General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Opening Statement:
A: “We are really happy and excited with the way this draft went. A lot of our needs were outlined and we had them up on the board over the last three months. We’re thrilled with the players we got on the second day as well.”
On cornerback Chevis Jackson:
A: “We started off with Chevis Jackson, an LSU guy who will play cornerback. He’s a very good Cover 2 corner, he has a good feel for defenses and he’s very instinctive. He’s dug a lot of balls out and it’s a big thing for a cornerback to be able to get their hands on the ball. He’s done that game in and game out in the SEC. We felt there was a need for him and we were excited to get him in the third round. We thought we might have had to move up into the second round to get this guy because we know a lot of guys were interested.”
On wide receiver Harry Douglas:
A: “Harry was a pick for us in the middle of the third round. We were looking to work on the passing game and he has inside/outside ability as well. I stress the versatility of Harry Douglas. He has good speed and an ability to stick his foot in the dirt, make a cut and separate. That is a very big key for this offense. We think Harry will help add to our depth in the offensive game.”
Q: On safety Thomas DeCoud:
A: “Thomas has been very productive as a special teams guy and I think he had six blocked kicks in two seasons with the Cal Bears. He also comes in at the safety position. He has free safety/strong safety ability. He plays fast, he’s aggressive, we feel he has a great understanding of defenses and we think he’ll continue to grow in our safety roll here. In my mind, you can never have enough safeties. They are very important to have on the field for defense as well as contributing on special teams.”
On linebacker Robert James:
A: “He’s a smaller run-and-hit linebacker at 226 pounds. This guy is a WILL linebacker type who will help us shore up our special teams. We think Robert James will be a nice addition on defense and will play hard on special teams. He’ll make some nice plays for us.”
On linebacker Kroy Biermann:
A: “Kroy is listed as a defensive end, but he’s played all over the defense. He’s played SAM linebacker, he has 3-4 linebacker ability, he has inside linebacker ability and he can get up the field as a rush guy. We thought his versatility was important for us and he can also contribute on special teams.”
On running back Thomas Brown, the University of Georgia standout:
A: “Thomas will work in the rotation and will compete for a position. He gives us a nice twist on the running back position after going hard for Michael Turner in free agency and having Jerious Norwood with us. We’re hoping that Thomas can compete for the third spot here. Thomas also has kickoff return ability. He’s a speedy guy with good hands and he has versatility.”
On cornerback Wilrey Fontenot:
A: “He is a smaller cornerback who has good feet and hips. We all know what happens with cornerbacks as well. We thought we had to step up and be aggressive for going after a guy who can compete in the mix of cornerbacks. Wilrey is a productive and feisty guy. He explodes on the ball and we think he has a chance to compete at the cornerback spot for us this season.”
On tight end Keith Zinger:
A: “I can’t stress enough about power and the right blocking combination in Mike Mularkey’s system. We think that Keith can come in here as a blocking tight end with special teams ability. You continue to hear the overtone about special teams being important for us as well, especially when you talk about the later rounds.”
Head Coach Mike Smith
Q: Can you talk about not addressing the defensive tackle position in the Draft?
A: “When we first came together, we talked about how we were going to be a powerful team and control the line of scrimmage. We put a plan in place and that started with what we were going to do in free agency. We evaluated our roster, made some changes and then went into our free agency period. We looked forward because Thomas (Dimitroff) and I wanted to see what was going to be available in the draft. We knew it was going to be very limited on the defensive line, especially in the defensive tackle position. That is why we went out and signed the defensive linemen that we did in free agency, including Kindal Moorehead and Rashad Moore for example. Those guys have starts in this League and games under their belt in terms of defensive tackle. They weren’t “splash” signings, but we think those are guys who are going to come to work everyday and work hard. They are not going to be concerned about getting dirty. Schematically, we are going to have to do things that they do well. We look out over this spectrum from day one and see where we are going to be at the end of the draft. I feel very comfortable with the guys who we have at the defensive position.”
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Q: Can you talk about not addressing the defensive tackle position in the Draft?
A: “When you do the research on seeing who was drafted on the defensive line, you’ll see that the numbers are very slim. If you weren’t there going hard in the first round, it really fell off. That’s not to mention that there were guys on the defensive line list that weren’t fitting in with our style. We’re talking about bringing in guys who have the team concept, who are about getting better and who have passion for the game. There may be flashy players on the defensive line, but if they don’t have the team concept, to me, I think you need to put that player aside.”
Head Coach Mike Smith
On the offensive line:
A: “That group took some hits last year in terms of injuries. They were a unit that didn’t play together for very long and they were mixed and matched all throughout the season. As a coach, when your offensive line can stay together and stay healthy, you have a much better chance of playing efficiently. The guys who we have are good, solid football players in terms of their athletic ability and strength. When we get the right match together, we’ll have a unit that will compete every day. We picked up Sam Baker who will play in that left tackle spot and I think that’s a great addition. The offensive line is really a unit group and it’s not as individual as some of the other positions. These guys are going to have to work hard and we are going to have to find the right mix in match in terms of who the five guys are going to be. We have some options and choices.”
Q: Do you have a feel for where Chevis Jackson and some of the linebackers will play?
A: “Chris (Houston) played at right cornerback for the most part of last season. They flipped him around a little bit depending on the receiver that he had to defend. Starting out, Chevis will probably play on the left side while Chris plays on the right side. That would be the place that he starts. In this League, you are going to have to match people and match receivers. They will have to be cross-trained. We use that term a lot, but the left cornerback is going to have to play at right cornerback and the right cornerback is going to have to play at left cornerback. There are going to be times where Chevis will line up on the slot receiver and play in the nickel position. The cornerbacks will have to be interchangeable and it’s the same for the safeties. To me, Thomas DeCoud is more of a typical safety who teams are looking at. He’s not a true strong safety and he’s not a true free safety. Thomas has played cornerback at Cal and he’s a guy who could play cornerback for us in a pinch. He’ll definitely be able to line up in our free safety rotation and also the possibility of playing in the nickel position. He has some flexibility because he’s played cornerback as well.”
Q: Do you project the players selected in the higher rounds will be involved in special teams?
A: “Correct. Those guys that you’re talking about, Robert James and Kroy Biermann, their real value is that they’ll be able to help us on defense, but there are going to be guys that Keith Armstrong and Tom McMahon are going to work with on special teams. Robert was a run-and-hit linebacker at Arizona State, and had a very productive senior season. Kroy had 13 sacks. He’s a guy that we feel like we can take and put down and play right defensive end. He’ll also be able to be multiple in terms of what he might be able to do in some of our other packages where we stand guys up and move them around. I think he was a real fine pick at where we got him.”
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Q: Other than Kroy, most of the other picks were from BCS-type schools. Was that part of the master plan?
A: “It wasn’t a master plan, but it worked out that way. We considered a number of small-school players at legitimate spots on the board, but it just fall that way this year. There were definitely some talented players, though, from smaller schools.”
Q: What was the thought process behind choosing Thomas Brown considering his issues with injuries?
A: Thomas was a guy we had here at out local workout, and he was very impressive there. He was moving around well. We had obviously done a lot of research on him with him being close by. It was a combination of not only his ability to move and cut, but it was his vision, his athleticism, his body control, his ability to catch the ball and field the kickoff. A number of things came into play. We did our due diligence on his injuries, and he came in clean enough for us. We have certain grading scales for injuries, and he was definitely in the range of being acceptable so we moved forward.”
Q: Do you agree that Harry Douglas is better starting out than Wes Welker is now?
A: Wes was under the radar screen when he came out. Harry made a big push this year, and as I mentioned on the radio recently, Harry was getting a lot of buzz down the stretch. His ability to move inside or be outside and also move inside was a big value for him. A lot of teams were hoping they could get this kid in the third round. I felt very fortunate and I know Mike did as well. We had everyone on the offense looking at this guy, and we were focused in on a guy that we thought would come in here and help shore up our passing game and provide us some versatility. Regarding Wes Welker, a lot of teams are looking at that (comparison between Harry Douglas and Wes Welker). You have a guy inside who can stick his foot in the dirt, separate and that’s big. It doesn’t matter that a guy may not run a 4.4 or a 4.3. When Wes he came out, he might’ve been a 4.6 guy, but he had the uncanny ability to shake people, and that’s very important.”
Q: Is Harry Douglas going to be a returner at all?
A: “In our eyes, not at this point.”
Q: Will Robert James be moved to safety, or stay at linebacker?
A: “As it stands now, he play linebacker. His special teams ability is what stood out for us. I don’t know if you all picked this up, but he’s nicknamed the beast. He’s one of those relentless guys, who pins his ears back, flies around and has a passion for the game. We went and worked him out, and we were quite impressed with the way he moves around. We got him on the board, and everything worked out well for him.”
Head Coach Mike Smith
Q: Where will Kroy Biermann play?
A: “He’s going to line up at right defensive end for us to start with. We listed him as a defensive end when we drafted him, but he does have flexibility to play in the two-point stance. Some teams had him projected as an inside linebacker. When you’ve got that type of versatility, it bodes well for a guy. For us, he’s going to be lining up in the same line that John Abraham is lining up in.”
Q: As you look at the two top picks, where do you see both in the depth chart?
A: “When we were in Boston visiting with Matt in our private workout, I talked to him about his thoughts on playing early. Matt gave me the right answer. He said, “Coach I want to come compete and I want to be your starter.” That’s the attitude we want to have at all of our positions, not just Matt Ryan. Everybody that was drafted and we want them to come in with the mindset that they’re going to complete to be the starter at their position. To me, that’s what the game of football is all about. It’s competition to be the best. We have 16 opportunities to go out and compete. We’re not going to put a ceiling on where any of these guys can be. If Matt Ryan, Sam Baker or Curtis Lofton are the best players at their positions, when we get ready to open the season, then they will be the guys that we’re going to play.”
General Manager Thomas Dimitroff
Q: Did Wilrey Fontenot get a lot of action playing opposite to Antoine Cason?
A: “He got a lot of action. Last year, we saw him in the spring, and he was a guy that caught my attention because he’s very feisty, very productive, and a nagging type corner. He’s always on you and always pestering the receivers. That’s what I found attractive about him. He’s definitely a different movement guy than Cason was. Cason is a longer levered guy, bigger and more of a cover-two type of corner, whereas Wilrey has the ability to play off the ball and cover off of a man.”
Q: What’s the next step with regards to undrafted free agents?
A: “We’re in the process now of landing all of our college free agents. We had them all pinpointed by positions going in. We have our scouting staff working hard, as well as the coaches. Everyone is doing a bang-up job, and I appreciate that.”
Head Coach Mike Smith
Q: Do you expect all players to report to the May mini camp
A: “I’m anticipating everyone to be here. This will be our mandatory minicamp. If not, they’ll be subject to fines based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement.”
