Can you talk about what you want in a slot receiver, how do you think your slot receivers are doing and what do you like about WR Randall Cobb?
"The slot position here for us, it's really a unique position. They have to have a unique skill set in terms of their movement skills. They need to have strong hands. They need to be really smart players. When they're inside and they're having a lot of choice routes, they need to be able to determine what the coverage is and make sure that they're able to make quick, decisive decisions so them and the quarterback are on the same page. With Randall, obviously with the amount of experience that he has playing in this league, he's able to identify all the defenses, understands how to attack them, how to set them up, and again, makes really good decisions and makes really quick decisions. So, at that position those are the things we're really looking for out of those guys."
How is T Charlie Heck adjusting with the transition to the NFL?
"Charlie is doing everything that we're asking him to do. He's putting in the time. Fortunately for him he's got some really good veterans in that room that are helping him develop. Even when he may not be getting a live rep, you can watch on film and Laremy (Tunsil) and Tytus (Howard) are back there working with him trying to teach him the tools of the trade, or tricks of the trade rather. Again, having those two guys kind of overseeing him, allowing Charlie to learn from their experiences has been really good for his growth."
How has G Cordel Iwuagwu done so far and what do you think of him generally?
"Cordel has come to work every day. He's doing a great job, especially in the run game. You can really see he's a powerful player. He likes the physicality of the game and he really strains to finish. He's really made some strides especially here in the past week or so."
As the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, how do you decide what to delegate to Assistant Quarterback Coach T.J. Yates?
"Obviously for me having T.J. in the quarterback room with us, it's been great being able to lean on him from the technical aspects of it. Obviously with T.J. being able to play in the NFL for as long as he did, he knows what it takes to be a successful NFL quarterback and really allowing him to focus on the fundamentals and the techniques that go along with playing the position. He's been a very big help."
QB Deshaun Watson talked about is biggest difference from year three to year four is he is in sync with you mentally. What is it like from your end and how do you feel the chemistry has grown there?
"Not to steal his answer, but when you're in the meeting room with him every single day and you're spending countless hours watching tape and going through situations, a lot of times you're just kind of talking about how each other are seeing the game. Hey, what were you looking at here? What decision would you make in this situation? What play do you like here? Who do you like running these routes? We're having all these discussions leading up to practice or leading up to the game and then when we get on the field, we're able to take advantage of that and make sure that we're both on the same page and really allow us to execute seamlessly."
Last year with the Dallas Cowboys, WR Randall Cobb averaged 15.1 yards per catch. Was it their system in Dallas that help him accomplish that or was that him? Can he come close to matching that in your system?
"He did a great job making plays last year. A lot of those plays, a lot of those balls that Dak (Prescott) was giving him, he went up and he made the play. Yeah, when you look at whether it was the system or whether it was him, all I know is he was getting open. Dak trusted him enough to get him the ball. Fortunately for us we've got a number of guys who are earning that trust right now and we're definitely looking for Randall to have a productive season."
As the former tight ends coach, what has impressed you most about what TE Jordan Akins has done this camp?
"Jordan's become a more consistent player. So, looking at the jump that he's made from year two to year three, he's been more consistent, has come in every day and has really made, basically, a big play a day for us as we've gone through this camp. The one thing that's shown that he's definitely improved on has been his consistency."
It seemed like the chemistry between WR Brandin Cooks and QB Deshaun Watson was there in practice. What do you attribute that to?
"First of all, I think they got some work together this offseason by themselves. That just goes to show the type of pros both those two. In their quote-unquote off time they made sure they were able to link up and get some work throwing. The second thing is that even though he may not have been obviously playing the spring with us, or the first couple of days when we were out there, he was still in the meetings and he was participating in the meetings, asking questions and giving feedback. A lot of times when you're going through this, especially for players that have played a lot of football, they're able to visualize themselves running the play that you may be showing on film. Asking questions, how would you like me to run this route? How do you see this? What do you want me to do here? And then obviously being such a good player and being such a good pro, when he's given the opportunity to go out there and do it in an 11-on-11 drill, he's able to get out there and not skip a beat."
Could you talk about both TE Jordan Thomas and TE Kahale Warring?
"Both of those players are very skilled at catching the football. They both kind of have a different skillset. One may move better than the other. One may be bigger than the other but they both have really strong hands and do a great job of attacking the football when it comes their way. They're both continuing to make strides in the running game but you're right, both of those players have made some big plays for us here in the past couple of days."
Given the weird season it will be due to COVID-19, is it even more important to keep a third quarterback on the roster and maybe have another one on the practice squad because of how important that position is?
"I think obviously everything is unprecedented. We're kind of – as we go through this, Jack (Easterby) and Coach (Bill O'Brien) are doing a great job of making sure that they're going through every scenario. Again, I have complete trust that they've got a plan for everything and they're making sure that no matter what situation may come up, we're going to be in the best position possible."
