Bill Callahan on Jedrick Wills: You Watch Him Finish. You Watch The Detail, The Technique.
Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan had a conference call with the media through Zoom on Thursday. Much of the call focused on new rookie offensive tackle Jedrick Wills and the process of transitioning to left tackle. The professorial Callahan provided substantial insight into what the team is doing to prepare their lineman in this unique environment, what he likes about Wills and an encyclopedia worth of references that inform his beliefs.
When Callahan was asked about Wills and what's been accomplished in preparing him for the move to left tackle since the NFL Draft, Callahan went with a more general answers on what the entire offensive line is doing.
“What we have done is we have attacked this thing virtually through our meetings. The way that we have laid out our program is quite interesting. We basically have given players video installs to look at and to hear and to try to disseminate information in that avenue. Then what we have done is we have kind of drilled it down where we have met as a group, asked questions and then we have tested them. We do Kahoot! programs to test the players and the rookies. Then we have also done individualized work with them, as well. We are trying to maximize our time and efforts and trying to exhaust every conceivable avenue we can to teach the players, especially to catch them up to speed to where the veterans are.”
Then Callahan got more specific in regards to Wills and what he's been doing.
“We have given him a number of drills to do, and we have just really started out with real basic things. Just really looking at stance and putting him in the left-handed stance, which he has been there before. What we have done is we have gathered a lot of video, he sends the video back and I can coach him through all of the nuances and techniques of what we want to get him into. Additionally, I have also sent him and we will sit down and watch tackles that I have had in my career that have done the same types of things. It has been really positive. He is really a sponge of information. He has absorbed all the content that you can give him and he wants more. I am really excited about him. I am eager to at some point get on the field with him.”
Callahan explaining what makes him believe Wills can transition effectively to left tackle after playing right tackle his entire career.
“When you watch a player on film, I think in a couple of ways your takeaways are ‘Well, this guy is a player. He is solid. He has athletic ability.’ With Jedrick, it was a little bit different in that you can feel him on film. He came alive on tape, and you got excited about what he was doing throughout the course of the game. A lot of times, people talk about make-up and they talk about characters and all these other things, which are great – which he does have – but he has these intangibles that show up in tangible ways on film. You watch him finish. You watch the detail, the technique. You watch his consistent effort and his stamina throughout the course of the game from start to finish. I think that was the appeal for me. I think our scouts did a great job, and organizationally, I think everybody contributed to his selection and really speak highly of him. All the background work that our scouts did prior to the draft and also at the combine just speak volumes for the player. When you put all those pieces, it is not a hard decision to make.”
More from Bill Callahan:
Comparing Jedrick Wills to Former Raiders Offensive Tackle Barry Sims
On Jack Conklin: You Could Not Get a More Perfect Tackle In Free Agency
