Closing comments on minicamp

[joecrisp]

Originally Posted by smootsmack

Crisp, excellent job taking us "inside Redskins park". What's great about it is that you obviously know and love football so you're not treating this like a job where you just punch in and punch out. Your enthusiasm definitely shines through.

By the way, I wore #26 in a rec league football team I played on in 7th grade....so you just let Portis and Iffy know they're lucky I'm not around to fight them both for the number And um, if they ask who I am just tell them my user name is CowboysUK (whatever happened to him?)

Did you get to talk to Blache or Coy Gibbs at all? Or from your basic observations what role did they seem to play? Was Blache running the defense? Did Coy do any actual coaching?

Thanks so much, smooty.

I didn't get to talk to Blache or Coy. It was difficult to get a read on the defensive activities, as the defense practiced on a separate field behind the field which reporters had access to, where the offense practiced. That, in addition to the fact that the nature of minicamp limits what the defense can do, is why so much of the coverage has centered on the offense.

I will say though, that Gregg Williams is unquestionably the alpha male on the defensive staff, and he has a confident, authoritative style which is very indicative of his status as the defensive boss. Blache's role is certainly subordinate to Williams', both in official title (Williams is Asst. Head Coach - Defense, and Blache is Defensive coordinator/Defensive line) and in the representation to the media of their roles.

The full-throttle, attacking defensive style displayed during minicamp has been attributed almost exclusively to Williams by both the defensive players and Coach Gibbs. It was blitz, blitz, blitz, and the defensive players loved it.

Coy is an offensive quality control assistant, and that role is primarily a observational job, where he basically watches the practices and videos, takes notes, and helps the coaches compile videos and statistical information. It's essentially the entry-level job for an aspiring NFL coach. It will give Coy the opportunity to learn how an NFL coaching staff works, and his input would be very limited at best, especially considering the decades upon decades of experience present on that coaching roster. He will be learning from the best, that's for sure, and great coaches are borne of great coaches. He's a young guy-- only 32-- so he's just beginning the very long journey of a professional coach.