Q: Do you know Bill Sheridan pretty well?
A: Yes, Bill and I go way back. We played in the same Catholic league in Detroit high school football. And then we were GAs together in 1986 and our paths have crossed a few times. And he came back and was on my staff at Michigan when I was the defensive coordinator. He coached the linebackers and the D-linemen for a couple of years. We have known each other for a long time.
Q: He coached linebackers for you?
A: Yes, he coached the two outside backers one year and then for two years he coached the D-line.
Q: Your roles have switched?
* *A: Our roles have switched.
Q: That has to be unusual.
A: I don't know. In this profession you move around enough that you tend to run into the same guys a little bit.
Q: What kind of a coordinator do you think he is going to be?
* *A: He will be excellent. He was a great asset to me at Michigan and everywhere he has been he has done a great job. He knows the game of football; has studied the game of football and he is one of the guys – like if I ever have a question – there is no doubt that I would go to him. He is an excellent football coach.
Q: RE: Adjusting to a different scheme.
A: I think as a defensive coach for as long as I have been doing it – we ran the 4-3 in Michigan; ran the 3-4 at the Jets. So you are exposed to all of that. And you are always looking for ideas – what best suits your personnel. So in terms of the coaching part of it, it is different and the terminology is different – like learning a new language. But the concepts are pretty much the same, just different ways to handle some things.
Q: What did you like about Sintim?
A: To me he is an excellent run guy. He can set an edge; very strong, very long arms, good upper body. And the thing that he does really well is that he also had an extra bonus …..the pass rush also. But he will be a dual guy. He will be able to play on all three downs.
Q: There may be a question about his pass coverage.
A: I don't think they really used him that much at Virginia but he is an excellent athlete. So usually that is first thing you look at as a coach - can he move, can he change direction – which he can. He gets a … to learn our scheme, but I see no problems there at all.
Q: RE: Antonio Pierce
A: I have talked to him; I have talked to him a few times. I have talked to all of the guys. They are a good group of guys; excellent room, very similar to the room that I had at the Jets the year before, just good guys, guys who in my mind are professionals. To me, that is really what you want, guys who come to work and understand their job and do a great job of it.
Q: There are a lot of young guys to work with, too. Is that an asset?
A: Yeah there is. I like that. I think anytime you can have a good mixture – I think you always need a good strong group of older players to help the younger players because there is a circle of life there. It is going to keep moving. If your older players are good guys who can help and help the younger kids along, in the long run that is going to help us as a football team. I think we have that here.
Q: In your circle of life, what did you take out of Michigan from your coaches there?
A: From when I played there?
Q: Yes
A: I think the one thing that I always admired about Coach Schembechler was that he was, as a head coach, he was fair to everyone, but different for everyone. And to me he was a great disciplinarian. He taught me how to be disciplined as a man and as a football player.
Q: RE: Getting the relationship going with Antonio.
A: I think so. I really believe this -- maybe a little bit different than college, but in professional football the older guys that you have in your room -- as a coach you can learn from them because they are on the football field. They are the guys that go out on Sunday. I don't go out and make any tackles any more. And so their insight, to me, is beneficial to us as a team and beneficial to the young guys on our team also. I think that is a thing that you are always looking for as a position coach is being able to hear and listen to what they are saying and then being able to apply that to what we are doing.
