Stephen Jones on Austin ESPN Radio with Chip Brown
RECAP: Stephen Jones on Austin ESPN Radio with Chip Brown... Courtesy of ImanRoshi
What’s the latest on coming back to San Antonio for camp?
We’re going to San Antonio today to meet with some people there, and it looks like it’s a very real possibility after this year.
Will this be back in the Alamodome?
Right now it looks like it will be back at the Alamodome.
No chance on coming back to Austin?
We loved Austin and had some great years there, but it really doesn’t have the facilities.
Bobby Carpenter. What did you see in Bobby Carpenter?
He’s grown up around football his entire life. He understands what it takes to be a professional. He played at a big time program at Ohio State. So he’s ready. We think he really fits what we’re trying to do. He’s versatile and smart and we anticipate him to be able to do everything we ask of him in the 3-4. He was a great fit for us, and not only has upside but also the most sound. Everything we’re going to ask him to do we’ve seen him do on tape. The other guy we considered was Manny Lawson, but he was a projection. In the 3-4, these OLB’s are like your defensive ends, so most of these guys are projections because most college teams run a 4-3. Lawson had some special skills that we were considering, but we felt Bobby was the best fit.
Where did you have Mario Williams on your board? He seemed to just erupt after the combine, and some people say he took a lot of plays off.
We had him right there with Bush as a unique player that comes around every 10 years. Its just a matter of what you need on your team. Obviously, Houston had some pretty good RB’s on the roster and felt they needed a pass rusher, but we had the same grade on Williams that we had on Bush.
How did you have Vince, Leinart and Cutler ranked?
It depends on your system. They all had unique traits. VY might be the biggest playmaking QB in the history of college football who almost singlehandedly won a national championship for his team. Leinart was the best system QB and can step right in and run an offense. Cutler had the best physical tools.
What did you like about Fasano that other TE’s on the board like Byrd, Pope and David Thomas didn’t have?
Well, with everything we accomplished in free agency, we had the luxury of taking the BPA. This draft was very deep draft on TE’s. For our system, we needed someone who can block and pass catch. He has such a good feel of finding spots in the defense. He comes from a similar system that we run, having played under Charlie Weiss. So he’ll understand what we do on Day 1. We also think he has upside to be the best blocker in the group and might be the most polished WR. He is extremely quick in and out of breaks and has a great feel for the passing game.
Which one of your rookies will have the most impact right away?
We think 4 or 5 can help right away. The first two we’re expecting to step in right away. Hatcher has tremendous upside, but he’s among a strong group on the DL so he might be afforded the luxury of more time. But we believe you can never have enough defensive linemen. Skyler Green should be able to step in right away as an elite returner. Our safety was one of the best college special team players in the country, so he should be able to contribute right away on special teams. He might also get in on defense too. Stanley, again we have a deep defensive line, but brings a different dimension in size and strength that we didn’t have before. And we have a couple of projects on the offensive line that we’re interested in too.
Gotta ask you about TO. SO many reports about whether Bill was on board. Separate fact from fiction.
Bill doesn’t like any particular player to be a point of focus and he believes in the concept of team, but he was definitely on board. He met with the agent, did a lot of calls around the league, did a lot of homework on the player. So he signed off on it, along with me, Jerry and Jeff. So we definitely think he’ll be a huge weapon for us, and add Glenn, Witten, Fasano and the running game with Julius we’re really looking forward to getting all those weapons on the field on offense.
How tough is it with what he did on the star?
Well, it’s a business. Players don’t stay on the same team forever like they used to. He was fired up about playing against the Cowboys. As he said, he’s on the same team with the star now and ready to do big things for it.
What’s the latest on coming back to San Antonio for camp?
We’re going to San Antonio today to meet with some people there, and it looks like it’s a very real possibility after this year.
Will this be back in the Alamodome?
Right now it looks like it will be back at the Alamodome.
No chance on coming back to Austin?
We loved Austin and had some great years there, but it really doesn’t have the facilities.
Bobby Carpenter. What did you see in Bobby Carpenter?
He’s grown up around football his entire life. He understands what it takes to be a professional. He played at a big time program at Ohio State. So he’s ready. We think he really fits what we’re trying to do. He’s versatile and smart and we anticipate him to be able to do everything we ask of him in the 3-4. He was a great fit for us, and not only has upside but also the most sound. Everything we’re going to ask him to do we’ve seen him do on tape. The other guy we considered was Manny Lawson, but he was a projection. In the 3-4, these OLB’s are like your defensive ends, so most of these guys are projections because most college teams run a 4-3. Lawson had some special skills that we were considering, but we felt Bobby was the best fit.
Where did you have Mario Williams on your board? He seemed to just erupt after the combine, and some people say he took a lot of plays off.
We had him right there with Bush as a unique player that comes around every 10 years. Its just a matter of what you need on your team. Obviously, Houston had some pretty good RB’s on the roster and felt they needed a pass rusher, but we had the same grade on Williams that we had on Bush.
How did you have Vince, Leinart and Cutler ranked?
It depends on your system. They all had unique traits. VY might be the biggest playmaking QB in the history of college football who almost singlehandedly won a national championship for his team. Leinart was the best system QB and can step right in and run an offense. Cutler had the best physical tools.
What did you like about Fasano that other TE’s on the board like Byrd, Pope and David Thomas didn’t have?
Well, with everything we accomplished in free agency, we had the luxury of taking the BPA. This draft was very deep draft on TE’s. For our system, we needed someone who can block and pass catch. He has such a good feel of finding spots in the defense. He comes from a similar system that we run, having played under Charlie Weiss. So he’ll understand what we do on Day 1. We also think he has upside to be the best blocker in the group and might be the most polished WR. He is extremely quick in and out of breaks and has a great feel for the passing game.
Which one of your rookies will have the most impact right away?
We think 4 or 5 can help right away. The first two we’re expecting to step in right away. Hatcher has tremendous upside, but he’s among a strong group on the DL so he might be afforded the luxury of more time. But we believe you can never have enough defensive linemen. Skyler Green should be able to step in right away as an elite returner. Our safety was one of the best college special team players in the country, so he should be able to contribute right away on special teams. He might also get in on defense too. Stanley, again we have a deep defensive line, but brings a different dimension in size and strength that we didn’t have before. And we have a couple of projects on the offensive line that we’re interested in too.
Gotta ask you about TO. SO many reports about whether Bill was on board. Separate fact from fiction.
Bill doesn’t like any particular player to be a point of focus and he believes in the concept of team, but he was definitely on board. He met with the agent, did a lot of calls around the league, did a lot of homework on the player. So he signed off on it, along with me, Jerry and Jeff. So we definitely think he’ll be a huge weapon for us, and add Glenn, Witten, Fasano and the running game with Julius we’re really looking forward to getting all those weapons on the field on offense.
How tough is it with what he did on the star?
Well, it’s a business. Players don’t stay on the same team forever like they used to. He was fired up about playing against the Cowboys. As he said, he’s on the same team with the star now and ready to do big things for it.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:08 PM
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