Sean Desai, Karl Scott Taking Different Approaches Coaching Seahawks Rookie Cornerbacks
RENTON, WA - In most regards, incoming Seahawks rookie cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen stand out as polar opposites as they begin their NFL careers.
Bryant, the reigning Jim Thorpe Award winner as college football's best defensive back, comes into the NFL as a finely-tuned corner with outstanding instincts and elite ball skills. While he isn't the best athlete - his short shuttle time ranked in the eighth percentile among draft prospects at his position per Pro Football Focus - he possesses quality size at 6-foot-1, 193 pounds and his high football IQ coupled with technical savvy more than helps make up for those deficiencies.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there has never been a prospect with the combination of size, length, and pure athleticism Woolen brings with him to the league. At 6-foot-4 with 33 5/8-inch arms, he ran a ridiculous 4.26 second 40-yard dash and posted a 42-inch vertical jump at the NFL combine in March. However, he's only played corner for two years after starting his college career at receiver and remains an unpolished project in the secondary.
Given Bryant and Woolen's stark contrasts in everything from size to athletic traits to playing experience, new associate head coach Sean Desai and defensive passing game coordinator Karl Scott understand they will have to instruct each of them using different approaches to maximize their talents.
But from Scott's perspective, that's coaching in general. He's not doing his job to the best of his ability if he's not providing individualized coaching for all of his players, including Bryant and Woolen. Entering the NFL, he sees every rookie as raw because the competition they will face is far superior to "what they are coming from" at the college level, creating the need to start everyone with the basics on everything from footwork such as the kick-step technique to coverage assignments.
“With me, everybody is different. No matter their background, when they come here the slate is clean. I almost like to treat everybody as if they know nothing about football," Scott explained. "I try to treat these guys like they know nothing and try to coach them from the ground up and giving them the ABCs, the foundation of defensive play, defensive back play, and then build from there. I think those guys skill sets and who they are as people, I have to approach them differently and it's a good reason, to get the best up out of them."
Desai, who holds a PHD in Educational Administration from Temple University and originally planned to be a college professor before his coaching career took off, agrees with Scott's viewpoint. The goal for any coach should be to provide information "that's relatable to the player" through diverse instruction and communication methods. Everyone has different things that make them tick.
“We have to try to make some complex things simple, but they have to understand the depth of it," Desai added. "You have to open their eyes and their ears and give them different looks and try to relate to them, so they understand the information you're trying to get to them. Then give them the ‘why’, I don't think you can get messages across without giving them the ‘why.”
After Tuesday's OTA session, Desai and Scott predictably didn't dive into specifics in regards to how they are differentiating their respective approaches coaching Bryant and Woolen. With controlled offseason practices limited by strict rules, much of the work goes on behind the scenes during meetings this time of year anyway, particularly for rookies trying to learn a new playbook and adjust to playing at the highest level of the sport.
But while Bryant and Woolen have their own distinctive strengths and weaknesses and will have to be guided accordingly, both coaches see one important shared quality between the two of them that gives each a good chance at success with the Seahawks: they both want to be pushed and want to be coached to bring out their best.
“You see some length and speed out of both those guys, and they're unique in their own ways," Desai said of the two rookies. "Coby [Bryant] has really good ball skills at the top of routes, and he can really judge the ball well. Tariq [Woolen], obviously his length shows up in so many ways, when he's pressed, when he's off, when he's playing the ball, in a chase, in a trail position. I think those guys are so eager and there's so much growth potential for them, which is another exciting thing.”
Considering his background as a four-year starter at Cincinnati, nobody should be surprised by Scott's initial assessment of Bryant, who he lauded for his maturity, mental aptitude, and business-like approach. And, while he's soft-spoken on and off the field, his hyper-competitive mindset led to him aptly being nicknamed the "Red Mamba," a moniker derived from being named after the legendary NBA star.
“Sometimes you get guys who are thinkers and they turn into blinkers where they're not going anywhere, but just blinking. That's not him," Scott said of Bryant. "He's a guy who can take what he's learned in the classroom and apply it on the practice field. That, as a coach, you appreciate a ton. He's still understanding his game and finding out his game. I think every day that he comes out here, he's shown to improve and take those nuggets that he might have missed the day before and be able to correct those things the day after. You're pretty pleased with that aspect."
As for Woolen, Scott acknowledged he has a long way to go understanding situational football and with only two years of experience lining up on the defensive side of the ball, he's still grasping the nuances of playing the position. But the former Roadrunners star has absorbed everything taught to him like a sponge thus far and he keeps pushing for more.
Only in his second season coaching in the league after several years under coach Nick Saban at Alabama, Scott has embraced the challenge of developing an unrefined talent in Woolen who possess such rare physical and athletic traits coupled with a strong work ethic and desire to improve.
“One thing I will say about him is he's open, eager to learn, and attentive," Scott stated. "He wants what you have to give him. I think even if he was coming out as the Thorpe Award winner, he would still approach the game the same way of, ‘Give me something. How can I improve my game? How can I develop?’ The beauty of it is there's a reason they call us coach. If they are all Pro Bowlers or all Hall of Fame guys as they come in here, I probably wouldn't be standing here talking to you guys. I take that challenge and I love that challenge and again trying to see Tariq gradually grow and improve and be better than he was when he came in here.”
With school out for the spring and training camp less than six weeks away, the real tests await Bryant and Woolen starting in late July. Soon, they will be matched up against the likes of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on the practice field and like any rookie, they will endure their own set of growing pains acclimating to the league. They will inevitably get cooked time to time facing All-Pro talents and how they respond to those plays will be critical.
But ultimately, how much Bryant and Woolen contribute as rookies for the Seahawks will be determined by how they take to coaching. To this point, with Desai and Scott implementing individualized plans for two vastly different defenders, signs have been encouraging for both players, suggesting they could be in the mix for playing time early in a cornerback group that has been searching for long-term answers for the better part of the past four seasons.
