Jiggyfly
Banned
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2013
- Messages
- 9,220
Cowboy sTE coach Mike Pope: This needs to be a breakout year for Gavin Escobar
SportsDayDFW.com Follow @SportsDayDFW
Published: 10 August 2015 02:53 PM
Updated: 10 August 2015 02:53 PM
Dallas Cowboys tight end coach Mike Pope recently joined The Musers on KTCK-AM (1310) to talk all things football. Here are some of the highlights:
On if the Cowboys’ old-school offense last season was a throwback to those Giants Super Bowl teams he was a part of:
Pope: “We feel that that’s the formula to try to win in this division especially and then supporting them on defense the way we were able to with the time of possession as some very young guys grew up. It’s a formula that kept Tony upright and I don’t think we’ll change it from there very much going forward the strength of our team is on the offensive front collectively, so I don’t think it will be a mystery as for how we’re going to play.”
On where the Cowboys’ offensive line ranks with what he’s seen over his 33-year NFL career:
Pope: “I think if you base that on the draft status of these players, it’s the very best one I’ve ever watched from behind. We have young players, which is good, and we have strong tight ends on the edge, so from one end of the line of scrimmage to the other, it really matches what we try to do. (I’ve) had some really good individual players, but I think as a group I think they might be as good, as I’ve said, where they were drafted, if we could repeat that, that will be a strength of our team.”
On how much time he spends with tight ends blocking compared to routes or others aspects of play:
Pope: “As much as we possibly can. We have a couple of drills in practice which are just really us vs. the defensive linemen, and it’s helped us tremendously. Rod Marinelli likes this drill from a defensive standpoint because it makes his players take on blocks really without a lot of gadgets and slants and stunts and those kind of things. It’s just one-on-one and it’s helped our players terrifically.”
On having a veteran like Jason Witten:
Pope: “I’ve had some great tight ends over the years who were good blockers, but he’s been a real pride because he bought into the technique for teaching and I think last year — he’ll tell you this, too — is the best year he ever had blocking. The other young guys are modeling after him, so they have improved. But that’s what you have to be able to do. You can’t just run behind Jason Witten; you have to be able to balance up those sides that you run.”
On what specific techniques he used to coach Witten:
Pope: “Well I’m a big, big, big believer in the two most important factors in any blocking is, No. 1 balance because obviously if you’re off balance, you’re not going to have your body strength in play, and leverage — because we’re often times blocking players, particularly in the four-man lines, who are anywhere from 25 to 40 to 50 pounds bigger than we our. Over the many years we’ve developed a technique that’s allowed us to do that. We’re not naive enough to think we’re going to knock the 320-pounders off the line of scrimmage, but we’re going to keep them off the ball carrier as hard as we can.”
On some of the more unusual drills Pope employs during workouts and if he made them up:
Pope: “Yeah, mostly and then I see things happening in practice and I want to try to simulate that, but some of them are a little cheeky I guess, but in the final analysis, it’s really all about getting your hands on the path of the ball and being able to watch the ball hit your hands. We don’t have the luxury of being an outside-in-space player where we see the all for a lengthy period of time. Often times just as we turn, the quarterback puts that ball right on us, so our ability to react very quickly to that, because if we tip the ball, obviously it’s going to be a good play for the wrong side. All those things are really about just quickening up the instincts and seeing — putting your hands on that pass, wherever it is, and we get them thrown to us anywhere, everywhere. Down by our knees, up high, especially down in the scoring zone where Tony (Romo) and Jason (Garrett) have done this many years, where Tony puts the ball where only he can get it. So you have to practice those things. You can’t just walkup there and hope it happens.”
On where he gauges Gavin Escobar’s progression:
Pope: “I think he’s made a good deal of physical progress over this offseason. I think maybe he made his biggest commitment to working with Mike Wolski in the weight room and those guys. He looks better; he looks more physical and he looks like he’s got a bigger frame with more muscle mass on it. A good part of that’s because a lot of our catches are arriving at about the same time as the defender does. If you’re not physically strong enough to absorb that blow and hang onto the ball, then the quarterback is not going to throw it to you. So that’s been a big thing from the time of the end of the season to when we started our work in the spring. This needs to be, and hopefully will be, a breakout year for him. We’re down a little bit at receiver right now
SportsDayDFW.com Follow @SportsDayDFW
Published: 10 August 2015 02:53 PM
Updated: 10 August 2015 02:53 PM
Dallas Cowboys tight end coach Mike Pope recently joined The Musers on KTCK-AM (1310) to talk all things football. Here are some of the highlights:
On if the Cowboys’ old-school offense last season was a throwback to those Giants Super Bowl teams he was a part of:
Pope: “We feel that that’s the formula to try to win in this division especially and then supporting them on defense the way we were able to with the time of possession as some very young guys grew up. It’s a formula that kept Tony upright and I don’t think we’ll change it from there very much going forward the strength of our team is on the offensive front collectively, so I don’t think it will be a mystery as for how we’re going to play.”
On where the Cowboys’ offensive line ranks with what he’s seen over his 33-year NFL career:
Pope: “I think if you base that on the draft status of these players, it’s the very best one I’ve ever watched from behind. We have young players, which is good, and we have strong tight ends on the edge, so from one end of the line of scrimmage to the other, it really matches what we try to do. (I’ve) had some really good individual players, but I think as a group I think they might be as good, as I’ve said, where they were drafted, if we could repeat that, that will be a strength of our team.”
On how much time he spends with tight ends blocking compared to routes or others aspects of play:
Pope: “As much as we possibly can. We have a couple of drills in practice which are just really us vs. the defensive linemen, and it’s helped us tremendously. Rod Marinelli likes this drill from a defensive standpoint because it makes his players take on blocks really without a lot of gadgets and slants and stunts and those kind of things. It’s just one-on-one and it’s helped our players terrifically.”
On having a veteran like Jason Witten:
Pope: “I’ve had some great tight ends over the years who were good blockers, but he’s been a real pride because he bought into the technique for teaching and I think last year — he’ll tell you this, too — is the best year he ever had blocking. The other young guys are modeling after him, so they have improved. But that’s what you have to be able to do. You can’t just run behind Jason Witten; you have to be able to balance up those sides that you run.”
On what specific techniques he used to coach Witten:
Pope: “Well I’m a big, big, big believer in the two most important factors in any blocking is, No. 1 balance because obviously if you’re off balance, you’re not going to have your body strength in play, and leverage — because we’re often times blocking players, particularly in the four-man lines, who are anywhere from 25 to 40 to 50 pounds bigger than we our. Over the many years we’ve developed a technique that’s allowed us to do that. We’re not naive enough to think we’re going to knock the 320-pounders off the line of scrimmage, but we’re going to keep them off the ball carrier as hard as we can.”
On some of the more unusual drills Pope employs during workouts and if he made them up:
Pope: “Yeah, mostly and then I see things happening in practice and I want to try to simulate that, but some of them are a little cheeky I guess, but in the final analysis, it’s really all about getting your hands on the path of the ball and being able to watch the ball hit your hands. We don’t have the luxury of being an outside-in-space player where we see the all for a lengthy period of time. Often times just as we turn, the quarterback puts that ball right on us, so our ability to react very quickly to that, because if we tip the ball, obviously it’s going to be a good play for the wrong side. All those things are really about just quickening up the instincts and seeing — putting your hands on that pass, wherever it is, and we get them thrown to us anywhere, everywhere. Down by our knees, up high, especially down in the scoring zone where Tony (Romo) and Jason (Garrett) have done this many years, where Tony puts the ball where only he can get it. So you have to practice those things. You can’t just walkup there and hope it happens.”
On where he gauges Gavin Escobar’s progression:
Pope: “I think he’s made a good deal of physical progress over this offseason. I think maybe he made his biggest commitment to working with Mike Wolski in the weight room and those guys. He looks better; he looks more physical and he looks like he’s got a bigger frame with more muscle mass on it. A good part of that’s because a lot of our catches are arriving at about the same time as the defender does. If you’re not physically strong enough to absorb that blow and hang onto the ball, then the quarterback is not going to throw it to you. So that’s been a big thing from the time of the end of the season to when we started our work in the spring. This needs to be, and hopefully will be, a breakout year for him. We’re down a little bit at receiver right now