I had to sublet my apartment while I was in Norway and that alone was enough to make me wanna quit . But my permanent residency just got approved (went in for my biometrics last week and will get my card next week) so the Lions purging their entire staff was pretty convenient...

(for me anyway).

 

[TCUDan]

I don't mind Taysom going deep. But as a quarterback he should have known not to throw it in double coverage. As far as the defense is concerned that front line is not winning one-on-one battle. I don't know if it's coaching or individual effort but we need to improve in that area.

It was a designed shot play. He'd just flipped field position with the big return and going with the shot made sense. The "don't throw into double coverage" thing kind of ignores the situation and intent behind the play. There are absolutely instances where you say "let's take a shot" and you don't want your QB to hesitate or second-guess. Put the ball out there and trust your WR to make a play.

Taysom's issue has been consistent and it has to do with "putting the ball out there." His arm strength is fine, but for whatever reason his timing and placement on deep balls is really lacking. This has been an issue since day 1. I'm sure there's a lowlight reel somewhere of Taysom throwing deep balls, and even on the ones that have been caught they're usually floaters and underthrown.

I get the idea behind it. Trying to catch the defense off guard. But again--the great thing about Taysom is that his skillset and versatility stress the defense in a way that opens up opportunities for low-risk explosive plays. Pretty much the only way you can make play high-risk with him is to have throw a deep ball. They'd have been better off having him pitch it to Derrick Carr on a reverse -- an obvious pass play and unnecessary window dressing, but still lower-risk than having Hill push the ball down the field.