Q. We've seen you mix and match a bunch of the linebacker combos here. At what point do you want to figure out what that's going to look like, and what are you looking for in the right combos?
JONATHAN GANNON: Really what we're looking for, why we do that, there is multiple reasons why we mix and match people in practice, is, one, because guys are playing one or two spots, so we like to kind of see them one spot and then the other spot.
And sometimes we do that by period and sometimes by day. You like for guys to play with different guys. Also, another reason for that is you like them to play versus the different offensive players in camp, too, to see what they can do.
Sometimes you get into a little bit of a deal, you start playing against the same, our same offensive players all the time, and you would like to see some different looks.
At some point here as we get going the next couple weeks that will start to settle down a little bit, but right now we are going to keep doing what we're doing.
Q. What's stood out to you so far about Nakobe Dean?
JONATHAN GANNON: He's very smart, tough, and he's very physical. Happy with where he is. He's going to continue to improve, and we'll get a good look at him coming up in the next couple weeks.
Q. JG, the head coach is probably not going to play his offensive starters a lot or a little or at all. Do you have the control of whether you play your starters or your main guys for this first pre-season game? If so, what do you think you're going to do?
JONATHAN GANNON: Yeah, Howard, good question. We'll sit down with the head coach. We actually talked about it this morning again. That's a constant communication about how we do that. We kind of evaluate up until the day before the game what we're going to do with Howie and the head coach.
We'll make that final decision in the next 48 hears.
Q. Document you want to play them at least a little bit to sew them against real competition?
JONATHAN GANNON: I want to do whatever we decide is best for the team. Good question, Howard.
Q. Nick said you don't want to be in the bottom quarter in sort of any category. He talked about it with the pre-snap motion. Do you feel the same way about defense?
JONATHAN GANNON: Yeah, in my opinion, you don't want to be ever in the bottom third of anything. That gives the other side of the ball an upper hand. Not statistically speaking, but what we're doing, how we're defending people.
You would like to mix and match it a good amount where teams can't say, well, they're always going to do this or they're never going to do this. You never want to be put into a corner of those things.
So you want to be adaptable and multiple enough to do different things so they can't bank on something.
Q. Regardless of who plays on Friday, what will you be looking for from your players in that game?
JONATHAN GANNON: Execution and taking the ball away and tackling. Everybody has a little bit different job obviously, but really just looking for our guys to let it loose. We talked about it with them a day or two ago. You got to know what to do so you can play free, because your body doesn't work if your brain doesn't work first.
Just looking for us to run around, have fun, and play the standard that we've set for them.
Q. On another note, there was the news the NFL will be focusing more on the illegal contact penalties this year. How do you feel about that? What's the coaching point?
JONATHAN GANNON: The coaching of it is we got to make our guys aware of what they're looking for and what they want to uptick in penalties versus the defense. Just coach the techniques the right way.
Sorry guys, understand what's legal and what's not legal within the framework of what we're asking them to do.
Q. BG is like the old guy, but does he want to get out there as soon as possible?
JONATHAN GANNON: You can ask BG that, but he would want to get out there and play every day, so I'm sure he does.
Q. The cornerbacks behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry, what have you seen from those guys?
JONATHAN GANNON: They're doing a really good job. Dennard and DK I think are doing an excellent job. You hear me talk about, especially with young guys, it's okay to make a mistake, but don't make that same mistake again.
I've really seen improvement from that whole room of doing that. So taking what we learn on the practice field into the meeting room, into the walk-through, the following practice not making the same mistake. I think they have really done a good job cutting mistakes down.
What you've seen in camp, they are doing a good job of covering and denying the ball, which is the No. 1 job description of a corner. That's a good room. I like where they are at, and I am excited to see those guys plays versus some other people.
Q. Of all the guys to take a look at safety, why Josiah?
JONATHAN GANNON: Just his skillset. You know, that was a good adjustment that we felt like, Hey, let's take a look at him. The nickel position is a mirrored position with the safety in some things. He is doing a good job. Happy with how he's responded to that, and we will see where it goes.
Q. If I can follow up with my question before, with so many guys, young guys in that room, it's obviously pretty crowded. How big are the pieces in games for those guys especially?
JONATHAN GANNON: Just like anybody on our team. Live exposure versus different people is a really good evaluation tool. I know they're looking forward to getting out there and playing on Friday night.
Again, you guys, those two joint practices with Cleveland and Miami, we're where our feet are right now, but they know that's coming down the that will be really good exposure for them.
Q. Seen Marlin a lot with first and second team defense. What's different about him from year one to two and what sparked him getting more reps?
JONATHAN GANNON: Yeah, he's doing a good job. Played some really good snaps last year for us, and I think the things that we said -- when we came in the off-season we gave each player two or three things, like you got to get better at this.
And it's not a general thing. It's like a very specific deal with technique or something in the run or pass game. He's improved that part of his game.
The other guy that sticks out to me is like Milton. He is doing a really good job with what we asked him to improve as well, so I'm very pleased where that room is, and I like the versatility and flexibility of the different skillsets in there.
Marlin is one of those guys that allows us to play different things when he is in there with different people, which is big time for us.
Q. Talk about how the pass rush compares to where you were last year? And then when a play is going dead or even extended in practice, how many times do you think it's a sack versus something Jalen can shake out?
JONATHAN GANNON: Really good question. We had that discussion yesterday in a night practice, because when the head coach reviews the tape with everybody, we put up good, bad, play of the day, this and that.
The play that I put up for the good for the defense, there was a lot of question, was that a sack or not? I said, yeah, that's going to be a sack, because you got to realize, too, our guys that are rushing edges or when they're rushing, half the time they're pulling off as they're getting to the top of their rush.
If they feel themselves bending the corner, Sweat is starting to pull off so he doesn't ricochet and bend the corner and hit our quarterback.
I'm very happy where those guys are as far as developing their fast ball and their counter moves. I think they're rushing as a unit a little bit probably better than last year.
You know, we just got to keep improving every day.
Q. You had Sweat and Tarron and a few others playing inside the (indiscernible.) How much will Davis allow for you to not put those guys where typically they wouldn't be lined up?
JONATHAN GANNON: Sometimes that's a personnel package thing, Jeff. But I would think that hopefully when we set up the game plan that we can put our guys in spots that they're very comfortable in and that we feel they can execute and win their matchups.
We'll have to see when we set up the game plan how that goes.
Q. (Regarding edge guys.)
JONATHAN GANNON: I think they all can do it. I don't know if I want them doing that all the time.
Q. What have you season from Marvin Wilson? Pretty highly regarded prospect.
JONATHAN GANNON: Yeah, he's another one in the defensive line room. He's really improved what we asked him to improve. A lot of that was bend and pad level and striking blocks with his hands. He's doing a good job. I'm really excited to see him go out and play versus Jets.
Q. From a defensive perspective, what is your top one or two teaching points?
JONATHAN GANNON: Disguise and eyes. Yeah, okay, so it's a good question. So disguise would be is if they're reading a certain play you don't want the quarterback to know before the ball is snapped who is he reading. That's one.
And then eyes is, your eye progression as a defender, he's putting his eyes as a primary key and then there is a secondary key. When those misdirection pass-run, run-pass plays happen, you have to know, am I with my primary or my secondary when that type of play happens?
The other thing with that, and it's good we're seeing if from offense, because you start to see that's a little more prevalent in the league now, is our offense has some really good ones that aren't the kind of the generic easy RPOs. We got some different RPOs in there.
You're like, is that a run or is it a pass? Is it a pass, run, read? So we're seeing a lot of different looks at that.
It's making our guys be disciplined how they're playing them. Good question.
Q. (No microphone.) How much of that is coverage?
JONATHAN GANNON: A little bit of both. But you see, I mean, I actually challenged our guys the other day. We gave up some explosive passes over our head, and you can't do that to win in today's NFL game. Doesn't matter if you're pressuring, playing coverage. Doesn't matter. You have to be able to limit explosives in the pass and run game. So that's every day we touch on that with the defense.
And know that within each call, where is the stress and the strength of that call. There are some calls where explosive passes is the strength of the call. Sometimes it's a stress of the call, and we just got to know that so they play the call correctly.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports