Brian Schottenheimer in action during minicamps
Following is the transcript of Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's informal interview with beatwriters following Wednesday's afternoon training camp practice. A transcript of defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's informal interview will be posted early Thursday morning.
BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER
I have the night out off, I think, I hope, so I am going to try to take advantage of it.
On which running back is making the most impact …
When you have guys that have to miss any practice time, you find out about other players. I think we all know about Leon and this should hopefully give us an opportunity to find out about the other guys we have behind him. Alvin Banks and Danny Ware are two young guys we have some feelings for and should get a good opportunity to go out under the bright lights and see what they can do.
On how close he was to pursuing the Dolphins head-coaching position ...
As I look back on it, I was happy here, I'm happy here. The opportunity that Mike [Tannenbaum] and Eric [Mangini] and Mr. [Woody] Johnson afforded me was something I was not comfortable with leaving. We have a lot of work left here and I look forward to attacking that work we have to do here and improving on what we did last season.
On if the consideration was flattering, being such a young coach …
Absolutely. I think if anything, it speaks to what we collectively as a whole team did. It was definitely flattering, but at the same time I have always been somebody who feels like when you start something and you haven't achieved truly what your goals are, you have to roll up your sleeves and get back to work. And that is kind of how I approached it.
On how far along the process went …
We spoke only on a few occasions and we definitely had some dialogue. But for the most part that's all it was, just dialogue.
On whether he had an "epiphany" when he knew he would stay with the Jets ...
Like I said, I'm very happy here. I think my working relationship with Eric is very important to me. You guys know I came from working with my father [former Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer], something I was very comfortable with. I always believe that's what it comes down to. It's the people you work for and the people you work with. My relationship with Eric had a lot to do with my decision about being excited to be here. We have a lot of work with.
On whether he sought counsel from Coach Mangini …
Eric was great. Eric said, "I'm here for you. Whatever you need, I'm here for you." But it never got to that point.
On whether the productivity in the run game affected his play-calling last season …
The running game is something we want to address. The No. 1 thing was bringing in Thomas [Jones] and just trying to get a feel for the second year in the system and the things we can do. But that definitely has been a commitment for us and it is something we talked about from day one. There will definitely be a commitment — not just to the running game but throughout camp — working on the things we need to get better at.
On if there will be times Chad Pennington will call plays …
I have great confidence in Chad. There are different reasons and different things that happen that allow him to call plays. Chad has saved me on a number of occasions where I've called a play and he sees an issue and gets us out of it. It is actually quite good to watch a quarterback, especially in practice, call his own plays because I believe a quarterback won't call a play that he doesn't like and he doesn't know inside and out. It is good to do that also to find out where he's at, what level is he?
We try and pride ourselves on having an offense that we term upper advance, 300 college level offense, and it takes a smart quarterback to run. It is good to see Chad operate in that and he does a really good job, whether it's a two-minute situation and the communication might break down, he has always done a good job of calling a play he thinks is best. I have no problem and I honestly have great confidence if that happens.
On Clemens' pace Friday against the Falcons …
We talk about playing fast all the time. We try to create a tempo that attacks a defense, puts them on edge a little bit. That is one of the reasons the no-huddle stuff we do and things like that can create problems. He did a nice job of getting the information, getting it shared to the players and just keeping the aggressive nature of what we wanted to do. I think it showed because he got ahead of the playclock and if there were some things that came up, he was able to adjust some things and get us into a better play. That shows maturity. That shows a guy that is growing as a signalcaller.
On if teams can catch up to an offense after a season …
I think that is why we go back and self-scout. We go back and look at ourselves and look at what we've done and look at how we've used people and maybe how we've started different formations. Then we go out and look at other teams. We take that information and try to come up with some wrinkles and try to keep them off-balance. People know we shift, people know we motion. But again going back to the last statement, the faster we do it, the better tempo that we do it will make it be successful again this year, I hope.
On if the Dolphins, now under Cam Cameron, will run a similar offense…
I have all the respect in the world for Cam. He is a very good football coach. I'm sure he'll do a great job.
On the emergence of Chansi Stuckey …
I think any time you get a young receiver, a young player, you are anxious to see what he can do. "Stuck" has really taken advantage of the opportunities we have given him. He is very smart and that is one of the first things you notice about him. It's going back to we like players who have experience playing quarterback. He is very smart, he is very bright, and he understands conceptually what we're trying to do. That along with his quickness makes him pretty tough to compete with.
On whether he wants to get the tight end more involved …
Chris [Baker] is really a good player. I don't think Chris gets enough credit for how complete of a player he is. I think people see him all the time as a blocker and he's very good at the point of attack, but we've always felt Chris has good receiving skills. He has very strong hands, he has pretty good quickness, and that catch alone [at the end of the Cleveland game when Baker was ruled out of bounds] shows you the ability to track a ball in flight.
I go back to the playoff game in New England where he had four or five big catches in the second half for us. We hit him on a shallow route, we got him running up a seam one time. We want to use all the players, but Chris is definitely a guy in the mix of the progression and we are going to try to find a way to get him the ball.
On young linemen being part of the reason for Baker's catch total last year …
It all depended on the week. That wouldn't be an absolute. We did some things with him and the other tight ends and the backs to help control the edge a little bit versus good speed rushers. We want to get Chris out. We do a good job, I believe, of trying to mix it, getting five guys out and getting two guys out. Chris can do some things for us in the passing game and when he's open, he should get the ball.
On if Pennington was bugging him to throw the ball last week …
The funny thing was I saw his block on the reverse and we really have to work on his blocking. But he looked pretty good on it, so maybe we'll move him to fullback.
On the changing dynamic with the addition of QB coach Brian Daboll …
That is kind of the norm. It was something when Eric and I visited about and it really is good for me in a lot of ways. It frees me up to be involved in some other rooms, it frees me up to get maybe a little more film watched than you normally get. Plus when you are getting a guy like Brian, who has been around good systems and good players, and when you bring in a guy like that with good ideas and a strong work ethic, it gives the quarterbacks another relationship. When they are mad at me, they have somebody else they can go to. And I'm not saying that trying to be funny — I mean that. They need a sounding board just like when I've been places as a quarterbacks coach. They need a sounding board and Brian has done a terrific job up to this point. He has really helped me get involved in other spots.
On if he started scribbling plays on cocktail napkins after the acquisition of Thomas Jones …
You are always doing that, but Thomas is definitely a guy we're excited to have. And what you hope with that is it gives the opponent just somebody else they have to worry about. I am very pleased with what he's done and how he's picked up the system to this point, and almost more importantly to me than that is the way he has developed a relationship with the other players. We have a lot of guys back on offense and he's really one of a few new guys.
On whether Jones fits in …
Good players always fit in and he definitely expands it. We are always looking for new wrinkles and new concepts. When you have good players who are true professionals and they work hard, you have to hope to not screw them up as coach.
