 You know he kind of mentioned something about two weeks ago he said hey we're going to expand on this role kind of in passing and it's like okay and and then maybe about a week ago he said I want you to take over and and run the team for this football game and and I was excited obviously I mean just to be in front of the group and and take control of everything I think it's a big honor and I think Mike Vrable deserves a lot of credit all right he deserves a lot of credit not just for doing this for me but I think around the league hopefully more coaches will give assistant coaches opportunities to do this because there's no like you got all these different programs but there's nothing more better than actually getting the experience and then I think he deserves a lot of credit for doing that we're gonna have a meeting a little bit later and discuss all of that but you know we're gonna play the guys that we need to see and it'll be exciting absolutely I mean if I didn't then when he asked me to do this I would have said heck no so I mean I'd love to be a head coach I I think you have I've been in this league a while I've been coaching football for a while and you have a lot of some head coaches that are play callers but I believe that just because you're a play caller doesn't mean that you can run a football team and there's so much more to getting these guys to play you know when you when you're a head football coach you got to be able to reach both sides of the football and connect with players like the way the world is and the way I've always believed that it is you can't you can't be a head football coach in this league without being able to connect with the football players you can call shot plays and run plays and blitzes and all those different things but at the end of the day this game is still about people and no matter how good of a play caller you are if you can't get that offensive line in the blocker you can't get that defensive line in the turn and run to the football then what are we really doing so that's just my thought on on what I think a head football coach is and I've been fortunate enough to work for a great one here that's innovative that's thoughtful that's able to connect with players and then Joe Tiller at Purdue Bill Hayes at North Carolina A&T I've been fortunate enough to work Dennis Allen New Orleans Saints Dan Campbell I've worked for a lot of good hit football coaches and all of those guys have that ability to connect with players curious about in this I mean there Mike was telling us you know the punt card and stuff that he had no idea about the first time he did it yeah one that there's something that you're kind of most curious about yeah I'm better prepared than him because he told me everything he had to go through so it's it's you know the thing I'm probably most curious about is just going up and down the sidelines because during the games I'm focused on the defensive line and the defense usually I don't have much time to look at what's going on on offense I'm just focused on on our guys and now that's Clint's job to Clint McMillan's job to focus on the defensive line my job is to focus on the the football team and handle all the situations and talk to stretch and communicate with him and Timmy and Shane and and those guys who eventually I believe will be had football coach we got a lot of great football coaches on this staff and so I'm really just gonna lean on them just like Mike does during this football game for opportunities like throwing a challenge flag like making a fourth well hopefully the refs will make good calls and we don't have to throw a challenge flag so you know what I'm honestly I'm just I think in coaching you you you just be who you are and I'm gonna coach like my personality is I'm gonna you know when the situations come up we'll be ready for it and and if I'm not then we'll just ask questions like again we got great football coaches and you know you talk about reality shows I tell you a great one would be if you can do one that if you can hear what's going on on those dang headsets it's it's real interesting there there so Jeff all those guys hey okay he's acting different now he's the head coach and you know what it's been fun I mean we we spend so much time around each other that we care about each other so I think most of those guys were were happy for me to have this opportunity but what this opportunity also is is it gives Clint an opportunity to coach the defensive line I think the thing that's not talked about a lot since this was announced is Matt Matt Greg is also taken over for for Todd with the training room so I'll have a meet with Matt tomorrow and we'll kind of go over the injuries and do all of that so this organization Mike is the one that made a decision but obviously he had to cover it with ownership so I think this this team deserves deserves a lot of credit for what they're trying to do here previously so I was sitting in my office in a dark burning a candle like I normally do and and he came over shut the door and said hey I want to do this I want to make you an assistant head coach nothing's really going to change because of what you do already you know I don't a title for me doesn't doesn't change who I am or what I do with this football team I care about the football team anybody that knows me know that I love these football players like I love them and care about them and you know we're able to I'm able to reach both sides of the football and talk to those guys and communicate with them and I mean that that's really what this business is it's it's hard like it's really hard and it's long we take up a lot of we spend a lot of time together guys get banged up so I said this before you got to be able to connect with these guys or when times get tough they're not going to follow you so Mike saw that and I believe that he's a successful head coach because he also has that ability I don't I mean obviously the offensive linemen because we go against each other all the time I remember when I first got here in 2018 I showed Taylor Luan the write-up that I had on him from the Miami Dolphins what his strengths were what his weaknesses were here's what you need to work on and those guys will come in and ask questions and then I mean Ryan Tannehill I've been with Ryan Tannehill longer than any player or coach in my career I've been where I was with him when he was a white receiver at Texas A&M I was with him with the Miami Dolphins and then here in Tennessee so that's an easy relationship to have but I think it's got to come organically like you don't just go out and try to develop a relationship with a guy you just if you care you care and I think that these players know and understand that part like so so we're gonna have a staff meeting as soon as we get done here and kind of go over playtime and all of that we really haven't decided I mean when you we just finished practice so we got to come and look at the injuries and do all of that and then we'll decide more on the play time so I mean all those guys have done a good job this camp and I've watched them closely just like I watched the offensive line when you're watching your guys on tape you're obviously going against an opponent so you're able to see those guys so we'll sit down and talk about that more tonight and then a little bit more tomorrow morning and just kind of see where we are before we get on this plane yeah it's more this what raves is doing here is more than a game day all right and and I mean like I'm taking over really five o'clock today it will be my first meeting with the the football team and then that'll carry on into tomorrow and I already met with the officials and so there there have been some examples of coaches that have given play callers okay you can call this half or you can call this game or hey you're the head coach for when we get to the field but this is completely different all right and I don't know of any teams that are doing what we're doing here right now where you're taking over you're meeting with the media you're doing all of these different things and that's why I said Mike Vrable deserves a lot of credit and the thing you guys don't know like you see him and he comes up here and I know how grapes can be trust me I know how he can be but what what you don't see is what he's able to do for us as coaches and for our families like he's a lot of guys have been promoted a lot of guys have gotten jobs from here this guy I'll do anything for Mike Vrable before assistant head coach and before being put in this position because there and there's really one reason and I know that this guy cares about my family all right and trust me for a guy like me that that means a whole hell of a lot so I honestly I'm not really I mean there been I probably had 200 text messages from different people when it's when it was first announced but I'm so locked in on trying to get Jeff Simmons not to jump off sides like that's really what my job has been up until this point and now I'm focused more on the football team I'll I'll I'll talk to some more guys and and I said this before I think we have guys on this staff that I hope in the future get the same opportunity I mean Shane and Timmy and and and Ryan Crowe and Booker and and all the guys on offense Rob Moore like I hope they all get get the same opportunity I think this is you have all these different programs I came up through the minority coaching internship deal I by 1999 Jacksonville Jaguars did one with the Chicago or not Chicago Bears the the the Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys and so I was a product of of that but I'm not sitting here today because of because of that I'm sitting here because of how hard I've worked and and and my value to the team no I don't think I mean I I've been through a lot in my life it takes a lot to overwhelm me you just roll with the punches like I Braves has kind of gone over what game day is going to be like he's gone over everything that I need to be prepared for I'm sure there's some things that's going to come up but that's what being a position coach that's what's being a coordinator that's what being a head coach is about it's just as these things come up you figure it out and and that's why you have good coaches around you because you can't do everything you we will figure it out and I'm just excited about the opportunity I definitely don't have butterflies like trust me because I'll be just fine like I'm not I'm excited for the football team and I don't I'm sitting here now and hopefully after this it's not really about me it's about the guys that are playing in this football game there's guys that are fighting for jobs and and that's really what this thing's about and and those are the guys that I'm I have if I have any butterflies trust me it's not for me it's for I want to see how Tajé Spears and some of these guys that haven't played will levis and some of these guys that haven't played in a pro football game you know I'm more concerned about them I'll I'll be fine like I've I've been in quite a few pro football games not as a head football coach but I still have been there so well I'll be just fine thinking is this a mic to do this and and how much is this show that he kind of has his pulse on this organization I think that again he deserves credit because he's very very very thoughtful and he had this in mind months ago and and he told me he said you know you can't get experience being a coordinator without being a coordinator you can't get experience without being a or being a head coach without being a head coach so here you go you're gonna be the head football coach for 48 hours every you're doing everything the way that you want to do it and that's what we're gonna do so I think it's it's I I believe and I hope that more teams will follow suit and do this just to give give guys experience no not really I mean we we the the reason that raves and I get along so well and we get along very well is because we see football the same like there's not I don't believe that we should throw it a hundred times or blitz every snack like we see football exactly the same and so that's why it's easy to have conversations with each other about hey what do you think here what do you what do you think there what this guy should be doing that it's trust me we'll we'll we'll be just fine from position coach to coordinator head coach do you feel like line coaches are overlooked for the coordinator positions for that coaching sessions I don't I don't think so I mean here's what I do believe is people hire people that they feel comfortable with in those positions and then there's some guys I've known coat line coaches that just didn't want to be a coordinator or head coach they love their position so and and you have to like those positions are are they're just different you know it's probably different than coaching stony and punters or whatever so it's it's a little bit different so as far as being overlooked I mean I think there's more and more guys now around the league that are line coaches that are having opportunities to to be coordinators and possibly become head coaches my gut tells me that we're gonna have a staff meeting after this and we'll we'll talk about what we're gonna do to going forward after the game on Saturday well like I said about Braves and I see football the same I think everybody's happy and excited and they're think they think oh it's just gonna be a whole bunch of fun well wait till I walk in that meeting at five o'clock so we'll do what we got to do to win all right guys yeah I think the most important thing is that they continue to improve on some of the things that we've seen here the last couple practices that they start you know and continue to work as a unit you know helping each other and protection you know making sure that we're building a pocket inside of that they're trying to see the things that have shown up here lately in practice you know trying to stay inside out on guys just the fundamentals you know the things that we preach taking the next step and in live action and how we finish you know what our conditioning level is and you know there'll be a lot of good things to be able to see well far more valuable I mean with being able to first of all that the contact and you know it's live now you know we do we try to do a great job of of rushing and our guys have worked well together to go and work and stay away from the quarterback well you know the Bears won't be staying away from the quarterback you know they'll be trying to you know they're gonna have to get hit they're gonna have to get knocked down they're gonna have to be able to you know to operate in and out of the huddle of the efficiency you know get us in a proper play make you know great decisions accuracy with with a live pass rush you know the timing you know all those things that we talked about last year with Malik that has improved right through our team periods those have to continue to improve for him and then you know Will's first exposure to the NFL well the games are obviously the most important but there is plenty of exposure the way we practice I think we practice with purpose with intent with intensity and so we'll weigh those factors you know but I think the guys that can carry over you know what we've done here in practice and and they're conditioning level and how they're able to process information quickly and the situations change in and you know being able to get back to center from positive plays or negative plays we'll see I mean I think you know Nick's a specific situation so you know we'll see you know he'll play I would imagine but you know evaluating some other guys and he has to work he has to get better it's no different than any other center we put the next guy in there see how they do my message is going to be on today and how we practice today and we'll see what with T's messages to the team here tomorrow sure man I'm gonna be there and making sure that the things that we need to do get done and obviously overseeing that and just just making sure that I'm where I need to be and I don't think that'll be too hard I think it'll be good to see how we operate with some of the new faces there and see how the communication is with maybe Chris and a secondary you know Charles and Timmy you know working that process and some of the people that we have upstairs and you know that'll be real positive for me to be able to focus on those things and making sure that overall we're playing the way that we set out to here when we started training camp you know I don't my intention is to allow it's real to operate and function as the head coach now there's gonna be things I would imagine that at some point in time you know we need to have our field goal kickers kick field goals you know and then we need that so I'll I'll have to you know if if that comes up I'll have to or need to remind them of that I will I don't know you know Bill Bryant did a fantastic job helping me with the things outside of maybe the game day operations I was always tried to be into the game but had a job to do that was different than the head coach exposed me to things the trainers and the personnel and all the things that you deal with outside of just X's and O's and dealing with the team so that that was a great advantage but you know I don't know I don't know and you know but just well I'm excited just to see T operate Jimmy I can only coach one team at a time I'm focused on the Titans not not what the Bears do for them in evaluations yeah whoever's across from them they're gonna try to block them or try to you know get past them I now we'll weigh everything as it goes to be you know they'll be they'll have 11 we'll have 11 well whether whether I'm you know working the game with the film we'll have the film will look the same way so I don't think so Tim call from sideline or from the box Tim will be on the sideline Tim will be on the sidelines on Saturday at noon that's all I can tell you after that then we'll see where it goes the red zone period there in team drills is it concerning or you just use it as a building block I mean I don't know if concerning is the best word it's I mean it's definitely a building block that no doubt at the end of the day that's why we have this practice I mean it's not gonna be perfect and there's gonna be some days where the defense gets after us and thank God we have a great defense that we have because they're getting us just ready and it's awesome to go against a defense like this because they're not gonna make it easy on us it's not gonna be just easy plays out there for us so we got to dig deep and work hard and get those plays and I think it's just something to help build us and then it's just you know iron sharpen and iron I mean we got great players out there they get paid a lot of money to and and for them to get after us you know we just got to come back the next day and get back after it not sure if there's a time period I think it just comes down to reps and I couldn't tell you how many reps it's gonna take I mean at the end of the day it's different every year and just the more reps you can get the better and and it comes down to everybody in the room being able to understand so we go back and watch film you know everybody talking getting on the same page because say somebody goes down out there and we need another piece to fill in he needs to fill in right where we're at we can't just start over and you know start gelling again so it's a just multiple reps getting with each other and then every once in a while we'll have a guy down one day and then be able to get a new guy in there and then just being able to help him you know communicate the same and then everybody understanding like what we're saying so that way when we go out there and play everybody's on the same page and it's just gonna help us mess together game reps are huge because I mean at the like going against our defense every day it's awesome but it also you know you get you kind of get used to the same things they know our tendency tendencies and then they know like our calls so that you know they're a step ahead and then it's kind of a game within a game so it kind of it's it's nice to get out against a different team because they're gonna present different problems you know they're gonna run their games a little differently when they run their pass rush they're gonna run their twist differently they're gonna give different things away and so you're gonna be have to be able to understand that and see how those guys operate so game reps are always huge because it's a different type of player I mean it's been awesome it's it's great to go against our defense line we got several different types of rushers and then they're they're hitting a lot of different moves so you're getting the best of every world you're not just getting finesse guys you're not just getting power guys our guys work a lot of different moves and so it's nice to be able to go against players like that and then we have some very high caliber players to go against so I mean it just continually like iron sharpen and iron just getting better starters don't play at all in the preseason especially like in a preseason opener but with so many new faces on this offensive line you feel like it will be beneficial for you guys to get just get some work together on the field Saturday I'd say reps in general are always beneficial so I mean that's not my call to make that's the head coach's job but I will say no matter what getting reps is going to be beneficial whatever guys out there and at the end of the day it's a long season so whoever is out there there's going to be a lot of players that are going to be whether it's on the front end of the season or the back end of the season that are going to be playing this year so it's going to be beneficial for any guy that's out there during the offseason you guys looking at potential matchups and schemes that you'll face over the course of the whole 17 games that you see how how much do you plug back into that or is that the starting point for you when you come up to week one week two week three and how much of a sense do you start the season with about like what's ahead of you big picture even as you focus you know game by game so you're talking about like preseason like the matchups that we have using that when you get to a regular season knowing kind of how much of a sense do you have of the slate that's ahead of you from from what you do in the offseason I mean we don't try to focus too much on like week one week two I mean you're trying to focus on the day at hand so we're just right now out there focusing getting better meshing as a group and getting our communication down right now and just kind of playing ball when we were you studying you know week five I'm gonna see this guy and I need to work on this things like that I'm not necessarily it's kind of you got to you got to focus on the day at hand because at the end of the day that's in the future and then if I'm woke focus on week five when week one comes how does week five help me so it's gonna be at the end of the day we got to win day by day and so right now it's kind of winning training camp being able to focus on what what do you need to get better at and what techniques do you need to work on and then at the end of the day we all know this is a newer offensive line and how can we mesh together when we get to week five we'll focus on week five but right now it's focusing on the day at hand and then right now we got Chicago coming up at a preseason game and that's gonna be a huge game and part of the reason I asked that question about whether you meant the preseason games is Chicago's head coach comes from Indianapolis which we all know who we're gonna face so right now at this week we have a very good opportunity to go against the defense that's gonna be very similar to a defense that we'll face later on in this season so focus in on today and how we're gonna face these guys will be beneficial going forward so that's part of it I think the most rather than trying to look at the rushers that you have in the future focusing on how you can win the day is gonna just help you for the future so when you go against somebody today whether I go against a guy in camp or somebody and they happen we get to that week and there's a rusher similar to them I can think back okay what moves that I use against this guy to help me face now every is a little different there's gonna be something different but what we do right here and now is gonna be more important than trying to focus on something that's in the future I mean Chris is an experienced player he's a great player and it's awesome to be next to him he's got some insight you know that's a little different he's been in a few different places so he kind of teaches me some technique things different and then you know I kind of tell him what what I'm doing and it's just kind of a nice little mess trying to figure out okay how are you gonna take this approach this double team when we have this look and then how are you gonna approach this set when we have pass bro and just trying to get on the same page because the best we can be when we're going into a double team of fitting it so we're fitting exactly right so we're not stepping on each other hurting each other getting to the play versus like the same in pass bro like if he sets vertical and I set flat now we're on different levels so it's gonna be a big pain that we have to pass off games or if somebody's in trouble being able to help so being on that same page of how are you gonna set this look and like what types of set do you like in this situation what sets are you gonna take so the more that we can be on the same page and and kind of in unison the better it will be yeah I feel like you know especially the younger guys kind of getting a chance to be in an NFL stadium it's pretty special you know I know I am I want to go out there and hit someone else we haven't tackled to the ground really so I'm looking forward to that when you play whether it's this week or whenever you expect to play twice as much because you have two jobs I'm not quite sure I think you know we have guys I feel like the coaches kind of will rotate however they see fit I think in practice I mean in practice I've been getting both reps at nickel and safety and I haven't necessarily gotten twice as many reps I've been getting a lot of reps but not twice as many so yeah I am I feel like anytime like the transition from practice to to an actual game and the I feel like I'm I'm always a little more instinctual and I can kind of play more free just because you know I'm not it's kind of too late to worry about messing up it's like you got to perform right now so yeah I'm looking forward to kind of doing that at a new position and seeing how things go wins the day like it appears to the naked eyes you guys have done for several days out here in camp yeah how much stock do you do you guys as players and as a defense how much can you put into that yeah I mean we just try to stack those days you know I mean and it's not going to be every day but and we've had we've had kind of days where even though we I guess from the outside looking at it looked like we won or it looked like it was competitive we've had those days where it wasn't quite up to our standard you know what I mean whether that's our energy levels weren't as high or this or that but we definitely want to stack days like today I think it gives everyone confidence yeah yeah I want to play for sure because I didn't really get how much to run last year I didn't play you know I didn't do any I didn't really do any OTA's training camp you know I kind of had two games here and there kind of whatever piecing it together so I definitely want to get out there and start banking my reps so come season I can feel confident learning safety does it feel like you're still in the learning phase of figuring out how to do it or is it more just you're getting experiences and knocking the reps together a little bit of both you know there's now it's to the point where I'm learning like the little nuances and the little details that you know I'm not it's not just the basic anymore it's kind of like level 300 now and I'm just trying to like I feel like I know I know the coverages I know kind of the details and I just have to go trust it and play like I know how to play