Ryan Poles excited about talented roster — Press Conference

[0:00] Welcome back. I hope everyone had a good break. I was ready to roll. So I do want to start off [0:06] by sending our thoughts and prayers to Eric and Mia Bien-Ami. They mean a lot to us here, [0:14] obviously going through some hard times. So I want to make sure I start off by saying that. [0:19] You know, as we start training camp, I want to thank our crew here that set up campus. [0:26] Obviously, it's a lot of work to get this thing going. And plus, we had the storms yesterday, [0:29] so there's a little bit of cleanup underway to get us started. And as I think about campus too, [0:36] the other topic is just thanking George, McCaskey family, Kevin, for their support in our football [0:42] team. You guys will notice we got two brand new fields on three and four, totally resided, [0:47] make sure our players are on good surface. And you also notice that state-of-the-art film setup that [0:55] we have on all the fields. Again, making sure that our coaches have the film right after practice so [1:00] we can get to work. Obviously, excited to kick the season off with training camp. I think there's [1:06] some really good competition on our roster. And obviously, when you have competition, [1:10] you get growth, you get development, and you get to find out what you have on your football team as [1:15] we prepare for this upcoming season. In terms of the injuries, I want to go through the designation. [1:22] So TJ Edwards is going to be NFI. He's got a right calf. He was training off-site, came back in with a [1:31] sore calf, soft tissue. We don't see that as anything major. Shouldn't be too long with that. [1:39] Keyshawn Elliott has some discomfort. He's back. We took care of that. He's in really good shape. If [1:46] you saw him walking around, you would have no idea. He's running. Obviously, there's a return to play [1:51] protocol where you're getting back to be a football player in terms of your strength, [1:55] your conditioning. So he'll be in that. Kyler Gordon on PUP with his calf. He was here all offseason [2:05] training, getting right. We had a delay in that. All hands on deck to get him back. Coach alluded to [2:13] it before in terms of his availability or the lack thereof. Obviously, he's frustrated. We're frustrated. [2:21] We just want him back. He helps our football team. But we have to move forward with the guys that we [2:27] have. And when he's ready to go, he'll be ready to go. Everybody here is putting all their time and [2:34] effort to get him back right. So that's where that's at. Elijah Hicks has some discomfort in his [2:41] shin. We got that taken care of. So that's going to take a little bit of time. But he's on the man. [2:47] He's walking around. We don't see that as anything major. And then our guys that had surgery. Noah [2:52] Sewell. He's rehabbing on his way back. But he'll be PUP. Ozzy's doing a great job. He's working his [2:59] butt off. He looks good. So he's working to get again back into being a football player again. [3:06] And then lastly, Shamar Turner. He's working to get back as well. He did some really good work this [3:12] offseason. He's starting to move around really well. Again, I don't have timelines for all these [3:17] guys. But they're on their way back. So I'll open up the questions. Do you have a minimum amount of [3:22] time you expect Kyler to miss here at the start of camp? I don't. I really don't know. He's got to [3:28] get right. And I think the important thing that we've all talked about is when he gets back, we [3:31] need him to stay back. You mentioned frustration factor obviously on both sides with Kyler Gordon and [3:36] you guys. Has he done everything that you guys have wanted him to do as far as rehabbing and [3:42] getting better? Yeah. Like I said, I think he gave up a lot this break to stay here and put the time [3:48] in. That's what he did. And again, a little bit of a repetitive situation that we got to get fixed. [3:55] And then when he gets back, he's going to have to earn that trust back and that dependability. So [3:59] you know, because we've got to put all the guys in a good position to be successful and up and down [4:03] moving guys around is really tough. So I'll have to earn that back when he gets back. Considering [4:07] how long this has gone on for him, has there been some type of disconnect between him and the team [4:14] at some point to explain why this is? Yeah, I think that's a frustrating thing is I think the [4:20] communication in terms of the plan our guys have put together has been on point, but it's it's just [4:26] hasn't stuck. So again, we're turning every stone to get that thing right. You talked about him being [4:32] here late in the offseason. He didn't show up on time for the offseason program. Is it [4:36] talking about last year? Yeah. Does he need more consistency from him? Yeah, this year has been [4:41] consistent. Like I said, he stayed here the whole whole break trying to get right. We've got to keep [4:47] that consistent as we move forward. One guy you did not mention was Dio. How encouraging has it been [4:53] to see him and what did you see from him in the spring? Yeah, Dio did a great job with his return to [4:58] play. I think it's always good if you can get one of the guys that was injured in the season to be in [5:03] that vet minicamp at least where they can start. I think the part that we don't talk about enough [5:07] is just getting your confidence back as a football player. There's some balance of body control things [5:12] which it starts moving where it's more reactive than proactive. So he was able to get that phase in [5:17] and then add another five, six weeks of training. So it's really positive. Obviously, we'll keep on [5:24] them as we go, but really encouraging encouraged by not only his work that he put into it, but our staff [5:29] important to him to get them right. We've talked to you about the pass rush all offseason. How important [5:34] is Dio's development during camp for you in whether you weigh, can you add, should you add? [5:41] Yeah, I think really the development of all those guys is going to be really important. [5:46] You know, Sweat, I'd like to see him continue to improve and take what he did last year and add to [5:52] that. You know, we don't talk about Booker. Like last offseason, he was coming on strong before he had a [5:57] little bit of an injury there that kind of set him back, but he was able to kind of help us down the [6:02] stretch. So he's another guy we're taking an eye on. So I don't think it's different than any part of [6:06] the roster. We're going to evaluate and see how they do. And then if we got to make adjustments or [6:11] obviously investigate what where we can get better, we'll do that. [6:14] How are you? That's not it. That's not it. That's not a decision. [6:20] Yeah, I've told you all for the last four or five years. Well, we're going to investigate any [6:25] opportunities to get better. But at the end of the day, we got to make sure we know our team. So we [6:31] evaluate on a daily basis and see what we need to do with a few veterans that are out there on the [6:35] end. How do you decide whether that's a fit not only for them to some of these names that might not be [6:44] comfortable with the various with a smaller role? Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I mean, we can cross [6:50] that bridge if we ever needed to go across it. But yeah, everybody, you know, we're looking for [6:55] competition, guys come to compete and and really fall into the role to help us win football games. [7:01] You mentioned a couple of times the growth you saw from Caleb last season as a professional. What was most [7:05] notable to you about the strides you saw? I think what we saw down the stretch is like the desire to [7:11] win, the desire to win. And I think we'll see development in all those, you know, other areas, [7:16] the technical areas, understanding the offense, defense. Ben's done a great job with him. And I [7:23] expect him to continue to develop. But I think at the end of the day, we want our guys to have a [7:27] strong desire to find a way to win football games. And that was clear to me. As you've watched him and [7:32] Ben grow together, what's been the reason in your eyes that that relationship has worked the way [7:37] it has? They both want to be great and win Super Bowls. And that's all that matters. [7:40] How does your perspective change at this time of year when you go from being the hunter to the [7:45] hunted in the division? And does that alter anything you do? No, I think it's important to [7:53] have the mindset that you're always hunting. And that's what we're going to do. I'm sure [7:57] coach will talk about our mentality as we move forward. But we're going to be hunting at all times. [8:02] As you head into this season, every position group that you look at that you saw last year [8:08] and said, we nailed it this offseason. That's exactly where we wanted to improve and we were [8:13] able to do. You know, I feel really good about the competition across our roster. I've learned [8:20] being in this league long enough that, you know, to sit here and feel comfortable today could change [8:25] tomorrow. So we stay on edge for all of these positions because you might be deep today and you [8:32] might be thin tomorrow. So we're just going to keep at it. So I don't think I ever feel comfortable [8:37] with with anything. So but I love the competition that we have across the board. [8:41] What do you want to see at this camp and heading into year 30 for him? [8:46] Yeah, I'll just keep it broad just to continue to get better. You know, be a master of his craft. [8:52] If he does that, we'll be in good shape. How are you looking at the left tackle competition? [8:58] Yeah, it's going to be a great competition. I think, you know, we got Braxton in a really good [9:04] spot, probably the healthiest he's been since his first year. So he's going to compete and [9:08] he's got a lot of snaps under his belt. Theo's done a great job, like see what he's done with [9:14] his body this offseason and he just continues to get bigger, stronger, faster, understand [9:19] what we're trying to do. I was really encouraged by Jedrick Wills and his progress that he's made. [9:24] I think he's put over double digit lean mass on his body, which was something we were [9:29] looking forward to as he gets to getting back to what he was. So that whole group and then, [9:34] you know, Ozzy's working his towel off. So, you know, we'll get a couple of layers to [9:38] that and we'll see how it all plays out. And Karan, Karan as well. [9:41] Ryan, what's the uniqueness of Garrett and then Logan behind him and how you kind of envision [9:47] your centers? [9:48] Yeah, you have a guy with a ton of NFL experience, just played in the Super Bowl. I think he's [9:56] one of those glue guys for offensive line that brings everyone together, has a ton of knowledge [10:01] and wisdom on how to play the position, especially with the young quarterback behind him. [10:04] And then Logan's hungry, he's got great football character, strong from a physical standpoint, [10:11] is in a really good place. But obviously, as a young center, you know, this game's a lot [10:15] different at this level. But we expect, again, competition there as we go. But really happy [10:22] with with how Bradbury has been going about his business. [10:25] Can you talk about Caleb's intensity and desire to win and how encouraging that is? Are you seeing [10:31] a connection between that and his understanding of how important just mastering some of the basics [10:37] and some of the less exciting parts of the job are to those goals? [10:41] Yeah. And again, I'll let you hit that with with coach because he sees it closer than than I do. But [10:47] I think anytime these guys mature, they start to realize what the work looks like. And those small [10:55] little details matter when you show up on game day. And again, I expect him to continue to grow in that [11:00] area. Right now, your roster development, where you have better and starting place, but you also start [11:06] to acquire younger players for the future. You look at the depth at center, like say to just actually look [11:10] a tight end, maybe linebacker, evaluate that process in terms of when the time may come to transition to [11:18] the younger guys. Yeah, it goes back to competition. We're going to let it play out and see where [11:24] they're at. Obviously, you know, if the young guys haven't played a lot of football before, it's going [11:29] to take a little bit of time to understand what this game is all about. But we just we look at the [11:34] competition and how that stacks up and if guys are separating themselves or not. It's always a tough call. [11:39] Again, when you haven't played NFL snaps, it's very different than even the preseason. So, you know, [11:45] I think what's really important at this time is being really good evaluators of your own roster. [11:50] So we've got to be honed in on that. And that's Coach and I talking through this whole process. [11:55] With your desire to keep Darnell as a kind of core piece for you going forward, what is the next frontier [12:01] for him and his growth as a tackle? Yeah, I think it's just consistency. We all see the flashes and [12:09] the stacks of plays that he puts together. And it's really impressive. Can it be consistent day [12:14] in the day out? That's the key part for Darnell. Is that a deal that you would like to get done [12:19] sooner than later with Darnell Red? I think there's a window to get a deal done. And then, [12:24] you know, at some point, we've got to go play football. So we'll figure that part out. But [12:29] obviously, I think I've said it before. Darnell's the guy we want here long term. It takes two sides [12:34] to get things done. But at the end of the day, I don't want any distractions or anything like that. [12:39] So when it's time to go play football, we'll go play football and and keep it moving. But [12:42] yeah, he's a guy we would like to hear for a while. [12:47] Ryan, we talked about Luther Burden and his excitement about Burden in the offseason. [12:53] From what you evaluated in college and from where you think his ceiling is, how far along [12:59] is he? What was there? [13:03] Yeah, we we got to go play games and he's got to, you know, finish this thing off. But [13:09] if there's a guy that I'm really excited about, it's Luther Burden because of his just how much [13:15] he's grown from the day he walked in this building. I mean, he was I heard he was just [13:22] texting and calling these quarterbacks, just looking for an arm to throw to him every day of [13:27] the week. The guy loves football. He's passionate about it. He wants to help this team win and he [13:35] wants to be the absolute best receiver he can possibly be. And you can feel the fire inside [13:41] of him. And and I'm excited to see that show up.