MIKE MCDONALD: Great to see everybody. Cool to be in the indoor I guess. Really good practice today. Excited for tomorrow. Great to have the whole team together, and, yeah, another great day in the books.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Q. What do you hope to get accomplished during the minicamp that you can't get accomplished in OTAs?
MIKE MCDONALD: Well, the tempo is the same. I think the whole goal of the whole off-season is really just to establish our foundation.
I think it's just the opportunity to put an exclamation point on it. The guys have done a great job, man. They've done everything we asked; responded when we pushed them; great attitude; practicing with enthusiasm; practicing fast.
We finished 15 minutes ahead of schedule today, and that's been about par for the course. Especially with the longer practice, that was really cool to see.
Yeah, just stamp the whole thing.
Q. What's been the idea between all the 11 on 11 stuff we've seen?
MIKE MCDONALD: I don't know. It's not that different from what I'm used to and what we're shooting for. A lot of group periods, a lot of concept periods where we're splitting up. We designed practice so it kind of handles the load that way.
We are trying to introduce them to a lot of situation work and understand they're kind of trying to play within the context of the game. All these things are great to teach off.
You know, you kind of just hit all the situations that way rather than kind of tailoring to a certain thing.
Q. You have real refs out there right now?
MIKE MCDONALD: Yeah, we have a real crew in, a couple other guys. They'll be in through camp and we'll have our officials meeting tomorrow with the team and go over the new rules.
So it's a good experience. We'll learn a good amount the stuff.
Q. Joint practices with Titans was announced today. What do you like about that?
MIKE MCDONALD: There is a lot to like about it. You're with a team that you respect their operation. We know a lot of the coaches over there, how they operate. Really it's an opportunity to put the it in a setting where you can control the tempos, control the drills, get some high intensity for the guys so they're ready to roll come the opener time.
And it's just easier to control them than true game reps. Still working through who is going to play in the pre-season and for how much, but a great opportunity if you do it the right way to get some really good competition in and sharpen each other and try to get ready for the regular season.
Q. Did you do that in the summer in Baltimore?
MIKE MCDONALD: They did it just about every season that I was there. Again, you've had some great experiences with -- again, when it's handled the right way and some not as great, to put it politely.
So it's really about controlling the environment, guys understanding what the spirit of the whole thing is about. We'll be able to get that done. We'll be with the right team.
Q. Did you have some ties with Tennessee that made it come together?
MIKE MCDONALD: We've played against Brian for years. Dennard Wilson is the defensive coordinator who was with us last year, so that's really where the tie ended. It was an opportunity to get away as a team during camp.
It's hard to go against yourself all the time, especially all the way through OTAs. Good to see another offense, and for our offense be good to see what they're running on defense.
Good to see different styles, for us to get away a little bit as a team and have some team building as well.
Q. We talked to Laken Tomlinson today before practice. What has he brought to you guys?
MIKE MCDONALD: Great signing. I mean, he's going to be on our leadership team. Kind of hits you right between the eyes communication-wise, which is what we're asking for. Brings a veteran presence through the offensive line. Some poise. A guy that has seen a lot of ball, been in a lot of different systems.
Very excited about having Laken on our O-line.
Q. How many guys on your leadership team?
MIKE MCDONALD: Nine.
Q. What are you seeking out of them?
MIKE MCDONALD: Yeah, it's an opportunity just to open the channels of communication where we can bounce ideas off one another and they can be a conduit from the locker room from our messages as coaches out to the rest of team.
Then if there is something that is going on with the team we need to know about, we can have those conversations.
That goes for the whole team. It's just an opportunity to shrink the sample size so to speak and build that relationship, and we kind of forward the message throughout the whole building.
So got a great group.
Q. What traits will you seek when you pick those nine guys?
MIKE MCDONALD: Normally it's some sort of the veteran presence and guys that have a lot of respect throughout the team; guys that have stacked a lot of great performances on the field.
Can't be one thing, Greg. Coaches' influence, guys' opinions of the guys throughout the team, and it's a pretty cool thing to be a part of.
Q. Mike, when you're building a team culture, how important is it for you to let the team itself kind of create its own culture? We talked a little bit about that.
MIKE MCDONALD: I mean, it's incredibly important. You look at championship teams throughout any sport, I think most of them are player-run.
So if we can communicate the standard and I'll buy-in and guys push that and hold each other accountable of what we expect on the field and in the locker room and as a team, then I think that's when you're really cooking with gas.
We're not there yet, but I think we're on our way. I really believe we got the right guys.
Q. PJ Walker, what did you like about him and bringing him in?
MIKE MCDONALD: Well, PJ, I mean, wasn't just my decision. I'm very excited that he's here. PJ is a guy that's been around; played some high-level football; can operate; had some big wins at center in the NFL; he has got a lot of great experience.
Thinking of the Cleveland-49ers game last year in particular. Excited to have him here. It's his first day, so didn't see a lot of reps, but he'll be here and we're excited about him.
Q. Jerome and Tyrel both being out, you have gotten a lot of opportunities to look at Jon Rhattigan. Had a really nice pick today. What have you seen from him today with his grasp on the defense and playing the linebacker position the way you're looking for your players to play?
MIKE MCDONALD: Well, I think Jon has improved every day. That's probably the highest compliment I can give him. That's what we want from the rest of our team, guys going out, taking the coaching, taking it to the field, and taking the next step and keep rolling.
Jon will be an integral part of you our team, and wherever it shakes out at the linebacker position, we'll see. He's done a great job on for us and off the field. He's going to be a big special teams player for us as well.
Yeah, cool to see him make some plays today for sure.
Q. Where is to Dodson at health-wise?
MIKE MCDONALD: Right now we're shooting for camp. Hasn't had any reps, so if he's not out there the first play of camp rocking and rolling it's not because -- we have to ramp him back up into repping.
Yeah, won't see him the rest of minicamp.
Q. Cameron Young, haven't seen him out there. Is something wrong with him?
MIKE MCDONALD: Yeah, battling a lower body thing right now. Probably look at him early in camp.
Q. How would you assess your holder today?
MIKE MCDONALD: I love the gloves. The gloves is new. Yeah, it was great. Good to see Russ do it. You need a back up holder, so they look good.
Q. (Indiscernible.)
MIKE MCDONALD: Well, he got married or he's getting married, so...
Should we be excited for him or not, I don't know. No, it's good. We're happy for him.
Yeah, he's getting married in Hawai'i, so on his way there.
Q. Mike, you told us recently I think you said you want Geno to take the next step as a leader. What does that next step for him look like?
MIKE MCDONALD: I think he's got to be -- I think when things start to happen, he needs to be the voice of poise in the room; and he's doing that.
But we're on record. He's the tip of the spear in our operation, and just to understand when to step on the gas, when not to. But he's communicating those things.
There are some situation things that popped up today that we'll go back and attack those type of deals. I think he's playing pretty well right now.
Q. What have you got to know about DK Metcalf?
MIKE MCDONALD: Really good player. A guy you always have to account for. Any steps he steps on the field you got to know where 14 is and you can't let him wreck the game.
He wants to be really good. He wants to be the best, and he wants to be pushed and coached hard, which you respect about him.
Really the way he practices is like really awesome. I mean, this guy practices extremely hard. Does all the little things you're asking him to do. It's a great example he is setting for that room and our offense as a whole.
A lot of respect for DK, the type of player and person he is. I just love seeing him out there, man, because he raises the whole level of our team when he's practicing for us.
Q. How do you feel like your relationship is developing with him and Dre'Mont and some of the guys that haven't been here as much for the voluntary portion to get up to speed with them yourself?
MIKE MCDONALD: Yeah, it's a function of reps, conversations. There are only so many texts and phone calls. That is only going to take you so long. Now that they're here, we'll be rolling. We got a couple more days here and then we'll go take a breather and go back and attack it and camp.
Q. With Dre'Mont Jones how much is he also in the mix in multiple spots?
MIKE MCDONALD: He's very much in the mix of that. I think you saw today, you know, and we don't know the answers yet. We don't know how it's going to look come the beginning of the season, how it's going to progress throughout the whole year.
I think his skillset lends to trying to play a little matchup ball with him or setting another guy up. He can do a lot of things. We've talked about it, but we are really excited about Dre'Mont. He was in great shape today.
He knew a lot of the stuff we were doing even though he hadn't been in the building. Credit to him for staying up to speed.
Q. You've talked about the versatility of the defensive line. In particular Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed being 300-plus pounds, being able to play as a (indiscernible) or even standing up. How much does that open up the playbook for you when you have players that size you can move around that much?
MIKE MCDONALD: Hard to get into metrics of how much. It does open things up. Again, when you have guys that can do multiple things, play different gaps in the run game and rush at different levels in the pass game, when you can have more big guys, just opens up more personnel groups, more looks you can generate.
Overall, it's good for us. Again, we'll see. We're in it right now, kind of in the middle of it. We'll kind of reassess how the spring has been, reassess our playing going into camp, and as camp goes, see how it evolves throughout camp.
I think you have to have that attitude. If you just cookie cutter it, I think you limit yourself on how far you can take your team.
Q. What have you learned or what are you learning about what Jaxon does best?
MIKE MCDONALD: Gets open. Catches the ball. (Laughter.) He's just a hard cover, man. Just, again, he can play outside, inside, and Grubb does a great job moving guys around and finding some matchups.
His lower body power and flexibility and being able to accelerate and just having great hands and being able to track the ball is pretty impressive.
Q. Anymore of an update an Abe Lucas?
MIKE MCDONALD: Yeah, same thing we talked about last time. He's working his tail off. I can tell you that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports