Q. You've had a chance to work with the rookies a little bit more so far than the veterans. Your initial impressions of Jalen Reagor: What does he well; what he needs to work on.
AARON MOOREHEAD: He's doing really well. We're learning the playbook now over the course of the last couple months and getting a chance to run through it the last few weeks. It's been really good. He's a powerful guy. He's fast. He's got good hands, and we're doing stuff on air. This is what it's supposed to look like. To kind of say what things he's worked on -- he hasn't gone against the defense yet but he's doing a really good job of picking up the offense, learning, and so far, so good with Jalen.
Q. You spent the last seven years coaching in college, but you've got five years playing in this league. How helpful is that as far as getting these guys to listen to you? You're taking over a unit that really struggled last year mainly because of injuries, but I'm sure there's an expectation to get a lot more production this year?
AARON MOOREHEAD: Yeah, of course. Expectation isn't really going to change. You know, I think that we have an expectation to be one of the top groups in the league and that's what we expect. You know, this group is coming out with a little bit of a chip on its shoulder I think because of last year and that's a good thing.
Walking in the room with NFL experience as a player, you're going to get the respect obviously when you walk in the room and it's your job as a coach to demand and teach and that's what I've always believed in. So the philosophy doesn't change anyway, but it's been good so far. The group's been great. We're enjoying what we're doing and at the same time just excited to get going with practice, get the defense and see what the next step is.
So far, so good. So far the group itself has had a great cohesiveness and I think everybody's really just working and trying to get better every day.
Q. When you say this group has a chip on their shoulder, how do you see that? How does that manifest itself and how can that work to their benefit?
AARON MOOREHEAD: I think your everyday approach as an NFL player shouldn't change but at the end of the day, a little added extra motivation, I think this day and age, social media, you can't -- I think you can try to ignore it, but people hear what they say. You know, I think guys understand that we do have something to prove and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. I enjoy the challenge and enjoy coaching a group that I think had something to prove. I think that's good.
I've coached groups that people believe they were the best where we were and I've coached groups that people were disrespected and I felt like they weren't very good. It's not anything new to me. I think we have a really good group. I know we have a really good group. It's just up to us to stay healthy and prove it week-in and week-out and so far they have taken the approach that it's workmanlike and ready to go out there and prove every day why we should be one of the top groups in the NFL.
Q. Last year J.J. learned mostly the X position during training camp and branched out once the season progressed. Do you see that happening with Jalen this year, and if so, what spot would he learn, if he could play opposite DeSean, do you think he's capable of doing something like that with his skill set?
AARON MOOREHEAD: Right now we're teaching concepts. Positionally we're moving guys around just trying it make sure that guys understand the full plays and not just "a" spot. I think when you learn a spot, you tend to pigeonhole yourself and get yourself in trouble.
So we're teaching concepts. We're understanding what's going on from all the spots, and as we start practicing, as we start putting these things together, we'll let the chips fall where they may as far as who is going to be the starters and who is going to be the backups, but it's too early to tell all that.
Right now, J.J. is doing a great job. His experience last years of having to move around a little bit of injury has been great for him and then Jalen is doing a great job, as well.
You know, it's good competition for camp. That's what camp is all about. It's about competing every day, and trying to earn your spot on the team and trying to make sure at the end of the day that we put the best 11 guys out there to play football when we are playing Washington.
Q. In talking to some people around Jalen Reagor, they talk about their first impressions. On the field, it was his ability to run routes. Off the field, it was kind of the way that he carried himself as the son of a former NFL player. What were your first impressions of him if both of those areas?
AARON MOOREHEAD: Well, on the field, you see his explosion. You see his speed. You see his hands and you see his workmanlike ability. He really does have a really good sense of a work ethic. You know, off the field, it's hard for me. I've known Jalen since he was a little kid. Me and his dad played together when we were in Indianapolis. Recruited him out of high school back when I was at Texas A&M, so I have a different relationship with Jalen, which is a good thing, but I've always liked Jalen. Jalen, he's a humble kid that understands it, but also has that swag of a big-time receiver.
So really just have enjoyed being around him and continue to mentor and grow him as a young adult. He's 21 years old. He's just figuring this thing out. So excited for what he's done so far and continue, kind of excited to see him grow throughout this year and like I said, for the last few days, last few weeks, he's really starting to put things together, which is a good thing and it's only going to keep getting better.
Q. Just curious, in your playing days, obviously you're a long, lengthy guy, about 6-3. As a teacher, how does that help you with someone like J.J., a similar frame? And also, the guys like DeSean who aren't that type of body frame. Is it positive? Negative?
AARON MOOREHEAD: Well, I'm 6'3 1/2 -- make sure I'm a little taller, don't short me there -- no, I think it's good. You've got the ability. It's obviously more natural for me as a coach because I've played to coach the Alshons and the J.J.s because I understand every move that they are making and I understand where their body is going. I get that. So those guys are easy.
I've had to teach myself to coach guys like DeSean over the years because it's not as natural to me. He does things so naturally that I would never physically be able to do. As you go through and you grow up as a coach, you tend to kind of understand what those guys problems are, and try to create the ability to help them overcome those issues, right.
Same thing with the big guys. You try to help them overcome their issues. My big thing as a coach, I always say, bring your bottom up, what's your bottom, whether it's routes, whether it's blocking, this, this, this, bring your bottom up, because your top is always going to keep getting better. That's what you're good at. You bring your bottom up, that's how guys become really good players and that's how guys come from great players to elite players.
Again, I've continued to kind of look at things that I think guys can improve on over the course of a practice, over the course of a week and just continue to harp on the good and continue to praise them when they are bringing their bottom up because that's what the season is about. The season is about continuing to grow throughout the season and making sure at the end of the season you're a better player than you were at the beginning of a season.
To answer your question, I think that all these guys have things to work on, but it is easier with a guy like J.J. I did it, like I see it. So we had a lot of conversations this off-season through our virtual meetings and things like that of just trying to help clean up some things from a technical standpoint that I think will help him this season.
Q. You're the Eagles fifth receiver coach in five years. Have you found that your methodology is much different or different this anyway than the Eagles previous coaches and what does that kind of turnover meant for some of the guys as an adjustment period?
AARON MOOREHEAD: Well, I can't speak on anybody else. I don't know those other coaches' style. Greg Lewis was my roommate in college, so I know him very well. We lived together for a while and that's one of my really good friends, so I know his situation a little bit more than the other guys.
But my style is my style. I'm not going to conform my style to, well, this is what this guy needs or that's what that guy did. I know how I coach and I know how to get through to people. I know how to motivate people. I know how to -- kind of like what I was saying. I try to bring the best out of guys, bring their bottom up, and that's truly what I'm about, and enjoying every day. Being here has been great.
It's been a tough transition to be completely honest with having the COVID crisis; and not being in the building and not being around these coaches and not being around these players, it's been tough. But you know what, we adjust and we adapt. That's what we do as coaches and that's what we do as players. I've really enjoyed the time we have spent together the last couple weeks in person and getting to know these guys here in person and not just through a phone call or a FaceTime and things like that. I really think that the guys have taken to it.
Surely a guy like Greg Ward or Alshon who have been here as long as they have, to have the different receiver coaches every year isn't easy, but you know what, it's my job to make their transition seamless and say, look, I can help you here, I can help you there and this is what's going to make you be a better player and that's my job as a coach. That's what I try to do for them. I've really enjoyed the guys so far and really truly have -- through two weeks, have had a great experience and now it's time to take this thing and ramp it up into high gear as we actually start practicing.
Q. Speaking of Greg Ward, what have you noticed on his film, especially the last four or five games when he became pretty much the go-to receiver for Carson and how he can carry that into the season.
AARON MOOREHEAD: Well, I think first and foremost, when you do what Greg did at the end of the year, your confidence goes up, right. A guy that's been on practice squad. You're on practice skewed, you're up, you're down, you're always thinking, am I good enough. Then you get in these situations and you play well, you perform, makes a game-winning touchdown catch. That takes your confidence through the redshirt freshman. That's half the battle sometimes in the NFL is just knowing you can do it and having the quarterback know you can do it.
So Greg is in a good mental place right now. As you look at his tape, he's a very natural receiver. He's good. He has good spatial awareness. He understands where the zones are. He understands how to beat man coverage. Obviously some of that can come from his quarterback play of understanding how things are supposed to look but he's a natural athlete. He's a natural football player. I've known about Greg since he was in Tyler Texas. This guy is a natural football player and he was a heck of a player at Houston, and it's not a shock to me that he's starting to come into his own. I think we've gotten here at the same -- for me to get here at the time that he's kind of coming out into this kind of -- into his own is good, because I have allowed it -- to show him a few different details that I think he's going to be able to use this year; hopefully take his game plan to the next level.
Greg has been great. He's one of the leaders of the room if not the leader of the room, and really so far he's been nothing but exceeded my expectations.
Q. There are several receivers on the roster now, 10, 11, 12 players working at that position. How challenging will it be for you, especially your first year around these guys, to determine who makes this team and especially with no preseason games and how difficult will it be for the players to separate themselves over this next month?
AARON MOOREHEAD: You know, the good thing is, it's my job to put them in position and make plays. It's my job to put them in position to succeed and as you're going through, you know, the guys, you've got to make sure that you're not holding anybody back. You're putting them in position to make plays and then seeing how they do, seeing how they react, and seeing how they react when they don't make the play. Are they going to go the rest of the practice or the period and not play well, or are they going Todd to bounce back and step up the next time they have an opportunity and that's my job.
As far as who makes the team, that's up to Doug and Howie. My job is to coach these guys and get them right and if they ask my opinion at the end of camp, I'll give it, and if they don't, we'll move forward with the guys that they feel are the best that give us the best chance to go out week one and beat Washington.
I think we have great group. I think we have got a tough group and we've got to continue to grow over the course of the next few weeks, but I do like the group we have. I think you've got some young guys that are going to step up and have to continue to get better as the year goes on and you've got some veterans that we need to keep healthy and get healthy that are going to take this group to the next level.
DraftScripts by ASAP Sports ....
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports