Frank Reich Discusses Coaching Hires, Play-Calling, Tepper's Involvement + More
In this story:
Importance of hiring guys with prior head coaching experience
"Just a diversity of thought. Guys with that kind of experience have been in a bunch of systems. They've been through the wars. They've been through the ups and downs. They've learned how to solve problems. They've learned how to work with players of all types. Worked through issues. Guys who know how to collaborate together. Work through things together as a staff as a team. Strong conviction, but no egos. I think experience brings that. And sometimes it's a little undervalued."
Tepper willing to spend money on the coaching staff
"To Mr. Tepper's credit, he never flinched on that statement. He's been around the block a few times in a few ways. That doesn't mean it's open checkbook. That just means we're willing to do what it takes to get the right coaches and put the right team together. It was a good checks and balance. But he backed up what he said, I can tell you that. We were able to compete against other teams who were vying for similar candidates where we came out on top because of that backing."
How close he was on getting the staff that he pitched to Tepper, Fitterer
"It was pretty close. The interviews were all pretty close. There were a few new names. When I got here, as I began talking to guys in the building here, talking to Scott [Fitterer] and some other guys in the building and talking to coaches who had suggestions. You have to shut it off somewhere because you get a lot of names. But it served as a good framework to start."
Hiring Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach
"What I like about Josh is that he was in significantly different offenses than I was in. So his exposure to offensive football, even though we have very similar careers in some ways, he was exposed to a lot of different styles of offenses that I wasn't as a player. Although we may have the same philosophy and approach to how to get the best out of a quarterback, the actual what he'll bring to the table systematically as far as our scheme and how we teach and approach with the quarterback, I think is going to be a great benefit."
Dom Capers returning to Carolina
"I mean, wow, this is pretty cool, right? And I think I mentioned at my first press conference, I'm not overly sentimental, but that is kind of special to me. But let me just say this, anybody that knows Dom Capers knows that this is not a sentimental hire. Not even close. This guy is still vibrant with football. Passion, experience, and knowledge. He Ejiro [Evero] have an unbelievable relationship and trust, so that's just going to benefit our team."
Who will call the offensive plays
"I went into the process of thinking about calling plays, not calling plays. There is going to be some point that I'm going to pass it off. I know that's going to be hard. I've been laughing with Thomas [Brown] about that already. I said, 'I'm going to pass it off at some point. I don't know when,' but I do think there will be a time and a place. And I think it'll become apparent when that is. But I think the right thing for me to do for our team and for our offense right now is for me to continue to use my experience there. But I'll lean heavy on Thomas. I can already tell. I've already leaned on him hard on a couple of things and I felt wisdom, conviction, strength. So, that relationship is going to be really good."
Defensive scheme
"It'll be a base 3-4 scheme, but when we get in sub it's really multiple. It'll all depend on how Ejiro and the defensive staff take advantage of our players strengths. We'll be very multiple. But in our base defense, we'll be 3-4."
Hiring of Jim Caldwell
"Jim was a huge hire. Just a wealth of experience. Obviously, Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell were the first coaches who hired me and gave me my start. I worked for Jim, so I saw firsthand his brilliance as an offensive mind. He's an elite leader. He's got great wisdom. He's very experienced and successful person in everything he does. I'll lean on him as a former head coach, as a former offensive 'guru'. And I already have. But really the role with Coach Caldwell, it's going to be a little different. He and I talked about this and think the best value is if he is interwound almost like I am like a head coach. He's interwound with the game management stuff, with Chris Tabor on special teams, with Ejiro on defense, and certainly with us on offense."
If the team will have a meeting with free agent QB Derek Carr
"We're really literally sitting down with the guys today. Our first staff meeting will be tomorrow. But I've kind of met with guys already individually and say, hey, here's what we're doing. Step one, let's evaluate our roster. We're really just starting that process. Step two, evaluate the free agents. Everybody got their list. Step three, now go into the college guys. That process has literally begun, so not ready to address the specifics of that because we're really just beginning."
Retaining James Campen, Chris Tabor, and Robert Kugler
"Campen is proven to be one of the top o-line coaches. That has been consistent for a long time. I watched the film. Sat down for a long meeting with him. Called a lot of other people about it. That was a no-brainer, to be honest with you. And then, listen to him talk about Kugler...that connection is just so important. So, that just made a lot of sense. And then Chris Tabor, same way. This guy is, he's one of the best. And he has been for a long time. It was a great opportunity for me to keep those quality coaches."
What Duce Staley brings to the table
"I'm more even-keeled. Duce is not even-keeled. I don't think he has an even-keeled bone in his body. That's what I love about him. He's the hammer. But if you're that kind of personality, it has to be authentic and genuine. This guy, he's not just a hammer now. This guys is a quality football coach in every way. He's going to offer a lot to us offensively in our scheme. We had a long meeting yesterday and it was already apparent. The connection between he and Thomas [Brown] and the whole offensive staff, Duce's contribution there is going to be significant. Duce is a leader of men. His role as the assistant head coach, that's not just going to be a title. I'll have him talk to the team. He will have a role. You will feel him as the assistant head coach. Great person, great coach. He and I got really close in Philly and I've maintained that relationship."
Calling Jim Caldwell and offering him a job
"Because we're close and because we've maintained a friendship, I'm calling him with great respect. Because of what he's done and who he is to me as a mentor in many ways. And it was like, 'Coach, I want to kind of talk to you about a scenario that maybe neither of us could have ever thought happened. But how would you feel? There's an opportunity here for us to work together. I'm not sure if that would interest you.' And then I expressed to him how much I would value that. What role I could see him playing. How he could help me, how he could help our team. And if you know Jim, he's such a class person. It was an easy conversation."
If Tepper mentioned certain candidates during the hiring process
"He was involved in everything. He's been involved in everything from day one. What I love about how Mr. Tepper has approached it, whether it was a guy he might have mentioned or if it was a guy he didn't mention, he's doing his own vetting and then we're talking about it. When I tell you it was dynamic and there was many conversations, like, it was a lot. We were on the phone multiple times a day and every day. Talking about every position and every hire."
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