Q. Last time we spoke to you was the day after the season. A lot of change that day and that week. What can you say about everything that went down with Wink and the staff?
BRIAN DABOLL: Look, this is 24 years for me in the National Football League. There's change every year. I'm excited to have Shane here and some of the new coaches. I look forward to getting started here on April 15th.
Q. Do you think you need to make changes to your demeanor, your tone on the sideline? John Mara said yesterday sometimes he wishes you would have change how you interact with your staff during the games?
BRIAN DABOLL: I talk to John every day. I talk to my staff every day. Every year there's a self-evaluation process that goes on, whether I was a position coach, coordinator, or in this case a head coach.
I'm a very passionate person, but yeah, there's times where I wish I handled things a little bit differently certainly. So you continue to grow. You continue to evolve. That's what I try to do every year.
Q. What kind of reflection do you feel like the significant staff change has on your leadership as the head coach of the team?
BRIAN DABOLL: There's been changes. There's a ton of changes every year in the National Football League. There's 17 new defensive coordinator openings this year. There was 16 new offensive openings. There's change every year. Seven special teams ones.
I'm excited about the guys that we've added, the people that we've added. They've done a great job the last two months. I'm really happy with Shane and Ghob and Kafka. They've done a great job over the last few months of really diving into some things we need to try to correct.
Again, look forward to the start of the season.
Q. Do you want to address or look into changing the responsibilities on the offensive staff?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we're still working through a bunch of things. Again, it's the end of March here. We've got a long way to go, about five months.
What I'm most looking forward to is really diving into this draft preparation and then also April 15th, which is less than three weeks away, of getting some of the new pieces we've added, some of the old pieces that we've had in the building.
That's some of the most fun times of the year is formulating the 2024 season, building a foundation, and looking forward to that.
Q. Do you plan on calling plays? Is that something you want to do? Do you want to take that over? You've done it obviously.
BRIAN DABOLL: Like I told Tom, we're still going through a lot of things with our process. A long way to go until the season. So we'll talk about that.
Q. When you came in here, obviously you were a play caller and decided not to do that as head coach.
BRIAN DABOLL: Sure.
Q. Do you prefer to be a head coach that doesn't call plays and you would do it if you think you need to, but you prefer -- obviously the first two years you preferred to not.
BRIAN DABOLL: It's something I'm looking into. I've talked it -- I think there's 20 head coaches at this point in time that call plays in the league.
Q. On offense?
BRIAN DABOLL: On both. I think it's 20. There might be a little bit more. Again, I've been doing a bunch of research, but no decision has been made. I'm still going through that process, thinking about what we need to do.
Q. Would the negative to that be that you're not coaching the whole team? Obviously you are a play caller. You can call plays. What is the down side for you calling plays?
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, still working through that process. There's quite a bit of people nowadays that do that. So, again, it's something that I'll look into.
Again, whatever I feel is best for the football team, that's the way we go.
Q. When Mike Kafka came here, I'm sure a big part was he wanted to call plays, he wanted to have it sort of be his offense. How do you have that discussion with him and have that sort of be in the air?
BRIAN DABOLL: Mike and I talk every day. We have offices next to one another. Not just in the building, but outside the building. Again, we have good communication. Still working through that process.
Q. Does he want to call plays?
BRIAN DABOLL: Look, the communication that we have is private, but again, it's good, and we're still working through that process.
Q. Whether you call plays or not, is there a part of you that misses it, when you used to call plays, that aspect of the game?
BRIAN DABOLL: Certainly. Yeah, I did it for a long time. Again, there's a lot of things that go into it. Again, part of the evaluation that I talked about there are some other things that I'm looking into. I take my time and do what I think is best for the team.
Q. (Indiscernible).
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, you look at scheduling processes, training camp, how you practice in OTAs, the structure of the meetings, leadership stuff, stuff you do every year. I did it after the first year. I'll do it after this year. I did it after I was a receiver coach, coordinator. I think that's really important.
You have to grow in this business and learn from some of your mistakes and how to build on some of the things you think you did well and do it with an open mind.
Q. The leadership stuff, is that player-related? Is that staff?
BRIAN DABOLL: It's all-encompassing. This is a position that's a little bit different than coordinator. Now you're a head coach. We have a lot of guys on the staff, and we have good relationships with the players.
Again, there's a lot of things that you look at in the offseason to self-improve, to help the team improve whether it's offense, defense, and special teams. That's what I try to do.
Q. Why did you take the play calling away from Wink at times last year?
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, we're moving on to next year and looking forward to getting started here in a couple of weeks.
Q. How could you have handled the end of the season differently so that it was less public and less explosive?
BRIAN DABOLL: I always try to keep things as private as I can, keep it inhouse. Again, the end of the season stuff is the end of the season stuff. I understand the question, but again, looking forward to 2024 season.
Q. What kind of loss do you view Martindale's departure as for the defense?
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, every year is a different year. New changes. We're excited to have Shane. Shane has done a great job since he's been here. I think the coaches that we've had on staff, those guys have meshed well together. I know they're excited for a couple of weeks to get the players back.
Q. Do you regret how that situation played out?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah. Look, every season is different. Every situation is different. Looking forward to this season.
Q. You said with Darrell taking play calling away from the past, but obviously you deciding to call, you can make changes. What goes into that process when you are in a game and you -- that's kind of a drastic change to make during a game.
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, my focus is on this year and building off some of the stuff we did last year. A long way away from the season, but again, we've had a good process here in the last couple of months.
I've been very, very happy with the staff, with the new additions, with the communication, and with the collaboration, and look forward to April 15th.
Q. Dabs, you talk about Shane. What does Shane bring to the table? (Indiscernible).
BRIAN DABOLL: Well, he's done a great job in the running game the last few years with Tennessee, in the red zone and third down. I think he has a great way about him. He's an excellent teammate. He's good with Xs and Os in the interview. He was good with fundamentals, and I thought he was a very good communicator and teacher of the things that he really believes in.
He's done a good job with Rome and Dre, and those guys have added their pieces to it. B. Cox, Ben, and Treier and all the guys that were here. I've been pleased with how they've kind of worked together here these last couple of months.
Very happy with the first two months with Shane.
Q. There was a lot of speculation outside the idea that the process didn't go the way you guys had hoped, that you may have missed out on a couple of (indiscernible). How did you see the process going?
BRIAN DABOLL: It was long. I was going to take my time. I ended up talking to Shane a few times for a long time and just was impressed with how he handled himself.
I was impressed with those four qualities and being a great teammate and the research that I've done, with the Xs and Os and fundamentals and as an ultimate communicator and teacher. He's shown that the first couple of months.
Now, look, there's a long way to go. We haven't even played a game yet. I do appreciate how he handles his process and how he handles his staff.
Q. Why do you give promotions to Mike, Shay, and Jerome?
BRIAN DABOLL: Kafks got a few interviews here for a head job, and I brought him in here these last couple of months with some other meetings that maybe the other coaches or coordinators even weren't part of... medical meetings, scheduling meetings, things that as a coordinator when I was there, you don't get an opportunity to do. So I let him have some input in those areas.
Shay has done a great job since he's been here and since he's been with me. He has a really firm understanding of what we're trying to do.
Rome, I interviewed Rome for the coordinator job and was close too. Great appreciation for Rome. I would say that he's really done a good job with Shane too there on the back end. He's done a fabulous job the last couple of years. Rome, relative to the secondary and the coverages and things like that. I thought he's earned that role and earned that title.
All three of those people I thought earned those roles.
Q. What do pass game coordinators do? We haven't had them on this beat. What's the difference in the role for those guys?
BRIAN DABOLL: A lot of it is the same. Maybe there's some additional responsibility in terms of potentially presenting and things like that or the pass game stuff, but I would say all three of those guys I have a great appreciation for. They've done a lot the last couple of years. To me they've earned those type of promotions.
Q. What do you say the idea that your offense struggled last year at times, it's sort of a makeup present to Mike for taking the play calling away and give him --
BRIAN DABOLL: That hasn't been decided yet.
Q. No, I mean at times last year there were times where --
BRIAN DABOLL: I'm not worried about that. I thought he earned that role. Again, I want to have him have opportunities to see some of the other things, particularly with some of the head coaching interviews he's done. You don't always get an opportunity to do that.
To sit in a medical meeting or to sit in a schedule meeting with the strength staff of how we want to handle OTAs or the reason why or to sit down and listen to the different things that maybe you don't listen to as a position coach or even a coordinator to get that sense of how things go.
There's so much time spent when you are a coordinator or a condition coach on just this is my position, this is my responsibility, this is the play calling. Some of the bigger things, there's a lot of other things that go along.
Any of those meetings that I've had here in the last, call it, month that are more just myself, Joe, maybe some of the other parts of the staff that aren't necessarily strictly football, I wanted Mike to have the opportunity to see how that goes so he can ask questions and take notes on things, and maybe that helps him in the future too.
Q. Is that kind of grooming him to be a head coach? You are almost grooming him to --
BRIAN DABOLL: Well, again, I hope it helps him to see some things from a different angle too. Not everybody gets that opportunity, but I thought that was important.
He's been through a few of these interviews. We were having a meeting the other day, and he's deep into the draft preparation work, as am I. Just getting started here. A couple of strength coaches and medical people, and we had met a few days earlier for about three hours. We walked out and he said, It was a long one here. Yeah, we're going to have another one in a couple of days.
He's digging through some players. I said, Hey, you want to get meeting with these guys? He is, Like, yeah, I got a ton of evaluation. I said, Let's go, man. It's a different perspective of things, of course.
Q. Did anyone ever do that for you?
BRIAN DABOLL: No.
Q. So you never were in these meetings before?
BRIAN DABOLL: No.
Q. What would you think about Joe drafting a quarterback at 6 or higher just a year after you gave Daniel that contract?
BRIAN DABOLL: We're going to try to draft the best player that we can draft at 6 or higher or lower. There's a lot of work that needs to be done.
Again, with that process, the draft process, I think Joe handles that process excellent. It's a collaboration, and there are position coaches going out to see workouts and coordinators going out.
There's a lot of give-and-take. I have all the confidence in the world in Joe and his staff and the decision we make. We have a lot of knowledge. Whoever that guy is, that's our guy.
Q. (Indiscernible).
BRIAN DABOLL: Still doing quite a bit of work on him, as are all of the positions I'm doing. There's some good ones. A lot of different places.
Q. What is your primary take-away from last season as far as what you can improve, what you look -- how you evaluate yourself, what's a major take-away from you what you can be better at this season?
BRIAN DABOLL: I would say all-encompassing. When you finish with six wins, what I was proud of is how the guys stuck together, how we competed.
We started out slow, which you never want to do in this league. It's tough. Conversely from the previous year where you start out fast and you get out in a little bit of a roll. You're going to hit a skid at some point in time. Ideally it's not the beginning of the year, but the way they competed and fought through the end, but the results are the results. We have to be better at everything.
Q. When we spoke to you a year ago at this time, you're coming off a good season, Daniel played well. You had a huge commitment to him. Has your outlook changed on him based on the injury or the performance last year?
BRIAN DABOLL: No. Look, none of us did well enough last year, and that starts with me, but certainly -- and I said this last year too. One year has nothing to do with the next year. One year we went to the playoffs, and the next year we didn't. That really has nothing to do with the next year either.
It's all about starting over and having an entire new team, new coaching staff, new team, new support staff, and getting ready and building a foundation for the 2024 season.
Q. What have you learned about J.J. McCarthy? I know you spent some time with him.
BRIAN DABOLL: Appreciate the question. I would say with anybody specific relative to the draft right now, I'm not going to get into specifics.
I've had an opportunity to meet a fair amount of players, not just quarterbacks, but defensive players, offensive players. I've been impressed with the people that we've met, whether it be the combine or whether it's visits here.
We've got a lot of work to do on people. We'll be at some pro days here shortly. A lot of work that needs to be done.
Q. What attributes of Drew Lock do you think can be maximized?
BRIAN DABOLL: I just had an opportunity to meet Drew here when he came up and signed. Watched his tape. Once we signed him, went back to Missouri and watched some of the stuff he did at Missouri. Obviously, Denver, Seattle.
We have to get him into our system and figure out what works well for him and what he prefers and things like that. Long way to go with that.
Q. Will you be out on the road during private workouts with quarterbacks?
BRIAN DABOLL: Right now I'm going to a few pro days. We'll see where we go from there.
Q. Has your involvement changed? You're picking 6th instead of 25th last year, and the quarterback position is different. You're either going to go that way or not. You have to do the process. Does that change your involvement with that process?
BRIAN DABOLL: The process?
Q. Yeah, your involvement in it. Quarterback, you must really need to get with these guys.
BRIAN DABOLL: I would say every year either that I've been a coordinator or a head coach I evaluate quarterbacks from every draft, from top to bottom. You never know when they're going to be available.
You take a look at -- it's such a premium position since the draft a few years ago versus the draft the other year. There's really been since 2000, 13 quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl. That's it. Seven of them were Tom, and three of them were Pat, and two were Eli, and two were Peyton, and two of them were Ben, and I think nine others ones have won it the other times. It's a premium position, obviously.
It takes a long time to evaluate. You have to put a lot of work into it. You just don't watch a cut-up of -- it's an all-encompassing process.
I've done that every year I've coached quarterbacks, been a coordinator, been a head coach. This will be no different, but it is time-consuming.
I love doing it because, again, two years from now or three years from now, whenever it may be, who knows if those quarterbacks are going to be out there. The last few years it seems like there's a bunch of them.
Q. How has your evaluation process changed throughout the years, and (indiscernible)?
BRIAN DABOLL: I don't think it's really changed a whole lot. You look for accuracy. You get to meet the individual and see how they handle things, their leadership abilities, their communication style.
It's leadership. It's accuracy, and then you watch all the games. Again, it's not a cut-up of games where you are looking at whether it's targets or run blocks. You're watching everything and seeing how they respond. How do they respond in two-minute situations? How do they respond after an interception? What's it look like after a few bad plays or a few incompletions?
Again, there's no exact science in it. It's obvious that there isn't. You do the best job you can.
I love doing it. I love evaluating quarterbacks. I love meeting with the quarterbacks. It's an awesome position to work with, and it's a really fun position to evaluate.
Q. Take us through the Brian Burns trade, and when did it come on your desk? How big is that for you? What are you expecting?
BRIAN DABOLL: I give all the credit to Joe and his staff when those things go down. Those guys work. They worked tirelessly during that time of leading up to free agency, whether it's the meetings at the combine, whether it's before that.
They do a ton of work, and give Joe and his staff really all the credit. I looked at Brian and made some calls to some people that knew him.
Q. Before free agency?
BRIAN DABOLL: Great person. I can't give you the exact -- right when I knew they were working on it a little bit. Great person. Productive player. Young player.
I'm happy that Joe ended up getting that deal done. I know Shane is as well and Charlie, our new outside linebacker coach.
Had a chance to meet Burnsy when he came up and signed, and he's a good man. So, again, it will be good to get him in and get him working and introduced to our program and our values and things that we believe in.
Again, I credit really Joe. Joe did an outstanding job.
Q. On quarterbacks, do you think the way that the Packers have been able to do it two successions now, is that the way ideally to do it, that you would like to do it? To bring a young guy into the pipeline, but not get him on the field right away.
BRIAN DABOLL: That's a good question. I think it's different. I think it just depends where you are at and who you have. Obviously if you can have two quarterbacks or three quarterbacks in 30 years or whatever it is, it certainly seems ideal to me.
Again, it's you have Brett, and you have Aaron. Sign me up for that if you can have three quarterbacks in 30 years.
Q. Joe was saying yesterday that Evans still right tackle. No plan to move him to guard. Does that mean Jermaine comes in? Where does Jermaine come in and work April 15th?
BRIAN DABOLL: Good question. I would say just, again, we have not even had a chance to sit down with any of the players. Role-specific or where guys are going to be, we're a little bit away from that.
The first people that we would kind of talk to are the players collectively when everybody is in the room. So when they get back, we'll sit down and have discussions.
You know how it goes with the offensive line. You play a variety of roles. He's got some flexibility. Jon has it on both sides. Again, we'll get to that point. We're not there yet relative to this is what it's going to be or this is -- we still have a ways to go.
Q. Do you plan to move guys around? Last year you were kind of moving guys around a lot.
BRIAN DABOLL: I would say -- I understand the question, but we're at the end of March here, so let's get everybody in, let's get them into meetings, and teach them our snap count and those type of things. We'll progress as their offseason goes.
Q. Why did you guys choose not to do individual exit meetings with players this year?
BRIAN DABOLL: I would say we had kind of group meetings specific to maybe it was the rookies the first year or the second year guys that we drafted or some veteran players or all free agent.
We kind of hit them in groups together, Joe and I at the same time. Look, I had some individual ones where we would grab guys or guys came up. If anybody needs to talk, my door is always open. I thought that went well.
Q. I just mean why that change in the process from the first year to the second year?
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, it's something we talked about. We thought that would be a good way to do it relative to Joe and I being out there. Some of them went longer, some of them went less. Again, we still had different guys came up and met with Joe or myself. I thought it went well.
Q. You coached Devin in the past. What does he bring? Singletary.
BRIAN DABOLL: Oh, Motor, yeah.
Q. What does he bring, and how do you deal with him, the perception that he is here to play safety?
BRIAN DABOLL: Well, Motor is a pro. He knows he only has to be Motor. He's smart. He's tough. I thought he was productive. I think he's been productive since he's played. Really excellent teammate.
We're happy to have him. I got to see him too the other day when he came in. It was good to see him. I know he's ready to work.
Q. What do you make of the weapons on your (indiscernible)?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, again, we're here at the end of March. A long way to go until we play the season. I have a lot of confidence in those guys.
We were looking at some of the cut-ups. I really think some of those young receivers, you know, when you take a holistic view, did some really good things. Maybe the production wasn't exactly what any of us would like, but I thought their quickness, their speed, and some of their instinctiveness showed up.
It would be good to continue to work about them and build. Wan'Dale will be going to his third year, first year coming off of being held from the offseason. Hyatt, he's been working pretty good this offseason. There's a ways to go.
We added a couple of other pieces, whether it's Motor, some of the tight ends. Look forward to work with all those guys.
Q. How do you look at your safety position at this point? Jalen Mills, did you bring him in to be a starting type safety?
BRIAN DABOLL: No, understand the question. Kind of what Dan asked me about Evan. We're at the end of March. We're going to get all the players in, start meeting with them, continue to build this thing from the ground up. Starting on the 15th. Where people fit and where they start or role player, we're a long ways away from that.
Q. What's the shift we've seen around the league with a lot more split safeties, two high? Does that cause some offensive coordinators and offensive coaches how they have to construct their roster and game plan?
BRIAN DABOLL: Good question. Again, it's not -- some teams play more of it. Some teams play less of it. Each week is kind of a chess match.
I would say that some of these quarterbacks can chuck it down the field pretty good, and some of the weapons that are showing up throughout the league to put two guys over the top of people and do some other things and attack every area of the field.
I think every defense is different. Some play a little bit more too two high. Some play a little bit more one high. Some blitz more. There's always trends, so we'll see what the trend is this year.
Q. When you look at back to Burns, the idea of -- was part of this -- obviously he's a good player individually. Knowing that now up front in Shane's system, you have Dex on the inside (indiscernible) and what that can do for the entire defense?
BRIAN DABOLL: Look, I know defensive guys when we're evaluating as well, Shane and Charlie and those guys, you know, thought he was a really good football player. I think the big thing is to try to bring in as good of a football players as you can. That's why you are drafting and trading and making acquisitions.
Certainly he's done a good job and been productive at Carolina. Our guys are excited to have him and start working with him.
Q. (Indiscernible question about free agency).
BRIAN DABOLL: Those are conversations I'll keep inhouse. We talk every day... Joe, myself, his staff, our staff. We'll just try to build the best team we can.
Q. The last year the whole organization was very excited to bring in Darren Waller. You thought he would be a big part of the offense. We know how that went down. How was his uncertainty -- I know it's middle of March, as you said several times, but when do you need clarity on the tight end position?
BRIAN DABOLL: I think Joe covered that yesterday. I don't have anything to add to Wall's situation. We'll give him time. When he makes that decision, he makes that decision.
Q. Have you reached out to him at all?
BRIAN DABOLL: I'll lean back on what Joe said yesterday.
Q. How did you react to Joe Schoen being on the headsets with the coaches for four games last year?
BRIAN DABOLL: Joe and I talk every day, so I know what Joe is doing. He knows what I'm doing. Joe and I are in alignment.
Q. Are there any players that you know won't be ready for the spring, guys that were injured last season, whether it be Evan, obviously D.J.?
BRIAN DABOLL: I think they're all right now at different spots. Some of them are a little bit ahead of their stuff. Some of them are a little -- again, we take that day-by-day, week-by-week.
Whatever they can do, I know they'll do. The guys that have been rehabbing are working on doing everything they can do to be as ready as they can.
Q. Are you surprised that Darren Waller is considering retirement?
BRIAN DABOLL: Again, I'm not going to add much to that. We'll let Darren take his time and make his decision.
Q. Do you feel any extra pressure to win this year, or does the fact that John put his confidence in you reinforce that yesterday? Does that take a little bit of pressure off?
Q. I would say that, again, John and I talk almost daily, as does Joe. We have really good communication. I would say that I'm very passionate, passionate about winning, passionate about our organization, passionate about our team. When we lose, I'm very passionate.
My focus is always what can I do better, how can I be a better coach, how can I be a better leader? I don't necessarily focus on that. I understand why you are asking me.
Again, from being a coach for 28 years and 24 in the National Football League there's not many situations I haven't seen or encountered. I try to do the best job I can. I try to improve, focus on the things I can focus on to be the best version of myself to help the team, help the players, help the coaches and do everything I can do to help us win.
That's the joy I get out of it is winning football games. That's why we all do this.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports